《Taming Destiny - a Tamer Class isekai/portal survival fantasy.》 Prologue: This New Life Now When the attack comes, the flicker in my peripheral vision allows me to avoid it. Barely. I¡¯ve been trudging through the forest surrounding me for a few hours now, following the river as it wends its way down the mountainside. I¡¯ve been keeping my ears and eyes open, having already learned my lesson about that several times over. For a while the coast has been pretty clear. Very few creatures have entered my field of vision, and none that try to attack me. I¡¯ve almost started to relax. Almost. But I can¡¯t forget that this place is perilous, far more so than the place I¡¯ve left behind. At the sound of snapping branches, I flinch. Swiftly putting my back to a tree, I stare around myself suspiciously. I¡¯m heading through a dangerous part of the forest ¨C a dense section of vegetation composed more of bushes than trees. There¡¯s still plenty of space to walk, but there¡¯s also plenty of cover for any ambusher. I grip my rudimentary spear more tightly and lift it so it¡¯s more of a weapon and less of a walking stick. It goes quiet for long enough that I start to relax again, wondering if perhaps it was just some other prey animal with the same fearful hope as me: that it has gone undetected. I¡¯m not that lucky. The creature ¨C or creatures as I realise it is in reality ¨C leap at me from the bushes surrounding me. I flail around with my spear and knife, alternately trying to knock them out of the air and stab at them. I¡¯m not a pro in dual-wielding, though, and any hits come more from luck than skill. Or perhaps we could say that they come from probability: if I flail fast and hard enough, I¡¯m bound to hit something. I shout ¨C in no way a high-pitched shriek, I promise myself even as the sound emerges ¨C and turn the air blue as something bites down on my skull. Liquid runs down the side of my head as a stinging pain shoots through me. Dropping the knife, I reach up at the thing and pull. It doesn¡¯t want to let go. I have to yank several times before I get it free. I¡¯m pretty sure a good chunk of hair has come with the wretch, but at least it¡¯s not biting my head any longer. Throwing it to the ground, I try to stamp on it, but the bugger is too fast and scurries out of the way before my foot lands. In the meantime, three others have attached themselves to my leg, foot, and calf. I shout again ¨C in a much manlier register this time ¨C very tempted to bludgeon the painful leeches. Unfortunately, I know that if I swing my spear at them like a staff, I¡¯m more likely to hit myself than them. This is not a good match-up. They¡¯re fast, agile, and too small for my wild spear swings to do more than hit one out of the air every so often. In the meantime, they¡¯ve broken skin in multiple places and I¡¯m starting to look painted in red. The bites aren¡¯t deep, but they¡¯re painful and every drop of blood lost inches me closer to death. Just thinking about that reminds me of one small light in this green hell that is my new reality. Casting Lay-on-hands ¨C a healing spell ¨C I hope that it will help me keep going a bit longer. I need to work smarter, not harder. Temporarily dropping my weapon, I slap at the creatures. Though I¡¯d gladly take killing them, I¡¯ll willingly accept just getting them off. The little monsters avoid my grasping and flapping hands, choosing to leap away from me. I do hit two of them, but they recover and jump away as I reach for them to wring their scrawny necks. For a moment, I am free of new pain, though their previous bites sting and ache. With a brief window of space, I take a few moments to think through the situation. Moving, my attackers seem to be claws and teeth attached to flashes of green ¨C I have no chance of determining their numbers. Hitting them out of the air isn¡¯t working. Maybe playing bait would work better. If anything else, it should get them out of the bushes and allow me to have more idea of what I¡¯m dealing with. Swiping at the knife and spear I dropped on the ground, I take two steps to put my back to a tree. There I pause, tempting them to come at me across open ground rather than darting in and out of the bushes as they have been doing so far. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I soon have cause to regret my decision. Now not swiping at me in fly-by attacks, they settle against my flesh, biting my legs ¨C chewing, really. The agony shoots up my legs, the sensation joining my bank of things I never want to feel again. Did that one just swallow a chunk of my flesh?! At least I¡¯m getting a better view of my attackers now, though. They¡¯re some bizarre cross between lizards and weasels. The shape and approximate size of a weasel, but looking more like a small monitor lizard. Teeth probably like them too, but I can¡¯t see them because they¡¯re buried in my flesh. Right, time to deal with these obnoxious weasitors. Since no more parasites have leaped from the bushes to attack in the past few seconds, I guess that this pack is limited to the seven nasty creatures currently attached to my legs. Dropping my spear, I use a lightning-fast movement grab the weasitor currently gnawing on the flesh of my right calf just below my knee. It¡¯s slower to detach, thanks to its deeper bite, so this time I succeed in getting a hold of it. Squeezing its kicking rear legs, I pull it out perpendicular to where its head remains attached. With my other hand I stab at it over and over again until it¡¯s dead. I don¡¯t remove its teeth from my flesh ¨C yet. I¡¯ve already made that mistake once and almost paid the ultimate price for it. I succeed in grabbing and killing another before the rest realise they¡¯re in danger and jump away. They disappear into the bushes like the vermin they are. ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t,¡± I growl. Casting Lay-on-hands again, I pull the dead weasitors out carefully, unhooking their needle-sharp, curved teeth from my legs rather than just pulling my flesh with them. Then, pretending to be weak, I lean back against the tree, slumping down to one knee. Fortunately for me, these creatures are pros at ambushes, but amateurs at spotting bad acting. They jump at me again, this time aiming higher than before. I slam one against the tree at my back when it makes the fatal decision of latching onto my shoulder blade. I know it¡¯s not dead because I can feel it wriggling, but it¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯m done with its friends. I trap another under my elbow against my side. When it sinks its teeth into my sensitive side, I shout at the pain. Agony, really, but what¡¯s new? Then, snatching a third out of the air as it leaps at my head, I stab it with my dagger, its guts spilling out to slide down my wrist. Grabbing one of the only two still free, I manage to catch it with the tip of my dagger just as it jumps away with a chunk of my flesh in its mouth. Stabbity stab stab. Another one bites the dust. Am I going mad? Possibly. Probably. But frankly, right now, I don¡¯t care. With a growl, I slam my blade into the one trapped under my elbow, wriggling my dagger until I feel it go limp, its spine severed. Leaning backwards with my full weight and then some, I crush the one behind my back until it¡¯s stopped wriggling. Twisting round, I make sure it¡¯s dead with a knife through its skull, grim satisfaction going through me. Presuming there were seven in this pack, there¡¯s only one left alive. If it knows what¡¯s good for it, it will stay far away from me. Right now, unless it got me somewhere vital, it¡¯s not much threat on its own. I still wait for a while, my senses remaining on high alert. Nothing. ¡°Huh, perhaps it¡¯s smarter than its friends,¡± I comment to myself, cautiously hopeful. I just wish they had been smart enough to maybe, well, not attack me in the first place! Leaning against the tree, I cast Lay-on-hands again. The promises I was given haven¡¯t exactly turned out the way I was expecting, but at least the ability to heal almost instantly is awesome. I¡¯ll need to cast it a couple more times, but it¡¯s better to let the magic of each heal-over-time finish first before casting again. Otherwise, at best, I waste the mana; at worst, I¡¯d cancel some of the beneficial effects out. Too bad the spell¡¯s effects don¡¯t appear to stack. I probably need to let my health and stamina refill a bit too. I''ve worked harder physically in the last couple of days than I ever have in my life, but it feels...surprisingly good. Plus, from what I have seen so far, the new system I have access to now could be a bit of a game-changer. Game-changer ¨C hah! Being able to see my capabilities in numbers is useful, if a little disheartening, and may offer the possibility to directly improve things such as health and stamina in a way that would have been impossible on Earth. And besides, what did I have to stay for on Earth, anyway? Being attacked by weasitors might be painful as hell, but at least I feel alive now ¨C that¡¯s more than I had back there. Thinking back to the fight, how I succeeded in not shouting, screaming, or going out of my mind at the pain of literally being eaten alive, I don¡¯t know. Maybe it¡¯s just the burning anger in the pit of my stomach that grows every time I¡¯m attacked by some other opportunistic blighter. I¡¯ve made it through another fight ¨C and my opponents have not. Taking a moment to relax, I pull out some food and water. While I refresh myself, I find my thoughts wandering back to the events which started it all. Book One: Leap -Chapter One: Drunk I take another swig of whiskey. The burn has long faded by now: I¡¯m more than halfway into my nth bottle of spirits and my throat has gone numb. Or maybe I¡¯ve just stopped caring. The last few hours are a blur. Maybe even days. I couldn¡¯t say how long it¡¯s been since I started drinking as if my life depended on it. If my life depended on it. Hah, funny, I think, but the bitter amusement fails to even twist my lips in the mockery of a smile. What life? There¡¯s nothing for me to lose now except my heart beating and my lungs pumping: surviving, not living. Family, job, self-respect¡­ Gone. ¡°Firrrred,¡± I slur out to the empty room, feeling the way it tastes in my mouth, how it twists the tongue. ¡°Unemployed.¡± Another unsavoury word. ¡°Failure,¡± I spit. I¡¯m still thinking about it, which means I haven¡¯t drunk enough. I tip the bottle back but more sloshes on my face than in my mouth. I curse bitterly, lamenting at the world, God, and anyone else listening about the fact that, with this final death-knell, my life is officially over. Pity my attempts to make sure of that permanently just ended with me descending from the roof of my apartment block to keep drinking. A failure even in that. Something flickers in my peripheral vision, just in front of my over-stuffed bookshelf and I automatically turn to look. It takes my alcohol-sozzled brain a good few seconds to register what I¡¯m looking at and then, in the very educated way all drunks have, I question reality: ¡°Whas¡¯a?¡± Standing up and stumbling forwards, I wave my hand vaguely in the air underneath the apparition, and then through it. ¡°Stop that,¡± the ghost says a mite crossly. ¡°This is difficult enough without you interrupting the projection.¡± ¡°Wha? It speashs?¡± I murmur drunkenly, staring at the approximately 30cm tall pearly-white figure floating a few centimetres off my table. It looks like a man, a neatly-dressed figure in what I muzzily recognise as a vaguely medieval doublet and hose. A bit like what my male coworkers and I wore at an Elizabethan-inspired Christmas party, though with less poofy trousers and a more normal-height collar, even if ours were made with cardboard instead of starched fabric. As for its face, it looks rather like a stereotypical villain with a pointy beard, mustache, and a dark look that grows even darker as I prod it again. ¡°Stop that, I said!¡± the figure barks at me. ¡°Are you...drunk?¡± it, he, then asks. I shrug languidly. ¡°Maaaybe,¡± I drawl. Looking around, I can¡¯t see the whiskey. If I can question whether I was drunk or not, clearly I haven¡¯t had enough. ¡°Where¡¯s z¡¯whiksy?¡± ¡°From the looks of it, you¡¯ve had more than enough,¡± the ghost tells me disapprovingly. ¡°This is the only hope for my legacy?¡± he mutters under his breath ¡°Gods help me.¡± Sighing he speaks louder. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time. Drunk or not, listen to me now.¡± I hold up one finger that turns into two as my eyes unfocus. ¡°Whisksy firssst,¡± I tell him as firmly as I can make it. The man sighs, clear annoyance in the sound of it. ¡°Next to you, on the floor.¡± I lean over the arm of the chair quickly, almost tipping over it as my centre of gravity shifts too far. I see the bottle on the floor and grab it, sloshing its contents a bit as I lean back. Already down by more than half, the liquid doesn¡¯t actually leave the bottle despite the abrupt movements. I tip it back, almost missing my mouth again. By this point, I can barely feel the burn, but the alcohol content soon gets to me as the world starts spinning even more. I tip my head back staring at the ceiling, marveling at the way the cracks are moving round and round and round... ¡°Now will you listen?¡± the apparition asks with frustration in his voice. I wave one hand vaguely in the air, almost hitting myself in the face. ¡°I hope you remember at least some of this when you sober up,¡± he mutters to himself before once more speaking loudly and clearly. ¡°I come with an offer. I need to bestow a powerful inheritance on a successor and the Oracle has indicated that you are my only option if I do not wish my legacy to be destroyed within the next generation.¡± He continues speaking, but I have lost the ability to focus, staring at the ceiling vacantly as his voice becomes background sound, the odd word filtering in but not making much sense. It¡¯s almost soothing, too much so for my drunken state to endure, and my eyes slip closed without me even noticing. ***** I keep drinking. That night, through the day, the next night, the next day¡­.the days run into each other. I only stop when I run out of alcohol and can¡¯t find my wallet to go buy more. Great chunks of time disappear without my notice; it doesn¡¯t matter ¨C no one is expecting me for anything. I think I try to head out to the rooftop again, but can¡¯t open the door because my body isn¡¯t working right. When I finally do return to some sort of rational awareness, I wake to the world still spinning, my head pounding fit to burst, and my stomach telling me firmly that it is about to upend itself. I make it to the toilet, thankfully, and proceed to worship the porcelain god for a good few minutes. When I sit back, my stomach empty but still roiling uncomfortably, my throat feels like sandpaper and my mouth tastes like something has died in it. Brushing my teeth ¨C twice ¨C deals with the taste, but doesn¡¯t do much for the other symptoms. Tossing back a couple of paracetamol, I grimace as even water running down my acid-burnt throat hurts. I know I need to drink to rehydrate and eat something to settle my stomach, but I really, really don¡¯t feel like it. I¡¯m not a habitual drunk, but even when I have over-indulged a bit, it¡¯s never been this bad. Normally I stop after the world starts spinning, and the worst I have the next morning is a headache, sometimes a small bit of nausea. This time, though, I¡¯d had a reason to bury my pain in whiskey ¨C and wine, and vodka, and rum. Not wanting to make an already bad morning ¨C afternoon? - worse, my thoughts shy away from remembering why that was. Instead, I push myself to my feet, determined to eat something. Maybe porridge? I know greasy food is supposed to be good for a hangover, but I can¡¯t cope with anything scratchy right now. Maybe if I added some butter to the porridge? Worth a try. Exiting the bathroom, the first thing that hits me is the stench. Alcohol mingles with vomit and piss and the miasma sends me right back to hugging the toilet. Repeating the previous process once I¡¯ve finished hacking up my guts, I summon up the courage to brave the battlefield. Covering my nose with my sleeve, I stumble through the horribly dirty room to open the windows: if I can at least get the smell out, it¡¯ll make the world look better. Or so I tell myself. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I can¡¯t face doing any more than that and next totter into the kitchen, closing the door and opening this window. At least I didn¡¯t vomit in here, though I can see a puddle of alcohol where I clearly dropped a bottle ¨C the glass shattered and spread across the floor so I¡¯d better be careful with my bare feet. In fact, I really should clean it up straight away, but I don¡¯t have the motivation. Instead, I just step carefully around the chunks of glass I can see and hope that I¡¯m not stepping on a whole load of unnoticeable shards. Porridge is out of the question: the microwave is close to where the bottle shattered, and so are the bowls. Instead, I succeed in grabbing a cereal box out of the closest cupboard and sit on the kitchen table, my feet on one of the seats. I pull handfuls of cereal out of the box and chew on them dry. It¡¯s not great, but after a while, my nausea does start to abate. Once the paracetamol kicks in and I¡¯ve downed a good litre of water, I start feeling almost human. The pain I¡¯d been suffering muted, the tiredness of too little sleep starts weighing my eyelids down. Already done with the day, I just lie down on the kitchen table and go to sleep, regardless of how uncomfortable it is. Memories of the ghost drift back into my mind as I drop off, but before I can decide whether they¡¯re dream or reality, I drop back into the welcoming blackness of sleep. ***** The next time I wake up, the sun is streaming through the windows. Just by that, I can tell it¡¯s early afternoon as my apartment faces south-west. The world has, thankfully, stopped spinning. My throat is feeling a bit better, though still rather raw, and my stomach is more settled. At least, I don¡¯t feel like being sick is just a wrong movement away now. I can also smell myself now the odor of whiskey has cleared from the room - I really need a shower. I¡¯m also lying on the kitchen table, a fact that makes itself very evident when I start trying to shift. Apparently lying on a hard surface with my feet resting on a lower one in terms of a chair is not the ideal sleeping position. Who knew? I groan as my back makes its ¨C very loud ¨C complaint. And my knees. I¡¯m also cold because the window was open and I had no cover. In fact, the only thing I can say that¡¯s even slightly good about my poor decision-making is that apparently I slept the sleep of the dead and didn¡¯t roll over onto the glass-strewn floor. The thought of which ¨C and the worse state of my sitting room ¨C makes me feel like opening another bottle. No. I scrub at my face and try to give myself a pep-talk. OK, you got completely drunk. You made a mess of your apartment. Just...take it one step at a time. Go...have a shower. Yeah, a shower would go a good way to helping me feel slightly more human and less roadkill. My problems will still be problems, but at least I won¡¯t stink badly enough to make my nose want to give in its own resignation. Unfortunately, my shower is in my bedroom, which is through the glass-field. Or through the sitting room, but I don¡¯t even dare consider that yet. I sigh. Clearing up the mess here first, then. Or maybe just enough to ensure I don¡¯t have to go to A and E with glass shards in my feet. After having succeeded in clearing a path through the danger, I reach my bedroom, jumping in the hot shower with a sigh of relief. The water feels like a benediction, washing away my cares and troubles, if only for a moment. Sadly, all good things come to an end and when my water starts cooling, I realise it¡¯s a sign that I need to get on with other things. The thought of all the cleaning I will have to do doesn¡¯t exactly fill me with glee. On my way to my wardrobe from the shower, buck-naked but for a towel around my head, I notice something strange on my desk. It¡¯s sitting next to a photo that never fails to make my stomach clench ¨C my ex and I smiling on our last holiday together before she broke up with me. Procrastination opportunity gladly accepted, especially if it stops me thinking about her. The item is a disk with an emblem that I¡¯ve never seen before. I pick it up to inspect the strange item. It¡¯s about the size of a coaster, but about three times as thick and heavy. Made out of metal, perhaps. The emblem is an intricate golden design on a black background. At first I think it¡¯s painted, but closer inspection proves that instead the gold is inlaid. The image is in the style of a coat of arms, with three sections ¨C a horizontal line across the centre with a vertical line dividing the top half into further quarters. Looking closely, the top left section is a fox ¨C recognisable by its pointy ears and bushy tail - in side profile, but with its head turned towards the front. Next to it in the right hand quarter is a hammer crossed with a sword, the hammer to the fore. Finally, the last ¨C and the largest ¨C section contains, unusually, a spiderweb. I don¡¯t know much about heraldry, but I¡¯ve never heard of or seen a spiderweb in a coat of arms. Idly I admire the quality of the work ¨C the spiderweb is especially beautifully done: each strand is perhaps only a fraction of a millimetre wide, and only visible when the disk is tilted so it catches the sun. Just like a real spiderweb, I realise. Looking away, I see something I had missed when I picked the disk up, too curious about it to notice anything else. The disk had been sitting on something, a folded up square of paper, to be precise. Setting the coat of arms down, I pick up the piece of paper instead. Before even opening it up, I realise that the paper is some type I¡¯ve never felt before. Thicker, and creamier coloured than I¡¯m used to, I guess it is some high-quality material. It even makes a different sound than I expect as I open it, a deeper rasp and crackle than a normal piece of paper would. Unfolding it, I realise that I¡¯m holding some sort of letter. The same coat of arms is imprinted in the top right-hand corner ¨C the spiderweb more visible here than on the disk as it is in black ink rather than reflective golden metal. The letter is handwritten, a rarity in these times, it seems. The writing is clear, bold, well-shaped. If the handwriting personality analysis I looked at once is anything to judge, this man is confident, well-settled in his position in life. Of course, at least half of that handwriting analysis thing is nonsense, so perhaps I¡¯d be better off reading the thing than analysing the handwriting. Greetings, I will briefly reintroduce myself as, due to your...inebriated state during my visit, and the fact that you seemed to fall asleep halfway through, I doubt you took in much of what I had to say. I must be brief: to send the transportation emblem is effort enough; a message is further expenditure and greater the longer the message. Expenditure which I had not anticipated after I paid the cost to project a semblance of myself to explain in person and to answer all the questions of the candidate. Nevertheless, I shall present myself again: I am Lord Nicholas of Azaarde. I offer you a new life and the potential of power and influence beyond what you ever thought you could achieve, that you ever thought possible: the inheritance that I and my family have built over the last few centuries. A powerful Class, Skill-set, wealth, and further benefits I will inform you of in person. I have no heirs of my own and so it behooves me to choose one suitable. I have been informed that you are the only hope of my family¡¯s legacy surviving the next generation, but you will have to prove yourself worthy of it: I would rather it dies with me than that it is destroyed by a drunkard. I say this so you know I do not make this offer lightly. You have the opportunity now of deciding the rest of your life. You can walk away and forget this ever happened, imagine it was a dream. Or, you can take your destiny in your hands and decide who you will be now and in the future. Should you decide to gamble everything on the chance that you show yourself deserving of what I can bestow on you, hold the transportation emblem accompanying this letter and acknowledge aloud your acceptance. I will warn you: the magic of the emblem will draw you across worlds and universes and there is NO way to return. Any unfinished business will, therefore, remain unfinished. You have three days to decide; after this, the emblem will return to me and I will know I must look elsewhere for a worthy heir. I am aware that it would take an unusual type of person to accept such an uncertain offer of potential power in exchange for everything you currently possess, but for the sake of my legacy, I can only hope that you might be such a character, and more, that you might overcome the trials ahead and prove yourself more than unusual; worthy. My sincerest and most cordial sentiments, Lord Nicholas Titanbend of Azaarde I stare at the letter in my hands, my jaw slack even as my mind whirls. Cutting through the depression that I have been mired in for days is confusion, incredulity, and one more. Like the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel, I feel the faintest glimmering of hope. Book One: Leap - Chapter Two: Hope Springs Eternal Before Take my destiny into my own hands¡­? It''s a siren call, but my doubting mind quickly pulls me back down to earth. This is a joke, surely. Magic doesn¡¯t exist; moreover, who would come and offer me something like this, straight out of a fantasy book? I pinch myself, wondering whether I¡¯m still asleep. Wincing, I stare around myself suspiciously. No...nothing seems out of place or unusual. But if I was dreaming, wouldn¡¯t I think that? But then would I wonder whether I was dreaming if I actually was? This is becoming too convoluted. I decide that I¡¯m probably not dreaming, but that if I am, it doesn¡¯t matter as everything will be gone in the morning. So if I¡¯m not dreaming, it¡¯s got to be some sort of practical joke. But who would do it? And how? And why? I haven¡¯t offended anyone recently, I don¡¯t think. Not enough to plan such an elaborate, and ultimately ineffectual joke. Sure, I suppose this could be some sort of reality TV where the moment I ¡®accept¡¯ the offer, a camera crew jumps out from behind the curtains to film my reaction and people across the world have a good laugh at my expense. But that seems even less probable than the letter being true: there¡¯s no one else here, I¡¯m sure of that, and wouldn¡¯t filming my reaction when first reading the letter be important? I put that possibility aside too. So, without the motivation of making a hit TV show, why would anyone put this much effort into sending me a letter which I¡¯m more than likely just to throw away? At least, I should be more than likely to do that. As it is¡­. It appeals. A new life, more than anything else, is what I want. Or no life at all, but it seems like I¡¯m too cowardly to end this one for myself. I¡¯ve got nothing left in this life, nothing that I value anyway. Why not entertain the possibility of this letter being real and then actually accept the offer? Worst-case scenario, I¡¯m revealed as a fool in front of the whole world; that might actually give me the motivation to off myself that apparently I¡¯m lacking. How much time did that guy give me to decide? I check the letter again. Three days. Well, that¡¯s plenty of ¨C wait. Three days. From when? From when I read the letter? No, more likely three days from when it was delivered. When was that? Yesterday? I search for my phone fruitlessly ¨C it¡¯s in the hell-room next door. A few moments of dithering later, I remember that there¡¯s a rarely-used clock on the wall in the kitchen ¨C normally, I just look at my phone. Poking my head through the door, I check both the time and, since it¡¯s an old-fashioned one that also shows the date, the day. When I see it, I can barely believe my eyes! It was the twentieth when I walked up to the rooftop; it¡¯s the twenty-fourth now. Christmas Eve. The thought makes my mood drop like a stone and I force myself to not dwell on it or return to the same blackness which drove me to drink to begin with. Four days have just vanished in the blink of an eye. Or rather, have drained away like the whiskey in my alcohol cabinet. Which begs the question: when did this letter and emblem get delivered, or appear or whatever? I vaguely remember seeing something. A floating man? Perhaps that¡¯s the ¡®projection¡¯ of which the letter speaks. Of course, it could have been some sort of high-tech hologram or something, but again, who¡¯s going to waste that kind of thing on a (newly) unemployed nobody like me? Anyway, I do have a blurred memory of a man wearing some Elizabethan-style clothing talking about...something. I¡¯d already been drinking for a while by then, so it¡¯s really not clear. Let¡¯s be logical, I tell myself firmly. If the emblem is supposed to disappear in three days, it¡¯s clearly not been three days yet. Equally, it¡¯s clearly been a significant time since it did appear, if we assume that the guy sent it shortly after he had projected himself. Actually, I realise as I look back at the letter, we can be sure that he sent it after his projection as he referred both to the projection and my...drunkenness¡­in the letter. So, at a minimum, he had to have had enough time between the projection and the emblem arriving to send the letter. As long as we assume they were sent together, which I figure is a likely scenario. Am I really treating this like it¡¯s real? I ask myself the question with uncertainty welling up in me. Then I shrug. What have I really got to lose, I remind myself. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. So, conclusion, I probably have some time to decide, but not much. But then, I realise, I don¡¯t really need any more time to decide ¨C I¡¯ve already given up on this life, so why not at least try this. No, what I need is time to pack. I dither for a moment as I consider whether to just go rather than risk the deadline passing before I¡¯ve finished packing. In the end, though, the picture of my mother sitting on my desk decides me: even if I¡¯m going to leave this world behind, I don¡¯t want to leave all of it here. And if I¡¯m packing my most treasured mementos, I might as well pack a few necessities too. Having come to that conclusion, I pull a suitcase from under my bed and start moving around my bedroom and kitchen like a whirlwind. I first pack my few precious keepsakes, and then move on to less important things. With no idea what might await me on the other side, I just throw everything I think might be useful into my bag. Wait, I hesitate, pausing in the middle of the room. Can I even take anything with me? It¡¯s a good point. I rush back to the letter and read it again. No indication either way, unfortunately. Right, well I¡¯ll just have to assume that I can at least bring the clothes I¡¯m wearing as there¡¯s no warning of suddenly being teleported in the nude. If I can bring what I¡¯m wearing, I can probably also bring at least a backpack. If I¡¯m lucky ¨C fat chance of that ¨C I¡¯ll also be able to bring anything I¡¯m holding. Taking a moment to pull a big ¨C practically unused ¨C hiking backpack from my cupboard, I rearrange a bit. In between times, I brave the hell-scape in my sitting room to grab a few important bits, holding my breath as much as possible and putting my sleeve over my nose when I really have no choice but to breathe. Every few minutes, I detour past my desk to check that the emblem and letter are still there. About an hour and a half later, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m wearing about five different layers since I couldn¡¯t fit all my warm gear in my bag: although it seems unlikely from what the guy, Nicholas, was wearing, it could be like Siberia wherever I arrive. In my huge number of pockets, I¡¯ve stashed all my most important bits. The other less-important-but-still-important things are in my backpack which weighs heavily on my back. In my hands I¡¯m holding the drag-handles of my biggest and second-biggest suitcases. It turns out that fitting a life into a few bags is actually pretty difficult. And I¡¯ve only got half my wardrobe, let alone my shoe rack. At least I¡¯ve fitted my favourite books in, and I¡¯ve got my Kindle with me so my library is fairly safe. I pull the bags over to my desk and pick up the emblem. It¡¯s heavy in my hands, heavy both with its physical weight and the weight of this decision. I hesitate. Do I really want to do this? Go into something completely unknown? Even assuming that the presence of ¡®magic¡¯ ¨C or sufficiently advanced technology to be called such ¨C is real and I¡¯m about to be teleported somewhere else, there¡¯s still a lot that could go wrong. What if this is actually some sort of scam for human traffickers or something? What if by ¡®accepting the offer¡¯, I end up becoming some sort of alien slave? I have no guarantee that this Nicholas guy is telling the truth about his motivations. And is my life really that bad? I¡¯m a jobless, family-less failure, that¡¯s for sure, but it¡¯s also for sure that I¡¯m young and hope springs eternal. Maybe this dark emptiness won¡¯t always be all I have to look forward to; maybe one day I could pull myself up, maybe make something big of myself¡­. I bite my lip and then my grip tightens on the emblem. No, I¡¯ve made my decision. Here¡¯s my big chance to make something of myself, to turn my desire to end my life into a desire to transform it. If I don¡¯t at least try this, I¡¯ll know that I don¡¯t have what it takes to pick myself up, and might as well just throw myself out of my window and hope I don¡¯t hurt anyone by landing on them. This is my decision, for good or for worse. Now, what am I supposed to do¡­? Flushing slightly as I realise I¡¯ve focused so much on if I should do it or not, I don¡¯t remember how to actually activate the transportation¡­. ¡®Hold the transportation emblem accompanying this letter and acknowledge aloud your acceptance¡¯, says the letter. I¡¯m about to do so when it occurs to me that I might be better off lifting my suitcases off the ground than just holding their handles. It takes a bit of juggling to succeed in holding both suitcases as well as the emblem, and the effort it takes to lift what has to be about forty plus kilos reminds me that as well as everything else, I¡¯ve been neglecting the gym. Still, I succeed eventually and, even as my fingers strain and my face reddens from the effort, I gasp out the activation phrase. ¡°I accept.¡± For several long moments, nothing happens. I open my eyes, realising I¡¯ve screwed them shut only to see my familiar apartment. Did I do something wrong? Or is it a prank after all. No one¡¯s jumped out from behind the door to laugh in my face and film my reaction, but maybe it¡¯s not been long enough yet. Then, as if it just needed a bit of time to get going, I feel the emblem heat up, almost burning my palm. The world lurches around me and I feel my stomach crawl into my mouth as I hear a great wind. Closing my eyes again in a desperate attempt to quell my motion sickness, I only open them again when the rushing wind calms down. What meets my gaze is completely different from anything I was expecting. My mouth hanging open, I lose the battle with my stomach and, unimpressively, empty it all over the surface on which I stand. Book One: Leap - Chapter Three: Proof of Worthiness Before When my stomach is finally empty and beginning to feel settled, I look around again, hoping that my initial impressions were wrong. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t appear to be that way; if anything, it¡¯s worse. I don¡¯t know why, but when I imagined where I would be taken, I¡¯d always envisioned a city, or a manor house, or even a palace. The ¡®lord¡¯ in the letter must have been what gave me that idea, I realise. This...it¡¯s not a city. It¡¯s not even a village, let alone anything more palatial. Instead, it looks like there are no signs of civilisation in sight. I¡¯m standing on the lower slopes of a mountain. Above me on one side towers a great snow-covered peak; on the other side lies a valley full of trees. Either side of the mountain stretches out into a number of other, lower, peaks. The temperature is actually rather pleasant, perhaps on the slightly chilly side when the wind blows, and the air is crisp and fresh. Too fresh ¨C there¡¯s not a hint of human presence in polluting smells. It truly appears to be a paradise for the intrepid backpacker. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve never been into the whole backpacking thing, and I don¡¯t think anyone would label me as ¡®intrepid¡¯. Heck, I don¡¯t even go on camping trips! I hated them as a child, and then there were no more childhood holidays after...the incident. As an adult, I always chose to stay at a hotel, either picking a warm place for holidays on the beach, or a cold place for skiing. The only reason I own the massive rucksack I¡¯m currently wearing is that one company I worked for sent us all off on a ¡®team-building¡¯ exercise in the wilds of the Brecon Beacons. Apparently going hungry, cold, wet, and miserable for a week with a whole load of co-workers who barely knew each other was supposed to foster good working relationships. And the reason I¡¯d bought a whole new, fancy backpack was because I was trying to impress my new colleagues. Spoiler alert: it didn¡¯t work. Perhaps it would have if my sturdy, practical backpack had been accompanied by a sturdy, practical man, but, as I¡¯ve already established, camping isn¡¯t my thing. No, for me, holidays are about enjoyment ¨C staying in a comfortable, convenient location, going out to nice restaurants, and spending the days relaxing or doing some sort of fun activity. Which is why I¡¯m currently desperately hoping that this is some sort of a joke and Lord Nicholas is about to jump out from behind a rock or something. As I think that, the emblem in my hand warms up again. Hope and nerves both rise inside of me again. What if, despite what the letter said, I¡¯m actually about to be transported back? Honestly, I don¡¯t really know what to think about that, but I don¡¯t have the time to do any deep soul-searching as that apparently isn¡¯t the reason for the emblem¡¯s reaction. Instead, it crumbles into glowing motes of dust which easily fall out of my hand. The motes drift down, but instead of coating the ground as normal, they instead take some sort of shape in the air. Under my disbelieving gaze, a wooden table comes into existence, rather incongruously placed in this completely natural landscape. I rub my eyes, I¡¯ll admit it. My mouth might also be hanging open. I touch the table tentatively, wondering if it will just shatter into dust again before my fingertips can come into contact. It doesn¡¯t of course, and I just spend a few moments marveling at my first experience with magic. Once I manage to get past my amazement at how the table had appeared, I start to explore what is actually on it. At least, I try to, but the gloves I¡¯m wearing rather impede my ability to pick things up. Cursing softly, I strip them off and shrug off about three extra layers of clothes while I¡¯m at it ¨C I¡¯m hot! Now more comfortable, I turn back to the table. There are a number of items: some of them are recognisable, if a little alarming in what they imply; others just look like strangely glowing stones of different shades and sizes. Right in the centre is another piece of paper, although this is a scroll. It¡¯s rolled up with a blue ribbon and sealed with black wax, indented with the same heraldry that had been on the emblem. Picking up the scroll, I crack the wax reluctantly, admiring the way it looks like something out of the medieval era. Greetings, You have taken the first step. You are an unusual person indeed to have dared the unknown in search of a fleeting greatness. However, greatness requires a proof of worthiness, and the price for transporting you from your world to mine is not small. Thus, for the purpose of efficiency the task for the two aims shall be one and the same. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Your objectives are twofold; first, survival. You must survive in your current world for a year. However, you must do more than just survive to achieve your second objective: collecting enough Energy to pay for your passage to my world. I am sure that you will be confused about this last point, so let me explain. I stop reading at that, taking a deep breath and then starting at the top again. No, I had understood what it was saying. I have to survive here. For a year. Anger rises within me, but I¡¯m self-aware enough to recognise the fear that curdles my stomach underneath it. All my self-awareness doesn¡¯t stop me from feeling both emotions, though, and my thoughts are quickly overtaken by emotion. As the wave of heat rises within me, my hand clenches and the rustle of paper crunching sounds loudly in the still air. A small part of my mind notes how much more effort I have to use to crush the paper than I would expect, but most of my awareness is concentrating on my thoughts about what I¡¯ve just read. This is total BS! What kind of ¡®opportunity¡¯ or ¡®new life¡¯ is this? I can¡¯t even see the hint of civilisation anywhere. Besides my worst-case scenarios of some alien version of human trafficking, if this guy Nicholas was on the level, I was expecting him to at least welcome me in person! Not dump me in some deserted area and tell me to ¡®survive¡¯ ¨C for a ¡®year¡¯. The fear curdling in my stomach quickly turns into panic: what do I know about survival? A week in the Brecon Beacons hardly counts! I¡¯ve never even watched those survival reality TV shows. I curse and kick the leg of the table making the items on it wobble alarmingly. How the hell is this supposed to show my ¡®worthiness¡¯? In what? Screaming like a little girl the first time a spider creeps into my tent? No, that¡¯s not referring back to an incident during my previous ill-fated expedition in the ¡®wilds¡¯. Really! I swear again and storm away from the table. My behaviour can be best described as a tantrum as I shout, stamp, wave my arms in anger and kick the ground, venting all the pent up anger and frustration and, yes, grief, that has been brewing in me over the last few days. Hell, weeks. I¡¯m crying and I don¡¯t even realise it until my eyes blur enough that I can¡¯t see in front of myself clearly. This, actually, ends my tirade as I kick a hidden rock in a tussock of grass and pain shoots up my foot. Of course, when I say it comes to an end, that¡¯s only once I¡¯ve cursed the air blue again while hopping on one leg. I decide to pretend that the tears are from the pain and let myself go a bit. It¡¯s not like anyone is here to see me, after all. Slowly, the pain ebbs and with it goes all the intensity of emotion which had been moving me. In its place I feel calmer, emptier. Ever-so-slightly more settled, like perhaps, not now, and not anytime soon, but perhaps one day I might feel better. About myself. About my life. Of course, if I really have to survive in the wilds that this appears to be by myself for a year, my life isn¡¯t likely to last very long, but then I¡¯m the stupid one who decided to accept a magical transportation without reading the small print. Or even having the small print to read, as a matter of fact. Maybe that should have been my first warning. Honestly, when I think about it, I¡¯m not angry at Nicholas, not really. I¡¯m angry at myself. Of course it was going to turn out to be too good to be true: it always is. Anytime I¡¯ve let myself get sucked into something which seems fantastic on the surface, it¡¯s always turned out to be a smelly, putrid bog underneath. This is no different. And although I know I didn¡¯t actually expect magic to be real, that¡¯s not really an excuse. Nor is the fact that I made the decision under a sense of time-pressure and hungover. I¡¯m better than that. Or I should be, at least. I sigh, my shoulders slumping, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. Well. I made the decision, and now I¡¯m trapped somewhere with no way to go home, completely at the mercy of nature and whatever these items are. I suppose I¡¯d better make sure I know everything I can about the situation in which I find myself, even if it feels a bit like locking the door after the horse has bolted. Still, I might find out that it¡¯s not quite as bad as I think ¨C maybe the letter will say that there¡¯s a city beyond this valley that I need to get to or something. Picking up the crunched piece of paper from where I had thrown it in my tantrum, I smooth it out once more, continuing to read. Energy is found in all things, even on your original world. On your world, however, there was such a minimal density of it that you could not even detect its presence. On my world, Energy is sufficiently present for it to be an essential part of life. Relevant to you at this moment are Classes and magic. It is why the stones I have sent you are so useful: the Class stone gives you the Tamer Class and all the advantages that come with this; the knowledge stones allow you to instantly absorb knowledge of a subject, up to a certain limit; the Skill stone instantly gives you access to a Skill outside your Class set which you can then use immediately. All of this is only possible because of our ability to use Energy. As, of course, is my ability to contact you originally, and pull you part of the way towards my world. Why only part of the way? For one simple reason: the amount of Energy to pull you all the way is enormous. It would take me some time to gather and, frankly, I would need to know that you were worth neglecting all my other responsibilities for the task. As I said at the beginning, it is far more efficient to combine a test of your worthiness with the practicality of paying for your journey. To be completely blunt, you need to collect sufficient Energy before the year is up otherwise the spell will take its due regardless. Given the distances involved, this would most likely cost you your life. As the anchor and initiator of the spell, I would be held partially accountable for your debt should you arrive in my world without having fully paid it, so you can see that it is also in my interests that you gain in strength. I stop reading for a moment, staring sightlessly over the top of the letter. Great, from bad to worse, I say to myself bitterly. Not only do I need to survive here for a year, but I can¡¯t even plan on just finding a hiding spot and becoming a hermit. No, I actually have to do something to gather ¡®Energy¡¯ or I¡¯ll be signing my death-warrant anyway. Feeling sick again, I look back at the letter. Better get it over and done with so at least I know what I¡¯m dealing with. Book One: Leap - Chapter Four: A Treasure Trove Before Scanning the letter to find the point where I¡¯d left off before, I feel my anger rekindle at the cavalier approach Nicholas seems to be taking towards my life. Sure, maybe he might have some consequences too if I fail, but it seems very much that the risk is all on my side of things. I continue reading. At this point, I imagine you are wondering how to collect Energy to pay the debt of your passage. In short, by killing beasts. When a creature is killed, part of its Energy goes to the one who kills it. Believe it or not, but the same was true on your previous world; it was just such an Energy-starved place that it would take longer than you have to live currently for you to even start making noticeable progress to pay for your passage. Indeed, that is why I made the choice to pull you to your current world: it may not be populated by civilised beings, but it is well-suffused with Energy. A treasure trove of sorts, if you would only reach out to harvest it. I feel my heart sink. ¡®not populated by civilised beings¡¯ is the fatal blow to my last ¨C clearly futile ¨C hopes of there being a city beyond the valley which I could travel to. Apparently I¡¯m being abandoned to the wilderness. What was that term Nicholas used? I check the letter again. A treasure trove, he considers it. Somehow, I doubt there are chests full of goodies anywhere near me¡­ I read on to find out what exactly has been given to me in order to even hope to survive in this unpopulated ¡®treasure trove¡¯ of a world. I have provided the following resources for you: - A Tamer Class stone (epic ¨C orange); - A System lore stone (novice ¨C light blue); - A Woodcraft knowledge stone (novice ¨C light green); - A Hunting knowledge stone (novice ¨C light brown) - A Tracking skill stone (initiate ¨C brown) - A Lay-on-hands Skill stone (beginner ¨C aquamarine) - A survival pack including a knife, a water flask, 2 days¡¯ rations, and some other essential items. - 2x minor health potions These resources should be sufficient to allow you to start the path to power. Given that your world seems to be one of technological advancements rather than individual survival, I have included several knowledge stones on this topic. It is kill or be killed, traveler. Harvest the Energy of others or be yourself harvested. I hope to see you on the other side. My most cordial and hopeful sentiments, Lord Nicholas Titanbend of Azaarde P.S. I suggest that you use the Class stone first, and then the Skill stone. Once you have received your Class, you will gain access to your status screen. Check your Intelligence stat before deciding how to use the knowledge and skill stones: unless you have an Intelligence stat of 10 or more, I would suggest not using more than one knowledge stone per day as you will be unable to absorb the majority of the second. You would need an Intelligence stat of more than 20 to absorb more than two stones in one day with reasonable efficiency. I stare at the letter, feeling numb. Then I snort: I suppose I have been given what I asked for ¨C if my guess is correct, the things this Nicholas guy has given me are awesome; I just wish I didn¡¯t have to be in the wilderness for a year to get them. Sighing, I lower the piece of paper down and regard the items on the desk thoughtfully. Nicholas suggested using the Class stone first ¨C that¡¯s apparently the orange one. Easily spotting it among the other colours, I pick it up and turn it over in my hand. The stone is warmer than I would have imagined ¨C almost like someone else has just been holding it. There¡¯s also some slight...buzz? Or is it like the way a rubbed balloon attracts hair except the other way around? Something like that. Either way, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my imagination to say that I feel something that I shouldn¡¯t from a simple stone, never mind the fact that it¡¯s glowing. I figure that I should probably follow Nicholas¡¯ advice: he¡¯s the one who sent me these items after all. OK, since arriving in this uninhabited place instead of wherever he is to receive the inheritance promised, I¡¯m taking his words with a bit more salt, but unless I allow my most paranoid thoughts free rein, I can¡¯t really see why he would give me bad advice. If he¡¯d wanted me to die immediately, he could have just not sent me anything ¨C he¡¯s right in saying that without any sort of aid I¡¯d have no idea on how to even find food and safe water to drink. Taking a deep breath, I activate the stone. Well, that¡¯s what I try to do. Turns out, staring intently at the stone is not how to activate it. ¡°Activate?¡± I say hesitantly. Nothing happens. ¡°Gain class?¡± Still nada. ¡°Start? Infuse? Osmosis? Damn you, do something!¡± I shout at it squeezing and glaring. My eyes go wide as there¡¯s a crunching sound and a crack appears in its surface. My stomach drops as the crack spreads and fractures further until the whole stone falls into a million pieces no bigger than finely grained sand. Fear claws at my belly ¨C have I just broken my only chance to survive the next year? The dust glows and suddenly starts melting into my skin. For a moment, it¡¯s like the world has paused, and then the next thing I know is pain all over. It isn¡¯t excruciating, but it¡¯s everywhere. Like pins and needles, but not just in one limb. Plus, after a breath, it¡¯s not just at the surface, but under as well. I¡¯m struck with the thought that I could almost map my entire body out, organs included, if I could build a picture based on the prickling sensation. While not terribly painful, it¡¯s enough to make me want to tear my skin off as my mind interprets the prickling as itchy. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Then, a few moments later, the pain vanishes as if it was never there. Everything feels...off. Just...wrong, somehow. Like the feeling when you walk into a familiar place where something has changed, but you can¡¯t immediately spot whether it¡¯s the furniture that¡¯s moved or the wall that has been painted a slightly different shade. The feeling of wrongness intensifies as a screen suddenly appears in front of me. The screen is made of mist formed in a box-like shape. The main part of the box is almost opaque, but it fades abruptly around the edges until I can see normally with my peripheral vision. I can just about see through the box enough to tell if I¡¯m about to walk into something, but it¡¯s definitely a better idea to stay still while using it, I think. Black words in a clear font style are printed on the densest section of the misty space.
Congratulations! You have absorbed a Class: Tamer You consequently have access to your status. To see this, think or say ¡®status¡¯. You have 0 status points to assign. You have 3 new messages.
Next message? Y/N
I think ¡®yes¡¯ and the words dissolve away, replaced swiftly after with another message.
Congratulations! You have new Class skills (2)
Tame: activate this skill on a being which already feels connected to you in some way and it will offer the being the option of becoming bound to you as a Companion. Warning: beings with a moderate or higher Intelligence level may choose to reject the bond.
Dominate: activate this skill on a being to enter into a Battle of Wills, success in which binds the being to you as a Bonded. Certain previous actions can increase your chances of winning the battle, even with a lower Willpower than your opponent. This includes, but is not limited to: having already defeated the being physically; having trapped the being so that they are unable to move; having terrified the being. Warning: if you lose the battle of wills, you will be rendered vulnerable for ten seconds as you recover. Recommended Willpower before attempting a Battle of Wills: 10 for a Stage 1 Beast.
Next message? Y/N
Once more, I think ¡®yes¡¯ even while my thoughts whirl.
Congratulations on achieving your first Class. You have gained access to an Inventory and a Map.
Your Inventory can hold up to 10 item slots per Class level, starting with five additional spaces per Class rarity rank above Uncommon. Identical items can stack up to 50. Live items can not be stored. Please note that the storage and withdrawal of items consumes Energy and will not function until you have gained some. You can access your Inventory by thinking or saying ¡®inventory¡¯.
Your Map keeps track of where you have been. This is a passive ability which you can toggle on or off. This ability consumes a small amount of Energy and will not function until you have gained some. You can access your Map by thinking or saying ¡®map¡¯. You can access a small mini-map in your vision by thinking or saying ¡®mini-map¡¯.
Next message? Y/N
Congratulations! You have a new ability: absorb Skill stones. 1 Skill stone detected in range. Do you wish to absorb this Skill stone now? Please note, you can choose to absorb this Skill stone later by holding it and thinking or saying ¡®absorb Skill stone¡¯.
Y/N
I hesitate, but think ¡®no¡¯ for now. I have enough to consider right now without adding an extra dimension into it. A new message forms in front of me:
Close interface / return to message panel / view status summary
I decide to close the messages, thoughtfully staring into the now unobscured view in front of me. Not that I see any of it: I¡¯m dwelling too much on what I¡¯ve just read. It¡¯s a lot to take in. This whole thing with ¡®Skills¡¯ and ¡®status¡¯ and ¡®stats¡¯ seems far too similar to video games for my comfort, especially when I consider that most video games are centred around fighting and killing, the same thing Nicholas is saying I¡¯ll have to do to collect Energy. I¡¯ve never been a big gamer, though I enjoyed a few during my teenage years and at uni. I haven¡¯t had time to play them recently though. Not since uni, in fact, as my focus for the last seven years has been my career. But if this is my reality now, it¡¯s a choice of either doing my best to adapt or throwing up my hands here and now and giving up. One choice definitely ends in my death; the other offers a little more hope. I try not to think of how many times I died in a video game: I don¡¯t know if I have the ability to respawn in real life and I don¡¯t feel like testing it. Sure, I was considering jumping off a building a few days ago, but I might as well give this ¡®new life¡¯ a chance, right? I can always ¡®quit¡¯ later if it¡¯s too much for me. Right. I thoughtfully evaluate the new information I¡¯ve been told. The Map and Inventory will definitely come in handy ¨C directions are not my strong point ¨C and the less I have to carry, the better. The Skills sound...interesting. It seems like there is a consensual and non-consensual duality to my new Class. Tame is the consensual one ¨C I have to build up a creature¡¯s loyalty the hard way, and they could still choose to refuse the bond when I offer it. Dominate, on the other hand, is clearly non-consensual, but I could see the purpose. I wonder whether there are any downsides to Dominate, maybe where the creature could attack me when I¡¯m least expecting it? Actually, didn¡¯t the description mention something about being vulnerable for a time after losing the Battle of Wills? That¡¯s a bit of a downside. If there are any others not mentioned, I guess I¡¯ll find out later; hopefully not the hard way. Speaking of not expecting it, I really am not expecting the attack which falls from the skies. One moment I¡¯m contemplating the admittedly beautiful view ahead of me while wryly wondering if this is a catch ¡®em all type situation, and the next I¡¯m lying on the ground with my head feeling like it¡¯s just exploded. Book One: Leap - Chapter Five: Zest for Life Before ¡°Wha¡¯?¡± I mumble blearily, staring at the rock in front of my eyes. The rock which is covered in blood. My blood. I got hit by a rock? I can only blame the almost certain concussion for the slow progress of my thoughts. Probably only the fact that it seems to have been a glancing blow, is what saved my skull from exploding like a watermelon. I hear a rustle of feathers and turn towards it just in time to see a sharp beak coming at my face. I flinch back, my head protesting fervently at the movement. It¡¯s enough to avoid getting my eyes pecked out, but not enough to avoid having my nose latched onto. ¡°Gerrof!¡± I shout, squinting through tears of pain. I flail my arms in front of me and, more by luck than design, manage to hit it in the neck. ¡°Wark!¡± I hear and the bird lets go. The relief is temporary ¨C now it¡¯s released my nose, it has full access to the rest of my body. I curl up, trying to avoid the painful bites as much as possible, all while my stomach tries to exit my body as my head makes its complaints known. My nose would also like to register its discontent, but I have no time for that. This is not working. The bloody bird is going to win at this rate. The rock it must have dropped on my head has done half of the job for it already. The rock! Bit by bit, I shift back towards the rock, covering it with my body. I grip it with my hand, preparing even as the bird starts drawing blood even through my clothes. Summoning up all my strength, I explode into movement. Well, I¡¯d like to say I explode. In fact, it¡¯s more like stagger to a half kneeling position, scrabble with one hand to grab the bird anywhere I can ¨C its neck, it turns out ¨C and flail with the rock. Once more, luck seems to be with me ¨C I¡¯ve actually grabbed it at a good point to drag its head down to the ground where I can start beating at it with the rock. I start swearing with each blow, taking out all my anger and fear at the situation I¡¯ve found myself in on the now-helpless bird. Eventually, it stills and its body collapses, its wings going limp from where they had been battering at my body. I stop myself when the head is just a bloody mush and lean back to sit on my heels, staring blankly ahead of me. Emotions course through me, unfamiliar both in their type and intensity. Recently, all I¡¯ve known this strongly are fear and grief. And, of course, the leaden dragging of hopelessness and depression that has almost consumed me more than once in the last week. This...there¡¯s fear, to be sure: the lingering twisting, curdling sense of terror. But how ironic for someone who stood on the edge of a building so recently, only a bare inch away from tumbling to my death, that the fear is of dying. A perfect opportunity to have solved all my problems by just letting the bird do its thing, and I suddenly discover that I don¡¯t want to die. I laugh suddenly, feeling like a weight has been lifted from my chest. It¡¯s illogical, and ridiculous, but so many of my thoughts over the past while have been consumed with questioning whether I even wanted to continue, or just try to end my life. To suddenly be confronted with an unmistakable desire for survival is...a relief. A decision, finally. Having acknowledged that, I now realise what the other emotion running riot through me is: triumph. This bird attacked me, tried to kill me, and it failed, because I succeeded in killing it first. It¡¯s been...so long since I have felt the triumph of winning that I almost don¡¯t recognise the sensation. Of course, then I realise I¡¯ve ¡®won¡¯ by killing another living creature and I feel a moment of guilt, and not a little nervousness at this new side of myself. I¡¯ll admit it ¨C I¡¯m a soft middle-manager. I like civilisation. I like drinks and parties and holidays on the beach. I have never been even remotely interested in those survival programs ¨C ¡®I¡¯m a celebrity, get me out of here!¡¯ is the closest I¡¯ve ever come to those. I don¡¯t even kill spiders I find in my bathtub! Never in a million years would I have imagined I¡¯d be in the situation where I had just brutally beaten in the head of some bird. I console myself that I didn¡¯t go seeking this fight: the bird is the one who dropped a rock on my head. That, of course, reminds me of the pain in my head, and my nose, and uncountable places in my body which are no doubt becoming dark bruises as I sit here and think. Plus, if another of those creatures attacks me with my head the way it is, both with my state of mind and my actual physical state, I¡¯ll be done for. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Actually...wasn¡¯t there something about healing in the list Nicholas wrote? I check the table, and see that the flailing around of either the bird or me has knocked everything off its surface. I curse as my stomach drops. Now that I¡¯ve rediscovered a zest for life, I feel like I¡¯m scrabbling for every possible advantage I can get. I need to find those stones! Setting the table back on its legs from where it had been knocked onto its side, I search around the area for Nicholas¡¯ gifts. The letter is an obvious pale spot and I grab it. It¡¯s slightly smudged by blood, but still legible, thankfully. I use the list of items to find everything and put them back on the table. My stomach only settles once I¡¯m sure I haven¡¯t lost anything. With how disadvantaged I am already, I really can¡¯t afford to lose even one of these lifelines ¨C the last few minutes have proven just how quickly things can turn into a fight for life or death. I take in a deep breath and try to pull myself together a bit. I may still have a stomach that feels like a pile of quivering jelly, and a probably-concussed head, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t think. Still, sorting out my physical discomfort would probably help. I knock back one of the health potions. In just a few seconds, my head is significantly clearer ¨C and painless. My eyes widen as the implications sink in, then my stomach sinks again as I realise that I might have made a mistake. If it cleared my cracked skull and other bumps and bruises so easily, how would it do with more significant, life-threatening problems? I have no idea of what is facing me; what if tomorrow I end up with a broken bone or something, and no potion? Come on, Markus, I tell myself sternly. Pull yourself together; think logically ¨C you can¡¯t change the past, but you can change the future. Alright, I¡¯ll try to think through this logically ¨C like it¡¯s just another problem at the office. Though maybe that¡¯s a bad idea as I was recently fired to be replaced by some ticketing system probably based in India¡­ I redirect my mind away from a topic that¡¯s sure to rebind me in those chains of depression. Problem ¨C I¡¯m stuck far from home in an environment which I find very unfamiliar. Solution ¨C I need to check out the resources which have been given to me and make a plan. Right. Sure. I can do that. I review the item list in the letter again. Which items are essential for my survival now, and which will be more important later? I¡¯ve already absorbed the Class stone, and Nicholas suggested absorbing the Lay-on-hands Skill stone after the Class stone. I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s supposed to be for, but I¡¯ve already decided that I need to trust his advice. That seems the next step. After that, there are four more stones. Two knowledge stones, a lore stone, and a skill stone. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any difference between the capital ¡®S¡¯ for the Lay-on-hands Skill stone, and the small ¡®s¡¯ for the Tracking skill stone, or if that¡¯s just a writing error. From what I understand of the implications of Nicholas¡¯s letter, I can absorb a ¡®Skill¡¯ stone and ¡®knowledge¡¯ stone without a problem, but can I do the same with a ¡®skill¡¯ stone and ¡®knowledge'' stone? Do I want to take the risk? Probably not as the risk is that I lose a large part of the information from the stone, making it worthless. All of these seem far too important to my survival to do that. In fact, that¡¯s the problem - I can¡¯t really decide which one stone is the most important now: they¡¯re all important! Although Nicholas didn¡¯t put a description of the stones into the letter, I have to guess that the Tracking and Hunting stones are what they say on the tin, and that¡¯s going to be absolutely essential for me once the rations Nicholas has given me run out ¨C hunting to provide the meat, and tracking to find the animals. As for the other two, the System lore stone will probably tell me more about the Class system, which will be important as I progress. Of all of them, this is the only one I can put in the ¡®important later¡¯ category as it doesn¡¯t seem quite as essential to my immediate survival. The final one, on the other hand, is a good candidate for the first stone I use after the Skill stone, if it does what I think it might. Woodcraft could mean carpentry ¨C literally crafting with wood ¨C but I have to guess from what Nicholas said that it¡¯s more likely to mean the other sense of the word ¨C being able to survive in the wood. While that might not help me much with the mountain I¡¯m currently on, it will no doubt be invaluable in the forest that fills the vast majority of the valley I¡¯m more likely to spend time in. Of course, before I can decide on the order, I need to check out my Intelligence level. Nicholas was clear: unless I have an Intelligence stat over 10, I can¡¯t absorb more than one stone a day. That said, I would imagine my Intelligence is over 10, unless I start at 0 because I¡¯ve just gained my Class. After all, I always did pretty well at school and I left Uni with a First Class degree. Plus, I¡¯ve worked most of the time since leaving Uni and my managers have generally been satisfied with my performance. Until the last one ¨C cost-cutting misers. Still, I might as well absorb the Skill stone as I know I¡¯ll definitely be doing that first, and it might make some changes to my status. I pick up the ¡®aquamarine¡¯ stone hoping that I¡¯ve correctly identified the colours. Knowing the difference between ¡®light blue¡¯, ¡®light green¡¯ and ¡®aquamarine¡¯ was more difficult than it should really be. Thanks to the instructive message, I think ¡®absorb Skill stone¡¯ at the object. It takes a moment, but then it¡¯s almost like the stone turns to gel, slumping into a pool in my hand. The semi-liquid is quickly absorbed, leaving a faint glow in the palm of my hand that just as quickly disappears. Unlike the previous time, there¡¯s no pain. Instead, a sort of ecstasy envelops me, an energy running through every cell in my body and making it feel completely fresh. I regret once more taking the health potion: I reckon that if I hadn¡¯t taken it, this Skill stone would have healed me anyway, it¡¯s just the impression I get. Then again, if I had been trying to make important decisions with a concussion, I would probably had made more errors. The next moment, I groan and keel over forwards as someone drives a railroad spike through my head. Book One: Leap - Chapter Six: Lack of Wisdom Before Someone isn¡¯t literally driving a massive metal spike into my head, though honestly it feels like it right now. In reality, it¡¯s memories, or perhaps impressions would be a better word, which are being forced into my head. I suddenly realise that I know all about Lay-on-hands and how to use it. I curse out loud as I really regret taking the health potion: this is a healing Skill. I hadn¡¯t realised. Sure, it might not have healed me all the way in one go ¨C I can¡¯t tell what level it¡¯s at without looking at my status, nor how much mana I have ¨C but I could have used it multiple times until I was healed. I only have ¨C had ¨C two health potions; only one now¡­. Gritting my teeth, there¡¯s not much I can do about the new wave of chagrin that washes through me. All I can do is try to do better in the future. That last health potion is going to be kept for a real emergency. Then I realise that I should be grateful that I have ongoing access to healing magic at all: I¡¯d be in a lot worse position on Earth right now after a rock to the head, even with access to doctors and hospitals. Heck, I¡¯d probably still be sitting in the waiting room if I¡¯d even got to A&E. Well, time to check my status and plan my next moves. Remembering what was at the end of the final message I read, I try commanding the screen to reappear. ¡°View status summary,¡± I say deliberately, more pleased than I should be when the screen comes back with a table of numbers. That is, until I look at it.

Name: Markus Wolf Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 0 Energy to next level: 2% Energy absorption rate: 5u/hr Energy towards debt: 0%
Intelligence 6 Mana: 60/60
Wisdom 3 Mana regeneration rate: 75u/hr
Willpower 4 Health regeneration rate: 4u/hr
Constitution 4 Health: 40/40
Strength 5 Stamina: 20/20
Dexterity 3 Stamina regeneration rate: 30u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Beginner 9
¡°Six,¡± I splutter indignantly, ignoring everything else. ¡°Six?!¡± How could I only have a six for Intelligence? And how could that be my highest stat? I mean, the fact that it¡¯s my highest stat isn¡¯t in itself a surprise ¨C I¡¯ve always prided myself on my intellect. It¡¯s the fact that it¡¯s so low, and so are all my other stats, that shocks me. Did all the days at the gym mean nothing? Or maybe they did help since that was actually only one point behind my Intelligence stat¡­. I smile wryly as I note my Wisdom stat ¨C not inaccurate, I suppose. I have made some rather stupid decisions, and not just today. Perhaps I ought to think about increasing that at some point, though probably not immediately as I can¡¯t really see its benefit in the immediate future. Although, maybe that¡¯s my lack of wisdom talking.... Sighing, I close the screen. I need to spend some time thinking about it and trying to work out how all the different elements function. Right now, though, I need to build up my ability to survive, and that means choosing one of the knowledge stones to absorb. Maybe my stats aren¡¯t that unexpected ¨C Nicholas had obviously considered it likely enough to put it as a post-script in his letter. That said, he equally evidently considered the possibility that my stats could be enough to absorb more than one stone, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have mentioned the possibility. Anyway, I look over the stones again thoughtfully. Hunting, tracking, and woodcraft are all essential for me at the moment, and I¡¯m grateful Nicholas sent them ¨C though not so grateful it outweighs my resentment of him sending me here in the first place. I wrench my thoughts back from that dark place again and reconcentrate on the subject at hand. Based on what I summarise is the function of each of the stones, I reckon that Woodcraft is my first priority, and I¡¯ll have to hope that it doesn¡¯t mean carpentry. After that...Well, I¡¯ll have to decide later whether I¡¯m going to need to know how to hunt before learning how to track or vice versa. If today is an exception and most creatures here avoid me, I¡¯ll need to be able to find them: tracking. If today is not an exception, then probably the animals will find me, so hunting becomes more of a priority. Either way, it¡¯s not a decision I can make now. Resolved, I nonetheless take a moment to reconsider, to check my reasoning for any more mistakes. Not seeing any, at least not obvious ones, I take up the light green stone and absorb it as I did the Skill stone. It¡¯s not a railroad spike this time ¨C it¡¯s worse. More like the train being driven into my head, all lights and horns blazing. I reel, losing my balance drunkenly and falling. The added pain of hitting the ground is a side-note to what¡¯s happening with my head. Why am I in so much pain, I ask myself blearily through the sensation. Has something gone wrong? Fortunately for me, nothing has gone wrong. It turns out that shoving about five years¡¯ worth of experience with survival in the wild into my head all in one go is just a little more impactful than the vague sense of how to use a skill that I¡¯d received before. I can understand now why Nicholas suggested that I don¡¯t absorb more than one stone a day unless my Intelligence is over 10 ¨C even with all the pain, even with all the information overload, I can sense that some of it is slipping away. Too unfamiliar with even the basics of what is being shoved into my mind, some of it just isn¡¯t sticking. Fortunately for me, it¡¯s a small portion as absorbing this stone is within my capabilities. Just. That said, I have to admit that I only draw these conclusions after the pain starts to subside. ¡°Ow,¡± I groan, daring to open my eyes from where they had slid shut. The sunlight dazzles me for a moment and sends a bolt of pain once more spearing through my brain. I slam them shut again waiting for the spinning to subside a bit more, but make a new attempt as soon as I feel remotely ready ¨C my new wilderness survival knowledge is telling me that lying out in the open with closed eyes is not the best way to see the next day. Or even the next hour. And it is wilderness survival, thankfully. More than just surviving in the forest, this stone has given me the knowledge of how to survive in a range of environments ¨C all of them, of course, far from any inhabited area. Newly armed with knowledge, I find my hesitancy about the path forward clearing up a bit. I move quickly towards the table and put the remaining stones into the pocket which wasn¡¯t torn up by the bird¡¯s attack. I shrug on the extra clothes which I had pushed off at the start and then sling the pack with the other survival supplies over my shoulder, to join the other backpack I brought with me. My most important items now stored, I gaze at my bright orange and green suitcases wondering how I¡¯m going to carry them. In neither design nor colour are they suited to my new environment, but I¡¯d rather not have to just ditch everything either. Glancing at the bird I¡¯ve just killed, I wonder about that too. My new wilderness survival memories are screaming at me that this is a useful food source, but at the same time that butchering and blood are a perfect way to lure predators. I don¡¯t want to lure predators! Then something occurs to me which makes me facepalm at my own idiocy. My Inventory! There was that message which said I could store a number of items in my Inventory, and I don¡¯t get the idea it was talking about my suitcases. Instead, I wonder if it¡¯s some sort of non-physical space like in some games I played. Surely that wouldn¡¯t let the scent of blood leak out? I consider actually butchering the bird here and then moving away, but decide against it in the end ¨C I feel too exposed here. Plus, there¡¯s no water source other than my canteen, and I don¡¯t want to waste that when I¡¯ll probably need it for drinking purposes. Instead, I try to work out how to actually access the Inventory. I test with a pen, something I don¡¯t really care too much about if it is lost. Fortunately, it turns out to be fairly easy. I have to think or say ¡®inventory¡¯ and then it appears in front of my eyes ¨C twenty little empty squares. Imagining the pen taking one of the spots is enough for it to vanish from my hands, and then imagining taking it out of the square is sufficient for it to appear once more in my hands. Not useful for an emergency situation, I note, resolving to keep my health potion and knife on my person. The next thing I try is to place the bird in its entirety into the Inventory. At first it doesn¡¯t work, and I feel a sinking sense of disappointment. Then, I have an idea. The bird is big, and dead. It¡¯s a ¨C literal ¨C dead-weight, but by carefully arranging its limbs and heaving with all my might, I get it off the ground. Only by a centimetre or so, but I¡¯m impressed...and also in pain. Before I drop it, I quickly activate my Inventory and imagine putting the bird in it. To my delight, the whole carcass suddenly vanishes. I stagger, put off-balance by the abrupt disappearance of the weight I was pressing against. My Inventory is still activated and I can see that one of its squares is now filled. Not wanting to try my luck, I don¡¯t verify by taking it out again, but jubilation fills me. OK, so that¡¯s something I should make a mental note of: I need to be holding whatever it is off the ground. No putting an airplane in my Inventory ¨C if I found one, that is. And I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any size limit per item slot beyond the 50 items stack limit. Still, for the present purpose, it¡¯s good news. A moment¡¯s work has a second and third slot filled with my suitcases. Perfect! Another thought has me pulling the precious knowledge stones out of my pocket and putting them in to fill four of the seventeen slots which remain. No way do I want to lose those! About to set out once more, I have another thought. I wonder¡­. Shrugging my backpack off again, I try to put that in the Inventory. I grin as it also succeeds. Even better, it only takes up one slot. This Inventory is awesome! Maybe I should do the same with my new survival pack? I try it, but this time it doesn¡¯t work. I frown. Why did the suitcases and backpack work, and the last bag didn¡¯t? A loud cry rings out and I jump, reminded of where I was. No time to test out theories, not sitting out in the open as I am. I quickly fill up a few more spaces in my Inventory with the bulky coats I¡¯m wearing, giving me more range of movement. I now know that the difference of speed between wearing them and not could save my life ¨C or end it. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seven: Wealth of Information Before I cut down towards the forest line, trying to take a route that uses outcroppings to block the view of me from the sky as much as possible, and provide shelter from a rock-bearing bird if necessary. When I reach the start of the trees ¨C fortunately with no incident ¨C I start walking along it, at right angles to the way I had been walking before. Why? My reasoning is that I need to find fresh water as a priority and this is most likely to come from the mountain: with any luck, I¡¯ll come across a stream bubbling into the forest. If that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ve got a few more ideas to try, but this is the easiest one. As I walk, I try to plan a bit for the future. There are lots of things that need doing, that¡¯s for sure, more than I would have ever thought of before absorbing the wilderness survival knowledge stone. Nicholas gave me a knife, which, when I consider what I would have to use otherwise, is a godsend. A knife is an essential tool, as well as a useful weapon for all its lack of reach, and having a metal one will make a lot of difference. The one Nicholas has given me is practical: a single-sided straight blade about twenty centimetres long with a slightly curved tip ¨C rather similar to a bowie knife. It even has a serrated section on the section of its spine closest to the tang, or handle which will come in useful for sawing through smaller pieces of wood. Fortunately, it also comes with a protective sheath otherwise I¡¯d probably have stabbed myself with it already. Still, I¡¯m going to need a good number of other tools too, and those I¡¯m going to have to make. Not having either blacksmithing equipment or expertise, I¡¯m going to have to go right back to basics and make them from flint. If I can find any, that is. That¡¯s another reason to find a stream. If I¡¯m lucky, there¡¯s flint below this mountain or forest and a stream will have cut deep enough into the layers of sediment and will have unearthed some nodules for me. If not...well, at least I still have my knife. I can use other rock types to make blunt instruments, but flint is truly the best ¨C that my newly absorbed wilderness survival knowledge knows about, at least. So, I need to make tools. I also need to sort out my food supply a bit. I have the dead bird in my Inventory, which is a start. While it¡¯s possible that the bird will be inedible for me ¨C I am in a different world, after all ¨C my newly-gained instincts say that it will most likely be fine. Generally, animal flesh is safe to eat, though should really be cooked to avoid harmful bacteria as much as possible. There are some animals which have levels of vitamins or toxins in their bodies which are unsafe for human consumption, but usually those have been a result of evolution to adapt to a particular environment, or ward off predators, often in that case accompanied by bright, warning colours. Carrion eaters can have levels of parasites that render their meat inedible too, but given that this bird dropped a stone on my head, I have to assume that it¡¯s a hunter, not a carrion eater. Perhaps an inaccurate assumption, but I may have to take that risk. It seems likely, then, that the bird¡¯s flesh will be safe to eat. Being in a different world might make a difference to my theory, but the fact that I can breathe the atmosphere with no problems and its temperature is mild to me indicates to me that the natural balance of the world is not that different from what I¡¯m used to. More affected by being in a different world is my knowledge of safe plants to eat. I¡¯ve been looking around while walking, and have discovered to my dismay that I don¡¯t recognise anything. If I¡¯d been relying on my personal knowledge of plants, that wouldn¡¯t mean much. After all, I could name the fruit, vegetables, and leaves which feature in your average British supermarket, and I could probably recognise a number of trees and plants which I regularly walked past in gardens or woods ¨C though that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d know if they were edible or not ¨C but that was it. I¡¯d absorbed the wilderness survival knowledge stone, however, and that is a wealth of information. Unfortunately, it was information about a world that was neither Earth, nor this one. I haven¡¯t recognised any plants so far and have to conclude that I¡¯m unlikely to. In fact, it¡¯s been somewhat disorientating: I¡¯ll see a plant with leaves of a certain shape that spark recognition in my mind, and then realise that the colour is completely wrong, or that it¡¯s a bush instead of a tree, or a flowering plant where it should be a fern-type. In short, there¡¯s no way I can rely on the encyclopedia of plants in my head to choose what to eat and what not to. Fortunately, my new knowledge also comes with instructions on how to test for if a plant is edible or not; the downside is that it takes a long time. I can¡¯t just shove something in my mouth and hope for the best. No, I¡¯ll have to first choose a plant, then separate it into its individual parts: leaves, stem, fruit or flower, roots etc. Next I¡¯ll have to test one part for irritation on contact, then try eating a small amount, then try eating a larger amount. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The problem with this is that I have to allow enough time for symptoms to emerge ¨C about eight hours for each test. Plus, in order to be certain whether I am or am not reacting to the plant itself, I¡¯ll have to avoid eating or drinking anything but clean water during each period. So, either I¡¯ll have to go without eating anything else for a whole twenty-four hour period, or I¡¯ll have to spend three days testing each part, using my sleeping period as the necessary fast. Did I mention that I have to test each part of the plant separately? At the same time, I¡¯ll have to be working hard to create the tools and shelter I need¡­. I can¡¯t help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Who knew that it took so much just to survive? Or at least, to survive without access to a supermarket and money to buy the things in it. Perhaps I should be grateful that I¡¯m in a place where there¡¯s probably abundant food available, just requiring me to work out what I can eat: there are many on Earth who are in just as poor a situation and can¡¯t say the same about their environment. I hope that the Inventory stops items from deteriorating ¨C it will make things much easier if I have access to an effective refrigerator. Of course, that will probably lead to its own limitations in terms of what I can put in it, but I¡¯d take the refrigerator over a live-animal pen, if I¡¯m honest. Actually, didn¡¯t the instructions say that I couldn¡¯t put live things in the Inventory anyway? Of course, before I can even consider any of that, I need to find water and a shelter, which brings me right around to my first aim. I sigh and just continue trudging on, my feet and legs already aching, my eyes squinting as they search for the glint of water. ***** Finding water ends up taking a long time. Much longer than I¡¯d anticipated. Apparently all those films where a person is lost in the wilderness and basically just has to go through a few trees to find a stream are a lie. Who knew? At least I don¡¯t end up falling into one at the moment I least expect it like in one program I saw. After a while of trudging fruitlessly, I suddenly pause, once more something from the messages I read occurring to me. So, apparently I have access to both an Inventory...and a Map. If that could show me where to find water, it would save a lot of time. ¡°Map,¡± I say, trying not to be too hopeful. Despite my attempts to keep my expectations reasonable, it turns out that I am disappointed anyway. The Map appears in front of me, once more a misty screen as the background to what looks like a simplistic drawing that is mostly blank. There are two-sided triangle shapes in a ring around the edges of my Map which I have to guess are mountains. In the space between the mountains, there are many drawings of trees ¨C the forest, I guess. There¡¯s also a blinking dot at the edge of the forest ¨C ¡®you are here¡¯, I guess. Actually, that¡¯s a good feature as working out my position in comparison to everything around tends to be my biggest problem when reading maps generally. Further up the mountain side near the dot is an X shape next to what looks like a line drawing of a boulder ¨C where I started, I have to conclude. Apart from that, nothing is recorded. No rivers, no streams, nothing. So either they don¡¯t exist ¨C which I doubt ¨C or I have to discover them to add them to my Map. Sighing, I close the screen and start walking again. It would have been nice for things to be that easy, but it¡¯s not surprising that they aren¡¯t. The Map should come in handy once I¡¯ve discovered some useful spots, but right now it¡¯s fairly useless. In the end, the sun is starting to dip towards the horizon by the time my ears catch the faint trickle of a small stream, obvious in the quiet peace of the woods. I¡¯m lucky ¨C I had actually gone a bit further under the tree cover than previously because I¡¯d seen a big bird circling high above. It¡¯s worked out well for me, fortunately. The stream is really just a trickle, emerging from a crack between the rocks, but unless it disappears underground at some point, it should lead me to something bigger. In the meantime, I use my cupped hand to scoop some of the life-giving liquid to my dry lips: the water skin really didn¡¯t last for long, it turned out. Filling the skin up again, I breathe out a sigh of relief. Maybe I¡¯m celebrating too soon, but I have a good feeling about this. Following the stream, my good feeling turns out to be right: after a while, the stream gathers tributaries and widens. Eventually, long enough that the light is starting to dim, it reaches a body of water that might even be wide enough to be considered a rivulet. Or maybe it¡¯s just a large stream ¨C I¡¯m not planning on measuring it to make sure. I have a hard choice to make. Several, in fact. First, I can either stop or walk in the dark. Frankly, the thought of doing the latter makes my bowels turn to water ¨C if a bird could almost kill me in the middle of the day, how much more vulnerable would I be at night, either blind in the dark, or half-blinded by the light if I carried a torch? OK, decision made ¨C I¡¯m not going anywhere. So, that leads me to the second choice ¨C where to make camp. And how. Should I make a fire? Depending on the creatures, they could either be scared away from it, or attracted to it. Actually, thinking through that, if it¡¯s as uncivilised a place as Nicholas indicated, the experience of the forest animals with fire should be purely forest fires, so it should be more scary than attractive, but am I willing to potentially stake my life on that? Book One: Leap - Chapter Eight: Catching Light Before The cooling breeze as the sun goes down makes up my mind for me. I¡¯d rather not freeze, and honestly, the safety of being able to see in a certain radius is more preferable than being completely blind in the dark. I spend a few minutes preparing a fire. Fortunately, being in a forest, there¡¯s plenty of dead wood, leaves, and kindling, so it takes less time than it might have. It¡¯s still almost dark by the time I think I¡¯m ready. I pull out the flint and steel which Nicholas provided me with. It¡¯s not actually a flint stone, thankfully ¨C it¡¯s more of a ten centimetre long stick of an indeterminate material. Maybe metal of some sort? Or stone? I can¡¯t work it out as it seems to have a somewhat mixed appearance. The rod is accompanied by a piece of metal attached to it with a cord. Again, practical. Of course, knowing how to use the tools thanks to absorbing the stone and its helpful memories is one thing; being able to do it is something completely different. It takes long enough for me to get the technique right that I find myself wishing I was a smoker. Sure, it would be annoying to be without cigarettes in a completely different world, and my physical stats would probably be even worse, but at least I¡¯d probably have a lighter with me. In the end, I manage to strike the rod correctly enough to generate a spark, and then do the right things to turn that spark into a flame, which then catches on the pyramid of branches I made. It¡¯s at that point that I realise it¡¯s catching light a lot faster than I thought it would, and I scramble to go and get some more branches to add to the fire. It¡¯s probably a good half an hour before I feel confident that the fire can occupy itself for a bit. I slump next to it with a sigh, only now realising how much my feet hurt. I lever off my shoes and massage my aching soles. Fortunately, I chose good shoes and don¡¯t have any blisters, though there are a number of parts on my feet which feel quite tender. OK, water, check. Fire, check. Next, food. I haven¡¯t dressed the bird, and I¡¯m not keen on doing that right next to my camp: my absorbed memories say that that is a big no-no. The scent of blood and offal will draw scavengers, and possibly predators, like a moth to a flame. So I guess the bird is off the menu. I start hoping fervently that what is in my Inventory will be kept in stasis or something, as otherwise I risk the meat spoiling overnight, if it hasn¡¯t done so already. Anyway, seems like rations are my only option then as testing new plants is not a good idea right now. That could be a problem ¨C I investigated the rations earlier, and they...aren¡¯t exactly abundant. Nicholas gave me a small quantity of dried meat, dried samova beans ¨C as my new knowledge tells me ¨C that look and taste like a type of nut, and some long, dried pieces of green plant ¨C malachy leaves, a type of nutritious seaweed. Together, they will provide everything my body needs...for about two days. Three, if I stretch it out. I¡¯ve already chewed a few bits of dried meat as I got hungry while walking and figured I have a whole load of meat in my inventory to replace it with. Of course, I¡¯m assuming that I won¡¯t just have to ditch it when I finally get around to processing it. No, no worrying needlessly. Bad Markus. Directing my attention back to healthier places, I withdraw a small handful of samova beans and a single malachy leaf. I force myself to put the rest back, and put the satchel out of arm¡¯s length and line of sight in order to lessen the temptation to get more. I chew each bean long enough that it¡¯s completely disappeared before I put the next one in. It¡¯s hard not to just shove them all in my mouth and probably look like a chipmunk ¨C I¡¯m not used to being unable to assuage my hunger. At least the beans taste pretty good, though would be nicer with some salt. The malachy leaf makes up for that ¨C it¡¯s very salty. Almost too much, but I¡¯ve lost a lot of salt today through sweat, so I force my way through. Mental note: next time, maybe use the malachy leaf in a stew or something so the salt is diluted. Right now, I¡¯d rather not risk the smells of a cooking meal attracting something tougher than me. My stomach still rumbles even after ¡®supper¡¯ is over. I decide then and there that my first task tomorrow will be investigating the corpse in my inventory, and hopefully cooking it up for later use, presuming it¡¯s still good. I¡¯ve found the river, at least, enabling me to wash my hands, tools, and anything else which gets dirtied by blood or other liquids. I decide to distract myself with my Status screen: time to investigate it a bit and make some plans. I command the misty box to appear once again. The numbers appear identical to the last time I looked at it. Well, I say that, but there is a small change: the percentage of Energy to the next level has gone up by two percent. I consider that thoughtfully. It¡¯s been, I guess, about seven hours since I last looked at that, and apparently I earn about five units per hour, so about thirty-five units¡­.that makes each percent worth about seventeen Energy, more or less. I started with two percent: does that mean killing the bird was worth about thirty-five Energy units, or had I already earned some Energy? I check the letter Nicholas sent me; sure enough, it said that Earth had had some Energy, it was just in very small amounts. Hmm. A thought for later. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Right now, the most important thing is that if the current rate continues, it will take approximately fourteen days to level up, just surviving. Maybe less, since I will have to hunt animals in order to not starve. Is that fast enough? Is leveling up something that could help me survive? I guess so. I mean, stats, Skills, magic¡­ It all sounds pretty much like a video game to me, and in video games, people get stronger when they level up. I think. It¡¯s been a while since I played games, but I¡¯m pretty sure that that was true? Even in the games I played most often which were more of me managing a city or nation, when the place leveled up because I¡¯d done the correct actions, it gained bonuses or otherwise grew stronger or more powerful. Surely the same would be true of this? I decide to try to dive deeper into this strange display hovering in front of my eyes. I explore my status screen a bit, learning how to manipulate it with my mind. Fortunately, it¡¯s not particularly complicated. I can see my messages which include previously read ones, and my status screen, nothing else. Returning to the status screen, I try to work out what each of the stats actually mean. By concentrating on them, I find I can I start to get a sense of what they¡¯re about. It¡¯s nothing ground-breaking; more a combination of feeling and observation than a clear tool-tip telling me about the stat. Hopefully the System lore stone will have more to offer me when I finally get around to absorbing it. Intelligence must be something to do with absorbing and processing information, based on the fact that it¡¯s this stat which determines how many stones I can absorb and in what time frame. Clearly from the status screen, it¡¯s also the determiner of how much mana I have ¨C magic, I guess from context. Whether this is immediately important to me will depend on if my only other Skill Lay-on-hands uses mana or something else, and if it uses mana, how much. Of course, I can¡¯t stop the image of a fire-throwing god-like figure from blossoming in my mind, but that¡¯s a long way away, if possible at all. Wisdom, well, given how little I have of it, I can only think that it¡¯s a reflection on my capacity to choose whether doing something is a good idea or not. Recently, my self-control in that area has been a little lacking...actually, thinking about it, it¡¯s been lacking for a while. There¡¯s nothing like sitting in the middle of the wilderness with no way home to make you reflect morosely on your past life choices. I force my mind away from the threatening black hole and continue to look at my status screen. Clearly, Wisdom affects the regeneration of mana, perhaps as a fail-safe system? Imagine a mage with high Intelligence and low Wisdom: they¡¯d be able to throw around powerful spells, but they¡¯d have enough time to regret it while waiting for their mana pool to recover. Or maybe there¡¯s another explanation. I don¡¯t know. Willpower¡­. I can only think that it¡¯s a reflection of one¡¯s self-discipline, like not eating food that¡¯s supposed to last me for at least two days because my stomach is still growling, I tell myself, forcibly making myself sit still and not go to get more beans. Would increasing this reduce the temptation, or increase my ability to resist it, I wonder in an effort try to distract myself. There¡¯s also the fact that it determines my health regeneration. Why? What does willpower have to do with getting better? Healing is about biological processes, which can be helped along by pharmaceutical agents to treat symptoms and boost the body¡¯s immune system. But it¡¯s clear that in this new reality, Willpower directly affects health regen. And a pitiful regeneration it is too: four units an hour. Though, thinking about that, does that mean I would have recovered completely from my head wound in less than ten hours? Because if that was the case, four units per hour is actually pretty awesome. Musing about the nature of Willpower, something suddenly occurs to me and I switch back to the message panel, albeit a bit awkwardly. I haven¡¯t quite got the hang of this mental manipulation yet. In my message box are two categories ¨C read and unread messages. Of course, the latter is empty, but the former holds the messages which came up after I absorbed the Tamer Class stone. Reading the one about the Tamer skills adds a further clue about Willpower.
Dominate: activate this skill on a being to enter into a Battle of Wills, the success in which binds the being to you as a Bonded. Certain previous actions can increase your chances of winning the battle, even with a lower Willpower than your opponent. This includes, but is not limited to: having already defeated the being physically; having trapped the being so that they are unable to move; having terrified the being. Warning: if you lose the Battle of Wills, you will be rendered vulnerable for ten seconds as you recover. Recommended Willpower before attempting a Battle of Wills: 10 for a Stage 1 Beast.
That sentence which ends with ¡®even with a lower Willpower than your opponent¡¯, and the other which talks about a ¡®Battle of Wills¡¯ indicate an important point: this skill scales off my Willpower. Or, at least, having a higher Willpower than my opponent increases the likelihood that this skill will succeed. There¡¯s even a recommendation for the minimum level of Willpower to have before attempting to Dominate another creature. I¡¯m rather depressed when it appears that I can¡¯t even use one of my Class Skills yet: I¡¯ve got a four in Willpower. Is it the same situation for Tame? I check the description again. No, it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case: the description for Tame only mentions that a being of high Intelligence level can reject the bond, but there may be an underlying modifier that I don¡¯t know about. It would have helped if this whole thing came with a manual, I think uncharitably at Nicholas. Then again, maybe that¡¯s what the System lore stone is...but I don¡¯t dare put that higher up the priority queue than knowledge about hunting and tracking. Well, either way, my Willpower sucks, so it doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be able to use Dominate any time soon ¨C not without stacking the deck significantly in my favour, at least. Book One: Leap - Chapter Nine: Experiment Before Continuing my exploration of my stats, I consider Constitution next. From my status screen, it clearly determines my health at a 1:10 ratio, like Intelligence and mana. For a moment, I wish I¡¯d looked at my status screen while I was injured ¨C that way I could have a better idea of what the health points actually mean in real terms. Ultimately, though, I shrug ¨C I know that getting injured is something to be avoided, and if I am too injured, I could die. Adding health points into the equation doesn¡¯t really change anything, except that if I add points to Constitution, logically I make myself harder to kill. I mean, I¡¯m assuming here that I can increase these values, but it seems like a reasonable assumption to make. Strength seems fairly obvious, though the fact that it determines my stamina pool is interesting. Stamina, from my understanding, is based on how I¡¯ve conditioned my muscles to deal with repeated stress, so I suppose it¡¯s logical. Though, I do find it curious that mana and health are at a 10:1 ratio with Intelligence and Constitution, respectively, but stamina is at a 4:1 ratio with Strength. Dexterity must have to do with my fine motor skill capabilities. I find the three in it rather insulting ¨C I¡¯m capable of writing and typing, both of which require fine motor skills! Then again, I suppose at the gym that I did focus a lot more on strength training with lifting weights rather than something flexible or reactive like martial arts. I guess that¡¯s why I have the low stat here. I do find the regen rates interesting: each is different. Wisdom has a ratio of 1:25 with mana regeneration, Willpower is at a 1:1 ratio with health regeneration, and Dexterity is at a 1:10 ratio with stamina regeneration. Why? Maybe I¡¯ll find out with the System stone. I look at the final two stats thoughtfully. Both Strength and Dexterity are physical stats, as is Constitution. That makes the six stats equally split between physical and mental/magical. Should I be aiming to min-max, by focusing on one or two stats and forgetting the rest? Or should I go more for an even level across the board? Would focusing on Willpower so that I increase my health regeneration rate to fill my health bar in less than an hour be a way to avoid being hurt badly? No, probably not. At least not in the short term ¨C if it takes me an hour to heal to full health, that wouldn¡¯t help me if I had a cut artery. And that would take thirty-six points anyway which would take me who knows how long to collect ¨C definitely not a winning strategy. Actually, that reminds me. I scroll down to look at my Skills and concentrate on the entry for Lay-on-hands, wanting to get more information on it. What a surprise ¨C it doesn¡¯t work. The screen just sits there, stubbornly unchanged. I huff and dismiss it. Instead, I close my eyes and try to focus on the feelings and half-remembered memories that flashed through me when I absorbed the Skill stone. I know that in order to use this Skill, I need to be touching the subject and concentrating. I know it¡¯s not an instant fix; it significantly increases the subject¡¯s regenerative capacity, but the more serious the injury, the more time and effort it will take to heal. I also get the sense that it can¡¯t heal injuries which the body is incapable of healing by itself, given time. Where this means the practical limits are, I don¡¯t know, not having much medical knowledge beyond the basics taught at school, but I guess that cuts are fine, but severed limbs might not be. And that¡¯s disturbing as hell to consider seriously. The next concept that comes through is that this healing Skill can be used on oneself as well as others; I didn¡¯t realise that that was in question! Continued practice will improve efficiency and speed of the Skill¡¯s effect. I open my eyes and sigh. I¡¯m pretty sure that it uses mana, but none of the memories were actually clear about this. Eyeing my knife, I wonder if I should test it ¨C using something for the first time in an uncertain battle is never a good idea. I pick the weapon up and pose it over my arm, trying to psych myself up to actually cut into my flesh. I clench my jaw and fear runs through me, fear of pain, fear of it not working and having injured myself for no good reason. Actually, that¡¯s a good point ¨C why injure myself needlessly? The way things have gone so far, I¡¯m likely to get injured soon, even if it¡¯s only a sprained ankle. I can test it then. There¡¯s no reason to believe that my first injury will happen in a battle. Decision made, I put the knife to one side, pretending to myself that it wasn¡¯t the unwillingness to cut my own flesh that weighed the heaviest on the scales of choice. I should get some sleep, anyway. It¡¯s been a tiring day so far, and I¡¯ve got a lot to do tomorrow; better to be well-rested for it. Starting to prepare my bed ¨C composed of arranging my extra layers to provide a bit of cushioning and coverage ¨C I suddenly realise there was something I wanted to experiment with. My Inventory. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Why did my backpack fit in, but the bag that Nicholas gave me didn¡¯t? Are there other criteria which I need to be aware of? Half an hour ¨C or thereabouts ¨C of experimentation and I¡¯ve come up with some answers. The reason my backpack worked and the satchel didn¡¯t was because since my backpack can fully close with zips and overhanging flaps, it apparently counts as one item. The satchel which Nicholas gave me, which is actually more of a large leather pouch with a strap, doesn¡¯t seem to count. It has a drawstring, but the leather of the mouth is stiff, and even pulling tightly doesn¡¯t get rid of a small gap big enough to fit several fingers in. I decide to do some rearranging ¨C putting the items which I think I will need at a moment¡¯s notice in the leather bag, and trying to fit the rest in the backpack. That requires me to unpack my backpack and suitcases so I can better arrange things. As I do that, I reevaluate the items based on my new circumstances. One of these I hold up with a smile ¨C my favourite non-stick wok will definitely come in useful in the near future. Other items I shake my head at, like the packet of condoms, and the swimming costume. I debate throwing them away to make space for other items later, but in the end just tuck them away in the corner of my orange suitcase. I hate throwing things away ¨C Murphy¡¯s law always says I will need them the week after I¡¯ve binned them. I won¡¯t be in this forest forever, and if I desperately need space later, I can throw them away then. I also look rather mournfully at my Kindle and phone. Both probably have charge now, but that¡¯s not exactly going to last. I keep them turned off in order to save battery, but also tuck them away carefully. Putting my backpack into my Inventory completes my preparations, and I find myself with little to do other than twiddling my thumbs. Sure, I¡¯ve got my favourite physical books with me too, but I doubt I¡¯d be able to concentrate enough to enjoy the story. Not with such an alien environment surrounding me, and the memory of already having been attacked once today. With only a knife to protect myself, I¡¯m feeling just a little vulnerable. Actually, that¡¯s a point. Maybe I should make another weapon; one with a little more reach. If I make a spear, I could probably also use it as a walking stick. Looking around, I see a long stick which would probably work for now. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m trying to make a work of art here, after all. Pulling it closer to the fire, I use my knife to trim its end into a point. Fortunately, it¡¯s a bit long for my needs because it takes me several attempts to get a decent point. By the end of my ¡®carving¡¯, the spear is just about long enough. It¡¯ll do. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m lacking material to turn into spears after all. Now done, I¡¯m back to twiddling my thumbs again. Maybe I should just sleep. Of course, that¡¯s easier said than done when you¡¯re in the middle of a strange forest with no better weapon for protection than a knife. A forest which is remarkably loud considering it¡¯s night. Not to mention that there¡¯s a surprising amount of movement going on around me. More than once, I feel something run over my bare skin, even over my face. Insects, mostly, but once it has enough weight to be a mouse or something. That wakes me right up and it takes me a while to get back into the mode of sleep. The fire is another thing ¨C I have to keep adding sticks to it otherwise it threatens to go out. Once more, not conducive to going to sleep. Probably mid-way through the night, I run out of firewood to feed it, clearly having underestimated just how much it would use. It¡¯s probably also to do with the breeze that whips between the trees ¨C the availability of oxygen makes the fire burn brighter and hotter, but also consumes fuel more quickly. Then there¡¯s the wind itself, which seems to excel in sending cold fingers through any tiny gap between the layers covering me, making me shiver every time that happens. Eventually I do fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion despite all the distractions and challenges, but even then it¡¯s not terribly restful. Not surprisingly, my dreams are filled with anxiety and stress. Drifting between a half-consciousness and a full unconsciousness, I sometimes struggle to tell the difference between reality and dream. The dream I have of standing in my boss¡¯s office as he tells me that my team and I are being replaced by an outsourced Human Resources outfit based in another country is far more believable than the reality of lying in a dark forest full of strange sounds. Equally, dreaming of standing at my father¡¯s grave as his coffin is lowered down into the ground is far too real. I¡¯m more disorientated when I wake from the dream than during it. The forest in the dark is far more dreamlike ¨C the moonlight painting patterns of leaves across the ground, the sounds which would be more at home in a jungle. Even the other-worldly smells contribute to making the environment almost unbelievable. It wasn¡¯t something I paid much attention to in the waking hours, but here with nothing else to do but lie here and experience the discomfort of my reality, the smells clog up my nose like a strong perfume in a lift. When I finally fall into black unconsciouness, the moon has long since set and the forest is quieter than it¡¯s ever been before. It seems like I¡¯ve night-owled even the night-owls. Book One: Leap - Chapter Ten: Pattern of Blood Before I wake up when a ray of sunlight hits my face. No, actually, I wake up and decide to get up then: it hasn¡¯t exactly been a restful night. I think I might have spent more time awake during the dark hours than asleep, and the graininess in my eyes attests to that. But I finally give up when the sun is actually shining in my eyes. It¡¯s a little above the horizon, high enough to have started shining through the forest and send long fingers of shadow everywhere, but still early enough that the dawn chorus is only just transitioning into the daily sounds of birds. How do I know? Apparently birds sound pretty similar even across worlds. Also something that¡¯s true across worlds: I want breakfast. Helping myself once more to a disciplined handful of beans, another handful of jerky, and a couple of dried seaweed pieces, I¡¯m set for the day. Well, that¡¯s what I tell myself ¨C my stomach isn¡¯t entirely convinced and keeps sending me images of pancakes with syrup or a good hearty English breakfast or, heck, even a bowl of muesli would go down nicely now. Shaking my head sharply, I redirect my thoughts to what I need to do. Quickly packing away the small number of things which make up my ¡®camp¡¯, I pause thoughtfully. Maybe this is a good spot to sort out my bird meat? I already have a fire, though it¡¯s almost completely out thanks to the hours of inattention on my part. Plus, I¡¯m planning on moving on anyway: leaving entrails and blood here isn¡¯t going to be a problem. Deciding that it¡¯s the best idea I¡¯ve had all day, I pull the bird out of my Inventory. It thumps on the ground, literal dead weight. Somehow smaller than I remember it being ¨C for some reason I¡¯d thought it to be the size of an ostrich when it¡¯s more like a cassowary. That said, it¡¯s nothing like the cassowary in shape, rather being more like a vulture but with the beak of a hawk. Actually, it¡¯s surprisingly heavy considering it could fly. I¡¯m a bit of an amateur bird-watcher, one of the few outdoor activities I enjoy, and often went on research binges about different facts of birds. From what I remember, the heaviest bird on Earth that can fly is only something like fifteen or twenty kilos. A cassowary is significantly more than that, adults being over fifty kilos, and an ostrich is more than double that, but neither of those have hollow bones beyond their femurs. Based on how difficult I found it to lift this bird yesterday, I¡¯d guess that it¡¯s at least the weight of a cassowary, maybe a bit more. How then could it fly? Still musing over the mystery, I start considering how to do this. Considering how big it is, it would be far better if I could hoist the corpse up by its feet. Really, I¡¯m not well prepared for the task, but c¡¯est la vie. Supposedly, I should be able to remove the skin and feathers quite easily, but the size of this thing is daunting. I¡¯ll probably have to do this piecemeal. First of all, I inspect the condition of the carcass. There¡¯s no strong odor, at least nothing that my absorbed memories tell me is anything unexpected from a beast with feathers which never takes a bath but preens itself instead. The body is not bloated in any way. The feet are stiff and the flesh is starting to show signs of rigor mortis. The eyes are still wet and full. All these signs taken together, I have to conclude that my Inventory keeps things in stasis, or at least does not allow significant decomposition. Considering it¡¯s been almost twenty-four hours since I killed the thing, it should be in significantly worse condition if there were no intervening effects. A smile of relief takes over my face. That¡¯s good news. Excellent, actually. It makes my food situation so much easier to manage. I decide not to cook all the bird now then. That will save a lot of time, and it also means I¡¯ll be able to cook it in different ways later. I¡¯ll still cook some for immediate and emergency use, but the majority I¡¯ll return to the inventory. I can only hope that it will stack, otherwise I¡¯m going to have a problem. Oh well ¨C I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I come to it. So, following the memories that flash through my mind as I think about dressing a bird, I shift the bird to lying on its side and then make a cut on the underside of its breast. From there, I try to pull the skin and feathers off all in one go. Try, being the operative word. It¡¯s immediately clear that having the knowledge in my head is not the same thing as being able to actually do it. It takes me a lot longer than it should, and a significant amount of cursing, before I finally manage to get the skin off. It¡¯s not in one piece, either. Still, I¡¯ve succeeded in the first step. I make the next few cuts with a similar amount of precision ¨C or lack of it, rather. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be getting all of the meat off this carcass¡­ Just to test, I take three different cuts of meat from the back, the breast, and the leg, and I put them in my Inventory. To my continued pleasure, they do stack. With that clarified, I continue, cutting through the joints with difficulty. My hand slips in the blood several times and I have to pause and go wash it in the stream, not wanting to cut myself. It¡¯s hard work, and would be better done with an axe or saw, but a knife is what I¡¯ve got so... It¡¯s only when I cut into the body cavity that I realise that I¡¯m dealing with a corpse. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Maybe that should have been obvious before, but it¡¯s when I see the heart and the intestines, and get a faceful of ¡®corpse¡¯ smell that the fact really hits home. Feeling faint and nauseous, I stumble over to the stream to wash the blood off my hands and splash water on my face. This is nothing like the neat and clean packaged cuts of meat in the supermarket. ¡°Come on, Markus,¡± I tell myself aloud, almost startled at the first human voice I¡¯ve heard in what feels like days. Actually, considering my drunken binge which made four days disappear, it¡¯s been a while since I even spoke to Nicholas. Still... ¡°Get it together. You don¡¯t do this, you¡¯ll starve. So don¡¯t wimp out and just do it.¡± Taking a few more deep breaths, I decide I feel fortified enough to continue and turn back to the body. Only to see it move. I watch in fear as the bird¡¯s legs shift and its head twitches. Magic exists, so does that mean...can things become undead? I¡¯m torn between creeping closer to investigate and running in the opposite direction. Then my eyes narrow. I¡¯ve caught sight of something that puts a lie to my panicked supposition. A tail, in fact. I creep closer and withdraw the knife from where I¡¯ve hooked it in my belt. Sure enough, the bird is as dead as ever ¨C and not undead. What¡¯s making it move are three creatures about the size of a small dog which look rather like baby crocodiles with longer legs and sharp teeth. They¡¯re worrying and tearing at the bird carcass, snatching mouthfuls off and gulping them down with quick head tosses. I see red. I almost died to kill this thing, and here are these other creatures thinking they can just come and benefit from my struggle? Without thinking, I stab at the nearest creature. My blade strikes at its back...only to pierce the dirt an inch to one side of it. For a moment it¡¯s like time has stopped: the lizard-thing and I just look at each other. The next, a blinding pain hits me. The lizard has whipped around faster than I could follow and has bitten down on my forearm. I stagger backwards and fall on my rump, flailing ungainly, my hand still clenched around the knife. The lizard is still attached, doing the same worrying technique to my arm as it was doing to the bird. I grab at it and wrench, trying to get it off my arm. It¡¯s only when I succeed in freeing myself from its teeth that I curse myself at my stupidity: when the lizard came free, it took a good chunk of my flesh with it. Screaming, I slam the lizard against the ground frenziedly, only stopping when it goes completely limp in my hand and its head looks significantly flatter and bloodier. In the meantime, our kerfuffle hasn¡¯t gone unnoticed. The other two lizard things have rounded the bird carcass and are advancing quickly. One lunges and sinks its teeth in my leg. I shout again, this time more in anger than pain, and grip my knife more tightly. I¡¯ve learnt my lesson: I grab its tail and stab at its body with my knife. It take me a couple of tries, but I manage to sever its spinal cord somewhere between its two sets of legs, my knife slicing easily through the rest of its boneless flesh. I ditch the detached half and stagger to my feet, glaring at the third lizard creature. It stares back at me for a moment and then turns tail, clearly deciding that this is not a fight it wants to risk. ¡°Yeah, you better run!¡± I shout at its disappearing back. Panting harshly from exertion and adrenaline, I am reminded as I take a step that I still have half a lizard attached to me. Leaning over, I almost over-balance, my head starting to get woozy. Bloodloss, I realise as I look at the blood coating my right forearm and dripping off my fingers. Fumbling with the lizard¡¯s head, I pull its jaws open ¨C easy now the creature¡¯s dead ¨C and drop the head. Fortunately, since I didn¡¯t yank the jaws away, this wound is a lot less serious than the one in my arm ¨C an elongated semicircle of sharp teeth marks oozing with blood. My forearm turned towards me, I suddenly freeze. The pattern of blood tracing over my pale skin, the bubbling of the fluid from my wound...it all takes me back thirteen years to the nightmare I¡¯ve never truly got over. I see her again, her lips blue and moving faintly and I try desperately to hear the inaudible words they form¡­. No! I focus on my breathing, try to pick out three things I can hear, two things I can feel, and one thing I can smell. Wait...blood. No good, no good! Wind, rustling of leaves, smell of earth, trickling of the brook¡­ Bit by bit, I pull myself out of my attack, trying my best to minimise the impact of the pain of my wound, the feeling of blood trickling, the smell of the red fluid in fear it will pull me back into that nightmare. As the panic loses its cloying grip on me, a new sense of urgency overtakes me. My wooziness is getting worse ¨C I need to deal with these injuries now. I cover the bleeding wound with my hand, desperately trying to keep my precious life-fluid in my body. Bandages, I need bandages! What can I use ¨C a shirt? But I need to use the knife to cut the shirt up, and I¡¯m not at all ambidextrous, so my right hand being the one that¡¯s injured is the worst possible situation for me! Why didn¡¯t Nicholas give me some sort of first-aid kit? He must have known I¡¯d be injur- Then it hits me. I¡¯m an idiot. Of course he realised that, and gave me something better than bandages - or so I hope. ¡°Lay on hands,¡± I croak weakly, concentrating on sending a sense of...energy to the wound. A cool stream floods down my arm from the area under my sternum and saturates the gaping hole in my arm. Under my eyes, it starts to clot over and the blood flow stops. Relief floods me, accompanied by a sudden feeling of weakness. Sparkles fill my vision which quickly shrinks, sounds abruptly coming from far away¡­. Book One: Leap - Chapter Eleven: Regeneration Before The next thing I know, I hear birdsong. Why can I hear birdsong? We don¡¯t get many birds in the city? And why can¡¯t I recognise the calls? I realise that my eyes are closed. When did I do that? Opening them, I see the forest canopy above me and my recent memories come flooding back. I flush as I realise what happened: I fainted. It¡¯s understandable, I tell myself, nonetheless feeling a bit embarrassed. I lost a lot of blood, and had an adrenaline rush and crash. Not to mention being in another life-death situation for the second time in two days after having gone more than thirteen years since the last time. Then, to add to my woes, I also had a flashback which, again, I haven¡¯t had that badly in at least six years. I look at my arm wondering if I¡¯d dreamed the effect of the healing, but no, the wound is still there, though scabbed over. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t land on the injured arm when I collapsed. Now less gripped by fear or adrenaline, I find my brain starting to work again. I open my status screen.

Name: Markus Wolf Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 0 Energy to next level: 9% Energy absorption rate: 5u/hr Energy towards debt: 0%
Intelligence 6 Mana: 60/60
Wisdom 3 Mana regeneration rate: 75u/hr
Willpower 4 Health regeneration rate: 4u/hr
Constitution 4 Health: 22/40
Strength 5 Stamina: 17/20
Dexterity 3 Stamina regeneration rate: 30u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Lay-on-hands ¨C Beginner 9
Only two things have changed. No, wait, three. I¡¯ve gained Energy towards the next level, my health has dropped to twenty-two out of forty, and my stamina has dropped to seventeen out of twenty. I was expecting to see something different about my mana, but that¡¯s full. Maybe Lay-on-hands doesn¡¯t use mana? Or maybe my time unconscious was enough to allow it to recharge? Only one way to find out, I decide. Once more casting Lay-on-hands, I¡¯m glad to feel the cool energy again snaking its way through me to the wounds. This time, it makes my injury look several days old rather than just recently scabbed over. I look at my status screen again and grunt in satisfaction. Turns out this healing spell is just that ¨C a spell. My mana has dropped by ten points, but because of my regeneration of seventy-five units per hour, it takes less than a minute before it¡¯s already climbing. Plus, my health points have ticked up to twenty-seven. Not a bad trade when considering the vastly different regeneration rates: ten mana points for five health points. I cast the healing spell again, this time deliberately not concentrating on my wounds. As a result, I feel a much more diluted coolness spread across my body. My arm injury improves a little, but it¡¯s barely perceptible. However, the punctures in my leg and the aches in my rump ¨C heck, all over my body, really ¨C improve significantly. I check my status screen again and make a curious noise. Huh, that¡¯s interesting. Despite casting the same spell, I¡¯ve got different results. The spell took the same amount of mana to cast, dropping my reserve by ten, but my health points only ticked up by three this time. Is that because the effect was more diluted by being spread across my body, or because I wasn¡¯t focusing on the more serious wound? I continue casting the spell until I bottom out my reserve. Then I bite my lip ¨C maybe it¡¯s not actually a good idea to empty my tank: clearly, I can¡¯t know that another life or death fight isn¡¯t around the corner. I make a mental note to keep at least ten points of mana available in reserve at all times. Unless, of course, that final cast means the difference between life and death immediately. I¡¯m not going to intentionally sabotage my chances of survival just because I want to keep a mana reserve. That would be stupid. By this point, the wound on my arm is just a red mark and the rest of my aches and pains are long gone. For a moment, my resentment at Nicholas¡¯s high-handed treatment of me fades away and is replaced by gratitude. Even back on Earth I wouldn¡¯t have had access to something such as this. Mind, apart from a few specific contexts, I¡¯ve never needed it either, but I wouldn¡¯t have turned down magical healing when I broke my arm falling off my bike or...No. I¡¯m not going down that rabbit-hole again, not so close to a flashback. I suddenly wonder what kind of world Nicholas lives in where he can so casually send me a stone which teaches something like this. Or maybe it¡¯s not so casual; maybe this was an heirloom which he sent me. I shrug. No point wondering about it now: if I survive the year, I¡¯ll be able to ask the guy myself. For now, I have more important concerns like finishing up here and finding a decent place to shelter for the night before dark comes again. Opening my Inventory, I pull out the spear I made last night. Much good it did me sitting in some extra-dimensional space. I resolve to keep it closer to hand: apparently I¡¯ll never know when I¡¯m about to be attacked in this hellish place. ***** About two hours later, I¡¯m ready to go. The bird carcass has been butchered to the best of my ability ¨C which is simultaneously a lot higher than I thought it was, and a lot lower than I¡¯d hoped. I¡¯ve cooked up some chunks which I¡¯ve split into two unequal piles ¨C one for my pocket to eat during the day and one for my Inventory. Through trial and error, I¡¯ve realised that my Inventory isn¡¯t as simple as ¡®cooked meat stacks¡¯ and ¡®uncooked meat stacks¡¯. Pieces that are too distinct from each other count separately, for example a slice of meat and a joint containing a bone. Interestingly, removing the bone worked to make the joint into a ¡®slice¡¯ of meat equivalent. Equally, each of the organs counts as its own separate item. Not that this matters too much to me: I¡¯d already decided not to bother with them for now as there¡¯s no guarantee that the organs don¡¯t contain concentrations of something which could make me ill, or even be lethal. Still, I experimented with them just to know. I¡¯ve also decided not to take the bones with me since, although they could be useful for various crafts, I need to establish myself first and loading up my Inventory with things for ¡®later¡¯ seems like a stupid thing to do. Actually, if my ex-girlfriend could see me now, she¡¯d be amazed: I¡¯ve always been the kind of person to keep things for ¡®later¡¯. I have ¨C had ¨C whole boxes full of things kept for years because they might come in handy ¡®later¡¯. And just to say, some of them did come in useful...just not the majority...by far. Anyway, clearly this new world and way of existence is having its effect on me already. I also decide to leave the corpses of those nasty crocodile-things behind ¨C again, although technically I could use their hides and their bones and their organs etc. it just isn¡¯t worth the time or the effort. Everything I could harvest from them, I could harvest from other creatures. Right now, I have more important things to be doing. So, already feeling like I¡¯ve done a day¡¯s work despite the sun only being halfway towards its zenith, I set off downstream. ***** The forest is beautiful. I have to admit it. For a time, despite the difficult night I had and the attack that I barely lived through this morning, I can¡¯t help but admire the natural beauty of my surroundings. The trees are bigger than those I¡¯m used to, and the foliage is completely different, but there¡¯s something about walking through a forest next to a babbling brook that touches a part within me. I¡¯m reminded of why I started bird-watching ¨C at one point I used to work next to a forest and would take a walk through it during my break. One of my colleagues, a girl I kinda had a crush on at the time, accompanied me a couple of times and could identify every one of them. In order to seem smarter, I actually did some research and tried to surprise her with little facts. The crush never went anywhere, but it gave birth to an interest in the little flying creatures that share our world with us. Anyway, that¡¯s a long way of saying that I actually found myself enjoying the walk, surprisingly. Of course, given the fact that I¡¯ve been attacked twice in two days, I don¡¯t allow my new appreciation to stop me from keeping an eye on my surroundings. Fortunately for me, it seems like animals aren¡¯t so thick in this neighbourhood that I¡¯m tripping across them every hour. The stream grows over time, deepening and widening as tributaries join it. Greenery starts appearing on its bed, protected from the strong currents by rocks that break up the flow. The land continues sloping downwards and the river starts to cut through parts of the earth rather than just flowing over it, having gained enough weight to actually start making a real difference to its environment. I greet the new change with gladness as my survival knowledge tells me that this increases the chance of finding flint nodules, or potentially even other, rarer, metal deposits. Not that I really hope for that ¨C even if I do find iron or something, I¡¯m in no way equipped to do anything with it, and won¡¯t be for a long time. The stream cuts more and more into the land until it¡¯s actually starting to drop as waterfalls at points. In one of the pools formed, I see the silver flash of fish and take a mental note of the area. Interestingly, when I check my Map afterwards, the stream has been added, and at the spot near where I¡¯m standing, there¡¯s a little symbol which looks like a fish. Maybe I can add things to the Map intentionally? It¡¯s worth experimenting with later, but since I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible to remove things once added, I¡¯d rather wait until there¡¯s something I genuinely want to add to it. Since I can¡¯t see anything nearby which could be a particularly good shelter, I continue on for a while later until the sun is past its highest point and my stomach is rumbling. I take a seat with my back against a rock near the stream. The rock has been sitting in the sun and feels very pleasant against my back. My Inventory newly replenished with food, I allow myself to eat my fill. Of course, the combination of the sun¡¯s warmth, my full belly, and the poor night I had last night has a soporific effect and it doesn¡¯t take long before my eyelids start drooping. Just a few minutes, I tell myself, shifting into a lying-down position and closing my eyes. I¡¯ll get moving soon, just five minutes to relax¡­ Book One: Leap - Chapter Twelve: Now Before I wake feeling disorientated, my muddled brain taking a few moments to straighten things out. I¡¯m staring up at the sun, or at least, at the sun through the dappling effect of layers upon layers of leaves. Large, green leaves attached to trees. The effect is beautiful, but I soon realise that there¡¯s something wrong as I¡¯m struggling to breathe, a constriction having tightened around my chest. My tentative thoughts of perhaps having a premature heart attack are soon put to rest as I see the real reason I woke up from my post-prandial nap: a large snake ¨C or snake-like creature ¨C has wrapped itself around my body and is squeezing rather uncomfortably. As I start struggling a little instinctively, it reacts by swiftly burying its fangs into my shoulder, the pain knifing through me every time it constricts a little more. I sure hope this variety isn¡¯t venomous, I think as my mind races, my fear transforming into anger like a burning ember becoming a bonfire. ¡°Get the hell off me,¡± I shout, or wheeze rather as it¡¯s already constricting around my ribs rather hard. Fortunately for me, I never sleep in a ¡®corpse pose¡¯ ¨C ironic, as that¡¯s exactly what I would be in a few minutes if I did ¨C and I¡¯ve also learned to keep my knife handy by now. My spear too, but that¡¯s unlikely to help much right now. My right arm is trapped which isn¡¯t ideal, but I¡¯ve learned in the last few days that I¡¯m fairly ambidextrous when it¡¯s my life at stake. I grab the knife next to my head with my left arm and stab at its nearest coil. The position is awkward and if I¡¯m not careful, I¡¯ll stab myself instead of the snake. Of course, the anger makes it difficult to be precise; at the same time, it does make each blow stronger. Just as my restricted oxygen starts impacting my vision, I feel something give under my knife. The majority of the snake body goes limp. I start wriggling, trying to push the dead weight off me even while the head is still hanging on in there. Succeeding in freeing myself after a good few minutes, I pull the head of the snake off in disgust and stamp on it to make sure it¡¯s dead. Take an afternoon nap in a murder-forest, great idea Sherlock, I say sarcastically to myself as I stand there panting with the effort. Well, I suppose I¡¯m not feeling sleepy or muddle-minded anymore. Adrenaline: better than coffee. Casting Lay-on-hands, I watch as the two stab marks from the snake¡¯s fangs heal over before my eyes. Within a short moment, my skin is unmarked. In some ways the instant heal is almost disorientating ¨C my mind thinks the injury is still there even as my eyes say something different. There are things I could do with a dead snake and I¡¯ve got a few spaces free in my Inventory so I just stick it in there. I hope that what they say about snake meat tasting like chicken is right, if I ever get hungry enough to try it out. The area clear, I just take the few steps to the river to have a drink and rinse my hands. Time to go ¨C I¡¯ve been asleep for longer than I wanted. Checking to make sure I haven¡¯t left anything important behind, I continue walking downstream. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The forest is still bright and deceptively peaceful. I find it hard to relax, though ¨C waking up to a giant snake trying to kill me is not a way to find my inner calm. Even with the adrenaline gone, I¡¯m still antsy, jumping at every rustle and crack. Man, I need to find some way to control this or I¡¯m going to go mad in days. And I can¡¯t afford to go mad. Losing my sanity means losing my reason, and losing my reason means dying. I don¡¯t want to die! It seems so ironic considering where I was standing only a few days ago, but if this deceptively-peaceful battle-ground has taught me anything, it¡¯s that my desire for survival is a lot stronger than my desire for death. When I consider the emotions driving me to the roof of my apartment not long ago, I can only laugh grimly at the na?ve idiot I was then: how life has changed in such a short time. ***** Now Despite my attempts to keep an eye on my surroundings, I still end up being attacked by the pack of weasitors. After I¡¯ve given myself some time for my health, mana, and stamina to refill, I pull myself out of my reminisces and continue walking. I need a shelter, after all. With all the dangerous situations I¡¯ve encountered so far in this world, I¡¯m really feeling a desperate need to have somewhere safe where I can relax. Whether I¡¯ll be able to find something suitable in the next few days, I don¡¯t know, but I can¡¯t help feeling that my sanity¡¯s on a bit of a knife¡¯s edge. The few weeks before ending up this world were far from stable or good for my mental state; being in constant life-death encounters is only degrading my sense of well-being even further. The stream continues and the waterfalls start getting higher and higher. I find a couple of caves created by the back-splash of the waterfalls, but quickly decide that they¡¯re unsuitable for shelter: they¡¯re not big enough and I, and all my stuff, would just be permanently wet. As the stream descends, river now really, more and more fish start crowding the pools, and more and more animals the banks. Well, not crowding, exactly, but in the first three hours of my walk, I only saw two animals come to drink, and that was a pair of deer-like creatures. In the last hour, I saw about ten, and one of those was clearly a predator hunting the others. I pause at this point, hesitating over the decision I need to make. Should I carry on, despite there being more animals, and therefore more risk of encountering something I can¡¯t handle? The weasitors that swarmed me not long ago are proof that I could hit something that¡¯s too much for me or that¡¯s too numerous for me to be able to cope with. Or should I carry on because I still haven¡¯t found anything suitable for a shelter. The snake, after all, was proof of why a proper shelter is an absolute must. Not to mention the mini-crocodiles this morning, though there I suppose I was dealing with a corpse. It¡¯s not surprising other animals were attracted to the site. It¡¯s a hard decision. I haven¡¯t found anything I could easily turn into a shelter, which means I¡¯d need to either build my own, or go looking elsewhere. Building a shelter will take time, time in which I am not protected at my most vulnerable. Also, to build a proper shelter will take tools which I don¡¯t have, meaning I need to spend even more time ahead creating the tools ¨C and the tools to make the tools. Sure, there are some quick-build shelters I now have in my memory, but they¡¯re equally not particularly protective, not even from weather. Looking elsewhere without going downstream means leaving the water edge. I¡¯m not keen to do this because I know water is going to be so essential to so many of my pursuits, and running water is even more useful. However, going downstream brings me back to my initial fear ¨C that of encountering a predator which is much better at killing me than I am at killing it¡­ Sighing, I decide to stop for the day. It¡¯s already almost time for sundown, and I¡¯d rather have the time to build a little shelter for myself tonight ¨C it will be better in terms of both warmth and protection, especially given the proximity of potential predators. I¡¯ll think about the dilemma overnight and hopefully come to a conclusion by the morning. All of which poses the question: what kind of shelter and where should I build it? Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirteen: Vigilance Making a decision that a shelter right next to the river doesn¡¯t seem like the best of ideas, I start looking for a spot a little more distant. I don¡¯t know what creatures come to drink here, so putting myself close enough for them to catch my scent would not be a smart move. I settle on a spot among the trees about fifty metres away from the river ¨C close enough to easily avail myself of the fresh water; far enough that I shouldn¡¯t be within easy hearing or sight range as long as I¡¯m quiet and hidden. Which brings me onto my next job. First, I find a tree with a crook just a bit more than a metre above the ground. Piling dead leaves into a cushion, I then lay one of my coats over the ¡®mattress¡¯. Searching for a long branch, I find one that¡¯s about two and a half metres long. Perfect. I prop it up in the crook of the tree to make the backbone of my shelter. Next, I hunt for some smaller sticks which I prop up against the tree as its ¡®ribs¡¯. Continuing with smaller and smaller branches and then twigs, I flesh out the walls of my shelter. After that, I find some dead, low-growing plants that look rather similar to bracken. To put the final touches on my make-shift shelter, I pile as many dead leaves over the whole structure as I possibly can. My ¡®memories¡¯ tell me that this should be a pretty warm shelter and it will even stand up to a light rainfall. It won¡¯t be much use against a heavy downpour, or prolonged rain, nor can it protect me if something decides to come investigating. Still, I have to hope that the plethora of natural materials will disguise my scent enough to make the structure completely uninteresting. It may seem pretty simple to make, and really, in terms of required skill and tools, it was, but it¡¯s taken me enough time that the sun is already setting by the time I¡¯m done, and I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯ve never done this much physical work, and I think gloomily of how much more I have ahead of myself. I try to jolly myself in thinking that I¡¯ll soon be a supermodel, but that doesn¡¯t work when I know I¡¯ve got a good year before I¡¯m going to see anyone. I dine on bird flesh ¨C which is pretty tasty ¨C and a few of the beans. It¡¯s more satisfying than my previous night¡¯s supper and the temptation to go back for more isn¡¯t so pressing. I¡¯m cheered further by the discovery that the meat is still hot: clear evidence that time doesn¡¯t pass in my Inventory, or passes very slowly. After washing up, drinking from the stream and filling up my canteen, and then relieving myself, I decide to go to bed. No doubt it¡¯s not much later than seven or eight pm, an hour I would normally be spending on watching TV ¨C or working ¨C but I¡¯m bushed. There¡¯s little for me to do once the light disappears anyway: I still don¡¯t have a torch and I haven¡¯t lit a fire. Sliding into my shelter feet first, I pull another coat over me and then pile more leaves in the opening, almost blocking it off completely. Despite my memories telling me that it would be the case, I¡¯m still surprised at how quickly the temperature rises in my little cocoon of leaves, and how comfortable it is. Much better than the previous night of lying directly on the cold ground with one side freezing and the other burning. It increases my desire to create a proper shelter in which I can be both comfortable and somewhat safe. ***** I actually sleep pretty well in the end. Certainly far better than last night. Sure, I wake up a couple of times when something comes snuffling too close for comfort to my shelter, and once my heart started pounding when I realised that the beast was probably less than a metre away from my face. Fortunately for me, it didn¡¯t come any closer, so I made it through the night, face intact. I hurt, though, my muscles protesting at the amount of unusual effort they¡¯ve been subjected to. Casting a Lay-on-hands, I sigh with relief as the aching subsides. Munching on bird flesh and beans again ¨C I have plans for the seaweed ¨C I check my status screen. Nothing much has changed ¨C the Energy I¡¯ve accumulated just by surviving has pushed my progress to the next level to 15%, but that¡¯s all. Slightly disappointed, I¡¯m about to close the screen when I notice something else: the amount of Energy being absorbed per hour has increased from five to seven units. I decide to keep checking at different intervals during the day as I walk to see if it increases further. Then, with a bit of dismay, I realise I forgot to absorb another knowledge stone yesterday. Damn it! An opportunity wasted! Still, maybe it¡¯s not so bad ¨C I hadn¡¯t realised how much time it would take for the knowledge from the previous stone to settle. I only really started feeling more comfortable with it when I began putting some of the methods into practice; building this shelter was actually really useful for that. It makes me question the order in which I should absorb the stones: Tracking would probably be the most useful one next as, even if I¡¯m not intending on actually hunting creatures for now, knowing which areas to avoid would be quite good information. As for the hunting stone¡­ originally I planned for that to be my third knowledge stone, but as it is I¡¯ve got enough food for a good few days and, frankly, I haven¡¯t got any tools for hunting. Not that I¡¯ve done it before, but I can¡¯t imagine that a knife alone will be much use. No, I¡¯m going to have to invest time into making tools, which means I need to have a stable home base. As a result, that pushes hunting down the priority list, possibly by as much as two weeks. Food will be getting a bit low by then, even if I miss lunch, but maybe if I test some of the local foliage I¡¯ll find some bits to supplement the meat. Suddenly I regret eating the bird meat as otherwise now would be a perfect time to start the test. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Sighing, I once more push my regret to one side, reminding myself that it won¡¯t help anything. Even so, I can¡¯t help the way it brings my mood down. Still, I think, trying to cheer myself up, I¡¯ve been attacked every day so far; no reason that that should change. Meals on wheels. Then I wonder why I even considered that the thought of regularly being attacked would actually cheer me up instead of depressing me more. Forcing myself to think of something else, I tentatively decide to absorb the system lore stone tomorrow ¨C while it isn¡¯t necessarily something with immediate application, it might hold some key secrets to my new existence, without which I will make some (more) unforgivable mistakes. The tracking stone ends up not being as information-heavy as the wilderness survival one and I manage to escape with just a bad headache that eases fairly quickly. It does make me look at the world differently, though. Things which had previously been simple marks now transformed into indications of various animals¡¯ passage. I look at the ground near my shelter and find the tracks of whatever animal came close last night. Just from the marks it left behind, I can tell it¡¯s some sort of small pig or boar, about 50kg in weight, perhaps, rooting through the leaves in search of food. Getting closer, I sniff and my nose picks up some muskiness. Probably a young male, alone. My mouth waters a bit as I think about bacon. Shame that¡¯s still a long way off. Right. No time to waste ¨C I¡¯ve got a lot to do and the day is only so long. After packing my coats back into my Inventory, I walk to the stream for a drink and quick wash. Filling my waterskin, I drink deeply and then refill it. Looking thoughtfully at the pond weed, I wonder if I can actually start testing it for edibility. Not by eating it, but just by testing whether it is irritating on contact. I figure that if I just let it touch my skin, I shouldn¡¯t be risking it interacting with what I¡¯ve already eaten. Plus, if there is any irritation, I know it will be the plant as I¡¯ve eaten both bird meat and beans with no ill effects. Deciding that it¡¯s a good idea, I reach in and snag a leaf. Fortunately, this stuff is pretty common, so if it turns out I can eat it, I¡¯ll have plenty of supply in the pools particularly. First, I inspect the leaf. It doesn¡¯t have any tell-tale signs which often indicate poison: it doesn¡¯t have hairs, nor does it exude milky or almond-smelling sap. It¡¯s not brightly coloured either. Though, of course, those signs might mean nothing in this strange world, which is why I¡¯ll have to be careful with the next steps. I rub the leaf against the skin of my inner forearm, at first gently. Waiting for a few minutes for any initial symptoms to emerge, I look around myself. It¡¯s another beautiful day, though this one is a bit more humid than the previous. Fingers of fog drift between the trees, though are nowhere near thick enough to block out the sun. Birds are chirping, and I can see a couple of animals downstream drinking. They¡¯re those deer-analogues again. I say deer-analogues because they have long legs and slim bodies and are pretty graceful and quick to jump away when danger threatens. That seems to be the end to their similarities, though, as they seem to be reptilian in type. Though...they¡¯re moving pretty fast ¨C could they be warm-blooded? Is it possible? Lizards would normally be moving slowly at this time of the morning, not having had the chance to warm up in the sun¡­ A question for later. Time¡¯s up. I check my skin carefully, looking for any hint of irritation or tingling. Nothing. This time, I rub the leaf more vigorously on my skin, making sure to get some of the sap from inside the leaves on me. Again, I wait for a few minutes by the stream, just in case there¡¯s a quick reaction which requires me to wash the area off pronto. After the minutes have gone by with nothing appearing, I drop the leaf in satisfaction. I¡¯d better leave eight hours just to see if there is any further change, but if all goes well, I¡¯ll eat a small amount of this tomorrow morning. Of course, that assumes there will be more pondweed wherever I am by tomorrow morning, but I saw a fair bit of it yesterday, so I have to hope that the trend holds true. So thinking, I set off downstream. While I walk, I take the time to notice all the little marks of animal passage. Here¡¯s an imprint in the mud at the edge of the stream ¨C a small animal, perhaps up to ten kilograms in weight, alone. There¡¯s the mark of a predator sharpening its claws on a tree ¨C an ambush predator, most likely, possibly one that uses the treetops as its coverage. I look up, reflexively flinching back. There¡¯s nothing up there, but it does remind me to keep watching all around myself, not just the field of vision at eye level. My vigilance gives me enough warning to cover my face with my arm when the attack does come. Something swings at me and I dodge out of the way blindly. Stumbling away, I chance a look and see...something. It¡¯s really weird. A formless mass clinging to the branch above me, with a long spiky tail that it had swung down at me. How am I supposed to fight that thing? I can¡¯t reach it¡¯s body, not even with my spear, and I¡¯m not going anywhere near that tail. The way the light glints wetly on the spikes make me wonder if they¡¯re coated in some sort of poison. I watch it warily as it curls its tail up, and then...goes still. Is it some one-hit wonder, or something? Maybe. It¡¯s certainly not trying to pursue me, just lying there in wait for its next potential prey. Seriously weird, I think to myself, shaking my head as I cautiously move away. If I had some sort of long distance weapon, I¡¯d probably try and take it on: I¡¯m not keen on leaving creatures that have tried to kill me alive to try again in the future. Unfortunately, that would take more time than I really want to waste; I¡¯d rather just keep going. Live and let live. But I¡¯ll keep my eyes on the trees above, that¡¯s for sure. Rock-dropping birds, mini-crocodiles, ambushing black blobs...what other weirdness does this new world have to threaten me with? Book One: Leap - Chapter Fourteen: Skin of my Teeth About when the sun hits its zenith, I decide to stop for a quick bite of lunch. Bird meat, again, of course. I hesitate, but ultimately don¡¯t eat any more of the beans. I only have a handful left and I¡¯m hoping that since they have only been dried, not cooked, they might actually grow. According to my new encyclopedia of plant knowledge, samova beans only take about four weeks to grow to flowering stage, and then another week after that to produce beans. Less than that in an Energy-dense area. I don¡¯t know whether seven units per day counts as high or low Energy for an area, but I guess it¡¯s worth a shot. I doubt these beans would grow on Earth at all. Having paused for a short time, I suddenly realise that there¡¯s a bit of a nagging feeling, like I¡¯ve forgotten something, or that I need to check something. My brow furrowing, I think through my tasks for the day ¨C what could I be forgetting? I concentrate on the feeling and am suddenly hit by inspiration. Opening my status, I see what the cause of the feeling is: I¡¯ve got a new message. Briefly taking note of the rise in my Energy accumulation ¨C up to 17% - I mentally click on the message box and select the new message.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Endurance and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Hell, yes, I think, eagerly agreeing. A surge of energy goes through me and I see the five in my status screen next to Strength tick up to six. That makes me frown a little in confusion ¨C I thought I got the point in Endurance? But then there is no Endurance in my status screen¡­ I then also note that my stamina maximum has increased to thirty from twenty. Does that mean that Endurance is a sub-category of Strength? Well, I suppose it must be ¨C being able to move and continue moving for a long time is primarily due to muscle conditioning, right? Then what¡¯s the other sub-category? I guess there has to be one because my stamina went up by ten by adding a point, but I only have thirty stamina for six points. Force? Lift ability? I also see something else which makes my frown deepen. My progress to the next level had been 17% before...now it¡¯s 2%. Had upgrading my Strength/Endurance actually eaten into my progress? That settles it, I think grimly. I need to absorb the system lore stone next. But that will have to wait for tomorrow. For now, I need to keep going. ***** It¡¯s getting late. I need to choose a place to stop for tonight, but I still haven¡¯t found anything promising in terms of shelter. I¡¯m beginning to think that creating my own shelter is going to have to be my choice, but I haven¡¯t quite given up yet. One more day, I figure. Tonight I guess it¡¯s going to be another dead leaf shelter, if I can even summon up the energy to do that much ¨C I¡¯m tired. It¡¯s been a long day of walking, being wary, and the odd fight or almost fight. In the afternoon, I was attacked three times ¨C three times more than in the morning! If nothing else, it¡¯s proof that the increasing Energy density ¨C which my status screen attests to ¨C also means increased density of creatures. It¡¯s at that moment that I realise I¡¯ve stopped paying enough attention to my surroundings. The hairs stand up on the back of my neck and I freeze in place: in the last forty-eight hours I¡¯ve learned to listen to my instincts. It¡¯s fortunate I did ¨C an ambush hits the spot where I would have been standing an instant later. The attacker comes close enough that I feel the brush of its whiskers on my slightly outstretched hand. For one moment it feels like we¡¯re suspended in time. I stare at the creature, and it stares back at me with golden, vertically slit eyes. I gain a sense of the creature in that snapshot of time and it¡¯s one of the least reptilian I¡¯ve come across so far. It actually looks rather like a big cat, a lion or tiger or something similar, but its nose is a bit more elongated and its tail is a plume of feathers. It also has wings, though they¡¯re clearly not anywhere near big enough to fly with, only spanning about a foot or two in length where the animal itself is about three or four feet long. It has four legs, and mottled brown, beige, and black fur transforms into scaly, clawed legs and feet about halfway down. The claws are more reminiscent of a bird of prey¡¯s than a cat¡¯s, but the shape of the foot is clearly designed to run rather than grasp. All that passes through my head in the unmoving instant when I am practically nose to nose with a predator which probably outweighs me, and is definitely stronger than I am. The moment passes and I whip my hand back to grab my knife as the raptorcat lunges towards me. At the same time as grabbing my knife, I dodge to one side, only just avoiding the bite. It¡¯s almost not far enough, and the raptorcat manages to snag the edge of my jacket, even that unintentional yank almost pulling me off balance. I gulp, seriously thinking about trying to run. The problem with that is that the raptorcat is probably faster than I am. As the raptorcat wheels about to launch another attack, I jab at it with my spear. The one-handed attempt is more than clumsy, but it makes the raptorcat flinch which gives me enough space to stab at it with my trusty knife. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t hit it, but the attempt still makes it duck sideways. I wheel around, backing away a bit, which helps me to mostly avoid its next lunge. Its teeth catch for a moment in my shirt and I take advantage to stab it in its eye. It lets go and backs away, shrieking loudly and I wince at both the piercing sound and in sympathy for the pain. In response to its cry, a series of snarls rumbles out...from the trees around me. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My stomach dropping, I dare to dart a glance around me to either side since my opponent is currently crouched down and rubbing at its damaged eye with one foreleg, whimpering a bit. To my horror, I see five other shapes, only discernible from the trees around because I now know what I¡¯m looking for. I¡¯ve walked straight into a trap! To hell with this ¨C I¡¯m not confident about my odds against one of these beasts. No way can I do anything about six of them. Frantically, my mind flashes through the ¨C few ¨C options which could possibly extricate me from this dire situation. I don¡¯t want to die, a voice whimpers in my head. I growl at it mentally ¨C much good the sentiment will do me now! Then like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man, I have the spark of an idea. It¡¯s a chance...which is more than I could say about staying here. Backing away slowly from the approaching predators, I suddenly make a break for it when one of them looks like it¡¯s about to leap at me. Zig-zagging, dodging right, dodging left, and running all the way, I no longer feel exhaustion weighing down my limbs. No, instead they¡¯re alight with fiery ants crawling under my skin at the thought of those horrible teeth sinking into me at any moment. My spear snags briefly on a bush I run past so I drop it rather than risk it slowing me down. It¡¯s one weapon less, but it¡¯s not going to do me much good against six of these predators. Runrunrunrunrunrun! It¡¯s all I can think about. The snarling beasts at my heels are getting closer. I don¡¯t dare take my attention off the way ahead of me to see how close they are ¨C in fact, I¡¯m not sure I want to know ¨C but I can tell from the sound of jaws snapping all too close to my precious body that they are entirely too close for comfort. It''s only been a few seconds since I started running, maybe half a minute at the most, but if nothing changes, they''re going to succeed in bringing me down within the next thirty seconds. I leap over logs, dodge trees, avoid sliding in mud by the skin of my teeth...my terror gives my feet wings, but I know it can¡¯t last. As if it had heard my thoughts, one of the beasts leaps forwards just a little faster and its teeth catch in the back of my shirt. Fortunately for me, it¡¯s only barely, and when the beast yanks back, its teeth rip a hole in my clothes rather than tug me off my feet. It still makes me stumble a bit. A new wave of cold fear goes through me and I manage to turn the slight stumble into a jink around a tree, but I¡¯m already fading. I surpassed fear what feels like ages ago, my mind falling into outright panic, but somehow the terror in my thoughts still is able to kick up a level. I¡¯m not going to make it: I¡¯m out of breath, and even the adrenaline-fueled strength powering my limbs is running out. Where is it? My eyes frantically scan everywhere around me, looking for the only thing that could possibly offer me survival to see another dawn. There! No sooner have I seen the hole between a tree¡¯s roots than I throw myself towards it, hoping that it¡¯s deep enough - and has no other occupant worse than the pack of raptorcats behind me. The entrance is tight, and I throw my knife forwards rather than risk it snagging and preventing me from moving. I have to wiggle and heave myself forwards to get my shoulders through, and then again to get my bum in. Of course, with the beasts so close at my heels, that means I don¡¯t go unscathed. I feel the agony of teeth closing in my flesh, and it¡¯s only by applying my full strength that I tear myself free and succeed in pulling myself into the hole that¡¯s barely bigger than my own body curled up. Of course, I leave a chunk of my leg behind, so I quickly cast Lay-on-hands three times in succession to stop the bleeding and start healing the wound. The raptorcats aren¡¯t going to let go of their prey so easily: a snarling head appears in the hole and snaps at me, its forelegs scrabbling at the ground. I snarl back at it, completely done for today and stab at it continuously with my knife. After gaining several wounds without even reaching its prey, the raptorcat backs off with an aggrieved growl. A new head takes its place and I repeat the same actions with the same result. By the time three of them have backed off, and I guess one of the other three which are part of the same pack is the one I¡¯ve already wounded, the group of raptorcats seem to give me up as a bad job. Pack? Maybe I should say ¡®pride¡¯ with how feline the creatures seemed to be based on my brief look. With some more angry noises, I hear the pride set off. Even when it¡¯s gone silent out there, I don¡¯t move. First of all, the creatures have already proven themselves master ambushers ¨C what¡¯s to say that they¡¯re not setting a trap for me now? Secondly, I¡¯m not in a fit state to fight off any other attackers. There¡¯s no way the predators of this god-forsaken world would pass up the chance to have a nice bloody and limping human for supper. Besides, this little space isn¡¯t so terrible, and I did need a shelter¡­. In fact, I consider even making this into a more permanent one, but then decide against it. The fact that it hasn¡¯t been claimed by something else indicates there¡¯s a problem ¨C in fact that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t investigate it earlier when I saw the hollow: I thought it might already have an occupant and had no desire to risk starting another fight. Besides, if it ever rains in this place, it probably floods. Still, it will do a good enough job for tonight. After all that ¡®excitement¡¯, I just lie in the little burrow, recovering. I cast Lay-on-hands until my wounds heal, then take advantage of the time to drink a bit from my canteen and chew a few chunks of cooked meat ¨C I need it to replace the blood I¡¯ve lost. Not to mention needing the time to mentally recover from ¨C once more ¨C staring death in the eyes. While I lie there quietly, I decide that if I don¡¯t find a place tomorrow which will make a decent shelter, I¡¯ll give up and make one. Clearly I¡¯m starting to get into areas which are too dangerous for me to venture into. Still, maybe I should make sure I¡¯m not near raptorcat territory when I do choose a spot. One bright spot, though ¨C I¡¯ve earned a point to Dexterity. Accepting the point means levelling-up is further away; gaining a point might mean the different between life or death if I meet another raptorcat tomorrow. Should I take it or not? Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifteen: So, what is this all about? The next morning dawns bright and early but I¡¯m fully awake seconds after opening my eyes. As I learnt from my snake-alarm the day before yesterday, a near-death experience is just as good a stimulant as a strong espresso. This time it¡¯s a horrific cross between a snake and a millipede which makes me shriek at a pitch far higher than I would ever willingly admit to. But honestly, who could stay quiet when waking up to a long, thick creature with sharp legs wrapping its body around you, and burying its sharp fangs in your thigh as soon as you start to move? Fortunately, or not depending on how you look at it, I¡¯ve been in so many of these life-death situations by this point that I don¡¯t have to have my brain fully supplied with oxygen in order to know what to do. Grabbing my knife with my right hand, I try to gain some sort of purchase on the creature¡¯s body with my left, pulling it away from me as hard as I can. Bringing the blade up to counter attack, I shout again in pain as this makes the fangs buried in me shift. Gritting my own teeth, I stab upwards at its body, trying to get between the hardened scaly armour to reach the softer flesh below. It¡¯s a race between whether I will get in deep enough to damage something vital, or bloodloss from my many, many wounds will take me down first. I cast Lay-on-hands quickly, which helps: the slices in my skin aren¡¯t very deep, but they are bleeding rather heavily and there are just so many of them. All the while, I keep jabbing my knife, finally managing to knock off a scale and stab into the flesh of the beast. By this point, the snilapede has decided that I¡¯m too tough as potential prey, and tries to make good its escape. I grit my teeth at the feeling of sharp feet pulling their way out of wounds, the small barbs on them doing even more damage. It¡¯s fast, all those legs a real advantage, but I¡¯m faster. Or at least, I¡¯ve stacked the deck to my advantage by grabbing its tail before it can completely disengage. It whips around to attack me again, but this time I¡¯m ready. I grab its head and shift so I can put my knee on it, stabbing again and again into the small patch which lost its scale. Pinned by its tail and head, it writhes as much as it can, but not enough to make any difference to its fate. By the time it stops writhing and just twitches, clearly already dead and just waiting for the muscle spasms to catch up with reality, I¡¯m panting and weak. Collapsing to a half-sitting, half-lying position next to my attacker, I spam-cast Lay-on-hands, fighting against unconsciousness. I lose the battle eventually, bloodloss taking its toll, but I¡¯ve ¨C hopefully ¨C got myself past the most dangerous point. I just hope nothing comes to take advantage while I¡¯m almost out of it. Fortunately, I never lose consciousness completely, nor does anything attack me while I¡¯m helpless. I guess still being mostly-protected in the hollow under the tree helps. It does confirm my decision that this is no good as a potential shelter, though. I¡¯m glad I decided to take the Dexterity point last night, even if it cleaned me out of Energy ¨C who knows whether my new fine motor control was part of what enabled me to kill this new foe. My weakness passes after a time, my multiple casts of Lay-on-hands both healing my wounds and helping me replenish my blood supply as I gnaw on bird meat and drink water to supply the nutrients. After some experience through the last few fights I¡¯ve concluded that Lay-on-hands can¡¯t magically ¨C hah ¨C produce blood, but if I eat something while casting it, it will convert the nutrients in what I¡¯m eating to blood. When I¡¯m feeling better, I push myself to my feet and shove the beast corpse in my Inventory: I figure that those legs will be useful as fish-hooks at some point, considering the backwards pointing barbs which made such a mess of me. Sighing a little at the blood covering me and the numerous rents in my clothing, I crawl out of the burrow and head towards the river. I reckon these clothes are no good for anything more than bandage strips ¨C when properly sterilised ¨C or cleaning rags. My trousers are ripped in several places from the raptorcats last night, and my shirt and jumper have been torn to pieces by this latest attack. This world sure is hard on clothing. Much more of this and I¡¯ll be reduced to wearing hides of the animals I¡¯ve killed like a proper wildman, despite having brought half my wardrobe with me! After cleaning up, I eat some more bird meat. It¡¯s getting a bit boring, but I¡¯ll take boring over hunger, so there¡¯s that. Then, deciding that as long as I¡¯m careful I should be able to absorb the next stone. Sitting near the water is as safe as I¡¯m going to get right now so I take out the System knowledge stone to absorb. Compared to the other stones I¡¯ve absorbed, I¡¯d say it¡¯s probably between the wilderness survival stone and the tracking stone in terms of mental load ¨C probably more towards the tracking stone than the other direction. Unlike the tracking stone, it¡¯s not because of breadth, but depth. And, I think the fact that it¡¯s all so new makes it harder. Actually, I know that now. I...suddenly understand why I had to wait a day between each stone. In fact, I really should have waited more, especially between the first and the second stone. I feel a surge of regret inside me at the thought of the amount of knowledge I probably missed from the second and third stones because the first was still settling in. Shame joins it when I realise that Nicholas obviously didn¡¯t think my Intelligence score would be as low as six. He was probably expecting it to be eight or nine: that would be sufficient to allow for one stone per day, though only just. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Still, I¡¯m glad that I absorbed this stone now; hopefully it will stop me making stupid mistakes like that again. For certain, I¡¯m not going to absorb the hunting stone for at least two days. That should be enough time for my new knowledge to settle and my mind to be ready to accept further information. Standing up, I set off downstream again, my mind going over my new knowledge even as I keep a watch out around myself for potential attackers. So, what is this all about? In short, Energy. I suddenly understand the concept far better than I ever did before. Actually, the idea in itself is nothing ground-breaking ¨C when I had thought about Energy before, I¡¯d gone back to my school days in physics class: you know, kinetic energy, potential energy, chemical energy, etc. And indeed, these are indeed forms of Energy, but peripheral ones ¨C something like the aftershocks of an earthquake rather than the earthquake itself. The fact is that Earth doesn¡¯t seem to have Energy-energy, or if it does, it has it in such small quantities that we don¡¯t notice it. Or maybe it¡¯s what we would consider miracles? I don¡¯t know. Anyway, that¡¯s not relevant. The point is, this Energy is ever-present in the world from which Nicholas comes, and, given he sent me here to collect it, I have to assume the same is the case in my present world. By itself, Energy flows in and out, around and through everything, but seems to particularly collect in living creatures. The higher the intelligence level, the more Energy collected ¨C which explains why Intelligence is the modifier for my mana pool. Though, on that point, the reason why Wisdom is the modifier for mana regeneration is because Energy and mana are not the same thing: just as the food we eat ¨C chemical energy ¨C has to be converted into kinetic energy for our muscles to move, so mana has to be converted from Energy. That said, I¡¯m still a bit unsure as to why Wisdom would be the modifier; either I¡¯ve lost that bit of knowledge by absorbing the stone at the wrong time or it was never present in the stone to begin with. So, Energy collects in everything, but living beings especially. The problem is that living beings can¡¯t do anything about that. What? But then what was that whole thing about Intelligence and Wisdom?! Apparently, that is where Classes come in. When I absorbed the Class stone, I absorbed more than a status screen and Skills: I absorbed a metaphysical structure and storage container that¡¯s inter-dimensional in a way that makes my mind tie itself in knots even considering thinking about it, let alone actually pondering on it. I quickly stop ¨C I know where my limits are, and most ¡®hard¡¯ sciences at any significant depth are beyond them! The storage container accumulates Energy, either through natural absorption ¨C which I guess is my seven units an hour, actually, eight now ¨C or when I kill another living creature. Apparently, part of the Energy held by the victim goes to its killer while the majority is lost to the world around. So that accounts for the hikes in Energy I¡¯ve gained from my life-death encounters. Fun fact, apparently a little Energy remains in the flesh of the creature for an hour or so after its death, and so eating it within than time can increase Energy gain. Extra fun fact, some parts of the body ¨C like the organs ¨C are more energy-dense than others, and special preparation can increase the amount of Energy absorbed multiple times. So maybe I shouldn¡¯t have ditched the bird¡¯s organs. And the corpses of the weasitors. At least I still have the corpse of that weird scaled rabbit which attacked me soon after lunch yesterday. That one in particular was a bit of a nightmare ¨C giving me flashbacks to watching an iconic film years ago. Despite almost seeming like a harmless herbivore, it had had two sets of razor-sharp teeth that latched painfully into my arm. It would have bitten out my throat if I hadn¡¯t caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye and managed to get my arm there in time. No way was the creature going to get away without being eaten after that. I take far too much pleasure at the thought of cooking the wretched creature on a spit: by the time I pinned it down to kill it, I was bleeding heavily in five places. Then again, apparently whatever the Inventory is made of is rather anathema to Energy. My stones were OK there because they are stable, self-contained weaves of Energy. Fortunate, as the thought that I might have inadvertently ¡®wiped¡¯ my sole hopes of survival like a hotel key card put too close to a mobile phone makes my stomach swoop unpleasantly. Something as unstable as uncooked meat, however, stands no chance. Key point to take home ¨C immediately cook and eat organs of worthy foes if at all possible, but accept that my supply of emergency food in my Inventory is not going to improve my Energy stores in any way. I suddenly wonder whether my phone or kindle have been badly affected by being put in the Inventory. Deciding that the answer to that question is worth using a bit of battery, I pause, checking around myself first for danger, then dig in my backpack and pull out my phone. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixteen: Killer Chickens Holding down the power button, I find myself unconsciously holding my breath. The screen stays black for what seems to be far longer than normal, but just as I¡¯m on the verge of giving up in disappointment, it turns on. I let out my breath with sigh of relief. Letting it load just to check everything¡¯s fine ¨C it is ¨C I turn it off after looking at the clock. Apparently it¡¯s past four pm, which means that either the days here are significantly shorter, a bit longer, or in the transition between worlds, I lost a lot of hours or gained a few. Again, I shrug, though consider briefly turning the phone on again around this time tomorrow just to see. So, my phone¡¯s still working, I say to myself thoughtfully. Is that because it was in the backpack, or is electrical energy not affected by the Inventory space in the same way Energy is? Or is it because the energy is in a battery? Just another unanswerable question to join the list. I¡¯m certainly not going to test whether it was protected by being in my backpack by putting it directly into my Inventory! That said, I suppose that later I could test whether an organ loses less Energy by being in a backpack¡­ Something to think about later, I guess. One question I can answer now, though, is why I want to collect Energy ¨C and why my store went down by 15% for each point I accepted that increased a stat yesterday. It turns out that just as Energy can be converted into mana, it can also be converted into any other form of energy. Sounds simple, right? Not so ¨C having an overabundance of energy, regardless of the type, is not necessarily helpful, and can in fact be detrimental. Turns out that even before the Class system was discovered, humans in Nicholas¡¯ world had discovered various ways of storing Energy and then using it to enhance their bodies ¨C it seems they were trying to copy animals which appear to have a natural ability to use Energy to develop themselves. Unfortunately for them, the average result looked more like a victim of serious radiation poisoning ¨C or worse. Cue the discovery of the Class system. Though the stone¡¯s information didn¡¯t go into detail about who made the discovery or how, it was clear that this was a game-changer. Now, instead of people essentially dumping Energy into their bodies, and hoping that it would improve their bodies, the Class structure transforms the Energy into more appropriate forms and then directs it to improve the specific stats which the Class-user, aka ¡®Classer¡¯, has chosen. Obviously, the way that each of these stats is improved depends on the stat. The three physical stats ¨C Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity ¨C are improved by changes made to the physical structure of the body. Dexterity is about the capacity of fine motor skills, but also the flexibility of the body and, to a certain extent, its fast-twitch muscles. Constitution is about the body¡¯s toughness ¨C hence this stat being the basis of the body¡¯s health pool ¨C and is characterised by density of bones, thickness of skin, durability of organs, etc. Strength can go either towards high weight or long duration, in other words Power versus Endurance, or a balance between the two. I have the answer for why my Strength is 6 but my stamina is 30: the work I did at the gym tended to be lifting as heavy weights as I could, encouraging the build of muscles towards Power, rather than Endurance, meaning that when I arrived on this world, my ratio was skewed a bit more towards the former. Thanks to receiving the point yesterday ¨C probably from all the walking I¡¯ve been doing ¨C I now have a balance between the two. Contrary to what I thought, there are not three mental stats, but two: Willpower is apparently a ¡®soul¡¯ stat, and the information on how this is improved is missing ¨C I just have to accept that the Class system somehow uses Energy to improve my Willpower. Intelligence is easier to understand ¨C Energy improves the physical structures of the brain, rendering the user more capable of forming and maintaining neural connections. In short, the higher my Intelligence level, the more information I can absorb and access, as I¡¯d already theorised. My thought process should become quicker and more streamlined and my memory improved. Little wonder that this stat determines when I should absorb a knowledge stone. Wisdom is another stat which is a little hard for me to conceptualise. It¡¯s something about the connection between me and my surroundings...something to do with my aura? It makes me think of those New Age tree-huggers when I think of ¡®aura¡¯, though I have to admit that ¡®magic¡¯ wasn¡¯t exactly something I ever thought could exist so¡­ I figure I¡¯ll see how things develop. Now, improving stats happens in two ways: on level-up and after effort, the latter of which I¡¯ve experienced. On level-up is pretty obvious: every Class comes with a certain number of stat points per level depending on the rarity of the Class. The most common Classes award one or two points per level; the most rare can offer up to ten. The stone doesn¡¯t seem to include a list of Classes and their rarity and I can¡¯t find it anywhere in my status screen, so I guess I¡¯ll have to find out upon level-up how many stat points I¡¯ll have available. It seems like it should go without saying that the more points awarded on level-up, the better, right? Yes...but that¡¯s not the whole story. Improvements don¡¯t come for free. Take the other method of improving the body ¨C actually putting some effort into it. For example, when I was offered the opportunity to improve my Dexterity and then it used some of my stored Energy? In essence, I had worked my body hard and had already made some improvements to my agility when learning the hard way how to dodge and keep ahead of a group of hungry predators. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Class System in my body recognised that, and also recognised that I had sufficient Energy stored to support a stat improvement. Upon agreeing to the improvement, the System took the Energy and directed it to finishing off the improvement I¡¯d already started. Had I refused the improvement, nothing would have happened, but after more time, perhaps another few days of work, I would have reached the same stage by myself and my Dexterity stat would have grown to reflect that. In short, it¡¯s a shortcut ¨C exchanging Energy for time and effort. The same is true on level-up: the whole reason I have to gather Energy at all to level up is because I need to accumulate enough in order to support however many stat points I will use. Thus, the downside to rare classes ¨C someone who has access to ten stat points on level up will have to accumulate a lot more Energy than someone with a very common Class. Why not just get a common Class and then work out to increase stat points independent of level-ups, then? Apart from the other benefits to a rare Class such as more powerful Skills, there¡¯s one good reason: it costs more. Increasing stats on level-up is more efficient than individually, and the more stats increased at one time, the more efficient the process is. It¡¯s like the body is already awash with Energy, so only a little more is needed to effectuate change. No statistics are given, but I guess it¡¯s something like if 15u is needed for a single stat to improve, then for ten stats done at once, it¡¯s probably only 10u each. Or less. It¡¯s a little difficult to calculate as the amount of Energy required to change each stat depends on a number of factors. These include, but are not limited to, how much potential my body has to improve, how much I have already improved the stat ¨C and whether this was done ¡®naturally¡¯ or with Energy ¨C and how much effort I¡¯ve already put towards improving that stat without Energy. All I know is that the System lore stone says that levelling up is a more efficient means of increasing stats than working out and then using stored Energy to make up the difference. Anyway, there¡¯s also a limit to how much someone can raise their stats by working out, whether that¡¯s physically or mentally. At a certain point, the human body is incapable of improving further, and Energy is needed to go into ¡®superhuman¡¯ realms. So, in some ways, it actually makes more sense to do as many ¡®natural¡¯ improvements as possible, although it may delay levelling-up: that way, when I use my levelling-up stat point/s, I will be improving my body past where it could function naturally. Realising that I¡¯m walking through a dangerous forest without really paying sufficient attention to my surroundings, I get my head in the game and back on a swivel. Digesting the new information I have access to can wait: I¡¯ve got a shelter to find. ***** My steady progress along the river is interrupted when, having stopped to eat lunch, I suddenly hear a sound that doesn¡¯t fit my environment. The sound of birdsong and the crunch of woodland creatures minding their own business has long faded into the background for me. This sound draws my attention because it¡¯s nothing like the normal backdrop of the forest. No, this noise is more like a...snicker. A giggle. And not a merry, innocent one either. I look up and freeze. Not more than a few paces away something is staring at me with its head cocked to one side. It looks like...a chicken, if chickens stood three feet off the ground, had camouflage-style plumage, and the regard of a predator. Wait, scratch that, chickens do have the regard of a predator when they see a bug or seed they want to eat. This bird¡¯s beak looks like it will do significantly more damage than a chicken¡¯s, though, being far more hooked and serrated. The worst thing, though, that I notice as I slowly and carefully look around myself, is that it¡¯s not alone. Apparently these killer-chickens hunt in packs. Turning back to the one at the front of the pack, I don¡¯t take my eyes off it as I reach for my knife. This...is going to suck, I know it. Ah well, at least I¡¯ll have more meat to add to my stores. If I survive, that is. Being surrounded by probably about fifteen of the things is not a good start. The chicken opens its beak and makes that weird snicker-giggle again. The next moment, it springs towards me, running with its head down and its tail out. I absentmindedly note that its tail is almost twice the length of its body. Its function comes into play almost immediately as I swing the knife at the chicken...and miss. Its tail whips it off course and suddenly it¡¯s biting my arm. I swear as its beak sinks in far deeper than it has any right to go. Its beak hooked in, it flaps its wings, giving itself enough lift to rake at me with its clawed legs. Oh, that¡¯s how this creature hunts, then, I think, my mind racing to try and work out how to take advantage of that. It uses its serrated beak to hold on and then rips its prey to pieces. Of course, that¡¯s the least of my worries because I¡¯m also trying to fend off the next three which are attacking me from behind with the same strategy. Clearly, another part of its hunting method is to overwhelm with numbers. I need to get to my feet ¨C I should have a height advantage which is currently completely wasted since they surprised me while I was sitting down. Unfortunately, the number of chickens currently grabbing onto me is severely hampering my ability to push myself upright. Also unfortunately, my knife is proving pretty ineffectual ¨C I just can¡¯t get the right angle to hit the things somewhere vital, especially not the ones behind me, which is a good half of my hangers-on. My spear would come in useful here, but it¡¯s lying who-knows-where back in raptorcat territory. I regret not taking the time this morning to replace it now. It¡¯s a catch-22 situation: I need to get to my feet to get the right sort of height to deal with the creatures, but they¡¯re hampering me so much that I can¡¯t get up. My mind races for an answer, but I¡¯m going to have to find a solution fast, because currently this is a battle of attrition which I¡¯m doomed to lose. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventeen: Hearts Scrabbling around in the dirt, I try to find a rock or something which I can use to deal some blunt-force damage. I spot a rough stick lying not far away and I still. It¡¯s a stick about three feet long with a larger part on one end. A growth or bole or something. Could I use that as a mace or spear or something? Worth a try. Struggling against the weight of the chickens on my body and the pain of their bites and scratching claws, I manage to get hold of one part of the branch. Dragging it towards myself, I adjust my grip to about halfway along its length and then start swinging it in both directions, clumsily, I¡¯ll admit. This proves to be more effective: the chickens gripping onto me are unable to dodge without letting go. The branch is not the perfect weapon, but it seems surprisingly sound, and has a bit of weight to it. Enough, anyway, to cause damage to my attackers which are surprisingly easy to injure ¨C when I actually land a hit. An idea comes to mind, but I hesitate. It¡¯s a high-risk, high-reward strategy: if it works, it could turn the fight my direction; equally, if it doesn¡¯t work, it¡¯s pretty much guaranteed to make me lose the fight ¨C and my life. Perhaps it¡¯s the effect of the huge number of fights I¡¯ve got myself into during the last few days, and the number of times I¡¯ve been closer to death than I ever was on Earth, but the thought has lost some of its terror. In the end, it doesn¡¯t take me that long to decide to try my idea ¨C if I don¡¯t, I might be done-for anyway. Throwing myself onto my back, I shout in pain as the action makes the beaks and claws already cutting into me slice deeper, but my momentum carries me over my shoulder and onto my knees. I keep the momentum going, getting to my feet with minimal effort. The weight of the chickens still attached to me threatens to throw me off balance, but the ones I landed on are stunned or dead, and the majority of the others have either been twisted off me or let go of their own volition as I moved. Deciding to deal with my annoying hangers-on first, I stagger over to a tree and bash my back against it, rubbing back and forth, ignoring the others biting and clawing at my legs for now. My actions manage to free me of the chickens clinging on behind me, though their removal still sends shards of agony lancing through me. I absentmindedly cast Lay-on-hands and breathe in relief as cool energy soothes the pain a little. With that semi-dealt with, I concentrate on the chickens still in the game. With a tree to my back, my height advantage, and a weapon with a much longer reach available, the rest of the fight is significantly easier. Not easy, nor painless, but now I¡¯ve got my most important organs out of their immediate reach, they have to jump off the ground to get at my torso, which reduces their mobility. I¡¯m dual wielding ¨C my knife in my right hand; my ¡®mace¡¯ in my left. Together, I manage to stab the chickens that bite me, and swipe at the chickens on the ground. Adding in a Lay-on-hands every few minutes and I¡¯m slowly improving my condition while the chickens are one-by-one being knocked out of the game. They don¡¯t seem to recognise that the tide has turned, though. In several of the fights I¡¯ve had so far, my opponents have realised when they¡¯ve lost their advantage, and they¡¯ve tried to run to fight another day ¨C most of the time not very successfully, but still, they tried. These chickens don¡¯t seem to have that instinct as they just keep attacking me even as their compatriots fall around me. When the penultimate bird gets slammed by my ¡®mace¡¯ off its mortal coil, the final one latches into my leg with more ferocity than I¡¯ve seen from these wretched birds all fight. I drop my mace and reach down to grab it by the neck with both hands, not caring that the knife makes the hold awkward. Wringing its neck, I pull it off me and throw it to the ground. I¡¯m feeling light-headed from blood-loss and nearly at the end of my strength. But, in the end, it¡¯s me standing among twitching, bleeding, dying killer-chickens. That now-familiar sense of triumph goes through me, as well as a shiver of what I¡¯ve come to recognise as Energy. It¡¯s a much stronger sensation than I¡¯ve had after my previous fights, but then these are much worse odds than I¡¯ve ever had before too. The sense of triumph is good, but it doesn¡¯t heal my injuries. I slump back down the moment I feel reasonably sure that there are no more chickens waiting to pounce. I¡¯ve been casting Lay-on-hands at any moment I could spare during the fight, so there¡¯s only two left in the tank. But, at least that means I actually survived. Casting one, I focus on stopping the bleeding everywhere. And I mean everywhere. My already torn clothes are hanging off me in shreds and there¡¯s not an inch of skin which isn¡¯t painted red with either my blood or the birds¡¯. The only good thing is that the majority of the injuries aren¡¯t deep and most of those that had been deep when gouged have had at least one Lay-on-hands to make them clot and start healing. Pulling out my waterskin, I take a long draught and then eat some of the last cooked meat I have. Oh well, at least my food concerns are no longer pressing ¨C when adding this meat to the amount I still have uncooked in my Inventory, I won¡¯t have to go hunting for a good while. When my mana refills enough to once more cast two healing spells, I cast another one. I want to keep one in the tank in case of emergencies, but the second Lay-on-hands is enough to make me walking wounded rather than incapacitated. I push myself to my feet and start collecting the corpses. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Not quite fifteen, more like thirteen, but still more than enough to overwhelm most creatures. I can see why they were confident enough to attack me, and not even with a proper ambush either. Not knowing that humans tend to have weapons, they probably just saw me as easy prey. Plus, I was sitting down, which probably made me look less threatening besides. Or maybe animals here are just crazy ¨C these guys probably actually had better odds than most of my attackers so far. Anyway, I need to deal with the corpses. Remembering what I¡¯d learnt from the system knowledge stone, I decide to try to get as much benefit from the remaining Energy in the bodies as I can. Knowing that I can¡¯t, and shouldn¡¯t, eat all the meat present, I need to pick and choose a bit. Based on the system lore stone, I figure that the organs will have the greatest density of Energy. I¡¯m a bit reluctant to eat things like the liver and kidneys, assuming these birds have those, as they¡¯re used to process the blood and may contain unhealthy concentrations of vitamins or other substances. The hearts, however, should be fine ¨C if the blood is tainted, I¡¯ll have a problem eating any of the meat so I feel reasonably safe with the hearts. Still, before I can do anything with those, I have some other processing I need to do first, including getting a fire started. Not to mention washing the blood off me and getting a new set of clothes so I¡¯m not practically walking around in my birthday suit. ***** Three hours later, I survey the area, satisfied with my work. It wasn¡¯t what I was intending on doing with my day, but I feel pretty productive nonetheless. I¡¯ve gathered lots of meat which has joined the bird meat already in my Inventory. I¡¯ve cooked and eaten more hearts than I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. I¡¯ve collected lots of feathers, figuring they will come in handy later ¨C these have taken up two slots of my Inventory as apparently the soft curled feathers are counted differently from the straight wing feathers. Finally, I¡¯ve got a new weapon. I¡¯ve inspected the branch I used as a mace and am pretty impressed with it, considering that I¡¯ve done nothing to make it more effective. It doesn¡¯t look like much, but apparently it¡¯s sound enough to serve as a weapon. The thicker bole at its base is probably the result of a growth of some sort and makes a somewhat weighty and hard lump which improves the stick¡¯s impact. It¡¯s a bit long for a mace, being almost two-thirds my height, but I can either just shift my hand closer to the bole for more control, or later trim it shorter. It was actually quite useful in this fight to use it as a double-ended weapon. I can imagine even more ways to make it more effective, primarily adding more weight or sharp pieces to the business end, but for something that just dropped off a tree, it¡¯s almost ideal. My efforts during and after the battle have had results. My Energy to the next level had increased to a whopping 57% by the end of the battle. Part of that is my natural absorption, but most of it is the killing. By eating the hearts, that percentage has increased further to 65%. It just makes me grimly acknowledge that if I¡¯m going to make any inroads to becoming stronger or accumulating Energy towards this ¡®debt¡¯ of mine, I¡¯m going to have to take the fight to the creatures. That¡¯s...not the most enticing prospect. I might have Lay-on-hands, but the injuries still hurt, and I can never forget that a single wrong move could be the end of me. The thought of dying on this deserted world, unmourned, unnoticed¡­it¡¯s not a pleasant one. But if I don¡¯t start earning some proper Energy, am I actually increasing the chance of dying? It may seem illogical, but I can¡¯t help thinking that so far I¡¯ve been attacked almost ten times, just minding my own business. I figure that the likelihood is I¡¯m very lucky that I haven¡¯t yet been attacked by something I can¡¯t handle with either my hands or my very basic tools. All of which means that with every encounter, heck, with every venture out into the woods for basic necessities, I¡¯ll increase the chance that I will encounter something too strong for me to fight off as I am now. And that means I need to get stronger, as fast as possible. I need to earn those stat points. And those only come from levelling up or effort. It means that when I was offered a stat increase to Dexterity while digging through the chickens¡¯ bodies, I turned it down. While I acknowledge that I should benefit from the extra stat points while I can, I can¡¯t help but think that levelling up will earn me more in one fell swoop. Unless my Class is really common, of course. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll know not to bother saving my Energy when offered stat points in the future. I hope it¡¯s the right choice. Also, if I am the hunter, rather than the hunted, I¡¯m more likely to be able to choose my encounter, and to choose to make it more advantageous to myself. I¡¯d already planned to absorb the Hunting stone tomorrow, but now I decide to also go hunting, if only for some easy prey. But first, I need to find my shelter so I have a reasonably safe home base to return to at the end of the day ¨C I can¡¯t forget how I woke up this morning after all. One good thing I have managed to discover is a sort of heads up display. I had wondered at the utility of having my mana, stamina, and health in my status screen. They¡¯re not that useful if I only ever see them in times of safety, since looking at my status in the middle of the battle would seem to be a very bad idea. At the thought, my absorbed knowledge from the System stone this morning kicked in and helpfully informed me of how to make these values display themselves in the corner of my vision at all times. I fix them in the top-middle part of my vision as I figure that¡¯ll be the least annoying, most helpful position. There are no values, just three bars of different colours: I quickly work out that blue means mana, yellow stamina, and red health. At least it¡¯ll give me an idea of how many more Lay-on-hands I have available in the middle of a fight, if nothing else. Plus, it¡¯ll tell me if that horribly painful wound is actually as life-threatening as it feels. Book One: Leap - Chapter Eighteen: The Cub and Wolvezard My health and stamina finally full, it¡¯s time for me to continue. Unlike the snake previously, I''m actually looking forward to trying out the killer-chicken meat. Mm, KFC, I can''t help thinking to myself. The reality will be somewhat different, I know, but a man can dream. Then, heading back to the river, I continue walking. I still haven¡¯t seen any area that looks promising for a shelter, which is disheartening. Sure, I could make one myself, but that¡¯ll take a fair bit of time since I have such rudimentary tools available. Time during which I could be attacked and killed. Frankly, if I never have to lie another night out in the open, it¡¯ll be too soon. Waking up to a load of insects crawling all over me or a snilepede trying to make me its breakfast is enough to put me off sleeping under the stars for life! Today looks like it¡¯s going to be like yesterday ¨C fruitless and painful ¨C until it doesn¡¯t. Rounding the bend of the river and seeing past a clump of trees for the first time, I catch sight of something ahead which makes my heart rise into my mouth in hope. For some reason, the next stretch of the river on my side is pretty clear of trees. It¡¯s got a fair number of bushes, some of which are as tall or taller than me, but few of the massive trees I¡¯ve started to get used to. The land, on the other hand, rises quite steeply from about a hundred metres away from the river. I guess it¡¯s some sort of foothill attached to the mountains forming the valley in which I am situated. Perhaps fifty metres or so from where the steep rise starts, it flattens out into a sort of plateau for a small area, maybe fifty to a hundred square metres in total; it¡¯s hard to estimate since I can¡¯t see the whole of the area due to my perspective. It rises very sharply after that, almost a cliff, with a waterfall running over the top and cutting down past the plateau. The little stream joins the river by which I¡¯m walking a bit lower down. Piquing my interest is the fact that if I look at the right angle, I see something that might, just might be a cave. If it is¡­ well, starting a shelter with a cave would save a lot of time. Plus, this is an ideal placement: not too far from the river, and with lots of potential prey nearby. I pant as I walk up the hill. This is far more exercise than I¡¯m used to getting, recent improvements aside. A few minutes later, of a steep, but manageable climb on foot, I reach the plateau. There, ahead of me is exactly what I was hoping to see: a cave. It¡¯s a strange sort of shape, though it takes me a little bit of squinting to work out why. After a few long moments, I suddenly hit on the reason: I can¡¯t work out how it was formed. As far as I¡¯m aware, caves are formed mostly by water erosion. Sure, you can also get ones formed by an area being sandblasted or something, but mostly it¡¯s erosion of either waves, a river, seasonal floods, or rainfall. This doesn¡¯t look like it was made that way. Although there is a stream running nearby, there¡¯s no hint in the rocks above that this cave could have been formed by that, even assuming that the stream was diverted later somehow. Equally, it¡¯s not a shape that indicates it could have been softer rock layered between harder rock that was washed out. We¡¯re nowhere near anywhere that could create waves either. If anything, the cave looks like some giant hand came down and pushed its thumb into modelling clay to make a hollow, then smoothed out the area above and in front. Seriously. The cliff above it is sheer in a way that no other area nearby is, the inside is even and smooth, and the mouth is big and round. Like, what? The sound of rustling makes me snap to attention, cursing myself for paying far too much attention to topograpical concerns when I should rather be making sure that nothing is about to eat my face. I duck down behind one of the taller bushes ¨C there not being any handy trees around ¨C and go still. Looking through the gaps between the bush leaves, I wait for whatever animal is making the noise to emerge. When it does, I can barely hold in my reaction. It¡¯s just far too...cute! Imagine one of those adorable kittens and then multiply its cute-factor by ten. It¡¯s also clearly going to be a killing machine when it grows up, but for now I can¡¯t stop my insides from melting. It¡¯s a leopard cub or something like that, but it¡¯s really fluffy, and keeps tripping over its own too-big paws even as it tries to pounce on something that¡¯s caught its attention. Like babies of any species, it¡¯s pretty oblivious to its surroundings, fortunately for me as I reckon I¡¯d struggle to defend myself against something so adorable. Yes, I¡¯m a cat person. Should I try Taming this cub? My Willpower is still less than ten so I probably shouldn¡¯t try Dominate. Then a thought strikes me and makes my insides feel like they¡¯ve been doused in ice-water. If there¡¯s a baby...where¡¯s its parent? As if summoned by my thoughts, there¡¯s a growl from the bushes opposite me and a cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. I¡¯m dead. There¡¯s no way a piddly little knife is going to stand up to an enraged leopard mama! I pull it out carefully anyway ¨C if I¡¯m dead anyway, I might as well try to go down fighting. The bushes rustle, and then a dark shape blurs out of it. I leap to my feet and stab forwards with a grunt, my eyes closing involuntarily as I flinch away in expectation of white-hot pain tearing through me. When it doesn¡¯t come, I crack my eyes open and dare to look at my attacker. Or at least, where I thought my attacker would be. My knife is clean, and the space in front of me is empty. There¡¯s a growl and pained yowl. I look over to the side and see a ball of yellow and black fur, mixed with green and red scales. It takes me a long moment to process the information ¨C all I can say in my defence is that my mind had started careening down one track, and suddenly I¡¯m having to put the brakes on, reverse backwards, then start down a whole new track. It¡¯s not the leopard mama, coming to slay the intruder who dared come near her cub? No, it¡¯s the cub which is in danger! Logically, what I should do is run away while the two creatures are fighting and continue looking for my shelter somewhere else. I don¡¯t do the logical action. Instead, I pull my water canteen out of my satchel and throw the contents on the two animals. The sudden shock makes them separate, and I shout loudly at the attacker. It looks like a horrible mix between a wolverine and lizard, with the teeth and claws of the former, and the scaly body and tail of the later. From the way it¡¯s snarling angrily at me, even as it keeps glancing at the cub, it¡¯s got the temper of the former too. I yank the mace from my belt and swing at the attacker, growling back at it. The anger within me which has been growing for days flares to life in my outrage. Try to attack a defenceless, adorable cub, will you? Not under my watch! The wolverzard switches its attention fully to me and the leopard cub takes the chance to scarper, half-limping towards the cave. The time I spend watching the cub costs me dearly as I miss seeing the wolverzard¡¯s approach until it¡¯s already too close to whack at it with my mace without hitting myself. Fortunately, I have my knife, so I just stab at it as it latches onto one leg. I yell loudly as it buries its teeth in me, growling and shaking its head. In turn, I stab at it and it releases me and jumps backwards as it tries to avoid the blow. I succeed in drawing a line down its side, but its scales are surprisingly tough and deflect most of the attack. My own wound, on the other hand, is already bleeding heavily. Cursing, I quickly cast my only magic spell, and then flail at the creature with my mace. It dodges again, and...runs between my legs. My confusion is answered a moment later when a weight lands on my back and only my abrupt, instinctive shake stops the bite from digging into the back of my neck. It pierces the meat of my shoulder instead and I feel a sense of panic rising. I throw myself onto my back, trying to at least knock the creature off, squish it if I can. Once more, the creature is just too fast, and I barely get my hand in front of me quickly enough to avoid it going for my throat. Instead, it makes gouges with its sharp claws over my face even as its teeth latch into my right forearm. It¡¯s got my forearm! I try to shake it loose, but it¡¯s strong, and heavier than I can lift easily in such an awkward position. Its paw drags excruciatingly across my face once more and suddenly one eye goes dark. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Ice crawls through my veins: I hope it¡¯s just blood causing the problem, because if not¡­ But I can¡¯t focus on that right now: I need to survive the next few moments before I can worry about anything more long-term. I grab the knife in my left hand ¨C it¡¯s not as agile as my right, but it¡¯s not currently being used as a chew toy, either. I stab at the beast and it releases my forearm to jump back. Of course, it¡¯s not content with doing that, and makes another rush at me, going once more for my throat. This time, I¡¯m more prepared and roll out of its way, trying to make my way to my feet. It¡¯s too fast. It knocks me over even as I get to my knees. We go rolling together, probably not looking much different from how the cub and wolvezard had looked earlier, only different colours. It snaps at any part of me it can reach and tries to disembowel me with its back claws, even as I try to grab any part of it with one hand and stab it with the other. Luck finally seems to be on my side as I manage to stop our momentum with my weight pinning it down enough to stab at its neck. For this, I have to sacrifice one hand to keep its jaws occupied, and I scream from the pain as it rages against my trap. My hand is savaged, as is my lower body from its claws, but I succeed in stabbing it somewhere vital and I keep stabbing until I feel it going limp. I use the last of my strength to roll off it and stare up at the sky, crying from agony. I can feel blood pumping out of me too ¨C it¡¯s hit something important in my belly. I have so many cuts and bite marks across me that I can barely even distinguish which parts hurt the most. My right eye is still dark, but that¡¯s not going to matter ¨C I¡¯m going to die in a few minutes. I¡¯ve been casting as many Lay-on-hands as I could summon up the concentration for, and I cast another one as my mana regenerates enough. That¡¯s it, though ¨C I¡¯m clean out, now, and it¡¯ll take at least ten minutes to regenerate enough for another cast. My wounds are still weeping blood far faster than that. I need something with a lot more oomph if I¡¯m to stand a chance of survival. More oomph. The thought sparks off an idea and I reach weakly for my satchel. I fumble around in it with my cold, clumsy fingers, searching for the lifesaving glass vial. It isn¡¯t there. Why?! I turn my head with difficulty and see it. At some point during our rolling, it must have fallen out of the satchel. My last health potion, my only chance of survival right now, lies a good couple of metres away, glinting in the sun. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Normally, I¡¯d just get up and walk over there with no issues. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t need to take the potion at all. This is not a normal situation, and I don¡¯t have the strength remaining to do any of that. I push at the ground weakly with my left hand, my right far too damaged to do anything but twitch feebly. I move a grand total of two inches, and that takes almost everything I have left. I lie there, my head spinning, my heart beating rapidly and shallowly, waiting for death to come and claim me. With nothing else to do, I let my mind drift over recent past memories. They¡¯re not pleasant memories. The moment Lucy, my long-term girlfriend, called it quits because I was ¡®more likely to marry my boss¡¯ than her. The moment she killed my final hopes of getting back together by bringing her new boyfriend to the family dinner, cutting me off from the people I considered my second family. The moment I received the call about my father¡¯s death. The moment my boss told me I was fired. I¡¯ve felt like a failure many times. But one thing is different this time: I saved the cub. At least my death now has had more of a positive consequence than just stepping off the roof would have. ***** Feeling far too weak from pain and blood-loss, I¡¯m still aware enough to open my eyes when a shadow falls across me. I look back upwards to see a massive shape standing menacingly over me: Mama leopard has arrived. I¡¯m so fucked, drifts into my mind, the swear word completely appropriate for the situation in my mind. Not that I wasn¡¯t dying before but now...there¡¯s not a snowball¡¯s chance in hell that I¡¯m going to get out of this alive, even if the health potion were to magically levitate over to me. She¡¯s huge, and not just in a ¡®I¡¯m on the floor staring up at an apex predator¡¯ kind of way. No, I can¡¯t get an accurate measurement of her height from my angle, but the paw that¡¯s sitting near my head is more than half the size of my torso ¨C even were I not to be injured, she¡¯d be able to pin me down with no trouble at all. Of course, with me as I am now, all she needs to do is step on my face and I¡¯ll be done even faster than the blood-loss will take me. I grimace, chuckling darkly and brokenly, the agony which had dulled down a bit shooting through me once more with the convulsive movement. How ironic. Slain by the leopard whose cub I¡¯d just saved. The stories I read never ended like this ¨C a hero was always rewarded in the end. He didn¡¯t die in such an ignominious manner. With the lack of anything better to do while I die, I gaze at the magnificent beast before me. Oh well, if nothing else, I¡¯ve succeeded in seeing a leopard in the flesh ¨C I¡¯d always wanted to go on a safari. To my surprise, the leopard doesn¡¯t take that moment to kill me, but moves off to sniff at the wolverzard. Perhaps it¡¯s obvious enough that I pose less threat than a wet, paper bag. There¡¯s a chirp from the direction of the cave and a tiny figure comes barelling through the bushes. The cub bursts out of the covering foliage and comes to rub up to its mum, already making a demanding ¨C and heart-meltingly cute ¨C noise. The mama leopard makes a deep huffing sound and sniffs her cub, licking its head with a tongue that¡¯s almost bigger than it. In fact, the cub doesn¡¯t even come halfway up the leopard¡¯s legs ¨C it¡¯s completely dwarfed by its parent. Maybe its dad was really small? I pull my mind away from that disturbing train of thought, not hard to do as my thoughts seem to be escaping my grasp like water from a cupped hand. Or blood from my body. ¡°Your cub is... adorable,¡± I tell the great cat hoarsely, probably a bit delirious. I figure that since I¡¯m about to die anyway, I¡¯ve got nothing to lose. ¡°I¡¯m glad it ¨C he? She? Didn¡¯t get... killed by that... thing.¡± I chuckle again, though it ends with a gasp of pain. ¡°Sure wish I... wasn¡¯t dying, though,¡± I admit. I don¡¯t exactly regret saving the cub, but I do thoroughly regret that I¡¯m the victim instead. If only I¡¯d been smarter about the whole thing. Shows how useful anger is when dealing with a problem, right? I could have used a stone or something to attack the wolverzard from a distance ¨C though I ignore the fact that I would have been too worried about hitting the cub instead. I could have taken a few moments to plan a better strategy ¨C at risk of being too late given how quick the wolverzard had been. The leopard moves off to sniff around the site of churned up ground and grass. She pauses over the vial of health potion. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a...health potion,¡± I tell her. ¡°Since I¡¯m... going to be... too far gone... for it soon, why don¡¯t you... keep it and give... it to your... kid if needed.¡± I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m bothering to waste my final breaths on talking to an animal, but I¡¯ve got nothing better to say, or anyone better to say it to. The leopard looks at me with an expression which I would have classed as thoughtful on a sentient being. Then, before my disbelieving eyes, she gestures with one paw and the ground beneath the glass vial moves. I blink. Did that happen? The glass container glints in the sun, only a few inches away from my half-decent hand, tempting me to reach out and grasp it. Is this all a hallucination brought on by my near-death? The fading around my vision and my increasing sense of disconnection with my limbs make it clear that hallucination or not, this might be my only chance to survive the next few minutes. With what feels like the effort it would take to lift a car, I work my less injured hand towards the potion. My vision narrows ¨C literally, the darkness is becoming more and more intrusive ¨C and all I can focus on is the health potion; everything else has disappeared. Inch by inch, moment by moment, I see my salvation coming closer. It¡¯s another race. Like with the snilepede earlier, it¡¯s a race between whether I¡¯ll get the vial to my mouth before my blood-loss stops me. My fingers are cold and numb; so are my arms. I don¡¯t have the strength to lift it. But I must. I have to. I tilt my head to one side and somehow get the mouth of the vial close enough wrap my lips around it. There¡¯s a stopper. Of course. I try to pull it out by fixing my teeth around the stopper and pulling on the vial with my hand, but I don¡¯t have the strength. I could cry. So close, but too late. I am crying. Wetness traces its way down my face, collecting on my nose before slipping over the bridge. No. No, I¡¯m not going out like this! I fix my teeth in the stopper firmly, and then yank the bottle with every speck of strength that still remains in me. I feel the stopper slip loose and then pull out just enough. Shoving half the vial into my mouth, I turn my head to face the sky, letting gravity do its thing. The stopper isn¡¯t out completely, but it¡¯s loose enough that the potion starts trickling out around it. I¡¯m so tired. My eyes flutter closed and not all the will in the world ¨C or Will ¨C could force them open again. Book One: Leap - Chapter Nineteen: Please don’t eat me! When I wake up, I¡¯m almost surprised. I¡¯d thought it was too late, that the potion had been too little, too late in the style of all the best tragedies. Or had the whole thing even happened? Had I really thrown myself into a life-death struggle with a vicious creature to save a leopard cub? A cub whose mother saved my life in return? It seems too fantastical to be true, even for this strange life in which I find myself. I doubt its reality even more when I take into account that nothing hurts. I open my eyes. There¡¯s a break in the forest canopy above me and I can see the bright blue sky. It¡¯s about mid-afternoon, from what I can tell. Without a watch or phone to tell me the time, I¡¯ve got pretty good at using the cues of light, temperature, and animal noises to orientate myself. Carefully stretching, I feel no pain, but I do feel the sensations of dirt, twigs, and grass under my hands, so I¡¯m not still numb. Testing my feet, I can feel my toes and move them. Good. I¡¯m not paralysed or anything. Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I feel over my stomach. It¡¯s smooth, healed, though the rips and bloodstains in my clothes attest to the fact that it really shouldn¡¯t be. Then I notice something that makes me freeze, ice going through my stomach. My vision is strangely limited. I can see everything I normally would to my right side, but my left side vision is...limited. I can see my nose and beyond it in a straight line, but my peripheral vision? I lift both hands and wave them to the sides of my head while looking forwards. My right hand, I can see. My left hand... No. Nonono. I grab at my face and put my hands over my eyes. My right eye is reacting normally. My left eye...is not. My left eyelid blinks, I can feel my finger when I touch the eyeball. But I can¡¯t see out of it. If I close my right eyelid and leave my left open, it¡¯s as if I¡¯ve closed them both. I¡¯m...It¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t deal with this right now. I push myself to my feet with nervous energy, then stop dead. The leopard is there, in that half-lying, half-sitting position cats and dogs take. She¡¯s watching me intently, the tip of her tail twitching every now and again. I¡¯m not an expert in cat body language so I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s a sign of annoyance or interest. Or even if body language for cats on Earth has any relevance to a giant leopard several worlds away. Forgetting about my eye for a moment, adrenaline rushes through me as I go into full-scale fight or flight mode. ¡°Good kitty,¡± I say shakily, lifting my hands placatingly and hunching over a little, not wanting to seem at all threatening. As if something as small and puny as me could seem threatening to a killing machine like her. I start backing away, hoping I can get far enough that she will stop being at all interested in me. If she¡¯s hungry and hopes to make a nice snack of me, I¡¯m toast. ¡°Nice kitty.¡± Why did you save my cub? The words echo in my head like a resonant bell ringing in a vast cave. Is that saying something about how much, or, more to the point, how little my mind is filled? Bringing my pitiful Intelligence and Wisdom stats to mind, I can¡¯t help but feel more depressed at the thought. Then I shake the thoughts out of my head ¨C not literally: I¡¯m rather trying to avoid sudden movements at the moment. Human, why did you save my cub? The words are repeated, though this time there is a sense of annoyance. At the same time, the leopard rumbles for a short moment. Is it¡­.? Could the leopard¡­? Could it, she, be talking to me? In my mind? Given what I¡¯ve seen so far, can I really rule out anything as a possibility? And ultimately, who¡¯s going to know or care if I¡¯m wrong? ¡°I wasn¡¯t really thinking about it,¡± I answer honestly, the sheer terror curdling in my belly preventing me from finding any sort of pretty lie. ¡°Your cub was so small and cute; it didn¡¯t seem fair that it should die just as it started to live.¡± Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. I think for a moment, forgetting to continue slowly backing away in my pondering. ¡°And I¡¯m tired of worlds which destroy the innocent.¡± It¡¯s surprisingly true. And I¡¯m not just talking about this world, either, though the kill-or-be-killed nature of the place here is probably even harder on the young than the corporate world I came from. Of course, it helps that the leopard cub was absolutely adorable and the wolverzard was more like an escaped experiment from a mad scientist¡¯s laboratory. I thank you, human, whatever your motives. I had thought my den safer than it is, and I would have been most grieved to have returned all too late to save my offspring. I wish to reward you, but I must know more about you in order to offer the most appropriate gift. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I mean, you kinda already saved my life,¡± I say slowly, not wanting to look a gift-leopard in the mouth, but at the same time not wanting to be like Chicken Little, getting lured into a fox¡¯s den with pretty words and then swiftly eaten. ¡°You gave me my health potion.¡± Then I frowned as my memory tells me that actually the ground moved to bring my health potion nearer to me. That¡¯s not possible ¨C I must have been delusional at the time. Since you wouldn¡¯t have needed it if not for interceding on my cub¡¯s behalf, it does not count towards the debt I owe you. Indeed, the fact that you were brought so near death on her account, and indeed have earned a physical disability for your actions only add to the weight of the debt. I bring my hand up to my blind eye, a surge of emotions once more rising. I force it down again. For now. I say nothing, just stand there hesitating. Come, the leopard tells me. Sit, and tell me how you came to be in this unpopulated world. She gestures and the earth moves. Again, since with this new evidence, I have to guess that I wasn¡¯t dreaming about it obeying her command before. It forms a low chair, nothing fancy; just a seat with a back and raised sections to either side which will work as arms. Suddenly, I realise the probable reason for why the cave looked so unnatural: she made it. The other problem with the chair is that it¡¯s also significantly closer to the great cat than I am now, even than where I started. I hesitate again. This seems far too much like the Chicken Little scenario. Come, she tells me again. I promise you safety for this audience. After a few more moments of thought, I mentally shrug and walk towards the chair. If she¡¯s lying, she¡¯s quite capable of killing me even if I ran away as quickly as I could. Humans can¡¯t stand up to a normal leopard without armour and/or guns; standing up to this massive version of one with nothing more than a lumpy branch and a short knife seems...improbable. I might as well play along with her. Tell me, human, she says once I¡¯ve made myself comfortable on the earthen chair, how came you to this world? I start by telling her about the object Nicholas gave me to bring me here, but then that required me to go back and talk about why I¡¯d be foolish enough to choose to accept a one-way trip into the unknown. Before I know it, I¡¯m pouring out practically my whole life story along with all the trials and tribulations I¡¯ve faced since I¡¯ve been here, and the decisions I need to make about my future. It¡¯s...cathartic. I cry, I¡¯ll admit it, when I talk about what I¡¯ve left behind. I shudder and shiver when I think once more about how many times I¡¯ve come close to death since being here. I feel fear of the future once more grip me by the throat, but this grip is looser than it has been at other times, because instead of struggling with it on my own, I¡¯m sharing it with someone else. It doesn¡¯t matter that that someone else is an inexplicably telepathic leopard, who might want to eat me for a late lunch ¨C or early dinner ¨C but just that she¡¯s listening. And when I¡¯ve finished and my words peter out, I feel a deep relief and lightening of my sense of self. I¡¯ve missed talking to others, I realise. I¡¯m not the most extroverted person, and social occasions usually make me need to take several days of quiet time at home to recover, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t like people. In fact, the opposite is generally true, though they frustrate me immensely too. The old adage of ¡®a burden shared is a burden halved¡¯ has never felt so true as now, even if the one I¡¯ve been sharing it with is a disturbingly intelligent and communicative giant leopard. As if on cue, a little bundle of fur bounds out of the cave and snuggles into its mother¡¯s stomach. When it stops moving except for a little shifting of its paws, I realise it must be drinking milk. At the thought, red rises up in my face. I don¡¯t know why. It¡¯s not as if I would find the sight of kittens or puppies drinking from their mother embarrassing back home, after all. Perhaps it¡¯s that I¡¯ve just spent a good hour talking to the leopard mother like I would another human that makes me suddenly ascribe human norms to her. I rise anyway. ¡°Look, I¡¯ve been talking your ear off here. I¡¯ll just leave you to your...you know,¡± I gesture towards the feeding bundle of fur, ¡°to looking after your cub.¡± Stay. Her mental word halts me in my tracks. It¡¯s not threatening in any way; it¡¯s just so full of calm, implacable command that I couldn¡¯t move if I wanted to. I haven¡¯t yet given you your reward. I¡¯ll probably regret my chivalrous impulse, but I wave my hands in the air. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it; your company has already done me the world of good. If you just agree not to eat me, I think we¡¯re good,¡± I chuckle nervously. My nerves turn into full-blown fear when the leopard snarls a little and gets to her feet. The little cub yowling in complaint as her late afternoon snack disappears out of reach is only a little distraction from the immensity of her mother. The leopard is even bigger than I thought she was: her shoulder is above my head and her jaws could fit around said part of me without even opening wide. Her tail is switching back and forth, and her head is lowered so it¡¯s practically on level with my own. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry for whatever I said,¡± I squeak out. ¡°Please don¡¯t eat me!¡± Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty: To Deny Reward is to Deny the Deed The leopard mother moves closer and then...nudges me with her great head hard enough that I fall back into the chair. Then, withdrawing a little, she slumps back into her previous position and her cub scrambles over her making noises of complaint until it finds the teat again and resumes drinking. I grip onto the arms of the chair with white knuckles, not sure what I can do if the great cat turns threatening again, and once again wondering if her promise of safety can be trusted. I¡¯m not going to eat you, she huffs. Not today, anyway. So maybe tomorrow? Very reassuring. Not. ¡°Can I ask what offended you?¡± I ask cautiously. There¡¯s a moment of pause before she replies thoughtfully. Do you know how long I have dedicated to this cub? I shake my head. More than a hundred years, already, and I will spend at least half of that again raising her into an adult. I stare. I can¡¯t help it. As far as I know, leopards don¡¯t have anything like that in life-expectancy. She notices my look. My kind do not reproduce easily, and we grow slowly. It is the consequence for our power and natural longevity. I thought I had cleared out the nest of malakaan near here, otherwise I would not have left my cub to hunt. I heard her cries of pain and rushed back as quickly as I could, but I would have been too late. Over a hundred years and the life of my cub would have been gone in a few heartbeats. She pauses and I sense pain radiating from her. I wonder if this has happened before, or something like it. To deny reward, is to deny the deed. To deny the deed is to deny its importance. To deny its importance is to deny my cub and me, and we will not be denied. Her tone is implacable, as is the hardness of her gaze when she looks at me. I nod slowly, understanding where she is coming from. In a way, it¡¯s not so much about what I did; it¡¯s about what that means for her. She wishes to reward me as a way of helping her feel like the scales are balanced again. ¡°OK,¡± I say in the end, ¡°but I want it made note of that my life is very important to me too, so a promise not to kill me would actually be a pretty good start, in my book.¡± At that, she huffs in a way that I take as amusement. Noted. In fact, I wish to offer three gifts. The first, a gift of knowledge. While we are in peaceful contact, I offer you the response to any question about this valley that I am capable of answering. For example, I know you wonder why you have been attacked so often: this valley is sought after because it is the location of an Energy geyser. The Energy fills the valley and grows significantly denser as you descend closer towards the geyser. However, do not be too greedy as competition over it is fierce and there are beasts nearby that even I would be reluctant to challenge. OK, not much that I hadn¡¯t already wondered about, but it¡¯s good to have my theories confirmed ¨C and to know the reason for the increase in Energy density. I suppose it¡¯s also useful to know roughly how strong the beasts might be. Actually, when I think about it, this offer¡¯s an awesome one. I just need to make sure I think of all the questions I need an answer to before Ieaving ¨C I don¡¯t want to miss out on potentially vital information just because I wasn¡¯t thinking carefully enough. Second, I wish to offer a shelter, as that seems to be your current most-pressing need. If you wish, I can give you the location of a guardian not too far from here who you might be able to seek shelter with. You would have to bribe him or impress him sufficiently, but it¡¯s within your capabilities, I believe. Alternatively¡­.Here she seemed to hesitate a little. Alternatively, I may be able to host you here if you are prepared to exchange oaths of mutual defense and a non-aggression pact. I shall let you think that over and give me your response later. After another short pause, she continues with the final gift. Lastly, I wish to give you a gift of power. Come here. I do so, barely even hesitating this time ¨C I¡¯ve learnt my lesson about defying the massive predator. She lifts her paw, holding it out towards me. Place your hand on my paw. I do that, marvelling once more at the size difference between us. Closing her eyes, she seems to concentrate for a long moment. Then, something like a warm breeze goes through me and I get the nagging feeling that I need to check my notifications again. The leopard flicks her paw towards the chair and I take the hint, sitting back down. Check your status, she tells me, sounding tired. Just before I do so, I see her placing her head down on her paws. Clearly whatever she did took something out of her. Activating my status screen, I see several notifications waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Willpower and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
I hesitate for a moment, weighing up my desire to ¡®save¡¯ Energy for my level-up versus my complete lack of ideas on how to improve my Willpower stat organically. In the end, I decide that I probably need all the Willpower I can get, especially when it determines health regeenration. Sure, I think. No sensation accompanies this point, but I guess it isn¡¯t anything physical anyway. I wonder when I gained it? Maybe it was when I managed to get the potion in my mouth despite being pretty far gone, I muse. Well, I guess I¡¯ll never truly know. The next message isn¡¯t such good news.
Warning! You have severe bodily injuries. You will die shortly without magical assistance.
Next message? Y/N
Yeah, I think I¡¯d figured that bit out, I think sardonically. Such a useful notification. Next message, please.
Warning! You have used a healing potion which is not of a sufficient level to effectively treat all your injuries. Using this potions may cause half-healed injuries to become more resistant to magical healing in the future.
Do you wish to use this healing potion anyway? You have five seconds to decide; no response will count as a positive response. Y/N
Warning! You have used [low-quality healing potion]. All your injuries have been healed to the maximum efficacy possible for this potion. Not all injuries have been fully healed. Please seek a healer¡¯s advice.
Next message? Y/N If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
So that¡¯s what happened with my eye, because as far as I can work out, everything else is healed. I¡¯ll have to test whether Lay-on-hands does anything, but something in me doubts it from that whole ¡®resistant to magical healing¡¯ thing in the previous message. Still, I suppose I¡¯d better be grateful that the default-if-no-response option is to go ahead with the healing potion, otherwise I¡¯d definitely be dead right now.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Let me think about that...duh! Constitution keeps me alive ¨C no way I¡¯m turning that down after my recent experience! Sure, I know I¡¯m trying to accumulate Energy for levelling up, but I have to still be alive to level up. My recent encounter with the wolvezard has definitely shifted my point of view on that. I move onto the next message.
Congratulations! You have gained a blessing! Nunda¡¯s blessing: Enduring Will. A nunda is a mighty and proud creature. Their will is powerful enough to force mountains to bend and oceans to empty. In thanks for your heroic act, Kalanthia, Prime Nunda mate, has bestowed on you a small part of her mighty will.
+10 Willpower, +20% to Willpower.
No new messages. Close message? Y/N
I close the message and access my status screen.

status screen

Name: Markus Wolf Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 0 Energy to next level: 53% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 0%
Intelligence 6 Mana: 60/60
Wisdom 3 Mana regeneration rate: 100u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution 5 Health: 45/45
Strength 6 Stamina: 30/30
Dexterity 4 Stamina regeneration rate: 40u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Beginner 9
From a paltry four, five with my earned point added, my Willpower has now jumped to eighteen. Doing the maths, I work out that the twenty percent was applied to the whole of my base stat, that is, after the ten points were applied. Looking at the way it¡¯s laid out on the status screen, I have to wonder whether it will affect future Willpower points too, because if so¡­ Well, that could make it pretty overpowered. Already, it¡¯s three times both of my highest stats, and it¡¯s six times my lowest. I also notice something else: although I increased my Constitution by a point, my health pool has only gone up by five points. My maximum used to be ten times my Constitution; now it¡¯s five points less than that. Unless the ratio has suddenly changed, I guess I¡¯ve got my answer about a chopped off limb or something ¨C even this new world can¡¯t do miracles. I really, really hope that this blindness is temporary, or that I find something which will heal me: the middle of this kill zone is not a place where I want to be disabled. I make a mental note to add some more points to Constitution. As soon as I level up, that is. And that¡¯s another choice I need to spend considering once more ¨C direct all my effort to levelling up and ignore any other stat increases offered, or accept stat increases at the risk of delaying my levelling up? In a way, it would be easier to decide if I know I have a safe place to sleep or not. That brings me onto the choice I¡¯ve got to make. Stay here with a killer-leopard, follow her advice to try and bribe some ¡®guardian¡¯ to let me stay with them, or set out on my own? There are certainly risks associated with staying anywhere near a killer-leopard, rather obvious ones given the description. Though, if that message about a blessing is anything to go by, she might actually be a ¡®nunda¡¯ or ¡®prime nunda¡¯ or something like that instead of a leopard. Actually, given the fact that she is several times bigger, and can do magic and telepathy, thinking of her as a separate species is probably helpful. So, nunda it is, until I¡¯m told anything different. Anyway, back to the topic. So yeah, there are risks of becoming leopard-chow if I stay anywhere in the vicinity, but there¡¯s one major thing that makes me hesitate: do those risks go away if I leave? I mean, I¡¯m not a big cat expert ¨C and even less of a nunda expert ¨C but as far as my absorbed tracking knowledge tells me, predators tend to have a pretty large territory in which they hunt. A giant cat probably has an even larger one. I might have to travel for days, even weeks to get out of it. And there¡¯s no guarantee that she couldn¡¯t follow me out of her claimed area if she particularly wanted to. So, in short, although the risks are lower if I leave ¨C out of sight, out of mind ¨C they aren¡¯t eliminated. That said, if she wanted me dead, she¡¯s had ample opportunity to make it so. Not that I could stop her from killing me now, but all she would have had to do earlier was simply not give me my health potion. I was already more than one foot in the grave when she arrived, thanks to the wolvezard. Moreover, she¡¯s given me a gift already which is a significant upgrade to my Willpower ¨C that¡¯s not the action of someone planning on eating me as a snack later. No, in a way, my main worry is that she might change her mind at some point in the future; without warning, there would be absolutely no chance of me doing anything about it. However, set those concerns against the potential of the cave as a shelter, especially if the nunda...what was her name? I quickly check the message again: Kalanthia, apparently. So yeah, if Kalanthia allows me to make some screens or something against wind and bring in bedding, it could make the cave pretty comfortable. Certainly a much easier and better shelter than anything I¡¯ve seen so far, I can really see the potential for this place becoming a proper base. Plus there¡¯s the other aspect: just as much as a giant predator is scary to me, it¡¯s probably scary to almost all the other animals around here. The fact that she had left her cub here alone to go out and hunt is evidence of her belief in the den¡¯s safety. Of course, it turned out that that safety was misplaced, but when I think back to her words, she seemed to be unaware that there were any more of those wolverzard creatures ¨C what did she call them again? - around to pose a threat. Now, does that mean I would never be attacked again here? No, but it does seem to reduce the possibility for sure. Does that mean that staying here is the best option, even though I would potentially have the equivalent of a sword of Damocles hanging above my head every day? Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-One: Arrangement The option of going to a place of Kalanthia¡¯s recommendation, I don¡¯t really spend much time thinking over. I don¡¯t know anything about this guardian; I don¡¯t know whether I would be able to ¡®bribe¡¯ him, nor if whatever rules he had for his patronage would be palatable. Nor, in fact, whether the defence he could mount over his territory would be worth the hassle. Plus the afore-mentioned problem of still being within the nunda¡¯s reach, should she wish to hunt me down. So no, either I stay here with Kalanthia and her cub, or I keep going and try to find a place of my own. The final consideration to add to the balance is if I did go off on my own, how would I do it? It turns out telepathy isn¡¯t as clear-cut as spoken words, and impressions of images can accompany the thoughts. Although Kalanthia didn¡¯t outright say it, I got the sense that the Energy geyser she talked about is in the base of the valley, on an island at the centre of the great lake that stretches most of the way between a river mouth on one side and where it escapes the valley on the other side. In short, if I continue following the river, I will get into areas with greater and greater Energy density. Excellent, might be the thought here: I want to grow in strength and increasing the amount of Energy I absorb is a great way of doing that. Sure, except for the fact that every other Rex, Rover, and Ratatouille will be thinking the same thing. Kalanthia¡¯s warning about not going too far too fast resonates with what I had already been thinking. So, if I wanted to keep going, I¡¯d have to move away from the river, thereby potentially causing myself a problem down the line. Thought through like that, it seems like my best option is to stay here, at least until I¡¯m strong enough to get significantly closer to the Energy geyser than I could now. If I can guarantee my safety from the current residents, of course. So, in hopes of doing that, I turn to Kalanthia. She¡¯s recovered from whatever she did to give me that blessing. Given how tired she looked afterwards, I wonder whether that phrase ¡®has bestowed on you a small part of her mighty will¡¯ actually means she genuinely and permanently gave me a part of herself. If so, no wonder she¡¯s tired, and that partially makes up for the fact that I¡¯ve lost half my vision for the foreseeable future. Pun not intended. Still, she looks recovered now, or less tired at least. She¡¯s watching her cub play with her flicking tail, but as soon as I shift, her head flicks towards me in a fraction of a second. Those golden predator¡¯s eyes fix on me sending primal fear down my spine. ¡°Um,¡± I start, a lot weaker than I intended to sound. Come on, Markus, I tell myself. If she wanted to kill you, you wouldn¡¯t stand a chance anyway, so just go for it. ¡°You talked about me possibly staying here¡­ How would that arrangement work?¡± In what sense? That¡¯s a good question, I admit, and I don¡¯t really know the answer. Taking a moment to think, I try to work out my confusion and form it into words. ¡°You¡¯re clearly a powerful predator,¡± I say, finally settling on bluntness for the sake of clarity. ¡°I¡¯d imagine there¡¯s little to threaten you around here; why would you require a pact of mutual defence? How could I defend you?¡± Hmm, a good question, human, she says finally, her mind voice sounding...amused? First of all, do not fatally underestimate yourself and overestimate me: I am more powerful than you, yes, but I still have my weaknesses. It may so happen that one of my weaknesses can be covered by one of your strengths. OK, that makes a little sense, but I¡¯m still not convinced. Additionally, I might be powerful ¨C my cub is not. That¡­is a lot more plausible. ¡°But when you¡¯re with your cub, she will be protected by your power,¡± I point out. Maybe it seems foolish to essentially argue against my own interests, but I want to truly suss out her motivations ¨C and the limits they would pose to me if I chose to stay here. I cannot always be with her. For all my power, I must still drink; I must still eat. And taking her with me would put her in more danger. ¡°I see,¡± I say slowly. ¡°So in effect you want a babysitter for your cub while you fulfill your own needs.¡± I do not want you to sit on my baby, she retorts, a snarl that I can hear faintly in her chest heard even in her mental voice. I flinch a little at the sound, but remind myself that she hasn¡¯t killed me yet or even made an attempt to do so. ¡°It¡¯s a term my people use: it means someone who stays near a baby, either awake or asleep, to guard and look after them in their parent¡¯s absence.¡± Oh, she responds, seemingly appeased. I have not encountered this term before. In that case, yes, I would like a person to ¡®sit on my baby¡¯. I don¡¯t bother to try to correct her. We both know what she means, now at least. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. That adds a different spin on things: not only does it give me more idea of her motivations, but it reassures me that she¡¯s not necessarily planning on eating me at a later date. If she wants a guard for her cub, that¡¯s an understandable reason to keep me around. There¡¯s just one problem...but I might actually already have a solution, depending on her. ¡°You say you have to go hunt ¨C do you necessarily have to be the one hunting, or do you just need the food?¡± She eyes me for a moment, and let me say that that is a very different experience from a giant leopard ¨C nunda, whatever ¨C whose eye is not that much smaller than my hand, compared to just your run of the mill manager or union member. Even the militant unions. I require sustenance. Where it comes from is not really important. ¡°Then how about I hunt for you? I get that you need to go drink water, but what if I could supply you with as many carcasses as you need? Then you could guard your cub.¡± She didn¡¯t respond for a moment, clearly assessing me in some way. Why would you offer such a thing? It it surely less effort to guard my cub for a time than to spend the whole day hunting for me. I can take down much bigger prey in significantly less time than it would take for you to accrue enough smaller prey. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I admit, ¡°except for the fact that I¡¯ll probably be spending a lot of time hunting anyway as I need to grow stronger. I¡¯d like to keep the hearts as well as some of the meat for myself, and I may need to harvest some of the skins or claws or bones or other inedible bits for various things I need to make, but the, uh, ¡®lion¡¯s share¡¯ of the meat could be yours, if you want.¡± She says nothing for a long moment. It is an interesting offer, she admits after a while. Perhaps we should make an arrangement based on mutual defence and non-aggression, and then try out your suggestion as an additional arrangement. If you cannot supply enough meat for me, your role will return to ¡®sitting on my baby¡¯ while I am hunting for myself. Does that seem fair? ¡°Yes, it does,¡± I agree. Actually, more than fair, really, especially as I¡¯m talking with a non-human predator. ¡°Though, I have one question.¡± She waits expectantly. ¡°What exactly does a mutual defence and non-aggression pact mean to you?¡± Perhaps a stupid question, but if I¡¯ve learnt anything from years of constructing contracts ¨C and by that, I mean writing down what the contract needs to say, and then sending it to lawyers to turn into incomprehensible legal-speech ¨C it¡¯s that anything not established at the start is game for unintentional misunderstanding and intentional misinterpretation. Not that I¡¯m expecting this nunda to feel the need to jump through a technical loophole to do something to me, but I¡¯d rather a misunderstanding doesn¡¯t come around and bite me ¨C quite literally. Non-aggression: that neither of us should act in any way that intentionally harms the other, applying to physical, mental, or spiritual attacks. She took on a look that was distinctly amused. I will do my best to impress upon Lathani that you are not to be chewed or ambushed, but I cannot guarantee her good behaviour. Understandable, I admit, considering she¡¯s a baby. Not that I¡¯ve ever had a puppy or kitten, but friends have had them; I remember one of my best friends at school coming in with long scratches on his hand. Apparently his kitten had dug her claws in a bit too hard during a game. Thinking of that happening with a leopard ¨C or nunda ¨C cub, even as cute and fluffy as this one is...yikes! The nunda continues, her tone regaining its seriousness. Mutual defence: that should you encounter myself or my cub under attack, that you should come to our assistance to the extent of your capacity, though not with the expectation that you should die in our defence. She pauses for a moment, then looks at me with a cold, hard stare. And let me tell you, no one does that kind of stare better than a feline. That said, I cannot guarantee your safety were my cub to die under your supervision and you were to survive the attack. ¡°Noted,¡± I reply grimly. I shouldn¡¯t really expect anything else: the whole reason she was suggesting this was to look after her cub. ¡°So how do we ensure that we each stick to the agreement?¡± I ask a little tentatively: I don¡¯t exactly want her to think that I¡¯m not planning on following through, but at the same time I don¡¯t want to find out at the worst moment that she wasn¡¯t. Have you never heard of a Vow? There¡¯s puzzlement in her voice, as if this is common knowledge. And now she¡¯s said the word, I realise I do actually know about Vows. The knowledge comes, of course, from that stone I absorbed. Apparently such things as binding verbal agreements do exist in Nicholas¡¯ world, enabled, naturally, by Energy. The Vow takes Energy to create, usually a fraction of the two individuals¡¯ Energy store. The fraction is different depending on many factors, including the importance of the agreement to the two individuals, the power balance between them, and myriad others. If the agreement is broken, either there¡¯s a backlash of both amounts of Energy on the offending party, or the offended party absorbs the Energy stored by the bond in compensation ¨C the choice is up to the offended party. I don¡¯t know how the bond knows whether it¡¯s broken or not, nor do I know how it stores it in the first place. Somehow, it just does. Either way, although it¡¯s not a foolproof solution, it¡¯s a pretty good guarantee, as those go. Certainly more useful than some contracts which aren¡¯t even worth the paper they¡¯re written on ¨C even when they are purely digital! That said, having automatic consequences which enact themselves in the case of a rupture avoids the necessity of courts, not a bad idea. ¡°OK, that sound like a good idea,¡± I agree. I think carefully ¨C is there anything else I¡¯m missing? It¡¯s hard to know what unknown circumstances aren¡¯t covered by what we¡¯ve already discussed because they¡¯re just that ¨C unknown. However, if nothing else, my experience has taught me that I can¡¯t plan for everything, and that there¡¯s always a loophole someone can exploit. The fact is, the nunda feels that she needs me, and as long as that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll be reasonably safe. And for her, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m much of a threat to her, though I could arguably be such to her cub. The threat of her vengeful retribution, however, will keep me in check around her precious offspring, something I¡¯m sure she knows. ¡°So, how do we do this?¡± I ask, deciding that since my mind has been made up, I might as well get on with securing a home base. Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Two: Literal Life-saver Am I to assume by that comment that you wish to stay here? She questioned calmly. I nod, then, realising she probably can¡¯t read human body language any better than I can read hers, I affirm my agreement verbally. Very well. Simply focus your attention and intentions and follow my lead. I¡¯m not quite sure what she means by ¡®focus your attention and intentions¡¯, but I guess I¡¯ll work it out. I, Kalanthia, mate of the Primal Nunda, agree to a pact of mutual defence with this human¡­ She pauses, eyeing me. I get the hint. ¡°Markus Wolfe,¡± I fill in. ...Markus Wolfe. If he should come under attack in my presence, I will render him as much aid as I am capable of without putting myself at risk of immediate death. This pact shall continue until we both agree to its dissolution. She then looks expectantly at me. I do my best to repeat her words, filling in her name where appropriate. At least I¡¯ve confirmed that it is her name, as I¡¯d strongly suspected. Next, she continues with the non-aggression pact, and I repeat her again afterwards. ¡°I, Markus Wolfe, agree to a pact of non-aggression with Kalanthia, mate of the Primal Nunda. I swear that my acts shall not intentionally bring harm to her or hers, including physical acts, mental acts, and spiritual acts. This agreement shall continue until both of us agree to its dissolution.¡± That done, I relax, suddenly feeling safer than I have since I entered this world. Surprisingly, Kalanthia doesn¡¯t look as satisfied as I would have thought considering that she¡¯s now engaged a babysitter for her kid. Instead, she fixes me with another hard look. I feel sweat break out and wonder with a hint of panic whether this is when the shoe drops. I warn you, Binder, that should you use any of your bindings on myself or my cub, I will willingly take on the consequences of breaking these pacts. OK, that wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. Nor do I really understand what she¡¯s taking about. Unless¡­ ¡°Is this something to do with my Class?¡± I ask hesitantly. Her stare intensifies. You are a human who thrives on bending others to your will and binding them with chains of devotion or control. You are not strong enough to succeed in binding me, and I will not stand for you binding Lathani. Huh, I guess it is about my Class. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought about it,¡± I replied honestly. ¡°I haven¡¯t even tried those Skills out yet.¡± I hesitate. ¡°Is it...do you want me not to use them at all?¡± I don¡¯t really know how I feel about that idea. I mean, I haven¡¯t even tried the Skills out, but it seems kind of a waste not to use them at some point. Besides, I had kind of thought that these Skills were ones that would help me survive ¨C if I had a tamed animal who could fight on the front line, I could stand back and fire arrows from a distance, for example. But I¡¯m not sure that I want to use them so much I¡¯d leave the first place I¡¯ve found where I might sleep safely at night over them. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t end up being an issue. What do I care of other, lesser creatures? She tosses her head in contempt as she responds. I care about myself and my cub: if all others are weak enough to fall to you, they deserve to be bound. Apparently the law of the jungle is about every creature for itself. In the end, I have mixed feelings over her evident blessing over me dominating all others as long as she and her cub are left in peace. Oh well ¨C something else to deal with later. ¡°So...what now?¡± I ask. Now? Do whatever you wish. I have fed sufficiently, despite the interruption to my hunt, and shall not need to eat for another two days. You are thereby released from having to fulfill our agreement to sit on my baby until then. ¡°OK,¡± I say slowly. ¡°So where will I sleep ¨C in your cave?¡± She paused for a moment. You may sleep in our cave if you wish, but I would not like to accidentally mistake you for an intruder or snack during my sleep. No, I¡¯d rather that doesn¡¯t happen, either, really. The very thought of waking up to a dreaming nunda eating me is...horrifying. To say the least. Alternatively, I can expand the cave a little to provide you with your own space. Although, I thought it was normal for humans to build shelters for themselves? ¡°It is,¡± I admit, ¡°but I don¡¯t have all the equipment or materials that would normally be used for that, so it would be more convenient for me to have a natural shelter which I can adapt to my needs.¡± I see. She stood and walked back to the cave, the nunda cub ¨C Lathani ¨C following in little bounces and intermittently pouncing at her mother¡¯s tail. Too cute! At least I¡¯ll have plenty of dopamine bursts from watching her antics, I suppose. I follow a little more unsurely, since she hadn¡¯t given any indication that she wants me to do so. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The cave is bigger than I¡¯d thought ¨C its mouth only just high enough to let the giant leopard pass, but then opening out both wider and higher past the mouth. There¡¯s a pile of leaves and other bedding on one side of the cave, and a pile of bones on the other. I¡¯m torn between disgust and interest at the last. I can expand the cave downwards, or backwards, or make a little cave to this side, she said, flicking her tail towards the side with the bones. I give the question due consideration. Downwards is out ¨C if there¡¯s any significant rainfall, I don¡¯t want to risk being flooded. Backwards means potentially walking past two sleeping nundas every time I want to enter and leave. Sideways means being near a pile of bones¡­. ¡°Would it be OK if I move these bones somewhere else?¡± Kalanthia gives a cat-like shrug. Move them out, if you prefer. They¡¯re only there because Lathani likes playing with them even after they have been stripped of meat, but she can play with them outside just as well. OK, that sounds good. ¡°Can I have my place over here, then?¡± I ask, pointing to the side of the cave nearest the bones. Kalanthia gestures nonchalantly and I immediately see a difference. It¡¯s not an instant fix ¨C a hole doesn¡¯t suddenly appear. No, it¡¯s more like there¡¯s a dip where there wasn¡¯t one before, and then it magically ¨C excuse the pun ¨C deepens until I¡¯m looking at a mini cave not that different from the one Kalanthia clearly made for herself to begin with. Is this sufficient for your needs? She looks at me expectantly as she asks the question. I step into the hole and give it due consideration. The space is frankly bigger than I would have hoped for if I¡¯d tried to create a shelter, even a relatively fancy one. The ceiling is high enough that my head doesn¡¯t brush it once I¡¯ve ducked through the cave mouth which is about shoulder-height, though it¡¯s only about a handspan above. It¡¯s wide enough round that I could choose to lie down in any direction and still have a little space to spare. Just one thing¡­ ¡°Is there any chance of creating a hole to the outside? Perhaps at this height?¡± I ask, indicating a height about halfway up the wall closest to the exterior. The nunda gestures once more and a hole bores its way through the rock. It¡¯s a good foot through the wall which definitely gives me a sense of security. ¡°OK, perfect,¡± I say with satisfaction. There are still multiple things I¡¯m going to have to do to make this into a proper home, but this is an excellent start. Especially so since I haven¡¯t had to put in any back-breaking labour or time that I could spend elsewhere, although I suppose I did almost die for the opportunity, so I guess it evens out. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell Kalanthia, and she nods regally before returning outside with her cub and leaving me to it. The first thing I do is simply sit down. It¡¯s been...well, it¡¯s been quite a rollercoaster ride over the last few days, heck, the last few weeks, all taken into account. Although I¡¯ve had time to process everything, I realise I haven¡¯t really. Back on Earth, I spent far more time wallowing than processing, and the continued blows of my ex¡¯s announcement, plus the death of my father, and then being fired didn¡¯t exactly leave enough time for me to come out of one downwards plunge before I hit the next. And then ever since I¡¯ve been in this world, I¡¯ve been working more off survival instincts than much else. Yes, I¡¯ve thought things through, but all my thoughts have circled what I need to do next to stay alive just a little longer. Now, after pouring out everything to Kalanthia ¨C probably telling her more than she actually wanted or needed to know ¨C I feel strangely...lighter. Like somehow I¡¯m managing to come to terms with the fact that I¡¯m in a new world where everything wants to eat me and giant leopards can talk and do magic. That¡¯s not even touching on the fact that I¡¯ve been half-blinded, something which makes me shiver every time I think about it, which is why I¡¯m trying to stay away from it mentally. And not thinking about it is hard when every time I misjudge a distance, or have to turn my head just to see something out to my left reminds me about it. Another good reason that this place may be a literal life-saver, more than it already is. This place is certainly an improvement on my last one: it¡¯s already waterproof without any effort on my part, and out of the wind. Plus, with the knowledge that I¡¯m protected by the presence of a giant predator, I actually feel a little...safe. The paranoid part of my mind keeps reminding me that said giant predator could turn around and make a snack out of me, but another part protests that there¡¯s a Vow in place. Actually, speaking of that, I should have received a notification or something. I check my messages and sure enough:
Congratulations! You have created a Vow with Kalanthia, Primal Nunda mate. This Vow is of: mutual defence. The duration of the Vow is: indefinite, until both parties agree to its dissolution. You have used 20% of your Energy store to bind the agreement. Should this agreement be broken by you, the Energy you have used will be given to the other party to be used as they see fit.
Next message? Y/N
Congratulations! You have created a Vow with Kalanthia, Primal Nunda mate. This Vow is of: mutual non-aggression. The duration of the Vow is: indefinite, until both parties agree to its dissolution. You have used 30% of your Energy store to bind the agreement. Should this agreement be broken by you, the Energy you have used will be given to the other party to be used as they see fit.
Close message? Y/N
Twenty percent of my Energy store? Thirty percent? Does that mean what I think it does? I close the message and navigate to my status screen, letting out a despairing groan when I see it. Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Three: No Doctor, or Optician I stare at my status screen, feeling shocked at the amount of Energy that was taken. I¡¯d guessed it might be the case when I saw the messages, but hoped that I was wrong. Sure enough, when I look at my status screen, I can see that there¡¯s fifty percent less Energy towards the next level. After having reached more than two-thirds of the way to the next level after the chickens and wolvezard, my Energy has taken a nose-dive down to the bottom again.

status screen

Name: Markus Wolf Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 0 Energy to next level: 7% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 0%
Intelligence 6 Mana: 60/60
Wisdom 3 Mana regeneration rate: 75u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution 5 Health: 45/45
Strength 6 Stamina: 30/30
Dexterity 4 Stamina regeneration rate: 40u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Lay-on-hands ¨C Beginner 9
With less than ten percent Energy gathered towards my next level, I¡¯m almost back to square one. Then again, I notice that the Energy I¡¯m absorbing every hour has increased to eleven units, so it¡¯s not all bad. Still, I wonder why such a great chunk of my Energy was taken ¨C is it because I¡¯m so much weaker, and probably lower level, than Kalanthia? Or is it because I was in a weak position, needing what Kalanthia was offering more than she needed what I was offering? Or is there another reason? Once more, it¡¯s a question I have no answer to, so I just divert my mind onto other topics. Primarily among which: what do I need to do to get my new shelter ready for the night? Well, I have bedding, but it would be nice to have some sort of cushioning ¨C the leaves worked pretty well the night before last and last night wasn¡¯t too bad in the burrow, but this is a solid rock floor. Then, I want to create a fireplace, but that will take a bit longer as I need to find clay somewhere ¨C probably by the river, I¡¯d imagine. I¡¯ve still got some cooked food in my Inventory, so no immediate rush for that. Of course, I¡¯m going to want to make this more homey in other ways ¨C I can imagine shelves with items on, hanging plants and animal sinew to dry out for other crafts, maybe even stretching a hide on a frame to make leather. The downside of that last one is, of course, the smell¡­ Ah well, will deal with that when I get to it. For now, it seems like my immediate need is to sort out a bed of some sort. I don¡¯t really feel like going out looking for that bracken stuff I was using before, so I decide to just make a nest from what I already have in my Inventory. Pulling out my backpack and suitcase, I rifle through them both looking for warm, soft clothing. I didn¡¯t bring a blanket ¨C which feels like a major oversight now ¨C but I did bring a whole load of T-shirts, jumpers, trousers, even a dressing gown. Arranging a whole load of clothes on the floor with my dressing gown wrapped around them, I make a reasonably soft, somewhat lumpy bed. Using the same jacket for cover that I¡¯ve been sleeping under the last few nights and I figure I¡¯ve got something for at least the night, maybe longer. Now that I have a proper shelter, I¡¯ll actually be able to do more than just create things for survival, though those things come first, of course, and top of the list is levelling up. But that¡¯s for tomorrow-me to think about. For now, I have something else to think about: my sight. I haven¡¯t yet tried Lay-on-hands, and that seems like a bit of an oversight. I chuckle darkly at the unintentional pun. Anyway, I haven¡¯t tried my healing spell, and though I¡¯m doubtful, I figure that I might as well give it a go. Casting Lay-on-hands, I feel the tingle run through me. Unlike every time I¡¯ve done it before, the tingle doesn¡¯t focus on any particular area or areas ¨C it just runs up and down my body as if looking for an injury before fading. I know before I open my eyes from where I unconsciously closed them that it hasn¡¯t worked. Sure enough, my left side is still dark, and if I close my right eye, I can¡¯t see anything. Damn. I feel like there¡¯s a lead balloon inside me, dragging down on my stomach. I was really hoping that that would solve my problems. Then I have a thought ¨C what if I focus in on the eye specifically? Historically, undirected Lay-on-hands have offered a low-level healing over the whole of the body whereas directed healing has always done a better level of healing, though in a more concentrated area. With hope rising in my heart, despite knowing it¡¯s still a bit of a long-shot, I try casting Lay-on-hands while concentrating on my injured eye. I feel a tingle in the area...then it fades. Opening my eyes proves once more that it¡¯s been a useless attempt. I slump back on my ¡®bed¡¯. So this is it, is it? I¡¯m going to be half-blind for goodness knows how long? At least until I get to Nicholas¡¯ world, possibly beyond, especially if it turns out that healing gets more and more difficult the longer it¡¯s been since the injury, which it probably does¡­ It¡¯s depressing, and more, it¡¯s worrying. It¡¯s hard enough to survive with two intact eyes and full peripheral vision: how am I going to make it without even full sight? Despite my worries, I¡¯m tired. I don¡¯t care that it¡¯s still light outside: I¡¯m going to sleep. Closing my eyes, I prepare to do just that. However, just as I¡¯m drifting off, my relaxed brain shoves an idea at me which wakes me up properly again. The second time I tried Lay-on-hands it was different from the first time. The first time, it was like the spell couldn¡¯t detect an injury. The second time, there was definitely more reaction. What if the spell simply didn¡¯t have enough time to do what it needed to do? Time ¨C or mana. It¡¯s a bit of a leap ¨C so far I¡¯ve been able to partially control the amount of mana I use, but I¡¯ve never used more than ten units, and the time has never exceeded a few seconds. How am I going to overcome that block? It takes a good few tries to extend the amount of mana used to more than ten units, and I only really do it by accident. Instead of just mentally saying ¡®Lay on hands¡¯, I instead focus more on my mana bar, imagining it draining down and the blue indication in my vision vanishing into my body, and from there into my eye. That first time, I¡¯m too distracted by my mana bar actually seeming to obey me that I don¡¯t focus on my eye and the energy instead runs all the way around my body. More than a tingle, this time It¡¯s almost like an electric shock. A small one, not really painful, but definitely more present than what I¡¯m used to. It also uses a good half of my mana in one go so I have to take some time to recover after that. I use the time it takes me to regenerate to think through my approach. I wonder whether it would be useful to try to think about how the eye functions. I figure it probably can¡¯t hurt unless it distracts me from concentrating on moving the mana from my bar to my eye. I¡¯m no doctor, or optician, so my knowledge of the eye is rather limited to what I learned at school. I know that light enters through a lens which is what allows us to focus on near and far objects. Then it passes through the pupil which is a hole surrounded by muscles ¨C the iris. Or maybe it goes through the pupil first and then hits the lens? I don¡¯t remember. Then the light hits the back of the eye...upside down? I¡¯m pretty sure that images being upside down is a thing that the brain has to deal with. Then there¡¯s the optical nerve at the back of the eye which goes to the brain, and a whole load of blood vessels which keep the eye healthy. Oh, and other liquids and so on which keep the eye as ball-shaped rather than flat. Ew. Once my mana regenerates, I cast Lay-on-hands again, but this time really concentrate on drawing blue from my mana bar and imagining it flowing from my hands ¨C as I seem to automatically imagine my hands being the access point for the mana, though I know that doesn¡¯t make much sense ¨C up to my eye. There, I try to trap it temporarily. It¡¯s hard and I almost lose control of the energy a few times when my eye starts burning and spasming in pain. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve stuck an electrical rod in my eye and it¡¯s on pulse. As soon as I feel like there¡¯s no more mana to draw, I immediately start trying to think about how the eye functions, while stopping the energy from escaping at the same time. How, I can¡¯t explain. It¡¯s a feeling, an instinct more than anything visible or tangible. As realistic as holding lightning in your hands, but somehow I know that something¡¯s happening, even though all logic would say it should be impossible. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s working, I only know that it hurts. But I don¡¯t dare stop because what if it is working? What if I stop and find that I¡¯ve regained half my vision? Because knowing how painful this process is, I can¡¯t see myself daring to restart it, especially if there¡¯s a risk that I could go backwards and lose what I¡¯ve gained. Right now, there¡¯s nothing to lose ¨C if I fail, I¡¯m no worse off. So I don¡¯t stop. I keep concentrating on my eye until it feels like it¡¯s already melted in its socket, that if I were to open my eyelid, there¡¯d be nothing there but an empty hole. I keep concentrating even as my brain aches from the fierceness of my focus. I keep concentrating even as the pulses of energy become weaker and weaker, then die completely. Even then, I don¡¯t dare stop concentrating until every hint of anything mystical has vanished. Only then do I dare relax. But I don¡¯t open my eyes. After what I¡¯ve just been through, I think that finding out I failed would be too much for me right now. I keep my eyes closed, trying to summon up the courage to find out for sure one way or the other. And as I do that, my exhaustion creeps up on me and I lose the ability to make a choice. . Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Four: Self-care I sleep. Deeply, and for a long time. I wake up at some point when it¡¯s dark and quiet, my stomach rumbling. Fortunately, the Inventory seems to have a little of its own light ¨C it¡¯s odd because it doesn¡¯t light up the area around me, but I can see the items held inside it fine ¨C so I take out my canteen and a couple of handfuls of meat, giving myself a midnight supper. Or whatever the time is. My hunger and thirst satisfied, I drop back into sleep, not waking until the next morning. I¡¯m finally roused by the sound of birds and the light filtering into my cave from the mouth and the hole Kalanthia bored for me. Awake, I don¡¯t exactly leap into action, lying still while blinking at the ceiling as my conscious mind catches up with what¡¯s been happening. So. Massive leopard-like creatures called nundas which can both talk and do magic. Nope, nothing abnormal about that ¨C why would you think it? It fits right in with reptilian-mammal or reptilian-avian crossbreeds and Classes with Skills and magic healing spells¡­ Magic healing spells! I sit bolt upright, my hands clutching at my face. My eyes! I can see! With both of them. I wink one then the other, my vision becoming limited each time, but no longer am I left in darkness with my right eye shut. I slump back down on my bed, small chuckles that devolve into relief-filled hysterical almost-sobs. I¡¯m so grateful that it worked, that all the pain wasn¡¯t for nothing. But at the same time, why did it have to be necessary in the first place?! What kind of place is it where becoming half-blinded is just an everyday possibility? I shake myself. I might be safer than I was yesterday, but I need to remember that I¡¯m still in a world which will kill me more easily than I can say ¡®jack robinson¡¯ if I let my guard down even the slightest. Falling apart is going to help exactly no one. So. What should I do? Kalanthia said she doesn¡¯t need a babysitter for another few days, so I¡¯ve got a bit of time. I can either work on making this shelter more of a comfortable place ¨C including making the tools necessary for the task; I can work on improving my weapon situation, giving myself more range ¨C also requiring making tools first; or I can go hunting and collect more Energy and corpses which will give me resources necessary for the other two tasks. Or I could do nothing and take the day off, giving me a chance to detox from all the stress chemicals which have no doubt been filling my body over the last few days. Wanting to have all possible information to hand, I check my status screen and my eyebrow shoots up as I see my current Energy store of sixteen percent. I earned nine percent overnight? Apparently. Which means I slept for...I do the calculations quickly...about fourteen hours?! Seriously? I was that tired? Sheesh. Then again, I suppose I haven¡¯t really slept properly since I¡¯ve been here, and I¡¯ve been running around getting half-killed and not eating properly either. I have to say I feel a lot better now, though. Maybe that¡¯s a supporting argument for just staying in and relaxing for a day? Read a book, enjoy the sun? I¡¯ve got enough food for several days, and water¡¯s not hard to access. And if I¡¯m accumulating Energy even while doing nothing, I¡¯m even arguably making progress. It would probably do my mental state some good, and allow me some time to make proper plans¡­ OK, I¡¯ve managed to convince myself. So, that¡¯s what I do all day: nothing. Or rather, a day of ¡®self-care¡¯. I pull a couple of my favourite feel-good novels out, find a good position in the sun, and relax. Nothing tries to kill me; nothing tries to eat me. Not if you don¡¯t include the baby nunda which seems to see me as a new toy she¡¯d like to play with. And by ¡®play with¡¯, I mean ¡®chew and pounce on¡¯. Fortunately, her mother distracts her with something else after not too long allowing me to go back to my reading and chilling. It¡¯s not a complete waste of a day: by the time I go to bed, I¡¯m relaxed in a way I haven¡¯t been since the last time I went on holiday. When nothing is trying to eat me, this world is peaceful in a way Earth really isn¡¯t. Or at least, in a way my life in a capital city wasn¡¯t. The only sounds are those of nature, the sun is warm and benevolent, and the food is organic, albeit boring. Plus, I¡¯ve gained another eleven percent Energy bringing my total up to twenty-seven percent, and I have a plan for the immediate future. In the end, I¡¯ve decided to do a bit of hunting. Enough, at least, to push me to the next level. It shouldn¡¯t take too long ¨C if I gained forty-five percent just from the killer-chickens, and then an additional eight percent by eating their hearts straight away, it shouldn¡¯t take me too long to get to the next level if I don¡¯t accept any more status points. Plus, although I¡¯m still not too sure of the day length ¨C though I¡¯m increasingly sure that it¡¯s slightly longer than that of Earth¡¯s ¨C if I go by a day length of twenty-four hours, I should gain approximately fifteen percent just from absorption. In short, although I don¡¯t really want to face opponents like the killer-chickens again, hunting is still likely to be much more profitable Energy-wise than anything else, but whatever I do, my Energy store will still be increasing. Once I¡¯ve levelled up, I¡¯ll take a bit more time to get to level two, and if any status points are offered, I¡¯ll accept them. I¡¯ve spent quite a bit of time today considering different approaches, and this seems like the best one. My reasoning is based on the time I¡¯ve spent absorbing and combing through the knowledge of the System stone. I¡¯ve had the time to learn some interesting facts, and use them to draw conclusions about Earth. Apparently, ten is an important number on Nicholas¡¯ world because it¡¯s the average starting status value for an adult. On a side note, it¡¯s unknown what the actual starting status values are as the only way of truly seeing one¡¯s status is to absorb a Class and that can only be done after puberty has finished, for some reason. Which, since girls tend to finish puberty before boys, means they get a bit of a head-start. But anyway. Starting status values. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. These can also vary depending on what the person has developed prior to gaining a Class ¨C as I experienced, someone who has worked hard on physical conditioning will have higher starting values in those stats compared to someone who¡¯s skipped leg ¨C and arm, and abs ¨C day to work hard on their mental abilities. In the former case, their Strength might be up to fifteen whereas in the latter, their Strength could be around eight. Starting with an Intelligence level near, if not above, ten is a reasonable supposition, hence why he seemed to expect the possibility. However, the point is that these are normal values for Nicholas¡¯ world. As much as it rankles, I don¡¯t think my poor starting values are anything to do with me specifically ¨C I wasn¡¯t so obviously deficient among my peers on Earth. No, I think it¡¯s more to do with the almost complete dearth of Energy on Earth; we¡¯re probably almost all weaklings compared to Nicholas¡¯ people. I¡¯m basing that theory on cobbled-together ¡®memories¡¯ from the stone with memories from Earth. Unless Nicholas¡¯ people, despite seeming to be humans to all intents and purposes, are some super-powered alien species, Energy has to play a role. For example, Strength. One of the fleeting memories I¡¯ve inherited is of a farmer-like figure hog-tying a cow-like creature and heaving it into a cart. By hand. Alone. Now, I¡¯m no expert in cows, but unless it¡¯s some sort of miniature calf ¨C which it wasn¡¯t ¨C it¡¯s got to weigh upwards of eight hundred kilograms, probably even over a ton. This cow looked pretty well-built, so I¡¯m going to peg it as approximately one thousand kilograms. Now, men in the Olympics lift a good three hundred kilograms; I think someone may have lifted over four hundred. I¡¯m pretty sure that people have lifted way over that one way or another, perhaps as much as a ton. But those are going to be very special people, possibly even unique. This farmer isn¡¯t. He¡¯s probably not even trained for it except for the normal labour on a farm. He also doesn¡¯t have a Class, but he¡¯s being used as an example of a person who has naturally increased their Strength to around fifteen points. That makes him stronger than average, even by Nicholas¡¯ world¡¯s standards, but he¡¯s not so much stronger that he¡¯s their equivalent of someone in the Olympics. Just as on Earth, at least when farming was more labour intensive, farmers are generally tougher and stronger than people who spend their days in intellectual pursuits, and their physical stats reflect that. At fifteen points, this farmer would be considered to be in the seventy-fifth percentile. I know this because, first of all, the stone told me, but second of all, because the other world¡¯s equivalent of scientists have run many, many tests. Although it¡¯s not possible to actively read the stats of someone with no Class, good old Earth-style testing still works. By comparing people with a Class with people without a Class in different tasks, the scientists have managed to determine that the absolute maximum a person on Nicholas¡¯ world can reach without having a Class and thereby levelling up is twenty points in each individual stat. After that, Energy is necessary ¨C no amount of hard work will raise the stat above that threshold. Which comes onto my theory ¨C that in fact Energy helps the inhabitants to increase their range of naturally possible stats, even when no Classes are involved. I mean, when it comes to Strength, before I arrived, I could bench-press about seventy kilograms on a good day ¨C my record was a hundred and seventeen. There¡¯s a big difference between that and a ton! My Strength was five when I arrived, and, given that I was lifting on the upper side of expectations for my age, I¡¯ve got to guess that the average Strength of an adult human is around that, possibly even a four. Given that I doubt even Earth¡¯s top weight-lifters would be able to lift that cow with the ease the farmer showed ¨C he wasn¡¯t even straining all that much, for heaven¡¯s sake! - I guess that my version of humanity tops out a bit lower than that. Probably around twelve or thirteen points. There¡¯s a big difference between that and twenty, and the biggest difference I can see between the two worlds is the availability, or not, of Energy. Anyway, this may only be for Strength; I don¡¯t know if the other stats have a similar difference because the stone didn¡¯t have memories about them. I guess Strength is the most easily observable stat and whoever created the stone thought an example would be educational. It was, especially because I¡¯m now certain that Energy is an essential part which I¡¯ve been missing all my life. Another piece of evidence about this is how the ¡®cost¡¯ of ¡®short-cutting¡¯ a stat point increases at certain thresholds. Of course, the stone isn¡¯t clear about the exact cost as we¡¯re dealing with percentages here, and as previously established, what ten percent means to a person with a Common Class is a very different story to someone with an Epic or higher Class. However, the stone was very clear on the fact that after reaching ten in a stat, using Energy to ¡®shortcut¡¯ the process of increasing without levelling becomes more expensive. By the time it reaches fifteen, that cost increases again. Realising that made me understand why the System stone was so adamant that levelling is more efficient for stat gain than earning points, though that only seems to be after a certain point. I don¡¯t yet know how many points I will earn on levelling up, but at this point, I use about fifteen percent to ¡®short-cut¡¯ a stat point. So, I would need to gain more than seven stats on level up to make it more effective than simply working on the stat and accepting the point when it¡¯s offered to me. After reaching ten points in a stat, I will only need to gain more than four points to make levelling up more effective than working out. Get above fifteen, and that number of points drops to three. Taking all that into account, it seems logical to increase my stats naturally ¨C well, naturally plus a boost of Energy ¨C until they¡¯ve reached ten points in each category, rather than trying to level up. Unless I have a Class which gives me eight or more points on level-up, but given how rare those Classes seem to be, I¡¯m not going to bank on that. Except there¡¯s one other bit of information I ran across today which throws a spanner into the works of that resolution. Skills. Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-five: They’re Real There¡¯s one good reason for me to level up as quickly as possible. Apparently I get access to a selection of Skills at specific level intervals. My first Skill selection is at level one, hence my desire to reach at least that level. After then, the next Skill selection is at level five, then level ten, level fifteen, level twenty, and then subsequently at intervals of ten up to one hundred. There¡¯s no information about levels after one hundred making me wonder if there is anything after that point. Surely yes, but then the whole Class thing seems to be pretty artificial, so maybe not? Anyway, just like the thought of comparing myself to both people on Earth and Nicholas¡¯ world, none of this will be an issue if I don¡¯t survive the next year. After all the time thinking through what to do in the future, my next step is clear: absorb the Hunting knowledge stone. After I¡¯ve levelled up and chosen my level one Skill, I¡¯ll get to work on making this cave more of a home, and on developing some tools for things that will make my life here a bit more comfortable and easier. Hopefully that will be a good opportunity to earn some stat points. Another good reason to go hunting first: I¡¯ll be able to explore the area around, hopefully identify some good places to find the various resources I¡¯ll need. Plus, the corpses of the animals I hunt might contain some of the bits I¡¯ll need. Sinew will be absolutely necessary for one. I also realise during the day that my efforts with my eye have been fruitful in more than one sense ¨C apparently using Lay-on-hands to heal an organ was enough to catapult it into the next category as it¡¯s increased to Novice 3. I bring the message up again to look at in in more detail as I¡¯d only quickly skimmed it before.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Lay-on-hands is now Novice 1. You are now able to channel healing by using your remaining mana to lengthen the healing time. This requires full concentration to be engaged while the mana is acting on the wound.
Close message? Y/N
I close it, switching to the second message I¡¯d received.
Congratulations! You have discovered a new aspect of your Skill: Lay-on-hands and have advanced its rank to Novice 3. You are now able to increase the efficiency of your Skill by applying your anatomical knowledge. By concentrating on the wound and focusing your Will on how it should be when healed, you can maximise the benefit of your Skill.
Warning: incomplete or incorrect anatomical knowledge used to direct this Skill may lead to unintentional consequences.
Close message? Y/N
I close the message, musing again over the new information. It¡¯s not really anything I didn¡¯t know before, or at least nothing I hadn¡¯t guessed. What I¡¯d done before by drawing on my mana bar is apparently called ¡®channeling¡¯ and merely lengthens the healing time at the expense of needing to concentrate. What I did by imagining how the eye works was apparently applying my anatomical knowledge, which allows the spell, or Skill, to work more efficiently ¨C I guess because it ¡®knows¡¯ what to do straight off ¨C but has the flip side that if I tell it to do something wrong, it won¡¯t know any better and I could mess myself up more. I¡¯ll have to be careful, but if these new functionalities could save my life, they¡¯ll be well-worth it. It¡¯s also good to have more information on how to evolve a Skill ¨C and why it¡¯s a good idea. The information from the System stone was that use and evolution of the skill are key to increasing its level, and thereby effectiveness. My experience last night has proven that, and even given me a clue: evolving a Skill may require using it in a different way rather than just repeating the same action again and again. I¡¯ll have to experiment with my other Skills later. At the moment, they¡¯re only sitting at the first level, so they still have a good way to go. Either way, it¡¯s going to be significantly easier to achieve my objectives of finding resources and creatures to hunt with two intact eyes! On that happy note, I close my eyes and drift to sleep. ****** The next day, as planned, I absorb the Hunting knowledge stone. An instant headache blooms. I¡¯m very glad that I waited to absorb this stone as, from the wealth of information that is downloaded into my brain, I know I would have been unable to effectively assimilate it before. That said, as I go through my new knowledge, some of it does overlap what I¡¯ve already learned, adding a depth to my understanding. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Parts of the tracking skill where a + b = c, like the depth of claw marks on a tree added to the height of them indicating the height and the size of the animal, now carry with them a greater meaning, in this case the size of the animal according to the range for its species indicated its age, sex, health, and therefore whether it would be a good idea to hunt or not. Of course, just as with the wilderness survival knowledge, some of these facts are no doubt not applicable to the creatures I¡¯ll actually be hunting; I hope that enough of the facts are correct that the knowledge will help me more than hinder. Other parts overlap with wilderness survival such as butchering ¨C now I know not only how to actually separate the different parts of the animal, but I also know the signs to look for to avoid diseased animals or ones with parasites. The last bit gives me shivers: along with the knowledge of how to avoid parasites came mental images of what those parasites look like...and what they do to their unfortunate hosts. Frankly, I¡¯ve been pretty lucky when it comes to drinking the water straight from the stream ¨C I could easily have picked up something bad, either parasite or bacteria. I should probably boil the water before drinking if at all possible. Some areas, however, are completely new, such as how to set traps. This particularly interests me thanks to one of my heretofore unused skills: Dominate. I suddenly realise that I can actually use that Skill now, thanks to Kalanthia¡¯s gift of Willpower. If I can bond with some powerful creature, it will make my life a lot easier, and traps will make that prospect a lot safer to attempt. Also included in this knowledge packet are how to make and wield a number of weapons essential to hunting, something I¡¯m very glad to have since I¡¯d never studied archery, spear-wielding, or fletching, nor had I ever aimed to become a bowyer before being stuck here. When preparing for the day I start packing everything away into my Inventory as has been my habit so far, but then pause. Do I really need to take everything with me? That¡¯s what I¡¯ve done for the last few days, but then I¡¯ve also been travelling for that time and sleeping somewhere different every night. Plus, won¡¯t I need the space in my Inventory for my kills and any other useful resources I find? In the end, I leave my big orange suitcase behind, but I take my backpack and smaller lime green suitcase. I do clear a bit of space in my backpack, just in case, but I¡¯m not keen on leaving my most precious items somewhere without my surveillance ¨C for sentimental reasons as well as survival ones ¨C even though I¡¯m pretty sure Kalanthia isn¡¯t going to let just anyone walk into her cave. So, with nerves causing butterflies to flap around in my stomach, I set off out of the cave. Kalanthia is sunning herself outside, Lathani playing nearby. ¡°Just going off to hunt,¡± I say cheerily, doing my best to cover my nervousness at actually going out intentionally to find dangerous situations. Seems counter-intuitive to my desire to stay alive, but there we are: that¡¯s the crazy world I live in now. Success to your hunt, Markus Wolfe, she tells me calmly. I wish I could bottle some of that and take it with me. Still, no point stalling. I walk down the hill and start searching for signs of something that I could reasonably hunt ¨C just because I¡¯m being illogical in actually seeking out things that could kill me instead of staying where the only thing I have to worry about is a giant predator that I couldn¡¯t defeat even if it did try to eat me doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to be stupid about this. Wait, something seems wrong about that sentence¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m going to pick and choose my prey to minimise my risk. Deciding that the banks of the river would be a good place to begin my search, I start scanning the area. It doesn¡¯t take me much time to spot some evidence of the passage of different animals, my knowledge from both the Tracking and Hunting stones aiding me. I dither and hesitate, dismissing the idea of following one track after another. This one looks too big; this one too small. These tracks indicate a group of animals, maybe too numerous; these a single animal, but probably a predator. Finally, I pick at random, spinning around and pointing to an area of the river. Steeling myself, I investigate my narrowed choice. Not going for the predator, instead I pick a small group of tracks which probably belong to a small group of grazers. As I follow them, misgivings start to rise. They are bigger than I¡¯d thought just from their prints ¨C the branches bent and damaged to either side as they head into denser ground coverage seems to indicate that, at least. Still, I push on: I have to hunt something. After a while, I start hearing the creatures. A snuffling, rooting sound. Actually, it¡¯s rather familiar¡­ It sounds a bit like the creature which woke me up the night I spent hidden in a dead leaf shelter. It¡¯s probably not the same creature as I have moved a fair bit away from there, but maybe there are lots of this type around? Taking more care when placing my feet, I head closer still. When I lay my eyes on my quarry, I¡¯m surprised, I have to admit. At first I¡¯d had the idea of some small creature with delicate paws. Once I¡¯d seen the size of the animals and heard the snuffling, I thought of a pig. This is neither. The body of the creatures reminds me of a porcupine, though these quills are far shorter. More like a hedgehog, perhaps, but they lay like a porcupine¡¯s. I don¡¯t doubt that the creatures are capable of moving them to stand upright in defence. In colour, they are more of a murky brown than the black and white of a porcupine, and their snouts are more lizard-like. So far, most of the creatures I¡¯ve come across since arriving seem to have had either reptilian or avian influences. The majority have probably been cold-blooded too ¨C at least, the temperature of their blood has been lower than mine. Kalanthia¡¯s the only mammal I¡¯ve seen so far. Well, there are also the insects which aren¡¯t reptilian or avian. Or mammal, but that¡¯s obvious. My potential prey have a little horn on the end of their snouts and it¡¯s this they are using to dig a little through the ground. I¡¯m suddenly struck by the thought that a number of tasks would be easier if I had my own mobile plow. Although I don¡¯t need to break ground to build a shelter at the moment, I do need to plant the samova beans. I¡¯m also going to need clay, probably from the river, and finding some type of edible tuber would be great. Actually, since these creatures probably eat the last, they might be ideal for that task, though their definition of ¡®edible¡¯ may not match mine... But how would I capture them? And wouldn¡¯t that defeat the purpose of going on the hunt: to get Energy? I have another misgiving now I¡¯ve actually set eyes on the group: its composition. I¡¯d known from the tracks that there were two larger animals and two smaller ones, but I¡¯d thought it was two males and two females ¨C it¡¯s not unusual for the different sexes to be different sizes, after all. Alas, the reason is far more contentious than that. It¡¯s a family. Mother, father ¨C though I¡¯ll be damned if I can tell which is which ¨C and two youngsters. Not babies, not precisely, but definitely juveniles of some sort. Their colour is more faded, and they approach the task of rooting through leaves and dirt with more playfulness than their parents. In fact, as I watch, one of them misjudges how much effort it will take to uproot one plant and gets its horn stuck in the ground. Cute... I swallow and withdraw behind a tree. Can I do this? Can I take the parents away from the youngsters either by killing them or capturing them? Could I kill the juveniles? Even when I played games which happened to centre around killing animals or people, and there were young ones in the game, I unconsciously avoided killing the children or babies. And that was when I knew that they were just bundles of code. This...they¡¯re real. Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Six: The Aggressor It¡¯s an issue I have to face. Unless I restrict myself to only killing seriously wounded, ill, or very old members of the species, I will have to kill healthy members at some point, and all of those healthy members are potential mothers and fathers. Heck, I may end up killing a pregnant female at some stage, quite unknowingly. I do seriously consider only culling those which are likely to die anyway, but dismiss the idea after a while. In the end, I have to recognise that I need to accumulate Energy, or by the end of the year, I will die. Sorry, but the lives of a few animals don¡¯t outweigh my own life in my eyes. But can I apply that ruthless thought process to this family? No. I can¡¯t bring myself to kill them. If I only kill the parents, I¡¯ll probably be condemning the juveniles to death, as they wouldn¡¯t still be allowed to hang around with the parents unless they needed to. The idea of killing the parents and then using Dominate on the juveniles does cross my mind, but I decide not to in the end ¨C I¡¯d feel far too guilty every time I looked at them, knowing I¡¯d been the cause of their parents¡¯ deaths. I¡¯ve had too much experience with that particular strain of guilt in my life already. I withdraw quietly and carefully so I don¡¯t draw the family¡¯s attention and accidentally bring about the whole scenario that I¡¯m trying to avoid. I keep the thought about using Dominate on one of this species in the back of my mind; if I ever come across the tracks of a solitary...what shall I call them ¨C porcupig? Reptiline? No, if everything is reptilian, I¡¯ll run out of names if I begin them all with ¡®rep¡¯. Porcupig, it is. So, if I every come across the tracks of a solitary porcupig, I¡¯ll see about capturing it. I follow my tracks back towards the river with a strange sense of calm. It feels good to have made a decision. I¡¯ll kill and capture healthy animals, that I know for sure; what I also know for sure is that I will do my best to avoid taking away parents from babies. Plus, that works better with my hunting knowledge ¨C if you regularly kill the next generation, one day there won¡¯t be any more of that species left. In the end, I pick the tracks of a single creature, not wanting to repeat the same scenario as I¡¯d just encountered. They weren¡¯t precisely the ¡®perfect¡¯ tracks ¨C the creature seeming a bit bigger than I would have preferred ¨C but then I remember how different the porcupigs were from what I¡¯d expected based on their tracks. Maybe that will happen again? As I¡¯d thought, my Tracking and Hunting knowledge from another world can be rather misleading at times. It takes me perhaps a couple of hours to catch up with the creature I¡¯m tracking: it¡¯s not moving that fast, but it had a significant head-start on me. Approaching, I see a creature that reminds me of a chameleon crossed with a snail. That said, it¡¯s not slow, as one would expect from a creature like that. It has the curly shell of a snail, and a long body covered in scales. Unlike a snail, though, it doesn¡¯t crawl across the ground leaving a viscous trail behind it, but has feet rather like a chameleon¡¯s ¨C six of them! Two sets of legs have knee joints, or possibly hip joints, facing forwards; the rear set has the joints facing backwards. One would think this would add an ungainly sense of movement to the creature¡¯s gait, but it was not at all the case, though the extra set of legs does add an interesting sway. Now, how am I going to do this? The creature is not nearly as slow as a snail ¨C what if I attack it and it runs away? Or what if I attack it and it attacks me in return? I wish I had a bow and some arrows ¨C even flint would do better than nothing. Then, it hits me. Flint! Sure, I don¡¯t have a bow and arrows, but there are ranged weapons all around me, ones that my ancestors used to great effect for many years. Retracing my footsteps a little so that I¡¯m not likely to scare my prey off the moment I start casting around for stones, I pick up as many fist-sized lumps as possible. Once my pockets are full, I pick up the creature¡¯s trail again. Unfortunately for me, I know I¡¯m not the most athletic of people, so I think I¡¯d better get as close as possible before starting. Taking a couple of careful steps forward, I pause. Maybe better get my ammunition ready first. Putting a stone in each hand, I do a final once-over, nodding my head when all seems as it should be. Then, continuing my careful stalk forwards, I find myself wincing every time I step badly and a branch cracks or a leaf rustles. The worst thing is, I know how to walk quietly through this landscape in my head, but my body hasn¡¯t yet learned how to follow instructions. I know it will come with time; I just hope I¡¯ll have enough of that. It seems like the sneleon ¨C well, what else can I call it? - doesn¡¯t have the most acute of senses, as it only seems to raise its head from the bush it¡¯s chomping on at the worst of my branch cracks. Its head, incidentally, is rounded and looks rather like some herbivorous dinosaur¡¯s in one of those old children¡¯s cartoons. While I can¡¯t rule out the possibility that this creature has some sort of defence mechanism, I do feel more of a sense of confidence about approaching this quarry than my previous, and that¡¯s not even taking the moral dilemma over the babies into account. I take my time lining up my first shot. It¡¯s a rough stone, which will hopefully do more damage than a round, smooth stone would. Then again, it also has more wind resistance, so¡­ If I¡¯m very lucky, it will hit the sneleon sharp points first, but frankly, I think I¡¯ll be content if I just manage to hit the creature at all. Extra points if I get the body. My focus narrows, and I launch the rock at the sneleon. Wonder of wonders, it hits! Unfortunately, it hits the shell and bounces off without causing more than a loud cracking sound. In an instant, the sneleon¡¯s defence mechanism engages. To my good fortune, it¡¯s not an offensive one. Instead, just like the snail I likened it to, the sneleon vanishes into its shell with an amazing flexibility. Almost as quickly as I could blink twice, the sneleon went from unaware to protected. Its curled shell sticks up in the air, rocking forwards once or twice as it gets used to its new position, perhaps twenty centimetres nearer to the ground than it was a second ago. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. By this point, I¡¯m very curious about this creature. I walk over to it, a little cautiously in case it lashes out the moment I get close, and place my hand gingerly on its shell. It¡¯s cool, warmer in an area where a ray of sunlight is shining. The creature when I arrived had been about a metre long with its legs being approximately thirty centimetres long when fully extended, but twenty centimetres in the normally somewhat bent position. Its shell added an extra thirty centimetres to its height, which had made me think I was dealing with a bigger creature than I actually ended up with. Now, it¡¯s just the shell, around thirty centimetres high and almost that wide at its base. Its length is probably more like forty centimetres, creating something of an oval-based, blunt-tipped cone. How a creature probably around a metre long and ten centimetres or so in diametre manages to squish into this thing, I don¡¯t know, but the proof is in front of me. I push the shell a little, gently at first, and then harder. It rocks from side to side. Nothing happens. I¡¯m very curious now, but wary at the same time. I back away a bit, and then start throwing rocks at the motionless shell. I miss more than I hit at first, but my aim does improve. Nothing happens except for a rocking shell every time I hit, until one hit to the top lands with enough force to knock the creature over. I jump back in case it¡¯s capable of sending out some sort of ranged attack, but after rolling a little, the shell settles and becomes motionless again. Once more gingerly approaching the creature, I look with fascination at what, in a snail, would be its ¡®foot¡¯. In this case, they¡¯re feet as the six feet of the creature seem to have locked together to create a solid barrier. I¡¯m starting to understand this creature¡¯s place in the food chain. Much like other defence specialists, like the snail I thought of earlier, and a tortoise, this creature doesn¡¯t have speed on its side, nor does it have strong natural offensive ability. Instead, it¡¯s a walking fortress to probably most if not all of the creatures in this forest. It would need something with significant crushing power to get through the shell. I¡¯m sure Kalanthia would cope, but I¡¯m equally sure she wouldn¡¯t bother unless she was unable to find anything better. And that¡¯s probably exactly the niche this creature exploits ¨C being too tough for creatures its own level to deal with, and not being an enticing enough target for those which could actually pose a threat to it. Based on its size, I reckon that the attacker would have to be able to open their jaws more than thirty centimetres at a minimum, as well as then apply bone-crushing force to get through its shell. That¡¯s more than most of the creature on Earth could boast, possibly more than any of them could cope with. Well, maybe a crocodile could cope, but then the sneleon would have to literally crawl into its open mouth for the crocodile to apply its immense pressure when snapping its jaws shut. Otherwise, I suppose there could be birds that are capable of lifting it and dropping it upon a rock to crack open the shell, but again, it¡¯s not that big, but it¡¯s probably big enough to cause difficulty for most birds. Plus, it¡¯s in the forest, not on the mountainside, meaning that one of those birds would have to come in past the forest canopy to find it. So in short, a pretty good defence mechanism. Unfortunately for this sneleon, it¡¯s met me ¨C a mammal capable of using tools. Feeling a bit sorry for the creature that is defenceless against man, I still approach, hefting another stone in my hand. What defence is a tough shell when facing against someone with patience and a hard rock? Speed might be a better defence, but then again, humanity¡¯s ancestors were also capable of defeating that with patient, enduring pursuit. By about ten hits in, I stop feeling sorry. This blighter is a tough nut to crack. Or rather, a tough shell. I¡¯m making a difference, but I was expecting it to crack like an egg in a few hits: instead, it¡¯s only starting to show signs of cracking after ten. I did try another approach when I¡¯d seen no benefit for my effort after five strong hits with a rock. Seeing its interlocked feet as a potential opening, I tried to pry them apart with my knife. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t find that I get very far with that approach ¨C the hair-line gaps between each foot are barely wide enough for my knife to slot in and I don¡¯t have anything like the leverage power I¡¯d need. I even try whacking the feet with my mace, but the interlocked pad just seems to absorb the force of my hits with little trouble. Stymied, I return to my previous strategy. This time, though, I decide to use my mace for its extra power. By the time I reach sixteen strokes, the sneleon makes a move. I back away quickly as I see it emerging from its shell. It¡¯s not nearly as quickly leaving as it was in withdrawing, but I still keep my distance in case it¡¯s got something up its proverbial sleeve. I watch cautiously, preferring to potentially lose my prey than get injured ¨C again. However, attack seems to be the last thing on this creature¡¯s mind as it heads straight for the nearest tree. Realising it means to escape into the foliage either above or below, I go back on the attack. With its entire body now visible, I don¡¯t attack its shell again, but go straight for the head. It avoids my first two blows and even tries to latch onto my leg in a last-ditch attempt to protect itself, but I dodge easily and finally manage to bring down my mace on its head. Victory is mine, but I don¡¯t get that same triumphant thrill which I did every other time I overcame my foe. I bite my lip as I try to figure out why. In the end, it strikes me that in my previous encounters, I was the victim, and when I won the struggle, I¡¯d fought against the odds and aggressors which tried to pull me down. Here, I was the aggressor, and one with an advantage which my prey couldn¡¯t defend against. There¡¯s little glory or achievement in patiently beating at a shell with a rock or mace and then bashing in the occupant¡¯s head as it tries to escape. If anything, it makes me feel like the bad guy rather than the hero¡­. I try to make myself feel better for repeating my reasons for going on the hunt in the first place, and reminding myself that aiming for battles where I will probably get hurt at the minimum is not a good way to attempt to preserve my life. I remind myself that my ancestors would have chosen easy prey over hard prey ten times out of ten ¨C that¡¯s why they¡¯re my ancestors instead of dying before they could have progeny. I still feel guilty. I hesitate over butchering the corpse, but then eventually kneel down next to it. If it¡¯s a sin to have killed the creature in the first place, wouldn¡¯t it be even more of one to just leave its carcass lying there abandoned? And if I end up muttering apologies and a little prayer over the body before digging in with my knife, who is going to know? Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Seven: Predator By the time I decide to head back to my campsite, I¡¯ve had three successful hunts, and two unsuccessful ones, excluding my encounter with the porcupigs. Despite wanting to try out my Class Skill now that my Willpower¡¯s over ten, I didn¡¯t in the end. Most of the creatures didn¡¯t seem worth it, and the one that did was far too aggressive for me to try. I have to marvel at the wildlife in this new world. At first I thought that everything here was either reptilian or avian, but now I¡¯m wondering whether mammals have developed, or something like them, at least ¨C I don¡¯t know if they give birth to live young and feed their young on milk, after all. Sure, that might seem strange since Kalanthia is clearly a mammal, though I wasn¡¯t there to confirm that she gave birth to live young, of course. That said...Kalanthia is just so different from every other creature I¡¯ve met here so far that I find it hard to liken her to them at all. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because, apart from the size, she looks so similar to a leopard on Earth, or whether it¡¯s because it¡¯s the opposite ¨C she¡¯s capable both of magic and conversation, telepathic, but conversation nonetheless and is therefore completely set apart from all these other creatures who are just...animals. Kalanthia aside, I can confirm that two out of three successful hunts were warmblooded, and only one of these had scales, though these were more along the lines of a pangolin than a lizard. The other had a rather coarse and bristly fur coat which, unfortunately for me, hid several venomous barbs. Added to these were two short but sharp tusks on either side of the creature¡¯s mouth which, while not envenomed in themselves, were used to great effect. Often, dodging the tusks meant exposing myself to the barb-covered tail. I have to admit that I was in a pretty bad way after killing the large badger/boar-like creature: the venom seemed to be an anti-coagulate since my wounds bled more freely and took longer to close up. Lay-on-hands saved me, but my health did drop down to five units. I¡¯ll also admit to needing more than a breather after that to get over the near death experience. Although I¡¯ve faced a few of those so far, facing them without my backup health potion in my satchel feels different. More...desperate. I try and ignore the worry because what other choice do I have? Of the two unsuccessful hunts, one was because I decided to back off when I caught up with the creature. It wasn¡¯t that big, but it looked rather well defended with sharp teeth and claws and an impressive jaw structure that looked more like a T-Rex than anything else. I¡¯d probably take it on if I had a proper ranged weapon, or something with a long handle that I could use to keep it at a distance, but with only a knife, a sort-of mace, and no armour? No chance. I failed the other for one simple reason: it ran away, and it was too fast to catch. I¡¯d tried my luck at one of those reptilian-deer things, but as soon as it got wind of my approach ¨C far sooner than any of the other animals ¨C it disappeared into the surrounding foliage, its long tail balancing it from behind and its long, thin legs eating up the metres. So yeah, again, without any sort of proper ranged weapon, or a trap to immobilise it, I¡¯m not likely to succeed with that creature any time soon. Still, I¡¯d only come close to death once in five hunts ¨C that¡¯s got to be a record for me! And if nothing else, it indicates that as I¡¯d thought, taking the fight to the creatures is much safer than them bringing the fight to me. I¡¯ll still take my wins where I can find them. Though, speaking of wins, my Energy gain hasn¡¯t been as profitable as I¡¯d hoped. Perhaps my estimates had been skewed by the killer-chickens ¨C gaining forty-five percent in a single fight is clearly just as much as windfall as it had been an almost-lethal encounter. Thirteen deadly carnivores which almost killed me despite the advantages I had of height and weaponry really aren¡¯t comparable to my experiences today. In total, I killed three creatures during the day. One was barely a threat, and netted me a grand total of one percent for killing it. The pangolin-kin was more of a threat, but barely so, and earned me two percent. My most challenging fight earned me five percent, bringing me to a total of eight percent Energy gain simply from hunting. I added another three percent by eating their hearts ¨C and let me tell you that sapped time out of the day when it came to building the fires and then cooking the meat. I also earned another six percent just from absorption, bringing my day¡¯s total to seventeen percent gain. It¡¯s something, that¡¯s for sure, but it¡¯s not a lot. There¡¯s a reason for that which comes to me from my System knowledge as I ponder the question: carnivores can absorb Energy from their prey just as much as I can; herbivores only have a natural daily absorption. Therefore, prey animals will generally be worth less Energy than predators, although a herbivore which has survived for many years might have absorbed more than a carnivore which is still young. Equally, there are certain plants which are Energy dense and can offer a significant boost to a herbivore, but these are rare. At least, they are in Nicholas¡¯ world ¨C who knows if that holds true here. Either way, two of the creatures I killed today were definitely herbivores; I¡¯m not so sure about the poison-badger because although it was a tough fight, its abilities seemed to be more defensive than offensive. Then again, I suppose if it had killed other creatures in defence, even without eating them it would still earn more Energy than another herbivore. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I¡¯d already had some Energy in my store, so when I look at my status screen, it tells me I¡¯m up to fifty percent. Halfway there. If the next few days are similar in terms of gain, it¡¯ll take me another three days to level up. I feel frustrated at that: it shouldn¡¯t seem very long ¨C three days felt short when it was a long weekend, for sure ¨C but my time in this world has proven that three days can feel very long indeed. Then again, I do accumulate Energy even while I sleep, so maybe it¡¯ll be a little less than three days. Plus, the more hunting I do, the better I¡¯ll be at choosing prey and following its tracks. That should mean more kills, meaning more Energy. As I trudge home tiredly, I consider whether it¡¯s better to hunt easy, herbivorous prey which is relatively safe but not very profitable in terms of Energy, or hunt more of the poison-badger type creatures or carnivores which are a lot more dangerous, but are commensurately a lot more worth the time... Or...what if there was another option? Something which I¡¯m going to have to get good at anyway if I want to start taming or dominating powerful animals: traps. The hunting knowledge I absorbed has given me quite a detailed understanding of traps, and there are several designs which I could put into practice even with the lack of equipment I have. The only problem is time, and resources. Almost all of the traps require cord of some sort, and that will take time to make from either bark or sinew. Those traps which don¡¯t require cord, require digging a hole ¨C again, time-consuming. So maybe not traps right now. Maybe I just have to be patient and hunt for three days with this ineffective strategy, and then once I¡¯ve got my first level ¨C and first chosen Skill ¨C then I can rethink. I¡¯ll be going on a crafting kick at that point anyway ¨C I¡¯m missing my apartment and its creature comforts, so I want to spend some time making my little cave into as much a ¡®home away from home¡¯ as I can. Not to mention crafting a few things to improve my combat capabilities ¨C I really need to upgrade my weaponry. Some armour wouldn¡¯t go amiss either, but that seems rather far off with the tools I have available right now. By this time, I¡¯ve got back to the cave. Kalanthia and Lathani are already inside as night is falling. Strangely enough, I get the feeling that they¡¯re diurnal rather than nocturnal like leopards on Earth are. Just more proof that they¡¯re not actually leopards¡­ Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia starts as she sees me. I freeze on my way to my cave and look over at her. She, thankfully, ignores my suddenly thudding heart. It¡¯s not that I think she¡¯s going to suddenly pounce...but my instincts can¡¯t forget that this is a massive predator who could kill me without even really trying. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get used to it, but for now any time she notices me, a shot of adrenaline goes through me. I must hunt tomorrow. I need you to watch over Lathani. ¡°OK,¡± I reply. What else can I say? I agreed to be the live-in babysitter, after all. It¡¯s a bit frustrating, though, given that I¡¯m already chafing at the length of time it will take me to level-up. I¡¯ll still get the daily absorption, I try to console myself. ¡°I¡¯ll need to go and get some water though,¡± I add, realising that I forgot to fill my canteen on my way up. Very well, she agrees, but it must be a short trip as I will need the day to hunt. I shall wake you if you sleep overlong. Is that an offer, or a threat? I can¡¯t decide, but ultimately conclude that it doesn¡¯t really matter. Kalanthia¡¯s put her head down and is ignoring me again ¨C the conversation is apparently over. I shrug a little and then duck into my little alcove. Lying down with a sigh of relief, I eat some food while I check my messages. I¡¯ve been offered two points for Strength ¨C one for Power, one for Endurance ¨C and a point each for Dexterity and Constitution which I decline with disappointment. Much as I¡¯d like to increase my stats, and indeed need to for survival, it would just elongate the already annoyingly long time I have until I can level up. Though, it was a close thing with the Constitution point since that would have a direct affect on my ability to survive what this world throws at me. I¡¯m tired. Sneaking around the woods all day with intermittent life and death battles is apparently rather exhausting. Who would have guessed? Yawning, I just lie down and try to sleep. Although I could probably read outside by the light of the two ¨C yes, two ¨C moons, I¡¯m too sleepy. Though, if there¡¯s anything that makes it immediately clear I¡¯m in a different world, it¡¯s the two pale orbs hanging in the sky and moving independently. One seems to be quicker than the Earth moon and appears more frequently; the other seems to be slower, taking more time to cross the sky, but then not appearing for almost another twenty-four hours. Actually, without a watch, and reluctant as I am to turn on my phone with no chance of recharging it, I still have no idea of the actual day length. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not twenty-four hours though; probably a few hours longer. I¡¯ve come to that conclusion because I¡¯m going to bed at dusk and generally waking up with dawn without feeling tired. That indicates to me that the night is at least eight hours long. Then, I¡¯m always really hungry by the time the sun hits its zenith, and completely exhausted by the time it¡¯s hitting the horizon. Of course, those could also be due to the amount of physical activity I¡¯m doing which I¡¯m not at all used to, but I think there¡¯s more to it. In the end, I shrug ¨C I have too many other things to think about to waste time questioning something that has such little relevance. At least I¡¯m getting a decent amount of sleep without cutting into the day too much ¨C that¡¯s more than I had at work! Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cat Toy The next morning, I wake to the sound of a chest-rumbling growl. Ah, my alarm clock. Ten out of ten for waking me up ¨C the adrenaline rush of hearing a large predator growling menacingly gets rid of the grogginess straight away. Are you ready now, Markus Wolfe? She asks, a note of impatience in her ¡®voice¡¯. ¡°Just give me a moment," I groan, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I changed last night, but only into new clothes, so I don¡¯t need to do anything there. There was something though...water! ¡°I¡¯ll just get some water and then I¡¯ll be all yours,¡± I tell her, quickly making my way out of the cave and down to the river at the foot of the hill. As soon as I get back, Kalanthia pauses to lick her cub¡¯s head, then lopes off. Lathani watches her go with a plaintive wail, but doesn¡¯t try to follow. She soon shakes off the melancholy and starts romping around the clearing at the top of the hill. Of course, I very quickly become pulled into her games and have to defend myself semi-seriously against the clawed and toothed bundle of fur which leaps out at me unexpectedly from behind bushes or after a period of much more obvious stalking. In between, she gets distracted by insects and small animals. Acting on yesterday¡¯s resolve to start boiling my water, I manage to find some time to make a small fire out in the open where I can still see the cub. She¡¯s curious about what I¡¯m doing, so I have to distract her with a few sticks while the fire gets going and then again once I¡¯ve got my wok on to heat up with the water inside. Once the liquid¡¯s bubbling, I quickly tuck the hot pan into my alcove and pull the fire apart, keeping Lathani away until the sticks are cool. She seems to have a bit of a knack for finding trouble: I also have a moment of panic when she dives after a small animal near the edge of the hill and falls off. Rushing over, I see she¡¯s rolled down about halfway, so I call for her with a slightly frantic note to my voice. She looks up at me, then down at the forest curiously. I call again and she looks back at me, hesitating for a moment longer. Then, perhaps deciding that the forest can wait for another day, she bounds back up and leaps at me, knocking me down. In the end, baby-sitting a leopard cub turns out to be a lot less relaxing than I thought it would be. She¡¯s a bundle of energy and doesn¡¯t sit still for a moment...until she conks out all of a sudden, barely making it back into the cave before she¡¯s making cute baby-snores. By this point, I could do with a nap myself, but decide that it might not be the best of ideas as I¡¯m still ¡®on guard¡¯. Instead, I settle at the mouth of the cave, enjoying the sun while still fully aware of anything moving nearby. I pull out one of my books and read for a little, enjoying the time to relax. When Lathani wakes up she starts romping around and I put my novel away with a bit of regret. Fiddling with a stalk of plant rather similar to the grass of my homeworld, I¡¯m amused when the bouncing flower stalk attracts the cub¡¯s attention. She bats at it for a while and I oblige her need to play, making the heavy flower dance and twist in the air, then on the ground. She looks just like an overgrown house-cat, the way she pounces and slaps at it. When she finally manages to get a good grip with her claws, she pulls it in close, rolling on her back and biting at it. I have an idea. Grabbing some long, thin grass leaves, I braid them in a plait. It¡¯s a little awkward ¨C my head knows exactly what to do, but my fingers are terribly clumsy. The braid isn¡¯t nearly as neat as my ¡®memories¡¯ say it should be, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m expecting this to last very long. Making a couple more braids, each one better than the previous, I pick up a few leaves and bits of grass. Binding them together into a little bundle with one braid, I tie the others to it and to each other. Finally, I grab one of the white bones that Kalanthia and Lathani have already gnawed clean. Tying the loose end of my braid to the bone, I brandish my creation gleefully. Success! I¡¯ve made...a cat toy! Lathani looks at me with her head cocked on one side, perhaps wondering what¡¯s made this strange looking creature so excited, but she soon learns how fun a dedicated cat toy can be. I use the bone to make the lure dart over the ground, bounce in the air, and evade Lathani¡¯s pounces at the very last moment. It¡¯s surprisingly fun ¨C for both of us. We play until we¡¯re both tired ¨C and the improvised cat toy has been torn to shreds ¨C then slump at the cave mouth. Lathani lies next to me, one paw touching my leg. It¡¯s very cute. Kalanthia arrives back when the sun is on its downward trend, but has only got about halfway to the horizon, her chops still stained with red. Lathani¡¯s livened up again by then, and goes to greet her with happy chirps. The nunda mama ducks her head to nuzzle her cub and breathes in her scent for a few moments. At least, that¡¯s what I assume she¡¯s doing when she pauses, her head near Lathani. ¡°Good hunt?¡± I ask as she moves towards the cave and, by default, me. Good enough to last me a few days, she replies lightly. I thank you for watching over Lathani. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Sure,¡± I shrug. ¡°She was no trouble.¡± Kalanthia pauses next to me for a moment, then rubs her head against me gently. Well, gently for her. It almost knocks me flying. Then continuing on into the cave, she curls up on the bedding and Lathani starts playing with the twitching tip of her tail. Good, she finally says, responding to the comment I¡¯d almost forgotten I¡¯d made, so distracted with her headbutt, or head-rub or whatever. I shall not need to hunt again for another three days. ¡°OK, great,¡± I comment, not sure how else to reply. When she says nothing more, I turn my thoughts onto what to do now. There¡¯s not much time left in the day; certainly not enough to go hunting. That said, I could do with dealing with my bounty from the last few fights. Although I took the hearts from the killer-chickens and my prey yesterday, I didn¡¯t do much else, and I haven¡¯t done anything with the other carcasses in my Inventory. Probably better do that as I¡¯m running out of space. Going down to the river, I pull the corpses one by one out and deal with them. It¡¯s only in doing this task that I realise just how many creatures I¡¯ve killed since being here. Good thing there¡¯s no RSPCA here, I muse wryly to myself. I¡¯d probably have been in court for being a mass-murderer of animals, or something. They¡¯re pretty varied too, and I collect some resources which I think will be quite useful. Scales from the pangolin-kin which might be able to be turned into armour of some sort; barbed hooks from the snilepede; a water-tight shell from the sneleon, as well as a surprisingly long back sinew from the same; venom glands from the badger-boar thing, though I only manage to get about half of them intact; a rather ragged rabbit skin; a slightly less-ragged snake skin. Bones and meat of all types, of course, and fangs of different shapes and sizes. I end up with six slots full of different meat: the killer-chicken meat stacks with the other bird meat, for some reason, and the snake and the snilepede also stack together. The sneleon meat, however, is kept separate as is the pangolin-lizard thing. My hoarder tendencies are coming out again ¨C when I know how useful so many of these things can be, I don¡¯t want to leave any of them behind. But ultimately, I can¡¯t keep everything in my Inventory ¨C I don¡¯t have space ¨C and I have no real way of preserving things outside of it. So, anything likely to rot soon apart from meat has to go. I keep some of the bones for boiling plus anything like fangs, barbs, and feathers which aren¡¯t likely to go off. They¡¯re in my Inventory for now, filling all the slots. I''ll pull them out later to keep in my alcove. Sinew, of course, gets kept and I start planning on how to dry it: however I look at things, I¡¯m going to need a lot of cord and sinew is probably the best place to start. That or bark, but I haven¡¯t yet spotted anything particularly suitable. After I¡¯ve finished processing the carcasses, I¡¯m in a bit of a state. I decide that washing off the blood and guts and other icky substances is most definitely necessary. About to strip off and jump right into the stream, I hesitate. Perhaps getting naked and vulnerable right next to where blood has soaked into the earth of the bank is not the best idea. Heading upstream a bit, I get out of immediate proximity to the mess. In the end, I find the perfect spot for a bath. It¡¯s a naturally-carved basin, obviously created by the water swirling around for some reason, but it¡¯s ideal for taking a bath without worrying about being swept away. Not that the stream is really strong enough to do that for me, but Lathani would probably have to be careful. Something to consider if she decides to take the forest exploration a bit further next time. Stripping off my clothes, I leave my shoes and trousers on the bank but bring my shirt with me into the pool. The water is cool, but not overly cold. Enough to make a frisson of chill go up my spine, but not much more than that. Keeping my head on a swivel, I shift deeper into the pool and start rinsing my shirt. Blood got all over the sleeves and a few sprays hit me on my chest ¨C and face ¨C so the shirt is pretty ruined, really. At least, if I¡¯d been intending on going to a meeting that would be the case. Here, I don¡¯t think that the animals will care if I have bloodstains on me, and at least these clothes are still mostly intact, unlike the others I¡¯ve been wearing so far since being here. Still, I¡¯d rather I don¡¯t stink of blood all the time ¨C not only is it not particularly pleasant for me, but it¡¯s likely to attract creatures I don¡¯t want, and scare away creatures I do. Unfortunately, cold water isn¡¯t the best for getting rid of bloodstains, but it suffices to wash away the worst of the liquid, at least. The water is much more effective in cleaning my body, but even there I struggle at times, especially my hands which dealt with the fatty bits of meat as well as plain blood. It doesn¡¯t do anything for my hair, though, which by this point is starting to itch and feel greasy. Still, it¡¯s the first time in this world that I¡¯ve had the chance to submerge myself in water, and it¡¯s good to feel the accumulated grime of days wash off me. By the time I¡¯ve finished ¡®cleaning¡¯, I look a whole lot better, but my skin doesn¡¯t really feel that ¡®clean¡¯. And I smell better, but not great. I suppose I¡¯ve been spoiled by deodorants, shower gels and shampoos. Ah, sandalwood¡­ Funny, really, I reflect as I sit back in the pool and stare up at the sky above. A bit dangerous as a position, I know, but hopefully a few minutes won¡¯t kill me. Literally. Anyway, it¡¯s funny to think that my girlfriend used to complain when I didn¡¯t have a shower in a couple of days, but I never noticed my own smell; now, I really can smell myself ¨C and I wish I couldn¡¯t. Maybe I can create some soap at some point. Probably should ¨C who knows how many different types of bacteria are proliferating on my skin in this very moment? For now, though, I take a few moments just to watch the sway of the branches above, listen to the babbling of the brook, and feel the current of water flow past me. By the time I decide that I¡¯ve had enough of a soak, night is already closing in. I squeeze as much water out of my shirt as I can, deciding not to bother putting it back on afterwards. Pulling my trousers on is a bit difficult as I have no towel to dry off, but I succeed. Rinsing my knife, I put it away too. I take advantage of the opportunity to grab some more water in my canteen. Then, heading back up the hill, I use the last of the light to quickly start a fire outside to boil my water. While it''s heating up, I arrange the non-Inventory items before munching some cooked bird-meat. Once the water has started bubbling, I put out the fire, not wanting it to cause a problem while I''m asleep. Finally, I drink some tea-without-tea-leaves and fall into bed, completely exhausted as always. Book One: Leap - Chapter Twenty-Nine: Levelling Up I¡¯m staring at my status screen. I can¡¯t help it: I¡¯m at 99% progress towards the next level and I¡¯m just waiting for that number to tick over to 100%. My progress has been much quicker than I had expected it to be considering I was only looking after Lathani yesterday. This isn¡¯t because I¡¯ve had a fortunate encounter with Energy-rich, but easy prey. No, it¡¯s due to my lacking calculations. Turned out, when I estimated three days, I forgot to account for the Energy I absorb while inactive. I¡¯d thought about it, been grateful that even while I was looking after a cute nunda cub I¡¯d still be making progress, but I didn¡¯t actually factor it into my calculations. I have been more fortunate in today¡¯s hunting, partly because two of the three creatures actually hunted me rather than me having to chase them down. In the end, I¡¯ve gained fourteen percent by killing four creatures and eating their hearts, better than the eleven percent of the day before yesterday, but it¡¯s not ultimately this which has made the difference. When I checked my status this morning and realised I was already up to seventy-seven percent, I have to admit that my eyes boggled a bit. By the time I killed my last beast and saw that I was up to ninety-six percent, I decided to call it a day and head back to the cave. Over the last twenty minutes or so, I¡¯ve got to have checked my status a hundred or more times, anxious not to miss the moment I become able to level up. The only thing that over-zealous checking has taught me is that I don¡¯t earn eleven units on the hour, every hour; no, it ticks up by one unit at regular intervals. I guess I could probably set my watch to it...if I had a watch, that is. Meh, it¡¯s not like I need to catch a train or anything ¨C a few minutes here or there isn¡¯t going to make any difference. Anyway, I suppose the most important thing is that I actually have a relatively easy way of working out approximately how much time has passed between point A and point B as long as I look at my status screen at the start and end. There! A frisson of excitement runs through me as I see the progress percentage has changed. Funny: I don¡¯t feel any different. If it wasn¡¯t for the number in front of me, I wouldn¡¯t know anything about being able to level up. There isn¡¯t even a notification that tells me. Well, I guess I¡¯ll just have to keep an eye on the number in the future so I don¡¯t miss the opportunity to level up next time. Focusing on the box with the 100% in it, I think level up as hard as possible at the screen. A new notification appears, the status screen disappearing briefly.
Congratulations! You have gathered enough Energy to push your body to the next level. Would you like to level up?
Y/N
¡°Yes!¡± I almost shout in my eagerness. It¡¯s a little embarrassing, actually, even if the only ones around to hear are two nundas who probably don¡¯t care. The words blur and reform.
To level up, please choose the stats you would like to increase. You have 6 points available. Warning: if you do not assign all points now, you will be unable to use them later. You can choose to delay your level-up, but you will not store any further Energy until you do. Do you wish to continue to level up?
¡°Yes,¡± I say, forcibly calmly this time despite my heart starting to thump hard, and my status page opens in front of me again. Different from before, each of the stats has a plus sign next to it, and there is a six at the top of the page. Six points...significantly better than it could have been, but still less than I hoped, especially considering what I¡¯ve had to go through to get to this point. Making my choice doesn¡¯t take much thought ¨C I¡¯ve spent plenty of time today thinking and planning about where to assign my points depending on the number I have available. I¡¯d secretly been hoping that I¡¯d have at least nine so six is a bit of a bummer, but I had made plans for if I only had two or three available, so at least it¡¯s better than that. I¡¯ve considered and discarded multiple strategies. The System stone has made it clear that a min-max strategy taken to the extreme is not feasible since all the stats work together, but everyone seems to have one to three stats they focus on more than the others. It makes sense for a Farmer to have more stat points in the physical stats, compared to a Scholar who would have the reverse distribution. They wouldn¡¯t go as far to call the other set of stats ¡®dump stats¡¯ though, as this would have negative effects on their chosen stats. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. For example, a Farmer who puts all his points into Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength would find that they are incapable of thinking through their activities of the day, as well as unable to build bonds with their animals and their land, and unable to motivate themselves to do anything. The Scholar with the reverse strategy would be in for frustration as their mind moves far faster than their body is capable of keeping up with, and would find themselves constantly beset by various malaises due to their poor Constitution. So I need to keep my stats reasonably balanced, but it is very tempting to put more stats into my physical abilities as those are what are keeping me alive at the moment. Strength will improve my ability to do damage to my opponents, Dexterity improves my dodging and precision, and Constitution...well, it¡¯s in the name. The only thing that stops me from just putting two points in each physical stat is the fact that Dexterity and Strength are relatively easy to train; the others aren¡¯t, at least, not where I am now. Constitution is best trained by surviving experiences that might easily have killed me, my experience with the wolvezard a case in point. The problem is that such situations can easily get out of hand and just plain kill me. Intelligence is relatively easy to increase for people who have access to a library or teachers; for me, not so. Wisdom seems to always be a bit difficult to work on actively. As for Willpower, if the knowledge from the System stone is to be believed ¨C and I really, really hope it is, otherwise I¡¯m completely sunk ¨C then even people in Nicholas¡¯ world aren¡¯t quite sure how to train that. So, ultimately, I make the decision to shore up my weaknesses a bit. Willpower isn¡¯t really an issue at the moment thanks to Kalanthia¡¯s blessing, so I don¡¯t put anything there. Instead, I split the points unevenly among Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution: one, three, and two points respectively. It¡¯s fortunate that I don¡¯t second guess myself as it seems to be impossible to remove a point once chosen. When the final point has been added, the status screen disappears and is replaced by another message.
You have chosen to increase your Wisdom Would you like to increase your Breadth or your Depth?
Breadth / Depth
I look at the message with bafflement. Breadth? Depth? What is it talking about? For once, the System stone knowledge is no help as nothing surfaces from whatever I absorbed. Either it was never there to begin with, or I lost it in the process of absorption. Guess I need to consider the question myself, then. Breadth...a word similar to ¡®width¡¯. Depth, that¡¯s a little more self-explanatory. If we were talking about a lake here, I¡¯d know exactly what it was trying to describe, but it¡¯s a little less clear when it comes to wisdom. Then again...maybe my image of a lake is helpful. Perhaps Breadth is about a wide sort of wisdom, and depth is a deep sort? I¡¯m not sure that actually helps me in any way. I breathe out a frustrated sigh. Perhaps Kalanthia would know, but when I try to move, I realise I¡¯m rooted to the ground. It sends a flutter of nerves through me ¨C just as well I did this back at the cave instead of out in the woods: it seems that I¡¯d be helpless against an attack if one came! In the end I don¡¯t spend any more time debating over the meaning of the words. Ultimately, I decide that I¡¯m having to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades here, so Breadth is more likely to suit me than Depth at the moment. If the implications go deeper than that, I¡¯ll have to just figure it out later. A problem for future-me. I make my choice and the box disappears...but a moment later reappears with the same message. I click on Breadth again with a frown. When the box disappears and reappears a third time, I start wondering whether something¡¯s gone wrong. Perhaps it doesn¡¯t like me choosing Breadth? I try selecting Depth and this time the box disappears, not reappearing again a moment later. I¡¯ve only got enough time to briefly consider the fact that I chose to add three points to Wisdom and was offered the same choice three times before a strange feeling goes through my body. It¡¯s almost like a lightning bolt in its power, but it¡¯s not painful, just...strange. Then the prickling starts and I regret my thought about there being no pain. I grit my teeth as the prickles become more like pins and needles, and then those pins and needles stop pricking me and start stabbing me. At the point when I think I¡¯ll lose the battle against my voice and scream, it suddenly cuts out and the most heavenly feeling descends. All I can liken it to is having a painful massage which you hate at the time, but afterwards, once the aches have gone away, you feel so relaxed and loose and at peace with yourself. Like that, except times ten. I bask in the moment of bliss, my eyes closing. Of course, it¡¯s far too short, and the next thing I know, I¡¯m puking up my guts. I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s actually a metaphor ¨C as I stand, I realise there are more lumps in the mess than the food I ate several hours ago would account for. Plus, there¡¯s the whole colour and smell: it¡¯s black or really dark brown, and smells like a dead animal which has been left to putrify in a sewer for a couple of weeks. It tastes even worse. Retching just at the taste and smell of it, I stumble away on legs that are as limp as a wet noodle. Once I¡¯m far enough from the puddle of vile...substance, I use some water to rinse out my mouth and chew on some bird meat to try to clear my taste-buds. Incidentally, the killer-chickens do actually taste like chicken. A quick dip into the System lore memories informs me that what happened is actually normal. While frustrated that I apparently missed this part of leveling up despite going over the knowledge I absorbed about levelling up while waiting for my Energy store to tick up to 100%, I¡¯m also relieved that I¡¯m not about to keel over dead. Apparently part of improving the body means clearing it of impurities formed by diet, living conditions, even genetic defects. It¡¯ll probably happen a few more times ¨C obviously, the number of times varies depending on the individual and their previous living conditions ¨C but after a time, my body should have cleared its impurities and then I¡¯ll just be building on steady foundations. Unfortunately, right now I¡¯ve just puked vile gunk just in front of Kalanthia¡¯s cave, and from the rumble she¡¯s making, she¡¯s not very happy about it. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty: Fade ¡°Sorry,¡± I tell her sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll clean up. I was just levelling up.¡± There¡¯s a huff and the rumble cuts out, but no words. Matching action to words, I do my best to clean up. It¡¯s unpleasant, but after I¡¯ve hauled away as much as the mess as I can, and have buried the rest with earth, the smell clears fairly quickly. Sitting back down in the fading light, I pull up my status screen and look at my new stats.
Name: Markus Wolf Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 0% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 0%
Intelligence 7 Mana: 70/70
Wisdom 6 Mana regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution 7 Health: 70/70
Strength 6 Stamina: 30/30
Dexterity 4 Stamina regeneration rate: 40u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 3
It¡¯s all much as I¡¯d expected, including the fact that my Constitution ratio is back to 1:10 after restoring my vision. My doubled Wisdom has doubled my mana regeneration meaning that I regain two and a half units per minute. Effectively, that means I could cast a new Lay-on-hands every four minutes. Much better than previously! With the extra point in Intelligence, I also have additional Lay-on-hands casts in the tank. My health points have been increased by twenty, more than half of what I¡¯d had previously. Combined, these three factors could save my life. Maybe another cast of my healing magic would have made the difference in the wolvezard fight, or maybe my higher health points would have meant that I didn¡¯t get as low to begin with. Either way, I suddenly feel a lot better about my survivability in the near future. One thing worries me, though ¨C I still haven¡¯t made any progress towards my ¡®Energy debt¡¯. Is it that the Energy debt is so big that even enough Energy to level up isn¡¯t enough to reach 1%? Or, more concerning, is it that Energy gathered towards leveling up doesn¡¯t actually count towards the debt? I push this question away too - I¡¯ve only been in this world for a few days; I¡¯ve got time to worry about it later. Ultimately, I¡¯m satisfied with my advancements. Sure, they could have been better, but they could have been significantly worse too. Right, now my aim is to stay at Level One for a while and try to earn as many ¡®natural¡¯ points as possible. I figure I¡¯ll accept as many points as I can, the Energy coming mainly from my daily absorption. Since it¡¯s actually possible to increase my stats without using Energy as a shortcut, even if I don¡¯t have enough Energy I¡¯ll know I¡¯m still making progress. Speaking of progress, there should be something more for me that comes along with my level-up: my new Skill. I¡¯m a little surprised that it didn¡¯t flash up like the message about assigning my stat points did, but maybe it¡¯s not considered part of the ¡®level-up¡¯ process as much as just a side benefit. Now I think about it, there¡¯s that nagging feeling of a message waiting for me. Opening up my message box, I click on the new message available.
Congratulations! Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. You have earned 1 Skill point. Would you like to see the selection of your available Skills, or save the Skill point for later?
Skill list / Bank
I pick the obvious choice. A short list of three available Skills forms itself on the blank space hovering before my eyes.
Fade (1) An essential Skill for the stealthy attacker, Fade offers the ability to be concealed from others¡¯ awareness by using a mixture of bodily control and magical concealment. At lower levels, this Skill works fully only when you are unmoving; as Skill levels progress, your ability to move while staying concealed improves. Note: this skill works primarily to conceal the user from sight; concealment from other physical senses scales with Willpower; concealment from esoteric senses scales with Wisdom.
Stun (1) Release your remaining mana in a single, directed blast from your hands to render your opponent unmoving for between one and ten seconds. Note: the effects of the blast depend on both amount of mana remaining, and distance from the epicentre of the discharge. The disparity between your Willpower and that of your opponent will also partially determine the length of time the target is stunned. Maximum effect can be achieved at full mana and when touching the target.
Track (1) Notice and be able to follow marks which show the passage of your target. This Skill scales with Intelligence.
You have 1 Skill point available. Either choose a Skill to use your Skill point now, or say ¡®Bank¡¯ to store the point for later and close the Skill selection menu.
Hmm. Two Skills I really want; one Skill that overlaps far too much with the knowledge I have about tracking anyway to consider choosing. Well, at least it makes narrowing down the possibilities to two easier. As for the other two options¡­ They¡¯re hard, in part because they indicate the direction that I could take my ¡®build¡¯ in. Fade is clearly more of an ambusher¡¯s aid, and would definitely complement the archery I¡¯m planning on engaging in. Stun, on the other hand, is much more of a close-range Skill. Or, of course, an emergency escape tactic. I find it interesting how most of the Skills I¡¯ve been offered have been based on the mental/soul stats. Only Fade mentions ¡®bodily control¡¯ which I would guess links to one or more of the physical stats, but even that scales off Wisdom and Willpower. Not what I¡¯d expected. Anyway, I need to choose one Skill for now. Fortunately, I know that at level 5, I¡¯ll be offered the Skills I passed over this time plus some other options, so I can always choose my second favourite then, if nothing better has appeared. So...Fade or Stun? The choice of saving the Skill point for later doesn¡¯t appeal. I need these Skills now and if I can¡¯t have both now, I¡¯ll at least have one. As for which one¡­ In the end, the choice is evident. An emergency lifeline might be a literal life-saver, but I can¡¯t base my tactics on Plan B: I actually need a Plan A first. Using range was how humans moved past cavemen ¨C range is how I¡¯m going to survive this forest arena. Although, I suppose that with sufficiently high support stats, Stun could be used at range too¡­ I pick Fade before I can overthink it. I open my status screen again and look at the lines below it that talk about my Skills. There¡¯s a new addition, as expected.
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 3
So, now time to test my new Skill. I wonder how to do so for a few moments, before just shrugging and standing still. I think ¡®fade¡¯ and then just wait. Nothing seems any different. When I look at myself out of the corner of my eye I can see everything just fine. Is it not working? I hesitate for a moment before poking my head in the cave. ¡°Kalanthia?¡± I ask tentatively. There¡¯s a huffing sound, and she lifts her head from where it¡¯s lying on her massive paws. ¡°Can you tell me if there¡¯s any effect to this?¡± To what? In answer, I reactivate Fade. Kalanthia huffs again, but this time I detect a slightly curious sound to it. She stands up and pads over to me, sniffing at me and twisting her head one way and then the other. ¡°So?¡± I ask after the silence draws on. Shifting a little, her eyes fix properly on me again. A strange sensation, she tells me. I could hear you and smell you, but when I looked directly at you, my eyes told me you were not there. Huh. Interesting. ¡°What about when you didn¡¯t look directly at me?¡± I ask, curious. I could catch a glimpse of your form, but only because I knew you were there. There was something about the Energy around you which tried to convince me you were something other than what you are. ¡°Thanks, Kalanthia,¡± I say after a few moments of thinking. ¡°I just got this new Skill and was testing it out.¡± Ah, the benefits of being human, she says sagely, turning around to curl back up on her bedding. I notice Lathani snoozing away in a little heap nearby. Something in her words catches my attention. ¡°Do you not have Skills?¡± Perhaps it¡¯s a little intrusive, but the question just slips out. She looks at me for a long moment, her golden gaze unreadable. No. Beasts, however advanced and powerful we are, don¡¯t have Skills: those are the purview of humans alone. Humans, she says, in a world which is apparently uninhabited by the same. Just more proof that wherever Kalanthia is from, it¡¯s not here. But that¡¯s beside the point. ¡°So what do you have? I mean, you made my cave with magic or something.¡± She turns her head a little and huffs, her version of a shrug, I think. Beasts advance as we gain more and more control over Energy, first that of our own bodies, and then that of the outside world. No Beast¡¯s control is exactly the same as another¡¯s, unlike human Skills. With that, she puts her head down on her paws, obviously done. I''m curious but don''t want to bother her with my questions so I just thank her again and then go back outside to leave her in peace. Very interesting¡­ If I put it in Earth comparisons, it sounds like...well, if we compare Energy to cookie dough, Beasts are using a knife and humans are using a cookie-cutter. They might approximate the same shape, but the cookies made with a knife are always going to be slightly different, whereas the ones made with the cutter will be identical. Unless the cookie dough sticks in the cutter, but maybe that¡¯s taking the metaphor a bit too far. Well, at least I know the thing works, and I understand its limitations a bit more too. I¡¯ll still need to be quiet, and it will be better to approach prey from downwind. Plus, creatures which don¡¯t rely primarily or at all on sight will probably not be much affected. I guess it wouldn¡¯t affect heat-sensing abilities either, but I get the impression Kalanthia doesn¡¯t have those. Still, the fact that it worked to an extent on something as powerful and intelligent as my nunda protector indicates how well it will do on other creatures. It¡¯s a bit disconcerting that I can¡¯t actually tell whether it¡¯s working or not except by it¡¯s effects. I can imagine that when I use this to hide from some creature, I¡¯ll be at risk of soiling my pants, not knowing if I¡¯m hidden in plain sight or not. At least breathing doesn¡¯t seem to count as moving - it would rather limit the amount of time I could use the Skill if I had to hold my breath! Now, what does it use as fuel? Stamina or mana? I activate it again, watching my status screen to see how it affects me in numerical terms: the bars always in my vision are good for approximate measurements, but not for finer detail stuff. After several goes, I discover that it mostly consumes stamina, but also a bit of mana. It seems to be a one to four ratio, so for every minute I¡¯m in Fade, I consume one unit of mana and four of stamina. As my stamina is the much lower value, that currently limits my Skill use to eight minutes at maximum, taking into account my stamina regen. Not all that useful now, but if I dedicate some points or training to the Endurance part of Strength... With my level-up done, my Skill picked and tested, and my new stats experimented with, it¡¯s now time to pick up some resources for my first priority tomorrow morning: creating a chimney. It may not be necessary for survival, but being able to light a fire in my little cave without worrying about dying from smoke inhalation seems like luxury. A luxury I desperately want. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-One: Pressure I¡¯ve been going without a fire most of the last few days. In fact, I¡¯ve only really lit one to boil water once a day and to cook the hearts of beasts I¡¯ve killed, and that only because I know the Energy in it will be wasted if I wait or put them in my Inventory. Even after finding a safe spot, I haven¡¯t wanted to risk upsetting Kalanthia with smoke filling the cave or Lathani accidentally burning herself either in the fire itself or on the embers left behind. I¡¯ve been living off the meat I¡¯d cooked in bulk previously ¨C and that¡¯s not too bad, to be honest, since my Inventory keeps it hot ¨C but I¡¯m running low on that and, honestly, could do with some variety. I carefully keep my mind away from all the things I miss. Pizza, pasta, cookies, cheeseburgers...Damn! Evidently, trying not to think of the pink elephant failed miserably. Now I¡¯ve found a spot I¡¯m likely to stay in for a while, I want to work out which of the local plants can be eaten, and then will probably start cooking with them in hopes that they will give a bit of variation to my diet. But to do all that, I need a chimney which will direct the smoke to the hole in the wall that Kalanthia made, and that means I need clay. Fortunately, with the hunting I¡¯ve done over the last few days, I¡¯ve also been able to identify a number of really important resources, a likely spot for river clay being one of them. It¡¯s a good hour¡¯s walk from the cave, so I probably have just enough time to go there and dig some out before returning for nightfall. Once more, I thank god ¨C or Nicholas ¨C for my Inventory: the thought of otherwise having to make multiple trips makes me very grateful for it. As I walk, I keep my eyes open, both literally and figuratively. There is so much to see, between fauna and flora, that I could probably walk this same route a hundred times and still find something new every time. Suddenly, something I see makes me pause. Tracks...of a porcupig. A single one. They aren¡¯t old, the creature is probably not that far away. I bite my lip, considering. Do I follow them? If I do, there¡¯s no guarantee that I¡¯ll have time to fetch the clay, but the possibilities¡­. In the end, I make a snap decision and refuse to let myself second-guess it. I follow the tracks, almost automatically by this point shifting into a quieter, sneakier gait. Even as I step quietly through the forest, I marvel at the difference between this and the first time I tried it. I won¡¯t deny that I still make some noise ¨C when the ground is covered in dead leaves, I still haven¡¯t quite grasped the technique of not crunching them a little ¨C but it¡¯s a lot less than at the beginning. Well, I suppose I have had a lot of practice. The niggling sensation which normally indicates a message waiting in my inbox suddenly appears as I start to hear the noise of the porcupig rustling and rooting through the leaves. Debating with myself, I end up deciding to check: who knows, it could be something important that makes me abort my hunt. I tuck myself behind a tree ¨C after making sure that there¡¯s nothing visible up in the branches above and likely to drop on me. Then, opening my message box, I read the new notification.
Congratulations! You have earned a Skill: Stealth
Read Skill description? Y/N
I roll my eyes a little as I choose to see the Skill description. Does any one ever say no to reading a description of the Skill they¡¯ve just earned? Actually, I think suddenly, since when is it possible to earn Skills? I thought we gained access to Skills only at certain level intervals? Though, when I think about that fact, I realise that actually nothing I learnt from the stone says that this is the only way to gain Skills; it¡¯s just the only way that¡¯s specified. Huh. So I can gain Skills outside of being offered them on level-up...somehow. Cool. Actually...the more I think of it, the better it becomes. Skills have proven to be an important part of my survival strategy. If I hadn¡¯t had Lay-on-hands from the get-go, I¡¯d have been toast on the second day here. Fade seems pretty useful, and I¡¯m about to try one of my other Skills now. Up until now, though, I¡¯ve been limited to the initial Skills I was given and what I can choose on level-ups. Now, though...if I can develop the right kind of Skills somehow, my likelihood of survival will shoot up. I guess I¡¯ll have to figure out how to do that later. For now, let¡¯s see what I¡¯ve just given myself. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Stealth (passive unless actively turned off) At the cost of a little stamina, you are harder to hear and to detect, especially when staying still. When faced with something that will cause a disturbance, you will have a better understanding of how to either stealthily avoid the area completely, or step on it in a way which will not alert an observer. Higher levels of Dexterity increase your chances of being successful in being stealthy. As Stealth improves, you can either choose to blend in better with the dark or with the colourful. Both of these effects use mana to create.
Close message? Y/N
Not much dissimilar from what I¡¯d have imagined of a Skill called ¡®stealth¡¯, although slightly disappointing: apart from the last two lines, it just basically sounds like what I¡¯ve been doing to a greater or lesser extent since I arrived in this world. Or at least, since I absorbed the survival stone and realised I needed to do it. By this point, I¡¯m starting to be able to realise before I step on a crackly leaf or crunchy twig, and then take evasive measures. Still, I guess the Skill might just make the task easier, though if it drains my stamina and stops me from using Fade as much, I¡¯ll probably turn it off. That¡¯s an interesting point, though ¨C I haven¡¯t heard of a Skill that is passive unless you want it off. All my other Skills, I have to activate, well, actively. So, what? If I improve this Skill then I¡¯ll become a heart attack on legs, padding up to old grannies on silken feet and scaring them into the grave? I make a wry grin at my own morbid humour. I do hope, though, that the last two lines of the description mean what I think they do: either shadow magic or magical camo would be awesome. Though perhaps magical camo would make Fade rather unneeded¡­ Ah well, we¡¯re too far away from that to worry about it, I think to myself, closing my screen down. For now, not wanting to risk my hunt with an untried Skill, I deactivate it, but activate Fade. Creeping closer to the porcupig¡¯s location, it soon comes into view. As I¡¯d thought, it¡¯s rooting through leaves, the small horn on its snout easily flipping them over. It¡¯s chewing something crunchy, fully engrossed in its meal. A good opportunity, I decide. Now, how to do this¡­ The two biggest concerns I have are its quills and it potentially running away. If I had a net, I¡¯d be able to snag both of those with no problems, but I don¡¯t. That said, if I¡¯m willing to make the sacrifice, I have something else that would probably work¡­ I wrestle with myself, but ultimately decide that it¡¯s worth the pain. Grimacing a little, I withdraw my jacket from my Inventory. I¡¯d put it in there for later when the temperatures drop, but it seems like I¡¯ve found another use for it. I just hope that I¡¯ll be able to repair it at some point. Holding the jacket, Fade still active, I step forward one pace at a time, approaching the porcupig from behind. Three metres between us. Two metres. One...I throw the jacket soft side down over the quills. The porcupig startles as it feels something land on it and whirls around quicker than I had expected. We¡¯re face to face, both frozen for a moment in surprise. Then that lizard-like snout lets out a snarl and lowers so I¡¯m facing the small horn. A moment later, the creature charges and I only just manage to throw myself out the way. I push myself up as quickly as possible, the porcupig already sliding to a stop. There¡¯s no time to think ¨C I have to just act. Diving on the porcupig would probably be a death sentence at any other time, but my jacket is doing its job and, although I can feel the quills beneath it, my jacket is stopping them from rising. My weight pushes the creature to the ground, stopping another form of attack: although it might have done some damage with the momentum of the charge, down on the ground with me pinning it is a different story. It still does its best to break free, thrashing and trying to bite me. It¡¯s a mess for a while, its front paws flailing around, its mouth snapping at anything in range, my hands trying to find a space which isn¡¯t either quill or biting mouth, and my face trying to stay away from the various body parts threatening it. Fortunately, my body weight is pinning its back legs and middle section, otherwise it would be even more difficult to manage than currently. ¡°Come on, Dominate,¡± I spit out in between curses. Nothing happens. ¡°Dominate, damn it, Dominate!¡± My eyes meet the horizontally slit-pupil golden ones of the porcupig and suddenly we both freeze. The rest of the world fades away, and it¡¯s just the two of us, staring at each other. We¡¯re frozen, unable to move towards or away from each other, or at all, really. Instead, there¡¯s a sense of...pressure. A pressure which mounts every moment. Not a pressure that comes from above, but from between us. It¡¯s uncomfortable, and every instant that passes makes it even more so. I push back. Not physically, but mentally. It¡¯s more instinctive than thought out, but there¡¯s a part of me that refuses to be crushed, that sets metaphysical hands against the weight and pushes. The pressure lessens. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster. Suddenly, I can move. I step forwards, following the sense of receding pressure. Bit by bit I move closer to the still-frozen porcupig. Our gazes are still fixed, even when we¡¯re only a few centimetres from each other. The sense of pressure is still there, but I can feel that it¡¯s not directed at me. It¡¯s like I¡¯m standing holding a powerful hose jetting out water ¨C you can feel the power in the hose, the sense that if you let go it will spray everything, including you, but that at the moment you¡¯re the one in control. And the porcupig is in the direct path of the stream of water. Of course, there isn¡¯t actually any water, nor any physical evidence of the pressure I can feel. No evidence at all except for what I see in the porcupig¡¯s eyes, what I feel emanating from the creature in front of me. A determined resistance that crumbles bit by bit until finally, it gives in. I see the sad acceptance flood the creature¡¯s gaze and it dips its head in what feels like acknowledgment, the first time it has moved since we entered this space. And with that, the world snaps back into focus, the sudden vibrancy almost a shock to the system. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Two: Biological Digger For a moment, I feel disorientated and blink quickly at the suddenly bright light piercing my eyes. Fortunately, neither effect lasts long and I¡¯m soon fighting-fit again. Though, if that¡¯s the result of a successful Dominate ¨C at least, I¡¯m pretty sure it was successful ¨C what would it have been like if I¡¯d failed? The porcupig is still. Alive ¨C I can feel it breathing steadily ¨C but all that frantic fight has left it. Has it worked? Only one way to test. I withdraw slowly, ready to shift my weight back onto it at any sign of it deciding to restart the wrestling match. By the time I¡¯m sitting back on my heels, there still hasn¡¯t been any movement beyond breathing. I look up towards its face, wondering if it¡¯s unconscious. Not so ¨C those eyes are looking at me calmly. The sad acceptance I¡¯d seen there in our battle has gone, and I¡¯m not exactly an expert in porcupig body language, but what I do read there makes me wonder. It¡¯s relaxed, waiting. Watchful, and there¡¯s a wariness there, but mostly just waiting. For what? For me to kill it? For me to leave? Or...for me to give an order? If my Skill has worked the way I¡¯m expecting it to, this creature should now be under my control. ¡°Stand up,¡± I say eventually, unable to help the slightly questioning lilt to my voice. When the porcupig shifts, I can¡¯t help myself from quickly regaining my feet, my hand on my knife hilt. Fortunately ¨C for both of us ¨C it just stands up and then waits quietly, mostly unmoving. OK, that¡¯s pretty cool, I admit to myself, a sense of glee building in my stomach. Let¡¯s try something else. ¡°Walk over to that tree and then back again,¡± I order it, pointing at a tree a few metres away. Without complaint, the porcupig obeys the letter of my command. ¡°OK, now dig in that spot,¡± I tell it, once more pointing at a spot on the ground near where it had been rooting before. Once more, it obeys my command to the letter. What I do notice is that it digs in the spot to which I pointed it, and nowhere else. ¡°Stop.¡± I was wrong before. This isn¡¯t pretty cool. This is damn awesome. I¡¯ve now got a biological digger under my command, and I¡¯ve tested out one of my Class Skills and it¡¯s just as good as I was hoping. After detaching my jacket carefully from the porcupig¡¯s quills ¨C grimacing at the number of rips and holes in the inner layers ¨C I set off towards the river clay area, casually ordering my new follower to, well, follow. Reaching the area I¡¯d spotted yesterday, I¡¯m able to confirm that, indeed, it¡¯s a spot that contains river clay. It¡¯s something of a flood plain, I think. The inner part of a river bend which is low enough to be flooded when the river is swollen with recent rainfall, but high enough not to be underwater all the time. Either that, or the river¡¯s moved over time, cutting more deeply into the other bank and eventually leaving its old course mostly dry. Either is possible, really, or both. The point is, it¡¯s been underwater long enough to have accumulated the fine silt which makes up river clay, but it¡¯s dry enough for me to access it. With my new biological digger, it probably takes a third of the time to accumulate a good amount of clay than it would have taken me by myself. I pack the clay into my Inventory, filling one slot until it refuses to accept any more, and then fill a second. I¡¯m no great judge of clay, the memories I received being more about uses of clay than assessing its quality, but it seems decent enough. A good number of rocks and stones as well as the finer silt which is really what I want, but that¡¯s always going to be the case. It¡¯s not like popping down to my nearest art shop to order a bag of pottery clay, is it? The large quantity of impurities just mean more processing will be required to make usable clay out of, essentially, river mud. As for the quality of the clay itself, the proof is in the pudding ¨C or in this case, the firing. When I reckon I¡¯ve got enough to be getting on with for now, and knowing I can always come back here later, I tell my new pet to stop and follow me again. It does so docilely, trotting at my heels, its head reaching about the height of my knee and its quills just about mid-thigh. As I walk home, I feel like I¡¯m riding high on glee and excitement. Visions flash through my mind of a legion of beasts, protecting me, hunting for me, working for me, making life so much easier and more comfortable than it has been ever since I arrived here. And best of all, they probably won¡¯t complain, and they certainly can¡¯t decide to quit my employ because I haven¡¯t raised their salary recently. I look back at the porcupig and accidentally meet its gaze again. A sense of unease niggles at my belly and I look away again. I don¡¯t know what that was about. The sense of unease continues to be present throughout my walk back home, becoming more urgent whenever I happen to notice the porcupig¡¯s presence. Eventually, I do my best to ignore it following me, not wanting to deal with the sensation more than necessary. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. To distract myself, I decide to test my new Stealth Skill now I¡¯m not in the middle of a hunt. As I move carefully through the forest, I notice that my newest Skill is both more and less than I thought it would be. Less, in that I admit I harboured some secret hope that despite what it said in the description, it would still be some epic tool which would make me the stealthiest stealther who ever stealthed. Or something like that. More, in that I¡¯d also feared that it was basically just describing the skill I had learnt with the promise of future awesome improvements. In reality, I don¡¯t even notice it working until the moment when I suddenly realise I¡¯m about to put my weight on a stick that¡¯s bound to crack loudly. I¡¯ve already shifted my weight forwards, so it¡¯s either step on the stick or fall over, which will create as much if not more noise than just stepping. Then, the fraction of a second before my foot lands, something happens. Some minute adjustment is made and although I do step on the stick, I don¡¯t put any weight on it and it remains unbroken. Knowing this is an example of my skill activating, I quickly check my stamina pool by pulling up my screen ¨C the little bar in my peripheral vision really isn¡¯t accurate enough for this sort of thing. It¡¯s at twenty-six out of thirty. That means this little manouvre probably consumed three or four units of stamina. Probably more on the three side as I¡¯m also walking which does consume stamina over time, even if it¡¯s only small amounts. Well, that¡¯s not too bad as long as it doesn¡¯t activate when I¡¯m really low, even though if I combine it with Fade I¡¯ll be bottoming out quite quickly. Unless I aim to put more points into Strength (Endurance) or Dexterity as a priority. Then a thought strikes me: it didn¡¯t specify the amount of stamina that would be used - what if there is no standard amount? What if it changes each time? I have reason to believe that could be the case: Lay-on-hands changes its mana consumption depending on the severity of the wound and how much focus I put into it. I decide to test it, which ends up being a bit of a frustrating exercise. The main problem is, I don¡¯t know when the Skill¡¯s more active part will suddenly activate, so I end up stomping on a lot of twigs and noisy leaves before my test gives me enough data to work with. In the end, I conclude that I¡¯m right ¨C Stealth does change its consumption. It seems like how much it takes ranges from a single unit to, maybe, six units. It¡¯s, as always, hard to get absolutes here, but I have to guess that one unit is the lowest as that¡¯s my result once and the system doesn¡¯t seem to like fractional numbers. As for six, it¡¯s the highest that I get during my test, but since one of the main factors seems to be how much concentration I¡¯m paying, I can¡¯t really test fairly since I have to be aware that the test is happening in order to notice how much stamina has been used. Anyway, the cost seems based essentially on how much effort it will take to redirect my body to avoid making the noise. That means that if I notice before I¡¯ve shifted my weight, and consciously decide how and where I should move to avoid the issue, the stamina cost is minimal. If, however, I only notice the issue once Stealth has intervened, it costs me more. Makes sense, I suppose. By the time I¡¯ve finished testing to my satisfaction, the hill¡¯s in sight and I¡¯m quickly climbing it, my spiky follower still at my heels. Glancing at him briefly brings back that uneasy feeling which I had managed to put to the back of my mind while testing out my new skill. Cresting the hill, I walk towards the cave mouth, still musing over why exactly I¡¯d be feeling uneasy at finally putting into use one of my Class Skills. It¡¯s getting dark, and it¡¯s darker besides in the cave. Still, there¡¯s enough light for me to make out Kalanthia¡¯s shape and I murmur a quiet greeting. Used to my words usually attracting a huff or nothing at all, I am surprised when she actually responds verbally. Greetings, Binder, she purrs. Have you brought me a snack? Grenslar are small but tasty. For a moment, her meaning is as clear as mud. Then, as I glance around me and my eyes alight on my follower, I understand. Oh. Oh. In hindsight, maybe I should have considered the giant predator that I live with before bringing my tasty-looking new pet home with me¡­ Then again, this was always going to happen because I reckon any creature I¡¯ll be able to claim in the next year will probably count as prey for the nunda. ¡°Um, no,¡± I say, searching for words. ¡°Can you not eat this, uh,¡± what did she call it? Grendal? No...Grenslar, that¡¯s what it was. ¡°This Grenslar, please. I¡¯ve, um, bound it. I want it to work for me, not be eaten.¡± Very well, she sighs. Make sure that your Bound does not pose a threat to Lathani. ¡°Sure. Actually, on that point, are you planning on going hunting any time soon?¡± I shall need to hunt again in two sunrises. ¡°OK, thanks for letting me know.¡± I pause for a moment, trying to think whether there¡¯s anything else I needed to say, and then, deciding not, I bid Kalanthia goodnight and head into my cave alcove. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Three: Bound The porcupig ¨C Grenslar, whatever ¨C follows me into my alcove, though the darkness inside combined with its murky colouring makes it almost impossible to see. In fact, it¡¯s only by the odd shine of its quills in the shaft of moonlight entering my cave through the hole in the wall that I can see the creature at all. I imagine rolling over in the night and smacking into those quills point first with either my hand or my face and shudder a bit. No. But equally, I don¡¯t want to send it out into the night and risk it being eaten by a nocturnal predator without me even knowing anything about it. Not to mention it would be a bit of a waste of a jacket. ¡°Stay just inside the entrance to the cave. Sleep if you can.¡± The porcupig looks at me for a moment and then trots off. I peek out of my alcove to see it silhouetted against the sky, lying down at the entrance to the cave. Looking in the other direction, I see Kalanthia watching me, her golden eyes catching the light. ¡°Say, Kalanthia...you seem to know a bit more about this whole...binding thing than I do. Do you know how my new...Bound...understands me? Enough to follow orders, at least.¡± It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering ever since the thought occurred to me on the way back from the clay pit. It¡¯s not like animals on Earth are born with some innate understanding of language ¨C heck, not even humans are born able to speak the language of their parents. Everyone has to learn, one way or another, and even the smartest animals aren¡¯t able to use language in the same way as humans. Yet the porcupig has followed every single command, even ones like ¡®stay just inside the entrance to the cave¡¯ which would require understanding of both the entrance and cave I¡¯m talking about, as well as what ¡®stay¡¯ means. Not to mention the distance of ¡®just inside¡¯. But the creature managed to do it perfectly. Not to mention Kalanthia, of course, and her ability to communicate telepathically with words. That just seems too crazy to be real ¨C except it undoubtedly is. Why should your Bound not understand you? That is the purpose of the Bond ¨C to communicate your desires and ensure compliance. ¡°OK, one, I don¡¯t understand how you understand me because I¡¯m speaking a language, words, which probably doesn¡¯t exist in this world, and two, what do you mean by ¡®to communicate your desires and ensure compliance¡¯?¡± Your two questions have the same answer. You may be using a language which I have never encountered, but it matters not: we are communicating mind-to-mind, so your human ¡®words¡¯ are no obstacle. The same is true with your Bound. ¡°A what now?¡± I ask slightly rhetorically. Shaking my head, not in rejection, but to try and clear it a bit, I try to form a question which might help me to understand more. ¡°We¡¯re communicating mind-to-mind? I thought that¡¯s what you were doing, and I was speaking out loud¡­¡± No, she replies, sounding a little as if she thinks I¡¯m just a bit slow or stupid. Your ¡®words¡¯ mean nothing to me. I receive the meaning of your speech by catching the thoughts that you project and then you receive my meaning because I place it in your outer mind, which transforms it into ¡®words¡¯ for your own benefit. For creatures unused to mental communication, I believe speaking out loud enables the thoughts to travel far enough for a telepath to catch them. Those more competent with it have no need to make sounds aloud, and communicate all they wish by thoughts alone. ¡°OK,¡± I say slowly, my thoughts awhirl. While it kind of makes a bit more sense than a giant leopard in a world far different from my own understanding English, it¡¯s still hard for me to grasp. ¡°Could I learn to do that?¡± Kalanthia tosses her head. Perhaps. You would need significantly more understanding of the world around you, and the ability to reach out with your mind beyond yourself to touch the aura of your co-interlocutor. Something to aim for, perhaps. Still, it hasn¡¯t quite answered my other question. ¡°So how does all this link to the porcupig ¨C sorry, Grenslar ¨C being able to understand me? You can¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s a telepath, surely.¡± The nunda whuffs out an amused breath. No. We could hardly say that. As I said before, your ¡®words¡¯ are irrelevant as you are in fact communicating your command mentally. ¡°But how?¡± It¡¯s dark, but even so I can see/feel Kalanthia looking at me disapprovingly. Come now, you forged a link with your Bound and do not even know what you have done? ¡°The...the Battle of Wills?¡± I guess, that whole experience coming back to the fore of my memory. Indeed. You engaged a free creature in a Battle of Wills and overcame it. The will of the Grenslar has bowed to yours and accepted the chain of your dominance. The chain works to communicate your desires to your Bound. Once more, the sounds you make aloud are irrelevant except in that they help you to focus on what you wish your Bound to do. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The chain of my dominance...it sounds rather terrible, I think, as the unease rises once more. ¡°What did you mean by ¡®ensure compliance¡¯ earlier,¡± I ask, my mouth feeling rather dry. ¡°Is it...is it linked to the ¡®chain of my dominance¡¯?¡± Indeed. You have proven your will to be greater than that of your Bound, and as long as this is the case, the chain shall hold tightly to your Bound¡¯s will. Should your will weaken, or should your Bound¡¯s will grow faster than yours, you may find the chain loosens and weakens. Too much of a difference and it may break entirely. I...don¡¯t know how to think about that. Though, while I¡¯ve got Kalanthia here... ¡°Is this ¡®will¡¯ the same as Willpower?¡± Not exactly, she replies before pausing. Will is based on Willpower to a large extent, but can be impacted by outside factors in a way Willpower cannot be. For example, if you are cold and someone offers you heat, your Will will be weakened in a Battle of Wills, but your Willpower remains the same. OK, that kind of makes sense. In fact, that explains why trapping a creature before starting the Battle of Wills makes a difference in outcome. Is your curiosity satisfied? ¡°Oh,¡± I say, realising I¡¯ve stood there in thought for a longer pause than normal in a conversation. ¡°Yes, thank you Kalanthia.¡± She doesn¡¯t speak again, and all I hear is a slight sound of her readjusting her position. I step into my cave, mostly feeling my way by now. Pulling out my canteen and a handful of meat, I eat quickly, the food almost tasteless in my mouth as I consider the new information I¡¯ve received. Clearly Kalanthia knows a fair bit about my Class, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m imagining the slight colouration of distaste underlying her mental ¡®voice¡¯. Or should that be ¡®thoughts¡¯? That just by itself is something difficult to grasp ¨C it¡¯s hard enough to accept that a giant leopard can speak into my mind; it¡¯s even harder to conceptualise that it¡¯s not even words that either of us are apparently communicating with. But it does make sense of the fact that a dumb woodland animal can understand even simple commands with no training. That brings my thoughts onto the thorny subject of what exactly I¡¯ve done to the creature. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯d expected of Dominate, but I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s not this. I feel...I feel like the bad guy. Realising that makes a weight lift from my chest, the act of putting a name to the uneasiness curling within me actually alleviating it to a certain degree. I took an animal from the wild and have forced it to follow me, to obey me. I¡¯ve...well, if it were a human, the only term that would be appropriate would be ¡®enslave¡¯. Since it¡¯s not a human, the term doesn¡¯t quite fit, but the feeling does, to an extent. The porcupig had a life in the forest. It may not have been a long one: for all I know, it would have been eaten this very night had I left it. It may also have been destined to live to a ripe old age having sired (or borne ¨C I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve actually checked if it¡¯s male or female) dozens of little piglets. Or whatever they¡¯re called. We¡¯ll never know now. But then...wasn¡¯t that what humans did with all the animals we domesticated? The original wolves that eventually became dogs, the original beasts that became domesticated cows and goats and sheep. How did that domestication happen? Over time, for sure, but isn¡¯t that just an elongated process of changing the animals¡¯ destinies? The animals gave up agency in return for security, freedom in exchange for food. It may not have been a conscious decision, but it was an exchange nonetheless. This...this isn¡¯t quite the same, I admit to myself quietly. I haven¡¯t offered anything to the porcupig: I pinned it down and forced a Battle upon it that it didn¡¯t ask for, and that I positioned myself to win from the start. And even if I could release it, though Kalanthia didn¡¯t say anything about that, I wouldn¡¯t because of how useful it could be. That thought makes me shiver a little, feeling like my foundations have been rocked a bit. I¡¯d always liked to think I was a nice guy, a good guy, really. Someone who would stand up for the innocent if it was demanded, someone in whom the hero was just sleeping, ready to awake in the right circumstances. I¡¯ve suddenly realised that¡¯s not true. Because a hero would immediately swear off using this tool of animal-enslavement. A hero would willingly take the hard road, spending time to win an animal¡¯s loyalty and then use Tame, if indeed that were even necessary by that point. That¡¯s not what I¡¯m going to do. The last few days have taught me that I¡¯m a survivor. I¡¯ve learned that I have so much more capacity to keep going, to withstand pain and keep fighting than I would have ever imagined in my cushy life as a corporate drone. And when the chips are down, a survivor uses any tools at his disposal. He doesn¡¯t care about fair fights, about even odds. He places traps and ambushes, and aims to disable if he can¡¯t kill immediately. He survives. A hero doesn¡¯t, not necessarily. But then he doesn¡¯t really need to as there¡¯s always some deus ex machina which guarantees his ultimate survival, even if not his happiness. There¡¯s none of that for me ¨C I learnt that in my one and only act of heroism against the wolvezard. Yes, I did actually survive, but it was through the luckiest of circumstances. The chances of a similar set of circumstances coming into effect the next time I decide to be a hero are vanishingly small. No, much as I would like to think of myself as a hero, I¡¯d like to be alive significantly more. Maybe when I grow in power and survivability, I¡¯ll be able to be more heroic, but for now, I¡¯m a survivor. And when a tool is unsavoury, but offers better odds of survival, a survivor uses it. So, I¡¯m not going to swear I will never use Dominate again. I¡¯m not going to even try to release my current follower ¨C Bound, was the term Kalanthia used. What I am going to do, for my own peace of mind if nothing else, is swear to treat my Bound well. It may not have been a voluntary choice on my Bound¡¯s front, but while it serves me obediently, I will make sure that it has everything it needs, that it comes out of the experience better than when it went in. I make a promise to myself that I will never use Dominate without need, nor will I use my Bound as cannon fodder, assuming that they wouldn¡¯t balk at a suicide mission anyway. The vows I make to myself relax the sense of uneasiness inside me enough for me to start feeling sleepy. I lie down on my ¡®bed¡¯ and pull my jacket/blanket over me. After the long day I¡¯ve had, sleep creeps up on me quickly. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Four: Smack in the Face Walking out of my cave the next day, I feel a mixture of glee and guilt at the sight of my new Bound still lying at the entrance. It¡¯s awake, looking at me with calm eyes, not seeming to be railing against its loss of freedom the way I would have. Though that could be another function of the Bond, for all I know. I remember my resolution of the evening before and look at it squarely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say first, taking myself a little by surprise. It was hard to start, and I hadn¡¯t intended on apologising to start off with, but somehow it seems...right. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I took you out of your life, that I captured you and...bound you to my will. I did it because I need your help. In return, I promise I will do what I can to make your life better and easier than it probably would have been.¡± I pause, hesitating a little, before deciding to go ahead. ¡°As a sign of this commitment, I give you a name.¡± Here I hesitate again, not having actually chosen one. ¡°I¡¯ll call you...Spike,¡± I end up deciding. It¡¯s not the best of names, rather too descriptive to be funny or cute, but it¡¯ll do. At least it¡¯ll be easy to remember! There¡¯s a moment in which the porcupig ¨C newly-named Spike ¨C doesn¡¯t move or do anything really, before it seems like something clicks. For a moment, something else appears in Spike¡¯s eyes, an emotion too complex and too fleeting for me to even have a hope of decoding it. Then the moment¡¯s over and it¡¯s like nothing happened. I get a nagging sensation, but ignore it for now ¨C I can always check my messages later. Hopefully Spike will respond to the name from now on. It should, if my understanding of what Kalanthia said last night is correct. Now, first things first. ¡°Are you hungry, Spike?¡± Surprise, surprise ¨C no response. Hmm. Maybe that was a bit too complex. How about¡­ ¡°If you¡¯re hungry, stamp twice with your front foot. If you¡¯re not hungry, stamp once,¡± I say, trying to concentrate on what I want it to do, an image coming in my mind of it stamping twice for yes and once for no. Spike stamps twice. OK, that¡¯s good to know. ¡°OK,¡± I say. ¡°Are you thirsty? Stamp once for no, twice for yes.¡± Spike stamps twice again. Hm, seems like the concept has been proven¡­ ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and get some food. Follow me.¡± I head down the hill to the river and invite Spike to drink as I fill my canteen, drink deeply, and fill it again. I¡¯m hungry too, but I¡¯ve decided that now would be a good time for me to start expanding my diet to more than just meat. In the river, clinging onto rocks and growing thickly in spots where the current isn¡¯t so strong is the same type of pondweed that I tested a few days ago. I¡¯d meant to continue testing it, but considering what I¡¯ve been doing with the last few days, I couldn¡¯t work up the motivation. Now, though, I¡¯m starting to get a bit sick of just meat, and even slimy pondweed seems at least slightly appealing. I reach in and grab the nearest plant. I¡¯d tested the leaf before, so I¡¯d better do the same now. It¡¯s logical since the weed is mostly leaf, so that would be the most efficient thing to eat ¨C if it¡¯s edible. I pull off a fragment of leaf and then hesitate. Do I cook it or eat it raw? It¡¯s more likely to be edible cooked, but then I won¡¯t be able to say for sure it¡¯s edible raw, even if the test goes well¡­ Then I think, would I want to eat it raw? And the answer is no...but then I¡¯ll have to make sure I always have a supply of cooked stuff in my Inventory, which is not practical. Perhaps it seems a little stupid to be spending time debating about cooked or uncooked pondweed, but sorting this out in my brain now will set the trend going forwards. In the end, I decide I¡¯d better bite the bullet and do my first test uncooked. The reasons for this are simple: uncooked pondweed is in much more plentiful supply than cooked pondweed; if it¡¯s edible uncooked, it¡¯s almost certain to be fine when cooked, though I will have to be careful when combining it with other foods; finally, I frankly can¡¯t be bothered to set up a fire right now and wait for the leaf to cook. So, taking a tiny piece of the leaf, I brush it gently against my lips. The skin is so sensitive there that any symptoms should be quick to show up. When a couple of minutes go by without a problem, I place the piece of leaf in my mouth and then perch on a boulder. I don¡¯t chew, I don¡¯t swallow, and I pay particular attention to the sensations in my mouth. Is that prickling I feel on my tongue? No, it¡¯s just my tongue drying out, I decide after a moment. Time passes. Without a watch, I don¡¯t know how long, but when I¡¯m pretty certain that at least fifteen minutes have gone past with no issues, I move onto the next step: chewing. Similarly, I chew for approximately fifteen minutes, paying attention to my symptoms. The pondweed isn¡¯t exactly tasty ¨C it¡¯s got a bland, slightly bitter taste, maybe a bit like spinach, but I suppose that¡¯s better than tasting horrible. So far, so good in terms of the symptoms. Now the dangerous bit. Swallowing. I suddenly find myself sweating, the absorbed knowledge of flora not helping my nerves as memories flash through my mind of everything that could possibly go wrong with ingesting something poisonous. In the end, I manage to swallow, but only by taking a big gulp of water with the fragments of leaf that remain after so much chewing in my suddenly dry mouth. Right, that¡¯s it. If I get any symptoms in the next eight hours, I¡¯ll have to do my best to make myself vomit. If not, it¡¯s a good indication that the plant might be OK to eat, though I¡¯ll have to do further testing, of course. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. My stomach growls. Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to eat any breakfast. Or lunch. Nothing but clean water for the next eight hours or it could interfere with my test. It should be OK as long as I keep myself busy. Many are my vices, but over-indulgence of food is one that¡¯s rare for me. It¡¯s not the gym or a super-healthy diet which has kept the pounds off; it¡¯s the tyranny of my work-life balance, or the lack thereof. It isn¡¯t ¨C wasn¡¯t ¨C unusual for me to skip lunch as I often forgot to take something with me and rarely had the time to go and buy something, let alone the time to eat it. In fact, it wasn¡¯t unheard of for me to skip breakfast too when I had to go into work early or was in a rush in the morning for whatever reason, meaning that I didn¡¯t eat until I got home. In short, I can handle a bit of fasting. Or at least, that¡¯s what I tell myself. I carefully avoid the thought that my work before this was only a fraction as physically demanding as my life now. If I keep busy, it¡¯ll be fine, I tell myself dismissively. Still, just because I can¡¯t eat doesn¡¯t mean my follower can¡¯t. And besides, I need to work out what he ¨C or she ¨C eats for future reference. ¡°OK, Spike, go find some food,¡± I tell him ¨C or her. ¡°Come back to me when you¡¯re satisfied.¡± The porcupig looks at me for a moment before turning and starting to snuffle through the leaves around. I keep an eye on his ¨C going to go with male unless I find out differently ¨C progress, noting what he finds at the same time as looking around me. So far, it seems like he¡¯s primarily herbivorous, but is perfectly happy to eat any insects or worms he comes across. At one point while we were walking, he dug up a load of tubers which looked kind of similar to long potatoes. Actually, I suppose they looked kind of like sweet potatoes, but with thicker, paler skin. I grabbed a couple and put them in my Inventory too ¨C maybe I should try cooking these once I¡¯m done testing the pondweed. From what I can see, if they¡¯re connected to the foliage Spike dug up to get at them, they¡¯re reasonably common. Besides, I could always try cultivating them just as I need to do with the samova beans I¡¯ve saved. I look at the sun. It¡¯s already halfway to its zenith and I do want to get some more things done than just following my new pet porcupig around. He¡¯ll be OK to roam around, won¡¯t he? It¡¯s a dangerous world around here, but he¡¯s clearly survived to becoming an adult so¡­ In the end, I put that question against the fact that, as a herbivore, he probably spends the majority of his time finding stuff to eat, and that I don¡¯t have the time every day to follow him around and protect him while he finds nosh. If I can grow enough food to feed him without him needing to leave my side, great, but that¡¯s not the case at the moment. ¡°Spike,¡± I say and he pauses, looking back at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back to the cave. I want you to continue looking for food until you¡¯re satisfied. When you¡¯ve had enough, come back to me. If you feel you¡¯re in danger, make a loud noise.¡± As I give the command, I focus hard on what I want him to do ¨C it seemed to work well enough earlier. Feeling moderately satisfied, I suddenly realise something ¨C I¡¯ve never heard a porcupig make a loud noise. I don¡¯t even know if they can. ¡°Just, before I go, make the loudest noise you can.¡± For a moment, I think he hasn¡¯t understood me, but then he lets rip with what might be the worst noise I¡¯ve ever heard. I¡¯m very glad that I asked him to demonstrate, because it sounds like he¡¯s dying. No, in fact, that he¡¯s being tortured to death. If I¡¯d heard that for the first time when I wasn¡¯t right next to him, knowing that he¡¯s fine, I think I would have had a heart attack. ¡°Right¡­¡± I say faintly, my ears ringing. ¡°Good. Um, so, I¡¯ll see you later, then.¡± With that, I turn and stumble away. Of course, it¡¯s not a great idea to go walking in the forest without having all my faculties operating properly. It¡¯s a reminder that hits me smack in the face ¨C literally. Well, not quite literally ¨C it smacks me in the chest. Distracted as I am, I only catch the faintest of flickers in my peripheral vision before it hits, not enough to dodge. The hit is painful, not particularly from the impact itself, but from the spikes all over the dark-coloured ball which strikes. They pierce my thin clothes like needles and blood spills when the ball withdraws. Still disorientated, it takes me a moment to realise that the ball is attached to a long, dark cord hanging from above. Looking up, I realise it¡¯s the same creature which I saw before; the difference is that last time I managed to avoid its attack. It¡¯s out of reach of my knife, or even my mace. I start wishing for a spear or bow, but unfortunately, wishing isn¡¯t going to make them materialise. Baring my teeth angrily, I instead grab some stones from the ground and start throwing them at the creature. Its reaction is to curl up tighter, bringing its tail up to help protect it too. I¡¯m not making much progress, it seems, but I also can¡¯t really see the creature¡¯s objectives. The strike was painful but the wounds are not likely to make me bleed out any time soon. How is this supposed to do anything? When my vision blurs a little, I think it¡¯s from a drop of sweat dripping into my eyes. When it blurs again, and for more than a fraction of a second, I realise that it¡¯s more concerning than I¡¯d first thought. Now I realise the creature¡¯s objectives ¨C it¡¯s not all that dissimilar from a venomous snake, injecting its poison into its prey, then waiting for the prey to succumb. Casting Lay-on-hands immediately, I feel a swoop in my stomach as it seems to have little effect. At least, it doesn¡¯t feel like the previous times I¡¯ve been poisoned and felt Lay-on-hands sweep through my veins like a wave of coolness to wash away the poison. This time, the healing magic heals the wounds of the initial strike but then it just fizzles out, as if there¡¯s nothing else for it to heal. I feel panic start to take over. Even if I manage to get a lucky blow and kill this creature ¨C unlikely from what I¡¯ve seen so far ¨C I can¡¯t throw rocks at the poison creeping through my veins. I don¡¯t have a health potion, or any sort of anti-venom. If my body can¡¯t fight this off on its own, I¡¯m dead. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Five: From an Unexpected Source As the poison takes over, I feel my limbs weakening and my stones strike with less and less force. Finally, I lose the ability to keep myself balanced and fall over. By this point, I¡¯ve given up on trying to kill the creature and have turned to stagger off towards home, my only hope that Kalanthia might be able to help me in some way. Unfortunately, by this stage, I only manage to make it a few paces before going to my knees and then falling flat. With my last strength, I turn my head to one side so I can at least breathe. Much good that will do me, though. After a while, I realise that although the poison has been able to run unopposed through my body, it¡¯s not actually killing me. I can still see, though my vision is blurrier than normal. My heart pumps, albeit more weakly, and I can still draw in breaths, though it¡¯s a much more laborious task than usual. In short, it seems to be designed at weakening muscles, but only to disable, not to kill. In fact, fallen here on the floor with nothing else to but hope the poison wears off quickly, I notice that my stamina bar is completely empty and strobing. A poison that attacks stamina? Of course, that only leaves one more conclusion: that once the prey has been rendered helpless, the predator then comes to feed. When I see a black blur shift in my peripheral vision, my neck muscles too weak to move my head, I resign myself to finding out exactly what it means to be eaten alive. My salvation comes from an unexpected source. The creature has shifted around to my head at this point, not starting with my feet as I thought it might. I¡¯m not sure how to feel about this, though relief is rather the prevailing emotion: I don¡¯t want to die, but if I have to, I¡¯d rather it be over quickly. Going feet first while I can still feel every bit of sensation seems to be particularly tortuous. Even more tortuous, however, is how slow the creature is moving. Its sloth-like pace allows me to feel fruitless hope that I might recover from the poison in order to make a last-minute breakaway, only to be disappointed at every moment. This means that when a body comes and imposes itself between me and my attacker, I can actually see it, the blurriness of my vision having mostly cleared up. Seeing is believing, they say, but I can barely believe what I¡¯m seeing here. Spike. The porcupig is standing between me and my attacker, hissing menacingly, his quills stuck up threateningly. The black creature hesitates, but then starts moving forwards again, seemingly planning on pushing past my guard. Spike isn¡¯t having any of that: he whirls around like lightning so that his quills are pointing directly at the dark creature. There¡¯s a moment when he seems to focus ¨C frankly, he looks like he¡¯s got constipation. Then, my attacker gets a faceful of quills as they are propelled away from my follower¡¯s backside. It makes a noise for the first time, a kind of confused chirring sound and it backs up a bit, pawing at its face. Spike turns around again and once more hisses threateningly at the animal. My attacker pauses, quills still stuck in its face, clearly deciding whether I was worth fighting with a porcupig over. Eventually, it seems to decide in the negative, and turns to lumber slowly away. Not surprising in the end, as it seems to be a one-trick wonder: from what I can see, it has no real combat ability, and doesn¡¯t even have speed on its side. The reason for it aiming for my head is also cleared up as soon after, I start regaining control over my muscles. It seems that the paralytic, or whatever it uses, is pretty short-lived, so it has a limited time frame to make sure that its prey is out of the game. The nagging feeling resumes and I have a feeling I¡¯ve gained a stat point out of this experience. That knowledge pales in comparison to the tumultuous feelings I have when I look at Spike. ¡°You saved me,¡± I say quietly. He, of course, doesn¡¯t reply. I don¡¯t know how I know it, but I do, that me dying would actually break the Bond between us and set him free. Knowing that, the question is: does he? Probably, at least to whatever capacity he has in understanding such things. If I know it instinctively, I can only guess that he would too ¨C it just seems fair. Yet he saved me. ¡°Well, for whatever reason, thank you,¡± I say, trying to make sure my gratitude goes through whatever link we have. There¡¯s a moment where I feel like we are connected, beyond the link created by Dominate, that is. Then it¡¯s broken as he turns away and resumes foraging. I stand up, brush myself down, and cast a quick Lay-on-hands to deal with any lingering damage. Casting a last glance at my foraging follower, I then turn and resume walking back to the cave, this time paying a lot more attention to my surroundings. Could there be some sort of protective element to the Bond? Or was it what I said to him earlier today and giving him a name? Or are porcupigs just naturally protective? Either way, I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t attack that porcupig family a few days ago ¨C the quills are bad enough, but if they can actually use them as a ranged attack as well¡­ Still, at least that puts my mind a little at rest in terms of his safety while foraging for food ¨C although I know that there are plenty of predators which could take him down either through force of numbers or sheer size, the fact that he has some natural defences as well as an offensive attack improves his chances of survival. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It doesn¡¯t take me long to get back to the foot of the hill ¨C we didn¡¯t wander far as the main purpose of our walk was to let Spike forage for food, not to cover ground. Fortunately, I succeed in making it back without being attacked again. That¡¯s two strikes, I think darkly as I remember the ambushing creature. One missed, one hit; the next one will end up with me as the victor, I decide. But to do that, I need a ranged weapon. Well, after I¡¯ve sorted my fire situation, maybe my next task should be to create a bow and arrows. Speaking of, time to get to work. Although walking through the forest with Spike had been relaxing, I¡¯d also taken the time to note down a number of resources. One of which was something I¡¯d been keeping an eye out for: flint. Heading back to the river, I walk along it until I find the spot again. Easy enough now I know what I¡¯m looking for. Inspecting the cache, I find a smile spreading across my face. The nodules to the side of the river look exactly like what my absorbed memories tell me they should ¨C a white waxy sort of stone on the outside, with darker patches showing here and there. One nodule that¡¯s actually been broken open by something is instantly recognisable; it would have been even without the wilderness survival knowledge I was given. Glancing around to make sure I¡¯m not suddenly about to be jumped, I crouch down and start filling a couple of the slots in my inventory with good sized flint nodules. I would have preferred to only use one slot, but apparently that means they have to be within a certain size range, otherwise it automatically goes into another. Since I don¡¯t need any small stones, I go for medium and large sizes. After I¡¯m satisfied with the number of nodules I¡¯ve collected, I note the area down on my map for future reference. Then, I keep heading along the river, but don¡¯t break away from it to walk up the hill to the cave. My next task is going to require a fair bit of water, so better to do it near the river. On my way back, I spotted a bush with leaves the size of my head, so took a moment to grab a few. These come in helpful now as I spread them out to make a workspace. Kneeling down, I take some clay out of my Inventory. As I¡¯d noted before, it¡¯s full of stones so I start rubbing it between my fingers, working out the ones that are likely to interfere with my work. I¡¯m not making a pot at this moment, so the clay doesn¡¯t need to be as fine as for that, but stones which are too large are likely to still cause problematic faults over time. As I do that, I add water until the clay reaches the right kind of texture. Then, as I finish a handful¡¯s worth, I press it into a ball and return it to my Inventory. By the time I feel I¡¯ve processed enough clay to reach my objectives, Spike has finished munching for now and has returned to me. For a time, he just sat watching me, but eventually he curled up nearby and went to sleep. It¡¯s...cute. I admit it. Not nearly as cute as Lathani, but then few things could be. As I finish up, I wake him gently by saying his name. He opens his eyes and blinks at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Spike,¡± I tell him. ¡°Have a drink if you need to.¡± He doesn¡¯t, so I guess he¡¯s all sorted. We head up the slope. I pause at the entrance, looking down at my knee-high Bound. ¡°Do what you like as long as it doesn¡¯t cause damage or disrupt Kalanthia or Lathani.¡± For a moment I feel a sense of doubt that such an open-ended command would be understandable enough for an animal like Spike. Whether it¡¯s understood or not, he just curls up in the sun and to all intents and purposes goes back to sleep. I go into the cave which is currently empty ¨C Kalanthia and Lathani must be playing somewhere else. Entering my alcove, I look at the wall thoughtfully. I want to make something that¡¯s going to be multi-functional, but I¡¯m rather hampered by the lack of metal. Still, I should be able to make something decent. In addition to the clay I¡¯ve been preparing, I also took a bit of time yesterday while collecting the river clay to also collect flattish stones. Fortunately, I guess that there¡¯s shale or something in the mountain as there were many flat stones with evidence of layers when looked at sideways. I carefully pull a whole load of these stones out of my Inventory and pile them close at hand. Starting with some clay, I create a ¡®sausage¡¯ about a centimetre in diameter and arrange it so it¡¯s in a semi-circle with a radius of about fifty centimetres. Taking the stones one at a time, I arrange them on top of the sausage so they¡¯re end to end with only a small gap between them, and press down. Creating another sausage, I repeat the process, though try to offset the stones so that each layer isn¡¯t stacked directly above the previous. It¡¯s actually quite a fun puzzle, finding the right size stones to fit the context ¨C I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be as enjoyable as it is. I pause when the ¡®wall¡¯ is about fifteen centimetres high, looking thoughtfully at what I¡¯d created and thinking about how I¡¯m going to use it. Then, as an idea occurs, I go outside briefly, hunting for a stone of a certain size. It takes me a few minutes to find one that I think will be suitable, but once I¡¯ve got it, I return to my cave. Putting the stone against the front of my ¡®wall¡¯, I carefully ease out stones until I¡¯ve made a hole just a little bigger than the stone. Using more clay, I fill in the sides of the hole until it¡¯s a snug fit for the stone, or reasonably so, at least. This should allow me to control the airflow into my fire better, especially when it¡¯s just getting started. Having a fire choke in the first few minutes because of lack of air is annoying. Plus, it¡¯ll make cleaning easier ¨C I¡¯ll be able to just sweep out the dead coals and ashes onto a leaf or something and then carry them outside. A much easier arrangement than the one where I¡¯d have to crane my wrist awkwardly to try and grab everything. Returning to the rest of my fireplace, I hesitate as another thought strikes. Cooking. My wok has a single handle which won¡¯t make it easily suspendable so it will have to sit on something¡­ a possible solution comes to mind and I start doing my best to prepare for it, without knowing whether it will actually work. It¡¯s not something that comes from my survival knowledge, but I¡¯m applying my understanding of different areas to try and make something that works. We¡¯ll find out ¨C I¡¯ll put in alternatives in case my idea doesn¡¯t work out. So, in preparation, the next layer of my fireplace wall uses stones which are significantly wider than the previous ones. I arrange them so they¡¯re flush with the other stones on the outside, protruding in towards the fire instead. They¡¯re a little precarious at the moment, their unbalanced weight pulling them down on one side, but hopefully that will sort itself out as I continue building. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Six: Round the Twist I continue building my fireplace, using the same strategy of moulding a thin sausage of clay, choosing shards of shale, pressing down gently, then rinse and repeat. It takes me a while, but I can¡¯t say I really notice the time passing. I have to break some of the stones into smaller pieces by banging them carefully with one of the flint nodules I picked up, and sometimes they end up a lot smaller than I intended, but even the small stones find a place in this 3D puzzle of mine. As the walls reach knee level and then beyond, aiming for the hole in the wall which is about hip level, I begin narrowing my chimney, not wanting it to continue being as much as fifty centimetres in radius. Ideally, by the time I get to the hole in the wall, the radius will be ten centimetres or so. It¡¯s at this point that I also start getting a little worried about my structural integrity. It seems OK, but I don¡¯t want to realise it¡¯s not because half the wall has fallen down, so I use sticks here and there to help prop the walls up while they dry. Building upwards, I run out of shale just as I reach the hole in the wall. I honestly can¡¯t be bothered to walk all the way back to where I found the last lot, so I...improvise. There are a couple of pieces of slate that I¡¯d set aside as chopping boards because they were unusually large and, being shale, are nice and flat. One of them is big enough for my purposes, so I pick it up and place it on top of my chimney. Hmm, not high enough, I muse to myself. The level of the wall is only up to about a quarter of the way up the hole, so lying the slate flat means that there probably isn¡¯t enough ventilation. What about tilted? I try it, tilting the slate up so its top edge is above the hole, and bottom edge is touching the top of the front of my chimney. Maybe. It¡¯s a bit short, so I¡¯ll still have a gap between the top of the slate and the top of the hole in the wall, but it¡¯s better than lying it flat. As the situation stands, though, there are far too many holes at the top of my chimney where smoke could escape into the room since an angled slate is by no means air-tight. To fix this, I work with pure clay and some of the stones I pulled out of the clay when preparing it. My aim is to build up the sides of the chimney to essentially fill in all the gaps between the slate, the wall, and the rest of the flue. Stepping back after I¡¯ve finished, I give it a critical look. It¡¯s not perfect ¨C my amateur nature when it comes to either building or pottery comes through clearly, but it hasn¡¯t fallen yet, so that¡¯s a good start. Plus, although I hadn¡¯t planned it, the fact that the slate ¡®roof¡¯ of my chimney is removable will help with providing an alternative cooking arrangement in case my earlier brainwave doesn¡¯t work ¨C I can suspend things from above through the hole with a simple structure using five branches and cord. Yes, I¡¯ll probably then get smoke in my cave, but possibly not ¨C if the draw of oxygen is correct, air should be pulled in at the bottom, and then pulled out of the cave by the movement of air outside. I guess I¡¯ll find out. The clay is already starting to dry, so I build a fire in my new fire pit. I¡¯ll need to keep an eye on it for the next while, making sure it doesn¡¯t burn either too hot or too cool as it will hopefully help my clay dry and harden. In the meantime, I start on the idea I had earlier. Taking some more sticks out of my Inventory, I use some bark to tie them into a grid pattern. Then, putting the grid ¨C which is by no means sturdy ¨C onto one of the big leaves, I cover it liberally with clay, cutting out the spaces between the twigs, but leaving the sticks covered with clay. Then, after making sure it¡¯s not stuck to the leaf below, I leave it alone to dry. Hopefully this will work, but if not¡­ I¡¯ve got a bit of time. I need to keep an eye on the fire so I can¡¯t go far, but I¡¯ve got some time for now. A good opportunity to start the easy, though boring, task of twisting cord. I¡¯d been lucky today while walking with Spike ¨C I found a fallen tree which was a perfect source of bark fibre and harvested as much as I could. In the end, I managed to fill two Inventory slots with fibre, and now seems like a good time to twist it. Cord is something I desperately need, so it¡¯s not a waste of time to get going on creating it. It¡¯s hard at first, taking me a while to get the knack. Eventually, though, I find that my fingers are managing to twist the fibres together, and I¡¯m even starting to know when to add the next set of fibres to create a cord which is smooth: my first few attempts were...lumpy, to say the least. Eventually, I actually untwist my first attempts in order to redo them with a smoother texture. It hurts my fingers, not having the right kind of calluses to deal with the rough fibres, but I ignore the irritation: my regeneration will deal with any damage soon enough. And if it doesn¡¯t, I can always use Lay-on-hands. After a good while and a couple of metres of decent cord later, I feel the nagging feeling start up again, reminding me that I never checked my messages. Deciding that now is as good a time as any for a break, I put my cordage project down. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t mind having a snack ¨C my stomach¡¯s telling me it¡¯s been a while since breakfast. As I munch, I open my message box.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Wisdom and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
I accept, of course. It doesn¡¯t indicate whether it was Depth or Breadth that was increased. Do I only choose those on level-ups? And how did I earn it in the first place? I go on to the next message while I ponder the question.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. This has been applied to your status.
Next message / Close messages
Huh, that¡¯s different. No option to accept or not¡­ Moving on, I see a similar message.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity and have earned a point. This has been applied to your status.
Close messages? Y/N
By this point very confused, I close the message and shift across to my status screen. Sure enough, I can see I¡¯ve gained a point in Constitution, Wisdom, and Dexterity.
Name: Markus Wolf The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 14% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: %
Intelligence 7 Mana: 70/70
Wisdom 7 Mana regeneration rate: 175u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution 8 Health: 80/80
Strength 6 Stamina: 30/30
Dexterity 5 Stamina regeneration rate: 50u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 2 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Beginner 2 Stealth ¨C Beginner 2 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 3
But why? Unless¡­ A thought occurs and I close my eyes as I concentrate on the memory from the System stone. Using Energy is a shortcut to increasing stats, but it¡¯s not the only way: people who don¡¯t have any access to Energy increase their stats all the time through hard work. Heck, everyone on Earth, for one thing! Maybe that¡¯s what¡¯s happened here. In terms of my point to Dexterity, I¡¯ve just been working on a task which requires a fair bit of dexterity to do well, and I¡¯ve improved significantly in it. In addition, working with clay is also rather dexterous, as have been several things I¡¯ve done since I¡¯ve been here. Perhaps all the work has added up and given me the point? What about the other two points? I try to remember back to when I felt the nagging feeling before. I¡¯m pretty sure one of the times was soon after I was attacked...and fought off the poison it infected me with. Perhaps fighting the poison was a sufficient catalyst to earn a point in Constitution, especially considering all the other times I¡¯ve been injured and recovered in my time in this world. I don¡¯t know how it works exactly, but the System stone was clear that Constitution is essentially ¡®what doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger¡¯. While that¡¯s not always true with physical ¨C and mental ¨C trauma on Earth, apparently the presence of Energy on Nicholas¡¯ world, and here as well I guess, makes being hurt a different story. Actually, that makes me wonder whether emotional or mental damage might improve Wisdom or Intelligence¡­ Either way, I probably shouldn¡¯t try it out ¨C my past has traumatised me enough, thank you very much. As for the point of Wisdom...I think that happened this morning sometime. Oh, yes, I remember. It was after that little ¡®talk¡¯ with Spike. So something about that triggered Wisdom. That¡¯s...not really very useful, actually, as I have no idea what about that little talk seemed ¡®wise¡¯. Was it the fact that I was trying to get along with a being which has no choice but to follow my orders? Or was it because Spike has no choice that Wisdom was triggered ¨C me showing empathy could be a wise trait? Or was it because me being nice to him then meant that he would help protect me later? But how would I even know something like that? And I still don¡¯t understand the two sub-categories or how they affect anything since, unlike with Strength, my mana regeneration doesn¡¯t seem to be impacted by one or other of the subcategories. There must be a reason for and a consequence of my choices, but nothing in the System stone talks about it. I huff in frustration ¨C Wisdom and Willpower are my least favourite traits, to be honest. All the others are fairly clear as to how to improve them. Not so the two big Ws. All I can do is try to keep track of when they rise and then attempt to draw some conclusions from that. As I consider my screen once more, something else strikes me: my Energy. It¡¯s too high. I haven¡¯t killed anything since I leveled up, and although I¡¯ve been absorbing Energy naturally, it hasn¡¯t been enough hours for my Energy store to have risen that much. Add to that the fact that I increased at least one stat ¨C I¡¯m not entirely sure whether the ones I didn¡¯t have any choice but to accept actually cost me anything, but I¡¯m going to guess not. My reasoning is that having as much Energy left as I seem to after having increased my stats by three points is even more unbelievable. So where has this extra Energy come from? I mean, I¡¯m not complaining, but it would be nice to know so I can do more of it! Racking my brains, there are only two possibilities that come to mind: one, that despite not killing that ambusher, I gained credit; and two, that it has something to do with my Dominating Spike. Of the two options, I lean towards the last one because surely a single ambush predator wouldn¡¯t be worth so much Energy that not even killing it would net me enough to increase a stat with more left over! Well, I know how to narrow down the possibilities, at least, and it¡¯s a thought that fills me with dark pleasure. All I need to do is sort out a bow or some sort of ranged weapon that will put me on more even ground with the wretched thing. Just before closing the screen, I notice that Dominate has risen to level two. Good, I suppose. I still don¡¯t really know whether Skill level makes much difference to the Skill itself. Fade has also risen to level two as I¡¯ve been doing my best to use it at various intervals, including while I¡¯m sitting here, twisting bark fibre, but equally I haven¡¯t noticed any real change to it. Stealth has also risen to level two, though I haven¡¯t really been using it much apart from during the testing last night. Just another question which I guess I¡¯ll find out the answer to later¡­ Checking on my work with my fireplace, I¡¯m pleased with most of it. There¡¯s one spot where the stones are bulging out a bit, the weight from the top forcing them out sideways. I push them back into place and then spend some time trying to figure out how to prop that section up. My clay-covered grill of branches is fairly dry, at least, it¡¯s stiff enough for me to lift without it bending or falling apart. I prop it up above the fire. It¡¯s almost in the fire itself, but not quite. Sitting back, I pick my half-finished cord up again, quickly putting it down again when my previously unnoticed blisters protest the action. I grimace as I look at my fingertips. Yeah...no. I cast a quick Lay-on-hands, smiling as the blisters fade away as if they were never there. Back to the grind, I guess. Too much of this and I¡¯ll be going round the twist. Hah. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Good Addition When I get absolutely sick of twisting bark fibre and watching clay dry, I decide to move onto a different, equally important project. Walking out of the cave, I find Kalanthia sitting outside. ¡°Hi, Kalanthia?¡± She turns her head towards me and cocks it curiously. ¡°Do you mind if I make some changes to the land around here? I want to plant some things.¡± Go ahead, Markus Wolfe, she tells me neutrally, not seeming particularly interested in the topic now ¨C perhaps because it¡¯s to do with plants. ¡°OK, thanks,¡± I reply, waving at her as I start walking around. Samova beans like sunlight, but they also like their roots to be kept moist, like beans on Earth. That means I either plant up here near the cave as it¡¯s very sunny here, or down near the river where it¡¯s moist. Out of the two, I¡¯m more able to control the moisture of the soil than the sunlight on its leaves, so I decide to plant near the cave. Plus, that gives me easier access. Actually, thinking about it, I¡¯ll probably have to protect them from marauding animals. Or maybe Spike will be able to do that. Hmm. Speaking of, once I choose my spot, it¡¯s Spike¡¯s job to do the task that I Dominated him for. Digging. Calling him over, he gets up from the sunny spot where he¡¯s been lazily sunbathing, trotting over to me. He stretches as he get to me, opening his mouth widely in a yawn, giving me a very good look at his teeth. These are actually sharper than I¡¯d thought they would be, a good two thirds of them pointed. Not like Kalanthia¡¯s of course. Spike has canines, or some teeth that look like them, but they¡¯re further to the front of his mouth than mine are. They¡¯re a bit longer proportionally than mine are, but nothing like Kalanthia¡¯s killer fangs. Behind his canines, he has some other smaller triangular teeth, and then right at the back, he has some molars. These are mostly similar to mine, probably for the same reasons, but they¡¯re also a bit pointier. I don¡¯t get enough time during that brief yawn to see whether the molars fit together top and bottom, but I guess they¡¯d have to ¨C I¡¯ve confirmed that Spike is definitely herbivorous, but given the other teeth he has, I have to guess that he¡¯s an insectivore as well. Based on what I¡¯ve seen so far, I doubt he¡¯s a predator of anything bigger than an insect ¨C he¡¯s just not quick enough to catch small animals which are usually fast-moving, and anything bigger than half his size would probably be too much to handle. It¡¯s interesting to make guesses about Spike¡¯s diet based on his teeth, but not what I¡¯d been planning to do with my afternoon. Doing my best to give clear instructions, I set Spike to digging a furrow. Deciding to experiment a bit, I try to ¡®push¡¯ images at him mentally of what I want him to do. I don¡¯t know whether it makes much of a difference, but for sure he follows the instructions very well and my little vegetable plot is quickly established. As predicted, Spike¡¯s horn breaks up the ground nicely, and he even clears up the roots in that area which will help me further. Of course, that wasn¡¯t some sign of proactivity or predicting my needs: he was just peckish and the roots looked tasty, but it¡¯s still useful. Once he¡¯s cleared a surface area about twice as long as he is and half again as wide, it¡¯s time to dig deeper to give the samova beans¡¯ roots some already-broken earth to grow through. I check on my chimney a few times while he¡¯s working to deepen and lengthen the trench, and I¡¯m pleased with how it¡¯s coming on. The clay has hardened nicely and I can only see a couple of minor cracks. Since I¡¯m not trying to make it water-tight, I don¡¯t mind about the cracks, though I¡¯ll probably smooth on a bit more clay when it¡¯s cool to make sure they don¡¯t compromise the structure¡¯s integrity. Ultimately though, the clay is just filler and the stones should bear most of the weight by themselves. If I trusted my dry-stone walling skills, I might have tried to build without clay, but I don¡¯t, so haven¡¯t. Briefly checking on Spike again, I realise that he¡¯s almost done. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, I fetch an item from where I¡¯ve stored it in my alcove, then wait for Spike to finish. ¡°Hey, Spike, are you thirsty?¡± I ask. About to remind him about the two taps, one tap system, I¡¯m surprised when he taps twice without prompting. Huh...smart. Something to bear in mind. For now though¡­ ¡°OK, let¡¯s go to the river, then.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Down by the river bank, he takes a long drink and I fill my canteen and my wok, the item I retrieved. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve tried to test putting an open container of water into my Inventory and I¡¯m pleased when it works, though a bit confused too. Why does an open container of water get accepted when the open satchel didn¡¯t? Is it because it¡¯s a liquid? Or because there¡¯s only one item inside? Or is this something special about water. Hit by a brainwave, I try to put water directly into my Inventory, imagining ¡®pouring¡¯ it into one of the slots. Unfortunately, this doesn¡¯t work. So an open container of water is acceptable, but water without any container isn¡¯t. It would be good to eventually get an explanation for how this whole Inventory thing works: sometimes it just seems so illogical. Placing the wok carefully just inside the entrance to my alcove, I head back out to the trench. I pull the five remaining samova beans out of my satchel and push them gently into the soft, disturbed earth of the trench. I¡¯m careful to not bury them too deep ¨C apparently they like to be about five centimetres below ground level. The depth that Spike has dug down to should be perfect for them ¨C the trench Spike has dug is about twenty-five centimetres at its deepest point. That should mean that the roots of my (hopefully) growing samova plants will have an easy job, to begin with, at least. Having covered the beans up, I use my canteen to water them in. The greedy soil absorbs the water quickly and, unfortunately, my canteen isn¡¯t all that big, so I have to return to the river twice before I¡¯ve properly doused them. Actually, that¡¯s a thought ¨C maybe I should create a bigger water container out of my new clay? I¡¯m going to need to water these plants every day, probably, so in the interests of saving time, being able to carry more water at one time is a good investment. On the other hand, it¡¯s a big investment of time ¨C creating a watertight jug is a far cry from creating a rough chimney, not to mention the fact that I¡¯d have to fire it which involves digging a pit, and then making sure the fire burns at the right temperature for the right length of time... Well, I¡¯ll see how arduous the watering is first, then decide whether it¡¯s worth creating a bigger container just for this. My planting done, I take a moment to look at the rich, disturbed earth. It¡¯s always amazing to think that a tiny seed can turn into a massive plant; even an oak comes from an acorn. The thought brings back a memory unbidden. My father used to like gardening, and would spend many hours in the back yard taking care of the plants. I remember that I had to grow a bean for school. I must have been eight or nine at the time. ¡°Water and warmth, that¡¯s what these need right now, Markus,¡± I hear him saying to me, his voice so clear that I could swear he¡¯s next to me now. ¡°But not too much of each. And when the roots start coming out, they¡¯ll need something to hold onto, so use a bit of that kitchen towel to wrap the bean.¡± Sniffing, I roughly swipe away a tear that threatens to fall. I wish I¡¯d spent more time with him gardening. I wish I¡¯d done a lot of things. ¡°No use crying now,¡± I tell myself, speaking aloud angrily. ¡°He¡¯s dead, and that¡¯s all there is to it. And you¡¯re in a different world and need to get your head back in the game.¡± Looking around, I spot Spike looking wary. I tense and look around quickly, my adrenaline kicking into gear. Are we about to be attacked? Here? Not seeing any signs of danger, I frown and look back at Spike. Then, a flash of realisation hits me. He¡¯s not wary about being attacked. At least, not by any outside creature; he¡¯s wary about being attacked by me. ¡°Hey,¡± I tell him, gentling my tone. ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you, I promise. I¡¯m...angry at myself.¡± It¡¯s true, I realise. I¡¯m angry that despite what happened to my mum as a teenager, I didn¡¯t spend enough time with my dad. I wasted time with allowing him to push me away, with my teenage troubles, with being unwilling to overcome the generational divide¡­ And now he¡¯s dead and I don¡¯t have the option any more. The grief threatening to pull me into a black depression once more, I forcibly direct my thoughts to more useful, immediate concerns. At least Spike looks more relaxed ¨C clearly whatever message he got was enough to ease his fears about being attacked. ¡°Spike, I want you to guard this area. When the new shoots come up, I want you to make sure that nothing damages them. If they¡¯re threatened by something that you can¡¯t handle, let me know, but otherwise drive the other creatures off. Kill them if you want to, but make sure the plants stay safe.¡± Once more, I accompany the words with images and a sense of importance, since that seems to improve Spike¡¯s capacity to understand what I want. Then I consider something. ¡°You can go and eat and drink when you need to, but make sure you don¡¯t leave the plants for very long.¡± It¡¯s hard to know if my follower¡¯s definition of ¡®very long¡¯ is the same as mine, but short of doing the guarding myself, I figure I don¡¯t have much choice but to trust him. And ultimately, growing the samova beans isn¡¯t a question of life and death ¨C I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find other things to eat here, and besides, meat is readily available, even if boring after a short time. They would, however, be a good addition to my diet ¨C full of fibre and lots of nutrients which meat doesn¡¯t tend to have, there¡¯s a reason why Nicholas included them in my ration pack. After the porcupig has taken up a guarding position ¨C while still relaxing in the sun ¨C I head back indoors to try and do something else about my food situation. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Eight: Inter-dimensional Amazon The first thing I check is my experimental cooking arrangements. The chimney is looking pretty good, and seems to be directing the smoke out of my cave rather than into it, which is good. Not so good is the draft that the fire is creating by pulling air in from Kalanthia¡¯s cave ¨C I¡¯ll have to do something about that¡­ Not now, though. Now I check the grid I¡¯ve been baking just above the fire. It seems pretty sturdy, so I use a couple of thick sticks to lift it so it¡¯s sitting on the little shelf-like protrusions just above the fire. Here goes. I lift the wok up and slowly, gently place it on top of the grid, ready to take it away if I have any hint that either the grid or wok are likely to crack. There are a couple of hair-raising moments when I¡¯m convinced that at least one of them is about to crack or fall off the protruding ledges it¡¯s all balanced on, but in the end, everything goes well. Eventually, the wok, half-full of water, sits on the makeshift grill I¡¯ve created, everything whole. I sit back on my heels, unable, and unwilling, to prevent the grin from cracking my face in half. Perhaps this should pale in comparison to killing creatures that were trying to kill me, or hiking my way through more forest than I¡¯ve ever seen in my life, but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m proud of what I¡¯ve done here, especially considering that a few days ago I couldn¡¯t have even lit a fire without a lighter. I can still feel the grief that had bubbled up earlier pulling at me, but with the successes of the present, its gravitational pull is lessened, and I can push it mostly to one side. Now for the next step. As the water slowly heats up, I add in the malachy leaves I¡¯ve been saving up. They¡¯re far too salty as they are, but that¡¯s all to my benefit now. The dried out leaves float at first, but as they become more and more water-logged, they drift down to the bottom, moving only with the bubbles which have started to form at the bottom of the wok. I don¡¯t want to leave the set up in case something happens and I lose my precious resource, so I continue my home renovation. I start on another important task ¨C dryers. In order to create a bow and arrows, I need sinew. Dried sinew. I¡¯ve got plenty of the fresh stuff in my Inventory, but I need it to be dry before I can pound it and separate out the different fibres. Not to mention that I¡¯ll need to dry other resources too. Actually, that reminds me to find some arrow wood sooner rather than later. For now, though, I actually need to set up a drying rack, or something like that. In fact, what I end up doing is creating a very, very rudimentary drying rack. I need to leave the cave for a bit, but don¡¯t want to risk Murphy having his way and something going wrong as soon as I leave the area, so pull the wok off the fire temporarily. Heading out of the cave, I go down to the tree line and find a tree that has lots of straight shoots growing out from the base, like a willow or hazelnut tree. This tree clearly doesn¡¯t belong to either species, but its wood looks like it will suit my purposes. Choosing a few shoots around the width of my thumb, I hack at their bases with my knife until I¡¯m holding five branches taller than I am. Hacking at the tops, I cut them down to my height. An axe would really make this task easier and I make a mental note to add making one to my to do list. Snapping a few other thinner shoots, I pack all my harvested resources into my Inventory, which has increased to thirty spaces since levelling up, something I¡¯m glad to note. Next, I search for something I can use as a binder. Settling on some sort of vine that¡¯s climbing up a tree like ivy or some sort of creeper, I gather a few strands and pop them in my Inventory as well. Back in my cave, I stoke the fire again, adding more fuel. Next, I carefully place the still-hot wok back on the fire and then pull my newly-gathered materials out of my Inventory. Thus prepared, I start creating my basic rack. It¡¯s really very simple, but despite that takes far more time than I would have expected. Mostly the delay is caused by it being more difficult than I thought to make the vine binder do what I want it to do, at the same time as keeping the branches in the right positions. By the time I finish, I¡¯ve sworn enough to make a sailor blush and finish off by declaring that if the thing falls apart at the wrong moment, I¡¯d rather hang the sinew outside and guard it from inquisitive creatures than put myself through this frustrating torture again. Then I think that I could have just used my bark-fibre cord instead of a vine binder and I curse loudly enough to make Kalanthia rumble in annoyance. Sighing in frustration, I rub my face with my hands in an effort to calm myself down. Just because the memory from the survival stone used tree shoots and vines doesn¡¯t mean I have to, especially when I¡¯ve already prepared something specifically for situations like this¡­ Anyway, at least I have ¨C I hope ¨C a workable dryer. It¡¯s basically just two pyramids of three branches tied at the top in a very bottom-heavy X shape, kept standing by the seventh branch connecting the two pyramids at their crossing points. Using the smaller branches, I¡¯ve reinforced the lower parts of the pyramids with crossbeams, incidentally also creating places where other branches could be fed between to create more ¡®rungs¡¯. For now I don¡¯t do that because of where I want to place my dryer ¨C over the fireplace. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Moving it into place so the pyramids stand either side of the chimney, perpendicular to the wall, and the crossbeam is a good foot above the top of the chimney, I release it gingerly. The structure sways a little as it settles into place, but, despite my pessimistic predictions, it doesn¡¯t actually fall. One step done. Work when one is trying to survive in the wilderness seems endless. There¡¯s always something to do. In this case, it¡¯s preparing the sinew for drying. I don¡¯t feel like waiting around for ages for the liquid in it to evaporate, so I¡¯m going to do as much as I can to speed up the process. The first step is my rack ¨C hanging it above the chimney should give it a warm, dry atmosphere to encourage quick evaporation of the remaining bodily fluids. Now I¡¯m going to cut it into smaller pieces so that it loses water more quickly. Using my knife against a ¡®chopping board¡¯ of a thick branch I picked up at some point, I slice along the grain of the different pieces of sinew, making slices that are about one centimetre thick, and then however long the piece of sinew is. Having gathered them from a variety of animals, there¡¯s an equally great variety in length. Still, even the small pieces could be useful, for glue if nothing else. Using my newly made bark-fibre cord, I attach the thin pieces of sinew to a long, reasonably straight branch, ready to be propped above the fire once the clay has dried sufficiently. That done, I check on my ¡®cooking¡¯. The water level in the wok has reduced, but I want to actually dry it all out completely. I debate over removing the malachy leaves, but leave them there for the time being. Once the water level has dropped by half, I¡¯ll take them out and then leave the salty water to crystallise. So, chimney, check. Fireplace, check. Cooking area, check. Samova beans planted, check. Salt, in progress. Cord production, started. Sinew drying, in progress. I¡¯m feeling pretty pleased with what I¡¯ve managed to accomplish so far, and there¡¯s still a bit of time left in the day. Well, what are my next objectives? My current aims are to make my living situation more comfortable. Having created my fireplace actually ticks several boxes there. First of all, it¡¯s a cooking area, meaning I can now start having fresh, hot meals on a more regular basis, a definite plus in my book. It also warms up my ¡®room¡¯, meaning that I hopefully won¡¯t be waking up in the middle of the night any more, needing to pile on another coat because I¡¯m cold. As a further benefit, it provides light in the dark, making navigating my alcove easier as well as potentially letting me read a book, something that I miss doing before bed. I¡¯d like to improve my sleeping situation, wanting to sleep on something softer than barely-cushioned stone, but anything that will properly address that will take too long. I could haul in some softish undergrowth like an equivalent of heather, but it will stop being soft fairly quickly, especially once it¡¯s dried out, meaning I¡¯d need to replace it fairly often. Plus, it¡¯s likely to be even lumpier than the cave floor which actually is pretty smooth. Ideally, I¡¯d create a feather mattress ¨C feathers are certainly not in low supply! The problem with this is that I¡¯d need something to hold all those fluffy feathers, and at present I have no material to use as a tick, or thread to sew it together. Or needle. I huff. Life is surprisingly hard when you can¡¯t just head to the closest commercial centre to buy everything. Even though I technically have all the resources around me that I need, there¡¯s a whole lot of labour that has to go into processing them¡­ I mean, I¡¯m grateful for the stones Nicholas gave me, but I¡¯d probably have traded all of them in for the chance to access an inter-dimensional Amazon. So, my pile of assorted jackets and other clothes is still probably the best I can do for sleeping at this point. Honestly, that¡¯s probably all I need to do for home renovations for now. Sure, shelves would be nice so I can put stuff on them, but I¡¯m fine living out of my suitcases. I¡¯d love electricity, internet, and a portal to a good hotel room, but those seem a bit out of the realms of possibility right now, even for this strange world where magic is real. No, probably the best next step is to create some weapons and tools. My knife and mace have done a sterling job up to now, but I could do with both a bow and spear. A bow will be great for attacking and ambushing enemies at range, and a spear will help me keep more distance from my opponents. My mace is good for crushing and is perfect for dealing with multiple attackers at once, but it¡¯s not really good for keeping my enemies at bay. Hopefully with the addition of a bow and spear to my mace and knife, I¡¯ll be well-equipped for whatever I have to face. Actually, while thinking about it, I might as well try to upgrade my mace a bit, or replace it if that would be better. At the moment it¡¯s just a branch with a knot that makes it heavier one end than the other. If I could attach a stone to the end with the knot, that would make it significantly more damaging, especially if the stone is sharp in some way¡­ In order to do these tasks, though, I¡¯m going to need to create some tools first. An axe, for certain, because I will need to cut wood for both my spear and bow, not to mention the arrows I¡¯ll also need to make. Besides, it¡¯ll probably be useful for creating firewood now that I actually have a fireplace. I¡¯d better also create a shard that¡¯s capable of carving to a certain extent ¨C I¡¯ll need something a bit more delicate than my knife for some of the finer shaping tasks in creating a bow and arrows. Then, of course, there will be all the arrow-heads¡­ I foresee a lot of flint knapping in my future! So far I haven¡¯t spotted any trees which would be suitable for creating pitch, so I¡¯ll have to try and work around that, and if I spot any evergreens or sticky resin, I¡¯ll collect some then. Alternatively, I can create glue out of the remains of the sinew I was chopping up this morning. Though, I don¡¯t really want to boil that in my wok, so maybe creating a clay pot would actually be a good idea. Yes, creating perhaps three clay pots of different sizes for different purposes sounds sensible. Decided, I get up and stretch, then prepare myself to settle into a long session of pottery-making. The sooner I get started, the better ¨C the clay pots will need to dry before they¡¯re fired, so I¡¯ll be able to do other things during that time. Book One: Leap - Chapter Thirty-Nine: Bribe Creating my clay pots definitely ends up taking longer than I¡¯d expected. Just forming the first one takes the rest of the time until dusk. Gauging my tiredness level, I decide to continue by the light of my fire. The downside there is that in order to see what I¡¯m doing, I have to work quite close to the fire, which means my clay dries out more quickly than when I was working further away. That, in turn, means that although I manage to finish the second pot, I¡¯ve run out of water in my canteen. It will be so much better when I have a bigger container in which to hold water. The canteen isn¡¯t bad as the water supply for a single person for most of a day, but it really doesn¡¯t last much more than that. Without cooking water ¨C and with my only current cooking container, my wok, being used to crystalise salt, I¡¯m back to eating pre-cooked bird meat, despite technically having my cooking area sorted. I¡¯m also pretty thirsty since I didn¡¯t think about the fact that using my only cooking pot for salt production would mean no water to drink. In the end, I might have to take a chance and drink the water straight. But that will have to be tomorrow: I¡¯d rather eat a boring meal and be thirsty than go to the river in the dark ¨C who knows what sort of beasties are there a¡¯lurking? Still, I do have the luxury of reading a bit of one of my favourite books before falling asleep. At least, I read a few pages before deciding that I¡¯m far too knackered even to read. As I fall asleep, I muse that this has been the first day so far since I arrived that I haven¡¯t been attacked at least once. It makes a change to not have that rollercoaster of adrenaline rushes, but I can¡¯t quite decide whether I¡¯m more relieved or disappointed. I fall asleep before I come to a conclusion. By the time I wake, sun is streaming into my cave through the small gap left between the top of my chimney and the top of the hole in the wall. Markus Wolfe, I hear Kalanthia say, her tone a little impatient. I have a feeling before she speaks about what she¡¯s about to say. I must go to hunt. Are you awake enough for me to leave Lathani in your care? Yup, called it. Shaking the grogginess out of my head, I respond as soon as I¡¯ve got my thoughts in order. ¡°Yeah, let me just get some water first, OK? I¡¯ll be quick.¡± She lets out an impatient grumble, but doesn¡¯t refuse my request. Hurrying out, I go down the the river as quickly as I can while still keeping an eye out for any ambush predators waiting for unwary prey. The water tastes good as I drink some at the river side, also snatching some pondweed while I¡¯m there. Hopefully I¡¯ve avoided picking up something nasty again. Walking back with haste, I muse at the fact that I rarely see many creatures around this spot ¨C probably something to do with them recognising the presence of a much more powerful predator not far away. Still, better safe than sorry, and I still keep a wary eye on the trees around and above me in case there¡¯s a creature that¡¯s missed out on the memo. Fortunately, I make it back without incident. Once more Kalanthia disappears off into the distance and I¡¯m left with an energetic and rambunctious nunda cub. We play for a while, the makeshift cat toy making a reappearance once I have a chance to recreate it. She seems more adventurous this time, though ¨C I have to keep distracting her from going off the edge of the hill to explore. At one point, I teach her how to play ¡®fetch¡¯, throwing a stick for her to find and pounce on. Well, I say ¡®fetch¡¯, but it¡¯s more ¡®pounce on and gnaw to death¡¯. Natural I guess considering she¡¯s a lot more feline than canine in nature. Still, she enjoys it. She enjoys it even more when I shift the branch through the grass and she tries to pounce on its end. By the time she¡¯s tired and lies down for a nap, I feel like doing the same, but decide that I¡¯d be better off actually getting something done. My salt has crystalised overnight, the heat from the fire burning itself down to embers enough to evaporate the rest of the water. I¡¯d taken the malachy leaves out long before going to bed, so what remains is a load of green-tinged crystals. Jackpot! Searching around for something to put my greenish treasure into, I suddenly hit on an idea. Digging in my suitcase, I find a small tupperware box in which I had stored dice. Why did I bring my dice with me? I have no idea, but I¡¯m grateful for it now. Ditching the dice out of the box, I clean the bark off a stick and use it to lever the crystals off the wok. I could use my knife...but I don¡¯t really want to risk damaging my wok¡¯s surface. It works, though I might have a few splinters of wood in with my salt. Oh well, I¡¯ll try and avoid them when taking a pinch. Now, time to make something more interesting than just cooked bird meat. Covering the base of my wok with water, I dump in some uncooked bird meat and the leaves from the pond-weed I¡¯d grabbed earlier. I¡¯ve been continuing to test the weed and, by this point, I¡¯m pretty sure that it¡¯s safe. Sure, I haven¡¯t actually tested it cooked yet, but I doubt that will be a problem. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Covering the wok with its lid, I let it cook while continuing to make some more bark-fibre cord. I haven¡¯t seen Spike since first thing this morning ¨C I sent him off to go and get some food and to come back when he¡¯s finished like yesterday. By the time Lathani wakes, I¡¯ve finished cooking my ¡®stew¡¯ and have started grilling some more bird-meat since my stocks are running a little low. I cut up some pieces of meat and lay them on my grid, watching them sizzle in the heat of the fire. The sounds of fat dropping into the flames punctures the background noises of birds and the light breeze, but it¡¯s a soothing, homey kind of sound. I only realise the little nunda cub is awake because, turning away from the fire to cut up some more meat in preparation for when what¡¯s on the grill is ready, I notice a small movement. Whipping quickly around, I¡¯m fortunately fast enough to knock her paw away from the fire where she¡¯s millimetres away from getting burned. ¡°No, Lathani,¡± I say sternly. ¡°It¡¯s hot. You¡¯ll hurt yourself, and then your mama will hurt me.¡± The mini-nunda gives me a forlorn look as if asking why I¡¯m being so cruel as to deny her sticking her paw in those beautifully dancing flames. She reaches for the fire again, but I make a chiding noise which makes her hesitate. Looking at me again, she continues moving ever-so-slowly. ¡°Lathani,¡± I warn her. She pauses once more, then as I don¡¯t stop looking at her, she finally looks away and settles back on her haunches. I turn back to my meat but keep an eye on the cub in my peripheral vision. She creeps back towards the fire, staring into it and licking her chops. That makes me consider ¨C what if she wasn¡¯t being attracted to the fire but by the cooking meat? ¡°Hey,¡± I say to her gently, reaching in with the two branches I¡¯m using as tongs and snaring one of the pieces which I reckon is almost done. And even if it¡¯s not completely ready, Lathani¡¯s supposed to eat meat raw, so I hardly think that it being mostly cooked will cause any issue. I do blow on it until it¡¯s cool enough for me to hold with bare fingers as I don¡¯t want to be responsible for her burning her tongue, though that would be a good lesson for ¡®hot¡¯! Offering the cool piece of meat to the baby leopard, I¡¯m surprised when she doesn¡¯t suddenly dive for it. Instead, she looks at me almost questioningly. ¡°Sure, you can eat this,¡± I tell her, not sure if it¡¯s necessary but figuring it won¡¯t do any harm. She then moves forward with a bounce and takes the meat surprisingly gently from my fingers. Chewing it at the side of her mouth, she looks as pensive as a large feline can, her head cocked on one side. Then, seemingly deciding that she likes it, she gulps the last bits down and pokes her paw towards the fire again, not, I notice, trying to actually touch the fire, but making a rather clear sign of what she wants. Smart cat. Then again, maybe I¡¯m underestimating her intelligence: her mum¡¯s perfectly capable of communicating telepathically, after all. Though Lathani can¡¯t send thoughts to my mind, perhaps she can still pick up at least some of the thoughts I¡¯m sending. Which then begs the question of why she doesn¡¯t do what I want her to do more than half the time. Stupid question: she¡¯s a cat. Or something vaguely related, I think. Stands to reason she¡¯d only follow my instructions if she wants to. Though...It¡¯s like a lightbulb pings above my head as I get an idea. What if I use this cooked meat to get her to stay away from the edge of the hill? Something in it for her, something in it for me¡­ ¡°Let me finish cooking this lot and then get the next set on the grill and I¡¯ll give you some more,¡± I tell her, trying to focus on my thoughts the way I do with Spike. It seems to work. At least, she¡¯s not trying to poke the fire anymore, but is sitting there patiently. It turns out that using cooked meat as a bribe works better than I¡¯d thought. We play outside, and every time she follows one of my instructions, I reward her with a small piece. I¡¯m even more convinced that she actually understands most if not all of what I say, but just chooses whether or not to follow as she doesn¡¯t seem to have any difficulty in earning her rewards. I don¡¯t want her deliberately doing things I don¡¯t want her to do just so she can get a piece of meat when she obeys me, so I try to give her the opportunity to earn a reward at other times too. It turns into a fun game that both of us enjoy. Fortunately, I¡¯m able to keep up with putting more meat on the grill than gets consumed, so I do replenish my stocks a bit. Besides, I still have a fair amount of raw meat so trading a bit of cooked stuff for an easy way to stop Lathani wandering into danger is a good trade for me. I¡¯m playing with Lathani, teaching her to come when I call when Kalanthia returns home, her muzzle still stained red. I don¡¯t notice her at first ¨C for a huge leopard-like creature, she¡¯s surprisingly stealthy. When I spot her, she¡¯s standing next to a large bush, still as a statue and watching what¡¯s going on with her golden eyes. ¡°Hi Kalanthia,¡± I say casually. ¡°Did you have a good hunt?¡± She doesn¡¯t reply, not telepathically anyway. Instead, she snarls. For a moment, I think that she¡¯s spotted something dangerous and automatically look around as I reach for my knife. Nothing. Looking back at Kalanthia, I feel a shiver of fright as she¡¯s used the distraction to close the distance between us. Now only a couple of metres away and still moving fast, I can see she¡¯s snarling at me. My hindbrain kicking in, I back away quickly, my knife unconsciously appearing in my hand as if by magic. Of course, my backing up speed isn¡¯t anywhere near a match for an angry nunda, though why she¡¯s angry, I don¡¯t know. She covers the last distance between us with a little leap, her paw landing on my chest and pushing me over. The world blurs around me and the next thing I know, I¡¯m lying on my back winded with her heavy dinner-plate sized paw weighing down my chest. She¡¯s snarling in my face, her bared fangs close enough to me that I can smell the rotten meat stench on her breath. ¡°Kalanthia?¡± I choke out with the little air I have left. ¡°What are you doing?¡± My knife has been knocked out of my hand at some point in the last second, and I see it lying in the grass, just out of reach. What am I going to do? Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty: Bounds of the Vow I warned you, Binder, she snarls in my head, her telepathic voice matching the audible sounds she¡¯s still making. ¡°What?¡± I choke out, completely confused. Warned me about what? What have I done wrong? I warned you not to try to bind my cub! My scrambled mind tries to make sense of her words. She¡¯s calling me Binder...that¡¯s something related to my Tamer Class. Does she think I¡¯m trying to Dominate Lathani? No¡­it suddenly makes more sense. Kalanthia thinks I¡¯m trying to Tame her. And from a certain point of view, I suppose I can see why ¨C coming when called is something humans teach their dogs to do as one of the first things. But that wasn¡¯t my intention. ¡°I swear Kalanthia,¡± I wheeze out, trying to ignore the horrible smell of all the dead things she¡¯s been eating ¨C if I don¡¯t want to join them, I need to be able to explain myself fast! ¡°I¡¯m not trying to Tame Lathani.¡± Then why were you trying to command her obedience? ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± I protest, calming slightly. I might still have a large predator pressing down on my chest but at least she¡¯s letting me talk. Knowing that I haven¡¯t actually done what she¡¯s accusing me of gives me hope that I can get through to her. ¡°Look...Can you move away a bit please? It¡¯s a bit hard to talk with you impeding my breathing.¡± She eyes me for a moment. ¡°If you don¡¯t like my answer, is it going to make any difference whether you¡¯re a foot away from me or right on top of me? I¡¯ve got no chance against you, and we both know that.¡± A pregnant pause elongates awkwardly, but finally she shifts back so she¡¯s not actually pressing down on my chest any more. I cough, sitting upright and rubbing the sore spot. Talk, she commands me. Now I¡¯ve got my breath back, I¡¯m happy to oblige. ¡°I was cooking meat, she indicated she wanted some and then liked it when she tried it. I¡¯d had some problems earlier in the day when she wanted to explore more than just the top of the hill, and seemed reluctant to heed me when I told her it was unsafe. I figured that if she had a bit more motivation to follow my instructions, it would help. That¡¯s what I was doing with the meat. I swear it was only with the intentions of helping her keep safe, not to Tame her or anything.¡± I¡¯m a bit breathless again by the end, my fear driving me to speak as quickly as I could. Kalanthia looks at me silently for a long moment. Slowly, the continuous snarl dies down and her lip lowers to cover her teeth again. You mean to tell me that this was all for her safety; that you have no designs in chaining my cub to you? I shook my head. ¡°No intentions of using either Dominate or Tame on her, I promise. I just didn¡¯t want her to get ambushed by something in the forest because I hadn¡¯t been able to stop her from running off. Last time wasn¡¯t such an issue, but this time she has only just been listening to me ¨C I didn¡¯t want to risk that next time she decides not to listen at all.¡± She makes a thoughtful noise and finally relaxes, allowing me to do the same, my heart finally starting to slow down now it¡¯s clear she¡¯s not going to kill me. Actually, weren¡¯t those Vows we took right at the beginning supposed to stop this sort of thing? Unless knocking me flat on my back doesn¡¯t count as an attack, or her believing that she was defending her cub was enough justification to respond within the bounds of the Vow. I don¡¯t know, but for sure this experience has rattled me a bit. I apologise, Markus Wolfe. I...was hasty in my judgment of the situation. I had not realised that you were having difficulty preventing Lathani from putting herself at risk. ¡°I understand, I guess,¡± I say. ¡°Though I thought the Vows were supposed to be something we could rely on in these kinds of situations?¡± I ask, deciding to voice my thoughts in case Kalanthia can shed some light. She tosses her head in her shrug. Vows can be unpredictable when it comes to definitions of harm, and the conditioning that Binders undertake prior to actually casting their chains wouldn¡¯t necessarily be detected. And by the time that the chain is cast, it is too late ¨C should you chain Lathani, even killing you wouldn¡¯t remove the scars on her soul. ¡°Scars?¡± I ask, troubled by the implications. All bindings leave their mark; the chains of a Binder must be released consensually or they leave a great wound on the soul. ¡°And if they¡¯re removed consensually?¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Then the bindings do not rip away and take some soul with them. But that doesn¡¯t mean that they do not leave their mark: all connections once severed lead to some sense of loss. Huh, interesting. And I can kind of see it ¨C relationships, whether they end well or badly, always lead to the sense of a vacuum once the person is no longer there. I quickly direct my thoughts away from that black hole ¨C I¡¯ve lost too many people one way or another to be comfortable pondering such topics. ¡°So¡­¡± I start again hesitantly. ¡°Can I continue giving Lathani meat bits as a reward?¡± As if speaking her name conjures her, the cub comes and rubs her head against her mother briefly before bouncing back over to me and pawing at me again, giving me pleading eyes. I raise my eyebrows at Kalanthia, gesturing towards the demanding little nunda as if to say ¡®case in point¡¯. Kalanthia makes an amused huffing sound. A cute chirping noise emerges from her, the sound completely incongruous with such a large, deadly predator. Lathani immediately bounds back over to her mother and they rub against each other again. Kalanthia starts washing her rigorously and Lathani just braces herself against the force of the licks. I watch, allowing the cuteness of the scene to help wash out the fright-induced chemicals rushing around around my system. It¡¯s true that this sudden attack has made me question whether I want to stay here, efforts made to make this place into a home aside. Ultimately, though, what other choice do I really have? If I leave here, I¡¯m back to the plan of creating a shelter somewhere which is preferably not in some super-predator¡¯s territory, and I¡¯m not really any better off than when I arrived. No, I just need to remember that Kalanthia is, at heart, a protective mother, and so if I ever seem like I might be a threat to her cub, she will end me, Vow or no Vow. I promise myself to be more careful, and consider a bit more how my actions might look to her mother before doing anything with the baby nunda. Released from my babysitting duties, I decide to head out, feeling like I need a bit of distance. Before going, I remove the meat that¡¯s pretty much cooked off the fire, popping it in my Inventory, and then just make sure there¡¯s nothing around the area which is likely to catch light. I cover the lower part of the fireplace with the stone just in case, but figure that the worst that¡¯s likely to happen now is that the fire may go out. That sorted, I make sure that my knife and mace are easily available in case of attack, and then walk down the slope and into the forest. I¡¯ve got enough flint gathered for now, and the place where I found it is marked on the Map for later. No, right now I need to find some sort of handle for my axe-to-be. If I spot some wood that might be useful for a bow and arrows, I¡¯ll mark it on my Map and come back later for it. Equally, if I spot any resinous trees, I¡¯ll mark those on my Map, or really any other useful resources. It takes me a surprisingly long time to find something suitable. Most of the wood I find is either half rotten, too short, or too thin to be useful. Of course, I could cut something that would be more suited, but that would require me to actually have an axe first. It¡¯s starting to feel like a bit of a catch-22 situation ¨C needing an axe to make an axe ¨C when I find something that I think might just work. Lying on the ground is a branch that¡¯s fallen off the tree above me. The difference between this and previous trees is its size ¨C this is a bit of a local giant, and its branch is just as much bigger in comparison to other fallen branches I¡¯ve seen so far. More useful for me is the fact that the branch is broken, something heavy having stepped on it and snapped it through. Making a mental note to avoid those tracks if I ever see them while hunting ¨C something big enough to snap a solid branch bigger than my upper arm in diameter without even trying is not something I want to take on ¨C I inspect the chunk of wood resulting from the break. The leftover chunk is still double my height, but I think I¡¯ll be able to cut it down to size, though I hope it won¡¯t dull my knife. On the upside, the grain changes at its base, where it had originally been connected to the tree. It¡¯s my hope that if I can create the hole for my axe blade just below the knot, this will stop the branch from splitting under pressure when I swing the axe. Trying to slip the branch into my Inventory, I¡¯m actually surprised when it fits. Convenient¡­ Even better, I notice that a tree not far away from the giant seems to have resin dripping out of it. It doesn¡¯t look like an evergreen, but the fluid beading around an injury to its trunk is sticky and viscous ¨C looks like resin to me. Eyeing the mark and the tracks leading to the branch, I figure that this damage was caused by the same thing that snapped the branch. Definitely don¡¯t want to face that thing, whatever it is! I open my Map and make a mark for later, closing it with a grin on my face. Feeling satisfied with my finds I decide to head back home on a meandering path ¨C without any immediate objectives, I figure I can just explore a bit. Of course, that¡¯s when I get attacked. Again. Something drops on me from above and I don¡¯t react quickly enough to avoid it. Feeling it on my head, large and spiky, I immediately shake my head frantically, the sensation bringing back a sense-memory of having a tarantula on me ¨C I¡¯d been terrified for years after a friend¡¯s birthday party at the zoo where they¡¯d given us a tarantula to hold. I hadn¡¯t wanted to do it, but the other boys in the party had mocked me for being a ¡®wimp¡¯ and so I¡¯d reluctantly agreed. More fool me: it would have been better to just be made fun of for a bit rather than being unable to be within a foot of even a small spider for years. And even now, I don¡¯t want to touch the things, though I can deal with sitting near one. As long as I keep my eyes on it and it doesn¡¯t make any threatening moves in my direction. The thing falls backwards off my head and I quickly try to put some space between it and me. My breath coming quickly already from panic, I throw myself into a twist and back away, almost tripping stupidly over my own feet. It¡¯s only then that I get a good look at what the thing actually is. It turns out that ¡®spider¡¯ wasn¡¯t such a bad guess. At least, not if I could consider this thing a spider in the same way as a mole rat is a cute little harmless mouse. In fact, it¡¯s more like some horror-movie-worthy amalgamation of a spider, monkey, and snake. Essentially, it looks mostly chitinous and has six legs, each of which ends with a clawed pincer and is attached into a bulbous spider-like body. Behind the legs is a long prehensile tail that is currently curled up over its head but, unlike a tail of a scorpion, looks like it could actually twist in all directions, perhaps even curling around a tree branch. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s got a poison stinger, from the look of the spike attached to the end of the tail On the front part of this monstrosity is a short, but still slightly flexible neck attached to a mouth like a snake¡¯s ¨C complete with two long, backwards facing fangs. In short, a memory worthy of therapy. Unfortunately, since none is available, I¡¯ll just have to settle for killing it with prejudice and hoping that I won¡¯t have more nightmares. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-One: Nightmare Eyeing the nasty chimera warily while backing up, I wonder how to kill it. I don¡¯t exactly want to get anywhere near its venomous bits ¨C because you can¡¯t tell me that those fangs aren¡¯t just as likely to be venomous as the tail ¨C but my knife and mace are both close-range weapons. Then, once more, I remember that, a) my Inventory still contains a slot full of flint nodules, more stones available on the floor as well, and, b) I also have that branch I picked up for my axe which might do as a spear at a pinch. Plus, the only real advantage in my favour is, once again, size. The creature is big for a spider, but it¡¯s still only about as big as a large cat or small dog. The spider-monkey-snake thing lunges at me. It¡¯s quick, the six legs not just there for show. I don¡¯t think running away will be feasible ¨C I think it¡¯s probably faster than I am. As a strike from its tail comes at me, I realise I need to get my head in the game. Throwing myself sideways to avoid the creature, I grab a stone in each hand as I push myself to my feet. I throw one of the stones, missing as it dodges agilely. It¡¯s almost on me again and I dodge backwards, throwing the other stone at almost point-blank range. It hits and the creature makes a horrible shrieking sound, but the thing is still tenacious enough to latch onto my leg with its fanged mouth. I shout in pain, the curved fangs digging right into me. At the same time, I¡¯m convinced that I can feel its venom pumping into me, even though I probably actually can¡¯t. Fear isn¡¯t usually very logical. After my experience with the black blob and finding out that Lay-on-hands isn¡¯t a catchall for poison, I¡¯m a little paranoid about getting hit with it. I catch its tail as it tries to strike me again, and, pulling my knife out, I stab it frantically. Its pincered legs scrabble against me, cutting into my vulnerable flesh ¨C and turning my jeans into ribbons at the same time. I don¡¯t let go, and neither does it, not until it just suddenly goes limp, all life leaking from it with the ichorous substance that appears to be its blood. Very aware that whatever venom its fangs undoubtedly have is still probably pumping into me, dead or not, I quickly pull its head forwards and out, my stomach turning at the sensation of tugging and sliding. I dump the creature on the ground and sway on my feet. I don¡¯t feel so good¡­ Quickly sitting down before I can fall down, I cast Lay-on-hands, hoping and praying that it will work. The venom burns in my veins ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not imagining it this time ¨C and I feel weak and sick. In fact, I end up dumping the contents of my stomach onto the ground next to my head as my body reacts to being poisoned. I break out in cold sweat and my throat goes dry. When my vision starts wavering, I become really worried ¨C did I not catch it quickly enough? Is Lay-on-hands, even at Novice rank, not strong enough? Or is this poison another one that¡¯s somehow immune to my healing magic? I can¡¯t really do much more, though. I don¡¯t know what this venom is doing to me, so I can¡¯t use the more focused version of Lay-on-hands to offer better healing. All I can do is just keep casting and hope I have enough mana in the tank to deal with the damage. It feels a bit touch and go for a while, but eventually, my surroundings fade back into full colour, my body no longer needing to concentrate so much on the poison attacking it. I still feel sick and weak, but I¡¯ve been on death¡¯s door often enough recently to know when I¡¯ve pulled back from it. When I¡¯m able to get to my feet and start walking slowly, I decide to just go home straight ¨C no point chancing my arm. I¡¯d planned to leave the corpse of the horror-movie reject ¨C sponkake? Monspike? - where I¡¯d dropped it before, but a few steps away, I reconsidered. What if I could use its venom on my arrows? I hesitate, but eventually turn back to put the thing in my Inventory ¨C it¡¯s worth a shot. Pun not intended. Heading back, I keep casting Lay-on-hands as soon as I get enough for two in the tank, and slowly I start feeling better than death warmed over. I pick up the pace a bit and reach the cave as night is falling. After what happened earlier, I feel a bit awkward and wary walking past Kalanthia. She probably realises ¨C no doubt I¡¯m releasing fear pheromone that she can smell, never mind the fact that she¡¯s a telepath. Either way, she does me the favour of ignoring me, allowing me to sneak past without exchanging a word. My grilled bird meat tastes good, especially when I sprinkle a few grains of salt on it: nothing like a life-death struggle to increase one¡¯s appetite! I suppose it¡¯s the realisation that I¡¯m still alive and my opponent isn¡¯t that adds a bit of spice to what has become very boring otherwise. I¡¯d felt too sick after my encounter to feel the usual triumph, but satisfaction fills my belly, both physically and emotionally. Exhausted by the events of the day, I go to bed soon after eating and fall asleep quickly. ***** I suppose that after the stresses of the day, it¡¯s not surprising that I have nightmares. Honestly, it¡¯s probably more surprising that I haven¡¯t had them earlier ¨C my nights so far have mostly been blissfully empty of dreams. That I remember, anyway. Tonight, though, it¡¯s a return to those good ol¡¯ nightmares I really don¡¯t miss. Fearful visions that leave me panting with a pounding heart and cold sweat all over my body. They¡¯re not all logical, mostly fragments of being attacked, being chased, teeth tearing into me, claws ripping me apart¡­. Kalanthia has a role, but no more than any of the other monsters: some of them monstrosities I¡¯ve come across in this world; others I¡¯ve never seen while awake. My dad¡¯s there too. Sometimes he is with me, running away from the monsters. Sometimes he¡¯s pulled down and killed first. Sometimes he pushes me into them. I wonder what that says about my opinion of my father. A therapist would probably have a great time trying to analyse them. No, that¡¯s not right. A therapist would just drive me mad with asking ¡®and how do you feel about that?¡¯. I¡¯ve had enough therapy sessions in my life to know how it goes. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But there¡¯s no therapy here. I¡¯ll just have to deal with my own demons. Fortunately, there¡¯s no alcohol either as I have a feeling I would have dived back in the bottle to get me through the night, if I¡¯d had the chance. I used to love the dead of night, when all is quiet and still. Sometimes when I was young I¡¯d wake up for some reason at some strange hour and wonder if witches were out flying on their broomsticks ¨C the witching hour. I¡¯d read several books where the hour between midnight and one was a time of magic, of creatures emerging which otherwise stayed hidden, or of normally ordinary kids being able to do extraordinary things. Then my mum had the accident and that magical time turned into a nightmare. Instead of being filled with magic and wonder, I started spending long hours in the middle of the night stuck in a mire of my own thoughts. Nasty, accusing voices would entangle me in a web like a fly struggling against a spider. My strategy of filling every moment of the day to push the voices away didn¡¯t work between midnight and dawn. Although therapy helped me regain a sense of peace with myself, the middle of the night never returned to the time of quiet, watchful, liminal space that it had been before my life first took a nose-dive. At best, I manage to sleep through it. Right now, though, I don¡¯t feel very sleepy after such disturbed sleep. Hit with a pang of longing, I pull my backpack out of my Inventory and rummage in it, my sense of touch finally finding the slim device it¡¯s looking for. Turning my phone on, I¡¯m dismayed to see the level of its battery. Despite having been off for basically the whole time I¡¯ve been here, it¡¯s already below forty percent in battery charge. I mean, it wasn¡¯t fully charged before I arrived in this world, but I wouldn¡¯t have thought it would lose battery charge less quickly. Perhaps there¡¯s something about the Inventory which drains the battery. Either that or my battery¡¯s age is working against it. Biting my lip, I decide whether to turn it off again, or not. In the end, I decide to use it. The current power¡¯s not going to last the length of time I¡¯m stuck here, for sure, and I highly doubt I¡¯ll be able to create the kind of stable electricity it would need to charge ¨C even if I found the right kind of metal and was able to make wires, I don¡¯t think a potato battery would cope with my phone¡¯s greedy consumption. I might as well use it while it still has battery left. For a long time, I flick through the photos and videos held on my storage card. It¡¯s bittersweet, seeing pictures of my ex, my dad, Lucy¡¯s family who had almost become my family before she broke up with me and I couldn¡¯t bear to face them, even various colleagues who I¡¯d gone out to drinks with. I watch a video which I¡¯d managed to take of my dad unawares, when he was watching his favourite comedy. I took it because it was one of the few times since his diagnosis that I¡¯d seen him laugh until tears ran down his cheeks. My eyes blur as I replay the video again and again. It¡¯s only a few seconds of video before he caught me taking it and laughter was replaced by a frown, but it¡¯s a very precious few seconds. When my screen goes black, it feels like I¡¯ve been punched in the gut. Have I drained the battery that fast? Maybe I should have turned on airplane mode, preserved its battery just a bit longer. Regret fills me, along with its common accomplice: guilt. If only I¡¯d¡­ No. No. I¡¯ve worked too long and too hard on my mental health to allow myself to be pulled back in. I let it happen before, too much shit happening with no one around to help me keep my head above water, and look what happened. I got to the point of suicide, and then made a stupid decision to leave everything behind and come to this hellhole. ¡°I¡¯m not guilty,¡± I whisper severely to myself, trying to remind myself of the conclusions I came to after years of therapy. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill her. I didn¡¯t kill him. The accident wasn¡¯t my fault. The cancer wasn¡¯t my fault. I didn¡¯t do anything to cause either situation, and I did all I could to help them.¡± I repeat the words over to myself like a mantra, feeling like they¡¯re hollow in the dead of night. But I have to believe them, I have to. I can¡¯t afford to loose my motivation, not here. I¡¯ve rediscovered my zest for life, and I can¡¯t let the tide of depression pull me back down. Markus Wolfe, what ails you? The voice in my head makes me jump, but for all that, it¡¯s a relief. Kalanthia¡¯s clear tones cut straight through the sticky sludge of my thoughts like a bell would cut through the mournful howl of wind. ¡°Sorry, did I disturb you?¡± I reply after a moment, my voice scratchy and thick. I woke because of the waves of distress emanating from you. I don¡¯t believe we are under attack: are you ill? ¡°Not physically,¡± I admit. Then, because it is the dead of night, and because the ball of tangled negative thoughts and feelings demands to be released, I continue. ¡°I just...I miss home. I miss my...I miss my family.¡± The ball of emotions within me pulses once more and I swipe at my hot eyes. There¡¯s a long pause. Come, she commands. I hesitate, not wanting to face her, not wanting to leave my cocoon, just...not wanting to move. Come, she commands again after waiting for a few moments. Her tone is unmistakably authoritative. I can¡¯t resist it, especially not now with my willpower at such a low ebb. Crawling out of my cocoon of jacket/blankets, I head out of my alcove and stand awkwardly near the hole which is my entranceway. Closer, she commands, and I wordlessly obey. What else can I do? Sure, I could walk out of the cave ¨C I doubt she¡¯d follow me, not with Lathani sleeping cuddled up to her side, visible to my eyes only because of a shaft of moonlight. But honestly? I don¡¯t want to be alone. I really don¡¯t want to be alone. As I get closer, she lifts one of her forelegs and hooks her paw around me. The paw by itself is the size of my torso, highlighting just how big she is. Gently, as if I¡¯m a cub like Lathani, she pulls me in close to her. Prodding and poking me, she guides my body into an arrangement where I¡¯m snuggling up to her shoulder, held in the circle of her foreleg and against the side of her head. It¡¯s...surprisingly comfortable. Warm, for sure, and fluffy. Really fluffy. I mean, not as fluffy as a kitten, or even a cat ¨C she clearly is an outdoors creature ¨C but still far softer than I would have expected. It¡¯s also a bit of a change: from threatening to kill me earlier today, to cuddling me now. But everything that has happened since I¡¯ve arrived in this world, I think the fact that said giant leopard doesn¡¯t hold grudges is probably the best news I¡¯ve had all week. Sleep, Markus Wolfe, she tells me. And I do. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Two: An Exercise in Frustration Knapping flint is an exercise in frustration, I decide after the fifth time this morning the stone I¡¯m trying to turn into an axe head splits in the wrong place and completely ruins my progress. On the positive side, I have a number of flint shards which will be useful for creating other tools and weapons later. On the other hand, I¡¯ve made no progress towards my goal and it¡¯s already lunch time. I didn¡¯t make any last night either, since I¡¯d been so tired. On that note, it was odd to wake up half-smothered in fur because I was being cuddled by an apex predator. Warm, almost too much so, but weird. I¡¯m grateful that Kalanthia was there for me in the middle of the night ¨C I don¡¯t know how much damage I would have ended up doing to myself otherwise, be it physical or mental. But the fact that she was there, that she cared enough to intervene¡­ All I can say is that I woke in a much better frame of mind than I could have expected after the night I had. At least, I was in a decent mood until the vexation caused by this damn flint knapping started getting to me. I decide to take a break before I start screaming. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s more frustrating ¨C trying to mediate between a stubborn boss and a stubborn union leader, or this. Honestly, I¡¯d vote for this ¨C I might have felt like cursing at the stubborn assholes who clearly refused to see reason, but I¡¯d never actually done it; I¡¯ve already used more curse words this morning than in the last month. And yes, that includes the day of my arrival in this world. Making an axe is going to take forever at this rate. I decide to take some time to make ¨C and some of my frustration out on making ¨C the haft for my axe. Being far too long, it needs cutting down to size. Since I have no other tools at the moment, I have to use my knife which is far from ideal. It takes even more wrestling with and I almost chop off a finger a couple of times in the process, but at least I can see myself making progress, unlike with the axe blade-to-be. After a period of time, I have something that roughly resembles a tool haft. It¡¯s thinner at the end where I will grip it, and I haven¡¯t changed much about the bole-like end since I can¡¯t really think about making the hole before I¡¯ve created the...axe-blade. I sigh. Hey ho, let¡¯s go, I tell myself, though even my inner voice seems devoid of enthusiasm. I summon up my (super-boosted) willpower which I still can¡¯t believe was a measly ¡®4¡¯ when I started. I mean, I¡¯d managed to get through school, and uni, and keep on at my job for years, including awkward meetings where I had to tell someone they¡¯re fired. Or, in one memorable case, that they¡¯re going to be facing disciplinary measures for being caught having sex in a toilet. During work hours. With one of their clients to whom they had been giving favourable rates. I shudder at the memory. If nothing else, trying to get my mind out of the past motivates me to continue with the devilish knapping ¨C despite the memories in my head saying that I had supposedly created flint tools hundreds of times, my hands definitely disagree, and it takes all my focus to try to achieve my goal. ***** When I finally finish my axe blade, I can¡¯t help but leap to my feet and cheer. I know this isn¡¯t the end of the job; heck, I¡¯m going to have to make more axe-blades in the future as this one chips and breaks over time. Still, it feels like a massive achievement, and I decide to celebrate that with a good stretch. Another three or four hours later, it¡¯s heading on for late afternoon, so I¡¯ve spent far more time on this task than I¡¯d anticipated. Really, someone good at flint knapping could probably knock this out in half an hour, an hour tops. Me? I¡¯ve taken probably about seven hours when I consider the time I was actively working it. My result isn¡¯t pretty, but it¡¯s a chunk of flint with a sharp-ish edge to it, so it¡¯ll do the job. I hope. I¡¯ve taken a couple more breaks to check the drying of my sinew, cook some more meat, and even make a small clay bowl when I really couldn¡¯t take any more of the damn flint knapping. In short, it took a long time and my hands and arms are feeling pretty achy from all this activity I¡¯m not used to. Plus my back from sitting on the ground bent over for elongated periods of time. Still, I feel proud of my work. I finally beat the dreaded flint-knapping devil and got something I can use. Sure, I went through more flint nodules than I¡¯d like to think about, but I could feel my movements starting to align more and more with my memories. Proof of that is when I check my messages and see that I¡¯ve earned a point in Dexterity which I don¡¯t even have to ¡®pay¡¯ for with Energy. I check my stats, feeling proud of what I¡¯ve achieved so far.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 41% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: %
Intelligence 7 Mana: 70/70
Wisdom 7 Mana regeneration rate: 175u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Constitution 8 Health: 80/80
Strength 6 Stamina: 30/30
Dexterity 6 Stamina regeneration rate: 60u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 2 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Beginner 2 Stealth ¨C Beginner 2 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 3
Although it¡¯s only been a few days, perhaps more than a week ¨C I¡¯ve lost count, honestly ¨C I¡¯m in a much better state than I was when I arrived. Then, my highest stat, Intelligence, had been at six; now, that¡¯s almost my lowest stat value, being only one point above Dexterity and Strength. I have double the number of health points, something which is rather relieving, and a significantly better health regeneration rate, mostly thanks to Kalanthia¡¯s gift. Plus, I¡¯m already more than a third towards my next level, thanks to my daily absorption. OK, I got a few points from that weird cross-breed creature yesterday, but only a few ¨C the bulk of my Energy has been earned by just existing. It¡¯s good to know that I¡¯m still making progress, especially when my attempts at making an axe blade have been so frustrating. On that point, I suppose I¡¯d better get back to working. Getting up, I stretch to release cramping, tired muscles, and go back outside. Regarding my axe-blade, I consider what to do next. I¡¯m going to need to finish preparing the haft for certain and now I¡¯ve completed my axe-blade, I have an idea of the hole size I need to make. That said, it¡¯s almost guaranteed that I¡¯m not going to be able to create a hole so perfectly sized for the blade that the sharpened rock slots in without difficulty ¨C and stays in place despite swinging it into trees. Normally using hide and pitch would be the best idea in this situation, but I don¡¯t currently have either. Well, I do have some hide in my Inventory, but it¡¯s untreated so it¡¯s likely to just rot. I¡¯m definitely not going to delay my axe by as much time as it would take to treat the hide I have. In the end, I decide to sacrifice a part of an already torn shirt to wrap around the flint blade to help hold it in place. On another note, this world seriously has something against my wardrobe ¨C I¡¯m struggling to find clothes to wear that don¡¯t already have holes and bloodstains on them. Actually, thinking about that, I ought to have a wash and repair day some point soon...which means making soap, and a needle, and finding something to use as thread¡­ It¡¯s really never-ending! I¡¯m fortunate that at least this place is warm through most of the day: if I¡¯d needed to wrap up against the cold, I¡¯d be in a significantly worse position right now than I actually am. It would be good to have some pitch too, and I have actually got all the ingredients available. That¡¯s if we consider ¡®know where to find them¡¯ as ¡®available¡¯. Maybe that¡¯s what I should do with the rest of today? Go back to that place where I found a tree with sticky sap on its trunk. Probably a good idea, though I hope I won¡¯t have a rematch with that spider thing, or one of its relatives, at least, since the original is most definitely dead. Hopefully the pitch, the cloth, plus the bark-fibre cord I¡¯m going to tie around it top, bottom, and over the blade in a criss-cross manner, means the knapped flint stone will stay in place when I pound it into trees. I might as well plan to make soap at the same time since there is some crossover of ingredients needed. Man, it will be so good to have clean clothes ¨C and to be clean myself since all I¡¯ve done in terms of cleaning myself since my arrival has been dips in the river to wash off the blood stains. I feel grimy, like the dirt has actually ingrained itself into my skin and won¡¯t shift for anything less than a harsh attack with soap. So, in terms of ingredients, I need resin, charred plant fibre, and animal fat for the pitch. For soap, I need ash and animal fat. For both I¡¯m going to need containers. For the pitch I¡¯ll need a filtering bowl for the resin, a container in which to char the plant fibre ¨C I¡¯ll probably use a bit of the bark fibre I¡¯m twisting into cord ¨C and somewhere to actually mix and keep the pitch. For the soap, I can either create a quick and dirty bar which just requires mixing ash with animal fat, or I can try and do something more properly. In the latter case, I would need a filtering container with a hole at the bottom to allow the lye solution through, something to gather the lye solution, something to boil the lye solution. Actually, thinking about it, the last two uses could be a single container. Then I also need somewhere to render the fat, and then a mold to form the soap bar. The mold should be pretty easy to make ¨C that could just be made of wood. Actually, so could the filtering container, thinking about it, as it doesn¡¯t need to go in the fire. So maybe I¡¯d only need two different containers that could go in the fire. In total then, I need at least seven different containers, four of which need to be pottery as they need to go in the fire. Or I could use my wok for one of them, but I¡¯m hesitant to do that: I don¡¯t want to damage it or render it unable to be used as a cooking utensil. As it stands, I have two medium-sized pots and one bowl currently drying. So, I guess I only need something suitable for charring the fibre, as the pots I¡¯ve made so far won¡¯t really do the job. I¡¯ll also need to make another bowl for my own use, but perhaps that doesn¡¯t need to be now ¨C I can just eat straight from the wok as I¡¯ve been doing so far. Actually, maybe I don¡¯t need a bowl ¨C I¡¯ve got that shell from that sneleon I killed a while ago¡­ It¡¯s been sitting in my alcove for a while, unused despite its watertight nature. The main issue is its shape ¨C because it¡¯s conical, it doesn¡¯t stand up very well. I¡¯d tried using it for water, and it does help when watering my beans, but if I could use it as a bowl¡­ I¡¯ll just have to eat like the Vikings were reputed to drink ¨C all at once without putting the container down. If I have soup left in the shell, I can just put it back in my Inventory. Strangely enough, it doesn¡¯t seem to spill there. I¡¯ll still need to make more pottery and maybe it would be a good idea to fire all my pottery at once. Then use the ashes from the fire to create the soap¡­ But before I can fire the pots, they¡¯ll need to be dry, which will take a few days. Plus, although I have the time right now to make the last pot I need for my project, I don¡¯t have the clay ¨C having only intended when gathering it to make the fireplace, I¡¯m lucky that it¡¯s stretched this far already. I¡¯ll need to head back to the clay pit near the river soon to collect some more clay. If I¡¯m going to collect resin today, maybe I should plan a trip to the clay pit tomorrow morning? Then spend part of tomorrow to make the last pot ¨C actually, since I¡¯ll be firing several at the same time, I might as well make several pots since there¡¯s no guarantee that they will all fire without cracking. I decide to take Spike with me since his horn will be useful in speeding up my collection. Besides, the samova beans haven¡¯t yet sprouted so there¡¯s nothing for him to actually guard at the moment. Then, while I wait for the pots to be ready, I might as well prepare as much as I can for my future bow and arrows, i.e. creating my bowstring once my sinew is dry enough and...knapping flint heads. I grimace at the thought. Still, that¡¯s tomorrow and the days after tomorrow. Right now I need to go and collect resin before the sun starts seriously heading for the horizon. I briefly consider switching up my tasks and fetching the clay tonight as that¡¯s the more urgent task, but then dismiss the idea for one simple reason: time. The clay pit is further away from the hopefully-resinous tree and there simply isn¡¯t enough time before dark for me to go there and back and collect enough clay for my needs. Resin it is. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Three: Flailing Master I stalk carefully through the forest back towards the tree. The shadows are already lengthening, but mid-afternoon here means there¡¯s still plenty of time until night falls. I took over an hour to reach this area last time, but I wasn¡¯t exactly moving fast, instead meandering while looking for an appropriate branch to turn into an axe-haft. When I came back last time, I wasn¡¯t at my best having just been attacked. So, I figure I should only take half an hour or so to reach it at my current speed. Sure enough, by the time I reach the area that I recognise as being near the tree in question, it¡¯s only taken about that long according to the amount of Energy I¡¯ve absorbed ¨C that¡¯s my way of telling the time, these days. Searching around the area a little, I feel glee as I see not just one resinous tree, nor two, but four. They¡¯re all next to each other, perhaps three of them offspring ¨C or sprouts ¨C of the first, or perhaps all of them remnants of another, larger tree. There isn¡¯t enough size difference between them to indicate which might be the most likely possibility, though the fact that they are all similarly sized indicates that they were all planted at similar times. And then any thoughts musing about how and why trees are growing flee my mind: I¡¯m suddenly far too occupied with the fact that my foot has suddenly sunk into the ground up to the knee. I shout in surprise and pain as the ground gives way underneath me, my right foot plunging into a pit. A pit, it soon becomes obvious, which is not natural. Chirping battle cries piercing the air, I¡¯m bombarded before I know what¡¯s happening. What is with this area and getting attacked? I bemoan to myself. It takes me a few moments to gather my senses and start attacking with my knife and mace, moments in which the battle does not go well for me. There are two sets of attackers ¨C one set up in the trees, one set down below. The group up in the trees are ranged and the ones below are more melee. Covered in feathers, my assailants look surprisingly similar to the reconstructed images of feathered velociraptors I¡¯ve seen. They have long toothed beaks which the ground troops soon start using to attack me, and the ranged attackers use to spit mud at me. Perhaps mud-spitting doesn¡¯t seem particularly impressive, but the speed at which they¡¯re succeeding in sending the attacks is enough to sting my skin. At first the mud doesn¡¯t make much difference, but as it builds up, I feel it weighing down my limbs and making me feel wearier than I should be. I try to shake it off, but it sticks on stubbornly. At the same time, the sharp beaks and claws of the ground velociraptors tear at my clothes and skin. Against someone half my size, they¡¯d have already won; as it is, I¡¯m not in a good state, not at all. I flail around with my mace to try to keep the ground attackers at bay, but my stuck foot limits my mobility. Another downside is that it also brings my body and vulnerable organs closer to the creatures which, for all their numbers and strategy, are only as tall as the average medium-sized dog. And unlike a dog, since they¡¯re bipedal, they can¡¯t reach up much further than that. Unlike the killer-chickens I fought before, these guys are feathered, but have no wings ¨C the feathers coat their forearms, but don¡¯t extend backwards very far. In short, if I can get myself back to my normal height, I¡¯ll have a significant advantage over the ground velociraptors. As for the ranged ones, I can probably reach a few, and the rest I¡¯ll just have to throw rocks at, once the ground troops are dealt with. Annoying as the mud is, It¡¯s not immediately life-threatening; the sharp toothed beaks of the ground creatures potentially are ¨C even if I don¡¯t bring my vulnerable torso into their range, they could still get in a lucky bite and open an artery in my legs. Deciding to concentrate on getting free of the hole, I do my best to ignore the bites and slashes of the creatures now surrounding me as I put my hands and good foot on the ground, using them as a stable base from which to free my other foot. It¡¯s painful to pull my foot back and I¡¯m worried I¡¯ve twisted my ankle. When it finally pops free, I wince at the sight of the cuts and bruises already blooming on my skin: the walls of the hole were not exactly smooth. Although they hadn¡¯t been deliberately made worse the way I probably would if I dug a pit trap ¨C as I¡¯m sure by now this was a trap ¨C it¡¯s still a hole in the ground with plenty of roots and stones. My ankle isn¡¯t sprained, at least, and my quick Lay-on-hands sends healing to start dealing with the injuries incurred both by the trap and by the undefended attacks that connected from the creatures surrounding me. My mobility regained, I grin savagely at the velociraptors, a knife in one hand and my mace in the other. ¡°Now who¡¯s the easy prey?¡± I ask them rhetorically as I start swinging and swiping. I¡¯ll admit that it probably looks fairly ungainly from the outside ¨C I¡¯m a flailing master ¨C but I don¡¯t care. For all their obvious intelligence and viciousness, like the killer-chickens, these velociraptors aren¡¯t durable. One good hit with my mace is enough to take a velociraptor down. My knife isn¡¯t quite as effective as it actually has to hit the right spot to work, but once I get a rhythm going of stunning a raptor and then stabbing it, I find that the attackers almost melt away. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Once more, it almost seems like a replay of the killer-chicken fight, only this one has the added complication of ranged attackers which, while only annoying, do mean that I have to spend a lot more energy on maintaining my mobility than I¡¯d prefer. Just like the chickens, these velociraptor look-alikes are pack fighters, using surprisingly intelligent ambush and hit-and-run tactics to take down prey. If I hadn¡¯t been human, I¡¯d probably have gone down a long time ago. But I am human which means that not only do I have weapons which multiply my damage-dealing capacity, but I also have healing magic. Consequently, instead of a quickly over blitz attack, the raptors are suddenly having to deal with a battle of attrition. And, like with the killer-chickens before them, these creatures are not so good with elongated battles. By the time I¡¯ve cut my ground attackers down from probably around ten to three, they decide they¡¯ve had enough of this and turn to retreat. Not having any of that, I swing my mace and knock one of them hard enough that I hear the crunch of its fragile rib cage breaking. Then, going after one of the two remaining, I¡¯m suddenly hit by an absolute deluge of mud. It¡¯s like the creatures in the trees above have doubled their assault. All I can do is hunker down and try to protect my head from the sticky, heavy mud. Then, as abruptly as it started, the deluge peters out, and then stops completely. Wiping some of the mud off and smearing it onto the ground ¨C collecting a good number of dead leaves and twigs at the same time ¨C I look up at the ranged squad. They¡¯re tired, panting, like that last attack was a final all-in move. Not giving me a second glance, they¡¯re also trying to flee, moving along the branches in which they¡¯re sitting in something only slightly faster than a shuffle, jumping from branch to branch. Anger boils within me. They think they can pour mud on me and then just leave? Not likely. Grabbing stones from my Inventory, I start throwing them. My increased Dexterity shows as I actually manage to hit my targets almost as much as I miss ¨C I couldn¡¯t have done that before. Getting attacked sends the ranged raptors into a bit of a panic and they increase the speed at which they¡¯re running away: clearly they weren¡¯t expecting that, and why would they? I haven¡¯t shown any ranged abilities up until now. A couple of raptors are knocked out of the trees and I rush after them to swing my mace and end their lives. I manage to get three more before they get too far away for me to justify chasing them. Grabbing the bodies and just dragging them, I return to near the tree where all this had started. Slumping to the ground, I take a few moments to recover. I¡¯m not terribly injured as I¡¯ve been keeping up with pumping healing magic through me at various intervals. As I sit there, my health regen plus continued Lay-on-hands tops me up the rest of the way in just a few minutes. My stamina took more of a beating than my health, if I¡¯m honest. I should probably consider putting more points into Strength (Endurance) in the next level up. Or start training for a marathon. Still, I¡¯m covered in mud, which does not make me happy. Add that to the fact that another pair of trousers has been rendered to shreds and I grumble out loud as I start digging out the hearts of the velociraptors, tossing the rest of their corpses into my Inventory as I go. In total, I got thirteen of the creatures, and probably about ten or twelve got away. Hopefully they won¡¯t be back for revenge anytime soon. I build a quick fire and a rudimentary spit with two twigs with forks stuck tail-first into the ground. Another twig serves as the spit itself and I shove the hearts onto it as a strange kind of kebab. While the meat cooks, I go to do what I¡¯d actually come here to do: collect resin. Fortunately for my sanity, I hadn¡¯t misinterpreted what I¡¯d seen and all four of these trees have sticky, aromatic resin dried on their bark. The chunks will definitely need processing before I¡¯ll be able to use them for pitch, but I reckon it will all work out in the end. My harvesting over, I¡¯m feeling a lot more peaceful by the time I sit down to munch the hearts. They¡¯re not well-cooked ¨C one side is rather over-done and the other only barely done since I struggled with getting the spit to turn over and stay there ¨C but I don¡¯t care: they taste like victory. In that moment I realise something that disturbs me a bit: I¡¯m starting to like this. Or, maybe ¡®like¡¯ is the wrong word. And maybe ¡®this¡¯ is too general. It¡¯s just...there¡¯s something about this world which is real in a way my previous existence wasn¡¯t. I live on a knife¡¯s edge between survival and death. At any moment, it wouldn¡¯t take much for me to die of starvation, thirst, or injury, and somehow that makes the rest of life sweeter. The food I eat is bland in comparison to the sweetened, salted, and fried food of my past, but it has a taste which all of those lacked: the taste of freedom. In this new world, there¡¯s no boss to tell me what to do. No alarm clock to wake me up in the mornings. No landlord demanding rent. No bills demanding payment. Nothing to stop me from just...walking into the forest and going wherever I please. Instead, I have to make my own decisions, and the reward for making the right one is living one day longer, or having something that adds a little bit of luxury to my life, like my fireplace. I have to build things with my own hands, put my blood, sweat, and tears into every labour. And in doing so, I¡¯ve regained a sense of value for everything. It¡¯s...freeing. But not in an irresponsible way. I can¡¯t afford to be irresponsible, but in being given complete responsibility over my own existence, I¡¯ve gained a sense of satisfaction deeper than any I¡¯d felt before. Given the choice of going back to my previous life, it¡¯s hard to know what I would choose. Last night proved to me that I miss home, but I¡¯m not sure ¡®home¡¯ actually exists for me anywhere. The old adage says ¡®home is where the heart is¡¯ and my heart is gone. Earth holds nothing but the bitter ash of regret and destruction in many ways, but I can¡¯t say for certain that I would reject the siren pull of the safety, comforts and ease of modern life. On the other hand this place has danger around every corner, but it feels...fresh, in a way. Like the only history here is what I¡¯ve brought with me. Walking back home, I pause to just jump in the river to wash off the mud before heading up the slope. Deciding to butcher the carcasses later, I change into dry clothes, spreading my wet ones out near the smouldering fire in my fireplace. Then, slumping down onto my bed, I check out my Energy gain. A good forty-four percent increase, nice. When I¡¯m done with munching on my bird meat and drinking a bit of my ¡®soup¡¯, I decide not to move, instead making myself more comfortable on my jacket ¡®nest¡¯ and pulling out a book from my orange suitcase. I could ¨C and probably should ¨C continue with making bark-fibre cordage, or begin to whittle my soap mold with my knife and a chunk of wood, but I don¡¯t. After the fight earlier, I feel like having an evening off tonight. I¡¯m going to read a bit by the light of my fire until I become too sleepy, just like I always used to back before Classes and life-death encounters were a part of my life. Hopefully I won¡¯t have any nightmares tonight. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Four: Wisdom The next morning, I skip testing the root Spike found a few days ago. I¡¯ve been taking advantage of the more relatively relaxed days to start the whole testing process ¨C and so far with decent results ¨C but considering I was attacked yesterday by the gang of velociraptors when I didn¡¯t even go that far from home, I don¡¯t want to risk being caught again today. It¡¯s never fun fighting on a mostly-empty stomach. I¡¯ve got more days of crafting ahead of me, so I¡¯ll have time to test the root later. I¡¯ll be trying to eat it next time, and have already cooked it in my wok, leaving it in my Inventory until I¡¯m ready for it. With the ten more spaces I gained levelling up, I have a fair amount of space for storage these days. Just as well since my needs seem to be multiplying! Ultimately, I want to discover at least five edible vegetables. Pondweed seems to be fine, and hopefully this root will be able to stand in for potatoes ¨C certainly, the state of the cooking water after I boiled it proved it¡¯s full of starch or something similar. Then I just need three more to give myself a chance of eating well rather than becoming malnourished. Something with vitamin C in is a must-have since I don¡¯t want to be getting scurvy. Wait, is scurvy a problem for people with high Constitutions? An interesting question. Constitution affects health points, but what does that mean? Is it just a defence against poison and injuries, leaving diseases and nutritional imbalances to wreak havoc? Surely not, as, although my status screen only shows Constitution affecting health points, the System knowledge stone tells me that Constitution actually improves the body¡¯s functioning. That means improving the efficiency of different organs, the durability of my bones, and the reactivity of nerves. Surely that means that it also improves the capabilities of the immune system? Nicholas¡¯ world doesn¡¯t seem to have investigated this, judging by the lack of information, but isn¡¯t it logical to say that the immune system is just as likely to be improved as organs? And if higher Constitution affects the efficiency of organs, doesn¡¯t that mean that it can tolerate lower than ideal levels of vitamins? Or higher? Again, not questions I have answers to, but I¡¯ll probably discover the conclusion sometime. Hopefully not by getting scurvy or the plague. Actually, on that side of things, I suppose that it¡¯s unlikely that any viruses carried by the creatures around here are likely contagious for me since I¡¯m from another world entirely. One upside, I guess. And I didn¡¯t get sick or even have a stomach ache from drinking water straight from the stream without boiling it, though I am boiling it now just in case. That alone seems to me an indicator that I¡¯m not likely to catch something from creatures around here. On that note, after filling my canteen with boiled water from my wok, I first take a good drink and then summon Spike. Heading off down the slope, I fill my wok at the river to collect water for boiling later. Then, walking quickly, but as quietly and inconspicuously as possible, we head back to the clay pit. For once, we manage to actually make a trip into the forest without being attacked. That¡¯s not to say we see no other signs of life ¨C we see plenty ¨C but any animals we cross paths with are more scared of us than we are of them and we don¡¯t end up in another fight. Perhaps it¡¯s my size: all the creatures we run across are smaller than me and, in the animal kingdom, size really does matter. Except for venomous creatures: there, poison is the great equaliser. The quiet journey gives me a bit of time to consider something. It¡¯s still concerning that I haven¡¯t earned any Energy towards my ¡®debt¡¯ yet and I¡¯m leaning towards the idea that just earning Energy in general doesn¡¯t count. First, because it seems ridiculous that enough Energy to get me a good four-fifths of the way towards level two, despite having ¡®bought¡¯ several stat points, wouldn¡¯t even register as one percent. Second, because my other experiences with the System seem to indicate that Energy is a usable resource, rather than some ethereal, abstract number. I mean, the System stone was quite clear in indicating that we have to gain Energy to level up not because some ¡®god¡¯ or ¡®higher authority¡¯ says we have to, but because the Energy is genuinely required to change our bodies. Actually, I¡¯ve even started wondering why a levelling system is even required except that it seems to also provide clear thresholds for when we can gain access to more Skills. Though if we can gain Skills in other ways¡­ Anyway, back to the point. So we actually use the Energy we gather, it¡¯s more like a purse of money than a cryptocurrency wallet ¨C in the first case you can actually see and use the money directly, in this case to ¡®buy¡¯ stat points either with levelling up or with additional effort; in the second, you can see numbers on the screen, but they seem to change unpredictably and have little bearing on what you can actually use them for. Except that you can pay for things with cryptocurrencies...maybe it¡¯s not the best of examples. But that aside, if the Energy is being used to make me stronger, it can¡¯t be used to propel me across universes which, according to Nicholas¡¯s letter, is what it¡¯s going to be used for. I decide to try something as an experiment. Seeing as so many other things seem to be based on thinking about them ¨C the first time in my life I¡¯ve actually been able to say that ¡®thinking¡¯ has real results ¨C I try concentrating on my desire for my Energy gain to go into my Energy debt rather than towards my next level. I concentrate hard enough that a furrow digs into the skin between my eyes and my eyes shut by themselves. I repeat the thought several times to try to increase the chance that something actually comes of my efforts. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. When I¡¯m confident that the idea is as embedded as I can make it, I relax and open my eyes, dodging abruptly to the side as I realise I¡¯m about to collide with a tree. Maybe next time I should do this sort of thing standing still¡­ Anyway, time will tell as to whether I¡¯ve actually done anything or if I¡¯ve just been thinking hard with nothing to show for it. Back at the river bank close to home, I release Spike to his eating/guarding duties. He managed to find me a few more roots at my request during our walk, so at least I¡¯ve got plenty of testing material sitting in my Inventory. More immediately useful, I also have two slots full of river clay. Kneeling by the river, I process the clay, needing a much finer grain to make my pots than the natural stuff provides me with. I need it to be even finer than the clay that I used initially for my fireplace and find myself teasing out even quite small stones. It takes time, like everything in this supermarket-free world. Honestly, I understand why people in the past had far fewer possessions and tended to take more care of them: when you have to dedicate hours to replacing a pot or a plate instead of just popping down to the local shop, breaking it would be much more serious. By the time the sun is approaching its zenith, I¡¯ve processed all the clay I collected, two Inventory slots reduced down to barely half of one being filled ¨C it just goes to show how much of the clay had been stone. Still, I should have enough clay to be getting on with. Deciding to actually start making the pottery at home, I take a good drink before filling my water canteen again. Heading up the slope again, my stomach growls loudly. Half-grinning at the sound, I decide to pay attention to my bodily needs, so munch on some bird meat for lunch while sitting outside the cave in the sun. Then, my belly sated, if not full, I settle down for some pottery-making in the shade. Deciding to start with my charring pot, I create the base first, manipulating a piece of clay until it¡¯s flat with slightly curved up sides. Taking another piece of clay, I flatten it. Wetting my fingers, I draw them along the edge of the sides and then add my next piece of flattened clay, blending the join until there¡¯s no sign of it. Continuing the process, I work around and up, around and up, until I have a small pot about the size of my two hands if I was holding something between them, my finger tips just touching. I leave a small entrance for things to enter and leave, adding a little lip so that I¡¯ll be able to use it for liquids later. Checking that there are no signs of where I¡¯ve joined the clay pieces together, I try to smooth the inside as far as I can reach through the hole. I can¡¯t reach well enough to smooth the interior with a river stone like I did with the previous pots so I hope it¡¯ll work well enough. Putting the pot aside with the others to dry slowly, I start making some more forms. Another few pots in case the ones I¡¯ve made so far crack, a couple of plates, jugs, and bowls both large and small. After having a small brain-wave during the day, I even finish up by creating a small stand for my snail-shell bowl. It¡¯s nothing pretty, but hopefully it will solve the issue of me not being able to put it down until I¡¯m finished. By the time I¡¯m finished, the sun is close to the horizon again. It¡¯s been a long day, but fruitful, I hope. The proof will be when I fire the pottery pieces. At least pottery-making proved to be less frustrating than flint-knapping. In fact, I can see why some people would choose to do it as a hobby. Not for me, though, especially not now when there are so many other things to do. Still, it was calming to do, despite Lathani sneaking past her mother to come and investigate what I was doing. She almost gave me a heart attack when her curious prodding almost toppled three of my newly made pots... Deciding to use the rest of my light to work on another tool, I head back out of the cave to sit in the sunlight. Bathing in its warmth after the coolness of the cave, I take a moment to just be. Down below at the foot of the hill, the sun only enters as fingers of light through the shifting canopy above, but here on the top it has free rein. I raise my face to the sky and feel the play of warmth across my skin. The breeze drifts across my skin, its caress almost a kiss. The symphony of the creatures of the forest surrounds me without being overwhelmingly loud, the sound of the evening significantly different from that of the morning. The smell brought on the breeze is that of trees, grass, loam, and the faint hint of decay. The mix of pleasant and unpleasant is a good metaphor for nature in general. It¡¯s in a state of unusual serenity that I find myself. Pottery-making, beyond simply calming, is almost meditation, requiring enough focus to prevent sinking into past or future thoughts and troubles, but at the same time is monotonous enough to lull my thoughts into peace. My mind feels clear and light, no fears for the future or worries about the past weighing it down. For once, I¡¯m living in the moment and it feels...good. As I withdraw my axe haft-to-be and the blade I worked on yesterday from my Inventory, I feel a sense of nagging which I¡¯ve come to associate with a notification waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have come to understand a little more about Wisdom and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
I hesitate. I wasn¡¯t expecting this. Well, it seems like I have a little more idea about how to work on Wisdom, it seems: channeling my inner Buddhist-monk. Or was it the Tibetan ones who refused to kill any creature, even an insect, believing them all to be brothers and sisters? Or am I mixing it up with the Native American ¡®Brother Sun, Sister Moon¡¯ thing? I shrug ¨C it¡¯s not as though I¡¯ll ever be able to find out, is it? Either way, clearly it was my feeling of connection with all the flora and fauna of this world which prompted this increase in my Wisdom. Perhaps meditation will help? Not that I¡¯ve ever done it, but I¡¯ve picked up a few things by osmosis from my ex about it. Though she got everything from Vogue so¡­ Anyway, all those thoughts are beside the point. Should I accept it or not? It¡¯s not really a hard question. I¡¯ve increased my Wisdom from where it started, but it still has a long way to go to even be considered ¡®normal¡¯ for Nicholas¡¯ world and the more points I can earn by myself, the more level-up points I¡¯ll be able to assign freely. Thinking ¡®yes¡¯ at the interface, I sense the point being applied. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Five: Good Times In my state of serenity, I start wandering down the hill towards the stream. I look at my surroundings and notice that they are ever so slightly different from before. The world around me has a myriad facets which I¡¯ve never really paid attention to. I can see the links between different things more easily. I admire how the play of light over the earth not far from my feet is causing the insects to move in a certain pattern. I watch as some pellets left by a small animal, probably last night I note absently, are clearly food for these same insects and are being swiftly taken apart and carried back, presumably to their nest. I have to focus to see these connections, and they take time to see and decipher...but it¡¯s a difference to the way I viewed the world before, if only a minuscule one. I check my status screen and yep, I¡¯m down by twelve percent Energy storage. It¡¯s changed from before when it used to take fifteen percent to increase a stat, but maybe that¡¯s because it takes more Energy per percentage point rather than taking less Energy to increase the stat itself. What I do notice is that the Energy debt is finally showing movement: that area on my status screen now shows a gain of one percent towards my Energy debt. One percent, in a day. And my Energy store hasn¡¯t changed except to go down by twelve percent, now sitting at seventy-three percent. On the one hand, it¡¯s good news ¨C if I dedicated all my Energy to the debt, I¡¯d be finished with it in less than a hundred days, just based on Energy absorption. Assuming that creatures killed also count towards it, I¡¯d be done in even less time. I¡¯m fairly confident that the Energy gained from kills also counts given that in the letter he left me, Nicholas seemed quite keen for me to go hunting. If I focused all my Energy towards paying off the debt, though, this little experiment has proven that I wouldn¡¯t make any steps towards improving myself. Sure, I could keep gaining stat points until my Energy store runs out, and then afterwards I could gain even more if I worked hard enough, but¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the most efficient way of doing things. If working in the corporate world has taught me nothing else, it¡¯s that money makes money. Those who have money can invest it in places which offer a return on investment with little effort on their parts. Those without money have to leverage their own time and effort for gain, which limits their earning capacity. I¡¯m not saying that this is the same story ¨C I can¡¯t send Energy out to earn more Energy, but the higher level I am, the more powerful creatures I can kill; the more Energy I can earn. Though actually, that raises the question: can I send Energy out to earn more Energy ¨C through my Bound? I mean, if I Dominated or Tamed five different creatures and sent them out to kill others, would I get any Energy from that? Perhaps something to test later when I have more Bound. More combat-capable Bound, that is. Another factor of my decision about earning Energy for my passage to Nicholas¡¯s world is the hope that once I¡¯m more powerful and durable, I¡¯ll be able to head into the more Energy-dense areas. That should mean that even my hourly Energy absorption rate will go up. Sure, I¡¯m presuming that the Energy debt is a static quantity, rather than a percentage of my effort. I don¡¯t have any proof for that ¨C won¡¯t, until I can earn enough Energy to raise the Energy accumulated towards my debt at a significantly faster rate than currently ¨C but it makes logical sense to me. Some evidence I have that supports my thoughts is that the fact that the percentage cost of raising a stat point has dropped since levelling up. Conversely, the amount of Energy required to increase the percentage of my Energy store has risen ¨C relatively easily noticed when calculating how many percentage points I gain just from daily absorption compared to the past. Those two facts put together indicate to me that some things under this system require a static quantity of energy rather than a relative percentage. So, to summarise, although I could complete the Energy debt in a hundred days as I am now, potentially in the future I could complete it in fifty days, or maybe even less. So, I¡¯ll need to take a balanced approach ¨C not completing it too soon when it will just put a brake on my progress, but not leaving it too late either as that could be a...terminal mistake. It does mean I need to pay a little more attention to how long has passed ¨C maybe making marks on a piece of wood I keep in my Inventory will be the best solution. Deciding to do my figuring out somewhere safer than just next to the river, I walk back up the hill, picking up a long stick as I spot one on my way. Settling next to the the cave mouth again in the sun, I pull out my knife. Now, how many notches should I make, I ask myself. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I¡¯m pretty sure about two weeks has gone by. Let¡¯s see¡­ The day I arrived and was attacked by the bird. The day after with the crocodile things. The day after and the raptorcat panic-fest. I think the killer-chickens was the next day ¨C oh yeah, that was when I was attacked by that snake-millipede thing, good times...I scratch my head for a moment. What happened next? Oh, of course ¨C the wolvezard and Kalanthia. Or was that the same day as the chickens? I can¡¯t remember¡­ Then I¡¯ve looked after Lathani twice, and I think there were three days between the baby-sitting days. Oh, and the day I took off. And the day I levelled up¡­ Plus this is the second day since I last looked after Lathani. I count up the days. So...twelve days? Maybe thirteen, maybe twelve? Ah, I¡¯ll go with fourteen ¨C I¡¯d rather risk being a little early with my debt than a little late¡­ Conclusions reached, plans made, and my first efforts to record how long I¡¯ve survived so far done, I decide to continue with my axe. Looking down at the two halves thoughtfully, I debate with myself on what to do next. With the blade now made, I know how big I need to make the hole. How to do it is a different question. Looking at the more prepared haft, I thoughtfully consider the quickest and most effective way of making a hole. I don¡¯t have a drill or a chisel. I could use one of the flint flakes from my knapping as a chisel and a rock as a hammer, but I don¡¯t think that would be the most effective, or not at first, anyway. Especially since the flint would be more likely to just chip and break. In the end, I decide to use fire. It¡¯s easy enough since I¡¯ve already got one burning almost twenty-four/seven in my fireplace. Actually, thinking about that, I ought to go and collect some dead branches to keep it going overnight¡­ I¡¯ll do that after this. I probably should have done that while I was down by the river instead of being mesmerized by the connections of nature, but too late now. Heading back into my cave, I put the tip of my knife in the fire. I don¡¯t stay holding it as the fire is hot enough to soon burn my hands, but after wrapping my right hand with a cloth, I take the knife out of the fire once it¡¯s glowing a bit. Pressing the hot metal into the middle of the space where I want to make the hole, I smile when I see a little smoke start to rise. The wood is dense enough that it doesn¡¯t catch light; that¡¯s fortunate as it¡¯s not my intention to send all my work up in smoke. Instead, the smouldering helps me to carve out wood more quickly and easily than otherwise. Once the knife cools down, I return it to the fire, only to repeat the technique. It¡¯s a slow process still: the burning helps, but isn¡¯t anywhere near as effective as even a crude stone drill, let alone a modern electric drill. Still, I keep at it, taking breaks every so often to stretch my limbs and make some more bark-fibre cord ¨C my current go-to for busy-work. By the time the sun is almost touching the horizon, I¡¯m making pretty good inroads, but I take a break to go and collect some firewood. I can continue doing this in my cave once darkness falls properly, after all. Putting thoughts into action, I quickly venture into the forest line to scour it for dead wood. Fortunately, being a forest, there¡¯s plenty of that around. It helps that it doesn¡¯t seem to have rained for a while as everything is very dry. I keep going until almost full dark follows. When something swoops past me, barely seen in the dusk that¡¯s more dark than twilight, I jump and decide to head back. Knowing all the other things that are around in this forest, I¡¯d rather not chance my arm ¨C or head ¨C by wandering around in the domain of nocturnal creatures. My eyesight has improved a little with my Constitution stat, but not enough to make me an advert for eating carrots and definitely not enough to compete with a creature who makes the night their hunting time. Hurrying home, I keep a sharp eye ¨C and ear, and every other sense ¨C out for anything that might consider me a little snack to start the evening with. Getting home, I head into the alcove and prod the smouldering embers in the fireplace back into flame. Carefully feeding the fire with fuel and blowing to ensure it gets enough oxygen, I soon have a merry blaze flickering in the centre of the clay chimney. With its light, I start sorting out the firewood I collected, piling the items into three different categories: light, medium, and heavy. That way, I should be able to easily lay my hands on whatever the fire needs to keep going. Of course, that all takes a fair amount of time and by the point that I¡¯m finished, I don¡¯t really feel like continuing with the axe haft. Instead, after having a dinner of stew, I just lie back in my bed and think. If knowledge stones create new neural links and give access to new memories, would it help to go through those memories? Reinforce the links? Could that actually be a way of increasing Intelligence? Surely yes in that creating and reinforcing neural links is generally an indication of intelligence, and nothing of this System so far indicates to me that it works against what scientists on Earth already know; quite the opposite. So maybe if I dedicate a bit of time to going through all the information I¡¯ve learned from the knowledge stones, as well as perhaps things I learnt at school and at work that might be relevant to my life now, I could increase my Intelligence stat? It¡¯s worth a try, at least, and so I get to work. I fall asleep still going through memories, though my cataloging has shifted from just going through useful memories to playing a reel of the highlights in my history. It feels good and means I slip into an easy sleep full of pleasant, if nostalgic, dreams. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Six: This big As usual, I wake with the sun. Testing a small chunk of my potato-replacement, I look forward to the time when I¡¯m able to eat enough of it to actually make my stomach feel like there¡¯s something in it, rather than the emptiness which follows my ¡®breakfast¡¯ with it now. I¡¯ve got high hopes for this thing - if today goes well, I¡¯ll be trying a greater quantity tomorrow morning and then, hopefully, after that I¡¯ll be able to try adding it to my stew of pondweed and bird meat. Honestly, without any sort of seasoning apart from a very small amount of salt, it¡¯s not great, but if I can have a starchy tuber to turn the thin liquid into something more soup-like, it will improve the situation. Once I¡¯ve found some basics to eat, I can try looking for things that will flavour my food a little, but honestly, it¡¯s not a priority at the moment. As I eat, I muse about the lack of waste I now produce. I used to fill a bin bag every week or so, even living on my own. And that¡¯s not even including the amount of recycling that I produced as well. Another bag every two weeks. Now...what I don¡¯t eat or use came from nature, so I just return it to nature. Bones and useless hide I drop in the forest to be stripped clean or eaten away by scavengers. Discarded flint shards are just left to lie where they fall, immediately becoming part of the forest floor. Even my fires don¡¯t produce much waste, and I¡¯m collecting what they do produce to use for the various crafts that require ashes. Bits of food neither I nor Spike eat like the stems of the pondweed plants are currently building up in a hole I got Spike to dig for me ¨C when it¡¯s half full, I¡¯ll cover it over and start another one, probably planting seeds or these tuber things in the first hole once it¡¯s had a bit of time to compost. The circle of life right there. It¡¯s a very different story from modern life where I was so disconnected from nature around me. It makes me think more deeply about humanity¡¯s place in the world. Right now I¡¯m back to basics, all the way back from the Cyber Age to the Stone Age, with only a metal knife and some modern fabrics to prove that anything else ever existed. Once more, I can¡¯t help thinking that there¡¯s a part of me that¡¯s...comfortable, content with my place here, for all the hard labour that it entails. Speaking of hard labour, time to get going again since I¡¯ve finished my tuber. What to do¡­ My clay is going to take a bit of time to dry, several days at least. Once it is dry, I¡¯ll need to fire it, so for that I¡¯ll need to make a pit and collect enough firewood to keep the fire burning for hours. That¡¯s going to take time, but not days. Well, the pit might, but I¡¯m going to get Spike to help with that. As usual it¡¯s a bit of a catch-22 situation ¨C it would be easier to collect firewood if I could chop chunks off bigger pieces that I find on the ground, but for that I need my axe, and I won¡¯t have my axe before I¡¯ve made the pitch which requires the pots to be fired¡­ I sigh in frustration. I¡¯ll just have to cope with smaller pieces of deadwood, but that means I¡¯ll need more of it. At the same time, I need to make my flint arrow-heads at some point, plus process the sinew for attaching the feathers to the arrows, not to mention to make the bowstring as well. Lots of things to do ¨C what¡¯s the best order? In the end, I decide that I might as well start digging the pit as that¡¯s likely to take the longest time. Well no, the flint arrow-heads are likely to take the longest, but I won¡¯t need them until after all the other things are done, so I¡¯ve got time. Walking out of the cave, I greet Kalanthia. The giant leopard reminds me that tomorrow is my baby-sitting day. I shrug and agree ¨C it doesn¡¯t impact me hugely: I still need to dig my hole. Maybe Lathani will find the hole interesting enough that she won¡¯t be trying to explore down the hill. I make a mental note to spend some time roasting extra pieces of meat for her in case she needs a bit of bribery. Hopefully Kalanthia won¡¯t overreact again now she knows I¡¯m not trying to Tame her cub. ¡°Spike?¡± I call and then stop and listen. Nothing. Hmm, he must be off foraging. Ah well, I¡¯ll just get started by myself then. Grabbing a stick out of my Inventory which I set aside when I realised it might be good for something other than just firewood, I look at the ground around me thoughtfully. I don¡¯t want to put this pit anywhere it might pose a danger to a certain nunda cub. But at the same time, I don¡¯t want to go far from the cave as I¡¯m going to have to keep a sharp eye on my rudimentary kiln when it¡¯s lit. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. In the end, I pick a spot not far from where my chimney opens onto the outside. Using my digging stick, I start breaking the ground. It¡¯s hard work, and sweaty, especially when the sun rises higher and starts warming me up even further. It¡¯s also slow work, far slower than it would be with a shovel, let alone with some sort of mechanical digger which could probably do my job here in ten minutes or less. I have to use the digging stick to break up the ground, and then my hands to scoop the loose dirt out of the hole. The first bit is the hardest as I have to break through the net-like roots of the ground-covering plants. With a spade it would be easier as I¡¯d be able to cut them; here, I have to basically just use the stick as leverage and my hands to do the rest. Needless to say, the skin on my hands takes a beating between the rocks, roots, and blisters from my hold on the stick. Actually, by the time I pause for lunch, I feel like a big ball of pain. My hands are the worst, of course, but my knees hurt from skin being pressed into rough ground, my neck is burnt, and my back aches from being in the same position for a long time. I stretch with a moan, the change of position both a new pain and relief from pain. Checking my stats I can see that I¡¯ve even lost a couple of points from my health bar! I¡¯m curious about what my health regen is like so I don¡¯t actually cast a healing spell on myself as I go and get food. Munching on some meat hungrily in the blessed shade, I watch as my hands ¨C washed clean of dirt ¨C slowly repair themselves. I do end up casting Lay-on-hands by the time I finish lunch because they¡¯re not healing fast enough by themselves for me to be able to pick up the stick again without wincing. Still, the fact that I was able to see a visible improvement in my injuries in such a short amount of time is impressive. Perhaps super-human healing isn¡¯t so far off after all¡­ I keep going as long as I can, eventually giving up somewhere after mid-afternoon from sheer exhaustion. I¡¯m a lot more used to hard labour now than I was when I arrived, but it¡¯s only been a couple of weeks, after all ¨C Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day. Still, I¡¯ve made some progress and the speed of advancement only grew when Spike returned and helped me out. I¡¯ve stripped the turf from a circular shaped area, about two metres in diameter - the size of my future pit. I¡¯ve placed the sods of earth around the edge of the hole to delineate it a bit. I¡¯m planning on doing the same with at least some of the soil and then forcing sticks into the pile to create something of a barrier to a certain cub. I watch the cub in question with an indulgent eye. Lathani¡¯s been very interested in what I¡¯ve been doing all day. Currently she¡¯s scrabbling in the dirt, investigating the various bugs and worms which have been revealed by the removal of their ¡®ceiling¡¯. As I watch, she pokes at one bug with a curious paw. Unlike the other bugs which ran away as quickly as possible, often turning themselves over in their haste, this one just raises its mandibles and stands its ground. ¡°Um, Lathani, I wouldn¡¯t-¡± I start saying as she squares up to it eagerly. Poking at the creature again, she¡¯s surprised when this one bites back, its mandibles sinking into her fur and ¨C probably ¨C pricking her skin. She¡¯s more surprised than hurt, but panics, especially when she shakes her paw and the bug stays attached. Making cute little sounds of distress, she dances around flailing her paw back and forth. She honestly looks ridiculous. It¡¯s a big bug, sure, but she¡¯s bigger than any house-cat ¨C it just looks so small in comparison to her that it¡¯s unbelievable that this little thing should have such an impact on her. Still, I muse even as I rush forwards, it¡¯s probably as ridiculous as a full-grown adult panicking over a bee or a wasp. Or a spider. I shudder at the thought, my own feelings of fear only deepening at the memory of that spider-horror that attacked me a couple of days ago. ¡°Lathani, calm down, it¡¯s OK,¡± I say as I move forwards. ¡°Hey, stop and I¡¯ll get it off you.¡± She doesn¡¯t pay me any attention, still bouncing all over the place. Still, the situation resolves itself when the bug loosens its grip and goes flying away into the bushes thanks to Lathani¡¯s flailing. What is amiss? Kalanthia¡¯s voice makes me jump. I see her peering out of the cave, wariness in her posture. Lathani makes a plaintive wail and runs towards her, cuddling into her leg as soon as she gets close enough. ¡°A bug bit Lathani,¡± I tell her mother. ¡°She finally managed to shake it off just now.¡± The cub sends me what can only be a betrayed look. Somehow, I know exactly why I earned that look. ¡°I swear, it was massive ¨C this big,¡± I add, holding my hands out to indicate something small-dog sized. Lathani¡¯s gaze shifts into something more satisfied and she turns her head back into her mother¡¯s leg. I wink at Kalanthia and shift so I now show her the real size of the creature. I see, Kalanthia says, sounding amused. Perhaps you should be more careful around bugs, my cub, she continues, obviously projecting to both of us, however that works with her weird mind-to-mind communication. She and her cub withdraw back into the cave with a final glance around to, I guess, check there are no threats. I put my digging stick back into my Inventory and then sit down in the sun for a little rest. I¡¯ll probably go and collect some firewood with the rest of my evening, but I need to recoup my energy a little. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Seven: Time Looking up at the sky, I try to estimate the time. Having paid close attention to my Energy gain by absorption over the last few days, I¡¯ve concluded that there must be between twenty-seven and twenty-nine hours per day. Settling on twenty-eight as the average ¨C and also easily divisible ¨C number, I decide on a clock face with fourteen hours on it. Based on the idea that the zenith of the sun is at fourteen o¡¯clock pm, and otherefore midnight is fourteen o¡¯clock am, I estimate that the sun usually rises around five or six in the morning, and sets between nine and ten in the evening. That makes a day length of between seventeen and nineteen hours, and a night of between nine and eleven hours. Hah, no wonder I¡¯m feeling well-rested at night, but just as equally completely exhausted by the end of the day. Even if we assume it¡¯s the shorter end of the scale, and I¡¯m not convinced it is, I¡¯m active for seventeen hours. And not just mentally active, but intensely physically active as well. Sure, I¡¯ve worked long hours at work as well, but rarely more than fourteen hours in a day, so seventeen is a bit of a jump, especially since I¡¯m not just sitting at a computer but often actually in a life-or-death situation. Just as equally, I tend to need about seven hours a night to feel well-rested so the fact that I¡¯m getting at least nine explains why I always wake up naturally with the sun, despite being by nature more of a night owl than an early bird. Is this even as long as the days get here? I have to wonder if this is spring, summer, or autumn ¨C surely it¡¯s not winter ¨C or indeed if there are seasons here at all. It¡¯s actually a more relevant question than it might first appear: if winter is coming, I need to prepare for it. Actually¡­ I stand up and walk over to the cave mouth. Peering in, my eyes adapt slowly to the dim light. It¡¯s a quicker adaption that it used to be, though ¨C I guess I have my increased Constitution to thank for that. Lathani is snuggled into her mother, though she¡¯s moving rhythmically, probably drinking milk. Good: she¡¯s not asleep. ¡°Kalanthia,¡± I start softly. She shifts a little, but otherwise doesn¡¯t move. Yes, Markus Wolfe, she invites after a moment. ¡°I was wondering...are there seasons here? I mean, changing of day length, temperature, weather¡­?¡± Yes. OK, that¡¯s...informative. I take a moment to think through my next question. ¡°What are they like? Is the temperature change drastic? Does the weather change dramatically?¡± Kalanthia huffs lightly. Outside this valley, the changes are more obvious than inside it: here, we have a protected climate where the main change is day length. However, even that does not change significantly - perhaps the day in the dark season is as short as the night in the bright time. The main change with the weather is that there is significantly more rain. I sense her distaste for the wet, but keep my amusement to myself. Along with her ¡®words¡¯ come the sense of wet moving to dry and back again, the river widening its banks and then narrowing again. The sky overhead moves between overcast and clear and the temperature varies between chilly enough to be grateful for fur in the mornings to warm enough that fur is only tolerable in the shade. ¡°Right, thank you,¡± I reply, genuinely grateful for the information as well as the impressions sent along with it. Good to know that I don¡¯t need to worry about preparing to be buried under metres of snow, at least. Though, one more question¡­ ¡°So which season are we in now? The bright or the dark? Or an in between one? And how long does each season last?¡± I lied. Two more questions. Hmm, we are past the brightest point of the year, but not by long. OK, so in that case, if I say that the summer solstice has a daylight period of eighteen hours and a night period of ten hours, does that mean that the winter solstice has a daylight period of ten hours and a night period of eighteen hours? If so, that¡¯s really not too bad: I¡¯m used to London and its less than eight daylight hours at the darkest, so at least ten is an improvement on that. As for the length of the seasons, Kalanthia continues, it is hard to approximate in terms that your human mind will comprehend. Perhaps...she flicks her tail thoughtfully. If you consider the cycle to be as long as you are tall, the time since you have been here is the equivalent of your shortest finger. The brightest time and darkest time are equal distances apart, and the temperature is coldest in the short time following the darkest night just as the warmest time is the period directly after the brightest day. The rain comes in the period surrounding the darkest night, perhaps the equivalent of your knee to your foot, though it is not constant, simply annoyingly frequent. The driest time directly precedes the start of the rain. It¡¯s an interesting way of describing time, but effective enough. I can¡¯t get an exact idea of how long a year is here, but if we approximate that two weeks is the equivalent of around five centimetres, and then divide my height of one hundred and seventy-seven centimetres by that, we get approximately thirty-five times two weeks. Hence, we can estimate the year length to be around seventy weeks. I suddenly have a thought: I¡¯m supposed to survive in this world for a ¡®year¡¯. Which year? Are they talking about an Earth year of three hundred and sixty-five point two five days? Or a year on this planet of approximately four hundred and ninety days? Actually, even more than that in Earth¡¯s terms considering that the day length here is longer than on Earth. Or, even more panic-inducing, a year on Nicholas¡¯ world which could be significantly longer ¨C or significantly shorter? I absently thank Kalanthia again for the information, returning outside to chew it over. A sense of fear rises in my chest at the thought of the answer being Nicholas¡¯ world, and of me overestimating how much time I have to earn the Energy. I check my status screen, noticing that I have some messages to investigate. I¡¯ll look at them later. No, nothing on my screen. No countdown, no indication of how long I have to earn the Energy. Nothing. I close the screen and force myself to breathe. If I don¡¯t know the information, I can¡¯t make plans based on it. I¡¯ll just have to make plans based on what I do know, and try to earn the Energy for my debt as soon as possible without stymieing my progress. Wait...A thought suddenly strikes. The System stone. Maybe that would have the information I seek? I focus on the knowledge I absorbed from the stone, trying to trigger some sort of latent knowledge about Nicholas¡¯ world. To no avail: no new information comes up to smack me in the face. Still, I¡¯m not completely disheartened ¨C I worked out a theory about Earth based on circumstantial evidence in the memories I absorbed; it¡¯s possible I can do that again. It¡¯ll take longer than I¡¯d like to spend while the sun is up to do that, though, so I put it off to ruminate in the back of my mind until this evening. In the meantime, I check out the messages I saw I¡¯ve received. As expected, they¡¯re all about stat gains, though none of them are offering me the point for free, unfortunately.
Congratulations! This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. You have worked hard on your Strength (Endurance) and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Strength (Power) and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Two points in Strength...I whistle in appreciation. Still, I suppose all of these make sense. If my theory of day length is right, I¡¯ve probably spent about eight hours in intense physical effort, the length of time improving my muscle endurance, and the repetitive actions themselves improving my muscle power. As for Constitution, I suppose I have been putting my body through the mill today. A muscle twinges to remind me of exactly what I¡¯ve asked of it and I wince. I pull up my status screen mourning the fact that my Energy toward the next level, which had been almost into the last fifth of the way to level two, has dropped significantly. Still, since I don¡¯t have a Skill to shoot for, the next one being available at level five, I don¡¯t feel too bad. Yes, six more stats to assign would be good, but I¡¯ve just gained three through hard work and an injection of Energy so...

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 42% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 7 Mana: 70/70
Wisdom 7 Mana regeneration rate: 175u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution 9 Health: 90/90
Strength 8 Stamina: 40/40
Dexterity 6 Stamina regeneration rate: 60u/hr
Deciding I¡¯ve sat around for too long and feeling a bit restless with the uncertainty about the length of time I have until my debt becomes due, I get up and head off to collect some firewood. It would be nice if I can avoid a confrontation today ¨C after all the physical labour, I don¡¯t feel in a good condition to get into a life-death struggle. I decide not to venture too far since I reckon that Kalanthia¡¯s presence is a good deterrent. For sure there are far fewer tracks in the area immediately surrounding the hill. Either she¡¯s hunted enough creatures close to her den to keep others away out of fear of being hunted in turn, or the animals detect a superior predator in the neighbourhood and react to that. Either way, I take advantage of the zone of tranquility to find firewood with less risk of suddenly being jumped. I still keep my eyes out, though ¨C I¡¯d be stupid not to. The downside of searching in this spot is that I¡¯ve already been through this area a few times so there are fewer sticks and branches available. By the time the sun is close to the horizon and I¡¯m heading back, I¡¯ve actually succeeded in avoiding being attacked! A miracle. On the downside, I haven¡¯t managed to collect as much firewood as I might have hoped. Still, I¡¯ve made some inroads on the large amount I¡¯m going to need for firing my pottery. A few more trips into the woods, maybe going a bit further, and I should be golden. The sky is darkening as I climb the slope; I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t leave it any later to come back. Kalanthia¡¯s lying in the entrance of the cave and Lathani¡¯s playing with a stick nearby. ¡°How¡¯s the war-wound?¡± I ask the cub after saying a quick hello to her mother. The baby nunda chirps at me and rubs her head against my knee, having to lean up a bit to reach. She¡¯s clearly not yet capable of communicating like her mother is, but I get the impression that she¡¯s happy to see me. The thought sends warmth through me and I lean down to stroke her head. Suddenly wondering whether her mother would approve, considering her strong opinions about Taming, I pull my hand back quickly, glancing up at the giant leopard. Kalanthia isn¡¯t looking, her golden eyes instead shut as she rests her head on her paws. Lathani clearly liked the caress, though, as she butts at my head insistently. I hesitate, not sure if I should or not. Why did you stop, Markus Wolfe? Kalanthia¡¯s rumbling voice speaks into my head, making me jump. Clearly, even though her eyes are closed, she¡¯s still completely aware of her surroundings. Lathani was enjoying that. So she doesn¡¯t mind. Mentally shrugging, I crouch down to continue scratching at Lathani¡¯s ears and neck, stroking the fur on her head and down her spine to her shoulders. Her fur is far softer than her mother¡¯s. Fluffy, even. The cub half-closes her eyes in contentment and the warmth inside me grows. There¡¯s nothing like giving such simple pleasure to an animal and seeing them enjoy it without any sense of shame or self-consciousness. But all things come to an end, and I have tasks to do before the night closes in completely. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Eight: Nicholas’ World Regretfully walking away from Lathani, who makes an annoyed sound when I stop petting her, I head past the cave. Sorting out the firewood in my Inventory, I stack the majority of the branches up near where I¡¯ve started digging my pit, only taking enough of the driest stuff into the cave with me for the night. A previous day, I¡¯d tested my wok and confirmed that I can actually put it in my Inventory full of liquid and then get it out again still full. Why that works when my Inventory won¡¯t accept my satchel because it won¡¯t fully close, I don¡¯t know. Still, it makes things easier since making a clay pot for water, however annoying, is still significantly easier than making a watertight hide waterskin. I also have that sneleon shell which would otherwise be much less useful if I couldn¡¯t put it in my Inventory. The clay stand for it is still drying, but I hope to use it in a couple of days¡¯ time. Further testing has also proven that the liquids are kept as much in stasis as the bits of bird-meat that I¡¯d cooked and thrown in there. Thanks to all those factors, I get to have warm ¡®soup¡¯ without having to put in any effort now. The last time I made some ¡®soup¡¯, I cooked it in the wok and then poured it into the sneleon shell to free up my only piece of cooking equipment ¨C I need it on a daily basis for boiling water so can¡¯t have it constantly occupied with food. Drinking now, I¡¯m glad my mother can¡¯t see me: she always used to scold me about making a mess. Unfortunately, there¡¯s not much I can do about it: I didn¡¯t think about bringing cutlery with me, so I have no spoon, and the sneleon shell is larger than a bowl and oddly textured inside, meaning that I slop rather more liquid than I would prefer. Still, beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Hopefully my crockery and cutlery situation will be at least partially solved once I manage to fire all my pottery works. What¡¯s important for me right now is that my stomach is full, the potato-like tuber adding a bit of starch to thicken the broth. I know that the feeling of fullness will disappear rather quickly despite that. Never mind ¨C if I¡¯m too hungry to sleep later, I¡¯ll chew on some more bird meat. Or whatever I should class the killer chickens and velociraptors of this strange world. Actually, that reminds me: I never dressed the velociraptor corpses¡­ A job for future-me. Now the sun¡¯s gone down and I haven¡¯t got anything better to do, I decide it¡¯s time to tackle the task I started earlier. I start to comb through my mind to try and put together some clues as to the length of day and year in Nicholas¡¯ world. Letting the question percolate in the back of my mind hasn¡¯t brought up anything useful, so now I¡¯m going to put some focused effort into it. This time, I don¡¯t try to think about the day length or year length itself, instead trying to remember things like the length of the harvest season, or how many hours between breakfast and lunch, incidental things like that. My approach can be characterised by two images: the first of a mad-eyed man grabbing the memories by their shoulders and shaking them while yelling in their faces; the second being the pickpocket sidling up to dip his hand in their pockets without alerting them as to his presence. On the way, I have to admit that I get distracted with a number of facts, and a sinking sense of disappointment as something becomes quite clear: Nicholas¡¯ world is nowhere near as technologically advanced as the world I¡¯ve recently left. There are no cars, for example, the majority of vehicles I see being pulled by a few different animals which appear to be the equivalent of horses. As for communication devices, I don¡¯t see a phone a single time, though I do happen across a couple of other devices which appear to at least somewhat fulfill the same functions, but they¡¯re clearly powered by magic rather than electricity. If I had to make a guess based on the information I¡¯ve seen so far, it¡¯s that the actual civilisation level of the place is not that dissimilar to the western world in the early nineteen hundreds. They clearly have devices for light, transport, and communication, but the devices don¡¯t look particularly stream-lined. Not like a modern-day phone which is capable of so many tasks in the form of something that can easily sit in a pocket. However, their civilisation also clearly hasn¡¯t followed the trajectory of the world I¡¯ve so recently left. Instead of being based on electricity, I have to guess that it¡¯s based on magic. Scientists don¡¯t seem to exist, some of their functions being fulfilled by ¡®scholars¡¯. That¡¯s not to say that studies and experimentation don¡¯t happen ¨C in fact, that¡¯s how I glean some important facts about time there ¨C but they happen differently. After all, gravity is apparently only a law until you gain enough stat points or magic to defy it. Actually, there are some aspects of the new world which are rather jaw-dropping in their implications. Flight is possible, for an example. And not just flight in an airplane or gliding thanks to a squirrel-suit, but actual, proper, unaided flight. The most bemusing thing about it is that my discovery of this was presented almost as a footnote ¨C the focus of that memory was more about the differences between a high dexterity and low dexterity. The only reason I realised that flight was possible was because one of the participants arrived and left by sprouting wings of light and just...taking off. Obviously, for people living in that world, the fact that people can fly is as much of a no-brainer as the fact that people can run in mine. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. All of that sounds great, and my dreams of perhaps becoming a fire-wielding, flying, badass mage are not quite as impossible as I would previously have thought. Just one thing, though ¨C I¡¯m starting to fear that I¡¯m never going to be able to recharge my phone or kindle. Maybe that sounds stupid to think about when I¡¯m literally being given the chance to go to a world of magic, but...my pictures of my family are on my phone. If I can¡¯t charge it, I¡¯ll never see my parents again. The thought is depressing and I quickly return to my original task to distract myself from it. I¡¯d started going through the memories of the system stone for a reason, and getting more of an idea about Nicholas¡¯ world isn¡¯t it. Sure, it¡¯s great to have an idea of where I might be going, but I have to survive to get there first. I need to work out how much time I have to play with before my Energy bill comes due. ***** It takes time, but just as I¡¯m dropping off to sleep, the combination of the two approaches I¡¯m taking to finding the memories plus the relaxation of sleep offers me a little gem. Of all things, l wouldn¡¯t have expected the first clue to come from laundry, but it does. Why? Because there was a study done on the effects of doing laundry on a washerwoman¡¯s Constitution. Ridiculous, yes? But this study followed a number of washerwomen through the year to investigate the conditions under which they worked, since their average Constitution was curiously high. It turns out that the reason for the high Constitution was to do with the fact that they were constantly exposed to water and, in winter that means they actually had to break the ice to use their washing pools. As a result, they were working in conditions that would cause most Earth humans to develop pneumonia in a short space of time. The washerwomen of Nicholas¡¯ world did develop illnesses due to the water, but those who survived the illnesses and continued to be washerwomen developed higher Constitutions as a result. Of course, thinking about it, it¡¯s possible that these memories might actually not be up to date ones ¨C Nicholas¡¯ world might have advanced past the technological level indicated by the stone. I¡¯m not holding out much hope, though. Back to the topic in hand, though: I have several memories of the scholar noting his results along with the date to get an idea of the year length. It¡¯s not an exact answer as I¡¯m not sure that he recorded a result on the last day of the year, but I know for sure it¡¯s at least three hundred days long, as he recorded a result on the three hundred and second day, and I got the impression that the year wasn¡¯t yet finished. Next, day length, since this is also an important factor. I mean, if we consider that an Earth day is twenty-four hours, and a day on this planet is probably around twenty-eight, combine that with the difference in year length and the difference in time multiplies. If, for example, Nicholas¡¯ world has days of only ten hours in total, that could mean that, despite having at least three hundred days in a year, it would only count as just over a hundred days on this planet ¨C a far cry from a bit over three hundred or so. Again, my clue for day length comes from an unexpected source: the opening hours of a restaurant. This in turn is just a fleeting snapshot of a moment in a memory about something completely different, but where the person just so happened to walk down a street and be temporarily distracted by a restaurant menu. A menu, incidentally, that isn¡¯t written in English or any script I know, but that I somehow understand, just like I had understood the scholar¡¯s notes. Small mercies, I suppose. Anyway, the restaurant indicated that it was open for lunch between eleven and one, and that it would not accept anyone later than half past thirteen. So, assuming that lunch is over midday, I have to guess that the morning continues until at least thirteen o¡¯clock. Of course, that¡¯s based on an assumption which is not a guarantee, but is likely enough given the clear diurnal nature of Nicholas¡¯ people to be used as the basis of my theory. Assuming that the two parts of the clock are equal ¨C again, not guaranteed, but surely logical enough that even a society with magic wouldn¡¯t do anything different ¨C that means the day length is probably about the same as this planet. Or maybe an hour less per clock-face. I mean, they might have a completely different way of telling the time ¨C it¡¯s not guaranteed that they invented clocks at all, after all. However, the fact that they had a seemingly consecutive series of numbers which continued to the middle of the day, and which then restarted indicates to me that, whatever they¡¯ve got that helps them tell the time, it¡¯s divided in two at least roughly equal portions. I mean, OK, they could have divided the day into more than two sections ¨C thirteen hours could be the length of the start of daylight until the lunch hour. But if that¡¯s the case, and my ¡®year¡¯ is based on their year, than I¡¯ll have more time than I¡¯m guessing, not less. When I come to that conclusion, I sigh in relief and sink into my jacket nest. Sure, I¡¯m making a few assumptions here, and I hope they don¡¯t come back to bite me, but I figure I¡¯ve got at least three hundred days to earn my passage to Nicholas¡¯ world ¨C plenty of time, I tell myself. That settled, I¡¯m about to drop off to sleep when I notice that I have another message waiting. Apparently I¡¯ve earned a point in Intelligence. Well, if that isn¡¯t proof of my theory that processing memories and making links between them is linked to Intelligence, I don¡¯t know what is. Accepting the point, I drift off to sleep feeling rather pleased with myself. Book One: Leap - Chapter Forty-Nine: Animal Empathy The next day I continue with digging my pit. After fetching water, of course. Kalanthia disappears into the forest as soon as I get back, leaving Lathani playing by my feet. I tempt her over to my work area with a bit of nicely roasted meat and then she¡¯s happy to mess around in the dirt for a while. I watch with a bit of amusement as she studiously avoids any bug that looks even remotely like the one that bit her yesterday. Though, like a typical cat, she pretends that she¡¯s not avoiding the bugs out of fear; she¡¯s just not deigning to pay them any attention. Of course, she gets bored with that after a while and goes searching for something else to do. I keep half an eye on her as she tussles with the grass, pounces out of bushes, and wrestles with sticks. I¡¯m less amused when she knocks over my carefully stacked pile of firewood, but the startled expression she gives when the sticks start falling down around her ears is cute enough that I can¡¯t bear to scold her. Plus, she¡¯s actually got herself trapped within a ¡®cage¡¯ of dead branches and is looking forlornly at me, plaintive chirps asking for help. Unable to prevent a smile at her adorableness, I put my digging stick down and walk over to free her. ¡°Next time, don¡¯t mess around with my wood pile and then you won¡¯t have this issue,¡± I tell her as indulgently as any uncle. She rubs herself up against me briefly and then wanders off. She continues having some good, relatively safe fun for a while, but then she spots her next target. I hear a hiss and look up to see her facing off with Spike. The nunda cub, judging by her body language, is playful and curious. The porcupig, on the other hand, is a lot more defensive, and I judge him only a short while away from turning around and presenting his namesake spikes to Lathani¡¯s face. Given that I doubt Kalanthia would be happy to come back to a hedgehog-nunda crossbreed lookalike, I decide to intervene. ¡°Spike,¡± I call and both animals look over at me. ¡°Don¡¯t attack Lathani,¡± I order him, impressing my intentions into the simultaneous mental order. His spikes immediately flatten and his body language drops its defensiveness, but I get the sense that he¡¯s not happy about this. At the same time¡­ ¡°Lathani,¡± I then say, ¡°play gently with Spike, OK, and if he doesn¡¯t want to play, leave him be.¡± That may be more complex than she can deal with, but I¡¯ve really had the sense over the last few days that she understands significantly more than I¡¯d thought ¨C she just chooses not to do what I say unless there¡¯s a benefit in it for her. Speaking of¡­ ¡°If you play nicely together, I¡¯ll give you some more yummy meat, OK?¡± At the mention of ¡®yummy meat¡¯, the term I¡¯ve been using with my roasted chunks, she perks up and shifts the way she looks at Spike. I¡¯m not sure how to identify her body language, but it¡¯s like...like she¡¯s acknowledged what I said and is agreeing to follow? How I get that, I don¡¯t know. Maybe more of that mind-to-mind stuff again? At the sense of something waiting for me, I check my messages, shifting so I can still see the two creatures out of the corner of my eye.
Congratulations! You have earned a Skill: Animal Empathy
Read Skill description? Y/N
I click through to the Skill description, feeling like I have an idea of what it might be. Sure enough¡­
Animal Empathy: understand what the animals around you are communicating with their body language. The more you are familiar with the animal or its species, the more success you will have in interpreting its intentions. This Skill also improves in effectiveness with Wisdom. Improvements in understanding of scent-based communications depend on Constitution.
Given what I¡¯ve learned about Wisdom recently, I suppose it¡¯s little surprise that this is the key controlling factor of understanding something outside myself. As for Constitution...if it¡¯s supposed to improve the functioning of my senses, being able to smell pheromones once I get more stat points in it also makes sense. I close the screen with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it¡¯s a useful Skill to have ¨C being able to interpret the body language of animals around me might lead to better success with hunts and Taming. On the other hand, it seems more descriptive than active: unlike Fade which actively reduces my visibility, Animal Empathy just seems to describe what I¡¯d still be able to do even if I didn¡¯t have the Skill¡­ Then again, maybe it will develop into something more active later. Ah well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s a negative to have the Skill and it doesn¡¯t seem to cost me anything. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Lathani is playing with Spike. After the tense face-off, they seem to have relaxed a little bit. The nunda cub is keeping her claws and teeth to herself, mostly, anyway, and so is Spike with his quills. He even seems to be enjoying it now, despite his reluctance to begin with. They romp around a bit, rolling in play fights and then breaking away to play hide and seek before Lathani pounces on Spike and it all starts again. At least they¡¯re having fun, I think to myself with a smile. Plus, it lets me get on with my pit-digging even while I ¡®baby-sit¡¯. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and Lathani eventually gets bored with playing with Spike and comes over to me to beg for scraps of meat. I put a few bits on the ground for her to munch and she starts chewing with gusto. After she finishes the last chunks, however, she just goes to a sunny spot and curls up: apparently Spike exhausted her. I take advantage of her sleeping to go check on my fire and the progress of my drying clay pottery. It¡¯s coming on nicely and the fact that the drying pots are in a warm environment, but not directly in the sun, means that they¡¯re drying quicker than I thought. I guess I need to go for firewood tomorrow, I mentally note. It will still take another few days I reckon for the pots to dry enough to not be at high risk of exploding in my ¡®kiln¡¯, but the wood I collect may need to dry a little too, so just as well to collect it a bit ahead. Not that it¡¯s rained since being here, but there is that mist that rolls through most mornings. Using my time in the shade wisely, I munch a little meat for lunch and sip some of my soup. I¡¯ve added a little of my precious salt so there¡¯s a bit more taste to the food. Small pleasures... I¡¯ve justified it with the fact that I sweat buckets when digging ¨C I need to replace what I¡¯ve lost. I don¡¯t stay inside for too long, even though I¡¯m enjoying being out of the sun: I¡¯ve got a baby nunda to keep an eye on and I want to make as much progress on my pit as I can while she¡¯s still asleep. By the time the little bundle of fur wakes up, I¡¯ve been able to make a fair bit of progress, pausing at one point to cast a healing spell on myself when the blisters started to get too painful. The rest of the time until Kalanthia gets back is then spent playing with Lathani, Spike being too tuckered out from her rambunctiousness this morning. Greetings, Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia¡¯s mental ¡®voice¡¯ purrs making me almost jump out of my skin at its suddenness. Has all gone well this day? She¡¯s climbed the hill and is moving over to nuzzle her cub. ¡°Yeah,¡± I say once I¡¯ve been able to catch my breath after the shock ¨C I¡¯m so much easier to scare than I used to be; not surprising, I guess. ¡°Lathani and Spike enjoyed playing this morning, then she had a nap and then we played for a bit,¡± I tell her. ¡°She was good,¡± I added uncertainly, not sure if my version of ¡®good¡¯ matches Kalanthia¡¯s ¨C what do I know about being a leopard mother? The massive predator purrs and rubs her chin over Lathani¡¯s head. That is well. My thanks, Markus Wolfe. You are free to go now. Thankful for the dismissal, I mock-salute and then go back to my digging. I¡¯m making good inroads, but still have a lot further to go. By the evening, I reach a point at which I¡¯m happy to call it a day. Good thing too ¨C I¡¯m exhausted. I¡¯ve also earned another two points in Strength, one each in Power and Endurance. It¡¯s nice, though I¡¯m pretty sure that my speed in increasing Strength will slow down a bit from now on ¨C the System stone I absorbed indicates that after ten points in any stat it takes more Energy to increase it, so it makes sense that I have to do more work to even trigger the increase. Still, reaching ten points is no mean feat considering everything I¡¯ve gone through, and that puts me at the top of an average Earth human¡¯s capabilities, if my interpretation of the stone¡¯s memories is accurate. I didn¡¯t get an increase in Constitution today, but I suppose I can¡¯t have everything. With the Intelligence point I earned last night thanks to going through all those memories, I¡¯ve been making some good progress recently. I¡¯m planning on doing some more of that mental link-making tonight ¨C I still have enough Energy in the tank to increase my Intelligence again, if whatever progress I make is enough to earn another point. After that, though, I¡¯ll be all out of my Energy store and I only absorb enough Energy per day to increase a single stat. Unless I kill some creatures, of course. The fact that I¡¯m going to venture out into the forest tomorrow in search of lots of firewood makes that scenario rather more likely than not. Even though the sun isn¡¯t yet touching the horizon, I¡¯m too tired to keep going with my pit, so I decide to eat my supper in the last light of the day. Chilling for a bit, I let my mind wander for a while before once more starting the task of drawing links between my memories. This time, I decide to work on clarifying exactly what I need to do for my upcoming crafts, linking it to my knowledge from Earth as much as possible. It¡¯s surprisingly interesting when I get into it. Some of my half-forgotten memories of Chemistry at school come to the fore as I think about why soap made of ashes and animal fat works, considering that those are the substances we generally have to wash off. I think it¡¯s my increased Intelligence that allows me to remember words like ¡®hydrophilic¡¯ and ¡®hydrophobic¡¯ and that the alkali from the potash in ashes is the former, while the fatty acid chains from the fat are the latter. It¡¯s ironic that two messy substances allow water to actually wash off oils and germs, but that¡¯s what happens. By the time I go to bed, I¡¯ve earned my Intelligence point, but only just. One more point to go and then that one will be ten too! It¡¯s on that wave of satisfaction that I drift off to sleep. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty: Battle of Wills Walking through the forest is actually a pleasure. The sun and leaves make a dappled pattern on the layers of last year¡¯s dropped leaves. My Stealth has already levelled up to Beginner four despite not getting much practice over the last few days of digging pits. The moments when it directs my feet to shift slightly so they don¡¯t step on a crunchy leaf or a crackly stick still feel a bit weird, but I¡¯m getting used to it. I keep my eyes out in all directions both for potential threats and for branches that look like they¡¯d either be good for the pottery kiln or my indoor fire. Having walked a good hour¡¯s distance away from the cave, I¡¯m finding plenty, which is good for my pyromanical plans. My vague plans of rebuilding my Energy store by killing creatures which attack me are not going so well. The forest is strangely quiet. There¡¯s the normal sound of birds and small animals rustling in the leaves, but all the bigger animals seem to be in hiding. The prey-type animals which I normally catch an occasional glimpse of are absent, and I haven¡¯t been attacked once in three hours! Although that has happened to me before ¨C walking in the forest and not being attacked ¨C it¡¯s not what generally occurs. It¡¯s a bit eerie, to be honest, and puts me more on edge than having been attacked would. I keep collecting wood, though, while also keeping a sharp eye out for anything dangerous that might have moved into the local area and scared off everything of reasonable size. Or whatever has caused this unusual stillness to descend on the woods. If all the denizens have been scared into hiding, I don¡¯t want to meet the cause. It¡¯s about half an hour later that I suddenly hear something which makes me freeze and activate Fade. Feeling more protected now I¡¯m not visible, I focus on the sound, trying to work out what it is. It comes and goes, sounding like...breathing? But very wet breathing, if so. Is there an amphibious monster or something? When the sound doesn¡¯t move or even change much, I dare to creep closer, pushing my stealth capacity to the max. When I detect that the sound is coming from behind a tree, I use the tree as cover and then slowly peer around, ready to leap away and run for my life at a moment¡¯s notice. What meets my gaze is not an amphibious monster. It¡¯s not a threat, either. Not now, at least. Deadly-looking claws are coated in blood, most of it looking like the creature¡¯s own. Feathered wings are soaked in red and lying limply. The absence of blood around the creature¡¯s tooth-filled maw tells the tale of its complete helplessness against its attacker. And finally, the wide slice in its side as well as its limp, muscular body indicates that this raptorcat is close to death. The only way I can tell that it¡¯s not already dead is because I can see its ribs moving slightly with each breath, and I can still hear the wet sound of air passing in and out of its lungs. The sight fills me with a mixture of emotions. Relief: that I¡¯m not in danger from the maker of the sound. Satisfaction: that a creature that tried to hunt and kill me has been hunted and killed in turn. Sadness at the same: that a proud creature of the forest has been reduced to a still-moving carcass, if not for long. Fear: that whatever did this to a deadly raptorcat is still around...and might still be in a murderous mood. Though from what I can tell, it¡¯s been a good few hours since the attack ¨C the blood at the edges is too congealed for anything else. Actually, considering the gash in the raptorcat¡¯s side is still leaking blood, it¡¯s amazing that the creature has survived for so long after the attack. It must have an amazing Constitution stat, is the only thing I can think of. Do animals have Constitution stats? It¡¯s a good question, but not one I should probably be asking now. Still, the fact that the attack must have happened hours ago, maybe even as much as a day, means that I shouldn¡¯t need to worry about the attacker being nearby. Apart from my emotions, I¡¯m also left with a choice. I could just leave the raptorcat here: it will die soon. Maybe not in less than an hour or so, but still, I could let nature take its course. Equally, I could put it out of its misery now and not leave it to suffer for the next hour or hours. That¡¯s probably the best option of the two as I would then get Energy as well. However...I¡¯ve got another option. I could try Dominate. I wouldn¡¯t have dared to use it on an alert raptorcat ¨C not only does it apparently leave me vulnerable for a few seconds afterwards if it¡¯s unsuccessful which would be a death sentence, but the raptorcat¡¯s buddies would probably attack me even while I was having the Battle of Wills. Now, though¡­ I look around to verify that we¡¯re alone. Well, apart from small birds in the trees, that is. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have a better chance of getting a raptorcat onside than this. I was going to set a trap and try to catch one later down the line, but that was always going to be fraught with danger. This way, there¡¯s very little risk to me as even if the attempt is unsuccessful, it¡¯s not like the raptorcat will be able to do anything to retaliate, not in its condition. That¡¯s another question, actually. Will Lay-on-hands work on something other than me? And if it does work, will I be able to heal a wound as serious as the one in front of me? I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m not keen on trying before succeeding with Dominate as the raptorcat will probably show its thanks for healing by going for my throat. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Having convinced myself, I settle on the other side of the tree from the injured creature, leaning around just enough to see it ¨C no need to take chances, after all. I try to trigger Dominate, but nothing happens. Frowning, I wonder why. I know the Skill works ¨C I¡¯ve used it with Spike. Is the raptorcat too close to death? Something tells me that¡¯s not the answer, so I wrack my brains to try to work out what else could be the problem. Thinking through what happened with Spike, I remember that I had an issue in activating Dominate with him too¡­ It only worked when I met his¡­ I groan. When I met his eyes. So much for the safe strategy, I sigh to myself. Pushing myself to my feet, I walk around so I¡¯m right next to the raptorcat¡¯s head and then crouch down and tentatively reach out to place my hand on its head. When it doesn¡¯t snap its eyes open and try to maul my hand, not moving at all, in fact, I breathe out a silent breath of relief. Its head lying against the ground, I shift my hand towards the eye facing upwards. No reaction. Still tense and ready to snatch my hand away and stumble backwards at any moment, I use two fingers to force the raptorcat¡¯s eyelid open. This time it reacts, shifting slightly and making a hoarse plaintive sound. I snatch my hand back and don¡¯t even breathe while I wait to see if it¡¯s going to try to attack me. It¡¯s too weak to do that, and just moves a little before settling back into its position. Well, if that¡¯s all it has to threaten me with, it should be fine. Emboldened, I reach forward again and open its eyelid. Ignoring its slight movements this time, I stare into its single eye and firmly say ¡®Dominate¡¯. This time, it works and I¡¯m once more catapulted into that strange zone where I haven¡¯t really gone anywhere, but nothing other than the raptorcat lying opposite me matters. It¡¯s more aware than it was in the physical world ¨C because I¡¯ve come to guess that this is a mental or spiritual world ¨C but it¡¯s still clearly injured and weak. Like before with Spike, we¡¯re both fixed in place with a great sense of pressure between us, our eyes fixed on each other¡¯s. Knowing better what to expect from this since I¡¯ve been through it once before, I¡¯m quicker to start directing the pressure at the raptorcat. Immediately, it¡¯s different from before: I can start moving towards the raptorcat, the ¡®pressure hose¡¯ in my hands directed at it, but there¡¯s also some sense of opposing pressure, like my opponent also has a pressure hose, albeit weaker. I¡¯m not only fighting against the almost solid air between us; I¡¯m also fighting against the directed pressure trying to push me away from the raptorcat lying opposite. I gaze into its golden, slit-pupil eyes and see a defiance and anger which is thoroughly different from Spike. He had resisted me, but it had felt more like stubborn determination not to give in rather than anything personal. This feels personal. Like the raptorcat refuses to bow to a prey-animal, refuses to give into my Will because it is better than that. There¡¯s almost a silent dialogue between us, some sort of metaphysical connection that allows us to communicate in ideas. It¡¯s not words, though I rationalise the ideas as such ¨C I¡¯m not comfortable thinking in images and emotions untethered and undefined by words. I am an apex predator, it seems to say. I do not bow to prey. Contemptuous. Clearly you¡¯re not at the apex, or you wouldn¡¯t be dying now, I think back at it, reminding it of the state in which its physical ¨C and metaphysical ¨C body is in. There are always those stronger. We met our match and have become prey in our turn. Then why do you resist bowing to me? I will one day be strong enough to kill you all if I choose. I genuinely believe that to be the case. Humanity rose from wielding the sticks and stones of my current weaponry to using bombs which could slaughter millions in a single swoop, and that all without magic. While I don¡¯t anticipate building any nuclear weapons anytime soon, I can see how I have developed already with my stat increases. Physical activity has become easier, thinking has become clearer, and that¡¯s only with a few points in each stat. What will I become in five levels¡¯ time? Ten? Thirty? I fully anticipate that one day I will reach the point where a raptorcat, regardless of how terrifying an opponent it is now, will become nothing more than a nuisance. My approach doesn¡¯t seem to have won me any points with my opponent, though, as the raptorcat¡¯s glare intensifies and the pressure pushing against me grows just a little. The future is undefined. Now, you are weak. Clearly my future progress is not convincing enough. Or maybe it doesn¡¯t believe me. And honestly, it¡¯s right ¨C I have to be alive in those thirty levels¡¯ time in order to benefit from the advancements. But I can¡¯t think like that ¨C convincing myself is half the battle. The other half is convincing the raptorcat. Given how much trouble this single injured, near-death creature is giving me, I¡¯m glad that I didn¡¯t go through with trying to trap and Dominate a healthy one ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d have failed and then be dead for attempting the audacity. The raptorcat goes silent and I sense it trying to withdraw mentally even while increasing the pressure. Unfortunately for it, time is not on its side. With every moment that passes, I creep ever-closer, as does death. I start wondering if this intense mental battle will actually hasten its demise and the thought makes me press even more against the pressure resisting me. Unfortunately, time isn¡¯t on my side either ¨C this kind of battle is exhausting, and I can already feel an uncentralised ache start throbbing. Although time has a strange elastic quality in this world, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s taken longer already than the Battle I had with Spike. I need to try to convince it to let me closer, or at least distract it enough to lessen the pressure. I think over our little ¡®conversation¡¯ and suddenly have an idea. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-One: Acceptance Focusing back on the raptorcat, my distraction having lessened the pressure I was applying, I take a different approach. Honestly, this isn¡¯t all that different from all the other negotiation and mediation I¡¯ve done ¨C when one angle doesn¡¯t work, try a different one. Do you not wish to live to grow stronger? Death is the end of all growth. I feel the raptorcat pay reluctant attention to the wave of images and emotions I sent it. Death is natural. Chains are not. But it is life nonetheless, even if it means being bound to another. Is it not better than a noble, but futile death? I feel it wavering a little and the brief let-up of pressure lets me take a couple of small steps forward before it returns. Still, I notice that the strength is not quite as much as it was before. Give in to me and I will heal you and we will grow stronger together. I am old, the raptorcat sends pictures of grey fur and the sensation of joints becoming painful with age along with a sense of almost-amusement. My time is near anyway. It should be the end of the conversation ¨C if the creature is already old, why would it choose to live a little longer as my Bound? But yet...I haven¡¯t been cut out completely. In fact, it feels like the raptorcat¡¯s Will is wavering, that the hosepipe of pressure she¡¯s directing at me is starting to sputter. Why, becomes evident with her next transmission. I am old...but they are not. I see a picture of a small group of cubs. Or kittens. Or puppies. Or chicks, or whatever to call these creatures which are such a strange amalgamation of so many Earth animals. I will bow to you, she continues, transmitting such a sense of finality that I know it is this or nothing, if you will care for these young ones. And if you promise never to force them to serve you. That pours cold water on my sudden avaricious thoughts of having my own little pack of raptorcats, all bound to me through Dominate. Then again, she did say force¡­ And if they choose to bond with me of their own will? I ask. The raptorcat doesn¡¯t respond immediately, and I sense that she¡¯s filled with turmoil. In this strange world, our emotions and thoughts are as obvious as facial expressions would normally be between humans in a particularly expressive culture. She¡¯s torn, knowing that the cubs will die without anyone to care, but thinking that it would be better if they died than be bound to an uncaring master. If, by the point they are capable of being independent, they consider you pack and choose to stay with you, that is acceptable, she decides finally. I get the sense of a half-grown raptorcat, paws still too big for its body, some fluff still on its wings, but a boundless determination and the keen competence of a born-killer. An adolescent, I guess. By her definition, I¡¯m pretty sure that Tame would work, even if Dominate is out of the realms of possibility. Very well. I send a wave of acceptance of her terms and the resistance holding me back crumbles. In three quick steps, I¡¯m standing in front of her and we¡¯re staring at each other with mere inches between us. She breaks the eye-contact ¨C and when did I realise she was female? - and bows her head. Our surroundings bleed back into full colour, the sounds and smells of the forest returning with the breeze that caresses my skin. The raptorcat, my new Bound, is not doing well at all. Her breathing is significantly more laboured than it had been when I triggered Dominate, and it hadn¡¯t been great then. I quickly shift to lay my hand over the wound and cast my healing spell. I cast the channeled version, not giving much guidance to the magic apart from focusing it on the terrible injury in front of me. I pour most of my mana into the wound and see the effects. Flesh rebuilds itself before my eyes, the walls of torn organs stitching together, muscle reforming into a whole and skin growing to hide everything inside from view. The skin is furless, and may actually remain so from now on ¨C it seems like my Lay-on-hands isn¡¯t capable of restoring lost hair, or maybe that would just require more energy than I have to spend. Still, I¡¯m very grateful that it works on her at all. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. When my mana bar has reduced significantly, I stop pouring healing into the wound. I haven¡¯t completely bottomed out my mana store, since if something suddenly attacked, I¡¯d want to be able to cast at least one healing spell on myself. I think I¡¯ve poured enough in to make a significant difference, though. I¡¯ll need to continue later, since so much mana leaving me all in a few seconds is surprisingly exhausting. Panting and giving my mana the chance to regen a bit, I pull out my sneleon shell and pour some water into the little soup that remains to cool it down. Fishing out the bits of pondweed, I dribble the liquid into the mouth of the raptorcat and encourage her to drink. I figure that if she does end up eating the bits of meat left in there, it¡¯s not an issue ¨C she¡¯s a carnivore, after all. In fact, a bit of food might even do her some good. I choke down the slimy bits of pondweed as she swallows the liquid. Angling the sneleon shell, I position it that she can lap weakly at the thin soup. When my mana has regenerated enough, I cast another Lay-on-hands, this one over her body generally. Her lapping strengthens a little, though I know she¡¯ll be weak from blood-loss for quite a while: my spell doesn¡¯t deal much with that. We rest like that for a while, the raptorcat drinking the soup bit by bit and me recovering my mana and keeping watch. Every so often I cast another Lay-on-hands until I sense that there¡¯s nothing more it can heal. It¡¯s strange using the healing spell on a body other than my own. I realise now that casting it on myself is a bit like rubbing two of your fingers together instead of touching something with one finger ¨C I get double feedback from the spell. I¡¯d always thought that the sense of healing I got was from the feeling in my body, but at least half of it is actually the spell itself as I still get most of the same sensations from healing the raptorcat. On the other hand, when I use it on myself, I can feel the injuries pulling themselves together or misaligned parts rearranging themselves, and I didn¡¯t get that from the raptorcat, thankfully. Either way, I¡¯m glad to know that my healing spell works just as well on others as it does for myself. I also take the time to look properly at her. The first time I saw a raptorcat, I was far too concerned with survival to really get a good look at them. And then when I came across this one before Dominating her, I was more looking to see what had happened and thinking about what to do next. She¡¯s darkly coloured, shades of black with tints of green and brown covering her body. The patterning is almost like a camo outfit, but night version, or something like that. At least, it¡¯s like that where it¡¯s not stained with blood. I can understand why I didn¡¯t see the trap when I walked into it before. Her fur isn¡¯t really fur, I realise ¨C it¡¯s more like soft, flexible feathers with very short vanes. Perhaps an evolutionary prototype of fur¡­ The feathers on her wings are actual proper feathers, but I don¡¯t see any long pinions, making it even more clear that these limbs aren¡¯t meant for flying. Are they an extraneous feature which used to be helpful, but are useless now? Or do raptorcats use them for something other than flying? Her eyes are the same ones that stuck in my memory after my last encounter ¨C predatory golden orbs with slit pupils. Even now that we¡¯ve come to an accord, I can see them warily watching me, violence only a hair¡¯s breadth away. Fortunately, I have an instinctual confidence in the Bond and its ability to prevent at least direct harm from one of my Bonded. Otherwise I think I¡¯d have already been too unnerved to sit here so close to the predator. As for her feet, they¡¯re clawed, scaled affairs with four toes facing forwards and one short toe facing backwards. The claws are quite sharp on her front feet, but far less so on her back. Now I realise the cause of a number of gashes I¡¯ve seen in the trunks of trees while walking through the forest. A shiver goes down my spine as I realise that I¡¯ve been exploring raptorcat territory at least half the time I¡¯ve been staying with Kalanthia¡­ Really, it¡¯s only dumb luck which prevented me from re-encountering the pack. Her sharp front claws are matched by a mouthful of sharp teeth, her muzzle length somewhere between a lion¡¯s and a wolf¡¯s. With two large canines on top and bottom, I can see that her specialty is grabbing and holding on. Frankly, I don¡¯t understand how I managed to survive the first time I met the pack ¨C by all rights they should have taken me down easily. Still, I did, and now I¡¯ve got one of them as my Bound, it¡¯s my enemies which will have to deal with her teeth and claws. Checking on my Energy store, I realise that Dominating this raptorcat has actually been pretty lucrative. I¡¯m already up thirty-six percent, having been in single digits when I checked last night. OK, some of that¡¯s from my hourly absorption, but the majority is from this single action. Pretty awesome, right? Eventually the raptorcat, who I¡¯m thinking of naming Bastet after the Ancient Egyptian cat goddess, is ready to move. Incidentally, Sekhmet was another choice but I decided that naming an already dangerous creature after one whose mythology paints them as a serial killer is probably not the best idea. It¡¯s been a while waiting for her to regain her strength, but with the help of my healing Skill it hasn¡¯t taken anywhere near as long as it would take a cat or lion to recover from surgery on Earth. I¡¯ve collected what firewood I could in the local area, but didn¡¯t want to venture too far in case she got attacked while I wasn¡¯t there. ¡°So, show me the cubs?¡± I suggest eagerly when she manages to struggle to her feet. She sends me a look that I have little trouble in interpreting as annoyance and admonishing me to be patient. It¡¯s not been more than a few hours since she became one of my Bound and I can already tell she¡¯s very different from Spike. We set off moving after not that much time, but it feels like longer than it really is because of my desire to get moving. ¡°How about Bastet as a name?¡± I ask as we start walking, still a bit slowly to account for the raptorcat¡¯s recent physical trauma. She flashes me a glance which I think is questioning. I¡¯m pretty sure that Animal Empathy is the only reason I come to that conclusion. ¡°It¡¯s the name of a goddess on my original world ¨C a cat one. Not that you¡¯d know what a cat is,¡± I realise belatedly. Instead, giving up on words, I try to feed her the memories I have of learning about Bastet: visiting the British History Museum and seeing statues; learning about the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians at school; reading mythology about the Egyptian gods and goddesses¡­ The raptorcat takes a few minutes to mull it over and we walk in silence for that time. Then, when I¡¯m starting to think that she doesn¡¯t like the name but can¡¯t or won¡¯t communicate that to me, she sends a wave of approval through our bond. ¡°Bastet it is,¡± I conclude numbly, amazed that my newest Bound is capable of communicating in a way that Spike has never done; something which took me a while to understand how to do myself. Seems she¡¯s a natural... Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Two: Strange Babies The cubs are so cute it takes all I have not to just rush over, grab, and snuggle them into my neck while making ridiculous noises that would be better found in an anime than real life. They¡¯re little bundles of fluff with supple feet and stubs of wings covered with the softest of down. They have teeth, but they look more like white milk teeth than permanent ones. Or maybe this species go through multiple sets of teeth ¨C what do I know? Either way, they¡¯re much smaller than Bastet¡¯s fangs. In fact, the cubs are much smaller, period. They would each fit in my two hands cupped together, and only spill out a little. When I first entered the cave, they cowered away from me. It¡¯s not really a surprise ¨C the poor things have been alone for a good few hours, maybe a couple of days based on the half-eaten corpses that are all that remain of the rest of their pack. The raptorcats live, or perhaps I should say ¡®lived¡¯ in a slight hollow in the side of a hill that¡¯s part of the mountainside, not dissimilar from Kalanthia¡¯s den. It¡¯s a natural outcropping of rock with most of the small area bare of all but a light covering of green. I¡¯m no geological expert, but just from what I saw, I¡¯d guess that there are several layers of rock and one of the softer layers had been eroded to the point where it became a sort of cave. The cubs were hidden within that cave. Normally, of course, to get to them I would have had to fight my way through a sentry, probably hidden in a tree, then the main bulk of the pack, probably lounging along the rocks, and then the mother raptorcat herself. Not so this time. Six raptorcats had been torn to pieces. One near where that sentry would have probably been, four in a group on the rocks of the outcropping, and then one just in front of the cave entrance itself. I¡¯m not surprised the cubs were afraid of me ¨C they¡¯ve probably been smelling their mother and other family members¡¯ blood for hours or even days. Fortunately, they know Bastet, and after she reassures them by going over and licking and rubbing her head over them, they relax a little. It still takes them a bit of time to be willing to approach me, but she encourages them to do so. Her visible impatience is well-deserved: we need to get out of here before something comes along to eat more of the bodies. Or worse: whatever killed the adults might come back to finish the job of exterminating the whole pack down to the littlest cub. It takes me a few moments to work out how to move the cubs: they¡¯re too young to just walk with us, but I can¡¯t exactly put them in my Inventory¡­ I suddenly have a brainwave. It takes a bit of time, mostly spent convincing the cubs to allow me to pick them up, but I eventually get them slung on my chest like strange babies. I bite my lip to stop my adoring noise from escaping my lips: they are just too cute, tucked away as they are in a shirt I¡¯ve tied around my body with only their fluffy heads poking out of the cloth. Glancing around the cave before leaving, I check to see if there¡¯s anything I¡¯m missing. No...wait. I spot something glinting ever so dimly in the back of the cave. Despite Bastet¡¯s growing agitation, I walk over and crouch to peer into the shadowy depths, carefully moving in a way that doesn¡¯t shove my knees in the cubs¡¯ faces. It looks...metallic? Could there be metal there? About to creep closer, already starting to shift my position, my attention is pulled by a growl from the adult raptorcat. Looking back towards the entrance, I see her crouching, ears back against her head and whole position very hostile. Not towards me, thankfully, but my stomach swoops as I consider what might have caused her to get into such a defensive pose. Forgetting about the potential metal for now, I creep towards the entrance trying to keep out of sight of whatever¡¯s out there. There¡¯s something moving around for sure: even if Bastet¡¯s behaviour hadn¡¯t told me that, I can hear the creature shifting and the sound of bones crunching and meat being torn. It¡¯s a bit sickening, actually. Though, it does seem a bit ridiculous that I¡¯m fazed by such sounds when I have literally crushed ribcages and skulls, not to mention butchered countless creatures since I¡¯ve been here. But I still have to fight back nausea as my imagination runs away with me. Perhaps it¡¯s because in this case, my bones might be the next to be crunched. I try to ignore the stomach-turning nature of the sounds to use them to gather something about the creatures making them without potentially exposing myself to view. Closing my eyes, I¡¯m more able to concentrate on what my ears are telling me. There are too many sounds for it to be only one creature unless that one creature is ridiculously active. All at the same time there¡¯s the sound of claws scraping along rock, bones being broken, and meat being ripped. Unless it¡¯s a creature with many legs and at least three heads, it¡¯s a small group of animals rather than a solitary one. That¡¯s not so good. In addition, the fact that I am hearing bones breaking is something else that makes my stomach feel queasy ¨C if the creatures are capable of crunching through bones, my wooden mace isn¡¯t going to be much of a match for them. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I suddenly wish with a strong desire that I had already made my bow so I had more of a ranged option than just the chunks of flint I still have in my Inventory. Or better yet ¨C a grenade that I could just throw out there and be done with it. Bastet¡¯s looking at me expectantly. She sends me a picture of some ¨C surprise, surprise ¨C reptilian creature with a massive jaw, thick neck and bulky body. The image makes me feel even more weak-kneed ¨C it looks as easy a target as a pit bull and about half as friendly. Could we outrun them, I wonder with a sense of hysteria creeping in, because I sure as hell don¡¯t consider my chances to be very good against beasts like that. I send the thought towards Bastet, picturing us getting the hell out of dodge. She seems to mull it over for a little, her head cocked to one side even as one ear is still tilted towards the cave entrance, clearly making sure we¡¯re still undetected. After several moments which feel like at least ten minutes, but probably took less than thirty seconds, she responds. It¡¯s not hopeful. The sense I get from her is that we could outrun the creatures for sure, but that they would follow us. From the images and emotions she sends me, they¡¯re extremely good trackers. They¡¯re mostly scavengers and probably are only here because they smelt the blood from far off and realised there was an easy meal waiting for them, but that doesn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t chase easy prey. Then we¡¯ll need to make sure they know we¡¯re not easy prey, I decide, sending Bastet a sense of determination. She eyes me dubiously, but seems as resigned as she was when she submitted to me during the Battle of Wills ¨C a feeling that she¡¯s not totally on-board, but she can¡¯t think of anything better to do instead so is willing to go along with me for now. Frankly, a typical cat. Checking the knots holding the cubs to me once more ¨C one or more of them dropping out during the headlong dash that is to come would not be good ¨C I verify once more that I haven¡¯t missed anything. About to leave, I suddenly have a thought, opening my Map and dropping a marker on this spot for later investigation. Then, looking at Bastet, I silently mouth a countdown from three. That she doubtlessly can¡¯t either lipread or count is immaterial ¨C the fact I¡¯m doing it for myself is generating the right sort of anticipation for me to send to her. When I reach zero, we both explode into action simultaneously. Dashing out of the cave, we clamber over the rocks in the direction of the closest trees. The creatures currently chowing down on Bastet and the cubs¡¯ dead pack-mates take a few moments to realise we¡¯re there, letting out coughing sounds of what I can only guess is surprise at our sudden appearance ¨C and almost as sudden disappearance. As I run for the trees, I don¡¯t hear any pursuit, but they may just be too surprised to realise that they should ¨C I didn¡¯t get the sense from Bastet¡¯s images that these creatures are particularly intelligent. As we run, I¡¯m surprised to realise that I¡¯m not all that much slower than the adult raptorcat. Then again, I did manage to survive a pack of them chasing me once, and she did say she¡¯s getting old. What I do notice after a few minutes is that she probably has significantly more stamina than me. After perhaps ten minutes of headlong sprint, my stamina bar is bottoming out and I can feel the usual symptoms of exhaustion creeping in. Bastet is still going strong and when, my breath coming in ragged pants, I slow down, I notice that she¡¯s not even breathing heavily. Maybe that¡¯s how raptorcats hunt if their ambush doesn¡¯t work? Not all that fast, but significantly more stamina. A bit like wolf packs on Earth which weren¡¯t the fastest animals around, but had the stamina to pursue prey for hours on end. My own stamina doesn¡¯t seem to stack up well in comparison. Then again, I was able to keep running at almost my top speed for about ten minutes. That would have been completely unheard of for me back on Earth, so I¡¯ve definitely improved my physical condition. ¡°Do you think we lost them?¡± I ask Bastet when I¡¯ve gathered enough breath to speak. No, she doesn¡¯t understand the words, but as with Spike, I unconsciously project my meaning when I speak, so she understands that. I get a wave of intention which I translate as ¡®not likely¡¯. I frown. ¡°Can you hear them coming or something?¡± I receive a negative feeling from her. ¡°Then why do you think they¡¯re following us? They¡¯ve got lots of food where they are.¡± The words have barely left my mouth when I wince at how callous they sound. In response, I receive a slight pang of sorrow, but far less intense that I would expect. I interpret the images and emotions she then sends to mean that she¡¯s doubtful we¡¯ve escaped the creatures because of one specific reason: once they¡¯ve locked onto prey, they don¡¯t stop pursuing until either they¡¯re dead or they¡¯ve lost the scent, and as for the latter, they have extremely sensitive senses. I get the idea that even walking through a river would be little use as they¡¯d be able to pick up our scent on anything we brushed past or from the other side if we didn¡¯t walk for long enough in the water. I lean against a tree as I consider the situation. I can¡¯t lead them back to Kalanthia¡¯s cave ¨C she¡¯d kill me if she thought I¡¯d put Lathani in danger. Maybe it¡¯s the time to try something out that I¡¯ve wanted to experiment with for a while... Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Three: Trap I wipe sweat off my brow, my breath still coming in tired pants. Feeling low in energy, I pull out some cooked meat and munch on it, putting a little of the raw stuff in front of the cubs and offering some more to Bastet. The adult raptorcat accepts it, just as tired from her own efforts. Casting a last glance around the area, I make sure that everything is as planned. It¡¯s a bit of a rough job, but we¡¯re short on time as it is. Bastet sends me a feeling of warning ¨C the reptilian bulldogs are within her detection range. As planned, I pick up the cubs from where they¡¯ve been cuddling together in the bole of a tree and climb a little way up the slope to place them in the hollow made by three branches up at about head-height on me. Wrapping my shirt around the outside of the branches, I create a little nest that they shouldn¡¯t fall out of without putting some effort into it. Hopefully Bastet¡¯s warning growl is enough to make sure that they don¡¯t try. At least these are wild animal babies which are generally more sensitive to danger than human babies ¨C goodness knows a human baby would probably just start caterwauling at the absolutely worst possible moment, as well as probably fall out of the tree just in front of the predator¡­ And no, I haven¡¯t had much experience with kids, but I¡¯ve heard enough from colleagues talking about their toddlers¡¯ predilection to run into traffic that I reckon my prediction is justified. Enough wool-gathering. Time to take my position. They¡¯re coming. I hear the creatures crashing through the forest ¨C subtle, they¡¯re not. I see the thick undergrowth shaking long before I see the creatures themselves. Running out of the cave, I hadn¡¯t had time to count them, but as they emerge from the undergrowth and hurry into the gully, I see that my estimate of seven was a bit too many, fortunately. A spear head of three lizogs crash through the undergrowth and I see more rustling behind that indicate at least one more, maybe two. I doubt as many as three are hiding, though, due to their bulk. Their heads reach just above my knee ¨C definitely big enough to mess me up, especially with those bone-crushing jaws. I¡¯d best make sure they don¡¯t touch me, then. Well, hopefully all the effort Bastet and I have put in will ensure that they don¡¯t. Bastet is hiding, following my plan, and so the lizogs¡¯ beady black eyes fixate on me, standing right there out in the open. With a snarling rumble, the leader bares its teeth at me and leads the charge. The other two just behind it follow immediately, two more emerging from the bush behind. I won¡¯t deny it: standing there while five killing-machines run full-pelt at me makes me wet myself just a little. It¡¯s terrifying seeing those teeth coming towards me while knowing they were biting through raptorcat bone not that long ago. Nonetheless, I stay still and do my best to project an air of confidence. I have a plan, I try to remind myself. It helps. Barely. Enough to stop me from running and ruining everything. Two feet away from me, close enough that I can see the saliva dropping from the jaws of the beasts, the lizogs have a nasty surprise. The leader is far too close to avoid the stakes which I¡¯ve prepared and hidden with the mud and plants covering the bottom of this narrow ravine, running straight into two of them. I couldn¡¯t cut down anything particularly big, since the best I could think of doing was using my axe-blade as a hand-axe, so I¡¯ve gone for quantity over quality. For one petrifying moment, I worry that the layers of stakes are going to break under the force of that heavy charge, or that they¡¯re just going to be pushed out of the ground and stick out of the lead lizog¡¯s flesh while the others come to tear me apart. Fortunately, neither scenario comes to pass. None of the lizogs are dead, nowhere near it, but their charge has been stopped and the stake wall is still intact. Also fortunately, I hadn¡¯t been counting on my first step killing any of them, though it would have been nice. Time to spring my trap. I haul on the bark-fibre cord I¡¯ve sacrificed for this task and behind them, another wall of stakes woven together with vines is pulled upwards to point up at the lizogs at an angle. I¡¯ve no real hope that this wall would stop them anywhere near as well as the one I¡¯d planted firmly in the ground in front of me, perhaps not at all, but I don¡¯t need to. This wall isn¡¯t meant to kill or injure but to provide a deterrent. Hopefully the stakes properly planted on three sides of the beasts and the memory of being injured will be enough to stop them breaking away as they realise the next, and final step of my plan. Really, Bastet is far too clever for a supposedly dumb animal, but she activates the killing bit of my trap perfectly. A rumbling crash from above marks the finale and the lizogs look up to see death descending on them. They have enough time to try to dodge, but the stake walls prove their worth as the lizogs are unable to force their way past. With a final rumbling snarl, they¡¯re buried in the rocks I carefully balanced on the slopes either side above them. Bastet had triggered a landslide by moving the few precariously laid branches of dead wood which had been - barely successfully - holding the rocks back. Frankly, the trap is more powerful than I had anticipated and I have to take a few hurried steps back along the gully to make sure I don''t get hit myself. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Bastet leaps to the ground behind the pack to make sure she¡¯s out of the way of the rocks which are still avalanching, though the flow is petering off as the final part of my trap finishes delivering its payload. As a side-benefit, if any of the lizogs have survived the rain of death, she¡¯ll be able to help me deal with them. The stones ¨C which range from the size of my fist to the size of my head, shift and roll as they settle in their new positions. Bastet and I keep a close watch on the pile and as soon as one starts moving in a way that seems counter to the pull of gravity, we creep closer. A lizog¡¯s head forces away a stone, looking somewhat worse for wear. Both eyes are missing completely, pulverised by a stone, and the front of its skull is caved in. I¡¯m reluctantly impressed by its fortitude ¨C I couldn¡¯t have taken an injury like that and kept going. Maybe its Constitution is significantly better than mine¡­ I''m impressed enough that I decide I''d like to try Dominating it - with its high constitution and powerful jaws, it would be a good addition to the team. Trapped and injured as it is, the Battle of Wills should be fairly simple too. "Dominate," I say firmly, looking into the pulverised flesh where its eyes used to be. It''s a sickening sight - is that its brain peaking out? When nothing happens, I repeat the Skill activation command while trying to focus on re-entering that strange space. Nada. Perhaps that saying ''eyes are the windows to the soul'' is true and that''s why I have to meet their eyes to initiate a Battle of Wills? I consider trying to heal it enough to make eye contact, but frankly, I don''t want to get any closer to those jaws than necessary. In the end I just shrug and lift my mace. The lizog doesn¡¯t long survive my Strength-driven strikes and within less than a minute, we¡¯re back to watching for more signs of movement. After things have been quiet for a few minutes, we spend the time necessary to dig out the rest of the lizogs. Not only do I want to make sure that there aren''t any living members which might come chasing us down later, but I also want the hearts. Fortunately, it seems like the avalanche has done in the rest of the pack. On the upside, I''ve been able to determine that I do get Energy from killing creatures in a trap: the Energy I''ve gained is too much to have come from the single creature I killed otherwise. We also managed to kill five lizogs without losing one or more limbs, which seems to me like something to celebrate when I see the massive jaws and sharp teeth on these things. I wish I could mark the occasion with something more enjoyable than digging out the bodies and eating their hearts but that''s the world I live in now: working hard to survive one encounter just means working even harder to survive the next. Thankfully, once we¡¯d rescued the cubs from the tree and hidden them once more in a safe spot on the ground, Bastet was willing to help me clear off the stones, just as she was willing to dig holes for the stakes and chew them into points, allowing me to concentrate on stone and wood collection and then creating my precariously balanced rocks on the slope above. Believe me, my heart rose into my throat a few times when the wind blew or stones trickled down and it seemed like my trap would be triggered ahead of time, but it all came right in the end. By the time I¡¯ve got the hearts from the bodies, I¡¯m hot, tired, and desperately in need of a bath. I quickly make a small fire and cook the hearts quickly by cutting them into slices and sticking them on a spit above the fire. ¡°Hey, eat as much of these as you want, Bastet,¡± I tell her, indicating the bodies. ¡°You¡¯ve earned it!¡± She sends a wave of pleasure tinged with tiredness at me and goes over to the closest lizorg corpse, digging straight into the belly. Well, fair enough ¨C I figure that those are probably just as or almost as dense in Energy as the hearts, but I wouldn¡¯t dare eat them myself for fear of parasites or food poisoning or something. No need for them to go to waste, though. When Bastet¡¯s finished, she encourages the cubs to come forward and start chewing some of the more tender pieces too. They take to it with gusto ¨C this clearly isn¡¯t the first time they¡¯ve been able to have a go at a carcass. Just as well, I suppose, since I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d get milk for them otherwise. Finally, everyone is sated and I¡¯ve been able to cook my hearts well enough to risk eating them. There¡¯s still a good three and a half lizog carcasses hanging around, so I stick them in my Inventory ¨C with four meat-eaters to be responsible for now, I¡¯m going to need to up my game on hunting. Maybe Bastet can help me with that? I still have several days of labour before I¡¯m likely to be able to finalise my weaponry situation, after all. Perhaps then I¡¯ll actually be in a position to hunt for Kalanthia too ¨C needing to provide her with enough meat would no doubt significantly increase the speed of my Energy collection. Tucking the cubs back into their chest sling, I start walking, Bastet prowling next to me, her ears swiveling every which-way. The cubs, their bellies full, don¡¯t take long to drop off to sleep and I can¡¯t stop the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth as I look at their sleepy adorableness. As I walk through the forest, my own eyes flicking one way and then the next, ready for another attack, my mind chews on something I hadn¡¯t even realised I was considering until it spat forth a theory which made me temporarily freeze. What killed the raptorcats, considering how powerful they are? What¡­.or who? An icy certainty creeps into my belly. There can¡¯t be that many creatures powerful enough to take on a full pack of raptorcats on their home-turf and walk away without significant injury. And I know it was without significant injury because Bastet had run away when she was injured instead of going for the jugular on an incapacitated foe. Clearly the firepower was simply too overwhelming. So, that raised the question again, what, or who, would be powerful enough to do that? Who was out yesterday hunting to fill up for another three day fast? And if Kalanthia was the culprit, how will she react when I turn up on her doorstep with a surviving adult and three cubs? Heck, how will Bastet react, meeting her pack¡¯s killer? Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Four: Handily-sized Snacks First, I need to confirm ¨C or deny ¨C my suspicions. As casually as I can, I turn to Bastet and ask her a question, doing my best to control the feelings and images I inadvertently send down the link. ¡°What happened to your pack, Bastet? You seemed too powerful to be taken down easily.¡± Instead of doing a ¡®don¡¯t think of pink elephants¡¯ sort of scenario I try to instead send the memory of being chased through forest by their pack, driven to hiding in an underground burrow to escape as an illustration of how powerful they had seemed to me. At the end, there¡¯s the comparison with the memory of walking out of the forest line to see their butchered half-eaten bodies strewn over the outcropping. A wave of sadness and longing emanates from the raptorcat padding next to me. She sends me the sense of overpowering ferocity, Strength which they couldn¡¯t hope to match, and the environment turning against them. It suddenly makes me wonder if I¡¯d have seen something different if I¡¯d spotted their den before the whole slaughter. At the end is a brief still-image of the creature that had done all this, and the picture makes the blood turn to ice in my veins. Snarling, blood-spattered, and larger than life, the picture is different from any other time I¡¯d seen her, but it is Kalanthia for sure. A Kalanthia that frankly I¡¯d never like to see again. At least, not aimed at me. That...complicates things. We walk in silence for a while, the cubs occasionally letting out the odd squeaky snore. My brain is racing as I try to work out what I can do. If there¡¯s anything I can do, that is, to avoid the car-crash I can see coming. Is it possible to warn either party ahead of the inevitable encounter? Should I? After some consideration, I realise that the most important one to warn is the raptorcat padding beside me. She¡¯s the one who¡¯s lost her entire family, or pack, or whatever she¡¯d call it. Either way, the clear sadness and loss that she feels now indicates she had strong bonds with the other raptorcats, and now they¡¯re gone. They¡¯re gone and she¡¯s soon going to come face to face with their killer. On Kalanthia¡¯s side, I doubt there¡¯s much emotion. Unless she has a particular dislike of raptorcats or they did something to her which she was getting revenge for, I reckon that she probably just treated the pack as they had treated me a few days ago: as prey. Although why would she leave the bodies half-eaten in that case? Actually, can I even assume that she ate them at all considering it had been hours since she clearly killed them; something else could have come through the area and consumed the corpses. Then there''s the fact that she didn''t pursue Bastet after having given her a significant wound; if she was hunting for food, wouldn''t she have gone after the escapee after having dealt with the rest of the pack? Maybe she had different motives. Lathani''s certainly getting bigger and stronger - it probably won''t be long until she starts trying to explore the world beyond her den. Having a pack of killers roaming around is probably a threat to that. All of which raises a dilemma for me: if Kalanthia hunted down the raptorcats to get rid of a potential threat against her cub, how is she going to take me bringing four of them into her personal space? Kalanthia took the presence of Spike with equanimity, but in a way that''s different: he would be considered prey, not a threat to Lathani. The cubs are too small to any threat to the rambunctious nunda cub but an adult raptorcat is a different matter. On the other hand, Bastet is Bound to me... I allow myself a moment to consider the differences between my Bond with Spike and my Bond with Bastet, just wanting to verify for myself that I could assure Kalanthia that Bastet would be no threat to her cub. After all, if I promised that and it turned out not to be true, I''d be lucky to see the next dawn. Feeling the two Bonds, which seem to be stored in some alternate space connecting to both my mind and something deep in my chest, I get a different sense from each. It must be something to do with my increased Wisdom since I¡¯ve only been able to detect either bond since earning two Wisdom points today. Before then, I¡¯d been aware that there was something between Spike and me, had even used it to send images to him, but it was different. Before it was like I was holding a thin cord with thick gloves ¨C difficult to feel except when it moves and impossible to manipulate delicately. Now, it¡¯s like the gloves have been replaced with thinner versions ¨C I¡¯m more able to feel the bond even when it¡¯s not active and I sense I can manipulate it a little more easily. Thinking back to when I felt the niggling sensation of a new notification, I¡¯m pretty sure that one of the points came when I stretched out my senses to try to work out what creatures were outside the cave while the five of us were hiding inside. I suppose that kind of makes sense ¨C Wisdom is, apparently, all about connecting with the world around me, so I guess that situation qualifies. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I¡¯m not sure about the other ¨C it could have been when I decided to Bond Bastet, or possibly while I was Dominating Bastet. I would have thought the decision to try to convince her to allow herself to be Bound rather than just trying to force the issue would count as showing Wisdom, but what do I know? Either way, when I accepted the two points post the lizog fight ¨C twenty-eight percent of my Energy store suddenly disappearing as a result ¨C I suddenly felt a new sensation settle in me. I now have a better idea of why Kalanthia called them ¡®chains¡¯: that¡¯s exactly what they feel like, though on my part it feels like I¡¯m holding the ends of them rather than being bound myself. Each feels a bit different too. Spike¡¯s is calm, placid. Solid, in a way, but there¡¯s also a sense of indifference. It¡¯s completely counter to Bastet¡¯s that feels...like a feral cat settling into your home. I mean, I¡¯ve never had a feral cat, but from what I¡¯ve seen of cat videos and read on online comments, there¡¯s a settling in period for any new cat. Probably any new pet, really. And while Bastet isn¡¯t exactly a ¡®pet¡¯, there¡¯s definitely that sense of uncertainty in the bond. It feels like she¡¯s tiptoeing a bit around me, a bit touchy, a bit defensive, on edge because she¡¯s not yet sure of how I will react to things. Indifferent, she is not. Unlike Spike¡¯s Bond, Bastet¡¯s feels a lot more two-way. That¡¯s been pretty obvious from the start: Bastet took to responding to me through the Bond with an ease that Spike has never shown. Whether that¡¯s because Spike has less Intelligence ¨C or Wisdom, or whatever the stat is that affects this kind of thing ¨C or that perhaps Bastet actually had some sort of similar connection to her pack-mates and was therefore already used to communicating like this, I don¡¯t know. Fortunately, I do get the sense that despite her greater capacity to communicate, my control over her is just as strong as it is over Spike. Though I do get a sense that she probably is capable of resisting an order to an extent, I feel confident that if I order her to leave Lathani alone, she will have no choice but to follow. Ultimately, that¡¯s what I need to know ahead of talking to Kalanthia. Talking to Bastet though¡­ I spend a long time considering how to broach the subject with her, considering and dismissing one approach after another. Unfortunately, my hesitation takes too long, something I only realise when Bastet tenses, her ears pressing back against her head, turning to glare at me and sending feelings of anger and betrayal down the Bond. For a moment, I¡¯m confused, but when images accompany the feelings, images of Kalanthia once more tearing the raptorcats apart, only this time actually succeeding in killing and eating Bastet herself, and then moving on to gulp down the cubs, I realise the problem: she¡¯s caught Kalanthia¡¯s scent and drawn her own conclusions. ¡°No,¡± I yelp, louder than I intended. Loud enough, in fact, to wake the cubs out of their sleepy state. ¡°No,¡± I repeat at a lower level, despite it being too late. The cubs are already awake and picking up the suddenly fraught atmosphere, as their uncertain mewls indicate. ¡°I swear, Bastet,¡± I continue, staring at the raptorcat and trying to push sincerity down the Bond, ¡°I swear I¡¯m not collaborating with Kalanthia.¡± She responds with feelings of distrust, the same pangs of betrayal again being sent to add a poignancy to her message. ¡°Look,¡± I tell her, stopping and putting my hands out a little defensively. It¡¯s not because I think she¡¯ll attack me ¨C the little I understand of the Bond tells me that attacking the Bond holder is something it explicitly prevents ¨C but because I¡¯m trying to show her how genuine I¡¯m being. ¡°I live with Kalanthia. I¡¯ve done it for quite a few days now. I wasn¡¯t aware she would attack your pack. I didn¡¯t tell her about you or direct her in any way. Nor did I know she had attacked your pack and come to take advantage. It was all complete coincidence.¡± I sent memories along with my words, memories of spending time near Kalanthia and her cub, sleeping next-door to them, looking after Lathani while Kalanthia hunted, going searching through the forest for wood only to find an injured raptorcat¡­ The response from Bastet rather surprises me. Pure irritable indifference. Like such thoughts are irrelevant and she¡¯s annoyed that I¡¯m wasting her time with them. I think part of my surprise must seep through to her as she adds a flurry of more images and emotions. Finally, I think I understand why my previous attempt at reassuring her fell completely flat. I pride myself on being a good communicator, but this time I forgot to take the other person¡¯s background into account. Bastet isn¡¯t a human, who might be concerned with the past. She¡¯s a predator, an animal who lives very much in the present. A human might feel betrayal because the person they¡¯ve sworn themselves to appears to be in cahoots with the person who killed their family. A human might rail against nature, at their family being taken before their time. An animal, no. Bastet has consistently shown me that she accepts the death of her pack, that she understands the nature of the world is survival of the fittest. Her feelings of betrayal are not because I appear to be in cahoots with her family¡¯s killer, but because she thinks that I¡¯ve brought her here to be eaten by Kalanthia; that my promises of helping her and, more importantly in her mind, the cubs to become stronger are worthless. With that realisation, I try once more to reassure her. ¡°Nothing has changed about what I promised you. I didn¡¯t bring you here to be snacks for Kalanthia. I¡¯m going to talk to her and make sure she doesn¡¯t eat you, OK?¡± Once more trying to send waves of sincerity down the Bond, I see her hackles starting to descend and her ears beginning to rise again after a few moments. Her stubby wings also start to lower from their fluffed up anger display. There isn¡¯t any whole-hearted sense of an apology for doubting me, or even a re-expression of trust. However, she doesn¡¯t send more feelings of betrayal or distrust, instead sending a sense of resigned ¡®wait and see¡¯. If I can put it in words, it¡¯s like Bastet acknowledges that she doesn¡¯t have a huge amount of choice in the matter but will tentatively hope for the best. I figure it¡¯s the best I¡¯m going to get. Soon reaching the river at the base of the hill, I take a quick dip to wash off the worst of the dirt and sweat. For once, I¡¯m not coated in blood too. Small mercies. Then, gazing apprehensively up the slope, I slip back into my clothes. Time to put my money where my mouth is and ensure that Bastet and the three cubs don¡¯t become handily-sized snacks for my nunda landlord. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Five: Non-human Communication Skills ¡°Maybe you should stay here with the cubs until I¡¯ve spoken to Kalanthia,¡± I say a little hesitantly, casting an apprehensive eye up the slope. I mean, I¡¯m pretty sure this isn¡¯t going to be an issue ¨C Kalanthia¡¯s been OK with Spike after all. However, a raptorcat is a different story from a porcupig and...I¡¯m stalling. I¡¯ve already considered all this; I¡¯m just letting my anxiety paralyse me. Taking in a deep breath and refusing to look back to Bastet as if seeking approval, I walk up the hill with determination. Slowing as I get closer to the hole in the hill, I peek inside to check that the nunda is awake. I¡¯m not actually sure if I¡¯d rather if she was or wasn¡¯t: on one hand it would delay the confrontation and relieve me in the moment; on the other, it would delay the confrontation and postpone even more anxiety. As it so happens, she¡¯s awake, so I don¡¯t have to answer that question for myself. ¡°Kalanthia? Is it a good time?¡± I ask softly ¨C no point in getting her hackles raised from the start by interrupting her at the wrong moment. She lifts her head and fixes me with her golden eyes, her nose wrinkling and lip curling as her mouth opens slightly. I suddenly wonder if I¡¯ve offended her somehow. Have you been at your trade again, Binder? The question takes me off guard. ¡°Wait, what?¡± I ask, feeling completely off-kilter. You smell of the Larnatis. Have you Bound one? How did she draw that conclusion if, as I¡¯d have to guess, the ¡®Larnatis¡¯ are what I¡¯d call raptorcats? ¡°How¡­?¡± The question is the only thing I can even half-voice. Kalanthia emanates a sense of amusement. You have their scent all over, yet you are not bloodied: that you have found some way to Bind one to yourself without taking injury seems a lot more likely than you having taken one on in battle without being ripped to shreds. That¡¯s...accurate. I¡¯m momentarily speechless ¨C this whole conversation has left me blind-sided. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d imagined, not even close. I¡¯d thought that I¡¯d have to convince her that Bastet would be safe to have around Lathani, or not to eat Bastet and the cubs as a snack, or both. Not...whatever this is. ¡°So you¡¯re OK with me bringing a raptorcat...a ¡®Larnatis¡¯ back here?¡± She gives the head-toss which I interpret as a shrug, a wave of indifference rolling over me. What does it matter to me? The actions of your Bonded are your responsibility; I have faith that your appreciation for your own skin will make you ensure Lathani¡¯s safety, so what other reservations would I have? Put like that¡­ ¡°And you won¡¯t eat her? Or the cubs I¡¯ve brought with me who I haven¡¯t yet Bound?¡± I belatedly add on. Kalanthia head-shrugs again. As long as you claim and control them, I shall not consider them food unless you give them to me explicitly. Which...no. Just no. I might bring corpses back for Kalanthia sometime, but bringing back live creatures just to feed to my nunda landlord...no way. I don¡¯t think my conscience could deal with that. Still, it seems like I¡¯ve got what I wanted, without even having to try. Still feeling a bit off-balance from how easy the conversation was when I had built it up so much in my mind, I politely excuse myself and walk down the slope. I need to improve my non-human communication skills, I reflect as I walk. That¡¯s twice in the last half an hour where I¡¯ve misread the situation. It¡¯s weird to think about, but I¡¯m not going to have any actual humans to talk to in the next year so I¡¯d better get used to not interpreting things in a human way. Maybe that Animal Empathy Skill will help me there. Suddenly I realise where I¡¯ve heard of Kalanthia¡¯s strange facial gesture before. I can¡¯t remember what it¡¯s called exactly, but when a cat partly opens its mouth and looks like it¡¯s grimacing, it¡¯s enhancing its capacity to smell something. In that context, her behaviour makes much more sense. Reaching the base of the hill, I approach Bastet who raises her head and sends a feeling of slightly apprehensive curiosity down the Bond. ¡°She¡¯s fine with you and the cubs coming to stay,¡± I tell her. ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t threaten her cub in any sort of way, OK? And please keep the cubs away too. Kalanthia¡¯s very protective.¡± A strange mixture of feelings roll over the Bond. A mixture of surprise, concern, and what I can only describe as a sensation that I would express with an eyeroll. Exasperation, perhaps? I try to parse through the combination as I pick up the cubs to tuck them back into my chest sling. These, incidentally, are significantly more docile with me now than they were a few hours ago. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because Bastet¡¯s been communicating with them somehow or because they¡¯ve been sleeping against me, surrounded in my scent. Whatever the reason, the more comfortable they are with me, the better. Once they¡¯re settled, we set off back up the hill. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. After a few minutes, I think I¡¯ve managed to figure out what Bastet was trying to communicate. Surprise that Kalanthia has a cub of her own, concern that her defensiveness over the cub might cause problems, and the eyeroll feeling was because of course Kalanthia would be defensive if she has her own cub. I check these conclusions with Bastet and just get a derisive tail flick and a look that from a female human would probably mean she thought I was being a bit slow. I think I¡¯m correct in saying that the look means the exact same thing from a raptorcat. The derision that flicks briefly through the Bond certainly supports my conclusion. Kalanthia is standing outside the cave. As I start walking over towards her, Bastet runs in front of me and stops, making me halt abruptly. The raptorcat lays her ears back against her head and hisses, crouching low to the ground. The much bigger nunda strolls over and slumps to a half-lying position just in front. She lifts a paw and starts grooming it casually, making it clear just how unthreatened she feels by the defensive raptorcat between us. For a moment I¡¯m flattered that Bastet¡¯s already trying to defend me, though thinking that the raptorcat should know better since I¡¯d just gone to speak with the nunda on my own. Then reality reasserts itself, and I realise that she¡¯s not defending me; she¡¯s defending the cubs. About to reassure Bastet, and hopefully prevent her from attacking Kalanthia completely unnecessarily ¨C not to mention causing a major incident with a being that¡¯s far more powerful than either of us ¨C I¡¯m interrupted by Kalanthia. Peace, small one, she says. I¡¯m almost offended ¨C I know I¡¯m a lot smaller than she is, but does she really need to highlight that? A moment later, I once more realise I¡¯ve got the wrong end of the stick: she¡¯s talking to Bastet but she must be sending the mental message to both of us. How that¡¯s possible, I don¡¯t really know, but then I don¡¯t understand how her telepathy works to begin with. Alternatively, I¡¯m receiving the mental message through my Bond with Bastet, though if the message has to be translated through the mental perceptions of two different species, I would be worried about its accuracy. Like Chinese Whispers, but way worse. Kalanthia keeps speaking. I have an agreement with your Binder and as long as that stays intact, I shall not hurt him or his. He has claimed you and your cubs as his, so you have nothing to fear, for now. Then she yawns, showing her great fangs, her canines almost as long as my forearm. However, bear in mind that I am a mother. She needs say nothing more: the sheer protectiveness and retributive vengefulness that she impresses into such a simple sentence is deeply impressive ¨C in both senses of the word. Bastet actually cowers, her body language changing from defensive into submissive. Somehow I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have any problems with either her or the cubs harassing Lathani¡­ ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± I tell Kalanthia neutrally. ¡°Come on, Bastet, let¡¯s get you and the cubs settled.¡± The raptorcat, once so threatening for me, scuttles after me, her plumed tail tucked between her legs like a scared dog. The cubs obviously weren¡¯t included in the mental communication as they¡¯re not at all worried, instead wriggling around the sling violently enough to almost fall out a couple of times. I figure they¡¯ve probably had enough of sitting around and want to go and explore a bit. They will be able to shortly, but we need to figure out where everyone is sleeping first. ¡°I guess you¡¯d prefer to sleep inside?¡± I half-question Bastet. She sends me a complicated emotional combination that seems to indicate a preference for sleeping undercover, but not wanting to risk angering Kalanthia. ¡°No, I doubt that would be an issue,¡± I comment absent-mindedly, considering whether I want them to share my space ¨C and whether I really have a choice. After all, I¡¯m the one who decided to Bind Bastet, in doing so taking on responsibility for her and the cubs. For sure the cubs would be better off inside, and I can¡¯t really expect Bastet to be alright with being separated from them, especially in a new place with a significant threat right next door. I¡¯m going to have to share a bedroom with four raptorcats, aren¡¯t I, I sigh to myself. ¡°Come on,¡± I tell her with resignation, setting a path for the cave. I feel Kalanthia¡¯s attention on me, though when I look back she¡¯s studiously washing herself. ¡°Our space is over here,¡± I tell my companion, indicating my alcove with my head, my hands fully occupied with keeping three wriggling raptorcat cubs from falling out and hurting themselves. As I head for my bedroom, I feel a set of sharp teeth set themselves into my thumb and bite. I let out a surprised yelp of pain ¨C that hurts! Not as much as the wolvezard, I tell myself grimly as I refuse to jerk away and let the adorable, though sharp-toothed, bundles of fur fall. Still, I hasten my steps until I¡¯m fully inside before kneeling down and letting the cubs tumble out of the sling. I¡¯ve leant down close enough to the ground that they¡¯re not in any sort of danger of being hurt when they half-climb, half-fall out. Grimacing, I inspect the bloody holes one of them left in my thumb, casting a Lay-on-hands to close the pinpricks. Ouch! I turn to see Bastet hesitating in the doorway, then throw myself sideways to push one inquisitive cub away from the fire. It¡¯s just burning embers by this point given how long I¡¯ve been absent, but even embers are too hot to risk the cubs near. Checking that the other cubs aren¡¯t currently anywhere near anything potentially dangerous, I turn back to Bastet. ¡°Come on in ¨C this is my space. The big cave is Kalanthia¡¯s and Lathani¡¯s, but you can stay in here. Just make sure the cubs stay away from this fire,¡± I tell her, indicating the fireplace. Then I spot one cub precariously close to my balanced pots and dive for it, only just managing to catch one of the drying pieces of pottery from both falling on the cub and probably breaking. ¡°And away from these pots.¡± On the other side, a cub has started batting at one of the hanging pieces of drying sinew. This time, I¡¯m not fast enough: the cub catches the end with its claws and drags the piece towards it. Unfortunately, my drying rack isn¡¯t designed to stand up to a raptorcat¡¯s strength, not even a cub¡¯s, and I watch in dismay as the whole lot is pulled over to crash to the ground, sending drying bits of sinew everywhere. I raise one hand to my forehead and massage my temples. Clearly, I didn¡¯t think this through. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Six: Sympathy I wake up in the dark to something breathing heavily near me. I freeze while my mind races groggily to work out the cause. The fact that it doesn¡¯t move closer while I wake up fully is enough to calm me a little, and I relax completely when I realise exactly what the origin is. I remember having the bright idea yesterday to Bind a raptorcat and adopt the three cubs under her protection. I let out a silent breath as I remember the chaos of the previous evening. It was impossible to keep the cubs out of everything, so eventually I just let them play with a couple of pieces of sinew to try to stop them from destroying everything else. I¡¯d managed to keep my pottery safe by the skin of my teeth, despite several close shaves. One of my shirts met a worse fate ¨C while I was saving my pots from one of the cubs, the other two had grabbed the shirt and were playing a tug of war with it. Before either I or Bastet ¨C who was guarding the fire ¨C could intervene, it had ripped from their sharp teeth. Reminded once more that I need to develop some way of repairing my torn garments before I run out of clothes to wear, I decided to give that particular shirt to the cubs to use as bedding. Fortunately, after playing for a bit, squabbling over the sinew, and filling their bellies once more with lizog meat, they settled down to sleep. They did explore Bastet¡¯s underside, nosing through her fur and making unhappy squeaks, so I reckon they probably should still be having milk. Unfortunately, unless Bastet starts producing in sympathy, they¡¯re going to have to go without it. I suppose I should consider it good fortune that they¡¯re capable of eating meat ¨C if they could only digest milk like human babies at the start of their lives, they¡¯d have been doomed by the death of their mother. I hardly think Kalanthia is going to volunteer to donate, after all. It¡¯s actually interesting to realise that the raptorcats must be mammals despite having feathers. How that evolved, I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s curious nonetheless. Taking advantage of everyone else being asleep, I pull up my status. I haven¡¯t checked it properly in a few days so I might as well do that now in the calm before the storm. I didn¡¯t have time yesterday evening, after all. Given that my wood-collecting mission had been rather interrupted by finding Bastet and then the subsequent events, I¡¯d been feeling a bit restless about how little I felt I¡¯d accomplished. After the cubs had gone to sleep, cuddled with Bastet and the shirt, I¡¯d headed outside and worked with Spike on my pit. Spike shied away from me at first: I guess he could smell a predator on me that he would probably be vulnerable to. A pack of raptorcats, heck, only two or three of them would make short work of a lone porcupig, after all. He calmed down reasonably quickly when I sent reassuring feelings down my Bond with him, though. The difference between him and Bastet had never been clearer. Where she had been constantly alert, questioning the world around her and proactively taking the actions which she felt would be best for herself and hers, Spike just reacts. He¡¯s alert, sure ¨C if he hadn¡¯t been, he wouldn¡¯t have survived to adulthood ¨C but there¡¯s no...spark behind it. No real governing Intelligence. It''s one reason for why I haven''t been taking him out into the woods with me: although he defended me that one time against the Black Blob, I really don''t know how he''d do in a more normal combat situation. He might do fine, but I can''t help but think that his species relies more on defence than offence, and that only if they don''t come across a too-powerful foe. He still has to go out into the woods to find food, for sure, but I reckon he''s more able to go unnoticed by himself than if we go together. Certainly, I seem to attract confrontations, and I don''t know if he''s capable of reacting appropriately - or proactively. Unlike with Bastet, my Battle of Wills with Spike hadn¡¯t been a negotiation, but a test of force. He accepted the bond because I was stronger than him and left him no choice but to accept. And now, he will not struggle against the Bond and its obligations, as seen when he defended me against the creature that poisoned me a few days back. But equally, I haven''t seen any evidence that he will act proactively in the way Bastet did yesterday, helping me think of and prepare a trap for a foe that hunted both of us. Pushing my memories and musings to one side for later exploration, I focus on the screen in front of me.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 50% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 9 Mana: 90/90
Wisdom 9 Mana regeneration rate: 225u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. 9 Health: 90/90
Strength 10 Stamina: 50/50
Dexterity 6 Stamina regeneration rate: 60u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Beginner 4 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 3 Stealth ¨C Beginner 5 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 2
I¡¯m halfway to level two, which is nice, though I doubt I¡¯ll get there anytime soon. Yesterday was a good day for Energy between Bonding Bastet and killing the lizogs. It''s good to know that I''ll get Energy from traps; once I''ve finished my immediate crafting tasks, I''ll definitely start creating some traps in the local area. If I kill the creatures, great, I''ll get the Energy. If I don''t kill the creatures, I then have the possibility of initiating a Battle of Wills. I do wonder whether I''ll get any Energy from my Bound''s kills - Spike hasn''t killed anything yet and neither has Bastet since our Bonding. I would have more Energy in my store, but I¡¯d got those two points in Wisdom which took me down a bit. Still, it¡¯s good to know that I have the room to gain several points today, if I put in enough effort. My digging last night was clearly not enough to trigger anything more so those two points were my only gain yesterday. In terms of points, that is. My Skill list is starting to grow, both in length and in quality. It¡¯s good to see Dominate has increased since Bonding Bastet. Was that because Bonding Bastet was pretty hard or because I had to approach it in a different way from just forcing my Will on my opponent? Or maybe because it was the second Bond I¡¯d created? I don¡¯t know, and won¡¯t until I get more data to work with. Still, if it¡¯s anything like increasing Lay-on-hands to Novice level, I gained the point in Dominate because I won the Battle in a different sort of way. Or maybe that only applies when crossing the gap between Beginner and Novice¡­ Another question to add to the list. Everything¡¯s coming on nicely in my actual stats except for Dexterity. The six sitting there among nines and tens ¨C and more, in the case of my Willpower ¨C is a bit embarrassing, but honestly, I can see why it hasn¡¯t improved much. Recently, I¡¯ve been doing a lot of things that require strength over fine motor control. Then, I¡¯ve also managed to improve my Intelligence through making links between things in my absorbed memories, and Wisdom by connecting with others and the world around. Plus, my Constitution has been put under strain, so that¡¯s had to grow by default. Still, I should be doing more fine-motor control tasks soon. There are more arrowheads to make, after all, then cutting feathers to make flights for the arrows, and then attaching flights and arrowheads to carefully prepared lengths of thin wood. Ugh, I groan at the thought of all that fiddly, finicky work to do. I hope my bow is worth it in the end, I think to myself. Actually, on that front, I¡¯ll need to head back out to the forest sooner rather than later. I hadn¡¯t thought about it beforehand, but really the wood for my arrows ought to be given some time to dry. I don¡¯t have enough time to season the wood properly ¨C which can take as much as a year, something that¡¯s clearly out of the realms of possibility ¨C but some drying is better than none. I¡¯m just going to have to settle for choosing the straightest possible sticks and then live with it. I might set up some arrows for seasoning for later use when I have a bit of time, but that¡¯s a future-me concern. I also need to collect more firewood: what I managed to collect yesterday looks rather pitiful in the pile I stacked last night ¨C I need a lot more than that. However, I know that Bastet won¡¯t be keen on me taking the cubs with us back into the forest ¨C and I agree it¡¯s not a great idea ¨C so that leaves either me going out to the forest on my own or staying home today. The main issue I have with leaving the raptorcats on their own today is that I¡¯m a bit nervous about how they will react to Lathani ¨C and how she will react to them. Ultimately, I figure that staying home for a day is probably the best use of my time. That way, I can head off any potential problems with settling in before they start. I still need to dig my pit anyway ¨C I can get on with that with Spike while the cubs play outside or sleep. Decision made, I feel suddenly restless in the way I always used to when I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me and just wanted to get on. I don¡¯t want to disturb my room-mates, but they¡¯re curled up in a little bundle of fur between me and the fire which I need to stoke if I want it to keep burning. Pulling cooked meat out of my Inventory, I also munch on a little of the cooked tuber. Almost makes it steak and potatoes, without it actually being steak...or potatoes. Oh man, what I¡¯d do to have a medium cooked steak with crispy fries¡­ Well, I suppose I could make some sort of fries someday if these tubers don¡¯t fall apart too much when fried ¨C all I¡¯d need to collect would be enough animal fat to deep fry them. Something to consider later down the line. I¡¯d also need more salt for seasoning since I really don¡¯t have much left of what I¡¯d created from boiling the malachy leaves. By the time I finish my ¡®breakfast¡¯, light is starting to permeate the gloom. At this time of the morning, the sun doesn¡¯t actually penetrate the cave in any way as the angle is wrong, but when it¡¯s getting lighter outside, a little of that always filters inside. A glint near the fire lets me know that Bastet is awake and watching me. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± I ask quietly, not keen on waking up the balls of fluff and energy when not necessary. She sends a feeling of negation and satiation down the Bond. I guess that makes sense ¨C she did rather gorge herself yesterday. ¡°OK, well I need to get to the fire behind you or it¡¯s going to die soon.¡± I get the impression that she doesn¡¯t really understand what I¡¯m saying there, so I try to send her an image of the fire getting lower and lower until I give it some fuel and it leaps higher again. She still gives off a sense of confusion, but shifts sideways until there¡¯s enough space for me to access the fire. I hear a few squeaks and plaintive complaints from the cubs burrowed into her side, but they seem to die down quickly. I focus on the fire, gently encouraging the glowing embers to take on more life by feeding it easily burned material while blowing lightly. Once the fine bark, and dried moss-like material has caught light, I feed in thin branches and then wait a bit. Eventually, I add on a bigger log and wait to make sure it¡¯s starting to char even as the medium branches I also added are starting to catch light. Honestly, taking care of the fire takes a good portion of each morning ¨C between dealing with the fire itself and then replenishing my stocks piled carefully next to the fireplace, I must take between an hour and two hours. However, it¡¯s worth it ¨C afterwards, as long as I keep it fed with larger logs every so often, I end up with a fire that¡¯ll last all day with relatively little attention, and then be easy to stoke again for the evening. Finished and just assessing whether I need to bring in more firewood from outside, my attention is grabbed by Bastet¡¯s grunt and a sense of urgency she sends down the Bond. I whip around to see one of the cubs ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure this one is the adventurous blighter which tried to break my pottery twice yesterday ¨C standing in the entrance between my alcove and Kalanthia¡¯s cave. That by itself would be worth paying attention, but even worse, the cub has come face to face with a surprised Lathani, who¡¯s not looking entirely happy at the sudden encounter. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Seven: Trouble The two felines stare each other down for a long moment. Well, I say two felines, but I¡¯m not even sure a nunda counts as one, let alone a raptorcat. Lathani is significantly bigger than the as-yet-unnamed raptorcat cub ¨C she¡¯s about the size of a medium-sized dog where the other cub is probably like a small lion cub in size. We¡¯re all frozen, wondering what will happen. At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing, but no one else is moving either. Finally, Lathani reaches out a paw towards the raptorcat cub with the same kind of curiosity as she showed towards the beetle a few days ago. Before it bit her, of course. Almost as if I¡¯ve suddenly become prescient, I can see what is going to happen before it does. Maybe that¡¯s because it actually has happened ¨C with the beetle. ¡°Lathani,¡± I call, startling everyone a little. The nunda cub flashes a look up to me and freezes, her paw in mid-air. The raptorcub in front of her twists around to stare at me too, as does Bastet. Crisis temporarily averted ¨C now it¡¯s time to ensure that the situation doesn¡¯t devolve. I stride over to her and scoop up the adventurous raptorcat cub. ¡°I want to introduce you to some friends of mine,¡± I tell her, resorting to old habits in my stress, my mind latching onto ¡®friends¡¯ instead of whatever the hell the four raptorcats are to me now. Walking over to Bastet, I dump the cub down in front of her. The little pause gives me enough time to quickly consider how to do this. ¡°This is Bastet, and she¡¯s caring for these three cubs like Kalanthia does for you.¡± I indicate each of the raptorcats one by one. Lathani looks up at me, her head tilted curiously, her ears alert. ¡°The little ones are cubs like you, but they¡¯re smaller and more fragile than you are, OK?¡± I get the sense that she doesn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°So they¡¯ll probably want to play with you, but be careful not to hurt them, alright?¡± I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s my Animal Empathy or whether Lathani¡¯s starting to develop some form of mental communication, but I get the sense that she¡¯s still a bit confused, but that she¡¯ll try not to...crunch them like leaves? I suppose that makes sense. Well, if it¡¯s enough to stop her from biting and clawing at them, great. I¡¯ve already started teaching her how to mind her teeth and claws in play after becoming tired of her using them on me. I guess that Kalanthia doesn¡¯t even notice ¨C her fur is probably enough armour against Lathani¡¯s milk teeth. ¡°Bastet,¡± I continue my introduction, ¡°this is Kalanthia¡¯s cub, Lathani. Be careful of her,¡± I warn, impressing down the link that it isn¡¯t necessarily because Lathani herself is dangerous, but because she¡¯s got an immensely dangerous protector behind her. Bastet gives me a look that makes it very obvious how little she needed that warning, and given how Kalanthia spoke to her last night, I get it. ¡°In fact, you may gain some points with Kalanthia if you show that you¡¯re also protecting Lathani,¡± I add, passing over the memory of how I¡¯d met the pair. I feel her perusing the memory carefully and coming to her own conclusions about it. Then pushing it to one side, she stands up and saunters over to the cub who, in contrast to earlier, is as much smaller than the adult raptorcat as she was bigger than the raptorcat cub. Lathani backs up a little, looking unsure, but Bastet just does a walk around her of inspection, or that¡¯s what it appears to be. Then, ducking her head down, she rubs it against Lathani¡¯s once, and after that returns to her spot by the fire. Lathani¡¯s left standing near the entrance on her own, looking a touch shocked and completely unsure how to take that. I¡¯m not certain either, but all I can guess is that raptorcats probably rub heads with their pack-mates like lions do, and her doing it to Lathani was some sort of gesture that indicates lack of hostility at least. Though whether Lathani will be able to interpret it is another thing ¨C she rubs heads with her mother, but she doesn¡¯t exactly have a pack¡­. Anyway, crisis over, it¡¯s time to get on with the day. ¡°Lathani, go to your mother, would you?¡± I tell her. ¡°I¡¯ll be digging the pit today, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to play with the cubs later if you want.¡± Thank all that¡¯s holy, she actually listens to me. The nunda cub chirps cheerfully, regaining her composure, and then turns tail and dashes out of the cave. ¡°Right,¡± I say, looking down at Bastet, my heartbeat finally slowing. ¡°So you¡¯ve met Lathani now. I figure that the best thing for the cubs is to get used to her, and for her to get used to them. Maybe you could spend the majority of the time outside with them today?¡± I suggest. Bastet seems to consider the idea for a moment before sending a sense of agreement. ¡°OK, good. Do you think they¡¯re hungry?¡± That¡¯s answered by a feeling of strong agreement. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll put a lizog corpse outside in the shade ¨C let¡¯s take them out now.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Once more, I get the sense of agreement so Bastet picks up one cub ¨C the adventurous one ¨C by the scruff of it¡¯s neck and I get the other two by grabbing one with each hand. Going outside, I nod at Kalanthia in greeting ¨C receiving an amused rumble in response ¨C and head for a spot which I know stays shady for a good portion of the morning. Setting the two cubs down, I pull out the half-eaten carcass and put it down in the shadow. The cubs let out cute little rowls and squeaks of excitement, piling into the flesh and starting to tear it off hungrily. Not all that keen on watching the cubs get blood everywhere, I search around for my digging stick, finding it near the pit where I left it last night. Spike¡¯s nowhere to be seen ¨C probably out foraging. At the thought of my porcupig, I¡¯m reminded of the task I set him. Walking over, I inspect my plants. There¡¯s some green visible! The first leaves are coming through in all five spots! The dirt around them is looking a little dry, which means I need to go fetch water. Finishing off the last of my pre-boiled water from my canteen, I pop back into the cave to grab my sneleon-shell bowl. I finished the soup last night, so I might as well use it to collect more water. Quickly warning Bastet, I offer to wait for her to be ready so she can come down and drink some water at the river. She accepts but sends me the sense of not being ready, so I just start digging while I wait. The hollow is coming on well. When I stand in it, the deepest point is already just a bit deeper than my foot to my knee. Honestly, I want it to reach mid-thigh just to make sure that the fire is well-contained, but I figure that I may be finished by the end of the day if I really put my back into it. Plus, if Spike can help me it might even take less time than that as his horn loosening the ground definitely speeds things up. I¡¯m starting to get into the work when I spot Bastet sitting at the edge of the dip patiently. The cubs are tussling together over a bone or something similar. ¡°Ready?¡± I ask, wiping my already-sweaty brow with the back of my hand. I¡¯ve probably also smeared dirt all over it, but I honestly couldn¡¯t care less ¨C it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anyone around here to take a photo and put it on social media, after all. Bastet just goes and stands near the cubs, nosing them towards me. Pulling out the shirt I used as a sling yesterday, I prepare to put them in again. They¡¯re wriggling which makes it difficult. No sooner have I got two in and am reaching for the third when one of the cubs already in the sling manages to pop over the top and tumble out again. I feel like it¡¯s somewhat of a Sisyphean task ¨C or like herding cats. It actually takes Bastet letting out a grumbling growl and nipping the worst offender for them to settle down enough for me to pack them in and tie the shirt so it won¡¯t let them drop out as easily. Finally, we set off down to the river. Well, they do say that a baby turns your life upside down, and here I am with three. Baby raptorcats for sure, but there are three of them. Lathani watches us go, looking rather like she¡¯s considering joining our little cavalcade. She even takes a few tentative steps towards us before Kalanthia lets out a disapproving rumble. Chastised, she turns around and starts playing with a flying insect, in typical cat-fashion pretending that that was what she¡¯d been wanting to do all along. Walking down the hill, I reflect that having the raptorcat cubs around might actually give Lathani some playmates her own age, or at least in the same development stage. Down by the river, I set the cubs down near Bastet, taking my time to wash a bit, fill my canteen, fill my sneleon shell, and then collect some more pondweed for my soup. It¡¯s nice down here - not too hot because of the shade, peaceful with the sound of trickling water, and with Bastet and her acute senses here, I feel like I can relax a bit. I even sit down and close my eyes briefly, just letting myself connect with nature in a sort of meditation, something I¡¯ve been trying to do at odd moments during the days. I don¡¯t feel any sort of indication that I¡¯ve gained a point in Wisdom, but that doesn¡¯t matter ¨C just being at peace surrounded by a living world brings me a sense of satisfaction. It¡¯s a bit alien to me, used to the city environment as I am. But it¡¯s nice, even if it¡¯s strange. Opening my eyes, I look at the cubs. Seeing two of them tussling over a stick, I¡¯m reminded that I haven¡¯t yet given them names. One of the two is predominantly black with only small patches of grey and dark green. It would be a bit clich¨¦ to call it ¡®Shadow¡¯, but I¡¯m considering it anyway. Or maybe ¡®Ninja¡¯ would be better ¨C its retreat and rush tactics to try to get the stick support that as a potential moniker. The other is paler, mostly grey of various shades with only some dark marks, striking in comparison, around its eyes, ears, nose, and on its wing stubs. That one is much more determined, gripping onto the stick with mouth and both front paws, stubbornly refusing to let go. ¡®Cloud¡¯ might be a good name in terms of its colouring, but not attitude. What about ¡®Stormcloud¡¯? Or ¡®Tempest¡¯? I¡¯ll think about it. As for the third¡­ I look around trying to spot it. Wait¡­ Isn¡¯t it the adventurous one who¡¯s missing? The one with more dark green on than the others, the one who almost picked a fight with Lathani this morning as well as almost broke my pottery last night? ¡°Bastet,¡± I start slowly, ¡°where¡¯s the other cub?¡± The adult raptorcat had been lying down relaxed, her eyes half-shut, also watching the two cubs tussling. At my question, she tenses, lifting her head off her paws and looking around. She sends an image to my mind of the cub in question playing with her tail and then an unsure feeling. Great. I groan. I think I¡¯m going to call that one ¡®Trouble¡¯. When I find it. At that moment, a shriek rings through the air. Beside me, Bastet leaps to her feet, the other cubs rushing to her side. She sends me an unmistakable feeling: danger. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Eight: Pride My mind races quickly. We have one cub AWOL ¨C what are the chances that Trouble is where the shriek came from? I wouldn¡¯t take that bet. At the same time, we have two cubs here that we can¡¯t leave on their own. I make a decision quickly. ¡°Bastet, you go ahead,¡± I tell her quietly but urgently. She sends me a reluctant look, glancing back at the other two cubs. ¡°I¡¯ll bring them with me, but the other cub could be in mortal danger right now!¡± She sends a feeling of grim agreement, and dashes off. The two cubs try to follow after her, letting out mewls of distress. I quickly scoop them up, ignoring their wriggling complaints, and tuck them back in the shirt sling: I may need my hands free. Rushing after Bastet, I try to work out where exactly she went as there aren¡¯t many signs of her passage in the undergrowth. Then a fracas breaks out not far ahead and I quickly move in the direction of the shaking and growling bushes. I stop before I get too close, not wanting to be accidentally attacked simply because I was there and wanting to have more view on the situation. Not that I can see much ¨C the undergrowth is too thick. I catch glimpses of fur and feathers and the odd flash of teeth or claw. As for sounds, it¡¯s an unholy cacophony of growls and snarls and ear-splitting shrieks of pain or fear. I feel annoyingly helpless: I¡¯m not used to being a bystander to a fight. Actually, is it weird that I¡¯m already used to being a participant in a fight? Desperately, I try to think of something I could do to help. The problem is that anything I can think of has just as much chance of hurting Bastet or the cub as whatever the attacker is. I need to see more. Just as I¡¯m considering completely uprooting the bush or whatever the undergrowth plants count as, Bastet rolls into view. She¡¯s tussling with some sort of snaky thing which has its fangs buried deeply in our wayward cub. I say snaky thing because although it¡¯s a long tube with no legs, it does have a sting at the end which it keeps burying into Bastet. I seriously hope that thing isn¡¯t venomous, but it seems like a forlorn hope as I watch Bastet starting to slow and weaken. Pulling my trusty mace and knife out of my Inventory and belt respectively, I start slashing at the snake-thing wherever I can see exposed flesh. I don¡¯t dare use the mace yet for fear of hurting my ally, but if I can sever its spine, that¡¯ll be a good start. The snake-thing doesn¡¯t take all this lying down, releasing its prey to come at me with both fangs. The cub drops down worryingly limp and I fear that it will be crushed as the combat continues. The snake-thing strikes at me more quickly than I¡¯d anticipated; I barely manage to get my mace up in between us in time. Fortunately, I do manage to block the strike, and even better, the snake-thing¡¯s fangs get stuck temporarily in the wood. I use the brief pause to lean in and snatch up the cub, somewhat roughly tossing it to one side. If it¡¯s still alive, I hope it will be able to hold on until we¡¯re done with combat: I really can¡¯t do anything to help it right now. Unfortunately, casting Lay-on-hands seems to require me to literally be in contact with the patient for the whole healing time, otherwise I¡¯d toss one off now. Reaching in to grab the cub has left me out of position, and the snake-thing¡¯s second weapon comes into play. Before I¡¯ve even recognised the danger, I feel pain explode in the back of my shoulder and glance over to see its sting sticking into me. My usual battle-anger rising inside me, I slam the mace into the ground, the snake-thing¡¯s head being crushed between wood and a hard place. It¡¯s regrettable that I don¡¯t have enough speed or momentum on the swing to literally crush its skull, but at least the strike stuns it a little. Its tail goes limp briefly and its sting slides out of me. I take full advantage of the lull and grab its tail firmly, even though that means briefly dropping my knife. My mace pinning the head and my hand around the base of its tail, I extend my arms as much as possible, presenting the groggy Bastet with a perfect target. ¡°Kill it,¡± I urge her as she blinks a bit owlishly. She stumbles forward, aiming a strike with her claws and missing. The snake-thing, getting over its stunned state, starts wriggling, making it even more difficult for Bastet to hit. I try to formulate another plan seeing that this one isn¡¯t working very well. I¡¯m also very conscious about the injured state of both Bastet and the cub, not to mention the venom working through my own system from my shoulder wound. Time is against us. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Before I can come up with something, Bastet figures it out. She moves close to my mace, places a paw on the snake¡¯s body ¨C requiring a few attempts, but succeeding in the end ¨C and leans in to start chewing. It takes longer than I¡¯d like ¨C the snake-thing¡¯s skin must be pretty tough ¨C but eventually the rest of its body goes limp in my grasp as she bites through its spinal column. We¡¯re both panting. The whole thing has probably only taken a few minutes, but like all time in combat, those minutes seem at the time to stretch into hours. I quickly cast a Lay-on-hands on my companion, worried about how groggy she seems. She perks up after two more repetitions and sends me a mental question about the cub. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I tell her, staggering over to the cub in question. My Constitution must be lower than Bastet¡¯s as she was hit more times than I can count by the venomous stinger, but was still able to act; I was hit only once and already feel like I¡¯ve had a few too many vodkas. It makes me worry about the cub: if the snake-thing¡¯s fangs are as venomous as its stinger, what chance does such a small body have? I drop down next to the limp body, fearing the worst. I don¡¯t bother searching for a pulse ¨C that would just waste time. Instead, I cast my channelled version of Lay-on-hands, searching for the area of most damage. Worryingly, it actually seems to be the brain that is most affected by this venom. Not feeling remotely able to direct the healing correctly when dealing with the brain, I just flood the area with healing mana, hoping that the cub¡¯s body will know well enough to be able to help itself. Still, if nothing else, I can tell that it¡¯s holding onto life. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say that this venom isn¡¯t actually that lethal, at least not immediately ¨C its purpose seems to be in reducing the victims coordination and consciousness. The cub ending up in a coma isn¡¯t much better than outright death, though. I run out of mana before the cub is healed, but my efforts do seem to have made some difference. Before I ran out of energy, I detected that the venom concentration had reduced, or its effects had been partially healed ¨C I¡¯m not sure how to interpret the feedback I received from my spell. The fact that the cub starts shifting slightly and making quiet noises of discontent is also a good sign. By this point Bastet has come to collapse next to me, keeping guard on us at the same time as anxiously watching over my patient. I¡¯m exhausted: running through the whole of my mana store in such a short time does that to me, apparently. When I stop moving for a moment, the protective adult raptorcat looks up at me questioningly. ¡°I ran out of mana,¡± I explain briefly. When she prods me again mentally, I sigh once more. ¡°Trouble is still alive, for now, and hopefully will last until I get enough mana back to continue his healing.¡± And yes, this cub has now definitely earned the name ¡®Trouble¡¯. It¡¯d better be glad I¡¯m not calling it ¡®Strife¡¯. It¡¯s not blond enough for that, though. I need to work out what sex each of the cubs are. So far I haven¡¯t seen any physical differences that could indicate male or female. Then a thought crosses my mind which makes me want to face-palm. Why don¡¯t I just ask the creature who will know? ¡°Bastet, are these cubs female like you, or male, or a mixture?¡± She cocks her head on one side, clearly not quite understanding. Not really surprising, I suppose, when I realise that my own concepts of male and female are a bit confusing based on recent cultural developments. I try to form a clear thought of males as being the ones to sire new offspring and females being the ones to bear them, hoping that raptorcats don¡¯t have a more complicated arrangement like seahorses or snails. Fortunately, it seems like raptorcats are neither hermaphrodites, nor do they have unusual child-rearing arrangements, so she understands what I want to know this time. She sends a series of images: Ninja and Stormcloud playing together as cubs; Ninja and Stormcloud as adults hunting together as a pack; Trouble as a cub; Trouble as an adult on his own, fighting with another raptorcat; the winner of the fight approaches Ninja and Stormcloud and mates with them ¨C making a light blush rise to my cheeks at the sheer unabashed nature of Bastet¡¯s approach to sex. I can also now attest that raptorcat mating is not that dissimilar from lion mating, something I wasn¡¯t sure I wanted to know. The last image is of Ninja and Stormcloud relaxing with cubs running around them. So, Ninja and Stormcloud are females, and it¡¯s females that form the pack. Or pride, if we consider them to be this world¡¯s analogue to lions. The males, of which Trouble seems to be one, wander around and are fairly solitary, only meeting each other to fight or mate, depending on if they met a female or male of their species. Unlike lions, I didn¡¯t get the impression that a male will associate with one particular pride for any length of time ¨C it definitely seems more to be that a male will wander around to try to spread his genes as widely as he can, assuming that he is capable of defeating whatever male he might encounter. It¡¯s interesting, and might explain why Trouble is always the one to go exploring where the two females are more likely to play near Bastet. My mana having regenerated enough, I cast another channelled Lay-on-hands, this one being shorter as I don¡¯t have as much mana to work with. Fortunately, my increased Wisdom does mean that I regenerate mana a bit more quickly otherwise the chances of the cub surviving would be a lot lower. It¡¯s still a bit touch and go for a while, but eventually the cub opens its eyes and blinks blearily. My heart having had far too much strain this morning, and not feeling great since I didn¡¯t use any healing on myself, I make the executive decision to head straight back to the cave. Hopefully we won¡¯t meet anything else dangerous on the way back, I say to myself. This has got to be our fair share for the day. I then curse myself ¨C that¡¯s an invitation for Murphy to come and intervene if ever there was one. Book One: Leap - Chapter Fifty-Nine: Priorities Despite being on tenterhooks for most of the morning, even after getting back to the cave area, nothing bad happens. Well, nothing outside the normal, that is. In the end I don¡¯t make more soup since I suddenly realise that the cubs are going to need water throughout the day and my wok is the only container I have that they can easily drink from. Nothing could persuade me to make repeated trips down to the river just so I can have a bit of hot soup in the morning. Instead, I just get on with the pit, relishing the simple, relaxed physical activity. When Spike comes back, I get him to help me again and we make good progress. During my breaks, especially the elongated one over lunch where I recuperate from the sun and exercise, I watch the cubs. It¡¯s a simple pleasure watching the cute bundles of fur and fluff play together, but a satisfying one. Far better than watching cat videos online as I used to, honestly. For a while the cubs and Lathani are a bit stand-offish with each other ¨C the cubs unsure about this large creature whereas Lathani is equally unsure about how to treat them. There¡¯s a tense moment as the raptorcat cubs tumble together and accidentally knock into the larger nunda cub. For one long moment, the cubs are all staring at each other, and all the adults are watching them attentively ¨C except for Spike who couldn¡¯t care less and just continues snoozing in the sun. Then Lathani jumps on top of Stormcloud and the other cubs ¡®defend¡¯ their sister¡¯s honour. The whole stand-off turns into a mess of paws and ears and tails all flying which-way. But given that none of them runs squealing to their respective guardian, I¡¯m going to count it as a win. By the time I take my lunch-break, the cubs are exhausted, lying and snoozing together in the shade. However, when I bring out my skewer of freshly cooked meat ¨C since I¡¯d rather keep my pre-prepared stuff for when I¡¯m out and about ¨C the smell is enough to make several heads lift in curiosity. One of these being Lathani, I¡¯m not surprised when a moment later a nunda cub comes bounding towards me, begging for scraps with liquid eyes. A bit wary, I cast a glance over at her mother. Kalanthia looks at me for a long moment and then grunts, settling her head down on her paws. It¡¯s enough permission for me, so I give Lathani a chunk of meat, making sure it won¡¯t burn her first. She retreats back to the shade to gnaw on it and is soon surrounded by eager raptorcat cubs. Growling, she rebuffs their efforts to grab her food, and to avoid a diplomatic incident, I call them over. ¡°Ninja, Stormcloud, Trouble, come here.¡± They don¡¯t pay any attention ¨C unsurprising considering I only decided on their names this morning. Next, I whistle sharply, gaining everyone¡¯s attention at the loud noise. Waving the meat around to catch their gazes, I repeat my instruction. Trouble is the first over, and I reward him with a chunk of meat. Seeing that, his sisters bound towards me, receiving their own recompense with eagerness. I look at the few small bits of meat that remain on my skewer and chuckle a little ruefully. I guess I¡¯ll need to put on another stick of meat, I sigh to myself fondly. Ah well, with any luck, if I repeat this sort of thing regularly and they start to follow my instructions even without the Bond, when I activate the Taming Skill, maybe they¡¯ll be happy to accept the Bond. ***** Wiping my sweaty brow, I stare at my pit with satisfaction. It¡¯s two metres in diameter and almost a metre in depth. Thanks to Spike¡¯s assistance, today¡¯s work has gone quite quickly. Plus, once we got about twenty centimetres down, we got past most of the roots so it became easier to break apart the ground. Until we started hitting the stony layer, of course, but that was pretty much where I wanted to stop anyway. I stretch, all my muscles complaining at the amount of exercise I¡¯ve subjected them to today. Still, I feel like I¡¯m getting fitter and my skin tougher ¨C I only needed to cast Lay-on-hands twice today, and my hands only blistered towards the end of the day. Progress. I access my message box, noticing that I have a notification.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
Accepting the point, I move onto the next message. Unsurprisingly, that¡¯s also offering me a point; Strength this time.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Strength (Endurance) and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
Again, I accept the point and then switch to looking at my status.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 0% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 9 Mana: 90/90
Wisdom If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. 9 Mana regeneration rate: 225u/hr
Willpower 15+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 18u/hr
Constitution 10 Health: 100/100
Strength 11 Stamina: 60/60
Dexterity 6 Stamina regeneration rate: 60u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Beginner 4 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 3 Stealth ¨C Beginner 5 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 2
Huh, it seems like stats above ten really do consume a lot more Energy ¨C with my daily absorption rate and the snake-thing we killed this morning, I had about twenty-seven percent Energy towards my next level. Now I have zero. Since I doubt Constitution cost much more than the normal twelve percent, my Strength point must have taken about fifteen percent¡­ Still, I can¡¯t deny the pride that rises in me at the sight of those three stats above ten. If I¡¯m right in my calculations and ten is about Olympic level, I¡¯m doing pretty well. Even if it¡¯s not Olympic level, the visible and noticeable improvements to my physique are so much more motivating than the drudge at the gym used to be. My muscles are significantly more defined and I¡¯ve lost a drastic amount of fat too. Not that I was paunchy beforehand, but I was certainly softer around certain parts than I am now. Still, considering I¡¯ve been eating mostly lean, gamy meat and precious little carbohydrate, it¡¯s not really surprising. I¡¯m still tired, though, and decide to relax for the evening. Since the cubs and Lathani seem to have got on fairly well, I decide to go out tomorrow leaving Bastet and the cubs here. I¡¯d rather take Bastet with me, but I still doubt she¡¯ll be happy to be separated from the cubs. At the same time, I need to really focus on collecting firewood due to not having collected nearly enough the day I re-encountered Bastet. Plus, if I¡¯ve got a handle on Kalanthia¡¯s pattern, which I think I have, she¡¯s going to want to go hunting again the day after tomorrow. With my head at stake, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d leave Bastet here alone with Lathani, however confident I am that she¡¯s bound sufficiently by the Bond not to harm the nunda cub. Not to mention also by common sense. But you never know what could happen. No, better to go out alone into the forest tomorrow when Kalanthia is still here to personally keep her daughter safe. With the two adult feline-like creatures present, it should be fine. As for me, I¡¯ve survived alone this far ¨C hopefully that doesn¡¯t change. At least, that¡¯s what I tell myself. Grabbing a book, I sit outside to enjoy the last of the sun, the temperature now very pleasant. I really should go wash off in the river, but I really can¡¯t be arsed. My personal hygiene has plunged since arriving here. I never used to be a neat-freak, but I would have at least one shower per day; two if I¡¯d gone to the gym. Here, I¡¯m calling myself ¡®clean¡¯ if I¡¯ve washed my face and hands in the river. I seriously hope that improved Constitution means improved resistance to germs as I¡¯m really not practising modern-day cleanliness. Maybe once I have some soap I¡¯ll be able to do a better job at cleaning, but for now it¡¯s at the bottom of my list of priorities. Speaking of priorities, I feel my stomach grumbling as it makes its emptiness known. I ignore it for a little longer, closing my eyes and just basking in the gentle touch of the lowering sun. It¡¯s peaceful, relaxing. Sometimes these days I find myself wondering which is the fantasy world: this one with magic and animals that can talk, if only mentally; or the one with books on electronic devices, ways of communicating instantly across the world, and cars that can drive themselves¡­ When I consider such things, I feel an alarming sense of surrealism which is only comparable to how I felt after watching the Matrix. My stomach brings me back to earth again. Trust hunger to do that, at least. Whether I¡¯m living in a fantasy world or a real one, I need to eat. Closing the book, I head inside. At some point, Bastet shifted the cubs indoors, and they¡¯re already curled up in the torn shirt. Well, two of them are at least. I feel a swoop in my stomach as I realise that Trouble isn¡¯t there. Looking around carefully, my thoughts racing, I catch Bastet¡¯s eyes. She looks amused. More amused than she would be feeling if one of her cubs was actually missing. ¡°Trouble?¡± I ask softly. She turns her head to look at my bed. Well, the collection of jackets which make up my bed, anyway. I walk over quietly and peek under the top jacket. Seeing Trouble hiding underneath, curled in his own ball, I can¡¯t help shaking my head. He¡¯s well-named, that one, though I still think that maybe ¡®Strife¡¯ would be better. Still, if I named him Strife and the others Stormcloud and Ninja, I might be facing a legal battle with a well-known video-game company. If I ever make it back to Earth, that is. The thought depresses me a little, so I busy myself with making some more meat skewers and baked tuber. Heck, I might as well just call it a potato. It looks like a long sweet potato, acts like a potato when cooked, and even tastes fairly like a potato. Good enough for me. I¡¯m not tired enough to go to bed once I¡¯ve eaten: despite my physical tiredness, I¡¯m still mentally energetic. I sit there staring into the flames, thinking about everything and nothing at the same time. I think about my life. My life back on Earth, that is. It¡¯s still hard to make that distinction mentally ¨C being here is a strange combination of feeling like I¡¯ve been here forever but yet only for as long as a dream. I think about how boring it was. How despite seeming to be going somewhere with my career, even that could be kiboshed by a penny-pinching director. I think about my family, regretting not making up with Lucy: before she was my girlfriend, she was my closest friend and I miss her. I think about my dad, and perhaps it¡¯s the last few days of being surrounded by the dead and the dying ¨C most of those by my hand ¨C but I feel like I¡¯m starting to come to terms with his death. I even think about the despair that drove me to stand at the edge of my apartment building and dare myself to step over. It holds as much sway over me now as the despair of a dream would. If I went back to Earth now, would I fall back into the same rut as before? I doubt it: I¡¯ve changed, and not just physically. I¡¯ve learned the value of life in a way that I couldn¡¯t have dreamed of before, living in the biggest city in one of the richest countries of the world as I did. My eyelids are drooping, each blink lasting a little longer than the previous. I need to go to bed ¨C I have to forage for wood in the forest tomorrow, and that¡¯s likely to be peril-filled enough to warrant a decent sleep first. Switching into the cleaner set of clothes I¡¯m using as pseudo pyjamas, I bury myself underneath my jackets, though being careful not to disturb Trouble. As I fall asleep I can¡¯t stop one question from nagging at me: if I could go back to Earth, would I? Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty: The Venom Coursing Through My Veins The next morning is a bit of a repeat of yesterday. Food, stoke the fire, and then prepare for the day. This time, I¡¯m intending on going out into the forest rather than digging a pit, so my preparations are a little different. The main task I need to do in preparation is check my Inventory to minimise the amount of stuff I¡¯m carrying with me, while also making sure that I have enough supplies for any eventuality. It¡¯s complicated by the fact that I have a number of corpses stored in stasis which I don¡¯t have time to deal with now, and don¡¯t want to just abandon. The corpse of that snake-thing might be useful, for example, as a source of poison for arrows. I¡¯ll need to test to make sure it doesn¡¯t just denature after a short time exposed to the air, but again, I don¡¯t have time to do that now. In the end, about five of my thirty slots are filled with corpses ¨C I¡¯ve managed to open up one of those slots by pulling the lizog corpses out for Bastet and the cubs. A number of other slots are used up with my cooked meat, raw meat, some emergency clothes, the bark-fibre rope that I salvaged from my trap, rocks, branches, and a few other things I figure I should keep with me. My backpack by this point has joined my suitcases in staying permanently in the cave. It leaves a handful of slots free for any new corpses or interesting things I find, which should hopefully be enough. I consider once more taking Spike with me but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll find much use for his digging skills, and I don¡¯t want to put him in more danger than necessary. Sure, it should be a peaceful walk through the forest, but when has that ever worked out? Casting a final glance around the room at the playful cubs and their guardian raptorcat, I mentally check through my to-do list. I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯ve forgotten something, but I often get that feeling even when I haven¡¯t forgotten anything. I think it¡¯s the result of being employed to do a job that always has more jobs to do than there are hours in the day to do them: I¡¯ve built up an expectation of myself which is not necessarily applicable now. Even though there¡¯s always something to do here ¨C and always something I need to complete before I can even start what I need to actually do ¨C life still feels a lot more measured than my job used to. Perhaps it¡¯s because I don¡¯t have a boss with unreasonable expectations which I have to do my best to meet, then justify not meeting without actually outright calling her unreasonable¡­ In the end, I decide I¡¯d better leave before I can second-guess myself further. I¡¯ve been out into the forest hundreds of times by now and I¡¯m still alive. Well, not hundreds of times. And I have come close to death a few times, but just like in horse races, close means it didn¡¯t happen. So yeah. Feeling a little more confident from the impromptu pep talk, I stride towards the entrance to the cave. ¡°I¡¯ll be back by this evening,¡± I promise Bastet on my way out the ¡®door¡¯. She sends a wave of wariness at me. I¡¯m partly warmed by the message, partly insulted. Warmed because she¡¯s essentially telling me to ¡®be careful¡¯. Insulted because she¡¯s only doing that because she doesn¡¯t think I can take care of myself. And that¡¯s not just me jumping to conclusions ¨C the feeling was accompanied by the image of a wide-eyed raptorcat cub venturing into the forest...and getting snapped up by the first predator it comes across. In the end, I just raise my hand in a gesture of farewell which she probably doesn¡¯t understand at all, and then march out the cave. Encountering Kalanthia lying in the sun in the clearing, I give her a quick summary of my plans. Your Bound and her cubs will be staying here, I presume, she states. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to risk the cubs,¡± I confirm. ¡°Is that OK?¡± I suddenly check, not having thought of the fact before that it might not be fine to leave my Bound predator alone with my apex-predator landlord. Or landlady. Whatever. As long as they do not bother us, it makes no difference to me whether you are here with them or not, she tells me, stretching languorously. Right, that gives me a new worry: that I might come back only to find the raptorcats in pieces because one of the cubs has tried to chase Kalanthia¡¯s tail or something. ¡°Just remember, they¡¯re cubs, OK?¡± I ask tentatively, trying to avert that possibility. Kalanthia fixes me with a chiding eye. Do you think I do not know that, Markus Wolfe? I¡¯m hardly going to hold the curiosity of a cub against them. I hold my hands up in surrender. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Just saying,¡± I reply defensively. ¡°And now I¡¯ll go.¡± Marching off smartly towards the river as my first stop, I feel a blush rise in my cheeks. Told off by a giant leopard ¨C what next? Heading into the forest, I venture in a different direction from one I¡¯ve gone in before, hoping that this way the pickings will be a bit better. My Stealth Skills get a work-out as I try to walk carefully and unnoticeably: no reason to invite conflict unnecessarily. The first section is one which I¡¯ve already partly cleared, so it¡¯s only when I¡¯ve been walking for about an hour that I start seeing an area which is completely new to me. I¡¯ve been heading either along the same level or up the slope a little, so it¡¯s not surprising that eventually I clear the tree line and see the mountain looming above me. I pause there for a moment, marvelling at its magnificence ¨C you never really understand how big mountains are until you¡¯re standing at the foot of one. Then, shaking my head, I turn so I¡¯m heading further into the forest again: it¡¯s all very well trying not to go deeper into the valley to avoid meeting strong predators; it¡¯s another heading out of the forest when I want to collect wood. One good thing comes out of me almost leaving the forest, though: I see a tree which was obviously struck by lightning. Why is this good? Because I see an opportunity to save myself work. The tree didn¡¯t crack down its length; instead, it looks like it exploded near the base. Or something like that, anyway. I¡¯m not a tree expert, and even the memories I¡¯ve absorbed from the stones aren¡¯t helping me much with this. The point is, all that¡¯s left of the tree is a jagged stump with a hole in the middle. The stump has been further degraded by weather and rot as it¡¯s clear this isn¡¯t very recent. It takes a bit of work, but the roots are thoroughly dead and aren¡¯t too difficult to break away. Within an hour, I¡¯m left with a large stump which I just about succeed in getting in my Inventory. Thank goodness for my increased Strength: I¡¯m pretty sure that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to lift that at the mere six I started with. Now, why do I want some old tree stump? Because it looks ideal for making the container I¡¯ll need to filter the wood ashes for making lye for soap. It¡¯ll need a bit of work, but there¡¯s still plenty of solid wood there which hasn¡¯t been eaten by rot yet. If I can get rid of the rot, then shape the remaining wood into a container shape with a slope at the bottom down to a hole in the centre, I can then half-fill it with some fine pebbles I¡¯ve spotted by the river, then put in bigger pebbles on top, and rocks in above that. All that together should create a good filter for ash, and maybe other things if necessary. Much easier than trying to construct a water-tight container myself. Or chop down a healthy tree and cut a slab to size. Heading back into the forest proper, I continue collecting branches of various sizes, letting my Inventory sort them into three different slots according to its own specifications. Given that each branch is different, I suppose I¡¯d better be glad that it doesn¡¯t consider each individual piece of wood to need a separate slot¡­ I never really stop for lunch, instead just chewing cooked meat as I continue scanning the surroundings, always keeping an eye out for movement beyond leaves in the wind. This particular area is a bit of a wind-fall ¨C a whole copse of dead and dying trees with all the detritus of their fallen branches below. I find myself wondering why all the trees in this area are so sick but then push the thought away with a shrug: again, I¡¯m not a tree expert. Maybe they don¡¯t have enough water, or there¡¯s some sort of disease they¡¯ve all caught. Trees catch diseases too, don¡¯t they? Walking into the centre of copse, my foot suddenly goes into the ground up to my knee. I frown. It¡¯s not like when this happened before where there was a narrow hole in the ground: this is more like a bed of leaves. And the ground beneath my foot is sloped, like it gets deeper. My danger sense suddenly yells at me. What if this is a tra- A monster bursts from the leaf cover right in front of me. It¡¯s too close to avoid, and I¡¯ve been bitten before I can even react. I don¡¯t think, I just move. Grabbing my knife, I stab it into the face of the creature that¡¯s got me with its mandibles. It¡¯s some sort of over-sized bug, but I¡¯m not willing to risk dying because I¡¯ve tried to categorise it while in the middle of a fight. The bug hisses at me and opens its mandibles to back up defensively. It pulls two of its hairy legs in front of its face to protect its numerous eyes. I take the opportunity to grab my mace from where it¡¯s hanging loosely across my back. We stare at each other for a moment, and I wonder whether the creature might actually back up. It¡¯s almost my size, but it¡¯s clearly an ambush predator and its ambush has failed. Then I feel a creeping weakness and I see my health bar starting to decrease slowly but visibly. Poison! I can¡¯t risk dragging this out. I have to either finish the fight quickly or run now while I still can. My ego bristles against running from a fight, but I¡¯m more than just my ego, and I¡¯d rather live to run another day than die in a pointless last stand against a too-powerful foe. The creature decides for me. It lunges at me, its movement lightning quick as its multiple legs propel it forwards. I¡¯m faster than I¡¯ve ever been, but I doubt I could beat that. And if I turn to run, I¡¯ll be presenting my vulnerable back to the creature. Better to face it with mace and knife. Meeting its lunge with a smash of my mace, I briefly stop it in its tracks. It¡¯s enough time for me to cast a quick Lay-on-hands to counteract the venom coursing through my veins with every beat of my heart. Enough time, but only just. I dodge the swipe of one of its legs and swing my mace again. Unfortunately, this time the creature blocks it with another of its innumerable legs and its counterswipe slams into me and knocks me off my feet. Lunging for me again, its mandibles bite my leg, sending another wave of venom into me. My health bar starts dropping more quickly and I curse even as I cast another Lay-on-hands, the healing energy fighting against the damage the venom is causing me. Unable to regain my feet due to the mandibles pinning me in place, I can¡¯t help the thought that maybe I should have run away after all. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-One: Nightmare-inducing Regret isn¡¯t helpful right now so I push it away, using the split-seconds I have before it¡¯s upon me to instead try to figure out how to stay alive. By the time it lunges at me once more, I have a basic ¨C and risky ¨C plan of action. Here¡¯s hoping it¡¯s sufficient. Pulling my arm up to block, I attempt to slip the mace in between its mandibles and trick it to bite down on that, but I¡¯m a fraction too slow. Instead of chewing on wood, its sharp mouth pincers tear into my arm, probably delivering another dose of venom. I curse mentally, but there¡¯s no time to waste. My knife held in my other hand, I start stabbing wildly at its face, or the insectile horror that passes for one. Its carapace is strong, and my first few stabs seem to do nothing. I¡¯m losing the race against time, despite my frantic casting of Lay-on-hands to keep my health up. Then I hit something soft ¨C I manage to get one of its eyes. The creature shrieks, the piercing sound at such close range making my ears ring and causing my vision to go fuzzy for just a moment. I keep on stabbing, temporarily blinded and deaf as I am, nothing more important to me in that moment. I feel as the creature yanks its mandibles out of my arm, their serrated nature causing even more blood to flow. It¡¯s trying to back up; I can¡¯t let it. I¡¯m running out of mana at a rapid rate and really can¡¯t afford to give it even the slightest moment to recoup. Hoping that its attempts to retreat are because I¡¯ve hit somewhere it¡¯s vulnerable, I propel myself forward and grab the mandible which had previously been stuck in me. My weight pulling it down, I¡¯ve temporarily halted it in its tracks. With the energy of a dying man, I stab, stab, stab at its eyes. They pop under my blade, the sensation as disgusting as the fluid that explodes out. The insectile creature screams again, but I just fight against the pain and disorientation, and keep on stabbing. Just keep stabbing. Just keep stabbing. It turns into a mantra which blocks out all else. The creature tries to throw me off, push me away, but its body is designed to catch and pull in prey, not push it away. Its feeble attempts are no match against a ten in Strength and the power of desperation. Little by little, I pull it down to my level and then beyond, pinning its front to the ground. Now I have a hard surface to stab against, my strikes gain in power and piercing quality. When it stops moving, I don¡¯t realise for a few moments as I keep just grimly burying my knife into it its eyes and, hopefully, what passes for a brain. When I finally notice it hasn¡¯t done more than twitch for at least a minute, I feel all the strength leave me in a rush. My hands release my knife and the mandible involuntarily. I¡¯m out of mana, out of stamina, and almost out of health. There are no numbers on my visible bars, but I can see what little remains of the red bar slowly drain away with the red that¡¯s dripping out of my wounds. My mana bar is already starting to regenerate, however, and I cling onto that thought like the lifeline it is. I fight against the blackness trying to take over my vision until finally, the blue bar reaches a point that I reckon should mean I can cast another healing spell. As unconciousness pulls me down into its depths, I trigger a final Lay-on-hands and tumble down, wondering if I¡¯ll ever wake up again. ***** I hear birdsong as my consciousness swims up to the surface. I¡¯m lying on cold, damp ground, the chill seeping into my body from below. I smell something metallic that I slowly realise I recognise: blood. Finally, opening my eyes, I hiss as the light lances into them, making my head pound with pain. Slamming my eyes shut, I just breathe and try to think through what happened. It takes me a few moments for my memory of the events immediately before falling into unconciousness to become clear. Some sort of insectile horror laid a trap which I walked into like an idiot. I chose to fight instead of run, also like an idiot. Somehow, I managed to survive, which doesn¡¯t make me any less an idiot; it just makes me lucky. Ruefully, I wonder to myself if I¡¯ve just got a bit overconfident by the relatively easy victories lately. I mean, Bastet and I won against the lizogs without a scratch, despite them being foes that could easily have ripped me to shreds. But we only survived because we applied our brains to the task; it only makes it clear how easily I could have died just now because I didn¡¯t. And what happens to Bastet or Spike if I die? I¡¯m pretty sure that it would just be that our Bond broke and that they were then free to go ¨C it¡¯s a sense I get from the Bond rather than any true knowledge. Being a feeling more than cold hard fact, it could be wrong; what if my death has some negative effect on them? What if it killed them too? I really hope not, but since I don¡¯t know for sure, and it¡¯s not exactly the kind of thing I can test, it¡¯s something I need to bear in mind when I¡¯m considering risking my life: it may not be just my life that I¡¯m risking. On that note, I don¡¯t know if it would have been better or worse to have had Bastet actually there. Of course, having the adult raptorcat would have definitely improved my chances; I might not have got quite that close to death. Having Bastet would have meant having the cubs, though, and they would have been far more vulnerable to the creature than I was. If one of them had died while Bastet was fighting on my behalf¡­ Stolen story; please report. On the other hand, maybe Bastet would have recognised the danger before I did ¨C she¡¯s probably got much better senses than me, and knows the area and its denizens a lot more than I do. It¡¯s enough to make me wonder whether bringing the four raptorcats along might be safer than leaving them back at the cave. Well, it would definitely be safer for me; I just have to consider whether it would be safe enough for the cubs too... Opening my status panel shows just how close to death I got. I¡¯ve got twenty-five units of mana in the tank which indicates it¡¯s been about twelve minutes since I blacked out. That¡¯s also borne out by the fact that I have fourteen units of stamina ¨C it must have been regenerating while I was fighting to keep conscious until I could cast another Lay-on-hands and I don¡¯t use stamina for my healing spell. My health, which currently regenerates at one and a half points per five minutes ¨C or three points per ten minutes ¨C is only sitting at five. That means I was two units away from death at the time my last healing spell finished its work. I have to guess that it cleared out the rest of the poison, because otherwise I''d be dead, no question. I feel weak at the knowledge of simply how close to death I¡¯d come. If I¡¯d been seconds later in killing the thing, if I hadn¡¯t managed to keep myself conscious until I was able to cast my Lay-on-hands, if I had had one more poisoned wound¡­ My stomach rises into my mouth and I turn to one side to empty it onto the dead leaves beside me. Staring at my vomit for a long moment, I then violently push myself to my feet and walk a few steps away from the corpse; away from the place where I had almost breathed my last. I¡¯m shaking. My skin¡¯s clammy. I know I¡¯m in shock. Why it¡¯s suddenly hitting me now, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been close to death several times since arriving here. Heck, the wolvezard was at least just as close as now, maybe closer since I really would have died if Kalanthia hadn¡¯t given me my only remaining health potion. But all I can do is stare at the little number on my screen that denotes how close I am even now to a stiff breeze being able to kill me. Five. Six. I watch the number change, fortunately in the right direction, indicating that several minutes have passed. In the meantime, my stamina and mana have grown considerably more. Mana¡­ I feel like a lightning bolt has hit me. Man, I¡¯m an idiot! By this point, I have enough in the tank for at least three normal Lay-on-hands. Why haven¡¯t I cast them yet? Putting action to thought, I quickly cast two more healing spells, keeping one back just in case something suddenly happens ¨C like I almost step on another venomous creature ¨C and I need to close wounds or clear poison or something. Twenty units of health later and I¡¯m feeling considerably better. My shakiness clears and I stop feeling so nauseous. Maybe part of the reason for going into shock was because my health was still so critically low? By the time I woke up after the wolvezard, my health had had the chance to climb a bit more. My curiosity engaged, I wonder, assuming my theory is correct, if it¡¯s a relative value that matters, so a specific fraction of my health like an eighteenth being all that remains, or if it¡¯s that everyone goes into shock at only five units of health remaining. Another question to add to my list, though this one I might be able to answer once I¡¯ve added more points to Constitution. Not that I¡¯m keen to experience being quite so close to death again¡­ My frame of mind already better, I¡¯m now able to turn and face the remains of my foe with some equanimity. Despite knowing full-well it¡¯s dead, it still makes me shiver. It¡¯s rather similar to a massive spider, reminding me of that one in a blockbuster movie trilogy. Only, instead of the normal eight legs of a spider, this only has six. And this one doesn¡¯t have a sting on its bulbous abdomen. Its legs are hairy, but its body is smooth, with an exoskeleton rather similar to the chitinous exterior of a beetle. It¡¯s dull in colour, a nondescript brown that makes perfect camouflage for where it was hiding under the dead, brown leaves. I don¡¯t know how many eyes it had ¨C I made rather a mess of them with my knife, after all, - but it had multiple. Probably between six and ten. It has serrated mandibles like an ant which still shimmer wetly with my blood. I shiver again. I have a feeling this thing''s going to make a star appearance in my nightmares later. The only good thing is that it was clearly worth a lot of Energy since I¡¯ve jumped up ten percent from where I was before. Good thing too, because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m eating whatever passes for a heart in this monstrous thing. Still¡­ I run my hand over its carapace thoughtfully. Pulling out my knife, I test the material¡¯s strength. As I¡¯d thought, it¡¯s pretty good against my knife. My strongest blow only leaves a slight dent. Checking out my knife, I castigate myself ¨C if I¡¯d broken my only metal blade just to test out the strength of this bloody thing¡­ Fortunately, the blade is unharmed. Actually, I¡¯m starting to wonder if it¡¯s quietly magic in some way. My knife doesn¡¯t heat up or light on fire, or cause electrical damage to my opponents, but I haven¡¯t had to sharpen it yet, and it hasn¡¯t shown any sort of wear no matter that I¡¯ve used it to burn and chop wood, cut flesh, and break through cartilaginous joints. I¡¯m no knife expert, but my absorbed memories tell me that that¡¯s not normal. Anyway, magic or not, I¡¯m grateful. Turning my mind back onto the topic at hand, I decide to keep the insect-spider¡¯s body. Not its legs ¨C I think seeing those would probably give me a flashback ¨C but the body. And maybe the mandibles. They were pretty nasty on me and might make a decent weapon of some sort. The body, of course, I¡¯m considering trying to turn into armour of some sort. If I can get through the carapace itself to chop it into chunks, I should be able to somehow attach that to a fabric or hide underlayer and then make myself some decent protection. It would be nice to have something between me and all these teeth and claws that doesn¡¯t tear apart at the first hit¡­ I might have been able to heal all the wounds I¡¯ve taken so far, but that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t hurt to begin with! Chopping the legs off the body isn¡¯t that hard ¨C the connections are fairly thin ¨C but having hairy legs and detached body falling at me is once more nightmare-inducing. I didn¡¯t like spiders or insects before this whole debacle; I sure as hell like them even less now! Finally, I¡¯m able to store the heavy body and head in my Inventory and I rub my hands together to try to remove the nasty feeling of touching the creature. About to walk away, I spot where the spider-monster came from and my curiosity is engaged once more. It¡¯s not some sort of shallow pit that the creature clearly dug for itself; it seems much deeper than that, a yawning hole in the ground. I check my stats: my health is full thanks to regeneration and regular Lay-on-hands; my stamina and mana are full from regeneration. I¡¯m as close to well as I can be: should I investigate this hole? My curiosity can¡¯t be denied. With warring visions of treasure and more spider-monsters jumping out to eat me, I creep closer. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Two: Colony I step carefully through the leaf litter in front of the gaping hole. My knife and mace are both in my hands and I¡¯m tense, ready for another monster to come leaping out. Casting a glance around, I frown as I try to piece together what had happened in the instant before the spider-insect attacked. Despite my increased Intelligence, the whole thing happened so quickly that my memory of the time isn¡¯t at all clear, but there are several clues in the detritus around me. I focus on my memory of the image of the area before I stepped into the trap and compare it to now. Before, the whole area had been an undulating carpet of dead, brown leaves and twigs. Now, there¡¯s a gaping hole in the centre of the area. Had the spider-monster held a layer of twigs and leaves as a camouflaging screen? It must have ¨C I don¡¯t see any other explanation for the changes in environment present here. I know that there are insects and spiders on Earth that can also set traps, so I suppose it¡¯s not out of the realms of possibility that a creature here would develop the same techniques. Maybe spiders or spider-analogues are just always the kind of bastards that would go down the route of being ambushers and therefore learn useful tricks to improve their success rate? Well, this trap has been sprung, and hopefully there aren¡¯t a whole load of other hidden spider-monsters around ready to jump out at me. Frankly, I would have been easy-pickings while lying there unconscious and with only two units of health left, so if they didn¡¯t attack me then, I have to guess that they weren¡¯t aware of my presence. As long as I don¡¯t spring any more traps, I¡¯m cautiously hopeful that I¡¯ll leave this area with my life. Inspection of the area done, I creep closer to the yawning hole in front of me. It¡¯s angled down into the ground reasonably steeply. Not so steeply that I couldn¡¯t get out, but it¡¯s steep enough that I¡¯d have to use my hands to help me crawl out. For the monster I killed with its six insectile legs, I doubt it was any trouble. Pausing at the edge of where it becomes the hole proper, I take a moment to find out what my senses are telling me, and allow my eyes to adjust a little. It¡¯s dark, obviously. The light from the outside illuminates the first few feet of the cave, but not much further thanks to the angle of both the entrance hole and the way it descends. It¡¯s earthen, almost as tall as I am, and wide enough for the creature to easily move around. There¡¯s little to see, honestly. However, what does catch my attention, is that there¡¯s a breeze. Not a breeze that sweeps the surface, although that¡¯s there as well, but a breeze that¡¯s actively being pulled into the cave. To me, that indicates that the cave isn¡¯t actually a cave, but a tunnel. That¡¯s interesting simply for the question that it poses: if it¡¯s a tunnel, where does it go? Hopefully not to a colony of these spider-monster things. I shudder at the thought. It¡¯s a question which is almost impossible to resist, beckoning me to climb down the slope and find out. I almost give into its siren call, actually sitting down on the edge and preparing to bum-shuffle my way down into the depths. Then my senses return and I wonder why exactly I thought that could ever be a good idea. I¡¯m not equipped for spelunking. Yes, I have a rope ¨C sort of ¨C but I don¡¯t have a source of light, decent weaponry, or decent armour against whatever could be hiding in the darkness. Plus, my aim in coming out for today was to gather wood, not go exploring a mysterious cave. I¡¯ve already cursed at myself once today for being an idiot; no need to keep on proving it. With regret, I push myself to my feet. Cave-diving will have to wait for another day when I¡¯m better prepared. Bringing Bastet with me would probably be a good idea too since her eyesight is likely to be much better in the dark than mine. And hopefully exploring a cave should not pose too much risk to the cubs. Of course, it depends on what we encounter, but with the restricted area of a tunnel, I¡¯d imagine it will be easier for Bastet and I to create a defensive line with them behind us and back out of any trouble. I do take advantage of my time to collect as much firewood as possible, since this kind of wood is perfect for what I need ¨C seasoned and mostly dry. I actually find a few bits of wood which should serve well as arrowshafts too: since they¡¯re already dry, they shouldn¡¯t warp like green wood can. I even explore the rest of the clearing, half-hoping, half-fearing for a rematch against another of the monsters. In the end, though, it seems like the one I fought was solitary as there aren¡¯t any more that leap out at me even as I traverse the rest of the copse of dead trees. Just before leaving the area, I mark the cave on my map for later exploration. I have to hope that nothing too dangerous moves into the open real-estate, but there¡¯s not much I can do about that now. By the time the sun is halfway in heading towards the horizon, I¡¯ve filled four of the five slots that remained open after storing the body and head of the spider-monster in one of them. I figure I¡¯ve got enough firewood to be getting on with, so I start making my way back to my home base. Deciding to do a bit of grinding, I use my Stealth as much as possible, and then when my stamina is getting low, I pause and use Fade until I¡¯ve topped myself up. I feel that the two Skills have become easier to use during my practice, and reckon I must have gained some Skill levels. Tempted to check, I instead decide to save all that until tonight. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I make my way through the forest almost without incident. In fact, I only end up in two fights, which is an achievement considering I managed to stray into a part of a forest which looked to be hotly contested territory between two rival factions of the same species. How do I know? Lots and lots of markings all over the trees, the acrid stench of urine in multiple places, the half-eaten bodies which I almost stumbled over...and the full-scale battle I barely avoided. The creatures were a weird reptile version of weasels or something. Similar to the things which attacked me in my first days in this world, but sleeker and meaner, if that¡¯s possible. They were small, only about as long as my hand, but seriously vicious. Half-hiding behind a tree in Fade, I watched a group of about fifteen tumble together near my feet, tearing chunks off each other, claws gouging into flesh, uncaring of the damage they left. They were ferocious. Frankly, I feel lucky that Fade was enough to keep me concealed because the frenzied fury these creatures displayed reminded me of nothing less than a pack of piranhas. Fortunately, they were so distracted by each other that the weatiles just kept tearing each other apart, paying no attention to the human hiding wide-eyed in concealment within arm¡¯s length of them. One pair tearing at each other in a bloody ball actually tumbled straight over my foot but didn¡¯t care enough to break away from their fight to find out what it was they rolled over. Slowly, trying not to draw any attention to myself, I shifted backwards until I was as out of the way as possible ¨C I¡¯d figured that there was no point in chancing my luck a second time. By the time the two weatiles had finished with their fight, one was dead and the other didn¡¯t look far from it. Of the fifteen that were fighting at the start, only three survived. Only pausing to mark their territory, they¡¯d promptly run out back into one of the bushes surrounding us, and disappeared with nary a rustle. Silence having fallen around me, not even the birds daring to give voice to the violence they had just seen, I stared at the limp bodies newly decorating the small area clear of undergrowth at the foot of the tree where I¡¯d been hiding. The sheer scale of that violence is not something I¡¯ve seen in this world so far. Why were so many fighting? Food? Territory? Mates? Some other reason? I don¡¯t know, but the fact that the survivors didn¡¯t even eat any of the corpses indicates it isn¡¯t to do with food. Or maybe they¡¯re just not cannibals. Then again, I¡¯ve long wondered what motivates some of the creatures in this world: the number of times I¡¯ve been attacked by creatures that were clearly out-classed is surprising. I¡¯d have thought self-preservation would have stopped creatures which clearly would only ever win on the off-chance from attacking me. Even if I don¡¯t have the natural weapons of my enemies, I¡¯ve almost always been bigger, sometimes significantly, and size does matter in a fight. A smaller opponent always needs to have strong advantages to win against a bigger opponent when the size difference is as stark as it sometimes has been in my fights. Even with these weatiles, I avoided the fight because I¡¯m not a masochist ¨C evidence to the contrary notwithstanding ¨C and I was pretty sure that any fight with them would end up with me bitten all over and bloody. That¡¯s not to say that I don¡¯t think I would have been the survivor: for all their ferocity, if their teeth are only digging in a few centimetres, and my knife is piercing their whole bodies, there¡¯s an obvious advantage in my favour. Still, I¡¯d already had one difficult battle before my encounter with them, so I did my utmost to avoid another unnecessary confrontation. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t succeed in avoiding all confrontations. One of the fights I was in actually happened once I came out of Fade ¨C some creature from above took advantage of the opportunity to jump at my neck from the branches over my head. That didn¡¯t end very well for it as by this point in time, my senses are constantly on high alert and my muscles are ready for action at any moment ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have survived the spider-monstrosity if they hadn¡¯t been. I grabbed and stabbed my newest attacker. Relying entirely on surprise and the venomous fangs that it never managed to bury into my flesh, the arm-length lizard didn¡¯t stand a chance ¨C the tyranny of size once more proven. Neither did my other attacker fare very well when it attempted to charge me after I disrupted it eating. The creature looked a little like a triceratops only about the size of a small rhino, and with a single horn. For once, I was actually outclassed in terms of size. Not in weapons, though, and I had a bit of luck. It had a fast charge, but I managed to dodge and when it hit the tree behind me, it managed to stun itself. A few stabs into its body and a chance strike to its heart later, and another one bit the dust. I filled my last slot with its corpse, wondering if the bone protrusion that protected the top of its neck might come in handy later. One interesting thing I found out from the second encounter was a feature of Fade: I couldn¡¯t use it if my target was fixated on me ¨C I¡¯d tried to activate it as soon as the mini-triceratops saw me, but no luck. It makes me wonder whether I¡¯d have been able to activate the Skill if I¡¯d broken its line of sight, but too late now to test. By the time I get back home, the sun is almost touching the horizon. I¡¯m tired and want nothing more than to go straight to bed. Before I can do that, though, I need to get rid of all the blood and muck that¡¯s ended up on me. Or at least, do what I can to clean up. The river water isn¡¯t great for cleaning, but it does something, and I sigh as my hair finally loses that matted feel. It¡¯s wet and drips down my neck, but that will dry soon enough. I take the opportunity to fill the water containers in my Inventory ¨C I¡¯ve been thirsty since I finished my canteen earlier. Walking up the hill, anticipation wars with trepidation. What if something went wrong while I was out? What if Trouble lived up to his name and got too close to the burning embers of my fire? What if a giant bird came along and snatched one of the cubs before either of the adults could do anything about it? Unlikely, perhaps, but considering the size of the bird that attacked me on my first day here, I¡¯m not putting anything past this world. Bastet and the cubs aren¡¯t outside. Telling myself that doesn¡¯t mean anything, I step into the cave. Pausing at the entrance, I can¡¯t help but smile as I see the sight inside. From what I can make out by counting heads and paws, all three of the raptorcats are snuggled against Lathani who is in turn snuggled into the fluffy tail of her mother. Kalanthia is lying down with her head on her paws, the half-circle of her body meaning she¡¯s looking towards the cub pile with half-open eyes. I notice Bastet last, although she¡¯s actually the closest, lying just inside the entrance as a guard. She sends waves of contentment and reassurance at me. Maybe I didn¡¯t need to worry after all. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Three: Baked Cub The fire crackles cheerfully as I sit next to it, the tree stump I collected yesterday in front of me, a somewhat sharp flint stone in my hand. Within eyesight, but carefully being kept away from the flames, are the four cubs, happily playing together. I¡¯m keeping an eye to make sure they don¡¯t come anywhere near my fire, and Bastet is sitting on their other side, making sure they don¡¯t suddenly decide to go romping off towards the forest. It¡¯s a strategy that¡¯s been working out pretty well since Kalanthia left to go hunting. Speaking of, the raptorcats are most of the way through their last lizog corpse, and honestly raw meat shouldn¡¯t sit around for too long anyway; this corpse has already been sitting out for more than a day. The mini-triceratops will keep them going a bit longer, but with Bastet¡¯s appetite added into the mix, my meat supply will only feed us all for a another couple of days. I need to go hunting tomorrow, I decide. A smile stretches my lips as I remember reading the messages last night. In addition to gaining a point in Willpower ¨C I guess because of the way I pushed past my physical limits during the fight with the insect-spider ¨C I also got a rank-up message about Fade:
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Fade is now Novice I and now has limited efficacy while you are moving slowly.
Close message? Y/N
It¡¯s my second Skill to properly rank up, and the first which I¡¯ve levelled since Beginner 1. Fade increased through the ranks quickly up to Beginner 9 thanks to my practically constant use of it, but it had been hovering at that level for a good few days; I was wondering if there was a problem or something. Turns out that no, there wasn¡¯t ¨C I just needed to use it slightly differently, I think. I reckon that it ranked up yesterday when I moved while still under Fade¡¯s influence. I¡¯d been worried that moving like that would break the effect, but perhaps my intent to stay concealed was strong enough that it enabled the Skill to advance. Certainly, it seems too close in time to be a coincidence that I moved under Fade and now have an advanced effect that allows me to move slowly while under Fade. Add that to the way Lay-on-hands advanced and I reckon there¡¯s a pattern developing. Knowing that Fade is now going to work even when I¡¯m moving gives me a greater sense of courage. I mean, Stealth is good, but Stealth and Fade? Together that should make even moving through dangerous territory safer. The two Skills will be even more invaluable when I have a ranged weapon, and today¡¯s work is a step closer to that. My pots need to be fired for at least twenty-four hours; forty-eight would be better, but I do need to sleep. I¡¯ve propped my pottery on stones at the bottom of the pit with branches below, around, and above them. Lighting the fire, I actually sent a little prayer to whoever is listening that not too many pieces will crack. I have made more pieces than I really need, but I haven¡¯t bothered to double up on everything ¨C I didn¡¯t have the time or patience to do that. While I need to keep an eye on the fire to make sure it continues burning steadily, that doesn¡¯t consume much of my time since I¡¯ve already collected the firewood. I¡¯m taking advantage of the rest of the unused time to carve the wood I¡¯m going to need for the filtering container and then later the soap mold. I¡¯m using a sharp rock to dig out the rotten bits of the stump to begin with. I¡¯ve already used it to chop the trailing roots off its bottom, so I have a roughly level base to start with. I was relieved to find solid wood at the base, as I was a little worried it would be rotten through. It¡¯s not exciting work, but after my near-death scare yesterday, I¡¯m not against taking a little time to do some calm and boring manual labour. ***** By the time the sun is once more falling towards the horizon and Kalanthia has returned, I have several items I¡¯m pleased with. The soap mold is very rough but it will do to create a bar of soap. I hope so, at least. The tree stump has also been transformed into a round basin-like creation with a hole in the centre at the bottom and slopes leading down. I¡¯ve tested with a little bit of water and wherever I put it in the ¡®bowl¡¯, it drips towards the hole and comes out. At first, the hole wasn¡¯t the lowest point underneath the tree stump, so it was subsequently dripping along the underside of the container and then dripping off a point where I had chopped away a root. I¡¯ve since pounded away at the underside and solved that issue. Now, water drips through the hole and drops directly onto the ground underneath: perfect. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It¡¯s meant that the base of the stump is a bit angled, so it rolls a bit and lists to one side when I place it on the ground. Never mind ¨C I was going to need to prop it up somehow for it to drop into my container anyway. In short, it¡¯s rough, but if it works, that¡¯s all I need. Finally, I¡¯ve been able to create something which I¡¯ve needed for a long time. Armour. Well, sort of the makings of, at least. No shining steel mail worthy of a knight is this. I wish, but I don¡¯t have the materials, tools, or time to create something like that. No, this is a lot more rough and ready. But quite satisfying, and not only because I now have something more to protect me than my jeans and office shirts. The creature which tried to kill me yesterday has proven to be a bit of a goldmine in terms of materials. While the cubs all snoozed with Bastet as their guardian, I took myself down to the river and butchered the corpse. Despite needing meat, I decided not to keep any of the spider-monster¡¯s flesh: it just smelt nasty. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the venom the spider had, or some other reason, but I didn¡¯t want to risk it being harmful to either my allies or me. Having succeeded in getting the carapace off the body by using my knife in softer spots, I then proceeded to use a combination of sharp rocks and knife to break-cut the chitin into smaller pieces. Back at the fire, I then managed through sheer determined effort to bore a number of holes in the chitin pieces. I considered using bark fibre to string them together, but decided to wait until I¡¯ve got some sinew cord instead: bark fibre will be far too easily sliced through by the first attack which hits it; sinew is significantly stronger. Of course, I¡¯d rather have some metal wire or nylon thread, but unfortunately those were not things I thought of bringing with me. I stretch my tired fingers and roll tight shoulders. I¡¯ve really put my hands through the wringer today. It¡¯s actually crazy how much such simple tasks can hurt. My hands hurt from strain and the rub of stone against skin, my wrists hurt from repeated impacts, my arms hurt from repeated activity, and the same for my shoulders. Then there¡¯s the space between my shoulderblades and my back which hurt from tension over time, my legs which hurt from sitting in a single position on the floor, my eyes that hurt from screwing up against the sun, the skin on my face that hurts from frowning when it was harder than I thought...In fact, I think the only part of me that doesn¡¯t hurt is my feet! And all that from just doing some risk-free crafting? Surely I must have gained a point in Constitution? I go into my message box to check, grinning when I see a new notification waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
It isn¡¯t a point to Constitution, but Dexterity needs a bit of a boost, so I¡¯ll take it. Not having killed anything today, that wipes out all the progress I¡¯ve made with my daily absorption, but I don¡¯t care. It makes all the pain worth it when I see those little numbers going up, knowing each one is a qualitative improvement on my capacity to do different tasks. And since my next job will be to make some more arrowheads, any increase in Dexterity is more than welcome. Not feeling up to struggling with them today, I decide to inspect my sinew ¨C now I need it for my armour as well as my bow, the task has moved up in priority. Making sure that none of the cubs looks like they¡¯re currently contemplating jumping into the fire, I quickly pop into the cave to check out my drying rack. The sinew is actually coming along very well, and I reckon that some of the pieces are actually ready for pounding. Grabbing the driest strands, I head back outside. ¡°Trouble, no!¡± I shout as the wretched cub prepares to poke the fire with a paw. At my cry, he jumps back and tries to look innocent. ¡®Who, me?¡¯ he seems to ask with his limpid brown eyes and offended bearing. I glare at him. ¡°If you touch the fire, we¡¯re going to be eating baked cub for dinner since that¡¯s what you¡¯ll become,¡± I warn. He tosses his head as if to say that he has no idea what I¡¯m talking about but that he¡¯s going to be off now to play with his sisters because that¡¯s what he was planning to do all along. And yes, my Animal Empathy Skill has been improving by leaps and bounds since taking in the four raptorcats. I can¡¯t help but have a soft spot for Trouble, despite the stress he causes me: he¡¯s adventurous and curious, traits that will stand him in good stead for life ¨C if they don¡¯t kill him first. Still, I think that Stormcloud ¨C or ¡®Storm¡¯ as I keep calling her ¨C is my favourite, her stubborn, direct nature generally helping her succeed in what she sets out to do. It¡¯s all too familiar... If she gets an idea in her head that goes counter to what I want her to do, it¡¯s a pain, but generally it¡¯s possible to negotiate with her. Where Storm goes, Ninja tends to follow, so it¡¯s a bit of a two-for-one deal with them. Generally it will be Storm who starts something, or it¡¯s her interest in an object which will arouse Ninja¡¯s curiosity. Trouble is sometimes interested by something that both his sisters want to have, but his attention is a lot less focused and it doesn¡¯t take much to distract him onto something else. It¡¯s interesting watching the interactions of the three cubs and I¡¯m looking forward to seeing them grow up and develop. My break over, I turn my attention to the sinew I¡¯ve brought out. Pulling out a handful of rocks from my Inventory, I look through them carefully to choose one that¡¯s appropriate for the task. Most of the rocks I pulled out are immediately discarded ¨C I can¡¯t have anything that¡¯s got sharp edges for fear of compromising the integrity of the sinew strands. However, anything that¡¯s too small is also dismissed as I need to be able to get a decent grip without risking hitting my fingers too many times ¨C been there; done that. Eventually, I find a rock that¡¯s a bit bigger than my hand, and it¡¯s mostly smooth. I just make sure that I¡¯ve turned the slightly rough bit so that it¡¯s not going to hit the sinew. Next, I pull out a flat piece of rock I¡¯ve also stored away for later use. Preparations complete, I pound at the sinew, watching to see the result. When the dry material starts to fray, the ends of strands appearing under where I started pounding it, I smile. While I¡¯ve never actually done this before, my memories are clear that this is a sign the sinew is ready to be processed, and I set to with renewed energy. Once I¡¯ve got the sinew strand separated, I¡¯ll be able to either put them aside for use in arrow-making, or braid them together to make sinew cord for my armour and a bow string. I¡¯m starting to get into a rhythm of pounding the sinew and then teasing out the strands, pounding and teasing, pounding and teasing, when there¡¯s a loud bang that makes me half jump out of my skin. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Four: Tough and Chewy When I realise the loud noise was just a pot exploding, I grimace. One item bites the dust. Let¡¯s hope for not too many of those. It sure shows how keyed up I am that a noise the equivalent of a car back-firing is enough to almost give me a heart attack. Mind you, at least I¡¯m not the only one shocked: all five of the felines - or whatever they are - have also leaped to their feet and are either staring at the source of the noise (the cubs), or looking around suspiciously for any danger (the adults). When they realise that there is no danger and it¡¯s just my strange hot thing that¡¯s caused the issue, they look at me with disgruntlement. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologise, feeling embarrassed for some reason. ¡°False alarm.¡± We all settle back into the relaxed poses we were in previously. The cubs were tussling over something I can¡¯t see from this angle, and the adults were enjoying the last of the sun. At least, that¡¯s what they were doing until my pot exploding put them on full alert. I continue my processing of the sinew, pleased with its condition: I should be able to make a decent bowstring with the longer bits, and use the shorter bits to attach feathers and arrowheads to arrows. I¡¯ll need a lot more of both, but this is only about a third of the sinew I have. Plus, I have other corpses I haven¡¯t dismembered yet which might have more. All supplies considered, I should be able to complete my armour fairly soon too. Actually, on the subject of corpses¡­ Tucking away the sinew I¡¯ve processed so far and returning the pieces which are not quite dry enough to pound, I go over to the lizog corpses that are sitting in a shady spot not far from the cave. I wrinkle my nose as I get close ¨C almost two-day old corpses smell pretty rank. The raptorcats have done a number on the bodies, but they¡¯ve mostly torn at the meaty bits on the body and haunches, leaving the areas with the most sinew reasonably intact. I doubt that¡¯s a coincidence ¨C sinew is tough and chewy, not the kind of meat most carnivores would bee-line for if they had the choice. I slice away the sinew off each lizog corpse, then pull out a couple of other bodies to process, figuring that I might as well use my time wisely. This includes the mini-triceratops which has surprisingly short ones considering its size. Maybe it¡¯s because it didn¡¯t seem particularly flexible? Once I¡¯ve processed the bodies into raw meat and other constituent parts, I¡¯ve managed to clear up my Inventory a fair amount. Fortunately, several types of meat seem to stack: carnivores seems to be one accepted category, as does pure herbivores. It¡¯s the omnivores which seem to cause an issue, often needing separate slots even from other omnivores. Why? I don¡¯t know, though would hazard a guess that the nutrients in the meat are sufficiently different. By the time I¡¯m done all my butchering, I desperately need a bath and the sun is once more near to touching the horizon. It¡¯s amazing how quickly the days go, despite how much longer they are than the days on Earth. Perhaps it¡¯s partly because once the sun goes down, I go to bed, whereas at home I would have stayed up several hours after the sun went to bed. Here, when that requires me to use more fuel for light and then be too tired to wake up with the sun the next day, it¡¯s a bad idea all round. My night is a bit disturbed. Although I sleep, I wake up the next morning feeling barely rested and like I¡¯ve been running all night in my dreams. Which, considering what I¡¯ve been doing recently in real life, I probably was doing in my sleep. After a quick breakfast of meat and potato-replacement ¨C the taste of which is definitely getting old ¨C I head into the forest with Bastet and the cubs. Although I considered leaving the three babies behind, I don¡¯t feel comfortable asking Kalanthia to look after them ¨C or asking Bastet to leave the remains of her pack with the creature that killed the rest of them. I mean, Bastet might not be bothered, but I¡¯m kind of bothered on her behalf, illogical as that might seem. All I can hope is that the two of us working together can keep the cubs safe: I¡¯ve learnt my lesson about going out without my most combat-capable Bound accompanying me. So, the cubs are with us, slung once more across my chest. There may be better ways of carrying them, but I¡¯m reluctant to put them on my back as ambush predators tend to target that. At least on my front I can see the attack coming and do my best to avoid or deflect it. As long as they don¡¯t wriggle too much, it¡¯s OK. When I have my armour, I may have to rethink the arrangements, but I¡¯ll figure it out when I get there. I¡¯m actually a little excited to go hunting with Bastet by my side ¨C the natural killing machine which so terrified me when I was the pack¡¯s prey is now on my team, terrifying my enemies. We walk through the forest carefully. I activate both Fade and Stealth where possible, but Fade is of limited effectiveness when I¡¯m not walking at a snail¡¯s pace. Plus, I reckon the wriggling cubs on my chest make it more difficult for me to fade into the background. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. For all that, we¡¯re not attacked. The forest is actually pretty quiet ¨C perhaps it¡¯s Bastet¡¯s presence which is making the local fauna hide since I still see plenty of evidence of the animals¡¯ passage. Eventually, we land on some tracks which raise Bastet¡¯s interest. She sends me a wave of emotion that I can only identify as anticipation-focus-thoughtfulness. Along with the feeling, she sends a picture of a small herd of...something. Honestly, I have no point of reference for them. I¡¯d say they were like ostriches, except that they don¡¯t have any wings and they have a long tail which counterbalances their long neck. Actually, perhaps they¡¯re a bit of a mix between an ostrich and a diplodocus, though their necks are nowhere near as long as the prehistoric dinosaur¡¯s was supposed to be. Along with the image comes a sense of warning ¨C just like the ostriches of my home world, these creatures can also pack a hefty kick or slam with their tails or necks. If I had my bow, I¡¯d feel a lot better about picking a few off; as I don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to have to use a bit more strategy. Following the tracks, I pay more attention to Stealth, noticing that Bastet seems to have something similar by the very fact that I don¡¯t notice her for elongated periods of time. She seems to come and go in my awareness, though not if I touch the Bond. I¡¯m briefly distracted by the realisation, though it¡¯s almost self-evident: if the holder of the Bond couldn¡¯t find his Bound when they are in Stealth or invisible ¨C if there is such a thing ¨C it wouldn¡¯t be great. By the time we start catching up to the herd ¨C or flock, or whatever the correct collective noun would be for strange ostrich-diplodocus cross-breeds ¨C I can actually hear them. They¡¯re making an odd honking noise, with clucks and, of all things, purrs interspersed. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard a group of animals here so clearly communicating, and doing so audibly. Maybe that¡¯s because most of the time I¡¯ve spent near groups of animals, they¡¯ve been hunting me. And I haven¡¯t really encountered many groups of prey animals. Not up close, anyway. Once more, I¡¯m not keen on actively choosing to enter a fight with the cubs strapped to me: although they¡¯re in the most defensible position there, I¡¯d rather not have to defend them, and for sure they reduce my ability to throw myself around since I really don¡¯t want to fall on them and, you know, flatten them. It¡¯s a risk to leave them on their own too, but not great choices here. Considering the possibility of stampeding ostridocuses, I figure that the ground is not the safest place and once more strap them up in the tree. I try to use my shirt to create a little nest ¨C one of those that completely surrounds the chick on all sides ¨C and cross my fingers that the cubs won¡¯t find a way to either wriggle out of it or tear it to pieces in the few minutes I¡¯ll be gone. Frankly, with Trouble there, anything could happen. Cubs tucked away out of trouble ¨C no, Trouble, that¡¯s not an invitation ¨C Bastet and I decide on our strategy. It¡¯s not complicated: we don¡¯t have the resources for complicated. If I could, I¡¯d put a few traps on one side of the clearing and chase them all at it but as it is¡­ Something to think about later. Traps could seriously reduce the amount of time I have to spend hunting if I can find the right places to put them. Plus, the extra Energy gain would be very useful. Anyway, no traps, and no time to go and set them up, so our strategy is simple. I enact the first bit, pulling rocks from my pockets that I had just put there from my Inventory and throwing them at the closest ostridocuses. I¡¯m aiming to distract, frighten, and hopefully injure some of the herd. I seem to succeed in at least the first two aims as the herd goes into a tizzy. They don¡¯t seem to know what to do with flying rocks and the closest herd members start running around aimlessly in the small area between their herd-mates. The further ones look over, visibly distressed, but not actually doing anything at the moment. That will soon change. Bastet leaps in, a whirling tornado of death and injury as she puts her claws and teeth to good use. She slashes at one neck on the way to grabbing and biting at another, leaping at a third just as she avoid the kicks and swipes which are heading her way. When I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t hit her, I throw rocks at the ostridocuses, doing my best to keep them off balance and prevent uninjured members from going to the defence of the injured ones. Leaping out of the fray, Bastet engages her Stealth ¨C or whatever her version is called ¨C and then jumps back in from a different angle, attacking several more previously uninjured ostridocuses. I keep throwing rocks and land some lucky blows, my aim improving with practice. I can definitely notice the difference of my improved Dexterity ¨C even in comparison to the last time I threw rocks, my accuracy is much better, as is my judgment of distance. Wait, is that last linked to Dexterity or Constitution? A battle-honk from the fray ahead of me draws me back to the moment: I can ponder those kinds of questions when my Bound is not in the middle of an attack. It doesn¡¯t take much more to break the nerve of the ostridocuses. The combined attacks of flying rocks of death and a raptorcat tearing at them tooth and claw are too much for the herbivorous birds to cope with. The fear communicates itself throughout the herd, even those members which were too far away from the action to really realise what was going on turning tail and running. With an odd swaying, though speedy gait, the ostridocuses disappear into the trees as quickly as possible. Now to clear up as many of the injured survivors as possible. Together, we make quick work of the majority of the limping and staggering ostridocuses which were victims of our attack. A couple were only lightly injured and manage to follow the rest of the herd with little trouble, but by the time the clearing falls silent, there are bodies all around. Before starting the processing, I quickly head back to the tree with the cubs tucked into its junctions of branches. My heart is in my mouth as everything that could have gone wrong plays like a movie in my head. We were only away for a short time, perhaps fifteen to twenty minutes, but in this world where minutes or even seconds can be the deciding factor, I can¡¯t help but worry. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Five: Man, I’ve got an Axe Careful. Caaarefuul, I say to myself as I tip the resin bowl. It¡¯s hot, so I¡¯d rather not spill it on my hand, but I do need to transfer the liquid so I can filter it. Right now, it¡¯s full of detritus which won¡¯t do anything to improve the consistency of my pitch. Drop by drop, the molten resin drips from the hole in the side of my bowl into another container. Fortunately, the resin filter bowl was not one of the ones which had exploded. Actually, for my first time firing pottery, and in a rough and ready ground pit at that, a fifty percent success rate is not that bad. I¡¯ve ended up with one big pot that¡¯s good enough for collecting water, two medium pots, one small pot, the resin filtering bowl, and a plate. Unfortunately, the other crockery I made were victims of the fire along with a couple of miscellaneous pots and the specially-shaped pot I made for charring the bark fibre. That was the one that hurt the most to lose, but I¡¯ve managed to get the job done with one of the medium pots instead. As my bowl of resin runs dry, I tip out the bits of wood and bark and dead insects that have accumulated, and then put in a few more resin chunks, placing the bowl back into my fireplace to soften them again. The pot with the filtered resin goes near the fire so that it stays liquid. Sitting back on my heels, I think about my next steps. I¡¯m dealing with the resin now; I¡¯ll soon be adding the bark-fibre charcoal. Actually, thinking about that, maybe I should grind it up while I¡¯m waiting for the next batch of resin to soften. So thinking, I go outside to grab the pot from where it¡¯s still near the big fire, since I used some of the still burning coals to char the fibre. The cubs are playing together and I pause to watch them for a few moments. Spotting Ninja hiding in the bushes waiting to ambush her siblings and Lathani, I shake my head a little. For once, it wasn¡¯t Trouble who almost gave me a heart attack yesterday ¨C it was Ninja! Upon getting back to the tree where I¡¯d hidden the cubs, I¡¯d only found two up in the nest. Fortunately, Ninja hadn¡¯t gone far and, my heart hammering, I¡¯d found her in a bush nearby when she mewed plaintively. I reckon she must have either fallen out or been pushed accidentally: she certainly wouldn¡¯t have chosen to go exploring the way Trouble no doubt would have. Not on her own, at least. All three cubs retrieved, I¡¯d returned to Bastet and our bounty. Turns out we¡¯d managed to take down eight ostridocuses. Three had been killed before the herd fled ¨C two of neck wounds that bled out quickly, and one from a crushed skull caused by a lucky rock throw. Lucky for us, that is, not for the ostridocus. The others had all been slowed sufficiently by our attacks to give us enough time to take them down after. Either way, since the creatures stood as tall as my shoulder, it¡¯s a good bit of meat that I¡¯ve now got packed in my Inventory. And a good bit of Energy, frankly ¨C I¡¯m back up to above halfway to the next level. How long that will last, we¡¯ll see. Plus, since they had such long legs, they also had a fair bit of sinew which is good news for everything I¡¯ll need to do with that substance. Food supply sorted for now, I¡¯m back to my crafting. Well, survival crafting, at least ¨C none of what I¡¯ve made so far would be considered anything but shoddy work by an even remotely skilled craftsman, after all. Reminded that I want to do more today than just gaze fondly at cute cubs tumbling together ¨C though I could do that all day, honestly ¨C I grab the charred bark fibre and return indoors to keep an eye on my resin. Grinding up the charcoal into a fine powder that I have to be careful not to blow away, I¡¯m soon able to filter the next batch of resin. With the third, and final, batch on to melt, I find myself a little at a loose end. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have anything else to do ¨C I just don¡¯t have anything that will take as little time as the resin will to melt, and I don¡¯t want to get distracted by something else or have to stop something halfway. In the end, I just pull out my never-ending bark-fibre rope and keep twisting it. I¡¯ll never have enough cord, and it¡¯s the kind of thing I can just pick up and drop whenever I need to. Filtering the resin, I¡¯m finally ready to move onto the next step. Gently adding the black dust a pinch at a time, I blend the charcoal and resin together with a clean stick until the consistency is exactly what my ¡®memories¡¯ tell me is correct for a decent batch of pitch. Staring at the black gold, I¡¯m frankly flabbergasted at how much effort had to go into making something so simple. On paper, that is. And maybe simple for people who start out with the right equipment, but like everything, when you don¡¯t even have the right tools, it¡¯s an upward battle. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Anyway, I have it now. Excitement rising, I take the container of pitch outside into the light so I can see it more clearly. Along with the sticky pitch, I take the axe-blade and axe-haft which have just been sitting in my cave, moldering away. Not literally, thankfully. Realising I¡¯ve forgotten the shirt I decided to sacrifice to the cause, I hop back up and grab it before returning outside. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that!¡± I shout, my heart rising into my mouth as I see Lathani with her paw hovering over the pitch. She looks up at me and freezes, her eyes as innocent as if her paw was not literally almost covered in sticky black stuff. My nerves calming down, I warn her even as I pull the pot away. ¡°If you touch that, you¡¯ll never get it out of your fur. It¡¯ll be stuck to you forever.¡± I¡¯m not sure if she believes me, but she doesn¡¯t pursue the matter so that¡¯s a relief. Bastet keeps the other cubs under control with a simple grunt, so fortunately nothing serious happens. It takes a little bit of wrangling, but finally, it¡¯s done. My masterpiece is made. I hold the axe above my head and shout a war cry to the skies. I¡¯d like to think that it shakes the crowns of the surrounding trees and strikes fear into the hearts of my enemies. If Bastet¡¯s unimpressed look is anything to judge by, though, I¡¯m more Simba¡¯s ¡®I can¡¯t wait to be king¡¯ than Mufasa. Bringing my new axe down, I stare at my creation, prouder of my efforts than any father could be of his newborn child. From going through innumerable chunks of flint, to struggling to bore through the wood, to the whole military operation that has been creating the pitch, not to mention the blisters on my fingers from twisting together bark fibre, this axe has been nothing but trouble. But now, it sits there gleaming in the sun, the axe-blade sitting snugly in the hole I made in the wooden haft, held in place by sticky pitch and rope wrapped around it on either side of the handle. It had better be worth all the pain and suffering that I put into its creation. If it embeds itself in a tree the first time and the axe-blade tears free of the handle, I think I might cry. Or scream and throw it so far that I¡¯ll never find it again. Which wouldn¡¯t be a good idea as then I¡¯d have to put in all the effort again. Anyway, it needs time to cool and set in place, so like I¡¯m carrying the newborn baby I compared it to earlier, I lift the axe and place it in my alcove out of the way of clumsy cubs. At least, it should be out of their way, but with Trouble there¡­. OK, what next? I¡¯d like to make my armour so I have some more protection, but I¡¯m not ready to make sinew cord yet. Which also precludes me from making my bow. So...that makes soap-making the next on my list¡­ Right. I¡¯ve got my filtering container and plenty of ashes, but I don¡¯t have the filtering material yet. I also need to render some fat. Hmm¡­ Deciding to multi-task, I take one of the two medium-sized pots which survived the firing and dump in some chunks of meat. Half-filling the pot with water from the other pot which I¡¯d filled from the river this morning, I put it into my fireplace so that it¡¯s nestled into the fire itself. That takes more manoeuvring than I¡¯d prefer ¨C I think I made the mouth of my fireplace a little small ¨C but I succeed in the end. I may need to rethink my cooking design, but that¡¯s for later when I really get tired of my pots being almost too big for it. Leaving the pot to start heating up and cook the meat, I check that the converted tree stump is in my Inventory. It is. Noticing that my big pot is almost out of water, I decide I might as well kill two birds with one stone and grab it. I¡¯m running out of Inventory space again, but I¡¯ve got a couple of spaces free. Hopefully I¡¯ll gain some more room when I level up, but who knows when that will be. I consider bringing Bastet with me, remembering what happened the last time I went out alone, but dismiss it in the end. The cubs are having fun, Bastet is relaxing, and I¡¯m not going that far. If anything does attack me, it shouldn¡¯t be anything I can¡¯t handle. Letting Bastet and Kalanthia know that I¡¯m heading out but plan to be back long before nightfall, I walk down the slope, cheerfully whistling. I¡¯m actually feeling good: I¡¯ve just managed to finish a task which I¡¯ve been working on since practically the day I arrived in this world. It may have been a good three weeks, but I¡¯ve finally succeeded. Getting closer to the stream, I focus and make myself get more serious ¨C I¡¯ve had far too many near-to-the-knuckle experiences in this forest to take it even remotely lightly. What¡¯s it going to be today? Something fall on my neck from above? Trap my leg from below? Leap at my back or my front? Man, I¡¯ve got an axe. Let them come. Not that I actually have the axe with me, but whatever. Let them come anyway and see what I¡¯m made of. Perhaps I¡¯ve underestimated just how elated this accomplishment makes me feel. Come on, man, I tell myself. It¡¯s just an axe. But even my attempts to pour water on my own feelings don¡¯t work. Giving up, I just let the smile spread across my face and the bounce in my step continue, despite how it negatively impacts Stealth and Fade. After filling my big pot, I walk along the river, as that¡¯s where I¡¯m going to find what I need. Keeping a wary eye out, I¡¯m thankfully not attacked as I approach the bed of fine pebbles which are going to be the bottom layer of my filter. I¡¯d prefer to have sand, but I haven¡¯t spotted any of that yet. Kneeling down, I pull the former tree stump out of my Inventory and set it down beside me. Grabbing a couple of handfuls, I start filling the bottom of the container, aiming to fill the sloped part and a little more besides. I¡¯m about halfway to that goal when I hear a loud splash, just as a barely-registered hint of movement makes me flinch backwards. My quick reactions are all that stop the toothed mouth from snapping shut on my face. Sharp teeth instead clack together a bare inch away from my nose. For a moment, both of us are stunned, looking at each other without moving. As I get a glimpse of my attacker, I groan mentally. Aw man, I forgot these were dinosaurs. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Six: Buckeroo I¡¯m not in the best of positions, leaning back on my hands with a crocodile look-alike half on top of me. It¡¯s heavy but I¡¯ve got the advantage on land. Remembering a nature program at home and hoping that this analogue¡¯s physiology is at least similar, I clamp my arm around its mouth, holding its head to me firmly. The crocodile writhes but it appears that it¡¯s no more able to open its jaws with me putting pressure on them than an Earth crocodile would be able to. I¡¯d seen on the program that crocodiles have the strongest bite pressure ever measured, but for all their power when closing their jaws, they have extremely weak opening muscles. That¡¯s being proven as I have to exert far more strength to keep my attacker from wriggling out of my grip than I do in just keeping its mouth closed. Wrestling with the muscular body that¡¯s got to be at least as long as me, I manage to flip us so I¡¯m lying on the crocodile which is pinned on its back. Still holding its mouth shut with one hand, while riding the crocodile¡¯s belly, I grab my knife from my belt and slam it into the reptile¡¯s throat. At least, I try to. What actually happens is that the knife is deflected and I almost lose my grip on my blade, even head-butting the crocodile on the underside of its jaw in a stunning display of grace. Shaking my head in confusion as I¡¯m momentarily stunned, the renewed powerful writhing of the creature below me almost knocks me off completely. I manage to keep my seat from luck more than skill, even as its fore-claws tear at me. Fortunately, tucked into its armpits as my knees are, I¡¯m actually in a reasonably secure position which is out of reach of its tail and back claws, and also can pin it down reasonably well. Without my increase in Strength, I¡¯d have had no chance; with it, I¡¯m managing ¨C just. But just managing is not enough. I need to either kill this thing or escape. If even its underside is so armoured that my knife can¡¯t get through, I need a different strategy. A thought occurs and I squeeze my eyes shut and gulp, fear running through me like a live current. If I do this right, I have a chance. If I do it wrong¡­ But do I have any choice? Right now it¡¯s a stalemate, and the crocodile probably has more stamina than me. I breathe deeply, trying to summon up my courage to go through with my plan. Then, in one quick movement, I shift my weight off the crocodile and onto my feet, grabbing one of the crocodile¡¯s short front legs and heaving it over. Aided by its own muscular movements, the crocodile flips onto its belly and I quickly seat myself back on its back, tucked behind its front legs. It writhes again, twisting its body almost in half as it attempts to snap at me. Fortunately, in this position, I¡¯m out of range of its jaws. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m home safe as I¡¯m rather riding the tiger at this point. Or, at least, riding the crocodile. My targets ¨C and only hope ¨C are now within range, but I have no chance of getting at them right now since I¡¯m gripping on with dear life to try to avoid being thrown off my insecure position. I have a death-grip on both the crocodile and my knife, holding on grimly as the crocodile slowly tires itself out. I see my stamina bar emptying itself little by little, and I start praying to anyone who can hear that the crocodile will exhaust itself before the bar runs out. For a while, I start fearing the worst and try to make back up plans of how I will escape if my stamina drops to less than ten percent. Finally, though, the crocodile¡¯s movements start to slow. I breathe a silent sigh of relief, but continue clinging on even as the creature¡¯s efforts to throw me off reduce in strength. Eventually, the crocodile stops moving. I¡¯ve already started to shift a little, moving my weight more forwards, changing the grip on my knife. I¡¯ve got no chance of killing this monster in a single stroke, so I¡¯m going to have to do my best to at least disable it so I can get away. Leaning up, I¡¯m poised to strike when it suddenly shifts and I lose my balance. Worried that it¡¯s recovered enough to start another exhausting buckaroo, I stab wildly at my target. Luck, or my increased Dexterity, actually means that I hit the crocodile¡¯s eye despite the movement. My knife plunges straight into the golden slit-pupil orb and the crocodile lets out a roar of pain, the first noise it¡¯s made so far. Its movements become frenzied, but I know that I don¡¯t have the stamina to hold on for another round of writhing, so I just steady myself as much as I can and desperately aim for its other eye. My first two attempts fail and I¡¯m almost sobbing as I try once more, knowing that I haven¡¯t got a chance of surviving without blinding the creature. I have to succeed, even when my every movement feels like leaden weights are attached to my limbs. Third time¡¯s the charm, apparently, as once more I manage to pierce the gelatinous ball that is this dinosaur¡¯s eye. It roars again and throws its head up. The abrupt movement forces the knife blade upwards, and since I refuse to let go of the handle, I¡¯m pushed up with it. Since I¡¯m not as well-secured on the crocodile¡¯s back as I had been, I¡¯m dislodged enough that the next frenzied twist sends me falling off completely. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Scrambling to my hands and knees, I crawl as quickly as I can away from the creature, not daring to even spend the time to push myself to my feet until I¡¯m out of direct range of those jaws. Clambering to my feet, I don¡¯t see the tail coming at me until it¡¯s too late to dodge completely. Throwing myself out the way, I shield my head with my arm. The tail smashes into my arm with a loud crack, barely slowed. I would have died then and there if it hadn¡¯t also been slightly deflected, slamming into the ground a hair¡¯s breadth from my head. Shaking terribly, I push myself backwards and almost crab-walk away, sobbing with fear under my breath. When my back hits a tree trunk, I find I can¡¯t go any further. I¡¯m done. If the crocodile manages to find me here, it¡¯s the end of the road for me. I lay there for an indeterminate time. It could have been seconds; it could have been hours. It was probably a few minutes, but I¡¯m completely spaced out, staring numbly at the prehistoric killer which continues to thrash, letting out roars of pain or rage. The pain in my arm is what brings me back to reality and I wince as I shift it forwards. I realise the cause before I even see it: I once broke my leg and it was the same sickening, throbbing pain. The bone is sticking through my skin and my shirt sleeve is soaked in blood. Now out of my fugue, I see that my health points are dropping with alarming speed. At this rate, I¡¯ll bleed out in a few minutes. The realisation is enough to bring the world back into full clarity, and with it, the fear. So much for not meeting something I can¡¯t handle, I think to myself bitterly. I should have brought Bastet with me. Though what she could do against a crocodile, I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s smaller than a lion and even lions avoid crocodiles. On Earth, at least. Kalanthia would probably eat this for breakfast. I dart another look at the crocodile, but my blinding seems to have worked: it¡¯s not coming at me. In fact, it appears to be randomly wandering, bashing into trees and bushes, rubbing its eyes one at a time onto the tree trunk as if it thinks it¡¯s got something in them. I¡¯d feel sorry but...it broke my arm. On that note, I cast a Lay-on-hands, the healing spell helping to slow the blood-loss. Unfortunately, it only takes a few casts of the spell to realise that there¡¯s a problem, one I should have anticipated: it can¡¯t heal my arm with the bone sticking out like it is. I feel panicky, nauseous, cold sweat breaking out on my skin. An inner monologue of denial runs through me. I steel myself. If I don¡¯t do this, I¡¯ll probably lose the arm, I tell myself firmly. Then, gripping my forearm behind my wrist, I pull. With a sickening and agonising glide, the bone shifts and then withdraws under the skin. I don¡¯t dare look at it for fear of triggering a vomiting session, instead focusing on casting Lay-on-hands and directing the magic to wrap around the bone and rejoin it. I keep going with my channeled healing until my mana bar is almost empty. Then I gently let go and hope that I¡¯ve done enough to stop it from immediately breaking once more under the strain of muscles and tendons. My arm throbs, but it stays in one piece. I sit there staring at it for a moment before my stomach finally rebels. I manage to twist to the side so I¡¯m not emptying my lunch all over my legs, but that¡¯s all I can do about it. By the time I¡¯ve stopped vomiting, I¡¯m feeling weak and shaky again. Even worse, something about it has caught the attention of the crocodile. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the noise or the smell, but the massive killer-croc is making a slow, cautious line straight towards me. Hell no. I¡¯m not going for round two with this monster, not with my arm still tender and the smell of my vomit still in my nose. At the same time, I don¡¯t want to run ¨C I don¡¯t like leaving creatures which have almost killed me at my back. Plus, since discovering that even its thinnest skin is enough to turn my knife blade, I¡¯m rather eager to see what kind of armour I could make out of its scales ¨C with that on my limbs and the chitin on my chest, I¡¯ll be significantly better off. No point going toe to toe with it, though. A swipe from its tail that wasn¡¯t even a direct hit broke my arm and could have broken my skull too. No, I need to be more cunning than that. And as I scan the area around me, even as I cautiously shift away from the puddle of vomit, I reckon I¡¯ve found a way. Using my most stealthy approach ¨C still regenerating stamina, so not wanting to use Fade ¨C I pad almost silently over to a number of boulders. These are a bit incongruous in the area, looking like they¡¯ve been carried down by a flood at some point. Either that or there are stone giants here and they¡¯ve been having some throwing competitions. As I head towards them, a forest-coloured blur flies past me and is on the crocodile before it can react. For a moment, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but a touch to my Bonds and I understand: Bastet¡¯s here. I look around wildly but don¡¯t see any cubs. I hope that means that she¡¯s left them with Kalanthia. My Bound obviously felt the danger to me and came running, crossing the distance far faster than I had. Unfortunately, as I¡¯d predicted, she¡¯s having little effect on the crocodile thanks to its armoured skin. She does manage to get at its throat a couple of times and is surprisingly more effective than my knife. Still, it¡¯s not sustainable: if those jaws or that tail gets her even once, she¡¯s going to take serious damage. I hurry up with my task, still feeling like it has the best chance of succeeding. The first two boulders I try to lift are simply too big: I can barely shift them, let alone lift them. The third moves more easily, but I still can¡¯t pick it up. The fourth, however, which is just over half the size of the first two, I¡¯m able to lift a little off the ground, my good arm doing most of the work. Shoving it in my Inventory, I move back over to the thrashing crocodile. ¡°Bastet, back up,¡± I tell her sharply. She does and we both wait patiently as the crocodile continues flailing around at nothing. Slowly, its movements slow as it registers that it is neither hitting something, nor under attack. It next starts sniffing around, moving its head to one side, then the other, moving around the area but not leaving it. I realise that it must think that it killed or injured its opponent and is now looking for the body. Not going to happen. Engaging Fade, I start stepping forwards slowly. When I¡¯m an arm¡¯s length away from the crocodile¡¯s head, I pray once more that it won¡¯t suddenly notice me despite its blinded state and my attempts at concealment. Then, opening my Inventory, I pull out the rock...and let it drop. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Seven: Stones As the rock touches its skin, the crocodile reacts with lightning speed; unfortunately for it, even its quick reaction isn¡¯t enough to save it. The rock drops on its head with finality, crushing its skull with a crunch. Strong as its bones surely are, impenetrable as its armour apparently is, it¡¯s not enough to stand up to a rock that¡¯s got to weigh several times what I do. The rest of the body flails for a moment in its death throes and then stills. I let out a breath I didn¡¯t even realise I¡¯d been holding. This creature has just been so powerful, so daunting that I¡¯d half-thought it might survive even this. My adrenaline rush making my limbs shake a little, I step back and sit down a couple of metres away from the dead killing machine. I barely notice as Bastet comes to sit down next to me. I do notice when she leans into my side and I put an arm around her back. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say, heart-felt as I turn my head to look at her. This is the second time one of my Bound has come running to the rescue, and I¡¯m just as grateful this time as the first. The thought of another putting their own body between mine and an attacker¡¯s still elicits a soul-deep gratitude which I pray I will never lose. Bastet replies with a wave of reassurance, warm companionship, and a hint of reprimand for going off without her in the first place. ¡°But you looked so comfortable, and the cubs were enjoying themselves,¡± I tell her. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be able to handle any threat,¡± I finish weakly. The feelings of doubt she sends me are enough to make me look away again. I return to meet her gaze at her next communication, though. The feelings are mixed, but I after a few moments I get the gist, and a warmth grows inside me at the message. She¡¯s telling me that we¡¯re pack, and we see things through together. So simple, but yet so complex at the same time. I know that this isn¡¯t the end of the issue ¨C I can¡¯t always have the cubs with me. But we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Instead, I return the feelings with warm acceptance, not able to prevent a little longing and reticence from entering the communication. I have to think for a while before I realise why those emotions rise at the thought of pack. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt my family was complete, and I¡¯m worried about committing to a new one, only to have it broken once more. Taking a deep breath to push away the past, I look at the corpse of the creature we¡¯ve just killed. The first thing I think as I stare at the body is that it¡¯s not as big as I¡¯d thought. In the middle of the fight, it had seemed massive, but really it¡¯s not that much longer than me. I remember some crocodile breeds can grow up to five metres in length; if this crocodile had been one of those monsters, I¡¯d surely be dead right now. Of course, I¡¯m thinking about Earth creatures here ¨C this monster is from another planet entirely, so who¡¯s to say that the same rules apply at all? Still, it looks very like a crocodile to me, so I¡¯m going to continue calling it that. I see why I didn¡¯t notice it before ¨C the crocodile¡¯s scales are patterned like the bed of the river. I¡¯d have probably been able to spot it if I¡¯d known where to look, but I hadn¡¯t been paying enough attention. Next time. Always next time, until next time doesn¡¯t exist. Even as I watch, the colour starts to fade from the scales to a grey-green, starting with the ones on the creature¡¯s back. Huh, a chameleon crocodile? If these things can adjust the colour of their scales to match their environment, I¡¯m going to have to be very careful: they could be hiding anywhere. Shuddering, I make a mental note for later reference, but then forcibly direct my mind elsewhere. I regret that I couldn¡¯t Dominate it, but it was just too dangerous to try. Even with Bastet there, if I¡¯d tried and failed, I doubt I would have survived it. Oh well ¨C I might get another opportunity in the future; I hope I¡¯ll be better prepared for it if I do. At least this corpse should be a treasure trove of materials. Armour. I hope I work out a way of skinning this thing as I¡¯m eager to see what kind of armour I could make out of its pelt. Arm and leg guards at least, possibly some kind of tabard too that I could put over or under my chitin armour. Or instead of, if it turns out to be better in terms of defence. It also depends on how much of a mess I make in trying to detach the skin from its flesh. That¡¯s a later concern, though. Right now, I push myself to my feet and lift the rock off the crocodile¡¯s head since its body has gone limp. It¡¯s significantly easier to lift the thing now both arms are in good condition. Not wanting to keep the heavy weight for anything else, I just drop the rock off to one side, intentionally not looking at the business end of it. The crocodile¡¯s skull...isn¡¯t actually as damaged as I thought it might be. The rock did a good job, but I think the only reason it succeeded was because part of the skull fractured and pierced the brain. The main structure of the skull is actually pretty intact. I find myself shaking my head: a rock like that would have crushed my head like a melon ¨C what kind of beast is this that only barely takes a fracture from sitting between a large rock and a hard place? It only makes me even warier of encountering another of these crocodiles: the only reason I survived was luck. If its initial strike hadn¡¯t been badly judged and actually managed to hit me, if I hadn¡¯t been able to ride it, if I hadn¡¯t been able to stumble out of the way once I¡¯d blinded it, if it had torn off my arm instead of breaking it, if Bastet hadn¡¯t been able to distract it while I was finding the rock¡­. I shudder once more. Heaving the corpse up with both arms, I quickly slot it into my Inventory, taking up one of only two slots free. I should have probably eaten its heart, but I honestly just want to finish what I came out here to do and then head back home. I¡¯ve had enough near-death experiences for today. ¡°Keep an eye out for me?¡± I ask Bastet, receiving an affronted agreement in return. I guess that¡¯s the equivalent of an offended ¡®of course¡¯ in my terms. Returning back to the riverside, I spend a good few minutes carefully scanning the water and banks, looking for any suspicious movement or shape. Even when I¡¯m fairly confident that there are no more crocodiles around, I still keep a wary eye on the water and banks. Once I¡¯ve filled the converted tree stump with as many fine pebbles as I wanted, I tuck the container into my last Inventory slot and then take off. Moving as quickly as I can under Stealth and Fade, I don¡¯t regret leaving that particular area behind. I¡¯ve got to collect two other types of pebbles to complete the filter; I wonder grimly how many more fights I¡¯ll be in before the day ends. Well, at least I have help now. After the last two outings into the forest, I resolve never to leave home without Bastet. I think I''ve finally learned my lesson about going it alone when I don''t have to. ***** As it turns out, the answer is two more fights. Fortunately, neither of them were too serious. Not like the one with the crocodile, anyway. Once was a snake ¨C or some other legless lizard ¨C that I almost stepped on, but was diverted by Stealth at the last moment. It took offence nonetheless, and quickly struck at me. I did get bitten, but it only slowly ate at my health, at most taking a quarter off before fading. I think that my body¡¯s getting used to poison after all the different types I¡¯ve experienced so far. Either that, or it was just a weak venom. Either way, Bastet killed the thing before I could and we both moved on, not even bothering to collect the body. Not that I don¡¯t want more venom, but given how poorly it acted on me, I didn¡¯t want to have to get rid of something else which might be more useful. As for the second attack, it was birds of all things. I think we got too close to their nest or something, because they kept flying down to pick up detritus off the forest floor and then flew up to drop the bits on me. The attacks were more annoying than anything else, and I didn¡¯t manage to hit any of the birds with my rocks, nor did Bastet succeed in grabbing any with her leaps: I don¡¯t think raptorcats are used to hunting flying prey, somehow. In the end, we just walked away quickly, hoping that they would stop attacking after we got to a certain distance. That proved to be right as they soon gave up and returned to their nest or whatever. And no, I didn¡¯t run away ¨C I just didn¡¯t think I should kill birds who were only defending their home. No, my decision wasn¡¯t made because I couldn¡¯t actually do anything about their attacks¡­ Either way, I¡¯ve finally managed to accomplish all I set out to do in the forest and quickly head back home. At least the two creatures we killed earned me enough Energy that I¡¯m more than three-quarters of the way towards the next level. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Getting so close to the next level has caused me to seriously consider refusing any more stat points until I¡¯ve levelled up. I might have to see what stat points are offered to me, though: if Intelligence or Wisdom are possible to increase before, I reckon I¡¯ll be too tempted to say no. Pausing to let my stamina refill a bit after using Fade so much, I pull up my status screen.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 78% Energy absorption rate: 11u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 9 Mana: 90/90
Wisdom 9 Mana regeneration rate: 225u/hr
Willpower 16+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 19u/hr
Constitution 10 Health: 100/100
Strength 11 Stamina: 14/60
Dexterity 7 Stamina regeneration rate: 70u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Novice 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 4 Stealth ¨C Beginner 7 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 5
I¡¯ve still got three stats under ten. Dexterity is the most annoying down at a seven, but I¡¯d quite like to get Intelligence and Wisdom up to ten as well before committing level-up points to them. But Dexterity is important not just for what the stat itself offers, but because it also affects my stamina regeneration rate. That¡¯s what¡¯s been holding me back a bit when moving through the forest ¨C I¡¯ve had to regularly make the choice of whether to keep walking without Fade activated, or wait in a hidden place until my stamina regenerates and then continue walking with Fade. Most of the time, I¡¯ve been making a compromise ¨C resting for a few minutes in a safe (or safe-ish) spot and then continuing without Fade until my stamina is mostly regenerated. Ultimately, I¡¯d like my stamina regeneration to keep up with the cost of Fade, but that¡¯s probably a while off. Fade uses about four points of stamina per minute when it¡¯s active, so I¡¯d need to be regenerating around two hundred and forty units per hour in order to run Fade permanently. That in turn requires twenty-four points in Dexterity, since the regeneration rate seems to be at a one to ten ratio with the points. Assuming that all remains constant, that is. And assuming there are sixty minutes in an hour, as well ¨C I haven¡¯t exactly been able to reliably test that. Anyway, I think it would be best to try to bring all three of those stats up to ten before levelling up. Dismissing the screen, I keep moving, my mind going over what I can do to increase Wisdom and Intelligence since I reckon my future crafting efforts are going to improve my Dexterity without me even trying. By the time I¡¯ve got home, I¡¯m ready to start earning my Dexterity points. It turns out that the cubs had stayed behind with Kalanthia as I¡¯d suspected. ¡°Thank you for looking after them,¡± I tell the giant feline. They were no trouble, she replies. I¡¯m glad ¨C especially considering what that male cub is usually like. Your Bound indicated you were in distress? ¡°Yeah. Bit off a bit more than I could chew,¡± I admit ruefully. There is a pause as she looks at me thoughtfully. Be it far from my role to dictate what a Binder should do, I am surprised that you go into the forest without your Bound so often. It is my experience that Binders tend to keep their Bound close to them ¨C they are usually the most protected of the group, not the least. ¡°I get that,¡± I concede. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve been thinking along those lines too. It''s just...Bastet has her cubs to look after too, and I don''t always want to disrupt them. And Spike...he¡¯s too vulnerable.¡± Kalanthia stretches out a paw, claws the length of my forearm sliding out and glinting in the sun. You may be surprised at how your Bound can evolve, given enough time and kills. A grenslar is, I will admit, not the most combat-capable of beasts, but that can change. As for the cubs, they will not always be small. She yawns, revealing black lips and a huge red mouth. And if you wish, I could sit on the babies at times ¨C for a price. I eye her warily. ¡°A price. What sort of price?¡± She lays her head on her paws, looking away from me. It¡¯s an obvious dismissal. Something we can discuss later, if you are tempted. I nod slowly, not sure whether I¡¯ll take her up on it or not. She sounded... ominous. Then again, how bad can it be? Surveying the area, I think through my to-do list, finally deciding to set up my filtering process. First, though, I want to check on whether my fat-collection is working. Hoping that the needed animal fat will be waiting for me on top of the pot I set boiling this morning, I head into the cave. As I enter, I see a dark-coloured blur shoot past me. Frowning a little in confusion, I hesitate for a moment before entering my cave. Pausing at the entrance, I can¡¯t believe my eyes for a moment and just stand there open-mouthed. Then, as my temper rises, I find my voice returning to me. I raise my voice to summon the most likely culprit. ¡°Trouble!¡± Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Eight: Boiling Nicely The damn raptorcat refuses to appear and when I stomp outside angrily, he¡¯s nowhere to be seen. Bastet, the traitor, just gives me an amused look. Well, a look and a wave of amusement through our Bond. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to make sure the cubs don¡¯t cause trouble?¡± I snap at her waspishly. The sensations and images she sends me don¡¯t express an iota of contrition. Instead, the pictures of mountain rocks and trees and great winds seem to explain that one cannot control Nature: male raptorcats are inquisitive trouble-makers and there¡¯s a reason they usually leave the pack before they even reach adulthood. Voluntarily or involuntarily, that is. I sigh and rub my temples. I¡¯m tired and out of patience, frankly, and the thought of replying with all the ways humans have come up with to control Nature does occur to me, but I refrain. Not only would they be so out of Bastet¡¯s reference that she probably wouldn¡¯t understand them, making the effort pointless, but would I actually want to repeat humanity¡¯s mistakes here? Probably not. My life here contrasts with my old life in many ways, and despite the danger that faces me all the time, I can¡¯t help but feel I¡¯m better off than I was when running the rat race. Clean air, clean living, and less focus on owning things...Though, on the downside that does mean I have to deal with crocodiles. And spider-monster things ¨C I shudder at the memory. So, no, I¡¯m not going to try to control Nature to the extent that humanity did, which means that raptorcats will be raptorcats, and that I¡¯m going to just have to go and deal with the mess in my bedroom. Next time, maybe I¡¯d better consider the fact that cooking meat might be an attractive target to mischievous cubs and avoid leaving it unattended. Returning to my bedroom, I survey the mess with dismay. The only good things, I decide, is that neither the pot nor my fireplace were damaged. Trouble must have smelt the boiling meat, followed it to its source, and then somehow pulled the pot over so it spilt everywhere. I suppose I should be glad that he didn¡¯t scald himself, or not seriously, at least. As for the contents of the pot, they spilled all over the fire, and escaped around the edges of the stone I had in place to block too much air from being pulled in at the fire¡¯s base. Essentially, I have a water and grease-soaked fire, well, dead embers, and a patina of greasy, ashy water spread around the fireplace. I suppose I should also be glad that not enough water was spilt to send it all the way to soak my bedding, though the cubs¡¯ torn shirt is rather damp. They¡¯ll just have to do without it until I can do a wash, I think grumpily. If they complain, I¡¯ll get Bastet to tell them it¡¯s Trouble¡¯s fault. They should be fine anyway ¨C they generally cuddle up with Bastet and they have a fire burning all night ¨C all things they didn¡¯t have back in the cave they were in when I found them. Using the already ruined shirt as a rag, I mop up the mess on the floor. There¡¯s little I can do about the grease before I have my soap, but the surface is rough enough that no-one should be at risk of slipping. The charcoal and unburnt twigs which had been in the fireplace when it was flooded are a lost cause and I just pull them into a pile which I¡¯ll dump outside. As for the pot, Trouble didn¡¯t manage to tip it over completely, so there¡¯s still some water and most of the meat there. Unfortunately, the main reason for me boiling the meat like this ¨C apart from to have some cooked meat to add to my Inventory ¨C was the grease, and that¡¯s been mostly sloshed on the fire and the floor. Trying to breathe through my frustration, I salvage what I can, setting the meat aside onto a plate for eating afterwards ¨C I¡¯m actually hungry now. Adding more water to the pot which had been tipped over, I repeat my previous actions, soon leaving the pot to boil on its own. After having a quick snack of the boiled meat ¨C pretty tasteless, really ¨C I go outside. Glaring at Trouble who¡¯s now playing innocently with a stick, I decide to get on with preparing my filtering process, as I had been intending on doing before discovering what the trouble-making cub had been up to. First grabbing a few pre-chosen stones, I set the small pot down in the middle of them and then rest the filtering container on top. It¡¯s a bit rickety ¨C unfortunately natural stones don¡¯t tend to be uniform in either size or shape ¨C but with five stones in place, it¡¯s reasonably secure. I¡¯m glad to see that I¡¯ve got the height right as the stump isn¡¯t actually sitting on top of the pot but is being held just above. It does take me a few tries to get the pot into the right place, though. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Finally, when it¡¯s all set up correctly, with the opening of the stump just above the clay pot, I pile some ashes from my fire pit on top of the large pebbles filling the top of my filtering container. Grabbing my canteen, I start slowly pouring water on top of the ashes. After repeating the action for a couple of times, I lift the filtering container out of the way to check out my pot. Seeing that it¡¯s half-full, I replace the container and continue pouring water, refilling my canteen from the big pot in my alcove when necessary. After filling the small pot, I tidy away my filtering container and its rocks, tucking them next to my firewood pile. I¡¯m pleased ¨C the filtering has worked just as I¡¯d hoped it would, and I¡¯ve successfully completed the next step done in my soap-making process. Now I just need to boil off some of the water to make lye, then mix with pure animal fat, and then I¡¯ll have some usable soap. Checking on my pot, I see that it¡¯s boiling nicely. Taking the pot off the fire by using a pair of jeans wrapped around my hands as make-shift gloves, I set it to one side: it¡¯ll need to cool before I can do anything with it. So, what next? My axe is done ¨C the thought of which still sends a wave of pride through me ¨C and my soap-making is on the way. I should probably beef up my mace a bit by adding a stone head, and it might be a good idea for me to consider making a spear at some point for keeping things at range, but something else draws me more: my bow. Although I¡¯ve never actually shot a bow ¨C outside my absorbed memories ¨C I know that it will offer a great deal to my hunting. Instead of me having to be a melee fighter simply because all my weapons are close-range, or trying to throw stones with reasonable accuracy, a bow means I could snipe my prey without them even seeing me. That seems a lot better for my long-term survival prospects than having to run in, mace or spear swinging. Even my fight earlier with the crocodile...I¡¯m not sure if I would have killed it with a bow, since its skin was so strong, but if I¡¯d had poisoned arrows and the accuracy to hit it in the eyes? Or through the roof of its mouth and into its brain? I might have been able to take it down with practically no risk to myself, rather than the knife¡¯s edge I was on throughout that fight. Not to mention the broken arm. Yes, I know I can heal myself, but it still hurts to be injured in the first place and I¡¯m not a masochist in any way, shape, or form. I could even combine using a bow with Bastet¡¯s melee fighting: Bastet keeps the creature distracted and in a certain place, and I snipe at it in its vulnerable spots. If my aim¡¯s good enough, of course. So...my bow. And arrows, of course, since a bow without arrows is only useful as a staff, which doesn¡¯t exactly fulfill the same function. Naturally, making both of these is not going to be as simple as going down the street to the local sports shop. I have five elements to prepare: the bow shaft, the string, the arrow-heads, the arrow-shafts, and the tools to connect the latter two together. I haven¡¯t yet harvested a branch large or strong enough to function as the bow itself, so maybe I should make that tomorrow¡¯s first task ¨C I don¡¯t really have the daylight left today, nor the inclination to risk another life-death encounter. The bowstring will require processed sinew, which I¡¯m on the way to having. I think I should have enough, especially once the ostridocus¡¯ leg sinews dry sufficiently ¨C they¡¯re the longest that I¡¯ve found so far. As for the arrows, I¡¯d collected a number of branches while I was collecting firewood a few days back. I currently have them hanging up on my drying rack with the few bits of sinew which are still damp. Hopefully they¡¯ll do alright for arrow-shafts, though I know they won¡¯t be fully seasoned. They were pretty dry to begin with, so I¡¯m hoping they¡¯ll be OK. I still need to cut some feathers to make the vanes of the arrows, and although I¡¯ve got a handful of arrow-heads made, I still need plenty more. After all, the chances of my arrows breaking or the arrow-heads fracturing when they hit something is high, so I need plenty of back-up supplies. I¡¯ve now got my pitch to help the three elements of the arrows stick together, and I¡¯ll be using sinew for that too. Hmm...I¡¯ll also need a file to make the notches for both the arrow-heads and for nocking the arrows onto the string when firing. I make a mental note to look through my rock collection to see if there¡¯s anything suitable. If not, I¡¯ll have to make one from flint. Fortunately, I¡¯ve got lots of flint nodules since I took the opportunity to resupply at one point when I was passing near the spot I found the flint in the first time. Out of the tasks I have that I can do now, I decide to get on with processing the dry sinew strands, especially since more have finished drying since I last did the processing. I¡¯m going to need sinew for both bow and arrows, so it seems logical. Not to mention for my chitin, and possibly crocodile-skin armour. Afterwards, I guess I¡¯d better get on with making arrow-heads. Though¡­ A thought occurs and I rummage through my orange suitcase for my day counting stick. Adding a couple of notches for the last days which I hadn¡¯t recorded, I calculate time. It¡¯s been two days since Kalanthia went hunting, so she¡¯ll want to go hunting again the day after tomorrow. Maybe I¡¯d better increase the damage of my mace now since that¡¯s not likely to take too long, then go looking for a piece of wood suitable for a bow first thing tomorrow. That way I¡¯ll have all the resources necessary and just need to process them, something I can do while Kalanthia¡¯s away. I have to admit that despite Trouble¡¯s, well, trouble-making, having other cubs around to play with has made Lathani significantly less demanding towards all the adults. Bastet¡¯s extra pair of eyes helps too. The combination should mean that I get much more done tomorrow than I¡¯d succeeded to do in the first few times I looked after the nunda cub. Alright, time to make the mace more badass. Book One: Leap - Chapter Sixty-Nine: Edge of Mental Sanity I reach above my head towards the sky and stretch my aching back. The release of tension and change of position feels so good that I actually lie back onto the ground and stretch my whole body. Sitting cross-legged for hours is a good way to get cramps everywhere. And I¡¯ve been doing that for two and a half days now. I¡¯d upgraded my mace relatively easily. A mace is a pretty simple weapon ¨C it swings around and bashes into things. Certainly, even my pure-wood mace had saved my life many times, both by crushing bones and stepping in as a make-shift shield a few times. Still, it could not be denied that it hadn¡¯t moved very far from its beginnings as a branch of a tree. By carving wood out of the bole at its head and slotting a stone into the hollow, I multiplied its damage-ability. I didn¡¯t want to do this before I had my pitch because I was worried that any sort of rope I put in place would just let the stone fall out after a while. Having that happen in the middle of a fight would be a quick way to lose the advantage ¨C and possibly my life. With the pitch and a bit of bark-fibre, I was able to work wonders. Of course, it took time ¨C everything takes far longer in this world of primitive tools than it would on Earth with power tools ¨C something that could have taken five minutes with the right drill or saw takes close to an hour here. Still, it was worth it. Not only does my new-and-improved mace have significantly more heft, but I chose a stone that had a fair number of nobbles, just to increase its crushing power. A mace inspired by a morning-star. After letting the pitch cool down a bit and set, I couldn¡¯t resist taking a few swings. After making sure there were no cubs underfoot, of course. The new weapon is significantly more top-heavy than previously, and takes a fair bit of strength to resist its momentum and stop it swinging or change its direction. With its new design, circular swings are going to be a lot more effective than just straight up and down attacks. Just to add another plus point, it¡¯ll be a much better weapon against multiple attackers than my knife is. I reckon if I¡¯d tried to wield the weapon before gaining points to Strength and Dexterity, I¡¯d have been facing quick exhaustion and difficulty in aiming. As it was, I almost wished I could go up against another crocodile. Forget dumping a ton of rock on its head, I calculated that with my Strength, a direct swing of this would probably have done more damage. In a moment of curiosity, I actually pulled the dead crocodile out of my Inventory. Laying the corpse down, I¡¯d lined up a swing with my mace. Hitting its head with a loud cracking sound, I was gratified to see my mace punch through the bone like nobody¡¯s business. I¡¯d suddenly felt a lot better about my chances in the forest, with or without Bastet. Inspecting the head, I¡¯d also gained another idea which I¡¯ve since proceeded to put into practice. My next task, finding a good length of wood for a bow, wasn¡¯t too difficult, though it did necessitate a few broken branches that simply weren¡¯t flexible enough to handle being bent before I found one with the requisite flexibility. I did find a couple of branches which will be good for spears before I found one I wanted to use for a bow. Hopefully it won¡¯t become brittle even once it¡¯s dried, but I intend on rubbing it with animal fat to keep it supple as well as improve its resistance to water: it might not have rained since I came here, but it will at some point. Besides, there¡¯s no guarantee that I won¡¯t be tossed in the river at some point and if that ruins my bow, I¡¯ll be...annoyed. My main task yesterday was finishing processing the sinew that I¡¯d almost completed the day before and then twisting it into cord. At that point, I was very glad that I¡¯d made the large water pot as I had to keep wetting the sinew strands to ensure their flexibility. Having to keep going down to the river would have been extremely frustrating, and actually doing this task by the river would have been far too risky. So yay for multi-usage pottery? In the end, I was able to make a length long enough for a bowstring, and another length hopefully long enough for my armour. The rest of yesterday was spent making arrow-heads. I grimace as I remember the frustrating endeavour ¨C about seven hours resulted in just eight arrow-heads. That¡¯s barely more than one per hour! I mean, at least it¡¯s getting quicker: the first three arrow-heads took almost four hours, and the other five took just over three. I figure that¡¯s probably due to a mixture of me becoming more familiar with the practice of flint-knapping, not just the theory, and the fact that I picked up two Dexterity points, improving my fine-motor skills. I also picked up a Wisdom point from somewhere. I¡¯m not exactly sure where, but have a feeling it¡¯s either when I decided not to pursue revenge against Trouble for just acting as male raptorcats act, or when I thought that trying to control nature the way so many humans back on Earth wouldn¡¯t be the best path to follow. Either way, I¡¯m pleased that I only have two more stats to get to ten before I dedicate my Energy to levelling up. Given how much detail-work I still have left to do, I reckon Dexterity won¡¯t take long before it crosses that threshold. Right now I¡¯m working on preparing the arrow-shafts. Including the arrow-heads I made yesterday, I have thirteen flint points ready to go onto shafts. Not many, right? Sure, but this is where the brainwave I had about the crocodile comes in. What does a crocodile have lots of? Teeth! Sharp, mostly round points. Perfect for arrows! And this crocodile has a lot of them. Although not all are immediately useful for arrow-heads ¨C the longer ones tend to be a bit curved ¨C the majority are fine with perhaps a little bit of filing. All told, I¡¯ve managed to collect about thirty points which I can use immediately on arrows. It seems like the crocodile is the gift which keeps giving ¨C if we ignore how I almost died to ¡®receive¡¯ the gift. The sheer usefulness of its carcass and my new and improved mace almost make me want to encounter another one. Almost. Anyway, I¡¯ve decided to make thirty arrows to start: ten with flint heads; twenty with tooth heads. That means a lot of vanes to make from feathers ¨C ninety, in fact. Of course, my attempts to make the vane are complicated by the fact that all four cubs find feathers fascinating, and I have to fend off attempts to steal my work on a regular basis. If I hadn¡¯t had my Inventory, I reckon I¡¯d have already blown a fuse. Seeing my hard work being chewed up and torn to bits the way the off-cuts are currently being treated would have been way too much for me to cope with mentally. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Still, at least when the cubs are raptly focusing on their games with the feathers, they¡¯re not elsewhere causing trouble. Speaking of, I scan the area around me, looking for one specific cub. Not seeing him, I widen my field of view. There he is. ¡°Trouble!¡± I shout, startling the three female cubs closest to me. The dark-coloured cub freezes with a paw still raised in the air. ¡°You know you¡¯re not allowed in there during the day,¡± I remind him with a warning note in my voice. His body language slumps and he slinks back out of the open mouth of the cave. Yes, he understands me when I speak. No, I don¡¯t know how. Is it something to do with my Bond with Bastet? Or my Animal Empathy which is well on the way to reaching Novice thanks to all the communication I¡¯ve been having with my animal companions? I don¡¯t know, all I know is that I¡¯m grateful he does understand me as that makes things significantly simpler. Bastet gives me a look and then goes to lie in the entrance to the cave. I send a wave of gratitude to her, knowing that she¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t simply try to sneak in again when my back¡¯s turned. I know that there are tempting things in there ¨C I¡¯ve got some meat cooking on the fire so that I can collect more fat for sealing my bow, sinew cord, and arrows, for one thing. Not to mention the soap that¡¯s currently drying in its mold after I succeeded in collecting enough animal fat to mix with the boiled lye. That said, I don¡¯t know if the soap is actually the draw ¨C while it might smell of animals still, it¡¯s got to also smell a bit caustic which is surely a bit off-putting¡­ Anyway, the point is I don¡¯t want him in there, and now Bastet will make sure he can¡¯t. On the other hand, if she¡¯s in the cave mouth, she¡¯s not able to make sure that no cub wanders down the slope, the reason she wasn¡¯t lying there to begin with. I¡¯ll have to be a bit more vigilant, I guess, especially if the girls get bored of playing with feathers. Fortunately, that doesn¡¯t seem to be likely any time soon given their continued enjoyment. Getting on with preparing my vanes, I carefully trim the barbs to a shorter length, then strip the centre of the feather ¨C the rachis. I allow a bit of bare rachis at either end of the vane ¨C wrapping sinew around this will keep it on the shaft. I get one, sometimes two vanes per feather so it¡¯s good that I have plenty in my Inventory from all the feathered foes I¡¯ve faced so far in this strange quasi-dinosaur world. I take breaks every so often to stretch my back and give my eyes a rest. Apparently even having a Constitution of ten doesn¡¯t eliminate eye-strain, though I will admit that it doesn¡¯t come as frequently. During one of these breaks, I get a welcome message.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
Uh, no. Of course I don¡¯t want to increase my Dexterity. Though I make sure to think that after I¡¯ve already accepted the point ¨C I don¡¯t know how much this interface is based on my focused thought versus my intentions, and don¡¯t want to test it by accidentally declining a point which I really do want. I pump my hand in the air with elation ¨C Dexterity up to ten! If my calculations are correct, that means that I¡¯m now up in the top ranges of what is humanly possible ¨C at least on Earth. I know the points here on out will be more difficult to earn naturally, but I¡¯m still pleased with my achievement. Deciding to make an effort to bring Wisdom up too, I take a break over lunch and spend some time in meditation while the cubs slumber together in a pile. I¡¯d feel a bit bad sitting there with my eyes closed if Bastet was having to keep an eye on four cubs alone, especially since technically it¡¯s my job to look after Lathani while Kalanthia isn¡¯t here. But if everyone else is sleeping, what¡¯s the harm? Even Bastet is snoozing in the sun, though I¡¯m pretty sure it wouldn¡¯t take much to bring her to full alertness. Before coming here, I¡¯d never have seriously considered meditating: I¡¯d always considered it some weird airy-fairy, new-agey thing. I can¡¯t deny, though, that at times I¡¯ve felt a genuine connection to the world around me and everything in it. These sensations have always only happened when I¡¯ve been feeling exceptionally serene and at peace; if that¡¯s not meditation, I don¡¯t know what is. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever actually sought out the feeling, though, despite meaning to do so for a while. So, feeling a bit self-conscious despite no one actually being there to see me, I sit down on the ground and close my eyes. Focusing on my breathing, I can¡¯t help but think of Lucy, my ex-girlfriend. She¡¯d read something in Vogue or Cosmopolitan or some women¡¯s magazine and had got into it for a while. I¡¯d honestly only paid enough attention to avoid her accusing me of not listening. Frankly, I¡¯d considered the whole thing to be a sop for the gullible and lazy masses, an excuse for laziness and irresponsibility. I regret not paying more attention to her now. In more ways than just this: only now I¡¯ve been forcibly broken away from it do I realise just how consumed by career ambition I had become. I find myself trying hard to remember her half-heard words, poring over memories of what she used to do when she was trying to meditate. From what I remember, she used to light a candle, sit on a cushion in a darkened room, and close her eyes. I think a few times I heard her hum? And other times she played weird music which made me put in my earphones or turn up the TV. Well, I don¡¯t have candles, or weird music, or cushions. With my eyelids providing the only darkness, I sit in silence. Thoughts pass through my mind. This is stupid, is one. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing ¨C this is probably useless, is another. I accept them ¨C they¡¯re true. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing and I do feel pretty stupid. And if this doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll try something else, but all I know is that I¡¯ve gained Wisdom points when I¡¯ve felt calm and comfortable in my environment. Meditation is supposed to make one feel calm, so it seems logical that the two are linked. The thoughts keep coming, but as I sit there and enjoy the feeling of sunlight on my body, the cooling relief of the breeze, and hear the sounds of the birds and the moving trees, I find that the barrage slows. I find that the time between each thought elongates, and a sense of calm enjoyment of the present creeps in little by little. It¡¯s a bit like the grounding techniques my therapist taught me to help with flash-backs, but far more positive. I become lost in the moment, time becoming irrelevant. When I hear the chirping mewls of the cubs as they wake from their slumber, at first they just blend into the general surroundings. It¡¯s only when one of them brushes past me as it runs into the clearing that I¡¯m pulled out. Feeling like I¡¯m surfacing out of a lake of stillness, I sense a calmness cradling me which I haven¡¯t felt since arriving in this place. For a few moments, I¡¯d forgotten that every minute that passes could be my last. Or maybe not forgotten, but accepted and disregarded as being unimportant. Does it matter if the next minute doesn¡¯t come when the moment now is vast? I feel like I¡¯ve been pulled back from some edge of mental sanity without even realising I¡¯d been standing there. An ironic smile quirks up one corner of my mouth. Maybe meditation isn¡¯t so useless after all. A look at my messages makes my smile widen. Not useless at all. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy: Lone Wolf A sense of satisfaction goes through me as I slip the braided cord loop into the string groove on the bow¡¯s upper limb. It¡¯s taken all my strength to bend the bow enough to even do that, but I¡¯d rather that the bow¡¯s a bit too difficult to draw than the reverse: I¡¯m likely to be increasing my Strength soon, so if it¡¯s easy for me to draw now, I¡¯ll risk breaking it when I¡¯ve got more points in Strength. It¡¯s been interesting to notice the differences my stats make. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been testing them, exactly. I¡¯m not a fan of the idea of letting myself get hurt in order to test my new durability or ability to heal, and I¡¯m not just going to keep Dominating random creatures to test my Willpower when it increases ¨C I sometimes feel guilty enough over the two creatures I¡¯ve Bound to me, even though they both seem OK with it. Admittedly, I haven¡¯t been spending much time with Spike, but he appears to be calmly content, going and foraging in the morning before ¡®guarding¡¯ the growing samova bean plants during the afternoon and night. By that, basically it means he¡¯s been napping nearby and taking life pretty easy, but since having an adult raptorcat kind of obviates the need for him to actually guard the thing, and I don¡¯t have any other specific task for him in mind, I¡¯m fine with him just enjoying life. After Kalanthia¡¯s suggestion to take him out with me, I took him with me when I looked for wood suitable for a bow. That outing was pretty peaceful, so I¡¯m still unable to decide whether taking him into combat is a good or bad thing. Maybe I should try asking him? He¡¯s not nearly as aware as Bastet, but he¡¯s been able to establish preference in the past¡­ But that¡¯s a thought for later. So yeah, no random Dominates. I can live with myself if I use that Skill for a good reason ¨C as with Bastet ¨C but just randomly ¡®capturing¡¯ other creatures for no other reason than going on a power-trip would make my conscience uncomfortable. That said, I¡¯m slowly realising something which should have been obvious from the beginning, but which is only now becoming clear to me now. Perhaps I needed to increase my Intelligence or Wisdom to come to the realisation; perhaps I just needed time to take in my new reality. The fact is that my Class revolves around creating Bonds with creatures ¨C and then using them. I recognised that Tame and Dominate were clearly core Skills by the fact that they were the first ones I started with, but for some reason, I didn¡¯t really internalise it. I¡¯ve been considering Dominating a number of creatures, but usually at the wrong moments ¨C or the wrong creatures. I can¡¯t Dominate every creature I come across, even if I wanted to: even if it doesn¡¯t say there¡¯s a limit to the number of Bonds I can have, I sense that I¡¯d be incapable of managing more than a handful of them. At least, Bonds like with Bastet. But I don¡¯t want to go around Dominating a load of porcupigs ¨C I can¡¯t see the utility in that. But beyond the utility, I can¡¯t justify it to myself, either. No, I need to be judicious with my use of Dominate, for sure, but I also can¡¯t be afraid to use it either. More than just waiting for a lucky encounter to just fall into my lap, I need to engineer them. Encountering Bastet at that moment was truly a fortuitous moment ¨C she was too injured to pose a danger to me, but not so much that she was too weak for the Battle of Wills. And she has turned out to be a perfect companion. Except for the fact that she¡¯s also the principal carer of a trio of cubs, but even there I¡¯m hopefully building a bond which will allow them to become companions in their turn. Plus, they¡¯re super-cute and genuinely bring a light to my life. Except when they¡¯re undoing all my hard work, that is. But I can¡¯t rely on just happening across my perfect Bound at an ideal moment: I need to plan. I¡¯ve got all this knowledge about traps ¨C can¡¯t I identify a creature which would be perfect to add to my team and then engineer a situation where I can invoke Dominate without worrying about the consequences if I fail. I remember thinking something about this right at the beginning ¨C why did I never follow through? Because I moved onto other things, I realise. And they were important to do, but soon I¡¯ll be in a position where my basic needs are met; I¡¯ll be able to concentrate on building the right team of creatures, helping both me and them to become stronger. And that latter, I can¡¯t do if I constantly go out on my own, for whatever reason I¡¯ve justified to myself. I''ve been trying to be a lone wolf, when everyone knows that wolves are stronger as a pack. Going out by myself puts me at risk, but also prevents my companion from growing ¨C I checked with Bastet yesterday and after a bit of back and forth, I managed to get from her that she grows in strength by killing, or helping me kill, just as I do. And if she does that, then surely Spike does as well? Kalanthia¡¯s right ¨C who knows what Spike could become if he grows enough? I reckon that my increases in Wisdom are helping me come to these conclusions. All I can say is that slowly I¡¯m feeling more connected to the world around me. It¡¯s contributing to my unease about randomly Dominating animals, but also reminds me that I cannot pretend that I am an island ¨C detached and removed from everything around. It¡¯s also helping me realise that I¡¯ve been an idiot in far too many ways for far too long. I¡¯m a truly lucky bastard that I haven¡¯t been killed by my mistakes. Perhaps that¡¯s Wisdom ¨C looking back on your past actions and wanting to cover your eyes in shame. The effects of other stats are more clearly observed than such creeping realisations. My higher Strength helps me in some obvious ways ¨C carrying rocks, breaking branches, as some examples. It did take a bit of adjusting, though, to moderate it in more delicate tasks, like when knapping my arrowheads. I ruined a good few rocks before I regained the right force-control. Actually, after spending some time last night musing on the idea, I concluded that this is why I only really started making progress once I gained a point in Dexterity ¨C I needed the fine motor control to deal with my increased gross motor strength. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. On the upside, considering all these different ideas and making connections between them was apparently exactly what I needed to nudge my Intelligence just enough to offer me another point in that stat. With at least ten in each stat now, I¡¯m feeling pretty good about my status screen, and ready to level up ¨C when I¡¯ve collected enough Energy, that is. Which means hunting. And what great timing ¨C having now braced my bow by connecting its two limb tips with a string, I¡¯m now ready to face my first foe equipped with a proper ranged weapon. Not to mention the couple of flint-tipped spears now taking up a single slot in my Inventory. In addition, I¡¯ve also been able to create crude chest and back plates with the pieces of chitin and sinew cord. They¡¯re a little troublesome to get on and off, but I¡¯m sure the effort will be worth the protection. Going forward, I might not gain Constitution points so quickly, but it will be worth it to avoid the pain of injuries. I¡¯m actually wearing them now: I need to get used to moving with them since they do restrict my movements a little. But my new armour isn¡¯t half as exciting as my new weapons, particularly my new ranged weapon: bows and arrows are cool. I can¡¯t help an excited grin coming to my face. It¡¯s a little surreal that I¡¯ve made a bow and arrow! A proper one, that is, since I¡¯d made so many as a boy. Not real ones, of course. Just sticks with string attached, shooting other sticks with such little accuracy that everything around my target was in more danger than the target itself. Now, I¡¯ve made a serious weapon that can kill...and am going to set out to kill with it. The thought sobers me and my grin slips significantly. But is it any different from before? I have to go hunting. I need to eat, Bastet needs to eat, the cubs need to eat. If I start pulling in too many corpses for the five of us, I¡¯ll give them to Kalanthia too. Then she won¡¯t have to go out hunting herself. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m just killing for the sake of killing and then leaving the bodies to poison the local environment. Not like people used to do in the Wild West with bison, or in Africa when they went on safaris just to kill everything they saw for trophies. It¡¯s not the same thing. Is it? To distract myself from my troubled thoughts, I return my attention to my bow, trying to look over it with a critical eye to try to spot any flaws. Dangerous ones, at least ¨C ones that might lead to the bow snapping mid-fight. There are plenty of aesthetic flaws: I might have made bows many times in my memories, but this is my first time in real life. For this first bow, I¡¯ve just made a very simple design: a single piece of wood with portions cut out to form the limbs and the handhold. I¡¯ve even left a strip of bark on the outside face to try to maximise flexibility and protection from the elements there. I did shape it a bit with both knife and rubbing stone, so it¡¯s reasonably comfortable to hold, and I did make sure the tips were a bit thicker than parts of the arms as I don¡¯t want them to snap off immediately. I¡¯ve also rubbed both wood and sinew string with animal fat, wanting them to be more supple and water-resistant. I¡¯ll continue doing that at intermittent intervals until they don¡¯t absorb any more. It¡¯s not the most powerful bow design, but I don¡¯t have either the time or resources to make a layered bow. This¡¯ll do, especially with half-decent arrows that keep as much momentum as possible. I¡¯ll still probably have to get relatively close to my target to maximise my impact, though. Still, given that the only place I¡¯ve ever actually shot an arrow is in my memories ¨C and my dreams ¨C being closer to my target probably isn¡¯t a bad thing anyway. As for the arrows, I¡¯m glad that I didn¡¯t try to make them as soon as I arrived in this world: even starting with Dexterity that was more than double my arriving value, it was difficult. In fact, I only really started to make progress with making the arrowheads and attaching them to the arrows with pitch and sinew when my Dexterity reached triple my starting value. It sure makes a difference ¨C to my sanity if nothing else! If I¡¯d tried the whole thing with a three in Dexterity, I¡¯d have probably given up in frustration. Now, I have a feeling that I¡¯d never be hit by another dodge-ball, if I ever got the chance to play it again. Lifting the bow, I first experiment with standing in the positions my memories tell me are possible ones for correct shooting. I set my feet shoulder-width apart with my left foot ahead and my right foot behind, pointing slightly outwards. I shuffle a bit, testing whether I feel more comfortable with my feet closer together and hips facing the target, or my feet further apart and my hips facing side-on. In the end, I settle on a position somewhere between the two, a position in which I feel grounded, and as though I¡¯m braced enough with my slightly bent knees to cope with the bow¡¯s draw. I can already tell that I¡¯m going to have to keep practising this until it becomes natural and automatic. Next, I try to draw the bow, without an arrow at this point. The string is strong and cuts into my fingers a bit. I¡¯ll need to build up calluses quickly, I note absently. It¡¯s a very strong draw and I struggle to pull the string to halfway along my body, let alone to full-draw. Still, that¡¯ll change quickly, so I¡¯m not worried. Practising that a little, I draw the string and then release the tension slowly; draw, then release; draw, then release. With the unusual exercise, my muscles soon start feeling warm and sweat starts beading on my forehead. By the time I think I should probably take a break, my muscles are trembling and my hands are aching. On the final time, I accidentally release the string when it¡¯s drawn instead of controlling the release of tension. The bow-string moves faster than I can see, the bow springing back into its position of least tension. It takes a moment before the pain hits, but when it does, I let out a small cry. ¡°Ow, bloody hell, that hurts,¡± I gripe, clutching at the inside of my left forearm. Removing my hand, I see a neat line cut into the skin, blood already welling to the surface. Cursing again, I quickly cast a Lay-on-hands and the surface wound closes. Funny, I had my arm broken a couple of days ago, and I¡¯ve had bites and swipes deep enough to cut into my organs, yet this slight surface wound is what makes me scream? All I can guess is that it¡¯s because it was so unexpected: when I¡¯m in a fight, I expect to be hurt, I¡¯m bracing for it. I really didn¡¯t anticipate being hurt now. Plus, the adrenaline in a fight significantly dulls the pain. Then, thanks to the Lay-on-hands I tend to keep going through a fight, by the time the adrenaline rush fades, I¡¯m usually well on the way to being healed, if not healed completely. I didn¡¯t have that here. Anyway, note to self: create an armguard before going out hunting with my bow this afternoon. I look up and see Spike trundling towards the forest. Is he going to forage now? It would be a good opportunity to go together, if that¡¯s the case. Calling to him, he pauses and looks back at me. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-One: Muscle Memory I creep through the forest like Robin Hood, stalk like Legolas, and prepare to shoot like William Tell. Well, not really, but with my strung bow in one hand, a ¡®quiver¡¯ of arrows on my back, and my eyes on the animal tracks I¡¯m following, I feel pretty badass. Spike hadn¡¯t seemed too enthused at the idea of accompanying me on a dedicated hunt, but seemed happy enough at the idea of going out together. As I search for animal tracks, he¡¯s foraging for food. We stopped by the river for him to have a drink, then I¡¯d picked up some tracks which seemed promising. He¡¯s not next to me every second, but he¡¯s close enough that I could get to him within a minute or so. Or vice versa, if another of those black blobs attacks. As for Bastet, she¡¯s at home with the cubs since I didn¡¯t want to be carrying them on this test-run. Perhaps a beast we hunt today will have one of those objects Kalanthia has set as the price for her services as a baby-sitter so we can go out as a trio. Anyway, hopefully Spike and I as a combination will be able to face anything we encounter. Besides, it might mean more growth for him since I guess that whatever benefits are gained are only for those who actually take part in the fight. We¡¯re in an area that¡¯s completely new to me, having followed the tracks from the river, but I haven¡¯t found the animal yet. Last time I checked my status screen, I spotted that the Energy absorption has actually increased. Not far ¨C only by one unit per hour ¨C but it¡¯s enough to make me a bit wary since I guess that the higher the Energy density rises, the stronger the opponents I¡¯ll find in it. I mean, it¡¯s a rule of thumb, clearly not an absolute: Kalanthia, for example, is a glaring exception. But from what I can tell, the animals in Kalanthia¡¯s area are generally more dangerous than the ones I fought when I first arrived ¨C often bigger, and usually more intelligent. Anyway, I¡¯ve tried to take my time in choosing my prey and hopefully it¡¯s not too much for me to deal with. I am practically on my own after all. The beast I pick is single and looks to be about as high as my waist. I figure that if my bow doesn¡¯t work the way I want it to, I can always just pull out my mace ¨C I¡¯ve got it hooked onto my belt with a few delicate strands of bark fibre. The attachment is strong enough to not simply fall off every time I move, but weak enough that in need I¡¯ll be able to just yank it off. Stalking through the forest, I have both Fade and Stealth active. I actually asked Bastet what I looked like with Fade on, since I can¡¯t see it working on myself. The images she sent showed that if I move at full-speed when walking, Fade has very little impact. The slower I move, however, the more effect it has. First a distortion around my edges takes place which makes it a little unclear as to where my flesh begins and ends, blurring my outline. Next, the distortion covers more and more area, my body ¡®fading¡¯ out from the edges inwards. By the time the edges are completely faded out, the rest of my body looks a little insubstantial as well. Once I¡¯ve stopped moving entirely, I¡¯m completely invisible. Of course, all these effects are only as long as my stamina lasts, which is longer these days, I¡¯ll admit. Fortunately, it seems like my Bound can sense where I am as long as I want them to, so Spike doesn¡¯t have any problems following me. It¡¯s a cool Skill and I look forward to seeing what happens when it crosses the threshold into Initiate. From what I¡¯ve noticed, Skills gain new effects or are transformed into something better when they cross a threshold, so I wonder what will change about Fade. As I¡¯m wondering that, I notice that the tracks have started to become fresher. It¡¯s not long after that I notice that I¡¯m approaching my prey. I slow down and use the natural foliage to help me hide from my target even when I¡¯m moving. It¡¯s not long before I¡¯m actually able to set eyes on the creature I¡¯ve been following for so long. Like with most of the animals I¡¯ve come across so far in this world, it¡¯s a reptilian type of creature, vaguely reminiscent of an anteater in shape, though with a long, thin tail that matches its snout. Actually, in diet as well, I notice as it uses a long tongue to scoop up some insects below and deliver them into its sharp-toothed mouth. Perfect! There¡¯s a very quiet rustle of leaves right next to me and I almost jump out of my skin before I recognise it as Spike. He looks at me and there¡¯s a very faint questioning feel down the Bond. Is he starting to communicate with me like Bastet? That would be great if he could learn that. It takes me a bit of time to work out that he¡¯s asking if I want him to be involved in this battle. ¡°Not right at the beginning,¡± I say after a moment¡¯s thought. While following the tracks, I¡¯d considered what to do in the case that the creature at the end of it turned out to look pretty dangerous. If that had been the case, I¡¯d have told Spike to stay back completely unless I looked to be in mortal danger ¨C if I decided to attack at all. As it is, the creature doesn''t look particularly vicious, though looks can be deceiving. Still, while I¡¯m curious to see how Spike would approach a fight, I also want to test out my new bow. Frankly, I don¡¯t have the confidence in my own skills to want my Bound anywhere near where I¡¯ll be shooting in case of hitting them instead. But if Spike stays behind me, it should be safe enough. I tell him that and he moves to stand behind me without another ¡®word¡¯. That decided, I focus back on my hunt. The creature hasn¡¯t detected us, it seems, but has shifted a little further away in its search for insects. Moving slowly and carefully, I pull an arrow out of the ¡®quiver¡¯ on my back. Before leaving, I¡¯d made a rough quiver out of a jumper tied crossways over my back with the arms so that the arrows stick in the neck hole and the bottom is tied closed. It¡¯s awkward to put the arrows in, but they pull out easily enough with only a little snagging. I could have put them in my Inventory, but I decided that it takes too long to pull them out that way. Still, a proper quiver is definitely a priority. Nocking it, I pull the string back, my muscles already struggling a little with the powerful draw of the bow. My arrow looks pretty good. Badass, even. The pitch adds blackness to the top and bottom of each vane, and holds the head in place. Actually, the contrast between the white tooth and black pitch is rather awesome on the aesthetic side of things. Not that that really matters, but¡­. It¡¯s not such a contrast on the thirteen flint-head arrows, but they look pretty cool too. As for the feathers, they¡¯re a bit of a hodgepodge. I¡¯ve tried to keep a pale-coloured feather as the ¡®cock¡¯ vane so that I¡¯ll be able to tell at a glance the direction of the nock, but the other vanes are mixed in colours. I suddenly have the nagging feeling that maybe I should have actually tried firing the bow earlier today rather than leaving it to a live encounter...ah, too late now. Worst comes to worst, I¡¯ll have to go back to using my knife and mace. Or sic Spike on it. Drawing the string back just a little more, I aim, and then release the arrow. Fortunately, I don¡¯t have a painful repetition of earlier when the string returns to its original position: I¡¯ve tied a doubled-over shirt around my forearm to cushion the blow. Later, I want to use the crocodile skin as an armguard, but that¡¯ll require a bit more processing so I don¡¯t have rotting flesh tied to my arm. Lovely thought, that. My arrow sails smoothly through the air...to land three feet away from my target. Damn. Of course, this has alerted the animal to my presence and it leaps around with surprising alacrity, rearing up on its hind legs and making a menacing hissing noise. What would probably be fairly intimidating for other animals just ends up presenting a better target for me. I pull out another arrow and draw the bowstring back again, but this time the arrow lands even further away in the opposite direction. I think the adrenaline is making my hands shake. The beast is still making that hissing sound and is swaying menacingly from side to side, so I figure I¡¯ve got time for at least one more shot. This one ends a bit closer, but it still misses my target by a wide margin. Frustration growing inside me, I make shot after shot, only one actually hitting the anteatilion, and that purely by chance. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. After the ninth attempt, the creature¡¯s hissing takes it up a notch and it starts leaping towards me, completely undeterred by my shoddy targeting. Making a snap decision, I quickly slot my bow into my Inventory, resisting the urge to throw it down in disgust. Frankly, I¡¯m rather disappointed with myself, but taking out my anger on my bow is just going to mean I have to spend more time later repairing or recreating it. It¡¯s not the bow¡¯s fault I¡¯m a rubbish shot. ¡°Alright Spike, show me what you¡¯ve got,¡± I sigh, pulling a couple of rocks out of my Inventory just in case. The porcupig doesn¡¯t ¡®say¡¯ anything but trundles forwards. The anteatilion is surprised when its next leap is met with a load of spines to its face. Pulling back, it rubs at its face with a paw, making a moaning sound of pain. Once more getting a constipated look on his face, Spike shoots out quills at the already-injured anteatilion. I note with interest that there are a lot fewer than I remember hitting the black blob. Is it a resource that takes time to regenerate? If so, how long? After that, Spike harries the beleaguered creature, nipping at its skin hard enough to draw blood and not letting it retreat when it decides that this battle isn¡¯t one it wants to be part of. One thing I do notice, however, is that he¡¯s struggling to finish the fight. Though he has surprisingly sharp teeth, they¡¯re not very big and he doesn¡¯t seem to be hitting any vulnerable spots. He¡¯s also only just as quick as the anteatilion itself, meaning that he can counter its attempts to escape, but not really capitalise on them. Neither of them are particularly fast at all, really, the other creature clearly only able to move at speed when leaping. How it survives in this forest, I don¡¯t know, but I suppose the same question could be asked about the sloth on Earth. Between the two of them, I¡¯d say things are probably pretty much even. Spike has more natural defences; the anteatilion is a bit faster. It¡¯s a stalemate. When the anteatilion, its escape barred to it by the spiky porcupig, decides to go through Spike by any means necessary, I decide to step in. I don¡¯t want him torn to pieces after all and the anteatilion¡¯s slim toothy mouth looks a lot more likely to do that than Spike¡¯s own. Concentrating on my Bound, the anteatilion is confused a moment later when a rock comes out of the surrounding trees to smash it in the skull, soon followed by a second to its shoulder. Turning to face the new threat, the creature lumbers towards me, its slightly off-balance approach showing that the impact of heavy stones to its head and body has had an effect. The slow speed enables me to grab my other new weapon out of my Inventory. Lumbering forward requires it to be on all fours which reduces the target size for me. Fortunately ¨C for me ¨C my new Dexterity has made my general accuracy much better and I strike at it with my spear, hitting it in the neck. My spear is certainly more accurate than my bow. I grimace again at the thought. The range on my spear keeps the creature at bay so by the time it slumps to the ground, bleeding out from multiple wounds, I¡¯ve managed to get away without a scratch. I have to admit that I¡¯m feeling a bit sorry for it. Although I wish my bow had worked, I don¡¯t think it would have made much difference to the battle. Or slaughter, really. I could have put the creature out of its misery earlier if I¡¯d been more accurate with my arrows. Clearly, archery is just like everything else: I might have the memories, but I¡¯ll have to work at it to have real muscle memory. Here, standing over the body of a creature I¡¯ve brutally stabbed to death after my shooting skills proved wanting, and the Bound I sent to kill it didn¡¯t manage to do the job, I realise how much I¡¯ve changed. The first time I killed in this world by bashing in the head of a bird, I felt guilty. But at least that one had attacked me first. Then, the first time I actively went hunting, I felt terribly guilty at killing the sneleon, and couldn¡¯t even make myself attack the porcupig family, seeing them as innocent animals. Now...even though I attacked this creature, I don¡¯t feel that guilty. I used it for target practice. I sent my non-combat Bound after it and prolonged its suffering due to those nasty quills Spike has. That, I feel a bit sorry for, but I needed to know what Spike could do. When did I become comfortable with justifying my actions purely because of my own needs? What am I going to be in a year? The thought drifts into my mind. Will I be unrecognisable from the person I started as? A nose nudges my leg and I look down to see Spike staring up at me. He sends a questioning feel down the Bond between us. ¡°Yeah, you did good, buddy,¡± I tell him numbly. He did exactly what I¡¯d asked of him; it wasn¡¯t his fault that he couldn¡¯t finish the whole job. Pleasure is his response, perhaps because I¡¯m pleased with him. Then followed up with a sense of being ravenous. Next, another questioning feel. Is he asking if he can go and eat? I suppose it makes sense that he might need to replace the resources that he spent in the fight. Maybe food helps his ranged quills to grow faster ¨C I don¡¯t know. Nevertheless, I quickly give my assent. He makes a beeline for the body of the anteatilion, chewing a few mouthfuls of flesh before trundling off quickly into the bushes. I¡¯ll follow him in a moment, but I go to collect all of my arrows first, not willing to risk losing even a single one. As I search the bush for each precious missile, the task complicated by the fact that I¡¯m looking for sticks among sticks, I reflect just how easily Spike dealt with the death of the anteatilion. No moral dilemma, no self-reflection, no fear about ending up on a slippery slope. Just¡­this was my target, my target¡¯s dead, I¡¯m hungry. In a way, I wish I could break things down so simply the way Spike does. The way Kalanthia and Bastet do too. I¡¯m surrounded by creatures to whom death is merely a symptom of not being strong enough to live. Suddenly, I miss other humans with a strength of longing that surprises me. It¡¯s strange: I used to spend a good portion of each day wishing other humans would just disappear and leave me be instead of coming and loading my already-full plate with their own issues. And now I¡¯ve got my solitary life without other people¡¯s problems, I miss them because along with other people¡¯s problems come other people. I suppose this is what they mean when they say ¡®be careful what you wish for¡¯. Kalanthia and Bastet are great. Even Spike is great. Well, getting there, at least. It¡¯s been almost a month since I arrived and I¡¯d have probably already gone insane from isolation if I hadn¡¯t had them: humans aren¡¯t meant to be completely alone. Still, for all that their presence has meant my sanity has remained, I can¡¯t help missing humans. The nunda, raptorcat, and porcupig are just too different from me. Their mind-sets aren¡¯t the same. They don¡¯t care about the whys of a situation, just the whats and hows. They live in the concrete, in the tangible present. When a threat appears, they deal with it efficiently, and then return to enjoying the moment. In some ways it¡¯s laudable, but in others it just makes me feel very, very alone. There¡¯s a reason humans sent a rocket to the moon: we¡¯d spent centuries, millennia wondering what was up there, and why something could hang in the sky when anything we tried to put there just fell immediately. We are dreamers, thinkers, philosophers, and I find myself missing conversation which is merely for the sake of conversing, rather than with an end in itself. I bury myself in a book most evenings to try to feed my need for the abstract, but it only helps temporarily. I sometimes imagine going back to Earth and being able to share lunch with my co-workers again, going to a bar and having an in-depth conversation with a complete stranger. Never mind the fact that I rarely accepted my co-workers¡¯ invitations to share lunch with them because I was usually having a working lunch at my desk, and that after a time the invitations stopped coming. Never mind that I never took the time to go out to bars, and that if I did, I¡¯d have probably spent the time sitting at the bar itself and nursing a drink, silent and alone. Those truths are beside the point: I could have. And now I probably would. But at the same time¡­. I don¡¯t think I would fit back in that world. I¡¯ve seen too much, done too much. My previous life just seems so...shallow. Without the threatening edge of death, how do you know you¡¯re living? Looking back at myself in my HR job feels like remembering a dream; like I spent years sleepwalking. It seems odd to think that I¡¯m getting used to all of this. I¡¯m becoming accustomed to living in constant danger, to killing others and risking being killed. I feel like I should be more traumatised than I actually feel. I think I should wake up the next morning and not dare to set foot out of Kalanthia¡¯s cave. Heck, not set foot out of my own cave, since it¡¯s guarded by a giant leopard. But...I just get up and get on. Is it some sort of psychological defence humans develop in times of trouble? I need food; I need water ¨C I can¡¯t just hide and hope everything will turn out alright. Something which I think I was doing when I started on my bender after being fired. Or maybe it¡¯s something to do with the system. It¡¯s indisputable that the feedback mechanism of gaining Energy by risking myself and then gaining points to protect myself and reduce the risk to my life is highly engaging. Sure, getting points is difficult, but it¡¯s significantly easier to improve myself in a measurable way here than it was on Earth thanks to the Energy making up the shortfall. And it¡¯s just so satisfying to receive messages saying this or that stat has increased. It¡¯s motivating if nothing else. Finally finding my last arrow buried in a bush, my musings are interrupted by a sudden sense of urgency which grips me. Thinking I¡¯m in danger, I quickly leap sideways and stare around myself wildly, my hand immediately going to my mace. A moment later, I realise that the feeling is coming from one of my Bound. Worried that something is happening back at the cave with Bastet, Kalanthia, and the cubs, I¡¯m already moving in that direction when I realise that the sensation isn¡¯t from Bastet¡¯s Bond. I stop suddenly, my heart suddenly beating faster: it¡¯s not Bastet who¡¯s in danger; it¡¯s Spike. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Two: Ashes of Regret I arrive just in time to see a spray of blood erupt from Spike¡¯s jugular. ¡°No!¡± I shout, blindly lunging forwards, my hands outstretched. I touch his quills and trigger a Lay-on-hands, only to have to snatch my hand away and roll a moment later as teeth snap for my throat. I swing my spear, jabbing it at the creature which has just attacked me. It dodges with frustrating agility and another set of teeth set themselves in my unprotected leg. I use my unencumbered leg to kick away my unseen attacker and hurriedly push myself to my feet. I¡¯m surrounded ¨C the ones which had been attacking Spike deviating to attack me instead. Spike¡¯s still alive ¨C I see his jaws shifting open and closed. He¡¯s in a bad way, though. A very bad way. I need to get to him. Hold on, buddy, I think desperately at him even as I stab at the creatures around me. They look like a T-Rex, only a lot smaller, their heads only reaching about three feet off the ground when they stand upright. Their teeth seem no less dangerous, though, a mouth full of needles to crunch and tear. I¡®ve already felt the bite of those once, and am not keen to experience it again. I feel blood running down my leg, but dare not cast a Lay-on-hands: what if I do that and then don¡¯t have enough mana to heal Spike when I get to him? I¡¯m gratified to see that several bear wounds from teeth or claws; some even have quills still sticking out of their faces or paws. He hasn¡¯t gone down without a fight. That¡¯s not enough to quell the rage that rises in me. Spike is mine ¨C how dare these animals try to take him away from me?! Yanking my mace free off my belt, I leap into the fray with both hands filled, desperately trying to get through the obstacles stopping me from healing my Bound. They are frustratingly difficult to pass, though. As soon as I get through one, another moves into my way, or one attacks the back of my legs in a way I can¡¯t ignore: if I¡¯m hamstrung, I¡¯ll be the one in need of healing, let alone Spike. It¡¯s like they know I¡¯m running out of time and are determined to make me run the clock. It¡¯s only by suddenly leaping in the opposite direction from what they were expecting, dealing a number of blows which kill two mini-rexes, that I get a moment¡¯s respite. I throw myself down next to Spike, not even casting the healing spell; just immediately dumping a whole third of my mana pool in a quicker channelling than I¡¯ve ever done before. The mana enters Spike, then rebounds, most of it returning to me. My eyes are on the mini-rexes which are already circling again, though more reticent to attack than before they lost two of their number. Come on, I think, trying again. The same thing happens. I dare to glance down for a moment, and what I see makes my stomach drop. His eyes are glassy and he isn¡¯t breathing. The blood is still coming out of him, but it¡¯s trickling rather than spurting as it was. Combined with the failure of my healing magic, I know what the problem is. Spike¡¯s dead. Even my healing magic can¡¯t do anything about that. How did this happen? We were only separate for fifteen damn minutes! I lift my eyes slowly to stare at the mini-rexes. For a moment, the grief threatens to overpower me, but then rage twice as strong rises in its place. I bare my teeth and bellow wordlessly at them, the power of my cry actually making them take a step back and mill uncertainly. For a moment, I wonder whether they might even turn tail and run. I¡¯m not going to let them. Throwing myself forwards, I swing with my mace, each contact breaking bones. In between swings, I stab with my spear. Between the two, my mace is the more effective, my fury badly affecting my accuracy with the spear point. I get two more mini-rexes in the next few seconds, beating in their heads with angry swings of my upgraded mace. That¡¯s the end of my freebies, though. The mini-rexes rally and start displaying the teamwork which must have taken Spike down. They start circling me, darting in as if to bite and then shying away the moment I start swinging at them. At the same time as one of the mini-rexes in front of me feints an attack, one of the others behind me actually does. My spear proves its worth here, knocking away mini-rexes behind me with the butt end when they thought they¡¯d snuck up without me knowing. Still, my fury only carries me so long, and it doesn¡¯t take me long to realise I¡¯ve got myself in a bad situation here. I take several slashes to the backs of my legs, only avoiding having a tendon severed by last-minute dodges. My rage being replaced by the cold sense of fear, I wonder if I¡¯ve bitten off a bit more than I can chew. A moment after that thought occurs, I push it away: the moment I think I¡¯ve lost is the moment I actually do. I can win this ¨C I just need a bit of strategy. My first step is to break away sideways and put a large boulder at my back. OK, that helps ¨C the mini-rexes still try to attack me in my blind spots, but having something solid behind me is already lessening the pressure. See: using my Intelligence will get me through this, I tell myself. Now, I need to actually hit the things or this will just turn into a battle of attrition which I¡¯m likely to lose: a pack can rotate members in and out to rest while keeping up a constant barrage of attacks on me. Of course, that¡¯s assuming the mini-rexes have the intelligence to do that, but I¡¯m not going to make the mistake of underestimating them. They¡¯re wary of my mace, already having seen what it did to three of their pack-mates. As soon as I swing it towards them, they jump away, then close back in as soon as it¡¯s gone past. It¡¯s a stalemate: if they get too close, I swing my mace, they jump away out of range. I don¡¯t hit anything, and they can¡¯t get close enough to attack. But if I move towards them, I¡¯ll be opening my back up to attacks again. My spear has a slightly longer range of attack, but due to its need for accuracy, the target just needs to shift a little and it¡¯s rendered useless. I need some other method of attack. There are five more mini-rexes to kill and so far I haven¡¯t managed to land any more hits since taking down the two at the start and then the two after recommencing battle. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. My thoughts go towards my bow, but I dismiss the idea after a moment: it takes two hands to operate which means I would open myself up to attacks while drawing it. Not to mention the fact that I¡¯m a rubbish shot, and would risk hitting myself rather than my attackers, if I hit anything at all. Still, the thought of my bow has sparked another idea: why not return to the goldie oldie which I used to such good effect in previous battles? I have to access my Inventory, which does open me up to a couple of attacks, but by clumsily flailing my mace around me even while I focus on taking the items out of my storage space, I manage to keep off most of the opportunistic mini-rexes. A few moments later, I have a pile of hard and rough projectiles sitting in front of me, otherwise known as rocks. Making a mental note that I¡¯m running low on good throwing rocks, I lean down to grab one of them, quickly switching my mace to my off-hand. It¡¯s much clumsier like that, but that¡¯s OK ¨C I only need it as a sort of shield. I¡¯d already dropped my spear to the ground in order to have a hand free for my Inventory. Throwing the rocks, the mini-rexes aren¡¯t prepared for the battleground to suddenly change from melee to ranged. Their confusion costs them: in the first ten seconds, I manage to throw four rocks, hitting with three of them. One mini-rex is killed outright with a lucky blow to its head; the other two are crippled as one rock caves in ribs and the other breaks a leg. My eleven in Strength isn¡¯t just for show, after all. After that, the survivors seem a lot more wary, milling around further away. They¡¯re not such easy targets since they keep moving, but I keep throwing rocks anyway. Probably two in three rocks hit, and though none of them are immediate killing blows, they certainly do damage. I almost wince at the sound of breaking bones that cracks through the air every time a rock strikes, but a glance at Spike¡¯s corpse soon sends my anger up high enough that I don¡¯t care at hurting his killers. For a while it seems like the mini-rexes don¡¯t know how to adapt to a human who¡¯s capable of different attack styles, but then their strategy comes into play. The first I know about it is when I feel an impact to my back and then blinding pain as teeth set themselves into my right shoulder, managing to grab an area of flesh not protected by my chitin backplate. It turns out that the crushing power of a mini-rex¡¯s jaws is not to be scoffed at, and I feel my bones starting to creak under the pressure. Screaming, I slam myself against the rock, trying desperately to kill them or at least knock them unconscious so they let go. Like the proverbial bulldog, they just hold on tighter. Worsening the situation, the other mini-rexes take advantage of the situation and crowd around to snap at my front, reaching up as high as they can to tear at my torso. I go berserk. Flailing around myself with my mace and a rock in my hand, I batter mini-rexes with every swing. At the same time, I keep throwing myself back against the boulder, as crazy as a fox caught in a trap. The fight hangs on a knife¡¯s edge. I¡¯m making progress against the attackers in front, and the one behind has loosened its grip ever so slightly. But it comes at a cost: my stamina is down by three quarters and I can feel tiredness seeping into my limbs. I can¡¯t keep this up for much longer. Not to mention that every time I swing my mace with my dominant arm, I can feel the teeth set in my shoulder doing more damage. My health is still mostly fine since I¡¯ve been casting Lay-on-hands at regular intervals, the use of the Skill having become somewhat automatic by now. I¡¯m still covered in wounds, and despite my use of my healing Skill, my health ticks down steadily. That¡¯s in large part because of the gaping wounds in my shoulder which I can¡¯t close since there are teeth stuck in them. I need to use my brain. My anger is great for fuelling my strength, but it¡¯s rubbish for conserving stamina. Much as I hate the idea, I decide to focus on the mini-rexes at my front and leave the one attached to my back. It¡¯s not shifting at the moment, and trying to deal with it will make me vulnerable to the ones in front which are doing their best to rip out my guts. Sure, having teeth in my shoulder is making it harder to move but fortunately the adrenaline is doing a good job at masking the pain for now. If it shifts to attack something different, I¡¯ll get an opportunity to knock it off while it¡¯s repositioning. Decision made, another idea occurs and I can¡¯t help a savage grin from creeping across my face. Running into the middle of the clearing, I gain momentary respite from attacks. It¡¯s enough to access my Inventory and pull something out to drop in front of me. ¡°Eat this, Jurassic Park rejects!¡± I yell as I start swinging something around me with both hands. It¡¯s the corpse of the - now toothless - crocodile and I¡¯m holding it by the tail, the rest of the body being pulled out straight with centrifugal motion. The weight is no joke; only by leaning back and holding on with both hands do I mostly manage to control my make-shift flail. The three mini-rexes have no chance of reacting in time. They¡¯d been rushing towards me to attack, and didn¡¯t have the time to both register the new threat flying towards them and also react. The weight of the crocodile¡¯s body, plus its momentum, knocks the mini-rexes over completely, stunning them. I let go of my ¡®weapon¡¯ as it starts threatening to pull me over, letting the corpse fly into a tree as I rush forward to take advantage of the situation. I knew that the strategy wasn¡¯t likely to kill them, so I¡¯d been mentally prepared to rush forwards and kill as many as I could while they were disorientated. In the end, I get two of the three in the first five seconds. I flail with my mace to crush one of their heads, and stab another, slitting its throat and letting it bleed out. The last one by this point has started regaining its bearings and I miss my strike as it shifts away at the last moment. I¡¯m not letting it get away, though, and lunge forward to tackle it. The grounded mini-rex isn¡¯t taking my attack lying down ¨C well, technically it is lying down, but whatever ¨C and it snaps at my throat. It actually manages to catch a flap of my skin, even as I jerk back instinctively. I feel blood trickle down from the wound and desperately grab at its head. Managing to get my hand around its jaws, I grip as firmly as I can; unlike the crocodile, I can tell that I¡¯m not going to be able to hold its mouth shut for long. It gives me an opening, though, and I stab at its artery. Hitting it on my second attempt, I sag for a moment as blood spurts out. The continued agony in my back penetrates my mind soon, though, and I push myself to my feet. Completely done with this whole fight, I just use my mace to batter at the one attached to my shoulder-blade until I start hearing soft sounds indicating I¡¯ve given it some kind of serious blow. It¡¯s a tenacious bugger, and stays gripping on to the very end. Even once it¡¯s died, its jaws stay locked. It¡¯s so ridiculous I have to wonder whether it¡¯s some sort of evolutionary feature ¨C that the mini-rexes are able to lock their jaws so that even in death they stay secure. I have to literally break the jaw joints to get the creature off, not easy to do when I can barely get a grip with one hand, let alone two. By the time I succeed, I¡¯ve managed to heal the rest of my wounds and my stamina has recouped a bit. Sighing in relief as I pull the final mini-rex¡¯s teeth out with a nasty squelching sound, I cast a channelled Lay-on-hands, running the spell until my wounds are completely closed. Feeling pretty depressed now the anger has burnt away and ashes of regret and guilt are all that remain, I stare around at the mess we¡¯ve made of this small clearing. My eyes rest upon one of the mini-rexes¡¯ bodies. Maybe I should have Dominated one of them. It would have made logical sense. But there was never a good opportunity for one and for another...emotionally, I don¡¯t think I could have dealt with Bonding Spike¡¯s killer. I¡¯d probably have crushed its resistance and then hated myself afterwards. Well, they¡¯re all dead now. No other option but to deal with reality. I force myself to trudge forwards and clean up the detritus of my battle. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Three: Carrying a Burden At least the mini-rexes were good for Energy gain, I conclude after eating their hastily-cooked hearts. That, frankly, is the only thing good about the situation. All told, I¡¯m a single percentage point away from being able to level up and I¡¯ll gain that in an hour or so of absorption. It¡¯s hard to feel excited, though. Not when the gain has been preceded by death. It¡¯s strange. I¡¯ve known Spike for less than a month. Of that time, most of it has been spent apart since either he¡¯s been out foraging or I¡¯ve been out hunting for animals or resources. We¡¯ve only been out to the forest together a few times since I Dominated him; it¡¯s only been in the last few days that I¡¯ve started to feel any real connection to him. How can I feel so sad at his death? But the first time we went out together, he saved my life. And if I hadn¡¯t Dominated him, maybe he¡¯d still be alive now. Or maybe he wouldn¡¯t have been ¨C life in this valley is dangerous. My urgent tasks of tidying up the area by shoving the corpses, including that of the crocodile, into my Inventory are now completed. Now time to actually work through what happened. I sigh and move over to the porcupig¡¯s corpse, settling down by his head. His eyes are glassy, dead. His fur is stiff, blood around his mouth. At least he managed to make a mark on his attackers, and I finished the job for him. I can¡¯t help but wonder why it suddenly happened now when I¡¯d just decided to take him with me more for fights to help him get stronger. Does Murphy actually exist in this world of magic and Energy? And if he does, is he the reason for why that pack of mini-rexes found Spike today? I scrub at my face roughly. I can¡¯t blame Murphy: it¡¯s my fault he died. We were out together; I should have been able to protect him. I¡¯d been less than twenty seconds¡¯ desperate sprint from where he¡¯d been, but sound doesn¡¯t always travel well in this dense forest; I guess they¡¯d been in the fight for longer than that. Did he scream for me and then wonder why I didn¡¯t come? I probably only sensed the danger when the fight turned deadly. Like how Bastet sensed me being in danger when my arm was broken in the fight with the crocodile. But I should have been right beside him, not a sprint away. It was me who agreed to him going to eat after the fight, despite knowing that he was tired and out of ammunition. I should have told him to wait until I¡¯d collected my arrows, or to forage in the area close to me. For all I know, it¡¯s my fault the mini-rexes were in the area in the first place! I do seem to attract danger and the smell of blood from our anteatilion fight could have been a draw. I thought I was protecting him by not pulling him into the frequent combat I seem to attract, but he¡¯s dead anyway. It¡¯s a dangerous forest, and maybe if I¡¯d taken him with me more often, he¡¯d have developed more skills in fighting. The guilt and self-recrimination inside me is far too familiar, and once more threatens to drown me. No, I can¡¯t go down that path again. After my mother was killed, I tumbled into the pit of self-loathing caused by blaming myself for her death. I clawed my way out of that dark hole only to be pushed back in later by my father¡¯s illness and subsequent death. Even though the doctors had scientific names for the cause of his demise, I know the reality ¨C he died when my mother did; it just took his body years to catch up. The malignant cancer that grew inside him and brought about his end was really only the coup de grace to a zombie. Blaming myself for their deaths has never led anywhere good. With my mother, it led to a difficult relationship with my father, difficulties at school and in connecting with others. Ultimately, it led to an inability to emotionally commit which lost me my best friend and the only girl I¡¯ve ever loved romantically. Blaming myself for my father¡¯s death led me to the roof of my apartment and, one could say, to this world to begin with. Maybe I need to take another approach this time. My therapist used to say that I should accept and acknowledge my feelings, but not allow them to consume me. She suggested that I carefully consider what actually happened and, if I truly found some way in which I could have affected the outcome, to consider how to do something positive in the present to acknowledge that. To make a positive action which would attempt to avoid the issue happening again, rather than becoming sucked down into a cycle of could¡¯ve, would¡¯ve, should¡¯ve. She also encouraged me to take time to mourn. Pushing myself to my feet, I know how to do that: I¡¯ve always been better at working through my feelings when doing something. It¡¯s the reason I started going to the gym in the first place: to be able to deal with the anger and grief still fermenting inside me. I search around the small clearing which is now empty of bodies apart from Spike¡¯s, the only evidence of our battle: the disturbed leaf litter and blood-soaked ground. Finally finding what I¡¯m looking for, I start using the sturdy stick to dig at the centre of the space between trees. Yes, I know that probably the most efficient way of dealing with Spike¡¯s body is to save it as raptorcat food, or even eat it myself, but...I can¡¯t face that. I want to give him a burial. Plus, the time that I spend digging the hole is time that I can spend on working through my feelings, perhaps once more coming to terms with the loss of someone else around me. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Because that¡¯s what it boils down to. I¡¯m tired of losing people. My mother, my father, my girlfriend, now Spike¡­ Who¡¯s next? Bastet? Kalanthia? Lathani? One of the cubs? But how do I stop it happening? I couldn¡¯t do anything about my mother¡¯s car accident, though I¡¯ve always blamed myself for being the reason she was driving. I don¡¯t know what I could have done to help my father ¨C the wounds were just too deep. As for my girlfriend...yeah, I was at fault there. I put my work first and ignored the signs that she wanted to take our relationship further. Looking back, it was my fear of losing the ones I love that stopped me from committing: how ironic is it that the fear became self-fulfilling? Spike¡­ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have Dominated him in the first place. It¡¯s a pretty awesome Skill, but I¡¯m coming to understand more and more that it¡¯s not one I should use without careful thought. If I Dominate a creature, I become responsible for it. I didn¡¯t act very responsibly with Spike, and he died as a result. He died because he was a vulnerable prey animal in a cutthroat environment. If I had been at his side, he may not have died. Note, I say may not because I¡¯m not sure that I would have been able to protect him when it was so hard to even protect myself, but his chances of survival could have been significantly higher than they ended up being. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that I Dominated him without really thinking of the consequences. I was like a person who wants a dog, but doesn¡¯t do his research and gets a breed which needs constant companionship when he¡¯s barely at home. In my case, I just went out and Dominated the first creature I came across ¨C thinking more about his use as a biological digger than the fact that he would need constant protection. I didn¡¯t think about whether his needs matched mine; whether my dangerous life was one he could fit in with. He needed to forage because I couldn¡¯t supply his nutritional needs. I couldn¡¯t be with him every time he needed to forage, I recognise that. Equally, I couldn¡¯t spend hours of each day searching out food for him so he didn¡¯t have to leave the safety of home. I was the pet owner who got a pet despite not being able to afford to feed one. It was doomed from the start. So, Mrs Therapist, my positive action? To put a lot of thought into whether I should Dominate a creature based on the life I can offer it afterwards. And then once Bound to me, to think carefully about the best way to protect them ¨C even if that means exposing them to some danger so they can grow. Given its potential drawbacks, the Skill is unlikely to be something I use in a battle without having thought about it beforehand, so I should have no excuse for irresponsible decisions. The whole thing makes me question whether I was right to Dominate Bastet. After weighing up the arguments on either side, I conclude that it¡¯s a different context. Not only was Bastet dying before I offered her the Bond, but that¡¯s the point: I offered it to her. Because she¡¯d been willing to die rather than be bound, it meant that when she accepted Bond, she genuinely did so because she thought it was the best option for her pack. That¡¯s another consideration ¨C the raptorcats are used to hierarchy, used to a pack structure. Bastet and I have a very different relationship than I had with Spike, and I think the fact that she came from a context which was already socially complex is a big part of it. As far as I¡¯ve been able to gather, porcupigs stick together as a family until the babies are adults, and then they all go their separate ways. Certainly, Spike¡¯s capacity to communicate was significantly less than Bastet¡¯s. Plus, of course, I¡¯ve been hunting together with Bastet as well as providing her and the cubs meat from my own solitary hunts. Bastet, despite being a lot more equipped to survive other predators, has actually been exposed to a lot less risk than the more vulnerable porcupig. And I never made the effort to try to help Spike be less vulnerable. Not until today which turned out to be too late. It¡¯s a hard pill to swallow, the knowledge that my neglect and thoughtless actions and inactions are what led to this moment, but it¡¯s a lesson that I need to learn. If I learn it now and never commit the same mistakes in the future, then perhaps I¡¯ll be able to forgive myself one day. For now, I simply dig, and take my self-recrimination and sadness out on the soil. ***** When I¡¯m done digging a hole about a metre down and just big enough round for the porcupig, I trudge over to him again wearily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I tell him quietly, my throat hoarse from thirst. I haven¡¯t drunk anything since starting my task ¨C a type of self-harm which probably isn¡¯t all that healthy, but has to be better than other things I can think of doing to myself. Lifting him, I carry his stiff body towards his grave. About to lower him in, I pause for a moment of thought, then pull out a few of his quills. Pulling out some of my bark-fibre cord, I make a quick necklace, pushing the points of the quills through the twist. Slinging it around my neck, I tuck it under my shirt, the fibre rough against my skin. It will be a good reminder, if nothing else. When he¡¯s lying at the bottom of the hole, I pause again. Words don¡¯t really want to come. I feel like I should say a little prayer, give a eulogy, something. It¡¯s not the first funeral I¡¯ve been to, after all. I should know how to do this. But in the end, I just say two things. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it ended like this,¡± and ¡°I promise I¡¯ll do better next time.¡± With that, I start back-filling the hole. Handful by handful, clods of dirt land on his body and cover it. It¡¯s not long before his quills aren¡¯t even visible any more. The horn on his nose is the last thing to be hidden and as it vanishes under the earth, I feel a sense of letting go, maybe even peace. It almost feels like he¡¯s forgiven me, but that¡¯s probably just my own imagination. By the time I¡¯ve finished the grave and have pressed down on the soil at the top, I feel lethargic and all wrung out. Maybe that therapist had a point: it¡¯s been cathartic to bury him with my own hands, my sweat a sacrifice to his memory. It may be dug up again later; there¡¯s not much I can do about that. But for now, he¡¯s buried and at peace. It¡¯s enough. It has to be. And as I walk away, I pause next to one of the trees which have been silent witnesses to the events of this day, and look back. The grave is half-hidden by the leaf-litter already blown by the breeze. It¡¯s calm, final. Blood has been shed here: Spike¡¯s blood in death, my blood in apology, and Spike¡¯s killers¡¯ blood in vengeance. Sweat too. Tears as well, I will not deny. I didn¡¯t know Spike for very long, but his death means something to me. Maybe more as a symbol than for him himself. Perhaps that¡¯s another wrong I do him. But as I turn away and walk back home, I feel tired, exhausted even, but lighter. Like I¡¯ve been carrying a burden for years, perhaps as far back as my mother¡¯s death and finally I¡¯ve been able to put down just a small piece of it. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Four: My Best Life Bastet is on the alert when I get back. She must have picked something up from the Bond, though clearly not enough to make her come running the way she did with the crocodile. As soon as the raptorcat sees me, she sends a wave of emotion over the Bond: concerned-danger-threat? I reply back in the negative. ¡°Spike¡¯s dead,¡± I tell her as she bounds up to me and rubs her head against my hip. My voice is flat, the emotional rollercoaster of the past couple of hours leaving me feeling empty inside. I¡¯ll rally, I know that. It¡¯s not my first time on this rodeo ¨C I know how grief sends emotions as high as Everest one moment and then as deep as the Mariana Trench the next. And that when the cycle becomes too much, the mind just shuts down its capacity to feel. For a time, anyway. Bastet cocks her head on one side, the announcement leaving her unmoved. Understandably ¨C she and Spike had a wary relationship at the best of times. Wary on Spike¡¯s side, that is: Bastet never really cared much about him as long as he wasn¡¯t too near the cubs. I sigh, sending her a picture of Spike accompanied with a feeling of loss, the ache that I feel whenever I think about my parents, or my ex. She pauses for a moment to consider what I sent her, and then returns with a complicated bundle of images and emotions. Parsing through the confusing mix, I manage to get the gist of what she¡¯s saying: pack-mates die and we feel their absence. But life continues. It¡¯s such a pragmatic way of looking at things, characteristic of the raptorcat who was able to move in with her family¡¯s killer the day after it had happened. I don¡¯t know if I could ever be so prosaic about it ¨C perhaps that¡¯s part of being human. But in a way, she¡¯s right. If I dwell too much in the past, I¡¯ll forget to live in the present. I¡¯m guilty of having already done that for years ¨C do I really want to do that for years more? Like it or not, this is a dangerous world and Spike is unlikely to be the only Bound I lose. Of course, I¡¯ll do my best to avoid that happening, but I need to be realistic. I need to learn from my mistakes, but I can¡¯t get bogged down with guilt and self-blame. Sending her a wave of gratitude, I rub her head for a moment, and then walk off to dump my armour by the entrance of the cave and greet the cubs and Kalanthia as well. Bastet sends me a sense of confusion about what she¡¯d done to be thanked, but pleasure at having helped her pack-mate. The cubs, of course, don¡¯t notice anything and just pile on me as usual, treating me like an object to be climbed or target to be pounced on, depending on their mood in the moment. When they tire of the game and move off to play with a couple of large beetles, squabbling over who gets to torture the poor insects, I find myself alone with Kalanthia. Unlike the start, the massive nunda¡¯s presence now only fills me with a sense of safety. Sure, I know that technically there¡¯s nothing stopping her from killing me. As much as I¡¯ve been succeeding on squeaking by my encounters with large predators by the skin of my teeth, I know that I still have as much chance as a snowflake in Hell against Kalanthia. Nevertheless, I find myself starting to trust that Kalanthia won¡¯t hurt me as long as Lathani is safe. We sit in silence for a while, just watching the cubs play. It¡¯s a nice balm to my raw emotions ¨C watching four cute little fluffballs (one a lot larger than the others) tumbling and tussling together. Your Bound is right, Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia finally rumbles in my mind after long syrupy moments where I couldn¡¯t have said exactly how much time passed. Loss is a part of life. You will feel it whatever you do, but you cannot stop living because of it. I twist around to give her a long, slow look. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t read my mind?¡± Kalanthia gives a leopard grin, full of teeth. I never said that...but nonetheless, your thoughts are loud enough that I can no sooner not hear them than I can shut my ears. My face pinks a bit in embarrassment. Damn mind-reading massive felines¡­. And I only half care if she heard that last bit. ¡°Have you lost someone before?¡± I ask, only belatedly realising that she might not want to bring up past losses any more than I want to bring up the memory of my mother¡¯s final moments. ¡°Sorry, I-¡± Yes, Kalanthia replies quietly, pensively. Lathani is not my first cub. And even before I met my mate, I lost my siblings and parents one way or another. My action is automatic, I don¡¯t even think about it. Feeling sympathy welling inside me, I turn and give her a hug. Well, I say that, but she¡¯s so big that I only get my arms part of the way around her shoulders. She looks at me in confusion. Markus Wolfe, if this is an attack, it is not very efficient, she tells me bemusedly. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I chuckle briefly, the momentary humour serving to raise my spirits in a way nothing else has succeeded in doing since I realised Spike was in danger. Sobering, I continue. ¡°It¡¯s a way humans express...affection. Sympathy. Sorrow for the other person.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ah, she said in a way that seems like she¡¯s had an epiphany. That makes a lot more sense then. I had always thought that it was strange for humans to attack their mates so often. I snort at the thought, and then suddenly freeze. Wait...how come Kalanthia is talking about humans as if she¡¯s seen many? ¡°Are there humans somewhere near here?¡± I ask, hope daring to rise in my breast that Nicholas had been wrong. Wrong, or intentionally deceptive, for whatever reason. Not in this world. Kalanthia¡¯s next response dashes my hopes once more, but only raises more questions, ones which perhaps I should have asked earlier ¨C there have been other moments before which made me wonder. It was never a good time then, but perhaps now it might be. ¡°Then...are you¡­¡± I don¡¯t know how to ask the question. ¡°Did you...come from another world?¡± Unconsciously, I hold my breath. I did. Much like you. I chuckle a little nervously and rub the back of my neck. ¡°You realised, huh? Pretty obvious, I guess. Especially if there really aren¡¯t any other humans here.¡± It¡¯s fairly obvious, yes. But unlike you, I suspect, I came here voluntarily to give Lathani a better chance in life. ¡°Oh,¡± is all I can say. It seems so...noble. Travelling between worlds to protect one¡¯s child. So much better than my reasoning. ¡°I did actually choose to come,¡± I feel obliged to correct her supposition. ¡°But I didn¡¯t really understand what I was choosing.¡± I feel like a fool as I admit my idiocy. ¡°And now I don¡¯t know whether it was the best or the worst thing to happen to me,¡± I finish, staring at my hands. For better or for worse, I¡¯m not the same person I was when I arrived here. I hadn¡¯t known what it was to kill before I came. I hadn¡¯t known what it felt like to be on the brink of death, either. Those things change a man. Kalanthia is silent for a long moment, long enough that I think the conversation is finished. Then, shifting, she places her massive foreleg the other side of me and pulls me close. Is this how it is done? she asks. For a moment I¡¯m confused, but then I realise what she¡¯s doing and warmth spreads through me. ¡°Yeah.¡± My voice is croaky and I have to swallow to wet it. My vision blurs. It must be the dust in the air irritating both my eyes and my throat. No other explanation. ¡°Yeah,¡± I say again, daring to lean into the large feline body I¡¯ve been pulled up against. ¡°That¡¯s exactly right.¡± Closing my eyes, I let myself sink into the first hug I¡¯ve had in what feels like years. ***** Eventually, I have to pull away. I¡¯ve taken far too much advantage of the fact that Kalanthia isn¡¯t human and doesn¡¯t know how long these sorts of things are supposed to last, so I¡¯ve just been luxuriating in the comfort. Despite being in this place so far away from home and anything familiar, maybe I¡¯ve still found some sort of family. It makes me smile, the loss I feel at Spike¡¯s ¨C and my parents¡¯ and my ex-girlfriend¡¯s ¨C absence not gone, but feeling easier to bear now I know I¡¯m not alone. Perhaps I¡¯m grasping at straws here but...they¡¯re right. Everyone has been telling me for years to leave the past behind me. I won¡¯t forget everyone I¡¯ve lost, but perhaps living my best life is a better way of honouring their deaths than the half-life I was living before. I feel restless. I¡¯ve been doing a lot of work here at the cave, crafting various things, but my immediate projects are now done. I have a bow and arrows ¨C which I need to practise with. I have some rough armour. I have soap which is just drying out to make a bar, though technically I could use some of it immediately. I have an upgraded mace which was literally a life-saver today. I need to make some more armour for my arms and legs, but that will take a lot longer, and I feel I want to do something else first. Twisting back towards Kalanthia, I ask her a question. ¡°If I gave you some of the corpses I¡¯ve collected, would you be able to delay your next hunting trip?¡± She stretches for a moment, deadly claws the size of my forearm shooting out of her paws, before settling back down. Perhaps, if you can supply enough meat to satiate me for a time. Why? ¡°There¡¯s somewhere I want to explore, but I¡¯m concerned it may take multiple days. I wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally abandon you and Lathani.¡± I see. What do you have for me? Standing up, I pull out the crocodile corpse. It¡¯s a bit battered since I used it as a bludgeoning tool against the mini-rexes and then let it crumple against a tree, but the hide is surprisingly intact. I think there¡¯s probably been more internal damage than external, to be honest. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡± I ask, looking at Kalanthia expectantly. ¡°I¡¯d like to use the hide so if you could leave it as intact as possible, that would be great. The rest can be yours if you want, though.¡± She stands up and inspects the carcass, sniffing and prodding it. An impressive kill for one so small, she remarks. I¡¯d consider it more of a compliment if she¡¯d left off the ¡®small¡¯ comment. Everything¡¯s small in comparison to her. Still, I would need more to delay my hunting trip by as much as a day, let alone more. ¡°I see,¡± I reply thoughtfully. Opening my Inventory, I check through for other corpses I can spare. Huh, what about all the mini-rexes from today? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got any other use planned for them and I¡¯ve got the ostridocuses to feed my Bound and her cubs. ¡°How many of these would you need?¡± I ask, pulling out one of them. ¡°I¡¯ve got seven in total.¡± Hmm, she muses mentally, inspecting the mini-rex¡¯s carcass as she had the crocodile¡¯s. Several of these plus the nere should keep me going for an extra day, two if necessary. What does several mean? ¡°OK, well, let me know when I¡¯ve pulled out enough.¡± She waits until I¡¯ve pulled out six of the seven mini-rexes before she indicates it¡¯s enough. If this is the quantity of meat she has to eat for one, maybe two days, how many animals does she kill when she goes out hunting every four days? Without waiting for any further conversation, she starts digging in. I watch in fascination as she flips the crocodile onto its back and then cuts it open. With one delicate claw, she opens a neat line from jaw to tail tip and then she just starts ripping pieces away, completely unashamed of the blood and guts that quickly coat her jaw. ¡°Well, enjoy, I guess,¡± I say weakly, turning away before her actions make me feel nauseous. Just another reminder that, despite giving me a hug, Kalanthia is still definitely not human. Moving far enough away that I can only just hear the crunching, chewing sounds, I turn my attention to more enticing prospects. Namely, the fact that my Energy store has reached a hundred percent full. Time to level up! Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Five: Impurities Unlike last time, this time I haven¡¯t spent hours planning on how to distribute my stats, so I take a few moments to make some decisions. Opening my status page, I survey my stats with no small bit of pride. Sure, I know they¡¯re nothing particularly noteworthy according to Nicholas¡¯ world, but considering what I started with, I feel like I¡¯ve made some good advancements.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 1 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 13u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 10 Mana: 100/100
Wisdom 11 Mana regeneration rate: 275u/hr
Willpower 16+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 19u/hr
Constitution 10 Health: 100/100
Strength 11 Stamina: 60/60
Dexterity 10 Stamina regeneration rate: 100u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Novice 5 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 4 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 6
Looking at the 100% sitting there, I feel a bit of frustration that I can¡¯t gain any more Energy until I¡¯ve levelled up. Then a thought occurs that makes me want to facepalm. I can¡¯t gain any more Energy, but I can accrue Energy towards my debt. Or at least, could have since I don¡¯t intend on waiting any longer before levelling. Once more, too little, too late. But at least it¡¯s something that I can bear in mind for next time this happens. Besides, it¡¯s not like I was in the right state of mind to focus on eking out every bit of gain I could when I¡¯d just buried Spike. So, the actual levelling. I have six points to play with, I know that. Looking at my stats, they¡¯re all at ten or eleven points except for my Willpower, thanks to Kalanthia¡¯s bonus. For sure, points in Willpower have the best ¡®value¡¯ since the plus twenty percent effectively gives me an additional point for every five that I add. However, is that the most useful stat for me? Increases in Willpower certainly help me when using Dominate, but am I likely to be using that Skill often? I¡¯ve only recently concluded that it¡¯s not the kind of Skill I should be using without a good reason. Willpower, based on when I¡¯ve earned the points, also helps with determination and capacity to push through pain or fear. It¡¯s also relatively hard to ¡®train¡¯. But is that a good enough reason for adding points to it? Strength and Dexterity have almost the opposite arguments for and against them: they¡¯re stats that will most certainly help me with my daily life; they¡¯re also the easiest to increase ¡®naturally¡¯. Although it¡¯s taken a lot more effort to increase my Strength from ten to eleven, the fact that I could do it without explicitly intending to, is proof that it¡¯s relatively easy to improve. Do I want to waste my precious level-up points on those when time and life will do my job for me? This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Constitution is a given: I need more leeway between living and dying and gaining points in that stat means subjecting myself to perilous situations. Plus, as far as I¡¯ve understood the system lore stone, Constitution also governs things like more acute senses and a body which is more difficult to harm, for example with tougher skin or bones. All of those are definitely an absolute necessity for me. The choice here is how many points to add, rather than whether to add points at all. Intelligence and Wisdom are other questionable ones. I¡¯m leaning towards adding points into Intelligence as, without further input in terms of new knowledge, I suspect that it will become harder and harder to increase my Intelligence. It¡¯s also a useful stat as Lay-on-hands is the only reason I¡¯m still alive, and I regularly hit empty on mana when facing dangerous opponents. Without any health potions, I need to make sure my mana store is sufficient to keep me alive. Wisdom is in a similar vein ¨C in the absence of a sufficiently large mana store, if my mana regeneration is sufficiently great, it doesn¡¯t matter in a way how much mana I use: I¡¯ll always have enough. At the moment, I¡¯m earning approximately four and a half mana per minute, meaning that it takes just over two minutes to regain enough for another Lay-on-hands. In most situations, that¡¯s enough, but when I faced the spider monster, it wasn¡¯t, and if I¡¯d faced the crocodile head-on and been bitten or lost a limb, it wouldn¡¯t have been enough there either. With six points, I could add one to each category, but I decide that that¡¯s a cop out. When I¡¯ve decided my points distribution, I mentally think: level up. As before, a couple of messages come through.
You have gathered enough Energy to push your body to the next level. Would you like to level up?
Y/N
To level up, please choose the stats you would like to increase. You have 6 points available. Warning: if you do not assign all points now, you will be unable to use them later. You can choose to delay your level-up, but you will not store any further Energy until you do. Do you wish to continue to level up?
Y/N
Accepting the first one, I hesitate over the second. I remember what happened last time ¨C horrible stuff had come out of me and I¡¯d vomited everywhere. I¡¯m hoping that won¡¯t happen again...but maybe I should take precautions anyway. ¡°Bastet,¡± I call quietly. Within a couple of moments, she comes sauntering over, sending a question down our Bond. ¡°Can you come down with me to the river? I¡¯m going to be levelling up and I don¡¯t want to risk something jumping me while I¡¯m distracted.¡± She gives me the equivalent of ¡®wait a minute¡¯ and goes bounding off. A moment later, she returns, sending me an image of Kalanthia watching as the cubs played together. ¡°Kalanthia¡¯s baby-sitting?¡± I ask, wondering what kind of price Kalanthia might ask of me. Or maybe she won¡¯t, since it was Bastet who asked. Surprisingly, Bastet and Kalanthia seem to have slid into a comfortable co-parenting relationship of all the cubs. In fact, the first time I saw Bastet cuff Lathani across the ear for something or other she¡¯d done wrong, my eyes flew to Kalanthia in fear that she¡¯d take offence. Quite the reverse, she seemed approving that her cub was being taught discipline. Much different from Earth and humans. I remember being in a supermarket once with a little brat who wanted me to give him a toy off the higher shelves. I¡¯d refused, saying that he needed to ask his parent. The kid immediately flew into a huff and kicked me in the leg. I¡¯d grabbed him gently by the shoulder and told him that kicking isn¡¯t acceptable. At which point, the mother had come along, given me an earful for touching her precious darling, and hadn¡¯t even given me a moment to explain the situation. She¡¯d finished by storming away, her child clutched in one hand, throwing a threat over her shoulder of taking me to court. Of course, I¡¯d never heard anything more about it, but it sure taught me a lesson of daring to say anything to a child of a stranger. Clearly, nundas and raptorcats are a bit more sensible about the whole thing than humans. Walking down the hill, we soon reach the river and I undress, putting my clothes to one side over a branch of a tree. For a moment, I feel a bit self-conscious about being naked in front of Bastet, but as soon as the thought appears, I dismiss it. Bastet is naked. Permanently. Sure, she has furry feathers (feathery fur?), but technically she¡¯s not wearing any clothes. Plus, I¡¯m human; she¡¯s a raptorcat. There¡¯s as much shame in getting changed in front of her as there would be in getting changed in front of a pet cat or dog. Preparing myself for a potential ordeal, I trigger the levelling-up process. When my status screen comes up again, I choose to add a point each to Strength and Intelligence, and two points to Constitution and Dexterity. Why? Strength because I need the power. Intelligence because I need the mana. Constitution because I need the health and defensive bonuses. Dexterity because, as my experience this morning showed me, I need to actually be able to aim for the bow and arrow to be any more useful than any old stick. This time expected, I get some more messages to refine my choices a little.
You have chosen to increase your Strength. Would you like to increase your Power or your Endurance?
Power / Endurance
The choice is obvious.
You have chosen to increase your Dexterity. Would you like to increase your Agility or your Flexibility?
Agility / Flexibility
This one is a little less obvious. Which one is most likely to help me fire arrows accurately? Agility probably is more about being able to fire quickly, fingers agilely picking arrows out of the quiver and nocking them. Flexibility has to be more about the positions my hand and body can make: is that what affects accuracy? Unsure, but hoping that either will have some benefits at least, I choose Flexibility. Since I have two points available, I have another hard choice immediately afterwards. Deciding to double-down in hopes that I will see a measurable improvement in my shooting abilities, I choose Flexibility again. Since Constitution and Intelligence don¡¯t seem to have sub-categories, making that final choice triggers the rest of the levelling-up process. Once more I feel Energy fill my body in a great flood. This time, I¡¯m more familiar with energy and my body in general so, while it¡¯s most certainly euphoric, I can actually feel a little more of what¡¯s going on. The very cells of my body are being re-written, I¡¯m sure of it. I feel like my body, for a fraction of a second, is no more than a piece of elastic, or play-dough, Energy manipulating it into a new form. I even sense that more is happening than just in the physical, but my esoteric senses aren¡¯t anywhere near attuned enough to even get the glimpse of what¡¯s going on there. I suppose it¡¯s progress enough that I can actually sense that something is happening. When the Energy has finished its work, that¡¯s when the pain hits. Once more, it¡¯s like being submerged into a world of agony where nothing else exists. I¡¯m pretty sure the experience doesn¡¯t last long, but the fraction of time where it is happening seems to be a lifetime. Finally, the pain ends and I¡¯m left with an aching body covered in sweat and other, darker fluids. I feel the nausea build inside me, and I only have time to think, not again, before my body rebels and expels everything that¡¯s inside it, and more. More impurities are removed from my system making a disgusting mess on the ground. I¡¯m glad to have done it here rather than messing up Kalanthia¡¯s home-ground again. Still, I¡¯m gratified to realise that there are fewer impurities in my vomit this time. Hopefully, eventually I won¡¯t have any in there and I¡¯ll be able to keep my lunch down after levelling up. Honestly, if the benefits weren¡¯t so great, I might reconsider trying to level at all. Jumping into the river, I rely on Bastet noticing any crocodiles ¨C or anything else ¨C coming my way and just do my best to get clean. I should have brought some of my soap, I bemoan. Ah, too late now. I¡¯ll just have to do the best I can with what I have. After this, I¡¯ll need to do some archery practice. It¡¯ll be interesting to see how my changed stats will affect my capabilities in that area. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Six: Baby Spider-Monsters Prowling through the forest with Bastet at my side, I feel a lot more confident. I feel like my afternoon yesterday was really productive when it came to improving my archery. Yes, I know that traditionally archers on Earth would have to practise for years to become decent, let alone good. An afternoon compared to that is nothing. Not even enough to learn how to stand properly. I have a few advantages those would-be archers don¡¯t have, however. First is from the hunting knowledge stone: memories of having learned to shoot, and then doing it again and again literally thousands of times. The second is an Intelligence score which, at a ten, is starting to get up there with humanity¡¯s smartest. Humanity on Earth¡¯s smartest, at least. That doesn¡¯t suddenly make me into an Einstein, but it appears to improve my ability to make connections between subjects, observe what is going wrong, and adapt to my mistakes. Either way, I found that my learning process was a lot quicker than I remember it being at university and during training courses at work. Probably the time I spent going through my ¡®memories¡¯ ahead of actually starting helped too. Plus, it actually earned me a point in Intelligence, so I¡¯m not complaining about that. Fortunately for me, it was a point that didn¡¯t require any Energy as I didn¡¯t have enough in stock. By this point, I¡¯m pretty sure that it only offers me a point that requires Energy if I actually have enough, otherwise it just keeps going until I¡¯ve earned the point ¡®naturally¡¯. Considering it¡¯s been several days since I earned my previous Intelligence point, I¡¯m not surprised that I¡¯ve gained another so soon. Just more evidence that the points I use on level-up don¡¯t affect my progress towards points being ¡®earned¡¯. Either way, I think I¡¯ve become addicted to looking at my status sheet. It¡¯s just...seeing evidence of my progress in a numerical form is just so satisfying. Maybe it¡¯s my history from working in Human Resources: I like data sheets. Being able to properly quantify someone with one is almost a dream come true. OK, a sad dream, I¡¯ll admit it ¨C I never intimated all my desires were noble, high-reaching ones. When we stop for a short break for me to recoup my stamina, I pull the screen up again.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 2 Energy to next level: 5% Energy absorption rate: 13u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 12 Mana: 120/120
Wisdom 11 Mana regeneration rate: 275u/hr
Willpower 16+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 19u/hr
Constitution 12 Health: 120/120
Strength 12 Stamina: 16/60
Dexterity 12 Stamina regeneration rate: 120u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 1 Fade ¨C Novice 5 Non-Class skills A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Lay-on-hands ¨C Novice 4 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 6
With Fade effectively reduced from using four units to using two units of stamina per minute now that my regeneration is also two units per minute, I can keep the Skill going for as much as thirty minutes now ¨C in theory. That doesn¡¯t tend to work in practice, though, as I also use stamina to travel. Fortunately, that¡¯s at a much lower rate. I don¡¯t want to completely bottom out, either ¨C if I do, I won¡¯t be very fit for a fight if it came down to one. The mana cost is effectively free, considering Fade takes only one unit per minute and I¡¯m regenerating more than four. I find it funny that despite having quite a wide range of stat values to begin with, I now have four stats at twelve, and one at eleven¡­ I know that focussing on two or three stats to almost the exclusion of others is the best way to become really proficient in certain areas; by distributing my stats pretty equally, I risk becoming a jack-of-all-trades, resulting in being master of none. That said, I¡¯d rather be an alive master-of-none, than a dead expert simply because I didn¡¯t have enough health points or stamina points or strength to deal with whatever attack comes next. When my stamina bar refills, only taking just over twenty minutes now with my new regeneration, we set off through the forest again. Bastet had gone scouting while I was resting, and sends me an image of my destination when she returns. It looks clear and is accompanied by a cautious sense of safety. I agree with the caution ¨C it may look safe for now, but we need to be sure. As we walk closer, I consider something else I¡¯d noticed on my status screen ¨C my increased absorption rate. I¡¯m pretty sure it wasn¡¯t as high as thirteen the last time I came through here. What¡¯s changed? Has the Energy density of the area increased ¨C can it do that? - or have I changed? To monitor, I guess. We¡¯re here. I see a gaping mouth which makes me shudder again in remembrance of the last time I was here. The dry leaves covering the ground beneath the copse of dead trees crunch and crackle under my feet. The hole in the ground from which had previously burst a monster out of my nightmares looks empty and abandoned. Leaves have fallen, or been blown by wind, into the hole scraped into the ground. I exchange a glance with Bastet and with a whisper the raptorcat slinks down the tunnel, her camouflage-like fur blending easily into the shadows. It¡¯s not long before she returns, indicating that the beginning at least is free of enemies. I scoot down the slope on my bum, not want to risk the cubs slung on my chest by going down on all fours and potentially falling to squish them. Yes, we¡¯ve brought the cubs. I asked what Kalanthia would need as payment, and was confused by the response. It looks like some sort of glowing crystal and she wants one small one for each cub per day, or one big one for all three. I can¡¯t even tell the proper size because Kalanthia¡¯s so much larger than me that what feels as ¡®small¡¯ to her could easily be as big as my head. Equally, it could be the size of my fist. Since I don¡¯t currently have any idea of what the things are, or where to get them, I don¡¯t want to rack up any debt by leaving the cubs with her when I can¡¯t pay the cost. And yes, I did ask her where to find them, but her response was unhelpful ¨C apparently they¡¯re in animals. But not in all animals, only some animals. Useful. Anyway, the point is that I have the cubs with me, so I¡¯ll have to be careful if we get into any unexpected fights. Down at the bottom, I take a moment to pull one of my pre-made torches out of my Inventory. I¡¯d used some rags from one of my previously sacrificed shirts and wrapped them around the end of a freshly-cut stick. Then, after covering the wrapped end with some of my magic pitch, I let them harden. It takes a little bit of time and effort to light the hardened resin-product now, but once it catches light, the torch burns steadily. Multi-usage tools for the win: it gives light, it¡¯s a handy weapon against any animals afraid of fire, and it¡¯s a good indication of if the oxygen level drops too low. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m walking into, after all. With the bark cord also in my Inventory and several days worth of food and water ¨C since I filled all my unused pots with water and stuck them into my Inventory too ¨C I feel pretty prepared for the expedition. Especially so since by the end of my archery practice yesterday I was hitting the target every time and usually within a few fingers of where I was aiming. Sure, I didn¡¯t hit the ¡®bull¡¯s eye¡¯ very often, but my accuracy is most definitely much better now than my poor showing yesterday morning. Let¡¯s hope it will be enough. I¡¯ve got my mace and knife too anyway. The earthen tunnels don¡¯t look entirely natural. I screw up my face in thought as I put the torch closer to the walls, floor and ceiling to try to work it out. I¡¯m no topographer, but the marks in all three area look dug, though not by spades. My tracking knowledge would tell me that the marks were probably made by some sort of burrowing insect or a giant mole ¨C the scrapes could be attributed to either. Between the two, I¡¯d probably prefer a giant mole. Suddenly, there¡¯s a rustling, scraping sound ahead of us. We¡¯re both immediately on our guard and I quickly drop the torch to the ground and pull an arrow from my quiver as Bastet slinks to the side, blending in perfectly with the wall. We wait, the rustling sound getting closer. My torchlight picks up something rushing towards us, a carpet of movement shown only by the odd glimmers here and there that reflect back at me. It¡¯s very low to the ground, but fills the tunnel, even going slightly up the sides. I start wondering whether it¡¯s something living at all: maybe it¡¯s an oil spill or something? About to grab my light source and run back, I realise when the creeping mass enters the pool of illumination shed by my torch that it¡¯s not some sort of liquid; it¡¯s alive. But it¡¯s not one creature either. It¡¯s worse. Clicking towards me, the rustling and scraping sound caused by their chitinous bodies rubbing against each other, are too many little spider-monsters to count. I have to fight the urge to turn and run even though I know now that it¡¯s not flammable oil coming down the passageway. Instead, I quickly return my arrow to the quiver and grab my mace instead: with this number and type of enemy, I need crushing power rather than accuracy. I mean, perhaps Legolas would be able to destroy this horde with the power of his bow alone, but I¡¯m not quite at his legendary level yet. If these are anything like the massive one I fought before, I¡¯m unlikely to have the accuracy necessary to pierce them all through their eyes. No, my upgraded mace should do the job. As the first one gets close, I swing downwards with my mace, aiming to crack its shell. When the mace hits, I¡¯m surprised by the result. It doesn¡¯t crack the shell. Instead it obliterates the creature entirely. Seriously, my well-aimed strike hits it full on its back and just goes straight through, rebounding off the ground. Good to know that my increases in Dexterity apparently don¡¯t only affect my accuracy with bows. My surprise makes me stumble. I¡¯d braced myself to prepare for the mace rebounding off the shell; with it having pounded straight through, I find myself off-balance. Blinking even as I quickly regain my footing, I shrug and decide not to look a gift-horse in the mouth. If these creatures are significantly easier than their parent ¨C probably ¨C to kill, I¡¯m not going to complain. Almost humming a tune, I start swinging at the other creatures which have surrounded me. My mace goes through them just as easily and I start wreaking mass-destruction among the mini spider-monsters. Oddly enough, I¡¯m surrounded, but the monsters behind me aren¡¯t trying to attack. Instead, those that get past Bastet and me are just making a break for the entrance. Something clicks. They aren¡¯t just mini insect-spiders, they¡¯re babies. It would be much easier if I could see the names of these things and their levels floating above them in a handy box, but life isn¡¯t that kind. However, the longer I¡¯m fighting these things, the more convinced I am that I¡¯m right. They¡¯re not even really fighting me, only the ones closest to me trying to bite. In fact, I almost feel bad attacking them when considering the weapons I have compared to their relative helplessness. Then I remember the insect-spider I killed before and my heart hardens. If I have to kill a whole load of innocent babies to avoid having more of those adults around, it¡¯s burdensome task I¡¯m willing to take on. By the time the last of the baby spider-monster things is past us, I¡¯m panting, but surprisingly in one piece for having been in a fight. Miracle of miracles, my clothes are even still intact! It¡¯s hard to count how many insect-spiders we killed between the two of us since the vast majority are shattered bodies on the ground, but it has to be upwards of a hundred. When I check my status, however, I¡¯ve only gained about fifteen percent Energy towards my next level. Whether that¡¯s because the amount of Energy for one percent has drastically increased, or these creatures were worth very little Energy, I don¡¯t know. Probably a mixture of the two, to be honest. I¡¯m not quite sure how this whole Energy thing works yet, but it definitely seems that the more dangerous the creature, the more Energy I get when killing them. These creatures stood no chance against me, and couldn¡¯t even pose any sort of threat. It¡¯s not surprising then that I¡¯ve gained little from their deaths. I don¡¯t bother collecting anything from these carcasses. Bastet licks one of them and then sends a wave of disgust down our Bond: apparently these things don¡¯t agree with her either. Fortunately, the torch has managed to stay lit despite the number of creatures stepping around and on it. Picking it up, I tiptoe gingerly through the mess, making a face at the nasty gooey feeling under my feet. If these shoes hadn¡¯t already been covered by blood and mud, I¡¯d have despaired of ever getting the stains of these insect things out. As it is, I just continue walking up the tunnel. My light catches on something ahead and I squint as I try to spot what it is. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Claustrophobe’s Nightmare What is that? Bastet indicating that she isn¡¯t detecting anything moving up ahead, I step closer gingerly. Is it¡­? I step within arm¡¯s reach and tilt the torch to see better. It kind of looks like spider-silk, but not quite. It¡¯s not nearly as stringy, and almost looks wet, glimmering in the torchlight. I move a hand towards it and then stop myself just before I touch it. Maybe sticking my fingers into an unknown substance isn¡¯t the best idea¡­ Pulling a random stick out of my Inventory, I poke the substance. It gives easily, looking kind of like the skin on the top of half-dried PVA glue. Unlike that glue, though, when I pull the stick away, I can¡¯t. The substance, which has to be an adhesive of some sort, has it stuck firmly. Even when I apply my full strength, it doesn¡¯t budge. Putting PVA to shame, the glue pulls a little away from the wall but refuses to either let go of the stick or break. Finally, by bracing myself against the wall with my foot and yanking with all my Power-filled Strength, I manage to break the bonds of whatever it is that makes this super-sticky substance. Of course, the impetus from my action has to go somewhere and I soon topple over onto my back, knocking the wind out of myself. To add insult to injury, Bastet sends me a wave of amusement, clearly entertained by this human doing odd things. At least the cubs don¡¯t seem too bothered by the jolt and abrupt reorientation of their world. The stick has come away but still has gluey substance attached to it. I tuck it away in my Inventory, grateful that it has again expanded by ten slots as otherwise I¡¯d really be running out of space already. Maybe I can use it later. I¡¯d love to take more of the substance with me but can¡¯t quite work out how to do that without getting completely stuck to it. Ah well, I¡¯ll think about that as I continue ¨C I¡¯ll probably be coming back this way anyway. Wondering why it¡¯s here, I inspect the area. The gluey substance has ragged edges which dangle a bit into open air. It¡¯s like the glue forms a ¡®u¡¯ shape with the raggedy bits being the inside of the letter. Frowning a little, I try to work out what could have happened. Slowly the connections fall into place. The insect-spider. The babies. The hole in the gluey substance¡­ Could this have been a massive bundle of eggs? Stuck to the wall? Why not? It fits, though why the eggs had hatched just before I arrived, I don¡¯t know ¨C it seems rather coincidental timing. Though of course, they could have hatched earlier and then it was the sound of me coming that triggered their exodus. Perhaps. In the end, I shrug. The intricate details of spider-monster breeding habits are not really what I want to focus on. I make a note that possibly they like to lay eggs in tunnels in case it crops up later, but decide to move on, figuratively and literally. Continuing on down the tunnel, I start noticing when the clearly dug tunnel starts to turn into something more accidental. I¡¯d say natural, but without humans interfering ¨C myself not included ¨C everything is natural. However what I come to appears more to be a tunnel formed out of space between two layers of rock than something a creature has created. The height of the tunnel lowers considerably, but it widens just as much. I can still walk, but I have to lean forward a fair bit to avoid hitting my head. As we walk, the ceiling gets lower and lower, and the walls start narrowing inwards too. With the shrinking space, I find myself becoming more and more conscious of just how much earth is above me. I¡¯ve never been claustrophobic, but I challenge anyone who¡¯s not a spelunking enthusiast to go crawling through dark, close tunnels and not feel at least the faintest twinge of fear. Especially since I¡¯m doing it without the possibility of radioing in assistance. Though, I do suppose I have Bastet ¨C maybe I should make use of her. ¡°Bastet,¡± I start quietly, ¡°can you scout ahead, please? See how low it gets and whether there¡¯s anything worth going on for.¡± After all, just because there¡¯s a tunnel doesn¡¯t mean it actually goes anywhere. Especially if it¡¯s just caused by some sort of shift in the rock layers. Or underground water movement. It would be disappointing to come all this way for nothing, but I¡¯d rather that than pushing forward and getting stuck somewhere. Bastet sends a wave of amused agreement. I get the feeling that she¡¯s looking down on me a bit. Why? I don¡¯t know: it¡¯s not like I¡¯m being unreasonably hesitant. No one would want to risk getting himself trapped in a tunnel for no particular reason. She¡¯s smaller and considerably more agile so is much less likely to get stuck. Damn cats. Although raptorcats don¡¯t entirely look feline, I¡¯m getting more and more the idea that they really are just big cats at heart, and most certainly in attitude. Speaking of raptorcats, the ones slung on my chest are getting a bit agitated. To be fair, the cubs have actually been behaving very well. Barely any complaints, and they¡¯ve slept most of the time. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Undoing the sling, I let the three spill out on the ground and give them some meat to chew on and some water to lap at. It¡¯s probably unsanitary to let them drink from a bowl from which I¡¯m also going to drink, but frankly, I don¡¯t care. I still haven¡¯t managed to have my bath with soap yet, or clean my clothes, so I probably have far more germs on my skin and in my clothes than the raptorcats have in their mouths. After their snack break, they explore the area around. It¡¯s pretty confined for me, barely any space above my head even with me sitting down, but for the much-smaller cubs, that doesn¡¯t mean anything. They sniff at the walls, try to sharpen their claws ¨C adorable ¨C and then start trying to wander up and down the tunnel ¨C less adorable and more annoying. I pull out a piece of cord and try to distract them with it. It works for a while as the cubs start leaping at the flicking end of the cord. I chuckle as one of them ends up pouncing on the one who actually managed to capture the moving rope end. Of course, a play fight is the result which I watch in amusement. After a while, they get bored of the game and return to trying to explore. The two females start following our trail backwards and I have to lunge to grab them, headbutting the roof of the tunnel painfully as I do. Cursing, I can¡¯t spare a hand to rub the injured spot as they¡¯re occupied with the cubs. Setting the cubs down on the ground near my torch, I level them with a firm look. ¡°Stay here,¡± I tell them sternly, not sure whether they can read my mind or sense my emotions or whatever, but trying to impress on them the importance. For now, it seems to work as Stormcloud sends me a long look before going to play with the sling material, Ninja following as normal. Of course, in the short time that takes, Trouble has already disappeared. Groaning, I hit my head gently against the wall behind, but hiss as the action makes the pain from my previous head injury hurt more. Stupid. I¡¯m going to have to go after him, aren¡¯t I? I moan internally. Bastet would kill me if I let one of her cubs get hurt. Well, not literally. While she¡¯s my Bound, she can¡¯t. But she would find ways to make my life a living hell, I¡¯m sure about that. Lacking character, she is not. Preparing to brave the increasingly narrow tunnel in search of a wayward cub, I¡¯m startled by the sudden glimpse of movement out of the corner of my right eye. Automatically reaching for a weapon, I grab my mace, only realising as I pull at it that there¡¯s no way I can wield such a weapon in these close confines. I need my knife. Even as I scrabble for it, the cause for my alarm comes close enough for me to recognise her. It¡¯s Bastet. Relief goes through me like cool breeze. Of course it¡¯s Bastet ¨C what¡¯s the chance that it would be anyone, or anything, else? Unless something managed to kill her and came hunting for the next snack, my traitorous brain tells me. Except I¡¯d notice if Bastet died ¨C I certainly noticed when Spike was in trouble. Either way, it¡¯s fine, though I should probably make sure I pull my knife out next time in case it is something else. The reason I didn¡¯t immediately recognise her was because her profile looks different: she has a swinging cub in her mouth. ¡°Thank goodness,¡± I tell her. ¡°I was about to go after him, I promise,¡± I follow up with a moment later. The wave of emotion she sends me is complicated. Admonishment ¨C I guess because I kind of lost him to begin with. Amusement ¨C because I got so wound up about it all. And some kind of sense that if Trouble got himself into trouble by wandering off, it¡¯s kind of his own fault. Which I agree with. Good to know she does too; I should have guessed that would be her response. ¡°So, what does the tunnel look like?¡± What she sends me isn¡¯t so much images as impressions. I shouldn¡¯t really be surprised that she wouldn¡¯t be able to send me images ¨C her night vision is good, but it¡¯s not good enough to see in pitch-black. There¡¯s the sense of the tunnel winding and twisting for a while. It¡¯s the oddest experience but it¡¯s almost like I have whiskers, wings, and a feathery tail since I¡¯m using the sensations of them to gauge how wide and high the tunnel is. It¡¯s wider than my/her body but not by a lot, and the lowest it gets is brushing my/her head. Then, after what feels like forever in the dark, the tunnel opens out abruptly, widening into a large space. She couldn¡¯t work out the space¡¯s size, not even by stretching out her wings to their fullest, but uses the flow of air to estimate that it¡¯s large. There¡¯s also a lot of humidity in the air, indicating water, and even a strange smell which she can¡¯t categorise. The smell is familiar to me but it takes a bit of back and forth between us to work out what it is. Eventually, it¡¯s only when she identifies that she smelt something vaguely similar when she sniffed some white crystals I have in a bowl in my cave, that I work it out. She was smelling salt. Could there be some sort of underground salt reserve? Does that happen? If so, that¡¯s enough motivation for me to brave a tunnel which I¡¯m not sure will be wide enough for me at its narrowest points. If I can get through and there is salt, that would be an awesome find. There¡¯s so much I can do with salt. Not to mention that it¡¯s great for adding to food, and required for my body. Alright, I say to myself, trying to psyche myself up, I can do this. A claustrophobe¡¯s nightmare, here I come. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Eight: Just Keep Pushing I crawl through the tunnel, hating this. The torch is clenched between my teeth, and I have to keep adjusting its position every time the tunnel narrows and its burning end starts brushing against the wall. I know it¡¯s going to get to the point where the torch¡¯s handle is too long for the width of the tunnel, but for now the space is still a bit wider than it is high. Remember the salt, I tell myself every time I think about giving up and going back the way we¡¯d come. Remember the salt. The cubs are following me on foot ¨C they weren¡¯t keen on the idea of being re-confined into the sling and it¡¯s not practical besides. If I¡¯m going to have to be squeezing through tight spaces, having delicate cubs held against me sounds like a recipe for tragedy. No, better for them to walk with Bastet bringing up the rear, making sure they don¡¯t go wandering backwards. With me at the front, I can stop them from going any further forwards if necessary. So far, it hasn¡¯t been a problem. I¡¯m not wearing my armour, having taken it off when I first started having to crawl. The movement made my chitin ¡®armour¡¯ shift against my shoulders, rubbing raw a spot which had already become a little sore after swinging my mace to kill the mini spider-monsters. A quick Lay-on-hands had dealt with that and I made another mental note to somehow file the rough edge down. It takes a couple of minutes to undo the sinew knots holding the two pieces together, and I hope I¡¯m not attacked before I have the chance to put it on again. After a while, I get to my first real challenge. The tunnel narrows and then widens again abruptly, some feature in the rock around me forming a bulge which cuts across at least half the tunnel. Feeding the torch through first, I put my hands through the hole and then prepare to wiggle my shoulders through. They stick for a moment and I worry suddenly whether my recent bulking up is going to be the reason for me not getting my salt. It¡¯s certainly true that my shoulders are a lot broader now than they had been on arrival, and even then I¡¯d been reasonably nicely defined. I¡¯m still not bulky in a body-builder style, mind. No, the muscles I¡¯ve developed here from both activity and stat points are lean and tough. The downside of that is that they¡¯re not easy to squish through a confined space. After a moment of wriggling, though, I get them through. I breathe a sigh of relief as my heart-rate goes back to normal. Though if that was hard, I really fear for my chances later: if I remember the impressions Bastet sent me, I haven¡¯t yet encountered the tightest spot. Pulling myself through with my hands and pushing with my feet, I fit my hips into the space a lot more easily than my shoulders. It just takes a bit of awkward wriggling and then I¡¯m entirely through. The space beyond the tight point is a bit wider than the previous tunnel and I sit back, looking at the raptorcat cubs scrambling through the hole. Since the further stretch of tunnel is a bit lower than the previous, they have to scramble down a steep slope which I¡¯d been able to easily span with my longer limbs. As usual, they¡¯re just too cute as they tackle the challenge. Ninja starts feeling her way down then gets bored and jumps the last bit. Stormcloud determinedly shuffles down the slope one paw at a time. Trouble, being his usual careless self, just jumps, lands badly, and rolls to bump into my leg. He looks up at me questioningly, as if unsure as to what has just happened. I can only shake my head. If this cub makes it to adulthood, heck, even adolescence, I¡¯ll count it as one of my greatest achievements. Bastet waits patiently on the other side of the hole for us to shift and make some space for her. I promptly shift up the tunnel a bit, telling the cubs to follow me. By this point, we¡¯ve developed enough of a rapport that they follow my instructions without a problem. How they can understand me, I don¡¯t know; I¡¯m just glad that they can. The adult raptorcat steps through easily, tucking her rudimentary wings into her sides as she moves sinuously. I envy her for her ease of movements sometimes, now more than ever. ¡°If I get stuck, you¡¯re pulling me out,¡± I warn her. She sends a wave of agreement with a tinge of amusement. ¡°Right,¡± I say to myself, looking with determination at the tunnel ahead. I can¡¯t see much of the tunnel ahead thanks to the limited range of the torchlight. Still, as far as I can see there aren¡¯t any more tight spots, though it does start to narrow again at the edge of my view. At least there¡¯s a current of air passing through the tunnel which reassures me ¨C to find myself stuck in an airless hole is an even worse prospect than just finding myself stuck. And that¡¯s enough of a nightmare to make me seriously consider going back. If I was alone, I would. It¡¯s only the hope that Bastet would be able to help me that keeps me going forwards. Once more setting off, we travel through the tunnels slowly and steadily. The tunnel narrows and widens at different points, but nowhere near as tightly as that spot earlier. At a couple of points I have to put the torch on the floor and push it forward in between crawling simply because the tunnel isn¡¯t wide enough for me to carry it in my mouth. I ought to work out some way of rigging it up to my head or something, I decide. As long as I can make it that it¡¯s not likely to set my hair on fire, that is. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. At each step I have to fight against the fear that creeps higher in my chest: the fear of being entombed before I¡¯m even dead. The walls seem to press tighter even when I can logically see that they¡¯re not actually any narrower and the ceiling is overbearingly low. I swallow dryly and focus on my goal. Remember the salt. I try to distract myself by theorising how this tunnel came to be. There¡¯s quite a strong wind current ¨C could it have been erosion of air? No, it¡¯s not strong enough for that. Water? Possibly. There are certainly a number of hallmarks which indicate it being water erosion ¨C channels cut in the rock along the tunnel rather than from side to side, smooth curves in general rather than rough points, fairly uniform surfaces. While the surfaces are still a bit rough, it¡¯s true that even the roughness is rounded rather than jagged. For a moment, a new fear surfaces ¨C that of suddenly being engulfed in a flood of water, drowning before I could even make it halfway back to the last tight spot. Then my rationality asserts itself again. The tunnel is completely dry without even the signs of intermittent flooding. There¡¯s no greenery on the walls, no algal bloom. OK, I don¡¯t know for sure that this world has algae, but the chances are that it has something which grows in damp environments. This tunnel is completely bare of anything like that. My heart-rate slows back down from its spike. I decide that theorising is just as stressful as just concentrating on moving forwards, and resolve not to do any more of it unless necessary. When I next come to a tight spot, it¡¯s a bit more significant than the previous. Not quite as tight, but a lot longer. I gulp a little at the sight, my fight against my fear faltering briefly. Before panic can take over, I close my eyes and breathe, reminding myself that I¡¯m not here alone ¨C that in the worst case scenario, Bastet will have to dig her teeth into my ankle or calf and pull me out. The tunnel roof lowers abruptly, leaving a space that¡¯s nowhere near big enough for me to crawl. I¡¯ll have to army-crawl at best for most of it, and there¡¯s a spot I can see at the edge of the light pool where I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll actually fit my upper body through at all. Is salt worth this? Bastet got through, I remind myself. She¡¯s smaller than me, but she¡¯s also less able to move flat. When it comes to going through spaces which are horizontally-challenged, she¡¯s definitely more able than me, but I¡¯m better at going flat than she is since she has to crouch and creep forwards. That she was able to get through this space gives me hope that I can too. Muttering a short prayer to anyone who¡¯s around to hear and crossing my fingers for good measure, I face my fear. I feed the torch in first and double-check to make sure I don¡¯t have any loose fabric that might get caught on rough bits of rock. I even stick my knife into my Inventory to make sure that there¡¯s no risk of that getting trapped either. Lowering myself to my belly, I feed myself into the small space and then use my elbows and toes to push myself forwards. The first bit is OK. The ceiling is far too close for comfort, but I can move relatively easily. Then it starts getting tighter. The ceiling gets closer and closer until it¡¯s pressing on my shoulders from the top even as I¡¯m pressed into the floor below. The space is too narrow for me to lift my head fully and I have to strain my eyes looking upwards constantly just to see forwards. The only good thing about the situation is that since the space is pretty wide, I¡¯m not struggling to move my arms. Not unless I want to rotate my shoulders, at least. I inch through, my fingers and toes providing the impetus I need to keep moving forward. Inside my mind is a litany of comfort and encouragement to stave off the panic bubbling just under the surface. Just keep going, just keep pushing, just keep pulling, it¡¯s OK, I¡¯ll make it, I¡¯m still moving¡­ My focus narrows to purely the next inch, the next divot I can fit my fingers or toes in to give myself just a little extra omph. Had I tried this when I first arrived, I doubt I¡¯d have got this far. My fingers and toes wouldn¡¯t have had the strength or dexterity to keep me moving forwards. Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure my Willpower is helping me keep my fear at bay. Then comes the dreaded moment: I get to the point where the ceiling presses low enough down that I can barely make any headway against the friction caused by the rough rock over and above me. I can only breathe shallowly because I don¡¯t have the space to fully fill my chest. The primal fear of suffocation enhances the already present fear of being entombed and I find myself panting shallow breaths, a low, fearful whine wheezing out of my throat. A rumble from behind me startles me for a moment, increasing the speed of my panting breaths. My heart starting to pound even harder in my chest, a cold sweat trickles down my forehead. A wave of apologetic reassurance comes down the Bond to me. Oh. Yes. In my fearful state, I¡¯d forgotten I had Bastet with me. Feeling momentarily embarrassed, I remind myself that it¡¯s perfectly normal to feel panicky in the situation I¡¯m currently experiencing. Her reassurance helps me continue and I work my way forwards bit by bit. Each inch is an accomplishment and a move towards getting out of here. My torch has been edged forwards enough that it¡¯s now revealing my goal. The space is close enough to feel if I stretch my questing fingers out fully in front of me; the flames of the torch are illuminating a larger cave only a few inches away. If I remember from Bastet¡¯s scouting, this is the worst point; after this, there are only a couple of other difficult points, and neither of them are quite as tight as this. That doesn¡¯t help when my progress suddenly grinds to a halt. The ceiling has dipped just a fraction lower, and suddenly I can¡¯t go forwards. Shifting backwards to try and take another approach, I find I¡¯m not making any progress in that direction either. My heart-rate spikes and my panting breaths start coming out as wheezes again. I¡¯m stuck. Book One: Leap - Chapter Seventy-Nine: Salt I panic. The fear which I¡¯ve been holding at bay by the skin of my teeth for the last half an hour ¨C if not longer ¨C escapes my grasp and takes over. I thrash, my fingers scrabbling for any handhold, my feet searching for any possible purchase. My upper body is pinned in place, even my most violent movements unable to shift the main part of me. I only stop when I run out of energy, having chewed through my stamina at a fast pace. I haven¡¯t bottomed out, but using a big chunk in a short space of time tends to make me feel tired and a bit nauseous anyway. I rest my head on the rock before me, tears of fear trickling down my nose. I don¡¯t cry often, and even now refuse to truly acknowledge them: they¡¯re salty drops of sweat, nothing else. I¡¯m not great at lying to myself, though. My throat is sore from shouting with breath that would have been better kept in my lungs; it¡¯s not surprising that my head is swimming a bit with oxygen deprivation. Now I¡¯ve pulled back from the edge of complete abandonment to fear, I feel the waves of concern battering me from Bastet¡¯s direction. I send back a sense of exhaustion and hopelessness, the tinge of fear creeping into my message despite myself. The reminder that I¡¯m not alone helps to steady me further. If I can¡¯t go forward, Bastet can always pull me backwards ¨C even if she has to break my ankle to do it, I¡¯ll be able to heal myself. The thought gives me the courage to try again. Taking a moment to rest, I attempt to bring my breathing back under control. I still can¡¯t take full breaths, but I can stop myself from panting uselessly. I relax bit by bit, forcing my muscles to melt into the rock below me. The fewer muscles active, the less oxygen I need. The more relaxed my muscles, the less the ceiling presses on down on me. The easier my breathing becomes, the less confined I feel, the easier it is to push my fear back. I¡¯m not in the right state of mind to meditate, but I sense the similarities. With Bastet¡¯s continued waves of encouragement and my own internal monologue, I find my heart-rate slowing and my breathing coming more and more easily. Finally, I feel like I¡¯m ready. I first try shifting backwards a bit. It works easily now I¡¯m not all tense and taking up more space than absolutely necessary. Now shifting sideways a little bit, I try to press forwards again, hoping to avoid the little rounded spike of rock which had so impeded my previous progress. This time, I¡¯m not stopped. I keep going, millimetre by tortuous millimetre. I refuse to pay attention to how far I¡¯ve come or how far I have yet to go. Instead, my world has narrowed once more to my finger and toe tips, the rough slide against rock, and focusing on controlling my breathing and fear. When the ceiling stops pressing down on my shoulders, it¡¯s a surprise. I lift my head, the fact that I¡¯m able to raise it fully feeling almost like a leaving a dream ¨C or nightmare. The whole experience must have only lasted a few minutes, half an hour at the most, but I¡¯ll be the first to admit that my sense of time went a little screwy back there. Despite how short the experience in objective terms, it almost seems implausible that I once lived in a world in which I could stand and move freely. There¡¯s something about this tunnel which has narrowed my existence to its confines. Now with my shoulders through, I move eagerly to pull the entirety of my upper body out too. Once my arms have more leverage, pulling my hips and legs the rest of the way is easy. I take big breaths as soon as I¡¯ve managed to push myself to a sitting position, luxuriating in the ability to breathe freely that I had always taken for granted. I rub my hands up and down my arms, my head, my legs, making sure everything is present and accounted for. The touch makes it feel more real, the realisation that I conquered that horrific experience finally dawning. I look back at the hole through which I¡¯d exited and marvel that I got through it. If I put my hands against it, it¡¯s only barely higher than my two hands piled on top of each other, fingers straight and parallel. A gap of perhaps twenty, twenty-five centimeters, tops. The human body is amazing, really. After the tightest spot, it opens up fairly quickly, a small dip down to the tunnel floor I¡¯m sitting on and then a steep angle upwards to where the tunnel ceiling is now, high enough for me to almost stand up bent double. It would be uncomfortable as hell to walk like that, though, so I¡¯m going to stick to crawling. I gulp, though, as I look back at the hole through which I came. Do I really have to go back this way? I¡¯ll just have to hold out hope for some other exit. I watch as the raptorcats come through too. The cubs don¡¯t have much trouble, of course. They¡¯re about the size of large Labrador puppies, so they just have to crouch down a bit and then can make it through easily enough. Bastet, on the other hand, being about the size of a leopard, has to do a strange sideways movement which really doesn¡¯t look that comfortable for her. I remember seeing videos of cats going under doors and, though the gap is not nearly as tight as that for her, the motion of her paws and body is not dissimilar. It¡¯s still more a crouch than anything else, but a...sideways crouch? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Her head comes out first, her front paws reaching for purchase through the gap, propelling her body forwards. By the time she¡¯s halfway out, I¡¯m surprised to see that her wings are actually helping too: I thought they would just be problematic ¨C hazards which could get more easily caught. But no, they¡¯re also helping propel her through the space. She¡¯s quickly out and we take a moment to breathe together, Bastet coming to rub heads with me and the cubs. Pack bonding time, I suppose. Moments like this make me realise that I haven¡¯t so much ¡®domesticated¡¯ Bastet as she¡¯s adopted me into the pack. It kind of feels..nice. Almost like family, though I shy away from that thought, my wounds still raw where family is concerned. We take a moment to munch some meat and drink some water. It¡¯s calm and peaceful right now; who knows how long that will last? Better to make sure we¡¯re all well-nourished when possible. After my panic, the routine actions of eating and drinking are reassuring and help in settling the parts of me that aren¡¯t quite back to normal. Feeling more like myself, we continue. I¡¯m starting to wonder if even salt is worth this journey, for all the uses that I have for it, but I¡¯ve come this far; I might as well continue. Besides, if I¡¯ve interpreted Bastet¡¯s scouting impressions correctly, I¡¯m past the worst hurdle so it seems ridiculous to just give up now. Plus, giving up now means facing that narrow tunnel once again, all too soon. The tunnel changes dimensions regularly, often bulges from all sides protruding to narrow the passageway in one way or another. Most of them are easy enough to get past, though some pose more trouble to the cubs than others, especially the times when the bulge protrudes from the floor. A couple of times I have to lift them over when they fail at climbing over by themselves. Bastet, of course, has no difficulty. The tight spots I come across are almost a breeze now. Once more they¡¯re choke points where a bulge from one direction or the other narrows the passageway enough to really cause an issue for us. Well, me. Still, at their narrowest they¡¯re still about my forearm¡¯s length in width, so they¡¯re easy enough to wriggle through. My torch is doing a great job, though it starts guttering in between tight spots three and four. I quickly light another one. No way do I want to risk being stuck in the pitch black with little chance of striking my flint and tinder in the right spot to light the resin. I hope I have enough torches ¨C I only prepared five of them, not thinking that I¡¯d need too many. Smothering the old one by rolling it rapidly on the floor, I tuck it back into my Inventory just in case I¡¯m really in trouble later. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t stack with my other fresh torches ¨C another Inventory slot used. The passage seems interminable, even though I know logically that it has an end. Time means nothing down here in the dark, not even my status screen seeming to indicate that time is passing. A thought occurs to me that the Energy required per percentage point must have increased again. I conclude that based on my certainty that I¡¯ve been down here for at least two hours and the observation that my Energy store hasn¡¯t showed any change. At least my ordeal with getting stuck in the passageway has earned me a point in Willpower. I realise that when I take a moment to check my message box. Sure, it takes about seven percent of my Energy ¨C another indication that the objective amount of Energy I now need to accumulate to increase my Energy store has increased significantly ¨C but I take the point happily anyway. Finally, after a final tight bit of passageway that requires a bit of wriggling, I emerge into a space that¡¯s almost too high above my head to see the ceiling. The light from my torch illuminates a cave that soars above my head, its light catching faintly on stalactites or something above. Stalactites? Stalagmites? I can never remember which is which. Either way, there are both and I have to walk carefully to avoid stepping on a pointy bit of rock. The sound of plinking echoes through the large space, water falling drop by drop into some sort of deep puddle somewhere. The air is damp and, even better, briny. As I step delicately between the calcified structures, my foot crackles. Bending down, I investigate what I¡¯m stepping through. My heart starts pounding in excitement as my finger comes away covered in white crystals. Licking it, my eyes light up. After all the stress and pain, it¡¯s good to know I didn¡¯t endure it for nothing! Looking around eagerly, I realise that there¡¯s salt encrusted around the bases of all of these structures, lapping just below where I¡¯d climbed through from the tunnel, where the cubs are just now tumbling out. At the sight of them, I suddenly wonder whether it¡¯s OK for them to be walking barefoot through all this salt and rock. Then I remember that their feet are more scaly talons than something like a cat or dog¡¯s paw, and decide that if Bastet is worried, she¡¯ll tell me. Instead, I crouch down to start harvesting my bounty. I want to investigate the rest of the cave, sure, but I¡¯d also like to make sure I collect some salt. By this point, I¡¯m familiar with how quickly a situation can go downhill, so decide to take advantage of it all seeming calm for now. Using my knife to scrape off salt crystals, I deposit handful after handful of salt into my Inventory. Wondering if the stalagmites ¨C or stalactites, whatever ¨C would be useful for heading weaponry, I snap off a few tops and deposit them in my Inventory too. I discover that as long as their sizes are vaguely similar, they stack. Not wanting to take more than one slot, I proceed to just searching for uniformity while focusing most of my attention on collecting my white bounty. Rounding a corner, I see that the cave isn¡¯t as completely closed as I¡¯d thought. There¡¯s a natural archway which is opposite a paler stretch of rock, but it¡¯s hidden from the tunnel. Walking cautiously towards it, I look through and see something that makes my eyes go wide. Book One: Leap - Chapter Eighty: Monster from the Deep It¡¯s beautiful, is my first thought. After so long having only the flickering light of my torch to illuminate the way ahead, to now see bright daylight makes more of an impression on me than I would have thought. It feels like having been stuck in a smog for years and now finally being able to breathe fresh air once more. The fingers of light are coming from a large hole in the roof, a crevice which opens up from the top of one wall to a good few metres away. While I wouldn¡¯t say the cave is well-lit ¨C the shafts of light are far too confined for that ¨C I can see a lot more than I would have been able to with only my torch as light. Looking back for a moment, I realise that what I had thought was paler rock was just the same material as the rest of the cavern, lightly illuminated. Returning my attention to the cave in front of me, I scan the place for threats. It¡¯s big, that¡¯s for sure. Almost a cavern, really. The cave is about five or six metres high and at least three times that wide. As for the length, even the light streaming in from the ceiling can¡¯t reach the furthest points of the cave. It does, however, glint off a large, fathomless pool that starts not far from where I¡¯m standing. The surface of the pool would have been glass-smooth, except for the drops of water that fall from more stalactites on the cavern ceiling. They shine like diamonds as they fall through the air only to then plink into the water and send ripples lapping at the edges. It¡¯s deep. The water¡¯s crystal clear, so I can see how the cave floor rapidly drops away until it¡¯s out of sight. While clear at the edges, it¡¯s completely black within a worryingly short time. I make a mental note to avoid falling in ¨C if my clothes pull me down, I¡¯ll be in big trouble. I send Bastet a warning about the cubs, knowing that they will all be curious. The salt near the edges of the pool is even more thickly encrusted, indicating that the water is the source of it all. Why would there be salty water in the middle of a mountain? Maybe there¡¯s some sort of salt deposit that the water¡¯s dissolved? But surely it would have just all leaked out one way or another? I end up putting the question to one side: it¡¯s at times like these that I miss the internet. Either way, my hopes rise at the thought that there might be another way out of here, one that doesn¡¯t involve me squeezing myself into a pancake¡­ Careful not to step in the water, I narrow my eyes in thought as I walk around the pool to survey the rock wall below the base of the crevice. It should be possible to climb ¨C there are plenty of handholds. A few dodgy spots where the rock presses outwards which would have to be purely strength based ¨C I¡¯d never have tried them with my previous level of fitness, but now¡­ If I could fix a rope harness up at the top, I could reduce the risk of falling badly, and then I¡¯d have access to a large amount of salt¡­ It¡¯s definitely worth considering. Turning around to talk to Bastet ¨C even if I can climb the wall, she probably can¡¯t ¨C I see what one of the cubs is doing. For once, it¡¯s not Trouble. Instead, Ninja is dipping her paw in the water, splashing curiously. I start striding towards her, an admonishment on my lips. Maybe it¡¯s just salty water; maybe it¡¯s caustic soda. Either way, it¡¯s not a good idea to just stick her paw in unknown liquid. A particularly hard plash with her paw sends droplets all over her face and she backs up shaking her head and sneezing cutely. I can¡¯t help cooing a little bit at her adorableness, but the undercurrent of worry is still there. What if she¡¯s got some of the liquid in her eyes and it makes her go blind? What if it is caustic and starts burning her down to the bone? Fortunately, when I get close enough to scoop her up, I see that the liquid doesn¡¯t appear to be doing anything nefarious. Other than getting her wet, which is enough to make the little cub mewl grumpily. ¡°Then don¡¯t go playing in strange liquids, silly thing,¡± I tell her sternly, though can¡¯t prevent a fond note from entering my voice. I couldn¡¯t say which of the raptorcats is my favourite, but Ninja is definitely the cutest. The returning ripple from Ninja¡¯s full-pawed splash returns to lap at my feet, more small waves following. Wait¡­ Ninja didn¡¯t splash that hard: she¡¯s only a little cub, after all. Something in my hindbrain starts screaming and I don¡¯t hesitate to obey the instinct. I would far rather act unnecessarily than hesitate when seconds count. I take a couple of quick steps to grab Stormcloud where she¡¯s poking at a stalagmite. ¡°Get Trouble,¡± I snap at Bastet, already booking it towards the section of the cave where we came through. Before I manage to make it halfway to the natural archway, I see something which makes my hands itch for a weapon. It¡¯s impossible at the moment, with my hands full as they are, but the moment I¡¯ve put the cubs somewhere safe, I¡¯ll be pulling out my mace for sure. Probably a spear too. A monster from the deep has risen, a great black serpent. It¡¯s long and thick, its head indistinguishable from its body. The brief glance I get of it before I continue running doesn¡¯t reveal any vulnerable points like eyes. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t expect some monster that lives in the dark to rely on sight. Stumbling through the trip hazard of stalagmites ¨C or stalactites ¨C poking up from the floor, I make it back to the tunnel. Shoving the cubs in more roughly than I¡¯d like, I quickly turn around and grab my spear and mace out of my Inventory. Sure, I could grab my bow and arrows too, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to make much of an impression on this monster. Bastet isn¡¯t here yet. I run, stumble, and hop through the minefield back to the archway. She¡¯s trapped, tucked into a corner as the water snake ¨C or whatever it is ¨C waves back and forth. Maybe it can¡¯t detect us, I wonder, my mind racing. Maybe it is sensitive enough to detect the unusual ripple that Ninja created, but now it¡¯s above water, it doesn¡¯t know where we are. If we could make it believe that it was just a rock or something that fell¡­ It¡¯s getting closer and closer to Bastet¡¯s hiding place, rubbing its nose along the wall and approaching her inch by inch. It¡¯s big, wider around than she¡¯s tall, and she¡¯s handicapped besides ¨C I see Trouble held securely in her mouth. She¡¯s pulled in close against the wall, but by the way the snake¡¯s moving, it¡¯s going to find her in a few seconds. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Scrabbling at the ground, I manage to grab and break off a chunk of calcified rock. Throwing it in the opposite direction of the snake from where Bastet is, I hold my breath. I¡¯m gratified when the loud plop the stone makes as it falls into the pool garners a reaction. The snake twists quickly and shoots directly towards the stone. I frown as I watch it. It¡¯s not moving like any snake I¡¯ve ever seen ¨C mostly on the internet. But I can¡¯t put my finger on why it seems so strange. After considering it for a moment, I dismiss the thought. We need to get out of here; that¡¯s what¡¯s important. Bastet has put the distraction of the enemy to good use and is sprinting towards me as fast as she can. She¡¯s almost to my position when one of her back claws slides on the damp and slippery stone. She regains her balance quickly, but not quick enough to avoid touching the shallows of the pool. My theories of the creature being sensitive to water movement must be correct as it immediately reacts. Leaving the site of the falling stone alone, the monster shoots straight towards us. Bracing myself, I ready my weapons. As soon as Bastet has bounded past, her eyes wide and feathers sticking up on end, I jab with my spear. In the time it takes me to do that, the snake shoots past, following the running raptorcat. My spear rebounds off the monster¡¯s skin uselessly, not a mark on its skin. Swinging my mace with all my strength, I grimace as it also rebounds, the vibrations from its impact reverberating through the rest of the mace and stinging my hand. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve swung a wooden bat at a solid iron pole. What kind of monster is this? My attacks have had one effect ¨C they¡¯ve drawn the monster¡¯s attention. It pulls back, much slower than it had been moving when it struck. I dare to glance to the side to check on Bastet. She¡¯s nowhere to be seen ¨C I hope that¡¯s because she¡¯s managed to escape rather than because she¡¯s been squashed into a paste by this insanely strong monster. Now I need to escape too. I start edging backwards, keeping my eyes on the snake while also trying not to trip over the pointy pieces of rock that threaten to snare my feet. The snake doesn¡¯t seem to be about to attack¡­ It¡¯s poised menacingly, but hasn¡¯t started feeling around for me, or striking at me yet. Then I see something that makes me swallow dryly, my bowels turning to water. The snake isn¡¯t alone. Heads of other black snakes are emerging from the water. One, two, four, six, ten...I lose count as they fill the space above the pool, each one waving its pointed nose around, swaying back and forth. Each is surprisingly uniform, no real difference in size. Black skin, smooth lines, no obvious weaknesses. Then the pieces fall in place. This isn¡¯t a snake. Memories of watching the Fellowship of the Ring flash through my mind: the moment when Boromir threw a stone in the water. This is something far worse than a snake. Losing my nerve completely, I turn and run towards the tunnel, my only thought that of escape. My eyes are probably as wide as Bastet¡¯s had been. Perhaps she¡¯d already known that this was something we couldn¡¯t hope to face, not when my mace and spear just bounce off its skin. I don¡¯t make it. Halfway there, a blow takes me off my feet. I¡¯m airborne for a brief moment before I make contact with the wall. It¡¯s unforgiving, the impact making even my enhanced body explode with pain. I tumble down uncontrollably, having been flung up several metres into the air. The impact with the ground is no better than that of the wall and if I¡¯d had breath in my lungs, I¡¯d have screamed. As it is, pained whimpers pant through my broken jaw. I can¡¯t count how many injuries I have. Everything hurts. I didn¡¯t slam head-first against the wall; that¡¯s the only blessing. Instead, I hit it hip-first and that¡¯s now either fractured or heavily bruised with how it feels. And even if I didn¡¯t hit the wall head-first, I still hit hard enough to break my jaw, so the world is fading in and out, my brain threatening me with unconsciousness. The world starts spinning, thoughts becoming fractured and hard to hold together. Stay awake. Bad things will happen if I go to sleep. Stay awake. Don¡¯t sleep. Not time. Stay awake. Need...something. Something. He...head? Head hurts. Hurts...heal? Heal. Yes, heal. My hurting brain grasps onto the thought and tries to run with it. The problem is, I can¡¯t string thoughts together enough to work out how to heal. I remember it¡¯s something to do with energy, with a coolness that brings relief to pain. Desperately, knowing that things are getting worse as an emotion, even if I can¡¯t attach any logic to it, I reach for that cool feeling. It feels like I¡¯m trying to grasp a cloud, my claw-like fingers just dragging uselessly through the substance. No. No. It¡¯s my energy, it will obey. And it does. There¡¯s a moment of hesitation, a moment where I refuse to consider failure, and then energy is pouring into me. It circles the injury in my head, the coolness soothing the pulsing, throbbing pain. I ¡®feel¡¯ with the energy as it pulls something out of my brain, slotting everything back into place and fixing it. The energy sends tendrils down to my hip and to a tiny fracture in my upper spine that I hadn¡¯t even noticed in the wash of agony everywhere. And then it fades. My brain now working correctly ¨C and I refuse to even touch on the idea that I might have just had something sticking in it a moment ago ¨C I notice that my mana bar is completely empty. At least it managed to fully sustain brain surgery ¨C no, not thinking about that. I¡¯m still in pain, but I¡¯m desperate to know what¡¯s going on. Opening my eyes, I see the monster is still thrashing its tentacles around, but it seems to be giving up the search, tentacles withdrawing one by one. I wonder why it hasn¡¯t found me, but then realise that I¡¯ve been ¡®lucky¡¯. I¡¯ve fallen behind a few large pillars of calcified rock and they¡¯ve served to hide and protect me even as my impact with them has done more damage. Then I see something beyond the stalagmites and still-writhing tentacles that makes my heart sink into my boots. Somehow, the monster¡¯s thrashing has caused actual damage to the wall in multiple places. One of which was where the tunnel entrance used to be. The way is shut. Book One: Leap - Chapter Eighty-One: Broken and Shattered I hope Bastet got through with Trouble, I think fervently. And that all of them were out of the way when the monster hit with enough force to close the entrance. And that the fact that the tunnel is closed isn¡¯t a sign that there¡¯s been a rockfall in the tunnel itself¡­ Working myself into a panic, I suddenly realise that I have an easy way to get at least a proof of life. Breathing deeply to control my emotions and bring some sense of calm back to my mind, I reach mentally into the metaphysical area where I find my Bonds. Well, Bond. The place where Spike¡¯s Bond used to be is empty. Not painful, not really, but I¡¯m aware of its absence; the reminder aches. Thankfully, Bastet¡¯s Bond is still there. She¡¯s alive. Digging in a little deeper, I get the sense that she¡¯s worried, stressed, but not in immediate danger. Can I communicate with her via the Bond at this distance? I haven¡¯t tried before, but I don¡¯t see why not ¨C I communicate with her all the time using the Bond; why would a little distance make a big difference? It does make a difference ¨C the effort of transmitting my thoughts down the Bond is like swimming through sludge instead of water, but I succeed. I think. I focus hard on the image of the entrance to the tunnel. The entrance in the copse of dead trees, that is. It almost feels like I¡¯ve got constipation as my muscles tense to push just as much as my mind. Their tension is worse than useless ¨C pushing with physical muscles isn¡¯t going to help a mental or soul message, and it just reminds me that I¡¯m still heavily injured. Still, I feel a faint hint of surprise and then acknowledgment from Bastet¡¯s end of things ¨C hopefully she¡¯s got the message correctly. I release my hold on the Bond with a silent sigh of relief. Now I need to get out of here. The tunnel¡¯s shut, and I doubt I¡¯ll be able to get it open, though I will check anyway. The only other option I can see ahead of me is climbing up the wall to the crevice and getting out that way. To do that, though, I¡¯m going to need to be in peak physical condition, not the bloody and broken mess I am right now. I¡¯d completely emptied my mana bar earlier, but I¡¯ve already started getting it back. As soon as I have enough mana for a Lay-on-hands, I cast it, the magic springing into action with an ease previously unseen. It¡¯s great, but I can¡¯t help wondering why. The energy fills my body and I wince as I realise just how many injuries I have going on. The last healing I did only dealt with my brain damage and spine ¨C and those are really scary to think about. The rest of my hurts are still shrieking at me. In fact, I¡¯m wondering how I¡¯m even coping with doing anything other than screaming and crying in agony. My hip has been fractured, my jaw broken. My collarbone is damaged too, perhaps a small fracture as well. That probably happened at the same time as the other two injuries. That moment is a bit of a blur in my memory, but I¡¯m pretty sure that I hit the wall with my hip first, the tentacle having caught me in my mid-section, and then my shoulder and head slammed into the wall the instant afterwards, my motion otherwise arrested. My foot is bleeding, a stalagmite sticking straight through it ¨C RIP boots ¨C and I have to be grateful that the stone spike is actually plugging the wound as otherwise I would be running low on blood by this point. One of my knees also hurts, though I think that¡¯s just deep bruising. Probably most of these injuries are from when I fell two or three metres to the ground, ending up squeezed between unforgiving stone pillars and even more unforgiving stone wall. At this point, I¡¯d love to say I¡¯m grateful that I didn¡¯t break a leg or arm, but frankly, I have enough broken things to be dealing with. Not to mention, of course, all the bone-deep bruising all over my body. In fact, there are very few places on my body that don¡¯t hurt. Honestly, I¡¯m wondering whether something in one of my stats improves capacity to deal with pain: it doesn¡¯t hurt any less, but somehow, I¡¯m managing to cope with it. Either that or shock, anyway. The cool energy of my healing spell enters my body, bringing a measure of instant relief to my worst injuries. Closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the wall, moving slowly and gently to avoid exacerbating my numerous injuries, I let my focus dive into my body. It¡¯s closer to myself than I ever thought I¡¯d come, closer than anyone but a surgeon could dare to be. And this is my body, not anyone else¡¯s. I feel a connection to it that no surgeon could have. I go into a sort of trance, viewing my body through my sense of the energy flowing through it. I was never brilliant at biology at school, but half-remembered facts from then snap into perfect clarity now. The knowledge helps me heal myself, pushing bone shards back into place, reducing the swelling of damaged areas, forcing out foreign bodies, calming nerve receptors, redirecting blood-flow¡­ It¡¯s not a single Lay-on-hands that I cast, but a steady stream of healing that goes at the pace of my regeneration. When I emerge from my trance, my mana is back at zero, but all my injuries are healed. The light filtering through from the other cavern is also a lot dimmer. Checking my status, I realise that a lot of time must have gone past ¨C I¡¯ve actually gained an Energy percentage towards the next level. Not having tested how much Energy I absorb in a day in this area, I can¡¯t say for sure how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve been sitting here, but the fact that I¡¯ve only gained about two points since I woke up ¨C three now ¨C indicates my healing is quite a slow process. While I¡¯m checking my status, I realise I have three messages waiting for me. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Huh. Could have done with that before I almost killed myself. Though I suppose that¡¯s the point ¨C pun not intended. I almost kill myself, and earn a point by surviving. The addition takes seven percent of my meagre Energy store, but it¡¯s worth it for the extra ten health units I gain. The second message is much in the same vein:
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Wisdom and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
Once more accepting the point, I wipe out the rest of my Energy store, but once more, more Wisdom means more mana, which may be the difference between death and survival next time. Heck, this time, it was the difference between brain damage or no brain damage¡­. The final message is a lot more exciting.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Novice. Lay-on-hands is now Initiate 1. You are now able to enter an altered state of consciousness in which you can directly manipulate your mana to heal yourself without converting it to healing energy first. Caution: you will be unable to detect your surroundings while in this altered state of consciousness.
Close message? Y/N
That¡¯s interesting to know ¨C I can advance a Skill without actually maxing out its previous ranking: Lay-on-hands had been at Novice Seven before I entered the tunnel, and I doubt it gained two whole levels while I was crawling through the narrow gaps. I¡¯m more and more convinced that we have to do something with the Skill to make it break through the ranks, and that action is what determines the Skill¡¯s evolution. The first time I levelled up Lay-on-hands, I accidentally channeled healing to heal my eye, using my knowledge of the eye¡¯s anatomy to aid in its reconstruction. Result: I was then able to intentionally channel healing to different parts of my body, as well as just casting the general spell. This time, I accidentally entered a trance where I was able to do extended surgery on myself. Result: I can now do that intentionally, though at the risk of being attacked by something while I¡¯m lost in my inner world. I take a look at my Skills briefly.
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 4 Tame ¨C Beginner 2 Fade ¨C Novice 8 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 1 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 7
Interestingly, both Dominate and Tame have increased, despite the fact that I haven¡¯t used them. Is it something to do with my Bond with Bastet? I don¡¯t see any other explanation. Fade is almost maxing out the Novice tier, and Stealth is already there. I guess that, if I¡¯m right about the way I ranked up Lay-on-hands, I¡¯ll have to find some other application or use of the Skills in order to push them up a rank. I¡¯m procrastinating, I suddenly realise. Using the excuse of checking my messages and stats to avoid thinking about the fact that I need to get up and explore my options for escaping this place. It¡¯s only now that the excuses have faded away that I realise what I was doing. The monster was straight out of a nightmare, yes, but I have to get out of here, and that involves moving. Well, either that, or I can just sit here and give up. I¡¯m not ready to give up, I decide the moment the thought occurs. I¡¯m a very different person from who I was when I arrived: I¡¯ve discovered a zest for life which allows me to push through pain and injury to do what I need to do. I won¡¯t be deterred by the fear of a monster which is too strong for me. Sure, I¡¯m not going to attack it ¨C that would be stupid ¨C but I¡¯m not going to just cower here in a corner, dying by inches. I listen carefully, but everything is still. Nothing but the sound of slow plinking of water droplets breaks the silence. Gently pushing myself to my feet, I hiss at the feeling of stiffness everywhere. It almost feels like I¡¯ve been calcified as much as the spikes of rock around me. Stepping one foot at a time, Fade and Stealth both fully engaged, I go over to the place the tunnel mouth used to be. After a few moments, I step away, shaking my head. I don¡¯t know how the monster did it ¨C whether it knocked down a stalactite or bashed a stalagmite, or dug its tentacle into the rock itself ¨C but there¡¯s a big chunk of rock very firmly embedded in the hole. I might be able to pull it away ¨C emphasis on ¡®might¡¯ ¨C given my increased Strength, but even if I do that, there¡¯s no guarantee that it¡¯s the only obstacle in the way. Plus, I¡¯d really be done for if I attracted the monster¡¯s attention by yanking at a heavy boulder, and then found that there was another one behind it. No, I decide I¡¯d better give the rock-climbing a go before risking that. If the rock-climbing seems impossible, I¡¯ll come back to this idea and try to find ways of making it easier and less loud, but that¡¯s likely to take a while. Turning around, I face the opposite wall, faint fingers of light emerging from the archway that¡¯s not visible from my current position. Taking a deep breath, I summon up my courage and then trudge steadily through the mess of broken and shattered spurs of rock. Years or decades for them to grow drop by drop, only to be destroyed in minutes by a massive underwater creature. Let¡¯s hope I¡¯m not walking into the belly of the beast here. Book One: Leap - Chapter Eighty-Two: Into the Groove The pool is smooth, only the faintest ripples on its surface from the ever-plinking water droplets. I gaze at it in apprehension, but there isn¡¯t even the hint of movement, the depths as still as the surface, as far as I can see. Knowing how fast the monster can react to something disturbing its domain, that doesn¡¯t reassure me much. Still, at least it doesn¡¯t appear to be actively searching for me. I look up at the wall ahead of me. The light is fading; I don¡¯t have much time. It looks achievable, though difficult; that will swiftly change if the sun sets before I reach the top. I really don¡¯t want to risk spending a night in this cave. Who knows if that monster has different habits in the dark than in the light... Breathing in deeply, I do my best to plan my route to the top. I¡¯m not a climber habitually ¨C honestly, previous to this, my exercise had been as exciting as lifting weights in the gym or occasionally running. Even so, I¡¯ve heard a couple of horror stories of climbers getting stuck when they couldn¡¯t advance further but also couldn¡¯t get back down without falling¡­ Feeling the pressure of time as well as having a constant itching sensation on my back that I¡¯m somehow being watched ¨C although every time I turn around to check over my shoulder, the pool is as still as ever ¨C I get going as soon as I can. Taking several more deep breaths, I wipe my hands on my raggedy clothes and set them in the first handholds. The first few steps are surprisingly nerve-racking. It¡¯s probably because I haven¡¯t done any sort of climbing in years. In fact, probably not since I was a teenager and trying to impress a girl. Of course, that one ended up with me showing off at the top and then falling off in my arrogance, breaking my leg in the process. I¡¯m sure the memory of that isn¡¯t helping. Anyway, once I start getting back into the groove, I find my nerves calming a little. As long as I don¡¯t look down, I¡¯m able to at least half-convince myself that I¡¯m no further off the ground than I was when I started. Of course, that¡¯s the moment when my foot slips. It¡¯s the stickiest moment ¨C when I¡¯m having to manoeuvre around a slightly bulging bit of wall. One of my feet just doesn¡¯t have enough of a hold and slips out of its crevice. My fingers latch onto the wall with a grip of steel, panic sending the now-familiar adrenaline flood through my system. I scrabble with the free foot, pressing hard into the one still wedged in the rock, hoping with my heart hammering that it won¡¯t also fail too ¨C I¡¯d be toast in that case. A long, frantic second later, I manage to find a little space where I can lodge my flailing foot and relieve the pressure on the rest of my body a bit. My attention finally being able to return to more than my imminent death by either rock or tentacle monster, I notice a trickling feeling on my hands. I¡¯ve cut myself by gripping jagged rock too tightly. Damn ¨C that¡¯s going to make the rest even trickier. Idiot, I tell myself a moment later, directing a hint of healing magic to my hands. Stop thinking you¡¯re on Earth. Carefully removing one hand at a time, I wipe away the liquid on my shirt ¨C or what¡¯s left of it. The sound of water below makes me freeze. Is it¡­ I dare to look down, my stomach swooping a bit at the sight of how far I am off the ground. It dives even further when I see movement under the surface. Why? Then I remember absently noticing a splashing sound just after my foot slipped. Did I knock a rock off into its water? I feel nauseous at the thought of another encounter with the creature, especially with me clinging like a fly onto this rock-face ¨C and without the fly¡¯s ability to just wing away if something swipes at it. With fear fueling my limbs, I start climbing again, haste in all of my movements. I try to still take care ¨C I won¡¯t gain anything by falling straight into the monster¡¯s maw, after all. I have to admit, though, that I¡¯m not checking handholds and footholds as thoroughly as I had been before. It leads to another slip, my hand this time, only my strengthened core muscles stopping me from just swinging out into open space. I don¡¯t let the slip deter me: the monster is already sending its tentacle to quest around the cavern, each pass seeing it rise higher. But I have hope ¨C the crevice is only a metre or so away. That metre seems like a hundred with the rushed-but-slow pace I have to maintain, and the tentacle scraping ever closer to me. I¡¯m sure it can¡¯t detect me perfectly otherwise it would have already wiped me off the map, but it knows I¡¯m somewhere near: it¡¯s focused in on the area near where I¡¯ve been and seems to know in which direction I¡¯m going. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It¡¯s probably the most nerve-racking experience I¡¯ve had since arriving in this place, maybe ever. The combination of a tentacle from some sort of Lord of the Rings extra getting inexorably closer, while having to climb a rock-face several metres above the ground is enough to make my heart pound, my fingers shake, and my stomach make several noises about letting me see my breakfast again. I overcome the symptoms with sheer willpower, determinedly refusing to pay attention to anything more than moving my hand, then my foot, then my other hand, then my other foot, rinse and repeat. When I fail to find another handhold in rock and instead grasp a plant of some sort, I suddenly realise I¡¯ve almost made it. Almost there, I tell myself, relief running through me. I¡¯m not out of the woods yet ¨C I still have most of my body down in the crevice ¨C but now that one hand¡¯s out, it doesn¡¯t take too much to get the other one up as well, and then be able to lever myself out of the hole. Rolling out, I pant as I stare up at the sky, my body turned to water from relief ¨C both emotional and physical. I can¡¯t believe I did that, I think to myself a little wonderingly. I climbed a wall and didn¡¯t die. I managed to out-wit or whatever a monster that I¡¯d stand no hope against physically. And even better, I got my salt. Finally, I can feel a sense of achievement. I¡¯ve confronted so many of my fears today, and I¡¯m still standing. I overcame them and learnt more about my limits at the same time. I¡¯ve learnt that although there are some creatures who can still kill me like the fly I compared myself to earlier, that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ll win. It¡¯s twilight, the sun almost gone. I need to find shelter, I realise. Standing up, I feel a frisson of fear run down my spine as I see the tentacle questing around the edge of the crevice. Nope. Not dealing with any more of that one, thank you very much. Facing my fear is one thing: stupidly staying in a clearly risky place is something else. I start walking away smartly. I don¡¯t know where I am. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going. What I do know is that I¡¯m not spending a single second longer near that creature. Tempting fate when I¡¯ve so recently managed to escape its clutches twice is just too much. Looking around the area, I sigh. Back to this. I¡¯m on a mountainside, again. Hopefully I¡¯m not going to revisit my encounter with the rock-dropping bird¡­ I cast a wary eye up to the sky just in case. No birds to be seen. Yet. Anyway, I need some sort of shelter for the night ¨C the wind on the mountainside is cold and I only have a back-up shirt and pair of trousers in my Inventory. Just as well since these clothes are toast...like so many others. I¡¯m really going to have to cannibalise multiple shirts and trousers at some point to try to create a strange patchwork which I can actually wear. But that¡¯s in the future. For now, a shelter. I go back to looking around. I¡¯m too far away from the forest line to make it before night, but there¡¯s an outcropping of rocks which looks promising. If there¡¯s some sort of cave there, that would be great, but I¡¯ll settle for an overhang which covers me on three sides and blocks out the wind. By the time I reach the outcropping, twilight is almost over, the view in the distance having disappeared from my gaze. I¡¯m in luck ¨C it isn¡¯t exactly a cave, but there¡¯s a bit of an alcove which is well-oriented to avoid the cutting wind. Quickly pulling some firewood from my Inventory along with my flint and tinder, I get a fire going. I remember the first time I lit a fire, how it took me the whole twilight time just to get a flame to catch. Now, after a month of practice, it only takes me a few minutes, and then feeding it until it becomes a warming blaze is just a matter of time. Returning almost back to the scene of my arrival is making me nostalgic. Pulling out some cooked meat, I chew on it absently as I open up my Map to get an idea of where I am. It¡¯s hard to gauge distances considering there¡¯s no scale to the Map, but I know how long it took me to walk from my cave to the entrance to the copse of dead wood where I entered the tunnel. My blinking dot is probably about the same distance away from there. It¡¯s a bit of a relief ¨C at least I didn¡¯t end up on the other side of the mountains or something crazy like that. Hopefully Bastet is waiting at the entrance to the tunnel like I tried to tell her. And hopefully Kalanthia isn¡¯t getting too hungry. She shouldn¡¯t be: I was due to look after Lathani tomorrow ¨C unless I was in the tunnel for more than a day, which I doubt ¨C and I should be getting back within a day. With the extra meat I gave her, she should be fine to delay her hunting trip by that day. Sighing, I close my eyes, pull my spare shirt and trousers tighter around myself, and lean into the corner of the alcove. It¡¯s not the most comfortable of positions, but I don¡¯t know what predators stalk the night so don¡¯t want to lie down completely. Plus, the alcove isn¡¯t big enough for that, and leaving the alcove would mean exposing myself to the cold night temperatures. I don¡¯t expect to get a good night¡¯s sleep, but any rest is better than nothing. It¡¯s a bit strange to not have the cubs or Bastet nearby ¨C I¡¯ve got used to the quiet sounds of their breathing. I hope they¡¯re OK. I guess I¡¯ll find out in the morning. Book One: Leap - Chapter Eighty-Three: Whack-a-Mole I get going as soon as it¡¯s light enough for me not to risk being taken out by a nocturnal creature that can see me a lot better than I can see it. The mountainside is barren in the dim morning light, the only thing moving being the scrub bushes and grasses waving in the wind. I don¡¯t mind ¨C I just want to get to the tunnel entrance as quickly as possible. The sun is a good way above the horizon before I get to the treeline, but that¡¯s actually about half the distance I have to cover, so it¡¯s fine. Of course, my luck doesn¡¯t hold out forever; I have a violent encounter not long after I¡¯ve started jogging gently through the forest. My first clue that I¡¯m in trouble is when I stumble, my foot having cracked through earth which is clearly only there as a cover to hide the hole below. It¡¯s not a deep hole ¨C only really up to my ankle ¨C but it¡¯s enough to bring me to an abrupt halt. Given that I was jogging at the time, it¡¯s actually enough to bring me painfully to my knees. Grimacing, I quickly direct some healing energy to my knees and ankle, feeling that both have been a bit wrenched. As I do that, though, the next stage comes into play. Three worm-like creatures quickly emerge from hidden holes around me, spitting fluid at me. Flinching at first, worried that it¡¯s acid, I relax a little as no burning immediately occurs. Then I tense again ¨C it might not be acidic, but the substance is sticky. Their objective quickly becomes obvious ¨C to ensnare me with sticky fluid that quickly hardens and restricts my movement. After too much of this, I¡¯ll be a sitting duck! My brain racing, I pull out my mace and flail around at them with it. It¡¯s not my fault this time that I¡¯m out alone in the forest, but I sure wish Bastet was with me. I don¡¯t call for her, though ¨C she¡¯s got the cubs with her and Kalanthia¡¯s not nearby to babysit. I guess I¡¯ll have to hope my mace does the job, even with my movement already restricted. Unfortunately, it¡¯s a bit like whack-a-mole: the worms are far too good at ducking back down into their holes at just the right moment to avoid my blows. This isn¡¯t working. Pulling my bow out, I don¡¯t bother to restring it, just using it as a staff to give me some reach. Having been carved, my improvised staff is a lot quicker at cutting through the air than my mace and I actually manage to score a hit on one of them. The downside is that because it¡¯s lighter, my bow doesn¡¯t have the power to do much damage. The worm which was struck is stunned, but no more. That doesn¡¯t worry me too much: I quickly use my off-hand to deal some proper damage with my mace, the disorientated worm unable to avoid the blow. One worm down, two to go, but I have my strategy now. It¡¯s a race between us: can I kill the worms before they succeed in tying me down so much that I can¡¯t? When I take a second worm down, it¡¯s an achievement, but I can¡¯t risk taking too much more of the liquid ¨C my range of movement has already been severely reduced. Then, another idea occurs. Dropping my mace temporarily in a spot close at hand, I pull a corpse out of my Inventory and drop it on the ground in front of me. It¡¯s one of the ostridocuses and provides a perfect shield against the worm¡¯s sticky spit. Now the tables have definitely been turned and it doesn¡¯t take much before I manage to strike the creature with my bow and then with my mace. Panting lightly, the effort of fighting having been increased exponentially by the restrictions to my movement, I wait for a few moments for any hidden enemies to jump out and attack me while I¡¯m vulnerable. When all around me is still for several minutes, only birdsong filling the air, I sigh and relax a bit, trying to work out how I¡¯m going to get free of this substance. By this point, the majority has hardened into something that resembles toffee or chewing gum. It can be stretched and reshaped, but with effort. It¡¯s also very sticky, adhering stubbornly to my clothes and skin. I try to brush it off, to no avail. Cutting it off isn¡¯t much better ¨C it¡¯s almost rubbery and resists my knife far too well. I even resort to chewing it, but although it softens a little bit, it¡¯s still just as tacky. Out of desperation, I try heat by pouring a bit of my hot soup on it. Again, it gets a bit softer, but there¡¯s little other change. Finally, I try a bit of salt, not really expecting it to work. To my surprise, the substance fizzles a bit and then melts away. My eyebrows rising in surprise, I pull another pinch of salt from my Inventory and sprinkle it on the section holding my left hand almost immobile. Once more there¡¯s a fizzling sound and every part that touches the salt melts away. The salt seems to be used up in the process, as the melting stops after a certain point, but it seems like I have my solution. Not happy about having to use so much of my hard-won white gold ¨C and definitely not wanting to head back to the cave with that creature any time soon ¨C I have an idea. Dissolving salt into water, I try using the solution on the sticky substance. That works even better than the pure salt had, though the effect doesn¡¯t last as long. As soon as I¡¯m free of the stuff, I continue walking quickly through the woods, deciding not to risk jogging into a trap like that again. I¡¯m wet, but uninjured, an unusual occurrence for me. My clothes have even come out of it not too damaged, the stickiness not actually eating away at the fabric in any way. Still, it¡¯s used more time that I would have liked. I even just dumped the worms into my Inventory rather than dealing with them on the spot. They turned out to not actually be worms after all, the part above the ground just a really long tail, of all body-parts. A tail with eyes, that is. And apparently the brain since enough damage done to the tail seemed to kill it. The rest of the creature was bigger, and even had clawed paws either side of its mouth on the opposite part of the body than the tail. Truly weird creatures, really. All three together only netted me about six Energy percentage points too. A waste of time more than anything else. It¡¯s a relief when the copse of dead trees comes into sight again, and I can¡¯t help from breaking out into a jog again. My heart is in my mouth as I reach the tunnel mouth. I duck inside after only a cursory glance to make sure no spider-monster has taken up residence again. Half climbing, half-falling down the steep slope, I pause at the base, peering into the dark tunnel beyond. ¡°Bastet?¡± I call quietly, aware that if she¡¯s anywhere nearby, she¡¯ll have picked up my approach ages ago. For a moment there¡¯s silence and I can¡¯t help worrying, despite the fact that the Bond in my chest hasn¡¯t given me any indication that she¡¯s in danger. Besides, she might not even be here ¨C she might still be further along the passageway¡­ Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Then there¡¯s a small movement up ahead in the shadows beyond where the light from the entranceway reaches. I hold my knife and mace ready for an attack, but relax when the shape comes closer. ¡°You¡¯re a sight for sore eyes,¡± I tell my raptorcat companion with relief. She chirps in response, mentally sending me her own sense of relief that I made it out, that I¡¯m here. She turns and murrs a little in the way she does when she wants the cubs to come. I stare into the darkness, my heart once more in my mouth. I was fairly confident that Bastet had made it out because of the Bond; I don¡¯t have anything like that with the cubs. From Bastet¡¯s demeanor, I have to guess that at least one has survived: she wouldn¡¯t be calling them if all of them had died. But have they all survived or only some? Stormcloud is the first out, sauntering confidently, and then bounding forwards the last few paces to butt her head up against my leg. I lean down to pick her up and rub my own head against hers, greeting her in the way they¡¯ve taught me to do. Ninja comes next, pouncing out of the shadows to mess with a trailing piece of fabric that got pulled off during my most recent fight. Grabbing her when she stays still for more than a moment, I greet her as well, my heart overflowing with relief that at least these two have survived. Bastet is still looking deeper into the tunnel, her warm murr having turned into more of a growl. A smile spreads across my face as I realise what that means. Sure enough, a moment later, she loses patience and goes bounding off into the tunnel, coming trotting back a moment later, a dark-coloured bundle in her mouth. Taking my last cub from Bastet¡¯s mouth, I greet Trouble too, feeling weak with absolute relief that my whole little family has come out of this experience unscathed. And they are my family now, I realise. The four raptorcats have grown on me to the point that I can¡¯t imagine being without them now. Bastet¡¯s my level-headed partner who always has my back and the cubs are our little bundles of mischief and joy. I¡¯m so, so glad that they all made it through. As we walk back home, Bastet tells me about what happened on her side of things through a series of images and emotions. Apparently, she¡¯d recognised the danger of the creature, even if she¡¯d never encountered anything like it before. I got the impression that it¡¯d had an aura or something like that. Either way, I was completely insensitive to whatever it was. Or maybe I wasn¡¯t ¨C something inside me knew it was bad news from the outset. She¡¯d moved faster than she¡¯d ever succeeded in moving before, and had made it through the hole with Trouble in her mouth just as the tentacle smashed into the entrance behind her. She¡¯d pushed the other cubs ahead of her, desperate to get as far away from the monster as she could. It was only when she¡¯d reached the really narrow gap through the rock which I had found so difficult to pass before that she had taken a break. The cubs had been exhausted, and she hadn¡¯t been much better, having been carrying one cub after another throughout the whole time. She¡¯d received my message, garbled as it was, at that time. Although she hadn¡¯t understood all, she¡¯d understood that I was still alive, and that I wanted her to go to the entrance to the tunnel. Which, ultimately, was what I¡¯d needed her to do, so that was OK. ***** As we start entering familiar territory, I¡¯ve never been so grateful to be walking home together. The encounter with the water monster really shook me up ¨C since being here, apart from when facing Kalanthia, I have never been so obviously out-classed. And to have almost lost the cubs and Bastet too¡­ Approaching the river, I¡¯m already fantasising about the tasty meat sticks I¡¯m going to make with my new salt storage when I see something strange. There¡¯s a large shape next to the river. I frown ¨C I don¡¯t remember there being a boulder that size nearby¡­ Bastet sends me a query ¨C she¡¯s wondering whether she should go and scout. I agree reluctantly ¨C she¡¯s most definitely more stealthy than me, but it goes against the grain to put her in danger again so close to the last time. Still, needs must. She stalks away quietly, disappearing from sight into the undergrowth within a few paces. I stay ready to either fight or flee, very aware of the cubs asleep against my chest. Bastet comes running back through the bushes a few moments later, stealth abandoned. I prepare to flee, sure that another crazily dangerous creature is just waiting for us to get close enough to attack. But no. She sends me images of Kalanthia. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I say frowning. ¡°Kalanthia killed something?¡± There¡¯s the feeling of negation, and a little frustration as she sends a picture of Kalanthia again. ¡°Wait...Is that Kalanthia?¡± I ask, not seeing any other option. Bastet sends a strong feeling of agreement...and urgency. We hurry through the bushes towards the large shape. Sure enough, as I get closer, I see it is the nunda. But why? Why isn¡¯t she with Lathani? Why is she lying so still, appearing to be asleep in such an unusual place? I don¡¯t like the implications. Something¡¯s wrong. She appears to be asleep, breathing steadily and still. As I walk around to her head calling her name, however, she slits her eyes open just wide enough for me to see the faintest hint of gold. ¡°Kalanthia?¡± I ask tentatively, worry in my voice. It¡¯s a while before she responds, a while in which I fear the worst. Markus Wolfe¡­you¡¯ve returned. She doesn¡¯t sound good, even though all I¡¯m hearing are her thoughts transformed into words by my own mind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you sick?¡± I ask, though the thought surprises me: she¡¯s always seemed too powerful to get sick. No¡­.poison. ¡°What?!¡± I demand sharply. ¡°Poison! By who? When? Are you going to...get better?¡± I shall...get better. This is not...enough to...bring me down. By the lizard-folk...of the valley...earlier this...afternoon. The lizard-folk? Who are they? Of the valley...I¡¯m not entirely sure what she means by this, but I can only guess she¡¯s talking about further into the Energy-dense area. But why did they attack her? They¡¯re not here now, so they didn¡¯t attack her for her meat or what they could gain by absorbing her Energy as she dies. At least, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re here now. I look around quickly to make sure. No, as far as I can tell, they aren¡¯t hiding anywhere. I also realise that I don¡¯t spot something else which should be here. Or rather, someone. A dreadful suspicion grows in my chest as I speak. ¡°Kalanthia...why did they poison you?¡± Once more, she takes a moment to answer. They wanted her. Markus...they have taken¡­Lathani. I knew it, and the knowledge that I was right sits inside me like a ball of lead. Kalanthia continues to speak. Markus Wolfe...Binder...I must ask you...beg you to...once more save...my cub. I do not...know how much...time she has left; less time...than it will take...me to shrug...off this poison...and go to her aid, I...fear. Please...please save...my cub. Save Lathani. Interlude In a place across worlds, a man will wake up in the middle of the night. Disorientated for the instant it takes to come to full awareness, he will look around himself and slowly recognise the familiar surroundings. After a brief moment to collect himself, he will lever himself out of bed and walk confidently through the darkened room to the door. Pushing it open, he will behold its keeper. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep, my lord?¡± the guardian will ask respectfully. ¡°No,¡± the lord will answer shortly. ¡°Order some wine for me.¡± The keeper will bow even as the door closes, its quiet click resounding with finality. The lord will move over to his desk and touch a delicately carved item upon it. The item will light up, its carved design sending golden and ruby rays around the room as if it¡¯s a fire caged inside a gemstone. The lord will then sit in a chair in front of a cold hearth, propping one heel up on a footrest. There he will rest motionlessly, the features of his face cast into shadow. It won¡¯t be long before a light tap will fall upon the door. ¡°Enter,¡± the lord will say in tones clearly used to command, the first time he will have moved since settling into the chair. The door opening quickly, light will filter into the room, falling upon the rich fabrics used in decoration. With the closing of the door, the gleam will disappear, veiling the extravagance in a shroud of darkness once more. The lord¡¯s gaze will light upon the man who has entered the room, bearing with him a tray carrying a jug and a finely-stemmed glass. The newcomer will tilt his head in respect for the seated figure, then will advance to place his tray on a side table. Going to one knee, he will pour a pale liquid from the jug into the glass. As the liquid meets the crystalline material, condensation will form on its surface. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to rouse yourself.¡± The lord¡¯s tone will be low, almost gruff. ¡°With all due respect, my lord,¡± the other man will reply matter-of-factly, ¡°brooding in the middle of the night is one of your least appealing features. Brooding alone, however, is infinitely worse.¡± ¡°I thought I employed a manservant, not a mother-hen,¡± the lord will reply with a foreboding air. The manservant will seem unconcerned. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°A good manservant can be either or both, as the situation calls for,¡± he will reply a little primly. The lord will lose his forbidding expression as a smile curls the corner of his mouth. ¡°Ah, what would I do without you, Sarran?¡± ¡°Walk around in poorly fitting clothes and be constantly exhausted from excessive midnight brooding,¡± the so-called Sarran will reply promptly. The smile curling the corner of the lord¡¯s mouth will turn into a full-blown grin. The change in expression will light up the lord¡¯s face and make him seem almost handsome. ¡°Now, what calls you to summon midnight wine, my lord? Is it the King¡¯s decree again?¡± The smile on the lord¡¯s face will fade as he sighs. ¡°Is it ever far from my mind? But no, I was actually sleeping this time when something roused me.¡± His eyes will take a far-away look as he attempts to determine the source of the disruption to his slumber. ¡°Perhaps something in your status has changed?¡± the manservant will suggest. There will be no verbal reply, but the sudden glazed look in the lord¡¯s eyes will be proof that he is taking Sarran¡¯s advice. It will be some minutes before he continues the conversation. The manservant will wait patiently, his eyes tracking the beads of water that will have formed on the glass¡¯s underside. They will be sliding down to dampen the base of the glass before the lord responds once more. This response will not be verbal; instead a surprised huff of air will escape him. The manservant will continue to wait. ¡°Well, tears of the gods.¡± The curse will be sufficiently out of character that it will cause the manservant¡¯s eyebrows to rise. ¡°My lord?¡± ¡°He¡¯s done something significant,¡± the lord will say almost absently. ¡°He, my lord?¡± Sarran knows his master well, but as little context as is given, even he will be confused. The lord will regain the sharpness to his gaze which indicates he has closed his status screen. ¡°The candidate.¡± ¡°The one you¡­¡± ¡°The very same.¡± Sarran¡¯s eyebrows will knit together in confusion. ¡°But, forgive me, my lord: I thought you would not know the complete results of that until the candidate arrives ¨C or doesn¡¯t.¡± The lord will nod sharply. ¡°That is true, but we are still linked through the ritual. If the candidate should fail to pay the Energy debt, it shall fall upon me. In accordance with the System¡¯s sense of fairness, I can see whether he is making any progress in it.¡± ¡°Am I to understand that he has made some progress, my lord?¡± the manservant will inquire curiously. ¡°Some progress?¡± the lord will scoff. ¡°A jump of approximately seventy percent of the debt.¡± Sarran¡¯s eyebrows will once more climb his forehead. ¡°My understanding is that the amount of Energy required to advance increases significantly with each ten percent accrued. As it does with each level.¡± ¡°It does.¡± ¡°Then how¡­?¡± The manservant will be unable to finish his sentence. The lord will shake his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Then he will smile again, his eyes alight with a sudden excited gleam. ¡°But I look forward to finding out.¡± Book Two: Growth - Prologue Now Wait Wait Wait for it¡­. Now! I haul on the bark-fibre cord with all the raw power I can muster. The creature¡¯s foot is snared and is pulled up towards the canopy, the rest of its body helplessly following after. I don¡¯t pull it up high, nor do I let it dangle for long. The whole trap is more to disorientate than to hold, after all. Once its head is a foot off the ground, I let the rope go, stunning it. Fortunately, my hopes proved true and its neck and head are sufficiently protected to not crack on impact with the ground. As the creature lands on the ground with a thud, Bastet leaps onto it. Already disorientated, the creature doesn¡¯t seem able to muster any defence against an angry and snarling raptorcat. Not that I can blame it ¨C having something not all that dissimilar to a forest-coloured panther with wings and taloned feet snarling that close to one¡¯s neck is not an experience I would recommend. The distraction combined with the disorientation works. The lizard creature doesn¡¯t react even as I start binding its legs together with its tail, using the cord snared around one foot. It¡¯s not particularly secure, but hopefully it will do the job. Tying off the first cord, I pull a second one out which I use to bind its jaws shut. Bastet shifts slightly to give me enough space to work, but when the creature starts moving again in response, her snarls take it up a notch and I see the lizard still again in fear. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Once the creature¡¯s forearms are bound to its torso, I reckon we¡¯re as good as we¡¯re going to get with the equipment I have to hand. With a quick mental command, Bastet steps off the lizard creature, now bound practically head to tail. She starts mussing up the area around us, doing her best to disguise the signs of the brief struggle. Meanwhile, I haul the creature over my shoulder in a fire-man¡¯s carry, letting out a small grunt from effort ¨C I may have significantly increased my Strength but my burden is only slightly smaller than me and is solid muscle. Plus, it¡¯s starting to wriggle. Casting an eye over the area, I send a short feeling of appreciation over to my Bound for her work. Even with my tracking skills, I would have been hard-pressed to say exactly what had gone on here, though I could tell something had. That¡¯s as good as it¡¯s going to get, I reckon. Besides, this operation is supposed to be quick and quiet; every second longer that we spend here means more chance of discovery. Turning tail, I start running, Bastet first following behind me to cover any tracks, and then ranging ahead to check for threats. She repeats the process, her speed significantly faster than mine, considering the weight I¡¯m carrying. By the time we¡¯re far enough that I reckon we¡¯re probably safe for now, I¡¯m panting and my stamina has almost bottomed out. As I¡¯ve learnt all too recently, letting my stamina completely deplete is not a good idea, so I slow to a stop. Pulling the lizard off my shoulder, I let it drop to the ground with a bit of a thump, not even trying to be particularly careful with my burden. ¡°Right, let¡¯s find out what¡¯s going on,¡± I say to my Bound. ¡°If it tries to attack me, kill it,¡± I tell her. She sends a grim wave of acknowledgment across our Bond. Crouching down by its head, I meet the lizard¡¯s eyes seeing the roiling mass of anger, helplessness, and fear within them. I almost feel bad...but these guys started it. ¡°Dominate!¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One: Threat Before ¡°How did this happen?¡± The shock-filled query slips out without conscious thought. But it¡¯s a valid question. I¡¯ve just come back from a highly dangerous trip where I almost died multiple times ¨C and frankly, if I never have to see that kraken-squid-octopus thing again, it¡¯ll be too soon. I was hoping to get home, have a good meal, maybe have my first proper wash with my new soap, but instead, I find my landlord, the most powerful creature I¡¯ve come across so far, lying collapsed on the ground. Actually, if Kalanthia went up against that water monster, I wonder who would come out on top¡­ Not the time, I tell myself. What¡¯s important is that Kalanthia is in a bad state from some sort of poison, and Lathani, her cub, is missing ¨C taken. Ambushed, Kalanthia answers me, even her mental voice sounding weak and as if it takes great effort just to project her meaning. They shot me¡­captured her. ¡°But what kind of poison is strong enough to take you down?¡± I ask, almost disbelieving. It¡¯s only because I can see the effects before my very eyes that I don¡¯t disbelieve that it could happen. Stamina...inhibitor. Instead of feeding more words, I get a small ¡®download¡¯ of sensations. The sense of constant exhaustion as my stamina is kept down forcibly to practically zero. I get the idea that there were two poisons, in fact. One that made her use her stamina far quicker than normal, and the other that stops it from regenerating. Actually, the whole situation reminds me of how I felt when I was attacked by the black blob. The one which Spike saved me from. The thought sends a pang of regret through me ¨C it¡¯s still too soon after his death for me to be able to think about it without pain. I understand the issue now: even breathing is difficult with no stamina in the tank. Why that affects her mental voice too, I don¡¯t know, but clearly it does. I take a moment to review the memories I absorbed a while ago which give me a basic understanding of the System I now have embedded in my being. According to them, having one¡¯s stamina too low for too long leads to increasing problems. When stamina first is brought down too low, moving is difficult and the person can only sit or lie down and wait for it to regenerate. If it doesn¡¯t, or is immediately used again, the next step is difficulty in breathing. Kalanthia is already at that stage, to judge by how laboured each of her breaths is. The final step is the most dangerous and is fatal if not overcome: organ failure. Having laboured with a lack of stamina for too long, the vital organs of the body are put under increasing strain. If the low stamina continues, the organs will start failing, one by one. It¡¯s like stamina is just a pool of energy which the body uses. Like an oasis of water, really. When it¡¯s plentiful, the plants and animals all benefit. When it¡¯s reduced, the water-hungry plants and animals die off, where the ones which can better conserve water survive. Finally, when the water is gone completely, the animals and plants start becoming dehydrated, eventually all dying from thirst and leaving a barren land. ¡°Will you be able to fight the poison off before it kills you?¡± I ask, concerned. ¡°Can I do anything to help?¡± Yes...and yes. Healing. Oh, that makes sense, and I feel like smacking myself for not thinking about it immediately. Placing my hands on her head, I close my eyes and focus on my healing spell, Lay-on-hands. Feeding my mana into the massive leopard slumped in front of me, I feel like I¡¯m pouring a bucket of water into a dried-up swimming pool. An Olympic-sized one. In short, by the time I¡¯ve bottomed out my mana, I still don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve made a single jot of difference. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I tell her shame-faced. ¡°It¡¯s not much.¡± It¡¯s something, she reassures me, and I feel even worse: here she is, potentially facing death if she can¡¯t get her stamina up a bit, and she¡¯s helping me feel better. ¡°When my mana regenerates a bit, I¡¯ll heal you some more,¡± I promise. No. Her voice, for all its weakness, is firm. You must ...help Lathani. I will...be fine. She...is among...enemies. If I wait...until I¡¯m recovered...to seek her, it...could be too...late. ¡°Alright,¡± I agree, though my heart is full of doubt. If these creatures were strong enough to take down Kalanthia, what kind of chance do I stand against them? Sure, I¡¯ve come a long way since I arrived in this world, but my increased stats and new weaponry wouldn¡¯t help me much against Kalanthia; why would they serve me any better against her enemies? Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Here, she tells me before dumping a whole load of information in my head. It¡¯s actually painful, though it takes me a few moments to work out why. I¡¯ve had experience with painful information dumps, though those have been because of the sheer number of memories suddenly needing to find a space in my memory. This isn¡¯t for the same reason, or not entirely, at least. It¡¯s not because of the volume, but because of the content. Kalanthia¡¯s memories are just simply too alien to easily fit in my head. Just like Bastet¡¯s impressions of scouting ahead in the dark were difficult for my brain to comprehend, these memories hold sensations which I simply don¡¯t have the faculties to process. Kalanthia has much stronger sensations of smell and taste than I do. She has whiskers which tell her things, fur which communicates information, and two other senses that I cannot make sense of at all. One seems to be something to do with the earth; the other, something to do with other living beings. The pain is from my own brain trying to wrestle with the new information and pummel it into some form which it can deal with. And the process is almost as agonising as shoving the Lay-on-hands Skills stone knowledge into my head. By the end, though, I at least have more information than I started with, and I gain a sense for why she is hurrying me along. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave Lathani in the hands of the creatures which have taken her. Or should that be paws? Or claws? Anyway, she¡¯s right. I need to get going. ¡°Do you want to come with me, or stay here with the cubs?¡± I ask Bastet. We¡¯ve been through enough in the last couple of days that I thought I¡¯d better give her the choice. She thinks for a few moments before sending a wave of emotion through that expresses determination to be with me, but also not wanting to leave the cubs alone. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to leave them here ¨C I wouldn¡¯t trust Trouble near my pots,¡± I tell her with a touch of humour. ¡°I meant that if you wanted to keep them and yourself out of danger here, I¡¯d understand.¡± I wouldn¡¯t like it ¨C I¡¯ve learned that lesson multiple times over. But I would understand. There¡¯s a clear sense of negation. Right, fortunately Bastet seems to feel the same way I do. Hopefully the cubs will cope with being carried most of the time ¨C we need to move fast and I don¡¯t want to risk leaving one or more behind. No time to waste. I quickly refill my canteen with the water, and then look at Kalanthia a final time. She should be fine. She¡¯s got water here, and hopefully nothing will attack her in the time it will take her to gain at least some ability to move. My mana has regenerated somewhat in the last few minutes, so I give her another dose, allowing my mana to run out completely. Feeling suddenly tired, the sensation of emptying my mana completely almost as bad as emptying my stamina, I force myself to move. There aren¡¯t that many hours until dark and I want to make the most of the time. As we move at a medium-paced jog, I go over the memories which Kalanthia sent to me. They¡¯re still difficult to parse, and there¡¯s no way I can gain as much information as she put into them ¨C our senses are just too different. Still, I can get enough information out of them via sight, sound, and smell to know in which direction to head. I could actually follow the river if I chose as the lizard-folk live not that far from it. That would waste unnecessary time, however, since the river isn¡¯t exactly a direct route. Hopefully with the new knowledge of landmarks, I¡¯ll be able to find my way easily enough. Directions, though, are not my main concern. That might seem a little surprising considering I have the directional sense of a paper bag blowing on the wind. Fortunately, my Map should be able to help me keep on track for that. No, it¡¯s more about where we¡¯re headed that concerns me. Specifically, into what area. The lizard-folk of the valley live exactly there ¨C deeper in the valley. Technically, I¡¯m in the valley now, since I¡¯m not on the bare slopes of the mountains themselves. But both valley and mountains are vast, the elevation of the peaks high enough to compete with several of Earth¡¯s highest mountains, though not perhaps its top five. I already know that the further down the mountainside we travel, the more dangerous the creatures we encounter will be. Based on Kalanthia¡¯s memories, I can tell that the density of Energy is going to increase significantly; the density of animals and their danger level is likely to do the same. How do I know that the Energy density increases significantly? Kalanthia can feel it. And apparently so can I, or at least enough to be able to recognise it in Kalanthia¡¯s memories. When she walked through the area, Kalanthia wasn¡¯t particularly bothered by other animals around, but I have a feeling that that might be more of a perk enjoyed by massive predatory beasts, rather than a feature of the area. I¡¯m probably not going to be as lucky unless I can slip by using Stealth and Fade. For sure I¡¯m going to try, but I¡¯m also prepared for that not to work. All I can hope is that my new bow and upgraded weaponry will prove a match to the killer creatures I¡¯m likely to face. Not to mention the lizard-folk themselves. They look a bit like upright crocodiles, with long, sharp-teethed jaws, though these jaws aren¡¯t as long proportionally as a real crocodile¡¯s. Actually, maybe it¡¯s more accurate to say that they are like a more humanoid T-Rex. Or maybe a strange combination of the two. They seem to often walk upright on their back legs, which have longer feet than their front, but when they want to run quickly, they lean forwards like a T-Rex would, their heavy tails providing a perfect counter-balance. Their heads are more crocodilian than a T-Rex¡¯s, though. They have spikes down their back which appear capable of flaring up and down. Unlike both T-rex and crocodile, however, their front feet are far more capable-looking, described more easily as arms with clawed paws on the ends. Paws that are rather obviously dexterous. They don¡¯t really look like easy targets, if I¡¯m honest. Clawed fore and back paws, their jaws, and the scaled skin which looks better than most types of armour¡­ Plus, Kalanthia didn¡¯t include the memory of the attack, but the fact that she was hit by such powerful poisons indicate that they have some method of delivering it, whether through bite, scratch, or ranged attack. Frankly they make me wonder whether I¡¯ll even be able to do anything even if I find Lathani. But I can¡¯t think like that. I¡¯ve overcome so many odds so far; I can¡¯t leave Lathani to suffer and die, not when I know her mother isn¡¯t in any condition to rush to her aid. Not when I can at least try to do something. I cast a glance over at Bastet. And I mustn¡¯t forget that I¡¯ve got some fire-power on my side too. One on one, I would put my money on Bastet. I¡¯ll just have to make sure that the odds stay in our favour. Of course, that might be easier said than done. The memories from Kalanthia make one thing clear: lizard-folk don¡¯t usually face threats one on one. In fact, it¡¯s their threat which actually made her move out from her previous den. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Two: Rematch Before How could the lizard-folk make Kalanthia move to avoid them? It seems strange at first to think that creatures a bit smaller than me are enough of a threat to make a predator like Kalanthia willing to give up her established territory, but after parsing through her memories a bit more, I understand why. It¡¯s the same reason as why few animals mess with hyenas in the savannah, that wolves are the one of the apex predators in North America, and that ants are a threat in the rainforest: numbers. Kalanthia could ¨C and did ¨C kill lizard-folk easily. In ones, twos, and threes, that is. But just like humans, the lizard-folk didn¡¯t take that lying down. Unlike most animals which, having become prey to a predator would start avoiding the area, the lizard-folk started moving out in greater and greater numbers, actively searching for the threat to their group. When they found her den and attacked her on her way out for a hunt, she decided that the threat to Lathani was too great and moved out. I¡¯ve finally got an answer to a question which had been percolating in my mind for a while: why would a creature like Kalanthia be willing to live in an area with such relatively little Energy when she could easily carve out a territory in a more Energy-dense area? Well, she didn¡¯t want to expose Lathani to the threats even deeper into the valley, and she figured that the lizard-folk would stick to their own territory. Since that was in a higher density area, she figured that moving to a low-density area would be enough to avoid the threat. Clearly, she was wrong. I do find it interesting that they merely disabled her and took her cub. Even if they expected Kalanthia to eventually die from the poison, looked at coldly and objectively, it doesn¡¯t make sense. Why would they dismiss the threat which had killed so many of them that they actively started searching for her, but then take a creature which was clearly no threat to them? Wouldn¡¯t it have made more sense to kill Kalanthia and leave Lathani alone? Or even kill Lathani as well because she could potentially be a threat in the future: nature is rife with examples of animals instinctively killing the infant offspring of their threat in order to preempt threats in the future. And why take Lathani with them? The answer: their approach makes no logical sense. At least, not if I¡¯m looking at the animal kingdom. If I look at humans, however¡­ Humans have been known many times to take the infant creatures of other species for a number of reasons, caring little about the adults if there¡¯s nothing in it for them. I¡¯ve even got a whole Class centered around the taming profession, and am currently helping raise some raptorcat cubs, hoping that I might be able to Tame them later. Could that be the reason? But if it is, then that means the lizard-folk might actually be self-aware¡­ Nicholas said there weren¡¯t any civilized races here, but who knows what he classes as civilised? Either way, what¡¯s for sure is that the lizard-folk are both capable of tactics and using poison. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s something they adapted from some other creature, or if it¡¯s something they created themselves. I mean, it could be a natural gift, but given that this is the first time Kalanthia has been aware of them using it, that doesn¡¯t seem likely. Unless they have a subspecies capable of producing it that Kalanthia hadn¡¯t seen before¡­ Possible, but it seems more likely, everything taken into account, that the lizard-folk are more advanced than the animals I¡¯ve seen so far here. That¡¯s going to make things harder. An intelligent enemy is always going to be more difficult to outmanoeuvre or defeat than a dumb one. But that¡¯s for later. First I need to actually get there. ***** Bash. My mace swings one way. Thump. My mace swings back. Each blow has landed, the larger and stronger cousins of the killer chickens letting out coughing sounds of pain as my weapon cracks or caves in bone at each Strength-powered swing. The first few hours of our journey haven¡¯t exactly been without incident, but I find myself surprised at how easily we tackle the threats. Relatively easily, that is. Stats and practice are really paying off. Even my bow skills have improved, my increased Dexterity helping with my accuracy and general feeling of fluidity. Though, with the cubs strapped to my chest, using a bow is a bit awkward so I¡¯ve been using my mace when we¡¯ve been too surprised for me to tuck them somewhere safe. I can really see my increased Strength coming into play, each blow having so much more effect than when I first used the knotted branch of wood. It helps, for sure, that I¡¯ve also improved the mace itself, a chunky piece of stone fixed into the head with rope and pitch giving it weight and heft. Then, of course, there¡¯s Bastet. She¡¯s a whirlwind of teeth and claws and death, few creatures standing up to her for long. Those that do generally have some sort of defensive feature which I¡¯m usually able to overcome with my mace and strength. We¡¯re a good team ¨C she¡¯s quick and her claws deadly; I¡¯m significantly slower but I have ranged options and my bludgeoning-type damage is deadly in a different way. These older brother versions of killer chickens are bigger and stronger, not to mention more numerous, but we¡¯re getting through them like a scythe cutting through wheat. It only takes me one or two blows to put the creatures down for good; even less than that for Bastet who¡¯s using her natural weapons to great advantage. In this particular battle, it¡¯s like a rematch with my previous foes. We¡¯ve both upgraded, but the gap between us has only widened. The killer chickens are so evidently outmatched, but for some reason they¡¯re still attacking. A killer chicken darts forward to snap at my throat, perhaps hoping for a lucky blow, but I just reach out to snatch at its neck, taking the split-second of surprise before it attacks me again to swing at its body. With such an easy target, it only takes one blow to cave in its rib cage on one side, leaving it down for the count as it struggles to breathe. It¡¯s amazing how so many life-death encounters can inure one to the terror of mortal danger. And frankly, these chickens are so far from that terrifying monster of the deep that it¡¯s almost laughable. I¡¯d have been dead if I¡¯d been snagged by even one of those tentacles, unable to cut through the skin as I was. These over-sized farm animals are really just corpses walking. That¡¯s not to say that the four-foot tall cold-blooded murderers couldn¡¯t do me in if I get too cocky; I¡¯m fully aware that for all my improvements, I¡¯m only a few steps away from disaster. Still, the fact that I¡¯m not even down by half my health by the time we dispatch the twenty-fourth killer chicken is heartening. I mean, I know that I wasn¡¯t doing it alone this time, but still, I probably dealt with just under half the creatures, and that¡¯s not a dissimilar number to what I killed before. And these ones were far superior in attacking power to the previous. It seems so long ago, it¡¯s hard to believe that I¡¯ve only been in this world for a month or so. The fight over, I pull up my status screen to check my gains. There are no messages waiting for me: disappointing, but not overly surprising. I knew that after reaching ten in each stat it would become significantly harder to improve through effort, and that¡¯s proving true.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Class: Tamer
Level: 2 Energy to next level: 56% Energy absorption rate: 19u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 12 Mana: 61/120
Wisdom 12 Mana regeneration rate: 300u/hr
Willpower 17+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 20u/hr
Constitution 13 Health: 72/130
Strength 12 Stamina: 16/60
Dexterity 12 Stamina regeneration rate: 120u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 4 Tame ¨C Beginner 2 Fade ¨C Novice 8 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 1 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 8
I¡¯m pleased at the uptick in my Energy store: I¡¯d started walking with nine percent and am now up to fifty-six. Most of that is due to the various battles we¡¯ve engaged in, almost half of it down to this fight here. My Energy absorption rate has also been increasing as I walk further down into the valley. It doesn¡¯t seem to be a linear increase, but has been growing faster and faster. It makes me wonder what the bottom of the valley is like if this is the Energy density of what¡¯s still considered very much a peripheral area. My health, stamina, and mana are all down a fair bit, but mana and stamina start ticking up relatively quickly. I cast a couple more Lay-on-hands, using some of that newly acquired mana and turning it into health points. Bastet¡¯s looking a bit torn up too so I channel a bit of healing for her too. Fortunately, it¡¯s all superficial stuff that she¡¯d probably heal within a short time anyway. Still, no point in going into a battle already wounded. Not to mention that walking around while bleeding is probably a good way of attracting more attacks, which in turn will only delay us further. Once we¡¯re both almost fully healed, I walk around and toss all the killer chickens XL into my Inventory, fortunately managing to fit them all in one slot. Time to go: time¡¯s a-wasting and I don¡¯t know how much more of it Lathani has. Just because I¡¯ve theorised she might have been taken for taming purposes doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m right, after all. By the time the sun is heading towards the horizon and I¡¯m starting to give serious thought to where to sleep tonight, I¡¯ve accrued another thirty-three percent from encounters, bringing it up to eighty-nine percent. If this keeps on, I¡¯ll be levelling up in no time! And that¡¯s just from killing the creatures since I haven¡¯t been spending the time to dig out their hearts and cook them on the spot. I¡¯ve collected a couple of the most useful-looking corpses, but the rest I¡¯ve left to the forest. A wary growl from Bastet brings my attention back to my surroundings. We¡¯ve strayed into an area where the foliage grows more thickly. It¡¯s hard to see very far as the trees are a strange type which seem to grow roots from their branches. Half-grown roots dangle everywhere, blocking my view. In between, different plants flourish, seeking the light which struggles to make its way through the canopy above. They¡¯re surprisingly brightly coloured, or perhaps that¡¯s just because the trees themselves are so gloomy. It¡¯s like a strange psychedelic nightmare, frankly. I¡¯m wary, not only because of the limited sight-lines or Bastet¡¯s own emotions, but because in Kalanthia¡¯s memories, this patch of trees was much smaller than it is now. She hadn¡¯t even passed through it, just seeing a few trees growing at a distance. I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯s been since Kalanthia and Lathani made this journey, but not that long, I¡¯d guess. Certainly not long enough for a small grove of trees to become an established forest-within-a-forest. Sure, maybe this type of tree is the bamboo of this world, growing an inch overnight, but I would guess something more sinister underlying its growth. Call it instinct more than logic, but I want to get out of this area as quickly as possible. I would have gone round it but I was concerned that I might lose the path. We left the river a while ago to cut across one of the bends where it wends its way much more widely than we would prefer ¨C if we get lost now, we could accidentally miss intersecting with the river again at the right point, or even end up going in circles. My Map is incredibly useful, but it only shows any detail around where I¡¯ve been, and I can¡¯t see where the river is on it. Not the bit of river we¡¯re aiming for, anyway. Plus, I didn¡¯t realise when entering the grove that it had grown so much. With little choice but to keep going forward, we just have to keep our eyes peeled in all directions. The leaves rustle ominously around us, the vines swaying in ways that are just not right with the wind. Eventually, we get to a point where the roots are growing so thickly that we can¡¯t get through. When I turn around and look behind us, I¡¯m surprisingly not surprised that the way behind is impassable too, roots having grown with unbelievable speed to block the route. Looking around with fear starting to crawl at my throat and anger starting to warm my belly, I see no easy way through the cage of roots: we¡¯re trapped. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Three: Burn Before I curse out loud. Suspecting it won¡¯t do any good, I pull my axe out and start hacking at the roots ahead of us. As I thought, as soon as I get through a single root, it¡¯s quickly replaced by another. Even worse, a root comes shooting out of the branches above at me. Leaping aside, I look in shock at the arboreal spear which is as thick around as my wrist. I didn¡¯t realise they could move that fast ¨C I¡¯d only seen them shift slightly. Perhaps now we¡¯re in its trap, it has no need to be stealthy. Though I reckon it¡¯s a bad sign if our attacker has the intelligence to make that sort of choice. Backing up to where Bastet is looking at the trees around, a growl rumbling in her chest and her teeth bared, I wonder what our attacker actually is. An animal mimicking the trees around? Or is is the trees themselves? Can it be? I mean, I know Ents are a thing, but could there possibly actually be trees capable of fast movement? Frankly, after everything I¡¯ve seen, I can¡¯t ignore the possibility. Especially given the current evidence. But if it is the tree ¨C potentially trees ¨C then how on earth am I going to deal with it? I don¡¯t think my knife or Bastet¡¯s claws are going to do much against wood. As for my mace and axe, I think that such an approach has already proved to be a failure. The tree isn¡¯t going to wait for us to make a decision. It shoots a couple of roots at us which we both dodge relatively easily. If that was the only thing it could do, we¡¯d be fine. As it is, the tree apparently has another trick up its sleeve. Well, bark. I notice as we continue dodging, that the space is getting smaller and smaller, the roots around us moving closer bit by bit. If the tree can close the trap, I don¡¯t know why it doesn¡¯t do so immediately, but maybe it has some constraints I don¡¯t know about. Watching for a couple of moments, I realise that the tree is actually sending down new roots straight into the ground on the inside of the wall and then withdrawing the ones behind, only moving three or four roots at a time. It¡¯s a good strategy to avoid leaving even the slightest gap, but it seems a bit inefficient. Still, we¡¯re done for if we don¡¯t get out of this mess before we run out of space to dodge the spearing roots. What are we going to do? My pessimistic prediction about Bastet¡¯s claws and teeth is proven true as she starts trying to fight the spearing roots off after I share my realisation about our dire situation. She can knock the roots off course, her weight and strength obviously enough to divert the piercing spears of wood. That¡¯s where her capabilities end, however. Even when she manages to trap a root temporarily on the ground and chew it, all she achieves is getting a mouthful of splinters and another root shooting at her head. At the same time I try to once again make my way out of the cage, hoping that Bastet¡¯s distraction might be enough for me to create a small hole to exploit. No luck. The tree doesn¡¯t seem capable of directing more than two spearing roots at a time along with the three or four trapping ones, but it retracts the spear it had shot towards Bastet¡¯s head and then sends it shooting out at me. I dodge once more, my mind racing. Can the tree only shoot the root straight? Does it not have any ability to use them like tentacles? At the thought of tentacles, an involuntary shiver goes through me. Even in this desperate situation, that monster in the cave still has the power to send fear through me. Redirecting my mind to the current, increasingly pressing situation, I try to think of ways out. Direct attacks aren¡¯t working, neither attacks on the cage itself nor on the roots actively aiming for us. Digging our way out might be an option if the cage wasn¡¯t closing in ever tighter; climbing could potentially work if we didn¡¯t have the spear attacks to deal with. However, with the situation as it is, neither of those will be possible. With escape not an option, we¡¯re going to have to find some way of attacking. Trees fear the axe, the Ents taught me that. But they also fear...fire. It feels like a lightbulb moment, like a ray of sunlight has suddenly shone down on me. Even if green wood doesn¡¯t burn very well, hopefully it will have some effect. But how to do this¡­? ¡°Bastet, keep the roots off me,¡± I tell her, sending a picture of her leaping at the roots to redirect them away from me. I hope that my observation earlier about the roots only shooting forwards and not being otherwise manipulable is correct as otherwise this is going to be even harder than it already is. A wave of steely assent washing over me from her side of the Bond, I crouch down to the ground. Pulling out a torch and my fire-starter kit from my Inventory, I tuck Trouble¡¯s head back into the sling ¨C the curious cub had poked his nose out to work out what¡¯s going on. I¡¯d rather he doesn¡¯t get singed, though, so firmly tell him to stay put as I start using the flint and steel on the torch. At first, nothing seems to change. The roots shoot at me, probably detecting easy pickings, but Bastet succeeds in knocking them off target. She doesn¡¯t try to bite them this time, just using her weight to redirect them. Fortunately, it seems like my supposition was right ¨C once redirected, the roots just bury themselves in the loam before they¡¯re retracted. The cage continues to tighten inch by inch. Then I manage to get a spark and the atmosphere suddenly changes. I look up, alarmed, at the palpable shift in the air. From a patient watchfulness, the feeling of the area has suddenly taken on the heaviness of anger, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m imagining the sense of fear as well. Not things I would have ever noticed before, but I guess that¡¯s what a Wisdom score of twelve gets you. And I reckon I¡¯m not imagining it because the roots suddenly start shooting at us with renewed vigor and the cage starts reducing in size with increased speed. Where before it seemed like the tree was willing to take its time, believing in its inexorable triumph, now it appears to be hurried in catching its prey. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Heartened by the indication that perhaps my plan has a chance of succeeding, I apply myself to my task. Easier said than done as the increased speed of the spearing roots means that Bastet doesn¡¯t manage to divert all the roots. One hits me in the shoulder, sending me sprawling backwards. Fortunately, since it hits my chitin breastplate, it doesn¡¯t go through my shoulder. However, it¡¯s had another effect; one far more negative. With horror, I watch my steel fly towards the edge of the cage, launched out of my hand as I lost my balance. Without thinking, I throw myself towards it, only barely remembering not to land on my chest and squish the cubs. Instead, landing heavily on my side, I reach out to grab the piece of metal before it is pierced by the root aiming to restrict our space just that little bit more. I hiss as the root digs a groove in the back of my hand as I¡¯m just not quite fast enough to clear the space in time. But I have my steel. Grimly pushing myself to my knees, I shift back to where I was trying to light the torch. Our cage has become a third of its original size, and the speed of it shrinking seems to have increased even more. Possibly it¡¯s because the reduced space means that the tree has to use fewer roots in each layer, enabling it to move faster. Either way, it¡¯s bad news for us, especially since the restricted space is making Bastet¡¯s diverting task even more difficult. I need to work faster. I¡¯m lucky that I was able to retrieve my steel. If I¡¯d lost it, I could have used my knife, probably, but this steel is the right shape to create a shower of sparks. The problem is that the pitch doesn¡¯t want to light for some reason. It¡¯s not helping that my fingers are shaking as panic claws at me, meaning that few of the sparks land on the pitch itself. I dart a look at the cage around and feel more fear curdle in my belly ¨C we¡¯ve got barely two metres of space in any direction now. I stop, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Giving into the gibbering hindbrain isn¡¯t going to help. I need to light this torch. There¡¯s no other option. Maybe I should use some firestarter as well. I hadn¡¯t because the other torches had lit well enough without it, but this one is being stubborn at the worst of times. If the firestarter works, then great. If it lights without the firestarter, even better. Either way, the only way we lose is if I don¡¯t get this bloody thing lit before we have no space left to move. Pulling out some dried moss-like plant, I pile a bit on top of the pitch part of the torch. The breathing and pep talk have reduced my trembling a bit, and I refuse to look at the progress of the cage. Trying to calm myself, I strike my steel against the flint, trying to pretend that I¡¯m in my cave. Yeah, no rush here, just in my cave, going to make dinner. Nothing to it, I tell myself. Finally, I see the lick of flame from where one of the sparks landed in the moss. Refusing to let anything distract me and trusting Bastet to do her best to keep the roots off me without me needing to look, I blow gently on the flame. It grows and I feel a similar flame of triumph light within my belly. That¡¯s when I get hit by two roots one after another. The first knocks me onto my back, the second hits me straight in the thigh. This time, it manages to avoid the armour and goes a couple of inches into my leg. My mouth opens in a shout, pain radiating from the wound like a starburst. It hurts even more as I have to avoid the strike of the next root, the one embedded in my flesh a pivot I have to shift around. Then it retracts, the rough wood dragging at my wound and forcing a hiss of agony out of my mouth. Even once it¡¯s out, I immediately have to roll to one side to avoid the next strike, using my elbows to create a safe space for the cubs. They probably get a bit squished though; I hope they¡¯re OK. Quickly channelling healing through my leg, the magic closes the bleeding wound. Worse than the injury, the impact knocked me away from the torch at a critical time in fire-lighting. I push myself upwards, my eyes searching out the torch, my heart in my mouth. When I see the hint of flame, I breathe out in relief. A quick glance at Bastet along with a touch of the Bond reveals that she¡¯s tired and hard-pressed, but not injured past a few scrapes. At the moment, it seems like the roots only have the power to make superficial or relatively small wounds; that makes the prospect of being caught in the cage even more unappealing as it suggests a long, slow, painful death. But fortunately, my flame is still burning; more, it¡¯s actually caught on the pitch itself. Within a few seconds, the whole pitch end of the torch is burning steadily. Just in time ¨C the cage has reduced to just over a metre of space and Bastet is actually already being confined to the point where she can barely move around anymore. The next time the root shoots at her, I redirect it with the torch, tongues of flame catching briefly on the roots itself. It catches surprisingly well, the root having to stab itself into the ground to put it out. I¡¯m heartened ¨C clearly this tree is a bit more vulnerable to fire than even normal trees would be. The tree doesn¡¯t seem to share my happy feelings, suddenly freezing mid-motion. ¡°Yeah, how do you like that, you poor excuse for a fern,¡± I tell it savagely. ¡°This is fire. And you¡¯d best let us out or I¡¯m going to burn you down.¡± The area is suffused with fear and a sense of hesitancy. I take full advantage, moving to hold the torch against a part of the cage wall. For a moment nothing happens, and then the bark starts to blacken and char. The leaves high above our heads rustle restlessly and the whole tree shivers. Then, as the wood on the roots seems about to catch light, the tree shivers more violently and slowly, almost reluctantly, lifts the roots on that side of the cage. A space just about big enough for Bastet and me to squeeze out is revealed, almost like the tree is unwilling to lose its prey. But surely that¡¯s ascribing far too much human emotion to an unfeeling creature? Though since when could trees trap and kill humans? Perhaps this tree can also feel regret. Either way, I¡¯m not sticking around here for longer than absolutely necessary. Eyeing the rest of the trees around me which look all too similar to the one that almost got us, I wave my torch threateningly. ¡°If any of you are also thinking about making a quick meal out of us, I¡¯m quite happy to turn you into a blazing bonfire, understand me?¡± Unsurprisingly, there¡¯s no response except for the sound of the wind in the tree tops, but I get the sense of brooding dissatisfaction in the air around me. Bastet and I share a look, both of us feeling wariness at continuing through this forest, but the only way is forward. One thing¡¯s for sure, though: I¡¯m not letting this torch go out for a moment. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Four: Quest Before My knuckles are white as I clench them around the shaft of the torch. Eyes looking suspiciously in all directions, I do my best to get out of this wretched collection of trees, Bastet at my side. From time to time she ranges forwards and back, scouting ahead and watching for attack from behind. Unlike before, though, she never goes very far ahead, certainly not out of sight. After all, we don¡¯t want to risk the trees around daring to trap her simply because she¡¯s wandered too far from the fire I¡¯m carrying. I jog most of the time, preferring speed over stealth or caution. Unlike the journey up to this point, I don¡¯t use Fade at all and, in fact, turn off my passive Stealth just to save on stamina. Without those two consuming my resources, my stamina goes a lot further. In fact, with my recent increases in Strength (Endurance), I only lose a bit more on jogging at a moderate pace than I recover. Interspersing jogging with periods of fast walking allows me to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. And frankly, it amazes me how long I can continue without stopping for breath ¨C I¡¯d never done much long-distance running before coming here so being able to just keep going is a novelty for me. The way I¡¯d been travelling before the venus-human-trap trees had been faster periods of running interspersed with slower periods of walking. I¡¯d done it that way because of the cubs ¨C they get restless if they¡¯re in the sling for too long. It¡¯s not great for them to be trapped for too long, anyway, so the periods of walking allowed them to climb out. That way they could have a bite to eat, water to drink, and then stretch their legs by walking with the ¡®pride¡¯. Then, back into the sling for another period of running in order to cover as much distance as possible. Of course, that had also been interspersed with attacks from the various denizens of the forest, but the fights were generally over quickly enough. None of that now, though. No way am I letting any of the cubs wander around this death-trap of a forest. So instead I¡¯m just trying to move as efficiently as possible to maintain a steady pace forwards. At least with Bastet ranging forwards and back she¡¯s able to suss out the terrain ahead of us. We¡¯ve already avoided two places where the earth suddenly fell away thanks to her. Not that the banks which would have suddenly vanished under my feet were particularly high, but if I¡¯d landed badly, I¡¯d probably have hurt the cubs far worse than I would have hurt myself. Despite our attentive wariness, the trees don¡¯t try anything more. Perhaps they don¡¯t dare considering we¡¯ve already escaped their trap once. Or perhaps it¡¯s the guttering torch in my hand that they don¡¯t dare risk combating. Either way, I¡¯m thoroughly glad when I see the end to the trees appearing ahead. Just as well: my torch is starting to splutter a bit, the pitch having been mostly consumed already. It¡¯s surprisingly abrupt, the end of the trees. Even the ground looks different, darker. The plants that grow around the trees are all more vibrant in colour than the ones that I can see in the normal part of the forest. As for the venus trees, they¡¯re all weirdly uniform in colour, and mostly so in shape. They¡¯re all a darker brown than the normal trees of the forest and the roots dangling down from their branches sway sinisterly, and sometimes counterintuitively, in a breeze that I can barely feel. Looking back at them now, they all look like shadowy reaper-like cloaked figures with arms held out to embrace those who seek death. But perhaps that¡¯s just my experience with them talking. After all, I didn¡¯t notice all those details walking into the copse. I shiver and turn away. Even if it¡¯s longer, I decide that we¡¯ll be coming back by the river route. Taking a moment to recover my bearings compared to Kalanthia¡¯s memories, I set off again. The cubs are wriggling impatiently. They¡¯ve been trying to escape the sling for a good half an hour already so I let them out as soon as I feel we¡¯ve put enough distance between us and the trees to make it safe. Well, as safe as we can be exposed in the forest like this. Bastet and I take the opportunity to eat and drink too as the cubs play. I¡¯ve been feeding them scraps to try to keep them quiet while getting out of the trap-trees so they¡¯re not particularly hungry. We are, though, and take it in turns to eat eagerly while the other keeps watch. ¡°Have you ever come across those things before?¡± I ask Bastet as we get going again, the cubs following at our heels. The adult raptorcat makes sure they don¡¯t go astray, nudging the cubs back into line if they start wandering elsewhere. In response to my question she sends me an uncertain feeling. Then a series of images follows, the interpretation difficult. I frown as I try to parse through the meaning carefully. It takes me a bit of work, and I realise why after a while. Not all the memories are Bastet¡¯s. It¡¯s an indication of something I¡¯d already suspected ¨C that she was capable of telepathic communication with the other raptorcats before Kalanthia killed them. What¡¯s for certain is that one of the memories is from a male raptorcat which obviously travelled further than Bastet did. I know that because part of the memory is of him drinking from a much wider version of the river, his reflection telling me that his appearance was significantly different from Bastet¡¯s. Through her eyes, the fact that he¡¯s male is immediately apparent too. So unless raptorcats are capable of transsexuality and changing their appearance, at least that memory must be one she received telepathically. And if that one was, it lends credence to the idea that the others are too. Anyway, the provenance of the memories aside, the fact is that from what I can gather, normally these kinds of trees are found much further down in the valley. Closer to the Energy. That¡¯s not the only weird thing, I realise as I check my status screen, in response to a nagging feeling.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 2 Energy to next level: 95% Energy absorption rate: 21u/hr Energy towards debt: 1%
Intelligence 12 Mana: 120/120
Wisdom 12 Stolen novel; please report. Mana regeneration rate: 300u/hr
Willpower 17+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 20u/hr
Constitution 13 Health: 130/130
Strength 12 Stamina: 49/60
Dexterity 12 Stamina regeneration rate: 120u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 4 Tame ¨C Beginner 2 Fade ¨C Novice 8 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 1 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Beginner 8
I¡¯m up to ninety-five percent in my Energy store. Considering I haven¡¯t killed anything since before entering the area with the trap-trees, I find that surprising. It suggests to me that the Energy density in the copse was significantly higher than the area around it. I mean, that¡¯s a bit of an assumption: I certainly wasn¡¯t going to open my status screen to check at the time. Still, it makes sense to me. As far as I know, Energy only comes when either killing or dominating a creature; we did neither to the trees. Therefore, the only Energy I should have gathered would be from my general absorption. With my current Energy absorption rate, well, with what it was before it increased to twenty-one units per hour, I was gaining a single percent every three or so hours. So to have suddenly gained about six percent in only a few hours? Something else must be going on. Checking my message box, I realise that the nagging feeling didn¡¯t come from having gained a point, or the opportunity to gain a point by spending some of my gathered Energy. Instead, it¡¯s a new message entirely.
Congratulations! You have received a Quest.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse Quest type: Regional
Description: You have encountered Vine-Strangler trees in an unusual location, at an unusual stage of development and with an unusual level of Energy in the area.
Objective: Discover why Vine-Strangler trees are growing in this location and the reason for the unusual level of Energy.
Time to complete quest: Unlimited
Suggested difficulty: Initiate Reward: Rare Bronze chest
How interesting, I muse to myself. Apparently this new System comes accompanied with quests, and somehow I¡¯ve triggered one. How? Is it because I made note of something strange? But there have been lots of strange things and I¡¯ve never triggered a quest before. Or is it something else? Another question to add to the list. By this point, I¡¯m amassing quite a few. It¡¯s a little strange that my System stone absorbed memories have nothing to say on this point; is it that unusual? Well, I guess I¡¯ll find out later. Maybe. I suppose that I might have received this quest because otherwise I doubt I¡¯d have pursued my feelings of strangeness any further. After my experience in the forest, I was rather looking forward to putting it behind me and never thinking of it again, but perhaps I¡¯ll revisit it in the future. If a ¡®rare¡¯ bronze chest is worth risking going through that forest again, that is. I look at the table hovering in front of me with a little more attention. Apparently it¡¯s a regional quest type, whatever that means. Does it mean that if I leave the region, I¡¯ll fail the quest automatically? Or that I had to be in a certain region to gain it? I see I have unlimited time to address it ¨C that¡¯s good since I¡¯m definitely going to rescue Lathani before even considering investigating this wretched forest. A fairly vague objective ¨C they don¡¯t exactly give any clues. Not like the quest logs in the games I played that had quests. Suggested difficulty is apparently for Initiates. That sounds rather similar to the way my Skills have been ranked so far. I¡¯ve only got one Skill at that level ¨C Lay-on-hands, of course. It started at Beginner, ranked up to Novice, and then increased to Initiate. All of those terms indicate that I¡¯m still at the relative beginning of things, even having ranked up twice ¨C an initiate isn¡¯t much further forward than a beginner in most uses of the word. Does that mean that the quest is quite easy, but not the easiest? If so, I wonder what reward chests I¡¯d get for a Beginner quest. Probably nothing worth actually doing it. Whether a bronze chest is worth the effort either, I guess I¡¯ll have to find out. Though is a ¡®rare¡¯ bronze chest different from a normal one? Or are they all considered ¡®rare¡¯? I feel a nose press against my hand and close the screen to find Bastet nudging me. She sends a mixture of impatience and query. She¡¯s right, we need to get going again. I hadn¡¯t realised that I¡¯d actually stopped while checking my screens, and we still have a way to go. Plus, it¡¯s going to be dark fairly soon and I¡¯ll need to create a small shelter for us all. I reckon that we¡¯ve got about three hours of travel time before we¡¯ll need to stop for me to create a small campsite. Calling the cubs over, I pick them up and tuck them into the sling again. They¡¯ve been walking for a while and we need to maximise our speed as much as possible. I want to get to the lizard-folk¡¯s area tomorrow, and hopefully find their den or wherever they¡¯ve taken Lathani. To do that, we¡¯ll need to intersect with the river again today so I can make sure I have my landmarks correctly identified. Cubs tucked away again, we take off once more. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Five: And Then It Runs Into My Knife Before I pull my bowstring back, training the tip of my arrow on the leader standing at the back. It¡¯s throwing rocks even as it exhorts its team to attack us with shrieks and chattering of its teeth. Breathing out, I release the missile, watching in satisfaction as it thunks into the monkey-like reptile, scoring a good hit in its exposed chest. Not a heart-shot, but it¡¯s enough to distract the creature. Plus, the strike has made it drop the rock which was in its paw ready to throw. Even better, it was holding the rock above its head, so it¡¯s now got a headache as well. Always a good moment when the enemy does your work for you. But this is no time for me to admire my achievement: Bastet¡¯s on the front line occupying the four melee members of the team. I need to take down the ranged before going in to help her out, if she hasn¡¯t already won against them. In addition to the four fighting in melee, there are three more as ranged back-up, one of which is the leader I¡¯ve already hit. Nocking another arrow to the string, I do my best to focus on hitting the creatures somewhere painful. The creatures are a strange amalgamation of monkey and reptile. Their skin is scaly and a grey-green which blends quite well into the forest. Their heads are big and ugly, bulging eyes on either side and a groove between which runs down to a slit nose and a mouthful of sharp teeth. Along their backs they have a ridge. The leader seems to have spikes running down that ridge; the others just have the protruding bone. Whether that¡¯s the result of some difference in social strata, or even a difference between genders, I don¡¯t know. They have wide shoulders and strong arms and legs on which the muscle is evident, even beneath the scales. They don¡¯t have opposable thumbs, but that doesn¡¯t seem to stop them grabbing stones and throwing them at us with their clawed paws. Seeming to be comfortable resting in a crouch on two legs, they bob forwards to grab stones and then push themselves back into the crouch to throw it. I know that they can move both with two legs and with four, having watched the way they ran towards Bastet. Their tails help them when they¡¯re on two legs, almost acting as a third leg in the way it presses against the ground. Their tails are also able to curl around branches and help them reach further than their balance would otherwise allow. In general, they reach up to my waist when in their crouched position. They can probably stand taller for a short time, but I haven¡¯t seen it. Bastet is hard-pressed with them grabbing at her with their claws and using their grips to bite at her with their teeth. Of course, she¡¯s giving as good as she gets ¨C her own claws are longer and sharper and so are her teeth. One of the attackers is already down, bleeding profusely. It¡¯s unlikely to last much longer, which at least relieves the pressure on her a little. The threat for her is more the rocks ¨C although the ranged fighters don¡¯t seem to want to hit their own so they haven¡¯t been pelting her with too many, each rock that does get thrown risks cracking one or more of her bones, changing the balance of the fight immediately. That¡¯s where I come in. I don¡¯t aim for their heads, reckoning that they¡¯re probably mostly bone and my flint arrows are more likely to bounce off than anything else, even with my increased Strength behind the missiles. Instead, I aim for their large chests. As well as hitting the leader in the chest, I manage to hit the monkile next to it, also in its chest, though a fair bit lower. I wince in sympathy when I see exactly where my arrow is sticking, the creature¡¯s lack of clothing leaving nothing to the imagination. Though, that said, since they¡¯re reptiles, their genitals are hidden away so perhaps it¡¯s not as painful as I imagine it would be on me. Still, it makes the lizard drop its rocks and bring both paws down to scrabble at the injury. Whipping off another arrow ¨C that misses ¨C I continue shooting. Slowly, both my rate of fire and my accuracy improve with practice. The three monkiles I¡¯m shooting at are starting to look a bit like porcupines with at least three arrows in each. The leader, whose annoying shrieks are getting on my nerves, actually has five arrows sticking out of it ¨C three in its chest, one in a leg, and one lucky shot in its neck. Unfortunately it doesn¡¯t seem to have hit the carotid artery. Or whatever these creatures have instead. Apparently I¡¯ve annoyed them enough that they¡¯re now searching for the source of their discomfort rather than focusing on the fight. I¡¯m relieved ¨C I was expecting them to get to this point a good five arrows ago. Frankly, if someone was shooting at me, I¡¯d be on them after the first arrow. But maybe their scaly skin isn¡¯t particularly sensitive; it certainly doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯ve bled much from the hits. Revealing myself by releasing Fade, I draw their attention. ¡°Hey fellas, I¡¯m here to keep you on the straight and arrow,¡± I taunt. My ex would have probably groaned and smacked me for that one, but without her here, I just grin and enjoy my own joke. Either way, I¡¯ve got the attention of the monkiles for sure. Clearly, they don¡¯t appreciate quality humour. The leader lets out a new ear-piercing shriek and dashes towards me, actually running across the small space between us. It runs really weirdly, its upper body staying absolutely still while its hips swing and its feet pad across the ground. Its tail is key to the movement, counterbalancing the shifts from side to side. Then it¡¯s on me. Unfortunately for it, I¡¯m ready; I¡¯ve been ready since before shooting it the first time. The leader runs right into my knife. Then it withdraws and runs into my knife again. It must do it a good ten times even as I avoid blows of its claws before I manage to hit something important and it drops to the ground, its lower body suddenly limp. It tries to snap at me weakly, but I just stab it in the throat. This time I definitely manage to hit the carotid artery as blood spurts out. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Backing a little to get out of range in case it starts twitching violently as it dies, I warily watch the other two ranged fighters. They stare at their downed leader for a moment and I wonder if they might turn tail and run. I¡¯m not that lucky. Instead, they seem to exchange glances and then turn back to me, hissing like a pot boiling over. The next thing I know, they¡¯ve launched themselves towards me. Quickly slotting my bow into my Inventory so I don¡¯t risk it getting stepped on, I grab my mace with my off-hand ¨C with two-on-one odds, I¡¯m going to need it. Swinging in a back-handed swipe as they get into range, I manage to hit one with a hard blow, making it shriek in pain. Unfortunately, they¡¯re sturdy enough that even my Strength-fueled strike loses enough momentum to make continuing the swipe pointless. Instead, I bring my knife into play, scoring a strike across the other one¡¯s chest instead of managing to pierce through into its heart. In return, their claws rake across me. Fortunately, my rough chitin armour is enough to turn their blows. My armour takes a beating, though, as one of them gets in a lucky strike which actually cuts through one of the ties holding my breastplate in place. The momentum back on my side as their attacks fail, I use a strike from my mace to push me back a little, opening up enough space that I¡¯m able to swing my weapon with enough force to crack the skull of the one on the right. It falls back, its paws going to scrabble at the wound. I think I might have damaged its eye too. The other one lunges at me, but I get in a lucky hit ¨C instead of it managing to bite my arm, it instead bites my knife...point first. I press my advantage as it back-pedals, grabbing its ugly mug so I can pull it further onto my knife. It hits something hard and halts, requiring a flex of my muscles to continue its journey. The pause must have been the tip of my blade piercing through its mouth and into its brain as a moment later it goes limp, the light leaving its eyes. Quickly finishing off the monkile which is still pawing at its eye and whimpering piteously with small shrieks, I look at my partner. She¡¯s fine. Bastet¡¯s managed to down three of her attackers and is currently suffocating the fourth with a grip on its throat. She¡¯s looking pretty bloody though, and I have a feeling that most of it is hers. That¡¯s partly because of all the rents I see in her coat, but also because our attackers have green blood, and most of what¡¯s on her is red. Swiftly moving through the battleground, I cast a Lay-on-hands on her. As I stand with my hands literally laid on her bloody feather-fur to channel the healing, I scan the surrounding trees. Not finding what I¡¯m looking for, I ask Bastet. ¡°Where did the cubs go?¡± They¡¯d been following us when we were attacked by this troupe of monkey-reptiles. Bastet had sent some sort of instruction to them that was too fast for me to catch. And then she¡¯d leapt in to grab their attention and I¡¯d triggered Fade. None of that left enough time for me to make sure the cubs were safe. Bastet sends me a wave of uncertainty, but tempered with reassurance. I interpret it to mean that she doesn¡¯t know exactly where they are, but thinks they¡¯re probably safe. Well, she should know, I suppose. Once Bastet is in a better condition, we go looking for the cubs. Or at least, I do. The adult raptorcat just makes a few chirping sounds and suddenly ¨C poof! The cubs appear out of nowhere! That¡¯s how they make it seem, anyway. In fact, they just found a good spot at the base of a tree to hide in and their natural camouflage did the rest. Actually, is it just their natural camouflage? Given the new world I¡¯m in, it could be magic. Perhaps they have the same ability that Bastet does ¨C after all, she disappears in plain sight on a regular basis. Either way, they¡¯re safe. I count one, two, and three, sighing in relief. Fortunately, Trouble hasn¡¯t lived up to his name. Probably Storm kept him in line ¨C I¡¯ve been seeing her take charge more and more recently. Or maybe it¡¯s because the order came from Bastet. For whatever reason, I¡¯m relieved. Cubs found, I begin clearing up the battleground. Or I start doing so until I realise that my Inventory is full. Damn. With setting off after Lathani directly after exploring the cavern and gathering all that salt, I didn¡¯t have many squares in my Inventory left over even when I started the journey. A day and multiple encounters in and it¡¯s now completely full. I could take out my bow and sling it across my back to free up a space or¡­ I probably have another option if the nagging sense of a message waiting for me is anything to judge by. Opening my message box, I see a couple of new messages, not just the one I was expecting.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity (Agility) and have earned a point. This has been applied to your status.
Next message? Y/N
So apparently I¡¯ve done enough work on my Dexterity to actually earn a point outright. I¡¯m not completely surprised ¨C I did see a message not that long ago that offered me the point for Energy and I turned it down, wanting to save my Energy to level up. It seems that using my bow levels my Dexterity fast. It¡¯s interesting that it¡¯s the Agility subcategory that¡¯s increased ¨C I¡¯ll need to remember that. As for the next message, I feel anticipation grow in my belly as I open it.
Congratulations! You have gathered enough Energy to push your body to the next level. Would you like to level up?
Y/N?
Yes! Finally! It feels like a long time since I last saw that message. I mean, I was at ninety-eight percent before even starting the fight, so it was inevitable that it would happen during it. In fact, I¡¯d felt the nagging sense of a notification after I¡¯d killed the leader, so in the break between that and its flunkies deciding to charge, I¡¯d actually consciously focused on pushing new Energy towards my debt. I don¡¯t know how I managed to remember about that in the heat of the moment, but I did. Maybe it¡¯s my increased Intelligence working for me. My heart actually dropped into my boots when I saw the first message was about Dexterity ¨C until I spotted that there was another message waiting for me, that is. I¡¯d been suddenly worried that I¡¯d switched modes too quickly! Fortunately, I was wrong. Well, right that I¡¯d earned enough Energy to level up, and wrong that I¡¯d misinterpreted the nagging notification feeling. Welp, time to get to level three! It¡¯s been a long time coming... Book Two: Growth - Chapter Six: Choices Before Having accepted the level-up, I¡¯m presented with the same screen I¡¯ve seen twice before now.
To level up, please choose the stats you would like to increase. You have 6 points available. Warning: if you do not assign all points now, you will be unable to use them later. You can choose to delay your level-up, but you will not store any further Energy until you do. Do you wish to continue to level up?
Y/N?
I almost accept automatically, but suddenly the thought of what happens after levelling up stays my hand. I eye my clothes including my rudimentary armour. I don¡¯t want to walk around with clothes stinking of the stuff that comes out of me during the process, and I¡¯m sure as hell not taking off my clothes during and then putting them back on after to just get messy again. No, I need to get to the river again before actually triggering the process. I reluctantly think ¡®later¡¯ at the System and the box disappears from my vision. Bastet looks at me expectantly. ¡°We need to get to the river,¡± I tell her grumpily. It¡¯s taken so long to get here, I was really looking forward to seeing ¨C and feeling ¨C my stats jump. Still, I suppose it gives me a bit of extra time to think through where I want to assign them. And if anything attacks us on the way to the river, at least I¡¯ll still be able to put some Energy towards my debt. Suddenly worried that I might have not directed the Energy correctly, in the middle of the fight as it was when I tried to focus on the thought, I quickly open my status page. The number three sitting in the Energy debt box reassures me. Not wanting to leave the corpses behind, I pull my bow out of my Inventory to free up that slot and pile the monkile corpses in. Fortunately, like all the corpses of the same species so far, they all stack, even the leader despite it being a bit bigger. I do retrieve my arrows first, though. Setting off towards where the river should be, I send a wave of gratitude to Bastet. She replies with a confused feeling. I don¡¯t know how to explain it, so I just reply with a sense of ¡®just accept it¡¯. There are a few moments of silence from her side of the Bond before I get a response. It¡¯s a odd mixture of emotions, almost feeling like a hug from a friend accompanied by a ¡®you¡¯re weird¡¯ accusation. Ah well, I¡¯ll live with my raptorcat companion thinking I¡¯m a bit strange. I¡¯m just happy to have her here. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be without her, at this point. Both on an emotional and a developmental front. I wouldn¡¯t have made it this far in the forest without her firepower by my side, or her acting as a shield to distract the enemies. I¡¯m just...grateful. Once more I renew my vow to myself that I will never start treating her as some disposable tool. Not that I think I could, now ¨C it would be like treating a friend as just something to get what you want. Fortunately, or not depending on your point of view, our walk slash jog to the riverside is fairly quiet with only one attack. I barely even fight: Bastet manages to almost completely deal with it before I get a chance to step in. For once, it¡¯s not another strange reptilian cross-breed ¨C this one just looks like a very big monitor lizard. Very big in the sense that it¡¯s actually slightly bigger than Bastet who stands as high as mid-thigh on me. Still, it doesn¡¯t have her speed or long, sharp teeth. Failing to set its own teeth into her, it signs its own death-sentence. I only speed up the process by cracking its skull open with my mace. Eyeing its corpse, I eventually sigh and just move on. Something else will have a feast tonight. Big and heavy as it is, it¡¯s not as much meat as the monkile corpses I dumped in there earlier and it doesn¡¯t seem to have any other features which might make keeping it useful. No, better to just keep going. Once I¡¯ve got ten more Inventory slots, I¡¯ll have a bit more leeway. Hopefully I¡¯ll have a bit of time to deal with what¡¯s in my Inventory before the next crisis. The cubs have been running with us as much as possible, their muscles clearly growing quickly. Before, they were only able to keep up when we walked slowly. Now they¡¯ve started being able to walk reasonably fast with us. I reckon that in a day or two they should be able to keep up with us at a slow run, at least for a bit. Hopefully we¡¯ll have found Lathani by that point, though. Still, I don¡¯t regret taking a little bit of time to level up: not only is the river actually on our route anyway, but me becoming stronger gives us a better chance of survival. We reach the river just as the sun touches the horizon. As much as I want to level up immediately, I know I need to build a shelter for us all before darkness properly falls. Deciding to recreate my dead leaf shelter, only a bit bigger, I search for an appropriate tree and branch. Spotting both at a small distance from each other, I set to. As I prepare the shelter, I¡¯m amused to see the cubs trying to help. Storm¡¯s the first one to get stuck in with Ninja following shortly after. I guess that Storm watched me for a bit first to work out what I was doing, but as I push dead leaves together to make a cosy mattress, I¡¯m surprised when I start seeing her do the same thing. Or at least try. It seems like raptorcats aren¡¯t really adapted to pushing dead leaves around as she¡¯s struggling to find a method that works. In the end, it¡¯s actually Ninja who works out the most efficient way ¨C she turns around and starts digging like a dog, kicking the leaves behind her with her front paws. When we¡¯ve got enough of a mattress, I tell them to stop. ¡°I think we¡¯ve got enough, girls, thanks.¡± Then I hesitate. ¡°We need sticks now ¨C do you want to help?¡± They look at me with heads cocked in confusion. Stupid ¨C it¡¯s not like they understand words well enough to pick up something so abstract. Since I don¡¯t have the kind of Bond with them that I have with Bastet, they can¡¯t pick up my meaning mentally either. Plus, I¡¯m not telepathic so no chance of me just projecting my thoughts to them. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Instead, I just show them what to do, collecting sticks and putting them in a pile. The two cubs soon get into the groove, finding sticks and bringing them back with enthusiasm. It¡¯s just too cute to see them come running back with a stick in their mouths, their tails sticking up straight in the air in excitement. Or, perhaps even cuter, when they try to bring back a stick multiple times their own length, resorting to dragging it backwards when it becomes too unwieldy to carry in their mouths. I refuse to let myself become too distracted, though ¨C I need to finish this shelter and I want to be able to level up before it becomes too dark and dangerous to do so. It¡¯s a struggle, though, especially when I see cubs tripping over their own feet, falling over each other¡¯s sticks, and generally being far too adorable for their own good. Trouble doesn¡¯t really get into the whole shelter-building thing. In fact, living up to his name, he decides that shelter-destroying is more his jazz. Bastet eventually has to herd him away with nudges and nips, preventing him from making this take at least twice the time it should. Eventually, I¡¯m done. It¡¯s a bit darker than I¡¯d prefer, and I bite my lip as I have to make a decision. Probably the sensible thing would be to wait for tomorrow...but I want to get an early start tomorrow: I¡¯m hoping to get to the lizard-folk area before dark falls again to scout it out. In the end, I decide that it¡¯s worth the risk. I light a torch ¨C the fire should scare away some creatures, and give me enough light to deal with any animals that are drawn to it. I tuck the cubs into the shelter and Bastet warns them to stay put. At least, that¡¯s the impression I get from the small wave that ripples my way. And, wait, when did I start being able to interpret what she¡¯s telling them? Putting the question to one side, we go to the river bank. Fortunately, the shelter is actually still within sight so Bastet will keep an eye on that at the same time as watching for danger approaching me while I¡¯m vulnerable. I restring my bow and put it on the river bank just in case of something attacking. I''d take it in with me but water and sinew don''t really mix well. Eyeing the river suspiciously, I throw a rock at a number of spots which I¡¯m not completely sure are just the river bed rather than some camouflaged crocodile. Finally satisfied that there aren¡¯t any creatures waiting for me to venture close enough before ambushing me, I take the next step. Once more removing all my clothes, I step into the river, going in to ankle level. I¡¯ll go in deeper to wash off, but I¡¯d rather not risk the current ¨C or something else ¨C taking me away while I¡¯m unable to move in the levelling-up process. Not needing to open my status screen again, I just think ¡®level up¡¯ and the System does the rest. As before, when I accepted the level up, I¡¯m sent directly to my status screen with the pluses next to each of the stats. I¡¯ve had plenty of time to decide how to spend my six points, so I quickly assign them, refusing to second-guess myself at the last minute. Then, as I add the final point, the status screen disappears and I have to make my choices for the stat which has two sub-categories.
You have chosen to increase your Wisdom Would you like to increase your Breadth or your Depth?
Breadth / Depth
You have chosen to increase your Wisdom Would you like to increase your Breadth or your Depth?
Breadth / Depth
Deciding to hedge my bets, I choose Breadth for the first point and Depth for the second. As before, after choosing my points, pain descends. After the pain is the feeling of bliss, and then, like every time so far, I soon double over, all the impurities in my system working their way out of me. I¡¯m thankful to see that the trend seems to be holding true ¨C this time is actually noticeably less awful than the last time, let alone the first time. I vomit, but it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m puking my guts up along with the contents. And I get a sheen of sweat all over me, but I can actually still see my skin through it, something that wasn¡¯t true the first time. Still, I¡¯m grateful to be in the river and quickly take a couple of steps further in to wash up, glad to leave the spot filled with my vomit. It¡¯s already starting to drift downstream ¨C I don¡¯t envy the fish it might come into contact with. Bastet lets out a low growl, a sense of impatience coming across the Bond. ¡°I¡¯m almost done,¡± I tell her quietly, scrubbing myself. I curse myself for forgetting my soap again! Then again, I suppose it would have taken another slot in my Inventory. Bastet lets out another growl, this one more urgent. I open my eyes quickly, only to yelp and half-jump, half-fall to the side as a creature flies at my face. Fortunately for me, the creature both completely misses, and the sudden dousing in the water washes off the rest of the nasty mess on me. Less fortunate for me is the fact that I¡¯m completely naked. I half jump, half fall towards the riverbank, snatching my waiting bow. Withdrawing arrows from my Inventory is my next move; at least I can still access the extra-dimensional space even when I¡¯m not wearing a stitch. Aiming, I get to see my recently gained point in Agility in action. I¡¯ve discovered that while Flexibility helps me with the small movements, Agility helps me in my larger motions. Together, they help me to correctly line up my shot and I manage to get the flying creature with my second shot. It tumbles to the ground and I dart out of the water, grabbing my torch and approaching quickly. As the light falls upon my attacker, I see that Bastet has already preempted me and is pinning the creature. Strangely, she¡¯s not going for its throat. I send a questioning feeling at her and she sends back a sense-memory which is tinged with the slightest amount of reluctance. I¡¯m surprised to recognise the memory, only it¡¯s from the other side of the battlefield. She¡¯s sent me the memory of that separate space in which we had the Battle of Wills. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting I Dominate this creature?¡± I ask her uncertainly. She sends back another flurry of emotions accompanied by images, hard to parse. Eventually, I think I¡¯ve managed to work them out. I think what she¡¯s saying is this: I miss my pack, but I have made a new pack with you. I miss the bond of my sisters, but our Bond makes up for it, at least in part. I wish to protect my pack and we do not have enough members. I cannot fly, and will probably never be able to, but I remember the value of a view from the air. If you are strong, you must take what you need to protect us. There¡¯s a lot in what she sends me, and there are several questions they raise, not least the memory she sends me which is of another raptorcat sometime flying. Nevertheless, I don¡¯t have the time for that now: it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s deferring the decision to me as the pack ¡®leader¡¯ ¨C actually, I think that the closest translation would be ¡®matriarch¡¯, but that doesn¡¯t quite fit ¨C so I need to make one. Which leaves the main question: is this the right kind of situation in which to use Dominate or not? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seven: Mistakes Mean Death Before The creature¡¯s not going anywhere for now, so I take a moment to gaze at it while I turn the question over in my mind. It¡¯s on its front, an arrow through its wing and Bastet pinning it down firmly. Unsurprisingly, it¡¯s squirming, but unable to reach the raptorcat with its beak or claws, it¡¯s not got much of a chance. The first thing I think of when I look at it is an eagle, but there are significant differences. It¡¯s got four legs I can see, sprawled out forwards and backwards under Bastet¡¯s weight. Its wings are mostly leathery, but with a fine coating of smooth almost-feathers, not all that dissimilar to Bastet¡¯s coat. It has hooks on the front joints of its wings which look wickedly sharp, similar to the talons it has on its scaly feet. Its tail is a fan of leather and almost-feathers, like its wings. Its eyes are reasonably big, though not to the point of being like an owl¡¯s, and each has a ridge of bone above that leads down to its snapping, toothed beak. Its body is coated in what looks to be more like fur than feathers, unlike what is on its wings. It¡¯s about half Bastet¡¯s size and, although I can¡¯t make out the details of its colouring in the dark, I can tell that it would blend in very well with shadows. Not surprising considering it¡¯s clearly a nocturnal hunter. All of which is a bit of a distraction for my debate over whether to Dominate it or not. For sure, it would be good to have some eyes in the sky, especially for what¡¯s to come: I¡¯m not going to go into the lizard-folk¡¯s territory figurative guns blazing. I¡¯m going to need to get information first ¨C about Lathani, about where she¡¯s being held, about the defences around her, etc. My plan was to send Bastet in, but potentially a view from above would be more useful and inconspicuous, especially if it¡¯s at night. Beyond that, though, do I have any good reason for Dominating this creature? Especially since after Spike¡¯s death, I promised myself not to Dominate unless I was sure that I needed the creature. Do I? Well, an aerial scout will always be useful. Except underground, I suppose. A bird wouldn¡¯t have been much use when I was travelling through the tunnel to the salt cave, after all. But I¡¯m not planning on doing that much ¨C one encounter with a giant squid monster is one too many in my life, frankly. So, yes, I could use an aerial scout, even a nocturnal one, presuming it can still operate in the daylight to a certain extent. And while I¡¯ve decided that it¡¯s immoral to just go out and Dominate everything because I can...on the other hand, there¡¯s a different dimension to this encounter than previous ones: the creature attacked me first. If I don¡¯t Dominate it, then I either release it or kill it. Releasing it just risks it attacking at another point, perhaps grabbing a cub which would be far more vulnerable. I can¡¯t see Bastet willingly allowing that risk to continue. On the other hand, if I just kill it, then how is that any better than Dominating it? Killing in the middle of the battle is one thing; killing this creature in cold-blood, pinned to the ground, feels different. Maybe I should decide to Dominate it in the way I did Bastet, rather than the way I Dominated Spike. With Spike, I pushed and pushed until he gave in because it was give in or be crushed. I never deserved the loyalty he showed me, and failed to take the time to develop a bond between us beyond the forced Bond. With Bastet, it was different because, although I showed my strength in the Battle of Wills, it was far more a negotiation than pure force which won the day for me. That set the seeds of the bond that we currently have, one that I¡¯m grateful for. I make up my mind. I will use Dominate on this creature. If it would prefer death over being Bound to me, as Bastet would have had the cubs not been on the scene, I will respect its wishes and fail the Battle. Bastet can then kill it while I¡¯m in my vulnerable state. If it accepts, then I have another member to add to our unlikely pack. Circling the creature until I¡¯m in front of its head, I kneel down. It tries to bite me as I reach towards it, but I was expecting that and succeed in avoiding the attack. Grabbing its head, I force it to look into my eyes. ¡°Dominate,¡± I say, this time much more calmly than either of the times before. As is now becoming more familiar, I fall into the liminal space of consciousness in which these battles are played out. The pressure of water coming towards me is almost as strong as that which I remember being directed at me in the battle with Bastet. Strange ¨C I was expecting it to be stronger considering how we¡¯ve travelled further down the mountainside. I force my way through the space towards the creature which is fixed in place. Our eyes are drawn to each other like there¡¯s some sort of magnetism attracting them. I see an unbridled wildness in the orbs, a refusal to give in. I have a sinking feeling about my chances here, but continue trying nonetheless. Either my increased familiarity or my increased stats allowing it, I notice more about this space than the times before. For example, the closer I get to the creature, the more I understand of them. Almost like my approach isn¡¯t just entering their personal space, but also in some way entering their mind. Come join our pack, I think to it. We are stronger together. I do not work with others, is the response. I am alone, and better for it. It¡¯s not really words, what is communicated to me. Instead it¡¯s more of a wild cry, a sound hauntingly similar to a buzzard¡¯s mew. I remember going on holiday once to central France and hearing the buzzards overhead as they circled the air. The sound became irrevocably linked to freedom ¨C the birds soaring high above everything, free to do as they pleased. You are not better for it, I respond, trying even though I have a sneaky sensation I might be beating a dead horse here. You attacked a foe too powerful for yourself and lost. The price of that mistake is your life. In our group, you would have support; back up. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. It is the Law. Mistakes mean death. I fly free; I die free. Don¡¯t throw your life away for nothing. Where there is life, there is hope. I do not wish to offer slavery, but companionship. Bonds, yes, but reciprocal ones where you gain as much as you give. I feel the complete incomprehension and rejection of my words before the response even comes through. I am alone. I live by my own successes; I die by my own failures. I am free. This is not a creature which yearns for companionship, like Bastet. Flashes of the creature¡¯s life come along with the last communication, my steady approach through the space between us having intensified our connection to that point. He has always been alone, even in his mother¡¯s nest. There is no evidence of a father, and any times he was with a female of his own species, it was an almost violent coupling with his four feet having to hold her in place to stop her from slashing at him. When the deed was done, he took his leave, never supporting the female, nor encountering his offspring. Any other time he met one of his own species, he drove them off or was driven off in his turn. He¡¯s right ¨C he¡¯s not a team player. I could force him to be through a Bond, but I won¡¯t. To do so would be to completely turn him against his own nature, which I cannot bring myself to do. Not when I have other options, at least. Were my life immediately on the line, I couldn¡¯t say whether I would uphold the same morals. But for now, I know what to do. Very well, I say with regret. Fly free, I tell him heavily before giving a warning, but if you attack either of us again, or the three cubs under our protection, you will die. I don¡¯t wait for him to respond, and he doesn¡¯t look to be in a hurry to do so. Not exactly sure how to stop this whole thing, I make some guesses. Given that to ¡®win¡¯, I have to push forwards until my opponent submits, to ¡®fail¡¯ I guess I have to be pushed back myself. Step by step, I move backwards with the pressure, reaching my starting point and then going beyond. As I keep stepping back, I lose connection bit by bit with the creature, eventually getting to the point where I cannot even see him beyond a blurry outline. I wonder whether I¡¯ve incorrectly guessed the way to ¡®fail¡¯ but then, as I reach the same distance behind my starting point as the creature is in front of it, the world suddenly blurs. I¡¯m returned abruptly to my body, an immense weakness overtaking my limbs. I¡¯m unable to move or even stay upright, falling heavily to the floor. So this is what the description meant, I muse to myself. A good reminder to never use this Skill in a situation in which becoming this vulnerable would be fatal. Not unless I really have no other choice, that is. Fortunately, my Bond with Bastet is unchanged and I communicate my regretful failure to her. Though, she should already know the outcome given that I¡¯m so completely vulnerable and the creature is biting and scrabbling with renewed vigor. The wave of emotion I get back along the bond is the equivalent of ¡®Oh well¡¯, accompanied by what on a human would be a shrug. In the next moment a wave of killing intent billows from her and I barely manage to send a rejection before she moves to bite down on the bird¡¯s throat, clearly intending on crushing it between her jaws as she has done so many times before. Fortunately, I am in time. She pauses, her jaws literally around the bird¡¯s neck, the creature not even moving, probably for fear of accidentally impaling itself. Not moving, she sends a feeling of slightly-wary curiosity along the Bond. ¡°I want to let him go.¡± The curiosity is repeated, this time with a tinge of confusion. ¡°We...touched souls. Or minds. Or something like that. I can¡¯t kill him when all he wants is to be free.¡± No matter what I¡¯d thought before engaging in the Battle of Wills, I just...can¡¯t. Or let Bastet do it, which is much the same thing. She replies with more confusion along with an image. This is of the cubs coloured by a feeling of danger. I think she¡¯s trying to say that she fears for the cubs¡¯ safety with this bird flying around. And while she¡¯s right, that¡¯s why I gave the bird the warning while we were still able to communicate. Hopefully it¡¯s got through. ¡°We will protect them,¡± I tell her, sending my certainty down the link. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve told the creature that if he attacks us or the cubs again, we¡¯ll kill him, so hopefully he¡¯s intelligent enough not to even attempt it.¡± My weakness from Dominate has faded so I climb to my feet. The bird creature watches me warily. After a slight pause, Bastet sends me grudging acknowledgment, along with the hints of what I reckon are a bit of contemptuousness towards the bird¡¯s intelligence. Which, I understand: what kind of creature attacks something that clearly is far bigger, stronger, and more equipped to deal with an attack? That said, I¡¯ve been being attacked by creatures that really should have known better since I arrived here. It sometimes feels like the animals of this world lack a self-preservation instinct that those of Earth have in spades. Bastet having agreed, even if it was under sufferance, she slowly withdraws from where she¡¯s pinning the bird down. The bird creature doesn¡¯t take very long to try to avail himself of his renewed freedom, flapping his wings to take off. Unfortunately, his wing is still very much damaged by my arrow so instead of taking flight, he just sprawls ungainly on the ground. I can¡¯t leave him like that. Giving him his freedom back means nothing if I¡¯m just setting him up for the next predator which comes along to have a good meal. Leaping forwards, I pin him once more to the ground. His eyes meet mine for a moment and I see a deep rage and wildness in them. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s capable of feeling betrayal, but if he was, no doubt he¡¯d be thinking right now that my promise meant nothing. ¡°I just want to heal you,¡± I tell him, my voice soothing. I doubt he understands my words; hopefully he at least gets something from my tone of voice. If he does, it doesn¡¯t stop him from struggling. In the end, I actually have to get Bastet involved again to prevent him from hurting himself further by fighting against me. The raptorcat obligingly pins him again, but she once more sends me that feeling which is the closest equivalent to ¡®you¡¯re weird¡¯ that I think I¡¯ll get from her. This sort of thing is completely alien to her: releasing an enemy is bad enough; actually healing it is beyond her ability to comprehend. It doesn¡¯t stop me from doing it. Although not sure that Lay-on-hands will work on a creature which isn¡¯t Bound to me, a creature which is actually actively hostile, I try it anyway. Fortunately for the bird creature, it seems like the healing Skill isn¡¯t only for allies as I find my magic sinking into the bird without any hesitation. Not knowing more than the basics about birds¡¯ wings, and not willing to assume that this creature¡¯s wings even hold to those basics, I don¡¯t try to direct the magic. As a result, it takes a fair amount of my mana to heal its wing and the other smaller injuries which are a result of our scuffle. This time when I release it and indicate to Bastet to do the same, the bird creature explodes into flight, winging its way past the circle of light cast by my torch and disappearing into the shadows. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eight: Achievement Before As I watch the four-legged bird fly away, I...feel good. I know that it¡¯s a potential future threat to the cubs that we¡¯ll have to keep our eyes out for, but I¡¯m glad I released it. Somehow, it feels like I took a step away from the darkness which would be all too easy to give into. I can¡¯t ignore that I could use Dominate to make life so much easier for myself. I could take and take and take, without giving anything in return, and as long as I never attacked a creature which could properly defend itself, I would get away with it. Yet I¡¯ve already experienced what it¡¯s like to be someone who just takes ¨C even when I thought at the time that I was in fact being generous. Giving someone something they don¡¯t want isn¡¯t generous: it¡¯s a sop to the conscience and nothing else. But this...I could have taken the bird¡¯s life very easily. Logic would say I should have. But it truly had little chance against me: killing it would have gained me nothing but a bit of Energy, and a burden of guilt. But its life, its freedom is all it has. Releasing it...well, we¡¯ll see. For now, I don¡¯t regret it. After musing over the encounter for a moment longer, I turn to my companion. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± I ask the raptorcat. She sends eager agreement through the Bond, licking at her lips, so I pull out a couple of the monkile corpses ¡°Well, go on then. Join us at the shelter when you¡¯re done." We should be far enough from the shelter itself here not to have too much of an issue from her leaving scraps of the carcasses behind. Not needing to be told twice, she digs into the belly of the creature with gusto, eating its entrails and organs first. I don¡¯t watch, not exactly squeamish ¨C how can I be after all I¡¯ve seen in this place? - but still not particularly keen on watching her tear a corpse to pieces. Walking over to the shelter, I take the burning torch with me ¨C it¡¯s not like Bastet needs it, after all. The cubs are snuggled into the leaves under cover of the branches and leaves of our temporary shelter. They¡¯re asleep but half-wake as I ease myself inside: the shelter only comes up to mid-thigh on me at its highest point so it¡¯s not like I can crawl in. Making cute sleepy noises, the cubs shamelessly take advantage of my body heat and press their bodies in close to mine. I try to say to myself that I¡¯m just virtuously letting them take their comfort from me, but I know it¡¯s a lie: I¡¯m getting as much out of their unhesitating signs of trust as they are from my body warmth. Once inside, I tuck my torch into my Inventory, extinguishing it instantly, dropping us all into almost complete blackness. It¡¯s odd that the fate of a creature which tried to kill me and which I didn¡¯t spend more than five minutes with could affect me this much. The description of Dominate didn¡¯t say anything about prolonged emotional effects: it only talked about a short period of vulnerability as I recover from the Battle. But then, maybe not everyone does Dominate the way I just did, a negotiation more than a show of strength. Each time I use Dominate, it seems like the creature and I connect on a different level. I don¡¯t know if souls exist and that¡¯s what¡¯s happening here, or if it¡¯s that I gain such a sense of the creature¡¯s life and motivations that I feel like I¡¯ve known them for some time. Either way, I don¡¯t know how other Tamers push through it to forcibly Dominate creatures. Or maybe they don¡¯t. Maybe it¡¯s an acknowledged fact that Dominate is a negotiation rather than a true Battle, despite the name. I don¡¯t know. I stop myself there. Like so many other questions that I have, I¡¯m not going to get any answers until I speak to Nicholas and see his world. And to do that, I have to get through this year in the wilderness. I have to make a decision about how I¡¯m going to use my Skills: choosing a course of action which will both work and fit with my principles. I have to somehow compromise between what will keep me alive and what will keep my sense of self-worth intact. Having been put to the test, I now know that it will be difficult for me to force through a Dominate when it is not absolutely necessary. Not difficult because the actual challenge is any harder, but because I feel like I would lose something of myself if I do it. Nor do I like the idea of killing a creature with which I¡¯ve had such an in-depth connection. I could do either action, potentially, if it¡¯s immediately threatening my life. I don¡¯t really know how I¡¯ll react if put in the position of it being my life or my opponent¡¯s, and don¡¯t really want to find out. However, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find out sooner or later: when, is not entirely within my control. There are things I do control, though. In that spirit, I turn my attention to something I can affect ¨C the aftermath of levelling up. Bringing up my status screen, I look at my new stats with satisfaction.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 3 Energy to next level: 0% Energy absorption rate: 21u/hr Energy towards debt: 4%
Intelligence 16 Mana: 160/160
Wisdom 14 Mana regeneration rate: 350u/hr
Willpower 19+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 22u/hr
Constitution 15 Health: 150/150
Strength 12 Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Stamina: 60/60
Dexterity 13 Stamina regeneration rate: 130u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 6 Tame ¨C Beginner 3 Fade ¨C Novice 9 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 3 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 2
It¡¯s less of a drastic change this time than the previous two times ¨C six stat points to distribute looks a lot better when I have less than six points in most stats than when I¡¯m already over ten in each. Still, it¡¯s a nice step forwards. I decided to put two points each into Intelligence and Wisdom because of how difficult they are to train in this environment, and how regularly I seem to run out of the ability to cast Lay-on-hands. So far I¡¯ve mostly managed to keep myself and my companions alive and unmaimed ¨C Spike being the most obvious exception. I¡¯d like to avoid losing any more of my Bound and having the ability to heal them seems a key factor to that. It¡¯s been far too close to the knuckle sometimes. My two points mean an automatic extra two casts with my increased mana pool and a faster regeneration rate. By this point, I¡¯m earning more than five mana points per minute meaning that it takes about ten seconds less than previously to regain the mana to cast another one. That may not sound significant, but when it comes to a poison or a persistent hemorrhage, it really could be. Besides those points, I dedicated two points to Constitution, reasoning that increased health points can¡¯t hurt. I hesitated for a while, tempted to put a point in Dexterity for the increased stamina regeneration. I also considered a point in Strength (Endurance) since adding a point there would have directly increased my stamina pool as well as helped refine my muscles further. In the end, though, I thought that both Dexterity and Strength are still relatively easy to train, the point I got in Dexterity earlier being a key factor in my decision. I may revisit the issue later since if I can get it to the point where my regen rate is equal to, or even outpaces, my use of it, it doesn¡¯t really matter what my actual pool is. At least, that¡¯s my reasoning. I¡¯ve done a bit of estimation, more ¡®eyeing it¡¯ than genuine calculations, but I reckon that I should be able to match my stamina consumption when jogging fast within a couple more points to Dexterity, and then a few more should allow me to run nonstop. By the point I approach twenty points in it, I should barely ever run out of stamina: really only when I use stamina-consuming Skills as well as moving with speed. If I do choose to add points to Strength, I¡¯ll probably add the majority of them to the Power subcategory so as to improve my combat capabilities. What is confusing me is that I¡¯ve actually gained four more points than I was expecting: I have two more points each in Wisdom and Willpower than should be there. Why, I don¡¯t know. Perhaps something in my messages will explain it? I don¡¯t think there was anything special about level three that would account for it. At least I¡¯ve been able to answer a query I had about the percentage increase to Willpower ¨C it only works with whole numbers so I still only have three points in addition to my base points. I should get an extra point every five points I have in there. It actually makes me seriously wonder whether to dedicate one of my six points to it next time ¨C that way it¡¯ll almost be a two-for-one deal. Hmm, for later consideration. Before switching across to check my messages, I first scroll down to the bottom to see my Skills. Another surprise is waiting for me: the number of levels Dominate has increased by. I was half-expecting it to move from Beginner four to Beginner five, though was wondering whether failing the Battle would even increase the Skill, but instead it¡¯s leaped to level six. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but it would be good to know why so I can try to repeat it. Animal Empathy is another unexpected change ¨C it¡¯s actually ranked up from Beginner to Novice. Maybe that¡¯s the reason I was able to understand the communication between Bastet and the cubs earlier? Or maybe the increase is because I was able to understand them. Or maybe this is linked to the way the flying creature and I seemed to link minds ¨C or souls ¨C in the Battle of Wills, either as reason or result. Other than that, Lay-on-hands is slowly but steadily improving with use as expected. Tame is a surprise, though. Considering that I haven¡¯t actually used it at all, I¡¯m surprised to see that it¡¯s increased in level. The only reasons I can think of is that either the relationship I¡¯m developing with Bastet is closer to a Tamed creature than a Dominated one, or that I¡¯m slowly managing to Tame the cubs without even trying. I guess I might find out one day. Switching across to my messages tab, I access the first new message.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Animal Empathy is now Novice 1. You are now able to interpret some communications between animals to which you are not directly connected. Increased familiarity with the animals in question will improve the accuracy of your interpretation.
Next message? Y/N
Well, I guess that answers my question ¨C I must have improved my ability to understand Bastet to the point that I understood her message to the cubs and then that triggered the Skill rank-up. It¡¯s sitting at Novice two rather than Novice one, though, so I must have done something later to help it level up. I often wish that the System was a little more explicit ¨C I don¡¯t always know exactly what caused the increase to happen, which means I have to stumble in the dark when it comes to repeating it. Still, I¡¯m grateful to have the System at all, all things being equal. Moving to the next message, my eyebrows shoot up as I read it.
Achievement Awarded: Steadfast I Your principles were put to the test and you stood by them even when every benefit to you would require you to put them to the side. For your resolve and sagacity, you have been awarded +2 points to Willpower and +2 points to Wisdom.
Close message? Y/N
That also provides an answer, this time to the question of the mysterious additional Willpower and Wisdom. It¡¯s an answer, however, that poses more questions, not least because the memories I¡¯ve absorbed from the System stone don¡¯t mention Achievements at all. Not even tangentially. Either it¡¯s something I lost when I absorbed the stone or it¡¯s rare enough that it¡¯s not included on the stone. I close the screen down and lie there in the dark, thinking. Too many questions without answers for my liking. Another thought occurs and I open my status screen up again for a moment to find the information. Seeing that the Energy towards my debt has once more increased, I figure that I¡¯ve at least definitively answered one of my long-held questions ¨C that about what happens with the Energy of the creatures Bastet kills. Given that my Energy debt was sitting at three percent before I levelled up, and is now sitting at four percent, I have to conclude that I gain at least some of the Energy from her kills. Whether it¡¯s some, most, or even all of the Energy, I don¡¯t know yet. The lack of clear numbers makes it hard to guestimate. Also not yet confirmed is whether it only happened because I was so close, or whether the Energy would somehow be sent along the Bond if she went out hunting without me. Then, another question that¡¯s raised is about Bastet¡¯s own progression. If she¡¯s sending Energy to me, how is she getting stronger? Actually, how do beasts get stronger? I have to assume that they improve by killing other creatures, at least. But how does that work practically? They don¡¯t have a Class, I imagine, so how do they grow? How do they end up like Kalanthia, capable of telepathically communicating with others and commanding the very earth to move? I guess that if ¨C when ¨C I get Lathani back and return her to her mother, I can ask the giant nunda. Maybe her gratitude will even get her to answer. Because, honestly, there has to be a way to help my companions improve. My Class can¡¯t be all about just using creatures and then discarding them when they fall behind the Tamer¡¯s level of advancement. That just doesn¡¯t make sense. And if I can help my companions to grow, there will be less of a requirement for me to continually Dominate new creatures, allowing me to set my moral dilemma to one side. I fall asleep while musing on the possibilities, only briefly waking when Bastet joins us, using her own body to shield all of us from a potential threat coming in the open end of the shelter. My sleep is a lot better than the first time I used this kind of shelter: I feel safe with her around. Or safer, at least. Tonight, sleep. Tomorrow, the lizard-folk. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Nine: Sense of Urgency Before There¡¯s no lollygagging in the morning ¨C as soon as it¡¯s light enough for me to see, I get up. The cubs complain a little as I move, but they quickly fall asleep again. Most of them, anyway. Storm keeps an eye on me, her eyes glinting from within the pile of fur, down, and limbs. She doesn¡¯t deign to leave the warm nest, though, leaving me to shiver a little in the dawn chill. The sooner I can get a fire going to boil some water, the better. It¡¯s slightly misty, but I know from past experience that that will clear up. The mist seems to be the only thing keeping the smaller plants alive in this ongoing dryness ¨C it still hasn¡¯t rained since I got here. I¡¯m glad of it in many ways, but I can see that there are a number of plants which could do with a bit of soaking. By the time my rumination is done, the water in my pot is bubbling. I let it cool a little before drinking some and transferring the rest into my empty canteen. I put the canteen into my travel satchel ¨C if I put it in my Inventory, it¡¯ll stay practically boiling hot which I don¡¯t want since I don¡¯t have any tea or coffee with me. After chewing on a bit of meat and a cooked potato, I¡¯m ready to go. By this point, Bastet and the cubs are champing at the bit ¨C figuratively speaking. We set off, once more following the river. We walk together as a ¡®pride¡¯ or ¡®pack¡¯ ¨C the cubs needing to have a chance to stretch their legs. While we move, I muse over my plans for today. We should make it into lizard-folk territory by lunchtime, I reckon, perhaps later if we get held up. We¡¯ll need to gather a lot more information before barging in, though. It¡¯s a pity about that bird last night: a dedicated scout isn¡¯t a bad idea, really. Bastet is stealthy, but she¡¯s quite big and she¡¯s also become an essential part of our combat strength. That, plus the fact that she¡¯s the cubs¡¯ main carer, makes it a bad idea to send her off for any length of time, but that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to have to do, I think ¨C she¡¯s far stealthier than I am. The weasitors or those baby crocodile things I¡¯d encountered in my first few days in this world would have been pretty perfect, unless they were so weak they were easily picked off, which is a concern. Unfortunately, at the time I was just so overwhelmed by everything new around me and the thought of using my freshly-gained Skill of Dominate really didn¡¯t occur to me. I¡¯ll just have to keep my eyes out for something which might be suitable, and not quite as anti the idea as the bird was. The journey is fairly peaceful. We have enough time to tire the cubs out enough that they have to return to the sling before our first encounter happens. The creature sees us before we see it; our first realisation that it¡¯s there is when we hear an offended bellow and the sound of plants cracking to our left. A large mass comes barrelling out of the thick undergrowth straight at us. We split apart; Bastet dodges one way and I dive the other. Fortunately for us, it doesn¡¯t seem to change direction very easily as once it skids to a halt, having missed both of us, it is quite ponderous in turning around. It seems to be a grumpy herbivore, from the look of the plants still hanging out of its mouth. In appearance, it¡¯s similar to a triceratops with only one horn. Fortunately, it¡¯s also a lot smaller than a real triceratops: its head only reaches my shoulder level when it¡¯s raised high. On the downside, that means there¡¯s still a good deal of animal to provide momentum to charges. We¡¯ll need to make sure not to get caught ¨C getting hit by this thing would probably be like being hit by a truck. How are we going to approach this? Bastet¡¯s already slashing at its hindquarters, to little effect: it¡¯s pretty well-armoured with skin that probably rivals that of the crocodile I fought. The same technique I used on that particular creature is unlikely to work here, though. Seeing that the creature is distracted by Bastet¡¯s mostly ineffective strikes, I back away a little and scan the area. There! Making a beeline, I tuck the cubs away behind a sturdy tree, warning them to keep still. Hopefully they¡¯ll be sufficiently protected from the fight, but I need to go and help Bastet. Flipping mentally through my weapons as I hurry back to the action, I decide that my mace is unlikely to have too much effect: the creature is just too bulky and my weapon too weak. If I could bash through its skull that would be one thing, but as it is, I doubt I¡¯ll do much more than just annoy it. Instead, I pull backwards and retrieve my bow and arrows from my Inventory. I¡¯m going to have to be careful here. Fortunately, I¡¯m out of melee range so I shouldn¡¯t have an issue with injuries, unless I don¡¯t keep a sharp enough eye out for its charges. Unfortunately, as most of the creature¡¯s body is well-armoured, I¡¯m going to have to really put my new Dexterity to the test. Fortunately, with the practice I¡¯ve had since making my bow, I¡¯m a much better shot than I was on that ill-fated test-run. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. As often seems to happen since Bastet is the biggest damage-dealer and also has better stats in general than me, she¡¯s the main distraction. Although her claws and teeth aren¡¯t that effective against its armoured skin, she is still managing to pierce through to an extent, causing pain if nothing else. When she gets a soft part, she does a fair bit more damage. The mini-triceratops is far too distracted by her slashing at its nose, targeting its eyes, and trying her best to bite at its throat to pay attention to me. My part of the strategy is to target its other weak spots: using my arrows to pierce the softer points where its scales aren¡¯t quite as thick ¨C mostly behind its joints. I¡¯m shooting at pretty close range, even if I¡¯m far enough away to avoid most attacks, so my arrows are hitting with significant force, several piercing by a good couple hand widths. The wounds slowly take their toll, my attacks at its major joints making it slow even if they¡¯re not causing much bleeding. Every time that the creature starts trying to turn to get at me, Bastet is there to lay on more pain and grab its attention. It tries to charge a couple of times, but we just dart out of the way and restart the attack when it stops again. It¡¯s not fast, and neither of us escapes without injury ¨C Bastet takes the worst of it as she¡¯s far too close to the business end of its horn, but I get accidentally hit a couple of times when I wasn¡¯t fast enough to get out of the way. The main thing, though, is that we survive and the creature doesn¡¯t. Once I¡¯ve damaged its joints enough, it becomes unable to move around properly and ends up slumped to the ground. Bastet grabs onto its throat to suffocate it, but I give it the coup de grace, shooting its brain through its eye at point-blank range. We take an hour or so to recuperate and for each of us to eat our spoils. For a clear herbivore, it¡¯s worth quite a bit of Energy ¨C six percent for the animal itself, and another two percent from its heart. Bastet digs into its organs with eagerness, and encourages the cubs to do the same. For once, the cubs were actually exactly where I¡¯d left them ¨C Trouble included. Perhaps they¡¯re slowly learning that this place is dangerous... Of course, there¡¯s far too much meat to finish it, or even make proper inroads into the corpse. Not wanting to waste such a large quantity of meat, I pack it away in my Inventory once we¡¯ve eaten the most Energy-dense bits. Putting out my small fire and washing off in the river, we get going again. In the end we get another two hours or so of peace before the next encounter. This time we¡¯re attacked right next to the river in a section where the trees have retreated a bit further away, leaving a mostly-rocky sandy area clear of most plants. There¡¯s a strange rumbling, cracking sound from behind us and we turn to see a small group of strange rolling boulders following us quickly. At least, that¡¯s what they look like as they come closer. I consider running, but they¡¯re too fast for the cubs to escape. ¡°Trouble, Storm, Ninja, move!¡± I tell them forcefully, Bastet underscoring my instruction with a sense of urgency. To the cubs¡¯ credit, they obey without question, putting on a surprising burst of speed. Unfortunately, they don¡¯t all run in the same direction. Ninja runs to Bastet who picks her up and runs quickly to the nearest tree to deposit her in its roots. Storm also runs to a tree, actually jumping at it and climbing up to the first branch where she sits there trembling and wide-eyed. Trouble, on the other hand, goes in the opposite direction ¨C straight into the water. By this point, the river is reasonably wide and as deep as my waist at its centre - far too deep for a raptorcat cub to cope with. I don¡¯t think ¨C I just react. Running into the river, I grab him and then keep going, finding a large boulder just the other side. Depositing him at about shoulder-height on me, I tell him firmly not to move. I¡¯m already running back to the fight as I try to work out what¡¯s going on. Bastet is grabbing their attention, trying to keep them away from one cub in the roots of a tree, and the other holding onto a branch rather precariously. She¡¯s doing a good job with that, but she isn¡¯t having much impact on them. They aren¡¯t all that big ¨C about knee-height on me ¨C but that¡¯s big enough to have a decent impact. Add to that the fact that her claws and teeth appear to be having even less of an effect as on the previous creature, and she¡¯s in trouble. We¡¯re going to have to be smart about this. I¡¯m not very optimistic, but I do try my weapons on them. As I¡¯m still at range, I first try my bow, but my arrows are just deflected straight off. I nod absently ¨C nothing unexpected, though annoying. Perhaps if I was an expert archer I¡¯d be able to aim for a tiny chink in their armour, but I¡¯m not that good. Yet, anyway. Tucking my bow away safely, I grab my mace and spear. Wielding one in each hand, I try my luck. Both of them manage to knock the creature off course briefly, but otherwise have no visible effect. This isn¡¯t going to work. Can I grab the cubs and then signal Bastet to follow? Maybe, but I sense that she¡¯s already getting tired ¨C having to avoid being hit by five different creatures all moving at different speeds and in different directions is exhausting. We did well against the creature that was almost my height and multiple times my bulk, but this group of much smaller creatures is threatening to over-run us. Taking a step back from the situation, I desperately look to see if there¡¯s something I can use against them. Maybe we could all jump into the trees and get out of their reach that way? It¡¯ll waste time, but better wasting time than being knocked off our feet and rolled over by these guys. Then I notice a particular weak point. The creatures are fine while they¡¯re in perpetual motion, but if they get stuck against anything, they have to uncurl, shift their position, then push off into that ball again. Frankly, they look rather like massive woodlice with many legs, over-sized mandibles, and a segmented shell. They¡¯re still armoured even in their uncurled position, much as a turtle is, but my eyes still light up. Seeing a possible opportunity to end this on our terms, I send a quick mental image to Bastet. It takes a moment, but I soon get back a response of weary assent. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ten: Crystals Before Bastet¡¯s an absolute trooper, gaining a second wind and pulling back into her orbit the couple of woodlice which had diverted to me. While she once more plays distraction, her own agility far superior to my own, I grab a spear from my Inventory and another good sized stick from where it was lying. With judicious blows, I manage to corner one of the creatures. Using the branch and the roots of a nearby tree to form a triangular ¡®cage¡¯, I stop the creature from just rolling away. Stuck, it reacts by uncurling, its head and legs partially emerging from underneath the shell. As soon as I have a target, I attack it with my spear, my improved accuracy enabling me to strike it directly through its suddenly vulnerable head. It lets out a high-pitched shriek, its legs desperately scrabbling at the earth. It tries to curl up again, but its head being pinned to the ground means it doesn¡¯t succeed. I twist the spear, conscious of my partner¡¯s tiring state. In addition, the shriek has grabbed the attention of the other woodlice and she¡¯s having to work much harder to play interference. The creature makes a final effort to escape, but it¡¯s for naught; a moment later, it goes limp. Success! I don¡¯t waste any time, pulling my spear out and grabbing the branch again. I manage to corral another of the woodlice, Bastet allowing it past her guard intentionally. A similar scenario plays out ¨C two down. I grimace as I remove my spear, though. The sinew binding holding the flint tip to my spear didn¡¯t like the twisting motion, especially not when damp; it¡¯s come off and got stuck inside the over-sized insect¡¯s head. I don¡¯t have enough time to do more than frown and drop the stick of wood which used to be one of my two spears: my success on their group-mates has earned me the attention of the rest of them. Once more having to dodge out of the way of large, rolling objects, I barely have a moment to retrieve my knife from my belt. The woodlice are intelligent enough to adapt, though, and the same technique doesn¡¯t work again. Unfortunately ¨C for them ¨C they aren¡¯t intelligent enough to pick a winning strategy to combat mine. Instead of continuing to roll and leaving themselves vulnerable to my corralling, they preempt my actions by uncurling and going on the attack. With three converging on me at once, I¡¯m bound to take some injuries, and I do. One latches onto my leg at an unfortunate moment and I¡¯m left off balance, ripe for the next to knock into me and send me thumping gracelessly onto my butt. The third quickly takes advantage in striking at my back. Their mandibles are strong and sharp, the one on my calf digging in deeply, while the one attacking my chitin covered back actually manages to cut through the armour and nick the skin beneath. I can definitely see how these creatures would normally take creatures down ¨C knock its legs out from under it and then bite into it while it¡¯s down. Fortunately for me, I¡¯m not down and out, and I¡¯ve got a fang of my own. I stab at the one that currently has its mandibles digging deeply enough into my calf to hit bone. Once I¡¯ve sunk my own knife in deeply, I twist and wiggle my blade until it goes limp, all the while trying to fend off the one that¡¯s not managed to land a hit yet. Not easy with my range of motion so constrained. Although my next target would normally be the one biting through my armour, its steady gnawing cutting more and more into my flesh, I¡¯m not alone here. Bastet deals with that even as the one previously trying to bite through my calf twitches in its final death throes. Lacking my knife, she goes for a simpler solution: chewing off its head. Trusting in my partner, I attack the final one, using my full Strength to hold it still for a moment while I jab my knife through it. I look around quickly in all directions but everything is suddenly calm. The fight over, I gingerly pull the two sets of mandibles out of my body, quickly casting and channelling Lay-on-hands to stem the blood-flow from the holes they made in me. Bastet has slumped to the ground in exhaustion, her eyes closed and her breath coming heavily through her mouth. I send her a wave of concern, but she just replies with a feeling of tired reassurance. ¡°Are you hurt?¡± I ask next, but she replies in the negative. Apparently it¡¯s just low stamina that¡¯s her issue right now. I¡¯m tired too, but better off than she is since I didn¡¯t have to keep leaping about to keep the attention of a number of rolling balls on me instead of on my partner. Deciding to gather the cubs together to make sure they¡¯re safe, I go to the spots where we stashed them. Ninja almost gives me a heart attack ¨C again ¨C because she¡¯s not where Bastet left her. Instead, she¡¯s gone to join her sister: I look up to find the two of them perched like little birds in the crook of a branch, their claws fully sheathed into the wood. It takes a little bit of coaxing to get them down, and when they eventually jump onto my shoulders, I wince at their claws digging in. Still, that they¡¯re fine is the main thing. Going searching for Trouble next, I find him not far from the boulder on which I left him. He¡¯s courting danger, though, poking at the river with his scaly paw, looking inches away from jumping in again. ¡°If you go in there, you¡¯ll drown,¡± I warn him. ¡°And that¡¯s only if you don¡¯t get eaten by something that likes little cubs for lunch.¡± Despite my sage advice, he still looks aggrieved when I pick him up and take him away. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Bastet has recovered a bit by the time I get back with the cubs and she insists on inspecting and licking all of them, despite their squirming. Pack socialising done, we then investigate the corpses. Being insectile, there isn¡¯t anything in the bodies I want to eat, though I might be able to use the shells as containers for something ¨C I¡¯m not sure how water-tight they are, but I could do with some storage containers. Bastet managed to find something, though. After doing a bit of digging in the bodies, she pulled out an odd crystal from each of them. It¡¯s small ¨C only about the size of a marble, and a murky brown. When she nudges one to me, though, I notice that it gives off some strange sense of energy ¨C or Energy. I don¡¯t know what to do with it, so hand it back to her. She nudges one crystal towards each of the cubs and then takes the final two herself. The cubs don¡¯t seem to know what to do with them either, so she demonstrates ¨C licking up the two in front of her and crunching them happily. How she happily crunches a hard crystal, I don¡¯t know, but she does. An interesting sensation comes down the Bond ¨C a sudden wave of energy, almost like she¡¯s drunk a Red Bull or something. Her lingering fatigue from the fight disappears and she suddenly feels ready for anything. She also feels...healthier? Like we might feel if we eat a nice salad after we¡¯ve only been eating pizza for ages. It¡¯s not easy to describe ¨C all I know is that she feels qualitatively better after eating the crystals than before. With her encouragement, the cubs copy her, crunching down on their own crystals. Apparently they like the feeling or taste or whatever, as they start asking her for more. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like there are any more to be found, so, in true hoarder style, I just dump the rest of the corpses in my Inventory and we get going, the four raptorcats fully refreshed. As we walk, I allow my curiosity to take over. ¡°What were those crystals?¡± I ask her. She doesn¡¯t answer for a moment, but it¡¯s not because she¡¯s ignoring me. I get the idea that it¡¯s more that she¡¯s not sure how to answer and is trying to work out a way of explaining. After a pause, she sends me a series of images. They show raptorcats killing different creatures, most of which I¡¯ve never seen before. Several of the creatures seem capable of using the elements to fight with, and others have attacks that I would consider supernatural. After the raptorcats kill the creatures, they dig into the bodies and find a crystal, giving it to a single raptorcat in the pack. The crystals are a variety of sizes and colours, the bigger and more vibrant colours seeming to come from the most dangerous opponents. Over time, the raptorcat gets measurably bigger and stronger. Then comes a day when the raptorcat writhes in pain and actually grows visibly, its wings growing and developing too. When it finishes its transformation, it¡¯s almost twice as big as when it started, and its wings look fully developed. It opens its eyes, jumps into the air and starts to fly. That¡¯s where the images stop. ¡°So you eat the crystals and they make you stronger?¡± I summarise. A wave of assent comes at me from Bastet¡¯s side of the Bond. A thought occurs. ¡°Can I eat them?¡± This time, her reply is that of uncertainty. She sends another flurry of images wrapped up in feelings. Parsing through them, I understand that when she sees a crystal, her whole body tells her it¡¯s something good to eat. She expresses uncertainty that if my body doesn¡¯t do the same, then maybe it¡¯s not good to eat. It¡¯s a good point. Maybe when we get back to Kalanthia after rescuing Lathani, I can ask her. Still, maybe I shouldn¡¯t take the crystals away from the raptorcats even if they would be good for me: the stronger they get, the better off we all are. It¡¯s good to know that they do have a way of levelling up ¨C I was wondering about that. It raises another question though ¨C I get to choose where I assign my stats on level-up; do they have similar options, or is it chosen for them? I think I¡¯d better have a good conversation with Kalanthia about it when we go back ¨C she should know how beasts develop. Of course, that depends on us actually rescuing Lathani and getting back to her, but since if we fail in those two aims it¡¯ll be because we died trying, I might as well talk about ¡®when¡¯ rather than ¡®if¡¯. We keep walking, following the river. Fortunately for our travel time, we don¡¯t face any other foes until I started seeing the landmarks Kalanthia indicated are the start of lizard-folk territory. Reluctantly, given that we have no other option, I send Bastet out to scout, needing to get an idea of the lie of the land. ***** I¡¯m waiting. It¡¯s been a few hours since Bastet went to scout out the lizard-folk¡¯s base, leaving the cubs with me and I¡¯m worried. I can¡¯t help it. We haven¡¯t been this far apart for quite a while now, and she¡¯s become indispensable to me in such a short time. Not only useful for combat, but...a friend. A companion. Although I¡¯m still nominally ¡®in charge¡¯ and she follows my lead, it feels a lot more like it¡¯s because she acknowledges that I¡¯m the leader of the pack rather than because she¡¯s Bound to follow my orders. But because I am the leader, I feel the responsibility of making the decisions, even when we both agree with the choice. It was a mutual decision that she was the best option of scout since I didn¡¯t succeed in Dominating the bird creature ¨C her stealth and my stealth are really incomparable, even with my Skills helping me. But in a way, the fact that I didn¡¯t Dominate the bird last night heaps even more weight on my shoulders ¨C if I¡¯d just pushed past my principles and forced it anyway, Bastet wouldn¡¯t now be in danger. If she dies like Spike did, once more the price paid for a poorly-made decision¡­ No, I can¡¯t think like that. And besides, temporarily ignoring principles for expediency is the start to a very slippery slope. If I start just forcing random creatures to join me, will it end with me just using them as suicide troops? Treating them like not-very-valuable tools to an end? No, I did the right thing. The right thing for me at least. I just have to hope that it doesn¡¯t cost Bastet. I¡¯m confident that I would know through the Bond if she were truly in a dire situation, but knowing that in my head and believing in my heart are two very different things. I¡¯ll be grateful when she gets back, if only to know for sure that she¡¯s OK. I hear a sound of something moving towards us and tense, my weapons at the ready. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eleven: Civilised Before Fortunately, before I even see her, I sense my Bound close by. Waiting impatiently, it¡¯s probably not that objectively long before I see her sleek form slinking through the bushes. A quick glance over her has me breathing a quiet sigh of relief. It¡¯s good to see that she¡¯s uninjured and, from the lack of noises, not being followed either. ¡°How did it go?¡± I ask quietly. ¡°Do we need to move?¡± Her first response is that of reassuring negation ¨C she doesn¡¯t think she was detected either which, considering her powerful senses, probably means she wasn¡¯t. She then sends a rapid stream of images. I close my eyes to improve my ability to focus on them. Fortunately, my significantly improved Intelligence seems to have an effect on both my speed of processing and my memory. Even when Bastet¡¯s finished sending me the images, I can still hold them in my head for evaluation. As I look through her memories, I try to block out for the most part the extraneous sensory data, focusing on sight since that¡¯s the easiest for me to make sense of. Through her images, I almost relive her experiences, though it¡¯s mostly a series of still images with emotion and other senses sometimes attached rather than a continuous video. She had started off by heading through fairly thick forest, searching for a trail or some other indication of exactly which direction to head in. There were a number of promising trails she came across but none of them went anywhere useful, in the end. Still, every dead end helped to highlight which scents to avoid. When she came across a thick scent of reptiles along with a number of prints in the soil, she followed it. Eventually, she ended up reaching an area of greater and greater density of that smell and the occasional footprint became less occasional and more frequent. I take a moment to pore over the footprint. Although there were some differences between the prints, they were invariably long with four claw marks at the front, and another at the back. It¡¯s hard to work out how long, considering I¡¯m seeing them through the eyes of a creature significantly lower to the ground than me, but I estimate them to be between twice and four times my foot length. As the footprints started to become dense enough to actually overlay each other, she realised that she was getting close to the main gathering point of the lizard-folk. The images at this point gain a heavy sense of caution even as she continued moving forwards. It wasn¡¯t long before she encountered her first lizard-folk ¨C a small group of three walking along the trail. At least, that¡¯s what I assume they are ¨C they look similar to the images Kalanthia fed me, though seeing them ¡®in person¡¯ makes it a somewhat different experience. Here I actually see a sort of ¡®video¡¯. In the moving image, the lizard-folk are wary, but they move with a confidence in their environment that I¡¯ve only seen from the raptorcats before now. That alone would make me cautious, never mind all the other warning signs I see. Just like with the footprints earlier, it¡¯s hard to get a proper size estimate. They look big to Bastet, but it¡¯s hard to know exactly how big they are. Still, I can see that she would probably reach between mid-thigh and waist-level on them. That¡¯s pretty big ¨C almost my height, probably. They¡¯re pretty tough-looking, too ¨C corded muscle visible even underneath their scaled skin. The lizard-folk are bipedal with tails that sweep behind them and large clawed feet. Their hips must be a lot more like mine than a normal lizard¡¯s though, as they walk in the same way I reckon I would if I had a third limb on my lower half. Well, a tail, that is. Adding to the danger they individually pose are their jaws. Kalanthia¡¯s memories were right ¨C they look rather crocodilian with reasonably long jaws and teeth that fit together. They don¡¯t seem to have lips that seal so even when their jaws are closed their teeth are completely visible. Their skull is a bit taller than a crocodile¡¯s, though ¨C perhaps indicating a larger brain. Certainly, a larger brain might explain some of the other things I¡¯m seeing which Kalanthia hadn¡¯t given me any indication of there being. For a place which is supposed not to have any civilised races, I¡¯m surprised by the amount of civilisation visible here. The lizard-folk not only walk upright, but their forepaws - or perhaps we should say hands - look rather dexterous. The fact that they¡¯re capable of craft is obvious by the adornments that they¡¯re wearing. I can¡¯t exactly call it clothing, but each is wearing at least one woven necklace around its neck. The necklaces are more or less decorated with what look to be bones, stones, or other items they no-doubt find in their environment. Some are wearing woven strands around their arms or legs too. Although they don¡¯t have loincloths, I guess they don¡¯t need to: their lack of obvious genitals is very much a nod towards their reptilian heritage, I guess. Once the three lizard-folk moved on, my Bound continued her stealthy approach. Eventually, she found the centre of their activity, hiding in a bush and looking out in order to stay concealed. Lizard-folk are everywhere. As Bastet in the memories slowly makes her way around the area, peering through the undergrowth, I notice even more signs of civilisation. Or relative civilisation, that is. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. They have houses. Huts, really. Not much more than carefully balanced pieces of wood and leaf and mud, but more sturdy than my temporary branch and leaf shelters for sure. I don¡¯t see much of the inner workings of the place, Bastet was clearly too cautious to get too close ¨C and rightly so ¨C but I would hazard a guess that there would be further signs of a community in the encampment itself. There are even hints that the lizard-folk might be using weapons ¨C a couple of branches leaning up against some of the huts look more like spears than supports for the building. After Bastet had done a full circle of the place, she slunk back through the bushes, making a straighter line on the way in than she had on the way out. Clearly she could work out where I was in the forest and therefore didn¡¯t need to retrace her steps. Having finished going through the images Bastet sent me, I lean back against a tree, a sigh leaving my lips. Bastet looks at me expectantly even while the cubs climb her like a tree. The fact that the cubs are playing a game of ¡®king of the rock¡¯ where she¡¯s the rock rather does detract from her dangerous and mysterious aura, but I know she¡¯s still a badass. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy,¡± I tell her frankly. ¡°An enemy with numbers is bad; an intelligent enemy is worse. Put the two together¡­¡± I trail off. I don¡¯t even know how many lizard-folk there are: all Bastet¡¯s memories told me was ¡®a lot¡¯. ¡°Do you know if Lathani¡¯s even there?¡± She looks thoughtful for a moment and then sends me a sense memory. This time it¡¯s much less of an image and more of a smell. I feel like sneezing even though my nose isn¡¯t actually involved in this at all. After sending me the first memory which is a strong musky scent, she sends me a second. Even I can tell that they¡¯re the same smell, but that the second one is a lot fainter. After a short pause, she then sends me a complicated mix of emotions, images, and more esoteric senses. It¡¯s at times like this that I wish she could talk. I think she¡¯s telling me that the first scent was from Kalanthia¡¯s cave, and that the second was from near the lizard-folk village. It also feels like she¡¯s trying to say that she detected Lathani¡¯s scent near the village but that it was faint, old. Much easier to say in words than the crazy mix of things she sent me, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Still, at least I got a point in Animal Empathy out of it. ¡°So Lathani was there at some point,¡± I check with her. She replies with a clear wave of agreement. ¡°But do you know if she¡¯s still there? Do you know if she¡¯s even alive?¡± Having to actually ask that gives me a swooping feeling in my gut, but I need to know: I¡¯m not taking Bastet and the cubs into that mess unless I¡¯m at least fairly convinced that Lathani¡¯s alive. The raptorcat¡¯s reponse isn¡¯t entirely reassuring. She sends me the feeling of uncertainty, but offers me another sense memory as well. This one is a different sense, one that I don¡¯t have any name for. It¡¯s the same one that somehow feels the hint of Energy in the world, one that I¡¯m not sure if I actually have myself, or if I¡¯m just getting it purely from her memory. Like being able to see in the dark with an infra-red camera. This memory makes me shiver. It feels like hopelessness, like grief, like depression and giving up on the world. In short, it feels far too like I did before arriving here. I reject the feeling violently, actually standing up abruptly and starting to pace to get rid of the lingering emotions. My attempt to rid myself of them is helped by Bastet sending a wave of warm concern which washes away the lingering coldness. ¡°What was that?¡± I ask her almost accusingly, even though I know she wouldn¡¯t have done that on purpose. In return, she sends me a flurry of other emotions and images which I once again have to parse through. If I¡¯ve interpreted things correctly, she¡¯s telling me that this was something she felt when she was on one side of the village. It¡¯s not clear-cut, not at all, but it could be an indication that Lathani is still there. Certainly, the emotions would fit how she would be feeling at being ripped away from her mother. That said, Bastet cautions me that these imprints can last for a while, so it might not be her current feelings. Additionally, it might not be from Lathani ¨C some other poor creature might have been taken like Lathani was. ¡°In short,¡± I summarise, ¡°We need more information.¡± In fact, we need a scout who could get further into the village without being detected than Bastet. Or perhaps...a mole. ***** To put my plan into action, I need more of an idea of the movements of the lizard-folk. I need to know if there are areas they frequent which offer a good ambush spot or where I can set a trap. Sure, I could go in guns blazing ¨C figuratively ¨C into the camp, but I reckon that that would be tantamount to suicide. I wouldn¡¯t be willing to risk taking on that many creatures with the power they display if they didn¡¯t show signs of significant intelligence; that they build and probably use weapons makes me give a hard ¡®no¡¯ to that idea. No, it¡¯s time for me to leverage my Class. I¡¯m a Tamer; that¡¯s going to be my way in. Sure, I could try to tame a smaller animal which would be unnoticeable to go and scout for me, but finding information is only half the job. If Lathani is still alive, I need to get her out of there; that will take a lot more than a small scout could offer. All things being equal, I think my best chance for success is to successfully Dominate one of the lizard-folk. All I can hope is that my Willpower will be up to the job. And that somehow I¡¯m able to convince them to give into me. If not...my resolution to not Dominate another creature without their consent may be put to the test sooner than I¡¯d thought. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twelve: The Great Predator Now While the lizard-man is heavier than I¡¯d expected and I¡¯m almost winded by our quick dash across the forest with him over my shoulders, our ambush went ahead with as much success as I could ever have hoped. Now I have to hope that I have as much success with my attempts to Dominate him... I¡¯m dropped into the normal space that accompanies the Battle of Wills triggered by activating my Class Skill. By this point, I¡¯m getting rather used to it. The humanoid lizard is standing across from me, glaring with all the force he can muster. A difference between this Battle and my previous ones is immediately made apparent, though: if I want to win this, I¡¯m really going to have to focus. There are always two forms of pressure on me during these times: the amorphous pressure which feels like the space itself is rejecting me; and the pressure that is aimed directly at me, presumably by my opponent. During this time, it¡¯s like we both hold fire hoses and our wills are the determiners of the force that they can impose. The force projected by Spike and the bird creature was neither strong nor well-directed. That is to say that it¡¯s like the fire hose was more of a dribble than a jet, and that it was being held a metre away from the head rather than at the head itself. Anyone who¡¯s tried to hold a garden hose like that knows exactly what happens next. Bastet¡¯s force was significantly more powerful, but it was also not particularly well-aimed. I only realise the difference now that I¡¯m facing an opponent where the fire hose is both powerful and well-directed. This attempt is like chalk and cheese with my previous experiences; it¡¯s different enough that already I feel doubt about winning. Then I chide myself ¨C if feeling cold or fear is enough to weaken one¡¯s will, feeling doubt about success is surely going to do the same. I can¡¯t fail here; I can¡¯t fail Lathani. My mind set, I metaphorically put my head down and get on with it, pressing myself into the pressure that is trying its best to push me back, and directing my own ¡®fire hose¡¯ at the lizard standing on the other side of the space. Bit by bit, inch by inch, sometimes even centimetre by centimetre, I make progress. It¡¯s exhausting work ¨C a bit like forcing yourself to do one more rep on the gym equipment, though purely mental rather than physical. But I refuse to give up. I kept going at the gym. I kept going when my girlfriend left me. I kept going when my father died. I kept going despite being in a world where everything¡¯s trying to kill me. I kept going when my arm was broken and I was faced with a prehistoric killing machine. I¡¯m going to keep going now. If I only make a centimetre of progress, even if I only make a millimetre of progress, it¡¯s still progress. It¡¯s still moving forwards, and every move forwards gets me closer to my goal. I hit halfway. I barely even realise it, so focused on just keeping on pushing, forcing my way forwards. When the humanoid lizard starts communicating with me, it actually makes me lose my focus, pushing me back a quarter of an inch. Despite the frustration this literal back-step causes, I welcome the communication. Although I¡¯m making progress, I feel like my willpower has a limit, and that the clock is ticking. Not to mention having no real idea of what I will actually do when I reach the lizard. Will I force him to submit like I did Spike? Can I? If I can succeed in convincing the lizard to give in to me, it will both make things easier and satisfy my principles. If I can¡¯t¡­ I push that thought to one side ¨C I¡¯ll cross that bridge if I come to it. Why are you doing this? The lizard-person roars at me. And yes, ¡®person¡¯ is the only description I feel is accurate because of what this communication has just revealed: he is capable of language. The realisation hits me like a slap of cold water to the face, this proving that he is both sentient and sapient beyond a shadow of a doubt. I¡¯m very familiar now with both Bastet¡¯s and Kalanthia¡¯s telepathic communication. Bastet does not communicate in words at all. She has no true understanding of language, instead sending images, emotions, and sense-memories. It¡¯s me that has to put the effort in to translate all of that to words when needed. Kalanthia, on the other hand, has a much more sophisticated telepathic communication, though I¡¯ve come to feel the limits of it more as time goes on. I¡¯d had a suspicion, and this communication from the lizard-person confirms it, that Kalanthia¡¯s telepathy is actually just a much more advanced version of Bastet¡¯s. Instead of using words as a human would do, Kalanthia instead projects extremely focused thoughts, images, and emotions that say exactly what she wants to say and nothing more. My mind then interprets these as words because that¡¯s the way my mind works. I¡¯ve been brainwashed into using language since I was in nappies; it¡¯s not going to change now. Unlike my two animal friends, the lizard-person is communicating in words directly. There is none of the blurred touch of image or emotion that happens with Bastet or even slightly with Kalanthia; these communications are crystal-clear. Of course, that¡¯s not to say he¡¯s using English, but I can feel the difference between him projecting his thoughts in words compared to Bastet or Kalanthia. It¡¯s startling enough that I almost lose ground again, though I shouldn¡¯t really be so surprised. All the other hallmarks of civilisation were there in the weapons, buildings and adornments; why would language not be present either? It¡¯s still a shock. Hopefully that will make convincing him easier. I can still tell that it would be very difficult to lie in this space, perhaps impossible. Although he¡¯s using words, I can still feel his emotions ¨C the anger, confusion, and fear that are fighting inside him. If his emotions start telling a different story from his words, I¡¯ll know he¡¯s lying. If he can feel the same in me, he¡¯ll realise when I¡¯m being sincere. He¡¯ll also feel exactly how angry I am about the actions of his kind. Hell, maybe he was even one of those who came to attack Kalanthia and steal Lathani. The thought fans the flames of rage inside me, fury that is already feeding on the fuel of fear that I¡¯ve got here too late; that Lathani is no longer able to be saved. My eyes narrow at the lizard-man in front of me and the pressure holding us apart feels ever slightly less intense. I¡¯m doing this because your people attacked two beings very special to me and took one away with you, I snap at him. Just because we¡¯re communicating with words doesn¡¯t impede me from also using images. I send an image of Kalanthia as I left her, and Lathani as I saw her last. I don¡¯t even try to divorce my emotions from the images. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The lizard-person¡¯s crest of dark red spikes loses colour and wilts. I feel fear overtake the anger in his emotions. You are allied with the Great Predator, he replies, his projected words weak and whispery. Is it with you? If by ¡®it¡¯, you mean the mother of the cub you stole, she¡¯s not with me, I tell him grimly, feeling the relief fill him. She sent me ahead. If I do not succeed in bringing her cub back, I strongly suspect that she¡¯ll come seeking answers herself. The relief turns once more into fear and he projects, I think accidentally, the memory of finding other members of the tribe torn to pieces, their remains sometimes eaten, sometimes simply left there to lie. I¡¯d always known Kalanthia was powerful, but seeing the after effects of her attacks on the lizard-folk is as much a reminder to me as coming across the mauled raptorcats. No way do I want to get on her bad side; it renews my determination to succeed here in this space ¨C as if I¡¯d needed any further encouragement. Perhaps it¡¯s just due to my state of mind, but the pressure pushing against me once more suddenly seems just a little less forceful. Why did you take the cub, and is she still alive? I demand. Maybe even a failure here in the Battle of Wills could be worth it if I could at least get some information on Lathani. Why should I tell you? Maybe not, then. The lizard-person¡¯s response is angry. I feel my own anger rise once more to match it: how dare he feel angry? They¡¯re the ones who invaded Kalanthia¡¯s territory, tried to kill her, and stole her cub. And then he¡¯s angry that the consequences have come a¡¯calling? I can feel what you are doing. You seek to oppress me, to chain me far more successfully than your pitiful vine bindings could ever do. May I remind you that those ¡®pitiful¡¯ bindings were enough to take you down? I retort. You realise that even if you win this, you¡¯ll still have to fight your way out past my companion and me? I¡¯m bluffing a little as I know I¡¯ll be hit by the vulnerable condition afterwards for a few seconds, but only a little as I reckon that Bastet will easily be equal to the task of occupying a disorientated lizard-man for that time. Then, I reckon that the two of us together should be up to taking him down. Hopefully he can¡¯t feel the uncertainty through my emotions. Either way, he¡¯s silent for a short while. The lack of provocation allows me to calm down a bit, something sorely needed. I need to remember that now is not the time to allow my emotions free rein. For all that I¡¯m angry about what happened to my...friends while I was gone, the most efficient way of getting her out is still to convince this guy ¨C or another ¨C to help me. I decide to try a bit of negotiation. Look, I don¡¯t want to kill you. I tell him, focussing on the fact that if I kill him, I¡¯ll have potentially lost a way to get to Lathani, rather than on my anger at what his kind has done. I don¡¯t even want to force you into a Bond with me if you¡¯re completely against it. First, I want information about the cub, and then, if she¡¯s still alive, I need to get her out of there. Believe me, it¡¯s in your interest to cooperate. Really, the lizard-man scoffs. Yes, really, I say completely honestly. I genuinely think that Kalanthia¡¯s going to want blood for this; if she doesn¡¯t, I do ¨C at a point in the future when pursuing that aim isn¡¯t likely to get Lathani killed. Or me. If you give me information now, I promise we will not kill you immediately. If the cub¡¯s alive, we¡¯ll keep you tied up until it¡¯s all sorted out. And if she¡¯s dead? His tone gives nothing away, nor do his emotions ¨C the fear and anger are still very prevalent and could mean anything. At the same time, they¡¯ve calmed down a little, the beginnings of curiosity growing in him. If she¡¯s dead, I think that¡¯s the worst possibility for all of us: Kalanthia, the Great Predator, isn¡¯t going to be happy to know that her beloved cub is dead. She¡¯s most likely going to take that out on everyone around ¨C especially those who killed Lathani. The Great Predator is dead, he insists. No creature could resist as much poison as our warriors laced her with ¨C I helped prepare it myself. That¡¯s an interesting tit-bit, but I put it to one side for now. Oh, she¡¯s alive, I promise him grimly, and with no little satisfaction, and she¡¯s angry. Perhaps my sincerity is enough to convince him as I fully believe that she is alive, and am confident enough in my prediction of how she would react to the death of Lathani to give these dire proclamations. Whatever the situation, the lizard-man goes quiet for a moment. The pressure he¡¯s applying to me lets up a little and I continue making more progress, moving inch by inch at this point. Then we are doomed either way, he says finally, his mental ¡®voice¡¯ full of despair. What do you mean? I ask, curiosity cutting through my own emotions. If we keep the cub, we are doomed when the Great Predator comes to seek it out. If we kill it, we are doomed when the Great Predator decides to destroy us for our actions. Lathani¡¯s alive! However, if we give it up to you, we are doomed all the same. Why would you be doomed if you give Lathani to me? A good portion of the fight has gone out of the lizard-man and I find myself taking significantly larger steps forward, indeed even arriving within arm¡¯s length of the creature himself, if I could reach out my arm. Which, interestingly enough, I feel like I could do. Like I should do if I want to push through his final resistance and form the Bond forcibly, without consent. But I don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m not going to do that. Not just because of principles, but also because I¡¯m curious about what he will say. There was a reason we dared the wrath of the Great Predator, that we sought to steal away its cub. Tell me, I order softly. I don¡¯t have any true power over this lizard-man, not without a Bond in place, but I can tell that he has very little resistance to offer me now. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirteen: The Forest of Death Do you know of the forest which has grown up above us on the mountain side? he asks, a hint of defeat in his voice. You mean the uh, here I hesitate, trying to remember what the quest message had called them. Suffocater, no. Ah, I remember. The vine-strangler trees? The trees which move and trap creatures? Yes, the lizard-man acknowledges. Those. They have grown significantly in a short space of time, and several of our people have been lost to them. When he realised the threat, our chief sent some warriors to destroy them: none came back. A second set were sent; only one returned to tell of his experiences. It is from him that we know of the trees which trap and kill. They were rather tricky to come through, I agree, thinking back to my own experience with those damn trees. If it wasn¡¯t for my ability to light a torch, Bastet and I would be tree-food now. I¡¯m a little surprised that the lizard-folk have had so little success with them considering how powerful they seem to be. You made it through the Forest of Death? The lizard-man seems rather surprised, the emotion temporarily overtaking the others emanating from him. It also seems like he at least likes his drama: this is the second overly-dramatic name I¡¯ve heard from him. I did, I confirm, but add no more. It¡¯s just occurred to me that possibly the difference between my success and their failure may lie more in the torch I bore rather than any higher skill on my part. Is it arrogant of me to think that perhaps they haven¡¯t yet discovered fire? Still, whether they have or haven¡¯t, I don¡¯t want to give potential valuable information to creatures that are currently my enemies. The anger and fear in the lizard man¡¯s aura has mostly gone by this point. It¡¯s been replaced by something that feels like a mixture of determination and tentative hope. Do you know of a way to combat the traps of the predator trees? The question is direct and straightforward. My answer, however, is less so. Possibly, I admit, not wanting to commit too fervently. If you will swear to remove the threat of the trees from our upper-side border, I will serve you willingly. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Now that I wasn¡¯t expecting. So easily? Is the task of defeating the Forest of Death so easy? True. In addition, I¡¯m not exactly inclined to help the lizard-folk after what they did. But I do already have a quest to find the cause of the vine-strangler¡¯s growth. Perhaps it won¡¯t be that much of a jump between finding the cause and eliminating it... I will not be doing anything to help your tribe until Lathani is safe, I warn him. The feeling I get back at that is acceptance. If you follow through with your promise, we will not need the cub and so her loss will only positively impact the Tribe, he replied with equanimity. I frown. What do you mean by that? Our shaman divined that the Forest of Death is a great threat to us. She also determined that we would need a Great Protector to combat it. I heard her talking with my master, our herbalist. They decided that the spirit of the cub of the Great Predator would be sufficient to the task. The spirit of the cub, I repeat, a feeling of horror growing within me. Indeed. We do not have your abilities to subdue our enemies in life, but our shaman has some power to convince and command the dead. I do not understand the process, but she believed that by feeding the cub certain herbal concoctions while alive, she will be able to eke out more power from its spirit, making up for the fact that it is but a cub, and not fully grown. My master asked whether it was not better to compel the spirit of the Great Protector itself, but the shaman was uncertain whether or not she would be able to direct it even after death. The sheer casualness that the lizard-man uses when talking about the whole idea of killing Lathani and then enslaving her spirit is chilling. After letting the whole plan simmer a little in my mind for a few moments, I feel that I¡¯m very tempted to just push forward and crush his own spirit the way he is so clearly comfortable with the idea of crushing Lathani¡¯s. I hold myself back by a force of will even greater than what it would take me to just press on and complete this Battle. If I make a tit for tat approach to something that hasn¡¯t even happened yet ¨C I hope ¨C then what does that make me? No, I¡¯ve got to be better than that. Which starts with completing this negotiation with words rather than a simple flexing of Will. I have to remember that decisions made in anger are usually followed by remorse when calm. And something broken can never be remade the way it was before. I see, I reply evenly instead, though know that he can feel the boiling anger in me by the way his own aura flinches and fear reappears as a sourness I can sense. Trying to take the mental equivalent of a few deep breaths, I forcibly calm myself down a bit. I can feel that our time together is coming to a close, decision made or not. It¡¯s an odd feeling: the space around us is always amorphous, but it¡¯s slowly gaining solidity to my senses, like it¡¯s fog that¡¯s being burnt away by the sun. The pressure pushing at me from the lizard-man has become but the barest trickle ¨C no impediment. At the same time, the pressure from the environment has also significantly lessened through our conversation. Despite that, I can feel my mental energy flagging, like I¡¯ve been through three difficult exams back to back. I think that¡¯s probably the reason for the Skill starting to disintegrate, though I¡¯ve never been within it this long before. While interesting, it does mean we need to come to a conclusion. Knowing what I now do about their plans, I am even more convinced that I need to get Lathani out of that space yesterday. I¡¯m pretty sure my determination is as clearly detectable to the lizard-man as my anger was earlier as I start to speak. Here¡¯s my offer. You accept my Bond, and help me successfully get Lathani out, alive. If you succeed, I will then do my best to help you and your tribe solve your vine-strangler tree problem. Deal? The lizard-man takes a moment to consider the ramifications of my proposed deal. I don¡¯t blame him, but I can¡¯t help but feel impatient ¨C not only is my Skill not far away from timing out, but I¡¯ve also found out that a friend is in terrible danger. And what if you cannot help? It¡¯s a fair question, but due to the time limit it does nothing but irritate me. I do my best to stay calm ¨C losing my temper at this point will only be counter-productive. Often in negotiations it¡¯s the one who can keep the coolest head who wins the most benefit in the end. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. If I cannot help in the end, I will release you and you will be free to help your tribe try other possible solutions. Like wiping them all out so that they don¡¯t have to worry about vine-stranglers or anything else. See how they like trying to kill and enslave innocent baby nundas then. But this is our solution, he points out. If I help you retrieve the cub, but you then fail to eliminate the threat, we will be left worse off than before: no solution but less time before it engulfs us. Listen, I tell him, bringing all my resolve and fury to bear. You came to my friend¡¯s home, hurt her, stole her cub, and are now planning on torturing, killing and enslaving her. Believe me, I say, re-energising the scraps of Willpower that remain in me through sheer determination and focusing my full Will on him, that I will be getting Lathani out of there. I¡¯m already offering you a deal instead of just forcing you, because I don¡¯t want to stoop to your level. If I have to do it without your help, I will. Even if that means going through your tribe one by one. I¡¯m willing to pay that price ¨C are you? He quails a little, his aura weakening a little under my Will, then calms. He is silent for a few moments, moments during which I feel the space around us tearing itself apart just that bit more. If the space is a fog bank, the sun is already visible, and close to spearing through it. Very well, he capitulates eventually. I will throw my bones in with you and hope that you can achieve what the warriors of my people cannot. At the moment of his acceptance, the space finally completely ruptures. I¡¯m dumped back in my body with the biggest headache I¡¯ve ever had. I close my eyes against the sunlight, even putting my hand over my eyelids when just the light filtering through my skin is too much for the sensitive orbs. ¡°Ow,¡± I moan a little. I¡¯m not stuck in place like I was after I intentionally failed the Battle of Wills with the bird, but I¡¯m certainly not feeling great. When I eventually manage to open my eyes without feeling like being sick, I notice that my health bar has actually decreased. My eyebrows shooting up in surprise, I quickly check my status page.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 3 Energy to next level: 37% Energy absorption rate: 23u/hr Energy towards debt: 4%
Intelligence 16 Mana: 160/160
Wisdom 14 Mana regeneration rate: 350u/hr
Willpower 19+3 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 22u/hr
Constitution 15 Health: 134/150
Strength 12 Stamina: 60/60
Dexterity 14 Stamina regeneration rate: 140u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 7 Tame ¨C Beginner 4 Fade ¨C Novice 9 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 3 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 4
The first thing I notice is that my health points have actually taken a hit ¨C apparently pushing myself too hard in the Battle of Wills space can have a detrimental effect on my health. Good to know¡­ The second is that both Dominate and Tame have increased again ¨C is it because of the way I¡¯m conducting the Battle of Wills, then? That despite using the non-consensual Skill, I¡¯m still seeking willing agreement? Well, somewhat coerced willing agreement, anyway. Not that I care much about that right now. Animal Empathy has gone up too. I notice that I have a new message waiting for me in my message box. Clicking over to it, I¡¯m unsurprised to see that I¡¯ve earned a status point. After pushing my limits like I did there, I damn well should have.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Willpower and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
I willingly accept the point, checking back on my status page to see how it¡¯s changed. To my delight, I see that I¡¯ve now jumped from twenty-two points in Willpower to twenty-four: thanks to the twenty percent increase from Kalanthia¡¯s gift, I¡¯ve received a two-for-one deal on points here. Definitely worth the sixteen percent of Energy it ¡®costs¡¯. That¡¯s probably the last of the points I can earn in Willpower, though, now it¡¯s reached the twenty points mark. I dismiss my status screen, quickly chanelling a Lay-on-hands to help my health go back to normal. Most of the energy travels to my head, so I guess that¡¯s where the damage happened. Did I actually give myself brain damage? Perhaps immediately coming from a successful Battle of Wills should mean that I have better things to do than go through my status screen and notifications, but frankly I needed a few moments to recoup. It was rather strenuous. Feeling up to the task now, though, I push myself to a sitting position and meet eyes with my new Bound. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fourteen: The Control You Have The lizard-man is staring at me, still wrapped in my bark-fibre cord. Unlike before, his eyes aren¡¯t filled with rage and fear, though there is still some trepidation present. I can feel the Bond between us, thicker than any other I¡¯ve formed so far, though it¡¯s not as...dense as the one with Bastet. Is dense the right word? All I can say is that if the Bonds were boxes, the one with the lizard-man would be big enough for a toaster, but empty; the one with Bastet would be a chocolate box full of chocolates ranging from white to dark. I have no idea how to start communicating with him. I¡¯ve never had such a contentious Battle of Wills, nor one with a being able to discuss abstract ideas such as enslaving souls after death in order to protect a group from the encroaching threat of a forest of killer trees. And if that thought didn¡¯t prove I¡¯m on a different world, nothing will. ¡°Hi,¡± I say eventually, cursing at myself mentally for such a dumb start. I¡¯ve engaged in a deep mind to mind ¨C or soul to soul ¨C communion with this guy, threatened him and his family, coerced his help, and ¡®hi¡¯ is the best I can come up with? ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I ask quickly. As an attempt to cover up my awkwardness, it fails rather miserably. I suddenly itch to get moving ¨C Lathani¡¯s in terrible danger and here I am trying to work out what small-talk to use with my new Bound. I push myself to my feet abruptly, only considering as I start pacing that perhaps the lizard-man won¡¯t actually understand. My words, I mean ¨C he should be able to understand the impression of my thoughts in the same way Bastet does. I admit I am feeling a little...out of sorts, the lizard-man responds cautiously, answering the question of whether he can understand me. It¡¯s odd, though. Perhaps this is what he experiences when I talk, but he¡¯s not speaking English. Actually, maybe it would have been stranger if he suddenly had started speaking English with a proper British accent. What he¡¯s using to communicate is not even something that I would recognised as a language had I just heard it randomly. He snaps his jaws together, clicks his teeth, grunts deeply in his throat, and uses the crest on his head to flash different colours ¨C yes, apparently he has colour-changing spikes. However, I guess due to the Bond, the various signals are interpreted by my mind into English words. Suddenly I wonder what would happen if I couldn¡¯t see him and his colourful spikes ¨C would it impede my understanding or not? Or if I couldn¡¯t hear the vocalisations? Maybe not ¨C I¡¯m probably getting the meaning of his words across the Bond rather than the visual and audio cues. It may be important to know that, but I decide to find out later; now, we need to deal with the most urgent things, namely Lathani¡¯s rescue. For now, I¡¯m just glad that we¡¯re able to communicate with more ease than I experience even with Bastet. ¡°Disorientated?¡± I ask. A little, he admits. It feels very...strange to have my core values pushed aside and instead have the desire to obey and protect you fill the space they previously occupied. Huh. The first time Dominating a creature all too clearly sentient was bound to be a thought-provoking experience, but his very first words are already causing guilt to pool in my stomach. I push them aside as much as I did my earlier questions: we have more important things to do. And I mustn¡¯t forget that this guy was at least party to the idea of killing and enslaving an innocent cub. Who I¡¯m sure is also sentient and sapient, or at least could be so if her mother is any proof. That thought makes all remorse for my actions flee swiftly. ¡°I¡¯ll get those ropes off you,¡± I say, moving towards him and matching my words with efficient action. I¡¯m not rough, but I don¡¯t try to be especially gentle either. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± I ask shortly as I unwind the ropes. The lizard-man sits up and rubs at a few places where the cord dug in, managing to slip under his scales in a couple of spots. You do not want to name me? he asks in surprise as he looks up at me from his seated position. I feel compelled to inform you that it would tighten the Bond between us and, subsequently, the control you have on it. I stare at him thoughtfully for a moment, leaning against a tree now the lizard-man is free. Turning that new information over in my mind, I have to admit that it makes a certain amount of sense ¨C and holds no little attraction. I¡¯d wondered at the time whether giving Spike his name had made a difference ¨C it appears that it did. Bastet too, probably. Here though¡­. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take your identity from you and replace it with another,¡± I say finally. ¡°If you have no name because your people don¡¯t do such a thing, then I¡¯ll give you one because that¡¯s how my people work. But if you already have one, I won¡¯t take it from you.¡± It may be more advantageous to tighten my control over this new member of our group in any way I can, but¡­ Just like I don¡¯t want to be the guy who just forces a Bond on a completely unwilling creature, I also don¡¯t want to try to erase the personality of my new Bound just because he has accepted the Bond. Not even if he was intending on doing something similar to Lathani: if I let myself be brought down to their level, what kind of person will I become? ¡°I¡¯ll ask again: do you have a name?¡± The lizard-man eyes me curiously but soon replies. I am called Runs-with-the-river. It was the first thing I did on my name-day, according to my brood-mother. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°OK,¡± I accept. ¡°Runs-with-the-river is a bit of a mouthful ¨C do you mind if I shorten it to River?¡± Well, it¡¯s a mouthful in English at least; who knows how he says it in his language ¨C it might just be two teeth clicks and a grunt for him. Although I¡¯ve tried to pay a little attention to how he¡¯s actually been saying things rather than just what I¡¯m interpreting, I¡¯m completely lost. Being a language developed completely independently from any Earth one, it may have completely different rules from anything even vaguely familiar. Heck they may not even have recognisable words or syntax that conforms in any way to Earth languages. And that¡¯s not even taking into account the physiological differences between a humanoid crocodilian and a human. Either way, since it¡¯ll be me saying his name, I¡¯d like to at least know if he¡¯s willing to deal with a nickname. River, he muses. Yes, very well. Symbolic in many ways: that I am not the same under your leash as I was before, but that I have not entirely been made anew. That...wasn¡¯t exactly what I was intending, but I¡¯m not going to argue. He¡¯s a lot more verbose in person than he was in our Battle of Wills. Again, that raises more questions: is it because of the nature of communicating through thoughts and emotions, or is it more to do with the context of the conversation? But those are questions for later. There¡¯s a more pressing situation right now. ¡°OK, great. So, River, tell me everything about Lathani¡¯s situation,¡± I order him grimly. ¡°I need to know where she¡¯s being kept, in what condition she is in, who¡¯s caring for her, what¡¯s being done to her to prepare her for your shaman¡¯s...thing. Everything.¡± ***** My foot catches in a tree root, and I almost trip, the hobbling vine wrapped around my ankles not helping me keep my balance. I take several stumbled steps that threaten to have me on the ground at any moment. Keep moving, I hear growled from in front of me as a clawed paw pulls at the vine around my neck. The binding around my wrists bites into my skin as I automatically try to balance myself with my arms. Unfortunately, with them pinned behind me, that¡¯s not possible. I almost gain my balance before another hard pull at my neck threatens to set me tumbling once more. For what feels like the nth time in the last half an hour or so, I touch the Bond between me and River to ensure that it¡¯s there. He¡¯s the one dragging me along by the neck, his actions rough only to sell the fiction. Or what I hope is fiction, at least. I comfort myself with the thought that even if River actually betrays me, Bastet is staying close enough to us to swoop in to help me if it becomes necessary. I can feel her presence through her own Bond, though don¡¯t even catch a hint of where she might be with any other sense. She¡¯s got the cubs with her, since there was no way I wanted to let them get caught up in all this with me, and there was no safe place to leave them. Fortunately, we¡¯re not moving fast ¨C my bindings ensure our slow pace. After finding out all the details I could from River about Lathani, we came up with this plan. Well, I did. Needless to say, none of us liked it. Or at least, neither Bastet nor I liked it. River is a mess of contradictory emotions, even now; that¡¯s one reason I¡¯m finding it difficult to completely trust him. At the same time, I know that worst came to worst, I could order him to do something and he would be forced to obey. Even if I was gagged for some reason, I could order him through the Bond. I have to hope that that¡¯s enough of a safety net, because I¡¯m genuinely going into the hornets¡¯ nest here ¨C or the crocodile¡¯s nest, more like. While perhaps the most sensible thing would have been to let River carry out the whole of the rescue, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to agree to that. I don¡¯t know him: a Battle of Wills doesn¡¯t exactly allow me to have the knowledge of a person that years of acquaintance give. He could be a complete dunce, someone who it was only so easy to capture because he was already prone to falling over his own feet. Or claws, or whatever. I¡¯m not putting Lathani¡¯s life in his hands any more than I absolutely have to. No, even if it means me putting myself in more danger, I¡¯m willing to accept that risk if it increases the likelihood of us successfully rescuing Kalanthia¡¯s cub. To that end, I allowed River to wrap quickly woven vine fetters around my wrists, ankles, and neck. I also gave him my only remaining spear, my mace, and my roughly-crafted pottery water pot; I tucked my bow and arrows away in my Inventory along with everything else, including my armour. While it might seem counter-intuitive to go into a dangerous situation without the protection of my armour, I don¡¯t want to risk it being taken from me and us not being able to retrieve it when escaping with Lathani. The reason why I let him take any weapons at all was the whole basis of the plan. He recognised their form and function, but the construction of both the flint head of the spear and the pitch holding the stone in place at the head of the mace were completely unfamiliar to him. He assured me that the other members of his tribe would be as curious as he was ¨C the crafting-focused ones even more so. Enough, at least, to not order my death immediately to feed the tribe. Apparently it¡¯s happened before, when the tribe has managed to catch a sentient being who presents the opportunity to learn new crafting. Sometimes this has been another lizard-kin from a different tribe; sometimes it¡¯s been another creature entirely. In each case, either the leaders of River¡¯s tribe learned what they could from the being and then killed them, or they kept the being in servitude to craft for them if it was something they couldn¡¯t learn for themselves. I guess I should have expected that kind of behaviour from a tribe who steal a cub, feed her herbal concoctions, and then plan to kill her and enslave her spirit. As a result, the plan is simple, but still fraught with danger. Allow myself to be ¡®captured¡¯ and enter the village that way. Hope that the curiosity about me and about the weapons keeps me alive for at least a night and allows River to work behind the scenes to free Lathani. Then, as soon as possible, get the hell out of dodge. It¡¯s a fairly bare-bones plan, but there are too many factors to account for to plan for everything. So far, the guards we¡¯ve encountered along the route have let us pass with a couple of grunts. Hopefully that¡¯s because they believe our story, not because they know that we¡¯ve got no chance of doing anything anyway. After stumbling through partially worn tracks which still manage to have enough ground-cover to threaten to trip me every couple of minutes, we¡¯ve made it onto something a little easier for me. We seem to have reached some sort of path: the ground has been worn down to bare earth and the littering branches have been cleared by the passage of many feet over time. My balance now easier to keep, I raise my head to look at more than just my next step. My eyes narrow as I see the mostly-camouflaged huts ahead of me. Now, the game truly starts. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifteen: Guarded It¡¯s different from what I expected. I suppose that¡¯s inevitable: I¡¯d seen the whole area almost through Bastet¡¯s eyes, but it¡¯s only now that I realise how little the experience resembled watching a video taken by someone else. Due to her size, some of my estimates were right off, the huts smaller than I thought; the lizard-people themselves also generally a bit shorter, though with some glaring exceptions. Then there are the things that she hadn¡¯t noticed. Like the fence. For me, it sticks right out, a clear divergence from the natural growth of the forest. Bastet didn¡¯t even see it. Or if she had seen it, she didn¡¯t notice enough about it for it to stand out in her memory of scouting the place. There are more huts than she had seen or noticed, and I can also see some evidence of farming! Well, barely ¨C the sort of thing I¡¯m doing with my beans, nothing more advanced. Still, the fact that they¡¯re doing it at all¡­ I return my attention to the fence, realising that it potentially presents a complication in my plan if it goes all the way around. The fence itself isn¡¯t massive, reaching perhaps a little above my waist. Still, it¡¯s like the big brother of the trap I created for the lizogs: sharpened stakes stuck in the ground and pointing outwards with others braced against them in X shapes to create another barrier as well as strengthen the leaning stakes against whatever dares to charge them. There¡¯s an entrance through the fence centred on the worn path on which we¡¯re walking. Well, in my case, ¡®shuffling¡¯. On either side of the gate are two guards. Unlike the rest of the lizard-folk who seem to be a bit smaller than I¡¯d estimated through Bastet¡¯s eyes, these ones are bigger. By a fair bit. I¡¯d estimated that the tallest lizard-kin was a bit shorter than me; these are taller ¨C by about a head. And they¡¯re not skinny, either. Not body-builder buff, these guys look like they could wrestle with that single-horned ceratops Bastet and I had encountered on the way down ¨C and win. My stomach drops just a bit and I feel sweat bead on my temple. Maybe this wasn¡¯t such a good idea¡­. There¡¯s no way I can vocally communicate with River right now...but maybe that¡¯s not a problem. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re really communicating with sounds anyway ¨C it¡¯s the Bond which does all the translation for us. I¡¯ve sent messages to Bastet without needing to speak ¨C surely it would be even easier with someone who¡¯s actually used to speaking with words. Or something of that sort, anyway. It takes some concentration, but I¡¯ve had a bit of practice at sending my thoughts to others ever since coming to this world. I¡¯m unable to stop my nerves from making my hands shake a little. It might help if I focus on the escape plan for a bit. River, how far does the fence extend around the village? I ask him. I tell he¡¯s received the message both from the surprise and then acknowledgment which emanate from his side of the Bond, and also the small automatic turn of his head towards me. He disguises his movement with a rough tug on the vine to make me stumble and another growled order to move faster. At least, I hope it¡¯s meant as a deception for the guards up ahead. Then again, it may be his revenge for how I tied him up and carried him around like a sack of potatoes. Not that he¡¯ll know what a sack of potatoes is. There are four exits to the fence, though this is the biggest, comes the answer a moment later. His mental ¡®tone¡¯ is a bit nervous, a bit uncertain, but with the sense of trying to stay forcibly calm. Hopefully the nerves are because he¡¯s worried about whether our plan will work or not, rather than about how I¡¯ll react when he betrays me¡­ Are there guards like this on the other exits? I check. Really, we should have worked this out before, but I hadn¡¯t realised that there was a fence, and River didn¡¯t mention it. I mean, OK, most of our attention was spent on working out how to get in and get Lathani free. The escape plan was pretty much just that ¨C escape. I steel myself. We can¡¯t back out now. The guards on the path have clearly noticed us ¨C if River suddenly diverts with a ¡®captive¡¯ away into the forest, and then returns with no ¡®captive¡¯, there will be questions asked. No, I¡¯ve got to own up to my lack of asking the right sorts of questions and deal with the consequences. For a moment, I despair. How could I be the guy Nicholas was sent to recruit? Wouldn¡¯t someone who has more fighting experience be a better choice? Like an ex-military person or Bear Grylls or anyone other than a recently-fired HR paper-pusher? Surely they would have made sure that the exit strategy was clear before committing to the plan? A moment later, I take a deep breath and force myself away from that train of thought. What ifs and maybes never helped anyone, certainly not when done retrospectively. Lathani¡¯s counting on me. Kalanthia is counting on me. I won¡¯t fail them. Not again. The two big exits are guarded, River informs me. The other two exits are small, only a single person can travel through them at a time. They are also kept barred when not in use. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And how long does it take to unbar them? And how often are they checked? I ask, my mind racing. It takes little time to unbar them: it is merely a small structure of wooden stakes which is moved out of the gap and then back into it. They are not checked, exactly, but anyone noticing an unbarred gate would likely re-bar it and then check with the brood-mothers as to whether any of their charges have gone missing. So the alarm would be raised, I muse, mostly to myself, though probably projecting it to River as well. Any response he might have made is interrupted as we draw abreast of the first gate. The guards on it start talking, but immediately, I realise that I can¡¯t understand a bit of it. It¡¯s all just flashing colours, body language which includes their tails, and short sounds made by their mouths. Clearly, it¡¯s only my Bond to River that allows me to understand him. The Bond¡­.I risk taking a moment to pay less attention to the world around me and try to focus on the connection I have with the lizard-man in front of me. I¡¯ve used the Bond to communicate with him; I¡¯ve used it to get a sense of his emotional state. Now, can I use it to gain his understanding of his language¡­? It takes a few long moments before I get something, and what I do succeed in doing is not what I was intending. But that¡¯s OK ¨C what I manage to do is good enough. Hopefully. I don¡¯t tap into River¡¯s understanding of his own language, but I do get access to his understanding of what he¡¯s just been hearing. Then, probably thanks to the Bond, his understanding translates into words for me. I ¡®tune¡¯ into the conversation with the guards just as it¡¯s ending. ...take it to the Path-walkers. They¡¯ll give you further instructions. Oh joy. More uncertainty. I¡¯d like to dig into the rest of the conversation River had had with the guards, but I don¡¯t know how. Or even if I should. Because that feels a bit too much like non-consensual mind-reading to me. What I¡¯m doing right now is probably skirting the edge a bit, but I can soothe my own conscience by telling myself that it¡¯s no worse than using a translation app. Digging into his memories without him sending them to me is a different story, even if I can. And asking him to share them or to tell me what he¡¯d been discussing with them is pointless: if I can¡¯t trust him to keep to his word to serve me willingly, I can¡¯t trust him to tell me truthfully what he was discussing. Or send me accurate memories. No, I¡¯m just going to have to trust him...much as that leaves me feeling like I¡¯m walking to the gallows, hoping that they¡¯re just a strangely shaped tree. Instead, I just start shuffling forwards again as River tugs at the vine rope and we move towards the huts. I focus on my surroundings, trying to take as many of the details in as I can. It¡¯s interesting in how much this village resembles small villages I¡¯ve seen in images of old tribal villages. Most of the huts are round and made out of mud, thatched with leaves. They aren¡¯t tall, but the glimpse I get through one of the open doorways hints that they are partially dug into the ground. Unlike a building back on Earth, the entrance to the huts is not right down on ground level ¨C instead it seems like they crawl through a space at about waist height, just below the level of the leaf thatching. Floods? Or something as a result of whatever they evolved from? The odd hut here or there is made entirely of mud, only a small entrance at its very top. I only know that there¡¯s an entrance here because I see a lizard-kin climbing out of one. Once it is out, it moves a sort of capstone into place, the large seal almost flush with the rest of the construction. Now I know what to look for, I can see the seals on all the other buildings I¡¯d noticed. Although these facts are interesting to note, they do present a bit of a problem: getting in and out of a building clearly isn¡¯t something that can be done as quickly as dashing through a doorway. If River or I get caught inside one of these, we could be trapped very easily. Then again, mud walls...Possibly we could get out by making a doorway. Better not to rely on that, though ¨C who knows what kind of reinforcements there are present inside the walls? I see more evidence of farming happening, most of the thatched huts having a few plants growing near them which look intentional. I even see some porcupigs in a cage near one of the huts. The sight makes a pang go through me as it reminds me inevitably of Spike. I push my regret away and continue focusing on observing everything I can. Lizard-kin are everywhere, and there are significant differences between their sizes. There are few the same size as the ones on the gate, thankfully. Most seem to be fairly similar to River, though I can¡¯t say I notice any clear differences which could denote male or female ¨C none of them wear any sort of covering to hide genitals. They don¡¯t need to because there aren¡¯t any. Or not visible ones, anyway. The only other clearly differentiated group are actually smaller and slimmer than River; interestingly enough, they also seem to wear the most adornments. Is that an indication that they¡¯re female, or that they¡¯re important? Probably the latter, I decide as we stop in front of a group of about seven lizard-kin, all of them wearing at least five woven adornments. Three of them even sport stereotypical claw or tooth necklaces, giving them a savage air. If such an adornment was even necessary considering their sharp-toothed jaws, bronze eyes with slit pupils, and clawed paws and feet. They are crouched around a carcass, casually ripping pieces off the still-bleeding corpse. My eyes track the movement as I watch them use their claws to tear off strips of meat, toss them into their mouths and flick their jaws up to gulp the raw meat down. I suddenly realise what I haven¡¯t seen any evidence of: fires. There are no fire pits, fire places, campfires, bonfires, or any other sort of fire. I could argue that maybe the fires are only lit at night, but there is no sign of even the existence of a fire ¨C no charred or blackened ground or branches. I¡¯m becoming rather convinced that the lizard-folk haven¡¯t yet discovered fire. Of course, there could be another explanation: maybe their heritage just means that raw meat is more nutritious than cooked, so fires are reserved for crafting or religious rites or something, and are kept out of sight. I push the thoughts out of my head: they may be important later, but right now I¡¯m in front of a group of carnivorous lizard-folk all staring at me and I really ought to pay attention. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixteen: Trapped We come to a stop. In preparation for the communication that¡¯s surely about to happen, I repeat my ¡®translation¡¯ strategy. Now having more of an idea of what I¡¯m doing, the process is a lot shorter. This time, I manage to ¡®tune¡¯ in before much of the conversation has elapsed. River is speaking, perhaps in response to a question one of the lizard-kin in front of us has asked. ...when I was searching for the herbs my master sent me out for. I saw its curiously crafted weaponry and thought it might be useful to you, honoured Path-walkers. The ¡®Path-walkers¡¯, whatever that means, are clearly curious. Clearly to River, that is, though even I would be able to interpret their body language as showing more than disinterest. The fact that they appear to be eyeing me hungrily isn¡¯t reassuring, but according to the interpretation in River¡¯s mind, that¡¯s just interest rather than a desire for me to replace the corpse they¡¯re crouched around. One of the slim humanoid crocodiles stands up and looks at me, twisting its head slightly from side to side. I realise that it must be to get a better look at me: the lizard-folk do have binocular vision, but their eyes are more set to the sides of their face than mine are; their binocular vision may not be as acute as mine. It¡¯s a curious prey, the lizard-kin says, turning back to its brethren. I have not seen its like before. Have any of you? Most of the others now straighten, coming to inspect me. Two actually touch me, one using a clawed paw to prod at my cheek, then feel my hair; the other squeezing me in several places, fortunately avoiding the area I would most assuredly not want those claws anywhere near. I seethe with anger but manage to push it down, settling for balling my fists until my knuckles crack. The vine fetters are not much of an obstacle, really. I could have probably broken them with a bit of straining when I arrived here as a baseline human; all the extra Strength which I¡¯ve gained means that I almost have to put effort into not breaking them. However, fighting back right now is likely to get me hurt or killed, not to mention put them on the alert. For my plan to work, they need to see me as a curiosity, not a threat. Apparently the consensus is that none of them has seen one such as me before. Big surprise, since I¡¯m apparently the only human on this wretched world. After deciding that, they seem to lose some interest in me personally, moving to look at the items River had ¡®taken¡¯ from me. These attract a lot more attention, several wordless exclamations rising from those poking and prodding at the tools. One of the lizard-kin turns around to speak to River. You have done well, young Runs-with-the-river. Put the prey in the cage and stay here for now. We will decide how to reward you after we have properly investigated these new crafts. Yes, honoured Weaver, River says, raising his chin for a moment. Perhaps it¡¯s their version of a bow ¨C certainly that would match the submissive feeling that drifts over the Bond as he does it. The Path-walker turns back to the huddle, the group momentarily ignoring us both. River hesitates as he looks between me and the ¡®cage¡¯. I follow his gaze and swallow dryly. It¡¯s small, clearly designed for creatures half my size. Bigger than the average dog crate, though not by much, I¡¯ll be rather squashed. My mind races. Can we do something now? The Path-walkers are distracted by the items I made, after all. I shake my head involuntarily as I decide against the plan. The Path-walkers may be distracted, but what about all the other lizard-kin around here? They¡¯re unlikely to look away as one of their own and a strange unknown creature start raiding their huts and then trying to escape. No, we need to wait until the area is clearer, probably nightfall. Maybe even later. Unless the lizard-kin decide to kill me: then all bets are off and we¡¯ll have to fight our way out. At least, I hope it would be we, not just I. Do it, I tell River grimly, trying to psyche myself up for getting crammed in a too-small space which will completely remove all possibility of defending myself from the group of carnivores surrounding me. But- The longer we hesitate, the more suspicious we look, I snap back at him, interrupting whatever argument he has. I force myself to calm down: it¡¯s not River¡¯s fault I¡¯m particularly sensitive to enclosed spaces after my spelunking experience. Though it¡¯s kind of his fault that I¡¯m here at all, if only indirectly. Still, none of that is useful right now. Unless you have an idea that doesn¡¯t end up with us fighting the whole of this village? I manage to ask reasonably neutrally. He hesitates for a moment longer, then starts moving towards the cage, pulling at my neck with the vine, though more gently than before. No, I don¡¯t, he admits glumly. There are too many people around, he adds, echoing my own thoughts. We reach the cage and River moves behind me. I prepare to be pushed into it, bracing myself. He doesn¡¯t do that, not at first, anyway. Instead, I feel my wrists part as he slices through the binding holding them together. I quickly rub at the red marks, intentionally not sending healing magic to them: the fewer aces I reveal, the better, even when it appears that River is the only one watching. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The vine binding around my neck is the next to be cut through. River then puts a hand on my shoulder and, gentler than I was expecting, pushes me down and forwards. Breathing through the panic that rises as I start to crawl into the enclosed space, I feel him cutting through the hobble stopping my feet from moving too far apart. When I pull my legs in, starting to shift into a hunched sitting position, I see him shut the door. Closing my eyes, I battle with my fear. I hadn¡¯t realised how much my experience in the tunnel to the salt cavern had impacted me: claustrophobia has never been something I particularly struggled with. Though maybe this isn¡¯t just because of the small space: it¡¯s also the feeling of intense vulnerability, unable to defend myself even as I am surrounded by enemies who could turn on me at any moment. Idiot, I tell myself. How is this any better than Plan A? I¡¯m having to trust River either way; at least trusting him to get Lathani out of here by himself would have meant I could wait with Bastet rather than in a cage. I¡¯m sorry, River says, sounding miserable. For what? I ask, using the conversation to distract me from the impulse to just start clawing at everything I can reach, struggling against the cage until I burst free ¨C and then have to fight the rest of the village and not even get to Lathani. For this. I can feel your fear. I¡­I just want to get you out of there, out of here. You¡¯re not safe and the knowledge tears at my insides. Why do you care? I demand, my curiosity actually pushing away some of the panic. We were enemies when the sun rose today ¨C if I hadn¡¯t created the Bond with you, you¡¯d have happily killed me, I point out. There¡¯s a short pause before River responds. I mentioned before about my core values being replaced, he says slowly, his own emotions coming across as tumultuous. Once, my highest priority would have been following my master¡¯s commands, and pleasing the honoured Path-walkers. Now, it is following your orders and ensuring your wellbeing. To intentionally put you into a position which is directly counter to that¡­ He shakes his head and stops, but the tumult of feelings within him says more than his words could. Silence elapses after our conversation dies out. I allow myself the time to think through what River has just revealed. The Path-walkers are communicating quietly enough that River can only pick up vague parts of their conversation from the colours flashing on their spikes. They¡¯re interested, curious, and excited which, frankly, is as good as we could have hoped at this moment in time. Other than that, there¡¯s not much to distract me from considering River¡¯s situation. I suppose it makes sense. That¡¯s why Spike protected me all the way at the start from the black blob ¨C instead of his core drive being about his own survival, it became about me. The same with Bastet ¨C I¡¯ve never felt even remotely unsafe with Bastet ever since she accepted my Bond, despite her having been part of a pack that literally tried to kill and eat me not that long before. River seems to be a different kettle of fish though and it takes me a few moments to work out why. A frown creeps onto my face as I dig more deeply into what my instincts are telling me. At least it¡¯s distracting me from my panic about feeling trapped. After some deep thought, during which I stop paying attention to the Path-walkers, I think I¡¯ve managed to hit on what feels different: sapience. Bastet is smart, there¡¯s no doubting that, but she¡¯s still an animal. She¡¯s driven by instinct rather than thought. While she can be surprisingly analytical at times, it¡¯s purely about how to best approach a situation, not whether she should approach it. Take our first day together, for example. I was worrying that she would be upset about sharing space with the killer of her pack; she turned out to be worried that I was about to feed her and her cubs to said killer. At no point has she sought to get revenge for her pack: although she misses them and the bonds they had, she lives in the present, not the past. Her pack is dead and we are her new pack. I guess that when I Dominated her, that drive in the Bond to serve and protect me simply took the place of a similar drive to protect and cooperate with her pack. A drive which had been abruptly removed as her pack had been killed, apart from the cubs, and protecting them was the only thing she required of me in order to submit to me. I¡¯ve come to realise that she sees me as the leader of her pack, nothing more nor less. The Bond is almost irrelevant in that I suspect that, as long as she saw me as the leader, she would continue acting in exactly the same way, Bond or no Bond. Though it would be more complicated without a connection that allows me to communicate properly with her, for sure. River is a different story, though. He¡¯s a clearly thinking being, as are the rest of his tribe. Perhaps I¡¯m making too much comparison with humans, but if he¡¯s anything like we are, he¡¯s capable of overcoming base instinct and choosing to do something different. Does that mean that he¡¯s able to choose not to serve me? That he can choose to attack or withhold assistance rather than protect? Probably ¨C that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯s doing now, although he is doing it at my insistence, which may make a difference. He¡¯s admitted that he¡¯s torn essentially because his drive to serve me is warring with his drive to protect me. I can sense that he would still be compelled to obey to the letter if I gave him a clear instruction, but I don¡¯t like the idea of having to wrap him up in a web of orders. What I love about my bond with Bastet is that I can trust her to act in our best interest without needing specific instructions; I hope that the same can be true of River. I certainly wouldn¡¯t trust that to be the case right now, though. Actually, this realisation has only made me more certain that choosing to be part of the plan to rescue Lathani was the right thing to do, regardless of the risk to me. After all, if River is capable of defying the Bond in any sort of way, leaving the whole rescue plan in his...paws, seems the height of stupidity. At least if he betrays me, I have options; if I¡¯d left the rescue to him, I might have been stuck waiting for him to come to me while Lathani was being sacrificed ahead of schedule. Worst case scenario, sure, but it¡¯s serious enough that I wouldn¡¯t dare to risk it. Well, I guess that if ever a situation were to be the crucible and the test of our Bond, this is it. He¡¯s being directly confronted with the beings who have been his world for ¨C probably ¨C his whole life, and yet is having to operate according to my orders in opposition to them. All I can hope in this situation is that he believes in my promise to do what I can for their tribe if he helps rescue Lathani. That he chooses to follow the spirit of my plan, especially if things go wrong. And that if it comes down to the Bond warring against his desire not to go against his people, that the Bond will win out, at least enough to get Lathani and myself out of the village. While I¡¯ve been musing over River, my attention has been drawn to the construction of the cage in which I¡¯m sitting. It¡¯s certainly not what I would have expected. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventeen: Motivation At first glance, the cage would appear to be a series of rough branches bound together, like I would do if I was trying to create a trap. However, closer examination proves that the branches are in fact grown together. The only weak spot of the cage is its door, and even that would prove difficult for most creatures to deal with, considering that the vine bindings that act as its hinge and latch are difficult to reach from inside the cage. Difficult to reach by a creature which is trying to use its own claws, that is. Fortunately, I have a knife. It calms my panic down to know that I have a way out if necessary. I remind myself that I¡¯m not defenceless: if the worst happens and River betrays me, or is for some reason unable to help me, I can still get out of the cage. And then when out, I¡¯ve still got a number of decent weapons within reach. I want to ask River about its construction, but my thought is interrupted before I even properly form it. One of the Path-walkers beckons River over and he obeys, albeit with a quick glance at me first. I dig back into my Bond with the lizard-man to make sure that I don¡¯t miss anything. Tell us more of this prey. Where did you find it? Were there any other items with it that were left at the site? Fortunately, we¡¯ve already discussed what to say, the bare bones, at least. It was resting near the river, my Bound starts. I saw it using the bowl to drink water and I was curious as the bowl seemed to be made of earth, yet was clearly not falling to pieces. There was a flurry of interest. It is an Earth-Shaper, one of the Path-walkers says, its spikes flashing triumphantly. What an excellent find. We have missed our Earth-Shaper¡¯s skills since she passed. If it is an Earth-Shaper, why would the spear have such a construction? snaps another of the Path-walkers. It could have simply Shaped the head onto the shaft, not using...what it used. Then how did it succeed in shaping the head at all? argues the first Path-walker. Sisters, a third slim lizard-kin interrupts. This one is the most ornately dressed, its neck barely visible for all the woven vine necklaces encircling it. Sisters¡­.maybe they¡¯re important and female, then. We have already discussed this matter and come to no conclusion. Runs-with-the-river, please continue your story. Yes, honoured Shaman, River says lifting his chin again, higher than the last time. My focus narrows on the creature which has just been identified as the mastermind behind the plot to attack Kalanthia, steal Lathani, then kill and enslave her soul. My rage raises hot within me and the vine bindings creak as I unconsciously put pressure on the door. River darts a look back at me, concern flowing over the link. I probably only feel it because I¡¯m still deeply within in order to understand the conversation, but his concern cuts through my fury. I push it back down, reminding myself that there will be a time to even scores later when Lathani is safe and back with her mother. River is speaking as I tune back into the conversation. ...so I thought that it would be better to capture the prey rather than kill it and potentially lose important crafting secrets for the tribe. You chose well, the shaman says again, its spikes rippling with colour in a way that denotes pleasure. Are you not proud of your apprentice, Herbalist? This last is directed at another lizard-kin nearby. I would be more proud if he had managed to gather the herbs I¡¯d sent him out for, the herbalist grouses, though the latter¡¯s crest is rippling with yellow and orange, revealing the lie to its words and indeed showing pride. It seems your prey gave you some trouble, the herbalist continues, raising a clawed paw to gently trace one of the cuts on River¡¯s face. We¡¯d decided that us both appearing pristine might arouse suspicion, so had intentionally given each other a couple of marks which were more show than anything else; nothing a quick Lay-on-hands won¡¯t cure if they prove burdensome when we make our escape. River shrugs the comment off with a flick of his tail. Mere scratches, master. The prey came off worse. Nothing that could impede its ability to replicate these items for us, another Path-walker says pointedly. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I was careful to bear in mind the uses I suspected you would wish to put it to, honoured Wood-Shaper. It was surprisingly easy to subdue; it does not seem to have any natural weaponry of its own. No claws, blunt teeth...once I had separated it from its weaponry, it was practically helpless. I glare at River. That wasn¡¯t part of the script. Whether I accidentally project that to the lizard-man or he picks up on my emotions through the Bond, I don¡¯t know, but a moment later he sends a wordless thought to me. It¡¯s an image of a Warrior approaching a small snake in the grass...only to be surprised by the fact that the small snake is in fact the tail belonging to a much larger and more dangerous beast. Maybe he¡¯s saying something about underestimation being a good thing¡­ Well, perhaps. Though the knowledge that without my weapons I am pretty defenceless doesn¡¯t sit well. I suddenly wish I¡¯d taken Stun as my level one Skill. What use is Fade when I¡¯m in a cage in the middle of a lizard-folk village? Does it understand your words, Runs-with-the-river? asks the Shaman, looking at me curiously. I grit my teeth and glare at the lizard-kin which is first on my ¡®to kill when I get the chance¡¯ list. River hesitates, also looking at me. I send a feeling of negation down the Bond, hoping he¡¯ll understand my message. I do not believe so, he says finally. Though it proved most docile once I had subdued it. He shrugs with a wave of his tail again. Perhaps it could learn, muses one of the Path-walkers who had spoken before. Any creature can learn given the right...motivation. The shaman says with a tail-shrug. Leave it there for a few days; when it feels the bite of hunger and thirst, it will be properly motivated to please its new masters. I hadn¡¯t thought I could dislike the shaman any more than I already did after find out its plans for Lathani, but I¡¯ve just been proven wrong. If looks could kill, the shaman would be dropping dead, but unfortunately, I haven¡¯t learned that Skill ¨C yet, anyway. The heavily adorned lizard-kin watches me for a moment, a predatory look in its eyes, then turns back to the others. Runs-with-the-river, you have brought the Tribe a gift, the shaman says, her tone shifting to something with more formality. What reward do you desire? River hesitates for a moment, darting a look back at me. My weapons, I tell him. He sends confusion back to me. Ask for my weapons to keep. Then bring them with you when we escape. And stop looking at me, for heaven¡¯s sake! He quickly obeys, instead looking at the weapons consideringly. May I have the prey¡¯s weapons for my use? he asks finally. Seeing the shaman hesitate, he quickly continues. If the honoured Path-walkers wish to investigate the weapons more at a later date, I will of course yield it to you for that time. It is merely that I do not think such tools should be languishing, covered in dust and grime from lack of use. The shaman¡¯s tail waves gently from side to side. What say you, sisters? she asks finally. There¡¯s a chorus of responses, some ayes, some nays. More of the former than the latter, fortunately. Turning back to River, the shaman indicates for the other Path-walkers to pass the weapons to him. Very well. Your reward is to have this spear and stone-headed club. We shall keep the earthen bowl for further inspection: knowing whether the prey is an Earth-Shaper or not is an important discovery. Thank you, honoured Shaman, River says, his tone grateful, his mouth almost pointing towards the sky briefly as he shows his throat. Mind, we shall need the weapons present in order to indicate our wishes when we instruct the prey. That will not be a for a few days yet, I suspect. Plenty of time for you to test their power. River¡¯s crest flashes in submissive agreement, and then the shaman flicks her claws in dismissal. He ¡®bows¡¯ once more and then walks away, my spear and mace held tightly in his paws. He doesn¡¯t look at me, but I sense his attention turning clumsily to the Bond, to the sense of my presence within him. What do you wish me to do now, master? he asks, pausing near one of the round and thatched huts to ¡®inspect¡¯ his ¡®reward¡¯. My mind ticks over the possibilities. Actually, we¡¯re probably in the best position I could have asked for, considering everything. River has got my weapons and has been dismissed. I¡¯m in this cage, which isn¡¯t ideal, but from what the shaman said, I¡¯m likely to be ignored for at least the near future, which is great. It¡¯s significantly better than having been attacked the moment I walked in or being kept under heavy guard. Hopefully, that will all make the rest of the plan much easier. Do you have any duties you¡¯ll be expected to do now? I ask my Bound. He takes a moment to think them through. It¡¯s too late to go into the forest for herbs now. My master...former master, he corrects himself with a pang of regret and guilt that I ignore, will expect me to help her prepare herbs for a number of concoctions. I will need to feed the cub later. Other than that, not much. I had discovered through my discussion with River earlier that Lathani is being held in the shaman¡¯s hut. She¡¯s given food and water morning and evening, and a herbal concoction four times a day. This latter is apparently supposed to make her spirit easier to bind and more powerful than it would otherwise be. Being only the apprentice and not the master, my new companion wasn¡¯t completely familiar with all the details ¨C apparently making the concoction itself is beyond his skills ¨C but that¡¯s what his master said it would do. Something about drawing on Lathani¡¯s future potential to enhance the present. Either way, the idea of her being force-fed anything has me gritting my teeth in helpless rage once more. I push it away with the thoughts of how we¡¯re getting her out ¨C tonight. Right then, I tell him, the plan gaining details in my mind. This is what I want you to do. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighteen: Nocturnal I shift for what has to be the thousandth time in the last few hours, unable to get comfortable. I grimace: when I get out of here, I¡¯m going to have to cast a Lay-on-hands just to deal with my muscle spasms from being stuck in this cramped position or I won¡¯t even be able to walk. My stomach is grumbling; my mouth is dry. I will admit to taking a sneaky leak, though ¨C aiming as far out of the cage as I could manage. I¡¯d fought against the shame of doing it in plain sight with anger. Fortunately, I have plenty of anger boiling inside ¨C from the treatment of Lathani, to them treating me like I¡¯m a dumb animal. So at least I haven¡¯t had to be dealing with a full bladder on top of everything else. It¡¯s been a long time since I was shoved in here. I don¡¯t know how long, but it was only mid-afternoon when I entered the village and dark is starting to fall now. My initial fear subsided after some time, perhaps thanks to the lizard-folk essentially ignoring me. I¡¯d tense again any time I saw their eyes on me, but in between times, I was able to relax. As much as I could considering my physical discomfort, anyway. Once I stopped battling my panic all the time, I found boredom creeping in. Without River nearby to be my translation app, I couldn¡¯t understand the vast majority of the lizard-folk¡¯s speech, but I could watch, observe. I also distracted myself with going through my memories, both those I had before I came to this world and those I gained from the knowledge stones. When I got bored of that, I focused on meditation. At least my forced inactivity has proved productive in its own way. Although it was a bit difficult to actually begin meditating, considering the situation in which I¡¯ve got myself, I found that the longer I kept it going, the more my fears and worries subsided and were replaced with calm. This last hour, I¡¯ve done little else but meditate. Despite my physical discomfort from my cramped position, as well as the hunger and thirst which threaten to intrude, I can find peace in my surroundings. Time itself also feels more amorphous, sometimes seeming to stretch out like honey from a spoon; other times the sun appears to leap across the sky in a great bound. Perhaps it¡¯s because I seem to become slightly detached from my body: the more I sink into the state of stillness, the more I feel connected to everything around, some sense of self spreading out to touch my surroundings. When I start feeling connected even to the lizard-folk walking past me, I pull myself out of my trance. Perhaps logically I can accept that they¡¯re part of the natural environment, but right now, I don¡¯t want to feel any sort of connection with them. Not when they hurt beings I care about. Not when I¡¯m shoved in a cage of their making. Not when I might be faced with killing them before the night¡¯s over. As I recognise the shaman¡¯s ornate adornments on the lizard-kin striding past me now, I feel my eyes narrow and my fists clench, the remnant sense of peace from my meditation fleeing. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have any problem killing that one, no matter how ¡®connected¡¯ I might feel. Deciding to take a break, I check my messages, feeling the nagging sense that there¡¯s more than one waiting for me. When I look, I feel a grin pull the corners of my mouth up and immediately conceal it. Though, not that these lizard-kin are likely to be able to understand my body-language any more than I can understand theirs. I still choose to bury my face in my knees to hide it, the dark caused by my covering arms no hindrance to reading the messages.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Intelligence and have earned a point. This point has been added to your status.
Next message? Y/N
Nice, I think to myself. A point I don¡¯t even have to spend any Energy on. The next isn¡¯t quite as good, but I¡¯m still happy with it.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Intelligence and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Next message? Y/N
Is that some sort of record? One and a half Intelligence points gained in...what, six hours? Not that I¡¯m complaining. Clearly my efforts to analyse the situation and make connections between my memories have paid off. I accept the point and move to the next message.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Wisdom (Breadth) and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Next message? Y/N
Another point! Clearly down to my meditation, this one. I¡¯ll need to figure out Breadth and Depth sometime, but so far it seems like I get Breadth when I meditate and feel the connectivity of all nature to each other and to myself. Though what that means in practical terms for me, I don¡¯t know. Once more, I accept the addition and move on.
Congratulations! You have earned a Skill: Meditation
Read Skill description? Y/N
Meditation You have discovered that by sitting still and calming your mind, you are able to feel your connection to the world around. Due to your receptivity to your surroundings while in meditation, you increase your Energy absorption rate by 5% for each level in this Skill that you have. This will be automatically diverted into refilling your mana pool, at a rate increased by the same percentage as your Energy absorption rate. As a result of using this Skill to relax in difficult circumstances, you can also use this Skill to replace some need for rest. For every four hours spent in meditation, gain the same benefit of an average hour of sleep. This benefit may improve as the Skill¡¯s level increases.
Close message? Y/N
Not, perhaps, the most exciting of Skills since five percent of my current Energy absorption is approximately one more Energy storage percent per day. Better for my mana regen, though, since that¡¯s another eighteen units per hour, letting me pull off almost two more Lay-on-hands if necessary. Still, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find that the small increase shows its worth in the long run. Being able to replace my need for sleep, at least partially, is probably the most immediately useful, though: I¡¯m tired, but can¡¯t imagine daring to fall asleep in this environment. But with what¡¯s likely to happen later, I really ought to get some rest. However, first: stats! I close the message showing my Skill and pull up my status page.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Level: 3 Energy to next level: 16% Energy absorption rate: 29u/hr Energy towards debt: 4%
Intelligence 18 Mana: 180/180
Wisdom 15 Mana regeneration rate: 375u/hr
Willpower 20+4 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 24u/hr
Constitution 15 Health: 150/150
Strength 12 Stamina: 60/60
Dexterity 14 Stamina regeneration rate: 140u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 7 Tame ¨C Beginner 4 Fade ¨C Novice 9 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 3 Stealth ¨C Beginner 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 4 Meditation ¨C Beginner 1
My Intelligence score is looking significantly more healthy than when I first arrived. I don¡¯t feel a lot more intelligent, certainly not three times as much, but I have to admit that I do find it easier to make connections with things now. Watching the lizard-kin, I¡¯ve found that since I paid attention to the conversation the Path-walkers had while piggybacking on River¡¯s understanding, while I can¡¯t actually understand them, exactly, I can actually pick up certain things they¡¯re saying to each other. Nothing complex, and more based on their colour-changing crests than anything else, but I can imagine that if I spent much longer here, I¡¯d learn their language pretty quickly. Be able to understand it, at least. Pronouncing it would be a whole different story. Possibly my Animal Empathy is helping me, though I don¡¯t know if it has any effect on my interactions with sentient beings since it is Animal Empathy. Then again, we¡¯re all animals, technically speaking. Does that count...? I push the thought from my mind, trying to settle back into a meditative trance. A couple of hours¡¯ worth of rest is better than nothing, and I don¡¯t have any idea how long it will take for River to give me the signal. I told him to come at a moment when the village is as quiet as it¡¯s going to get; that could be when true dark comes, or it could be even later than that. Better to make the time pass semi-productively with meditation until then. ***** One moon has passed overhead and the other is only just cresting the horizon before anything stirs. In between meditating, I watch as the lizard-folk settle down in their huts soon after the sun set. It¡¯s once more an indication that they don¡¯t seem to use fire as they had no lights showing even as it got dark. Sure, maybe their night vision is better than mine, but they¡¯re clearly not nocturnal. Once everything goes quiet around me, I sneak some water and food from my Inventory to refresh myself. I hadn¡¯t dared to do it while the lizard-folk were still hanging around out of fear that it would reveal that I wasn¡¯t as defenceless as I seemed. Plus, that first-on-my-kill-list shaman had maliciously ordered me to be left without food or water; obviously contravening that didn¡¯t seem like a good idea. Not having eaten or drunk since this morning, my belly thought my throat had been cut and my tongue had felt like the Sahara had taken up permanent residence. Fortunately, I do have my Inventory, so am able to make sure that I¡¯ll be ready for escape. And on that note, I surface from my meditation as I feel my surroundings shift. It hadn¡¯t been easy to notice movement when there were so many lizard-kin around; now the whole village is still, the change is noticeable. I open my eyes and strain them, looking into the darkness. Fortunately, although the first moon is no longer overhead, it¡¯s still sending some fingers of light through the canopy above, otherwise I¡¯d be completely blind ¨C my night vision has improved a little since I came to the world, but not enough to see in the darkness of a moon-less night. For a few moments, I see nothing. Then one of the beams of moonlight is broken and I whip my head to the side. My ears pricked, I hear a slight shift in the earth, the faint scrape of a claw. A figure looms closer, odd shapes sticking out of it. I touch the Bond, the slightly instinctive fright of a silhouette in the night calming as I detect the presence of my Bound. Relief sweeps through me, ridding me of the majority of the worries which had been running rampant ever since I stopped meditating. That he¡¯d thought better of our deal and decided to betray me anyway. That something had gone wrong with the plan and he wouldn¡¯t be coming at all tonight. Or even that he¡¯d just fallen asleep and lost track of time. I¡¯d reckoned that if he¡¯d got caught, I would have heard the fracas, so I hadn¡¯t worried about that. Much. But his presence here indicates that the plan¡¯s still on. Crawling forward, wincing as my muscles protest the movement after hours of inactivity, I shove on the door. Along with sneaking some food and water, I¡¯d also prepared for this moment by quietly slicing through the hinges with my knife. Mostly slicing, anyway ¨C I didn¡¯t want there to be any indication of my actions for any sharp-eyed lizard-kin to see. I¡¯d have done the latch as well, but couldn¡¯t quite reach it, even with my knife. As it is, I didn¡¯t need to: a quick shove and the hinges break. The door almost clatters against the opposite side, but my hand is around one of the bars it¡¯s composed of, preventing it from creating noise and potentially alerting someone. Climbing out of the cage, I hold up a hand as River starts forward towards me. Give me a moment, I tell him grimly, sending a Lay-on-hands through my body. Ooh, that feels better, I moan to myself as the healing energy washes through the muscles, loosening them and increasing the blood-flow to them. It even heals a couple of areas which were cut off by my crunched-up position. I send a quick glare at the cage. If it wouldn¡¯t have been a red alert for everyone around, I¡¯d have lit it on fire and danced merrily in the light. Well, not danced. Punched the air or something. As is is though... OK, I¡¯m ready, I send, looking at my Bound. Here, he tells me, handing some items over. First of all is my mace, second is my spear, and I use the thin vine he also hands me to tie them on. My spear goes onto my back, my mace at my waist, though tied in a way that ensures it won¡¯t constantly get tangled with my legs and trip me. Straining my eyes, I examine my Bound. He¡¯s still got a strange shape on his back. Is that¡­? I ask him. He sends a feeling of agreement and I nod unconsciously. OK, then. Let¡¯s do this. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Nineteen: You Can’t Be Serious We creep through the darkness. I¡¯ve got both Stealth and Fade aiding me on slinking through the area unseen and unnoticed. Good thing too, since the night is so quiet. Even the noises I¡¯m used to from roaming ¨C and occasionally dying ¨C night-time animals are barely audible. Perhaps its because they don¡¯t dare to enter the encircling fence of the village, so any noises I hear are from the forest beyond, and are therefore slightly muffled. I follow River as he heads towards a hut off to one side of the village. Actually, it¡¯s separated from the rest of them by a surprisingly large margin. As we reach it, I look beyond to see the gate. The sight sends hope through me, only to be chased by a chill as I see a small shift of movement near it. Closer examination reveals what I¡¯d hoped not to be the case: that the gate is still guarded by two of those big lizard-kin. I guess we¡¯ll be heading out by the side-gate then. However that means trekking back through the village again, which is not without its risks either. Still, we need to achieve our next objective first. We pause next to the hut, near its gaping black hole of an entrance. River pauses for a moment, and I hear him take a shaky breath. Concern rising, I¡¯m about to communicate with him when he moves, turning around and backing into the hut with practiced ease. There¡¯s a reason he¡¯s doing this part of the plan and my job is to stand guard. On that note, I pull my mace from its vine tie and hold its handle with both hands, the wood creaking ever so slightly as my grip shifts. I put my back almost against the wall to reduce my profile if anyone were to be watching, and look around myself attentively. I try to minimise the movement of my head, looking more with my eyes and only occasionally shifting my head around slowly to more closely examine what is otherwise just the peripherals of my vision. Movement catches more attention than stillness; moreover, it risks noise. Neither is something we want right now. A few quiet noises emerge from the hut, but I¡¯m confident that they will not go far, even in the stillness of the night. After all, even though I¡¯m standing so close, I can barely hear the faint sounds. Despite straining my hearing to the utmost, I can¡¯t identify exactly what he¡¯s doing. At least I can¡¯t hear any of the sounds I¡¯ve come to recognise as the lizard-folk¡¯s speech. When movement from the dark hole catches the dim light, I almost startle. A shape emerges from the shadows and I quietly lay my mace down in order to help pull it through. I see the outline of ears, a head, and rosettes of black spots, barely visible in the low light level but still there. My heart wrenches as I smell the familiar musky scent of nunda cub, my sense of smell only just catching it at this distance. Her fur is warm, and less fluffy than I remember. As I gently pull her through, I realise that she¡¯s also heavier than I remember. Not to mention longer: her body is at least three times as big as I recall. Maybe more. By the time her back paws have made it through, my eyebrows are attempting to reach my hairline. What¡­? I absently send to River. I must send my question through well enough, despite not vocalising it properly even to myself, since he responds. The herbal concoction. Oh. My teeth grit together in anger. This must be ¡®drawing on the future to enhance the present¡¯, as he had described it when we had our discussion in the forest. If this forced growth has done any permanent damage to her, I¡¯ll take it out of the shaman¡¯s hide. I realise that there¡¯s something else wrong, too. She¡¯s completely still, silent. Her eyes are closed. What¡¯s wrong with her? I demand from River, my fists clenching. Why is she not awake? It¡¯s another concoction, master. I told you about this earlier... the lizard-man reminds me, uncertainty and slight fear coming through the Bond. I breathe deeply, forcing away the emotion which will only cause me to make mistakes. You did, I acknowledge, remembering it as he said it. I should have known ¨C we¡¯d agreed that River should continue to act normally, which included giving her the sleeping draught and the most recent shamanic potion. Besides, I¡¯d thought it would probably be easier to get her out if she was asleep. Though now I can see she¡¯s so much larger¡­ I dismiss the thought, leaning down to lift her over my shoulders like a particularly furry stole. With her larger size, her front and back paws both drape down past my hips. Should I not take her? River offers. No, I tell him, almost a growl in my mental voice. I¡¯ll be fine. Between the two of us, River is likely the stronger: the wiry muscles he has going on probably beat out my recently improved ones. However, even with everything he¡¯s done so far to prove he¡¯s on my side, we¡¯re not out of the village yet, and I¡¯m loathe to trust Lathani with someone who could suddenly divert at the absolutely wrong moment. It does mean that my ability to defend us is reduced, but since the main plan now is to run, that¡¯s OK. I can still wield my mace one-handed and keep a steadying hand on her if necessary. Let¡¯s go. We tiptoe through the village huts, heading for the unguarded side-gate. It¡¯s within eyesight and we¡¯re starting to relax when the worst happens. We round a hut, only to bump into one of the lizard-kin coming the other way. It¡¯s one of the Path-walkers, I realise in the moment of stillness as shock holds both parties like statues. Then the Path-walker roars loudly, raising the alarm. I curse as I bump into River, turning to dodge around the Path-walker only to find my Bound still rooted in place. ¡°Move!¡± I order him harshly. No time for niceties right now. And no point trying to be quiet: they all know where we are right now. He stumbles out the way, his legs almost seeming to propel themselves. ¡°Come on, we need to run!¡± Not waiting to see if he is following, I run off in the direction of the gate, only to stumble over a branch suddenly in my path. I regain my balance, only to be slammed into by a wooden bucket from the side. I fall heavily onto my side, landing badly in order to not land on Lathani¡¯s legs. What¡­? I whip my head around wildly, even as I push myself back to my feet, my hip and thigh aching from the impact. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I see another branch come flying at me. No, a spear, I realise, my eyes going wide as I throw myself to one side to avoid its sharp point. But who threw it? The only other figures around me are River and the Path-walker, and neither of them were at the right angle to throw the spear. Or the bucket, thinking about it. From the commotion around us, we won¡¯t be alone long, but for now, I can¡¯t see my attacker. But even if I can¡¯t see them, clearly they¡¯re determined not to let me get away. Then the same spear that had been thrown at me lifts into the air again, flipping over to aim at me point first and it all becomes clear. The Path-walker¡¯s controlling it, its clawed paw moving in unison with the spear. I dodge the shot once more, feeling its sharp tip opening a slice in my cheek, then leap forward. We haven¡¯t got much time due to this lizard setting off the alarm, and now it¡¯s stopping us from leaving. My hand goes to my mace, ripping it from my belt. I swing at the lizard¡¯s head. It dodges the first fury-filled swing, but not the second, the heavy flint ball sinking into the its skull with a crunch. Clearly not as resistant even as that crocodile¡¯s that I fought, I use the momentum of the swing to help spin me around to face the exit. River is frozen, his mouth open, horror blasting through the Bond at me. I know it¡¯s unfair, even as I open my mouth to say it, but we don¡¯t have time. ¡°Snap out of it,¡± I shout at him. ¡°Either come with me now, or stay here and face them.¡± I point at the figures approaching us, the hulking mass of the guards making my bowels quiver. Not waiting for him to reply, I take off, fear lending wings to my feet. Heading for the gate which River hopefully had ensured was open before coming to fetch me, I pump my legs as quickly as I can. There¡¯s a time to take it slow; that time isn¡¯t now. I¡¯ve even dropped Fade since I don¡¯t want the stamina drain ¨C it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t know I¡¯m here, after all. As I get closer to the gate, relief fills me as I see the section which usually bars it has been shifted away. River did exactly what I¡¯d told him to do. Managing to get through the hole without encountering any more lizard-kin, I briefly pause as an idea hits me. Grabbing the loose section, I heave it around so that it¡¯s pointing its spears inwards. About to shove it into position, I pause as River runs out, his eyes wide and glinting in the growing moonlight. There¡¯s no time to check if he¡¯s OK, no time to do anything. I shove the section into place and grab a big stick from my Inventory, wedging it through the bars, hoping that that may delay the lizard-folk chasing us, if only by a fraction. The sight of the five crocodilian shapes barely a few metres away, two of them massive hulking creatures, makes my stomach clench. Nope. Not like this. I¡¯ll come for you arseholes later, I promise darkly to myself, even as I turn tail and run. River and I are neck and neck as we dash through the trees, a thwarted roar rising from behind us. Despite the situation, a grin tugs at my cheeks. What a rush. Bastet! I call down our Bond. She responds with a sense that I can only translate as ¡®here¡¯ even as a dark shape emerges out of the forest to give me a near heart-attack. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± I growl at her through gritted teeth. I¡¯m on edge enough as it is! Still, no time. The lizard-folk aren¡¯t going to be delayed for long. ¡°Where are the cubs?¡± She sends me a sense of ¡®not far¡¯ and darts away. I follow quickly, sensing River doing the same. She¡¯s right ¨C the cubs aren¡¯t far. I temporarily put Lathani down, mentally apologising to her as I¡¯m rougher than I¡¯d like to be from sheer haste. Yanking the sling out of my Inventory, I quickly tie it and pop the cubs in. They mewl and yowl in complaint at the abrupt treatment, wanting to greet me. I apologise under my breath to them as well even as I stoop to pick up Lathani again. A clawed paw on my arm stops me and I shoot my eyes up at River. Shall I carry it...her? he asks, his tone unusually subdued, emotions flat. I hesitate for a precious moment, considering it even as my instincts shriek to say no. It would make sense ¨C he¡¯s probably stronger and I¡¯m already carrying three raptorcat cubs. But at the same time¡­ Then again, what does he have to do to make me trust him? He has done everything I¡¯ve asked of him so far, even following me as I fled from the corpse I¡¯d made of one of his ¡®honoured Path-walkers¡¯. And at this point, is he likely to have a much better reception from his kin than I would? ¡°OK. Thank you,¡± I say instead, nodding slowly. I can hear the crash of branches carrying through the quiet night forest. We need to get going. River hoists Lathani up onto his shoulders and we take off running again, following Bastet. Since my plan involved both River and I being tied up in the village for the rest of the day ¨C well, caged up in my case ¨C I¡¯d set Bastet the task of working out our escape route. Trusting her to have done that, I focus on putting one foot in front of the other. And not tripping over any of the half-seen branches in my path. Fortunately, as time goes on, that becomes easier and easier to do since first the second moon¡¯s light illuminates our path, and then the rising sun does. River must have come and got me not long before dawn. I suppose that makes sense, I acknowledge with what brain power is not being used to keep moving quickly through the forest ¨C more available than I¡¯m used to since my recent increases in Intelligence. If the books and films I used to watch are anything to judge by, the period shortly before dawn is when people sleep the deepest and guards are the least likely to notice something. Though, on that note, I notice something myself. Our pursuers are catching up. At first I wasn¡¯t sure, the increase in the volume of the sounds possibly attributable to other causes. But when I checked with River, he agreed with me. We are most likely being chased by Warriors. Their strength and speed are far above that of any other tribe member. And they train for this. He continues by adding a glum prediction. No hope that they will miss our trail: a blind hatchling could follow it. They will be on us before the sun rises even halfway to its zenith. My heart sinks. Great, I say sarcastically, not caring if I projected it to River or not. Any ideas? This time I include Bastet in the communication, sending her a few images and emotions to explain the situation. If River and I can hear our pursuers and draw conclusions from that, I¡¯m sure she can too. For a few minutes we just run in silence. Finally, it¡¯s the raptorcat who replies with a single image: that of the lizogs we killed together soon after our Battle of Wills. I frown even as I run, my stamina heading down towards two-thirds empty. What does she mean? Spears? I ask her. I¡¯ve only got one, though. I get a wave of negation from her. Not spears. She repeats the image, this time showing the lizogs running towards the wall of sharpened bits of wood, and then the following one of them crushed by the rocks. Oh, I think I get it. Are you suggesting we trap them? I ask. She replies with a wave of agreement. OK, sounds good. Only one problem. But we don¡¯t have enough time to prepare a trap. The lizog trap took hours. She responds with the feeling of grim resignation and a single image. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± I respond, my incredulity making me speak aloud, despite really needing to save my breath for running. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty: Gamble Apparently Bastet¡¯s serious. You think that going back into the area that almost killed us is the best way to escape creatures that probably want to kill us? My mental tone is incredulous, but who could blame me? What is disturbing you? Despite seeming to have semi-resigned himself to being caught and killed, my other Bound is curious. That doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t the hint of apprehension to his mental projections. I don¡¯t blame him ¨C I probably don¡¯t seem like I¡¯ve come up with a great plan that¡¯ll get us out of trouble. That¡¯s just as well, because I haven¡¯t. Unfortunately. Bastet is suggesting we go here, I tell him while sending the same image she¡¯d sent me. I feel him recoil in shock. The Forest of Death? He sounds as reluctant as I feel. Precisely, I reply. We¡¯re not going to do that, surely? He¡¯s as incredulous as I was when she first suggested it. And a lot more fearful, the emotion cutting through even the muffling that¡¯s been in place ever since I caved in the head of that Path-walker. Probably shock, thinking about it. Bastet is insistent though, sending me the image again along with me holding a torch and then another with a picture of the lizard-folk without. She...has a point. I want to deny it because those trees almost killed us before, but if we can get through them and the lizard-folk can¡¯t¡­ It would take them longer to go around the forest than it would take us to get through, if they even want to pursue us that far. If we avoided being trapped by the trees and stabbed to death¡­ It¡¯s a big ¡®if¡¯, but assuming it¡¯s possible, we¡¯d have a good head-start which should allow us to get back to Kalanthia before the lizard-folk caught up with us. And who knows: they might even give up the chase when they see us disappearing through the ¡®Forest of Death¡¯. That¡¯s probably just wishful thinking, though. Alright, I¡¯ve more than half-convinced myself. While I run, I dare to open my Inventory quickly to check the stocks of torches. I¡¯ve got about two half-burnt ones and one fresh one. If we don¡¯t stop, that should be enough to get us through the forest with more to spare. The cubs aren¡¯t going to be happy, but we¡¯re going to need to hot-foot it through the area. At least we¡¯ve already covered a fair bit of ground with our rapid pace. I¡¯m going to need to stop soon to recoup my stamina a bit, though. Maybe I can do that in the forest ¨C walk for a bit instead of running. Closing my Inventory, I dodge at the last minute as I almost run into a tree. Amusement comes along the Bond from Bastet. Fine, laugh it up, devil-cat, I think uncharitably at her. Not literally ¨C I don¡¯t try to project it along the Bond. I have a feeling that she catches an echo of the emotion anyway as her amusement just grows. After a moment, I let myself relax, the tension of the last half day and night fading slightly. Sure, we¡¯re not out of the fire yet, heck, may have just jumped out of the pan and into the hottest part, but at least I¡¯m not still in that cage. We¡¯ve got Lathani, I¡¯m with Bastet, and for now we¡¯re free. If it comes down to it, we¡¯ll choose a good position to stop and start swinging. Actually, maybe, we should do that. Then I look backwards and realise with a frisson of fear that I can now see the lizard-folk chasing me. In the growing morning light, they look even bigger than I¡¯d remembered: five big bastards crashing through the forest. I gulp ¨C if my mouth hadn¡¯t already been dry, it would have quickly become so at that sight. I mean, I¡¯ve faced some steep odds since arriving here, but five muscle-bound crocodilian T-Rexes taller than me, carrying spears and shields made of half a tree trunk¡­.no. Not without a decent trap or some other advantage, at least. They¡¯re still a decent distance away, my view of them often obscured by tree trunks, but not nearly far enough. Can you direct us to the forest? I ask Bastet, deciding that the ¡®Forest of Death¡¯ sounds like a super idea, assuming that we can get there before getting shish-kebabed by our pursuers. I would check my Map, but I have a feeling that I really would ring my bell by colliding with a tree if I did that. Sure, I could stop, but with the lizard-folk already so close, I¡¯d really rather not. Bastet thankfully answers in assent, adjusting her direction just a little. After a while, River notices the slight change and sends a wary thought at me. We seem to be heading for a certain place I thought we weren¡¯t going to visit. Is that a question or a statement? I can¡¯t help poking at him a little, despite the situation. Or maybe because of it ¨C I need to get my laughs where I can find them just like Bastet. Taking pity on the lizard-man who¡¯s already been through a lot today, I continue. We managed to get through safely last time; if we can do that again, we¡¯ll gain a large lead on your kin. If we can get back to Kalanthia before they catch up with us, we¡¯ll have a much better chance of surviving all of this. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. If the trees don¡¯t kill us first, he replies gloomily. I don¡¯t blame him ¨C I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure about this plan either. After that we just focus on putting one foot in front of the other without tripping. Ever since I gained more points in Dexterity (Agility), I¡¯ve found travelling through the forest a lot easier. I used to catch my feet in roots and misjudge how deep the leaf litter was beneath my toes. I don¡¯t do that any more - in the light, anyway. Despite that, I¡¯m still crashing through the forest like an elephant. Actually, elephants are surprisingly quiet ¨C maybe more like a bull. Stealth would probably help, and so might Fade, but they¡¯re both deactivated. Just as well ¨C I reckon I¡¯m going to need all the stamina I can get. True to my prediction, the yellow bar in my vision is starting to get pretty low before I start seeing the dreaded, yet also anticipated, shapes of the vine-strangler trees ahead of us. Our pursuers aren¡¯t far away. Their fierce roars coming through the trees sound like they¡¯re almost on our heels; I don¡¯t dare spare the attention to check. Something else is absolutely obligatory before we enter the forest, though. I need to light the torch, I tell my Bound grimly as we reach the edge of the trees which have spread across the forest like a blight. You may have to hold them off or distract them somehow. So saying, I stop abruptly, pull the least-used torch out along with my fire-lighter kit and start creating sparks frantically. I wish that the torches could stay lit in the Inventory, but that¡¯s how this barely-used torch got put out ¨C by slotting it into the Inventory without extinguishing it first. Bastet crouches by me, growls rumbling in her chest as she keeps a watch out for any attack. River, on the other hand, seems to disappear. I haven¡¯t got the eyes or the attention to spare for him as I desperately attempt to light the torch, feeling almost as under pressure this time around as I had been while in the forest itself. Finally, a flame leaps up from the dried moss that I¡¯ve used as kindling and I gently nurse it until it catches on the pitch of my torch. I hiss in success and push myself to my feet, looking around to work out where River and our pursuers have gone ¨C I was expecting them to catch up and attack us even as I tried to light the torch. Putting together the pieces of what I can see and hear, I realise that River disappeared to draw the other lizard-folk off. We¡¯re ready, River, I project to him mentally. Fortunately, he hasn¡¯t gone too far to communicate with him through the Bond, and I feel him turn back towards us. As he breaks into view through a bush a few metres off to the side and runs towards us, I see that the other lizard-folk are really hot on his heels ¨C perhaps only a few tree trunks between them. Up this close they seem even bigger than before, though that¡¯s probably just an illusion because of the difference between them and River: I remember what size they really were when I saw two of them yesterday. I consider sending a couple of arrows their way, but quickly dismiss the idea: it¡¯ll take too long to get my bow out and strung. By the time I¡¯m able to actually shoot an arrow, River will probably have caught up to me. Instead, I turn tail and start running again, Bastet at my side. Despite all five of the Warriors having spears, they don¡¯t seem to have any ranged weapons. Thus far, fortunately, they haven¡¯t thrown their spears either. We enter the forest and I hear the roars the group are vocalising kick up a notch. I verified with River earlier just in case, but he confirmed that there¡¯s no real message being conveyed in the sound; no message I hadn¡¯t already understood, anyway. They want us to know that they¡¯re coming, that they¡¯re gaining ever more ground, and that we should be afraid. Underneath my anger, I am afraid ¨C my time in their village taught me that I can¡¯t hope to take them all on alone, not right now at least. Heck, I doubt the three of us could take on even our pursuers ¨C not with numbers and strength being on their side. That¡¯s why we¡¯re running into the part of the forest which we barely escaped with our lives last time, after all. But I make a promise to myself that I¡¯ll be back ¨C and next time I won¡¯t run. River catches up with us as we go past the third tree into the grove. We run alongside for a few steps before he vanishes from my peripheral vision. I turn my head to see him collapsed on the ground. Perhaps I was premature in saying that the lizard-folk didn¡¯t have any ranged options: one of them has thrown its spear and got a lucky hit in. Without thinking, I switch directions immediately, running back to my fallen Bound even as the other lizard-folk close in. I yank the spear out and drop it, slamming both my hands onto River and casting an undirected Lay-on-hands. Then, without daring to see how close the other lizard-folk have got, I haul him to his feet. He¡¯s still carrying Lathani draped over his shoulders, so I have to cope with both of their weights at the same time. It¡¯s not beyond my increased Strength, but their weights are extremely awkward to manhandle. Fortunately, River isn¡¯t fighting me; in fact, he¡¯s clearly motivated to do his best to work with me ¨C I guess that¡¯s confirmation that whatever would await him if he fell into his previous friends¡¯ hands is nothing good. Using my shoulder as a crutch, he limp-hops quickly. I channel another Lay-on-hands, able to do that since he¡¯s in constant connection with me. His gait eases as his wound heals and we pick up speed. I expect to feel a spear in my back at any moment but it doesn¡¯t come. When I finally dare to glance back, I see our pursuers halted at the edge of the vine-strangler trees. The red in their crests show how angry they are at losing us, but apparently they¡¯re not willing to enter the ¡®Forest of Death¡¯. Good. At least that gamble paid off. Now I just have to hope that the forest won¡¯t actually be our death. ***** So far, so good. We¡¯re deep enough into the forest that we can¡¯t see anything but vine-strangler trees. In fact, we can¡¯t see the forest for the trees, hah. My torch seems to be keeping the spearing roots at bay. For now, at least. We¡¯ve all been looking at every movement in this unnatural place with suspicion. River is the worst, jumping at every sound and flinching at every shift. I don¡¯t blame him, though ¨C at least we¡¯ve actually been here before; he¡¯s only ever heard horror stories. His leg is as good as new ¨C I kept a steady stream of Lay-on-hands until it was healed. The trees are as ominous as ever, their vines swaying in a breeze that doesn¡¯t ever seem to touch our skin. The vegetation below is incongruously bright, looking more like something that belongs in a jungle than the forest it is actually in. I eye that in suspicion too ¨C although it seemed completely innocuous the last time we came through, I¡¯d rather be too paranoid than dead. At least I¡¯ve managed to recoup a good portion of my stamina while we¡¯ve been walking instead of running. I hear a cough and there¡¯s an unusual movement from River¡¯s direction. I whip my head around, scanning around and behind him to try to work out what moved. There¡¯s another cough and I see the origin of my alarm. Thankfully, it¡¯s nothing to fear. ¡°Lathani,¡± I breathe, indicating for River to stop. He does and we gently shift the nunda cub off his shoulders. Down on the ground, I can see how much she¡¯s changed ¨C she¡¯s got to be at least three times as long, maybe more. ¡°Lathani,¡± I say again even as Bastet approaches to lick at her head. Even the cubs cradled in a sling against my chest make encouraging sounds as if they want her to wake up too. Slowly, her eyelids slide open. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-One: Magnificent ¡°Lathani,¡± I breathe. Is she waking up at last? That will be a relief ¨C I was worried that the shaman had done something irreversible, despite River¡¯s explanation of a sleeping draught. Carer, I hear in my mind, a warmth of relief and gratitude shading the mental tones. My eyes go wide. Did she just¡­? I am glad to see you. Raising her head, she turns it to look around. Suddenly her hackles go up and she pushes herself to her feet quickly, though stiffly. A growl rumbles through her chest, the tenor version to Kalanthia¡¯s bass. Why is he here? She looks to be a step away from attack. I follow her gaze to work out the reason for her sudden anger. When I see the cause, I feel exasperated at myself for not connecting the dots more. Of course she¡¯s going to be concerned seeing a lizard-man next to me. Particularly since he¡¯s one of the lizard-kin who was immediately involved in her incarceration. ¡°It¡¯s OK, Kal-Lathani,¡± I reassure her, almost confusing her with her mother. Can you blame me? I have an association between talking leopards and Kalanthia. Lathani suddenly talking is confusing me. ¡°He¡¯s one of my Bound now. He helped me get you out.¡± Your Bound? She sounds a little confused. Like the spiky one and the smaller carer? And the little fluff balls who are fun to play with? ¡°Spike and Bastet, yes,¡± I tell her, amused by her ways of describing the various creatures which hang around her. ¡°The cubs aren¡¯t actually my Bound, I¡¯m just helping take care of them ¨C like I do with you. Anyway, how are you feeling? And how come you can talk?¡± The last one is really bugging me, though my rampant curiosity isn¡¯t enough to pop the balloon which is my joy at finally having her with me, alive and well. Apart from being three times ¨C or more ¨C her previous size, that is. But she¡¯s here, she¡¯s talking, and we¡¯re not being chased by lizard-folk. No, just magical and homicidal trees, a little voice says in the back of my mind. I ignore it: can¡¯t I be happy for just five minutes that my latest half-baked plan was actually successful, despite all odds? Her initial response isn¡¯t so much in words as it¡¯s a wall of emotion bludgeoning me. It¡¯s similar to when Bastet sends me a message purely composed of emotion, but not quite the same. The main difference is that with Bastet and River¡¯s mental communications, I always have the sense that I could cut it off if I wanted to: a bit like a flip phone. With Lathani, it¡¯s more like she¡¯s standing next to me and shouting at me; I feel like there¡¯s nothing I could do if it all became too overwhelming. A bit disconcerting, I have to admit. Hungry, angry, sad, mournful, relieved, fearful¡­ The range of emotions she¡¯s feeling is impressive ¨C and strong. Even my buoyant mood is briefly brought down by association. I don¡¯t really know where to start except by pulling out a corpse from my Inventory, one of those monkey-hybrids we¡¯d killed a couple of days ago. I hesitate before putting it down. ¡°Can you eat this now? I know I¡¯ve fed you some cooked meat before, but you were drinking milk a couple of days ago¡­¡± The way she tugs it out of my hands and digs in tells me everything I need to know. Bastet indicates that she¡¯d appreciate a snack too, so I pull out another of the corpses from the same fight. It¡¯s not a bad idea to pause for a break, despite our surroundings ¨C between Bastet, River and I, none of us has had more than a few hours of restless sleep in a full day and a half, and we haven¡¯t eaten properly in a good while. I¡¯d say we¡¯re running on fumes, but actually with the improved stats we¡¯re all coping fairly well. Still we could do with some food; the cubs too. I¡¯m a bit reluctant to let the cubs out considering where we are, but they have been cramped up in the sling since before dawn and are past the point of wriggling. Frankly, I don¡¯t think I could succeed in keeping them in there for much longer. We¡¯re going to just have to be very careful that they don¡¯t get caught by any of the moving tree roots. Releasing the three cubs, I put them next to the same corpse Bastet¡¯s munching from and they dig in happily. ¡°Are you hungry too?¡± I ask River. He takes a moment to answer. I could eat, he says finally, his tone effectively flat, though it¡¯s the stillness of a pond with a maelstrom of currents below the seemingly calm surface. I eye him, but ultimately don¡¯t ask what¡¯s wrong ¨C I have a feeling I know anyway. I tell myself it¡¯s because engaging in such deep matters while we¡¯re travelling through a dangerous area of the forest is a bad idea; actually, I chicken out. While I have a feeling it will be necessary to discuss eventually, I¡¯d rather procrastinate over exploring the fact that River has just betrayed all the people he¡¯s - probably - ever known and was party to me bashing in the skull of a villager he had shown clear respect for. Then again, I could be completely misreading it ¨C that could be a lizard-kin¡¯s Tuesday for all I know and he¡¯s in turmoil over something else. Regardless, there¡¯s only one thing to say. ¡°Do you want cooked or fresh?¡± Cooked? he asks, a sense of confusion cutting through the other emotions drifting over the Bond from his side. ¡°Transformed into a different state by fire like this,¡± I explain, gesturing at the still-burning end of my torch. He still looks bemused so I just hand him a bit of cooked bird-meat as a demonstration, while quietly celebrating at how well the distraction seems to be working. River takes the meat delicately from my hand with clawed fingers. He sniffs it first, then puts it in his mouth. I watch his reaction as he chews. His crocodilian teeth don¡¯t seem to chew very well ¨C he gnaws on it a bit at the side of his mouth near the jaw connection, then tips his back and swallows. He makes a bit of a face. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. It tastes strange. Not bad, but not good either. It¡¯s also very dry. I think I¡¯d rather have what they¡¯re eating, he decides finally, pointing at the corpses the raptorcats and nunda are enjoying. ¡°No problem,¡± I shrug. Pulling the final monkey corpse from my Inventory, I give it to him. He stays standing, keeping an eye even as he rips pieces of meat off from the carcass with his claws and tosses them in his mouth. Ah well, I may not have made a convert to the ranks of the cooked meat eaters, but at least I don¡¯t have to defend my supply, either. It¡¯ll be easier to feed him too if he can eat fresh meat; sometimes I wish I dared to as well. I¡¯d rather not risk catching a disease or eating a tape-worm or something, though. Actually, I don¡¯t know if Lay-on-hands could even deal with those. I¡¯d rather not find out the hard way that they can¡¯t. Once we¡¯re all sated, we keep going. I pick the cubs up and tuck them back into the sling despite their protests: I¡¯m not willing to let them wander around by themselves right now. Besides, we need to move quickly and they¡¯re not that fast yet. Fortunately, Lathani apparently feels well enough to trot by herself. While she was eating, I spent some time cataloging the differences between her previous cub-self and her new juvenile-self. She¡¯s much bigger, pretty much matching Bastet. She¡¯s a little shorter than the adult raptor-cat, but she¡¯s longer. Lathani¡¯s definitely not an adult yet, her features still a little cub-like, but they¡¯ve definitely gained more adult definition. I can see the nunda she¡¯s going to become and she really is beautiful. Her coat is also more adult than before, as I noted in the dark when River passed her out to me. It¡¯s still a bit fluffy, though, the markings not quite as clearly defined as they will be. In short, although she¡¯s still a sight to see, she¡¯s less adorable and more magnificent. ¡°Are you feeling a little better, Lathani?¡± I inquire as we jog quickly. At this speed, I can still talk at the same time as run. When we switch to a higher gear soon, I¡¯ll have to save my breath. Still, I¡¯ve already earned a point in Strength (Endurance) in the last twenty-four hours, so clearly this headlong rush is doing me some good. Slightly, she replies. I am no longer hungry. Where are we going, carer? This is not a good place to be. I¡¯m curious about how she knows ¨C can she sense the murderous intentions of the trees around, or the number of other creatures which have died here? Or is it something different? Either way, I already know that this place isn¡¯t a great spot, so her senses don¡¯t inform me of anything new. ¡°We¡¯re going back to the cave, to meet up with Kalanthia,¡± I tell her. Mother is alive? Her whole voice brightens with hope and burgeoning joy. I thought¡­ She doesn¡¯t finish but I can guess what was in her mind, especially considering the emotions she hit me with soon after waking. ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± I confirm, my heart breaking at the thought of how she must have felt ¨C kidnapped, taken away from everything familiar, had things done to her, and all while thinking that her mother was dead. ¡°They hit her with some sort of stamina-dampening poison. If not for that, she¡¯d have been way ahead of me in rescuing you.¡± I had hoped¡­ She trails off. I thank you for coming for me, carer. You are still so weak and puny that it took great bravery to follow me. ¡°Thanks?¡± I reply a little uncertainly, not sure if it¡¯s really a compliment. I want to ask what happened to her while she was with the lizard-folk, but figure that would be pretty insensitive. ¡°How come you can talk now?¡± Hopefully that isn¡¯t too likely to bring up bad memories. I could always talk; you just weren¡¯t very good at listening, she accuses me cheerfully. I frown. Is that right? Is it because I¡¯ve increased my Wisdom that I can now hear her? Or Willpower. Surely that¡¯s not the answer¡­ They¡¯ve definitely done something to her. ¡°And nothing¡¯s changed about you,¡± I say to her dubiously. She squirms a little, an odd look on a leopard. Well...I suppose something¡¯s changed. I¡¯ve got bigger. ¡°I saw that,¡± I acknowledge with amusement. And speaking to people is easier. At least, speaking to you is easier. And the smaller carer. I never used to be able to speak properly to her either. But I couldn¡¯t speak to the scaly creatures, even when they hurt me. My heart, already sore from her earlier revelations, breaks again at the innocent confusion and hurt in her mental projection. At the confirmation that they hurt her, I also have a sudden urge to go and slaughter all the lizard-folk I can find. I glare at River and he has the grace to look away, shame coming across the Bond between us. Returning my gaze to Lathani, my anger drains away to be replaced with compassion at her unhappy mien. ¡°I don¡¯t think they would have listened to you anyway,¡± I tell her gently. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did the best you could. And now you¡¯re not there any more.¡± No, she agrees, once more hitting me with a wave of emotion, much more relief and gratitude in this one than the previous, though the undercurrents of hurt and fear are still there. We pick up the pace soon after rendering speech impossible. For me, anyway, but since I don¡¯t have a Bond with Lathani, I can¡¯t conduct the same kinds of mental conversations that I¡¯ve been having with Bastet and River. It¡¯s a while later, that something happens. We¡¯ve been travelling through this forest for hours and the sun is reaching its zenith, judging from the angle of sunbeams through the canopy. There¡¯s a shrieking cry and cracking noise that keeps coming from an area just off to the right from us. Without me asking her to, Bastet peels off and investigates, venturing a little closer, though keeping within eyesight. Like when we travelled through this forest before, I don¡¯t want anyone going out of sight in case the trees take the opportunity to spring a trap again. It¡¯s close enough for her to see the cause of the commotion. She sends back an image of a winged creature trapped by vegetation. This time, it¡¯s not a tree that has caused a trap with its roots, but one of the vibrantly-coloured plants that make up the undergrowth between trees. It seems to have thorny vines and has dug these into the wings and body of a creature not all that dissimilar from the one which attacked Bastet and I at night ¨C the one I chose not to Dominate. Just like the other one, it has four legs, two wings with claws at their front joints, and a toothed beak. Unlike the previous, it¡¯s much more brightly coloured, mixing reds and yellows together in a beautiful display. Though, with the thorns that have dug into its body, there¡¯s rather more red than I suspect there should be. I hesitate: we need to get through this forest before I run out of torches, and this one¡¯s already burning up. We don¡¯t have time to stop and help some random bird. But on the other hand, how can I just leave a magnificent creature like that to be torn apart by some over-ambitious weeds? Should we take the time to save it or not? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Two: Lumberjack Is My Name In the end, it¡¯s not a hard decision and we detour over to where the creature is being attacked. As we move, I notice that River isn¡¯t carrying any weapons, though our pursuing lizard-folk did. I send him a mental message. Do you use weapons, or are your claws enough? I ask. Regret comes through the Bond to me. I lost my spear in the rush. I pause and frown at him, encouraging him to explain further. The vines binding it to my back were snapped when it caught on a tree. I dared not pause to retrieve it, not with the Warriors so close. Well that sucks. A tendril of guilt pulling at my heart, I toss him mine. He snatches it out of the air with his clawed hand and pauses to make a few test moves. Adequate, he judges finally, though not as good as my forefathers¡¯ weapon. Now I feel even more guilty ¨C it was an heirloom? Then I remember that the reason for all of this was because they had kidnapped Lathani and attacked Kalanthia and my guilt disappears. The last traces of it vanish as I remember how Lathani had thought that her mother was dead. Giving my spear to River leaves me with my bow, mace, and knife. Far better off than when I first landed in this world, admittedly, but I decide to make another spear as soon as I get the opportunity. If these trees attack at some point, I might take one of their stabbing roots as a trophy, I say to myself darkly. It¡¯s at least half-bravado ¨C I¡¯m not at all sure that we could win against one of these trees, and we¡¯re trapped in a whole forest of them. Against the plant holding the bird creature captive, however, I reckon that we¡¯ll do fine. Close enough to properly assess the situation, I see that the vines holding the creature come from some sort of bramble. It¡¯s a thorny mess covered in tantalizingly-coloured fruit: I reckon I can see why the bird got too close. Who would have guessed that the plant would actually bite back? The thorny vines wrapped around the bird¡¯s body are not very thick ¨C perhaps about the width of my little finger ¨C but they¡¯re clearly pretty tough. They¡¯re trying to drag the avian creature downwards ¨C to some sort of mouth hidden beneath the rest of the brambles, I¡¯d imagine. The bird isn¡¯t going down without a fight, though. It¡¯s biting at the vines and seems to have the claws on the front joint of its wings hooked into a branch on the trees above. Even as I watch, however, one of the claws loses its grip, tearing through the bark on the branch to dangle uselessly in space. Kept away from the murderous vegetation only by a single wing-claw, its fate looks bleak. That¡¯s where we come in, of course. Seeing the opponent, I actually take a moment to swap out my mace for my axe ¨C Lumberjack is my name; overgrown weeds, I am your bane. Or something like that. I take a moment to put the cubs down ¨C it¡¯s a hard decision as to which option is more dangerous: keeping them on me as I engage in battle, or separating them from the torch among these vine-strangler trees. Hopefully they¡¯ll be OK ¨C not so close to the fight that they¡¯re within easy range of the thorny vines, but near enough that if the trees start trying to trap them, we can be there in a flash. That¡¯s if they don¡¯t go wandering, of course. Bastet tells them firmly to stay put; I hope they listen! We dash into the fray. I express my intention through the Bond to go for the vines holding the bird. The others send an acknowledgment and veer off to play distraction. Bastet starts performing strafing runs, leaping in to make several lightning-fast cuts and then darting back out of range. She¡¯s not particularly effective, her claws not proving much deterrent against a mobile bramble. However, she makes up for it by being a good distraction; her speed is such that she avoids almost all return attacks. River is a bit more effective, sending the spear lancing through the thorny vines to pierce whatever is in the centre. At one point he seems to hit something important as the whole bush freezes for a moment and then shudders, returning to the attack with renewed frenzy afterwards. Past that point, the bush or creature or whatever it is seems to see him as the main threat and concentrates most attacks on him. Fortunately for him, his scales seem to be a pretty good natural armour and most attacks just glance straight off. I do spot a couple that seem to dig in, though. He doesn¡¯t react, just continuing to attack with determination. As I¡¯d indicated to my companions, I go straight for the bird and the vines holding it. Using my axe and knife in both hands, I swing at the vines pulling it into the mass below. Each vine takes a single good swing of my axe, even when I manage to get it trapped against something hard. My knife isn¡¯t any better, requiring far too long to saw through a single vine. After a few attempts, I tuck my knife back into its holster on my leg and just concentrate on using my axe. At first the bramble doesn¡¯t take much notice of me, more focused on my companions. As I reach halfway through freeing the bird, though, that changes. After that point, it starts sending attacks at me. My chitin armour does a decent job deflecting the vines aiming for me, but since it only covers my chest and back, there are far too many places on my body where my only protection is my already damaged clothes. The vines just rip straight through the thin fabric, leaving painful welts and scratches in their wake. As for my head, I just have to do my best to dodge those. The amount of blood I feel trickling down my skin attests to how many I let through unintentionally. Still, it¡¯s only trickling blood, and while it¡¯s painful, I¡¯ve had much worse. I just throw out a Lay-on-hands and keep soldiering on. As for Lathani, not having been part of the mental communication, she doesn¡¯t even realise what we¡¯re doing for a few moments. When she does, she tries to copy Bastet¡¯s moves. Unfortunately, she¡¯s clearly not quite used to her new size and strength, over- and under-estimating her own prowess at multiple critical moments. Her coat is swiftly gaining a red-tinge and I make the executive decision to bench her. ¡°Back off, Lathani,¡± I call over to her. She looks like she¡¯s considering ignoring my orders and I fail to dodge a couple of attacking vines as I keep more than half an eye on her actions. Then, just as I can see her summoning determination to keep going despite what I said, I get through the final vine holding onto the bird. Distracted by four avenues of attack, one of which seemingly taking most of its attention, the mass of brambles has stopped sending new vines to wrap around the bird. It¡¯s still pretty badly trussed up, but now it¡¯s not being pulled into the centre of the mass any more. ¡°Lathani, grab the bird and pull it out of range,¡± I yell at her. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This time, thank goodness, she perks up and trots quickly over, grabbing the bird¡¯s back legs between her jaws and dragging it across the ground. I hope that it¡¯s not suffocating or that Lathani¡¯s rough approach isn¡¯t going to do it more damage; I¡¯ll have to worry about that later. Do you know what this is, River? I send to him. Can we kill it? I ask because he went unerringly for the parts of the mobile bramble tangle that had the greatest effect. I¡¯ve seen it before. Not anywhere near this big, though. It has a vulnerable part within the brambles ¨C a combined mouth and stomach. Damage that enough, we¡¯ll win. Right. I think fast. Should we keep going, or should we just back off? It¡¯s not a fight we have to continue. But I do have to earn Energy, and we¡¯re already half-done with this battle ¨C if we back off now, we lose the Energy we could have gained if we win. I glance around at my companions. Lathani is the most visibly injured by far, but even for her it¡¯s basically just scratches. Some deep scratches, for sure, but nothing that wouldn¡¯t heal on its own. Even my own injuries are really just rips in my skin from where the thorny vines have dug in. We¡¯ll continue fighting, I tell my companions decisively. River, keep doing what you¡¯re doing. Bastet, I¡¯ll clear a path for us to the centre ¨C you keep playing distraction. Accompanied by images of what I imagine us doing in the next few minutes, my Bound understand immediately and send back their agreement. Taking a moment to pull out my mace again from my Inventory, I start swinging at the bramble with both hands even as I shout out to Lathani. ¡°Guard the bird, make sure nothing eats it while we¡¯re killing this thing,¡± I tell her, hoping that this time she¡¯ll listen. ¡°And keep an eye on the cubs,¡± I add on as an afterthought. My mace isn¡¯t the greatest of weapons against this particular foe ¨C the reason I¡¯d put it away in the first place. However, what it doesn¡¯t have in terms of cutting ability, it has in crushing power, forcing the brambles to the side. Unfortunately, even when the brambles are crushed to the ground, they start moving again a moment later. That¡¯s where my axe is by far superior ¨C the bits that it cuts off, stay cut off. Still, the mace offers me some breathing room and ability to choose more carefully where to swing my axe. Slowly and painfully, thanks to not being able to avoid all the brambles flailing wildly in the air, I make progress. As I get closer to the centre, the rate of attacks increases, the mobile bramble clearly considering me to be the greatest threat now. All I can do is grit my teeth, use the arm holding my mace to protect my face, and keep going with my axe. Thanks to the arm covering my face, I¡¯m mostly blind, but it doesn¡¯t take much skill to hit vines, what with the density so close to its core. When I break through the final defenses, I actually stumble forward, the lack of resistance putting me off balance. Bastet leaps past me and starts savaging the ¡®body¡¯ of the bramble-creature. When I see her feet sizzling a little and she sends pain down the link, I realise that the surface on which we¡¯re standing is actually acidic. Truly a mouth-stomach. ¡°Back up, Bastet,¡± I tell her urgently even as I quickly do the same, feeling the beginning burn of acid through the holes in my shoes. ¡°It¡¯s just going to hurt you.¡± She doesn¡¯t argue, backing up all the way out of the reach of the vines, mincing like she¡¯s been walking on hot coals. I wince both for her and for what I¡¯m going to do. Swinging my axe, I savage the mouth-stomach, practically ignoring the thorny vines it sends to tear at me. This thing is going to die now. I sense River at my back warding off some of the attacks by using his spear as a staff, but my main focus is on my actions. I just hope that I¡¯ll still have an axe after this. The flint should be OK, but the pitch and the bark-fibre cord? Well, I¡¯ve gone too far now to back out ¨C I¡¯ll have to repair any damage later. After what feels like an age, the bramble-creature gives a final shudder, it¡¯s vines flailing around one last time before they collapse to the ground, finally immobile. I¡¯m breathing heavily, the effort taken to take this thing down much more than I¡¯d expected. I turn around to find River looking at me unreadably. ¡°What?¡± I ask him a little self-consciously. You do not seem to feel pain, he remarks. I frown and he gestures to my head, then hesitatingly to everywhere else. I touch my head and look at my body, my frown deepening. What does he mean? I ask him the same question and he clarifies. You are bleeding. Significantly. ¡°Well, so are you,¡± I point out. Not anywhere as near as much you, he returns. I shrug. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have natural armour like yours ¨C only my crafted armour offered me any protection, really, and that doesn¡¯t cover much of my body. Vines which hit anywhere else cut through my skin and made me bleed.¡± Then this is normal for your kind? he asks, now sounding a little intrigued. I shrug again. ¡°I mean, it still hurts, don¡¯t get me wrong, but¡­¡± Actually, shouldn¡¯t it be hurting more than this? The patches of skin not covered by my armour look like I¡¯ve been dragged through a bush of brambles ¨C I wonder why. Lines of angry red cover my skin and I can feel an uncomfortable stickiness beneath my clothes. Still, my health bar has only decreased by a sliver, and there isn¡¯t nearly as much pain as I might expect. Is this the effect of increased Constitution? A question for later. For now, I just give another shrug to River and slap a Lay-on-hands on him to help heal his wounds. Striding over to Bastet and Lathani, I trigger an undirected Lay-on-hands to bring my health up closer to maximum and then apply one each to Bastet and Lathani. Lathani needs a second since her wounds were worse than either of my Bound¡¯s, but she soon looks worse than she actually is. Clearly uncomfortable with the blood matting her fur, she starts grooming herself, aided by a motherly Bastet. Now, to see how our rescuee is doing ¨C hopefully the bird is still alive. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Three: A Partnership It¡¯s alive. That¡¯s the first thing I note, feeling a little relieved that the object of our rescue attempt did actually survive it. I can tell because the bird creature is breathing, its beak opening and closing a little, its eyes blinking. Those are the only parts of it moving, though, the rest all wrapped in thorny vines. I wince ¨C the thorns have got to be painfully digging into the bird¡¯s flesh. I empathise, largely because I¡¯ve so recently been literally fighting my own way through a thorn bush. Not wasting any more time, I crouch down to start releasing the bird from its bonds. I have to work carefully ¨C any time I tug at the vines just means that thorns dig deeper into its body. I do have to tug at them a bit when I saw through the vines, but the alternative is unfeasible. Even thinking of having to find the ends of each individual vine and then untangle them like the bird is a kitten caught in a tangle of wool makes me feel impatient. My kingdom for a pair of secateurs. Bit by bit, the vines fall away and the feathers of the bird¡¯s body are revealed. By this point, it looks completely red despite me having seen yellow on its body earlier: the blood has just stained everything. It¡¯s weak, that¡¯s clear. Even when I gently pull the final thorns away from its flesh, it barely moves. Raising its head, it tries to push itself upright, but fails to do much more than twitch. ¡°Hey, take it easy,¡± I say to it soothingly. ¡°Here ¨C have something to eat while I heal you up.¡± So saying, I pull a chunk of uncooked meat out of my Inventory. It looks at the meat, but ignores it. Then I feel like slapping myself for my idiocy. If it was a meat-eater, why would it have been attracted by that fruit on the bramble-monster to begin with? Then again, why would it have such a serrated beak if it doesn¡¯t eat meat? Still, worth offering it some berries. ¡°River, could you find a few pieces of fruit from the bramble thing we just killed, please?¡± The lizard-man grunts in assent, pushes himself to his feet from where he¡¯d been resting and walks back to the scene of the fight. While I¡¯m waiting, I start pushing healing magic into the bird¡¯s body. Its flesh is pretty lacerated, honestly. Its wings are particularly bad, the tender skin connecting the bones especially vulnerable to the ripping thorns. One wing is worse than the other, probably the one which was under attack for longer. Left to heal naturally, I¡¯d guess that this creature would never fly again. Fortunately, with the power of my healing Skill, I watch from both ¡®inside¡¯ and out as the flesh slowly knits together, leaving smooth skin behind. It doesn¡¯t regrow the feathers, though, leaving a good few spots with little to no feather coverage. By the time River gets back with a clawful of cherry-tomato sized fruit, the bird is well on the way to be fully healed. Halfway through the healing, it pushed itself to its feet. It could actually choose right here and now to just take off, assuming that the missing feathers won¡¯t impede it in any way; I¡¯m more than half-surprised that it doesn¡¯t just do that. Instead, it waits calmly, if still a little nervously. I¡¯m not at all surprised at its display of nerves ¨C standing on the ground between several predators, all much bigger than it is, has to be more than a little uncomfortable. Offering it some of the fruit River hands me, I¡¯m pleased when it doesn¡¯t just fly away but instead starts picking the fruit delicately out of my hands. I run my eyes over the bird¡¯s form as it eats, gently holding each orb in its front claws while it chews at the flesh with its beak. I¡¯ve been calling it a bird creature because it flies, but it¡¯s not easily confusable with a bird from Earth. Principal among the differences is the fact that it has four legs. The front set are noticeably bigger and stronger, looking more like the grasping claws of a bird of prey. Another strange feature considering that the bird disdained meat. Its back feet are little more than simple supports. They have long toes with small claws on their tips. They do a decent job of holding the bird stable on a flat surface, but seem good for little else. The bird¡¯s weight is concentrated mostly in its front, the wings attached just above and behind its front legs. In fact, its position reminds me of nothing more than a human¡¯s plank position if the human is resting on his hands rather than elbows. And if there was a large chunk of thigh taken out. And if the human¡¯s neck was significantly longer. And it had wings. Again, it¡¯s not a great comparison, but really, I can¡¯t think of anything on Earth that it¡¯s truly like. Maybe a pterodactyl would have been vaguely similar? Except they only had two legs, didn¡¯t they? Either way, it looks significantly more comfortable than I would be if I was trying to imitate its position. Actually, wouldn¡¯t my new Strength help with that? I brush away the random thought. Considering that my exercise these days consists of running through a forest to avoid getting killed, or fighting creatures to also avoid getting killed, the length of time I could hold a plank position seems rather irrelevant. I continue looking at the bird. Its beak is fairly straight and quite short, sharp protrusions of bone imitating teeth. It¡¯s these which make chewing the fruit so easy, though it seems to be chewing with the ones on the side towards the back of its beak which are reasonably blunt ¨C the ones at the front are sharper and some are even hooked. My flesh crawls at the thought of them digging into me. As for its wings, it has proper feathers covering the skin connecting the bones, not the proto-feathers covering its body which are similar to those covering the raptorcats. It also has a hooked claw at the front joint of each of its wings, the joint which on a human would be our wrists. I don¡¯t know if the claws are supposed to be more weapon or utility, but certainly they were instrumental in clinging onto the branch above the bramble bush. Without them holding on, I doubt we¡¯d have had time to save the creature from being pulled into acid and digested while still alive. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. When the bird finishes its fruit, it looks up at me questioningly. In its gaze I see nervousness, but also a strange sort of invitation. Something is nagging at me. I frown as I try to tease out what has caught my attention. Then a memory comes back to me ¨C the memory of Kalanthia¡¯s anger when coming home from a hunting trip to find me feeding Lathani. I wonder¡­ Maybe it¡¯s time to try out the single Skill which I¡¯ve never tested. ¡°Tame,¡± I invoke seriously. Not sure what the requirements for this Skill are, I err on the side of caution and look it in its orange eyes. The first with round-shaped pupils I¡¯ve seen in this world, I realise with a start. Then the Skill takes hold. I don¡¯t know exactly how I know when the Skill starts ¨C there¡¯s no feeling of being pulled into a separate space like there is with Dominate. The world doesn¡¯t fade out around me and I¡¯m still completely aware of the small movements and noises of my companions and the eerie forest surrounding us. Instead, it feels like a dialogue has been opened. No, not a dialogue, at least, not a true one. More like...a trade window in a game. A mental version, not a literal window opening. It feels like I¡¯ve offered a trade to the bird and the bird has accepted it and is now waiting for me to actually make the offer. Feeling completely at sea, I default to the way I approach the Battle of Wills these days ¨C projecting my thoughts and emotions towards the bird as if I had the link of a Bond or the temporary connection of a Battle of Wills. I offer it companionship and the protection of working together in a group. I can¡¯t offer it much more, unable to guarantee even my own safety, let alone that of others. I¡¯d like to be able to offer it food and shelter, but even that is something I cannot promise, not knowing its needs. Equally, I can¡¯t offer it strength, since I don¡¯t know how beasts develop, but I can promise that I will work towards the betterment of the group, not just my own betterment. After a moment more of consideration, I also tentatively offer healing if it is hurt. In return, I need a team member, one who will work with the team, not in opposition to it ¨C I¡¯ve seen how one bad apple in a team can rot the group from the inside in the corporate world. Like it or not, I am the leader of this team, thanks to my position as Binder. Any new additions need to recognise and accept that. And, most importantly, be willing to take directions from me or my other Bound ¨C in the right contexts. Unlike a Battle of Wills, I don¡¯t get to feel the emotions of the other party, which means there¡¯s no way to tell how my ¡®offer¡¯ is being received. The physical demeanour of the bird doesn¡¯t give any clues either ¨C it¡¯s observing me with the same curious wariness that it has been ever since I freed it from the vines and started healing it. The seconds multiply, and I start to wonder if this is going the way it¡¯s supposed to or if something¡¯s gone wrong somewhere. Then, just as I¡¯m about to try doing something different, there¡¯s a shift. It¡¯s the mental sensation of the other party putting their cards on the table. The bird recognises what I can offer it and is giving its counter offer. It expresses its desire to always be free to fly, never caged. While this should be an obvious one, I sense that the bird isn¡¯t only imagining a physical cage: it desires to be free mentally, cooperating with a companion rather than obeying a master. It expresses the need to have its expertise listened to and respected, the need to be able to reject any decision which it feels puts it unduly in danger. It agrees that it doesn¡¯t need to be the decision-maker, but it will not accept being offered as a sacrifice for others. It draws the line under being able to leave the relationship at any point where it feels these needs are not being met. All of this, of course, is not being expressed in words: the bird would have to be the most intelligent one I¡¯d ever heard of to be able to express thoughts so abstract in such a way. With this kind of mental connection, however, words are unnecessary. Feelings, emotions, sensations, all of these combine to translate the message I believe the bird is trying to convey. I might be wrong; misinterpretations are, of course, possible. However, I don¡¯t think I am. There¡¯s a solidarity to my impressions which I can¡¯t help but think the Tame Skill is the source of. Either that or my increased Wisdom or Animal Empathy are stepping in to help me here. I give the offered counter-proposal the time and deliberation it deserves ¨C we have a time limit here in terms of the duration of my torchlight, but I can¡¯t rush this. In the end, I accept the trade, feeling that it¡¯s nothing I wouldn¡¯t agree to even without the Tame Skill structuring the offers on each side. Having accepted on my side, I feel it immediately when the bird accepts on hers. A Bond immediately snaps into place, the sensation far more intense than the almost unnoticeable one of the Dominate Skill. It¡¯s very different too ¨C although the sense of being able to communicate mentally and detect the other party is present, the control is not. In my Bonds with River and Bastet, there is no doubt that I am the dominant one. I instinctively sense that at a moment¡¯s notice, I can shut down the Bond on my side, blocking communication and feelings from my Bound while at the same time still being able to communicate my thoughts down the connection. I can remove the Bond at any time. I can enforce my will through the Bond whenever I want, obliging my Bound to follow my instructions to the letter. Although I haven¡¯t done any of these things ¨C or not knowingly, anyway ¨C the higher my level in Dominate has gone, the more understanding of my capabilities I¡¯ve gained. This is not like that. It¡¯s what the bird asked for in the first place: a partnership. Neither of us can act unilaterally on the Bond; we have to agree to modify the connection in any way. Neither of us can oblige the other to do anything, either, and the Bond can be broken by either of us at any time. Whether that is the nature of a Tame Bond or because those were conditions set by the bird during our trade, I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯ll have to find out. The lack of control means that I don¡¯t automatically feel I can trust my new Bound the way I did with the others. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m as safe ¨C if the bird decides to attack me, there is little I could do with the Bond which would stop that. Our agreement feels more like a written contract than the chain of my Dominate Skill ¨C the Bond will not stop either party from contravening the agreement, but it will enforce consequences, such as breaking the Bond if I sent the bird on a knowingly suicidal task. It leaves me vulnerable in a way; I can¡¯t imagine doing this with River and then immediately going into the village with him ¨C only the knowledge that I could order him and oblige him to obey allowed me to go through with the plan. However, in some ways, Tame suits me much better than Dominate. Not only are contracts a lot more familiar to me than chains, but when it¡¯s an equal partnership, I need bear no guilt about forcibly engaging the creature¡¯s allegiance. Moral concerns can be dispensed with when there¡¯s a non-coerced agreement between myself and another party. My torch flickers for a moment. I look at it sharply. The pitch is more than half used up and we still probably have a long way to go. We need to get moving again. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Four: Salamander We¡¯re being herded. That¡¯s the only conclusion I can come to, at least. My map is telling me in which direction we need to travel to get back to Kalanthia, but our surroundings aren¡¯t letting us. We consistently run across blockages ¨C here the trees are growing so closely together that only the feline-types would be able to squeeze through; here it¡¯s so thick with undergrowth that we¡¯d spend far too much time hacking our way through to make it worth it. Recently, the trees have got even less subtle: the last two blockages were made from the tree vines actually making a wall. Add that to the natural rocky and uneven terrain and making headway is slow-going enough to be non-existent. I¡¯ve considered hacking through the tree vines to clear a path but, just like with the other vegetation, that approach would take far too long. We¡¯re on a timer: my barely-used torch has already gone out and I¡¯m down to two half-used torches, one of which is starting to flicker. If we run out of torches while we¡¯re still in the forest¡­ And I don¡¯t think picking up some of the wood from the ground here to use in new torches would be a good idea, somehow. Of course, I¡¯ve also considered going through with my threat and burning away the obstacles in my path. The thing is, though, I¡¯m wary of causing a forest fire when I¡¯m still in said forest. We¡¯re deep in the middle of vine-strangler tree territory and getting away from a fire we cause could be a dicey prospect. For now, the trees haven¡¯t actually been threatening us, they¡¯ve just been blocking the way. I¡¯ve therefore been making the decision to maintain the uneasy truce that we have going on until I have more idea of the lay of the land. My companions are as ill at ease as I am, Bastet and River, at least. They¡¯ve both had enough experience of life to know when things aren¡¯t right. Lathani, despite her older appearance, is still as much a cub in personality as she always was. We¡¯ve had to work hard at times to keep her on track, rather than wandering off to investigate the surrounding vegetation. At least there aren¡¯t other animals to attract her attention, even if the lack is a bad sign of its own. Speaking of cubs, the baby raptorcats really aren¡¯t happy with the situation and we¡¯ve had to let them out at various moments to get some exercise, even though that¡¯s just contributed to the delay. At least at those moments, we¡¯ve been able to convince Lathani that it¡¯s her job as the elder to keep the other cubs in line and together. Well, I say ¡®we¡¯, but I actually mean Bastet. She¡¯s certainly got a dab hand with cubs, I have to admit. The experience of raising many generations, is my guess. As for my new companion, she doesn¡¯t communicate much. From what I¡¯ve been able to work out, her intelligence level is somewhere between Spike¡¯s and Bastet¡¯s. She¡¯s capable of responding to communication with emotions, but not in the same directed way as Bastet. I¡¯ve been trying to offer her names, but she¡¯s rejected all of them so far, so for now she¡¯s still ¡®the bird¡¯. She¡¯s currently sitting on my shoulder ¨C we decided that with trees that could shoot vines out in all directions, flying wasn¡¯t the best option. Her front two feet are gripping carefully onto my shoulder, her back two providing stability by bracing against my shoulder-blade. She seems comfortable, and at least her talons aren¡¯t biting into me. The only good thing that¡¯s come out of all this walking so far is that my Strength has finally increased by a second point ¨C Endurance sub-category, of course.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 3 Energy to next level: 42% Energy absorption rate: 23u/hr Energy towards debt: 4%
Intelligence 18 Mana: 180/180
Wisdom 15 Mana regeneration rate: 375u/hr
Willpower 20+4 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 24u/hr
Constitution 15 Health: 150/150
Strength 14 Stamina: 80/80
Dexterity 14 Stamina regeneration rate: 140u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Beginner 7 If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Tame ¨C Beginner 5 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Initiate 4 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 4 Meditation ¨C Beginner 3
Tame increased too, somewhat expected but gratifying nonetheless, as did Animal Empathy and Lay-on-hands. I guess that healing another type of creature was good for my only purely magic Skill. Fade and Stealth are annoying, though, refusing to rank up. Wait, hang on. I frown at my Skills list. When did Fade rank up? And Stealth. I don¡¯t remember seeing messages about that? I navigate back to my notification history, mentally flicking through them until I find the ones that ¨C somehow ¨C I¡¯d glossed over. Perhaps I¡¯d accidentally closed my messages after seeing my Strength point earlier, without noticing that there were further matters to see? Anyway, I have a look at them now, trusting my Bound to tell me if something is wrong.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Stealth is now Novice 1. Due to your use of this Skill in an unfamiliar environment, you have developed a new aspect of it. When at least half your body is in shadow or the surrounding light level is at fifty percent or less, Stealth is doubly effective.
Next message? Y/N
Interesting¡­ So it¡¯s not just using a Skill in a different way that can help it rank up ¨C it can also be using the Skill in a different context. I haven¡¯t moved around much at night: it¡¯s always seemed like too much risk considering my lack of vision. Last night I had a good reason to be moving around then. It seems like the risk has paid off in multiple ways. I move onto the next message, looking at the description of the second of my Skills to move up to the Initiate rank.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Novice. Fade is now Initiate 1. Due to your use of this Skill in a new environment, you have developed a new aspect of it. Where Fade confuses others¡¯ eyes, it sharpens yours. While in Fade, gain 5% clarity to your gaze per level past Initiate in the Skill. This is doubly effective in dark conditions: gain 10% clarity of gaze instead of 5% when in low-light conditions.
Close messages? Y/N
Feeling a little excited over the new effects, I close my status screen and immediately activate Fade. The new ¡®clarity of gaze¡¯ isn¡¯t terribly blatant ¨C I guess that the murky light within the vine-strangler grove doesn¡¯t quite count as ¡®low-level¡¯ light conditions. Still, I do notice a difference, details being sharper in particular, especially ones further away which would normally be slightly blurry. I find myself more able to focus on something at a distance, able to see details on it as if I¡¯m only a couple of paces away. As I look ahead, I frown as something catches my attention. The light is different on the route ahead of us, brighter. There¡¯s also a funny smell in the air, a smell I¡¯d associate more with fire. Has there been a lightning strike or something? I connect to my Bound, indicating the change. They¡¯d already noticed it, not being distracted by a status screen as I had been. We move in the anomaly¡¯s direction warily, figuring that anything other than more trees is worth investigating. As we get closer, it becomes clearer that it¡¯s indeed a break in the persistent ground-cover of trees. Reaching the treeline, we see that it¡¯s a large clearing. Funnily enough, it¡¯s not covered in the vegetation that we¡¯ve been seeing everywhere else, either. In fact, I frown as I see the differences. The whole area is black, a slope down into a bowl-shaped crater, at the centre of which is a hole. Venturing forward a couple of steps, I touch one of the patches of blackness. My fingers come away covered in dust. Ash. Well, that explains the strong smell of burning. Was there a forest fire? Possibly, but I somehow doubt it: there are no stumps of trees, and the clearing is far too delineated. What kind of forest fire consumes some trees perfectly and then leaves their neighbours practically untouched? An unnatural one. Are there creatures who know how to use fire like humans? Maybe I¡¯ve underestimated the lizard-folk...but no. River hasn¡¯t seemed to recognise the fire of the torches ¨C it can¡¯t therefore be something he sees often. A moment later, my questions are answered, but I¡¯m not happy with the response. A creature climbs out of the hole in the middle of the clearing. The only thing in the area that isn¡¯t completely black, it¡¯s easy to spot. At first, all I see is red and yellow delineated with black. Then, as it clambers out in an ungainly fashion, I see that it¡¯s another type of reptile. Its body is long and its head is relatively small, though still not as flush with its neck as a snake¡¯s. It has four legs and a long whip-like tail. It also seems to be eating the ash. That, by itself, is no proof of this creature being the primary, if not sole, cause of the destruction in this area of the forest. No, it¡¯s the reptile¡¯s next actions which do that. The creature wanders across the area towards the tree line. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t aim itself directly at us but it¡¯s not really heading away either. As it reaches the nearest tree, it breathes fire at the over-sized plant. The vine-strangler tries to protect itself, shooting out spearing roots towards the salamander ¨C because what else can it be but a fire salamander, only this weird world¡¯s version? Sadly for the tree, the salamander isn¡¯t bothered. It dodges a few of the strikes, tanks some more, and then actually bites back at the others. It spits out the wood, though ¨C apparently living wood isn¡¯t to its taste. All the while, the fire it breathes on the tree eats away greedily at the vine-strangler. Either it¡¯s a special type of blaze or vine-strangler trees are particularly vulnerable to fire as it goes up in flames much more quickly than green wood normally would. Either way, it¡¯s not long before the salamander is happily munching the charcoal that remains of what was a healthy tree not long before. Let¡¯s go before it notices us, I send to my Bound, tapping Lathani on the shoulder and indicating to her to back up. Unfortunately for us, backing-up doesn¡¯t appear to be an option. While we were watching the salamander, the trees behind us had quietly built a wall of roots. Growling at the trees, we start sneaking sideways, trying to move away from the over-large lizard without attracting its notice while at the same time, finding a way around the wall of roots from the trees. Of course, it¡¯s not that easy. As quickly as we move, the trees are quicker in blocking our way. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d suspect that the forest is trying to set both its threats up against each other, hoping that they¡¯d kill each other off. Heck, what am I saying? This is a completely different world; maybe I don¡¯t know better and trees are capable of strategic planning and execution. Either way, we appear to be stuck in a clearing with a fire-breathing salamander...which has finally noticed the interlopers in its territory. I curse as the salamander bellows in rage and starts charging at us, surprisingly quickly for its size. As it comes closer, I realise that I significantly underestimated its size ¨C I¡¯d thought it was the size of a cow, but it appears to be more the size of a horse. A big shire one, at that. Still, it has quite a bit of space to cover, so we have a few moments to prepare. We need to fight, River tells me grimly even as Bastet projects a calm question about our plan of attack. ¡°I know,¡± I sigh. Swiftly, I pull the sling with the cubs in it off my chest. The bird is disturbed, flapping up into the air and then alighting on River¡¯s shoulder instead. I don¡¯t pay her much attention, instead focusing my attention on the nunda cub. ¡°Lathani,¡± I say to her seriously. ¡°I need you to protect the cubs.¡± You¡¯re trying to keep me away from the fight, she accuses me. ¡°Partly,¡± I admit, ¡°because your mother would kill me if I survive this and you don¡¯t, but also because there¡¯s nowhere safe I can put the cubs, and I don¡¯t want to take them into the fight with me. I need you to do this for me.¡± I hold her eyes for a long moment. The salamander is past the halfway mark and gaining swiftly on us, but this is important. Ok, fine, she gives in with a mixture of bad grace and pleasure ¨C annoyed at being kept out of the fight but pleased to be given the responsibility, I¡¯d guess. She¡¯s agreed ¨C that¡¯s all that matters to me right now. Without more than a quick nod of acknowledgment, I run off to the side, my Bound following me. Cubs now under supervision, we need to make some space between us. That it will delay the salamander just a little more is a bonus. Any ideas? I send to my Bound as we run. I am most comfortable with the spear, River replies. Bastet sends an agreement, only replacing spear with her claws and teeth. The bird offers wordlessly to circle and attack from above. ¡°OK,¡± I say, coming to a halt. We¡¯ve got a bit of space between us and the young ones, though not so much I can¡¯t see them. The salamander is nearly upon us, but we have a few seconds before it reaches us. ¡°Dodge its charge, then River stab it, Bastet go for its belly, bird, try to get its eyes. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± As it approaches us, the salamander skids to a halt, opening its mouth. ¡°Damn! Avoid its-¡± I¡¯m cut off by the wave of fire that billows at us. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Five: Grilled I fall flat to the ground, the fire rushing over my head instead of hitting me full-force. It¡¯s close enough to singe my hair with the heat, but not actually catch myself on fire, fortunately. When the wave ends, I waste no time in pushing myself to my feet. As I hurriedly get out of the way of the salamander¡¯s mouth, I glance around myself to see where my companions are. Bastet managed to dodge to the side, her speed and reactions serving her well, and looks unharmed. River¡¯s another question. Not so fast, he instead obviously hunkered down and protected his head with his arms. The scales on his shoulders, the back of his head, and the backs of his arms are blackened and cracked, but still mostly intact. Perhaps the trees were particularly vulnerable against fire? Or possibly it¡¯s that his scales shrug off fire damage more easily. Either way, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have done nearly so well in his position. As for the bird, a quick glance upwards proves that she was quick enough to fly up and out of the way of the deluge of fire. She¡¯s actually quite high above the battle. Absently, I wonder if she was able to catch the updrafts caused by the sudden heat. She¡¯s already descending, though, diving towards the salamander¡¯s head. After a brief pause caused by our collective disbelief at the fact that we¡¯d survived the attack, we all spring into action. As we¡¯d planned, Bastet immediately goes for the salamander¡¯s underbelly, raking at it with her claws and biting with her teeth. At points she even disappears underneath the creature ¨C I hope that the thing doesn¡¯t think of lying down or she¡¯ll be easily squished under it¡¯s mammoth bulk. Being as tall as a shire horse means it¡¯s significantly wider than one, the proportions of a salamander being the way they are. River runs at the salamander, his spear held at the ready. He stabs at its neck, at the join between shoulder and throat, and at its front leg. If he¡¯s lucky, he¡¯ll hit an important artery or trachea, but even if not, wounds there should impede its mobility. It¡¯s a good choice of attack. He¡¯s slower than usual, though, the burnt scales across his shoulders clearly paining him. I dart in after him, keeping a wary eye on the salamander¡¯s head as it snakes around. Laying my hand on his back, I send a wave of healing magic into his body. Before Lay-on-hands has had time to finish its work, the salamander¡¯s mouth biting at me forces me to jump back. Even as I move, I feel the connection to the healing magic in River¡¯s body linger for a few extra moments. Maybe it¡¯s possible to¡­ Not the time. The middle of a battle isn¡¯t the right place to test new magical theories. River¡¯s shoulders look a lot better, the minimal damage caused easily healed. Plus, I¡¯ve noticed that as Lay-on-hands has leveled through the Initiate stages, it¡¯s been healing more points at once, for the same mana cost. Clearly my efficiency is improving. Ultimately, all that means is that River¡¯s burns are almost healed and movement is clearly significantly easier and less painful for him. River sends me a wave of gratitude down the link as I hurry out of range, returning to his job of stabbing. He¡¯s aided when the bird drops down onto the salamander¡¯s head, raking at its eyes and distracting it from the raptorcat threatening to disembowel it and the lizard-man making holes in anywhere he can reach that looks like it might be important. It would help if we knew where this thing¡¯s heart is, but that¡¯s going to have to be a trial and error approach. Even as I pull out my bow and arrows and prepare to shoot, the salamander whips around to bite at Bastet. River takes advantage of that to start stabbing behind its foreleg, clearly hoping that maybe he can hit the heart or lungs from that angle. Bastet, of course, is too quick to be caught and the salamander closes its teeth on nothing. My heart still leaps in fear even as the sharp fangs click together a hair¡¯s breadth from one of her wings. I shoot at the salamander, getting mixed results. Where the arrow hits head on, it pierces, but not far: even with my increased Strength lending power to the arrow¡¯s flight, the scales of the salamander are clearly heavily armoured. Where the arrow doesn¡¯t land head on, it just skitters off, landing somewhere in the battle field. I keep going, though, aiming for the probable weak spots ¨C I may get lucky and hit it in a vulnerable spot. I doubt my mace would have any better luck, frankly. The bird takes advantage of the big lizard¡¯s distraction to swipe at its eyes again and it bellows angrily as it swipes back, its own clawed paw twice as big as the bird¡¯s whole body. It opens its mouth to once more fire its incinerating blast. That¡¯s my cue. I shoot directly into its open mouth, my accuracy good enough to have a more than decent chance of hitting such a large target. Best-case scenario, I pierce its brain by going through the roof of its mouth. Worst-case scenario, I merely interrupt its fire-breathing. The actual results are closer to the worst-case scenario than the best ¨C the arrow hits the salamander clean in the mouth, piercing its tongue. It snaps its mouth shut on its own fire, flames leaking out of the sides of its mouth for a fraction of a second. Its eyes go wide ¨C clearly that¡¯s not a sensation that it appreciates. The attack also serves to make it a bit more wary of opening its jaws again for a short time, trying to use the weight of its head to knock into River instead of biting at him with its teeth. It also uses its claws more, steadying itself on three feet while using the last to hit out at my companions. Without an easy target, I pepper it with arrows, aiming for points which I think might have the potential to cause damage. I shoot at its joints, at the soft spots at its jaw line, and at its eyes. The main problem is that my arrows simply don¡¯t pierce deeply enough. My arrows pierce a few inches in at best, but when the skin is probably an inch or more thick to begin with, that doesn¡¯t do much. I need to get at its eyes or mouth again to do much. Even knowing that blinding it would remove any possibility of using Dominate, I''d rather that than it killing one of us. I get a chance when it opens its mouth to take a bite at the bird, her efforts at raking its eyes more annoying than effective, but serving their purpose as distraction, if nothing else. The angle isn¡¯t great for me, but I manage to slip an arrow between its jaws again, piercing one of its gums. The salamander bellows once more, but this time in pain. It lowers its head to the level of its fore-paws, using one to scrub at its mouth in a clumsy attempt to get rid of the annoying pinprick. Not having the dexterity to pluck the arrow out, it doesn¡¯t succeed in doing more than presenting a tempting target for my attempt to use Dominate. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Making eye contact with it, I quickly activate my Skill. However, for the first time, I am so clearly out-classed, it isn''t funny. The pressure on me is less like that of a garden hose and more like a fireman''s. I''m blown backwards almost too quickly to register the failure of the Skill as the Battle of Wills shatters. I slump to the ground as the backlash of losing the Battle hits me even as the salamander bellows and takes a step forward, its angry eyes fixed on the being who dared to try to Dominate it. Fortunately for me, River rides to the rescue, the salamander''s sudden focus on me giving him a good opportunity. The lizard-man stabs at the base of its head, probably attempting to go for the brain like I was earlier. A flurry of movement on the other side of it reveals that Bastet is also trying to take advantage, going straight for its throat. The two coordinate so well that I wonder whether they¡¯re able to use the Bond to communicate with each other without going through me. Or maybe they¡¯re both just that good at reading combat. The salamander reacts unpredictably, though. Its head snakes out quicker than expected and digs its teeth into Bastet before the raptorcat can jump away. My heart rises into my mouth as it lifts her into the air. It shakes its head and blood flies everywhere. I''m paralysed in agony, the seconds it takes for me to regain control of my limbs seeming like an eternity as one of my Bound is savaged. Fortunately River¡¯s once more there to help. Using his spear, he stabs into the base of the salamander¡¯s neck as hard as he can. The wooden shaft sinks deeply in and the large reptile opens its jaws to bellow in pain again. Bastet falls out of its open mouth, landing heavily on the ground. Fear runs through me as she doesn¡¯t make any effort to break her fall. Just then the weakness from my failed Dominate fades from my limbs. As soon as I can control them, I scramble to my feet and run over to Bastet''s limp body. My eyes are only on my oldest companion as I slide to a stop next to her. I slap my hand on her side and immediately channel healing into her. She¡¯s alive, but only just. The blood is running out of her almost too quickly for my healing to compensate. I curse myself for being greedy - if I hadn''t tried to Dominate the salamander maybe Bastet wouldn''t have been so badly injured. Master! River¡¯s urgent tone grabs my attention. I look up to see the salamander¡¯s jaws already aimed at us, the flicker of flame already kindled at the back of its throat. I know instinctively that any more damage will be the end of my loyal companion, my friend. My family member. I don¡¯t think, I just act. With a leap fuelled by desperation and the strength of an Olympic jumper, I propel myself forwards, grabbing onto the salamander¡¯s head and yanking it forcibly off course. I almost manage to get my body out of the way of the fire that jets out of its mouth. Almost. Flames lick at my side like white-hot tongues, each pass singeing and charring my flesh. My armour is little protection; my other clothes even less. My grip loosens involuntarily and I drop from the head like a stone, quickly rolling to put out the fire that¡¯s caught on my garments as much as to get out of the path of the enraged reptile. I send a quick Lay-on-hands through my system to at least start to deal with the large portion of my torso which has just been grilled. My pain threshold raises to a new high: this hurts like nothing else has yet. I¡¯m screaming loudly, something I only realise a moment later. I manage to cut off the loud noise, but it¡¯s done its job to attract the attention of the salamander back onto me. Healing. I need healing. Bastet needs it even more. I don¡¯t even know how my other two companions are doing. But how can I do anything when it¡¯s taking all my strength and willpower to just avoid the attacks of the pissed-off salamander. A creature which is bleeding from innumerable wounds, but still seems as powerful as it was when we first started fighting it. Worst of all, it seems to have its own healing power since even the wounds that River made in its neck don¡¯t seem as bad as they were originally. Healing. An idea comes to mind, a thought I had half-played with at odd times since I saw the message. Do I risk it? Do I have a choice? My eyes narrowing, I wait for my moment. It comes when the salamander once more tries to bite at me. I roll out of its path, managing to avoid it in such a way that I¡¯m in a perfect position to carry out the rest of my plan when it buries its teeth in the dirt. Grabbing onto its neck with arms and legs, I¡¯m lifted into the air when it raises its head once more. Of course, the salamander isn¡¯t too happy about having a hanger-on and starts trying to shake me loose. River seems rather confused about my strategy, sending me a questioning feeling down the Bond. I¡¯m a little busy, though, unable to reply with more than a desperate need for help as I cling onto the salamander¡¯s neck with a death-grip. At the same time, I send healing magic into the flesh I¡¯m holding onto. Of course, I¡¯m not actually trying to help the creature, and so instead of just letting it loose to heal the numerable wounds we¡¯ve left, I keep a tight control on the magic. Concentrating isn¡¯t easier, though when the salamander¡¯s attempts to throw me off reduce, it becomes a little easier. Tightly gripping onto the magic, I guide it up through the neck and into the brain. There I direct it to make the vessels grow. I want them to swell until they burst, causing an aneurysm. A fatal one, preferably. The healing magic bucks against my hold on it. Not because it refuses to harm instead of heal, but because there¡¯s some sort of blockage, obstacle. I grit my teeth and focus harder, pushing with my twenty-four stat points of Willpower. I refuse to entertain the possibility of failure. Bastet needs me now and so this creature needs to go down yesterday. The barrier or obstacle or whatever it was resists, but I just keep pushing with the faith of the desperate. Maybe the problem is that I haven¡¯t put enough magic into this. I channel more, and more, throwing it all at the blockage. It flickers, and then suddenly fails with a rush. Unhindered, my magic saturates the salamander¡¯s brain, in an instant causing innumerable blood vessels to grow and burst. I drop heavily to the ground as the muscle I¡¯m holding onto suddenly loses all power. I don¡¯t spare the dead monster more than a single glance, and that¡¯s only to make sure that it is truly dead. The blood leaking out of its staring eyes and mouth are enough proof for me. Pushing myself to my feet, forcibly ignoring my side screaming at me, I half-run, half-stumble over to my raptorcat friend. ¡°Please don¡¯t be dead, please don¡¯t be dead,¡± I croak under my breath as I fall at her side. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Six: Between Bad and Worse Placing my hands immediately on the seriously injured raptorcat, I channel my magic into her body, following it with my mind. I direct it to the deep wounds that pierce through her body, my earlier efforts having slowed the bleeding, but not stopped it. I pull together flesh, connect blood vessels, and¨C My mana runs dry. Inside Bastet¡¯s body, mentally, at least, it feels like I¡¯ve run out of air. Gasping for breath, I¡¯m pulled back into my own body, the sudden return a shock. For a moment, my body feels like an ill-fitting garment. A moment later, the sensation has left me, leaving behind a simple nauseous exhaustion. ¡°No,¡± I croak, trying to trigger Lay-on-hands again and again. Nothing happens. The exhaustion is joined by horror as I realise that my closest companion in this world, my friend is dying in front of me and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it until my mana regenerates. I must have used more than I thought to kill the salamander. Even my recent points in Intelligence haven¡¯t helped. I slump back and stare at her, my eyes tracing the blood being absorbed into the blackened earth beneath. Two minutes is all it will take for me to regenerate enough for a new Lay-on-hands; two minutes is a lifetime ¨C and may be more than Bastet has left. ¡°No,¡± I whisper again, trying to wrack my brains to find a solution. Anything that can delay the otherwise inevitable is better than nothing. Maybe. I need to put pressure on the wounds, keep her blood inside her body. Pulling my backpack out of my Inventory, I yank a shirt out, fighting past the lethargy that still tugs at my limbs and the nausea as I move. Leaning over to Bastet, I press the shirt against the puncture marks. Let me, River rumbles, falling to his knees beside me, his hands full of something. I immediately give him space: I don¡¯t feel any ill intent in the Bond, and he has to know that if he intentionally made the situation worse and killed her, I would kill him for it. Besides, the situation is already dire ¨C what can he do to make it worse, bar slitting her throat? He piles the contents of his hands into the wounds and tips in a liquid over the top. Pressing the fabric of my shirt to the mess, he swiftly flips her over so she¡¯s lying on that side. The wounds on her other side start bleeding more freely ¨C the pressure of her body lying on them had been holding them mostly closed, but now there¡¯s nothing to stop the red life-blood from pouring out. I almost intervene, angry at his actions that have caused even more precious fluid to leave her body and reduce her chances even further. The lizard-man seems to detect something, whether it¡¯s from the connection between us or my body language, and he sends grim reassurance down the Bond. The feeling settles me a little ¨C I sense that he knows what he¡¯s doing and is trying his best to save my friend. Even as he communicates with me, his hands are not idle. He¡¯s doing the same on this side as he did on the other, packing the puncture marks with what look like bits of plant that he withdraws from the strangely-shaped box he¡¯d brought from the village. Once they¡¯re packed tightly, he tips some more of that liquid all over, emptying the container which looks like a large chunk of hollowed out branch. Pulling the sleeves of my now blood-stained shirt through from either side of Bastet, he ties a knot over the wounds. Done, he slumps. A wave of trepidation and hope crashing through the Bond. ¡°What did you do?¡± I ask him, even as I check my mana bar. A sliver has returned; not enough for a Lay-on-hands yet. I¡¯ve become practised at estimating how much the mana bar represents in terms of practical use. I don¡¯t have the skills my master...my former master, he corrects himself, sadness in his tired voice, has with herbs, but I have learned a few tricks and made sure to bring some supplies from..with me. I also always keep a few essentials on me. He pulls at the woven strip of vines around his waist and suddenly, I realise that what I had imagined to be a decorative belt is more than that. Wound into the body of the belt itself are little hollows, and each holds a little carved chunk of branch with a wooden stopper or a load of shredded plant. However, that¡¯s not where he got the things he packed into Bastet¡¯s wounds from. That was from the box. The box is oddly shaped, with an oblong boat-like form. It¡¯s something I¡¯d noticed in our escape but didn¡¯t bother looking closely even once the light-level got high enough to do so. Like the cage I was held in, it looks more grown than carved. It has two woven handles on it which River was using to wear it like an oddly-shaped backpack. I¡¯d thought it to be a container of essentials which I¡¯d recommended he bring with us in our escape. Now, he has it open, the lid looking more like an oval cork than something on hinges, I see how it¡¯s separated into sections, each one filled with dried parts of plants. Flowers, leaves, stems, roots, fruits¡­ I¡¯m frankly amazed at how much he¡¯s managed to pack in there. I have packed in some herbs and poured in an unguent, River continues by explaining. On one of my kind, these herbs help a warrior avoid inflammation of his wounds and reduce blood loss. I am hoping that they will have the same effect on your companion. ¡°You hope,¡± I repeat, my voice hard. Yes, he replies, meeting my gaze without flinching. I have never heard nor seen them used on a creature such as she. Normally, we kill this kind of creature rather than heal them. I concede the point with a grunt, irrationally angry. I want someone to blame for this, but the only ones I can blame are the salamander for giving her such grievous wounds, and myself for putting her in the position where she gained them. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I watch my mana bar out of the corner of my eye and immediately know when it¡¯s regained enough to cast another Lay-on-hands. Without wasting any time, I place my hands back on my raptorcat and channel healing into her once more. Focusing on dealing with the worst of her wounds first, I soon run out of mana again. Nonetheless, I feel a hint of hope flare in my heart: her condition hasn¡¯t really worsened since I last ran out of mana. It seems like River¡¯s stopgap measures have at least helped her maintain her previous state. I repeat the process for the next six minutes, not daring to even look away from my desperately injured companion in case I miss the moment that something goes wrong, or that I don¡¯t cast Lay-on-hands the second that it becomes available again. At some point, I feel a nudge of soft fur against my elbow, and see patterns with my peripheral vision. Lathani¡¯s here. Either River went to get her or she came of her own accord. I dare to look away from Bastet for a second, checking that the three cubs are here too. They are. Returning my gaze to the raptorcat adult, I nonetheless feel the lifting of a weight on my heart. I realise that I was expecting something to happen to the youngest and most vulnerable of our group while we weren¡¯t able to help. Fortunately, for once things seem to have gone our way. It just took Bastet almost dying to get us there. By the time I¡¯ve cast my fourth Lay-on-hands, I give a sigh of relief. She¡¯s out of the woods. Not literally ¨C we¡¯re still stuck in this damn forest ¨C but the worst of her wounds are on their way to being healed and her condition is not worsening between casts. Bastet was closer to death than she was even when we first met, but finally, she seems to have pulled back from the edge. I dare to do more than just watch her attentively and take a look around, absently reaching out to stroke Lathani¡¯s head. When I realise what I¡¯m doing, I pause. The head-butt she gives my hand says more than words ever could, so I continue. The motion is soothing, probably for both of us. I look over at River. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say, heartfelt. He just dips his head, his expression unreadable. She fought like a true warrior, he comments finally, his tone faintly admiring. ¡°She always does,¡± I respond fondly, reaching out to stroke her leg. It¡¯s cold, her blood being concentrated in her torso so as to keep her vital functions going. I take the opportunity to send more magic into her system, my mana having just about regenerated enough. I look at Lathani. ¡°Were you safe the whole time?¡± Of course, she replies, sounding insulted. I agreed to look after the cubs, so I did. ¡°I¡¯m not questioning your commitment,¡± I try to soothe her. ¡°It¡¯s just I was worried that something else might have appeared while we were focused on the giant salamander.¡± Oh, she replies, her hackles lowering. Then no, nothing appeared. I kept an eye on that hole in the centre, but nothing else came out. ¡°Good,¡± I reply, relieved. We¡¯ll probably have to investigate that hole, but not until we¡¯re all healed. I look back at River. ¡°How are your wounds?¡± Manageable, he replies stoically. I send skeptical feelings through the Bond and he shrugs, wincing a little. I shall be glad of healing, he admits, but it can wait until your companion is out of danger. I nod. Frankly, I feel the same, my own aches and pains making themselves clearly known by this point, not to mention the painful burns still covering my side. Looking around, I wonder where my newest companion has gone. Not seeing her, I look towards River. He points up. I follow his clawed finger, to find a dot circling around making larger and larger loops. ¡°What¡¯s she doing?¡± I mutter, not really intending on speaking aloud. Scouting, River answers. I look back at him. At least, that¡¯s my guess, he adds. It¡¯s not like I can talk with her, after all. ¡°Fair,¡± I admit. I guess that answers the question I¡¯d had earlier ¨C Bastet and River are just that good at reading a combat situation. Silence falls for a while, none of us really having the energy to talk. Well, Lathani probably does, but she¡¯s unusually subdued, just pressing close to me and staring at Bastet. Actually, maybe that¡¯s not surprising ¨C the adult raptorcat has been a carer for her as well over the last few weeks. The other cubs are also subdued, squabbling a bit, but not venturing far away from us. I wonder whether they remember the scent of blood and death and are affected by it as much as the rest of us, even if in a different way. It feels like we¡¯re in a limbo of some sort, broken only by my regular casts of healing magic and the odd movement. We¡¯re attentive to our surroundings, River more than me, admittedly. Everything is calm, still. It¡¯s a little odd, after so many hours of moving on eggshells, keeping eyes watching in all directions for the next attack. Here, in the ash-choked clearing that the salamander made, next to its huge body, we¡¯re safer than we have been in quite a while. At least, as long as it doesn¡¯t have a mate or children wanting to avenge it. We all eat and drink, needing the nutrients and fluids. I even succeed in trickling a bit of water into Bastet¡¯s mouth: I¡¯m sure she needs it the most out of all of us, but we¡¯re not going to get meat down her neck until she¡¯s awake enough to chew. I¡¯m out of water now, and almost out of cooked meat. Fortunately, there¡¯s a massive body lying next to us, and the carnivores that make up the majority of the group don¡¯t waste any time in digging in. ¡°Save me the heart, would you?¡± I tell River. He acknowledges my request even as he starts digging meat out of the carcass with his sharp claws. Lathani joins him, the cubs too. I stay beside Bastet, keeping the healing going. In between casts, I look around the area, seeing its desolation anew. The sun is already far on its way towards the horizon ¨C the walk through the forest has taken longer than we wanted, thanks to this detour. Then add in the fight and the healing, and it¡¯s not surprising that we¡¯re only a few hours away from dark. Once more, I have a decision to make: keep going and risk walking through a bunch of killer trees in the dark, or stay here and risk being attacked by something coming up from the hole. Frankly, I¡¯d rather fly out of here like the bird did, but until we all develop wings, that¡¯s not going to work. Like it or not, I¡¯m going to have to choose between bad or worse. But which is bad, and which is worse? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tunnel Honestly, with Bastet still significantly injured, it¡¯s going to take too long to heal her and expect to also get out of the forest in the light. And frankly, walking through the vine-stranglers is tempting fate enough in the light, let alone in the dark. I¡¯m down to my last torch, and that one¡¯s half-used. The torch I had been using is finished ¨C I was too distracted by the salamander to put it out. Between that time and the time spent healing Bastet, the little that was left burnt itself out. It¡¯s not a big loss: it was starting to flicker out anyway. I now only have a single half-burnt torch stuck in my Inventory and based on past experience, that¡¯s nowhere near enough to get us through the danger zone, light or dark. That by itself isn¡¯t the end of the world, though: I¡¯m surrounded by trees which have proven to be vulnerable to fire. I didn¡¯t dare create more torches while actually in the forest, but we seem to be out of easy reach from their spearing branches here. Of course, that¡¯s assuming that they aren¡¯t capable of remembering that my torches are made out of their branches. Being trees, normally, I wouldn¡¯t even consider it, but since they appeared to herd me here to face another of their threats? I¡¯m suddenly questioning everything I knew about trees. Anyway, is waiting until the morning and then continuing through the forest the best idea? Staying here for the night should be fine; much longer isn¡¯t really an option. We have plenty of food, between the salamander carcass and the load of corpses I have in my Inventory, but I¡¯ve finished the water I had in there. And that¡¯s besides the fact that there¡¯s really nothing here. Even if the trees can¡¯t get at us, we¡¯d just be prisoners. No, we¡¯ll have to brave the forest at some point, though it would be good to have an idea of how far to go, so I can make some plans. On that note, I wonder where the bird has gone. Has she taken this opportunity to fly into the clear skies and leave us permanently? No, I can still feel the Bond ¨C she hasn¡¯t broken it from her side, at least. She¡¯s far enough away, though, that all I can get from it is a vague sense of direction and steady emotional state. I turn my thoughts back to the present situation. After casting Lay-on-hands once more on Bastet, I find my eyes being pulled inexorably back to the hole that lies at the lowest point of this shallow bowl-like basin. I¡¯m not quite sure why it seems so important to me, so I try to relax my mind: if I hunt for the feeling like a blood-hound, I¡¯m bound to just scare it away. Deciding that Bastet can afford me looking away from her for a time, I close my eyes. Maybe meditation will help me out here. If nothing else, my new Skill in it means that I should regenerate my mana quicker. I didn¡¯t dare to do it before: Bastet needed healing as quickly as possible and with the way time seems to slip away while I¡¯m in meditation, I couldn¡¯t be sure that I wouldn¡¯t just meditate her life away. Besides, before now, it would have taken more time to calm myself sufficiently to actually properly engage in meditation and gain its effects: I would have been dropping out almost before I¡¯d managed to slip into the trance-like state. Now she¡¯s more stable, though, I figure I have the time and my emotions are a little more settled. In fact, if I allow more mana to accrue, it will also allow me to heal in a more efficient way: just like using Energy in bulk to raise stat points is more efficient, so is healing with greater quantities of mana, it appears. Breathing deeply, my eyes slide shut of their own accord. I reconnect to my surroundings, frowning a little as I feel the differences. There¡¯s something...odd about this area. It¡¯s probably just the smoke I can smell in the area, but it feels like fire. I try to push past the ghostly flickers of flame against my skin, the memory of the fire snatching at my flesh. Wrestling my thoughts under control since they¡¯re snapping me me out of my meditative state, I open my eyes and stare at the hole, even as I direct my newly regenerated mana into Bastet¡¯s body. Thoughts percolate like water through coffee grains. I feel a realisation slowly come closer. It¡¯s hard to just wait for it to come instead of mentally reaching out to snatch at it, but I know that that¡¯s completely counterproductive. In hopes that it might spark something, I let my eyes drift around the area, alight briefly on the salamander¡¯s corpse with my Bound and other companions digging into it, then wander past to pass over the trees around us. The realisation I had been waiting for hits. How did the salamander get in here? I mean, I¡¯m assuming that the destruction in this area of the forest was caused by it, but based on what I saw of it attacking the tree, I think that my supposition is justified. And if that¡¯s what it does to the area around it, why is there no evidence of its path through the forest? I mean, I suppose that the trees could have regrown, eliminating all evidence of its passage. That doesn¡¯t make a huge amount of sense, though ¨C I can see what it¡¯s done to trees here and there¡¯s really nothing but ash to indicate that they were ever even here. Besides, why would it have wandered through the forest, and then randomly stopped and made a rough circle with a hole at the centre? No, another explanation makes far more sense: it came up through the hole. All of which indicates to me that there might be a way out though the hole too. It¡¯s a tantalising thought: not having to dare the vine-stranglers where one foot wrong could lead to our deaths. Where I¡¯m constantly worried that one of the pack will wander a bit too far and be trapped and killed before we can save them. Or where a lucky strike could kill any of us at any time. Not knowing when or if the trees will risk calling my bluff keeps me on the edge at all times. And even if they do, can I bring myself to cause a forest fire when I¡¯m still in the forest? Especially now I¡¯ve seen how easily these trees can burn. The trees¡¯ fear of fire is well-explained. If this hole is actually a tunnel, do I dare to risk that it¡¯s any safer? This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I could be clutching at straws here, barking up the wrong tree, pun fully intended, but I think it¡¯s worth a try. If it¡¯s a tunnel infested with those fire salamanders, we¡¯ll brave the forest instead, but if it¡¯s not¡­ They say that fortune is for the brave, and that we make our own luck. Is it too late to find out if that¡¯s true? Either way, before we can do anything like that, we need to all be mobile, and Bastet isn¡¯t yet. Besides, River said that he thought the bird was scouting; perhaps we should wait to see if she has any new information to add: I would hate to only be a half an hour walk from the closest edge of the vine-strangler tree forest without knowing it. Something else I can do now, though... ¡°River,¡± I start, turning my head to look at him. Master? Discomfort nags at me at the address, but I push it aside. ¡°Can you just walk down to that hole in the centre? See whether it¡¯s just a pit, or whether it looks like it goes somewhere.¡± I feel his assent and shortly after he departs, the spear I gave him held ready for any attack, I speak again. ¡°Lathani,¡± I say next. Yes, carer? she says, though since it¡¯s a mental voice, I can¡¯t use it to tell exactly where she is. ¡°Can you keep an eye on River, please? If anything moves anywhere near him, let me know.¡± Sure, she agrees, something unreadable in her tone. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the connection with her that I do with the others, so I can¡¯t investigate any further. I miss Bastet and her cool efficiency. She wouldn¡¯t have needed to be asked: she¡¯d already have been keeping an eye out. Pushing the thoughts away, I return to what I know I need to do to get her back on her feet. I continue meditating and then intermittently emerging to heal the raptorcat. Her health point pool must be several times that of mine because she¡¯s already absorbed enough healing to bring me over half-full, and she¡¯s still significantly injured. Bit by bit, though, River¡¯s stopgap measure of herbs and unguent is pushed out of the wounds as healthy flesh takes its place. Rousing from my latest bout of meditation, I cast Lay-on-hands again, once more following the channeled magic into Bastet¡¯s body and healing the last of her wounds. She¡¯s still unconscious, but I reckon she¡¯ll wake up soon ¨C the sense I get down the Bond is that of exhausted sleep rather than deathly unconsciousness. There are still a few more wounds to heal, but they¡¯re little more than skin deep. I¡¯ll meditate to let my mana regenerate a bit more and then hopefully clear all of us of wounds. Looking around, I almost jump as I see River sitting within arm¡¯s length. ¡°When did you get back?¡± I demand to cover the fact that my heart is now racing and my hand has automatically gone to my knife. A few clicks ago. I tried to rouse you but you were dead to the world. Huh. So that¡¯s what my latest upgrade message to Lay-on-hands meant when it said that I would not be able to detect my surroundings. I might not have gone so deeply into Bastet¡¯s healing while River was out scouting if I¡¯d realised that Lathani wouldn¡¯t actually be able to wake me from it if there was danger. I¡¯ll need to keep that in mind. But first... ¡°What did you find?¡± It¡¯s a tunnel, River replies. I lean towards him, eagerness and hope running through me. ¡°What is it like? Could you see the end?¡± It is a single, large tunnel. It¡¯s large enough for the creature we fought to move through easily enough, but its end is around a bend. However I strongly suspect that it has an exit elsewhere. My eyebrows shoot up at the lack of doubt in his mental voice and through the Bond. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± There is a strong breeze that caresses the tunnel walls; moreover, it brings with it the faintest hints of the normal forest. I grin, hope lighting in my heart. I want to see what the bird has to say, but already the hole is rising to the top as an option for our escape. Then a thought occurs and my grin shrinks a little. ¡°Did you see any signs of other salamanders?¡± He clicks his mouth closed twice as negation comes through the Bond. It was clear of movement as far as I could see, he confirms. My grin widens once more. Excellent. No guarantee that there won¡¯t be critters waiting around the corner, ready to pounce, but it¡¯s a good sign nonetheless. I decide to wait until the bird comes back just to confirm that it wouldn¡¯t be a better idea to go through the trees. I decide to go back into meditation until my mana has fully regenerated: I never know when I¡¯ll need it next. Letting River know that, I drop back into my trance. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Eight: As Much of a Burden In meditation, the world makes sense. The luminous connections spool away from me giving me the hint of a picture that¡¯s far too big for me to actually see. The peripheral links are barely there for me, only the ones that directly touch me having more presence than just a flicker of instinct. Like something seen out of the corner of one¡¯s eye, but invisible when looked at directly. My mind explores the network of connections linked to me. Several of them are linked to my Bound and I touch them in a different way than before, sensing the connection I have with them from the outside as well as the inside. I feel the links between the cubs, half-visible to the sense I only seem to have access to when in this trance. Far less perceptible are the network of links between them and everything else, but I am aware something exists in the space. For a moment, I even feel a flicker of emotion through the faint connections they have with me, too brief to identify any more than that it was there. From my companions, I move on to sensing the rest of the world around, the blur of connectivity of everything to everything else. Hints of fire lick at my sense of self, not hurting but teasing, tantalising me with secrets only they know. Even the trees have links that stretch out into the world around them, though theirs are hostile, rejecting the touch of mine. I feel their strong links to each other, the lines so powerful they stand out to my sense in comparison to everything else around. Apart from the strong connections to each other, there are also thick lines that plunge deep into the earth. In curiosity, I reach out the sense, moving far more by instinct than thought. Deep, deep, deeper does my perception go. I wonder why the trees around me have such a thick connection with something below¡­ And then I¡¯m yanked out of my trance by a touch to my shoulder, my physical shoulder. I flinch, the sensation suddenly too much, gentle as it is. My body feels ill-fitting, both confining and loose in the wrong spots. I blink and swallow, and then the world rights itself. Like emerging from an immersive dream, I feel my way back to who I am. Not the trees, not the connections, not the fire...Markus Wolfe, human. I rub a hand across my face. Maybe I need to be careful with this trance stuff. Then I chuckle dryly: I¡¯d have never thought I¡¯d want to put a warning label on meditation of all things. I check my bars: my mana is full so probably just as well I was woken. There are other things to do. As the first thing, I feed more healing magic into Bastet¡¯s body, pleased with her progress. In the end, I don¡¯t need all of it to heal the surface wounds which remain. Although I sense that she¡¯s not quite at full health, her body seems mostly healed to me. My hand falling away from her side, I gaze at her head intently, hoping she¡¯ll wake up soon. What do you want us to do with this, master? River asks me, the sudden rumble and clicks of his voice breaking through the quiet which had taken hold. I twist around to see him holding a fist-sized crystalline structure. Pushing myself to my feet with a wince, I head over to him. Before examining the thing he¡¯s holding more closely, I look my Bound seriously in his bronze slit-pupil eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me that, you know.¡± He frowns ¨C which, incidentally, on a lizard-man involves his mouth opening a little and his spikes flashing a dark orange. What? ¡°You know...master.¡± I hadn¡¯t cared before, my anger at the lizard-folk - and River by dint of being their representative - crushing any sense of guilt. But considering the situation, what he¡¯s done for me, what he¡¯s given up in pursuit of my objectives...The word makes me feel dirty now, like I¡¯m the bad guy. ¡°Just call me Markus.¡± River eyes me uncertainly and with no little confusion for a moment. Very well...Markus. Nodding in satisfaction, I squint at the red crystal the lizard-man is holding. It¡¯s large, filling most of his hand. It looks like a rough-cut ruby, or a chunk of red-tinged glass. Taking it from River, I tilt it in the light of the sun. The colour isn¡¯t very strong, but somehow it renders the material opaque nonetheless. Light acts strangely when it hits the thing ¨C at times reflecting off it like it would a real gemstone; at others seemingly absorbed into a matte surface. I think I¡¯ve seen something like this before, though they were a lot smaller. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± I don¡¯t know what to call it ¨C I just know that Bastet ate two of the thumb-nail sized ones we found in those insectile things, giving the three others to the cubs. I shove the memory down the Bond to River, attaching a questioning feel. Yes, he confirms. We call them Energy-Hearts, because they are what grow in us and are instrumental in our control of Energy. ¡°You have them too?¡± I ask, curiously. Everything does. Once they are strong enough, he replies. But right now...no, I don¡¯t have one. He seemed a little ashamed, or embarrassed, perhaps. ¡°I don¡¯t want to pry,¡± I preface, ¡°but if you¡¯re willing to tell me why¡­.?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. If you wish to know, he shrugs, a little uncomfortably. It is no big secret. I haven¡¯t grown my Energy enough to cross the threshold. Once I do, I will either be able to direct my Energy into my body to strengthen it and grow bigger, or I will be able control some lesser form of Energy like our shaman and my...our...the herbalist. For a moment I war with myself. Should I¡­? Finally coming to a decision, I sigh and brace myself. Whether it rocks the boat or not, it needs saying. ¡°Look, man, I¡­I want to say that I appreciate your help. You...stood with me, against everyone you knew. And I appreciate it.¡± River¡¯s looking at me and, if the feeling coming down the Bond is anything to judge by, he¡¯s more offended than anything else. I swore to serve you, he replies finally, his tone sounding like I just insulted his mother. Brood-mother, whatever. I grimace mentally. Why am I doing this? My ex made it clear that she considered my emotional intelligence to be the equivalent of a teaspoon. Just call me Ron. But I¡¯m doing this because ever since we¡¯ve left the village there¡¯s been this unspoken...weight in the Bond. And my history with unspoken negativity has proven that just ignoring it doesn¡¯t actually make it go away. No, it just makes it fester and ferment until it explodes one day and destroys something. It¡¯s that thought which makes me continue. ¡°Yeah, you did,¡± I acknowledge. ¡°But I also recognise that you could have followed the letter of what you swore, and I appreciate you following the spirit.¡± He makes a derisive noise, the sense of insult growing. Prey must be coerced and threatened into fulfilling their tasks. The word of one of the Tribe is our bond. ¡°Right,¡± I say slowly. Different cultures, I guess. And if my experience in the lizard-folk village was anything to judge by, slavery or indentured servitude or whatever seems pretty normal. I kinda want to dig more deeply into that, but it¡¯s not the time. ¡°Well, then, I just want to say that I¡¯m sorry about...well, about what had to happen.¡± He just looks at me, his spikes rippling with different colours. ¡°You know, about that one that I¡­ that died. You seemed like you thought they were pretty important and -¡± I cut myself off as I start babbling. It doesn¡¯t matter, he dismisses, turning away and crossing his arms, his tail shifting uneasily behind him, pain coming through the Bond. ¡°It clearly does to you,¡± I point out, unable to stop myself. He whips around to glare at me, his mouth open properly to bare his teeth and spikes flashing a deep red. It doesn¡¯t matter! he snarls at me. I raise both hands in surrender and don¡¯t push further. The display is pretty intimidating but that¡¯s not why I stopped: the benefit of being the Tamer in this situation is the certainty that I could stop him from attacking me if he did. Clearly my attempts to point out the elephant in the room have been worse than useless. I should have known better than to try to broach emotions ¨C when has it ever turned out well? Especially at a time like this. Idiot, I castigate myself. I turn away a little to give him some space, letting the veil of silence fall back into place. My emotional state too disrupted to be able to easily relax back into meditation, I shove the Energy-Heart into my Inventory and move towards the massive corpse stinking up the air near us. Pulling out my knife, I start digging into the side of the salamander myself. The Energy must be dissipating from the carcass already; I don¡¯t want to miss out on what I can get from the heart. I still haven¡¯t found it by the time I¡¯m digging elbow-deep in the body. I¡¯ve probably got the wrong angle here, or something. Muttering curses under my breath, I pull my arm out and try to look into the hole. Of course, I don¡¯t see anything ¨C the light barely pierces the tunnel I¡¯ve made and what I can see is just red flesh, indistinguishable from any other bit of body. Here, let me, River offers quietly, his tone subdued as the message comes over the Bond. Wordlessly I step aside. He sticks his clawed hand in, a look of concentration on his face. I see the blackened scales over his shoulders and arms, the clotted wounds which have ripped through them ¨C the marks the fight with the salamander left on him. Without even thinking about it, I place my hand on his shoulder and channel the mana I¡¯ve regenerated into him. Flesh knits together and grows anew to replace burnt bits. In a few moments, he looks significantly better. Dirty, but uninjured. I let my hand drop, satisfied. Suddenly realising he¡¯s staring at me, I look away for a moment, embarrassed and not really sure why. Then I straighten up, looking back at him with determination: why should I be embarrassed? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Thank you, River tells me, a hint of something I can¡¯t interpret in his voice. The emotions coming at me through the bond are too complex to parse, positive and negative mixing together into an indecipherable mass. I shrug. ¡°You were injured and I had the mana.¡± So were, are, you, he points out. True. I shrug. I¡¯ll heal myself in a few minutes time ¨C it¡¯s not like it really cost me anything. I¡¯ve lived with the pain this long; I can live with it for a few minutes more. My own healing regeneration has already started working on the wounds anyway. He looks at me for a long moment and then turns away to continue digging into the side of the salamander. As he works, staring blankly ahead at the wall of flesh, the emotions within him stabilise a little leaving dominating emotions of loneliness and sadness. I thought I knew what I was giving up when I agreed to your bargain. I thought that knowing I was doing my best to save the Tribe would be enough of a justification for my betrayal. He¡¯s silent for a few moments. I was wrong, he adds finally, almost in a whisper. It still hurts. I turn towards him, my mouth open to say something, anything to help with the broken-glass style pain I feel emanating from him. It¡¯s a familiar pain, one I¡¯ve felt too many times before, and it¡¯s one I don¡¯t wish on my worst enemy. I¡¯m interrupted from whatever banal platitude I might have uttered by a shift in his emotion. Underneath the negative emotions is the hint of something else: hope. He looks back at me, the same emotion evident in the hints of pale green that dance between his spikes. But maybe my vow of servitude shall not be as much of a burden as I feared. Before I can respond, not that I really know how to, a new set of feelings filters down the Bond. Confusion, fear, hope, and a determination to protect. Bastet. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Twenty-Nine: Life-Devourer I scramble over to the prone raptorcat, meeting her eyes. They¡¯re clear, focused, and containing very little obvious pain. I breathe a sigh of relief. It¡¯s not like I thought it was likely, but there was always a possibility that something had gone wrong in the process somewhere. ¡°I thought I¡¯d lost you,¡± I breathe, the words barely more than a whisper. Reassurance comes along the Bond along with a pointed question. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s dead,¡± I tell her, waving an arm at the corpse lying behind her. ¡°Hope you¡¯re hungry.¡± The eagerness that comes over from her side reveals that indeed, she¡¯s starving. It¡¯s not surprising ¨C I¡¯ve noticed that healing seems to consume resources in the body as well as mana; recovering from significant injuries leaves a body feeling like it hasn¡¯t eaten for days. ¡°Well, go on, then,¡± I tell her fondly. Not needing any more invitation, the raptorcat pushes herself to her feet and pads over to start helping herself. She¡¯s still a bit stiff, the healing having regenerated a fair amount of flesh. It¡¯ll take some time for that flesh to start moving properly again. Lathani greets Bastet with an affectionate head rub and the cubs scramble over each other to rub themselves against her too, adorable squeaky sounds filling the air. I stand there gazing at the felines. It¡¯s a strange environment in which to feel this, but I do: contentment. We beat the enemy trying to kill us ¨C and are currently eating our spoils. We¡¯re temporarily safe from our other enemies, even if the situation isn¡¯t tenable in the long term. And now, the cherry on the cake, our little family is back together: intact when I feared for so many agonising moments that it might be ripped apart like my first family was ¨C twice. So yeah, I feel contentment even standing in a literal field of wrath and tears. A large form comes to stand next to me. I don¡¯t need to look to know it¡¯s River. I do so anyway, curious about the feelings drifting through on the Bond. They¡¯re not visible on his face, only the spikes that make up his crest showing a faint patterning of different colours to indicate his tumultuous emotional state. In his hands is a large lump of flesh. We stay there for a few moments before he broaches his thoughts. You care about her, don¡¯t you. About them. It¡¯s not really a question even though the words really should indicate that it is. ¡°Yes,¡± I reply simply. ¡°They¡¯re family,¡± I admit. It feels strange to say ¨C none of them is human in any sort of way, but we¡¯ve made a family together, a pack. My recent foray into the world of connections has proven that without a doubt: the connections between us are far too strong to deny. Me, Bastet, the cubs, Lathani...I¡¯d suspect even Kalanthia to an extent, though she¡¯s still more aloof than any other in our strange pack. River is silent after that, both expression and emotions still too complex to easily decipher. I don¡¯t try, wanting to offer him at least a little privacy. He¡¯s earned that, at least. ¡°Is that the heart?¡± I ask after the silence makes it clear that he¡¯s not intending on coming out of his thoughts any time soon. He looks down at the organ, almost like he¡¯d forgotten he was holding it. Oh. Yes. Here...Markus. He holds it out to me and I take it. The salamander heart is large ¨C about the size of my head. I guess it would have to be, to pump blood around the body of the over-sized lizard. ¡°Thanks,¡± I reply simply. When it seems like he¡¯s happy just to watch the felines play and eat, I shrug and look at the heart. Do I dare eat it raw? On the one hand, possible parasites and diseases that even Lay-on-hands can¡¯t deal with. On the other, since I probably don¡¯t have enough wood in my Inventory to cook it, I¡¯d need to get wood from a forest which already wants to kill me¡­ Just as I¡¯m debating, a shadow passes over me. I glance up warily. A dot flies far above us and I watch it with caution, remembering the last time I had a bird flying high above me. A brush over the Taming Bond in my chest reveals that ¨C this time ¨C the identity of the dot is that of an ally, not an enemy. The bird descends rapidly through the colourful sky, the sunset touching clouds with pink and orange. The sun is already below the level of the trees, though it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s dropped below the horizon yet. With a flutter of wings, the bird banks to drastically reduce her speed and then lands on the top of the salamander. She shrieks softly and then climbs down the corpse to find an opening, her front two feet moving separately; her back two bunny hopping forwards in a motion that looks both awkward and oddly efficient. So she does eat meat? Why did she turn it down in the forest, then? In the end, I shrug to myself. If she eats meat, all the better: unlike it would probably be on Earth, meat seems the one thing I don¡¯t have much trouble getting hold of. ¡°What did you find?¡± I ask the bird impatiently as it tears shreds off the corpse. I receive back an admonishment via the Bond, a hammer of a feeling that is essentially ¡®I¡¯m eating: wait¡¯. I try to cross my arms, but I¡¯m still holding the massive heart. Grumbling under my breath, I crouch and pull out the firewood I have left in my Inventory. I leave two long sticks that I could potentially use as torches but pull out the rest. Perhaps it would be a better idea to save the branches, but I¡¯m determined to eat this creature¡¯s heart. If the bird tells me that going through the forest would be quick and easy, I¡¯ve got half a torch and a couple of sticks I could turn into more, now I¡¯ve got some breathing space. If we decide to risk the tunnel instead, I can grab a few chunks of deadwood without fearing that the wrath of the trees will be visited upon us later. Worst-case scenario, I don¡¯t cook the meat fully; if I can get it hot enough to roast any potential parasites, that¡¯s all I need. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Crouching down, I pile the sticks together and get out my fire-starter. River kneels down to watch my actions when I start creating sparks which jump from the starter to the pile of dry material. I¡¯m aware of his eyes on my every move as I go through what are now very practiced actions of lighting the fire, then building a spit for the heart above it. I use my knife to slice the heart into slices: at least if the meat is thinner, it will take less time to cook. When the fire is ready, I use two sticks to essentially hold the meat flat above the fire, watching as the flames pop and flare as drops of liquid fall into them. I gaze up at the bird, still gorging itself. I wonder what news she will give me. I don¡¯t actually know what I want her to tell me: that the edge of the forest is near and I should give up thoughts of exploring where the hole goes, or that it¡¯s far and therefore the hole is our best option. I glare at the bird choking down a chunk of meat. Couldn¡¯t she have told me before she decided to fill her beak? This is what you use on the sticks you¡¯ve been holding while travelling through the forest? River¡¯s voice interrupts my thoughts. Probably just as well ¨C they weren¡¯t going anywhere good. I look at him with confusion and he indicates the fire with his claws. ¡°Yes. We call it ¡®fire¡¯.¡± He tilts his head, confusion emanating from him. He then makes a very strange sound, air hissing through his teeth. ¡°What?¡± I ask with a frown. He repeats the same sound. My frown deepens as connections snap together. ¡°Are you trying to say ¡®fire¡¯?¡± I ask curiously. Yes, he agrees. I cannot seem to be able to pronounce it, though. Huh¡­ Interesting. It seems there a limit to the translation that can be done via the Bond: if the concept doesn¡¯t exist in the other person¡¯s experience, they apparently hear exactly what the other is saying, rather than their mind¡¯s interpretation. So while most of what I say probably is translated into the animalistic sounds and flashing of colour that River is used to, just like all of that is translated into words for me, ¡®fire¡¯ is such a new concept that it isn¡¯t. ¡°What about ¡®lightning¡¯, do you know that?¡± The bright flash which falls from the skies, accompanied by great sound, yes. We haven¡¯t had any recently, though our shaman has predicted a storm to not be far away. I make a mental note. Not that there¡¯s much I can do about it right now, of course, but it might be worth sticking close to Kalanthia¡¯s cave for a few days after we get back. ¡°Well, fire is something that is sometimes created by lightning when it strikes something and everything around is very dry.¡± River gives off a feeling of solemnity. The life-devourer. I know of that, though it has only happened once in my lifetime. I was barely out of the egg at that point so my brood-mother gathered me up with as many of my egg-siblings as she could. We hid with the rest of the Tribe in a specially dug underground shelter. It was very hot for a long time, and hard to breathe for a short time. Many died, mostly those who could not make it to the shelter in time. I¡¯m sobered by the reminder that my experience of so many things in my safe, civilised world of living in a capital city in a developed country is far different from what many others experience. On Earth just as much as on this one. When a forest fire is the only experience a group has had with fire, it¡¯s unsurprising that they would be wary of it. ¡°Well, this is a small, contained version of that. Actually, that salamander also used a version too, but I wouldn¡¯t say that was small and contained,¡± I tell him, trying to bring his thoughts away from past losses. I don¡¯t know about him, but I would have appreciated someone being able to do the same for me. I might not have ended up in this world if they had. A thought which sends an odd feeling through me. I dismiss it and turn back to my explanation. ¡°Fire needs three things: fuel, in this case the branches; oxygen, which is found in the air we can breathe; and a spark. In the case of your forest fire, oxygen and fuel were readily available, so the spark created by lightning was enough to cause a fire of epic proportions. Here, however, we limit the fuel and make sure that there is nothing directly nearby that could allow the fire to spread. That means that when we add the spark from my fire-starter, the fire is kept contained. Still dangerous, but not life-threatening unless we do something wrong.¡± I see, River replies thoughtfully. And what is this...contained life-devourer useful for? ¡°It keeps the vine-strangler trees from attacking us, for one thing,¡± I explain. ¡°Clearly they¡¯re afraid of fire ¨C for good reason, apparently, since they seem to be particularly vulnerable to it. For me it¡¯s also useful for creating food ¨C I can¡¯t just eat raw meat like you can. Then, beyond that, there¡¯s a whole world of infinite possibilities that all build off the ability to create and control fire. Possibilities you couldn¡¯t even imagine.¡± And you will build those? He actually sounds excited, his eyes gleaming and his spikes flickering with yellow, blue and green. ¡°No,¡± I laugh, then, seeing and feeling his immediate disappointment, modulate my answer. ¡°Not all of them, anyway. And not immediately. The vast majority require equipment and tools that I don¡¯t have access to. Maybe one day I¡¯ll be able to build some very basic ones, but¡­¡± I shrug. What I don¡¯t say is that I don¡¯t know how far I¡¯ll be able to ¨C or should ¨C progress along the path of technology. Anything electronic is so far out of the realms of possibility that it¡¯s not even worth considering: not only do I not have anything like the right facilities, equipment, or materials for it, but I don¡¯t have the knowledge either. The survival knowledge stone I absorbed right at the start has some information about basic blacksmithing, enough to create a mold for some basic tools and arrowheads, but little else. Whether I even go that far will very much depend on how things develop with my own abilities ¨C if I pick up an offensive Skill at level five, there might not be much point in advancing my weaponry. Of course, I¡¯d also have to find the materials: I thought I might have seen the glint of metal ore in the raptorcat cave, but I haven¡¯t been back to check ¨C I might easily have been mistaken. The first slice of meat is cooked enough for me to risk eating it. I pull it off the fire, replacing it with another. Then, as I¡¯m about to sink my teeth into the still-bloody flesh, there¡¯s a flutter of wings and the bird lands in front of me. She flips her wings back primly and looks at me, first with one eye then the other. ¡°Are you done eating?¡± I ask. Agreement comes through the Bond. Murphy is clearly on duty right now ¨C She¡¯s done just as I¡¯m about to start! Oh well, I¡¯ve had many working meals in the past: I can eat and plan, no problem. ¡°Then what did you see?¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty: Uncertainty When I ask the bird what she had seen while flying over the forest, I automatically accompany it with a query down the Bond. She sends me a memory of a literal bird¡¯s eye view. It¡¯s not hopeful. Not if we want to make our way out via the trees, anyway. The vine-strangler copse is so much bigger than I thought it would be, the trees obvious even from above because of their much darker colouring and smaller size than the normal forest giants. From a bird¡¯s view, the copse looks vaguely like a large eye with our little clearing being a speck at the centre of the pupil. The part that I crossed with Bastet and the cubs was like the corner of that eye, the point of the corner touching the banks of the river. Despite being one of the narrowest stretches of trees, it still took us hours to cross. To do the same with the thickest part would probably take two to three days, maybe more depending on the terrain hidden by the canopy. Fortunately, we wouldn¡¯t have to cross that section as we are in the centre of the ¡®eye¡¯, but it¡¯s still as I¡¯d suspected: we¡¯re too far away from the nearest edge of the vine-stranglers to make it through before dark. Heck, even the thinner stretch we would have to traverse might still take more than a day¡¯s light. Activating my Map, I see with interest that the details of the vine-strangler copse have been added onto my Map. Evidently, what one of my companions sees can also be considered as what I have seen. That¡¯s useful to know for the future. I don¡¯t remember the same addition when Bastet went scouting...then again, I suppose that the lizard-folk¡¯s settlement was added to my Map. Perhaps it was just that there were no other notable landmarks to include. The addition from the bird also shows me that the route we took to the centre was actually surprisingly direct ¨C the trees sure knew what they were doing when they were channelling us in this direction. But despite all of that, is the known danger of the vine-strangler forest still better than the unknown danger of the tunnel? River was confident that it was a tunnel rather than a hole, but we don¡¯t even know if the whole length of it is passable by all of us. I decide to put it to my companions. After explaining the situation in simple terms, I wait to hear what the three most communicative members of the team think. I want to go back to mother, Lathani tells me, a little unhelpfully. ¡°I know, I want to get you back too,¡± I tell her earnestly. ¡°But do you think it¡¯s better to go through the forest, or try this tunnel?¡± I don¡¯t know, she replies, sounding unhappy. I just want mother. With a wordless mewl of complaint, she sinks to the ground and lays her head on her paws. I feel for her ¨C she¡¯s still all too young, not more than a cub, despite her size. I need to remember that. Moving over, I try to give her some physical comfort, stroking her head and scratching behind her ears. After a moment, she shifts her heavy head onto my leg and closes her eyes. Well, I think we should try the tunnel, announces River with determination flashing across his crest and through the Bond. I send his thoughts through to my other companions, realising that they wouldn¡¯t have received the message. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I ask, curious as to why he¡¯s suddenly so keen on the idea. This is the centre of the Forest of Death, you say? Then I wish to know what is in this tunnel. Perhaps it could indicate the reason for this explosive growth of the Death Trees that so threaten my village. Looking at the map again, I see why the village is so concerned about the trees. While it hasn¡¯t yet been engulfed, the closest edge of the trees is not very far away from the village itself. The only reason it took us a while to reach when we were running away from the shaman and her entourage was because we weren¡¯t running directly at the tree line, but instead aiming to retrace our footsteps towards Kalanthia¡¯s den. If we¡¯d run directly for the forest, we¡¯d have probably hit it in an hour. Or less, considering that we¡¯d been running. With what River now knows about the sheer immensity of the forest ¨C definitely a forest and not a copse, whatever my quest says ¨C I can understand his urgency. It becomes especially concerning when taking into account the fact that the trees weren¡¯t on our route when Kalanthia came through, not that long ago. If that rate of growth carries on, River¡¯s village is toast. In that light, I suppose River¡¯s desire to explore the tunnel is understandable: the only reason he agreed to our Bond was because he wanted me to help him save his village. Whether that¡¯s the best idea for our whole group right now is another question. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°What do you think, Bastet?¡± Out of everyone¡¯s opinions, frankly, hers is the one I¡¯d trust most. Not only is she the oldest ¨C maturity-wise, at least, since I¡¯m not actually sure how old River is ¨C but she¡¯s also probably the most cautious since she has cubs to protect. As usual, her response is in a wave of emotion, but I notice this time that it¡¯s more pointed, more defined. It¡¯s easier to interpret which is good for me. She expresses caution, as expected, highlighting that our reason for being here is to rescue Lathani and get her ¨C along with the cubs ¨C back to the den. At the same time, she expresses uncertainty that travelling through the forest is a good idea: we are forever one step away from being caught in a cage that we cannot escape. Additionally, she raises a point that I hadn¡¯t thought of, being so concerned about the trees: there are other threats in the forest which may not be so affected by our torches. We came off well against the thorn bush, but if we faced something else like that, but bigger and more powerful? Overall, she seems fairly neutral towards both options, preferring whichever seems the least dangerous. Frankly, she seems to feel the same way I do, if I take my curiosity about the tunnel out of the equation. My conclusion is that we need more information before making a definitive decision either way. If the tunnel is now a completely clear and easy route out of the forest, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss it because I was too scared to set foot in it, but equally if we got ambushed by the salamander¡¯s friends or some other dark-dwelling creature because I¡¯d chosen to go down it while missing information, it would be completely my responsibility. ¡°OK, thank you for your ideas,¡± I say aloud, knowing that my thoughts will be automatically projected down the Bonds. ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯ll do. Bastet, are you feeling up to scouting?¡± I¡¯m reluctant to ask her, especially considering how injured she was so very recently, but she really is the best choice for this kind of task. A wave of assent comes from her direction. ¡°Great. Please check out the tunnel, then. Don¡¯t take any risks ¨C at the first sign of danger come back here. If you need help, let me know down the Bond.¡± The adult raptorcat agrees, though there¡¯s a hint of derision at the thought that she might put herself in danger unnecessarily. She¡¯s right ¨C I¡¯m probably projecting, but considering how close she was to death, I think I should be allowed a bit of leeway. She nuzzles the cubs and I sense a message passing between her and them, travelling along a connection that has nothing to do with our Bond. It¡¯s not with words, of course, but if I had to articulate it, I¡¯d have to say it was along the lines of ¡®be good and stay with the pack¡¯. Then, she trots down the slope to the tunnel. Pausing at the edge, she¡¯s still for a few moments. Touching the Bond, I get an impression of watchful observation, all her senses extended. Then she shifts again, slipping over the edge of the hole and descending into the tunnel. The tip of her plumed tail is that last thing we see of her. Feeling restless, I finish the cooked heart. As it is, I have enough wood ¨C just ¨C to cook all the pieces of meat. They¡¯re rare, and a French version of rare at that, rather than my preferred medium rare, but hopefully it¡¯s enough to avoid any possible negative consequences of eating completely raw meat. The heart is actually surprisingly tasty ¨C not like steak really, but almost like a gamey chicken. I¡¯ve never eaten a chicken¡¯s heart, but I imagine it would probably taste quite similar; the killer chickens don¡¯t count. Besides, they taste much the same too. My meal over and feeling rather full, I figure that we need to prepare for the journey ahead. The way I see it is that either we¡¯ll stay here tonight and set off tomorrow morning through the forest, since I really don¡¯t think travelling in the dark through killer-trees is a good idea, or we¡¯ll make our way through the tunnel as soon as Bastet gets back. We could spend some time resting even if we take the tunnel, but I¡¯m very aware that we have no water. My mouth is OK because I¡¯ve just been eating some juicy meat, but it¡¯s going to be getting dry soon. My companions will probably be fine since they can eat the raw meat and partially hydrate themselves from it, but I can¡¯t do that. Certainly not to the same extent, anyway. Even if we have plenty of food, the water situation is pressing. So, ideally, we¡¯ll get going as soon as possible, regardless of the option we choose. I try to think through our other needs. Whichever way we choose, we¡¯re going to need torches. In the forest they¡¯re needed as protection; in the tunnel, they¡¯ll be needed as illumination. That means braving the edge of the vine-stranglers to search for deadwood since I¡¯d rather be over-prepared than under-prepared. I need to regenerate my mana so I can heal the group. And I need to check my messages because they¡¯re almost causing me a headache with their insistent nagging. Now, which one to do first? ¡°River,¡± I say, holding my half-burnt torch over the fire to light it, ¡°take this.¡± I hand the now-lit torch to him as he comes up next to me. He holds it like a snake that might bite him at any moment. I¡¯d find it sad if I didn¡¯t know why he¡¯s so wary. ¡°It¡¯s OK. Just hold the torch by the unlit end and don¡¯t let the fire anywhere near you. It should be fine.¡± He doesn¡¯t look particularly reassured, but evidently the fact that it hasn¡¯t burnt him just for holding the wood is enough of a proof as he grips it a little more forcefully. ¡°We¡¯re going to look for wood, OK? I¡¯d like you to keep an eye out. If you see any tree even look like it might be considering attacking us, wave the fire at it threateningly, alright?¡± He assents a little reluctantly, but I¡¯ll take it. ¡°Bird, Lathani, please keep an eye on the cubs, OK? We¡¯re not going far ¨C just into the edge of the forest to look for wood. Cry out if there¡¯s an issue and we¡¯ll be back in seconds.¡± The bird agrees, disinterest colouring the message. Lathani is still moping, but she agrees too, shifting so that she can keep an eye on the three cubs who are currently playing with one of the salamander¡¯s claws. Satisfied that things are as much under control as possible, I walk towards the tree line. We¡¯d set up camp on the other side of the salamander¡¯s corpse which by itself is several metres away from the trees. Still, that means that we¡¯re within earshot if anything happens. Even as we walk towards the forest, I see a few branches laying at the roots of the trees just beyond the tree line. This should be a cake-walk. Get in there, grab some wood, then get out. Simple. What could go wrong? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-One: Close to the Wire River¡¯s nervous. I don¡¯t mind admitting that I am too. In the twilight as we are now, the shadows of each tree are deep, the whole forest seeming even more threatening than it did before. The flickering of the torch doesn¡¯t help: it deepens the shadows even further and makes them move in my peripheral vision, a thoroughly unnerving experience as it leaves me feeling permanently on edge. Then again, I probably would be anyway considering the threat that surrounds us. The lizard-man sticks right next to me, though I see him make an effort to watch our backs more than look in the same direction as I am. I appreciate his efforts; hopefully we won¡¯t be attacked, but if we are, at least we¡¯ll have as much warning as possible. I stoop down and collect the dry wood cracking with our footsteps. Wanting to have enough for another fire to cook some food if necessary, I just collect any piece of dry wood that comes to hand, letting my Inventory sort the pieces out according to size. Fortunately, with my level up a couple of days ago, I still have several slots free. We don¡¯t go deep into the forest, sticking to where we can see the clearing through the gap between only a few tree trunks. I sense the forest¡¯s anger around us, though I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s because we¡¯re collecting wood, because we avoided its trap, or because we dare to walk with impunity within its bounds. Frankly, I don¡¯t care. After a while, I even feel like I¡¯m relaxing just the slightest, the foreboding threat but lack of actual action leading me into a sense of relative security. A false one, it turns out. I hear the bubble of water as we pass one tree and my head goes up in excitement. I turn from one side to another, trying to identify the direction of the sound. It¡¯s deeper into the forest, of course, but I would guess it to only be a short distance away. I step towards it eagerly ¨C I¡¯m already thirsty and the opportunity to refill my canteen and water pot would be most welcome. With the branches I¡¯ve already collected, I¡¯ll even be able to boil it! Mas-Markus, are we not staying close to the edge of the forest? River asks, his tone uneasy. ¡°I want to get some water,¡± I tell him, my voice hushed. Not that I think anyone¡¯s listening, but just like a church, it doesn¡¯t seem the right kind of place for loud voices. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any water here, he says, confused. I thought we were collecting branches? ¡°Yes, but if I can collect water too, that would be a bonus,¡± I tell him, then I pause. Wait, I thought that he had senses at least as good as mine, if not better. Why can¡¯t he hear it? ¡°Can¡¯t you hear that stream?¡± I ask. Negation comes through the Bond even before he answers and a sudden sense of foreboding fills me. I can¡¯t hear anything but the wind in the trees. As he speaks, the trap which I had so unwittingly walked into closes on me. The forest floor a mere foot away from where I¡¯m standing shimmers, only to reveal a bulbous body and gaping maw filled with teeth. Before I can react, tentacles snap out to wrap around my body. I shout as serrated edges bite into me. Why is everything in this forest either thorny or spiky? The shock of being attacked wears off very quickly: I was mostly-expecting it, anyway. Even as I grab my knife from my belt, thankful that the creature left my right arm free, River charges in with his spear held in one hand and the flaming torch in the other, bellowing in rage. I¡¯m not sure why he¡¯s so angry ¨C whether it¡¯s because he now considers me the best hope for his tribe, because I was attacked under his watch, or because he has some racial hatred for this creature. Whatever the reason, it¡¯s clear he would like to teach my attacker the error of its ways ¨C in a permanent fashion. Between us, we manage to make quite short work of the creature. It¡¯s only after the thing has subsided to the ground that I realise I¡¯m feeling more lethargic than I should be after such a relatively short fight. The lethargy is soon joined by nausea and dizziness, and I see that my health is dropping even as I look at it. Having already experienced something of this sort twice now, I have an idea of what¡¯s going on: poison. ¡°I¡¯m poisoned,¡± I warn my Bound even as I cast Lay-on-hands and channel my mana through my body to counteract the damage the poison is doing. What are your symptoms? he asks, his tone urgent. ¡°Lethargy, nausea, dizziness. It¡¯s doing damage to my insides, I think,¡± I tell him shortly, worried about how my health is still decreasing, even with as much healing magic running through my system as I¡¯m channelling. My wounds are still bleeding, too. They¡¯re small but painful, and the number of them mean that I¡¯m losing quite a lot of blood. I have to guess that the poison also contains something which stops my wounds from clotting. I tell River this too. I hope it¡¯s a quick-lived poison; if not, I may end up running out of mana before it stops affecting me. With the blood-loss added in, that would probably be fatal. I have herbs which will help back in the clearing, River tells me. I look up at him muzzily, at some point having fallen to the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t have the same physiology as you,¡± I point out. ¡°They may poison me instead.¡± I know the poison which affects you. If not stopped, it will ravage a body in a very short time. You don¡¯t have a choice. ¡°Great,¡± I sigh. So much for a quick jaunt into the forest to pick up some wood. I try to push myself to my feet, but lose my balance before I can. River holds out his clawed paws and I gratefully use them to help steady me. He starts off towards the camp. ¡°Wait,¡± I say, a thought occurring. Confusion emanates from his side of the Bond but he helps me as I return to the corpse of whatever it is, heave it just off the ground with a grunt ¨C if River hadn¡¯t been there, I¡¯d have fallen over again instead of succeeding ¨C and stuff it in my Inventory. Such a poison sounds like a great one to add to my collection and there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be coming back to find the corpse later. ¡°OK, let¡¯s go,¡± I tell my companion. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it We walk out, River on high alert to attempt to compensate for my lack of ability to defend myself right now. My stomach roils with every step, but somehow I manage to keep it down. Fortunate, that ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to have to live with the nasty taste and no water to wash it out. The trees shift around me and I fear for a moment that they¡¯ll take advantage of my incapacitated state to attack. The torch still burns brightly, though, and clearly that¡¯s enough to keep them at bay. We manage to make it to the clearing with no further attacks. By the point we¡¯re sitting down with Lathani, the bird, and the cubs, my health is down to a quarter and my mana is almost out. I¡¯m getting more than worried. It¡¯s not long since this was the condition Bastet was in and we almost lost her. I don¡¯t want to die either! River quickly leaves me as soon as we¡¯re in safety, striding to his little box of wonders. I slump to the ground, weakly batting away the cubs who crowd me, obviously sensing that something¡¯s wrong. What happened? Lathani asks frantically, her hackles up and a growl in her throat. Is there an enemy? ¡°Not now,¡± I tell her. ¡°Killed it. Poisoned¡±. Short phrases are easier than anything else to communicate. ¡°Give River space,¡± I urge her as he turns and strides back to me. She backs away and he crouches down, a number of plant parts held gently between his paws. Eat these, he tells me brusquely. I take them but hesitate. ¡°You¡¯re sure they won¡¯t poison me? More, I mean.¡± No, he replies grimly, the emotion saying more than the words. Well, he¡¯s honest at least, but I¡¯d have rather had a comforting lie at this point. But as he said earlier, I don¡¯t have a choice. Or I do, but I don¡¯t think that relying on the poison running out just before I die is a good plan. Sure, it worked like that before, but depending on luck is a poor strategy. I stuff the plant parts into my mouth and chew on them. They¡¯re nasty, a mixture of bitter and sour. Though, there is one in there which I wouldn¡¯t mind having again ¨C something that reminds me of mint. Without water to help me swallow, it¡¯s hard to choke the things down, and my continuing nausea doesn¡¯t help. Nonetheless, I manage eventually. My stomach spasms a bit, and I¡¯m convinced for a moment that the herbs are going to come right back up. I even turn over and retch a few times into the ash. Is my body rejecting them? With a final cramp, my stomach calms and the nausea mostly abates. With the nausea goes my dizziness, albeit more slowly. I cast another Lay-on-hands, chanelling it until my mana is only the tiniest sliver ¨C I don¡¯t want the nausea and exhaustion that comes with mana deprivation to make me feel even worse. I bite my lip, my stomach roiling from something other than the poison. My Lay-on-hands helps, this time actually pushing my health up a little, but only from about five percent to fifteen percent. When it stops working, my health starts ticking down again, bit by bit. My wounds are still bleeding sluggishly, but I think that they are starting to clot. I¡¯m slumped on the ground, feeling absolutely wretched, seeing my end tick closer and closer. Was this like it was for my dad? It¡¯s depressing that even having access to literal healing magic isn¡¯t a sure defence against dying by inches. Can you do anything else? I ask River, too exhausted to open my mouth and form the words. A sense of helpless frustration comes over the Bond. I know his answer before he says it. No. I¡¯m sorry. I close my eyes briefly in despair before opening them again. I can¡¯t see the number of health units I have left in numerical terms, but I would guess that it¡¯s only about seven or eight. As I watch, another sliver leaves the bar. If it was eight, it¡¯s only seven now. My mana is still almost drained, though it is regenerating slowly. The problem is that I¡¯m losing more health than I¡¯m gaining mana. Like a drowning man clutching at straws, I close my eyes and try to calm my mind. Not exactly easy as close as I am to dying, but somehow, though a force of will, I manage to do it. Perhaps it was all that practice in the lizard-folk¡¯s camp. The fifteen percent increase in mana gain may not be massive, but if it can keep my health above zero units, then I don¡¯t care. I think I once heard someone say desperation is the mother of invention. Even as my body fails around me, my mind races, searching for some solution. Any solution. I touch the connections around me. Surely this can¡¯t be it? I pluck at the links around me, touching them with a sense that I cannot name. And then a thought sparks. What did the Meditation Skill description say? Why does Meditation help my mana increase? I don¡¯t dare drop out of the trance to check. But wasn¡¯t it something about improving my connection to the world around? Isn¡¯t that why my mana regenerates faster when I¡¯m in it? And are these connections anything to do with all that? A gut instinct tells me that they are; that they¡¯re integral to the whole thing. And if the connections are the means by which I gain mana, could I do more than just passively absorb it? What if I actively draw it in? It¡¯s worth a shot. Of course, conceiving of an idea is one thing; putting it into practice is something completely different. I¡¯m sensing connections in a way I cannot describe and never felt before the previous day; now I¡¯m trying to affect them somehow using that sense. It¡¯s like trying to fish spaghetti out of water, except I¡¯m not holding the fork ¨C it¡¯s attached to a series of pulleys by a string and I¡¯m having to control it like that. Blindfolded. With gloves on. And with no experience of pot, fork, or spaghetti. Impossible, right? But never underestimate what a desperate person can do and I sense that I am very, very close to the wire right now. I can¡¯t see my health bar in this state, nor really feel my body¡¯s physical state, but something about the way many of the connections around me are reacting tells me that I¡¯m probably only a couple of health units away from death. Even a blindfolded, gloved, pulley-controller can get lucky once and pull a strand of spaghetti from the pot. And, despite really not understanding what I¡¯m doing, despite fumbling in the dark, I get lucky. A flash of heat travels into me and I feel a sudden pain from the Bond I have with River. I¡¯m pulled out of Meditation. Immediately, I register that my health bar is, indeed, almost entirely empty...but that my mana bar has enough of a sliver to cast Lay-on-hands. Not wasting even a second, I pour the mana into myself, not even leaving a single unit of mana in the tank. I get hit immediately by the effects of mana exhaustion. Nausea returns, as does a cracking headache. My limbs already feel encased in lead, so nothing changes there. But my health bar has jumped up again. Not much ¨C my Lay-on-hands has increased the number of points it heals by, usually hitting twenty or so for a single cast, but with my larger health pool that means it¡¯s only filling a bit over ten percent of my bar at a time. However, when death is the spectre raising its scythe over my shoulder, that¡¯s a massive difference. I still feel like I¡¯ve got one foot in the grave, but I¡¯m not quite as close to losing my balance and tumbling in. However, whatever I did has had consequences, if the look on River¡¯s face is anything to judge by. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Two: Drain ¡°What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?¡± I ask, instinctively searching around us to check for a threat. Seeing none, I turn back to him questioningly. You...I felt a drain upon me from through our connection. I receive his message with dismay. ¡°Did it...hurt?¡± He doesn¡¯t answer immediately, and when he does, it¡¯s full of uncertainty. Yes¡­? But not like a wound. More like a loss. I understand. Kind of. What I took must have literally been drawn from River. Maybe from his own mana pool, if he has one? I hesitate. The majority of me is screaming to just do it, rip whatever I can from River ¨C I¡¯m dying. Even now, the small amount of health I managed to regain is being stripped from me bit by bit. I¡¯m probably losing a health point every four seconds ¨C better than it was before, but still unmanageable. I need to at least outpace the effects of the poison until they wear off but my mana regeneration takes about a minute and a half to regenerate enough for another Lay-on-hands. Even if I meditate, that only increases the amount of mana I regenerate by one unit per minute or so ¨C not enough to help me. Ideally, I could find a way of clearing the poison from my system, but to do that I¡¯m going to need even more mana. But if it means ripping something away from someone else? Something that maybe they need? How can I ask that of River? In the end, I don¡¯t have to. Even while I¡¯ve been sitting there silently, my thoughts racing to find another option despite feeling the pressure of my impending end, River has clearly been going through his own thought process. Do it, he says, his tone firm. I blink, a little taken aback. Is he really saying what I think he is? He must feel my question through the Bond as he sends a wave of affirmation. Take what you need to live and overcome this poison. Despite the time pressure, I want to make sure he¡¯s certain. ¡°Are you sure? Even though it hurts you? What if it damages you permanently?¡± I have faith that you will hold to your word to save my village, even if I am rendered useless to you by this service. It¡¯s more of a desperate hope than a certainty, but I nod in acknowledgment, feeling metaphorical chains bind me in return. For what he¡¯s done and is prepared to do, I will do my best to help his village, even if it means Dominating them one by one to make sure they leave the area and then setting them free. For what River¡¯s offering me now, I¡¯ll go against my own principles if it¡¯s the only option left to me. I don¡¯t send the detail of my thoughts to him, but he feels my commitment. Then do it. My health is back down to a sliver so I don¡¯t hesitate for a second longer. Slipping into the trance, the state easier and easier to achieve as I practise it, I touch the Bond I have with River. It takes a few increasingly desperate attempts to copy what I did before, but I succeed eventually, even as I once more sense the connections around me withering away. This time when River hisses and I feel pain come at me across the link, I don¡¯t stop. Guilt suffusing me, I continue nonetheless. Drawing steadily, I drop out of the trance to quickly cast a Lay-on-hands as I sense that I¡¯m right on the wire again. With a bit more leeway, I slip back into the trance and start drawing again, only taking two attempts to succeed this time. River hisses in pain again, and I stop when the flow seems to become harder to draw. Opening my eyes, I see that he looks worn out and haggard. His skin has lost colour, and almost sags on his frame, and his posture is slumped. Guilt claws at me again, but I can¡¯t focus on that right now. If I waste the precious mana he¡¯s given me by wallowing in guilt, I¡¯m only compounding my selfishness. Instead, I note that I¡¯ve regained about half my mana pool and immediately channel that into my body. Following the mana with my mind, I search out the poison in my system. I soon discover that it¡¯s truly a nasty one: my brain, my liver, my heart, my lungs, my kidneys...most of my major organs are under attack. With my school-level ideas of anatomy and the knowledge I gained from the Lay-on-hands stone, I figure that the best thing to do would be to void the poison from my body. With the choice of opening a vein or pushing it through my kidneys, I decide to do the latter: I figure losing more blood is not a good idea even if it gets rid of the poison more quickly. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Working with haste, aware that the mana I have is limited and sensing that I won¡¯t be able to draw any more from River right now, I use my magic to push the poison around. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t resist in any sort of way, so the main job is making sure I don¡¯t miss any bits ¨C I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s something that could self-replicate and don¡¯t want to risk it. The speed is a little limited to my pulse rate, but I keep the poison clumped up and direct it through the intricate network of my blood vessels until I get it to my kidneys and through. When it lands in my bladder, I pull back until I¡¯m settled into my body, rather than feeling like a speck of light travelling through it. Just in time ¨C my mana bar is back down to the merest sliver, probably only a couple of units away from running out. I fumble with my trousers, unbuttoning the fly and reaching inside to free myself. Wishing I was strong enough to at least crawl away from where I¡¯m resting, instead I just lean onto my side and try to aim my stream so that it¡¯s going downhill away from me. It¡¯s dark yellow and stinks, more than just ammonia polluting the air. With a sudden thought, I cover my nose with my off-hand, hoping that the poison isn¡¯t effective when air-borne as well. After rearranging myself and doing up my fly again ¨C since this is no area in which I¡¯d like to expose such a precious part of my anatomy ¨C I lean back to lie down. I dearly hope that nothing attacks us now as we¡¯d be sitting ducks. Except for, ironically, the only bird of the group: she could just fly off. It¡¯s pretty crazy that I¡¯m in a worse state after fighting some table-sized ambushing predator than after fighting a horse-sized fire-breathing salamander. Then again, one of my other near misses was also from a venomous trap-making spider. Being poisoned is really something I need to be careful about, clearly. Though the idea I¡¯ve had before comes back to me: if I could turn that power against my enemies¡­ I take a couple of moments to verify that indeed my health is no longer ticking down. It¡¯s not, but it¡¯s not above ten percent full either ¨C I spent all the healing mana in clearing out the poison and only the barest minimum on repairing the damage it left behind. I open my eyes to look over weakly at River. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± He wordlessly sends a similar sense of weakness over to me, though his is more...drained. Actually, it¡¯s very familiar ¨C the sensations similar to the ones I get when my stamina or mana are exhausted. I resolve to check him over with healing magic when I can, but I don¡¯t get the sense that he¡¯s in danger. Right, that makes it clear what I need to do next then. ¡°Can you keep an eye out?¡± I ask my Bound. Not that we could do a huge amount, but forewarned is forearmed, or so they say. He agrees, sending a feeling of tiredness and discomfort but readiness to do what he can. Then, on second thoughts, I send the same message to the bird, since she¡¯s actually in decent condition. She agrees too, though demands some more meat in payment. Feeling like rolling my eyes, I point out the salamander corpse to her and tell her to help herself. She replies with a feeling of fullness: clearly, she meant later, not now. Sighing with frustration, I agree to feed her later and she sends me back a feeling of satisfaction. If everything¡¯s going to be a negotiation with her, that¡¯s going to get annoying fast. Still, with that all sorted, I slip back into my meditative trance. It¡¯s interesting, but since my frantic attempts to draw mana along the Bond from River, I notice that my connection with him is stronger, more obvious in this world where connections are what define my environment, far more than any physical nature. After noting that, though, I relax my focus, allowing my mind to wander along the different links rather than trying to focus on any one in particular. My ability to affect the Bonds is something I¡¯m going to want to experiment with, but not here and not now. By the time I come out of the trance, my mana is almost full, meaning that probably a little more than twenty minutes has passed. It¡¯s dark but the rising moon makes it possible to see outlines of things. My health has increased a little, but my regeneration rate for that is so slow in comparison to my mana that the fact that it¡¯s climbed by a noticeable chunk means a fair bit of time has passed. I cast a Lay-on-hands on myself, repairing the damage the poison did. That¡¯s a lot easier to do without the poison working against me faster than I can heal myself and I still have half my mana pool when my health has climbed to almost its maximum. Feeling significantly better, I push myself to my feet and go to check on River. I¡¯m still tired, the kind of healing I¡¯ve just been doing taking mental energy more than physical stamina, but my body feels pretty much back to normal otherwise. Even as I walk, I pull out a chunk of grilled meat. My mouth is dry and I¡¯d love a drink, but nothing would convince me to go back into that forest to search for water at this stage. River twists his head to look at me as I approach. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡± I ask him. Still drained, though it is less all-encompassing, he replies. I crouch to put my hand on his shoulder and send healing magic into him. As I continue pouring mana into the spell, I start frowning. There¡¯s...something there, but it doesn¡¯t appear to be anything I can affect with my healing magic. Even when I try to direct my magic to what I half-sense is there, it just slips around or through whatever the thing is, not affecting it in the slightest. All I can do is heal a few small things here or there and then withdraw. ¡°I think it¡¯s just something you¡¯ll have to recover from in time,¡± I say to him finally, trying to speak with a confidence I don¡¯t feel. At least, I hope that he¡¯ll recover from it in time, because if not¡­ Wanting to move rather than sit down and continue meditating, I move over to the salamander corpse and start skinning in large sections, filling my Inventory with the large pieces of hide. After a while, River joins me silently, butchering the meat that I¡¯ve revealed to the air. I glance at him surreptitiously. He is looking better, fortunately. His scales have regained some of their colour, and his skin isn¡¯t looking quite so loose on his frame. He¡¯s still not moving with the energy I¡¯ve seen from him so far, but hopefully that will return too. After a while, the nagging sense of messages waiting gets on my nerves. Since I¡¯ve already got enough hide to cover me head to toe four times over, I bow out of dealing with the corpse, leaving it to River as I sit down and open up my message panel. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Three: Way of the Healer I open up my message screen and stare. Fortunately, it¡¯s possible to read my messages regardless of the light level around me. My message area looks a bit like a mail-box, but each entry is just labelled as ¡®message¡¯, nothing more helpful than that. I can scroll down to see all the messages I¡¯ve received since the beginning, but these days actually finding something in the list is a bit of a trial. Read messages are slightly grey meaning that unread ones are highlighted by being white. It shouldn¡¯t really be a surprise considering how urgent the nagging feeling had been getting, but I¡¯m still shocked at the number of unread messages. Well, no time like the present. I scroll down to the oldest message ¨C I actually have to do that, which shows just how many messages I have to read ¨C and select it mentally.
Congratulations! You have gathered enough Energy to push your body to the next level. Would you like to level up?
Y/N
My eyebrows almost disappear into my hair-line. I can level up again? But I only levelled like...two days ago? That¡¯s fast. Choosing ¡®no¡¯ for now, I navigate to my status screen first, half-disbelieving the notification.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 3 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 94u/hr Energy towards debt: 4%
Intelligence 18 Mana: 180/180
Wisdom 16 Mana regeneration rate: 400u/hr
Willpower 21+4 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 25u/hr
Constitution 16 Health: 160/160
Strength 14 Stamina: 80/80
Dexterity 14 Stamina regeneration rate: 140u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 5 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 1 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 5 Meditation ¨C Beginner 7
I mean, the notification was right. I¡¯m sitting at one hundred percent in terms of Energy gathered. But the surprises don¡¯t stop there. Starting from the top, the first number that sticks out to me is the Energy absorption rate. That¡¯s a crazy number. Kalanthia¡¯s den is in an area where I get thirteen units of Energy per hour. More to the point, River¡¯s village is in an area further into the valley than we are now, but I was only getting twenty-five units of Energy per hour. To have such a dramatic difference between absorption rates within just a few hours¡­ there¡¯s got to be something wrong. Or right. Or maybe it¡¯s normal. What do I know? Regardless, I mentally switch my Energy absorption to going towards my Energy debt: right now, I¡¯m just wasting the opportunity. I wonder how long I¡¯ve been at the point of being able to level up and curse myself for not checking my notifications sooner. Well, nothing I can do about it now¡­ Next, I note that my Wisdom, Willpower, and Constitution have each increased by a point. I¡¯ve got to guess that that is because of my experience just now with the poison, but I might be wrong. Given that I didn¡¯t have to assent to the points, they must be ones I fully earned rather than needing to shortcut the system with a bit of Energy. Finally, I look at my Skills list and the number of changes there. Dominate has actually ranked up interestingly enough. Considering that I haven¡¯t actually Dominated any creatures recently, I can only think it¡¯s linked with my current Bonds ¨C maybe drawing mana from River is the cause? That¡¯ll be one of the messages waiting for me; perhaps whatever new feature of the Skill I¡¯ve got will explain where I got it from. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I¡¯m also curious as to why Lay-on-hands is suddenly in italics when it never has been before...maybe there will be a message about that? I know I haven¡¯t lost the Skill or anything because I¡¯ve been using it, so at least I don¡¯t have to worry about that. It¡¯s also ranked up, though that¡¯s not entirely surprising considering I¡¯ve never cleared out poison in the way I just did. Animal Empathy has increased a little and Meditation a lot ¨C also not really surprising considering what I¡¯ve been doing recently. Still, nothing ground-breaking there. I decide to clear out all my notifications before levelling up since there may be information in them which could change my allocation of stat points.
Congratulations! You have made progress on your quest. You have discovered the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and encountered a guardian of unusual size and strength. Investigation of the guardian beast¡¯s lair may yield additional clues.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse Quest type: Regional
Description: You have encountered Vine-Strangler trees in an unusual location, at an unusual stage of development and with an unusual level of Energy in the area. You have sought the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and have had an encounter with a powerful beast.
Primary objective: Discover why Vine-Strangler trees are growing in this location and the reason for the unusual level of Energy. Secondary objective: Investigate the guardian beast¡¯s lair.
Time to complete quest: Unlimited
Suggested difficulty: Initiate Reward: Rare Bronze chest
Apparently, despite not being sure about attempting to complete this quest at all, and most definitely not wanting to do it before delivering Lathani back to her mother, I¡¯ve been sucked into it nonetheless. Could the quest have been given by the vine-strangler trees themselves? It seems strange to consider trees giving a person a quest, but it¡¯s also strange to think of trees herding me to battle with a giant fire-breathing salamander. On second thoughts, though, that same salamander is considered a ¡®guardian¡¯ in the quest ¨C something I doubt the trees would consider it. Unless it was guarding something else? I dismiss the thoughts with a shake of my head. Either way, it doesn¡¯t make much difference. The situation hasn¡¯t changed and that hole in the centre of the clearing still potentially offers our best chance of getting out of here, since we can¡¯t fly like the bird. It just gives me a warning that the tunnel might be even more dangerous than I thought. Dangerous...or lucrative. Being called a ¡®guardian beast¡¯ really makes me wonder what exactly the salamander was guarding ¨C and whether it might be any use to me or mine. Deciding to think about that later, I move on to the next notification. This one is pretty surprising too.
You have discovered a use of your Skill: Lay-on-hands which is not compatible with its originating school: the Way of the Healer. Skills from this school are explicitly focused on doing no harm. You have used your Skill: Lay-on-hands in a combat situation to kill your opponent. You therefore have a choice to either Evolve your Skill or Split it. Evolve If you choose to Evolve your Skill, you will gain access to a new area of magic: Flesh-Shaping. Having moved away from the original Skill you may, however, lose access to potential aspects of your original Skill. Aspects of which you have gained personal knowledge will remain intact. Split If you choose to Split your Skill, you will retain your original Skill: Lay-on-hands with all previous progress remaining intact. You will also gain a second Skill: Body-Invasion. This new Skill will allow you to influence an opponent¡¯s body while fighting by invading their flesh with your own mana. Invasions with foreign mana are automatically resisted by the enemy and this resistance must be overcome in order for the Skill to be used successfully. Until you make a choice, you will be unable to use any combat applications of flesh-magic.
Do you wish to choose now or go to the next message? Choose/Next message
I stare at the message for a long moment, reading and rereading it. I still don¡¯t understand it. So, I could kill the salamander by invading its brain with my magic, but now I can¡¯t? Because some people in this ¡®Way of the Healer¡¯ school say I can¡¯t? How on earth ¨C or off it ¨C can they enforce that? But apparently they can. Is this why Lay-on-hands was written in italics on my status sheet? Because I could lose it entirely, replace it with ¡®Flesh-Shaping¡¯? My being shrinks away from that option, especially since it says I could lose aspects of Lay-on-hands. ¡®Potential¡¯ aspects, whatever that means. Lay-on-hands has kept me alive, it¡¯s kept Bastet alive ¨C twice ¨C and in no way do I want to lose anything about it. However... I can¡¯t say that ¡®Body-Invasion¡¯ sounds very appealing. Yes, it¡¯s what I did, but¡­ In the end, I decide that I need to talk to Kalanthia about it. And maybe River too. They might have heard of either Flesh-Shaping or Body-Invasion before and have an idea of whether one Skill would be better than the other. I mentally select the next message option.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Beginner. Dominate is now Novice 1. Due to your unusual uses of this Skill, two new effects have been discovered. Effect 1: You have used this Skill to negotiate rather than crush your opponent¡¯s Will during Battles of Wills. Henceforth, you are able to impose a sense of peace on the Battle of Will¡¯s space. This sense will increase slightly with each level that you gain in the Skill and will calm and pacify strong emotions, allowing reason to prevail. Note that this effect can only take place when you yourself are calm and you are attempting to negotiate. If you attempt to forcefully overcome your opponent in this space, the sense of peace will be replaced with a sense of aggression of equivalent strength. Effect 2: You have discovered that more than just thoughts and emotions can pass along the Bond. You are now able to draw mana from your Bound. Experiment with this capacity to discover new aspects. Be wary, however, of the effect this has on your Bound ¨C and yourself.
Next message? Y/N
I click away, feeling a little troubled. The fact that negotiations will become easier is great; it¡¯s the second effect that worries me a little. That the system box even warns me about the effects is a red flag for me. I¡¯m going to have to be very, very careful with this, I decide. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not going to investigate it at all. If I could draw on my Bound when I¡¯m low in mana? That could be a life-saver. And what if it¡¯s not only mana? What if I could draw on health? Or Energy? Even better, what if it could be a two-way street and I could share my own health with a heavily injured companion? I may be reading more into the possibilities than actually exists, but if any of these are potential discoveries waiting to be made? Game-changer would be the least of it. The next three messages are the expected notifications about having gained points in Wisdom, Willpower, and Constitution. It doesn¡¯t say why, but I can guess. The following message is actually an offered point.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N
With regret, I choose to reject it. I think levelling up is more important. If I accept the point now, it¡¯ll take a chunk from my Energy store and I won¡¯t be able to level up for a while. Besides, since I¡¯ve already half-earned the point, it¡¯ll either be offered to me again later or I¡¯ll gain it outright through another dangerous encounter ¨C by this point, I¡¯m not foolish enough to think that I won¡¯t have any more of those. Plus, I¡¯ve already earned a point in Constitution outright, so I don¡¯t regret missing this one as much. Lastly, is my rank-up message for Lay-on-hands. Clearly, until I make the decision about whether to Evolve or Split the Skill, it¡¯s considered as business as usual. I suppose I should be grateful that not making the choice hasn''t frozen my Skill''s ability to progress or something.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Initiate. Lay-on-hands is now Journeyman 1. You have shown an understanding of the body¡¯s anatomy on multiple occasions. Healing magic that is directed according to the body¡¯s natural rhythms is now more efficient. You use approximately 5% less mana for channeled healing that works with the body for every Journeyman level in Lay-on-hands you have.
Close messages? Y/N
Nothing particularly ground-breaking, but useful enough. Like the extra absorption of mana while in Meditation, it¡¯s the kind of thing that shows its use over time. However, by the point that I reach Journeyman nine, I¡¯ll have a forty-five percent reduction in mana costs ¨C that¡¯s big. Given that my most recent issues have been to do with not having enough mana to deal with the gravity of the injuries, it feels a little like an answer to my prayers. Actually, how come I¡¯ve had two Skills in two days offer me something that¡¯s effectively a percentage increase in mana? Is there a reason, or is it just coincidence? Sighing, I push the question out of my mind ¨C perhaps I¡¯ll discover the reason later, but if another Skill suddenly starts affecting my mana, I¡¯ll conclude that it¡¯s not just pure coincidence. With all the messages dealt with, it¡¯s now time to consider where I¡¯m going to put my level-up points. Not having been expecting to level up for a good while yet, I haven¡¯t exactly put a lot of thought into it. Not that I¡¯m complaining, of course ¨C the quicker I level up, the stronger I get. But now, instead of just putting points in wherever seems best in the short term, it¡¯s time to seriously consider what kind of fighter I want to become. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Four: Human and Fallible Reopening my status screen, I consider the numbers carefully. I¡¯ve only got to more than twenty points in a single stat ¨C Willpower. Intelligence is at eighteen, Wisdom is at sixteen along with Constitution, and Strength and Dexterity are at fourteen. So, the question is whether to add points into my physical stats to bring them more in line with my mental ones or not. I consider what the scholars in Nicholas¡¯ world think about assigning points. For them, while focusing all my points into one or two stats and leave the others to fall behind is not a good idea according to the scholars in Nicholas¡¯ world, neither is treating all stats equally. Having a baseline of twenty points in each stat and not letting the strongest stat get too far away from the weakest are two of the three main points the scholars highlight as the most important when considering stat allocation. The third is to lean into one¡¯s strengths. Not all Skills require the same supporting stats; not all people want to do the same things. Up to now I¡¯ve been mostly making decisions based on what I seem to need in the immediate future: more health, more strength, more mana. But my recent experiences have shown me that there¡¯s more to the stats than what¡¯s displayed by my status screen. My increased Intelligence has made things easier to think through, solutions coming with an ease I¡¯d have envied back in my previous life. I won¡¯t necessarily say they¡¯re always good solutions ¨C it seems like I can¡¯t get away from the fact that I¡¯m human and fallible ¨C but my thought process itself is smoother, faster. If I¡¯d waited to absorb the knowledge stones until I had twenty points in Intelligence, I can only imagine the greater understanding of them that I¡¯d receive. Then again, I¡¯d probably already be dead so there¡¯s that. And there are stats which have proven themselves to have even more hidden depths. Wisdom, actually, is one of these. Ever since gaining my Meditation Skill I¡¯ve felt like there¡¯s a whole world out there than I can only barely perceive. And though it doesn¡¯t explicitly say in the Skill that it depends on Wisdom, the fact that both Skill and stat are involved in mana regeneration indicates to me an implicit connection. Also, the fact that I gained a point in Wisdom after actually managing to do more than merely perceive the links around me indicates that any more work in that area is going to be improved by having more Wisdom. Unless that wasn¡¯t why I got my point in Wisdom, but then what would have caused the point if not for gaining a greater understanding of the links? Knowing that the connections aren¡¯t just features of the environment around me but are things I can actually touch, in some obscure way, has lit a fire of curiosity within me. There¡¯s nothing about these connections in the system knowledge stone ¨C is it that I lost it when I absorbed the stone, my brain not ready to receive the information? Or is it not something the scholars have explored? I promise myself I¡¯ll investigate the whole thing more when we¡¯re back home and safe. For now, though, I take a long, hard look at myself and my Skills. I have a Tamer Class. I¡¯ve accepted that that means I¡¯m strongest when surrounded by my companions, Tamed or Dominated. I¡¯m a team-player, not a lone wolf. A team-leader, if only due to the fact that I¡¯m the nexus of all the Bonds. But, as I know from my experience in corporate, team-leader doesn¡¯t mean being at the front, or even in the middle of the action. In fact, it¡¯s often the opposite: if the person directing the project is also responsible for working on the details, they may lose a sense of the bigger picture. I need to plan my progression based on the fact that, although I need to be able to take care of myself if I accidentally get separated from the group, my principle role is as leader. Right now, looked at coldly, we have two damage-dealers, a scout, and a healer-fighter ¨C me. That¡¯s a better team than we had on the way to rescue Lathani with only one damage-dealer apart from me. Of course, it¡¯s only a better team if we work together well ¨C and that¡¯s my responsibility to manage as the team-leader. If we find we have gaps in our line-up, it¡¯s also my responsibility to close them. And I can only do that by ¡®recruiting¡¯ others for the team ¨C and I do that with my Class Skills. Dominate is clearly dependent on Willpower as its primary attribute. There may be other underlying attributes, but if so, I doubt it¡¯s any of the physical ones. Tame isn¡¯t as clear. It talks about a beast of moderate or higher Intelligence being able to reject the Bond, but does that mean it uses my Intelligence as a modifier? The fact that it talks about ¡®connections¡¯ makes me suspect it has a link to Wisdom, knowing what I know now. Lay-on-hands is heavily dependent on mana and therefore a bigger pool or faster regeneration would definitely improve my ability to use this Skill. In addition, I reckon that a higher Intelligence stat would help me think through problems and find solutions with more speed and efficiency. Possibly a higher Wisdom level would enable me to connect better with the creature I¡¯m healing, though that¡¯s very much a guess. Of my other four Skills, Animal Empathy is based on Wisdom with future developments linked to Constitution. This Skill could be important for me to develop since it¡¯ll probably improve my negotiation skills which will be essential to either Tame or Dominate. The way I do Dominate anyway. Meditation, as I was thinking earlier, is not explicitly improved by any stat, but from the description seems to be at least connected to Wisdom; I can¡¯t think that improving the stat would harm it in any way. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My last two Skills are the only ones which are linked to the physical stats. Stealth relies on stamina to work, and Dexterity to be quieter when moving. However even that one mentioned needing mana for later, more exotic effects. As for Fade, I need mana as well as stamina just to operate it. If I wish it to conceal any more than just visual effects, it will then scale with Wisdom or Willpower. Briefly I wonder how to actually make it do that, then put the thought aside: something to consider later. While there¡¯s a question over whether having Skills that hide me from the perception of opponents are even any use now I¡¯m part of a team, I¡¯m still inclined to say that they do. First of all, Bastet¡¯s stealth abilities are still far better than my own. If I¡¯m travelling with her, I¡¯m the one who attracts notice. Second of all, even if I have other companions who are less stealthy even than me, if I¡¯m taking more of a back seat when it comes to the fights, an ability to conceal myself could be essential. It worked with the monkiles recently ¨C I stayed in Fade while sniping at the other ranged fighters and Bastet drew their attention. That way, I could control when I revealed myself and thereby the pace of the fight. Sometimes I feel a bit disappointed that I didn¡¯t take Stun instead of Fade: it could have been a move which proved the turning point of a fight. Then again, if I¡¯d used it against the salamander, it could have either meant that none of us got hurt if it stunned the massive lizard for long enough that Bastet or River could have ripped out its throat, or it could have meant that I was completely out of mana when Bastet was almost bitten in half. However, if I can seriously improve my mana regeneration rate¡­ When I get to level five, I¡¯ll have to see if there¡¯s anything better than Stun on offer; if not, I¡¯ll pick that one. In summary, it seems clear that Willpower and the mana-related stats are by far more important to me than the physical stats. As much as it makes me feel good to swing a mace and see obvious signs of my victory in the form of crushed skulls, leaning further into the melee-based fighter probably isn¡¯t my best bet. I still need to be able to defend myself, sure, but I don¡¯t need to put loads of points in my physical stats to be able to do that. Not right now, anyway. My best effect on the fight will probably be in keeping the damage-dealers healed, supporting them from a distance through ranged attacks, and returning them to full health afterwards. Not to mention stacking the deck in our favour from the beginning by bringing the right fighters to the table. All of which means that my role should be more and more from a distance, assuming I work out a way to heal from a remove, reducing the value of the body stats to me. I need to bring them up to a decent level ¨C twenty, at least ¨C but I¡¯m probably better served by letting that happen naturally in my new labour-intensive life than dedicating level-up points to Strength, Dexterity, or even Constitution. Heck, on this journey already, I¡¯ve gained a point to Constitution and Dexterity without even having to dedicate any Energy to them. It might be the wrong decision to make, but there are always counter-arguments for every decision; if we let the counter-arguments go on too long, we end up paralysed and unable to make any choice. Adding points to Constitution makes me feel safer ¨C each point is ten health points extra away from dying, after all ¨C but it doesn¡¯t actually do anything to improve my survivability beyond that. Besides, with enough mana, my Constitution stat almost becomes irrelevant ¨C what does damage matter if I can heal it away? Although I suppose that if something like Kalanthia came along and bit my head off, I¡¯d be done for, but I probably wouldn¡¯t survive that even if my Constitution stat was at a hundred points. Or would I? Anyway, with the decision made to put two points in each of the soul and mind stats, I push myself to my feet. I¡¯m happy about the opportunity to level up, of course I am; I just wish that it¡¯d happened while we were next to the river. Without even any water to wash my mouth out, I¡¯m going to have the worst case of bad-breath ever. Not to mention the body odor of that revolting liquid that comes out of me. Bastet, River, Lathani, and the cubs probably won¡¯t be all that happy about it either. ¡°Watch my back, would you?¡± I ask all and sundry before stepping a little bit closer to the hole. Looking up nervously at the sky, I quickly strip off. No point in having my clothes soaked in the stuff, right? Throwing a glance back at the group, I see River watching me in interest and feel a few moments of insecurity. Then I remember that he¡¯s a lizard-man and probably he¡¯s more curious at seeing a body so different from his own than trying to check me out. With effort, I manage to get control over the flush rising up my neck. The level-up process is the normal mixture of blissful and deeply unpleasant. As soon as I¡¯ve regained full awareness, I quickly rub myself down with a shirt that¡¯s too torn to ever be repaired, doing my best to spit out the rancid taste of my level-up vomit. Situation improved, if not ideal, I reach for my clothes. Wait, River says and I pause, looking around me warily, including above my head. Has he seen something? Rub the dirt all over yourself, he tells me. OK, apparently not an attack. I turn around to frown at him, my hand automatically going down to cover myself, something about him being mostly humanoid eliciting that reaction where Bastet hadn¡¯t. ¡°Why?¡± I ask, frowning, before my question actually sparks a memory. Not my memory; one I absorbed from the wilderness stone. I answer my own question. ¡°To reduce my scent, right?¡± Yes, he agrees. Yours is...strong, right now. I can¡¯t help but grin at that. I haven¡¯t had a proper bath in weeks, and I¡¯ve just levelled up. I can live with ¡®strong¡¯ as a description. Actually, maybe I can¡¯t ¨C if my scent gives us away, none of us might live with it. With no further ado, I grab handfuls of the ashy ground, rubbing them all over. It feels weird to ¡®clean¡¯ myself by putting more dirt on, but that¡¯s life now. This time when I reach for my clothes, my skin a mucky grey colour all over, obvious even in the moonlight, River doesn¡¯t object. I bet Bastet would have turned up her nose at it, even so. That makes me wonder where my raptorcat companion is ¨C she seems to be taking an awfully long time over her scouting... Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Five: I’m Not Her Little Cub Anymore Thinking back, I try to work out how much time it¡¯s been since Bastet went to scout. She left before I went into the forest, and that whole debacle. Then all the recovery phase, not to mention me checking my notifications and levelling up... I stand, feeling nervous energy running through me. What if she¡¯s in trouble? Then I remember that I can just touch the Bond and check on her and I feel like an idiot. Doing so immediately, I get more information from the connection than I ever had before. My raptorcat companion is absolutely fine. She¡¯s a little tired, but no more than that. Still feeling well-fed. Not thirsty, which is better than I am right now. As for her emotional state, she¡¯s wary, and eager to get back to us, but there¡¯s also a significant amount of excitement. The last makes my eyebrows rise in surprise. What could she be excited about? Food? Or maybe she¡¯s got confirmation that there¡¯s an exit? That would be good! Either way, she feels like she¡¯s still a fair distance away. Relieved of that worry, I open my status screen briefly to check things out. I¡¯ve now reached twenty points in Intelligence, meaning that I¡¯m not going to be earning any more organically in that. Willpower was already over twenty, now sitting at an effective twenty-seven points. Wisdom is the only one in which I might continue to grow, at eighteen points. I¡¯m tired ¨C I¡¯ve basically not slept in two days. Probably the only reason I¡¯m keeping going at all is because of my new Meditation benefit meaning that I¡¯ve actually been able to get some rest. Maybe I should do some more Meditation while I wait? Or actually sleep if I can? But first, I need to check up on my group. I squint in the darkness, struggling to see the cubs or Lathani. River¡¯s clear enough, his outline picked out by the moonlight. Then I think that this would be a perfect opportunity to use the newest rank-up of one of my Skills. Activating Fade, I feel a sharpening and lightening of the world around me. It may only be five percent, but it makes a noticeable difference ¨C unless the light level is low enough for the ten percent, that is. If it was, that would make more sense. I¡¯d say it¡¯s like the brightness has been turned up a couple of notches, but that wouldn¡¯t be quite accurate. Either way, I¡¯m able to spot the nunda cub ¨C or juvenile, or whatever she is now. Even though she doesn¡¯t seem to have any magical stealth, her coat allows her to blend in well with the mottled ground. Having seen her, I next identify Storm cuddled up to her, the paler raptorcat easier to see than her siblings, who are also nestled together. I walk closer, trying to be quiet in case Lathani¡¯s sleeping. When I see her eyes glint in the moonlight, I realise she¡¯s still awake. The raptorcats are dead to the world, though, bundles of fluff and feathers shifting slightly in their sleep. My eyes flick over the nunda cub and something ¨C maybe my Animal Empathy, maybe something else ¨C tells me she¡¯s still moping. I release Fade a couple of steps away, not wanting to surprise her. When she only shifts her head to look at me, no surprise visible, I realise she already knew I was there. I really need to figure out a way of hiding my scent and the noises I make. Fortunately, right now it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Hey,¡± I say to her gently, crouching down next to her. ¡°We¡¯ll get you back to your mum, I promise.¡± She¡¯s quiet for a moment. Do you think she¡¯ll accept me? What if she turns me away? Where would I go? What would I do? I frown. ¡°Accept you? What do you mean?¡± Like this. Different. I¡¯m...I¡¯m not her little cub anymore. I¡¯m quiet too for a few long moments, Lathani¡¯s words inadvertently digging at a wound within me. ¡°I think you¡¯ll probably always be her little cub,¡± I tell her in the end. ¡°If she¡¯s anything like my mum was. And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re as grown-up as you think you are,¡± I add, a little pointedly. That makes her raise her head and growl at me. The whiny hint to the sound just proves my point, in my opinion. ¡°Anyway,¡± I continue, trying not to smile, ¡°if she does reject you, you can always stay with us.¡± But you live with mother, Lathani points out. I let my mouth pull up at the corner. ¡°Well, she forbid me from using either of my Skills on you at the start, but if she rejects you as her cub, then I don¡¯t see how she could complain about me offering you a Bond ¨C if you want one, of course. Then she¡¯s really got no grounds to complain about you staying with us.¡± I¡¯m pretty sure it wouldn¡¯t actually be as clear-cut as all that, the least of the consequences starting with the fact that without needing my baby-sitting services, my landlady might turn me out on my ear. Since I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s much chance of Kalanthia rejecting her beloved cub, though, I don¡¯t bother Lathani with the details. Apparently having a backup plan is enough to cheer her though, as she nuzzles me for a moment before putting her head back on her paws and closing her eyes. I¡¯m sure that it hasn¡¯t soothed her worries completely, but if it allows her to get some rest, then all the better. Since the cubs are asleep, I walk over to River next. He¡¯s by the salamander corpse, and as I get closer I realise that he¡¯s still butchering it, piling the chunks of meat on top of a section of the salamander¡¯s skin. I quickly begin piling the lumps of flesh into my Inventory, glad to have ten new slots available. Without Fade sharpening my eyesight, I¡¯m working mostly by feel. ¡°How can you butcher a corpse in this light level?¡± I ask River in curiosity. He certainly doesn¡¯t seem to be fumbling around. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. What do you mean? he asks. Fortunately, I don¡¯t need to be able to see him as his meaning comes across the Bond mentally, just as my words do to him. ¡°You know, it¡¯s dark?¡± I reply slowly. ¡°The sun is down?¡± He moves in the lizard-man version of a shrug which seems to be a gentle wave of the tail, visible only because his scales catch the light. The moon is sufficient for the task. Hmm. I straighten and look at him. ¡°River, how would you describe your eye-sight like in the dark?¡± I ask slowly. Passable, he replies. My people would never consider ourselves nocturnal ¨C communication becomes more difficult in the deepest night when we cannot see each other¡¯s visual cues, but as long as there is some light we can get by. And yourself? ¡°Much worse than that,¡± I admit. ¡°I¡¯m struggling to see now.¡± Oh? he asks curiously. This light level is a little dim for me, but it¡¯s not bad. The middle of the day can be a little bright if we are not under the trees, but that¡¯s rarely a problem, he adds. I hum in acknowledgment. Good to know. Hopefully improving my Constitution will improve my sight in the dark in the long-term since I don¡¯t want to have to use Fade all the time. There¡¯s a slurping, squelching sound. River turns to me a moment later. Do you know what this is? he asks, handing me something. It feels like a bag full of liquid, but he¡¯s holding it by what I guess is the outlet since no liquid is pouring over my fingers. I hold it in the moonlight, reactivating Fade so that my eyesight is maximised. It looks similar to what I was expecting ¨C a bag about the size of a football, but more like a saggy tit than anything else. It¡¯s not full, whatever it is. Idly I wonder about making a waterskin out of it. If I could cure the exterior walls, it would be perfect. Then I catch a whiff of the liquid and all thoughts of turning it into a waterskin flee my mind. ¡°Keep holding that, would you?¡± I ask River absently as I reach for some sticks from my Inventory. It¡¯s fortunate that I¡¯d already collected a good amount of wood by the time we were attacked. Wiping my damp ¨C and greasy-feeling ¨C hand on the cloth which has already been ruined by my level-up, I quickly shove it back into my Inventory as my nose scrunches up at its smell. When I run out of space, that cloth will be the first to go; for now, it¡¯s doing a good job as a disposable rag. Starting the fire is only a matter of minutes, but I¡¯m still impatient as I wait for the fire to catch well enough for my little experiment. Then, once the flames are eating hungrily at the twigs I¡¯ve placed in a pile, I reach for the bladder or whatever it is. Tipping a little of the oily liquid onto a stick, I toss it on the fire. It¡¯s only a few drops, but I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t use more. The fire flares up brightly, its foot-tall flames illuminating a shocked lizard-man. I don¡¯t mind admitting that I¡¯m a little startled too. Well, I guess we just found whatever the salamander was using to breathe fire. As a thought occurs, I stare at the trees, a malicious smile creeping across my face. If Bastet comes back and says that the tunnel is even remotely dangerous, I think I know exactly what to do. In the meantime, however, I¡¯ve got another idea. By sacrificing another of my shirts, cutting it into four and then wrapping it around four more branches, soaking the ends in this liquid, I manage to create some more torches. If necessary, I¡¯ve got the items necessary to create further torches, but the fewer clothes I need to sacrifice, the better. If it¡¯s a question of life or my clothes...well, it¡¯s a tough choice, but if I lose my life, I won¡¯t be able to wear my clothes, so¡­ Dipping the head of one of the new torches in the fire, I test it ¨C I¡¯ve learnt my lesson about leaving field tests until I¡¯m actually in the field. The torch flares brightly for a few moments, then dies down significantly. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t die out completely, but starts burning the cloth and wood inside merrily. I¡¯m not sure how long these torches will last, but with four and a half, it should be fine. Erring on the side of caution, I put all four of the new ones in my Inventory, the burning one snuffing out immediately. I hesitate. I should keep loading my Inventory with the chunks of flesh that River¡¯s returned to slicing off the massive carcass but...I¡¯m exhausted. I was tired before, and that was before I was poisoned and almost died. Now...I¡¯m on the edge of just keeling over. Lathani and the cubs are sleeping. I can¡¯t see the bird, but I sense through the Bond that she¡¯s resting at least. It¡¯s just me and River awake now. ¡°How are you doing?¡± I ask him, wanting desperately to knock off but unable to do so without checking on all my companions. The ones within range, anyway. ¡°How are you feeling after earlier?¡± Tired, but serviceable. He hesitates for a moment I don¡¯t feel like I have fully recovered whatever resource you took, but the aftereffects have largely eased. Now I just feel a little...drained. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep?¡± I suggest, hating myself, even though my guilt at my part in how tired he feels prompts me to speak. If he sleeps, I can¡¯t. Then my sense of shame deepens when I feel a wave of negation through the Bond. I am used to this. We rarely sleep away from the village: the forest is just too dangerous. I hesitate again, second-guessing myself. Finally, I decide to just say what I¡¯d thought ¨C no one will be truly helped by my keeping silent. ¡°We¡¯re not going back to the village, though.¡± No, he accepts, and I feel the pain underlying the response. But we are going somewhere safer than this, are we not? It¡¯s a little pointed. ¡°Yes we are,¡± I affirm, keeping to myself any concerns about bringing a lizard-man into biting range of the nunda whose cub he¡¯d been party to hurting. I¡¯d worried about bringing Bastet and the cubs home and it turned out OK. This will too. Or so I tell myself. Then I will sleep when we are safer. Rest, Markus. A wave of renewed guilt runs through me at how transparent I must appear to him. It doesn¡¯t stop me from taking his advice. I¡¯m out like a light as soon as I curl up with my back against Lathani. ***** It doesn¡¯t feel like more than a minute later when I¡¯m nudged urgently. I mumble and try to bat the interfering hand away. My fingers touch rough, scaly skin attached to sharp claws. Following up the arm, I feel feather-fur. Opening my eyes wide, I see a familiar outline in the moonlight and a wave of amusement hits me through the Bond. Bastet¡¯s back. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Six: Beautiful ¡°Bastet,¡± I say, snapping to alertness. ¡°What did you see?¡± She bludgeons me with a feeling of ¡®come on!¡¯ even turning and taking a few steps down the slope as if too impatient to even wait for me to get up. ¡°No, really, what did you see?¡± I ask her firmly, getting up nonetheless and moving over to the pile of salamander meat chunks. Shoveling them into my Inventory in handfuls, I fill more than three spaces with the meat. In addition to what I¡¯d added there earlier, I¡¯ve now got almost five slots filled with this stuff. And the corpse isn¡¯t completely picked clean. I also grab some of its bones ¨C marrow would be a nutritious addition to my meals, and the bones may be able to be transformed into needles ¨C something I desperately need if I want to stay clothed for even another month, let alone the rest of the year. Bastet sends a feeling of irritation at me, but goes over to the cubs waking them up along with Lathani. Darting a look overhead, I see that the moon which had been shedding light before is now almost directly overhead. It¡¯s probably only been two or three hours since I lay down; the thought makes me sag and seriously contemplate ordering the raptorcat to wait until I¡¯ve slept myself out. Then I rein in my impulses. Once more, I ask Bastet to report back on her scouting, though this time send it as a pointed mental message rather than verbal again. She replies back with what I can only describe as a mental sigh. Like she¡¯s going to humour me only because she realises I¡¯m not going to get moving until she does. She sends me a series of quick mental messages, like the ones from the tunnel towards the salt cave more sensation than visual image. A tunnel, much bigger than the one we had wormed our way through before. A hole into a narrower tunnel below, but still one with a fair bit of space to move. A hole above her head into another tunnel. Fresh air and light at the end of the tunnel. All great stuff, and not an enemy to be seen! Then she shoves another image into my mind, insistent in a way I¡¯ve never known her. At first glance it¡¯s beautiful. An opening into a cave of wonders, all rubies and reflected rainbows of light. But I don¡¯t get her eagerness. Sure, I¡¯m happy to see it, though would be happier if I had any use for rubies right now. But I don¡¯t understand her excitement. Bastet shoves the image at me again, her eagerness now tempered with frustration that I¡¯m not getting it. She tries to make me understand in a couple of other ways before giving up. It leaves both of us feeling frustrated, but perhaps she¡¯s right ¨C I need to see whatever it is to realise exactly why she¡¯s so excited. At least the tunnel has proven itself to be a better option for escape than the trees, even with my new flammable liquid. To that end, I tidy up the last of the salamander meat ¨C we¡¯ll have to leave what¡¯s left on the corpse since there¡¯s no way I can lift that enough to fit it inside my Inventory. Then, with a quick look around, dropping into Fade briefly to make the most of my eyesight in the moonlight, I follow my scout. The cubs complain as we walk, not taking kindly to being disturbed. A couple of growls from Bastet are enough to shut them up, though. Lathani is silent, moving like a ghost through the ashen field. As for the bird, she¡¯s claimed a perch on River¡¯s shoulder and seems to have gone back to napping. We step carefully down the slope and soon approach the tunnel mouth. Having four sets of eyes looking around is far better than just one, and I feel a lot safer as part of this group than I did when I¡¯d first arrived. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of threats flying around at night, but I feel confident that we¡¯d be able to face them together. Bastet and River both move with a practised ease and alertness which speaks to their experience of surviving in a dangerous world. Lathani, on the other hand, seems to be doing her best to copy the adults, though with limited success. Still, her natural instincts seem to be serving her well considering how often I lose track of exactly where she is. As we get closer to the tunnel, I start to see a faint red glow emerging from it. At first wondering if I¡¯m imagining things, when I peer down into the tunnel itself, I realise I¡¯m not. The tunnel itself is reasonably steep, but not so much so as to need ropes to descend or ascend. There may be a few places where I¡¯ll need to scoot down on my bum or go down backwards, though. I wonder how River will cope since he¡¯s bipedal as well ¨C I doubt the cubs or Lathani will have any trouble, though. At the bottom of the slope, the tunnel curves away slightly, enough that I can¡¯t see exactly what¡¯s causing the light. Peering downwards, I wonder what could be the source. Torches from some other people who Nicholas wouldn¡¯t class as ¡®civilised¡¯? Except no, it¡¯s not flickering the way they would. Considering it¡¯s a tunnel that¡¯s angled steeply down, I hope it¡¯s not something like lava ¨C surely it would feel significantly hotter if we were close enough to see the glow of molten rock. It couldn¡¯t be the cave that Bastet saw, could it? The light didn¡¯t look bright enough to cause such illumination, but I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be the first time looking through Bastet¡¯s eyes turned out to be a bit inaccurate. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. At any rate, Bastet got through with no issues, so whatever it is shouldn¡¯t be a threat. Bastet is already scrambling over the lip, encouraging the cubs to follow her. Apparently the decision is made ¨C we¡¯re going through the tunnel. I mentally grumble about it, feeling like I should be the one deciding. I manage to overcome my ego before I start snapping at my Bound, though. Honestly, I¡¯d already made the decision as soon as I realised the tunnel seemed much safer than the trees. Snapping at Bastet for putting it into practice a bit more proactively than I¡¯d like isn¡¯t going to help anyone. The entrance to the tunnel is steep; the tunnel itself is even steeper. As I¡¯d thought would happen, I¡¯m not comfortable walking down it and instead climb backwards using both hands and feet. The first few metres of the tunnel are the same rocky soil that composed the entrance, but the surface I¡¯m climbing down soon becomes rock. River copes well enough with the rocky soil, but he soon starts copying my method as we get onto the rock where his foot-claws can¡¯t get as much purchase. My brows knit together as I try to work out what caused the tunnel ¨C it¡¯s remarkably smooth for a natural formation, my feet sometimes slipping in spots where there are few knobbles or dips. It almost looks like it was...melted? Looking nervously down the tunnel, I really hope that we¡¯re not going to encounter magma. Or worse ¨C a creature capable of melting stone. I briefly consider the idea that the salamander created this tunnel, but soon dismiss it. The whole area might be big enough for a large lizard the height of a horse and width of a car, but I highly doubt it was capable of producing a flame hot enough to melt, no, evaporate stone, especially in the quantities required to excavate something like this. If it had been able to do that, River wouldn¡¯t merely have been burned when blanketed in its flame; he would have been immediately incinerated. Besides, the liquid from the bladder he found was highly flammable, but not to the point of melting rock. Which, of course, means that the cause of this whole geological strangeness is still unknown. If the past is any evidence, that in turn means that it¡¯s going to bite us in the butt sooner than we¡¯d like. Still, Bastet wouldn¡¯t have led us into danger knowingly. I do wish I¡¯d been able to understand more about what exactly has got her so excited, though¡­ We continue clambering down into the massive hole, the others doing much better than me. Well, apart from the bird. Which I still need to find a name for that she will accept ¨C I can¡¯t keep calling her ¡®the bird¡¯ in my thoughts. She¡¯s still perched on River¡¯s shoulder awake now and looking rather miserable. I understand ¨C she¡¯s a creature of the wind and sky, not dark underground tunnels. I¡¯m sure she can¡¯t be anticipating this with anything but distress. ¡°Hey, do you want to meet us outside?¡± I ask her gently. I can sympathise ¨C I don¡¯t particularly like tunnels either. Even less after my experience when finding salt, if anything. I can¡¯t imagine how much worse it would be if my primary way of travelling was by flying and I had to go into a space where I couldn¡¯t do it. I get a feeling of reluctant desire, like she wants to go, but she also doesn¡¯t want to leave us. ¡°We should be coming out another entrance ¨C where, I don¡¯t know. You should be able to feel our direction with our Bond.¡± She sends a hesitant acceptance. A moment later, she uses her wing-claws to push off from River¡¯s shoulder, flying dangerously close to the walls as she circles her way upwards. I think she only succeeds due to the updrafts coming from below: her wing span is almost a third of the diameter of the tunnel. From this angle, I¡¯m able to see why she doesn¡¯t have a tail: her back paws actually link together to offer the same benefits a tail would in terms of steering. It¡¯s not too long before she¡¯s out of sight ¨C once she was no longer in direct moonlight, I lost sight of her. I hope she makes it out of the forest fine. I hope we make it out fine too! Oh well ¨C the only way is forward, I guess. River and I share another look and then without needing to say a word, continue climbing down. Lathani moves easily, her four paws and claws offering plenty of stability. In fact, she looks like she¡¯s rather enjoying herself, leaping from spot to spot, then running back up to urge us on. The cubs are similar, their personalities showing through in the way they approach the descent. Trouble with his devil-may-care attitude is instantly recognisable, as is Stormcloud with her meticulous approach. River is rather more grim-set, his claws offering more purchase than my fingers or shoes, but the whole motion looks a little odd with his elongated back feet. Still, like Lathani, his tail helps him keep his balance, even arching high over his head to push him forwards towards the rock when he accidentally leans too far back. It¡¯s hard work, and I¡¯m sure that I would have long been exhausted had I not gained points in Strength relatively recently. As it is, I feel my limbs become leaden, the long period since I last properly slept, the frantic battles we¡¯ve fought, and the continued physical exertion all combining to bring me close to the limits of my endurance. If I don¡¯t get another point in Strength (Endurance) by the end of all this, I¡¯ll probably throw the closest thing to hand at the screen. Which, due to its intangibility, probably means I¡¯ll end up enraging a hibernating bear or something. By the time we reach where Bastet is waiting impatiently for us, I¡¯m panting and sweaty, my muscles starting to tremble even when I¡¯m not putting them under strain. All my discomfort is wiped away, however, when I see what she¡¯s found. It¡¯s...Is it¡­? I...don¡¯t actually know what she¡¯s found. All I know is that it¡¯s beautiful. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Seven: Cave of Wonders I suddenly feel like Aladdin in the cave of wonders. Like I¡¯ve walked into some underground fairy realm. Bastet¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t a patch on the reality. We¡¯re in a cavern that¡¯s several times the size of the tunnel we¡¯ve been travelling through. The walls around me are encrusted with red diamonds, their hearts shimmering with fire. No question about whether this is the source of the red light or not: the stones don¡¯t just reflect and refract light, they actually emit it. There are dozens, hundreds even, looking almost like they¡¯ve grown from the rock. Or like droplets of blood shed from innumerable small wounds. The whole impression is one of magnificence, but I don¡¯t get quite why Bastet was so excited over them. She still is ¨C almost bouncing in place as she looks around. Lathani seems curious; the cubs are just ignoring everything and rolling together as they wrestle something. River, however, is unusually animated, a palpable ebullience creeping over the Bond. It¡¯s contagious, and I start feeling an anticipation for something I don¡¯t even know is worth feeling excited about. ¡°What are they?¡± I ask River, deciding that he might be more able to explain than Bastet. Look at them, he says instead, his tone admiring ¨C and covetous. What do they look like to you? What is with my Bound and being mysterious about these things? Exasperation running through me, I lean closer. Not touching ¨C I know better than to touch something I¡¯m unfamiliar with, no matter how my Bound are reacting. When I only look at one of the gems and mentally separate it from the cluster, I realise that River¡¯s right ¨C they do look familiar. The fact that they¡¯re growing in groups on a wall rather than being extracted as single items from a corpse had put me off. Frowning, I pull the salamander Energy-Heart out of my Inventory and compare them. I was right ¨C they are similar. Not the same. The salamander one is far darker, garnet instead of ruby, and its reflection is infinitesimally less. It doesn¡¯t actually emit light the way these appear to either. Although it had looked like a gem in River¡¯s hand, now it looks like barely more than some everyday rock in comparison to the rubies in front of me. The salamander Energy-Heart is smaller than most of the gems clustered on the walls, but it¡¯s not the smallest. No, the main difference is that it looks carved, shaped, like it¡¯s already been processed by some skilled craftsman. In comparison, the rubies all around me are rough, natural rather than carved. It makes their capacity to sparkle and reflect the world around even more impressive: if they are like this when rough, what would they be like when carved? ¡°Are these¡­?¡± I ask out loud to no one in particular. River comes into my line of sight. He¡¯s more excited than I¡¯ve ever seen him before. Yes! They¡¯re natural Energy-Hearts! I¡¯ve never heard of them being found in such a large quantity! Do you know what this means, Markus? I don¡¯t, but from his reaction, and Bastet¡¯s as well, it¡¯s got to be a good find. With this many Energy-Hearts, I¡¯ll be able to evolve in no time! That catches my attention. ¡°Wait, what do you mean ¡®evolve¡¯?¡± It¡¯s got to be a good thing, right? Certainly River seems to think so. A memory comes back to me of a raptor-cat growing bigger and gaining wings. Is that what he¡¯s talking about? River ignores me, instead doing his version of cooing over the Hearts. That¡¯s an image I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll never forget ¨C a sharp-toothed, sharp-clawed crocodile-man looking like he¡¯s halfway towards melting over a bunch of rocks. ¡°River?¡± I ask, a little impatiently as he starts stroking the Heart. For a moment I think that it¡¯s rubbed off on his fingers ¨C the digits seem to gleam in the light very briefly. The next instant, the shine is gone and I wonder whether I just imagined it, or somehow River¡¯s scales caught the light in an odd way. My Bound is completely rapt, and it takes me putting an annoyed hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He glares at me, irritation flowing over the Bond from his side at being interrupted. What? he demands rudely, turning to gaze covetously at the stones after he¡¯s shot me a dirty look. The tone makes me frown. Something feels wrong ¨C he¡¯s never reacted like that before and I¡¯ve asked him to do much more difficult tasks than stepping away from a glowing gem. ¡°I think we should step out of here,¡± I say slowly, trying to push calming feelings down the Bond. I dart a glance to the others. Bastet looks to be much the same as River, almost nuzzling the rocks. This time, I¡¯m pretty sure that something rubs off on her as I see her feather-fur gleam. That can¡¯t be good¡­ Lathani and the cubs seem more bored than anything else, though the nunda juvenile is poking at one of the rocks growing on the ground with her paw. ¡°Yep, come on everyone,¡± I order, moving towards the exit. Lathani and the cubs follow me with no issues, especially when I pull a couple of bits of cooked meat out of my Inventory to bribe them with. Bastet and River, however¡­ ¡°Bastet, River, come here,¡± I tell them levelly, making it very clear that I¡¯m not asking. I don¡¯t like using the fact that they can¡¯t disobey a direct order on them, but I¡¯m feeling more and more concerned about the situation. Maybe we should wait until morning and go through the forest anyway? My two Bound try to resist, but their limbs don¡¯t let them, walking them over to me regardless of their attempts to stay with the shiny red jewels. As we move around the bend of the tunnel and the cave is blocked from view, I observe my Bound relax. They stop resisting my order and perhaps even start to control their limbs again. We pause there, and Bastet lies down next to the cubs. I sit on the stone floor and River joins me there. Both of them send over a sense of apology, River¡¯s also thrumming with shame. The lizard-man looks at the ground for a long moment before speaking. Master, I¡¯m...sorry. I was out of line, there. I¡¯ll accept any punishment you feel fit for my rudeness. I shake my head before he even finishes. ¡°I told you, call me Markus. And it¡¯s fine. No one was hurt, which is the most important thing. No, I just want to know what happened. Why were you and Bastet so drawn to those things? Did they have some sort of control over you?¡± Of all things, that¡¯s my worst fear. Earth¡¯s legends have plenty of ghouls, ghosts, and demons in them. We¡¯ve already come across carnivorous trees and fire-breathing lizards; who¡¯s to say there¡¯s nothing that could exert mind-control over or possess my Bound? No, River responds immediately. There was no control. There was just...desire. ¡°Desire?¡± I ask curiously, reassured a little despite knowing that there could still be danger. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. My whole body, no, my whole being cried out for me to approach the Energy-Hearts, to touch them, to consume them...to evolve. ¡°You said that before,¡± I note. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Do you remember what I said about Energy-Hearts? River asks me, his voice taking on a lecturing tone even as his eyes are drawn back to the cave. ¡°You said that they were something that grew in you, that they are useful for you in controlling Energy. You found one in the salamander.¡± Which is now back in my Inventory. I meant to give it to Bastet, but between her being injured, eating, and then going to scout, I haven¡¯t had the opportunity. Maybe I should just give it to River since he¡¯s the one that found it anyway¡­ But that¡¯s only if I¡¯m convinced that these things are good for my Bound ¨C what I saw in the cave is not exactly heartening. The lizard-man dips his snout in agreement, his attention now firmly back on me. Indeed. We claim Energy from other creatures when we kill them ¨C I imagine you have experienced this already. I nod. Some creatures have an Energy-Heart in them, like the fire-beast we recently fought. These Hearts are rich sources of Energy, containing multiple times what we can claim from the creature as it dies. My eyes light up. ¡°We can get Energy from these Energy-Hearts? How?¡± Then I remember the tiny ones Bastet had crunched down. ¡°By eating them?¡± Amusement comes across the link even as River makes a hissing sound. Not generally. Beasts which know no better do that, but we don¡¯t. Over time, my people have discovered that eating Energy-Hearts actually loses some of the Energy they have to offer. Instead, we meditate and absorb the Energy over time. Bigger Hearts, we might spend days absorbing. Though, due to the rarity of those, only the most powerful of the Tribe might be given the opportunity to do so. He pauses for a moment, thinking. However, I did see...our herbalist adding slivers of Energy-Hearts to her potions to improve their effects, so you could argue we eat them then. Interesting. But it doesn¡¯t explain anything about my original question. ¡°But what is this whole ¡®evolve¡¯ thing?¡± When we¡¯ve absorbed enough Energy, we develop a Heart within us. Everyone seems to have a different threshold that they have to reach, and many never manage to achieve it, even if they live that long. Once their Heart is complete, they evolve. Each one of us dreams of doing so: it¡¯s an immediate access to more power than we¡¯ve ever held before. For those who become able to control Energy, they discover a tendency towards a certain type of magic. My...previous master has no ability with stone or wood, but she can combine different substances in water, and enhance their effects by adding Energy. The shaman can commune with spirits and control them. The wood-shaper can make wood flow like water into the shapes she wishes them to be. He reaches for a handle on his belt, draws it out and hands it to me. I¡¯d thought it was another of his containers, but it isn¡¯t. Instead, it¡¯s a knife. Completely made out of wood, I test the edge and find it has significantly better cutting power than I would have imagined. Not to the standard of my own knife, I still find it¡¯s capable of cutting my skin with less pressure than I would have expected. Perhaps somewhere between an eating knife and a kitchen one. Extremely impressive considering it is purely made of wood. ¡°One of the...Path-walkers made this?¡± I ask, a theory occurring to me as I remembered how one of the other Path-walkers had almost stymied our escape attempts with her powers of telekinesis. Yes. ¡°And all the Path-walkers are evolved, capable of using magic?¡± When River agrees again, pieces click together in my head. No wonder that they would be the leaders of the group, even if they were smaller than most of the rest. Magic is a great equaliser. Though, as the Path-walker I killed proved, get close to them and they¡¯re just as vulnerable to a mace to the skull as anyone else. I hand him his knife back, a thought occurring. ¡°Have you ever heard of ¡®flesh-shaping¡¯?¡± A sensation of River being deep in thought comes through the Bond before he answers. No, I don¡¯t think so, he says finally. Water-shaping, Earth-shaping, Wood-shaping, yes. But not flesh-shaping. Ah well. It was just a thought. I guess I¡¯ll have to ask Kalanthia about it after all. ¡°And what about the warriors? I think you mentioned that there was a choice between gaining control of magic and growing bigger.¡± Yes. Perhaps one in five of the Tribe gain the ability to control Energy. The others find that they suddenly grow a lot in a certain way. Perhaps size, or strength, more armoured skin, or speed. Perhaps even better senses ¨C it¡¯s rare, but I knew one who could follow a trail through his intense sense of smell. There was no escaping him once he¡¯d got your scent. Then, every time they kill, they grow a little more. They will always be better in one area, but they grow in the others as well. The warriors who chased us were the best the village had to offer. After almost all of the party sent to capture the Great Predator¡¯s cub were killed, that is. OK, so evolution is definitely a good thing. Frankly, any way River evolved would be useful for us. ¡°Can you choose your path of evolution?¡± I ask. No. It seems mostly due to what you¡¯ve been doing before reaching the threshold. That¡¯s why I apprenticed to the herbalist ¨C I hoped to gain an ability similar to hers when ¨C if ¨C I evolved. ¡°But wait,¡± I say confused as I try to match what I¡¯d observed with what he¡¯s been telling me. ¡°I thought that all the Path-walkers were female? And you¡¯re male? I mean, every time they¡¯ve been mentioned, you¡¯ve been saying ¡®she¡¯, and ¡®her¡¯.¡± Confusion comes across the link and I wonder if I¡¯m going to regret asking. Female? At the same time, he tries to pronounce the word, with as little success as ¡®fire¡¯ earlier. ¡°Yeah, you know. The...the ones who carry babies or...eggs, or whatever.¡± Oh! he says, understanding. Yes, they are. He stops there, not seeming to see an issue with this. ¡°And you¡¯re male...the one who, um, sires the babies or eggs, aren¡¯t you?¡± Or have I been using the wrong pronoun for him all along? Yes, I am. Well, not yet, but possibly in the future. He stops again. I¡¯m even more confused; I get the feeling we¡¯re not communicating very well. I sigh, my curiosity now far too much to just give up now. ¡°How can you become a magic...Energy-user if all the Energy-users are female and you¡¯re male?¡± I ask, trying to be as plain as possible, more than half of me regretting asking the question in the first place. River looks at me, the feeling through the Bond the sense that he thinks I¡¯m being very stupid here. I would become female, of course. Great. Right. Obviously. I¡¯m totally stupid to have not thought that would be the answer. Closing my eyes and trying to control my irritation, I think through what he¡¯s told me. As I calm down, a thought occurs. I open my eyes and look levelly at the lizard-man. ¡°River, are all of your species capable of bearing and siring offspring?¡± Of course. Right. Well, that answers that, then. Lizard-folk are hermaphrodites or something. They clearly have gender roles for whatever reason, but they are probably all essentially the same sex. Or maybe they transition between the sexes based on their evolution. Or something. Aaand that¡¯s enough of that. Back to something else which won¡¯t make the rising heat on my neck any more intense. ¡°So, are Energy-Hearts dangerous in any way?¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Eight: Compulsion Not to my knowledge, River replies evenly. ¡°Then what was all that in there? How can you say they don¡¯t pose a threat when you and Bastet both couldn¡¯t seem to tear yourselves away?¡± I ask pointedly. This is an absolutely key question since it will determine whether we attempt to travel through the tunnel again, or give up and head for the trees once the sun¡¯s up. I believe it is just the sheer number of them in there. It creates a temptation to sit there and just absorb them which is almost irresistible. Now I know what will happen, I¡¯m confident that I will be able to resist it. I look at him for a long moment. What? he asks defensively. ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± An uncomfortable feeling comes across the Bond. If you¡¯ve never felt the attraction, you won¡¯t know what it¡¯s like. It¡¯s...a deep intense yearning to grow, to become stronger...to evolve. Seeming to run out of words, he instead shoves a sense memory at me. All of a sudden, I feel exactly what he was describing. And I understand why it was so difficult to tear himself away. It feels like...all my problems could be solved if I could only get closer, if I could only absorb the power floating around me. My destiny is just waiting for me to reach out and grab it. The sensation is dulled thanks to it being a second-hand memory, but if this and stronger is what River felt, I understand why he couldn¡¯t tear himself away; why he became aggressive at being interrupted. That still doesn¡¯t reassure me that going back into that cave is the best choice; the opposite, in fact. Sure, having those Energy-Hearts sounds like a great bonus, but not if it means my Bound lose their minds because of the quantity in there. Actually, since I was able to put the salamander Energy-Heart in my Inventory, does that mean I could break these other stones off the walls and put them in there too? Because if so, I could harvest some and then, if my Bound can¡¯t handle the compulsion, we could go through the forest anyway at dawn. I decide to test it. ¡°Wait here,¡± I say absently to the group. River, Bastet, and Lathani all make a noise at that, ranging from reluctant to curious. I just wave their objections away as I stand up and walk around the bend and back into the cave. Pausing at the threshold, I take a moment to consider my own emotions. Any feeling of attraction? Any sense of that desperate need to possess? Not really. I can feel...something. A...density? Like the air is thicker in here? But none of that all-consuming need that gripped River earlier, and Bastet too, I guess. Stepping over to the closest Energy-Heart cluster, I examine the things. They shine in the light, a fire lit within their depths. Leaning forwards, not touching yet, I tilt my head so one of my ears is facing it, wondering if there could be any sort of sound. I listen to it for a good half a minute, feeling increasingly stupid at listening to what appears to be a rock, but either it doesn¡¯t produce any noise, or my hearing isn¡¯t good enough to detect sounds it¡¯s making. Glad that no one¡¯s watching, I don¡¯t even dare to think about what I must look like as I turn my head and lean even closer to give it a sniff. Despite only doing it for the sake of being thorough, I realise that there is something here. A faint...spiciness? Or sweetness? It smells good, whatever it is, tempting me to take a bite. I resist the temptation, not wanting to break my teeth. Then again, Bastet did crunch up the cores that we found in a posse of attackers. Does that mean cores are edible? Or is this a raptorcat thing? River did say that his people don¡¯t eat the cores directly, but he also talked about adding bits of cores to potions to enhance their efficacy. He didn¡¯t say ¡®poisons¡¯, so hopefully that means the cores aren¡¯t actively poisonous. Plus, if the lizard-folk drink the potions as he indicated, surely they wouldn¡¯t be trying to poison themselves? I dare to touch one, ready to pull back the moment I start to feel any sense of needing to possess them. The crystal is hard and cool to the touch, yet not completely cold. It also leaves some sort of residue, I realise as I pass the crystal to the other hand. It¡¯s almost like the whole thing is covered in a thin layer of glittery oil, I remark to myself as I hold my hand up to the light. This must be what I saw on River¡¯s paw and Bastet¡¯s coat. A moment later, the sparkly substance disappears ¨C it¡¯s absorbed into my skin. My stomach drops for a moment, worried that it might have detrimental effects; I¡¯ve only just got over being poisoned by that creature in the forest! Nothing seems to happen, though, and there¡¯s no sense of any new notifications to tell me about anything. My health bar stays full, as do the other two. Opening my status screen, I stare at the value in my Energy absorption rate: well over two thousand units per hour! A couple of seconds later, though, that rate drops down to a still-whopping three hundred and eighty-five. Absolutely insane! When that rate doesn¡¯t change after a good thirty seconds or so, I have to conclude that that¡¯s just due to the Energy density here. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Briefly touching the Energy-Heart while keeping an eye on my status screen, I see it leap once more up to two thousand, nine hundred, and seventy units per hour as soon as the oily feeling on my fingers disappears. The effect only lasts about ten seconds, though that¡¯s just enough time for my Energy store to increase by a single percent. My excitement grows. Forget risking my life to kill beasts: if I can just absorb a load of these I¡¯ll leap up the levels in no time! I gaze around the cave with greed ¨C if this is what Nicholas meant by ¡®treasure trove¡¯, then I find that I have to agree with him. However, it¡¯s a treasure we have to take away with us since there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be trying to absorb all of these things at once. Heck, even if Bastet and River both absorbed them as quickly as they could, it would take us days to put a proper dent in the hoard. We don¡¯t have the supplies to stay that long, and who knows what might stand in the way of us getting back? Besides, Lathani needs to return to her mother. So, using the pommel of my knife, I try to crack the Energy-Heart. I start softly and work up to heavier blows. Still, it¡¯s not a particularly strong impact which creates the first visual change. Instead of the whole thing fracturing, as one might think should happen with a crystalline structure, a small shard splits off. It¡¯s more like my flint-knapping than anything else. I hold the shard, inspecting it. For a moment, I can see how the edges gleam, looking as sharp as a knife. Then the whole piece softens and melts, the solid suddenly becoming liquid and flowing to pool in the palm of my hand. There, like the residue which had coated my skin earlier, it is absorbed. I freeze, waiting for my health to start ticking downwards or something. After a few seconds, I relax a little: so far, I haven¡¯t seen any negative effects. Reopening my status screen, I see that it¡¯s jumped up to the same two thousand nine hundred and seventy units per hour. The difference is that this time it lasts long enough for me to accumulate three more percent worth of Energy towards my next level. So the rate of Energy absorption is the same, but the length of time varies according to how much of the Energy-Heart I absorb at a time...Good to know. Next, I try to break the whole lump off the wall. It takes a few attempts before I succeed, most of the methods I use at first instead just breaking off other shards. Interestingly enough, the shards which fall on another Energy-Heart end up being absorbed into the lump on which they landed. The ones which fall on the cave floor, however, remain intact as shards. I make a note of my observations and push them away to think about later. In the end, I succeed at prising the Energy-Heart off the wall by chipping away at its base with my knife, and then using a rock held in my fist to bash it off. Acting against all expectations, the Energy-Heart which falls on the floor doesn¡¯t then burst into a load of different shards; it just sits there, the rough edges visibly softening and rounding. Within a short space of time, it strongly resembles the salamander Energy-Heart, although significantly brighter, clearer, and ¡®rougher¡¯ than the latter. Interesting¡­ It¡¯s almost like the Energy-Heart is molten glass, except not hot and always attempting to arrange itself around the central point. Picking up the Heart, I¡¯m intrigued to see that it doesn¡¯t melt into my hand like the shard did. There¡¯s still that oily residue, but the Heart maintains its integrity, even after a minute or so. My next test being one of the most important, I put it in my Inventory. A moment later, I take it out. I don¡¯t bother to wait any longer than that since, from my experience with hot soup and burning torches, it doesn¡¯t seem to matter how long the item is in there: any change will happen immediately and if there is no effect when it¡¯s put in, there will still be no effect a day or more later. The Heart appears unchanged. That¡¯s useful: I was worried that it would be considered an ¡®unstable¡¯ Energy source like the flesh of creatures I kill. Instead, it seems like it might be more like the Skill and knowledge stones I used right at the beginning of my journey here. Excellent! Then the question is more about how many stones I can collect ¨C or how much time I¡¯m willing to dedicate to this ¨C rather than how I¡¯m going to carry them out of here. It would be useful if River could help me, though, I muse to myself. A task shared is a task halved. Or perhaps it would be better to say that two pairs of hands double the number of Energy-Hearts we can reasonably harvest. I¡¯m still wary about the whole compulsion aspect, but it appears that River might be right about the Energy-Hearts not having detrimental effects. In the end, I head back out of the cavern to where the rest of my party is waiting. Bastet and River look up at me as I approach, hope running through them both almost identically. It seems that regardless of their species, the desire to grow, to evolve is the same. I won¡¯t try to pretend that I haven¡¯t been gripped by the same urge, either, though the Energy-Hearts don¡¯t seem to have the same compulsive effect on me as they do on my companions. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, holding up one hand as they eagerly get to their feet. ¡°Hold on a moment.¡± They do, though both are emitting a sense of impatience. I do the mental equivalent of crossing my arms and staring sternly at them until they subside a bit. River settles back on his feet from where he was practically on tip-toe ¨C well, tip-claw ¨C while Bastet huffs and sits down again, looking away and casually cuffing one of the cubs which is trying to chew her tail. Probably Trouble, but the darkness makes it hard to tell. ¡°I¡¯ve been convinced that the Energy-Hearts can be very beneficial for all of us, and I¡¯m willing to take River¡¯s word for it that they¡¯re not hazardous in the long-term. And we would definitely be able to take more Energy-Hearts with us if all of us work at harvesting them. However,¡± I continue, glaring at them as Bastet comes to her feet again and River even takes a couple of steps forward. ¡°I need to be confident that you two can keep your heads. So if either of you start feeling like the urges are getting too much, I want you to leave the cavern and cool down. If I have to order either of you, then we¡¯ll have to leave via the forest. Deal?¡± I get a hurried sense of agreement from both of them and then they¡¯re past me, almost racing each other to make it back into the cavern. I¡¯m left exchanging glances with Lathani, feeling a little bemused. Then, shrugging, I accompany the other four members of our current party back into the cavern to see the other adults both hard at work harvesting the Energy-Hearts. All I can hope is that I don¡¯t have to carry out the threat of leaving the cavern behind before I¡¯ve filled at least three slots. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Thirty-Nine: Anything and Everything To begin with, I keep an eagle eye on my Bound as they harvest the Energy-Hearts, both physically and though the Bonds. After a while, I start to relax ¨C I can feel the strong desire both of them have for the Hearts but they seem to be channelling that into harvesting as many as they can. River is using his wooden knife which is far more effective than I would have thought. Bastet, conversely, is just using her claws. Again, not something I would have expected to have too much effect on what appears to be gemstone. Even my own experimentation proved that the Energy-Hearts don¡¯t react like rubies, though, for all they look like that¡¯s what they are. Bastet is slower than River, but she¡¯s doing well enough. Out of both of them, I¡¯m the slowest since I¡¯ve been more than half-watching the other two. As for the others, Lathani seems to be trying to copy Bastet, having clearly understood that these things are useful in some way. I see her taking a couple of surreptitious licks. She seems a little undecided seeing as she doesn¡¯t suddenly start licking at one of them with eagerness; neither does she appear to dislike them since she keeps coming back for more at various intervals. As for the other cubs, Trouble and Ninja are playing with one of the harvested Energy-Hearts, batting it away and then running to pounce on it. They seem to have turned it into a bit of a competition ¨C whoever gets to the Heart first wins, I guess. As for Stormcloud, she started by intently watching Bastet, and is now trying to copy her guardian. Not with a huge amount of success, I will admit, but at least she¡¯s trying. Not wanting to compete with either of my companions, and wanting to have a good view of both of them, I¡¯ve moved further into the cavern and am harvesting a section that¡¯s sticking out a little into the cavern. It¡¯s truly thick with Energy-Hearts so should occupy me for a good while. I almost whistle while I work, thinking about a certain iconic song. Well, if this is the sort of thing dwarves go for, no wonder they¡¯re happy to be off to work! Is this the treasure trove the salamander was guarding? Surely it is! Maybe it even evolved here, since I can¡¯t believe that the fire-breathing lizard could possibly have been born like that. Then again, fantasy often insists that dragons are a real thing: in a world of magic, how can I say for certain that they aren¡¯t? How cool would it be if River could become a dragon-man instead of a lizard-man? Probably a remote possibility, I conclude, if possible at all. If we can get Bastet to grow wings, that would be awesome enough. That leads me down the question of whether I could evolve. I mean, I didn¡¯t have the reaction to Energy-Hearts that they did, so does that mean I can¡¯t? Or is it that I need something else to do so? Hmm, a question for a later time. My mind musing over such ideas and focusing on harvesting the Hearts, I don¡¯t realise there¡¯s something else present in the area. When I do see it, I forget about everything else. Tucked around a corner so that I only spot it when I¡¯ve shifted a bit to reach some more Energy-Hearts, I see a shining pool of liquid. It can¡¯t be water ¨C it glimmers and glistens far too brightly to be water. It looks like liquid diamond, the substance reflecting the light of our torches and refracting it to dance around the little alcove. It seems to be picked up by the Energy-Hearts and magnified. Or maybe it¡¯s the light which magnifies the light within the Hearts? ¡°What is that?¡± I breathe as I step towards the shimmering and dancing liquid. It draws me in, a whisper to my senses that promises anything and everything. When I stare into the rainbow refraction within its ripples, I almost believe that I can see my mum there. My dad. Lucy. Long-cherished memories of the past dance barely noticeably in the substance. I shuffle forwards, entranced. I feel like I need only to reach out and touch the liquid and all my dreams will come true. I yearn for it, my body thirsts for this like nothing else. The dryness of my mouth is forgotten, surpassed a hundredfold by the deprivation I feel from only seeing this substance and not touching it. I take a faltering step forward, and then another. This, this is what I was missing in my life. My eyes are fixated on the visions I only see flickers of. I want to see more, I must see more. I want to make the flickering images into reality and I know that I can...if I only touch the mesmerizing substance. A sudden sense of warning awakens within me. Wasn¡¯t there a problem about...something...I lose track of my thoughts and push away the caution. What is to be wary about having every single one of my dreams brought to life? To being able to do anything? Instead of being banished, the sense of warning turns into fear, like there¡¯s something inside me that¡¯s trying to pull me back even as the rest of me keeps my feet shuffling forwards. Barely heard, barely registered, I hear a muffled voice in my mind. Markus, what are you doing? Markus? Master! stop! Why do I feel fear? I don¡¯t like it. The visions I¡¯m invited into here are dreams, full of care and love, not fear. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. A new wave of fear-tinged panic rolls over me and I flick it away mentally. Like turning a volume dial on a radio down to zero, the voice and emotion vanish. At peace, I bask in the feelings of joy, love, and acceptance emanating from the liquid in front of me. Somehow, I don¡¯t know how, I¡¯ve crossed the cavern from the entrance to the lapping edge of the pool. I¡¯m close enough that I could just reach out and touch...and so I do. Time elongates ¨C I feel like I¡¯m moving in slow motion. The sense of danger explodes in me, the feeling growing exponentially as my fingers descend towards the inviting liquid-diamond. I hesitate for a moment ¨C what am I doing ¨C but flashes of my mother¡¯s hair, her walnut eyes, her loving smile, catch my attention once more. I crush the feeling of danger as easily as I turned off the voice and panicky emotion earlier. Time stops as the tips of three of my fingers dip into the surface, covered up to the first knuckle in the dancing, shimmering liquid. The feeling is...indescribable. In one moment, feeling like air moving against my fingertips, in another a thick gel which resists my touch. For one perfect moment, the world is bliss, like I¡¯m connected to all that is, all that was, and all that will ever be. I feel infinite. I¡¯m at peace because why struggle when I am everything? Why strive when I can will things to be made and unmade with a flex of a thought? Then, the heavens crack and it¡¯s like Hell has opened up and engulfed me. An unfathomable something burrows underneath my skin, no, even deeper than that. Into my soul. I¡¯ve never been so certain that I have one until this moment where I know I have one because it¡¯s being shredded. Or melted. Or dissolved. The sensation starts at my fingertips, but it quickly moves up my fingers, into my hand. I realise that when I thought I was in Hell before, I didn¡¯t know what Hell was. My hand feels like I¡¯ve dipped it into the molten rock I was so worried about earlier, and then decided to throw on some salt just to make sure. No, not salt, pure sodium. No, potassium. I barely feel it as I¡¯m tackled, hitting the ground hard as I¡¯m crushed beneath a heavy body. My eyes are open, but I¡¯m unseeing. My mouth is hanging wide in a scream that I cannot hear. All I can focus on is the sheer impossible-to-describe agony that is my hand; the rest of the world might as well not exist. Moments stretch like honey, cloying and sickly sweet. The agony in my hand doesn¡¯t improve; if anything, it gets worse. It feels like there was something in my hand before which isn¡¯t there any more because it got consumed. Worse, it feels like moment by moment, the molten heat expands just a little more, devouring my soul, my body, my entire being a fraction of an inch at a time. Should I cut my hand off? If it will save my life, I¡¯ll do it, but I hesitate. Cutting my hand off is truly a last resort since, without both my hands, daily life will become infinitely harder. Better than no life, but not by much: I¡¯m not at all sure that I¡¯ll be able to rebuild my hand. I might have been able to fix my eye, but that was more about repairing the damages to it, not rebuilding it entirely. I don¡¯t know enough about the anatomy of a hand to even begin to direct the healing! And without me directing it, what if it just cauterises my wrist or something? But I have to do something. Every moment I spend agonising deliriously over what to do, I sense that I lose something more of myself. The all-encompassing pain makes it extremely hard to come up with possible ideas, but I have to fight through it. I have to. The other option is not acceptable. Desperately, I try to use my Lay-on-hands to fix the problem, but the results are not at all what I expected. Strangely, despite all the molten fire rolling around in my hand, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any actual damage. Not physical damage, anyway. However, that¡¯s not to say that my magic doesn¡¯t do anything. As soon as it makes contact with the mass of something in my hand, there¡¯s an immediate reaction. I hadn¡¯t sent much mana to the area, wanting to test the waters first, so I can¡¯t tell exactly what happened. However, the fact that it did react, tells me something by itself: the mass has to be linked to magic or Energy: why else would it be affected so directly? I latch onto the idea, my mind racing to try to work out how to turn it into a solution. Wondering whether I could just push the whatever it is out of me directly, I cast Lay-on-hands again, this time using a channelled version. Painstakingly, I feed the healing magic down my arm, for the first time becoming aware of it emerging from some sort of warm glow somewhere inside my chest. Instead of flooding the area with healing, I try to do something similar to when I pushed the poison out of me. It doesn¡¯t work ¨C the molten mass of stuff in my hand refuses to budge. Worse, it actually seems to grab my strand of mana and pull. It feels like a hungry monster, slurping at a string of spaghetti. The glow in my chest dims significantly as it sucks away at me, half of my mana bar vanishing in an instant. As more and more of my glow is pulled away with inexorable force, I feel myself become weaker and weaker. When my mana runs out, I watch in horror as my health starts to drain too, stamina disappearing as well, fraction by fraction. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty: A Very Bad Idea No. No! Something within me revolts against what¡¯s happening, at how inevitable it appears. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve raged against fate, not anywhere close. But it is the first time that I might be able to do something about it. I¡¯ve survived so much so far, grown beyond probably all the people I knew on Earth. I¡¯m not going to let some life-vampire liquid ruin everything now. With metaphysical hands which I had no idea even existed until now - desperation has lent me inspiration - I grab the cord connecting me and the monster in my hand. Once formed of mana, now it¡¯s a strangely slippery cord woven of health and stamina. Engaging the Willpower which I¡¯ve increased through gift, level up, and sheer bloody-mindedness, I grip onto that cord and refuse to let go. The drain slows, then it stops. Mentally doing the equivalent of setting my teeth and feet and leaning back, I put all the force I can muster into tugging on that cord. Utterly convinced that my life depends on me winning this tug-of-war, I refuse to lose. I don¡¯t know where the force comes from. At this moment, I don¡¯t care. All I know is that, somehow, I can hold the cord; somehow, I can exert pressure on it. For a moment, it feels like the world is holding its breath. Nothing moves, nothing changes. And then, so slowly, slowly enough that at first I think I¡¯m imagining it, the flow reverses. In the beginning, it is just a sense that I get from the metaphorical hands holding the metaphysical cord. Then, I actually see results as my health and stamina bars tick up bit by infinitesimal bit. The success emboldens me and I pull with even more force, using reserves that I didn¡¯t realise I had, not even in my sheer desperation a moment ago. The flow quickens, my stamina and health returning to full, and then my mana bar increasing once more. It increases past half, then three-quarters, and then is full once more. But the flow doesn¡¯t stop there. I¡¯m no longer tugging, but the cord is still present, providing a route from my hand to my core. Triumph turns into horror as I realise that all I¡¯ve done is invite the molten substance to skip all the intervening space and go straight for what feels like the centre of my everything. I start panicking as the thick heat moves up the cord like concrete through a pipe. It¡¯s slow, but nothing I do seems to be able to stop it. I try to push the cord away, to cut through it, to redirect it. The cord, despite probably being merely a metaphysical or metaphorical construct, could have been made of steel and fixed in place by solid rock for all that I¡¯m able to affect it. Perhaps I could do something if I used my mana, but after the last round, I¡¯m not keen to try that again. All I can do is helplessly watch as the impossibly hot substance crawls towards me. By this point, cutting my hand off is probably not an option; heck, cutting my arm off is probably not an option either ¨C the molten substance has already gone through my shoulder joint. The only good thing is that it doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s devouring me any more: with a path for it to follow, it doesn¡¯t need to create one itself by destroying every bit of me in its way. In fact, although the substance in my hand is as hot and agonising as ever, the part of it travelling towards the core of my body is surprisingly innocuous. Of course, I don¡¯t expect that to remain true as it comes into contact with the glow of mana where the cord has its anchoring point. Preparing myself tiredly once more to put up a fight as it tries to consume my health, stamina, and mana, I¡¯m surprised when the substance doesn¡¯t actually do that at all. Instead, it almost eagerly pours itself into my core. At first, it¡¯s a relief. I don¡¯t dare to relax, but I do dare to hope. The molten substance is still hot, but somehow it doesn¡¯t burn me, not here in the centre of my being. After a short time, however, it does start feeling uncomfortable. A bit like I¡¯ve consumed rather too much at an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. Then the discomfort worsens, like even after I¡¯d eaten too much, I¡¯d continued shovelling it down, and for some reason I didn¡¯t become nauseous and vomit. Instead, I¡¯d just continued by forcing my stomach to expand past where it should have. Only, it¡¯s not my stomach that¡¯s being affected, but something else entirely. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The over-expansion soon becomes an agony of its own, almost overtaking that already raging in my hand. Worse, it feels like whatever is being forced to expand is at the limit of its capacity, and might break at any moment. There¡¯s been the nagging sense of a notification ever since I first started feeling ¡®full¡¯. I hadn¡¯t dared to shift my attention enough to check it out. Now, though, I can only hope that it might possibly offer me a solution. Honestly, I¡¯ve racked my brain to think of a way of cutting off the flow and I¡¯m losing hope of being able to affect either the substance in my hand or the part of me that feels like it¡¯s an over-filled water-balloon on the tipping point between being intact and popping. Feeling that I¡¯m a drowning man clutching at straws, I quickly open the message, somehow going directly to the one that is most relevant despite the others I see waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have gathered enough Energy to push your body to the next level. Would you like to level up?
Y/N
Wait, what? I think, flabbergasted. Is it¡­? Could it be¡­? Surely¡­ No. I can think about these things after I¡¯ve prevented myself from decorating the walls ¨¤ la Markus Wolfe. That¡¯s what it feels like I¡¯m on the verge of doing, anyway. If levelling up will help, that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. I can think about the whys later. I assent to the level up and quickly just assign my six stat points to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower like I¡¯d done before ¨C perhaps even if levelling up doesn¡¯t help, they¡¯ll make the difference so I can figure a way out of the situation I¡¯m in. I feel the usual bliss take over my body, but this one isn¡¯t nearly so all-encompassing, in such pain as I am already. In fact, I feel like it rewires my brain a bit, to feel so much pleasure and so much pain all at once. When the wave of pain comes afterwards, it¡¯s oddly not nearly as powerful as usual. I would have thought that the sensations of pain would add to each other, but perhaps the soul-deep pain from whatever is happening to me is just too strong to allow bodily sensations much space. Following my level-up, the feeling of having eaten far, far too much is significantly improved. I still feel ¡®full¡¯ in a way, but it¡¯s not threatening to explode me all over the walls. Some of my suspicions strengthen, but I have no time to think through them or the implications of them: the molten substance is still coming up through the tube from my hand and I¡¯m beginning to feel overfull again. This time, as soon as the nagging notification feeling comes, I just think to level-up immediately. Again, I dump my six points once more into my mental and soul stats, since I think they did help me feel a little better. Once more, the bliss is less overwhelming, but so is the pain that follows. The flow keeps coming, its presence in my hand seemingly almost in-exhaustible. I¡¯m a little concerned, though ¨C the substance, which I¡¯m almost certain is somehow liquid Energy, has turned from concrete in consistency to milkshake and is coming quicker. Or maybe the cord has widened. I don¡¯t know. The centre of my body becomes over-satiated once more shortly after I complete the level-up process. Of course, I accept the level up again, once more choosing the path that seems to be working for me. The Energy comes quicker and quicker, one level-up happening quickly upon the heels of the previous. I lose count, honestly. My whole world is a wash of pleasure and pain, both blending into each other so that pleasure becomes pain and pain becomes pleasure and both become neither. I¡¯ve lost my sense of normality; this is the new normal. I¡¯ve become somewhat accustomed even to the soul-deep pain that at first felt like I was being dipped into lava. It doesn¡¯t vanish, but it..impacts me less. Impairs me less. Slowly, both pleasure and pain hold less sway on my mind and I become more able to think through those moments even when either of them is at its highest. All I am able to do is keep going, grimly forcing myself to level up again and again. When I finish one level up process, only to immediately find myself once more on a knife¡¯s edge where it feels like I could explode at any moment, I realise that I need to find a different strategy. There¡¯s only so quickly I can activate the level-up, mentally direct the system to place the points in the stats of my choosing, and choose which subsections of Wisdom should be increase. I consider briefly not adding points to Wisdom, instead just putting them in Willpower and Intelligence, but then dismiss the thought ¨C if anything, I need as much wisdom as I can get here. No, there¡¯s a deeper problem here. Not only is this clearly not a sustainable one in terms of the speed of Energy flow, but I feel...fragile. It¡¯s hard to describe, but somehow I instinctively know that so many level-ups, each on the heels of the previous is not a good thing for something key inside me. The molten Energy in my hand is significantly reduced, but it¡¯s still there, perhaps a fifth of it remaining. While it¡¯s flowing into my core, it doesn¡¯t seem so keen to eat at my soul, or whatever, but I have a feeling that that would change if I got rid of the metaphysical tube. With my increased stats, I sense that I could cut the tube now, if I chose. I don¡¯t because I also sense that that would be a very bad idea. Despite my increased stats, pushing the substance out of my body entirely seems to be impossible. It seems to need something to flow down. Or something to consume in order to take over a space. For a brief fraction of a second, I consider directing it down my Bonds. I sense that this might be possible. As soon as I¡¯ve thought it, I dismiss it. I have no guarantee that River, Bastet, or the bird might be any better at dealing with this than me, and if I hurt them the way I know I¡¯ve been hurt¡­ No, I need to think of something else. I suddenly have an idea. Even if I can¡¯t get rid of the tube, even if I can¡¯t keep absorbing it the way I have been, maybe I can change the destination; absorb it in a different way¡­ Once more, doing nothing is not an option, and I sense that continuing to do what I¡¯m already doing will doom me. So, what do I have to lose? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-One: Unanimous Agreement My method worked. It¡¯s gone, finally. The Energy in my hand has vanished, all sucked up through the tube to my core. That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the end of the matter now, though: the substance might be gone, but it has left behind significant damage. I¡¯m going to have to investigate that more closely at some point, but for now, I force my eyes open. They¡¯re sticky, clogged with the salt from my tears of pain. I¡¯d been fairly confident already from the lack of any sounds of combat that my screams hadn¡¯t caused other creatures to come to investigate, but it¡¯s a relief to see my companions safe. They look concerned, anxious even, Bastet nearly standing over me and River on high alert as he guards, sending glances over to me. When he sees I¡¯m awake, he hurries over. You¡¯re alive, he says, relief evident in his voice. ¡°You know what that was?¡± I say. Well, I try to say it ¨C my screams have wrecked my vocal cords and they haven¡¯t yet recovered. I reflexively try to send a tendril of healing magic to them, but don¡¯t even succeed in drawing it from that glowing centre before an exceedingly sharp pain strikes through me like a lightning bolt. I flinch and abandon the attempt. Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to use it later and haven¡¯t somehow destroyed my capacity to heal in my stupidity at touching something I didn¡¯t know anything about. Fortunately for communicating with my companions, however, they aren¡¯t actually listening to my words anyway. I believe I do, he replies, then hesitates. But among my people, it is nothing more than legend. It¡¯s Energy, right? Pure Energy, I conclude, fairly confidently considering everything. For now, I figure I¡¯ll send messages to him mentally; give my voice the chance to recover. I believe so, he agrees heavily. Which may explain both the strength of the guardian-beast and the speedy growth of the Forest of Death. They¡¯re feeding off this? I ask, frowning a little. Did the liquid have such a bad effect on me because I¡¯m from another world, or just because I¡¯m too low-level? Not directly, I would imagine, he replies, since the stories all say that touching the Life-blood of the Realm is rather too much of a good thing; very few survive such an encounter. Well, that tallies with how I felt on multiple occasions that I might explode. How are you feeling? he continues by asking. I use a few moments to take stock. If I thought I stunk to high heaven when I levelled up last time, it¡¯s nothing to how I smell now after who knows how many level ups. My body feels like it was stretched on the rack, then crushed under stones, and then finally twisted into a pretzel and baked. No, microwaved ¨C it¡¯s worse inside than out. Closing my eyes, I instinctively reach for Meditation, only this time, I don¡¯t reach outwards, but inwards. Something about my battle within myself has opened a whole new world to me, and I¡¯m now aware of some glowing core at my centre. As I observe with some sense that is somehow both completely new to me and completely familiar, I realise that my body has come off lightly compared to my insides. The glow at my centre is spluttering, flaring and dimming at odd moments. It¡¯s also incredibly tender in a way that¡¯s indescribable with words. I feel like...a glass vase, full of cracks and ready to disintegrate at any moment. Frankly, all that¡¯s keeping me together is hope and a prayer; I dare not even press too hard with my metaphysical presence in case it causes everything to finally shatter. Now I understand why trying to heal myself earlier hurt so much: it must have been like pressing my fingers into that shattered glass and pulling. If my centre, that which I¡¯m increasingly convinced must be the equivalent to one of River¡¯s Energy-Hearts, is bad, my hand is even worse. Although nothing looks damaged to my physical eyes, to my mental gaze, it¡¯s like a black hole. I¡¯m not an expert; I¡¯ve only just discovered how to ¡®look¡¯ at myself in this way, after all. Still, I hadn¡¯t even realised how much my whole body glows, not just the centre of it. If the glow of the Energy that had been there was the molten heat of the sun, the glow of my Energy-Heart is that of the moon. Before looking at my hand, I had thought that the rest of my body was dark, but in fact it¡¯s more like a dim twilight, evenly diffused across the whole of me. My hand, in comparison, is a black hole, a darkness so deep that it seems to suck me in as I observe it. I swiftly pull myself back to a sense of my physicality to break the pull, settling my consciousness back into my body and its aches and pains. My mind is also tired, a mixture of lack of sleep and the strain I put it through in the last while making concentration difficult. I¡¯m alive, I finally answer River, not even trying to keep my sense of exhaustion and pain from him. You need to sleep, he tells me. I know, I admit. But we also need to get out of here. We do, he agrees, but there is no guarantee that our passage out will be without conflict. For now, we are undisturbed. Sleep. I want to fight him on the idea. I want to push myself to my feet and carry on until we can get out of this wretched forest. Out of this cave which, at first a treasure trove, now feels like the lair of a beast. But I can¡¯t. I expended all my fight on mere survival after touching something I really shouldn¡¯t have. I sleep. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ***** When I wake, it¡¯s dark. Darker than before, at least. The torch I¡¯d lit earlier has gone out. I¡¯m not completely blind: the Energy-Hearts growing from the walls around somehow give off light even without the torches shedding it for them to reflect and refract. The pool of liquid Energy still shimmers, even without any other light source. I shudder as I look at it. Despite everything, I can still feel a draw, a temptation to touch it again. But now, knowing the consequences, it¡¯s not overwhelming. Refusing to make the same stupid error, I forcibly look away. I¡¯m feeling better. A little, at least. My body is still aching, my Energy-Heart is still sore, and I can sense that my hand is no less a black-hole than it was before. My mind is less tired, though, and I realise how my decision-making skills had not been at their best due to being mentally exhausted after the fraught days. The last proper sleep I had was with Bastet and the cubs in the temporary forest shelter, after all. I¡¯d convinced myself to come down here more because of curiosity than because it was logically the best option: at least the forest was the devil-I-knew. Using the salamander¡¯s fire gland, I¡¯d probably created enough torches to make sure that we got out without running out of fire, though there was certainly the risk of having to walk through the dark. But I¡¯d been curious about the hole, and about the salamander, and about the quest which was so obviously pointing me towards exploring it all, that I¡¯d convinced myself that it was the best thing for us to do. Then, I proceeded to be the Abu in Aladdin and touch what clearly should not have been touched. And that even after seeing the effects the Hearts had had on my Bound. Heck, I¡¯d castigated them over it. Yet, when gripped by the same type of temptation, I failed to prove myself any better. I suffered for my failure, have done damage to myself that has unknown consequences and will take an unknown amount of time to heal ¨C if it can at all ¨C and has proven to actively prevent me from fulfilling my arguably most successful role in combat: healing. All because I didn¡¯t take the time up there in the clearing to actually rest ¨C and let greed overwhelm the doubts I had about continuing here. When will I stop making stupid mistakes like this? I wonder morosely. My emotional state must communicate itself to my companions completely unintentionally, because the large mass lying beside me shifts to sit upwards. In the light of the Energy-Hearts, I can¡¯t see any details, but I know who it is from his size and shape. Do not chastise yourself too much: Energy calls to Energy. It¡¯s unsurprising that you felt a pull to it, and not having any idea of what it was, that you gave into the attraction. We did much the same when exposed to the Energy-Hearts, if you remember. Yeah, but you were able to return here and harvest them without losing yourself when you became aware of it, I point out bitterly. I knew about the temptation, and still touched the damn stuff. What called to you is many, many times more powerful than an Energy-Heart. Many times more powerful even than such a number of Energy-Hearts as we have here. It is unsurprising that the temptation was commensurately greater. Then why didn¡¯t anyone else feel it? I question sourly. We do not have Energy-Hearts, he replies calmly. My brows knit together. That makes a difference? I ask, curiosity managing to cut through my recriminatory thoughts. A significant one. For us, Energy is transitory, flowing in and flowing out, leaving small specks of it behind with every wave. Once we have accumulated enough specks, we cross the threshold and an Energy-Heart is created. Energy-Hearts provide a quick path towards forming one of our own, so we are strongly attracted to them. You can already store Energy so have no need to form an Energy-Heart ¨C presumably, since you already have one. Your being knows this and so instead you are attracted to what can fill your storage. The greater the concentration of Energy, the greater the attraction. And no other substance has a greater concentration of Energy than the Life-blood of the realm. I see, I respond, intrigued despite my desire to self-castigate. Touching the liquid Energy was only the last in a series of bad decisions, but it¡¯s nice for it not to be all my fault. I sigh. Well, just sitting here and moping is only compounding my failings. We need to decide what the next move is to make. Trying to project my thoughts to both the companions with me, I regret that Lathani won¡¯t be able to be part of the conversation since this affects her too. Unless she manages to pick up my thoughts with her own telepathy even when I¡¯m sending them down the Bonds, that is. What do you think we should do? I¡¯m aware that I wasn¡¯t making decisions in the best frame of mind before: do you think we should continue down here, or back out and just go through the forest. It¡¯s not too late. River is the first to speak. Whatever else we do, we should collect as many of these Energy-Hearts as we can. They will be a great boon to our ability to progress towards gaining our own Energy-Hearts. I feel a wave of enthusiastic agreement from Bastet. OK, I accept. That¡¯s the first step. And then after? We know that there¡¯s a route out via the tunnel Bastet found ¨C should we continue that way? Neither of them respond for a long moment. Then Bastet sends a questioning thought with images of the route ahead running right alongside a stream of shimmering water, identical to what I just touched. She seems to be asking whether that will be manageable. It¡¯s a good question. Grab me if I move even a fraction towards the Life-blood, OK? I ask River, getting his agreement before turning to look at the water. Gazing at it, I can see the same sort of images playing within the shimmering ripples as I had before, feel the attraction trying to grab me. This time, though, I¡¯m more able to resist it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the points in Willpower or the knowledge of the consequences to touching it, but I¡¯m relieved when the temptation doesn¡¯t go above really, really wanting it. It should be OK, I say in the end. As long as I don¡¯t touch it, that is. Then I think we should travel through the tunnel. Despite all of this, it appears less treacherous than the Forest of Death, opines River. And, perhaps, we¡¯ll be able to discover exactly why there is Life-blood so freely available here. That¡¯s not normal? I check. No. OK, clear. Do you agree, Bastet? She quickly does so. Alrighty then. You guys keep harvesting Energy-Hearts while I try and see what I can do to help myself recover. Then we¡¯ll get going as soon as possible. They send agreement. Then I realise that Lathani¡¯s potentially been out of the conversation entirely and open my mouth to tell her what¡¯s going on. When nothing emerges from my damaged throat, I frown. Bastet, can you get Lathani up to speed, please? She sends an affirmation and I suddenly sense...something passing between the two big cats. I think the tunnel is a good idea, carer, Lathani¡¯s voice comes into my head. I did not like those trees. They had a strange feel to them. Well, with unanimous agreement for the tunnel, but for collecting Energy-Hearts first, it seems like we have our plan. After a couple more exchanges, Bastet, River, and Lathani go back to harvesting Energy-Hearts. As for me, I have another task: checking through my messages and status since I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a lot to go through there. Opening my status panel, my eyes widen. Yup, definitely a lot to explore. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Two: Reduction
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 15% Energy absorption rate: 752u/hr Energy towards debt: 75%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 334/334 (-7%)
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 680u/hr (-20%)
Willpower 42+7 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 39u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 95/190
Strength 15 Stamina: 90/90
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 1 Tame ¨C Beginner 5 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 1 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 5 Meditation ¨C Novice 1 Energy manipulation ¨C Beginner 2 Sensation management ¨C Beginner 5
The first thing that hits me is the level I¡¯ve got to. Level twelve. I was sitting at level four when I entered the tunnel. In one move, I¡¯ve multiplied my level threefold. The sheer amount of Energy which I must have absorbed in such a short time must have been utterly immense; no wonder I feel like I¡¯ve been tortured. Having a few thousand volts of electricity pass through me wouldn¡¯t have felt good either. The second surprise is how much progress I¡¯ve made on my debt. From single digits to three-quarters completed, it¡¯s a lot of change. And that was only a fifth of what remained after I increased my level eight times, maybe even less than a fifth ¨C it was hard for me to get a clear estimate considering the situation. Frankly, I¡¯m glad it worked at all! Between my significant progress in levelling up and my progress on my debt, it almost makes all the pain and sheer terror I went through worth it. What am I saying? It was worth it, but an instinct inside me warns me that it would be an immensely bad idea to try again. Not for now, at least. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The third surprising thing is the amount of Energy I¡¯m absorbing per hour ¨C and how few percentage points I¡¯ve moved towards my next level despite that. I don¡¯t know exactly how long I¡¯ve been sleeping, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more than a couple of hours. Even if it was only four hours, that would mean it now costs around two hundred Energy units per point! If I slept for longer, it only increases the Energy cost. I have a feeling I¡¯ll be languishing at level twelve for a good long while. That might not necessarily be a bad thing ¨C my body stats seem to be lamentably far behind my mental and soul ones. In fact, two of my body stats are less than half my lowest mental stat, something that the scholars from Nicholas¡¯ world suggested is a bad thing. Maybe that¡¯s why, despite my thought process feeling faster and smoother, it¡¯s not as much of a qualitative increase as the number of points I just ploughed into my mental stats would suggest. Of course, my mind and soul stats aren¡¯t going to be going anywhere since they¡¯re way over 20 points in each, but then only Wisdom was below that before anyway. So, all told, I can¡¯t exactly complain, particularly given the fact that I¡¯ve just skipped eight levels and paid off a good portion of my ¡®debt¡¯. Not to mention that I survived an event River said most of his legends consider to be fatal. But why is there so much Energy in the environment? I eye the Energy pool questioningly, and then glance at the Energy-Hearts. Maybe one of them is the reason? Or both? I table the question for now: I can always talk to Bastet and River about them when moving; right now I need to be checking out the changes I¡¯ve made to myself. Looking at my stats next, I nod as I go through them, though find myself mystified at a couple of the increases. The addition to Strength (Endurance) and Dexterity are probably from the climb down here, so logical enough. The additional three points each to Willpower and Constitution is a different question. With what little concentration I had to spare at the time, I remember choosing to double down on the point choice I made in my last level-up. In short, that meant a whopping sixteen points each to Wisdom, Intelligence, and Willpower. I didn¡¯t touch Constitution at all, so why that¡¯s increased by three points, I have no idea. Actually, Willpower has increased more than it should have, thinking about it. Nineteen points instead of sixteen. And as for the subcategories of Wisdom, when offered the choice between Depth and Breadth, I¡¯d once more hedged my bets and split the points equally. Or at least, that¡¯s what I think I did ¨C the memory of the event is a little hazy. Frankly, I didn¡¯t care at that point: I just cared that I didn¡¯t explode from the sheer amount of Energy pouring into me through the connection I had with my hand ¨C the demand to make a choice between two subcategories just elongated the time before I could level up again and took me that much closer to decorating the walls. Possibly literally. Looking at my pools and regeneration rates, however, I see some of the consequences of what I¡¯ve done to myself. My mana pool has a reduction of seven percent, which translates to about twenty-six points of mana. It doesn¡¯t sound too significant compared to the one hundred and sixty points of mana I had gained from leveling up, but that is two Lay-on-hands that I won¡¯t be able to cast ¨C if I¡¯m still able to cast it, that is. Given the painful backlash to trying to heal my vocal cords I can only hope that I haven¡¯t permanently messed up my ability to do magic. That would be...frustrating. In classic British understatement style. My mana regeneration rate and health regeneration rate are a different story. For some reason, they have a full twenty percent reduction, taking a significant chunk off both rates. By this point, I should be earning ten mana units per minute, meaning one every four seconds or so. Instead, I¡¯m roughly earning one unit per five seconds. It may not sound like a big difference, but when it¡¯s the life of one of my companions ¨C or me ¨C on the line, those extra seconds add up. Though, if put in the context of my previous mana regeneration rate of four hundred and fifty units per hour, the net result is one of significant gain. Again, if I can use magic. Fortunately, my assessment that my body was fairly undamaged is borne out by the lack of reduction to any of those stats. Though I must have taken some sort of damage since I¡¯m actually at half health. Not verging on dangerous territory at all ¨C that seems to be when I¡¯m below thirty units ¨C but worrisome all the same. The reduction to my health regeneration is a bit of a blow and reveals that, indeed, the damage went far deeper than I would have ever believed possible before coming to this world. However, again, I have a better health regeneration rate now than I did before this whole experience so...take the win where I can? Scanning down the screen, I see my next surprise: two new Skills. Sensation management and Energy manipulation, I say to myself thoughtfully. I wonder¡­ Then as I flick my eyes over my status again, I notice that my health is now sitting at ninety-four. Perhaps one of the benefits of my increased mental stats is improved recall because I know immediately that I¡¯ve somehow lost a point in health just in the time since I opened my status. Checking my notifications has turned into a priority. Deciding to look for whatever answers I can in my messages, I mentally trigger the message box to open. As expected, there are quite a lot of messages waiting for me. Given that there¡¯s something immediately wrong with me, I decide to try something out which I theorise might work. Closing my eyes, I focus on my dropping health and my need to know whatever is affecting it. Opening it again, I¡¯m greeted by a much truncated message box. Instead of the many unread messages in front of me, I see only three. Well. Time to test whether it¡¯s truly worked. I mentally select the oldest message.
Warning! You have entered an area of high Energy density. Your level is too low to safely absorb this Energy. Time until Energy poisoning begins: 0:10:00
Next message? Y/N
Energy poisoning? Is that the cause of the reduction in health? And is that ten minutes or ten hours? I forcibly calm myself down. I¡¯ve just lost a unit, but I¡¯m still a while away from being in danger. If I am, I need to get out of here, but panicking won¡¯t help me. I need to gather as much information as I can first to make a decision that I won¡¯t decide later is as moronic as some of the ones I¡¯ve made recently. I go to the next message.
Warning! You are in an area of high Energy density. Your level is too low to safely absorb this Energy. Time until Energy poisoning begins: 00:00:00 You are being poisoned. Your health will drop by one unit every 36 seconds until either you leave the area, increase your capacity to absorb Energy safely, or expire.
Next message? Y/N
Well. Great. I guess that answers my question. But then I frown, my mind rushing through some mental maths. That...doesn¡¯t make complete sense. If I¡¯m losing one unit per thirty-six seconds, I could only have been sleeping for a bit under two hours. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve slept for longer than that ¨C I feel more rested that I would have after around two hours of sleep. Then I realise that I¡¯ve forgotten about my regen rate, but a quick estimation proves that that would only have offered me another hour or so. Possible...but I have a feeling that there¡¯s more to it than that. Hoping the next message might hold some answers, I move onto that.
Congratulations! You have increased your Wisdom, Intelligence, and Willpower over the first decade. Your body is more able to cope with high Energy density. Your level remains too low to safely absorb this Energy. You are still being poisoned. Your health will drop by one unit every sixty-six seconds until either you leave the area, increase your capacity to absorb the Energy safely, or expire.
Next message? Y/N
That explains it, then. I underwent a period of more intense poisoning, then increased my level and added points to my stats, and that reduced the impact of the Energy poisoning. If my maths is correct, that means that I must have slept for around five hours, depending on how long the whole Life-blood mess took. By my calculations, I¡¯ve still got well over an hour until I ¡®expire¡¯ from the poisoning, more than two when I take my regeneration rate into account. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m going to lollygag around here for ages, but it does mean that I can give my Bound a little more time to harvest Energy-Hearts while I check through the rest of the mound of notifications: there may be something really important there which I¡¯ll want to know before we continue. In fact, given how many changes there have been to my status, I¡¯d be willing to bet that there is! Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Three: Messages
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Strength (Endurance) and have earned a point. This has been applied to your status.
Next message? Y/N
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity (Agility) and have earned a point. This has been applied to your status.
Next message? Y/N
The two starting messages are unsurprising, though it¡¯s nice to have earned the points outright. I certainly feel that I was pushing my limits on the way down, for sure. It¡¯s a little surprising that I wasn¡¯t offered the points in exchange for some Energy first, though. On the other hand, if I¡¯d checked my messages partway down, maybe I would have been offered that. I was a little distracted by the whole Energy-Heart thing to pay any attention to the nagging feeling of notifications.
Warning! You have touched a source of pure Energy. You are not high enough level to be able to directly absorb Pure Energy. Pure Energy is doing damage to your internal matrix. -1% to your mana regeneration rate.
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So it¡¯s called Pure Energy? Life-blood must be River¡¯s people¡¯s name for it: I suppose it¡¯s not exactly the first time they¡¯ve used a grandiose name for something. Does that mean Energy-Hearts aren¡¯t what the system would call them either? As for the actual content of the message...that doesn¡¯t sound good. But I suppose I¡¯ve got my answer to the reduction I saw on my stats page. Sort of, anyway: one percent is a long way away from twenty percent, after all.
Warning! You have touched a source of pure Energy. Your soul is not strong enough to resist the effects of Pure Energy. Pure Energy is doing damage to your soul. -1% to your health regeneration rate.
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Which explains my other twenty percent reduction ¨C in part, at least.
Warning! You continue to hold pure Energy in your body. You are not high enough level to be able to safely contain Pure Energy. Pure Energy is doing damage to your internal matrix. -2% to your mana regeneration rate.
Next message? Y/N
Warning! You continue to hold pure Energy in your body. You are not high enough level to be able to safely resist Pure Energy. Pure Energy is doing damage to your soul. -2% to your health regeneration rate.
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The next few messages are a repeat of the two previous, the percentage increasing by one each time. OK, I see the pattern ¨C the twenty percent reductions are explained. I flick through the messages, just skimming them to make sure that there¡¯s no new information. So, whatever I did damaged my ¡®internal matrix¡¯ at the same time as it damaged my soul. What is this ¡®internal matrix¡¯, and how can I fix it? And is it even possible to fix my soul? Something to think about later when I¡¯m safe...and not being continually poisoned.
Congratulations! You have tried to manipulate Pure Energy with mana. You have created a connection with Pure Energy.
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I¡¯m not sure what there is to congratulate about that, I mentally tell the box bitterly. I can only think that this came as I first connected with the Pure Energy; what it subsequently started to do to me surely can¡¯t be considered a good thing.
Warning! Pure Energy is draining you of mana, health, and stamina. If all of these values reach 0, you will die.
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Yeah, I got that. Unhelpful messages. Much like the time with the wolvezard, if I¡¯d spent my time on checking my messages rather than reacting to the situation, I¡¯d definitely be dead. Though, does the message mean that even if I¡¯d only had stamina remaining, I¡¯d have still been alive? Hmm. Probably not something to experiment with...
Congratulations! You have earned a Skill: Energy Manipulation
Read Skill description? Y/N The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Uh, yes? Duh.
Energy Manipulation For being able to forge a connection with Pure Energy, exert some control over it, and survive the initial contact while being too low level to reasonably expect such an outcome, you have earned a new Skill. Manipulating Pure Energy will be slightly easier for you, capability improving with every rank. Manipulating sub-forms of Energy will be significantly easier. Manipulating Energy in your body will be significantly easier. Manipulating sub-forms of Energy you could already control will become significantly easier.
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That description is a little different from any other I¡¯ve come across before. It doesn¡¯t seem to indicate which stats it¡¯s attached to, for one. And its estimate of how much it will help me is...vague. It sounds like a pretty awesome Skill despite all that, to be honest. The fact, though, that I earned a Skill purely for resisting the Energy¡¯s attempts to drink me dry and then creating a connection with it simply highlights how lucky it is that I¡¯ve survived.
Warning! Your Core is overfull and is under strain. Please level up before your Core¡¯s structural integrity is irreparably compromised.
Next message? Y/N
I was right. Energy-Heart is River¡¯s people¡¯s poetic term. I don¡¯t have an Energy-Heart: I have a Core. Though I suppose it¡¯s possible that Energy-Hearts and Cores are actually different. Maybe Energy-Hearts are what beasts earn and cores are what come with the Class stone? Either way, it appears that my Core may fulfill the same function as one of River¡¯s Energy-Hearts: storing Energy. Or mana. Not sure what the difference is between those, if there is any. Either way, clearly that¡¯s what was so uncomfortably full when I channeled such a concentration of Energy into it. Knowing now that there was enough Energy in that small amount in my hand to push me up eight levels and make seventy-five percent progress towards my Energy debt, I¡¯m not at all surprised. I¡¯m just grateful that it started off slowly: if it had all rushed into my Core at the speed it was using at the end of things, I reckon my Core would have exploded without me being able to do anything about it. Though, I do wonder why it started slowly and then sped up. It couldn¡¯t have been that it was trying to give me a chance¡­? Could it? Or is it something to do with my levelling up? Or even to do with this Skill? Or something completely different. My thoughts racing, all I know is that I¡¯m so grateful that, somehow, I was able to access the level-up notification without having to go through all these other messages: I wouldn¡¯t have had time to do anything about it, otherwise. Given that I was also able to access the messages about me being poisoned without going through everything in between, I wonder if I¡¯ve discovered a new way to deal with large numbers of notifications. Something else to explore later.
Congratulations! You have earned 2 Skill points. Would you like to see the selection of your available Skills, or save the Skill point for later?
Skill list / Bank
I bank my points for now: I¡¯m expecting to also get Skill points at level ten and have more Skills to choose from; no point in spending time on my list until then. The next few notifications, consist of warnings about my Core being overfull followed by a couple that explain the reduction to my mana capacity.
Warning! You have sustained damage to your Core. Your capacity to store mana is consequently reduced until your Core is restored. -1% to your mana capacity.
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Each time the message repeats, it shows another percentage lost to my mana capacity. I¡¯m up to three percent lost by the time a different message appears. At least this one¡¯s a bit more positive: another message about a Skill gain, this one for Sensation Management. As before, I choose to read the Skill description.
Sensation Management. Not many have been exposed to the extreme heights of pain and pleasure in as quick succession as you have. As a result, you have gained a tolerance and control over both. You can choose to reduce or enhance either pain or pleasure at will. The amount by which you can choose to reduce or enhance both feelings increases with Skill level and Willpower. Other sensations can be affected according to your Constitution stat level. With higher Wisdom levels, it is possible to affect the pain or pleasure felt by others.
Next message? Y/N
An interesting Skill, and one that seems a bit more ¡®normal¡¯ than the previous one was. I¡¯m grateful for it, frankly ¨C the amount of pain I was in was bad enough; if it had been worse, I may have been unable to keep going and that would have killed me. I don¡¯t miss how it mentions about affecting pain or pleasure felt by others ¨C I¡¯m sure that could come in handy, though I can¡¯t help my mind from automatically thinking that both torturers and courtesans probably value this Skill highly. Once more there are a couple of notifications about my Core being overfull and about to explode. Not literally, but that¡¯s certainly what it felt like. There¡¯s also one of the notifications about my Core being damaged, taking the percentage loss from my mana capacity up to five. Then I get the notification I¡¯m waiting for about Skill points. Clearly, this is when I reached level ten.
Congratulations! You have earned 4 Skill points. Would you like to see the selection of your available Skills, or save the Skill point for later?
Skill list / Bank
Eagerly, I select ¡®Skill list¡¯. Expecting a nice long list of at least eight potential Skills to appear, I¡¯m surprised when that¡¯s not the case. My surprise turns into dismay as I read the message.
Error. Your internal matrix is compromised. Skills are inaccessible until this is restored to full functionality.
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Well, that¡¯s a blow. I was really looking forward to seeing what I had available. Now I¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯ve ¡®restored¡¯ my ¡®internal matrix¡¯, however I¡¯m expected to do that. At least, I can only hope that I¡¯ll be able to restore it: if it¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to wait to be in Nicholas¡¯ world to heal, I¡¯m stuffed. My mouth in a thin line, I push my sudden disappointment to the side and move on ¨C what else can I do?
Achievement awarded: Survivor. For facing a situation which you had less than 0.1% probability of surviving, you have proven your tenacity and steadfastness. You have subsequently gained +3 points to Willpower and +3 points to Constitution.
Close messages? Y/N
Apparently this is the last one. I¡¯m grateful ¨C I¡¯ve got enough to think on based on all the other messages. I¡¯m still a little surprised that there¡¯s nothing in the memories I got from the system knowledge stone that talk about achievements, considering I¡¯ve earned two in just a few days. By this point, though, my capacity to feel surprise seems to be rather worn out. At least I have an explanation for the extra points to Willpower and Constitution. It would be good to keep the description for later reference, and I wonder idly about if I can pin messages or something. Having seen the tiny probability of survival, I suddenly feel like the luckiest bastard out there. I¡¯d much rather take reductions to my mana, mana regeneration, and health regeneration than be dead! Closing the message, I notice I¡¯ve now got another tab at the top of my ¡®screen¡¯ ¨C I¡¯d always had ¡®status screen¡¯, and ¡®messages¡¯, but now I¡¯ve got ¡®achievements¡¯. Huh. I flick over to it. Survivor is at the top, but Steadfast I is there too. Wait, is this in response to my thoughts about being able to see the message about my achievement later? If that works, maybe I can try to get something about my Bound? It¡¯s part of my Class, isn¡¯t it? Certainly it would be useful to have some sort of information about their state of health, their progress towards evolving, that sort of thing. As if my screen was just waiting for me to think of such a thing, a new tab flicks into being named ¡®Bound¡¯. Right. It seems like my interface is a lot more customisable than I thought it was. Good to know. Or is it that it becomes easier to customise it over time? Certainly I remember that even getting my health, stamina, and mana bars to fix themselves in the corner of my vision was a struggle. Ideas start making themselves known, but I decide to, once more, think about it later. After managing to get my bars to have a little number in them, that is. I note that my health has dropped another six units; it was probably eight, but my natural regeneration rate would have given me a unit every one and a half minutes. Opening my newest tab, I give a thoughtful hum as I see the information there. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Four: Consideration I take a quick moment to glance over my ¡®Bound¡¯ tab. The information available is quite simplistic, but useful, putting numbers to things I¡¯d never been able to properly quantify before. The HR worker in me is satisfied: being able to measure progress and development in numerical form was a big part of my job before all of this. Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Bastet¡¯ Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®River¡¯ Bound ¨C Tame ¨C ¡®the bird¡¯ Interesting, very interesting. The first thing I note is that neither of my Bound present seem to be suffering from the same Energy poisoning that I am ¨C although Bastet¡¯s health pool isn¡¯t full, it also isn¡¯t dropping, and River¡¯s is completely full. The second is that almost all my Bound¡¯s physical stats are better than mine. With a stamina pool of eighty, I¡¯m severely outclassed even by the bird who has the lowest pool of the three. However, my mana pool is far above even the bird who conversely has the highest mana pool. The only physical stat I beat any of them in is, again, the bird who has the lowest health pool of all of us. However, we are most definitely the weaklings when compared to Bastet or River with their hefty health. No wonder River wasn¡¯t too badly damaged by the salamander¡¯s fire where I got my side half-melted off; no wonder why it took so long to heal Bastet when she was almost dead those two times. And apparently I didn¡¯t even fully heal her, as she¡¯s still missing a good third of her health pool. Though seeing that she apparently only has just over a year in lifespan is a little shocking. She did say she was old...but I can¡¯t imagine her not being by my side. Feeling melancholy at the thought of losing someone else I¡¯ve got close to, I flick away the information and return to the ¡®real¡¯ world. Looking around, I spot the silhouettes of River and Bastet still working away at removing Energy-Hearts ¨C or ¡®Cores¡¯? - from the walls. Both of them seem to have created a sizeable pile of the things near where they¡¯re working. I push myself to my feet, my body aching, and move over to pack them into my Inventory. At least that¡¯s working, I tell myself. I try to cast another Lay-on-hands, hoping that the issue has fixed itself but release the magic quickly as pain shoots through me. If I had felt like the pain was just the ache of an over-used muscle, I might have continued anyway; it instead feels like I¡¯m digging my fingers into said muscle and yanking. Except not in any way a physical pain. So, in short, I fear making things worse. I may just have to rely on my natural regeneration ¨C which means getting out of this place before my health drops further. OK, guys, I project to my Bound, after trying my voice and finding that it¡¯s still not working. We need to leave once I¡¯ve grabbed these Hearts. I get back agreement from both of them, though I sense an element of reluctance. Bastet, can you gather up Lathani and the cubs, please? Maybe start getting them moving? She sends back a desire to first finish chipping away the Energy-Heart she¡¯s working on. I agree, already shoving Energy-Hearts into my Inventory one by one. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Interestingly, it seems like there¡¯s a limit on the number of Energy-Hearts that can fit in one slot ¨C about twenty-five in each. Clearly the limit to each slot isn¡¯t based on number as I fitted significantly more firewood into a slot than that. Not to mention a good half-ton of clay and loads of salt, so not physical space either. Maybe it¡¯s to do with the amount of Energy in them? At least I don¡¯t have to worry about space, though ¨C with the number of Inventory slots I¡¯ve just gained all in one fell swoop, I¡¯m not likely to run out of room anytime soon. Once I¡¯ve finished packing up Bastet¡¯s cores, I move onto River¡¯s pile. It¡¯s bigger, his method of using his knife clearly more effective than Bastet¡¯s claws. By the end, I have four slots filled up, and a fifth partially filled. Not bad for a few hours of work! Did you keep doing this throughout the whole time I was sleeping? I ask River curiously. Of course, he answered, as if it should never have been in doubt. When he feels my surprise, he continues. This is an unprecedented opportunity; spending time on another task would seem a waste. Now that makes me feel bad about sleeping¡­ Perhaps we can come back, I offer. Perhaps, River agrees, though with doubt tinging his mental message. Though places of opportunity such as this rarely go unguarded for long. True. But the salamander, though it almost killed Bastet, still came off worst from our confrontation. Who¡¯s to say that we wouldn¡¯t be able to gain access again, and maybe even find a way to use the Pure Energy safely, a sneaky voice in my mind suggests. I push that thought firmly to the side ¨C while it may be a good idea if I have the right method, finding that method is going to be fraught with danger. While the potential of Pure Energy makes the effort worth it, I need to make sure that I approach the attempt with a lot more consideration than what happened this time. I do consider coming back earlier for Energy-absorption purposes, though. That¡¯s significantly less dangerous but still offers huge potential benefits. As long as I¡¯m not being poisoned, that is, or can heal myself of the poison¡¯s effects. And as long as we don¡¯t need to travel through the vine-strangler forest to get here. Hmm, a thought for a later time. While I was packing up the rest of River¡¯s pile, I noticed that there had been some changes to my Bonds. Or, not the Bonds themselves so much, but my ability to touch and interact with them. I¡¯m able to pinpoint exactly where my two Bound are in the cavern with me, to the point where I could have found them while otherwise sensory deprived. I even have a vague sense of where the bird is, though the distance reduces the accuracy there. As for touching the Bonds themselves, where previously I¡¯d felt like I was wearing gloves, even if they were thin ones, I now feel like I¡¯m touching a braided sinew cord bare-handed. There¡¯s a big difference. I have so much more understanding of both my Bound and the Bonds ¨C the ones formed with Dominate. I can feel their feelings with clarity and sense that I could invade their thoughts with a simple flex of will. If the latter seems morally dubious, it¡¯s nothing to the other things I realise I could now do with the Bond. With just a moment¡¯s thought, I could impose pleasure ¨C or pain. I could use the Bond to puppet my Bound like a marionette, controlling their every move and refusing them any agency at all. Even if I didn¡¯t go that far, I sense that any command I give while gripping the Bond will be impossible to refuse, regardless of my tone of voice or how much attention I¡¯m paying. I also sense that the more I wrapped my Bound in chains, the easier it would become for them to resist me. Although their stats aren¡¯t included in the information I have about them on my ¡®Bound¡¯ page, I reckon that if their Willpower stat was stronger than mine, I would be unable to exert full control over them. Not that I¡¯m intending on doing anything of the sort; in fact, the idea makes me feel a little sick. It¡¯s everything I feared after I¡¯d Dominated Spike: a slave-master¡¯s tool. The only reason I used the Bond to give commands recently was because I feared that I couldn¡¯t get them away from the Energy-Hearts in any other way. The only difference between the two bonds is that Bastet¡¯s is thicker, built, I suppose, from time and shared experience. The difference is even more clear between the Bonds I hold for Bastet and River, and the one I hold with the as-yet-unnamed bird. Although I can sense her location, somewhere above us, and touch on her emotions, I sense that I cannot touch her thoughts without explicit permission. In fact, the Bond is significantly more two-sided, with my ability to affect unilaterally being far more limited. In fact, I can only affect it in as much as I am concerned: I can block access from her side so she wouldn¡¯t be able to communicate with me or touch my emotions. I could block my own location from her, or indeed, broadcast it. I can send a message to her, but I cannot ensure that it is received. In short, it rather reminds me of an instant messaging feature, except with added emotional connection. Needless to say, I can sense that any attempt of mine to impose my will on hers would be met with a quick refusal, and probably a blockage or severance of her side of the Bond. It¡¯s all very interesting, but there are other things for me to focus on right now. Namely, getting out of here and returning to Kalanthia as quickly as possible. For that, I¡¯m going to need light. So far, I haven¡¯t actually required it, although I did have a torch just in case. The moonlight helped me in the first bit of the tunnel, and even now my torch has gone out, the light from the Pure Energy and Energy-Hearts is sufficient for me to see just well enough to not need artificial light. I have a feeling that that might change. From what I remember of Bastet¡¯s scouting, the next bit is travelling beside a stream of Pure Energy. Then there will be some more travelling in a dark tunnel: torches definitely necessary. Pulling out the torch I lit earlier, I quickly set myself to re-lighting it. Although it takes a bit of convincing, finally, I¡¯m holding the branch in the air, a flickering flame on one end. If nothing else, it will serve as a canary in a coal mine in case we run out of oxygen. Then, checking that we haven¡¯t left anything behind, we head towards the other exit of the cavern. As we pass the Pure-Energy, I¡¯m unable to avoid casting it a glance. One day, I promise myself. One day I¡¯ll be able to harvest the immense potential in that substance without a 99.9% chance of dying. But today is not that day, so I force myself to shift my gaze instead to the hole in the floor that is our path out of here. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Five: Sleepwalking our way into Something’s Mouth I climb carefully through the gaping void in the floor, the cubs in a sling against my chest again. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ve put on a growth spurt since we¡¯ve been in here: they¡¯re packed tightly and not happy about it. Maybe they have: if creatures in this world evolve from Energy, what¡¯s to say the cubs don¡¯t grow from it as well? Bastet has already jumped down and is holding the torch in her mouth, allowing the flickering light to partially illuminate the rock below. It reflects off the flowing stream of Pure Energy that covers at least two thirds of the channel. There¡¯s enough space on either side of the stream to walk, but we¡¯ll all have to be careful. At least it¡¯s easy to see. Every time I look at it, I¡¯m tempted to once again dip my hand in it, step into it and submerse myself. Close to such a large quantity, the temptation is almost irresistible; I avoid glancing at it as much as possible. My toes finally touching the surface of sloped rock, I slowly release my white-knuckle grip on the hole¡¯s edge. As predicted, the height of the tunnel is just slightly too low for me; I¡¯ll need to keep slightly bent to be able to walk. It¡¯s better than the tunnels we had to travel through to reach the salt cave, though. I cast a glance down the tunnel in each direction. Not far upstream ¨C if one can call that when the substance only vaguely moves in a specific direction ¨C the tunnel narrows significantly, the stream seeming to be held tightly within the walls of stone. Downstream, the tunnel extends for a short distance before narrowing down significantly again. What could have caused this conveniently-sized walkway, I wonder to myself. Pulling myself from my thoughts, I help Lathani down. The cubs are already slung on my chest, but the almost-cub didn¡¯t feel too comfortable climbing down like Bastet. Especially not when she¡¯d seen what barely touching the liquid did to me in the cavern. I do regret that she had to see that: she¡¯s been uncharacteristically quiet and subdued ever since. When I carefully lift her down, she takes especial care not to go anywhere near the pearlescent liquid, pressing herself against the tunnel wall instead. I¡¯m not going to complain about her keeping herself safe, though! I do take a moment to give her a reassuring head-rub. She sends me a wordless communication of mixed emotions. I¡¯m unsurprised that fear and longing for home are a good portion of them, though regret that the careless, innocent cub is no more. It¡¯s OK, Lathani, I try to project to her soothingly. I hope it gets through ¨C we don¡¯t have a Bond, but on the other hand, the nunda cub is naturally telepathic and seems to understand everything else going on. Once we¡¯re out of here, it should be a quick trip back to your mum. She clearly must at least get the sense of my message as her response is just as wordless, and equally as mixed. She¡¯s already told me about her fears that her changed appearance will cause Kalanthia to abandon her, so I¡¯m not entirely surprised. There¡¯s little to say to them except what I have already: that she will always have a place with me and that I doubt that Kalanthia will abandon her for aging a bit. With the rest of the party in the passageway, River climbs down to join us. Much as I had, he slowly lowers himself by his hand grip on the edge of the hole. Gym bunnies, eat your heart out. If I¡¯d had the stats then that I have now, I¡¯d have been doing chin-ups one-handed and press-ups with my index fingers. The moment of marvelling at the differences over, we get moving, all of us eager to be out of this place. Bastet is first, moving a little ahead so that we¡¯ll have some warning if something decides to attack. Progress for the rest of us is much slower. River, Lathani, and I are all edging along the tunnel wall, but Lathani has a much easier job, being closer to the ground and having four legs. River¡¯s job isn¡¯t much harder since the roof of the tunnel is high enough that he can walk upright. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s slowing down the pack. We don¡¯t have to go far, but everyone in the group is tense which makes even minutes feel as long as hours. Worse, I notice my health dropping faster, losing a point every ten or so seconds instead of every sixty-six. I don¡¯t need to check my newly-nagging notifications to know that the Energy poisoning has got worse. I feel very vulnerable without being able to cast a Lay-on-hands to top my health up. Roughly halfway along the tunnel, there¡¯s an abrupt narrowing. Bastet just jumps through it, as the hole in the centre is vaguely circular. Somehow, she manages to shift her angle in midair ¨C I think it was a flap of her wings that provided enough impetus to push her back towards the bank rather than into the stream of Pure Energy, but it happened too fast for me to see in this dim light. The rest of us have to take it more slowly. Somehow, we all manage to get through without touching the dangerous substance running beside us, though there are a few close calls when Lathani slipped as she was scrambling over the rock. I automatically reached to catch her, but that put me off balance a little. I think it¡¯s only the increased number of points in Dexterity that I¡¯ve earned since arriving in this world that prevented me from splashing headfirst into the stream. I¡¯m pretty sure that that would have killed me. The rest of the tunnel seems to take twice as long as the first bit, even though logically I know it¡¯s only a little longer. Still, eventually we reach the junction with the other tunnel. Here, it¡¯s almost a reverse process of the previous junction. Bastet is already in the tunnel above, waiting for us to arrive. She reassures me that she hasn¡¯t detected any other creature since we¡¯ve been apart. I pass Lathani up to her, then pull myself up, releasing the cubs from their entrapping sling. Maybe it¡¯s not the best idea, but I¡¯m not keen on losing more health units from my chest being scratched to pieces. Last of all, River pulls himself up too. I give him a bit of a hand to start since his shorter stature, though useful while passing through the low tunnel, makes it a bit harder for him to get out of it. Stolen novel; please report. We pause for a moment to rest and eat. We¡¯re all tired ¨C none of us having had much sleep in the last two days. I¡¯m probably the best off, having actually slept for a few hours. Then again, I went through eight level-ups in a row and seem to have done some damage to myself ¨C hopefully not permanent damage. Either way, a short pause does us all good. Getting going once more, we trudge along the tunnel. It meanders one way, then the other. Always sloping, but some bits are steeper than others. Walking is boring. I¡¯d say that it was a good thing: boring means nothing is jumping out at me to eat my face ¨C or any other parts. At this point, though, the interminable walls are a killer by themselves; if this goes on too much longer, we¡¯ll all be sleepwalking our way into something¡¯s mouth. Even Bastet¡¯s seemingly unflagging stamina is worn thin. She¡¯s stopped dashing forwards and back; instead, she trudges forward only a little faster than us, pausing to let us catch up when she gets too far ahead. Lathani is slung over River¡¯s shoulders: after she started swaying drunkenly from tiredness and almost walked into a wall a couple of times, my Bound picked her up of his own accord. She was snoring within a few moments. Only the cubs have any energy, but fortunately they¡¯re wary enough due to the unfamiliar environment to not need too much herding. As for River, he¡¯s much like me: keeping going by just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. He¡¯s tired and I¡¯m still feeling extremely fragile, like each of those steps could rattle something essential loose in me. We¡¯re in very poor shape for any sort of confrontation, which of course means that one is inevitable. The first sign that the end may be near is when I realise that the way ahead is just a little lighter than the rest of the journey has been. Reaching the bend, I get my first sight of daylight in what feels like forever, even if it¡¯s only probably been a day at the most. My heart starts quickening in my chest in excitement, and my feet instinctively pick up the pace, despite my fatigue. I look around River: the light has come back into his eyes too and he¡¯s moving with more enthusiasm too. Bastet is silhouetted against the light, hurrying back to us. At first I think it¡¯s the joy of being back in the light, but when I feel her go right from tired to fully alert, I realise it¡¯s something else. The equivalent of a mental adrenaline rush passing over the Bond between us makes me straighten up and my senses sharpen. What is it? I ask her sharply. She sends a sense of uncertainty but the feeling that we¡¯re approaching the den of some powerful predator. It¡¯s not scent, I don¡¯t think, but some other sense...which I suddenly realise that I can actually use myself now. It must be since I increased my mental and soul stats, or maybe it¡¯s just that whatever creature lies up ahead is powerful enough to get through even to me. Either way, I frown as I get what she means even on my own. It¡¯s some sort of foreboding presence, one that warns of death if we approach closer. Is it new? I ask. Was this not here when you scouted earlier? I feel her hesitate and then she admits through a mixture of shameful emotion and images that she didn¡¯t actually come as close as this before. The light level and quantity of fresh air blowing down the tunnel were enough for her to know that there was a way out. And she¡¯d been too eager to tell me of the Energy-Hearts to go further. Right, I accept grimly. What do you think, River? I turn to my other Bound. He¡¯s doing the lizard-man equivalent of frowning. Something is wrong, he replies slowly. Turning his head slightly, he seems to concentrate. I wait, impatient but not wanting to interrupt his thought process. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s real. What do you mean? The presence is strong...but only surface-deep. It¡¯s like it¡¯s an...imprint. And not one from recently, either. I can¡¯t sense much more than that ¨C I¡¯m not like one of the Path-walkers ¨C but I don¡¯t think we have much to fear. Alright, I accept hesitantly. If he¡¯s right, great: I really don¡¯t want to have to turn around and go back. But if he¡¯s wrong¡­ Do you wish me to scout ahead to be certain? he offers. I hate myself for considering it, but the truth is that I don¡¯t want to risk Bastet again, and he is the one who¡¯s so confident¡­ OK. But don¡¯t take any risks, alright? I order him. Going back through the tunnel and then taking the forest route would be...well, a kick in the balls, frankly. With steel-capped toes. And we¡¯d need to wait here for a while for me to recuperate a bit first ¨C my health is no longer dropping so I must have moved sufficiently far away from the high Energy-density area. It would be possible though, and better than us going into battle with something like the salamander with my healing unusable. He sends a sense of agreement and then moves forward, dropping into stealth or whatever is his equivalent. He doesn¡¯t fade from view the way Bastet does, but he sort of...blurs. Certainly, he becomes harder to spot, especially when not moving. When he heads around the next bend and goes out of sight, I fix my attention on the Bond, making sure that I know his state of health. I even pull up my Bound tab so that I can see his health pool in real time. Interestingly, his stamina pool is dropping quickly, and his mana pool bit by bit. Maybe his version of stealth is a bit like my Fade? While temporarily distracted by the thought, I soon return to waiting with bated breath as his location shifts further away from us, and then closer again. As he comes back into sight, he drops stealth and walks back to us, paying particular attention to being quiet, I note. Danger? I send to him mentally. He sends back grim agreement and I brace myself for the worst. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Six: Poison Bracing myself for news about another fire-breathing salamander ¨C or worse ¨C I¡¯m surprised when it¡¯s not that at all. I was right ¨C the aura is old. A powerful predator was here at some point, perhaps a few double-moons ago. Maybe even as much as a moon-cycle. It left a mark ¨C to warn others away, would be my guess. Then why did you say there was danger? I ask, not a little exasperated ¨C why worry me like that with no reason? Because there is. Just not from the creature which left the imprint. Right. I suppose it would be fairly out of character for River to play a joke like that. Then again, I¡¯ve only known him for a few days ¨C for all I know, he¡¯s a regular prankster. What is it, then? In response, River sends a picture instead of explaining verbally. It¡¯s the first time he¡¯s sent me a memory like that. Bastet does it all the time, but River doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m interested to note that his eyesight is very good, the clarity of the picture better even than Bastet¡¯s. He can even see more colours than either of us, which makes my brain hurt as it tries to process information that it has no reference for. I quickly focus on the content of the image rather than all the incidental details ¨C I don¡¯t want to accidentally give myself an aneurysm. If it¡¯s possible to do, I¡¯ll probably succeed. Though, I do wonder whether this might be a good way of improving my Intelligence ¨C except then I remember that my Intelligence stat is now way over twenty. No earning points in that anymore. The image sent shows a group of creatures lounging around the entranceway of the cave. They¡¯ve clearly made a den of the first few metres of the cave, though it¡¯s strange that that they haven¡¯t chosen to go further in. Can they detect the imprint of the predator too, and don¡¯t want to risk it? But then why make their home in the cave mouth? I move on, not able to answer the question and not wanting to spend more time on it. As luck would have it, these particular creatures are rather familiar to me: lizogs. I remember the first time I came across lizogs. It was the day I met Bastet. I mean, properly met, and Dominated, not the day she probably was one of the pack chasing me across the forest. Kalanthia had slaughtered Bastet¡¯s family, leaving their bodies where they died. As is predictable, the dead bodies lying around attracted scavengers; lizogs were the ones who happened to come while Bastet and I were fetching the cubs from where they were hiding in a cave. The creatures are relatively small, their heads only reaching just above my knee. But what heads they have: heavy jaws full of sharp teeth, and with the crushing power to bite through bone. As for their bodies, they¡¯re like moving tanks; last time I killed them by causing an avalanche of stones to land on their heads. Even then, one out of five survived the rock-slide. Although they¡¯re not fast, they¡¯re superb trackers; once they catch our scents, it¡¯ll be game-over if we¡¯re trapped in this tunnel. While I could potentially kill them by luring them to the vine-stranglers, frankly I wouldn¡¯t be confident in managing to travel through the area quickly enough to guarantee success. And what if they entered the cave with the Energy-Hearts and decided to stay there? No, we need to find another game plan. Any ideas? I ask my two Bound tiredly, sending Bastet the picture of what River saw. Bastet sends back a strong opinion that we should run for our lives. Yeah, but that¡¯s just putting off the problem until later. We need time to rest, and if we¡¯re being chased by a lizog pack, we¡¯re not going to get that. Bastet and I go back and forth on the matter for a moment. She seems convinced that we¡¯ll be able to put enough distance between us and the pack that we¡¯ll be able to rest; I¡¯m not so sure. Eventually, we¡¯re interrupted when River comes up with an alternative suggestion. One of the first things I learnt when I started my apprenticeship was about poisons. Identifying them, treating them...and making them. My people often coat our weapons in a type of poison that targets stamina¡­. He trails off and I remember that Kalanthia had been affected by some sort of attack on her stamina; that¡¯s why we¡¯re in this mess to begin with. Go on, I tell him, wary, but if this can get us out of our current situation, then I¡¯m all ears. Essentially, we have two versions, and usually create a hybrid for our warriors. One poisons the stamina currently in our target¡¯s bodies; one poisons the body¡¯s ability to reproduce stamina. Combined, it renders our targets helpless. The poison¡¯s ability fades over time though, the speed of which depending on both how much poison entered the target and its healing ability. The image of Kalanthia collapsed next to the stream, even her mental voice laboured flashes through my mind. I wonder how much poison she must have taken to cause such a strong and long-lasting effect. But the fact that this weapon was used against her shouldn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t use it against my own enemies. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I hope you¡¯re raising this to tell me that you have some with you, I tell River dryly. Because if you¡¯ve given me this whole spiel only to tell me that you¡¯re missing some key ingredients, I¡¯m not going to be happy. Amusement tinged with the slightest apprehension comes across the Bond from his side. I have a vial of the first poison, the one that poisons the stamina currently in the target. I am missing a few key ingredients of the second, though. Well, I shrug. Hopefully that will be enough. How do you poison the target? Does it just need to enter their bloodstream? We generally stab our prey with spears, yes, he confirms. I think fast. Although River does have a spear, it¡¯s probably not the best approach. Spears mean getting in close to those bone-crunching jaws. I think fast. I¡¯ve got an idea, but need to check whether it¡¯s possible. Wait here, I tell my companions and then activate Fade. Stealth, of course, is already active as it basically always is unless I intentionally turn it off. Creeping forward, I hope that the lizogs¡¯ excellent sense of smell won¡¯t pick up my scent. At least we¡¯re downwind: if we¡¯d been upwind, we¡¯d have probably already been attacked. Taking my time to tiptoe almost soundlessly down the tunnel, I stick close to the walls like River did ¨C I can learn. As I move, the vague sense of something waiting for me becomes stronger. There¡¯s the impulse to run, to escape the danger waiting up ahead with its maw open wide, but thanks to knowing that this is just an old imprint, I¡¯m able to ignore it. Reaching the end of the tunnel, I realise why the lizogs haven¡¯t come any closer ¨C they probably can¡¯t. Or maybe just don¡¯t want to bother. The tunnel is almost closed, piles of rubble creating a barrier that is probably difficult for them to surmount: I didn¡¯t get the impression from our last battle that lizogs would be particularly good at climbing. I can see where the rocks fell from, a chunk of the ceiling having just collapsed. It makes me very glad that such an event hadn¡¯t happened somewhere else in the tunnel, closing it off completely. Or worse, happening while we were actually trying to travel through it. Still, for our purposes right now, it¡¯s practically perfect! The rubble comes up to about my waist, which is slightly above that on River. Bastet will be too short to do much, and I wouldn¡¯t want her on the other side of the barrier¡­. I still have an idea of the role she could play. Creeping back to the others, I don¡¯t bother to hide my excitement. Even before I start speaking, I see them react to the emotion, some of the fear and dismay leaving their postures. Even the cubs relax a bit, obviously having sensed that the adults were worried. When they start to play, I have to ask Bastet to rein them in a bit, though ¨C we might have a chance here, but if the cubs catch the attention of the lizogs too early, we¡¯ll lose even that. Alright, listen up, I tell both my Bound once the cubs have been subdued. Hopefully Lathani is able to listen in too. I¡¯ve got a plan. So saying, I outline what I was thinking and watch their reactions. Do you think it¡¯s possible? I check, though particularly looking at River: he¡¯s the one who will be providing the cornerstone of the strategy. Hopefully, he responds tentatively. I¡¯m not sure I have enough ingredients for everything but¡­ Well, any you can make would help, I tell him. Honestly, it might be possible to win without River¡¯s contribution, but it would definitely be harder. Much harder, potentially. But in the end, we don¡¯t have much of a choice: my Bound both agree that this place is as close to perfect we¡¯re going to get as a setting for a battle against lizogs. With unanimous agreement to go forward with my plan, we set to preparing as much as we can. Once more, it seems, I¡¯m going to set a trap for lizogs. This one¡¯s going to be a little less elaborate than the previous, mostly due to not having a handy landslide nearby. Not one I can drop on top of them at any rate. Plus, with the number of lizogs River saw and the potential for there to be even more outside where he couldn¡¯t see, it would have to be a massive landslide, and in a cave that would probably trap us in too. River settles to the floor, pulling off his box-backpack. Lifting the lid, he removes several ingredients. Can I watch? I ask. River wordlessly expresses surprise that I¡¯d want to, and acceptance if I do. I look on with interest as he places some plump berries into a small hollowed-out section of a branch and then uses his fingers to squish them into pulp. Into the juice, he adds something that looks like a dried-out section of flesh, and lets that soak. Then he takes some leaves and presses them into the container too. Finally, he uses his wooden knife to nick the underside of his wrist. Blood starts dribbling out into the container, its colour a bit darker than my own. It needs to stew for a few clicks, River tells me. I get the impression that ¡®clicks¡¯ is a bit like minutes for me. We wait, River patiently, me not so much. I¡¯m tempted to go into Meditation, but just as I¡¯m seriously considering doing it, River stirs the mixture. I realise that it¡¯s changed colour a little, the red becoming darker and with hints of green in the light of the torch. It¡¯s ready? I ask. It¡¯s ready, he confirms. I nod, grinning. Operation Lizog massacre, commence. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Seven: Damage-Dealer I raise my bow and take aim. As the first lizog is silhouetted against the light, I fire. It¡¯s not ideal to be shooting into the light, but the advantage is that the lizog probably can¡¯t see me as well as I can see it. My practice with the bow over the last few days is really paying off: I hit it in its throat as it lifts its head to sniff the air. That by itself is a bad wound, my strength, the bow¡¯s power, and the short distance all contributing to the arrow digging in deeply. Still, it¡¯s not enough to finish the creature off, especially considering the arrow has stuck in there and is plugging the hole. Fortunately, I¡¯m not relying on creating lethal wounds. The poison River made while I was watching and afterwards carefully applied to each of my arrowheads is no doubt already running through the lizog¡¯s blood. Adrenaline is certainly running through mine, banishing tiredness. I see in the alertness of my companions that they¡¯re experiencing the same sensations. We¡¯ll probably pay for it later, but hopefully the bill will come due when we¡¯re somewhere safe enough to rest. For now, though, we¡¯ve got incoming threats. The reptilian pit bull isn¡¯t willing to stand there and wait for death, instead running towards us with a menacing rumble. I don¡¯t pay too much attention to that: close quarters is my companions¡¯ concern right now. The next lizog has appeared as a silhouette and I fire again. The number of lizogs multiply, pouring into the tunnel quicker than I can shoot them. Setting my teeth, I do my best to keep up, though privilege accuracy over speed when I have to choose ¨C my job is to get as many of them affected by the poison as early as possible. When I have a moment, I dart a glance at my companions. River is the second damage dealer. He¡¯s standing behind our rocky barricade, and is stabbing down at the lizogs with a spear that¡¯s also got a coating of poison. Bastet is prowling back and forth. Without any external weapon to coat with the stamina-damaging poison, her job is as final defence if any of the lizogs get through the barricade. Which is likely, I admit. The rubble wall is working very well, but there¡¯s a section where the rocks are smaller, offering more of a slope than a wall. We¡¯d noticed that before the fight started and had taken preparatory measures. When one lizog realises that there might be a route up to us via the slope, I put these into action. Picking my burning torch up from where it¡¯s smouldering behind me, I quickly lean over to touch it to the stones. The salamander¡¯s explosive liquid quickly lights, badly burning the lizog and making it immediately turn tail. It tries to bury itself among the other lizogs, but, in a happy accident, it appears to have got some of the liquid on its body. Where it rubs this off onto its pack-mates, they light on fire too, hissing and yelping. The fire doesn¡¯t last long, and doesn¡¯t actually do much damage apart from to the first lizog ¨C it¡¯s just too diluted once it¡¯s rubbed onto others. However, it does cause a fair bit of disturbance, allowing River to keep stabbing, and me to continue firing arrows. I doubt I¡¯ll get the chance to renew the salamander oil, though, so it¡¯s only a matter of time before another lizog summons up the courage to try the slope again. With the poison, however, time is on our side. Sort of. We¡¯ve also got our own effective time limit based on how long we can keep running on fumes. But either way, having the lizogs take a bit of time to manage to find a way over the wall is better than having them already tearing our legs to bits. Plus, if they try to bite through and break their teeth on the stone, all the better. Eventually, it seems like all the lizogs have joined the fight: no new one has appeared in the last few seconds. I use up the rest of my arrows by shooting at the lizogs in the middle ¨C ones which are pressing their pack-mates forwards, but are not actually in range of River¡¯s spear. It¡¯s not long before I run out of arrows: there must be at least fifteen of the reptilian dogs here and neither of us have really made any kills yet. Not that we need to right now, but obviously, the fewer lizogs threatening us, the better. Taking a step back, I lean down to grab my own spear, a makeshift one I quickly created by sharpening a bit of firewood. It wasn¡¯t in my Inventory because I wasn¡¯t sure whether putting it there would do something to the poison on the wooden head. As we were already low on the stuff with the number of weapons we needed to coat, I didn¡¯t want to risk wasting some by testing it. Still, it¡¯s barely an interruption to the flow of battle, and I needed to put my bow down anyway. Stepping back up to the barricade, I start stabbing alongside the lizard-man. The difference between our physical stats is far too obvious: River¡¯s strikes pierce the lizogs¡¯ bodies with relative ease; mine struggle to make it through their toughened, armoured skin. Of course, it could also be partly to do with the fact that he¡¯s got a proper flint head to his, where I¡¯ve just essentially got a sharpened stick. But since I was providing ranged support at the beginning, we decided that it would make sense for him to keep the better spear. On the other hand, my increased mental stats seem to help me in identifying where to strike to have the most effect. Actually hitting the spot dead on is another question; I think I need to gain more points in Dexterity to improve that. Pushing questions about stats to one side, I lose myself in the river of bodies ahead of me. Honestly, the way the little light in here reflects off their dark scales really does make it look like water. I¡¯m broken out of my focus when a searing pain shoots up my leg. A lizog has managed to find another way through, perhaps clambering over another set of rocks, and is crushing my leg. At least, it¡¯s attempting to crush it ¨C while the teeth are sinking in, they aren¡¯t crunching through my bone as both of us would have expected. For a moment the lizog and I stare at each other. The lizog looks baffled: it seems to be saying this usually works. With gallows humour, I think back at it: well, performance issues¡­ The moment breaks, and the lizog tries to double-down on its attempt to bite my leg off. I bring my spear up and, with it this close, I¡¯m able to line up a perfect angle to pierce through its eye and into its brain in a single, brutal shove. Even as the light dies in its eyes, its teeth hold on tightly. Dropping my spear for a moment, I grip its jaws with both hands and pull hard. For a moment, its jaws don¡¯t shift and I¡¯m worried that I¡¯m going to have to continue fighting with teeth deep in my calf. Then, as desperation increases the strength I use to a level I didn¡¯t realise was possible, there¡¯s a small movement. Not daring to let up for a moment, I strain, my face probably going as red as a tomato; I probably look particularly constipated, too. Suddenly, there¡¯s a crack and the lizog jaws go limp. The deep bite in my calf is painful. Before my recent experiences, I might have called it agonising, but I find my definition of agony has changed. The lizog didn¡¯t succeed in biting through my bone, but it certainly reached it with its teeth. Blood is pouring out of the wounds; I need to heal. Crouching down, I put my hands around the wound, ignoring the pain of my touch. With the pressure, the blood isn¡¯t pouring out in the same way, but I can¡¯t hold back a flood with my hands alone. I reach for Lay-on-hands, a sense of urgency building. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I know that the last time I tried this, it didn¡¯t work, but perhaps it¡¯s healed a bit? My hopes are high, but for naught. The first attempt I make at grabbing for some mana, I have to abandon as an awful pain shoots through me, worse even than the agony radiating up from my leg. If my new pain management Skill is doing anything, I can¡¯t tell. I don¡¯t want to touch that shattered glass vase again, but I have no choice. My body might be sturdy enough that lizogs can¡¯t just bite through it now, but I¡¯m not invulnerable. My health bar, already not in a great shape, is decreasing even further as my blood pumps out of my body. I need to heal. Gritting my teeth, I go slower, clumsily attempting to pull mana out of my Core manually, rather than using the automatic function of the spell. It¡¯s the equivalent of using a finger and thumb to tease out some mana, rather than reaching in with my fist the way I was before. It still hurts, but less so. More like the hands around my leg that are holding in my blood than the teeth that ripped it apart. Excruciatingly slowly, I pull out a thread of mana and redirect it down my leg. Commanding it to heal flesh and replenish blood, I¡¯m relieved when it does just that. It¡¯s painful, and the more mana that leaves my reserve, the more agonising it becomes. I can¡¯t help but remember that most pain is a warning from the body: pushing past pain often means causing more damage to one¡¯s body. I stop directing mana as soon as my health bar stabilises. I¡¯m not healed, not even close to it. But it will have to do. Panting, I open my eyes and access my Inventory to pull another half-torn shirt out. Wrapping it around my wound, I ¨C hopefully ¨C stop it from breaking open again as I move. Standing up, I bring my spear back to a ready position, but fortunately there are no lizogs right by me. Scanning the action, I look for anything that has changed since I was bitten. Bastet¡¯s grappling with a lizog. She seems to be doing fine, though is using her body to block another attacker on the previously attempted slope. Now that we¡¯ve used up the salamander oil I¡¯d splashed onto it earlier, it¡¯s her job to guard the area. She must have accidentally let one through, or maybe one slipped past where she¡¯s fighting. Fortunately, it seems that the narrow passageway is still limiting their numbers, so she isn¡¯t being overwhelmed. Yet, anyway. River¡¯s stabbing away steadily, and the lizogs in front of him are looking rather worse for wear. There are fewer lizogs in general. The light doesn¡¯t let me get a good headcount, but I reckon that we must have cut the numbers in half already. I shift over to Bastet¡¯s area to help her out. Not wanting my other leg to get shredded too, I keep a little bit of distance from them, using the barricade to shield myself. Unfortunately, they seem to have realised that this is the only way through to us, so the pressure of the lizogs behind is pushing the front one forward, even as we block it. Soon they¡¯re gaining ground on us and I¡¯m trading attacks with one while Bastet is fighting another. Was that poison a dud? I wonder as I dodge the lunging bites of the lizog, while at the same time trying to pin it with my spear. Maybe I should switch to my mace: I don¡¯t see any sort of stamina deprivation. It¡¯s soon after I think that when I start to see the poison¡¯s effects. The lizog I¡¯m fighting suddenly starts slowing down, its attacks becoming more sluggish, its dodges less effective. I quickly find an opening and down it with a stab through its throat. Returning to the barricade, I see that the remaining lizogs are also starting to show the effects, the ones on the business-end of River¡¯s spear particularly effective. Perhaps it just takes a bit of time for the poison to accumulate to the point where it¡¯s overwhelming the lizogs¡¯ natural stamina regeneration. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if they were powerhouses in that stat, along with Constitution. When the area in front of his section goes still, we both converge on the last two fighting Bastet. They¡¯re less impacted by the poison since they¡¯ve probably only had a couple of wounds from poisoned weapons: for obvious reasons, we couldn¡¯t coat Bastet¡¯s claws. Finally, the battlefield goes quiet except for the sound of our panting. All three of us are breathing heavily, Bastet particularly so. She¡¯s exhausted ¨C I can see by the drooping of her wings as she hangs her head. Rest, I tell her tiredly. She¡¯s been the most active of all of us and needs a break. She eyes me, asking for meat. I grab a carcass out of my Inventory and drop it for all and sundry to eat ¨C I¡¯ll need to check with River whether we can eat the meat of the lizogs without being poisoned ourselves. The raptorcat tears off a big chunk of meat, then slumps back along the tunnel to join Lathani and the cubs. This time Lathani hadn¡¯t protested against being stuck guarding the cubs: she¡¯s as tired as the rest of us. She accepted that we needed someone there to keep the cubs safe in case a lizog broke through our battle-line without argument. Of course, a large part of my motivation was also returning Lathani to her mother with all limbs intact, but I didn¡¯t tell her that. In appreciation of both Bastet¡¯s and Lathani¡¯s efforts, I move the rest of the killer-chicken corpse closer to the little group so that they can eat freely. As for River and I, we start tiredly clearing up, collecting as many of my arrows as we can. We can¡¯t stay here very long: all the blood and gore will attract other predators. Still, no point in leaving so many potentially useful corpses around. If they¡¯re safe, that is. Will these be safe to eat? I check with my Bound as I approach one of the bodies. Yes. We usually use this poison for hunting. The poison quickly loses potency once its prey is dead. That makes sense. Satisfied with the answer, I start to pile lizog corpses into my Inventory. As I¡¯m doing it, another thought occurs. Remind me again why we didn¡¯t use this poison on the salamander? He pauses what he¡¯s doing to look at me steadily. I did. I took a moment to coat my weapon with the last of my pre-prepared poison before we engaged in battle. My eyes go wide and I stop to stare at him. The salamander was that powerful? I hadn¡¯t noticed any easily discernible effects on the massive creature, not like I¡¯d seen with these lizogs. River shrugs. It had an Energy-Heart. I wasn¡¯t surprised that a few doses of it weren¡¯t enough to make much difference. Large creatures are already harder to take down, and ones with Energy-Hearts even more so. No kidding, I remark, turning back to my task. It makes me wonder just how much poison Kalanthia must have been stabbed with to have the effect on her it did. Then again, maybe it was the stronger version of the poison which River doesn¡¯t have with him. I simply can¡¯t believe that Kalanthia doesn¡¯t have an Energy-Heart, considering her clear power and ability to use magic. Trying to put a lizog body into my Inventory, my eyebrows knit together when it doesn¡¯t work. Checking my Inventory, my frown deepens. It can¡¯t be due to lack of space ¨C since all those level-ups, I¡¯ve got more slots available than seem possible to use. Looking at the lizog¡¯s eyes, I realise the issue. The lizog isn¡¯t dead. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Eight: Surrender My heart leaps in my chest when I see the lizog¡¯s nostrils opening and closing in quick pants. The creature is unable to move, as brought low by the stamina poison as Kalanthia was. It¡¯s not in as much danger as she was, though, since the poison only works on stamina already present ¨C we didn¡¯t have the ingredients to incorporate the second poison which works on stamina regeneration. It will recover as soon as the poison fades from its system. That¡¯s why we had to deal with the rest of them with a blade through their throats, hearts, or brains. But is that really what I should do here? My automatic response is to trigger Dominate: I wanted to do it the last time, but the only lizog which survived the landslide had had its eyes destroyed. Apparently Dominate doesn¡¯t work without eyes to gaze into. Which, actually, thinking about it, is a bit of a downside to the Skill if facing an enemy that doesn¡¯t have eyes. Like that tentacled monster, the memory of which never fails to send a shiver down my spine. Before initiating a Battle of Wills with this helpless lizog, though, I run through a mini moral checklist of whether it would be right to do so. Did this lizog attack me? Well, not me personally, necessarily, but that was more through lack of opportunity than intention. I¡¯ll count that as a ¡®yes¡¯. Would a lizog fulfil a useful role? Given their extremely strong sense of smell, bone-crushing jaws, and clearly heightened Constitution and stamina, I¡¯m going to say ¡®yes¡¯. Would this creature be in a worse position if I don¡¯t Dominate it? Again, I¡¯m going to say a ¡®yes¡¯ here too. Even if we decided not to kill it, it¡¯s a pack animal that doesn¡¯t have a pack. I don¡¯t know for sure, but most animals in that situation on Earth find life difficult. Besides, it¡¯s not like I could heal it of the poison, so I¡¯d be leaving it paralysed in a space which stinks of blood and death. And even if it survived that, what are the chances that it would follow our scent? No, I think offering it a Bond is probably the best option for everyone at this point. If I can¡¯t convince it, that¡¯s its choice and I¡¯ll leave it here. Moral principles satisfied, I place the lizog down on the ground, sitting down myself. I carefully don¡¯t think about what gunk might be getting on my trousers: like most of my clothes, they¡¯re little more than rags by this point. Watch over me, would you? I ask River. I may be out for a bit. With his agreement coming over the Bond, I stare into the lizog¡¯s eyes and activate Dominate. As always, the edges of my vision fade into fog, the only aspects still in colour being the lizog and myself. A pressure presses down from above, just as another tries to keep us apart. What is surprising this time is how little pressure there is. The force impacting me from above is, frankly, negligible, and the block between the lizog and me is almost non-existent. I sense that I could just stride across and force my Will on the lizog with little more difficulty than strolling down a street. Is this the effect of my increased Willpower? It must be. I don¡¯t. Just stride over and force the lizog into a Bond, that is. Being able to do something doesn¡¯t mean that one should; I¡¯ve had to learn that already. I do start walking towards the lizog, but once I¡¯ve got close enough to initiate a dialogue, I pause. Interestingly, I feel the connection form far faster than ever before. Is this another effect of my increased stats, or is this something particular to the lizog? Or is it as a result of my Dominate ranking up? Honestly, all of the differences I¡¯ve noticed could be to do with that too. Pushing that to the side, I take some time to pay attention to what the lizog is communicating to me. Fear, is the first emotion. Understandable. We killed the rest of its pack and have made it a prisoner in its own body. It¡¯s not surprising that helplessness is strongly present too. Hunger. Pain. And...something else. I can¡¯t quite work out what it is, but I can tell that it¡¯s a lot more positive than any of the others. There¡¯s also a hint of peace, calmness. Is this what the rank-up message for Dominate meant when it talked about calming and pacifying strong emotions as long as I¡¯m calm? Either way, hopefully it will make this negotiation easier. ¡°Would you like to join me?¡± I ask the lizog, continuing to walk forwards slowly. The fact that this is not a physical space appears to mean that my damaged vocal cords aren¡¯t causing a problem for me here. Not giving the lizog a chance to respond, I start my recruitment spiel. ¡°We will be stronger together, working as a pack. I can offer you the opportunity to become stronger individually too, to face powerful foes and come out the victor.¡± Pausing for a moment to feel out how the lizog is responding to my offer so far, I¡¯m surprised at an immediate answer. Yes, the lizog seems to say, its aura shifting from fear to eagerness. I¡¯m rather taken aback. That¡¯s a quick turn-around. ¡°You want to join us?¡± I ask, stalling for time. Is it playing some sort of game? Pretending to give in only to betray us later, or something. A moment later when it responds, I realise that I¡¯m anthropomorphising far too much. Just like with Bastet at the start, I¡¯m ascribing human reactions to a creature that definitely isn¡¯t. Instead of a clear and direct thought like it sent me before, this time I¡¯m hit with a deluge of emotions and images to explain its previous acceptance. It shows me lizogs tussling as pups, the winners getting first dibs at the food. Then, later as adults, fights once more establish the pecking order, determining access to food, but also to any coveted amenity. Even mates: only the lizog at the head of the pack is allowed to mate with any female they come across, the other lizogs being relegated to fetching food for the alpha as he waits for the resulting eggs to hatch. I get the sense that males in the pack owe their loyalty to the strongest. The hierarchy changes whenever the alpha becomes weak or vulnerable in some way: sickness, injury, old age. He opens himself up to a challenge and the victor of the challenge will become, or remain, the alpha. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Apparently, thanks to having defeated all comers, I have taken the position of ¡®alpha¡¯ in his mind. But then why the sudden change of emotions? My thoughts must communicate themselves to him as the lizog quickly responds. You were an enemy. Now, you are pack. The accompanying images and emotions add a little more depth to his succinct explanation. Apparently lizogs have some sort of connection with others of the same species, female or male, same pack or different. I would have guessed it to be some smell, considering their impressive scent abilities, but given that he¡¯s now identifying me as another lizog, I have to conclude that it¡¯s some mental connection. Or soul. Or aura. Whatever. If one pack of lizogs intrudes on another one¡¯s territory, there¡¯s an obvious reaction: the two alphas fight, the other lizogs often having their own battles alongside. If the fight is inconclusive, the invading pack will return to their own territory and lick their wounds. If one of the alphas is the clear winner, the other¡¯s pack will be absorbed into the winner¡¯s. The survivors, anyway: territorial battles are bloody, dangerous affairs. In the lizog¡¯s mind, this is exactly what has happened. Although he didn¡¯t identify me as a lizog before, he does now, and so he easily rationalises the last few minutes. We, another pack of lizogs, invaded his pack¡¯s territory. There was a fight, and all the other lizogs except for him were killed. He himself was completely subdued. Clearly, that makes us the dominant pack, and as I am the alpha of the winning pack, he owes me his loyalty. His reasoning seems a little flawed to my mind, but clearly that¡¯s how his kind works. How he identified me as the leader, I don¡¯t know ¨C because I hold River and Bastet¡¯s Bonds? Can he sense that kind of thing? I try to ask, but he just sends me a sense of power. I choose to move on and work out if I¡¯m going to accept his willing, no, eager surrender. It feels like it should be obvious ¨C the creature isn¡¯t fighting against me, heck, if anything he¡¯s almost throwing himself at me. Even the pressure between us has completely disappeared; in fact, it almost feels like there¡¯s a vacuum pulling me in. But at the same time, I have to work out whether introducing a creature which clearly needs to have a rigid hierarchy into the mix is a good idea. In the end, I just mentally shrug. If it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll release the Bond. The lizog shouldn¡¯t be any worse off than he would be if I just left him here. ¡°OK,¡± I say finally. ¡°I accept your fealty.¡± Unlike before where the other side has had to make a gesture of submission for the Battle to end, in this case it seems to be my agreement which is required. The space returns back to normal, very little disorientation accompanying the transition this time. Interesting. Bastet, River, I say, climbing to my feet while cursing my vocal cords when they just croak a little instead of allowing me to form words, meet your new pack-mate. I gesture at the still-prone lizog. Another one which will need a name. I¡¯m less tired coming out of that than I have been before at the end of a Battle of Wills, which is fortunate: I¡¯m completely exhausted from everything else. And so are the others. Bastet is looking a little better, the rest doing her good, but River¡¯s shoulders are slumped and his movements sluggish. They take a moment to send a greeting down the Bond, though. Since they can¡¯t contact each other directly, I have to pass on the greetings, but the lizog responds with an eager brightness he¡¯s unable to express in his body language. Actually, thinking about it, I suppose that the fact that I¡¯m croaking is a good sign that I¡¯m starting to heal: I couldn¡¯t even make a squeak before. On that note, what is my health? I take a moment to glance down at the bars ¨C it seems that when I intend on looking at my body resources, the bars stay still so I can focus on them; at all other times, they shift like they¡¯re locked into the corner of my vision. Funny how I¡¯ve got used to always having them there, now. My health is back up to around sixty points. I say ¡®back up¡¯ because what with the increased Energy-poisoning beside the Pure Energy stream and the lizog chewing at my leg, I¡¯d been yo-yoing between fifty points and thirty. At least the healing I managed to give my leg pulled me up from that low. The last two corpses being shoved into my Inventory along with my now unneeded torch, I think we¡¯re ready to move. I know we need to rest ¨C we really, really, need to rest ¨C but a battle site isn¡¯t the best place. Come on, guys, I say, attempting enthusiasm but rather falling flat. We just need to find somewhere safe enough to rest and then we¡¯ll sleep. Then it¡¯ll be the last stretch home. Actually, I need to work out where we are. As my Bound trudge over to me, followed by Lathani and the cubs, the only ones with any energy among us, I open up my Map. I¡¯m grateful that we haven¡¯t gone completely in the wrong direction, though we didn¡¯t exactly go straight home either. We must have gone underneath the majority of the vine-strangler forest as we¡¯re off to the north-east of the eye-shaped mass. Based on the distance, I reckon that it will be a day of hard travel to get back to Kalanthia¡¯s den, but definitely achievable. Once we¡¯ve slept, that is. Looking down at my newest addition to our crew, I realise that he¡¯s not going anywhere right now, the poison still holding him under its thrall. Sighing to myself, I lean down and pick him up. He¡¯s probably about two or three times the mass of the pit bull he partially resembles, but I¡¯m significantly stronger than I was on Earth so it barely registers. In fact, I can easily tuck him under one arm, leaving the other free for a weapon. I mean, I¡¯m hoping that I can go more than ten minutes without a fight, but past experience has often proven otherwise. We head towards the end of the tunnel, Bastet having to chivy the cubs along from where they¡¯ve stopped to lick at a lump of spilled offal. Tasty, not. The feeling I get from both Bound is that they are completely done with this underground experience. I can empathise. The sound of bird song has never been as musical as it sounds to my ears now. The scent of the forest has never been as rich. I squint in the light, even the dappled forest light overwhelming to my dark-adapted eyes. All my companions are having the same issue. Apart from the lizog, of course, but he can¡¯t do much, still poisoned as he is. As we take our first steps back out into the above world, a cry rings out as a shadow passes over us. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Forty-Nine: Grace and Deadliness Personified I swing around as something falls from the sky, my knife practically leaping into my hand as I do. At the last moment, both I and the falling creature check ourselves. I redirect my knife swing downwards, and the creature banks its wings to gain a little height. The bird instead lands on a branch just above my head and glares down at me balefully. Disapproval and admonishment come down the Bond at me. You flew at us just as we finished a fight. What were we supposed to think? I complain at her in response. The bird flips her wings and preens with an affronted air. I sigh. Sorry for accidentally trying to attack you. Even if it was the most reasonable thing for me to do in that moment. The bird stops her preening and gazes at me judgmentally. Clearly deciding that my apology is ¨C barely ¨C acceptable, she pushes off from the branch with her strong front legs, winging quickly over to land on River¡¯s shoulder. He looks at the bird, then at me. For all that our faces are completely different shapes, and his doesn¡¯t have nearly the same types of muscles as mine does, I can still see the long-suffering in his expression. Or maybe that¡¯s just because of emotions filtering over the Bond. Don¡¯t look at me, I tell him, with a trace of humour and not a little glee. I¡¯m already carrying something. Someone. Wordlessly, he sighs and then continues to trudge forwards. Realising that we¡¯re currently walking without a proper destination, I look at the bird. Do you know of a place nearby where we can rest? The bird cocks her head on one side, then the other. After a moment, she sends me a picture of a fallen tree. It¡¯s one of the forest giants, its trunk probably as round as I am tall. Moreover, it obviously came down a while ago: its trunk is mostly eaten away in the centre. Is it close? I check. My ally pauses for a moment and then sends me a sense of distance. It¡¯s difficult to parse since it seems to be measured more in wing-beats and body-lengths than anything more relatable for me, but I get the sense that it¡¯s close by. As a bird flies anyway. Hah. Come on then, guys, I tell my poor fellow land-bound companions. We walk through the trees until we get to the hollowed-out log. Fortunately, much as the bird had promised, it really wasn¡¯t very far. Far enough to be out of the initial wave of scavengers coming to eat the leftovers of our battle, but not much beyond that. It¡¯s also, while not perfect, a much better option than just falling asleep there on the forest floor. Despite the years that have evidently gone past, there¡¯s still a reasonably sturdy shell of wood around the outside. We can also put the cubs and Lathani further inside and have the fighters near the entrance. Plus, with us all piled in there, we¡¯re only really visible from one angle. It¡¯ll do. I swing my newest Bound off my shoulders. He¡¯s still immobile. It makes me a little concerned, though as I look, I see him breathing well enough. At least, I think it¡¯s well enough: it¡¯s slower than before he was Bound. Is that a bad sign? I check the Bond. He doesn¡¯t seem distressed. Looking up, I see River climbing into the log and leaning against its wall, his spear propped next to him. It¡¯s good to see him prepared to fight if something goes wrong. I figure I¡¯ll do the same sort of thing, probably taking the other side. That way, something wanting to attack the vulnerable members of our party will have to go past all the adults first. River, I ask, trying to direct my ¡®voice¡¯ at him only, seeing that Bastet¡¯s already laid her head down on her taloned front feet, the cubs cuddled against her. How long will the poison take to wear off our newest pack-mate? Not too long, he reassures me. It depends on how much poison entered his system, but he¡¯s already been affected for a relatively long time. He should be able to twitch soon and then the rest of his ability to move will follow. OK, thanks, I tell him. He nods and closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the log wall. I look at the lizog now. If you feel like something¡¯s wrong, or the poison¡¯s not wearing off as it should, wake me by sending a feeling of urgency down the Bond. Understood? He replies with a sense of uncertainty, but an acknowledgment nonetheless. I get the feeling that he¡¯s not used to having the pack alpha pay so much attention to his well-being. In fact, my impression is that he tries to avoid the attention of the alpha as much as possible since it almost always means that he¡¯s going to get bitten. A lizog pack definitely seems significantly more cut-throat than a raptorcat one. Strange. Anyway, not something to bother considering now. I look to River¡¯s shoulder next. Will you keep watch for threats? I ask the bird. She sends me a wave of reassurance, leaping and gliding from her perch to rest instead on top of the log above the entrance. OK, thanks, I tell her before climbing into the hollow log. Everyone else is already inside, immediately asleep. Downsides of being the leader, I suppose ¨C needing to make sure that everyone else is sorted first before resting myself. Then again, between all of us, I¡¯ve probably had the most rest in the last few days overall. Thankfully, I¡¯ve done everything I must so I join them, my aching body and overused mind pulling me straight into slumber as soon as my muscles release their tension. ***** Something¡¯s crawling on me. I brush at it, only to wince when my movement makes other creepy crawlies on me start biting. ¡°Ow, ow, ow,¡± I complain, sitting up and brushing myself off frantically. Serves me right for falling asleep in a bug-infested log. Also, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised that this place has vicious insects, no matter their size. By the time I feel free of little legs crawling all over me, I realise that everyone is staring. ¡°Sorry, did I wake you?¡± Bastet is the first to answer, indicating that one of the cubs had woken her a little before. Suddenly I realise that I was speaking aloud and grin. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. My lips widen further as I check my health bar and see that it¡¯s fully recovered. Obviously, we¡¯ve been sleeping long enough for my passive healing to fix everything. Touching my leg, I pull off my makeshift bandage, shoving the blood-stained fabric into my Inventory. Going over my injury, I see that it¡¯s healed with only the faintest of marks remaining. Huh, interesting to see that there are any marks remaining ¨C perhaps it¡¯s because the healing took some time rather than the relatively quick process of Lay-on-hands? Something to discover later. I look out of the mouth of the log. The lizog is sitting outside the log, in a position that is so similar to a dog¡¯s watchful guard pose that I almost have a double-take. He sends me a sense that he was already on guard and so wasn¡¯t woken. There¡¯s a hint of uncertainty in the emotions attached to the message; I wonder why, but when I reply with approval, I see his body language brighten. Maybe he just feels unsure about his place in our group? Not unexpected, I suppose. I¡¯m distracted by Lathani¡¯s response to my original question. Yes, says Lathani. You looked like a beetle with half its legs torn off. ¡°Thanks,¡± I reply sarcastically. You¡¯re welcome, she replies blithely. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t want to be called a beetle with half its legs torn off, but maybe that¡¯s a compliment for you. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s being serious, or messing with me, but I don¡¯t feel like pursuing it. I was already awake, River informs me. I woke when Lathani started snoring like a dying prey-beast. Lathani¡¯s hackles rise. Mother says that nunda are grace and deadliness personified; we are only seen or heard when we want to be, and then our majesty is enough to stun onlookers into submission. I don¡¯t snore. Sorry to contradict your self-image, River continues with a teasing tone, but you do snore. And it was loud enough to startle me out of a lovely dream. NO I DON¡¯T, Lathani shouts, her mental voice loud enough to make me wince. She bares her teeth and looks to be a moment away from pouncing on River, claws fully out. Although I¡¯d probably bet on River in such a scuffle ¨C since experience wins in a roughly equal fight nine times out of ten ¨C I decide to intervene. ¡°Guys, do you want to get back today or not?¡± I ask, my tone not loud but forceful. I¡¯ve had practice in using different tones of voice to deal with a number of stressful situations. This one definitely calls for calm but firm intervention. ¡°Because if you get in a fight, I can assure you that we won¡¯t be covering much ground due to needing to heal up.¡± The reminder is enough to make Lathani deflate. When River looks like he¡¯s considering poking at her again, I give him a warning look and jab over the Bond. Why he¡¯s deciding that right now would be a good ¡®tease the nunda cub¡¯ time, I don¡¯t know. Is it relief of getting out of the vine-strangler forest, underground tunnels, and past the lizog guarding the entrance which is making him so playful? Fortunately, with my warning, he also deflates and looks away. ¡°Good,¡± I say, my tone losing its edge. ¡°Now, does anyone want any food? We need to find a river for water.¡± As I say that, my Tamed companion sends me a sense that there¡¯s some water not far from where we are. ¡°OK, change of plan: let¡¯s go and find the water, then eat there. Agreed?¡± I get a round of agreements more or less verbally. Nodding in satisfaction, I make sure my mace is close to hand and we get going. My bow is in the first slot of my Inventory, relatively easily accessible in case I need it, without impeding my movement. I was pleased to note that as I put lizog corpses into it, the arrows I hadn¡¯t been able to collect automatically got sorted into a different slot. I was less pleased to see that broken arrows each got their own slot too: any broken arrow means hours more effort to recreate it. Then again, I suppose it¡¯s a boon if at least the heads are saved since they¡¯re the most difficult to recreate. Against expectations, we actually manage to make it to the water source without being bothered by any other creatures. It¡¯s less of a river and more of a small pond with water flowing in and out. Not stagnant water, at least. As my companions drink hungrily, I quickly set up a small fire. It¡¯ll take a bit of time, but I have no idea where this water is coming from, and don¡¯t feel like getting a stomach bug of some sort. Or parasites. It¡¯s hard to wait, though, my mouth dry and throat aching for water. That said, I¡¯m not actually as thirsty as I¡¯d imagine I¡¯d be after so long without water. Not to mention that I wasn¡¯t exactly relaxing the majority of that time. I wonder... I look up at the sky, trying to distract myself a little while doing something useful. I call up my map to get my bearings. We¡¯ve just walked a little north-east from the tunnel to get here ¨C I marked the tunnel on my map before we left just to make sure I¡¯d be able to find my way back. After all, it might have been a horrendous experience, but I can¡¯t forget that there¡¯s still a king¡¯s ransom¡¯s worth of Energy-Hearts: River and Bastet working together weren¡¯t even able to make much more than a small dent in the number encrusting the walls of the cavern. Based on that direction, I work out that it¡¯s got to be into the afternoon already. The sun isn¡¯t that far from midday, but it¡¯s on its downward trend. So, we must have passed the night in the tunnels, and then emerged sometime in the morning. Then slept for a while. It¡¯s hard to tell the time now that my Energy store isn¡¯t growing as fast: travelling up the tunnel, my Energy absorption dropped fast. The tunnel mouth was back to around fifty units per hour, but moving away from the tunnel mouth saw it drop further. By this point, it¡¯s back down to a pitiful eighteen units per hour. Given that with an absorption rate of over seven hundred units per hour I only gained two percent in my Energy store per hour, I can only despair at the thought of how much Energy I need to gain to advance now. Though, maybe that¡¯s a good thing: some instinct tells me that if I tried to level-up now, it might be the straw that breaks the camel¡¯s...Core. Or something like that. My water¡¯s finally boiling. I take the pan off the fire, pouring it into my sneleon shell. One-handed, I refill the wok and put it back on the fire. Blowing on the surface of the water, I wait with impatience until it cools enough for me to drink it. It may just be boiled pond water, but to me right now, it¡¯s ambrosia of the gods. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty: Home We¡¯re almost home. I exchange glances with Bastet and we both find our pace quickening as we recognise familiar landmarks. Here, a giant of a tree which lost its leading shoot early on in its life and has been growing slightly crooked ever since. There, a collection of rocks piled together to almost form the shape of a face when looked at from the right angle. We¡¯re less than an hour from the den. At last. It¡¯s odd to think that of our entire group, probably only Bastet and I recognise where we are. Lathani has probably rarely left the den; certainly not often enough to be familiar with the surrounding area. The raptorcat cubs are currently walking, their ability to keep up having progressed in leaps and bounds since we left. They probably don¡¯t recognise the area either, having spent most of our outings previous to this trip in a sling against my chest. As for River, Fenrir, and Sirocco, they¡¯ve never even been to the den before. I did check with River, but he wasn¡¯t part of the party who attacked Kalanthia and captured Lathani. I have to admit that I¡¯m a little worried about the reception she will give him: she may still consider him complicit. All I can hope is that, being one of my Bound, she will be as accepting as she was about the others I¡¯ve brought home with me. Due to the lizog¡¯s surprisingly canine characteristics, one of the most famous wolf legends in Europe was an obvious choice. The lizog himself was rather indifferent regarding his name: it isn¡¯t something that¡¯s part of lizog¡¯s culture, so he only embraced it because I wanted him to; the name itself was irrelevant. In complete contrast to his attitude, was Sirocco, previously known as ¡®the bird¡¯. She had been picky to the point of distraction. I¡¯d run out of names of goddesses linked to the wind and just started listing off other words I knew that were vaguely wind-related. She¡¯d liked ¡®Zephyr¡¯, though hadn¡¯t been completely satisfied. I kept going, but when I came up with ¡®Sirocco¡¯ out of the depths of my memory, she¡¯d sent a very clear message: the search was over. Finally, all of my companions, Dominated or Tamed, have names. Call it a human failing, but I like to have a specific name to think about each of my Bound. Thinking about a creature in terms of its species just feels awkward to me after a certain point. The sun is well on its way to the horizon, but we¡¯ve covered a lot of ground. After sating ourselves on water and enough food to keep ourselves going, we quickly set off. Despite walking for hours through the forest, we¡¯ve barely seen a single other creature, let alone been attacked by one. I¡¯m not complaining, especially without my healing Skill being available to us, but it¡¯s strange. It¡¯s not as though the animals are not there: I''ve seen plenty of tracks, many very fresh. I even picked up the traces of another small pack of lizogs which had probably only recently gone through. They didn¡¯t show hide nor hair of their presence. I¡¯d actually asked my companions why, a bit unnerved by the lack of attack. Not that I want to be attacked, but neither do I want to walk into something the local denizens are specifically avoiding. They¡¯re afraid, is all River says, like that explains it all. Afraid? Of us? I mean, I suppose that we¡¯re a bit of an imposing group, looked at from the outside. A lizog, a raptorcat, a human ¨C not that the locals probably know what that means, but I¡¯m taller than most in this area ¨C a juvenile nunda, and a flying predatory bird. A bit different from me walking alone through the forest, I suppose. It¡¯s odd to think of how far my little party has come in such a short time, I muse to myself as we get closer to home. We¡¯ll have to see how dynamics change once we¡¯re not under threat of attack at any moment. War and peace are very different things. My train of thought is disrupted as a massive shape suddenly emerges from the bushes ahead of us. How she managed to hide in foliage which only comes up to approximately hip height on her at its tallest, I don¡¯t know. All I know is that a tumult of emotions break free at my first sight of Kalanthia. Relief, exhaustion, fear, joy, relaxation, emotions I cannot put a name to¡­ I¡¯m briefly overwhelmed, freezing in place for that moment, torn by wanting to give her a hug ¨C her shoulder, at least ¨C and fearing that she¡¯d dislike and reject it. Bastet is far less conflicted, immediately trotting forwards to butt her head against Kalanthia¡¯s, the great nunda obligingly lowering herself to enable the contact. The cubs quickly follow suit. Broken from my temporary stillness, I decide to follow them, pausing at arm¡¯s length in front of her, suddenly uncertain again. Kalanthia simply rubs her head against my torso, strongly enough that even with my fifteen stat points in Strength, I¡¯m almost knocked over. I laugh and bury my face in her soft fur. Tears come to my eyes, the sudden release of the last few days¡¯ tension a relief of immense proportions. I blink them back, though ¨C I¡¯m not going to cry from happiness, come on. Stolen story; please report. You were successful, Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia says warmly. Her tone is in no way a question: she knows we found Lathani. Is it because she knows I wouldn¡¯t have dared show my face again without the cub? Not without being significantly stronger than I am even now. Or perhaps it¡¯s just that she can smell her cub¡¯s scent on me. Or...how did she know we were coming in the first place? ¡°We were,¡± I confirmed, but frown as I look around. Where is Lathani? Looking back, I spot her skulking behind River and Fenrir. ¡°Come on, Lathani,¡± I encourage. She shifts, but otherwise doesn¡¯t move. Kalanthia shifts as if she¡¯s about to go to her cub since Lathani won¡¯t come to her. ¡°Wait,¡± I ask the adult nunda. ¡°Let me speak to her.¡± Kalanthia¡¯s massive head descends a little so it¡¯s once more level with mine. You haven¡¯t¡­ she asks, a growling threat in her voice. ¡°No!¡± I yelp, realising what she¡¯s asking, and not wanting to have my head bitten off. Literally. ¡°No, it¡¯s just...well, you¡¯ll see. She¡¯s a little nervous, that¡¯s all.¡± I trot forward a few steps before pausing and turning back to look at the giant leopard. ¡°Just, don¡¯t move, OK.¡± I see her vibrating with tension and indecision, but with an unhappy grumble, she subsides a little. The sword-like claws scything in and out of her paws tell the tale that her patience isn¡¯t anywhere close to infinite, so I¡¯d better get my skates on. I jog to the back of the group, crouching down next to Lathani. The juvenile nunda is pressed to the ground, her ears back and teeth slightly bared. It¡¯s not aggression, though ¨C nothing of the sort. She¡¯s terrified. And I¡¯m pretty sure I know why. ¡°Come on, Lathani,¡± I say quietly. ¡°Your mum¡¯s right there. She wants to see you, greet you.¡± But what if she¡­? Her voice is the equivalent of a mental whisper, barely audible despite appearing directly in my head. ¡°She won¡¯t. And if she does, remember what we discussed?¡± Yes¡­. She¡¯s silent and unmoving despite her acknowledgment. I wait for a few moments, but can see Kalanthia¡¯s shifting increasing. Her patience is wearing thin. I understand: this is her cub we¡¯re talking about. A cub who¡¯s only a short distance away, but who she¡¯s not allowed to see or go near. ¡°You can¡¯t hide here forever, Lathani,¡± I tell the nunda cub. ¡°I promise you, the tension you¡¯re putting yourself and your mother through is far worse than any outcome could be.¡± Unless Kalanthia killed her, that is. But I reckon the possibility of that is extremely unlikely. It¡¯s not like Kalanthia is some dumb animal, unable to recognise her own offspring after having been away from it for an elongated period of time. Lathani doesn¡¯t respond, but I see her girding herself through her body language. With a determined air, she pushes herself to her feet and slinks towards her mother. And ¡®slinks¡¯ is the right description: her ears are still pressed back against her skull, her tail droops low, and she looks like she¡¯s hauling herself to her execution through sheer force of will. From a few metres¡¯ distance, I see Kalanthia take in the sight of her cub, much changed from how she was when she was taken away. She¡¯s worried about your reaction, I think, directing it as much as I can at Kalanthia. When the giant leopard briefly sends me a glance, I¡¯m pretty sure that she¡¯s received the message. Not that she probably needs it ¨C if I can see how Lathani¡¯s feeling in her body language, her telepathic mother will know far better about her emotional state. Slowly, delicately, as if she¡¯s approaching a fearful animal which she doesn¡¯t want to startle, Kalanthia steps forward towards where her cub is once more frozen in place, even the determination which pushed her forwards to that point unable to make her take another step. I empathise with her: it¡¯s not easy to stare the possibility of your life being changed forever right in the face. Kalanthia leans her head down and rubs it across Lathani. Despite growing significantly, Lathani is still so small in comparison to her mother ¨C the head which brushes over her fur is almost half the size of her entire body. Still, I suppose it¡¯s a better relative size than being the whole of her body as it was before. You¡¯re home, my cub, Kalanthia says, her voice projecting to all of us. It must be intentional ¨C she¡¯s far too in control of her telepathy for it to be otherwise. Whether it¡¯s meant as reassurance to Lathani that she¡¯s still considered to be Kalanthia¡¯s cub, or as a warning for the rest of us, I don¡¯t know. Maybe both. I¡¯m happy to see you, no matter what changes you have undergone. Lathani holds her stiff posture for a fraction of a second longer, the meaning of the words perhaps taking some time to properly sink in. Then, with a strangled sound, she runs forward to bury herself in her mother¡¯s belly fur. The chirrup she makes is enough to bring those tears back to my eyes: with her still-shaky grasp on her mental projections, Lathani also sent all of us a snapshot of how she was feeling in that moment. The same kind of relief that I felt earlier, but a hundred times stronger as her worst fear is so clearly cast aside by her mother¡¯s immediate acceptance. The scene is beautiful. And then Kalanthia looks back at us and the sheer rage filling her eyes is enough to almost make my life flash before my eyes once again. She¡¯s clearly holding herself back from openly baring her teeth at us, but I¡¯m confused as to why she¡¯s suddenly so angry. Then I see the true direction of her gaze: River. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-One: Friend ¡°Kalanthia,¡± I start, stepping in front of the lizard-man. When those furious eyes connect properly with mine, I realise how stupid I was to have imagined she was actually looking at me before: the eye contact and mental projection behind it hits me like a blow. There are no words, just sheer emotion projected through her gaze. When I feel the wariness through my Bonds and see Bastet taking a few steps back as well, the cubs even running back to hide behind me, I realise that it¡¯s not just me feeling this. I almost take a small step back involuntarily, but manage after that to hold my ground with sheer force of will, swallowing hard. I¡¯d thought that I¡¯d seen Kalanthia angry before when she thought I was trying to tame her cub; I hadn¡¯t known what rage was. This...it¡¯s like I¡¯m back in a Battle of Wills, with the fire hose completely directed my way. Pressure beats against me, trying to force me to submit, to move. But I won¡¯t. I can¡¯t. Somehow I know that River is only alive right now because Lathani is snuggling in her mother¡¯s fur. But even that tether is fragile and could break at any moment. I¡¯m the one who brought River here; I¡¯m responsible for keeping him alive. ¡°Kalanthia,¡± I repeat again. ¡°He¡¯s one of my Bound. He helped Lathani to escape. We wouldn¡¯t have made it without him.¡± Short sentences are easier when just speaking feels like an impossible task. The pressure doesn¡¯t let up for a long moment and then the fiery emotion behind the massive nunda¡¯s eyes is banked. Not gone, never gone. Just hidden away again. I breathe properly for the first time in what feels like minutes, but was probably less than one. Do you take responsibility for any of his actions going forward? she asks, her mental voice forcibly calm, but with the promise of explosive violence never far from it. I gulp a little. ¡°I do,¡± I agree, my voice quieter than I¡¯d intended. Not that it matters too much; all present have better hearing than me. ¡°As with all my Bound,¡± I add, just to be clear. Then in recognition of this great deed you have done me, I shall allow the lizard-kin a reprieve this day. A decision on his fate shall be made after all facts have been brought to light. We have much to discuss, you and I. With that vaguely threatening finish, she turns slightly to nose searchingly into her fur. Straightening up, I see that she has Lathani held gently within her jaws, the juvenile nunda cradled behind her mother¡¯s massive canines. Despite the growth spurt she¡¯s put on, Lathani still looks like little more than a cub dangling there. I can¡¯t imagine what she used to look like when her mother picked her up before. She was probably able to simply sit in her mother¡¯s mouth without emerging from either side at all. I shall see you at the den, Kalanthia says before turning tail and disappearing into the forest. And I mean literally disappearing: the giant nunda reveals exactly how she manages to hunt prey despite being roughly the size of a full-grown African bull elephant. Doing a Cheshire cat, she displays an ability to fade into her surroundings, her spots the last parts to vanish. I watch her disappear wide-eyed: her stealth is off the scale. I didn¡¯t realise it was even possible to vanish with such focus on her. There¡¯s silence for a good thirty seconds after Kalanthia has vanished. We all stare at the spot where we last saw her, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the only one wondering if she¡¯s still there. Once more, I¡¯m glad that I never met Kalanthia while she was hunting: I wouldn¡¯t even have known what killed me. In the end, it¡¯s the cubs who break the silence. Although they¡¯d been affected by the tension as much as anyone else, despite not understanding what was going on, they¡¯ve clearly decided that the danger¡¯s over; it¡¯s time to play. The complaint of Ninja when Trouble leaps on top of her to wrestle is enough to shake us out of our stillness. ¡°So,¡± I say to no one in particular. ¡°That was Kalanthia.¡± River, who¡¯s still standing just beside me, turns a little. I truly believe you, he tells me, the emotions coming across the Bond showing how truly shaken he feels. ¡°About what?¡± I ask, confused. That my people would have been doomed if I had not helped you bring the cub back. I do not think the Great Predator would have waited much longer to come searching herself. ¡°No,¡± I agree, though can¡¯t help wondering why she hadn¡¯t come looking. Not that I¡¯m complaining: it would have been a complete mess if we had arrived back to find her gone. But we¡¯ve been gone for several days, longer than Kalanthia would have expected, surely. Unless she knew something we didn¡¯t. She probably does ¨C she¡¯s a cat, after all. Sort of. And felines seem to make a habit of knowing more than everyone else, or seeming to, at least. ¡°Anyway,¡± I say after dismissing the thought, ¡°let¡¯s get going.¡± We start moving, Bastet falling to the back to make sure the cubs keep up. Spotting that, I order Fenrir to scout ahead, taking her position. Sirocco, of course, is also scouting ahead, meaning we have eyes both on the ground and in the air. Frankly, in comparison to the constant expectation of attack I always used to have while walking through these woods, now I feel like it¡¯s almost a stroll in the park. Not completely: I¡¯m still aware that an attack could come at any moment; it¡¯s simply less likely to come without warning. Spotting a tuft of familiar leaves, I make a happy noise. ¡°Hold on everyone,¡± I say. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The rest of the cavalcade pauses briefly for me to dig up the plant. Sticking the tubers into my Inventory, I grin. Roast potato tonight, I think. Ooh, with salt. I¡¯d almost forgotten that we haven¡¯t been back home since going to explore the tunnel and finding a salt cave inhabited by a tentacled monster. I hope everything back there is fine¡­ You didn¡¯t have to, River tells me as we start walking again. ¡°Didn¡¯t have to what?¡± I ask, thinking about digging up the tubers. No, I didn¡¯t have to, but I¡¯m tired of meat. Stand in front of me, defend me. Oh. That¡¯s what he¡¯s talking about. I shrug, feeling a little confused. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Incredulity comes across the Bond from him. Why wouldn¡¯t you choose to step between a clearly furious powerful predator and the source of her ire? he asks with the accompanying feelings of wondering if I have a screw loose. So much for being polite, I remark wryly to myself. ¡°No,¡± I correct, unruffled. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I defend someone who has gone above and beyond to fulfil the spirit of his vow, putting himself in a number of dangerous situations without complaint? Even though it was Bond that brought us together, I can¡¯t help but feel we¡¯ve become, or started to become...friends.¡± It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve said the last out loud, but it feels...good to say. Like I¡¯m acknowledging that I don¡¯t have to be alone or hold myself somehow above my Bound just because of the Bond. ¡°At least, that¡¯s how I feel. Maybe you don¡¯t feel the same,¡± I add, feeling suddenly nervous ¨C maybe I read the situation wrong. River is silent for a little time. If one is in the grasp of a marlen, although I have no idea what he just said there, the accompanying image of an animal which has far too many legs, or maybe tentacles, and which is almost impossible to escape the grasp of once trapped is clear enough, a friend does not jump into the situation with him, but attempts to slay the beast. Or, if the beast is too powerful to slay, will offer his friend a clean death and will go to warn the village. Jumping into the grasp of the beast will merely lead to another victim, he points out eventually, side-stepping the question. I huff again. Fine. If he doesn¡¯t want to answer, I¡¯m not going to ask again. And I don¡¯t agree with what he said. Not entirely, at least. ¡°Where I come from, we have a little saying: friends will pick you up from jail; best friends will be sitting in the jail cell next to you.¡± River stares at me blankly. I don¡¯t understand. What is a ¡®jail¡¯ or ¡®jail cell¡¯? I shake my head. Figures the translation wouldn¡¯t work: the lizard-folk probably don¡¯t have jails. ¡°It¡¯s a type of punishment from my world. Basically, it¡¯s saying that your closest friends will share both the good times and bad with you. And that¡¯s why I stepped between you and Kalanthia. I take the point that in some cases, if one person is in a bad situation, another jumping in beside them may not help. In other cases, however, they may provide moral support, companionship, or even mitigate the situation. As just now. I felt it was unlikely that she would kill me, but it seemed all too likely that she would kill you.¡± You could not have known that, he pointed out. That rage¡­ I sense the Bond between us shiver even though no such movement rocks his body. I have never felt the like. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t,¡± I admitted, shivering a little myself at the memory. ¡°But from what I have experienced of her, Kalanthia is remarkably fair. I was willing to roll the dice.¡± But why? he demands. I acknowledge culpability for my actions towards Lathani in the past. Is this the first time he¡¯s used her name? Possibly. Unless he¡¯s used it with her directly without me being part of the conversation. It¡¯s not like I created mischief like a hatchling; I helped do terrible things to Lathani, things that will permanently affect her. I deserve to face her mother¡¯s wrath, to take her justified rage. In fact, you should offer me as a sacrifice to her rage tomorrow. If it will stop her from raining her wrath on my village, I will bear the cost willingly. I¡¯m silent for a few moments. He¡¯s right in some ways, and it¡¯s admirable that he¡¯s willing to face the consequences of his own actions: so many are not. Including me much of the time, although I hate to admit it. But as a wise man once said, ¡®an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind¡¯. If tomorrow Kalanthia is bound and determined to claim River¡¯s life, there¡¯s probably very little I can do to stop her, bar physically imposing myself between them. But that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t do my best to seek another solution. ¡°Acknowledging the consequences of one¡¯s actions is important,¡± I agree, working through my own feelings, ¡°and I have no doubt that such consequences will be part of the conversation I¡¯m due to have with Kalanthia tomorrow.¡± Honestly, I¡¯m both anticipating and dreading said discussion. She¡¯s right: we have much to discuss, but I don¡¯t look forward to having to argue for why Kalanthia should leave one of the main participants in her cub¡¯s torture unscathed. ¡°But what good does killing you do? ¡°Kalanthia will still be angry, Lathani will still be affected, and your village will still be in danger. In some ways, living with guilt is the harder option.¡± The words come from deep within. I took myself up to the roof because of guilt and fear. Stepping off it would have been cowardice, not bravery ¨C an inability to face up to a thousand of my own actions and inactions. River is a hundred times braver than I was then, but even so, death isn¡¯t the answer. ¡°If you want to make amends, we¡¯ll work something out together with Kalanthia that can actually help Lathani. And maybe, after some time, you will no longer feel guilty.¡± I start moving again. A long moment goes by before River responds. I consider you my friend too, he says in a voice that, if it were not mentally transferred directly to my brain, I wouldn¡¯t have heard it. A quiet smile grows on my face that no one sees but the trees around. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Two: What the Doctor Would Prescribe As we climb up the hill to the den, I can¡¯t help pausing at the top to take a deep breath. I¡¯m home. It¡¯s funny to think that, but these days away have made it very clear to me that indeed this rough cave has made its place in my heart. I share a look with Bastet. Her eager happiness is enough to let me know that she feels the same as me. Next, I turn to my three new companions. ¡°Welcome home,¡± I tell them, a grin on my face. Fenrir looks at me, a sense of asking permission coming through the bond. I give it, curious about what he wants to do, and see him run off to sniff at everything. Fair enough. Sirocco, in opposition to my other two companions, seems completely uninterested. She sends an impression of not enough trees, and a preference to stay in the forest. Being Tamed, and not Dominated, I don¡¯t actually have any say in the matter, so just shrug as she wings her way back to the tree cover. If you want to come for food, I¡¯ll be putting some out soon, I tell her. She sends me an acknowledgment of the offer, but no indication of whether she¡¯ll take me up on it or not. Ah well ¨C her choice. River takes the longest to give an opinion. His feelings are clearly mixed. It¡¯s not really surprising, when considering everything. For all that Dominate has switched his focus to protecting and obeying me, his loyalties are still very much with the village that he¡¯s left behind. Why wouldn¡¯t they, when the other lizard-folk are all he¡¯s ever known? Because of that, I can understand that calling this place ¡®home¡¯ isn¡¯t likely to come easily. It¡¯s not what I expected from the den of the Great Predator, he finally muses. I raise an eyebrow. ¡°What did you expect? Something bigger?¡± No, more bones, he says completely seriously. I laugh. ¡°The only bones Kalanthia keeps around are for Lathani to play with. She¡¯s not big on home d¨¦cor, honestly. Come on, let¡¯s get settled in.¡± The first thing I do is to check on my beans. To my dismay, something has clearly been through while I¡¯ve been away. Or perhaps while Kalanthia¡¯s been a bit out of action. All five bean shoots have been massacred. Sighing with disappointment, I gloomily hope that they might recover. My hope stems from the fact that, unlike beans on Earth, samova beans have several shoots. There¡¯s the first shoot which is the main leader, but it¡¯s not the only one: the plant itself looks more like a bush than a vine. Fortunately, despite me not watering the patch for days, I can still see hints of green. If the plants have the time without being eaten again, they might regrow. ¡°Fenrir,¡± I call, seeing the lizog¡¯s head shoot up from where he¡¯s sniffing in my erstwhile fire pit. ¡°If you smell anything around here, come and chase it off. Kill it, if you can without leaving the hilltop.¡± He sends me eager acceptance of the order, then continues sniffing around. That dealt with, I enter the cave, hoping that it is in a better state than my farming attempts. Kalanthia is there, curled up with her back to the entrance. Reading the mood, I don¡¯t even greet her. I guess Lathani¡¯s there too, but I honestly can¡¯t see any indication of her presence. I have a feeling her mum¡¯s not going to let her go any time soon. Quickly ducking into my alcove with River following, I fear the worst. Fortunately for me, inside the cave seems untouched. Maybe it smells so much of massive predator that no creature around here is willing to investigate, even if they¡¯ve gathered the courage to come close enough to eat my samova beans. Either way, all my stuff looks exactly like it did when I left about a week ago. I didn¡¯t take my counting stick with me so I¡¯ve lost track a little, but I¡¯ll quickly mark them now. Let¡¯s see¡­ There was the night after escaping the tentacled monster and I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t spend a whole day and night getting to the salt caves. Then after returning to Kalanthia before noon, I¡¯d set off straight away in pursuit of Lathani, that day ending with the night in the forest. After that, there was the night in the lizard-folk¡¯s village and the night before heading into the tunnels¡­ Then I lost track of time while underground, but it can¡¯t have been a full day and night, so I¡¯ve got to guess that we didn¡¯t spend another in there. So maybe it¡¯s only been five days? Feels way longer than that. But first¡­ Within a short time, I¡¯m sitting back, a satisfied grin on my face. A fire crackles in the hearth, its flames sending flickering shadows across the room. Tucking the ¡®potatoes¡¯ near enough to the fire that the heat will cook them, but far enough away that they¡¯re not likely to be charred, I start preparing a new soup. After days of only meat, I¡¯m rather sick of the taste again, so I just prepare some newly-harvested pondweed and more ¡®potatoes¡¯ in a vegetarian stew. If my beans do recover, I look forward to adding them in too. While all this cooks, I start going through my Inventory. I¡¯ve got a ¨C large ¨C number of corpses to deal with. Obviously, lizog ones, but also the animals we¡¯d hunted previously: killer chickens being the most numerous, but also that single-ceratops, the monkiles, the remains of those rolling woodlice things, and that nasty venomous creature from the vine-strangler forest. I¡¯ll do that tomorrow, I decide, but pull out a couple of the first ones I get my hands on to set them out in the shade for my companions to help themselves. By chance, they both happen to be lizog ones ¨C perhaps because they were the last ones to be added, so the easiest to access. On my way out of the alcove, I almost start as I see River standing by the entrance. ¡°You don¡¯t have to guard me here,¡± I say, half-joking. He snaps his jaw slightly, indicating his nervousness. Another look at the way he¡¯s positioning himself says it¡¯s because of his close proximity to the ¡®Great Predator¡¯. ¡°Seriously, if you¡¯re uncomfortable inside, you can stay outside.¡± He shifts a little. I wait patiently ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure he wants to say something, but I¡¯ll wait for him to tell me rather than prying it out of his mind. What am I to do here, Ma-Markus? Out there, he waves vaguely in the direction of the forest, I knew what to do. I was guard, guide, and fighter. Here¡­ I get it. He¡¯s feeling lost. I consider the matter carefully. ¡°Well, frankly, I¡¯d suggest having a break. We¡¯ve all been under a fair bit of pressure over the last few days, and we¡¯ve been running on very little sleep. A bit of relaxation and time to eat in order to return to a state of calmness is probably just what a doctor would prescribe. Why don¡¯t you take the time to consider what you want your role in this group to be?¡± He frowns. My role? ¡°Yeah, if you want to continue being the spearman, or you¡¯d prefer to take a different combat role. Or maybe...you made a big difference to the fight with the lizogs when you offered the poison; if you could create potions which help us and hinder our enemies, that could be even more useful than being on the front lines.¡± His tail sways gently from left to right and then back again, a gesture I¡¯ve come to understand is similar to a nod from us. ¡°Look, come out with me. I¡¯m going to put out some lizog corpses out for everyone to enjoy. Take some time to think about it, and then let me know.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Very well. I have to admit, I¡¯m a little surprised that you are giving me the choice. I assumed that you would be the one to decide my role. I shrug. ¡°You know yourself far better than I know you; if you think you¡¯d do best in a certain role, who am I to contradict you?¡± He doesn¡¯t respond, but his tail sways once more and he follows me out. Pulling some lizog corpses from my Inventory, I lay them out. Then, suddenly hesitating, I turn to Fenrir. ¡°Is this...OK?¡± I mean, they were his pack? Of course, I should have expected the response I get: Fenrir is as practical as Bastet. His answer is complete indifference. Meat is meat, and that¡¯s all the corpses are now. Well, at least I have a good meat supply for a few days, then. Maybe even a few weeks, depending on how much everyone eats. Oh well ¨C although I¡¯m determined to do some crafting, we can always go on a hunting trip if necessary. Once I¡¯ve sorted myself out, that is. I pointedly don¡¯t allow myself to entertain the possibility that what I¡¯ve done to myself is permanent. Returning back inside, River remaining outside, I continue organising my Inventory. The Energy-Hearts stay inside, as does the salt. I don¡¯t know whether Energy-Hearts can lose Energy if they¡¯re exposed to the air, but they seem OK in my Inventory. Similarly, salt does better when it¡¯s kept dry, so no benefit to pulling it out of my Inventory when I don¡¯t have to. My half or more than half-used torches are a different story. I decide that the first thing I do tomorrow will be to make a few more of them and stack them in my Inventory: the recent experience has proven that I need a few on hand at all times. And I¡¯d rather not have to keep sacrificing shirts to make them. The flammable substance from the salamander probably has better uses too. A few interesting applications come to mind even though I¡¯m not actively trying to think of ideas. I think a bit of crafting is just what the doctor ordered: my nerves are shot from everything that has happened. I finish rearranging my Inventory by basically returning my suitcases to it. I¡¯d had them out because they were taking up a slot which was needed for other things, but now I have so many unused slots, I¡¯d prefer to keep all my belongings close at hand. Frankly, my alcove looks a lot barer now than it did when I entered: apart from things that need to be dried or otherwise processed, I¡¯ve packed everything away. Even my crafting materials such as the snilepede legs which I hope to use as fish-hooks later. Or possibly as hooks for armour...hm, there¡¯s a thought. Going through my Inventory also reminded me about the crocodile hide I still need to process. That¡¯s going to take some days, but I can get started on it tomorrow too. But first food, and then...well. The other thing that is constantly at the back of my mind. After eating a satisfying meal of soup and baked potatoes, I go outside to settle down. The sun is once more heading towards the horizon. Considering the length of the days, they pass pretty fast. Sitting in a nice sunny spot, I watch my companions for a moment. The cubs are happy, playing with each other over a bone, not hungry but just having fun. Bastet is watching, more relaxed than she¡¯s been in days. Fenrir is eating, his large head buried in the body of another lizog about the same size as him. I wince and hope that he¡¯s not going to get any disease or parasites from his cannibalism. River seems to be doing what I am: sitting and basking in the sun. He, too, looks more relaxed than I¡¯ve ever seen him. As for Sirocco, I can sense that she¡¯s sitting in the trees not that far away. She feels satiated so either she came down for a bite too, or she found something in the woods that she likes. After a few moments of peace, I open my status screen. Time to check on what¡¯s been happening there.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 23% Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr Energy towards debt: 75%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 331/331 (-8%)
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 680u/hr (-20%)
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 15 Stamina: 90/90
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 6 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Meditation - Novice 7 Energy Manipulation ¨C Beginner 2 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
As expected, little has changed. I¡¯ve advanced a bit in some Skills, namely Dominate, Tame, Lay-on-hands, and Animal Empathy. All advanced a single level except for Dominate which advanced two. Because of Fenrir? I guess. But why two levels? I shake my head ¨C maybe one day I¡¯ll understand this system, but it¡¯s not today. I find my Energy absorption rate interesting: it¡¯s at twenty-six units per hour. When I was here before, it was at thirteen units. Unless the Energy density has somehow changed, it means that something I¡¯ve done since being away has dramatically changed how much Energy I can absorb. I¡¯m now gaining as much Energy per hour here as I was in the lizard-folk¡¯s village. Maybe this is the answer to how people at higher levels continue to improve ¨C I had been wondering when I¡¯d realised how much Energy I now need per percentage, and that¡¯s only at level twelve. But if we are able to access more Energy the higher rank we get... Or is it not just because I¡¯ve increased in level? Is it to do with my choices in stat points? Could it be to do with my increased Wisdom? Intelligence? Or something else? Despite the increased Energy gain, my Energy store has only changed by two points since leaving the tunnel, and that also reflects all the Energy I received from helping kill off a whole pack of lizogs. I know that the Energy required per percentage point increases as I increase in level ¨C previous experience has shown that. I¡¯ll have to see how long it takes me to gain a point just by my passive Energy absorption; that will give me a better idea of my current state. The one change that dismays me is the fact that the penalty I¡¯m currently suffering to my mana total has increased. A single percentage doesn¡¯t seem like much, but it¡¯s reduced the total mana I can store by three units. And worse, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s caused it, though the pain I suffer whenever I try to use magic is a good indication. But what I do know is that in this new world, I can¡¯t survive without magic so I need to work out why. Closing my eyes, I try to enter that state I found before. Time to find out exactly what I did to myself ¨C and how to fix it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Three: Intricate Weave It takes a few tries to reach the same space I had before. Not that it takes any real effort to enter Meditation ¨C that¡¯s easier every time I try it. The issue is in finding the twist to make it an internal rather than external view. I¡¯ll admit that the first time I enter Meditation this evening, I find myself thoroughly distracted. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve engaged my Skill with an external view since gaining all those points and the difference is stark. Before, I¡¯d seen connections spanning between me and those closest to me, as well as some vague links between other things and the world around. The connections between the vine-stranglers and the earth below had been the strongest. I guess that those had been the trees¡¯ links to the thick Energy density of the tunnel, explaining their rapid growth. Now I realise that I¡¯d only been seeing a fraction of what is present. In fact, I could probably only see a fraction of a fraction, as I doubt that I can see everything even now. What I see as I stare with wondering mental ¡®eyes¡¯ at the world around is like...roots. Luminous, intangible roots. Before, all I could see were the tap-roots, the thickest and most obvious of the plant¡¯s network. Now, I can see far more of the intricate links that stretch all around me. If they were solid, I would be unable to move because of their number. I wonder whether somehow I could gain control over the links...and if I could, what would happen? Drawing from the link with River had led to me draining the mana from him to replace my own. Actually, thinking about it, how did I replace my mana? I gained about half my mana pool which, at the time, was around two hundred mana units. River only has seventy mana units. Even if I¡¯d drained him dry, which I¡¯m sure I did, it wouldn¡¯t have replenished my pool to almost halfway. My experience with the Pure Energy makes me wonder whether it might be something more nefarious. Could I have started draining his health and converting it to mana? If so, no wonder that even the System was warning me about being careful¡­. But this wasn¡¯t what I started meditating to think about. I return to trying to switch to an internal view and succeed a couple of minutes later. It turns out that it¡¯s mostly about willing myself inside myself, though that makes little sense when I put it into words. I find that, like when going into a healing trance, I lose almost all sense of my physical body, becoming able to see the light within me that has to be my mana. Like when I accessed this space after the debacle with the Pure Energy, I am able to see both a bright light at the centre and a network of much dimmer light everywhere else ¨C except in one place: my hand, of course. As I ¡®zoom¡¯ in towards the centre, the network undergoes a change: no longer does it appear to fill the shape of my body, but instead becomes a spherical shape. Has it changed, or is it just that I¡¯ve changed the way I¡¯m looking at it? Or both? I can¡¯t help but feel that physical rules hold little sway in this space. Deciding to start at the centre, I ¡®zoom¡¯ in further. My Core is a mini-star ¨C burning like a sun. A sun contained within a glass bubble. How do I know it¡¯s contained within something? Because the surface of the bubble is fractured, the hair-thin lines creating a beautiful, if disturbing pattern. This must be the source of at least one of my reductions, though whether it¡¯s affecting my mana pool, mana regeneration, or health regeneration, I¡¯m not sure. The sight is disturbing, something within me knowing at instinctual level that if that container were ever to completely break, the centre would truly act like the sun I¡¯m likening it to, burning through me. Whether that would simply destroy my ability to use magic, or actually kill me, I don¡¯t know, and don¡¯t want to find out. The light inside is a bit calmer than it was last time. Its glow is mostly constant, with a few flares every so often accompanied by a commensurate dimming afterwards. It¡¯s all still feeling very tender, but I don¡¯t feel quite on the point of disintegration as I did back then. These are all good signs. The fact that the actual cracks in place on my Core do not seem to have changed, is not so reassuring. In fact, if anything, they¡¯ve got worse. Is that an argument for the cracks being the reason for the reduction to my mana pool intermittently increasing? I suppose it would make sense if my Core is where my mana is stored that cracks to it would worsen when I¡¯d accessed and drawn out some of that mana. It would also make sense that damage to it could lead to a reduction in the amount of mana I could store. The pain I experienced when I activated Lay-on-hands would also make complete sense in that context too. Following the same logic, if I wish to be able to cast magic without pain, I¡¯ll need to find a way of healing the cracks in my Core. Plus, I don¡¯t want to find out the hard way how much damage my Core can sustain before it collapses. Well. Not like I was planning on leaving it the way it is, anyway. Not if there¡¯s anything I can do about it. Before I start trying to work on solutions to my Core situation, I look at the rest of the damage. The last time I¡¯d entered this space, I¡¯d seen light throughout my whole body, only noticeable because of the sheer lack of it in my hand. Now I¡¯ve ¡®zoomed in¡¯ to the point that I don¡¯t see my body any more, I realise that it¡¯s more than just light. Instead, like what I recently saw when I accidentally engaged in the external view of my Meditation, the light is created by a myriad filaments of light. They spool away from my Core, forming an intricate weave that at first glance just looks like a single piece of unbroken fabric, barely visible thanks to the sun at the centre obscuring them with its sheer brightness. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Getting closer to one of the hairs of light takes little more than a thought. It¡¯s impossibly thin, more like spiderweb than anything else. Yet I sense that it¡¯s far stronger than spider-silk, despite its thinness. I try to trace a thread from the Core, but quickly lose track of it as it disappears among the mass of others. Trying to get a better view of the whole, I move back outwards again. Mentally ¡®frowning¡¯, I try to block out the light from the Core so I can actually see the details. The longer I focus, the more I concentrate, the more I am able to see those glimmering lines weaving through the space. A bit like stargazing after having just left a bright room, at first I can only properly see the most obvious threads, but over time the rest fade into view. They were always there, but it¡¯s only as my eyes adapt that I become capable of seeing them. Such is the sense of discovery as slowly, bit by bit, the whole design is revealed. And what I see is an impossibly intricate design, something far beyond the capabilities of any human even to conceive, let alone make. Perhaps a computer could have, but even then, there is a life, a vibrancy to this network of threads which would surely not have been present in that case. If the shape of the mass had remained in the shape of my body, I would have thought that the lines of light might act like the magic equivalent of blood vessels, transporting mana instead of blood cells around my body. Even when it shifted into a more spherical shape, I¡¯d half expected to see some relation to my organs. My brain and heart, at the very least. What I actually see is more like an impossibly intricate 3D mandala formed in the shape of a sphere with my burning Core at the centre. I move slowly around the edge of the sphere, looking at it carefully. Every position I take shows different aspects of the sphere, and slowly I start to realise that a few small areas are far more intricate than others. In fact, some areas are practically simple in comparison to others. As I take time over examining the lines, sensing that this is something important to understand, I realise that the areas which are particularly intricate look...different from the rest of the design. And some more than others. I move around the whole of the design several times, verifying that what I had noticed is correct. Finally, I¡¯m pretty sure of my observations. There are nine areas of particular intricacy, each self-contained. Three of them have a similar...character to the whole sphere. The lines move in similar patterns. They are more detailed, but they fit with the rest of it. The other six areas are different. Each of them has a different character both from each other and the rest of the sphere. One is full of flowing lines which somehow manage to never intersect with each other; another is hard to truly identify, the lines seeming to move a little every time I look at them. Another is full of dead ends, Energy seeming to double back on itself from one angle, but from another I can see that instead it¡¯s travelling at right-angles to where it had been originally. I can see that each section links to the ¡®body¡¯ of the sphere around it. The Skills which better match the character of the surrounding sphere link up with it flawlessly, connections flowing from the centre of the intricate area to the sun at the centre of my being. The Skills which are very different from the character of the surrounding sphere are a different story. In three of them, there are several loose ends where the line just...stops. It¡¯s hard for me to conceptualise: I observe through some sixth sense that the lines aren¡¯t truly lines; I¡¯m just identifying them as such because I can¡¯t truly visualise what they are. Some lines are more sounds than visible lines; others are like the brush of a hand to my cheek, or a feather¡¯s touch. It¡¯s uncomfortable to think about exactly how I sense these things, or what they really are; I stop thinking about it when instinct tells me that if I question too much, I will lose the ability to do it at all. I simply return to my observations instead of wondering how I can observe them. Over time, I can¡¯t help but wonder whether these areas are in some way linked to my Skills. It would make sense: three Skills are linked to my Class, and therefore have to have some similarity between them; six Skills are not and therefore the disparity would be explained. If that¡¯s so, the corollary would be that the rest of the intricate web is somehow linked to my Class. Or maybe it is my Class. I¡¯ll have to think more about the possible consequences of it being one or the other. Either way, my time spent touring the web and trying to work out what it is has been useful in also working out why I¡¯m suffering from a reduction in both mana and health regeneration rates. There¡¯s a big hole in the side of one section of my sphere. It¡¯s a bit like an ice-cream scoop has come and taken out a chunk of it, leaving fraying ends dangling in a blackness darker than any other area. The frayed ends don¡¯t look at all healthy, the bright gold of the Core dimming to blackened copper and then to nothing at all. Even if I hadn¡¯t spent so much time admiring the intricate design of the rest of the sphere, I¡¯d know that this was wrong. Beyond the fraying connection, beyond the disturbing blackness, there¡¯s a sense of something missing. Is this what the Pure Energy did to me? Is this why I was in so much pain? It wasn¡¯t consuming my flesh, but something else that is integral to my Class? I suppose that if my theories are correct and that the overarching sphere is my Class, and the areas of particular intricacy are my Skills, then I suppose it might make sense that I can¡¯t choose any more Skills while I have the problem. What if a Skill needs to connect into lines which are currently ending in a frayed end? Or what if the Skill needs to be placed in the spot where there¡¯s just blackness? Or maybe I¡¯m looking at this the wrong way: perhaps I can¡¯t access the Skills because my Class needs to be completely present in order to be able to access my choices. A bit like computer programming where one error may cause the whole program to crash: I certainly remember experiencing the blue screen of death more than once. Well, it¡¯s one thing identifying the source of the problem ¨C since I¡¯m ninety-nine percent sure that this is the reason for my reduction to my regeneration rates ¨C and a completely different thing to fix it. Zooming into the space, I find myself literally unable to enter the blackness. If I try, I am shunted around to the closest frayed end of a connection. Trying to enter from the direction of the sphere, I can¡¯t move past where the connection fades away into nothing. Concentrating on the connection itself, I sense...something. Hmm, I might have an idea¡­. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Four: Cracked Core I¡¯m feeling fatigued, and the sense of bodily pain is intruding even into this non-physical space. Deciding to take a short break, I withdraw back into my body. It¡¯s always a strange sensation, and there¡¯s always a moment where my body feels like an ill-fitting suit. When I¡¯m fully settled into my physicality once more, I wince ¨C my head feels like it¡¯s several sizes too small and my brain is pounding in complaint at the fact. Funnily enough, the sun doesn¡¯t seem to have moved much from where it was when I entered my inner space. I¡¯d spent what felt like hours examining the sphere and the bite chewed out of it, but it seems like only half an hour has passed at the maximum. Is it because I existed as a mind almost separate from my physical form that my judgement of time has been so inaccurate? I take some time to eat and drink ¨C despite having eaten less than an hour ago, I¡¯m starving. I also take a moment to loosen muscles which have stiffened up over my period of inactivity. Unlike getting stiff on Earth, my improved Constitution means that it only takes seconds of movement for my muscles to release their tension. I continue wandering around and swinging my arms: the calm, aimless movement also serves to release mental tension, causing my headache to slowly reduce. Probably about another twenty minutes or so later, I feel a lot better. My headache is gone, and I have significantly more energy. If mental energy had a regeneration rate, I reckon that mine would jump after eating and drinking a little. I take a moment to check on my companions ¨C not much change there ¨C and then return to my spot. It¡¯s not in the sun any more, but I don¡¯t mind: the temperature is on the cooler side, but it¡¯s still pleasant. It¡¯ll get cold later, but by then I should be inside with a warm fire. Closing my eyes, I dive back in. The sphere is waiting for me, only taking a few moments to reveal itself now that I know what to look for. I navigate to the area with the unnatural blackness. Refreshed, I actually have an idea of how to deal with it. The filaments are mana, right? Or whatever Energy ¨C or energy ¨C is held within my Core. I¡¯m pretty sure about that: the colour of the filaments is identical to that of the Core, though significantly dimmer. So, what if I could recreate the connections with mana? It seems like an impossible task. The sheer intricacy of the design is breath-taking; to think of actually having to recreate it is daunting. However, I sensed something the last time I focused on one of the broken connections. Wanting to double-check, I zoom back into that area. Focusing on the connection, I concentrate hard. Yes, I was right. There¡¯s some sort of...ghost connection? Like ashes which show where something was before it burned, or a fading smell in the air after someone¡¯s walked past with strong perfume. It¡¯s only a little beyond the edge of the connection, but I can sense where the line used to go. If that sense continues even when ¨C if ¨C I manage to redraw the line, then I should be able to follow it like I¡¯m using tracing paper. It¡¯s a mammoth task. Truly intimidating. But I¡¯ve got to do something. Not only are there connections hanging around in mid-air, meaning that I can¡¯t access any new Skills, but worse: an instinct tells me that this kind of damage is degenerative. Already, if I look at the faded end of a connection for long enough, I see it becoming a little dimmer. If the damage is spreading¡­. I need to try. Focusing on a single connection, I split my attention, my increased Intelligence allowing me to do that sufficiently. One half of my focus is on the faded end itself; the other follows the line through the weave all the way back to my Core. I tease out as tiny a speck of mana as I possibly can. Due to the minuscule thickness of the connection, especially as it moves further away from the Core, even the tiniest fraction of mana that I could extract looks like a snake that¡¯s eaten a massive pumpkin. The bead flashes down the connection, moving by itself. It travels far quicker than I was expecting. When it reaches the end of the thread, I barely have enough time to focus on following the ashen trail of the faded end before it arrives. The thread grows by a noticeable fraction, the end extending a little more into the blackness, its colour changing to gold even at its furthest end. Even as I watch, though, the colour dims back to old bronze or dim copper. Still, my theory has been proven; I have a way to regenerate at least some of the connections. My celebration proves to be premature, however: a moment later a sharp pain goes through me and an ominous cracking sound makes the sphere shudder. I focus my attention on my Core and, if I had eyes and a mouth, they¡¯d be wide and cursing, respectively. I stare dismayed at the glowing centre to my internal web as the cracks spider-webbing around my Core expand just a little more. It¡¯s not much worse than before, but I have a feeling that even so it¡¯ll be reflected in my stats. Pulling out of the metaphysical space, I quickly pull up my status screen.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 25% Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr Energy towards debt: 75% Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Intelligence 36 Mana: 327/327 (-9%)
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 680u/hr (-20%)
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 15 Stamina: 90/90
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 6 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Energy Manipulation ¨C Beginner 4 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
My mouth set in a grim line, I acknowledge that my fear had, unfortunately, been spot on. Once more, I¡¯ve suffered a reduction to my mana capacity. By this point, I¡¯ve got thirty-three fewer mana units than I should. That¡¯s three potential Lay-on-hands less. If I could cast them, that is. Plus, the fact that I gained another percentage reduction by repairing the connection by a small fraction is not a good sign. If that continues happening, I¡¯ll reduce my mana capacity down to nothing in very little time. Even if there were no other consequences to such an action except for losing the ability to store mana, that would put paid to my efforts to repair the intricate connections which I suspect are my internal matrix. As it is, I suspect that causing such damage to my Core is likely to have far more serious consequences. I sigh. Perhaps I should have known that this would be the result ¨C the last time I used magic, I caused more damage to my Core. I was hoping that this would be different since I was truly only using the smallest bit of mana that I could. Apparently not. Well, on the one hand, I¡¯ve gained proof of concept for the idea of regrowing the connections ¨C as long as I continue to have a sense of where the connections should go, that is. Which is a concern: if the problem is degenerative, as it appears to be, then the longer it takes for me to get to fixing it, the harder my job will be. It might even render impossible the aim of fixing myself completely ¨C and then where will I be with a defective Class? Though, I have also risen two levels in my Energy Manipulation Skill; hopefully raising that Skill higher should make my job easier and quicker, potentially offsetting the problems with leaving the repairs until later. On the other, it appears that I need to fix my Core before I can even attempt to repair my internal matrix ¨C if indeed that¡¯s what the gleaming 3D mandala of connections truly is. How I do that is another question. I lean back and stare sightlessly up at the darkening sky above. None of my companions have a Core. River seems to know what they are ¨C if Energy-Hearts are the same things ¨C but he doesn¡¯t have one, and seems to only know about them in the broadest of terms. Based on what had to happen to me to cause it, I suspect that someone cracking their Core while it¡¯s still in their bodies is not a common event. I can ask, but can¡¯t hang my hopes on him knowing anything about it. Kalanthia is another one I could ask. I strongly suspect that she has a Core, and maybe she¡¯s even into the next stage, if there is a next stage. Whether she¡¯ll know about cracked cores is another question. However, she¡¯s currently cuddling with her cub and I don¡¯t want to disturb that. I decide to ask her about it tomorrow. Still, I feel like it¡¯s a rather urgent matter to deal with for multiple reasons. I can¡¯t not use mana, not when I¡¯m out and about anyway. Fade uses mana, for one thing. As, more importantly, does Lay-on-hands ¨C I really don¡¯t want to risk being attacked out in the forest without having my healing Skill available. Not just for me, but also for my companions: it¡¯s been a life-saver multiple times. Yes, we¡¯ve just travelled for almost a day without being attacked, but in the twenty-eight or so hours previously, both Bastet and I would have been toast without a healing Skill on hand. So no, I need to fix this, and sooner rather than later. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be worse off than when I just arrived. And what happens if I try to level up? Will it stress the Core further? Or could that actually be a way of healing it? Well, that¡¯s a while off ¨C my Energy store isn¡¯t exactly growing fast. Actually...could I be losing Energy? Is it possible? I shake my head. Too many questions which aren¡¯t much use asking. I¡¯ve got a cracked Core; I need to fix it. End of. Pushing myself to my feet, I walk over to my Bound who¡¯s sitting in the shade looking a touch lost. Hesitating for a moment, I decide that interrupting him might actually be a good idea ¨C give him something else to think about. He looks up at me as soon as I approach, so I sit down heavily next to him. Hope in my heart despite myself, I ask River if he¡¯s ever heard of a cracked Energy-Heart. A cracked Energy-Heart? he repeats doubtfully. It¡¯s possible to grind the shards that crack off Energy-Hearts to dust: my...the herbalist of my...the village does that to make her potions particularly powerful. But as far as I know, the Energy-Heart just breaks away in chunks. It doesn¡¯t crack the entirety of it. And if it did, I have no idea of what solution you could apply ¨C putting a herbal compress on it? I thank him but refuse the offer of a herbal compress: I don¡¯t know if my Core is even a physical object in my body. If it is, I suspect it must be somewhere important like inside my heart or my brain or something; there¡¯s no way I want anyone digging around in those! Plus, the whole idea sounds about as reasonable as the mediaeval remedy of rubbing salt into the brain to cure madness. Though what do I know ¨C maybe that¡¯s a valid treatment in this new world of magic? Anyway, I figure I might as well see what I can find out today. If I really don¡¯t have any ideas, I¡¯ll talk to Kalanthia tomorrow about it. Closing my eyes, I return to the trance state. This time, instead of inspecting the weave of glimmering connections that surround the Core in a glittering net of gold, I go straight for my Core. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Five: I Wish You Luck At first, the bright sun-like glow is too strong for me to look directly at the mass, let alone see any details. Then, like I¡¯m wearing a filter which blocks out progressively more of the light without changing the colour, I become able to not only look at the sphere but see the outer wall of it. At least, I assume it¡¯s the outer wall, but what if the whole of my Core is solid ¨C in whatever way solid exists in this nonphysical world? From what River says, Energy-Hearts sound like they¡¯re solid; is that what I have, though? I dismiss the idea after a little longer spent observing it: there is too much variation of light within the Core to make such an idea likely. It looks like the mass of whatever inside is an ever-moving sea, patches becoming brighter and dimmer in turn. The other flickering to the Core where the whole lot of it seems to flare and dim seems a lot less natural; it¡¯s probably a result of what I¡¯ve just put myself through. Inspecting the surface, I notice that though the cracks are deeper than the first time I saw them, they¡¯re not that deep. Yet, at least. Maybe this is why there¡¯s ¡®only¡¯ nine percent of damage, rather than more than that. They¡¯ve also spread further, each crack having formed a few more branching lines. As an experiment, I reach gently for a bit of mana, imagining that I want to feed it along one of the connections. Moving almost in slow-motion, thanks to my intense focus, I see the glow brighten in one spot. It then starts bulging out from the body of the Core. Trying to put a physical description to it, I can only say that it appears like liquid oozing through solid ¨C perhaps like blood dripping through already blood-soaked fabric. As the drop emerges, I see my Core take damage. The wall shifts very slightly, and the movement, just like with glass or diamond, causes the whole structure to fracture very slightly more. Unlike with a true crystalline structure, however, a single fracture doesn¡¯t then lead to the whole structure losing its integrity. It does mean that the cracks all over the surface deepen, to my continued dismay. Once more I feel a sharp pain, despite barely feeling connected to my body at this point. Or maybe it isn¡¯t actually a bodily pain anyway. I don¡¯t need to check my status to see that the damage has reduced my mana capacity further. I return to my body, wanting to think about it for a while. I stand and look around for my companions. The sun is on the horizon; twilight is almost here. Bastet and the cubs are already inside the alcove, curled up. Fenrir is still on guard and Sirocco is somewhere in the trees. River, however, is sitting and looking at me thoughtfully. ¡°What?¡± I ask, a little defensively. You are remarkably vulnerable in moments like that, he notes. I spoke to you, but you did not answer. My shoulders rise defensively before I sigh and forcibly relax. He¡¯s not criticising; he¡¯s just highlighting a weakness. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise it was that bad,¡± I reply after a moment. ¡°But thanks for letting me know.¡± If I¡¯m so unresponsive to stimulus, I must make sure to only go deep into myself when I¡¯m somewhere safe.¡± Actually¡­ ¡°Could you do me a favour? Try shaking my shoulder when I¡¯m in it.¡± He sends acquiescence over the Bond, and moves towards me. I hold up a hand. ¡°Just give me a moment.¡± Closing my eyes, I reenter the trance, by now able to enter my inner world without more than a few moments¡¯ notice ¨C somewhat different from the first few times. I don¡¯t try to explore anything about the intricate weave or my Core, this time just waiting. It seems like a long time before I feel a faint sensation of being shaken. It¡¯s like it¡¯s happening to someone else, and all I¡¯m feeling are the echos of the sensation down a Bond or something. Still, I felt it. I open my eyes. You felt that, then? River inquires. I nod. ¡°Yes. Faintly, though. If I was deep in concentration, I might not actually feel it at all. Also...did you wait a long time?¡± He tilts his head to one side. No. Only the moment you asked for. I nod thoughtfully. OK, so time does move quicker when I¡¯m in my inner world? Interesting. And useful? Potentially. Then I realise that River had said he was trying to talk to me earlier. ¡°What did you want to say to me when you tried to contact me and couldn¡¯t?¡± I ask. I merely wished to find out where you would like me to sleep. Forgive me; I would rather not be too close to the Great Predator. Ah. Yes. Good point. Since I¡¯m the host, I really should have sorted this. I take a moment to look inside the alcove with an eye to seeing how much space is left. Bastet and the cubs really don¡¯t take up much room, curled up as they are. My bed takes up about half the rest of the space, but I don¡¯t actually use the whole area ¨C it¡¯s a bit wider than a single bed, though not quite a double. ¡°OK, so would you prefer to sleep inside in the warmth, but be in an alcove off Kalanthia¡¯s cave, or sleep outside where it¡¯s colder, but you¡¯re farther away from Kalanthia?¡± River takes some time to consider the matter. My kind do not do well with the cold, he says finally. I would prefer to be warm rather than outside in the night¡¯s chill. Could the Great Predator easily access me inside? I hesitate. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well, not technically,¡± I finally say slowly. ¡°She can¡¯t fit inside the alcove, and it would probably take a bit of swiping to get at you. But that said, she¡¯s the one who made the alcove, so I doubt it would take much effort to...unmake it.¡± River¡¯s spikes flash in surprise. The Great Predator made the alcove? ¡°She made the whole cave, I believe,¡± I respond, surprised at his surprise. Didn¡¯t his people know that about Kalanthia? ¡°She can shape earth.¡± The colours in his spikes flash even deeper, showing the intensification of his emotion. I did not know she was an earth-shaper, River admits. It makes sense why my people had so much trouble with her before, if that¡¯s the case. ¡°Yeah. But frankly, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be any safer sleeping out here. You saw how easily she jumped out at us from the bushes; if she¡¯d been hunting us we¡¯d have had little chance, and that¡¯s with all of us in a state of alertness.¡± The colours of his spikes shift to a red and pale yellow that speaks of fear. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t worry ¨C so far, she has proven as good as her word and she¡¯s said that she wishes to hear the whole of it before making any judgement. There¡¯s a very good chance you¡¯re safe for tonight. Longer than that, though¡­we¡¯ll have to see.¡± He snaps his jaws a couple of times, then clearly forcibly relaxes himself. Very well. I will trust your interpretation of her character. Though, as I said before, if my death will save my village, I am willing to offer it. ¡°And I said that I¡¯m going to try to find another way,¡± I tell him, feeling a little exasperated at how he seems to have fixated on the idea of dying a martyr. ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯d rather sleep inside, we can make some space for you. Otherwise, it¡¯s up to you to work out the best place to sleep out here.¡± No, I would prefer warmth, he decides. ¡°And do you usually make a bed of some sort, or do you just sleep on the ground?¡± I check. He makes a gesture with his claws which I interpret as my equivalent of a shrug. We often pull in some leaves to cushion the ground slightly, but it¡¯s not necessary. ¡°No, it¡¯s OK. If I just lay some more clothes down, we should have space. I recommend you sleep against the wall since I¡¯m not going to bed yet.¡± He lifts his chin for a moment. I appreciate your kindness. Raising an eyebrow, I shrug. ¡°Just basic hosting, man. I wish I had a bed to offer, but I don¡¯t, unfortunately. Anyway, I¡¯ll join later.¡± Then I wish you luck with your Energy-Heart, he says before briefly tipping up his chin once more and heading into the cave. I frown at his back. I¡¯m getting a weird energy from him¡­ Then something he said sparks an idea. Could that help me? Pulling out an Energy-Heart from my Inventory, I tilt it back and forth, admiring the way it picks up light in the darkening twilight. Even without the light from the Pure Energy nearby, the jewel-like crystal gleams and sparkles like there are polished facets inside the structure. I take a moment to examine it, again. Energy-Heart is what River called the Core inside me, as he calls this. Perhaps there are some similarities that could help me repair my own Core? When I tested the Energy-Heart previously, I¡¯d used almost all my senses to investigate it. All but one, in fact. Staring at it as I once more catch the delectable scent, I decide to give into my curiosity. I¡¯ve already absorbed this stuff through my hand with no problems; why would absorbing it anywhere else make any difference. Hoping I¡¯m not making another mistake, I dare to touch the tip of my tongue to the Core. It tastes as good as it promised, a mixture of spicy sweetness ¨C a bit like honey which has been stored in the same pot as a chilli pepper. Even just the contact made by the tip of my tongue is enough to send the taste all over my tongue. Hmm, I wonder if it¡¯s possible to cook with these? If adding shards to potions increases their efficacity, what could adding it to my meals do? Perhaps it¡¯s worth experimenting with at another time, but not right now. I¡¯m tempted to give the Heart a good lick, but deny myself, instead pulling it away and quickly activating my status screen. Again, there are no notifications, and at least my health isn¡¯t showing any sort of drop ¨C at least that hasn¡¯t changed. Like last time, my Energy absorption rate has leapt back up to two thousand, nine hundred and seventy units per hour. It lasts a bit longer this time, perhaps more like thirty seconds. Once more, the few units of Energy that actually gains me is nothing to what I reckon I probably need to work towards another percentage point, let alone towards my next level. Still, as a proof of concept, it¡¯s interesting. And if I¡¯d come across this thing when I was level three or level four, I¡¯d probably be benefiting a lot more from it. Ah well, I¡¯m sure my companions will find them useful. I guess we¡¯ll have to work out distribution after I¡¯ve had that conversation with Kalanthia. Plus, didn¡¯t the giant nunda want these things herself? Maybe for Lathani, thinking about it. So, that will need to be taken into account. For now, though, I want to see whether I can do anything with the Energy from the Heart to help with my Core. I touch my tongue to the stone again, since that seems to be the longest-lasting method, bar breaking off a shard. Then, I drop back into meditation. Almost in slow motion, I see a bead of brightness travelling along a group of threads which have their end points all in the same area. The brightness moves up the threads and then enters my Core. I withdraw from the space, looking at the Energy-Heart thoughtfully. I may be grasping here, but the only thing I can think of doing is using magic to heal the cracks in my Core as I would heal an injury. The problem is that getting at the mana in my Core just creates more damage; unless I could outpace the damage with the healing, it wouldn¡¯t make much sense to do it that way. However, if I can control external Energy as I would my mana...maybe that¡¯s exactly what the doctor ordered. But there is certainly a question here: can I control Energy I absorb in the same way I control my mana? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Six: Face the Music Taking a good lick at the Energy-Heart, I close my eyes and sink into myself once more. I see the wave of light rushing at my Core from the same spot as before. ¡®Zooming¡¯ in closer, I try to take control of the Energy. It feels slippery, like I¡¯m trying to grasp a bar of soap in a bath; even when I think I¡¯ve got my fingers around it, I try to grip it and it shoots away from me. I attempt it over and over again even as we approach my Core. The Energy seeps through the wall around my Core, fading into it without causing any damage to the walls of it. I watch in frustration as the last of the light fades without me having been able to affect it in the slightest. But I don¡¯t give up. I sense that there may be something here that can solve my issues. Returning to the physical world, I take another lick, then dive back into my inner world. Again, I fail. Again, I try, again I fail. I repeat the cycle several more times. I even break a shard off the Energy-Heart in hopes that the elongated period of Energy will give me more chance to grasp a mote. It does, but I still fail. I question whether to give up on the idea or not. It is, after all, just intuition telling me that there¡¯s a path through this way; perhaps it¡¯s just my imagination which wants to see opportunity rather than a valid possible method. Then again, what other ideas do I have right now? Maybe I¡¯ll get some more from Kalanthia tomorrow, but I might as well try this one until I¡¯m too tired to keep going. Setting to with renewed determination, I try and fail, try and fail, try and...succeed? For a fraction of a moment, I manage to actually hold the slippery Energy. Then it twists free and I lose it again. However, even that ever so fleeting success was enough to give me hope. I try again and again, each time showing a little progress on improving my grasp, now that I¡¯ve succeeded at all. When I reach the point of actually being able to grip the Energy, I have to next try to guide it the way I would guide the healing energy of Lay-on-hands to my wounds. The Energy fights me. It¡¯s not the docile, calm healing mana that I¡¯m used to; this is more like trying to herd cats. And, with my recent experiences looking after Trouble, Ninja, Stormcloud, and Lathani, I feel like I¡¯m now sufficiently expert in the subject to tell. However difficult it may be, it¡¯s not actually impossible and I start to make progress. It feels like I¡¯m taking hours over it, but my frequent returns to the physical world prove that actually less time is passing than I thought. Less doesn¡¯t mean none, however, and the second moon is starting to rise before I manage to get any proof of concept of whether my idea might even work at all. When I finally manage to grasp a small part of the light rushing into my Core, redirect it to the wall of my Core and succeed in controlling enough to feed it into the crack, I¡¯m ecstatic to see the results. Almost like those windscreen-repair people who add some sort of substance into a crack to repair it, the Energy sinks into the crack and mends a small section of it. Looking at the number of cracks all over my Core and the small section which I¡¯ve spent hours trying to repair, I should be dismayed, dispirited. I¡¯m not: I¡¯ve successfully proven that this is a method that can be used to repair my Core without causing further damage. I¡¯m ecstatic! I¡¯m also tired, not just physically but mentally. Deciding that further efforts right now would probably have diminishing returns, I instead push myself to a standing position and stretch my stiff muscles. Checking my status, I¡¯m not surprised to see that there¡¯s no change to any of my reductions ¨C I¡¯ve only made a very small change to a big problem, after all. I have gained two percent towards my next level, though ¨C a testament to just how many times I¡¯ve had to lick the Energy-Heart. The diminished size of the Energy-Heart is another indicator: it¡¯s probably about two-thirds the size it started, even though I only broke a shard off it that once, licking it all the other times. Maybe we¡¯ll have to visit that cave again sooner than I thought, I consider with a little dismay. We might have harvested a whole bunch just recently, but at least Bastet and River deserve to have a share in the bounty since they¡¯re the ones who harvested the bulk of what we have. Then Kalanthia may want some for Lathani. And I want them as well for healing my Core...suddenly, the slightly over a hundred Energy-Hearts which I have in my Inventory seems far too few. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Well. Something to consider another day. For now, it¡¯s time to sleep. Heading towards the cave, I take a moment to touch my Bonds to see where my companions are. Sirocco is in the trees, her Bond sleepy, though with a sense of alertness if necessary. River¡¯s and Bastet¡¯s are a lot more deeply asleep: obviously they feel safe enough where they are. River seems to be having some uneasy emotions, perhaps giving him bad dreams. I try to send soothing sensations down the link, a smile creeping onto my face when his emotions calm down in response. As for Fenrir, he¡¯s not far, still wide awake. I send a questioning feel down the Bond to him, wondering if he¡¯d like to come and join us in the cave. A moment later, he comes running, his scaly hide reflecting the moonlight as he gets closer, his whole being full of excitement. ¡°That¡¯s a yes, I suppose,¡± I say to him wryly. He replies with an image of the whole lizog pack piling together to sleep, and a sense of wistfulness. Well, I suppose that makes sense then. Together, we head inside. River is a lump on my bed, turned towards the wall and leaving plenty of space for me. Maybe I won¡¯t need to add more clothes, then? Bastet is curled up near the fire, the cubs tucked underneath her outstretched wing. Yawning, I use the light of the fire to get changed into some fresh clothes: these ones are smelling rather ripe. Then, almost falling into bed, I realise that I¡¯m exhausted again. My last memory is of feeling Fenrir nestle up to my side. ***** The next morning I wake up to something I haven¡¯t seen since arriving in this world: rain. I actually wake really needing to pee, then realise that it¡¯s because of the sound of water falling heavily outside. I quickly go to the cave mouth to watch the downfall, sticking my hand out into the rain and feeling it run down my skin. ¡°Good thing we got home when we did,¡± I remark to Bastet as she comes to stand at my hip. She sends a feeling of distaste over the link, happiness that she¡¯s inside and away from the damp. Fortunately, Kalanthia had clearly considered the risk of flooding and the cave is designed so that rain comes off the overhang onto a space in front of me, but then flows away from the cave mouth, down a slight slope. I¡¯m struck by an idea and excitement rises in me. After doing my business from the doorway of the cave, I go into my alcove, grab my soap, and shove it in my Inventory. Then, walking out into the rain and a bit away from the cave, I glory in the feeling of a free shower from the skies. When I strip off my clothes, I do shiver a little, but it¡¯s not much colder than a refreshing shower and my improved Constitution can probably cope with a bit of damp cold. Taking my soap out along with a pile of dirty laundry, I let the clothes start soaking in the downpour while I soap myself up. Dirt streams off me in rivers, the accumulation of not just normal sweat, ash, and blood, but also several level-ups¡¯ worth of nasty residue. Frankly, I¡¯m surprised the lizogs couldn¡¯t smell me, even with me being downwind! I was an offence to my own nostrils for too long; not so now. My two more reptilian companions join me, Fenrir and River both using the rain to wash themselves off. Well, River is. I get the feeling that Fenrir is pretty young because he¡¯s instead frolicking in the water as though he¡¯s never seen it before. I glory in the feeling of the dirt washing away, in the sense of finally being clean. My soap is a bit rough, nowhere near even the cheap stuff I used to buy for myself, let alone the nicely smelling and moisturising type Lucy would buy and insist on us using. At the time I¡¯d objected on the grounds of not wanting to smell like a garden, but had secretly enjoyed the soft feeling of my hands afterwards. When she¡¯d left, I¡¯d gone back to buying cheap soaps, not even able to look at the other type for the memories and regrets they brought back to mind. Still, at least it does the job. Naked, I next set to cleaning my clothes, scrubbing them as best I can. There¡¯s no getting most of the stains out, not without hot water and industrial-strength detergent, but if I can at least get rid of the encrusted dirt and smell, I''ll count that as an achievement. Of course, I then hit an issue of where to put them when I¡¯ve rubbed away as much of the dirt as I can. After that, I use the low bushes dotted around the hilltop as my drying racks, spreading my clothes out one by one over the plants. By the end of my task, the bushes look rather odd, adorned with man-made garments as they are. Still, hopefully the rain will serve to rinse out the soap, and then the things will dry out when the rain stops. Either way, it¡¯s saved me a trip down to the river! I¡¯ve even managed to fill my water containers just by putting them outside for a bit. Finally, my hunger driving me inwards, I return to the cave, taking a few moments to drip at least partially dry just under the overhang. Once I¡¯m not pouring with water any more, I head back into the alcove and grab a jacket from my ¡®bed¡¯ as a towel. I need to make a better bed¡­ Sitting down, I hungrily munch a few bits of meat and some more of my soup from last night. Markus Wolfe, we need to talk, I hear in my mind. I wince, knowing that it¡¯s necessary, but dreading it even more than I¡¯m anticipating it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Seven: Cleansed in Blood ¡°...and then you found us and you know the rest,¡± I finish. Kalanthia looks at me steadily, silent for a few long moments. She¡¯s been the perfect listener for the last half an hour or so. I didn¡¯t leave anything out ¨C not the attacks we encountered before reaching the lizard-folk¡¯s village, nor the plan we enacted to get Lathani out. I didn¡¯t even try to hide the discovery of the Energy-Heart cave, knowing that she would question their presence otherwise. I¡¯m filled with shame as I retell how, despite being so cautious over my Bound¡¯s reaction to Energy-Hearts, I made an even worse mistake. Retelling the battle with the lizogs and then our journey back finishes the tale. You must have the luck of the gods. Or perhaps the favour of one. To have survived as many impossible situations as you did¡­ She shakes her head as she finally comments. We¡¯re sitting in the cave, the rain still pouring outside. The four raptorcats are also inside, the cubs playing happily with Lathani. I¡¯m glad to see that the young nunda is back to her happy-go-lucky self. The lifting of the burden of worrying that she didn¡¯t have a home to go back to has done her good. River and Fenrir are both unbothered by the rain, and are still outside. I can sense that they haven¡¯t gone far; River is in fact just outside the cave. I sense that his reasons for leaving the cave are different from Fenrir¡¯s: the lizog just doesn¡¯t like being confined for too long; the lizard-man is still very nervous about Kalanthia. I don¡¯t blame him. I¡¯m nervous about the conversation we need to have about him as well. ¡°Yeah, I recognise that I was pretty lucky to have survived the Pure Energy,¡± I admit, then decide to take the bull ¨C or nunda ¨C by the horns ¡°but can you see how instrumental River was in getting Lathani, and us, out of danger?¡± I quail a little inside as Kalanthia¡¯s lips pull back to bare her teeth and a fearsome snarl rumbles through the cave. It¡¯s deep enough that I feel its throbbing within my chest. Her telepathic presence feels like a thundercloud gathering momentum ready to strike. For all that, I don¡¯t sense any killing intent, not aimed at me, anyway. He may have helped afterwards, but how can you defend what he did to my cub first? she demands, her voice a blast of scorching heat in my mind. I wince, hoping she¡¯s not doing any actual telepathic damage ¨C it feels like she could be. ¡°I¡¯m not defending their actions -¡± You set yourself between us yesterday, you advocate for him today, and you claim not to defend him? I ignore her interruption, carrying on like she hadn¡¯t said anything. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to do that, but I sense that River¡¯s life is very much in the balance. Like I said to him last night, I will do my utmost to find a resolution that will not demand his death. Not even to save his village. ¡°- but he helped rescue Lathani. We might not have got her back if he hadn¡¯t retrieved her, setting himself against his whole village in the process. And he¡¯s expressed his regret for playing any part in what happened to her. Besides, he was not party to her initial kidnap and I believe it was the shaman and herbalist who did...what they did to make Lathani...grow.¡± Grow, Kalanthia snorts, the incandescent rage in her eyes and body language fading to sadness. She breaks eye contact with me, twisting around to watch her cub, romping with the raptorcat cubs. Do you know what they¡¯ve done to her, Markus Wolfe? She turns back towards me, the anger back. Yet, now I can see what it truly is: a deep sadness at what has befallen one she cares for deeply and a helpless rage that she was unable to stop it. My heart aches in sympathy and I have to check an automatic response to reach out to her. I know the feeling, though as a parent, it must be even worse than what I went through. It¡¯s Kalanthia¡¯s duty to care for her cub; that she couldn¡¯t, must be like acid eating away at her. The pain no doubt drives her to lash out at anyone she feels is linked to its cause. And River, much as I hate to admit it, is responsible, though only in small part. That doesn¡¯t mean I want to see him torn limb from limb, though. ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± I admit, answering her question. ¡±Something about taking power from her spirit?¡± That¡¯s one way of putting it, she agrees grimly. Another is stealing the potential of the future to give power in the present. I frown. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Clearly, she comments cuttingly, or you would not defend one who has done this to my cub. To put it in blunt words, the lizard-folk have taken years from Lathani¡¯s life, years she will never get back. They have used those years to fuel unnatural growth, giving Lathani power which she has not yet earned. It¡¯s potent magic; and potent magic always has a grave cost. ¡°How do you know?¡± I ask, my mouth dry. That sounds...serious. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve seen this, Kalanthia replies, her eyes suddenly distant. Images flicker into my mind, images of darkness, of pain, and fear. Of loss. And then the images are gone, like Kalanthia hadn¡¯t meant to send them and has now taken herself in hand. Or paw. Her mien firms and her telepathic presence gives off the sense of implacability. A wrong has been done, one that can only be cleansed in blood. Not only for the past sins, but also to prevent them from happening again in the future. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I don¡¯t know what to say. Those images very much felt like it wasn¡¯t just ¡®seeing¡¯ something similar happen; it feels like the experience was far more personal to her. And now it¡¯s happened to her cub. If I was her, I¡¯d be raging at the world, wanting to kill everyone who did the terrible deed to her cub, and more. She¡¯s also right about preventing this happening again in the future: everything I learned in the lizard-folk¡¯s village points to them being very cavalier about the rights of any creatures other than their own people: their intention to imprison and deprive me of basic necessities until I became willing to craft for them was proof of that. But I can¡¯t just step aside and let her take out that anger on River. He¡¯s my Bound; he¡¯s under my protection. And even if I manage to make him the exception to her slaughter, he¡¯s made it clear that he won¡¯t be able to just stand by and watch his village be destroyed. Heck, our initial agreement was all about him sacrificing his own freedom for the benefit of his village. I shift in place, my mind racing. What can I say? Is there anything I can suggest which could be a path forward? My mind races, but comes up blank again and again. Suddenly a shape approaches, dripping water. I look up from my seated position ¨C it¡¯s River. Grim determination is in his eyes and firmly there in the Bond. I scramble to my feet as I realise what is in his mind, our conversation yesterday ringing clearly through my mind. ¡°No,¡± I say to him firmly, though desperation rings more clearly than authority in my voice. ¡°We¡¯ll find another way. I promise.¡± The way my voice breaks slightly on the last word must reveal more than I¡¯d like about my doubts. Gratitude comes across the Bond from River, even as his spikes roll gently with green-tinged yellow. There¡¯s no shift to his determination, however. Markus...master, thank you. I appreciate your protection, but I must ask your permission to do this. ¡°I thought I asked you not to call me that?¡± I say weakly, some small part of me hoping that by diverting his attention I might be able to stop this. It was a poor attempt which goes nowhere: he ignores me and continues speaking. I am beset with guilt and must own up to my own deeds. I played a part in Lathani¡¯s transformation; I must bear the burden of its consequences. ¡°The smallest part!¡± I object. A part nonetheless, he refutes my attempts to absolve him of blame. I grimace and look away for a moment. ¡°How does this solve anything?¡± I ask finally, my voice quiet, grief already filling me. River seems to sense my acceptance of his wish to do this, and although sadness rises within him as well, his determination is not diminished in the slightest; if anything, it becomes firmer. As I said before, if my blood can wash away the sins of my village, I will sacrifice myself willingly. All I hope is that my service to you has been sufficient so far to ask you to continue seeking a way to eliminate the threat the Forest of Death poses to my Tribe. ¡°I will,¡± I promise him, sighing as I realise that this is going to happen whether I want it to or not. For all that he still sometimes calls me ¡®master¡¯, that¡¯s not who I want to be to him. And if all I am is the leader of his party, then who am I to dictate what he does with his life? Even if he¡¯s hellbent on ending it. There¡¯s a beat of silence as he just looks at me. After a moment, I realise that right at the beginning, he talked about seeking my ¡®permission¡¯. Grumpily, I just wave my hand and then step back and cross my arms. I have a feeling that the Bond probably better communicates my mixed emotions over it all: the desire for it not to be happening at all, the sadness that it seems to be going forward anyway, and my acceptance of his choice. Either way, my ¡®permission¡¯ seems sufficiently communicated. With a flash of sadness mixed with pride over the Bond, River lifts his chin high in the air and sends a final message to me. It has been an honour to fight beside you, Markus Wolfe, he tells me formally. My posture softens a little as I respond. ¡°And you too, Runs-with-the-river.¡± The equivalent emotion of a sad smile flashes across the Bond to me, and then he turns away. As he steps towards Kalanthia, I refuse to look away: if he¡¯s walking towards his execution, I owe him to watch every moment of it. River looks so small against Kalanthia¡¯s bulk, especially since she¡¯s now on her feet. He¡¯s not much shorter than me, but his head barely comes halfway up her chest. Her jaws could end him in a moment, a single snap enough to behead him. Even had he had his spear, he wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance, but he¡¯s left the spear somewhere else. Probably in my alcove. I could stop this, even now. Or, rather, I can¡¯t affect Kalanthia in any way, but I could order River to run. I have to fight against my urge to do just that, but with over forty effective Willpower points, it¡¯s significantly easier to take control over my own desires. To force River away from this path would be a betrayal. I had my chance to forbid it, to withhold my permission. But then I would genuinely have acted as his master. Now, funnily enough, I reckon that using the Bond to potentially save his life would actually be worse than forcibly dominating him with Bond in the first place would have been. He¡¯s made a decision; to force him to act otherwise would be a travesty. Even if that means he dies today. It¡¯s hard to stand and watch, but I imagine it must be even harder for River, standing in front of the massive predator as he is ¨C the ¡®Great Predator¡¯, as he knows her by. Pausing in front of the adult nunda, easily within her attack range, he sinks to his knees, his long-toed feet splaying out awkwardly behind him, his chin raised high in the air. It¡¯s a very vulnerable pose: there¡¯s no easy or quick way out of it. I have no doubt that it was chosen exactly for that reason. I kneel before you Great Predator, representative of my Tribe. We are guilty of crimes against your cub, and repentant. I wish to make whatever small amends I can for myself and my people. He snaps his jaws slightly, his nerves clearly taking over in that one moment. Even if I hadn¡¯t been able to read that much in his body language, the emotions leaking over the Bond would allow it. Even without the Bond, I¡¯m sure that Kalanthia can also pick up on his fear. If my blood is what it takes to assuage your rage and wash our guilt clean, I offer it freely. Even my life is yours for the taking, should you demand it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Eight: Tension There¡¯s a long moment of silent stillness. The playing cubs seem to have picked up on the tense atmosphere and have ceased their play. Instead, the three raptorcat cubs have clustered around Bastet and are watching with wide eyes. Lathani has taken several faltering steps towards us, but has paused hesitantly a few metres away from the centre of the action. Even Fenrir has approached the cave and is crouching in the mouth, seemingly trying to make himself as unnoticeable as possible while still being able to watch. None of us dare to twitch, barely even breathing as we wait for Kalanthia¡¯s response. Finally, she moves, lowering her head down. Using one paw, she taps at his jaw, encouraging him to open the eyes he has squeezed shut and look up. He does and she meets his gaze. I see a shudder go through his body, his jaws sagging slightly open. What part did you play in the torment of my cub, lizard-kin? I ¡®hear¡¯ Kalanthia¡¯s words as if from down a long tunnel. Focusing on them, I realise that I¡¯m hearing them through the Bond: she¡¯s not projecting them to everyone, just to River. Their tone is hard, cutting in a way that I¡¯ve never felt before. Even blunted by being passed through the Bond, I still sense the edges. It¡¯s only solely because of what I can feel from River that I realise the very nature of the Bond is designed to prevent damaging effects from passing straight through the Bound to affect the Binder. The lizard-man is in pain, mental pain, as Kalanthia¡¯s telepathy scours his mind. I remember her once telling me that she couldn¡¯t read my thoughts; I now wonder if that¡¯s more that she wasn¡¯t rather than that she truly couldn¡¯t. Because that¡¯s certainly what this feels like: a mental attack. My Bound reacts in exactly the same way I would have encouraged him to: he hurriedly offers up the memories of exactly how he behaved with her cub. River is clearly nowhere near the deft hand with telepathy that Kalanthia is ¨C as he offers up the images to her perusal, he also accidentally sends them down the Bond too. I watch images of River caring for Lathani, changing her water, giving her food... and making sure she drank the potion mixed by the herbalist. His care is brusque and emotionless, but for all that, it isn¡¯t rough or cruel in any way. It¡¯s clear that taking care of Lathani was a task like any other, and one he would do to the best of his abilities. That was all. Then, although unasked for by Kalanthia, River continues by offering up further memories of pulling Lathani out of the cage, handing her out to me, then running through the village and the forest while being pursued by his people. Then, he gives memories of spending time with Lathani as we travelled, getting to know her a little. I hadn¡¯t realised how much they had talked while I wasn¡¯t paying attention. He ends with a more vocal thought. I didn¡¯t think of her as a feeling being who would be missed; I now realise I was wrong ¨C we were wrong. Take your due, Great Predator. With that, the razor-blades of Kalanthia¡¯s attention leave River¡¯s mind. I open my eyes, not realising when I had closed them. No longer focusing so intently on the Bond, I fix my attention instead on Kalanthia. I feel the attention of my other Bound sharpen on Kalanthia as well: we all know that the next few seconds will either lead to River¡¯s salvation...or his doom. The moment stretches, tension becoming unbearable. When my lungs start clamouring, I realise that I¡¯ve forgotten to breathe and quickly remedy the situation. Finally, Kalanthia responds. Fortunately, it¡¯s not to bite the lizard-man¡¯s head off. You were part of my cub¡¯s torment, but your Binder is correct ¨C it was only the smallest part. The rage which had previously been in her tone has cooled. It¡¯s now verging on icy, and I almost shiver to hear it, even second-hand. You have already made some amends, and your decision to offer your life to me in recompense speaks well of you. Yet¡­ She trails off and I feel a knot tighten in my stomach. Yet, you are Bound, so it is not for you to decide your fate. Her tone is measured, pensive. Markus Wolfe, what say you? I startle a little, not having expected her to so suddenly include me. The clarity of her ¡®voice¡¯ indicates that she¡¯s intending on projecting to me, rather than me hearing her through the Bond as I had done most of the previous conversation. If I¡¯m understanding Kalanthia correctly, she¡¯s going to make me part of the decision-making process. I swallow, my throat dry, responsibility settling heavily once more on my shoulders. I could either save River in the next few moments, or damn him. Refusing to let the weight of that thought paralyse me, I step forwards, my thoughts racing. I use the short time it takes me to come level with River to construct an argument I hope is good enough to save River¡¯s life. ¡°Not that I feel he needed to but River has already asked for permission to offer you his life in recompense for the actions he has taken against your cub. I will not stand in the way of whatever you choose ¨C to do so would do him a disservice. However,¡± and here I swallow again, licking dry lips, ¡°I hope that you will be merciful, that you will leave him his life. He is repentant and has worked hard to bring Lathani back to you. And I would miss him greatly.¡± My language is more formal than I would normally use, but the whole situation has such a sense of solemnity to it that I can¡¯t help but use more archaic words than usual. Kalanthia eyes me. You could easily replace him if I did take his life as my due. The lizard-folk are numerous. I shake my head. ¡°Perhaps I could Dominate another lizard-person, but it wouldn¡¯t be River. I cannot replace the person I¡¯ve planned with, fought alongside, and conversed with. He¡¯s more than a tool ¨C he¡¯s a friend.¡± I¡¯d come to that conclusion yesterday while walking through the forest; I¡¯m not going to shy away from it now.. And if I chose to leave him his life in exchange for recompense from you instead, what say you? My heart skips a beat, relief and anxiety mixing inextricably. Still, there¡¯s only one answer I can give, only one answer that I can accept from myself. I look her square in the eyes, determination in my heart. ¡°Then that¡¯s what I will do. Of course, I¡¯d hope we could work something out rather than you killing me, if only because I just rescued your cub at your request.¡± That was, after all, exactly what I was aiming for from the beginning of the conversation. Kalanthia just looks at me curiously for a few moments. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. You are an odd Binder, she says finally. To fight so hard for your Bound when just days ago you were enemies who would have as soon killed each other. I refuse to break eye contact. ¡°It does not seem so odd to me. They do what they can for me; I do what I can for them. That we might have been enemies without the Bond is immaterial. Can you truly tell me that if you and I had met out here while you were hunting, that you would not have killed me without a second thought?¡± No, she replies, the hint of amusement in her voice. Looking away, she prods River with one of her great paws. Fortunately, her sword-like claws are sheathed. Get up, she orders, her voice once more cold. Your Binder has agreed to recompense me, so I choose not to take your life in balance for your crimes against my cub. It would displease me to bring sadness to the heart of the human who has brought happiness back to mine. River scrambles to his feet but moves no further, determination still emanating from the Bond. I feel apprehension fill me. What is he going to do next? And my village? he dares to ask, even though looking like it takes every ounce of his courage to not just run away now the reprieve has been given to him. Kalanthia lifts her lips again and snarls a little at him though the sound is incomparable to the rumble that filled the cave earlier. You are impertinent, she complains, though with only a slight edge, like she¡¯s unsheathing her claws to show their threat, but doesn¡¯t actually intend on using them ¨C yet. I shall discuss your village¡¯s fate with your Binder. Now away, before I regret my mercy. River seems to sense that it¡¯s as much as he¡¯s going to get out of her without annoying her further. Either that or he finally gets the warning from our Bond which I¡¯ve been trying to send him ever since I felt he wasn¡¯t completely done. Whichever is the case, He raises his chin to bare his throat and then walks away from her. He doesn¡¯t go far, crouching against one of the walls of the cave, but it¡¯s far enough to symbolise that he¡¯s leaving it in our hands. I feel a sense of hopeful trust coming across the Bond and it increases the sense of pressure I feel to find a good solution. Kalanthia settles back to the ground and her posture relaxes a little. In response, everyone else relaxes a little bit. The cubs go back to their play, though Lathani comes over to press herself to her mother¡¯s underside. Fenrir disappears back into the rain and I sit back down. I sense that the atmosphere has changed a little: Kalanthia is now open to negotiation, where before I¡¯d had the sense that she was hellbent on pursuing blood. ¡°What do you want in exchange for the lives of River and his tribe?¡± I ask bluntly. In my experience, some negotiating parties need to be approached gently, a consensus brought about more by vague implications than outright demands or offers; others benefit more from bluntness. This situation is most definitely that of the latter. Why do you care about your Bound¡¯s village? They are not even allies of yours. In fact, I would hazard a guess that they would kill you on sight. ¡°Probably,¡± I admit. Either that or try to capture me again and use me for my crafting skills. ¡°But they matter to him, and so they matter to me.¡± Musing, I add a further thought. ¡°They only mattered to me before because they had hurt two beings I care about ¨C you and Lathani. I was angry at them then for that reason. Now...if I seek revenge on Lathani¡¯s behalf, or stand aside while you do, I¡¯ll hurt someone else I¡¯ve come to care for. So, while I¡¯m aware that you don¡¯t need me to stand aside in order to do whatever you want, I hope that we can come to some agreement where everyone benefits.¡± I see, she says thoughtfully, cool reason now permeating the presence around her where it had first been filled with fiery and then icy fury. Then let us negotiate. ¡°You said that you had two concerns, I believe,¡± I start, remembering back to what she had said at the beginning. ¡°What they did to Lathani in the first place, and what they might do in the future. Is that correct?¡± It is. ¡°Let¡¯s start with what they did to Lathani, then. I understand that seeking the deaths of everyone even peripherally connected to the deed would be satisfying. Heck, I want to bash the head of that shaman in myself,¡± I admit. ¡°But ultimately, it wouldn¡¯t change anything. You mentioned that what they¡¯d done was use future potential as fuel for the present: what are the consequences of that, and is there any way of repairing whatever damage is caused?¡± Kalanthia eyes me, hints of her previous fury returning to her aura. The village of the lizard-folk have done my cub wrong. They have stolen years off her life. They would have done worse, had you not intervened, but I do not hold what they have not done against them, no matter their intentions. However, the fact remains that they have stolen from her, and I will have restitution for that. She shifts position a little. You ask what are the consequences of their actions: it is the weakening of her foundations, the reduction of the time she has to build towards the next stage. This period of her life should have been a state of steady Energy accumulation. Her channels building slowly yet surely is the best way to set a foundation for the next stage. Instead, she has had a rush of Energy directly from her spirit which has both set the basis for less effective Energy channels and weakened her spirit. All that will take time and effort to correct, let alone to start building what she should have had in the first place. In short, she has lost years that she should have spent strengthening herself, and what has been created is a poor shadow of what it could have been. All because of the greed of a pack of wretched reptiles! ¡°I see,¡± I say, though I don¡¯t really. Channels? Foundation? Stages? I understand all these words, but not in this context. ¡°I¡¯m just playing devil¡¯s advocate here,¡± I preface a little nervous about her possible reaction to my next words, ¡°but didn¡¯t you attack them first?¡± She bares her teeth at me directly, a growl rumbling in her throat. I don¡¯t mind admitting that my stomach clenches in fear ¨C her canines are longer than my head. They wandered into my hunting grounds and dare to claim that I was in the wrong for hunting them? Her snarl increases in volume. I pat the air placatingly, eyeing her cautiously. ¡°They haven¡¯t claimed anything! I was just speaking to River about the start of the hostilities. I didn¡¯t realise they¡¯d gone into your...territory.¡± Her rumbling snarl subsides and her lips droop to mostly cover her teeth. They entered my hunting grounds and I hunted them. Like ants, more came, following the trail the previous had left. I killed them too. More and more came until, like with ants, I chose to leave rather than clearing out the nest. The rumble in her chest grows a little in volume again. Perhaps I should have ¨C they could not have kidnapped Lathani if I had wiped out every single one of them. ¡°Whoa,¡± I say, trying to do my best to project calm through my voice. ¡°Let¡¯s put gratuitous...uh...hunting on one side for a moment. What do you see as being the restitution they need to pay?¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter Fifty-Nine: Chain Them Kalanthia stares coldly at me for a moment, murder still dancing in her golden eyes, but eventually breathes heavily, placing her head on her paws and relaxing a bit. To be blunt: Energy. To even begin to make up for the years they borrowed from the future to generate growth now, they would need to help Lathani absorb enough Energy to reach her Core stage. Each stage we reach extends our lives multifold. It is already a race for Beasts to reach the Core stage before the prime of our lives has been exhausted. With how her growth has been accelerated and her bodily resources drained, she is facing an even more difficult challenge than that which most Beasts already fail. Providing enough Energy to help her transition is the least the lizard-folk can do. I frown. ¡°You mean, with Energy-Hearts, or something.¡± Kalanthia tosses her head in her version of a shrug. Or by offering themselves as sacrifices for her to rip their throats out and eat their flesh. It matters not to me which option they choose. ¡°I reckon it¡¯ll matter to them,¡± I mutter to myself. Then I direct my following words to Kalanthia again. ¡°And River?¡± He is yours, she tells me bluntly. I shall not harm you by taking his service away from you. As for restitution, he cannot provide any that does not steal from you. I shall hold his debt in abeyance until or unless you should choose to release his Bond. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that,¡± I admit after a moment of thought. I sigh and rub at my temples as a grimace spreads across my face. It¡¯s true from a certain point of view: any beast he hunts to bring back to her is one he¡¯s not bringing back to us; every Energy-Heart he chose to give to her is one less he could use himself and weakens the party as a result. Though that point about ¡®holding his debt in abeyance¡¯ is a bit of a threat. I¡¯d promised to release him if I couldn¡¯t find a solution to the threat of the vine-stranglers, after all. Considering I¡¯d probably just be releasing him to his death, it doesn¡¯t really feel like an option now. Although... ¡°I want to help Lathani too,¡± I say slowly. Is there a way of satisfying everyone? ¡°What about if we take Lathani hunting with us?¡± I ask after a short time. ¡°That way, she could both earn Energy and learn how to fight.¡± Kalanthia gazes at me thoughtfully. I was planning on taking her out with me, she says finally. I can hunt and immobilise prey much more efficiently than you, I suspect, she tells me. It¡¯s a good point. However¡­ ¡°Will Lathani actually learn much from that, though? I mean, if you¡¯re there, she¡¯s never really going to feel that she¡¯s in danger. She¡¯ll gain Energy, sure, and see how you hunt, but you¡¯re just so much more powerful than everything around¡­¡± The massive nunda is silent for a while, but I sense she¡¯s considering my offer carefully. I will think on it, she says finally. ¡°I mean, if you don¡¯t like the idea, we can give her some Energy-Hearts, if that would help,¡± I suggest with a little shrug. Kalanthia just hums noncommittally. Well, it¡¯s a start. For now, Kalanthia¡¯s sworn not to kill River for his actions against Lathani while he¡¯s my Bound. Plus, if we can get the lizard-folk to provide Lathani with Energy-Hearts or other beasts, we¡¯ll avoid Kalanthia going on a genocidal rampage. We can cross any other bridges when and if we come to them. Now, for the next concern. ¡°What kinds of guarantees would you need in order to be satisfied that the lizard-folk won¡¯t cause harm to Lathani in the future?¡± I ask, wondering if she has any ideas. Apart from killing them down to the last egg? she asks. The worst thing, is that she¡¯s only slightly joking. I can sense that the joke is in her saying it aloud when she knows I¡¯m not inclined to agree, not that it¡¯s not her preferred option. ¡°Apart from that, yes,¡± I say with a little exasperation. My eyes light up as a potential solution comes to mind. ¡°What about an Oath like you and I swore at the beginning of our acquaintance?¡± Kalanthia eyes me thoughtfully. I would not be satisfied with an Oath, not with creatures which have already proven their hostility. I was willing to risk it with you because I sensed that you held no ill-feeling to either of us; the reverse, in fact. They are too fallible and my cub¡¯s life too precious that I would not risk them willingly taking the backlash in order to carry out their plot nonetheless. It seems a little paranoid to me, but I guess Kalanthia knows best. However, a solution does come to mind¡­ I tilt my head, the telepathic nunda no doubt picking up the curiosity I¡¯m exuding. It occurs to me that your particular skillset might come in useful here. ¡°My skillset?¡± I ask, a frown creeping onto my face. What part of my skillset? I have no Skills which could provide more surety than an Oath. Unless¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not suggesting¡­?¡± I trail off, but it¡¯s enough for the vaguely formed images in my mind to be picked up by my canny landlady. Yes. ¡°No.¡± I say immediately, though I haven¡¯t actually properly thought through the implications. Kalanthia tosses her head in a shrug. Then don¡¯t. Wiping them out is far more certain anyway. It means nothing to me. If anything, killing them all would be preferable to me. ¡°No!¡± I protest, feeling the fear emanating down the Bond from River. Clearly Kalanthia is allowing everyone to hear the conversation this time. Then this is my suggestion. I offer this other option only because you have asked me for an alternative. Conquer them, convince them, but Chain them to yourself and I will be satisfied that they pose no threat to my cub. I don¡¯t respond for a moment, not verbally anyway. What Kalanthia¡¯s suggesting...I don¡¯t know how to feel about it. Using Dominate or Tame on so many¡­ Is it even possible? There was nothing in the Skill description about numbers, but surely I couldn¡¯t just use them on hordes of creatures? Or is that just a self-imposed limitation? Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. But even beyond the practicality of her idea is the moral aspect of it. Just...enslaving a whole village? Because surely they wouldn¡¯t all just accept a Bond docilely? Even River only did so because I could offer solving the problem the lizard-folk had with the ¡®Forest of Death¡¯. What could I promise the whole of a village? I send the whole gnarly mess over to River and let him mull over it. In the expectation of a rejection from him, I start trying to think through other ideas that might solve Kalanthia¡¯s need for safety for Lathani. If we could get the lizard-folk to move, that might work...except Kalanthia already tried that, moving dens to escape the lizard-folk¡¯s persistent attacks. I doubt she¡¯d consider it any better if the lizard-folk are the ones to move, especially since they¡¯d already showed how willing they were to travel to find her. Is there another type of Oath they could swear? One with stricter failure clauses, which might offer more guarantee? I rack my brains, but nothing is coming to mind. Oaths are always sworn on quantities or percentages of Energy. The worst that can happen is that you can lose a level and the benefits it gave you, if you don¡¯t have enough Energy in your store to pay the bill. Though how that works with beasts, I don¡¯t know. River has taken his time to muse over the proposition, but his response, when it comes, is surprising. I think it¡¯s an acceptable solution, he answers finally. ¡°What?¡± I ask sharply aloud before returning to speaking through the Bond. I would have thought you¡¯d be the last one to agree to such a thing. Why wouldn¡¯t I? he continues with a strange equanimity. Because...because they¡¯re your people. Don¡¯t you want them to be...free? Of course. I also wish them to be alive. It appears to me that they cannot be both. He¡¯s far more accepting of this than I would be in his place! He sends over the sense of a resigned sigh. We can find another solution! I assert. It¡¯s empty, since I know full-well that any other solution would need to have Kalanthia¡¯s approval, and anything with a guarantee of a similar level to either killing them or enslaving them would most likely be no better. River seems to know this even as he responds to me. What solution? My silence says more than my words could have. Master, Markus¡­ I have not found my servitude to you a burden; I doubt that they would either. You are...not what I expected. What do you mean? I ask, confused. Nature¡¯s law is that the strong rule, the weak serve or die. That is how it is with my people. Only the strongest achieve Evolution and so all resources, all efforts are aimed at making the strong stronger at the expense of the weak. Yet that is not your way. It is strange, but...I live now only because of it. You would have to prove your strength to my people, but should you succeed in forcing them to submit as you did me, I suspect that they would benefit from it. Or maybe they would not, but if the alternative is death, what is there to lose? What do you mean I forced you to submit? I question. We negotiated. You do something for me, I do something for you, right? You helped me save Lathani, so I will do my best to save your people, whether it¡¯s from the vine-stranglers or Kalanthia. That¡¯s true, he accepts. But I would not have accepted your offer had you not already proven that you were the stronger. Or do you mean to tell me that you couldn¡¯t have forced the Bond on me whether or not I accepted it? I¡¯m silent for a moment, unable to refute his assertion. It¡¯s true: I could have, even before we started properly speaking. But you could have refused, I respond weakly. I would have respected it. Whether you would have or not is immaterial: you could have forced my submission. That you didn¡¯t, and instead sought to negotiate an agreed outcome is one reason I support the suggestion of the Great Predator. He pauses and seems to consider something for a moment. That is to say that I would support it regardless, since where there is life there is hope, to my mind. However, because of the way you behaved in our initial negotiation as well as since, I have far more hope for my people under your rule than I would otherwise. Why? I can¡¯t help but ask. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve done anything particularly noteworthy in our acquaintance. In fact, between almost losing Bastet, almost dying myself ¨C twice ¨C and relying on River¡¯s knowledge of poisons to get us through the lizogs, I feel like it¡¯s been a pretty poor showing, really. To lose is to be prey. To be prey is to be lesser, River explains, a hint of hesitation coming over the Bond. Yet you have never made me feel lesser. The reverse, in fact. He pauses for a moment before continuing. I have no doubt that if you gained control over the village, my people would be the better for it. And not just because of this, but also because of all the wonders you have shown me in our short time together which you would bring to my people. He sends a series of images through the Bond. From the different fabric which I wear, to fire, and to the weapons I wield. I suppose looked at it that way, yeah, I have something to offer the village. I¡¯m really uneasy with this whole ¡®might makes right¡¯ ideology he¡¯s peddling here, but he has a point about my crafts. Maybe I could negotiate a Bond with at least the Path-walkers by promising to share crafting secrets along with protection from Kalanthia. If I¡¯ve understood the hierarchy correctly in River¡¯s village, the Path-walkers are the ones in charge, so if I¡¯ve got a Bond with them, then I should be able to keep the others in line, even if I have no Bond with them. I share those thoughts with River. He sends me a hint of frustration, like I¡¯m not getting it, but agrees that the Path-walkers would both be interested in my crafting knowledge and would be able to keep the others in line. But remember that the strong rule, he warns. Even if you wish to negotiate, you will have to prove your ability to overcome them first. Like it was with me. OK, thanks for the advice, I tell him. He knows his people best, so if I need to prove myself through Dominate first, and then make them an offer they won¡¯t refuse ¨C rather than can¡¯t ¨C then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do. My almost-fifty Willpower has to count for something, right? However, I¡¯ve still got a question nagging at me ¨C why is Kalanthia suggesting something that will make me more powerful, but not actually provide any real guarantees for her? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty: Theory Deciding that knowing is better than just wondering about it, and wanting to know about any flies in the ointment before I dip my finger in there, I turn back to the giant leopard who¡¯s watching me with a hint of knowing amusement. ¡°You probably already know what I¡¯m going to ask,¡± I accuse her a little grumpily. Ask it nonetheless. Perhaps I don¡¯t, she replies, her amusement becoming more obvious. ¡°Then why are you trying to make me more powerful? Even if I had a Bond with every single lizard-kin in River¡¯s village, how would that provide any guarantee for you? I mean, we have an Oath, yes, but you said you¡¯re not willing to trust Oaths with your cub¡¯s life; how is this situation any better?¡± Kalanthia doesn¡¯t answer immediately, instead stretching out her paws and yawning a little. Markus Wolfe, I am a little peckish; do you have a snack in that invisible storage of yours? I huff in irritation at her avoidance of the question, but pull out a few lizog corpses to feast upon. Guessing my other companions might be hungry too, I pull some more out and set them in front of Bastet and the cubs and then River. Fenrir comes in from outside to share one happily with River. Returning to Kalanthia, I pull out a few bits of cooked meat and chew on them slowly, not exactly hungry, but not wanting to be left out. Even Lathani¡¯s joining in on the action, coming to chew at a corpse near her mother. You might wish to consider not storing your kills in this space, Kalanthia comments as she eats. They offer nutritional value, but nothing more. Any Energy within them seems to have been stripped from the meat. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m aware,¡± I sigh, ¡°But it¡¯s the most convenient way to carry them around.¡± Convenience, perhaps, but you will have to work extra hard to gain all you must through kills alone. ¡°Speaking of gains,¡± I say, trying to redirect us back onto the previous topic. ¡°Can you explain how me gaining new Bound gains you anything?¡± Are you intending on turning on Lathani? she asks bluntly. ¡°No!¡± I reply immediately. If you gained enough power to overcome me, would you do so? ¡°No,¡± I reply again: even if I could force a Bond on Kalanthia, I wouldn¡¯t. First, I¡¯ve vowed to not force a Bond on any creature; second, she¡¯s part of my pack. My...family. That is why. I huff again in frustration, not getting it. ¡°But how do you know I¡¯m telling the truth? How do you know I wouldn¡¯t change if I gained more power?¡± I know, she responds unhelpfully. Then, seeming to take a little pity on me, continues. You are the same human who saved my cub almost at the cost of his own life without even knowing anything about her. You are the same human who has played and looked after her in my absence. The same who came across me in a vulnerable condition and didn¡¯t consider for one moment killing me and benefiting from what my death could give you. The same who then agreed to save my cub even without any reward promised. I know. Well, I suppose, put like that¡­ And no, I hadn¡¯t actually thought about killing Kalanthia for one moment: it would have been like considering killing my father for my inheritance. Maybe some people can do that; I couldn¡¯t. So if you wish to avoid me razing this tribe of lizard-folk to the last survivor, take them under your wing: I trust you with my cub; I will trust them if you are their guarantor. Now, such unpleasant business aside, we may return to more agreeable topics. Markus Wolfe, what do you wish as a boon for your actions in saving Lathani? A little whip-lashed by the abrupt change in topic, I try to redirect my mind to answer her question. I¡¯m a little surprised that she¡¯s still offering me a boon: for some reason I¡¯d been under the impression that leaving River alive was the boon, and was OK with that. However, if she¡¯s still offering one, I¡¯m not going to refuse. Considering the matter, I think back to what I¡¯ve been considering on and off recently. Obviously, the damage to my Core is my biggest obstacle right now, followed close behind by the damage to my ¡®internal matrix¡¯. I need to know if Kalanthia has any tips for me about those. But do I want to ¡®waste¡¯ my boon on that? Then again, do I have a choice? I think I may have found a solution to the cracks on my Core, but it seems to be very Energy-heavy and going to get more Energy-Hearts will mean either putting myself or my companions in dangerous situations, or going back into that poisonous environment. Without Lay-on-hands available, either of those seem rather risky. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Not to mention the time it would take, of course. And then there is the greater damage to my internal matrix to deal with. Who even knows if regrowing those golden threads would actually do anything to help with the reductions to my mana pool and regeneration? I sigh, pushing away the other idea I¡¯d been hopefully playing with. ¡°I damaged myself when I touched the Pure Energy. I was wondering if you had any ideas of how I could fix my issues.¡± I start describing my issues. When I¡¯m done, Kalanthia is quiet for a few moments, licking at the blood around her mouth. Markus Wolfe, I do not believe you understand just how lucky you were to survive your contact with the pool of Pure Energy, she says finally. Had your Bound not knocked you to one side and forced you to lose contact, you would have had no chance. Do you know why the Energy density increases as you descend into the valley? It seems like a non-sequitur, but I¡¯m sure she has a reason for raising the question. Though, not knowing the answer, I shake my head. I¡¯ve wondered but¡­ It is because there is an Energy geyser that erupts into the lake that fills the crevice. Every drop of water in that lake contains diluted Pure Energy, and yet it is still enough to kill any creature below the Core stage. Even those with cores would struggle to direct the Energy sufficiently to prevent it ravaging their channels and cracking their cores into pieces. But for the most powerful? It presents a much easier and safer way of progressing than chasing down others of similar or greater power. The amount of information and the questions raised threaten to choke me as I don¡¯t know what to ask first. Core stage? Channels? Cracking their Cores ¨C is that what almost happened to me? Why is she calling them ¡®Cores¡¯ and not ¡®Energy-Hearts¡¯? I don¡¯t get a chance to voice any of my queries as she continues. The waters of that lake when they heat under the sun release the Energy into the air around them. It is this Energy which reaches us even here, though it is barely more dense here than anywhere else on the planet. The few drops that you absorbed would have probably been enough to blanket a large area of forest in Energy for a good while. Given that, what is surprising isn¡¯t the damage which you accrued, but that it was so little. ¡°I know, I¡¯m lucky to have survived,¡± I say. ¡°But if that¡¯s a way of you working up to say that I should be thankful only to be a little maimed rather than dead, I¡¯d rather you saved it.¡± I only realise after I¡¯ve said it that it might be considered just a little rude. Fortunately, Kalanthia doesn¡¯t appear offended. No, I wished to say that I don¡¯t know any answer. My heart sinks a little. But it appears that you do. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s slow and Energy-heavy,¡± I complain a little. ¡°I used up a good third of an Energy-heart and only fixed a tiny bit of a single crack.¡± Are you sure that all the Energy you used actually went towards the repairs? she asks meaningfully. Well...she has a point. Like everything, practice will both speed up your actions and improve their efficiency. Also true. And I even have that Energy-manipulation Skill ¨C surely that would help here. Since I cannot help you, you still have a boon to claim. I hum, my eyes narrowing as something she said is making my mind turn. ¡°The vine-stranglers,¡± I say slowly. ¡°They¡¯re feeding off the Energy in the Pure Energy stream, right?¡± Not the Pure Energy itself, Kalanthia qualifies, but it seems likely that they are greedily consuming the evaporated Energy, yes. I see no other reason for their explosive growth or the lack of other beasts coming to claim the Energy-dense area. In fact, from your story, although the Energy in the area is heightened, it¡¯s not anything near what I would expect from somewhere so close to undiluted Pure Energy, even such a small stream of it. I would guess that the trees are the cause of the lack. ¡°You¡¯ve been near Pure Energy before?¡± I ask curiously. Indeed. When I first came to this world, I entered at a point of much higher Energy density. Pregnant and not wanting my cub to face such powerful denizens as soon as she came out of the womb, I quickly moved up the mountainside. That was where I first encountered such trees ¨C I passed through a grove of Vine-Stranglers about half-way between my entry point and here. There, the Energy density really cannot be compared to here: it is a lake where this is a trickle. And the Vine-Stranglers drink deep of the lake. Like trees that need to grow beside a water source, Vine-Stranglers cannot survive in areas of low Energy density; let alone thrive to the point that they have. However, in areas of such greater Energy-density, a grove would not grow as unchecked as these have: there are enough other creatures which are powerful enough to feed off them. It is unusual that there is such a growth here in such a short time. It is even more unusual that there do not seem to be any contenders for the source. ¡°Do you have any ideas why?¡± I ask her, lacking the background to venture a guess. Kalanthia tilts her head. The stream of Pure Energy running deep below the ground is significantly smaller than the one in the depths of the valley must be, otherwise our area would have significantly increased in Energy density ¨C and the resulting danger it attracts. That is fortunate for us. However, the question remains: how did the stream become uncovered? ¡°You don¡¯t think it was natural?¡± I ask, my mind racing. I¡¯m not surprised; I had, in fact, been wondering something of the same myself. The two tunnels leading in and out are just...too strange. The tunnel we travelled through to reach the stream had almost seemed melted, whereas the other was too even to seem natural. I remember passing through the tunnel to the salt cave. That one had seemed natural with the tunnel changing shape regularly. Sometimes it had been wide, sometimes narrow; sometimes high, sometimes almost impossible to traverse because it was so narrow. I shiver again at the memory. This tunnel had been practically the same size all the way ¨C about two body-lengths wide, and almost that high. No I don¡¯t, Kalanthia agrees. But I do have a theory, if you care to hear it. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell her eagerly. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-One: Terribly Weak I think that something sought the Pure Energy stream and dug a tunnel to access it directly. For one such as I, that would be a long project, but not an impossible one, Kalanthia offers casually. ¡°I thought you said that Pure Energy was dangerous to all but the most powerful of beasts?¡± I interject in confusion. It is. ¡°Then why would one want to access it directly?¡± Touching Pure Energy is dangerous; being in its vicinity is not. I narrow my eyes at that. ¡°I was poisoned when I was near it,¡± I argue. Because you have a Core but are terribly weak, she responds with hurtful nonchalance. I puff up, wanting to refute her words but struggling to find a way that doesn¡¯t leave me sounding like a child. She clearly notices my affront. It is not meant as an insult, merely a statement of fact. Why do you think so many creatures used to be drawn to you and driven to attack? My metaphorical hackles lay back down a little at her even tone and question. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I thought it was just something about this place,¡± I admit. ¡°Though I¡¯ve wondered at their lack of survival instinct.¡± It is because you had a Core at a level of weakness which no Beast would ever have. Even those Beasts born with one have so many natural advantages that they would still be stronger than you were when we first met. And even then they are closely guarded by their parents until they can easily defend themselves. To gain a Core, we must fight and kill many, many creatures. Your aura is stronger now, but when we first met, your aura was weak, and yet you had a Core. Any Beast which had not yet reached the Core stage would have seen you as easy prey. ¡°I understand,¡± I say, actually a little happy to finally have the answer to a question which had been bugging me for ages ¨C why so many creatures attacked me when their downfall was almost guaranteed. If they thought I was easy prey for some reason, it makes more sense. ¡°And now?¡± Now your aura is more similar in strength to any other with a fairly new Core. As a result, those without a Core will be more cautious about attacking you. Hmm, maybe that¡¯s why we didn¡¯t get attacked on our way back to the cave? Or maybe it was the whole group that was the deterrent. Although to Beasts in the Core stage, the damage your Core has sustained is the equivalent of a bleeding wound in the side of a fragile and vulnerable prey-beast ¨C while your aura is much stronger, it is clear to those at the Core stage or beyond that your physical strength is still very poor. ¡°So...I¡¯m now not on the menu for creatures below Core stage, but for creatures at Core stage, I¡¯m now their favourite appetiser?¡± Essentially, she replies with amusement. I wish I could share her light-heartedness, but hearing that I¡¯ve exchanged being constantly attacked by creatures for being attacked by more powerful creatures is more depressing than funny. ¡°Actually,¡± I start quickly as a thought occurs. ¡°You mentioned gaining a Core from killing many beasts? Is that what you call evolution? River seemed to think that it was possible from absorbing Energy-Hearts. Or are they Cores? Either way, how does all that work? And am I going to evolve?¡± So many questions, Kalanthia comments with amusement. Well, I suppose this all falls under my promise to offer you knowledge of this world that I gave the first time you saved Lathani. She yawns and stretches, revealing razor-sharp teeth. First, your final question. That actually doesn¡¯t fall under the purview of this world. So unless you wish to use your boon to extend your possible questions¡­? I shake my head. ¡°Not now, anyway,¡± I qualify my answer. Perhaps I¡¯ll change my mind later but I¡¯ve still got ideas for what I want to use Kalanthia¡¯s boon for. More exciting ideas than just getting a bit more information. Very well. Now, for Beasts. What your Bound calls Energy-Hearts, and what I call Cores are similar in essence, though not entirely the same in practicality. Energy-Hearts offer Energy which is far...purer than those of Cores. While this might seem like only a benefit, it is possible to have too much of a good thing ¨C as you experienced with the stream of Pure Energy. ¡°Are they dangerous to use?¡± I ask, feeling a little alarmed. Not in moderation. As long as you do not rely on them exclusively, or spend many sun cycles of continual constant Energy absorption from them, you and your Bound should be fine. That¡¯s a relief. ¡°And Cores from beasts? Are they better or worse to use?¡± Cores are formed from Energy that has already been processed by a Beast¡¯s body and soul. As such, it is already...aligned by the Beast¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. Using the wrong kind of Core can do damage, but using the right kind will be highly beneficial. For Beasts ¨C I know not whether this applies to humans. ¡°I see,¡± I respond thoughtfully, my mind racing with the implications. I¡¯m still holding onto the salamander¡¯s Core ¨C I was planning on giving it to Bastet since she¡¯d suffered so much in the fight. With what I now know, I worry that it might actually put her in danger again. I¡¯ll need to think on this. For now, though¡­ ¡°Are all beasts born with Cores, then?¡± I ask, focusing on Kalanthia again. The majority of Beasts are not born with Cores. As I mentioned before, only the most powerful of races are born with a Core, and it gives them a significant advantage. I¡¯d forgotten she¡¯d said that. For the rest of us, we must absorb Energy in great quantities, most easily done through killing and absorbing Energy from our opponent. There are other ways which don¡¯t require the death of the other, and there are a variety of natural methods too, however they all have the same purpose. Like water trickling down a rock-face, bit by bit, the Energy rushing through us makes an impression and forms channels. Where these channels meet, the pressure builds until, in a single moment of transition, a Core is formed and the Beast enters the Core Stage. It is small at first; as before, Energy is required to help it to grow until the next transition point is reached. Being as they are condensed Energy, Cores, whether internally or externally formed, are the most efficient way of working towards Core formation. Beasts which have not yet reached the transition point sense this, and hunger for any Core they can find. As far as I am aware, there are few differences between Beast and Human Cores; the key one is that Human Cores are not naturally gained like a Beast¡¯s. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What¡¯s the next Stage?¡± I ask, fascinated. Kalanthia huffs again, this time in amusement. A long way off, little cub, she tells me. Your Core is still far too small to be concerned about what comes next. I cross my arms, a bit irritated with her dismissal. ¡°You said yourself ¨C humans are different. Maybe we reach the next stage quicker than you do.¡± Or maybe you will never reach it, she counters. With how unnatural it is, I would not be at all surprised. ¡°Fine,¡± I concede before trying another tack. ¡°But what about my Bound? I imagine they will have to go through this process.¡± Indeed, she agrees, but as none of them as yet even has a Core, they do not need to know the next step yet. I give up ¨C for now. Clearly she¡¯s not wanting to tell me, but maybe she will once one of my Bound reaches the next stage. Actually, on that point¡­ ¡°Can you tell?¡± I ask her curiously. She tilts her head to one side questioningly. ¡°How close my companions are to the Core stage?¡± Your larnatis is the closest. I can sense that she is almost ready, Kalanthia tells me. Larnatis¡­ I wrack my brains, finally remembering that that is her name for the raptorcats. As for the others¡­ She pauses, her gaze going distant. The lizard-kin is the next closest, but is still a good distance from his threshold. I did not pay much attention to your rocas or alvan, but I do not believe they are very close. ¡°Uh, the alvan runs and has a good sense of smell and the rocas flies?¡± I venture, using process of elimination. No, the other way around. ¡°OK, gotcha,¡± I say making a mental note. Interesting that Kalanthia can tell with a reasonable degree of accuracy according to what my Bound tab tells me about my companions. ¡°And what happens when a creature gains a Core?¡± Kalanthia shifts in her version of a shrug. It very much depends on the Beast. Some grow significantly in strength, others in intelligence. Some gain an ability to affect the world around them ¨C I gained my ability to manipulate the earth as a result of my Core forming. Some may become faster, or more impervious to harm. Some even transform physically, like I would guess that fire-breathing lizard you fought did. ¡°Wait,¡± I stop her. ¡°You don¡¯t think that the salamander gained an ability to breathe fire from Core formation, then?¡± Growth doesn¡¯t stop with Core formation, Markus Wolfe. Given the great number of fire-aspected Cores the lizard had access to, and the sheer density of Energy in the area, it would not be surprising if it entered a small, mundane lizard, and came out a large fire-breathing one. ¡°OK, so in short,¡± I start, wanting to summarise. ¡°Gaining a Core is your version of levelling up. Beasts gain a Core by absorbing Energy, either through killing or absorbing Cores.¡± I frown. ¡°Wait, how does the fire-aspect come in? You seemed to indicate that you didn¡¯t think this was from the salamander gaining a Core.¡± What do you know of how Cores form externally to the body? ¡°Apart from what you said earlier about them being purer Energy, nothing,¡± I answer immediately, though my brow furrows as I think through information I¡¯d gained, my increased Intelligence helping me make links. ¡°However, if I had to guess...you said that Cores inside the body are created by a number of channels putting pressure on a single spot, right?¡± Kalanthia sends a wave of confirmation at me. Frankly, the process sounds fairly similar to the creation of a star, only with actual channels rather than just gas condensing. ¡°So what if the same conditions were created outside the body? A high Energy-density in an area causing enough pressure to create Cores.¡± Well reasoned, Kalanthia praises. Indeed, Cores, or what your Bound would call Energy-Hearts, are found in areas of extremely high Energy-density. Normally, close to where Pure Energy is confined. My eyes go wide. ¡°So that¡¯s why there were so many Cores in the cavern¡­¡± Then I frown. ¡°But wait, that doesn¡¯t make sense. There were many Cores in that cavern, but none in the tunnel leading from it, and none in the tunnel with the actual stream of Pure Energy.¡± Though I doubt that the pressure of Energy ever became powerful enough to form them in the tunnel leading to the surface, I do not believe that there were never Cores in the tunnel with the Pure Energy itself. My eyebrows lift. ¡°You think that whatever created the tunnel harvested a whole load of Cores? That is my guess. I muse over the idea, something seeming wrong with it. Kalanthia¡¯s theory seems to be that a creature somehow detected the Pure Energy stream, burrowed down to it, harvested the Cores, and then, what, went away? When there were loads more in the section of the other tunnel? And who ¨C or what ¨C created the other tunnel? It just doesn¡¯t quite make sense to me. ¡°You said before that I suffered from Energy poisoning because I was weak,¡± I say slowly, my mind ticking over it all. Yes, Kalanthia answers shortly, her mental tone curious and slightly amused. ¡°The corollary of that is that others, who are stronger, wouldn¡¯t suffer from Energy poisoning. Is that right?¡± It is. ¡°So you believe whatever created the tunnel to be weak? Only coming to briefly grab what resources it could and then disappearing?¡± Kalanthia hesitates. No, she answers slowly. Although I would be able to garner more from being there in person, the tunnel seemed like the work of a strong Earth-shaper. Either that, or they took many, many cycles to do it. Earth, and stone in particular, does not like to be hurried and requires a great deal of mana to make it move quickly. ¡°Then why would the creature not have stayed longer and benefited from the excellent Energy-absorption rates there? Or can Beasts not absorb Energy like that?¡± I ask before immediately correcting myself. ¡°Except that you mentioned about beasts down in the valley preferring to stay near the lakes rather than kill each other.¡± Below the Core stage, Energy-absorption is significantly less effective, Kalanthia admits. Killing creatures is by far the most effective way of forming a Core as the greater the quantity, the quicker it is to create channels and apply the necessary pressure to form the Core. However, a constant Energy-absorption at the level you have described would be even more effective than killing the beasts around here. It makes no sense for the creature¡¯s aim to be the Cores, then. It must have had some other aim. I put that question on the backburner to try to figure out later as I deal with another of the issues. ¡°But why would the beast have consumed the Cores in the tunnel, but have left the ones in the cavern untouched?¡± Perhaps it did not know they were there, suggests Kalanthia. ¡°But how could it not have known they were there when it tunneled up past them? And why did it tunnel up when it already had a perfectly good tunnel? And why create such a long, relatively gentle slope in one tunnel, and then create a bigger, far steeper other tunnel?¡± I feel like pulling my hair out. I believe there is a much simpler explanation, Kalanthia offered. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± I tell her, feeling frustrated. The beast which created the tunnel down to the Pure Energy stream was not the one to create the tunnel out of it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Two: Quest Complete ¡°Do you think the second tunnel was created by the salamander?¡± I ask a little doubtfully after a moment of chewing it over. I mean, I¡¯d thought it myself, but the fact remains that burning through stone seems a little too much to expect from the liquid we harvested from the creature. No, Kalanthia answers patiently. What do you know of how Pure Energy behaves? she asks first. ¡°Only what you¡¯ve told me today and the fact that touching it seems to have destroyed something in my body and cracked my core,¡± I answer frankly. Energy is an agent of change wherever it is. It changes our bodies, it changes the environment. If we gain control over a small aspect of it, we can change our reality. Pure Energy is only more concentrated. In greater concentrations, as long as it can keep moving, the majority of it will stay as a pseudo liquid. This is what creates the streams which flow underground. However, were it to be trapped somehow¡­ she trails off and looks at me pointedly. I think back to travelling through the tunnel, trying to look at it with new eyes. Trapped¡­ There was that bit which we had to carefully negotiate, the bit where stone constricted the tunnel more than half-way along it¡­ Could that have been closed? And what¡¯s Kalanthia trying to say here? Forcing my stats to work for me, I go over what she said about Energy. An agent of change¡­ The rock seemed melted in the tunnel and its angle had been pretty steep¡­ And what about the pool of Pure Energy I touched...and all the Energy-Hearts in the cavern? A picture starts coming together in my mind. ¡°I¡¯m just going to think out loud here, correct me if I¡¯m wrong?¡± I half-ask Kalanthia. She sends me a wordless sense of agreement so I continue. ¡°Something dug a route down to the Pure Energy stream. It then blocked the stream for some reason. The Pure Energy backed up, started getting compressed. Then, it...exploded?¡± I glance at Kalanthia, but she gives nothing away. ¡°Though I still don¡¯t understand how the Energy-Hearts would have been formed in that context.¡± Kalanthia finally shifts. Those were my thoughts too, she agrees. I suspect that it did not all happen at once. From your memories, I would guess that the Pure Energy was blocked by some magically reinforced rock. It then ate away at the softer rock around its usual route, until it found a small outlet into the cavern. It probably continued eating away at the rock there, but may have found itself trapped by more dense rock. I suspect that it is at this time that the Cores were created. Eventually, the pressure became too much and even the dense rock had to give way in an explosive blast. ¡°Pure Energy could do all that, though?¡± I check. ¡°Because it seems like far too many steps for something which is unable to think.¡± I do not know for sure, the massive nunda replies, as I am not an expert on this subject, but the evidence seems to indicate this series of events is possible, even likely. Additionally, there has been some evidence in the past that Pure Energy is not as unthinking as you might consider it. There seems to be some rudimentary intelligence to it, some basic instincts. More like an unevolved Beast than a rock, for example. Either way, we had better hope that all this was as a result of Energy escaping. ¡°Why?¡± I quickly follow up. Because the only creature I know of that might be capable of such a feat otherwise would be an elder dragon. Their fire would be hot enough and their mouths big enough to make such a tunnel. I stare at her wide-eyed. A dragon? Kalanthia clearly senses my sudden apprehension as she soon reassures me. Sort of. I doubt that there are any elder dragons around here, though. Their auras are hard to miss. I breathe more easily. Unless they put a lot of effort into it, that is, she continues thoughtfully. I tense up again and she notices, huffing in amusement. Fear not, Markus Wolfe. I highly doubt that this tunnel was the work of an elder dragon: what would it have gained them? Besides, the rest of the evidence is more in favour of a mana explosion from below rather than a dragon¡¯s breath from above. Dragon¡¯s breath could have created the fire-aspected Cores, but it wouldn¡¯t have left a pool of Pure Energy to so dramatically increase the Energy-density of the cavern. It would also explain the loud sound that echoed through the forest a few claw-fulls of cycles before you arrived here. ¡°But they exist? Dragons, that is?¡± I check. Kalanthia gives her equivalent of a shrug. Here? I know not. On my home world, yes. They exist, and they are the apex predators wherever they are. ¡°Some of those creatures which are born with a Core?¡± I guess. Indeed. She goes silent, staring out at the rain still pelting down outside. Then she returns her gaze to me. You have not yet told me what you wish for a boon. ¡°I¡­¡± I hesitate. ¡°Can we call it an IOU for now? I¡¯ve got some ideas but I need to think about them first.¡± Kalanthia grunts. Very well. However, do not take too long. I do not care for the sense of debt hanging over my head. If you cannot think of something, I will. ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t think of anything,¡± I hurry to assure her. ¡°It¡¯s that I can think of too many things. Look, give me a week, OK? I¡¯ll let you know by then.¡± A week...that is as many sunrises as I have claws on my feet, is it not?¡± she asks, her eyes narrowed a little. I check her paws, spotting four claws on each paw. ¡°No, seven,¡± I correct, showing her the number in fingers. Then I¡¯ll give you a week to consider, but no longer, she agrees. With that, she places her head down on her paws and closes her eyes. Clearly, our talk is over. Fine by me ¨C my head is swimming in information. So, I haven¡¯t had any more clarification over how to fix my Core, but it seems like I was probably on the right track before. It appears that the Cores River and Bastet collected are even more useful than I thought. They present a great opportunity for at least my companions to grow stronger; maybe even pick up some fire-related ability. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Then, for me, they offer a dense amount of Energy which I can ¨C hopefully ¨C use to solve my Core issues. Though, we must all be sure not to over-use them. After that, I¡¯ll have to figure out what to do about the broken threads, since I hope that that is the reason for the reduction to my mana pool and regeneration. A thought occurs¡­. Kalanthia had talked about the salamander gaining a fire-aspect after evolution, presumably because of eating fire-aspected Cores. Does that mean that the type of creatures we hunt will have an impact on my companions¡¯ gained abilities when they cross the threshold? Quite possibly. Not to mention her words about how Cores can actually negatively impact growth if they¡¯re aligned too differently from the consumer. And what does that mean in terms of who we should then aim at fighting? It¡¯s satisfying to finally have a working theory about how the tunnel was created and the Vine-Strangler forest got out of control. Actually¡­ I open my status screen and navigate over to messages. Sure enough, there¡¯s one waiting for me. I¡¯d checked my notifications yesterday, so this one is clearly new.
Congratulations! You have made progress on your Quest. You have discovered the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and encountered a guardian of unusual size and strength. You have investigated the guardian beast¡¯s lair and have discovered a stagnant pool of Pure Energy surrounded by a plethora of Energy Crystals. You have discovered that this easy access to an unusually high Energy-density is the reason for the Vine-Strangler¡¯s explosive growth.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse Quest type: Regional
Objective: Discover why Vine-Strangler trees are growing in this location and the reason for the unusual level of Energy (Completed) Secondary objective: Investigate the guardian beast¡¯s lair (Completed)
Time to complete quest: Unlimited
Suggested difficulty: Initiate Reward: Rare Bronze chest
Congratulations! You have completed all objectives on your Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse. This quest deals with a situation which is not yet resolved. You can choose to accept your reward now, but may or may not then be offered the follow-up. Alternatively, you can choose to accept the new quest. This will increase the rarity of your rewards by a rank upon completion of the second quest.
Accept current reward / Accept new quest.
Interesting, very interesting¡­ I now have a difficult choice. Part of me wants to hedge my bets and take the reward now: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, after all. I try to see the description of the new quest, but the system doesn¡¯t seem to be willing to show it to me until I¡¯ve made a decision. It feels a bit like buying a product off the internet: who knows if it will turn out as expected? In the end, though, I decide to accept the new quest. Ultimately, I justify it to myself as the reward having been a bonus anyway. As it happened, I didn¡¯t exactly go out of my way to complete the quest ¨C the vine-stranglers made sure I had to pass through the tunnel regardless of what I wanted to do. So if the objectives of the new quest turn out to be impossible, I haven¡¯t actually lost anything. If anything, I¡¯ve gained eight levels, and a whole load of Cores which I wouldn¡¯t have had. I¡¯ve also gained a cracked Core and damaged internal matrix, but I¡¯m working on that¡­
Congratulations! You have received a new Quest. In the course of your adventures, you explored the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and defeated its guardian. Upon investigating the guardian beast¡¯s lair, you discovered a route down to one of the Ley Lines of the planet, running unusually close to the surface. However, you do not seem to have been the first to make this discovery. You have realistically theorised that a beast may have tunnelled down to access the Ley Line and blocked the stream. You have posited that a side effect of this may have created the stagnant pool of Pure Energy, the Cores, and the tunnel you first encountered.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse II Quest type: Regional
Objective: Find evidence to prove (or in the event of the theory being disproven, discover) the reason for the strange conformation of the underground tunnels. Objective: Rectify the situation with the exposed stream of Pure Energy and return the area to its previous state.
Time to complete quest: 53 days
Suggested difficulty: Journeyman Reward: Uncommon Silver chest ¡ú Rare Silver chest (rarity increased due to passing over of previous rewards).
OK, wow. A lot to take in there. I reread the notification a couple of times, just to make sure I have understood everything. So, first of all, it¡¯s not telling me whether our theory is correct or not; just that it¡¯s ¡®realistic¡¯. In the event where I find proof that it¡¯s incorrect, it sounds like I¡¯ll have to go back to the drawing-board and start again. Second of all is an addition of a secondary objective, one which sounds a lot harder than just finding out what happened. Interestingly, it doesn¡¯t say ¡®secondary objective¡¯ like I¡¯d seen in the previous quest notification about investigating the salamander¡¯s lair. Is that because the two objectives are separate to a large extent? Or is it that both objectives are equally important? I also note the increased difficulty level and the higher value reward ¨C even before I gained the increased rarity from not accepting the previous reward, it was probably still more valuable than whatever I would have got before from a bronze chest. I suppose that if I¡¯d decided to take the Rare Bronze chest, and then also manage to complete the quest, I¡¯d also have got an Uncommon Silver chest. Well, I suppose I¡¯d better hope that the reward of a rarity above is worth passing up having two chest. Lastly, and perhaps the most immediately important, is the change in the time to complete the quest: from unlimited to fifty-three days is a big jump! Is that saying that something is going to happen in fifty-three days¡¯ time? Or is it that changes are happening which will render the quest impossible to complete after fifty-three days? I¡¯m very tempted to just forget about the whole thing, my curiosity about the rewards aside. I¡¯ve already almost died, and almost lost Bastet in pursuit of it. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an option: River agreed to be Bound as long as I swore to help his village with the threat of the Vine-Stranglers. I might have broken far more promises than I¡¯d like to admit in the past, but I don¡¯t want that to be me now. The best thing I can say about the situation is that at least it¡¯s a two birds, one stone kind of thing: if the Vine-Strangler trees are feeding off the Energy evaporating off that Pure Energy stream, then cutting them off from that should at least stop their growth, if not weaken them outright. Plus, if the vague plans I have in the back of my mind are ever to come to fruition, then I¡¯m going to need to fulfill the quest anyway. I conclude that I need to sit down with River and talk through a number of things with him. After all, the poison he created for use with the lizogs proved its worth, and makes me want to know about other concoctions he knows how to make. I can¡¯t forget that I was given two healing potions when I first entered this world: if River could make something that was even a diluted version of those, it could be a literal life saver. And what if he could make one that helps regenerate mana? Just as much a life-saver, especially if I decide to go for the option still hanging over my head of either adapting Lay-on-hands to be more combat-applicable, or accepting that new Skill Body-Invasion. And even if he can¡¯t produce health or mana potions, poisons would be a useful tool, especially for creating traps or helping us against larger and more powerful beasts. If what Kalanthia said is true about my cracked Core essentially acting like blood in the water for creatures with Cores, we¡¯re going to need every advantage we can get. Not right now, though, I decide. I feel antsy. A good portion of the morning has gone and all I¡¯ve done is talked. Now it seems that my method from last night is the best option for my Core as matters stand, I¡¯m eager to get going. With that in mind, I withdraw to sit against the wall of my alcove, and close my eyes. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Three: Cores I¡¯ve only just closed my eyes when a thought occurs. It¡¯s raining. Everyone is stuck inside. Or at least, River and Fenrir aren¡¯t, and Sirocco¡¯s hiding out somewhere else, but none of us are planning on going anywhere while the rain¡¯s still pouring down outside. I¡¯m planning on spending this time improving myself in terms of fixing my Core; what about my Bound? Although I¡¯m not going to give out all the Energy-Hearts I have, not knowing how many I¡¯m going to need to fix myself, I can at least give out some. Pushing myself back up, I head over to where River is sitting and staring out at the rain with an unreadable expression. Not to say that most of his expressions are readable exactly, but even the Bond isn¡¯t helping me out much here. Not without digging down deeper than I feel comfortable doing. ¡°Hey, are you OK?¡± I ask quietly, crouching next to him. The tip of his tail flicks and the feeling of uncertainty comes across the Bond. I give him a few moments before I speak again. ¡°Well, you know how you said Energy-Hearts would help you evolve? I wanted to give you a couple to get started with. I think you said you spend time absorbing it? How many do you want? And is your method one that Fenrir and Bastet could use?¡± My barrage of questions seems to have brought him back to himself and he looks at me, a sense of eagerness overtaking the uncertainty. The Energy-Hearts we harvested from the cavern will probably each take a day, or a day and a half to absorb. There is no special method: they just need to stay in contact with my skin. However, the Pathwalkers have found that focusing on trying to feel the Energy moving within is the most effective method. I would have thought that the others would be perfectly able to use the same strategy. Even if they cannot feel the Energy moving, it only means that they will take longer to absorb the Heart. ¡°Good to know,¡± I tell him honestly. ¡°Here, then. Take this for now and when you¡¯ve finished with it, come and get another from me. I¡¯d put them in a pile somewhere for everyone to access, but I wouldn¡¯t want to risk some other beast being attracted to them or stealing them.¡± As I speak, I withdraw an intact Energy-Heart from my Inventory and hand it to him. He receives it with gratitude that bleeds over the Bond to me. I feel a little uncomfortable: it was Bastet and River who harvested the majority of the Hearts in the first place; technically, it should be me thanking them. Especially since the reason I didn¡¯t harvest as many was because I gave into a temptation and touched something I shouldn¡¯t have. Still, I¡¯m not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth, and I just pat him on the shoulder and stand. I...you defended me. Defended my village. Why? he asks as I¡¯m about to walk away. I pause and look back at him. ¡°Well,¡± I reply after a moment of consideration, ¡°it would have hurt you if I didn¡¯t. As I said, even beyond you being my Bound, I feel like you¡¯ve become my friend. And that¡¯s the sort of thing friends do for each other when faced with potential genocidal massacre,¡± I remark a little wryly. The fact that I would probably have been OK with said genocidal massacre before I got to know and like River is something I¡¯m not totally comfortable admitting even to myself. I mean, the shaman is still on my kill/feed to Kalanthia list, but taking the rest of the village with her seems to be going a bit too far. But what if the Great Predator had desired your life in replacement for mine? ¡°I honestly don¡¯t think it would have come to that,¡± I assure him. ¡°As you heard, she feels that she owes me a boon for bringing her cub back to her. Kalanthia has proven to be someone who pays her debts. If it came down to that, I would have asked for my life as repayment of the boon. In fact, I thought that was what she was proposing until she corrected me.¡± Thereby passing up any other reward she would have offered. I shrug. ¡°Honestly, I would have helped for Lathani¡¯s sake anyway. But yes, she offers good rewards ¨C it would have been a pity to miss out on it. I¡¯d rather you were alive, though.¡± He¡¯s silent and I just smile at him before patting him on the shoulder again and walking off to speak with Bastet. If he wishes to discuss it further, we can do so later, but for me the matter is closed. After a short conversation with Bastet and then Fenrir where I briefly explained what River told me, I return to Kalanthia, approaching her tentatively, knowing it¡¯s not been long since she ¡®dismissed¡¯ me. As a peace offering, I hold up another Energy-Heart. ¡°Kalanthia, would you hear me out?¡± The giant nunda allows it, but I sense that she is not interested in any long conversation. ¡°Thank you. I was wondering¡­.¡± I hesitate, before deciding to just go for it. She¡¯s always seemed to prefer bluntness; why stop now? ¡°I want to offer you some Energy-Hearts. For Lathani. To pay off River¡¯s debt.¡± Her focus intensifies and I fight to stop from fidgeting. I see. How many do you offer? She¡¯s not immediately rejecting it. That¡¯s a good sign. ¡°How about twenty like this?¡± I ask, pulling one out and laying it by her paw. She inspects it carefully, seeming to use different senses like I did when first investigating it. These are the Cores from the underground cave you told me about, yes? I confirm her guess. She seems a little dissatisfied by my response. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I ask, a little confused. Is this not going to work? Not wrong. However, do you recall what I said about naturally-formed Cores or Energy-Hearts needing to be used judiciously? I nod. Unfortunately, Lathani is particularly vulnerable to this. Although naturally-formed Cores are always easier to absorb, they lack an element of...life to them. That element is something Lathani needs, considering what the lizards did to her. ¡°They won¡¯t be any use for her then?¡± I conclude, barely making it more a question than a statement. I didn¡¯t say that, she replies, her eyes on me once more. I feel hope starting to rise within me again. I will accept fifteen of these as a down-payment on his debt. That will help Lathani more than harm her. I will require another fifteen of them to pay off his debt. The fifteen need to be at least the size of your fist. If they are smaller, he must supply more to make up for their size. All these fifteen must be from within beasts and be provided within the next ninety sun cycles. If he supplies all of these, I shall consider his debt paid. Are we in agreement? ¡°We are,¡± I confirm. Fifteen more Cores seems a lot but...it¡¯s a lot easier than some other tasks. Ninety days isn¡¯t a long time, but we¡¯re going to need to head back into more dangerous areas to help River¡¯s village. We should be able to get them then. Counting out the fifteen agreed Energy Hearts, I nod in thanks to the powerful nunda and then turn away to return to my alcove and the meditation which I really need to get back to. My movement is arrested as Kalanthia speaks once more into my mind. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I hope your lizard-man understands what he owes you. I can¡¯t help but shrug in response ¨C it would have been a lot more difficult to get Lathani back without him. Getting back to the den ourselves would have been significantly more difficult too, if even possible considering all the obstacles we faced. Keeping him alive after all his aid seems no more than his just due. Not wanting to get into it with the giant leopard and recognising her need for peace, I respectfully nod at her and then head back to where I had been sitting in my alcove. Meditating with an Energy-Heart in my hand is all I do for the next few hours. It¡¯s a painstaking process, but when I work out a way of continuing to absorb the Heart even while I remain in Meditation, it speeds things up. Funnily enough, the advice that I passed on to Bastet and Fenrir from River actually comes in handily for me too. Concentrating on feeling the Energy move in my system actually meant that after some trial and error, I was able to pull the Energy from the Heart directly. On the one hand, that meant a much more consistent pull; on the other, it also meant I got through the Energy-Heart much quicker. Where my Bound seem to all still be absorbing their first Energy-Heart, I¡¯m on my third. Hopefully my faster absorption won¡¯t lead to me overdoing it and causing myself more damage¡­. It also teaches me something else: that at least the outer parts of the tapestry around my Core are somehow connected to my extremities. I work it out because while I¡¯m holding the Energy-Heart with my hands, the Energy always comes from a certain area of the golden weave. When, partway through, I get curious and test this by holding the Heart with my bare feet, I find that the Energy consistently comes through a different set of threads. I also find that more Energy comes through ¨C double the amount, in fact. Holding the Energy-Heart with the hand that hadn¡¯t touched the Pure Energy reveals that I get the same increased amount of Energy as I had through my feet. All this goes towards proving my theory that the weave is, in fact, my Internal Matrix. I suppose that if I have a dead spot in the hand which touched the Pure Energy, it would make sense that my mana regeneration had been so affected. Why it also affects my mana pool, I¡¯m not sure, unless my mana is stored in my body as much as it is in my pool? Going to my status screen after a good few hours working, I¡¯m pleased to see some progress, finally.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 72% Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr Energy towards debt: 75%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 334/334 (-7%)
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 680u/hr (-20%)
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 15 Stamina: 90/90
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 6 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Energy Manipulation ¨C Beginner 7 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
All the Energy I¡¯ve absorbed has made its mark ¨C my Energy store has leaped. That would normally be a good thing, but I¡¯m worried about what might happen if I level up with my Core still cracked. Maybe I should think about directing the excess Energy to my debt¡­ As for my progress on my Core, I¡¯m three percent better now than I was before I started. I think Kalanthia¡¯s right ¨C the more I do it, the faster and more efficient I will become. At the moment, I¡¯m probably absorbing ninety percent of the Energy from the Heart rather than using it to repair my Core. But that¡¯s a lot better than at the start where I was probably absorbing ninety-nine percent of it. My Energy Manipulation Skill reflects my improvement, having also leaped through the ranks ¨C from two to seven. Looking back up at my status screen, I frown. That¡¯s strange. I swear it was at seventy-two a few moments ago: it¡¯s now only showing seventy-one... Flicking back through my memory, I become even more sure of it. My memory has always been decent, but thanks to the points I¡¯ve gained in Intelligence, it¡¯s slowly becoming more accurate and long-lasting. Another twenty points in Intelligence and I bet that my memory will be more like a digital camera. Forty points and I¡¯ll probably be putting those cameras to shame. But that¡¯s for later. For now, I want to know why I appear to have lost some Energy. Considering the matter, I think I know why. My Core is cracked; my Core appears to be the thing which holds my Energy. Isn¡¯t it logical that a cracked Core is just as leaky as a cracked anything else? I grit my teeth. If fixing my Core hadn¡¯t already been the most important task on my list, this would have just raised it to the number one spot. But I need a break for now. As I stand up to stretch my legs, I pull out some food and water. Then, looking around, I notice that my companions seem all to have the Energy-Hearts close by. River is sitting there with his eyes closed, as is Fenrir who appears to have curled up around the Core, inside from the rain finally. Curious, I pull up the tab which links to my Bound, wondering how they are coming on. Interesting. Of course Sirocco hasn¡¯t made any progress ¨C she hasn¡¯t been in the cave, benefiting from the Energy-Hearts. Actually, that¡¯s an important consideration. Sirocco is a companion, but one who can choose to leave at any moment. She also wasn¡¯t part of the whole cave thing, but that¡¯s less of a consideration. Maybe I should see what my Dominated Bound feel about it? I mean, I don¡¯t want to suddenly start making a difference between my companions, but at the same time, what if I offer loads of resources to Sirocco and then she leaves? Hmm, something to think about later. I¡¯d checked Fenrir¡¯s stats briefly on our way through the forest and he¡¯s made the most progress out of all my Bound. Interestingly, he¡¯s also the one who started the lowest. Similarly, River has made four percent of progress, and his starting position was lower than Bastet who¡¯s only made two percent progress. I guess it¡¯s similar for beasts as for humans: the further you get, the more Energy it takes. Still, if those trends continue, we should be able to get Bastet to Tier two in a week or two, depending on how quickly her progress slows down. Fenrir and River are both going to take a bit longer; I doubt we¡¯ll be able to get them to Tier two with our current stock of Energy-Hearts. Looks like they might have to go hunting. Whether I join them is another question: now I¡¯ve got a little group of combat-focused Bound, I don¡¯t feel that everyone needs to be part of every excursion. Besides, ideally I need to get my own Core sorted before going hunting. Another question to think about later. Right now, I need to get back to my primary focus: fixing my Core. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Four: Contractor Ma-Markus, River¡¯s voice enters my mind as I surface once again from a period of meditation. I blink a little blearily in the sudden brightness. Looking towards the cave mouth, the cause becomes clear: it¡¯s stopped raining and the sun¡¯s out. I bet everything¡¯s pretty wet, though that hasn¡¯t stopped the cubs from already taking advantage ¨C they seem to be playing a game of hide and seek. Or rather, hide and pounce. ¡°Yes?¡± I respond to my Bound after a moment. May I head into the forest? I am lacking some ingredients for a number of concoctions. I hope to explore the local area to see what I can find. ¡°You¡¯re done with absorbing the Energy-Heart?¡± I ask with a little surprise. He sends a sense of negation, even as he tilts his head to one side. No, but I feel that it would not be wise for me to continue for now. My...the Path-walkers warn of absorbing too much Energy at one time: apparently it can cause some sort of damage? Hmm, that must be linked to what Kalanthia was saying. Though from the sounds of it, issues can happen even with ¡®normal¡¯ Cores, not just the naturally-formed Energy-Hearts. I hesitate about allowing him to go into the forest alone, though I remind myself that he¡¯s used to going out in a much more dangerous area than this ¨C our own journey down proved that. Even if we don¡¯t count the vine-strangler trees, the level of creatures that we faced were significantly above that of the ones around here, the raptorcats excepted. Then I remember that he doesn¡¯t have to go out alone. I might not want to go, and Bastet is currently busy looking after the cubs, but that still leaves Fenrir, and possibly Sirocco. Sending her a mental message asking her to come, I get back grumpy assent. I also get the sense that it will take more than a couple of minutes as she¡¯s out hunting. In exchange for interrupting her, apparently I need to compensate her with some food. That reminds me of something else I wanted to discuss. ¡°I wanted to get your thoughts on something,¡± I say, intentionally pushing my meaning down the Bonds with all three Dominated Bound. I feel the attention of Fenrir and Bastet sharpen on me, the former coming over to sit near River and I, the latter remaining where she is. I then explain what I¡¯d been thinking about the Energy-Hearts and Sirocco. ¡°So, I wanted to know what you think. Should we respond in kind to the relationship of exchange she seems to want to engage in? Or should we include her in all things, like any of you three?¡± Immediately I get the sense that it is a bit above Fenrir¡¯s pay-grade. He¡¯s more intelligent than Spike, but only in the sense of being more able to communicate. The idea of there being a hierarchy is certainly something he understands, and according to his world-view, those at the top getting all the choice bits where those at the bottom have to be satisfied with the meanest scraps is perfectly normal. However the idea of having some of the group being properly part of the group and others not...that¡¯s completely foreign to him. And, to be honest, it seems like it is with Bastet too. From the raptorcat, I get the confusion along with the sense of ¡®we¡¯re all pack. Why would one be treated differently than the others?¡¯. When I send her a reply that carries the idea that resources given to Sirocco would be wasted if she then chose to leave, Bastet¡¯s confusion seems to grow. For her, that¡¯s normal. Cubs are given resources and nurtured to grow, even though the males will leave or be chased out by the time they become juveniles. Those resources aren¡¯t ¡®wasted¡¯, they¡¯re fed into the greater picture. I think I understand. While the resources invested in the males wouldn¡¯t have immediate return, not like those invested in the females who would become productive members of the pack on reaching juvenile status, there was a different outcome. Males chased out of the pack would either die or live and grow stronger. Those who survived would be the ones to have children. Bastet had grasped something instinctively that humanity only understood logically: that survival of the fittest meant that those in competition had to be as best as they could be. Over generations, raising strong male cubs would mean the increase in strength of raptorcats as a whole. It¡¯s an interesting perspective, and makes me reconsider my approach to the dilemma. Out of all of my Bound, River is the only one who seems able to consider the divided nature of what I¡¯m talking about. That¡¯s probably because his own society seems to be divided, between those with Cores and those without, between Warriors and Path-walkers, and even between lizard-kin and non lizard-kin. He is the last to give his point of view. My people channel resources to the most-deserving, reasoning that allowing precious materials to be taken by those who are likely to die anyway is a waste, he offers, a thoughtful feeling coming with his words. Yet...my encounter with you has turned what I thought I knew on its head. I tilt my head to one side. ¡°Explain?¡± I half-ask, half-tell as curiosity runs through me. It is as I tried to explain before. What I said to the Honoured Path-walkers was true: you have no natural weapons. You have no scales; your skin is soft. Your teeth are blunt, as are your claws. To all intents and purposes, you were the very prey my kinfolk saw you as. Yet it was not me who won in our confrontations. You trapped me as well as any arhast spins her web. And then, you proved your superiority in our mental battle. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. If one who is so obviously prey can do all that, then should we be abandoning nine out of ten of our hatchlings to the providence of Fate before they even reach their name-day? How many marvellous minds are hiding in weak bodies? My concept of ¡®waste¡¯ seems to be faulty. It seems as though my fellow Bound are of the opinion that she should be treated as a full member of the group. I will abide by whatever you choose. Not entirely the most helpful, but it¡¯s interesting to see how much River¡¯s world-view is changing. Much like mine, really, and I feel the bond of kinship I¡¯d already sensed with him grow in strength. Well. Perhaps I should just discuss this with Sirocco herself. See whether, now we¡¯re in a better position, she wants to change the spirit of our agreement or not. While we wait, I check with Fenrir to see if he actually wants to go out into the forest. The response is somewhat predictable: he will follow the pack. It seems that, like with everything else among male lizogs, the strongest leads, the weaker follow. ¡°Sirocco,¡± I say the moment she wings her way over and lands on my shoulder, a sense of hunger being pushed down the Bond towards me. ¡°I want to know what you think about how to conduct our agreement going forward.¡± She sends a sense of confusion to me, coloured by a tint of apprehension. Is she worried I¡¯m about to break the Bond and betray her? Perhaps. ¡°Nothing bad,¡± I assure her. ¡°I just mean¡­¡± I sigh and try to put what I¡¯m getting at into words. Not that she cares about the words, but they will clarify my meaning enough for her to ¨C hopefully ¨C understand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to limit your freedom,¡± I tell her frankly, since that had seemed the most important thing she¡¯d raised in our previous negotiation. ¡°But I¡¯d like to know if you would like to be a full part of the group, or a...contractor.¡± She sends me confusion, so I try to shove the sense of each option at her. In one option, benefiting fully from everything the group has to offer, but equally contributing as fully. Every member offering help when needed, without any thought of repayment, only the assurance of the same thing happening regardless of who¡¯s in trouble. And more than that, dedication and commitment to the group, as long as her core tenets are not contravened. On the other side, I offer a sense of being together, yet apart. Increased freedom, but reduced benefit for each side. Negotiating each interaction to ensure that things remain balanced and fair. The freedom to leave whenever, but the lack of certainty which prevents bonds from forming, or not forming as strongly if they do. In the end, I get a sense of thoughtful consideration from Sirocco¡¯s side of the Bond. She asks me for time, wishing to give the matter due consideration. I agree, of course, pulling out a chunk of meat for her to enjoy. I¡¯m surprised when she turns up her nose, well, beak, at it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask, baffled. It¡¯s salamander meat, the same thing she enjoyed eating not that long ago. Her reply answers the question for me. It¡¯s the same reason Kalanthia suggested finding some other way to store the corpses: Sirocco¡¯s not interested in meat with no Energy in it. Well, that explains a lot¡­. Fortunately, there¡¯s an easy answer for it. ¡°River and Fenrir are going out in the forest, that¡¯s why I asked you to come over. I was hoping you could accompany them to help them out, if only by keeping an eye on possible dangers. I¡¯m sure that they¡¯d be happy to share any kills with you. Would that suit?¡± The scarlet and yellow-gold bird seems to consider the question for a moment before sending me a sense of assent. Pushing away from my shoulder, she glides to the top of the nearest tree, sending me a sense of impatience. ¡°Well, looks like she agrees to go with you,¡± I remark to River. Then I look at him seriously. ¡°Take care, OK? And if there¡¯s any issue let me know and Bastet and I will come running.¡± Very well, River tells me, a hint of something to his mental voice which I can¡¯t quite identify. It seems positive, so I¡¯ll take that as a win. ¡°Look out for River and obey him, Fenrir,¡± I order the lizog. He sends me a sense of submissive assent and then the two go padding down the hill. I watch them go until they disappear into the trees. I¡¯m a little uneasy, but I think it¡¯s probably more linked to remembering Spike¡¯s death than any true premonition. In the end, I just push the thoughts away and go sit on a sunny spot near the cave mouth that¡¯s already dry. Once more taking a few minutes to rest and refresh myself, it¡¯s not overly long before I close my eyes and drop back into Meditation. I take a bit of time to examine my work so far. I can see my progress ¨C part of my Core is now free of cracks. I haven¡¯t yet pulled out my new Energy-Heart, so I¡¯m a little surprised when I see a wave of light racing towards my Core all of a sudden. Pulling out of Meditation, I trigger my status screen. Sure enough, I¡¯m back up to seventy-two percent in my Energy store. What was that from, I wonder to myself. Then a thought occurs: my Bound. Since I haven¡¯t done anything that I¡¯d expect would earn me Energy, I draw the conclusion that it came from either general absorption of the ambient Energy, or from my Bound killing something. Very interesting. That¡¯s the first time this has happened today, proving that my Bound absorbing Energy from an Energy-Heart doesn¡¯t count; killing does. Also very useful as a thought for my future development. Now I¡¯ve got a little group of killers together, I could be gaining Energy while crafting better weapons or better living conditions. Or even doing something more exciting¡­ But before I think too hard on that, I need to make sure that I can still cast magic without hurting myself, and therefore need to finish sorting out my Core. Hopefully that will be sufficient to fix my issue with Lay-on-hands. If not...well. Cross that bridge if I come to it. Sinking back into myself, I reenter what I¡¯m starting to call ¡®Core space¡¯, if only to myself. Although there¡¯s more than just the Core here, it¡¯s the equivalent of calling Earth¡¯s home the ¡®Solar System¡¯: my Core is as dominant here as the sun is in the Solar System. When another flash of Energy enters my system, I use it to repair one of the cracks. To my delight, it works just as well as Energy-Hearts do. That¡¯s excellent to know. Remembering where the Energy had entered my Core, I trace the lines back to where they begin. It¡¯s one of the densely woven areas, one of the three which seem particularly similar to the rest of the weave around. Diving in even closer, I realise that there are a number of lines which just...end. Except, they don¡¯t. End, that is. Instead, they just...go somewhere, but somewhere I cannot follow. Except when, suddenly, I do. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Five: Hurt Prey. I smell it in the air, the scent of pumping blood easy to identify. I lift my nose and scent the breeze. There. Large. Not old. Not young. Healthy. Injured. Good prey. I nudge my packmate. He looks down at me. He has much meat and many smelly plants slung over his back already. I take a few steps in the direction of the prey and release a questioning scent. My packmate does not respond. He is higher in the pack hierarchy than me: alpha has made it clear. He must decide to follow the scent or not. He does not respond. I take another few steps and release more scent. Finally, he moves. He follows me. I release a happy scent: the hunt has been accepted. I wrench myself back from the connection with what feels like the mental form of a gasp. Was that¡­? It must have been. I pull myself out of my Core space and rub at my temples, a sudden blossoming headache thumping there. ¡°Ow,¡± I whimper quietly to myself. Almost reflexively, I reach for my mana to cast Lay-on-hands, only remembering at the last moment that I will undo some of my hard work if I do so. That is unlikely to help my headache. What was that? I narrow my eyes as I think back to the brief impression. The most obvious explanation is that I somehow entered one of my Bound¡¯s heads in a much more invasive way than normal, actually detecting events through his senses and thoughts as they occurred. I¡¯d guess that I went into Fenrir¡¯s mind, based on the various cues. It¡¯s a bit invasive, but I can definitely see utility to being able to see through one of my Bound¡¯s eyes in real time¡­ If I can be sure that it won¡¯t cause damage to either of us, of course. Something to consider later. For now, I know that my Bound are on a hunt once more ¨C I should make sure that I¡¯m ready to redirect the Energy when it arrives. ***** As darkness starts to fall, I sense that my Bound are returning. Ever since ranking up Dominate, I¡¯ve been able to sense the location of my Bound in relation to me far better than before. Their excursion has already been productive for me, and that¡¯s not including whatever they¡¯ve managed to collect in terms of herbal ingredients or corpses. When I check my status screen, I¡¯m already down to only four percent reduction to my mana pool. The process is going a lot faster than I thought it would. As I check my notifications, I realise why.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Energy Manipulation is now Novice 1. You have improved your ability to manipulate Energy within your Core space. Tasks involving manipulating Energy within your Core space are now increasingly easier and faster. You have 2% reduction of Energy wastage per level in this Skill past Novice.
Close messages? Y/N
It¡¯s a pretty awesome improvement, helping me threefold ¨C easier, faster, and less Energy wasted are all things I need. I do find it interesting that the description specifically says ¡®Core space¡¯. Does that mean that I could potentially expand the Skill to help with Energy manipulation outside the Core space? Or would that have to be a different Skill? I question it because what if Energy manipulation is the key to my idea of making Lay-on-hands able to heal from a distance? It¡¯s only a gut feeling, an instinct that tells me this might be at all possible. Well, not something for now, anyway. First, I need to fix my Core. Then I need to fix that golden weave. Hmm...Kalanthia mentioned something about ¡®channels¡¯. Are these the same as what I have? It would make sense ¨C certainly the golden lines seem to ¡®channel¡¯ Energy to my Core. Perhaps she would have some information that could help me when I need to reconstruct the ones damaged by the Pure Energy. Guessing that my Bound are unlikely to be going off hunting now, I push myself to my feet and move over to where Kalanthia is enjoying the last of the sun. Her eyes are closed, but I sense somehow that she¡¯s not asleep. Still, I don¡¯t know if she¡¯d appreciate being disturbed, so hesitate for a moment. Ask, Markus Wolfe. I can hear your curiosity from here. I almost jump at her voice suddenly entering my mind, but manage not to. Just. I was half-expecting it, anyway. ¡°You mentioned channels earlier¡­. I was wondering if you¡¯d mind giving me some information about them.¡± Kalanthia cracks one eye open to regard me. It depends on the question, but go ahead. ¡°Well,¡± I start, then pause, not sure how to begin. ¡°What do yours look like?¡± I ask finally. Perhaps that will give me some indication as to whether mine are the same as hers or not. There¡¯s silence for a few moments, and I turn my head to fully look at the big nunda, wondering if something¡¯s wrong. I...don¡¯t think I should say. It¡¯s odd to see her hesitant, uncertain. Kalanthia and Bastet are quite similar, in many ways. Both of them decide on a course of action and then do it. Kalanthia is a lot more thoughtful where Bastet is more instinctual, but both are rarely hesitant. To see the giant nunda like this makes me a bit wary. ¡°Why not?¡± I have to ask, though a knot of nervous tension begins to form in my stomach. Energy channels are generally something very...private. Kalanthia says finally. ¡°Because they¡¯re a vulnerability of some sort?¡± Every being¡¯s channels are unique and say something about the being. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. Yes, giving too much information about one¡¯s channels is equivalent to telling them what they need to do to offer a fatal attack. It is generally something only discussed with beings we trust implicitly. ¡°And you don¡¯t trust me that much,¡± I conclude, trying to keep my voice level. I¡¯m not sure I manage to completely hide the hurt that spikes through me, though. I mean, I know it¡¯s illogical. We¡¯ve known each other for, what, a month? A month and a half? Perhaps that¡¯s not enough time to build the kind of trust that Kalanthia would need to talk to me about her Energy channels. Yet she¡¯s so recently said how much she does trust me. Heck, her alternative solution for eliminating the threat of the lizard-folk is for me to take control of them. So I¡¯m getting mixed messages here. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. It¡¯s not that, Kalanthia responds, sounding a little frustrated. I get the feeling it¡¯s not at me though. It¡¯s...I¡­. She trails off, huffs, then gets to her feet and starts pacing a little. For all her size, her movements remind me uncommonly of a caged wolf I once saw at the zoo. Walking back and forth on a worn path which had clearly seen it do the same movements many, many times before. Walking because its frustration wouldn¡¯t allow it to keep still. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say to her. ¡°We don¡¯t have to discuss it. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± to what? To frustrate her? To make her feel caged? What? ¡°Make you feel uncomfortable,¡± I finish it off with. Kalanthia comes to an abrupt stop in front of me. It is nothing you have done, she tells me, seeming to gain more control over her emotions. It is just...I have bad memories. Of humans. Of what they do to us. To me, I hear, even if it is unspoken. I knew she had bad memories; that it involves humans is both surprising and not at the same time. She knows far too much about us to have not truly come into contact with us. And I know my own species well enough to know that we have a bad habit of destroying or using other species we encounter. Heck, other humans as well, far too often. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say again. ¡°For what you have suffered. I understand why you would not wish to speak to me about something which renders you so vulnerable.¡± I understand, but I then don¡¯t know why she¡¯d trust me with her cub¡¯s safety. Is it because, however much she wishes to protect Lathani, the cub is still separate from Kalanthia itself. Kalanthia sighs and nudges at me with her great head. I have to put my hands on her fur to stop myself from falling over. She doesn¡¯t seem to mind, in fact pushes into my touch a little. I know in my head that you are trustworthy, she says quietly. With my hands stroking a little at her fur, it feels very intimate. Like she¡¯s revealing a vulnerability to me right here and now. But my heart is reluctant to trust again. I can understand that. How many of my relationship issues stem right back to my mother¡¯s death and the pain that brought me? The hurt I¡¯d felt earlier vanishes. How can I blame Kalanthia for the same thing I¡¯ve done? ¡°It¡¯s OK,¡± I tell her softly. ¡°I understand. I¡¯m sorry for pushing.¡± She doesn¡¯t reply, but does relax enough to lie down again. I quickly pull my hands away from her head, not wanting to touch her if she¡¯s decided she¡¯s had enough. The nudge and look she gives me immediately after, though, reveals that she was enjoying that, thank you very much, and would like me to continue. Immediately. Chuckling internally at how very catlike she is, I sit close to her and continue stroking. I dare to even rub behind her ears lightly, my movements becoming a little firmer and more confident as she makes a sound of pleasure and pushes against me again. We stay like that, just us two, for a time. I couldn¡¯t say how long. Lathani is in the cave somewhere with the cubs and Bastet keeping an eye on them. Though, like all moments, this one has to come to an end sometime. Eventually, Kalanthia pulls away from me, and I don¡¯t try to pursue her, moving away myself. I do not wish to seem impatient, but have you given any thought to the boon you would like? Kalanthia says, making it clear that the previous conversation is over. I guess I¡¯ll have to figure out my Energy channels myself. Or wait until she feels able to offer information later. Maybe this is the real reason she didn¡¯t want to talk about the next ¡®stage¡¯ ¨C perhaps it required too much discussion about Energy channels. As it is, in fact, I have been thinking, and have settled on something that would both be really useful and really cool. If it¡¯s possible, anyway. ¡°About the boon.¡± I hesitate for a moment. ¡°I was wondering if you could teach me...well. You know you have that earth-shaping Skill?¡± She gives an amused assent. ¡°Do you think you could teach it to me? As the boon?¡± I wait with bated breath. Is it too big an ask? Or is it something she can¡¯t teach? The silence stretches as Kalanthia seems to consider the question carefully. Perhaps, she says finally. I let out the breath I¡¯d been holding with a sense of disappointment. Is she refusing it? No, it¡¯s not that I am unwilling, she continues, probably responding to the thoughts I¡¯m emitting unintentionally. It¡¯s more that it¡¯s something I was never taught myself ¨C I do not know if it is something I could teach. Well. That¡¯s that, then, I suppose. However, she continues musingly. It would be interesting to find out. I perk up. Does that mean? I will try, she tells me finally. I may not be able to teach earth-shaping directly, but I can try to teach you to feel the earth. It will be up to you to learn how to manipulate it, though I will offer guidance where I can. I can¡¯t help myself: I fist-pump the air. Step two on the road to becoming an awesome mage is complete: find a teacher. OK, perhaps I¡¯m celebrating prematurely, but even the possibility of learning to control the earth the way Kalanthia does is better than I had before. ¡°Obviously, only if I can fix myself enough to be able to cast magic again,¡± I say. ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to say it earlier ¨C I wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take to deal with my Core. And I¡¯m still not sure that fixing my Core will be enough.¡± I would imagine that it is, Kalanthia opinions casually. Although I have never encountered one with a cracked Core like yours, it is a fact that at your stage, the Core is what holds the majority of your Energy while it is transformed into mana by your soul. Since it¡¯s cracked, it makes sense that it would become difficult for you to cast magic. ¡°Wait, wait.¡± I hold my hands up in an automatic gesture which Kalanthia is almost sure not to recognise. ¡°Hang on. What was that about my soul? Transforming Energy?¡± Kalanthia gives off an air of surprise. You do not know? This is basic knowledge. That just makes me feel bad. Is it something I missed in the System knowledge stone? Or something I lost because of my low Intelligence level when I absorbed it? However, all I can tell her is the truth ¨C in a large part because clearly it¡¯s something I need to know. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± What do you know, then? It¡¯s a good question. I describe both what I learned from the System stone and what I¡¯ve observed myself. ¡°So I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re saying that the soul is what transforms Energy when it¡¯s Wisdom that governs mana regeneration. From my understanding, Willpower is the stat that¡¯s linked to the soul,¡± I conclude. Kalanthia is silent for a few moments, clearly considering it. I do not have these ¡®stats¡¯ you are referring to. I do not believe that Beasts do. Perhaps they are unique to humans. Beasts have Energy channels which are created bit by bit. The condensing of a Core is a sign that the principle channels have been created, allowing Energy to reach every part of a Beast¡¯s body. However, this is not the end of the story as the channels must be extended, strengthened, and widened if the Beast wishes to move any further than this first stage. Energy enters through these channels and is directed to the Core. Channels only extend to the limit of a Beast¡¯s Domain. To begin with, this Domain is restricted only to the Beast¡¯s physical body. It takes effort and Will to extend this Domain outwards. This is the reason I can do this. So saying, she releases a wave of sensation over me. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Six: Massive Predator I feel like a massive predator is looming over me, posed to strike. Like I¡¯m a mouse before a great cat, I¡¯m instantly pushed into a flight or freeze mode. And then the feeling vanishes like it had never existed before I can do more than reach for my knife. ¡°What was that?¡± I ask hoarsely, my skin still crawling. That was the effect of me pushing my Will into my Domain, Kalanthia explains. My Domain always surrounds me, though a Beast with a higher Tier could potentially suppress it, but the majority of the time, it is undetectable. If I so wish, though, I can flood it with my Will and cause the effect you just experienced. On another note, manipulating the earth is easier within my Domain than without. ¡°Will I be able to do that?¡± I ask a little eagerly: not only is it just plain cool but I can already see a whole load of use, either in keeping enemies at bay or surprising them in the middle of a fight. I do not know, Kalanthia says with a head toss. Beasts do not have ¡®stats¡¯; perhaps humans do not have Domains. However, you wanted to know about how the Core works. My fervour is a little cooled, but I promise myself I¡¯ll try to explore the potential. If I can work out how to. I focus back in as Kalanthia continues to speak. The reason why Beasts are only able to use magic after forming the Core is because manipulating Pure Energy is notoriously hard. In order to make this process easier, the Energy must gain our personal ¡®flavour¡¯. Energy is pulled and absorbed from our environment and the creatures we kill. It is pulled along Energy channels and into our Core. Here it intermingles with the seat of our soul. At the beginning of the Core stage, this is where it remains, limiting our mana capacity to the size of our Core. However, a sensible Beast who wishes to progress will start to feed mana back through their channels. Extending, widening, multiplying...the process is long and painstaking, but offers invaluable benefits throughout. Two obvious ones of which are the increased storage of mana throughout our network of channels and the improved speed of casting magic. ¡°So for me, with damaged Energy channels¡­?¡± I ask leadingly. I¡¯ve been listening with rapt attention, sensing the importance of Kalanthia¡¯s words. I think you already know the answer, she answers, a little chidingly. I feel a sense of disapproval press down on me. Her Domain, I now realise. Abashed, I work through what I¡¯ve just been learning. On the face of it, it¡¯s obvious. I need to re-extend the channels which have been consumed ¨C as I am convinced that''s what the System calls my ¡®Internal Matrix¡¯ and Kalanthia¡¯s Energy channels are one and the same. All I can hope in that case is that it¡¯s obvious where I need to extend the channels because my matrix seems pretty complicated. Much more so than Kalanthia seems to indicate a beast¡¯s starts as. Beyond that, though, I¡¯m still struggling to understand why, if it¡¯s my soul that provides usable mana for me, it¡¯s Wisdom that determines my mana regeneration. Unless Nicholas¡¯ world¡¯s scholars are incorrect in so clearly defining Wisdom as a mental stat and Willpower as the sole soul stat. Which, I suppose, is possible. Equally possible is that what works for beasts is not the same as what works for humans with a Class. Well, only one way to find out, I guess. ¡°Thanks, Kalanthia,¡± I say in the end. She simply dips her head regally. We will no doubt touch on these matters again when we start your earth-shaping lessons. Let me know when you wish to begin. ¡°I look forward to them,¡± I smile. I can tell through my Bonds that River, Fenrir, and Sirocco are coming up the hill, though I sense that Sirocco is very nervous. I wonder why for a moment; a glance at the massive predator next to me reminds me of a likely explanation. It¡¯s OK, I send to her down the Bond, feeling her accept my attempt to make contact. She¡¯s not going to eat you. Reluctance comes back at me, but I just send waves of reassurance in response. By the time my Bound come into view, I can see that she¡¯s chosen to remain, sitting on River¡¯s shoulder. I can sense through the Bond, though, that she¡¯s ready to take flight at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Kalanthia,¡± I say out loud. ¡°Can I introduce you to another of my new companions?¡± Mentally, I try to send her a message that Sirocco¡¯s feeling very nervous and needs a little reassurance. She seems to get it, at least she doesn¡¯t move more than just turning her head slightly. Welcome Sirocco, she says finally, calmly. From the surprise that comes down my Bond from the bird, I can only assume that Kalanthia is projecting to everyone. I will not attack you as long as you do not threaten any of those under my care. I feel a little flattered: with the words comes a little packet of impressions. Lathani, of course, is in the number one spot, but I¡¯m also included, as are Bastet and the cubs. It seems we¡¯ve grown on the nunda just as much as she¡¯s grown on me. Sirocco seems to send something back at Kalanthia, though I only catch the barest hints of it. From those, I would guess that it is some sort of promise to behave. Either way, I send some gratitude to Kalanthia afterwards as Sirocco feels a lot more relaxed now the giant cat in the room has been addressed. As I move towards my group of Bound, indicating with my head and a mental message to move towards the big hole that I¡¯d dug for my fire pit, I marvel at the changes within myself. When I¡¯d first met Kalanthia, telepathy hadn¡¯t even been something I¡¯d believed possible. Now, I find myself picking up and transmitting messages and impressions on an increasingly regular basis. Heck, I hadn¡¯t realised until today, but I reckon that I¡¯m even starting to be able to understand the raptorcat cubs as well ¨C while watching them play earlier, I could pick up some basic emotions. Is this because of my increased stats? It must be ¨C I realise that I¡¯ve been picking up more and more, ever since touching the Pure Energy. Practice probably helps too. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. By this point, we¡¯re beside the fire pit and I indicate that we should sit. Fenrir does so happily, but River hesitates. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask, my eyes narrowing. Is he injured? I didn¡¯t spot anything. I hoped to offer these carcasses to Lath...to the Great Predator¡¯s honoured cub, he says a little nervously, his clawed toes shifting in the dirt. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I say, relieved though confused at his new mode of address for Lathani. Especially since he¡¯d been calling her by her name perfectly well before. ¡°Sure, I mean, if you three have eaten what you need, go ahead.¡± He lifts his chin briefly to me, then strides away. Not towards where Lathani is tumbling with the raptorcat cubs, but instead towards her mother. Curious, I watch what happens. Great Predator, I bring some sustenance for your cub, if you would deign to accept it, he offers submissively. I sense that inside he¡¯s still fearful that Kalanthia will choose to take offence at the slightest action of his that she doesn¡¯t like. Clearly he hasn¡¯t yet been reassured that she will not ¡®take her due¡¯ for his actions in the past. Or maybe it¡¯s less about past actions: I don¡¯t actually know much about lizard-folk society; for all I know, offending a member higher up the hierarchy attracts a harsh punishment. Choosing to respect River¡¯s privacy a little more this time, I don¡¯t dig deeply enough into the Bond to hear Kalanthia¡¯s response, since she clearly only projects it to River alone. Still, I sense the relief that pours through him and, with an elongated baring of his throat, he then turns to head to Lathani. Honoured cub, I have brought some food in offering to you, he says formally. Lathani pauses and a sense of confusion emanates from her. Clearly, we¡¯re close enough to be in range for her own telepathy, and she doesn¡¯t have an iota of the control her mother does. Why are you calling me that? It¡¯s weird. I see River struggle to form a response, conflict coming very clearly across the Bond. He doesn¡¯t need to answer, in the end as Lathani, in true cub fashion, is easily distracted. Ooh, yummy food. Come on little siblings. Let¡¯s eat. The raptorcat cubs don¡¯t need any more invitation and the three of them dig into the two corpses that River lays down for them. I don¡¯t recognise either of the creatures, but there¡¯s way too much meat for cubs to eat, even if one cub is not that dissimilar in size from a full-grown leopard. As River comes back over, the conflicted feelings still not settled, I resign myself to having to talk with him again. But now is not the time. ¡°How did your hunt go?¡± I ask the three once River has crouched down with us. Fenrir sends back a sense of happiness. If I¡¯ve understood the impressions he pushes through the Bond correctly, he¡¯s eaten better today than ever before, even managing to get a few of the organs, the choicest bits which normally only those at the top of the pack hierarchy would snaffle. Sirocco also sends me a sense of satisfaction ¨C it seems that she too had her hunger satiated. I get the sense that the two carcasses River carried back weren¡¯t the only things they hunted. Though, to be fair, I knew that: I¡¯d had at least five influxes of Energy from the Bonds with River and Fenrir. Interestingly, I hadn¡¯t had anything from Sirocco, so either she didn¡¯t actually participate in the fights enough to earn Energy, or her being a Tamed rather than Dominated Bound makes a difference. If it¡¯s the latter, then that may be something I should take into account if I have the opportunity to use either Tame or Dominate in the future. It was good, reports River. We hunted a clawful of beasts. They are very weak here ¨C I was surprised at how easy the hunts were. I also managed to find a number of the herbs I sought. He looks down at the lizog next to him with a feeling of approval. After finding the first of each type, Fenrir was very helpful in finding other examples. My Bound may not be able to directly communicate with each other, but clearly they still pick up a number of cues as Fenrir realises that River is pleased with him. A sense of happiness comes across the Bond from the lizog and I can¡¯t help but smile at him too. Out of all my Bound, I think that Fenrir is the most straight-forward. As long as the hierarchy is clear, and he has the approval of those above him, he seems to be happy. Being able to eat tasty bits of meat only adds to his feeling of wellbeing. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that it was successful,¡± I say after a moment. ¡°Fenrir, River, do you want to continue absorbing Energy-Hearts?¡± They both agree eagerly, so I hand one out to each of them. They then both beat a quick retreat, each choosing his own spot to relax and start absorbing Energy. That leaves me with Sirocco. ¡°Did you think about what we discussed?¡± I ask, noting the avaricious look in her eyes and the desire that she sends down the Bond as she gazes at River and Fenrir. In response, she sends a sense of uncertainty and then a whole mess of other feelings and images. They are hard to parse, but with the copious amount of practice I¡¯ve had, I¡¯m fairly confident in my conclusions. Sirocco longs for companionship beyond just a ¡®contractual¡¯ relationship, but she¡¯s fearful that more will be demanded of her than she can give. Ultimately, she wishes to have a ¡®trial¡¯ period as a full member before completely deciding. ¡°Fair enough,¡± I tell her with a small smile. While it¡¯s not the full-hearted dedication to the team that I might like, it¡¯s a step in the right direction. Rome wasn¡¯t built in a day and neither is trust. If Dominate is a forced relationship that risks falling into little better than slavery, Tame risks becoming a purely contractual exchange of benefits. To move beyond either of those requires time, trust, and effort. In honour of that, I don¡¯t hesitate before pulling out another of the Energy-Hearts. What¡¯s the good of them unless we use them to increase the power of the team, right? ¡°Here. Let me know when you¡¯re done with this one and I¡¯ll give you another,¡± I tell Sirocco. She sends over a feeling of gratitude and grabs it with one of her forepaws. Then she sends across a sense of uncertainty ¨C she¡¯s not sure where to go. She¡¯s worried that if she returns to where she roosted last night, she will be vulnerable to attack. It seems like a bit of an obvious answer to me. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere,¡± I tell her. ¡°I mean, if you want to sleep elsewhere, that¡¯s up to you, but you¡¯re always welcome to be here. Heck, it¡¯s dry and warm inside the cave ¨C if it rains again, you might want to consider joining us.¡± I remember how grumpy she felt this morning. She gives a non-committal response, but settles more comfortably down on the ground. Curling around the Energy-Heart, she closes her eyes and clearly sets in for a session of absorption. It¡¯s getting dark, but there will still be at least some light for another hour or so. I really should deal with River¡¯s weirdness, but I feel like I¡¯ve talked way too much today. My tolerance level for conversation has definitely reduced since arriving here. I groan as I push myself to my feet. I¡¯ll see what he¡¯s doing, I decide finally. If he¡¯s busy, I¡¯ll leave him alone. If he¡¯s not¡­. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Seven: Back in Business Another day dawns. I wake up eager to get going. Well, actually, I¡¯ve already started. By this point, I¡¯ve more than caught up on my sleep, so when I woke before the sun rose, I felt too restless to drop off again. Instead, I did the task which is both the most important one facing me, and something I could do in the dark: fixing my Core. I¡¯m proud to say that I¡¯m within a single percent of mending it completely. It looks so much better when I enter my Core space, only a few hairline cracks now visible. It¡¯s taken another Energy-Heart to get there, but I feel like the finish-line is right in front of me. It¡¯s fortunate because even with my reduced Energy wastage courtesy of my newly upgraded Energy Manipulation, I¡¯ve absorbed enough Energy to level up once more, as crazy as that seems to me. I still want to fully fix my Core before actually triggering the level-up, though: something tells me that even the hairline fractures could cause an issue if not. I¡¯d hate for all my hard work to go to waste; not to mention delay my other projects. For now, I¡¯ll direct the excess Energy into my debt. In fact, I might even wait a bit longer than just fixing my Core ¨C it just feels like a waste to direct level up points into my physical stats while they¡¯re still under twenty, but equally I¡¯m a bit worried about the gap between them and my other stats growing too big. Oh well ¨C since I still have the debt to pay, the Energy isn¡¯t actually being wasted, even if I have to wait a few days. Taking a moment to rest and eat, I idly think through the tasks ahead of me. In the end, I didn¡¯t speak to River ¨C he¡¯d seemed so focused on the Energy-Heart at the time. Ultimately, I¡¯ll just keep an eye on it. Maybe he¡¯s just being polite, anyway. He called those Path-walkers ¡®honoured¡¯, after all. And given that Kalanthia¡¯s still probably not all that happy with him being around, him being extra polite to her and her cub is likely to do more good than harm. I shelve the matter as something to keep an eye on but only intervene if it looks like there¡¯s an issue. My other tasks are another question. There¡¯s that quest from the System which has a countdown of fifty-three days ¨C fifty-two now. What does that countdown mean, anyway? That I need to complete it before the time is up, or that I can only complete it on that day? Not being certain, I¡¯ll plan for the former ¨C that way I can wait until the countdown is completed if I¡¯m wrong. Besides the quest itself, I¡¯m more and more convinced that I need to somehow gain control over that whole underground area. I was sure it was going to take ages for me to level up again, when I realised just how much Energy each percent needed. Yet, here I am, a bare few days later, ready to level up once more ¨C almost entirely due to the Energy-Hearts. The fact that Kalanthia talked about beasts fighting over the water from the lake which holds only highly diluted Pure Energy is just another reason. How, is another question. If beasts fight over diluted Pure Energy, what would they do for the undiluted stuff? I would still be very hard-pressed to fight Kalanthia and would probably lose nine times out of ten; how could I defend the area against creatures which even she doesn¡¯t dare live near? At the moment, I theorise that the vine-stranglers are hiding its presence by absorbing the excess Energy, but that is making their growth explode which, in turn, is threatening the lizard-folk. And that¡¯s another objective: I can¡¯t forget that River has fulfilled his side of the bargain; I need to do the same. I have a burgeoning idea of how to solve both objectives in one go, but that requires other steps to be put in place. Learning how to manipulate the earth from Kalanthia is a key factor. And that requires me to at least fix my Core and start being able to use magic again without hurting myself. It may even require me to fix the other problems the Pure Energy caused, but Kalanthia¡¯s words yesterday give me hope that I¡¯ll at least be able to start learning. And perhaps, even if I don¡¯t manage to reach a level of competence sufficient for my needs, Kalanthia might be open to helping me out ¨C for a price. A side issue is that about hunting. I offered to take Lathani hunting with me, argued for it, in fact, but given my recent discoveries, I¡¯m not sure how much of it I¡¯ll be doing. Not personally, anyway. The Energy-Hearts have offered an avenue of growth which is so much faster and safer than hunting down various creatures. That said, I can¡¯t forget Kalanthia¡¯s reluctance to give Lathani too many Energy-Hearts. Or the damage I did to myself by absorbing the Pure Energy directly. Things that seem too good to be true usually aren¡¯t, and I don¡¯t want to pin my hopes on something which might be harmful to me in the long run. That¡¯s not to say I¡¯m not going to use Energy-Hearts where I can, but I¡¯m going to monitor my condition for hints of damage. Still, even if I didn¡¯t use Energy-Hearts, the realisation that kills by my Bound generate Energy for me, whether or not I am present, is a game-changer. I¡¯m the only one who can craft out of our little band; potentially, I could stay back at the cave and craft weapons and armour for us, and then just keep growing from the Energy I gain from the Bonds. However, that idea also leaves me a little uneasy. While I do gain Energy from the Bonds, I suspect it¡¯s only a fraction of the Energy absorbed if I was part of the kill. If I just stayed back at the den and did crafting, I have a strong suspicion that my companions would rocket in strength, while I would plod along. And then what would happen? Everything I¡¯ve learned so far points to the law of the jungle being absolute: the strong dominate and rule, the weak submit and die. I¡¯m pretty sure that Fenrir would be an issue if he suddenly started being able to overpower me in every way. Bastet might be less of a problem: I get the impression that a raptorcat pack is a lot more cooperative than a lizog one. As for River, he might still be OK, even if he could overpower my Bond with his Willpower...but I wouldn¡¯t count on it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. In short, while I am determined that increasing the power of my companions is necessary, I¡¯ve convinced myself that keeping my own personal power growing is essential. So until I have a better option for growth than killing things, hunting it is. That¡¯s not to say that I¡¯m going to do no crafting. I still want to make a proper bed ¨C I¡¯m tired of sleeping on clothes on the floor. I need better armour ¨C that crocodile skin is still sitting in my Inventory. Not to mention the new salamander skin that might be even better. I also want to give my tools and weapons an upgrade, if I can. I haven¡¯t forgotten about the metallic glint I saw in what used to be the raptorcats¡¯ cave. If it is metal, that would be awesome. While my bow is still serviceable, since I put all my points into my mental and soul stats and not physical ones, my arrows are still only flint. I remember how little damage they did to the salamander¡¯s skin; what¡¯s the betting that we¡¯re likely to encounter more animals like that, if we head down towards the valley? Plus, metal weapons are just plain better than flint-tipped ones: there¡¯s a reason humanity progressed past the Stone Age, after all. Still, getting the metal out of the cave is not going to be easy. I¡¯m torn between waiting until Kalanthia has ¨C hopefully ¨C taught me enough about shaping the earth to be able to just access the metal via that method, and going now. Why go now? Because of what I see when I look at my status sheet. In contrast to what it looked like at the beginning of my time here, my points are now heavily invested into my mental and soul stats. That¡¯s great, except for the fact that even my lowest mental stat is more than double two of my physical stats. Everything I learned about from the System stone points to that being a bad idea. In fact, I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯m not getting the most out of my Intelligence or Wisdom in terms of clarity of thought or mental dexterity due to my body being lacking. And there¡¯s a vague indication in the knowledge from the stone that other side-effects can be felt sometimes. Just another indication that maybe my stats aren¡¯t as cut and dried as they appeared to be at first. If I don¡¯t want to have to dedicate any of my impending level-up¡¯s points to my physical stats, I¡¯m going to have to work to increase them naturally a bit first. So, perhaps a little trip to try to harvest some metal is in order? Even if my hopes prove to be fruitless and the glint was nothing but my imagination, tanning that crocodile hide is going to take both strength and dexterity, so I should gain a couple of points there anyway. And of course, more important than perhaps anything, is dealing with the damage I¡¯ve suffered to my internal matrix. This, however, doesn¡¯t need to be done during daylight hours, so I decide to spend time during the morning and evening fixing that. Though, that said, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to delay fixing my Core, not with only a single percent of damage left. Satisfied I have the barebones of a plan for the next few weeks, I sit back with an Energy-Heart in hand. Time to fix my Core completely, and then go on a little trip into the forest. ***** The sun is only just peeking over the trees by the time I¡¯m finished. I pull up my status screen and gaze at it with a sense of achievement. It tells me only what I already know.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr Energy towards debt: 77%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 360/360
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 680u/hr (-20%)
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 15 Stamina: 90/90
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 6 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Meditation ¨C Novice 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Novice 3 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
It is immensely gratifying to see that the reduction has been removed entirely from my mana pool. Now just to get rid of those affecting my mana and health regeneration rates, and I¡¯ll be golden. Looking at Lay-on-hands reminds me about the choice I still have to make there. But first, something else to test. I close the screen and pull out my knife. Holding it over my arm, I hesitate. Moment of truth. Not thinking too much about it, I slice the knife into my own flesh. There¡¯s less pain than I thought there would be: perhaps my other newest Skill has kicked in to manage the sensation. That, or my threshold for pain has been increased to a crazy height. In fact, my hesitation was far less about the potential pain, and more about what comes after. Focusing on the wound, I activate my healing Skill. Bracing for the pain of my Core cracking again, I¡¯m relieved when all I feel is the warmth in my arm as my healing magic goes to work. In moments, all that remains is a little blood to show that anything happened. Just to check, I pull up my status screen. No new reduction! Wanting to be absolutely sure, I even settle back into Meditation, slipping back into my Core space. Inspecting my Core meticulously, I don¡¯t see a single crack or fracture. The outside of it is as solid and seemingly perfect as any Energy-Heart, for all that my Core glows like the sun where they only sparkle a little. Success is a giddy feeling, and I emerge from my meditation grinning like a loon. ¡°River, Fenrir, Bastet,¡± I call. ¡°I¡¯m back in business!¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Eight: Almost a Piece of Cake Mixed feelings come from Bastet as we look upon the clearing that used to be her home. It¡¯s a little different from when we were last here, but despite the forest starting to reclaim it, the scars of battle are still obvious. It¡¯s only been a month or so, yet greenery is already creeping over the open ground again. ¡°Are you OK?¡± I murmur to the raptorcat, the sound deadened and muffled. Fade is active, stealth too. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve used either of them since levelling up so many times and the difference is obvious. I checked with Bastet when I first activated them, and she confirmed that my scent was harder to detect, the sounds I created slightly muffled. I suppose it¡¯s not surprising ¨C my Willpower has more than doubled in the last few days and that¡¯s supposed to be the deciding factor for concealment from physical senses. I¡¯ll have to check with Kalanthia when I get back as to whether I¡¯m any more difficult to detect with her telepathy or whatever it is she uses. After getting my Core back into mint condition, I knew exactly where I wanted to bring my Bound ¨C two birds; one stone. Or one lump of ore, anyway¡­. The adult raptorcat takes a few moments to respond, and when she does, it¡¯s not all that clear. Ever since the underground tunnels, I¡¯ve found that her communications have been significantly easier to parse, but this one is jumbled enough to appear more like they were when we first Bonded. Longing, sadness, nostalgia, regret, are all present, but along with them, more positive emotions. Pride, solidarity, a fierce protectiveness, and determination are also there. If I had to guess, she¡¯s feeling a remarkably human sentiment of sadness about the past and her losses, but pride and satisfaction in what she has now. Or perhaps that¡¯s me overly anthropomorphising again. ¡°Do you want to wait here?¡± I ask next. The bones of her family are in that clearing, after all. Her response is a little unexpected ¨C unhesitating desire to accompany us, to protect us. Well, maybe it¡¯s not so surprising, then ¨C she remembers losing one family in this place; she¡¯s going to do her damn best to make sure she doesn¡¯t lose another. ¡°OK,¡± I acknowledge. I frown at the entrance to the cave. Why are my instincts telling me there¡¯s something in there? I scan the area. There¡¯s no evidence of a resident. No half-eaten kills, no marks of claws on trees, no depressed areas where a creature might normally lie. It all looks untouched. Yet something tells me that the cave is not unoccupied. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s something in the cave?¡± I ask my Bound quietly. Three out of four immediately agree. Yes, I have the whole posse with me, bar the cubs who have stayed with Kalanthia and Lathani. Even Sirocco is there, sitting quietly in a tree and watching out for us. On that note, I¡¯ve noticed a change in her since our discussion: she¡¯s been more approachable, less standoffish. Although she didn¡¯t join us in the cave, I sensed that she roosted in a tree closer to it than previously. Plus, her side of the Bond feels more...open. Relaxed. Like maybe she¡¯s not on guard against me trying to seize control of it at any moment. It¡¯s an unexpected expression of trust; one that makes me more hopeful about our future as a group. She¡¯s also the only one who doesn¡¯t agree. She sends me a sharper version of the same image I¡¯m looking at and a sense of uncertainty. Clearly, even the sharp-eyed bird can¡¯t see anything amiss. However, the other three all seem confident that my instincts weren¡¯t wrong. Fenrir sends a sense of a smell to me. It¡¯s a strange sensation: I don¡¯t actually smell the scent myself, but it feels like I did. It¡¯s strong, and not something I have any hope of identifying. Bastet agrees with my sense of something being there, but is unsure what. River is the only one to have any idea. I believe it is some sort of click-grunt-flash-of-red. Of course, that doesn¡¯t help me much either. ¡°Can you describe it to me?¡± I ask. Instead of describing, he sends me a still image. My face automatically screws up in a grimace as I see it. Another of this planet¡¯s horrors, apparently. It looks like a millipede with a stinger and massive fangs. Actually, not that dissimilar from one of the things that attacked me in my first days here, only bigger and uglier. And with a stinger, as if the creature had needed more weapons. I still have those barbed legs in my Inventory somewhere, I think to myself ¨C I really need to go through my Inventory and actually start using these things or get rid of them. Then again, I¡¯ve got lots of space so it¡¯s not urgent. Of course, if this is a rematch, then I¡¯m the one who¡¯s gained more firepower on my side: the snilapede may have got a stinger, but I¡¯ve got a Bastet, Fenrir, and River. It¡¯s also my turn to be the ambusher. ¡°Did you make any more of that poison?¡± I ask River thoughtfully. Yes. I managed to find enough ingredients to recreate it. I didn¡¯t find a black blob though so I still do not have any more of the poison which attacks stamina regeneration. A black blob? ¡°What black blob?¡± I ask blankly. An ambush predator that hides in the trees and attacks from above with a single appendage bearing poison. Oh. Oh. That black blob. Briefly wondering why he¡¯s used my term for them, I dismiss it as some sort of translation feature since we both know what we¡¯re talking about. It makes a lot of sense ¨C when I was attacked by a blob before and saved by Spike, I¡¯d been completely paralysed, unable to move. That sounds very like this kind of poison. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I grin. I am completely in favour of hunting down those bastards to provide us with sufficient poison to deal with our own enemies. Perhaps that¡¯s hypocritical, to dislike the species for what they do and then use their venom to do the same thing, but I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s a dog eat dog world out here. ¡°Let¡¯s coat our weapons, then,¡± I say to River and match my actions to words when he passes over a container. ¡°Right,¡± I continue, looking back at the cave from which there is still no sign of the occupant we¡¯re all convinced is present. ¡°No way do we want to fight the thing in there. Here¡¯s the plan ¨C let me know if you have any better ideas.¡± ***** Fenrir stumbles into the clearing, blood dripping down his leg. He¡¯s limping and making low moaning noises. The creature within the cave doesn¡¯t stir but there¡¯s the sense that something is now paying attention. Fenrir stumbles over his own foot and falls to the ground, letting out a yelping noise. The sense of watchfulness increases, anticipation rising. As the seconds tick by and Fenrir stays still, only the lifting of his side any indication that he still lives, the tension grows. Finally, it breaks as the creature emerges into the light. It is as we¡¯d thought ¨C a more powerful, more deadly snilapede. Where the first one had been a bit over a metre long and perhaps five centimetres thick, this one is as thick around as my thigh, and at least five metres long. Its fangs are the length of my hand, and gleam with deadly poison. It darts forward, its multitude of legs carrying it quickly towards the prone lizog. However, it never gets there. As it darts forwards, it is blindsided by a raptorcat leaping out of camouflage to its side. Bastet¡¯s stealth seems to have improved a little too, perhaps due to her progress towards Tier Two, but her success is mostly to do with the glacial pace she used to get closer. I¡¯d been able to find her when I tried, but if I blocked out the sense of her through the Bond, she was practically invisible. By also hiding in one of the crevices caused by Kalanthia¡¯s attack, she kept her approach concealed from the snilapede until too late. Her attack doesn¡¯t do much damage, but it diverts the snilapede¡¯s head enough that its fangs bash into the rock instead of its hapless prey. As for said prey, I¡¯m impressed by Fenrir¡¯s acting skills. He leaps to his feet, all signs of weakness completely absent. The small cut we¡¯d made in his skin in order to allow a bit of blood out is already healed, my Lay-on-hands making sure he was in top condition before the play even started. He joins the fight by digging his powerful jaws into the snilapede¡¯s length and biting down hard. River and I are not idle, either. As soon as Bastet leaped, we¡¯d come running into the fray, our weapons bared. I¡¯d taken the opportunity before coming to just quickly sharpen a stick into a rough spear. It¡¯s not as good as the flint-tipped one I¡¯ve given to River, but I¡¯ll replace it soon, hopefully with a metal-tipped one, if today plays out the way I hope it will. But first, we need to clear the way. The snilapede doesn¡¯t stand much chance against us all. Using the poison may even have been overkill. Bastet doesn¡¯t do much damage, but she¡¯s an excellent distraction. She has the speed and reflexes to be able to avoid its venomous fangs, but, like with the salamander, her slashing claws are just annoying enough to keep the snilapede¡¯s attention. Fenrir is just holding on, like the pit bull he seems similar to, his teeth slowly digging in deeper. If he manages to get through the creature¡¯s spine, it¡¯s game over for the snilapede. As for River and I, we just keep stabbing with our weapons, finding the softer spots between the snilapede¡¯s armoured skin, delivering our poison. It¡¯s a race to see what gives first ¨C the snilapede¡¯s stamina, or its spine. The only problem is that we¡¯ve forgotten one thing: its stinger. I¡¯m painfully reminded of its existence when I don¡¯t manage to dodge in time as it flashes at me. The venomous barb pierces my side, avoiding my chitin breast and backplate completely. I yell in pain, though after its initial flash, it dims significantly. I can feel the venom pumping through my system. It withdraws and I just know it¡¯s going to strike at someone else. My health is dropping, about a health point per second. That¡¯s not nearly enough to take me down; I just send a Lay-on-hands running through my body and focus on the stinger. Timing it right, I drop my spear and jump at it bodily as it prepares to strike again. Grabbing on, I hold on for dear life, trusting my other bound to keep the front part of the snilapede occupied. Shifting my grip when it stops flailing around quite so much, I cling on like a monkey with both legs and a single hand. With the other hand, I reach for my knife and proceed to stab, slice, and saw at the chitinous tail. Everything is a flurry of activity, but by the time I manage to detach the venomous head from the rest of the muscle, the fight is pretty much over. I fall to the ground, letting go of my strong grip, only to see that the snilapede is on its last legs. Literally ¨C all the legs below Fenrir¡¯s grip have stopped moving. Clearly he¡¯s hit something important. The front part of the snilapede isn¡¯t looking so great either, its movements slowed significantly and appearing almost drunk. With a forceful spear-strike from River to the back of its head, the attacker is done. Although everyone looks fine, if a little tired, I quickly hurry around to apply healing. I start with Bastet, since she was most at risk. There¡¯s a little poison in her system ¨C clearly she didn¡¯t manage to avoid every strike ¨C but it¡¯s still far from posing any danger to her. I clear it out anyway ¨C no point in making her lose health she doesn¡¯t need to. River is absolutely fine, only a few small cuts to his feet and lower legs indicating that the snilapede might have stepped on him a few times. Fenrir is completely uninjured, his position keeping him away from anything but the stinger which never targeted him. All my Bound fine, I take a moment to clear the rest of the poison out of my own system ¨C I couldn¡¯t do it in the fight due to needing more concentration than I could spare at the time. Done, a grin spreads across my face and I marvel at what we¡¯ve become. A monster like that would have been really dangerous to me alone, and probably pretty dangerous even if I¡¯d had Bastet there too. But for the four of us? Almost a piece of cake. Clear-up can wait. Time to see what¡¯s in the cave, finally, I think to myself with anticipation. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Sixty-Nine: Closure Stepping tentatively towards the entrance, I check again with my companions that they don¡¯t detect the presence of anything else in the cave. Getting negative answers from all of them, I peer into the dark hole with my spear at the ready. As my eyes adapt a little to the light quality, I see that, indeed, the cave is empty apart from a covering of dead leaves on the cave floor. Bedding for the snilapede, I guess. Stepping more confidently into the cave, I drop into Fade to gain the benefits of a sharper eye-sight in the dim conditions. Going to where I remember seeing a metallic glint, I¡¯m pleased to immediately be able to identify a number of lines looking like the delta of a river running through the rock. They shine in the dim light coming in from the entrance; with my sharper eyesight, I¡¯m even able to see the colour. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say that they¡¯re copper. My heart sinks a little, I admit it. Copper is metal, sure, but it isn¡¯t what I was hoping for. Mixed with tin, I could make bronze, but that requires me to find the other metal. What I was really hoping for was iron ¨C it¡¯s a lot harder than copper and I even know a method to make a rough sort of steel which would be great. Still, any metal is better than no metal, and even pure copper should be an upgrade on my flint weaponry. So saying, I pull out a chunk of un-knapped flint from my Inventory. Although I¡¯ve got my axe, that¡¯s supposed to be for trees and needs a sharper edge than bashing some metal out of rock. Gripping the large lump of flint with both hands, I raise it above my head and then bring it swinging down. The reverberation stings my fingers, but I reckon the sensation is not as bad as it would have been previously ¨C my new pain management Skill may be kicking in, or perhaps my increased Constitution. Unsurprisingly, my single bash with the rock has had little effect. That is to say, almost none. This is going to take a while¡­ ***** By the time I manage to knock out my first lump of copper ore, my hands have really started to hurt and I¡¯ve already managed to earn a point in Strength (Power), proving just how much force I¡¯ve been using. The fact that applying the stat only cost me two percent of my Energy store is also proof of exactly how much the requirements of Energy per percentage have increased along with my level. There has to be a better way, I decide. If I can attach a handle to this lump of rock, I¡¯ll be able to get more power out of each swing and reduce the impact carried through to my hands. Yes, it will take me a bit of time to create the implement, but it will probably save me more time than I use, both now and in the future. Although the pitch I have with me is cold, having been left back at Kalanthia¡¯s den while I was away, I do have plenty of bark-fibre cord. Hopefully that will be enough. If not, I¡¯ll have to melt the pitch, but waiting for it to cool will take longer than I would like. I¡¯ll try it with just the cord first. Heading back to the clearing, I note that all my companions have been taking advantage of my absence to eat their fair share of the body. Dropping Fade, I see them take notice of me immediately. Markus, we saved this for you, River says, standing and holding a dripping piece of flesh out to me. I frown in confusion, but as I get closer, it becomes clearer. I guess the snilapede was more lizard-like than millipede given what it looks like. ¡°The heart?¡± I clarify. River sends a sense of confirmation. You asked me to save that of the salamander, he adds. I thought you might like this one too. I smile at his consideration. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll set up a fire and roast it, then.¡± I might as well do that while sorting out my new implement. So thinking, I quickly set up a fire and get the heart roasting while searching around the area for an appropriate handle. Finding a decent-sized fallen branch which is fairly fresh, I use my axe to cut it a little down to size. Pulling it over to the fire, I start attempting to fix the lump of flint to the rough handle. On second thoughts, I pull my container of pitch out of my Inventory and set it next to the fire to melt. Even if I don¡¯t use it here and now, having melted pitch in my Inventory will be more useful than cold and set pitch. By the time my heart is cooked enough for me to risk eating, I have made something that might do me well enough as a very primitive pick-axe. Setting it to one side, I take the heart and cut it into bite-sized chunks. Munching away, my gaze wanders around the area. Here and there I can see white-ish lumps. As I focus on them, I realise what they are: bones. Bastet is clearly following my gaze as sadness comes from her. Without thinking, I move closer to her and start stroking her head as I would Lathani. After the first stroke, I freeze, realising that I¡¯ve assumed she might like that kind of contact without actually asking. She seems to take a moment to consider carefully whether she liked it or not, and the next moment butts at my hand, just as Lathani would have. OK, then. Stroking her head, I marvel at the softness of the proto-feathers covering it. Gently, I scratch at the skin underneath it, finding the flesh below her ear tufts and stroking that as well. Bastet shivers a little and then presses closer. She¡¯s warm, and surprisingly light for such a large creature. Still, despite my attempts to comfort her obviously working a little, I still sense the deep grief within her. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Do you want to bury them?¡± I offer after a moment of thought. Yes, I know it isn¡¯t exactly necessary ¨C they¡¯re already bones, after all. But the purpose of burying has never been only to protect bodies from predation: it¡¯s also about letting go, offering closure. I know that all too well, even if the funeral was only the start of letting go for me. Bastet¡¯s response is fairly indifferent. Unsurprising. Burial is perhaps too much of a human thing to suit her. Hmm¡­ There are traditions other than burial which have the same purpose. Many traditions highlight spending time celebrating the loved one¡¯s life, retelling stories about their greatest successes and most dismal failures. ¡°What about telling me about them?¡± I suggest next. ¡°Remember them as they once were, and say goodbye to them for a final time?¡± Bastet hesitates, but I get the sense that actually, she might like that, though isn¡¯t sure. Smiling sadly in shared grief, I push myself to my feet and go over to the closest collection of bones. ¡°Who was this?¡± Bastet joins me on taloned feet that click very softly against the stony ground. Surprisingly, River also joins, his own feelings sombre. Seeing that the rest of us have moved, Fenrir joins us with a sense of curiosity ¨C I doubt he knows really what¡¯s going on; it¡¯s just that he doesn¡¯t want to miss out. Even Sirocco hops over, her own feelings matching Fenrir, though with a greater dignity. Once we are all gathered around the pile of overgrown bones, Bastet begins. Unsurprisingly, she doesn¡¯t use words. Instead, she sends me a series of still images which I then send to everyone else. A cub, gambolling and playing with a group of other cubs. A juvenile, fluff still stubbornly clinging on in a number of places. Her first kill, her plumed tail sticking up straight in the air and wings spread wide in joy. A severe injury, which she managed to recover from, though it left a permanent scar which remained bare of feathers even after it healed. And her death, the first to be cut down by Kalanthia when she came. Bastet¡¯s family was¡­ River sends to me, his mental voice trailing off. Killed by Kalanthia, yes, I confirm, sending the message to him privately. And yet they seem so friendly with each other, he continues, his bafflement coming through loud and clear to me. Bastet is very practical, and saw no reason to hold a grudge against Kalanthia as long as her, and her cubs'' safety was not in question. And Kalanthia has never felt any threat from Bastet, I explain. It¡¯s hard for me to understand too, I admit, though I am glad of it. Difficult to understand, indeed, River agrees and then falls silent. I get the sense that lizard-folk may have more in common with humans than raptorcats when it comes to holding grudges. The fact that the shaman decided to come after Kalanthia¡¯s cub can¡¯t only be to do with her desiring a powerful protector, surely? I would have thought there would be plenty of easier and almost as good targets near them. Actually, how was Lathani¡¯s spirit supposed to protect against a group of trees, anyway? My thoughts are distracted by Bastet moving away to another pile of bones. One by one, she tells their stories. This one was the youngest in the pack; this one was the oldest apart from Bastet herself. This one was the last to die; this one was the first to attack. This one was missing an eye ¨C she gave me a look at that point which made it very clear who she considered to blame for that; this one was missing an ear. When she identified the one to have most recently given birth, only a few steps away from the cave itself, I have to be glad that the cubs aren¡¯t with us. Not wanting to bring them back to the scene of their family¡¯s massacre was just as much part of my reasoning to not bring them as was keeping them safe. I can¡¯t help but think that it would be a difficult experience for them to see what remained of their mother. But maybe that¡¯s just me projecting again. I quickly strangle the images which threaten to overwhelm me of the last time I saw my mother. This is time for Bastet, not for me, I remind myself firmly and concentrate back on my Bound. When she finishes sending the final series of images as we stand around a pile of bones close to the trees, she reaffirms her attachment to us. In place of the images of past raptorcats, she sends us pictures of ourselves. It¡¯s a bit weird for me to see myself through Bastet¡¯s eyes: I look bigger, my features less defined, my hands larger and my muscles skinnier. River is similarly bigger, with blunter teeth and shorter claws. Fenrir is pretty much the same as he is in real life, and Sirocco is more vague, only her claws and beak at all defined. The cubs, on the other hand, are very clearly defined, every feather almost lined with light, like they¡¯ve been put through a filter to sharpen the details. Even Lathani is there, though she is, in contrast to the rest of us, smaller than she really is, and her coat fluffier, like Bastet isn¡¯t yet seeing her as a juvenile, but still the small cub she was. The raptorcat sends a sense of belonging and contentedness along with the images, making her meaning very clear: she misses her old pack, but she has found a new one. I immediately respond with my feeling of her being my family, and a dear friend. What surprises me is when the others also respond, though I have to transmit their ¡®words¡¯ to her. Fenrir immediately sends the sense of being glad to be with his pack. River and Sirocco are more hesitant, the bird only really sending the idea of being glad to have met us and travelled a little on the road together. As for River, the emotions he sends are rather mixed, but since they seem positive overall, I pass them on to Bastet. For a moment we all feel connected, like more than a group of mismatched beings pulled together by me using a Skill. And then the moment is gone. River, Fenrir, and Sirocco return to the corpse and their leisurely meal. Bastet stays crouching down by the bones, her gaze distant, her feelings muffled. Squatting down beside my companion, I run my hand once more over her head. ¡°Let me know if you need anything, OK?¡± I tell her, straightening up when I receive her agreement. Walking back towards the others, intending on picking up my new tool and getting back to work, my foot catches on something and I stumble. Looking down, I see that it was an unexpected chunk of rock sticking out of the ground. Then I look a bit more closely and my eyes go wide. Is that what I think it is? Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy: Hard Graft What are the chances¡­? I ask myself with burgeoning hope as I lean down. Using a nearby stick to dig the object out of the ground, I lift it up to inspect it. Looks legit¡­ placing it back down on the ground, I use my newest implement to break it into two. Once it has, I inspect the inside. The mixed rusty red and purple makes a grin spread across my face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± I murmur out loud. My companions all send me questioning feelings which I wave aside. My attention is busy looking around the area, my newly tuned eyes spotting the iron ore rocks just randomly sticking out of the ground. Seriously, what are the chances of finding iron deposits right next to a vein of copper ore? Well, I¡¯m not complaining! I¡¯d wanted to find iron more than copper anyway. Pulling my digging stick out of my Inventory, I set to with eagerness. Forget Bronze Age ¨C I¡¯m going straight to Iron, baby. Sure, it¡¯s going to be a long old process to get these lumps of iron ore into anything even vaguely useful as tools or weapons, but it¡¯s going to be so worth it. Whether I can make them in time for my quest deadline, I don¡¯t know, but we¡¯ll have to see. How well learning to manipulate earth with Kalanthia goes will probably be a deciding factor since it would probably save a lot of hard graft. Digging up lumps and piling them into a slot in my Inventory, I¡¯m surprised when River hands me one. Is this what you are harvesting, Ma-Markus? Checking it, I smile and add it to my stockpile. ¡°Yes, it is. Are you going to help me?¡± Unless you wish me not to? I shake my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Any help would be appreciated.¡± With an assent coming across the Bond, we both set to again. Funnily enough, Fenrir decides to try to help too, digging at the ground eagerly. He doesn¡¯t quite know what we¡¯re looking for, obvious from his various offerings of a bone, a normal rock, and a lump of dirt, but when I direct him to dig in certain areas, he helps to uncover a number of other iron ore lumps. Whether this iron deposit was always here, or it was unearthed when Kalanthia tore up the ground, I don¡¯t know. Either way, I¡¯m very happy to have found it. Actually...I wonder whether being able to detect deposits of metal would be something I could learn to do with earth-shaping magic. Assuming I can learn it, of course. Something to bear in mind for later. When I¡¯ve harvested all the iron ore I can see, and a few that were revealed by Fenrir¡¯s eager digging, I stand up straight and stretch. My back is sore from all the work, so I quickly cast another Lay-on-hands. I haven¡¯t yet earned another point in Strength, but with the amount of labour I still have to do to make my iron, I¡¯m not worried. Should I harvest some more copper ore while I¡¯m here¡­? I wonder to myself. Checking on my Bound, I see that they¡¯re OK. Bastet is bored, and has taken up prowling around the clearing instead of lying still. Fenrir is relaxing after all his hard work. River is sending me questioning feelings, as if to ask what¡¯s next. Sirocco is still doing the same as before: sitting perched in a tree and keeping guard for us. Copper would be good even if I have iron. Perhaps it¡¯s a bit unrealistic, but it would be awesome if I could charge my phone or kindle by creating a generator using a copper coil and an iron magnet¡­. I mean, it should work, in theory. I¡¯d need to magnetise the metal somehow, and then manage to actually draw the copper into wires¡­. I¡¯m no electronics expert, but if it¡¯s possible to light a bulb with a potato, it¡¯s got to be possible to charge my phone and kindle with an electromagnet. They don¡¯t take that much electricity, right? Whether I can do it well enough to not burn out my electronics is another question. If I use the actual chargers rather than doing it directly into the device, would that work better? In the end, I decide to take a few chunks of ore with me as potential experimentation material for when I have time. When River starts to step towards the cave with me, I stop him. ¡°Thanks, but it¡¯s OK. There isn¡¯t enough space in there for both of us,¡± I explain. Seeing him look a little at loose-ends, I make a suggestion. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a look around this area for any herbs you recognise? Just don¡¯t go too far if you do,¡± I finish, seeing him look thoughtful. Heading towards the cave again, he doesn¡¯t try to join me. Using my tool simplifies things a lot; it still takes a lot of effort and some time before I¡¯ve bashed free a few chunks of rock which gleam slightly red. Putting them in my Inventory, I¡¯m unsurprised when they don¡¯t stack with the iron ore. No matter. Returning to my companions, I note that River is not present, though I see him not far away. He¡¯s harvesting a plant so I leave him to it. While he¡¯s at it, I notice a few of those potato-things nearby, so take advantage of digging them up too. ¡°Ready to go?¡± I ask him as I finish, brushing the dirt from my hands. River agrees and we set off as a group. I¡¯ve got the corpse of the snilapede draped over my shoulders like the most bloody scarf ever ¨C while my Bound have made a good innings on the meat, there¡¯s still more than two-thirds of it left. And I know someone else who would appreciate it. ¡°What did you find?¡± I ask River curiously as we run through the forest at a pace I, as the one with the least stamina, can keep up almost indefinitely. A few leaves used in a number of healing poultices, some berries which are very tasty, and even some blood-root, only found in areas where there has been significant blood-shed. Unsurprising to find it here, then, I think to myself. ¡°What is blood-root used for?¡± I ask audibly. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Mostly a herbal concoction which helps to replenish blood. River sends over a sense of uncertainty. I believe my...our...the herbalist can make a more powerful concoction, but I am unsure. Blood-root can be difficult to find, so I was pleased to be able to harvest so much here. Good to know. I suppose that might be a good argument in favour of finding a peaceable solution for the lizard-folk dilemma ¨C if I can get access to more effective herbal remedies, our ability to face up to circumstances is expanded. And if the herbalist is making concoctions which help keep Lathani alive instead of exploiting her, it would be rather poetic justice. The return trip through the forest is peaceful. Once again, it seems that the local denizens have no desire to face our group head-on. And frankly, without cubs to protect, we¡¯re probably even more combat-ready than we were last time we walked through it, so fair enough. Although it would be great to earn more Energy just to bring me back up to one hundred percent, I¡¯m not upset at making it home in record time. I have something I¡¯m looking forwards to there, after all. ***** ¡°Kalanthia,¡± I start, approaching the massive nunda who¡¯s sunning herself outside. She opens one massive golden eye and regards me with curiosity. Yes, Markus Wolfe? ¡°First, I brought this for Lathani,¡± I say, happily letting the snilapede drop. Although my strength was sufficient for the task, running for an hour or more through the forest while carrying it was wearing on me by the end. I got a point in Strength (Endurance) out of it, so I¡¯m not complaining. Much. The reason for not just putting it in my Inventory? Because I¡¯d been told several times that doing so took all the Energy out of the meat, and rendered it far less useful. I have a feeling that carrying corpses is going to be something I¡¯m going to need to get used to. Ah, a liman. She noses at the corpse. A recently evolved one. A good find, she praises. Looking towards the cave, I sense her communicating with someone, though I can¡¯t quite get the message. When Lathani comes running out a moment later, looking excited, I guess that I didn¡¯t need to; being able to detect the message being sent was already a step forward compared to where I used to be. This Beast will be good for Lathani ¨C the essence still lingering in the corpse from its recent evolution will help stabilise the energies in her body. As Lathani starts to eat happily, her mother looks at me with her head tilted. This was not the only matter you wished to discuss, however? ¡°No,¡± I admit. ¡°I¡¯ve fixed my Core now and was hoping¡­¡± To start attempting to learn to shape the earth? she finishes knowingly. I nod, anticipation and nerves mixing in my belly to make butterflies the size of dinner-plates. Very well. We can start now. Gesturing for me to sit, she settles herself on the ground more comfortably. I follow her instructions and rest with my back against a rock, my chitin armour making it a more comfortable surface to lean against than it would otherwise be. There is no real secret to learning to shape the earth. No moment where it goes from being unable to, to being able to. Not in my experience, at least. Already it¡¯s a little different from my ¨C limited ¨C experience with magic as that¡¯s exactly what happened when I learnt how to cast Lay-on-hands. Instead, it is a series of small steps. It was an accident when I first learned to shape the earth. And it was an accident when my mate learned to shape lightning too. That is why I am unsure whether this can be taught at all, she admits. Hmm, shaping lightning...that sounds pretty cool as well. Though shaping earth is probably more practical, shaping lightning would probably be a really awesome combat ability. I don¡¯t interrupt, listening intently to her ¡®words¡¯. Kalanthia might be uncertain, but I¡¯ve seen enough impossible things happen in the last two months to be at least hopeful. Thinking back to when it all began...I believe that earth shaping actually just started with feeling the earth. I spent far too much time in...well. It matters not. A sense of an old aching pain comes through the connection before the giant nunda cuts it off abruptly. Suffice it to say that my time as a cub was not what I would wish. The earth was my solace. Digging my claws into its cool firmness and tearing it apart helped me express the emotions which would otherwise tear me to shreds. The same pain twinges again, this time a fainter echo to what came before, as if Kalanthia was actively suppressing it. I feel a bit of guilt that talking about such topics is so clearly bringing up bad memories. I learned much from the earth, Kalanthia continued. Endurance. Indifference in the face of attack. Sheer inevitability. The earth does not defend itself; it doesn¡¯t need to. Any attack is meaningless to it. Yet, when the earth does move, little can stand against it. True, I suppose. A landslide is a force of nature. Even a simple rockfall can only be endured, not fought. The more I felt the earth, the more I learned from it, the more I was able to connect with it. Little by little, I became able to affect the earth. At first, it was only the little I was touching. That was enough, then: I escaped my captors when the earth broke the enclosure I was held in, and it added speed to my feet as I ran from them. As my power and connection to it grew, I was able to affect more at a time, and earth further from me. By the time I reached my first evolution, I had become adept at using it and cognisant of its rules. Earth is slow by nature, its movements small. To speed and amplify these is possible, but the more we wish to amplify it, the more mana it consumes. That is the nature of earth; I know that the nature of lightning is different ¨C my mate and I have discussed these matters many times. To summarise, then. You must first feel the earth, then you must connect to it. Only after that will you be able to affect it. If, after having heard my words, you wish to try, I suggest that you make an attempt to do this, knowing that it might take much time to even begin. Knowing as well that it may not even be possible. After trying, if you have questions, I will do my best to answer them. With those words, I sense that the ¡®lesson¡¯ has ended for now. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say to her respectfully, appreciating the effort she has made. My mind is racing, not only with the information about earth shaping, but the revelations about Kalanthia¡¯s history. I won¡¯t ask any questions about it, but I can¡¯t help my curiosity from going wild. Nonetheless, clearly it¡¯s a painful subject for her, so I forcibly direct my mind onto more fruitful topics. Now, how do I ¡®feel the earth¡¯, I wonder. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-One: Slaughterhouse Closing my eyes, I drop into Meditation. This time I make sure I don¡¯t go into myself, figuring that I¡¯m unlikely to succeed in ¡®feeling the earth¡¯ if I¡¯m stuck in my Core space. However, even surrounded by the almost visible connections between me and everything, I feel lost. The links between me and my Bound are the most obvious, of course. If I had to compare them to lights, it would be a normal room light which highlights my connections to the world around; the connections between me and my Bound are like fluorescent tubes strobing right in front of me. Impossible to miss. However, I don¡¯t get the idea that ¡®feeling the earth¡¯ will be helped by focusing on the Bonds I have with other creatures. Instead, I try to ignore them and look at the connections I have with the rest of my surrounding world. After my official Bonds, the next strongest connections I have are with the cubs and Lathani. Unsurprising, really. My link to Kalanthia is stronger than I would have thought, I realise. I¡¯d always got the sense that she was more tolerating me than wanting me near, but the connection between us is almost as thick as the one I have with Lathani. Very different in feel, though. Lathani¡¯s is one of dependency, affection, and even a little bit of awe. Kalanthia¡¯s is more gratitude, amusement, and yes, a little bit of affection there. I feel warm inside and suspect that a smile is spreading across my body¡¯s face. Not that I feel much more than an inkling, as detached from bodily sensations as I am right now. None of that is likely to help ¡®feel the earth¡¯, though. Or is it? Kalanthia obviously has a connection with the earth, I muse. What if I can find it? Maybe learning from her own connection is a possibility. That seems easier said than done, though. Kalanthia is very connected to everything. In fact, unlike the vine-strangler trees in the forest which were so clearly connected to each other and the Energy source below, the area near Kalanthia is basically just a mass of light. Like an aura, perhaps. There are no filaments of connection leading outwards, or perhaps the issue is that there are too many. It¡¯s possible that if I had higher stat points in Wisdom or my Meditation Skill was higher level that I would be able to differentiate the different connections emerging from her, but as it is, it¡¯s like looking at an intricate painting using a pointillism technique from a distance and trying to pick out the individual colours used. So that¡¯s not going to help. What about plants? They¡¯ve got to be connected to the earth, I theorise. Even if I don¡¯t have a whole load of vine-stranglers here, there are plenty of bushes and other plants. Even the grass-like foliage that¡¯s cushioning my seat is a plant. My theory is correct; it doesn¡¯t do me much good. I can vaguely see the connection between the plants around and the earth, but it doesn¡¯t tell me anything more than that they are connected, which I already knew. I see no way of applying their connection my own way, and my attempts to follow the lines of light are fruitless. Frustrated, I pull myself out of Meditation. Kalanthia looks at me questioningly. ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± I tell her a bit defensively. Do not rush, Markus Wolfe, she admonishes me a little. The earth is patient; to connect with it, so must you be. Patient...yeah. I¡¯ll admit that that¡¯s not one of my strong points. I mean, I can be patient and hardworking and all that, but if I don¡¯t see any results, I¡¯d much rather try a different way. ¡°OK, thanks,¡± I tell her with a sigh. Maybe I should go and do something else for a bit. Something tells me that trying to meditate while frustrated is unlikely to help. Pushing myself to my feet, I nod at Kalanthia before heading towards Bastet who¡¯s watching the cubs. ¡°Want to come down to the river with me?¡± I ask. ¡°Bring the cubs along?¡± River, Fenrir, and Sirocco are out and the reasonably regular influxes of Energy prove that they¡¯re teaching the forest to fear them. Even when we¡¯d got back to the den, the two males in particular had been feeling a little antsy and they clearly wanted to go hunting. Since all I¡¯d intended on doing was learning earth-shaping from Kalanthia, I hadn¡¯t seen anything wrong with that. As matters stand now, though, clearly I¡¯m stalled on the whole earth-shaping front and need to do something else to make myself feel useful. Cue deciding to sort out all the corpses which have been piling up in my Inventory. The fact is that I¡¯ve got a whole load of meat in there which I don¡¯t want to go to waste. Even if it¡¯s not great for my Bound to eat, there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t eat it. Plus, if I keep some in store, then if we have a situation where we don¡¯t necessarily have anything to hunt, we¡¯ve got some recourse. But the corpses have more resources than just meat and there may even be a few Cores among them, so I need to spend some time processing the bodies. Hence my need to go down to the river. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Bastet quickly agrees and I just grab a couple of things from our alcove before we set off. Just as we¡¯re heading towards the edge of the plateau, Lathani comes trotting up. Can I come too? she asks hopefully. I cast a glance at Kalanthia. The big nunda gives off a sense of indifference so I just shrug. ¡°Sure. But you¡¯ll need to stay nearby and do what we tell you to if there¡¯s danger,¡± I warn her. She should already know the rules after travelling with us for several days, but she is still a cub at heart¡­ I understand, she tells me seriously before bouncing happily and trotting down the hill. Come on! Let¡¯s go. Rolling my eyes a little, I can¡¯t help grinning too. Sharing a glance with Bastet, I see the same long-suffering amusement in her eyes. The cubs, of course, have happily followed Lathani¡¯s lead and are trotting down the slope, jumping from rock to rock. We quickly follow before they run too far ahead and accidentally get themselves into trouble. ***** A few hours later, an onlooker might almost think it¡¯s something of an idyllic scene. Bastet is keeping an eye on the cubs who are having great fun frolicking by the stream. Lathani was playing with them earlier, but is currently prowling through the trees, sniffing at trace scents and inspecting the various marks on the trees. The sunlight is dappled by the canopy above and the stream glints in the odd ray that reaches it directly. There¡¯s even a gentle breeze that serves to freshen the air. That¡¯s rather fortunate for the very reason that onlookers wouldn¡¯t call it an idyllic scene: The space immediately around me is far more reminiscent of a slaughterhouse than a picnic spot. I¡¯m in a bit of a state, and the blood soaking into the earth around me is probably enough to nurture a dozen blood-roots, but I¡¯ve made progress. I hadn¡¯t realised quite how many corpses had accumulated in my Inventory. It¡¯s fortunate that my skills at skinning and butchering carcasses have significantly improved ever since arriving in this world, and it probably would have taken me three times as long to deal with them if I¡¯d still been at the same skill level as when I dealt with the corpse of the first bird to attack me. Between the previously-butchered salamander meat and all this new stuff, I¡¯m not going to be going hungry any time soon. Heck, I¡¯ve probably got supplies for months. My stockpiles are looking just as good for my various crafting objectives. Although not a priority, I do want to make a proper bed at some point, and the feathers I collected from the XL killer-chickens will be perfect for a mattress and pillow. The feathers from their wings will also help in making more arrows, something that is a priority. I¡¯ve done my best to save the hide of as many creatures as seems reasonable: I foresee lots of tanning in my future. Not only have I got the crocodile¡¯s and salamander¡¯s hide that I want to turn into better armour than my chitin plate, but I am seriously running out of clothes. Forget clean, I¡¯m now struggling to find clothes which are even intact. This world has really been rough on my wardrobe and I¡¯m resigning myself to having to start looking like a real wild-man with stitched-together hides. Sure, I¡¯m still going to do a wash-day ¨C probably tomorrow ¨C and do my best to stitch up some of the more salvageable clothes, but I¡¯m questioning whether it¡¯s worth putting in too much effort as they¡¯ll probably be torn to rags again in a short space of time. At least hides are both more replaceable and might be more hard-wearing. They won¡¯t be anywhere near as comfortable, though, that I¡¯m sure about. I¡¯m also going to stitch together some cured hides to make the tick for my mattress, so tanning is definitely going to be a major thing in the near future. To that end, I¡¯ve also been collecting all the brains of the animals, knowing that this is a key ingredient in the process. There¡¯s going to be a lot more preparation involved since I¡¯m also going to need racks and somewhere to soak the hides, so I just put the hides and brains back in my Inventory for now. Although I don¡¯t collect all the bones, I do collect a few which I¡¯m hoping to turn into needles for my sewing needs. As for the other parts of the body, I keep those I think might be useful either immediately or in the future, and then leave the rest. The animals of the forest will be perfectly happy to clear up the rest of the mess. There¡¯s plenty of rejected meat since Bastet and Lathani both decided to wait until the other three come back from their hunt to eat. The cubs sampled a few choice bits, though. I¡¯ll admit to being a bit disappointed that learning earth-shaping wasn¡¯t anywhere as easy as learning Lay-on-hands; I suppose that¡¯s the difference between a Skill stone and asking for teaching from a practitioner. And Kalanthia was open about the fact that she might not even be able to teach it. Actually, on that note, I suddenly remember that I need to ask her about whether she¡¯s heard of Flesh-Shaping. River hadn¡¯t, but Kalanthia seems to have had a wider range of experiences than the lizard-man. It¡¯s a decision which nags at me every time I open my status screen. Plus, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s instinct or what, but I sense that it may not be a choice for too much longer. I have a feeling that if I keep putting off making a choice then one will be made for me, and I don¡¯t know which way the System will go. Well, I think to myself, looking at the blood and gore around me, I think I¡¯m pretty much done here. Of course, it¡¯s not quite as simple as that: I need to put things away first, and then I really need to go wash up. I walk straight into the stream fully-clothed, only lacking my chitin armour which I¡¯d taken off when it had kept getting in my way. As I wash all the blood off, a sudden and very urgent sense of warning comes from Bastet. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Two: Two-Faced Reptile I whirl around, the knife I¡¯d been rinsing off now clutched in a firm grip. No attack comes; it takes me a moment to realise that I¡¯m not the target this time. Bastet is snarling and leaping towards the cubs, an urgent warning still emanating from her. Not directed at me; directed at Stormcloud who¡¯s the one in immediate danger. I rush out of the water, my sodden clothes impeding my movement more than I¡¯d like. Still not having seen the enemy, I take a moment to pull my mace out of my Inventory even as I stride forwards. By the time I get to the scene of the action, Bastet is already facing off with the thing. A snake, I realise, suddenly. For once not a horrific hybrid of a snake and something else, this time it¡¯s a legless reptile with long fangs that it¡¯s currently baring at my Bound. Although I¡¯ve got Lay-on-hands, keeping my Bound uninjured is by far the most preferable option. Seeing as the snake seems completely engaged in its dangerous dance with the raptorcat, I quickly swing my mace at it. The snake dodges out of the way at the last moment and the blow which was intended for its head misses. Misses the head, that is. The snake shrieks as instead the flint head thumps squarely on the end of its tail. As it lunges at me and is caught up short, I realise that it¡¯s stuck. It¡¯s still a threat, its head waving angrily in the air and its venom dripping from its fangs. However, it¡¯s only a few feet long and so, when I let go of the handle of my mace and back up a little, it has nothing within range to strike. I feel a bit like I¡¯ve got the tail of the tiger here: although the snake is trapped, it¡¯s in no way defanged. If I want my mace, I¡¯m going to have to get closer and put myself in harm¡¯s way. At least, that would be the case if I hadn¡¯t had back-up weapons. As it is, even though I haven¡¯t fixed my broken spear yet, I¡¯ve still got the rudimentary one I sharpened a few days ago. A few pokes with a sharp stick would probably do the job. Then again...I rub my chin as I consider my sudden thought. It¡¯s not that long ago when I¡¯d decided that having a small and stealthy scout could be a good thing¡­ And this snake did attack us. Mind made up, I turn to Bastet who¡¯s still crouching in front of the cubs and Lathani. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to create a Bond with it. Watch my back?¡± She responds with a wary agreement. I get the sense that she has an inherent dislike for snakes. Not that I can blame her, of course. Briefly debating between Tame and Dominate, I settle on the latter ¨C the snake has already attacked us; I wouldn¡¯t be willing to risk it breaking the Bond while I slept and then attacking us again. Crouching down, I wait until the snake is facing me, its head swaying threateningly. Looking it in its poisonous-green eyes, I activate my Skill. ¡°Dominate.¡± Once more in the liminal space of the Battle of Wills, I quickly walk to the halfway point between us and then stop. The resistance offered by the snake is barely noticeable, but as always, I¡¯m uninterested in forcing a Bond. Close enough for the snake¡¯s aura to touch me, I sense its anger, fear, and pain. Unsurprising. In return, I try to project calmness and peace. Slowly, I sense the creature calm down. If it were able to move, I would guess it would go from head raised and hood open, fangs bared fully, to hood lowered and mouth closed. There is still plenty of wariness in it, though. ¡°Instead of fighting us, would you like to join us?¡± I offer, gaining an immediate rejection. The snake gives the idea of hunting alone. ¡°You may have hunted alone until this point, but hunting together is far more successful. If you join us, we will grow stronger together.¡± Apparently that isn¡¯t particularly tempting either. The snake gives off a sense of disbelief that a group of ¡®inferior¡¯ species without even any venom could in any way be more successful than themself. ¡°We have these,¡± I tell it, sending over a picture of the Energy-Hearts we harvested. For the first time, the snake seems interested. It inquires as to whether it would have access to unlimited numbers of such items if it deigned to join our group. ¡°We share and share alike,¡± I inform it firmly. ¡°Whatever one of us finds is shared with those of the group who can make use of it.¡± I¡¯ve lost the snake¡¯s interest. It gives off a strong sense that it considers its prey belonging solely to it. The legless reptile is clearly uninterested in sharing in any sort of way. I don¡¯t bother trying to convince it further. Even if its small size and venom could be a good addition to the team, its attitude isn¡¯t. At the moment we have a good team where everyone works for the good of everyone; even Sirocco seems to be coming around to that way of thinking. I have no interest in disrupting the team dynamics for a self-centred creature which is only going to put its own interests first. And that¡¯s definitely the impression I get of the snake. ¡°Very well,¡± I concede. Then I eye it firmly and intensify the pressure on it through a force of Will, just to prove to it that I¡¯m choosing to accept its rejection, not forced to. ¡°We will let you go as long as you don¡¯t make any threatening moves towards any in the party now or in the future. If you attack us again, we¡¯ll kill you.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. With that warning, I walk backwards until I¡¯ve left the space. The weakness of failing the Battle of Wills hits me hard and I slump to the ground. Bastet sends me a feeling of concern mixed with a question. I¡¯m fine, I tell her, with disappointment tingeing my thoughts. It didn¡¯t want to join us, and most likely wouldn¡¯t have been a good fit even if it had. She sends acceptance down the link, even with a small bit of relief. Was she worried about me Dominating it? Seeing as we have a few seconds before my weakness will wear off, I quickly ask her. She responds with several memories of losing cubs to snakes and their venom. Cubs snatched when playing and bitten while sleeping. Clearly there¡¯s no love lost between snakes and raptorcats. You know that you can object if I attempt to Bond with something you don¡¯t feel would suit our team, right? I ask her seriously even as I feel strength returning to my limbs. Bastet responds with a mix of uncertainty and gratitude proving that, no, she hadn¡¯t realised. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell her, briefly ignoring the still-trapped snake to go over and give her a little sideways hug. ¡°You¡¯ve been with me since almost the beginning of my time here; you and the cubs are my family. Newcomers have to earn your approval as much as mine.¡± She leans into me and my heart feels warm as we share a moment together. An impatient hiss breaks it not long later ¨C apparently the snake is not happy with being ignored. I scratch at Bastet¡¯s neck a little before standing fully and walking over to the snake. ¡°Remember, attack us, and you die,¡± I tell it again warningly, hoping that if nothing else my tone of voice will make it remember what I said during the Battle of Wills. Laying flat on the ground, it doesn¡¯t appear to be about to attack as soon as I lift the mace from its tail. On the other hand, appearances can be deceptive, so I stay on guard as I approach. It doesn¡¯t strike at my legs even once I¡¯m within its range. So far so good. Wrapping my hand around the grip of my mace, I prepare to lift it. Here we go, I think to myself, staring at the snake with narrowed eyes. Once the mace is lifted sufficiently from the snake¡¯s tail for it to move, it does so, quickly winding away from the group. As it noses its way under a large leaf, I relax, letting out a breath. A squeal of pain suddenly fills the air. It takes me but a moment to realise what¡¯s happened, and a film of red tints my vision. I bellow and take a step towards the sudden action, already swinging my mace down. The flint head pounds into the ground, missing the two-faced reptile which has just bitten Ninja. The cub is crying and I need to go to her, but first¡­ The moving leaves reveal where the snake is; it¡¯s moving faster than even Bastet can catch up even with the furious raptorcat adult out for revenge. I force my anger down: I¡¯ll only have one shot at this. ¡°Out the way!¡± I snap at her and she quickly follows my order as I throw my mace. It¡¯s not the most aerodynamic tool, but it¡¯s directed by my cold fury and my increased Strength. Luck also plays a good part in what happens next: the head falls directly on top of the shifting ground. All goes still. ¡°Check it¡¯s dead,¡± I order Bastet shortly as I hurriedly go to Ninja. The cub is in a bad way, the venom running quickly through her system and destroying her tissues. Fortunately, I have magic for that. Dropping into a healing trance, I direct magic into the cub¡¯s small body, isolating the venom wreaking havoc in her system and healing the damage to her existing tissues while doing so. It takes a while and a lot of mana, but by the time I return to my own body, she¡¯s as good as new. My mana bar is down to only twenty-seven units, so it¡¯s just as well I fixed my Core. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it all in one go, otherwise. Bastet is sitting near me, her eyes fixed on Ninja. ¡°She¡¯s OK,¡± I tell Ninja¡¯s guardian, with tiredness clear in my voice. Grandmother. Aunt. Some relation anyway. I see the snake at Bastet¡¯s feet. It¡¯s bloody ¨C clearly it wasn¡¯t actually dead when Bastet got to it and she just finished the job. Either that or she took out her anger on the corpse. I¡¯m not going to ask. I¡¯m disappointed with the snake¡¯s choice to seek revenge ¨C what else could it have been? Surely it wasn¡¯t intending on taking the cub for food; its attack was just a malicious attempt to hurt us. Still, I¡¯m grimly satisfied as I look at its corpse: I made it a promise, after all. Ninja stirs not long later, either the bite or the healing having made her temporarily unconscious. As soon as she moves, Bastet grabs her and starts grooming her almost violently. The cub complains about the treatment, but Bastet just continues until she¡¯s sure that every inch of her cub¡¯s body is clean and tidy. Are you well? I felt a disturbance. River¡¯s voice entering my head makes me jump a little, but I¡¯m happy to hear him. He must have got close enough for telepathy along the Bond to work. A snake attacked Ninja, I explain quickly. The snake¡¯s dead and Ninja¡¯s fine. How was your hunting trip? Well, perhaps you should see it first¡­ he said, a little hint of the mischief which I¡¯d seen when he teased Lathani present. Or I can tell you, he added, a little uncertainly. No, it¡¯s fine, I tell him, trying to send reassurance down the Bond. I want to encourage him to relax with all of us; at the moment, he¡¯s still a bit too nervous around me in particular. Not long after, I see the shapes of my other Bound approaching through the trees. Over River¡¯s shoulders is a mass that has to be seen to be believed. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Three: Venom ¡°How did you take those down?¡± I ask in astonishment. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d given him any ranged equipment and I don¡¯t see how else he¡¯d have done it. ¡°And how did you even find them?¡± Not that I¡¯m in any way upset at the mass cull he seems to have conducted. The mass River is carrying is composed of numerous black blobs. One, two, three...I count seven of them slung over his shoulders by their bulbous tails. Walking over to him, I view them admiringly. It was purely down to Fenrir¡¯s nose that we found them, River told me, proudly looking down at the lizog. Fenrir seemed to realise that he was being talked about and wriggled happily. His wriggles gain in intensity as I send approval down the Bond to him. Once we found the first, it was easy for him to gather what I wanted to hunt and he led us directly to it whenever he caught the same sort of scent. ¡°So that¡¯s how you found them, but how did you kill them?¡± River made his equivalent of a shrug. The way I was taught to: climbing up into the trees above them and stabbing at the body. My jaw slackens a little. ¡°...Why did I never think of that?¡± I mutter to myself. It makes sense: the blobs aren¡¯t exactly fast and they don¡¯t appear to have any other method of defence apart from their tails. ¡°So you¡¯re going to harvest their venom, then?¡± River sent confirmation down the Bond. I hesitate. ¡°Do you want to use my knife?¡± Even if his wooden one is remarkable for what it is, it¡¯s not anywhere near as good as my own blade. River looks at me, surprise coming down the Bond. You¡¯d allow me to? His question is almost hesitant and I wonder why. ¡°Sure. I¡¯m done with my own harvesting.¡± I pull it out and hand it to him, handle first. ¡°Just, don¡¯t lose it, OK,¡± I half-joke. I won¡¯t, he promises, looking at my tool with eagerness and no small amount of awe. He turns it over and over in his hands. I suppose I can¡¯t blame him: it¡¯s got to have been the first metal tool he¡¯s come across in his life. Still¡­ ¡°Are you going to use it or just look at it?¡± I tease him. He starts and guilt comes across the link. ¡°Look, man, I¡¯m just joshing you,¡± I tell him, immediately feeling bad that he took my words too much to heart. Then, scratching at my beard, I get a thought. ¡°Actually, could you do something for me?¡± Of course, River answers immediately. ¡°Would you be able to harvest the venom from this too?¡± I pull out one corpse I haven¡¯t yet touched: the venomous predator which tried ¨C and very nearly succeeded in ¨C killing me while in the vine-strangler forest. Not having had much experience with extracting venom glands, I¡¯m wary of starting on this corpse itself. I¡¯d be happy to, the lizard-man answers honestly and with no small bit of vengeful glee. Clearly he has some bad feelings about this sort of creature. My question must come across the link as he looks up at me and then clicks his jaws uncertainly. I lost two of my broodmates to a smaller version of this creature. Even though I managed to kill it, I wasn¡¯t in time to get them back to the herbalist. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that,¡± I say softly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do it if it brings up bad memories.¡± He sends negation at me. No, I¡¯m happy to. Each time I kill another of these, I am gratified that fewer of my kin will die to them. Harvesting and using their bodies is only right. OK, fine. As long as he¡¯s happy. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be staying a bit longer,¡± I tell Bastet and Lathani. ¡°Is that OK with you?¡± The raptorcat quickly assents, but the nunda doesn¡¯t respond. She¡¯s crouched next to Bastet, her eyes fixed on Ninja who is now playing with her siblings. ¡°Lathani, are you OK?¡± I frown as I try to remember exactly what happened with her, even putting my hand on her flank and sending in some healing magic just to check she wasn¡¯t caught by the snake too. She seems fine. And thinking about it, she¡¯d been ¡®patrolling¡¯ near the trees when the whole debacle went down. Or had she come running in? I hadn¡¯t been paying too much attention to anything other than the snake and the poisoned cub, but she¡¯s here now so she must have come running at some point. Either way, she¡¯s being very quiet right now even if she¡¯s technically fine according to my magical examination. The little one...she almost died. Like prey. Lathani gives off a sense of confusion and vulnerability, her mental voice soft. ¡°Yeah,¡± I agree, a pang of fear going through me in memory. But...she is not prey. Why did she almost die? It¡¯s almost adorable, her sorrowful confusion. What am I saying? It is adorable, and heartrending at the same time. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°All living things die eventually. And when life is a series of battles, anyone can be a victim.¡± She¡¯s quiet for a little longer. I don¡¯t want to die. The admission is stark, almost matter-of-fact if not for the sense of tumultuous emotions she gives off. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die either,¡± I tell her plainly. ¡°None of us here does. Your mother in particular wants you to survive and grow strong. But we can only do that if you help yourself.¡± Seeing the opportunity to impress on her some important facts, I continue. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot and will start going out into the forest more and more. Pay attention, listen to your companions, and keep your senses alert. Hopefully all that will mean you survive to get bigger than your mama.¡± She sends me a scathing look. No one¡¯s bigger than mother! ¡°You could be one day,¡± I tease her. ¡°Then River will be calling you The Great Predator.¡± A sense of amusement bubbles from her and I feel lighter for having helped her get over her funk. ¡°Go on ¨C entertain yourself, but don¡¯t go too far, OK? Ninja is going to be fine, but only because I was able to heal her quickly enough.¡± She assents and then goes to play with the three raptorcat cubs. I don¡¯t miss that she is keeping much more of a wary eye on her surroundings than earlier. I approve! Casting my glance around the others, I see that Fenrir is sitting near River, begging for scraps that the lizard-man seems happy to toss him every so often. Sirocco is already tearing at a lump of unidentified flesh and her Bond is exuding satisfaction, so she seems OK. Since I¡¯m suddenly at loose ends, I figure I might as well get started on my newest top-priority. Yes, I could head back to the cave either alone or just with the feline-types, but dealing with my internal matrix is actually the most urgent thing for me to do anyway. Plus, I feel better knowing that we¡¯re all together here. Settling down on the softest bit of ground within easy reach, I close my eyes and drop inside myself. The process now very familiar to me, I quickly make it to my Core. There, I reach with metaphysical hands into the burning sun and tease out a tiny bead of bright light. It¡¯s easier to do this time than the first, the improvements I¡¯ve made to my Energy control obvious. Keeping control over it as it runs down one of the gleaming threads, I direct it to extend the damaged filament by a fraction. Then I wait, my attention on my Core. When no pain comes and the crystalline structure stays intact, I ¡®breathe¡¯ a sigh of relief, returning to my Core to start the process again. What if I try with a bigger drop next? I wonder. Over the next who-knows-how long, I experiment, trying to work out the most effective and efficient way of doing this. A bigger bit of Energy, or mana, or whatever it is, does extend the filament a little longer than the smaller bit, but I sense that it¡¯s less efficient, proportionately more Energy or mana being released to the world than when I drew out a smaller bit. Further testing proves that the key to making the process more efficient and effective is the shape of the Energy when I pull it out. If I don¡¯t focus, it will automatically make a ¡®ball¡¯ shape. Trying to make it take any other form is as difficult at first as trying to control the Energy rushing towards me from my Bound¡¯s kills. However, just like that Energy, I start to gain more control over the mana I feed down the threads that make up my matrix. Yes! I celebrate internally as, for the first time, the spherical blob becomes ever so slightly oblong. It takes another several attempts before I can maintain the oblong shape even as the light travels along the thread; it takes many further attempts before the oblong shape reaches the end of the filament. However, all the effort is rewarded when the oblong shape doubles the length the thread grows. My enthusiasm, which had been waning, is renewed. I continue pulling mana from my Core and work hard to increase the length while compressing the width. Each time I improve the shape of the mana, my strategy is proven, the filament growing with increasing speed. By the time a shaking of my shoulder rouses me from my meditative state, I feel like I¡¯ve actually made some progress. Checking my status is a little disappointing ¨C neither reduction has budged at all ¨C but I feel like I¡¯m definitely on the right track. If anything, though, this trial and error has proven to me just how long it¡¯s going to take to get back to normal. Well. My new normal, anyway. At least I¡¯ve had one visible improvement: my Energy Manipulation Skill has levelled up from Novice three to Novice five. Unsurprising, but gratifying nonetheless. I suspect that I may rank that Skill up to Initiate before I¡¯m done fixing myself. Opening my eyes, I look up at the figure looming over me. River. I saved you these. He holds out a double claw-full of bloody-red chunks of flesh. Closer inspection reveals them to be organs. Hearts. ¡°Thanks man,¡± I tell him, touched that he thought of saving them for me. I hesitate. If I add them to my Inventory, they¡¯ll lose whatever residual Energy remains in them. Then I have an idea. Pulling out one of the hides I skinned off a monkile, I pile the sixteen hearts onto the inner side and then bunch it together so I can hold them in one hand. Wait sixteen hearts? ¡°How many of the black blobs did you kill?¡± I ask, surprised. Only eight. They have two hearts each, he explained, obviously understanding my confusion. Here. I thank you for its use, he continues, handing me the knife handle-first. I thank him and tuck it into my belt. Lifting his chin briefly, he goes over to his work station and starts hauling the remains of the carcasses back onto his shoulders. He, too, has a little pouch made of a big leaf dangling from his belt. It looks a little delicate, but will probably last at least the short journey up the hill. I join him, grabbing three carcasses. Sure, it will probably make my clothes bloody again, but at least I have some clean clothes to change into since doing the washing during the rain storm. Maybe once we¡¯ve dumped the carcasses for everyone to snack on we should come back down here to wash off again. Then again, I did want to ask Kalanthia about flesh-shaping¡­ I resolve to come down for a quick wash-up after depositing everything and getting my hearts cooking. After returning, I¡¯ll ask her. It¡¯s time to make a decision about my Skill once and for all. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Four: A Choice Clean again, or at least as best as I can make myself, I walk over to Kalanthia. Although it¡¯s getting on for evening, she¡¯s still outside, as is her wont. ¡°Kalanthia, is now a good time to ask a question?¡± I inquire of the great cat. She half-opens one eye to regard me and then closes it again. If you must. I hesitate, not sure whether her unenthusiastic response is true assent, or a way of asking me to go away politely. That means yes, she clarifies a moment later. Though I expect at least one Core for Lathani in exchange if the question requires too much thinking. OK then. ¡°Deal,¡± I agree. ¡°Have you ever heard of Flesh-Shaping?¡± This time both eyes open to stare at me, my question clearly engaging her interest. Flesh-shaping? Where did you hear of this? I shrug and explain. Hmm, she says thoughtfully after I finish my quick summary. I have not heard of Flesh-shaping per se. Before my heart can sink too much in disappointment, she continues. However, there are many types of shaping I have encountered, both personally and through conversation. Earth-shaping, Lightning-shaping, Water-shaping, Wood-shaping, Air-shaping, Stone-shaping¡­ They are all powerful abilities which allow Beasts to gain control over a certain element. For me, Earth-shaping allows me to manipulate the Energy within the earth. I can extend my senses through it, cause it to change shape, or receive messages from it. I am more stealthy when touching earth, since it actively helps me to reduce my impact as I walk or run. Some substances are harder than others to manipulate, but if they are classified as ¡®earth¡¯, they all fall within my purview. Without knowing for sure, I would guess that Flesh-shaping is much the same. ¡°So anything that could be counted as ¡®flesh¡¯ would be able to be manipulated,¡± I muse half to myself. I open my status screen and concentrate on accessing the notification linked with my Skill evolution. Clicking over to my messages, I see only one available there. Pleased, I select it.
You have discovered a use of your Skill: Lay-on-hands which is not compatible with its originating school: the Way of the Healer. Skills from this school are explicitly focused on doing no harm. You have used your Skill: Lay-on-hands in a combat situation to kill your opponent. You therefore have a choice to either Evolve your Skill or Split it. Evolve If you choose to Evolve your Skill, you will gain access to a new area of magic: Flesh-Shaping. Having moved away from the original Skill you may, however, lose access to potential aspects of your original Skill. Aspects of which you have gained personal knowledge will remain intact. Split If you choose to Split your Skill, you will retain your original Skill: Lay-on-hands with all previous progress remaining intact. You will also gain a second Skill: Body-Invasion. This new Skill will allow you to influence an opponent¡¯s body while fighting by invading their flesh with your own mana. Invasions with foreign mana are automatically resisted by the enemy and this resistance must be overcome in order for the Skill to be used successfully. Until you make a choice, you will be unable to use any combat applications of flesh-magic.
Close messages? Y/N
¡°Have you heard of Body Invasion?¡± I ask Kalanthia next, my gaze not moving from the text in front of me. Only when it comes to incorporeal or semi-corporeal beings. Spirits have a nasty habit of invading the bodies of those without sufficient Willpower to defend against them, taking control of bodies like puppeteers. Some other incorporeal beings and semi-corporeal beings do not puppet others¡¯ bodies, but they can disrupt a body¡¯s functioning. Usually a robust network of internal connections and the ability to flood them with mana when appropriate is enough to deal with such attacks. It can be difficult to defend against one conducted by a far more powerful being, however. Interesting. Is that what Body Invasion is about, then? Using mana to disrupt the body? I kind of understand it in that context. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s the way I¡¯d want to go, though. At best a Skill that disrupts a body¡¯s ability to function; at worst a Skill which expects me to become some sort of puppet-master¡­ Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! And both of those seem to have the same limitations as Lay-on-hands: needing body contact in order to function. At least at the outset. But wouldn¡¯t Flesh-Shaping need the same? I wonder¡­ ¡°Do you have to be touching the earth to affect it?¡± My question seems to take her aback a little. I...I am unsure, she admits slowly. Not possessing wings, I tend to always be touching the ground, so it is a little difficult to say whether I could or not. ¡°What if you were in a tree?¡± I suggest. Kalanthia is silent, though I sense a thoughtfulness from her. Then, with no warning, she pushes herself to her feet in one fluid motion. She¡¯s gone before I have time to blink, bounding quickly down the slope and disappearing into the forest. Bastet sends a questioning feel down the Bond, and I sense my other Bound staring too. Did you offend her somehow? River asks in surprise. ¡°What do you take me for?¡± I demand from him, playing up my indignation. Apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to offend- ¡°I¡¯m joking again,¡± I tell him, the concern at the back of my mind about his recent attitude growing. I¡¯m going to have to talk to him, aren¡¯t I¡­? ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure why she disappeared, but I have a feeling it¡¯s to test a theory. I doubt she¡¯ll be gone for long.¡± She isn¡¯t, as it turns out: only a couple of minutes. Once more there¡¯s a blur of spots and then she¡¯s lying back in her position like she¡¯d never been gone. I eye her with a hint of amusement. ¡°Got your answer, then?¡± Indeed, she answers, her tone implying satisfaction. I have a feeling I know what she found out before she even says it. It was harder to manipulate the earth from the canopy above it, but I was able to do so. I wasn¡¯t, however, able to affect the earth while hovering above it. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t fly?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, confused. No. But I can jump. For some reason, the image of the massive nunda just randomly jumping again and again in the forest amuses me. ¡°Do you know why?¡± I can guess. The tree is still connected to the earth, and by standing in it, I am connected to the tree. Air seems to have no true connection to earth, and I have no true connection to air, meaning that it becomes essentially impossible for me to forge a link. If I could spend longer in the air, I might find a way, but since I¡¯m not likely to become a bird, I see no point in trying to do it by leaping around like a cub. ¡°Fair enough,¡± I agree before returning to my thoughts. So it looks like the secret is in sending magic down connections. If I gain Earth-shaping, that would no doubt make sending magic to my companions pretty easy; I might even be able to use Lay-on-hands that way. On the other hand, I sense that I¡¯m not able to use the Bonds as a connection to send healing magic down by using Lay-on-hands, so perhaps the Skill really is limited to physical contact. But there was that moment when it felt like I continued healing River even when I wasn¡¯t touching him anymore, I think. Maybe I imagined it? Or maybe it worked like that because I¡¯d already initiated the Skill with physical contact. The problem is that this choice is a gamble. Body Invasion doesn¡¯t sound hugely useful to me, but it might be a better Skill than its description and our guesses estimate it to be. The main benefit of that option is that it leaves me with my Lay-on-hands intact. The Skill has been a life-saver multiple times over and has only increased in power and scope since I got it. Though...for something approaching the Master rank, it doesn¡¯t feel as powerful as I might expect. Nor has its scope broadened that much. It started as a healing Skill and remains a healing Skill. The main things that have changed are how much health is healed per point of mana given to it, the fact that I can ¡®dive¡¯ into my patient¡¯s body to seek out issues, and that it¡¯s become easier to manipulate. Good improvements, yes, but nothing as ground-breaking as some Skills the System knowledge stone gave me information about. Like Firebolt which a Classer evolved into Fireball at Novice, Fire Barrage at Initiate, Firestorm at Journeyman, then Inferno at Master. That particular user never got to Grandmaster, let alone Sage, killed in some battle or other. However, as an example of progression, it was a very clear one. The essence of the Skill hadn¡¯t changed ¨C it had always used fire and mana to do damage. However, it had transformed from a fairly weak Skill which would take several casts to do much damage, to an immensely powerful one which could change the course of a battle if well applied. Flesh-shaping, however¡­ If Kalanthia¡¯s words about Earth-shaping have taught me nothing else, they¡¯ve shown me that anything linked to shaping has an incredibly wide scope. She can affect anything that is remotely linked to ¡®earth¡¯. Soil, stone, probably metal too. She¡¯s not limited to only being able to make pits, for example. Or spikes. She can do anything she has the imagination and mana for. That¡¯s what draws me to Flesh-shaping. However, it is a gamble, because there¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯d be able to heal with it, let alone heal as well as something which is a dedicated healing Skill. Then again, I¡¯ve come to understand that life is a gamble. I¡¯ve had to make a lot of them since coming to this world and considering I¡¯m still alive, as are most of my Bound, I¡¯d say that they¡¯ve paid off. If I hadn¡¯t gone through the tunnel with the spider-monster, I wouldn¡¯t have found salt. If I hadn¡¯t gone into the lizard-folk camp, we may not have been able to rescue Lathani. If we hadn¡¯t gone through the tunnel out of the vine-strangler forest, we wouldn¡¯t have gained everything that experience gave us. Because for all the pain and damage that the Pure Energy did to me, I can¡¯t deny that we came out of it far better than when we went in. Having made my choice, I don¡¯t allow myself to second-guess it, selecting the option to Evolve. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Five: Dismay Nothing happens, though the nagging sense of a notification appears. Returning to my messages, I see a new one waiting for me. Worry prickling at my gut, I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s got to be bad news.
Error. Your internal matrix is compromised. Modifying existing Skills is not possible until this is restored to full functionality.
Close messages? Y/N
Sure enough, it is. I read the message with dismay running through me. Have I waited too long? I can¡¯t help but think. If I¡¯d made the decision when it was first presented, it would have been ahead of the issue with Pure Energy which damaged my internal matrix. As it is, I fear that by the time my internal matrix is fixed, I¡¯ll have lost the ability to choose. I don¡¯t know what would be the consequence of that. Nothing good, I guess. The best case scenario would be if the system automatically chose an option for me, ideally what I would have chosen for myself anyway. If it chose the second option, that would be the second-best decision, I suppose. I can¡¯t help feeling that there are other possibilities on the table, though. What if it didn¡¯t choose either option but instead just removed combat healing from something that I could possibly do? Given that it seems to have done that in lieu of me making a decision, I can¡¯t help but think that this is a strong possibility. Or, and hopefully this is only a paranoid imagining, what if it ¡®broke¡¯ my Lay-on-hands Skill entirely, rendering it completely unusable? The last seems the least likely but none of the others would be particularly desirable options, apart from the first. I groan, realising that fixing my internal matrix as quickly as possible is the only answer I¡¯m coming up with as a solution for this situation. However, I¡¯d estimated that it would take me quite a while, spending a few hours on it per day. Do I even have that sort of time? It¡¯s been...four days since we fought the salamander and the original message appeared. Some instinct tells me that just over half the time I have to choose is already passed. So probably another three days left until...whatever happens. Possibly four, but I wouldn¡¯t like to bank on it. Three days...Is that enough? It¡¯d better be, I say to myself grimly. Though all the other things I wanted to do will have to be postponed until either I¡¯ve succeeded or time has run out and the decision has been made for me. I grumble under my breath, not looking forward to spending hour after hour on the mentally-exhausting task. Nonetheless, there¡¯s no time like the present. I stand up, deciding to find a more comfortable position, only to realise when Kalanthia looks at me that I had actually been in the middle of a conversation. Kind of. You have an air of resolve about you, she comments. ¡°Yeah,¡± I sigh again. ¡°It turns out that I have to finish fixing the damage from the Pure Energy before I can do what I needed to do, so I¡¯m going to do that. Thanks for your help.¡± It was interesting for me too, she replies. So instead of charging you three Energy-Hearts, I will only charge you two. I freeze, forgetting that she had said that at the beginning. I feel a little short-changed even as I pull them out and lay them in front of her: if the decision is taken from me, I might not be able to actually put what she said into practice. Then again, I suppose knowing about it might help with Earth-shaping. Actually, maybe part of my issue with that is my compromised internal matrix? It¡¯s possible, I suppose. Fixing my regeneration issues can only be to my betterment too. Maybe feeling pressured to get it done isn¡¯t the worst thing that could have happened. Though I¡¯ll still be annoyed if I don¡¯t manage to get it done by the deadline. Mind set on getting started immediately, I still take a couple of moments to check on my companions. They¡¯re fine. All but River are relaxing; the lizard-man seems to be processing some of his newly-gathered ingredients. I¡¯d let him keep the venom he harvested from the creature we¡¯d killed in the vine-strangler forest: I figure that he¡¯s more likely to get use out of it than me. I check with all of them whether they need Energy-Hearts or not. As it turns out, only Bastet has finished hers, so I¡¯m only one Energy-Heart poorer by the time I sit in a sunny spot with my back against the cave wall. Dropping down into my Core space, I once more restart the painstaking and mentally exhausting process of compressing my mana down into oblongs which are as long as possible and feeding them along the threads to the damaged spots. ***** By the time I surface again, my mind feels wrung out like a wet cloth. I have a pounding headache which actually flares when I try to use Lay-on-hands. Checking my status, I see why: my mana is down to the single digits. The low single digits.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 98% Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr Energy towards debt: 78%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 2/360
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 697u/hr (-18%)
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%) Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 17 Stamina: 100/100
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 3 Tame ¨C Beginner 6 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Meditation ¨C Initiate 1 Energy Manipulation ¨C Novice 7 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
On the other hand, I have made some good progress. My mana regeneration rate has improved by two percent. It¡¯s a bit disappointing that only that one has shown any progress; I can only hope that my health regeneration will catch up in some way. If not, I really don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to fix it: it had been relatively easy to figure out how to fix my internal matrix, but health regeneration? No idea there. Two percent doesn¡¯t seem like much in what has had to be about five hours, judging by how dark it is now and the position of the moons, but it¡¯s not the only gain: Energy Manipulation has also increased by two more levels ¨C from Novice five to Novice seven. That means future improvements will only be faster and easier. If I take five hours to fix two percent, that means fixing the rest of the eighteen percent should take at most forty-five hours. If I worked without a break, I¡¯d be able to do that in less than two days, but I know that¡¯s not possible. First of all, I need to let my mana regenerate since that seems to be what this process uses rather than Energy ¨C the fact that my Energy store has actually increased by a single percent is proof of that. With my new mana regeneration rate, that will take a little more than half an hour to happen. Not too bad. Plus, something catches my eye as I skim through my status. Meditation has actually ranked up to Initiate one! I quickly navigate to the notification about that. Actually, did I ever look at the notification about the rank up to Novice? I don¡¯t remember it so I focus on bringing up that notification too.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Meditation is now Novice 1. Your connection to the world around has improved and you are more able to enter a calm state. Due to your receptivity to your surroundings while in meditation, you have increased your Energy absorption rate from 5% to 10% for each Novice level in this Skill that you have. This is in addition to the 45% increase that you earned while this Skill was ranked as Beginner. This will be automatically diverted into refilling your mana pool, at a rate increased by the same percentage as your Energy absorption rate.
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Well that explains it, I think to myself. I¡¯d been surprised at how quickly my mana replenished itself; a one hundred and thirty-five percent increase in mana regeneration would be the answer. Though, when I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been getting more than double the mana absorption rate. Is that because my Energy absorption rate hasn¡¯t increased enough or something? Still, it reduces the issue of waiting for my mana pool to regenerate. I check the other notification ¨C the one new today.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Novice. Meditation is now Initiate 1. You have focussed on developing an understanding of your inner world, manipulating your Energy channels and the way Energy and mana flow around your body. You have both damaged and repaired your Core, an endeavour few accomplish. Gain +15% to your control of Energy or mana within your Energy channels or Core space per Initiate level in this Skill.
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Interesting. That should also help with this whole process. I feel the same way about Mediation as I did when I first saw it ¨C not the most exciting Skill, but probably the most useful since it improves the functionality of many of my Skills, particularly now that I¡¯m having to do so much work in my ¡®inner world¡¯. It¡¯s a very good improvement, actually, even if it¡¯s not ¡®flashy¡¯. However, mana regeneration and control aren¡¯t the only issues facing me. The other obstacle is my mental energy. I need to rest. Properly. I have a feeling that I could do another few hours, but that would be the limit for me right now. So I need to sleep and then even during daylight hours I¡¯ll need to have some time to do something different. If I don¡¯t, I fear that I could do myself more damage by half-assing it out of tiredness. So, reasonably, I could probably do about ten to fifteen hours per day, perhaps broken into three periods. If I got fifteen hours in fully, I could potentially do it in the three days, but if I only got ten, I¡¯d be risking being just too late. However, with Energy Manipulation having levelled up ¨C and hopefully going to do so again soon ¨C I¡¯m praying that my speed and ease will increase. Of course, that¡¯s assuming that to do what I need to with my Skills, fixing my internal matrix is the only thing I need to return to normal. I think it¡¯s a safe assumption to make, though: all the error messages I¡¯ve had related to Skills have mentioned ¡®internal matrix¡¯; they haven¡¯t mentioned ¡®soul¡¯, which is apparently what took damage to cause my reduction to health regeneration. At least I have an answer to a question which was concerning me: whether I¡¯d be able to fix the threads even past their ¡®ghost¡¯ points. As it is, I¡¯ve discovered that when I extend a thread, it seems to ¡®know¡¯ where to go next, even when all traces of its previous length are not present. So it really is just putting in the time and effort. But for now, I need to take a break. Pushing myself to my feet, I trudge inside and stoke the fire. Staring blankly at the sparks and licking tongue of flame that appear as I add more fuel, I find my mind starting to relax. Sometimes thinking of nothing is soothing. The flames dance and jump, looking like twirling and twisting sprites as they vanish only to reappear somewhere else. The snap and pop of the branches catching light is like the percussion of an orchestra that only the flames can hear. It fills my vision, the red glow of the embers, the darkness of the branches yet to burn, the white of the fuel already turned to ash. Every so often there is a flash of colour as the fire happens upon a trace element in the wood it is fed. Other than that, though, the world becomes limited to shades of red and orange, its warmth settling inside me just as its heat warms my body. I extend my hand towards the fire, feeling its heat intensify and start burning. It¡¯s hot against my face and I luxuriate in its burning warmth as the chill of the night cools my back. For a moment, I wish I could become one of those carefree flames. Their lives are short, but they burn fiercely while they are present. Then again, passion burns just as fiercely as fire, and it has never led me anywhere good. I drop my hand and the spell breaks. Once more I¡¯m in a cave with a crackling heathfire in front of me. Nothing more. I need to sleep, I decide. I¡¯m getting lost in pointless fancies. Even if my life seems to have turned into fantasy, that doesn¡¯t mean that my fire is suddenly alive in any qualitative way. Feeding myself with food pulled from my Inventory, I check on my Bound once more. River is already slumbering, having somehow crept into the alcove while my focus was on the fire. Fenrir is lying snuggled up to River, taking up even more of the bed. I hope I¡¯ll manage to actually fit on it too, what with both of them taking up the space. Bastet is curled up next to me too, though she had been there when I entered. She seems to have crept a little closer to me, though, as her feathers are now pressed against my leg. I can¡¯t help but stroke my fingers through them gently. Every time I touch them, I¡¯m always surprised at just how soft they are, unlike any fur I¡¯ve ever encountered. If anything, the closest comparison is those chickens which look more furry than feathered, though they are feathers. Bastet shifts a little in her sleep, and I pull my fingers away hurriedly. The sleepy contentment and longing that drifts along the Bond from her side even as she snuggles closer makes me smile, though, and encourages me to continue. I lose myself in gently carding the feathers into place, the calm action doing as much to relax me as staring at the fire had. My eyes are drooping, unfortunately, and I finally call it an evening when my yawns threaten to split my head in two. I¡¯m asleep soon after my head hits the pillow. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Six: Temper The mana under my control carefully eases through the mana channels at a rate much slower than it had originally. Upon reaching the damaged end of the thread, it extends outwards, glowing golden. The thread lengthens noticeably, the original fraction gained having multiplied. I continue focusing and directing the mana until the last of it has been consumed, the end to the thread dimming once more. Looking around the area, I feel just a little sense of pride as I see all the connections which I have been working on. Although at first I focused on only one thread, I realised quickly that that wouldn¡¯t work: the threads are too interconnected for any one to be fully restored without the others. Since then, I¡¯ve been offering equal effort to each of the myriad threads damaged by the Pure Energy. The result is that, despite none of the threads being anywhere near finished, the black space has shrunk. Though that¡¯s not quite accurate, I realise as I look critically at the area. It would be more precise to say that the golden threads have extended into the abyss. There¡¯s still a clear difference between the space through which they are newly passing and the space that is around where they were never damaged. The damaged areas, since it seems that the areas are still damaged even if I¡¯ve fixed those parts of the threads, are still a dark, inky blackness that almost sucks my mental gaze into it. The rest of the space through which the threads unspool is a much more luminous area. Not golden like the threads themselves, but more than a void. I pull myself out of my Core space. I¡¯ve been at it for a while; it¡¯s time for a break. First of all, I check my status screen, nodding happily at the improvement to the reduction rate. I¡¯m now only losing fifteen percent of my mana regeneration rate, bringing it up to seven hundred and twenty-two units per hour. Of course, that also helps because my mana lasts longer before it runs out. On the other hand, I¡¯m taking more and more mana at a time from my Core: my Energy Manipulation Skill has been improving in leaps and bounds. On that note, I recognise the feeling of a message waiting for me. Thinking that I probably know what it¡¯s about, I immediately check it out.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Novice. Energy Manipulation is now Initiate 1. You have improved your ability to manipulate Energy to affect your internal matrix. Your capacity to control mana while held within your internal matrix is improved. In addition to the previous 2% Energy efficiency accorded at Novice level, you have gained +2% of Energy control while mana is within your internal matrix per level in this Skill past Initiate.
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Right on the money, I think to myself. I¡¯m not surprised ¨C if my Skill hadn¡¯t ranked up soon, I¡¯d be wondering why not. Like everything so far in this Skill, the new effects aren¡¯t anything ground-breaking, but the amount they actually help by is obvious in my increased speed and ease in doing what I must. I¡¯m pleased to see that the new effect of better control is in addition to the previous effect ¨C twenty percent Energy efficiency was good; forty percent by the time I reach Journeyman is clearly better. Still, it¡¯s time to do something else. The sun is already high in the sky; I¡¯ve been doing this ever since waking long before dawn. Getting up, I stretch my stiff muscles with a groan of relief. Pulling out some roast meat and a baked potato from my Inventory, I gnaw on them hungrily. The food tastes good ¨C there¡¯s no better seasoning than hunger. I¡¯m getting rather bored with the same three items over and over again, though. It¡¯s been more than a month and even if I¡¯m not exactly a foodie, I could really do with a change. The issue is that the whole process of testing whether a food is any good for me is so long. With everything that¡¯s been going on recently, I just haven¡¯t had the time. Then again, do I need to do the whole process? It¡¯s an interesting question. The whole point of testing a food step by step and leaving time in between each test is to avoid poisoning. I¡¯ve been poisoned several times by this point and I¡¯m still here. The main difference, of course, being my Lay-on-hands. Something which would kill a normal human being is now just a temporary inconvenience for me. Why not just go on a tasting rampage of everything offered by the forest around, and if I¡¯m poisoned, just heal it away? Well, maybe not a rampage, I say to myself. Maybe more of a gourmet tasting experience. It¡¯s a good thought, but one that I¡¯m only going to have time for once I¡¯ve sorted out my internal matrix. Of course, by that point, I might not be able to do it, I realise. If Flesh-Shaping doesn¡¯t allow me to deal with poison in the same way as Lay-on-hands, I¡¯ll be stuck testing things the way I had to do with the pondweed. Then again, if I lose the ability to deal with poison, I¡¯m going to be in a lot more trouble than just not being able to expand my diet. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I don¡¯t think that will happen ¨C the original description did say that the knowledge of Lay-on-hands currently accessed will be maintained. Hopefully that means all previous functionality of the Skill will also remain available¡­ Forcibly redirecting my mind onto other topics, I wander outside to find a surprisingly quiet area. Kalanthia¡¯s there, of course, as are the three cubs and Lathani. That¡¯s it, though. No River. No Bastet. No Fenrir. Even Sirocco¡¯s vanished. ¡°Where have they gone?¡± I wonder aloud quietly. Kalanthia¡¯s sharp hearing clearly picks up my words even from a good few metres away ¨C or her telepathy picks up my thoughts ¨C as she answers. Your Bound have decided to hunt together. They left a while ago. Huh. I¡¯m annoyed that they didn¡¯t tell me, but perhaps they simply didn¡¯t want to disturb me. ¡°And they asked you to watch over the cubs?¡± I check. Kalanthia confirms my words, though adds more information. They promised me a Core for Lathani. If they don¡¯t find one while hunting, I expect you to fulfil their promise. Although I want to object, I don¡¯t. Not only would I have agreed if they¡¯d actually asked me, but I¡¯ve already accepted responsibility for my Bound. I¡¯m going to have a little chat with them when they get back, though ¨C I don¡¯t like people promising things on my behalf without telling me. For now, I nod towards Kalanthia and then find a space of fairly open ground. My mind is too wrung out right now to continue with repairing my internal matrix, so I might as well do something else productive. I desperately need some armour. I¡¯ve survived this long through luck and Lay-on-hands, but that¡¯s not guaranteed to continue. Plus, I don¡¯t exactly enjoy pain. The more injuries I can avoid, the happier I¡¯ll be. But in order to get some armour, I need to do some tanning. It¡¯s a long process, so the sooner I start, the better. The first thing I need to do is make some racks. I¡¯m going to need to stretch and dry the hides multiple times, and so a decent rack is a must. Opening my Inventory, I pull out the longest sticks I have and lay them on the ground. The longest is about a metre and a half; the shortest is a metre. Hmm¡­ I collected these sticks more for firewood than with creating a tanning rack in mind. Sighing, I decide that I need to actually go and collect some better wood. In fact, I might actually be better served with using my axe to harvest some green wood from the trees themselves: although green wood is more flexible, it¡¯s less brittle. I¡¯m worried that some of this dry wood will just snap as soon as it''s put under pressure ¨C not ideal. I return the sticks to my Inventory in disgust. What a time for my Bound to all go off hunting! I focus on the Bonds, only to realise with even more annoyance that they¡¯re a good way off into the forest. Sure, I could call them back, but I both don¡¯t want to distract them in the middle of a fight, and also do actually want them to get stronger by hunting. I look towards the treeline thoughtfully. Should I just go out alone? I mean, it¡¯s possible. Safer, even, than when I used to go out without my Bound. Then again, considering I almost died multiple times, maybe that¡¯s not such a great comparison. In the end I shake my head. I¡¯ve already learned the lesson that two pairs of eyes are far better than one; if I¡¯m focused on harvesting wood, I won¡¯t be paying attention to anything trying to attack my back. No, I¡¯d better wait until they come back. If that means I have to delay going out until tomorrow, so be it. It¡¯s not like a single day is going to make a huge difference. Fixing my internal matrix is my priority anyway. Instead, I decide to do some other important tasks. First on the list is repairing my spear ¨C it¡¯s a quick fix and a flint-tipped spear is far better than my sharpened wooden stake. This time, I use a bit of pitch to help hold the sinew in place and protect it from damp. That done, I also repair a few arrows which only needed minor fixes. The ones where the shaft of the arrow was broken I leave for now ¨C that¡¯s going to require more dedicated effort. If it is just a question of fixing a bit of sinew which had come adrift, or replacing one of the vanes, however, I quickly do it. After an hour or so of work, I¡¯ve refurbished eight more arrows, taking my supply up to almost half of what I started with. The ones that will take the longest are, of course, the arrows where the flint-head was broken or lost. I¡¯m hesitating between replacing those or waiting for my iron ore to be processed in order to replace them with metal ones, though. For now, I just deal with the easy fixes and leave the other ones for later. My next task is one that isn¡¯t so essential for my survival, but is important for my sense of decency: a needle and thread. Pulling out some of the bones I¡¯ve collected, I hunt through my collection of stones to find appropriate ones for the task. The first step is to get a decent bone shard. Using a large, mostly-flat stone as the anvil, I hold another stone in my hand as the hammer. Cracking the bones with my new Strength isn¡¯t exactly hard; getting the right sort of size and shape shard is more frustrating. Plus, I find when I crack open some of the bones that they¡¯re actually semi-hollow, which won¡¯t work all that well. I guess those were from the killer-chickens? Adding to my irritation is the fact that my fine-motor control seems to have got worse, meaning that I frequently rub too hard and crack the bones at the wrong points. I find my temper mounting, rising with a rapidity which might alarm me if I wasn¡¯t deep in the emotion. After I¡¯ve got a shard which is about ten centimetres long and reasonably thin, I use a rough stone to start rubbing away at it. It takes time, and hard-won patience, but little by little I manage to get the thickness of the shard down to something more resembling a needle. Now I need to get a vaguely round shape to it. As I¡¯m filing away at it with my rough rock, I put a little too much pressure on the emerging needle. A snapping sound meets my ears and I freeze. Holding the shard up to my eyes, I curse, throwing it down in annoyance. Sighing heavily to try to breathe out the impatience and irritation filling me, I forcibly unclench my fists. It¡¯s normal, I tell myself. I was never going to succeed the first time. As much as I would have liked to, this is a task which requires dexterity, focus, and practice. On the upside, if I don¡¯t earn a point in Dexterity soon, I¡¯ll definitely complain to the management. Breathing in and out slowly, I feel my frustration ebb out of me. When I feel like it¡¯s lowered to at least a manageable level again, I pick up my pounding rock and start again. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Meeting with an Employee I swear loudly as the fifth ¡®needle¡¯ snaps under my fingers. I was so close to finishing it! I moan to myself. Although I¡¯d intended this to be a task to allow my mental energy to replenish itself, all it¡¯s done is build up frustration. I don¡¯t even dare try to continue to extend my Energy channels: I have a feeling that, in this mood, I¡¯d be more likely to destroy than fix them and I have no desire to back-step. Still, I have a sense that I¡¯m almost there. Each time I snap the needle, I do so with it closer to completion. If only I could just get a point in Dexterity, I reckon that my chances of success would jump. As it is, I¡¯m still waiting for the nagging sensation of a message waiting to appear. When my sixth attempt fails just as I¡¯m sharpening its end, I actually stand up and throw it down at the ground, shouting expletives. Throwing myself at the ground, I glare at the many bone shards littering the area with resentment. Maybe I should just give up? Do more later? It¡¯s at that moment that I feel my Bound approaching. In fact, they¡¯re almost here ¨C my focus on crafting the needle must have been intense enough to block out the sensation of them moving closer. Getting to my feet as Sirocco soars towards me, I stare for a moment as River comes into view. He¡¯s laden, several corpses balanced over his shoulders, one almost as big as he is. I felt a sudden pang of pure jealousy: working my frustrations out with a mace really sounds like something I¡¯d enjoy right now. ¡°Good hunt?¡± I ask as they get closer, doing my best to keep my voice even and not betray the negative emotions running around in me. Maybe a break is a good idea. Heck, with them having come back, I can go out to collect the branches I need for the rack. Hopefully that will rid me of enough of this nervous energy to then be able to set to fixing my internal matrix again without risking doing more damage to it. Yes, we found several useful beasts, River replies, a sense of nervousness coming through Bond from him. Why? ¡°Good. But why the hell did you leave this morning without at least telling me?¡± I ask, unable to prevent the acidic question from leaving my lips. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d have said ¡®no¡¯. But I¡¯d have liked to not come up from my meditation to find them all gone. River freezes and lifts his chin. I apologise Mas-Markus. I thought...you looked like you were concentrating deeply. I did not wish to disturb you. I will accept any punishment you consider necessary due to my actions. His contrite tone and immediate apology takes all the wind out of my sails. His almost-slip pours water on whatever fire was left burning: he¡¯s right. I¡¯m being childish and falling into bad habits of acting like his master. If I¡¯m being honest about not wanting to be one then I have to recognise that even though I¡¯m the leader of the team, I have no right to dictate my team¡¯s actions when they¡¯re not ¡®at work¡¯. They have the right to go and do something else, especially when all I¡¯m doing is sitting there working on my internal matrix. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have jumped down your throat like that.¡± River still feels a bit worried, though confusion also joins the mix. ¡°You can go wherever you want,¡± I feel obliged to continue. ¡°But I¡¯d appreciate knowing when you go somewhere. That way if I wanted to go too, I could join you, and I would know if you were likely to be in danger.¡± There. Maybe that¡¯s clearer. You wished to join us? He looks almost stricken, tumultuous emotions evident through the Bond. I apologise for failing my vow of service to you. How do you wish me to demonstrate my contrition? ¡°No, that¡¯s not it!¡± I exclaim. Rubbing my forehead, I wish I¡¯d just been able to hold my tongue; that way this whole situation wouldn¡¯t have devolved. Then again...there¡¯s been something building between River and I for several days now. Maybe it¡¯s just as well to get it open. Maybe. Then again, what do I know about healthy emotions? ¡°Look,¡± I say again, sighing. ¡°Put the carcasses away, then let¡¯s go down to the river together. You need to wash up and I want to collect some firewood.¡± Yes, Markus, he assents and then quickly moves away, his tail submissively low to the ground. I watch him go with narrowed eyes. ***** River and I walk down to the river in silence and I wait by the bank as he walks straight in. My bow is to hand just in case something appears which needs shooting. The lizard-man quickly washes off the blood and other fluids before wading out towards me. My mind races quickly. I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯m hopeless when it comes to dealing with personal, emotional issues. But if I look at this like a meeting with an employee who¡¯s been flagged due to some concerning statistics, it¡¯s another question. I¡¯d probably feel more confident if we were sitting in an office with a desk between us, but we¡¯re a bit short of offices and desks here. Besides, I learnt before that River appreciates activity: we dealt with a previous issue over a giant salamander corpse. ¡°Will you help me collect some wood, please?¡± I ask River. ¡°I need dry firewood from the forest floor and I¡¯m also going to collect some fresh wood for tanning racks.¡± River makes a funny sound with a questioning feel. I smile as I realise he must be asking about tanning. ¡°It¡¯s where I take animal hides and basically put them through a process to preserve them for use as armour or clothing.¡± I cast a gaze over his naked form, the woven belt his only clothing. ¡°I suppose you guys don¡¯t use clothes.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. We do not hide our skin the way you do, no, he agrees and I¡¯m glad he seems to be getting back to ¡®normal¡¯. We decorate it with our woven adornments, but our scales are armour enough. A Warrior might use a shield if they face a particularly fierce foe, but we have no need of coverings. ¡°Well, I do,¡± I say, heading off into the trees, keeping my eyes out for useful wood. There isn¡¯t a huge amount of firewood: I¡¯ve already been through this area several times and a few weeks isn¡¯t enough time for the forest to accumulate much dry stuff, not with the lovely weather we''ve been having. Other kinds of wood, however¡­ ¡°Keep an eye out for attackers, would you?¡± I ask River, waiting for his nod before grunting in approval and starting to climb the tree. The lower branches here are too thick, but the ones a little above head-height¡­ Finding a couple of likely prospects, I wedge myself against the trunk and pull out my axe. The angle is a little awkward, but I make it work. ¡°So, why have you been weird recently?¡± I ask casually as I chop. I silently curse myself. How suave: ¡®why have you been weird¡¯. As if he¡¯s supposed to know what that means? Then again, often the way people react to the question they think you¡¯ve asked is more telling than their actual answer. The relative silence of the forest punctuated by my flint axe hitting wood is all that meets my ears for a moment. I don¡¯t understand, River replies. Paying close attention to the Bond as I am, despite my seeming nonchalance, I realise that he isn¡¯t quite telling the truth here. He¡¯s a little confused, that¡¯s true. But he does have a sense of what I¡¯m getting at. ¡°You know. Being overly nervous for no apparent reason. Treating Lathani really formally. Worried about my reaction too much ¨C I mean, what was that whole asking for punishment thing earlier?¡± I¡¯ve never had anyone come asking for discipline or sanctions, though I¡¯ve encountered a number who really needed it. The silence drags out a little until I feel forced to continue. I sigh. ¡°It¡¯s just...I thought that after everything we went through, we¡¯d managed to relax a bit with each other. But since being back here. Well, not being back for you. Anyway, since being here, you seem to have become less comfortable than ever, if that¡¯s possible, considering we started as enemies.¡± Does it displease you, Mas-Markus? His question is careful and immediately irritates me. ¡°That, that is what I¡¯m talking about.¡± I say, leaning forwards so I can see him. He¡¯s looking up at me, and the Bond is roiling uncertainly. I modulate my tone a bit. ¡°Like, I know I can be a bit overbearing at times, but I¡¯m trying not to be. So why do you keep almost calling me ¡®master¡¯?¡± There¡¯s silence for a few moments. As it lengthens, I realise I¡¯m just staring at him and not working on chopping the branch, so get back to it. That branch is cut mostly through and breaks the rest of the way, falling to crash to the forest floor below before River gives me a response. I reposition myself, aiming for another branch not far from the first which seems suitable too. I don¡¯t know what you want from me, River admits quietly, almost fearfully. As if I¡¯m going to tear into him for his admission. ¡°Why should I want anything?¡± I ask, playing devil¡¯s advocate a little. Sure I do want something from him, but by this point it¡¯s only if he wants it too. Why wouldn¡¯t you? He sounds baffled. ¡°Maybe I just want you to grow and improve. Maybe I don¡¯t want anything specifically.¡± Which is true. Mostly. River has fast become one of my most valuable companions. I¡¯d definitely feel sad at losing him one way or another but...honestly, he¡¯s helped me get Lathani back to her mum. That¡¯s basically the only reason I Dominated him in the first place. If he wants out now...well. Better now than later. It might sound cold, but at least right now, I¡¯d only be out a few Energy-Hearts. And a friend. ¡°Would you like me to release your Bond?¡± What? His reaction isn¡¯t what I¡¯d have thought. He¡¯s not joyful, or even confused. He¡¯s horrified. Please, Master, Markus, please don¡¯t. OK. What¡¯s going on here? I feel like I need to be on ground level with him, so shove the half-cut branch until it snaps audibly and falls to the forest floor like the first. Then, using only a single hand on the bough I¡¯m balancing on, I swing to thump down on the spongy forest terrain myself. Looking at him squarely, I¡¯m almost shocked when he makes to go down on his knees in front of me like he did with Kalanthia. Not only does it make me profoundly uncomfortable to see him like that, but the middle of the forest is hardly the place to make himself more vulnerable than necessary. I immediately put my hands out to stop him shifting downwards. ¡°Stop that,¡± I tell him a little helplessly. ¡°It¡¯s...you don¡¯t need to.¡± He stops but looks at me, the feeling of a matching helplessness coming across the Bond. What do you want from me? He asks again. Tell me and I will do my best to fulfil it or die trying. But please help my village. I shake my head, but it¡¯s in incomprehension; fortunately, River¡¯s not so conversant with human body-language yet that he misinterpreted it. That or the Bond translated it correctly to whatever his own body-language would be. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How has your village suddenly come into this? We were talking about you.¡± River¡¯s mouth opens and closes, but he seems as unable to cross the vast gulf between our understandings that I hadn¡¯t even realised was there. We stand there staring at each other like idiots. Just how idiotic we are is promptly proven. A sense of urgency suddenly hits my mind, even as I feel something moving quickly towards me. I duck, only for the ball of mud to hit River instead. I quickly look at where it came from, and my eyes narrow. Perhaps it¡¯s time for another rematch. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Eight: I Owe You ¡°We meet again,¡± I mutter darkly at our new assailants, even as I prepare to shoot with my bow. Actually¡­. ¡°River, grab their attention,¡± I order him quickly. Without a word, he does exactly that, roaring loudly as he runs towards the greatest concentration of feathered velociraptors surrounding us. He succeeds in getting every eye fixed on him, and I quickly take advantage of that to Fade into the background. Temporarily hidden, I take a quick recce to get an idea of the situation. The velociraptors have mostly surrounded River by this point, both ground and tree-bound attackers shifting to get around him. My Bound is doing well, the spear which is never far from his clawed paws being thrust at them skillfully. The velociraptors have clearly learned that it¡¯s dangerous: after two were left bleeding heavily from well-aimed thrusts, the rest of the ground attackers are being much more careful. In fact, I wonder with my eyes narrowed, the velociraptors may actually be using the ground attackers as a distraction to allow the tree-bound ones to slow him down with their mud. Where the mud is coming from, I don¡¯t know: last time I was too focused on defending myself to ask the question, but now I can see that the velociraptors in the trees are just...producing it. After a short period of making motions like they¡¯re about to vomit, the mud appears in their mouth. They then pull their heads back briefly before pecking forwards and spitting the stuff. Yuck. I know from experience that it¡¯ll take a bit of time for the mud to start to have an effect on my Bound, especially since his Strength is probably significantly more than mine was when I was last ambushed by these creatures. Actually, are these the same ones as I was attacked by? Possibly, though it¡¯s a bit of a distance from the last site. They¡¯ve had some new additions, if so. Anyway, I feel like I¡¯ve got a plan which should work: it¡¯s simple enough, at least. Pulling back the string on my bow, I quickly release an arrow at one of the ranged velociraptors. It hits dead on and the raptor is dead before it lands heavily on the ground. I freeze as the dead velociraptor¡¯s companions turn around and focus on staying hidden, staying invisible. The raptors scan the area but when they turn back to River, I figure they haven¡¯t seen me. Excellent. Pleased to have had my theory confirmed ¨C that as long as they don¡¯t see me move, they won¡¯t see me at all ¨C I continue picking the raptors off. Where possible, I use cover to hide me from their gaze, and I circle around the action so that the arrows come from different places each time. The raptors are pretty focused on River who¡¯s doing an excellent job of keeping their attention. His roaring and attention-grabbing movements are as good as anything I could have asked: clearly this kind of combat idea isn¡¯t new to him. He¡¯s not even killing many of the velociraptors near his feet, though I¡¯m sure he could: his thrusts look far more dangerous than they actually are, and he¡¯s moving slowly enough that his targets almost always avoid them. In fact, he¡¯s doing such a good job that I¡¯ve picked off all but three of the raptors in the trees before they realise that there¡¯s a major problem. I¡¯m paying very close attention to them, so when I hear the same kind of signal to retreat that ended our last encounter, I¡¯m able to warn River. Both of us explode into action. Two arrows are in the air before any of the velociraptors even start to retreat. One hits; one misses, its target shifting just before it lands. As for River, he¡¯s now proving that his previous actions were what I¡¯d thought they were: attention-grabbing feints. In three thrusts, there are three velociraptors lying at his feet. One gets too close and he releases one paw from the spear to reach down and grab it. Bringing it up to his jaws, he uses his sharp teeth to rip its head half-off. I¡¯m not idle, either, aiming for the now-fleeing final two ranged attackers. Shooting, I watch in satisfaction as they fall to the ground. In the meantime, River has finished off the rest of the gang which had surrounded him. Even the three which had tried to flee have been cut down to the last. I¡¯m filled with grim satisfaction as I see the carnage surrounding us. Why they thought they could take us on, I don¡¯t know. Maybe because of their numbers? ¡°Are you OK?¡± I ask River. A few scrapes, but their teeth weren¡¯t particularly effective against my scales, he answers promptly. I beckon him over nonetheless to quickly check him out with healing magic. Like he said, a few slices on his lower legs as the velociraptors couldn¡¯t reach much further up. It doesn¡¯t take much mana to sort the minor injuries out, and I¡¯m personally not injured at all, so within a very short time I¡¯m looking at the bodies surrounding us again. ¡°Well,¡± I say with a hint of humour, ¡°with what you hunted for us earlier, and all this, we¡¯re not likely to be going hungry any time soon.¡± River stiffens. Do you wish me to reduce my hunting? he asks carefully. I sigh mentally. That¡¯s right ¨C we were talking all about this when we were interrupted by the velociraptors. ¡°If you want to hunt, hunt,¡± I tell him frankly. ¡°If we don¡¯t eat it, I¡¯d imagine Kalanthia will. Given how many bodies I had to give her to get her through one day, I doubt we¡¯ll ever manage to hunt enough for all of us and her. Look, let¡¯s just deal with all the bodies here. Take out the hearts, if you can, and then I¡¯ll figure out an easy way for us to carry them home.¡± Then, as a thought occurs, I add, ¡°Have a few if you¡¯re hungry.¡± Very well, River agrees and he sets to digging out the hearts of the velociraptors closest to him with his sharp wooden knife. I scan the area, trying to think of the best way of doing this. It¡¯s a pity that putting corpses in my Inventory wipes out all the remaining Energy in their bodies ¨C that really is the most efficient way of transporting things. Then again, my ancestors didn¡¯t have my Inventory, did they? My eyes light up as an idea occurs, images seen at school of how prey used to be brought back by the hunters coming to mind. With only one person, it wouldn¡¯t be particularly easy, but with two, it¡¯s perfect. Picking up one of the long branches I¡¯d cut from the tree, I drop it near a whole load of bodies. Then, setting to doing the same as River, placing the hearts on one of the pieces of raw hide from my Inventory, I start tying the tails of the velociraptors to the long branch with my bark-fibre cord. I don¡¯t cut the cord, just moving onto the next one ¨C I want to reuse it later. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°So,¡± I say as my hands get busy with the processing of the bodies. ¡°Going back to what we were talking about, what does your village have to do with your Bond with me?¡± A mixture of nervousness, fear, and bemusement comes across the Bond between us. I...when I consented to the Bond, I traded my service for your aid in saving my village. Oh. Oh. Suddenly I feel like I might be getting a sense of the root of the problem. ¡°So you panicked before because you thought that if I released you from the Bond, I wouldn¡¯t help your village?¡± I check with him. I know before he even responds that I¡¯m right; the emotions he sends over the Bond tell me that. Yes. I shake my head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that to you, man,¡± I tell him earnestly. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? I¡¯ve said before ¨C more than once ¨C that it doesn¡¯t matter if you continue to serve me: I¡¯ll do my best to save your village, regardless. You¡¯ve already fulfilled the service I wanted: you helped me get Lathani back to her mother. That was the only reason I activated the Battle of Wills in the first place.¡± River looks me with a little bit of suspicion coming through the Bond. You seemed to be asking for something more committed than that. I did not get the sense that you were proposing only a temporary Bond. ¡°No,¡± I sigh. Perhaps I should have used Tame instead of Dominate...but then I doubt I¡¯d have succeeded since Tame doesn¡¯t open a dialogue in the same way as the Battle of Wills does. Besides, ¡°I felt differently at the time ¨C I didn¡¯t know you at that point.¡± It makes a difference? ¡°Yes,¡± I say definitively. ¡°I feel that you¡¯ve gone above and beyond what I asked from you. You helped me get Lathani out with as little trouble as possible. You protected all of us on the way back. You helped me stay alive even when you probably would have been released when I died. You owned up to your actions to Kalanthia. Even since then, you have done your best to be helpful, not only to me but also to all those around us. Frankly, I feel bad keeping you...chained with a Dominate Bond.¡± It¡¯s only as I speak that I recognise my own emotions. I realise why his slips into ¡®master¡¯ have been disturbing me so much. Why his overly subservient manner has been making me uncomfortable. It¡¯s because I¡¯ve gone from looking at an enemy who I can use to looking at a friend who I¡¯ve...enslaved. Or that¡¯s how it feels, anyway. I continue, finishing up. ¡°So as far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯ve done more than enough to earn your freedom. Just say the word.¡± River is silent for a few moments, his hands still as he looks at me steadily. Although feeling on tenterhooks as to his response, I show some discipline of my own and refrain from touching the Bond to read his emotions. I still get a sense of them being tumultuous, but nothing more specific than that. No indication of which way he is leaning. Do you wish me to go? The question is asked with impressive neutrality considering the direct link I have to his emotions. ¡°No,¡± I say honestly. ¡°You¡¯ve very quickly become an essential member of my team as well as a friend. I would miss you greatly if you chose to break our Bond and return to your village. However I want you to be with us because you want to be, not because you have to.¡± There is silence for a few long moments. Unable to bear the silent tension without moving, I return to my task of tying velociraptor tails to the branch. When I see movement out of the corner of my eyes, I realise that River has done the same. I do not wish to go, he says finally. I let out a quiet breath I hadn¡¯t realised I was holding. ¡°Do you wish to have a Tame Bond like Sirocco, then? It is more one of equals than what we currently have,¡± I offer, looking up again. He seems to consider it a moment before flicking his tail and flashing his spikes red in the way I¡¯ve learnt means ¡®no¡¯. I do not feel that we are equal. Not yet. I frown. ¡°Because I haven¡¯t yet done what I can for your village? Like I say, I¡¯ll do that regardless of whether you¡¯re with me or not; I certainly will do my best even if we have Tame Bond.¡± No. Because I still owe you a debt. A little mirthless humour comes across the Bond. If anything, my debt is deepened. ¡°How so?¡± I ask, confused. Helping Lathani return to her mother was not some self-sacrificing act, he says, acting like he feels this is some sort of confession. I believed you when you said the Great Predator was alive, and I was clearly right to do so. Keeping the cub, letting the shaman and my...the herbalist continue with their plan would have sounded the death knell of our village as surely as if they did nothing and allowed the Forest of Death to engulf us. If anything, I feel like what you consider to be my side of the bargain was in fact to my own benefit anyway. And then, even if you say that that debt is fulfilled, I owe you my life. ¡°Well, if we come down to it, I owe you mine several times over,¡± I retort. His ¡®no¡¯ this time is sharp, almost aggressive. It is not the same. I saved you because, apart from the Bond driving me to protect you, I believe you offer the best possibility for my people to combat the threat of the Forest of Death ¨C you brought us unharmed through it, for the ancestors¡¯ sake! ¡°...Is that the only reason you saved me?¡± I ask, hating the way that my voice breaks a little. Clearing my throat, I try to pretend that I just had a tickle in it. There¡¯s silence for a moment before River sighs, the air hissing through his teeth. At first, yes. Now...not entirely. You¡­you protected me beyond what I expected from our arrangement. It seems only right that I do the same. I¡¯m not honestly sure whether that¡¯s any better, but try to keep my hurt from travelling across the Bond. Not that I deserve to feel hurt ¨C who expects a slave to care for his master¡¯s life? And that''s who we are, isn¡¯t it? But River hasn¡¯t finished speaking. I saved your life out of selfish benefit; you saved mine even though it put you in debt to the Great Predator. You even argued to save my village from the Great Predator¡¯s rightful wrath despite the fact that they...that we treated you like inferior prey. Had the Path-walkers been even a little less interested in your creations, you would most likely have ended up as the next communal carcass. He shakes his head. Even the best of friends do not do such things for each other. Let alone a master for a mere assistant. I owe you. Until that debt is paid, you are my master, whether you wish me to call you such or not. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Seventy-Nine: In the Abyss I don¡¯t know how to deal with all that. River seems almost as confused as I am over it all, only he seems to feel like I¡¯ve acted selflessly while I¡¯m lamenting over my own selfishness. He speaks of ¡®master¡¯ in one breath and ¡®best of friends¡¯ in the next. How does he see me? Or is there just so many differences between our cultures that the translation the Bond offers just isn¡¯t able to cope? I want him to want to be here, I realise. I want him to choose to be with me, both because I fear letting him in close and then him choosing to vanish like Lucy did, and also because I want this gnawing sense of guilt in the pit of my stomach to go away. If he chooses to join me of his own free will, that makes the forced aspect of the Dominiate OK, right? Or is that just another sop to my conscience? But I¡¯m still being selfish. I¡¯m thinking about what I want, not what is best for the group as a whole, or River specifically. While I want to set River free and have him choose to stay with us, he¡¯s explicitly said he doesn¡¯t want that. Sure, I could unilaterally break the Bond: that¡¯s my prerogative as the master of it. But that¡¯s the point: the master of it. To exercise my prerogative against his stated wishes would just be once more taking a choice out of his hands. Of course, there are other considerations. Is River actually in a fit state to be able to make a decision on this? From what I¡¯ve learned of lizard-folk society, it seems a pretty cut-throat one. His ideology about ¡®might is right¡¯ has to come from somewhere, and I don¡¯t think I have to look very far to find its source. I know that in his mind, I won the Battle of Wills, even if I didn¡¯t actually force it on him; he¡¯s coded to accept me as his ¡®superior¡¯. Then there¡¯s the Bond itself. He said it himself at the beginning of all this: the Bond imposes an external set of ideals ¨C the protection of and obedience to the master of the Bond. Can I trust anything he says while he¡¯s still under its influence? I grimace as another thought occurs, one that I should have had before now. Kalanthia. If I break River¡¯s Bond, she¡¯s going to claim her due from him. Probably in the form of his death. Perhaps it''s better to wait until I¡¯ve finished my quest and made inroads on helping Lathani ¨C that way the ¡®bargains¡¯ I have with both lizard-man and nunda will be effectively fulfilled. Kalanthia surely wouldn¡¯t claim River¡¯s death if he has been instrumental in helping her cub recover? Then again, maybe I could...Hmm. That¡¯s an idea. ¡°Alright,¡± I say in the end, finally answering River¡¯s declaration. ¡°I¡¯ll accept your service until we¡¯ve sorted out the threat of the vine-stranglers to your village. Then we¡¯ll reassess the situation, OK?¡± As you wish, River accepts. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be so...submissive,¡± I say, grimacing again at the word. Though who knows what that translates to in River¡¯s language. ¡°Just...be like you were on our journey here. It...it makes me uncomfortable when you call me ¡®master¡¯,¡± I admit, hoping that this might get through where other requests didn¡¯t. ¡°It makes me uncomfortable when you treat me with too much formality. I can¡¯t be relaxed with you if you aren¡¯t relaxed with me.¡± River eyes me for a moment. Very well, he agrees hesitantly. I will try. It would be easier, though, if I knew what you wanted me to do. I sigh. We¡¯ve come back around to the beginning of the conversation again. Though at least now I know why he had been acting in that way. And if I¡¯m being honest when I say I¡¯m accepting his service, I guess I¡¯d better actually give him tasks to fulfil. I take a few moments to think. What do I want him to do? It¡¯s hard when I don¡¯t know whether he¡¯ll be staying with us past the village being saved ¨C assuming I even can. Should I plan for the short or long term? Then again, if I plan for the long term, all I risk losing is a few Energy-Hearts; if I plan for the short term, I risk losing the time now for River to improve himself. Between the two, Energy-Hearts are probably easier to find than time. In fact, they definitely are, considering I know the location of more. ¡°I want you to grow and improve,¡± I say finally. ¡°That was as true before as it is now. The sooner you can hit your evolution, the better for everyone. At the same time, using poison on the lizogs certainly helped, and we never know when we¡¯re going to need more of that. I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve been collecting venoms here and there, but I don¡¯t have the faintest idea of where to start with using them, apart from just smearing them directly on my weapons. Any other potions which might offer benefits to health or stamina could be useful too.¡± I sigh. ¡°Perhaps you should focus on using Energy-Hearts to make progress towards your evolution, and then also make forays into the forest to find ingredients for your concoctions?¡± So you would prefer me not to focus on hunting? River checks with me, his mien intent. ¡°Not specifically, I suppose. If something attacks you, then by all means kill it and bring its body back with you, but I suspect you won¡¯t find challenge in the area around here.¡± I have noticed how much easier most prey is here, he agrees. And the air feels...lighter. ¡°That¡¯s probably the Energy density,¡± I note. While talking, we¡¯ve both been working. Finishing up by tying the final velociraptor¡¯s tail to the branch, I stand up and walk over to the other branch I harvested, pick it up and place it in my Inventory. Even if I might not have harvested as much wood as I was hoping, I¡¯ve probably got enough to make at least one rack ¨C the branches are a good few metres long, as thick around as my calf at their thickest and tapering towards their tips. They¡¯ve each also got a whole load of other branches attached to them so I¡¯ll have more wood I can use there as well. ¡°Ready?¡± I ask my companion. When he agrees, I lift one end of the branch with the velociraptors dangling from it, grabbing the ¡®bag¡¯ of hearts with my other hand. River places the other end of the branch on his shoulder and we quickly walk home through the forest. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As we walk, my mind wanders a little. This whole situation has brought up something else that I hadn¡¯t thought of. Or rather, someone. Bastet. The raptorcat has been with me through thick and thin. Her loyalty has been unquestionable, and she has also gone above and beyond. If I¡¯m offering River the opportunity to be free from the Dominate Bond...how can I not offer it to her as well? I blame the fact that I haven¡¯t thought of it until now because she looks more like an animal than River and can¡¯t speak in recognisable words. Yet ¨C her mental communication has been becoming clearer and clearer the closer her progress ticks towards evolution. Still, I find that those are weak justifications now I think about it. She¡¯s not incapable of making the decision; I just never thought of offering it to her. And there¡¯s no debt tying her to me, no sword of Damocles hanging above her head that would give me a good reason to argue against giving her the option. The thought is depressing. What would I do if she chose to leave me and take the cubs with her? She¡¯s...she¡¯s a rock in this new life of mine. Yet now the thought has occurred, I know that it will keep niggling at me if I don¡¯t give her the option. She¡¯s done more than enough to deserve it. I think River must sense my increasingly dark mood as he doesn¡¯t try to say anything while we walk. By the time we¡¯ve got back, briefly taking the time by the river to wash both ourselves and the corpses, my mood is in the abyss. I¡¯ve pretty much convinced myself that Bastet leaving with cubs without a second glance would be the best possible outcome of me breaking the Bond: I would hate to have to raise a weapon against my friend, but will have to if she tries to threaten any of us. As for if she then tried to threaten Kalanthia or Lathani...no. Even in a worst case scenario, I doubt that would happen. Bastet knows Kalanthia¡¯s power well enough; that wouldn¡¯t change with the disappearance of the Bond. Untying the velociraptor bodies while their hearts cook takes some time, but I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯m stalling a little, not wanting to have confirmation of my darkest fears, but at the same time knowing that they must be faced. River tries to help me, but his clawed fingers are not the most agile. By the second time he accidentally cuts through the bark fibre instead of untying it, I decide that he¡¯d be better off somewhere else. ¡°Why don¡¯t you absorb some Energy from an Energy-Heart,¡± I suggest pointedly. ¡°Do you need a new one?¡± It¡¯s fine, thank you, he says politely, I haven¡¯t yet finished absorbing the other you gave me. ¡°OK, well let me know when you need a new one,¡± I tell him, and he takes the hint easily. Tipping his chin up briefly, he steps into the cave, returning shortly after with a partly-used Energy-Heart in his hands. I watch as he sits in a sunny patch and closes his eyes, going still. As I look around, I realise that Fenrir and Sirocco are doing the same. In fact, it¡¯s only Bastet who¡¯s unable to meditate, since she¡¯s watching the cubs. I frown ¨C that¡¯s not fair. She needs to have time to grow too, especially since she¡¯s still the closest to evolution. I''ll have to talk to my other Bound to make sure she gets some time set aside. Then my fingers falter on the knots I¡¯m undoing as I remember that it¡¯s only relevant if she doesn¡¯t leave as soon as the Bond is broken. By the time the hearts are cooked and eaten, and the velociraptors have been piled in the shade for everyone to help themselves, I can¡¯t put it off any longer. Or rather, I could but I shouldn¡¯t. Should I ask Fenrir and River to join me? I wonder as I contemplate Bastet potentially getting violent. Then I shake my head. I don¡¯t want to disturb them, and I reckon that they would come running if anything actually happened. Plus, there¡¯s a part of me that fears that preparing contingency plans for her attacking me would actually make it more likely that she would. Illogical, I know, but fear often is. ¡°Bastet,¡± I call quietly, the lump in my throat making it hard to say anything. Nonetheless, her hearing is perfectly capable of hearing even that low sound. Plus, even if she hadn¡¯t heard it with her ears, she¡¯d have heard it through the Bond. The raptorcat looks at me, her head tilted to one side curiously. She¡¯s clearly picking up my tumultuous emotions as both confusion and wariness come over from her side of our connection. ¡°Can you come here, please?¡± I ask. She obeys immediately, padding closer on surprisingly quiet talons. Is something wrong? she seems to ask, concern bleeding through even as she looks around warily. ¡°No, nothing wrong,¡± I tell her, trying to smile but failing to make my lips do more than twitch a little. Ah well, she wouldn¡¯t understand the gesture anyway. Nothing¡¯s wrong ¨C yet. ¡°Listen, I just wanted to say...to tell you how much I appreciate what you¡¯ve done for me. You¡¯ve been a solid partner in every fight we¡¯ve had, you¡¯ve kept us safe with scouting, and you don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve helped me in other ways.¡± Confusion but wary appreciation comes across from her side, like she¡¯s pleased I¡¯m happy with her, but is wondering why this would make me so sad. ¡°I feel like repaying the loyalty you¡¯ve shown me by keeping you bound to me is unfair to you. I¡¯m...I¡¯m going to break the Bond.¡± Shock and lack of understanding emanates across the Bond, followed quickly by hurt and upset. Since that¡¯s the opposite of what I¡¯m aiming for, I hastily try to reassure her. ¡°It¡¯s not because you¡¯ve done anything wrong or because I don¡¯t want you, I promise!¡± I tell her. ¡°In fact, the reverse is true. I just want you to choose to be here.¡± Her emotions settle a little with my reassurance, but there¡¯s still a whole lot of wariness and concern underlying everything. ¡°Look,¡± I say, taking a deep breath. I¡¯ve started something; I need to finish it, and to do it right. Otherwise I could risk losing another person I care about. ¡°I¡¯m going to break the Bond, and then immediately offer you a Taming Bond, like with Sirocco. That will offer you the chance to put whatever you want into the Bond, like she did. Or,¡± and here I have to swallow, ¡°you could choose to leave. Take the cubs with you and go. If you leave peaceably, none of us will offer threat to you.¡± I bite back the words that threaten to spill out, words that want to beg her not to go, to try to convince her to stay. ¡°If you stay, I want it to be because that¡¯s what you want,¡± I say again. ¡°Equally, if you leave, I want it to be because you want to.¡± Feeling like there¡¯s a stone sitting in my stomach, I reach with metaphysical hands to the place where I know Bastet¡¯s Bond is. It takes but a moment to break it, all that¡¯s required is my Will to do so. The ease with which it snaps feels incongruous to how important it is for me. I immediately feel the lack, the emptiness where her presence used to be. This is far worse than with Spike, for all that it was voluntary on my part. Bastet hasn¡¯t moved, her eyes wide with shock. Without my connection to her, I have no way of feeling her emotions, but I know her body language well enough to recognise that she feels the lack of the Bond even worse than I do. Fearful that wasting even a moment will see her suddenly turn tail and vanish before my eyes, I stare into her eyes. ¡°Tame,¡± I say, my voice filled with desperate hope. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty: Companion I¡¯ve barely even opened the ¡®trade window¡¯ before Bastet has piled a whole lot of sensation in and shoved it in my direction. It¡¯s hard to describe, and I have to take a few moments to parse through it all. When I have, I just stare at her in disbelief. ¡°Really?¡± I ask, too dumbfounded to say anything more. Given that we no longer have a Bond, she shouldn¡¯t be able to understand me. Maybe it¡¯s that we¡¯ve been together long enough that she can read my tone and body language well enough, because she clearly does. And from how easily I interpret her exasperation, I reckon the understanding isn¡¯t only one-way. The best way I can describe what Bastet has just done is to once more draw on the comparison with a trade window in a game. It¡¯s like I offered a trade which she accepted. Following that, she proceeded to offload her entire inventory, heck, her entire bank into the window. Then, without waiting for me to show any of my goods, she just accepted the trade. Obviously, she¡¯s not giving me any goods exactly, but what she has given me is far more precious: trust. All the aspects of Dominate which were the reason for me doing this in the first place, all those elements of control...she¡¯s offered them to me again. It¡¯s not that she¡¯s done what Sirocco did ¨C laying out specific demands. She hasn¡¯t even laid out specific offers, separating the different aspects of the Bond. No, she¡¯s basically said ¡®I was happy with what we had, and I want it back¡¯. The sheer amount of trust she¡¯s offered me here is staggering. She¡¯s already accepted the Bond. It¡¯s like she¡¯s written me a blank cheque. I could make whatever demands I wanted of her right now, and she would be powerless to reject them. But I¡¯m not going to do that. Of course I¡¯m not ¨C it would be an utter betrayal of her, and of her trust. And, I think ruefully, knowing how I¡¯d react is probably exactly why she did it in the first place. Instead, I pour in my own promises to her. To never take her for granted. To respect her opinion, even if I ultimately choose something different. To work towards her growth as I also work towards my own progress and the improvement of the team. To protect her cubs until they are old enough to make their own choices. And then I accept the trade. The Bond snaps back into place like it had never vanished, brighter and stronger than ever before. I feel Bastet¡¯s pleasure and satisfaction pour through from her side of things and I can¡¯t help but let my own crash back across the link. If my own emotions are tinged with a good bit of relief, only Bastet and I will ever know. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say to her, a little hoarsely through the sudden lump in my throat. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would have done without you.¡± Don¡¯t be silly, she seems to say, though it still comes across in emotions rather than words. I¡¯m not going anywhere. With that, she pads close to rub her face against mine. I bring my arms up to give her a hug, realising that it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve done that. She¡¯s slighter than I would have expected, her pseudo-feathers serving to make her a little bigger than usual. Yet below them, she doesn¡¯t feel fragile; the reverse, in fact. Her sinewy muscles feel like I¡¯m holding a creature made of steel, yet still of flesh and blood. Bastet endures my embrace for a few moments, but then pulls away. I don¡¯t fight her on it, not wanting to ruin the moment. Without a backwards glance, she pads over to where the cubs are now playing ¨C they¡¯d moved during our discussion. Lying down, she clearly relaxes again, obviously far less moved by what just happened than I am. Maybe I should follow her example, not make such a big deal of it. But for me it is a big deal. Despite how our relationship started, despite all the dangerous situations I¡¯ve led her ¨C and the cubs ¨C into, she still trusts me to Bond with me. More, she trusts me with all the power I held over her before. There¡¯s the nagging sense of a notification. I¡¯m not terribly surprised. I know I need to go and work on my internal matrix, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to be able to ignore whatever message is waiting for me. I quickly open it to check.
Skill Evolution! You have gained a Skill evolution to your Class Skill: Dominate. Unusually, this Skill evolution does not affect your base Skill, but instead adds another option to it. Companion Bond You have learned that if you wish to know whether something is yours, you must let it go. If it returns, it is yours; if it does not, it never was. Based on Dominate, Companion Bond contains almost all of the same features and limitations for both Binder and Companion and will not advance independently of the base Skill. However, Companion Bond has one difference: both Binder and Companion have the power to break the Bond at any moment. A Bond once broken may not be reinstated. A new Bond may or may not be able to be created depending on the circumstances. Limitation: In order to use Companion Bond, a Bond of significant depth must have already existed between the Binder and the prospective Companion. The original Bond must have been sundered. The Companion must choose willingly and with no coercion to accept the Companion Bond. Companion Bond cannot be used unless another Bond has previously existed between the two parties.
Close messages? Y/N
I close the messages with my jaw feeling a little slack. Quickly navigating to my status screen, I stare at the new addition.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 100% Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Energy absorption rate: 26u/hr Energy towards debt: 78%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 360/360
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 722u/hr (-15%)
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 17 Stamina: 100/100
Dexterity 15 Stamina regeneration rate: 150u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 2 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Non-Class skills Lay-on-hands ¨C Journeyman 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Meditation ¨C Initiate 2 Energy Manipulation ¨C initiate 1 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
My new Skill is immediately different from the others just by the fact that it¡¯s preceded with an asterisk and has no indication of level. I guess that that¡¯s because, according to the information box, Companion Bond appears to be intrinsically tied into Dominate. I can only assume that further evolutions to Dominate will also affect Companion Bond. I don¡¯t really know how to feel about that, but then I¡¯m not sure how to feel about any of it, really. I push my confusion to one side and try to work out what the consequences are to all this. After a few moments of thought, I realise that this is the answer to my increasing moral concerns about essentially enslaving my Bound. It says it in the information: they have to be free to choose to take the Bond or not, free of any other Bond; free of coercion. That means that if they do choose the Bond, they¡¯re doing so knowing what it entails. Not only do they choose to enter the Bond, but they also have the option to leave it. It sounds like either of us breaking the Bond would be pretty final, though, so not a choice to be made casually, but just knowing that the option is there is a relief: I cannot feel I¡¯m holding them against their will when they have the option to leave. The main question I have is actually about what it means by a Bond ¡®of sufficient depth¡¯. It¡¯s not exactly clear¡­. Then again, I suppose that I could go by my Bond with Bastet for guidance, since that was clearly sufficiently deep enough. But that...is a big ask. The Bond I had ¨C have, I suppose ¨C with Bastet was ¨C is ¨C deep. I don¡¯t idly call her family. I don¡¯t think I have that kind of Bond with anyone else. I feel like I¡¯m getting there with River, but it¡¯s more complicated ¨C he¡¯s more complicated. It comes of being fully sapient, I guess. Besides, I can¡¯t forget that I would have to break the Bond I currently have with him in order to offer him this new one anyway, which would make him vulnerable to Kalanthia. Plus, I sense that it isn¡¯t the right time anyway: the information talked about no coercion being possible. Although I¡¯m not intending on coercing him this time, from what he said earlier, he would probably feel duty-bound to consent ¨C it wouldn¡¯t be fully of his free-will. No, I resolve to wait until a better time to offer this Bond. But I know that, unless things change significantly between us, I¡¯m going to make that offer at some point. Should I offer it to Fenrir? Sirocco? I consider the possibility for a moment before shaking my head. No. My bond with Fenrir is far too new; we¡¯re still trying to find our place with each other. Maybe that¡¯s why a Companion Bond can only be offered to a being once they have had a Bond of ¡®significant depth¡¯ ¨C that way they know better what they¡¯d be getting into by consenting...or losing by rejecting it. Sirocco is an even easier decision. She¡¯s only just starting to adjust to the role of being an actual part of the team rather than just an external ally hanging around for benefits. No way is our Bond even remotely deep enough for this; I doubt if she¡¯d even want it anyway. Actually, could I even offer it to her? She¡¯s Bonded to me through Tame, not Dominate. Then again, it didn¡¯t actually specify what kind of Bond had to be in place, just how deep it had to be. Anyway, it¡¯s not something that¡¯s feasible for now. Maybe in the future, if our relationship changes. So for now, Bastet is the only one to be a Companion. Maybe River will be later, but now isn¡¯t the best time for him either. We need to clear his debt for him first. On that note, I push myself to my feet and walk over to Kalanthia. ¡°Do you have a moment?¡± I ask the massive nunda as I get closer. Her eyes are shut but she opens them at my approach. If you wish. I am taking Lathani out hunting shortly, though, she warns me. ¡°OK, thanks for letting me know,¡± I say, trying not to let my surprise show. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised ¨C she said she was going to do that. Is your offer to take her out hunting with you still open? Kalanthia asks next. ¡°Of course,¡± I answer immediately. ¡°Though,¡± I check myself, ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯m next going hunting ¨C I need to work on my Energy channels.¡± That is understandable. I wish to see how Lathani does later today, but I have been thinking on what you said about her being unable to learn to hunt properly with me, and I will admit that it seems likely to be justified. I will need to teach her proper technique first, however, so there is no rush. ¡°Great,¡± I reply, smiling a little. I certainly don¡¯t mind having the cute nunda cub around a little more, as long as she¡¯s taking hunting seriously. And I think it will be good for her to learn: I remember how lost she looked when Ninja was almost killed by the snake. Perhaps learning to hunt will help with her emotions around that. But that wasn¡¯t why I came over. ¡°Look, you remember what you said about needing to get another fifteen fist-sized Cores in the next ninety days to pay off River¡¯s debt?¡± I do. ¡°Would this work as a start?¡± I ask, pulling out the salamander¡¯s Core. I was thinking about giving it to Bastet since she¡¯d almost died in the process of killing it, but finally I figured that it might be most effectively used to help River. Kalanthia leans closer and inspects the large Core. Very well, she said in the end. It is good quality, from a young Beast. It is more than sufficient for a single contribution. The guardian of the cavern you mentioned to me? ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± I ask, surprised. There is much that can be divined about a Beast¡¯s life from their Core, she tells me a little mysteriously. Now, I must go hunting with Lathani, she continues, pushing herself to her feet and stretching languorously. ¡°Alright. Have fun,¡± I reply, putting the Core down for Kalanthia to do with as she wishes and going inside. Time to have another go at ¡®feeling the earth¡¯ before doing some more work on my internal matrix. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-One: Golden Lines I direct the mana carefully, managing to control a steady stream from my Core. The days of pulling a chunk out of my Core and then barely being able to keep up as it shot through my internal matrix are long gone. Well, I say long gone. I mean two days ago, really. It was only yesterday that I even managed to direct the mana at the damaged ends of my internal matrix as well as pull it out of my Core in a vaguely controlled manner. Now, though, I¡¯m feeling pretty pro at it. As I feel a wave of pride, I swiftly push it away ¨C pride goes before a fall and I really don¡¯t want to fail at this right now. With the steady stream of controlled mana from my Core, the damaged end of my matrix grows at a speed I wouldn¡¯t have believed possible a few days ago. Good thing too ¨C I sense I¡¯m running out of time. I¡¯m almost done. It seems crazy to think, but most of the loops and intricately woven designs that were destroyed by the Pure Energy are back in place, humming and vibrating golden in the way that the rest of it hums and vibrates. The only ones left to do are the few that actually don¡¯t loop back on themselves. I hadn¡¯t realised, but all around my matrix are threads that just...end. Some are longer than others; the ones I¡¯ve been working on are the longest of all, at least twice as long as the ones in other parts of my matrix. It¡¯s like when I push mana through them, the threads grow out to where they were damaged...and then they grow longer. I only realised it when I was working on some threads at the edge of where my matrix was damaged ¨C with some undamaged Energy channels to compare to, it became obvious. I don¡¯t know what the effects of extending these fibres will be, and I¡¯m rather curious to find out, but not now. Right now, I need to just finish sorting out my internal matrix so I won¡¯t have to find out what happens if I don¡¯t make a choice about my Lay-on-hands Skill. In the end, it¡¯s taken me the full three days to sort out my internal matrix. I realise that my initial estimates would have been way off if not for my Energy manipulation Skill increasing rapidly through the Initiate ranks. More specifically, if not for that two percent per level increase in Energy control within my internal matrix in addition to the increased Energy efficiency I¡¯d gained in the Novice ranks. When I see on my status screen that I¡¯ve finally got rid of that penalty to my mana regeneration rate, I actually stand up and whoop loudly. Fortunately, I¡¯m almost home alone so I don¡¯t disturb anyone. Kalanthia has only been home to sleep recently, too busy introducing Lathani to the world of being the biggest, baddest predator in the forest. River is out with Sirocco and Bastet who decided to also take the cubs out. Apparently, now we have more of a pack, she feels more confident in teaching the cubs in a field setting. Or forest, rather. I¡¯d felt a bit bad about not responding to her invitation to come with them, especially since me staying back meant they felt uneasy about leaving me alone. While I feel pretty safe in this cave, I can¡¯t deny that I¡¯m rather vulnerable while meditating, so staying back here alone is probably a bad idea. River wanted to be the one to guard me, but I managed to convince him to let Fenrir take his place. The fact is that River and Bastet are the closest of my companions to evolving, so I¡¯d rather they¡¯re the ones out hunting. It¡¯s not like Fenrir is all that disadvantaged ¨C he¡¯s curled up around an Energy-Heart anyway. Seeing as Bastet is within a few percent of evolving, I suggested that maybe she¡¯d like to do the same thing. She wasn¡¯t keen on the idea ¨C seemed uneasy. I¡¯m not sure why, but I remember Kalanthia being wary about giving Lathani too many Energy-Hearts. Maybe it¡¯s something to do with that? Either way, I know Bastet wants to evolve and get stronger; if she¡¯s choosing to go hunting instead of curling up around an Energy-Heart, I¡¯ll accept that it¡¯s because that¡¯s the best choice for her. I¡¯m finally starting to realise that perhaps I don¡¯t know as much as I thought I did¡­. Anyway, back to my task. Having finally fixed my internal matrix, I eagerly open up my notifications. I¡¯m a little disappointed that I haven¡¯t got any sort of achievement for what I¡¯ve just been doing ¨C isn¡¯t fixing the damage Pure Energy wreaks on an internal matrix worth anything? Then again, I suppose it was self-inflicted. That said, I got an achievement before from surviving the experience...maybe I shouldn¡¯t be greedy. Heading directly for the message which I¡¯ve seen twice before now, I quickly make my choice, refusing to second-guess myself. The reluctance with which the System responds speaks, I think, to how long I¡¯ve delayed making a choice which should have been made practically on the spot. Just because it allowed me to decide later doesn¡¯t mean I was supposed to take a week to do so. Curiosity piqued, I dive into my Core space, wondering what is going to happen there as the System makes its changes. Before my wondering eyes, I see the golden lines rearrange themselves. The lines in question are primarily in one of the areas of particular intricacy. It¡¯s an area I¡¯m not surprised represents the Lay-on-hands Skill ¨C since I¡¯m pretty sure this is proof of my theory about the areas with concentrated lines being my Skills. The lines are smooth and relaxing to view, though there are a few bends and curves which are oddly sharp when looked at from a certain viewpoint. The lines are being smoothed in some ways, sharpened in others. It¡¯s hard for me to identify exactly what¡¯s going on, and it¡¯s happening fast enough for them to blur anyway. Once it finishes, I find that the whole design is bigger than it was before, taking up about half again the space. Drifting closer, I look at the design from multiple angles. It¡¯s...not as different as I was expecting. When I¡¯d picked to evolve the Skill, I thought that it would mean it would change completely. While I watched the lines shift and move, that looked like exactly what was happening. Looking at the result of the evolution, however, proves that my assumptions are not quite accurate. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. There¡¯s a core of the Skill which looks almost like a smaller version of what had been there to begin with. Only...it fits with the outer layers as well, and those are quite different. They also connect into the rest of the matrix differently. Hmm, interesting. Figuring that I¡¯m not going to find out much more just by looking at my internal matrix, I pull out of myself and go into my notifications. Sure enough, there is the expected message waiting.
Skill Evolution! You have gained a Skill evolution to your Skill: Lay-on-hands. Lay-on-hands is now Flesh-Shaping. Previous Journeyman level understanding of Lay-on-hands has been conserved and incorporated with Flesh-Shaping. Automatic knowledge of how to heal unfamiliar damage has been removed. Full rank has not been conserved due to the wider applications of Flesh-Shaping. Journeyman 1 ¡ú Novice 5. Flesh-Shaping: Use mana to affect flesh. Greater applications of mana will lead to greater effects. If using this Skill on a being, the being must either consent to or reject your attempts. In the case of a rejection, you may still succeed if your Willpower is high enough or your mana is plentiful enough to overcome theirs. Beware: if your Will or Power should prove lesser, you may suffer a backlash.
Close messages? Y/N
I stare at the message, feeling a mixture of emotions. The drop in rank is a bit of a blow. I¡¯d worked hard to bring Lay-on-hands up to where it was. Although is it? Looked at another way, as long as I¡¯m still able to ¡®enter¡¯ my target¡¯s body and working with their bodily systems is more efficient, then I haven¡¯t lost much. I doubt I¡¯ll maintain the Journeyman benefit of five percent mana efficiency when channelling healing that I¡¯d earned at the Skill¡¯s last upgrade, but perhaps I can gain that at a later upgrade? And since I hadn¡¯t been too happy with the increase in power ¨C or lack of it ¨C at each rank-up of Lay-on-hands, I could even look at this like I¡¯ve gained a second chance. Of course, that¡¯s all predicated upon the hope that I can still heal myself and my allies as I could before. The description says that automatic healing properties of the Skill have been lost but that my Journeyman understanding has been conserved. Hopefully that means that anything I¡¯ve already done is repeatable. I guess I¡¯ll have to find out how much of the Skill is automatic compared to included within my ¡®Journeyman level understanding¡¯. My heart sinking within me, I hope that I haven¡¯t just made a mistake. I try to remind myself of the reasons for why I chose Flesh-Shaping. The very vagueness of the description indicates to me just how many different ways in which I could take it. Basically, what I understand is just that I can use Flesh-Shaping to, well, shape flesh. That¡¯s so much bigger than Lay-on-hands which was geared purely towards healing bodies. It didn''t matter how much mana I dumped in an area ¨C if it was fully healed, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make any more changes. I had tried, wondering whether I might be able to enhance my body in some way. No good. However now...what if I could strengthen my bones? Or make myself grow claws on demand? Heck, could this even be used to enable me to transform into a beast? My imagination starts going wild and I have to pull it back forcefully. I need to experiment. See what it can really do. But honestly, even if it just means I can heal my companions and hurt my enemies, it will be better than what I had before. If all I¡¯ve lost is the ability to just dump healing magic into a wound and let it do its own job, then that¡¯s not so bad ¨C I¡¯d shifted mostly away from that sort of thing a while ago. I only use it in the middle of combat when I don¡¯t have the concentration to focus on directing the magic. And with my newly improved party, hopefully I¡¯ll be less and less in the actual thick of combat. It would allow us to actually take down some beasts which might otherwise seem impossible. Frankly, I don¡¯t think we would have won against the salamander without it. The thing was a tank, its bulk meaning that most of our strikes were just shrugged off. Without Bastet keeping it occupied and bleeding, River would probably have been taken out next. That would have left me alone, and my damage dealing capacities certainly wouldn¡¯t have coped. I¡¯d have had to make a really lucky strike to open an artery in its neck or something. However, with the combat application of Flesh-Shaping, we could bypass all of that and hit it directly in its brain. That octopus beast in the salt cave is another example of something that might suddenly be possible to deal with rather than the impossible target it had been before. And what if I don¡¯t aim to kill? What if with the salamander I¡¯d grown something into its spinal cord before, rendered it paralysed? With it helpless, I might have had a better chance with Dominate; the salamander certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to hurt Bastet even if I still hadn¡¯t managed to convince it to give up. Of course, it will probably require me to be up close and personal ¨C right now, at least. In the future, who knows? There¡¯s no longer any requirement to touch the subject in the Skill name, nor does it say anything about contact in the Skill description. How to wield it at range is something else, but after fixing both my Core and internal matrix mostly by myself, I¡¯m feeling a lot more confident about learning how. I am a little wary about this ¡®backlash¡¯ which I could apparently be exposed to, though. Is it as simple as the magic I¡¯m using being used to damage me instead? Or could it be that the flesh-shaping I¡¯m trying to perpetrate on something else would instead be perpetrated on me? I shudder a little at that thought ¨C giving myself an aneurysm doesn¡¯t sound very fun. I¡¯ll just have to do my best to prevent myself from being put in that position. I guess that what I did with the salamander was overpowering through force of mana ¨C I just kept throwing magic at the defences until they shattered. Increasing my Intelligence so I have a better mana pool would be a good idea, in that case. Or increasing Wisdom ¨C if I have a good enough regeneration rate, I¡¯ll replenish my stocks as soon as I burn through them. That said, at the moment I earn almost six points per minute, which still means I earn less than one point every ten seconds. When throwing magic at the salamander¡¯s brain, I wasn¡¯t exactly keeping track, but from how quickly I ran out of mana when healing Bastet afterwards, I must have burned through a good fifty to a hundred mana in less than a minute. I¡¯m going to need a lot more points in Wisdom to improve my regeneration rate to that degree. Perhaps a goal for the future. Alternatively, I could try to work out how to use my Willpower to overpower a creature¡¯s defences ¨C I¡¯ve got the twenty percent increase from Kalanthia which means that that stat is more effective point for point than any of my other stats. I¡¯ll have to practise, though ¨C I don¡¯t want my first attempt to come in a life and death battle. Then again, all my other discoveries have happened in those sorts of moments¡­ Once more, I have to rein in my runaway thoughts. Time to find out how this thing works. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Two: Not So Intuitive Saying the Skill name in my mind does nothing. That¡¯s the first difference from Lay-on-hands. I remember right at the beginning when I first arrived in this world, all I needed to do was say the Skill name mentally and then a flood of healing magic passed through my body. Sure, I was soon able to redirect it to make it focus on the worst wounds, but even without that the Skill was able to function by itself. Apparently Flesh-Shaping isn¡¯t so intuitive. Maybe that¡¯s what it meant by losing ¡®automatic¡¯ healing? Fortunately, I¡¯m not nearly as much a novice at this whole thing as I was a month ago. Without actually dropping into meditation, I reach inside myself and pull out a strand of mana. With the amount of practice I¡¯ve had doing this, it takes little more than a thought, though I do have to stop myself from automatically feeding it into my internal matrix ¨C that¡¯s all fixed for now. But what should I do with it, then? I feel a little at a loss. It¡¯s one thing to think of all the amazing potential possibilities of Flesh-Shaping; it¡¯s another to try to work out where to start with them. I¡¯m not keen on accidentally doing something irreversible to myself and then having no idea of how to fix it. That eliminates all ideas of enhancing my own body in some way. Equally, I don¡¯t want to risk doing something to Fenrir that I can¡¯t undo. I consider testing out the combat potential of my new Skill ¨C I¡¯m sure if I asked him to, Fenrir would be able to quickly run down something in the forest and bring it back alive for me to practise on. I don¡¯t want to do that, though ¨C I¡¯m already struggling with the concept of having a Class designed to enslave other beings; I don¡¯t want to become a mad scientist too. No, I see only one good option for me to choose right now. And, honestly, it¡¯s probably the most important feature anyway: healing. After all, I only chose this option because I was more than reasonably sure that I would maintain at least some of my healing ability. Before I can consider crazy things like transforming into a beast at will or enhancing myself even more than my Class already has, I need to be sure that I can heal myself and my companions as easily as before. But in order to heal, I need a wound. Unfortunately, Fenrir doesn¡¯t have a handy injury which I can practise on. Nor do I. One of my other Bound might, but they¡¯re off in the forest and don¡¯t seem to have intentions of coming back any time soon. I grimace. I know what I need to do ¨C it doesn¡¯t make it more pleasant to contemplate, though. Fenrir raises his head and sends a questioning feel down the Bond as I walk past him into the cave. I send him a wordless response of reassurance, letting him know that all is well. I don¡¯t let on my plans to him even as I enter the alcove. Withdrawing my knife, I hold it over the steaming pot of soup that I¡¯ve got cooking on the stove. Letting the steam sterilise the blade, I pull it back after a minute or so. Giving it a couple of more minutes to cool down a bit, I hold the blade above my forearm, unease roiling in my belly. It¡¯s a little ironic that I¡¯m in the same position as I was the first night I was here ¨C contemplating hurting myself in order to test a new Skill. However, as similar as the situations are, there are also many differences. Key among those is the knowledge that even if I don¡¯t manage to heal myself with my magic, my health regeneration will do it for me. A small cut like the one I¡¯m planning on making will be gone within an hour. The only reason I¡¯m even sterilising the blade is because I don¡¯t want to risk introducing contamination which might complicate the healing process. Reminding myself of that is enough to give me the courage that I lacked the first night I was here. Without allowing myself to think further, I lower the blade to touch my skin and draw it across my flesh. That...doesn¡¯t hurt as much as I thought it would, I find myself saying mentally even as the blood wells up and starts trickling over my skin. Maybe my pain resistance has just increased that much? Or something in one of my stats reduces the sensation of pain? Or it could be that Skill I got which manages sensations. Whatever it is, it¡¯s got me spellbound, the almost complete lack of pain belying the stream of red blood which drips steadily onto the floor of the cave. My fascination is broken with the sudden appearance of Fenrir, concern shooting urgently through the Bond. Maybe I should have done this outside, I contemplate as my eyes flick to the puddle already being created on the floor. ¡°I¡¯m OK,¡± I tell my nervous guardian. ¡°I¡¯m just testing something.¡± Fenrir huffs as if to chide me for not warning him. Which, when I think of it, probably would have been a good idea. But I couldn¡¯t help feeling I was doing something I should hide¡­. Anyway, I should get to my task before my health regeneration fixes it for me. Once more reaching inside myself and drawing out a strand of mana, I draw it towards the wound. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve tried healing since working so intently on my matrix. Suddenly I realise that as I draw the mana towards my cut, I¡¯m actually pulling it through the weave of my internal matrix. Maybe that¡¯s why it¡¯s so intricate? It has to touch all parts of my body? But what about the spaces between threads? Or is it not as straightforward as that? If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The state I find myself in is a bit strange, too. I¡¯m physically looking at the wound, and yet I¡¯m also looking at it with the strange focussed inner gaze that I¡¯ve had before when it feels like my mind enters my body. It¡¯s frankly rather disorientating and I find myself concentrating more on the metaphysical view than the physical one. Otherwise, I reckon that if I think too hard about it, I¡¯ll end up giving myself an aneurysm or something. The more I focus on healing from inside my body, the less connection I feel to my physical surroundings, and the more I realise that the state is remarkably similar to when I¡¯m in meditation. Or maybe this is a change due more to Flesh-Shaping rather than my new familiarity with my internal world. Either way, my mind slips easily into the state, directing the mana through my channels until it reaches the point that I sense is damaged. As I move closer to my wound, I realise that the Energy channels are actually moving. There were no channels which led directly to the wound before; there are now. So that¡¯s how it works. But instead of reaching the end of a golden thread, the closest point to the wound is actually one of the curves that bends back towards the centre. I wait for a moment, wondering if the mana will know what to do: it always had before. I¡¯m not terribly surprised when it doesn¡¯t. Instead, it just sits in my Energy channel, shifting back and forth a little. Looks like I need to direct it in some way, I muse. But how do I get it from inside the channel to the flesh? It¡¯s a bit like...an artery. The section of flesh needs blood, but the liquid is held within arteries. So what does the body do? Have capillaries to transport the blood to everywhere it needs to go. I need to do something like that. But how? Do I need to create more Energy channels? Surely not. If I did, I¡¯d need to have done that every time I healed myself with Lay-on-hands, and I¡¯m pretty sure that didn¡¯t happen ¨C there¡¯s no evidence of it. Heck, if Kalanthia¡¯s words are anything to go by, Bastet, River, and the others don¡¯t even have Energy channels, yet I healed them perfectly well. I need to think about this in a different way. How did it work with Lay-on-hands? My old Skill used to have two, well, three modes: the original ¡®easy¡¯ healing where all I did was mentally or verbally say ¡®lay on hands¡¯ and healing magic would flow into my body, spreading out evenly among my wounds; the ¡®channelled¡¯ mode where I could send more healing magic into my body than the automatic ten points, thereby keeping the healing going longer without re-casting the spell; and the ¡®directed¡¯ healing mode where I sent magic to specific parts of my body, giving more or less direction as to how the healing should take place. I¡¯d already eliminated the ¡®easy¡¯ mode as being possible any more. That was lost with Lay-on-hands. The channelled mode should be possible since that¡¯s probably more about Energy-control than anything else. Frankly, I was using a superior version of the channelled mode when I was healing my internal matrix. As for the directed healing, that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to do. Am I overthinking it? After having learned about the internal matrix, has my thinking become too rigid? Is it less like blood in an artery and more like nutrients in the gut? I try to relax a little, focus less on my internal matrix and more on just...directing the magic to my wound. Elation flashes through me as, without any difficulty, it works. The mana passes out of my Energy channel without any resistance, diffusing into the blackness beyond. The next difficulty actually comes from keeping the Energy together and not letting it diffuse too far ¨C if I relaxed my concentration, I¡¯m sure it would just vanish into my flesh. Keeping it together isn¡¯t too difficult, however, and I move my mana to fill the area around my wound. A wound which I realise is already more than half-healed. While faster healing is a massive bonus, right now it¡¯s a bit annoying ¨C I¡¯d rather keep injuring myself to the minimum, thanks. My mana saturates the area that I sense is around the wound ¨C not that I can see it in any way. Then again, I don¡¯t technically see anything here ¨C it¡¯s all about feeling things through some extra sense or something. I fill it with my intention to heal the wound. It does nothing. I try to focus again on it healing me, applying my Will to it as strongly as I can. Still nada. I frown. What am I missing here? Then I think back to the Skill description. It talked about the automatic knowledge being lost, but that I would maintain any knowledge I¡¯d already gained. Does that mean¡­? This time, instead of just willing it to heal, I tell it how. It¡¯s not that different from what I did with my eye at the beginning, though I¡¯m a little more detailed this time. Even though I¡¯ve never studied medicine, never even thought of becoming a doctor, I suddenly realise that I know how things work here. I know about how the cells need to knit back together, how the capillaries need to match back up to carry my blood where it needs to go. I know the difference between the various types of tissue which have been cut through, and how to feed magic into them to hasten the natural healing process. I know how to use mana to pull things together and rebind them. I know how to remove any foreign bodies and neutralise any potential infections. I know how to smooth the surface area so that not even a scar is left. Almost feeling like I¡¯ve fallen into a dream, I put my knowledge into practice. I¡¯m more of a tailor than a doctor, using delicate threads of magic to make an unbroken whole of a piece of fabric that was sliced through. When I reemerge from my meditative state, settling back into my body, I find that I¡¯m staring at my arm. My bloody, yet completely uninjured arm. With a suddenly shaking hand, I wipe away the remnants of blood which had covered the wound. Not a scratch can be seen. I breathe a sigh of relief even as my head starts to throb like a dwarven smith is hammering away inside it. I can still heal. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Three: In Askance I stare down at my work, frowning a little as I try to figure out how to do the next step. After managing to heal my small wound earlier, I repeated the process until I became more confident in how to go about it. Practice makes perfect and each time I did it I found the steps become more fluid and automatic. By the last time I sliced into my forearm, Fenrir gazing at me disapprovingly, it only took a few seconds for me to direct my magic to the wound, and I didn¡¯t even need to enter that meditative state. Fortunate, since I probably won¡¯t be able to do that while in the middle of combat. I do suspect that my ease is only with knitting together flesh wounds right now. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d fare if I had to deal with a broken bone like I did during my encounter with the crocodile. Heck, I¡¯m not even sure that I can fix broken bones with my new Skill ¨C it¡¯s called Flesh-Shaping, not Bone-Shaping. Though I am rather hoping that ¡®flesh¡¯ in this context is being used more generally than just to mean tissue. Otherwise I will definitely have made a mistake. But that will come later. I¡¯m not keen on the idea of intentionally breaking one of my bones to test, or injuring one of my vital organs just to check the definitions of ¡®flesh¡¯. I don¡¯t doubt that an opportunity will come. I¡¯d also tried to ¡®feel the earth¡¯ again, hoping that maybe what was holding me back was the fact that my internal matrix was still damaged. No progress on that front, to my dismay. Maybe I¡¯m just being impatient ¨C Kalanthia didn¡¯t exactly give the impression that it had been a quick process for her either. Feeling restless, I¡¯d decided that wasting the broad daylight outside was criminal, especially since I have no idea when it¡¯s going to pour again. From what I¡¯ve gathered, now we¡¯ve entered the rainy season, they¡¯re likely to come more and more often until sun will be the rarity. I¡¯d better take advantage of it while I can. That leads me to now. I¡¯m looking at the frames I¡¯ve spent some hours constructing over the last few days. Although I¡¯ve spent a lot of time in meditation sorting out my internal matrix, I would have gone mad if that had been all I did. No, I mostly worked on my internal matrix at the beginning and end of each day, and spent the bulk of the daylight on other tasks. Namely, making progress towards being able to tan and process the hides I¡¯ve collected. I used the two long branches that I¡¯d harvested with River and chopped them into shorter lengths. Sticking to a simple rectangular shape which is slightly taller than me in length and almost the same in width, I¡¯ve used some rudimentary carpentry to fix the lengths together. Binding them with bark fibre at their joints has meant that they¡¯re pretty sturdy. Honestly, I¡¯m pretty convinced by now that there¡¯s some quiet magic in my knife. Although I used my axe to cut the branches into pieces and make notches in them, I needed my knife for the more delicate work. I¡¯ve, frankly, put my knife through hell in the time since I¡¯ve been here. Yet despite that, it¡¯s still as sharp as when I got it. I haven¡¯t needed to sharpen it, there are no notches in its edge, and when I¡¯ve heated it up in the fire it hasn¡¯t warped or shown any evidence of damage. Frankly, if there isn¡¯t magic, it has to be some amazingly resilient kind of metal. Either way, I¡¯m grateful for it ¨C although I could replace it with a number of tools, they¡¯d both be difficult to make and much less effective. The reason I¡¯m looking at the frames in contemplation is because I¡¯m wondering where and how to set them up. I could hang them from a tree branch. That would be the quickest and simplest option. The issue there is that there are no trees on the top of the hill. Hanging the frames from one of the trees at the foot of the slope would mean that they¡¯d be more vulnerable to an opportunistic scavenger who decided that half-dry hide was exactly what it wanted. For some reason. The alternative is that I could create a stand for them so they could be free-standing. That¡¯s probably the best option anyway ¨C although Kalanthia may not be too pleased with me, I would then be able to bring the frames inside if it looks like rain is likely to happen. Maybe I can bribe Kalanthia with Energy-Hearts or corpses. Then again, if she¡¯s going to be hunting as much as she currently seems to be, she¡¯s not going to need any more meat¡­. Anyway, I¡¯m sure that if I can convince her to leave the lizard-folk alive ¨C even if it¡¯s with conditions that I¡¯m still not all that happy about ¨C I can convince her to let me bring some smelly hides I¡¯m tanning into her cave. The only issue is that I don¡¯t have enough wood to create a stand for such large and heavy frames. I¡¯m going to need to go and harvest some more. Actually, thinking about it, I¡¯m going to need far more than just one branch, I realise as I mentally go through the process. I need a basin to soak the hides in my tanning solution. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Since the basin will need to be fairly watertight, that eliminates building something myself. I mean, I could use pitch to coat the inside of whatever to make it watertight, but that would require more pitch than I really want to use. No, there¡¯s a better alternative, one that solves several problems. I think it¡¯s finally time for me to fell my first tree. It¡¯s going to be hard, though. I need to choose a tree which is wide enough to offer a good-sized basin. Yes, a modern chainsaw can cut through a massive trunk in seconds, but I don¡¯t have one of those. What I do have is a flint axe, and my experience of cutting up branches over the last few days has proven that even those take several minutes per cut. And they were only the width of my calf muscles at their widest. I reckon I¡¯m going to need a trunk that¡¯s at minimum half a metre in diameter; cutting through that will probably take hours. At least my efforts over the last few days have been fruitful ¨C I¡¯ve earned another point in Strength (Endurance) and Dexterity for my pains. Although Dexterity, the lowest of my stats, is still four points off twenty, I feel like I¡¯m getting there. I eye Fenrir wondering if I should take him out to the forest to get started on the tree. A moment later, I decide not to. While he could help protect me as well as any of my Bound ¨C a lizog¡¯s bite is nothing to sniff at ¨C River could also help me bring the tree back. Actually, he could probably even help me to fell it ¨C we would make more progress if both of us work on it at the same time. I even have that other tool I made for harvesting copper. It might not be specially designed for cutting down trees, but it¡¯s bound to be better than nothing. So, no tree felling right now. Later, I promise myself. I can¡¯t help but smile as a memory comes to mind. I¡¯m a lumberjack and I¡¯m OK; I sleep all night and I work all day. For now, I might as well do what I can with the hides. I don¡¯t even need to have the frame in place for my next job. Taking out the crocodile hide, I lay it out flat, scales downwards. My skinning job was decent for the beginner that I still am, but there¡¯s still plenty of unwanted material still attached to the hide. Fat, bits of flesh, blood¡­. They will just make the hide rot if left. Hesitating for a moment, I take my trousers off. Ridiculous embarrassment makes my cheeks flush despite knowing that there isn¡¯t a single human within a hundred miles. Heck, in this whole world. And the most humanoid of my Bound isn¡¯t present; even if he was, he wouldn¡¯t care. He doesn¡¯t have visible genitals and his adornments are purely for decorative or practical purposes. If River and the others come back during this process, they wouldn¡¯t care if I was buck-naked and dancing around a fire. Actually, they might care about the dancing around the fire bit. But not about me being naked. It¡¯s just the stupidly useless sense of modesty which I still have that makes me blush. The reason I take my trousers off is because I don¡¯t want them getting dirty during my next task. Kneeling on the crocodile hide to keep it in place, I take a tool out of my Inventory. This is one I made earlier ¨C Blue Peter style ¨C in preparation for this very task. It¡¯s nothing special, just a chunk of flint that I¡¯ve knapped so that it¡¯s narrower at the opposite end of where I¡¯m holding it. I don¡¯t want to actually cut the hide, so I haven¡¯t made the edge sharp ¨C in fact I even knocked off the sharpness when I accidentally knocked away enough flint to create a cutting edge. Instead, I¡¯ve done my best to make it as flat as possible. Leaning forwards, I hold the edge of the crocodile hide so that it¡¯s as stretched as I can make it. Using the flensing tool, I scrape off the bits of crocodile body still clinging onto its hide. I¡¯m very aware of my inexperience in this task, despite the number of memories I have that try to prove otherwise, and so I¡¯m starting with the less precious hide in case I make a few accidental holes. Then again, the reason I¡¯m even doing this is because the crocodile hide is damn difficult to penetrate ¨C if I can accidentally make holes when I¡¯m not even trying hard, I probably won¡¯t be able to use this as armour. I work my way down the hide methodically. First I shift my hand-hold sideways along the width of the skin, then I shuffle backwards to move along its length. I didn¡¯t bother to try skinning the crocodile¡¯s legs, though I did skin the majority of its tail. The skin is therefore a vaguely rectangular shape, though with narrowing and widening in different places along its length. The work makes my back, knees, and hands ache. My back from its bent forward position. My knees from the hard ground below the skin. My hands shake from having to maintain a specific grip. I have to take breaks every so often to stretch the aches out. Once I even get up and walk around a bit, but I don¡¯t repeat that ¨C returning to my knees after having got off them makes the forming bruises feel even worse. It would be nice if I could earn a Constitution point from all this, but I doubt that such aches are sufficiently damaging to count. They¡¯re not damaging anyway ¨C they¡¯re just annoying. Still, I¡¯m making progress, and when I finally scrape the last of the crocodile¡¯s tail, I can¡¯t help a grin from making its way onto my face. Getting up, I link my hands together and stretch them above my head, luxuriating in the release of tension. Staring down at my newly-flensed crocodile skin, I indulge myself in a little happy dance. It¡¯s probably more what most people would call a ¡®dad dance¡¯, even if I¡¯ve never been a dad. Completely uncaring, I gyrate and punch the sky as I let my concentration relax. I¡¯m so sexy and I know it. It¡¯s as I start doing some hip thrusts in all directions that I suddenly realise that Fenrir¡¯s not the only one looking at me in askance. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Four: Choice Out of all my Bound, River is the most confused right now. Perhaps because, unlike the others, he seems to have kind of accepted me as pseudo-lizardkin and the lizard-folk don¡¯t dance. Or maybe they do dance, but not how I¡¯m doing it right now. Bastet just seems to be accepting this as another part of my weirdness. Sirocco¡¯s unbothered, just flapping over to land on my shoulders and sending a request for a new Energy-Heart down our Bond. Still a little embarrassed at being caught literally with my pants down, I don¡¯t say anything as I pull one out and hand it over. She grabs it in one of her front claws and pushes off hard from my shoulder, flapping over to land near the cave mouth. ¡°Do any of you need one?¡± I ask, turning back towards my other Bound. Hopefully they¡¯ll be distracted from my dancing skill ¨C or lack of it, rather. Yes, please, River answers. Bastet agrees with him. Fenrir sends a sense of reluctant negation ¨C not that I was expecting anything else since I know he¡¯s still absorbing the last one I gave him. I look at Bastet specifically, then eye the cubs lying around her ¨C they look exhausted from the trip out into the forest. ¡°Should we give them to the cubs now that they¡¯re old enough to travel with the pack?¡± Bastet hesitates, the sense of the Bond one of consideration. After some moments of thought, she sends over a sense of negation ¨C for now. I get the idea that the cubs are still too young ¨C they need to get some kills under their ¨C figurative ¨C belts before they can start using Energy-Hearts. I still don¡¯t fully understand how things work for beasts, but I¡¯ll willingly bow to Bastet¡¯s knowledge of the situation. ¡°Alright. Just let me know when they¡¯re ready ¨C they¡¯re part of our team too. As long as I have some left, they¡¯ll be welcome to partake.¡± Bastet sends me a sense of pleasure, but also a hint of chiding ¨C like it should have been able to go without saying. Handing the two Energy-Hearts out, I stop River as he starts to move past me. ¡°Are you up for going back into the forest soon? I want to fell a tree.¡± River offers me a hint of surprise down the Bond, but also willing acceptance. Of course. Would you like to head out now? ¡°Sure,¡± I say, then backtrack. ¡°Actually, give me a few minutes? There¡¯s something else I need to do first.¡± Very well. With your permission, I shall begin absorbing this Energy-Heart, but I will be ready to leave when you wish. ¡°Sure, sure. You don¡¯t need to ask my permission for that, OK?¡± I say to him pointedly. I know he still sees me as his ¡®master¡¯, much to my discomfort, but I don¡¯t want to micro-manage him like that. ¡°And fine, I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m ready to go.¡± He tilts his chin up and then turns away towards the cave too. I watch him settle down against the wall, basking in a warm patch of sun. Bastet is doing the same, her Energy-Heart tucked in the space between her chin and forepaws. Fortunately for her, the cubs look completely whooped: they¡¯ve curled up in a little pile beside her and seem fast asleep. I find a smile has crept onto my face at the sight ¨C so cute! The absence of a normal addition to the cub pile makes my smile fade a little. I wonder how Lathani is doing. She¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯m sure ¨C she¡¯s with her mum after all. There¡¯s not likely to be anything in these woods that could threaten her with her mother as a watchful guardian. I try to ignore the knowledge that the lizard-folk had done just that. Don¡¯t think about that. No, I should rather be thinking of something else which occurred to me as I was speaking with River. I hadn¡¯t remembered it until now, so focused on fixing the impending issue with Lay-on-hands, but there are more Skills than just that waiting for me. After all, I passed both the level five and the level ten thresholds. I rub my hands in glee, a grin spreading across my face. Finally. Sitting down, I open the list of potential Skills with a couple of mental commands. They spool in front of me, eight Skills filling the space. I suppose that makes sense: three Skills offered per level threshold plus the two I passed over before. I¡¯ve also got six points available ¨C two for level five, four for level ten. I wonder if the number of points will keep doubling: that would be both awesome and worrying. I guess I¡¯ll find out.
Stun (1) Release your remaining mana in a single, directed blast from your hands to render your opponent unmoving for between one and ten seconds. Note: the effects of the blast depend on both the amount of mana remaining, and distance from the epicentre of the discharge. The disparity between your Willpower and that of your opponent will also partially determine the length of time the target is stunned. Maximum effect can be achieved at full mana and when touching the target. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Track (1) Notice and be able to follow marks which show the passage of your target. This Skill scales with Intelligence.
Inspect Fauna (2) Use a pulse of mana to retrieve information about an animal. The more mana used, the more information may be retrieved. Warning: T2 Beasts and upwards have a chance of detecting this pulse and being enraged by it, with the chance increasing with the level of the Beast. Wisdom determines how much information is collected, and Intelligence determines how much information is processed.
Inspect Flora (2) Use a pulse of mana to retrieve information about a plant. The more mana used, the more information may be retrieved. Warning: T2 plants and upwards have a chance of detecting this pulse and being enraged by it, with the chance increasing with the level of the plant. Wisdom determines how much information is collected, and Intelligence determines how much information is processed.
Inspect Environment (2) Use a pulse of mana to retrieve information about an area and the potential resources held within. This Skill may also indicate the presence of traps. At higher levels, this Skill can be used to detect the lingering presence of beings which have passed through an area. The more mana used, the more information may be retrieved. Warning: T2 Beasts and upwards as well as T2 plants and upwards have a chance of detecting this pulse and may be enraged by it. The chance of detection increases with the level of the Beast or plant. Wisdom determines how much information is collected, and Intelligence determines how much information is processed.
Bond Eyes (4) See through the visual senses of one of your Bound at any time. At lower levels, this sight replaces your own; at higher levels, and with practice, it is possible to view through both sets of visual senses. This Skill becomes easier the greater the disparity between your Willpower and that of your Bound. It may also be easier or harder depending on the Bond you have. It is easier to view through a tightly-controlled Bond or a Bond with a deep sense of trust. The distance limits of this Skill are determined by Wisdom/Willpower and the strength of the Bond.
Bond Ears (4) Hear through the auditory senses of one of your Bound at any time. At lower levels, this hearing replaces your own; at higher levels, and with practice, it is possible to hear through both sets of auditory senses. This Skill becomes easier the greater the disparity between your Willpower and that of your Bound. It may also be easier or harder depending on the Bond you have. It is easier to hear through a tightly-controlled Bond or a Bond with a deep sense of trust. The distance limits of this Skill are determined by Wisdom/Willpower and the strength of the Bond.
Bond Puppet (4) Send your consciousness into the body of one of your Bound and control their limbs as you would your own. Any damage sustained to your physical form will not affect your own body. Mental or soul attacks, however, may still damage your true mind or soul. This Skill becomes easier the greater the disparity between your Willpower and that of your Bound. It may also be easier or harder depending on the Bond you have. It is easier to puppet a Bound through a tightly-controlled Bond or a Bond with a deep sense of trust. The distance limits of this Skill are determined by Wisdom/Willpower and the strength of the Bond.
You have 6 Skill points available. Either choose a Skill to use your Skill point now, or say ¡®Bank¡¯ to store the points for later and close the Skill selection menu.
Well, that¡¯s a bit of a doozy, I think as I finish reading the Skill descriptions. First, it¡¯s interesting to note that, regardless of how much my Skill points increase per level, it¡¯s possible to purchase either one of the newest Skills, two of the previous threshold¡¯s Skills, or all of the previous threshold¡¯s offerings. That relieves me as much as it disappoints me: I guess that the Skills gain in power as levels increase, so the thought that someone at level twenty, for example, could have several high-powered Skills was a little worrying if the number of Skill points offered doubled but the cost of the Skills only increase linearly. I mean, I suppose the potential is still there for them to have several high-powered Skills ¨C look at what that fire mage did with his level one Skill of Firebolt, after all. The difference is that they¡¯ll have had to put in the effort to turn the lower-level Skills into something powerful. Or choose to miss out on lower-level Skills in order to purchase higher-level ones. The other thing I note is that each of the thresholds seem to have something of a theme. My level one Skills seemed to be about survival: Fade allowed me to avoid danger; Stun would have allowed me to escape it if I got too close; Tracking would have enabled me to determine what danger I was likely to walk into, and thereby to avoid it if I wanted. The level five Skills are all about gaining information from what¡¯s around me: the animals, the plants, and the environment itself. Any one of these Skills would be a godsend ¨C I just wish there was a single Skill which encompassed all of them. With the Skills being split as they are, I have a harder choice to make. The level ten Skills are as intriguing as they are a bit disturbing. All of them seem to be based on the same idea ¨C using the Bond to send part or all of my consciousness into one of my Bound. The disturbing factor is about the implications of the success conditions of the Skill. It talked about deep trust, which makes sense, but it also mentioned the alternative being a ¡®tightly-controlled Bond¡¯. When I consider how much power I sense that I have over my Bound, I shiver a little. I promise myself again that I won¡¯t go down that route. After going over the Skills a couple of times more, my decision of what to choose firms up. Time will tell if my choice is a good one, but if I second-guess myself constantly, I will never make a choice at all. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Five: Polarised Electron Cloud Spending my Skill points, I quickly dip into my Core space, curious to see what happens. It¡¯s different from before when Lay-on-hands transformed into Flesh-Shaping. Then, the changes were located only in an area which had already been transformed by the Skill. This time, the changes are all happening to areas of the weave which were previously untouched. The weave...hums. I¡¯m not sure how else to describe it. It¡¯s not an audible hum either, more something which I feel within. I hadn¡¯t felt it before when gaining a new Skill ¨C is it because I¡¯m now in my Core space when before I wasn¡¯t? Or because my stats have increased significantly since that time? Or because I¡¯m more familiar with my internal matrix? Or even because it¡¯s more than one Skill suddenly growing? Perhaps it¡¯s a mixture of all of the above. Either way, it¡¯s different from my experiences before. The weave hums and vibrates, light seeming to flow and collect in three spots on my internal matrix. The spots are all in the same sort of area, peripherally close to what I think are my Tame and Dominate Skills. They¡¯re not nearly as close to those Skills as my Companion Bond addition is, though. It¡¯s one reason I¡¯m pretty sure that I know which of the Skills is Dominate, and which is Tame. I¡¯d inspected my internal matrix again after gaining my new...is it a Skill? It¡¯s more like a potential development of Dominate. And that¡¯s obvious in the weave. Instead of occupying its own space, Companion Bond is intrinsically connected to Dominate. In comparison terms, it looks a little like a polarised electron cloud. Most of its ¡®body¡¯ is out to one side of Dominate, but I can see threads which weave their way around the whole of the Dominate Skill. Interestingly, there are also a few threads which touch Tame, giving me hope that it might be possible one day to offer Sirocco, for example, a Companion Bond. If she was willing to give up the control that it would require. Or maybe a Companion Bond converted from a Tame Bond would be different from a Dominate Bond? Anyway ¨C that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m here to see. Even as I consider Companion Bond, my new Skills have been weaving themselves into place. I quickly see that the three are forming a triangle, a bit off to the side and below Tame and Dominate. If directions even mean anything in this place, that is. Interestingly enough, as the Skills weave themselves into place, I notice similarities between them. I guess that¡¯s inevitable, considering the nature of them. As they grow, I also see tendrils reaching out to touch each other. At the moment, it¡¯s only a couple of threads, but it makes me wonder whether these three Skills could one day be woven together to create one catch-all Skill. Whether there¡¯s any additional benefit to that, I don¡¯t know. I guess I¡¯ll find out over time. Finally, the process seems done. The light which had collected into place to weave the new threads dims and flows back into the rest of the matrix. I suppose it makes sense that I wasn¡¯t able to choose my Skills with a damaged matrix if that was what needed to happen in order to weave the Skills into place. It¡¯s done now. I pull out of my Core space and access my status screen.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 29u/hr Energy towards debt: 85%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 360/360
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 850u/hr
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 19 Health: 190/190
Strength 18 Stamina: 110/110
Dexterity 16 Stamina regeneration rate: 160u/hr This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 2 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Inspect Fauna ¨C Beginner 1 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 1 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Novice 5 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Meditation ¨C Initiate 3 Energy Manipulation ¨C initiate 7 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
I nod in satisfaction at the new additions to my Skills. Perhaps it seems stupid to go all in on Inspect Skills, especially when there were some other interesting options, but to me it was the logical choice. Tracking was as much an easy elimination as the last time I looked at it. Nothing has changed in my reasoning not to go for that one. Stun was still a bit of a temptation, but the fact is that I have close-combat potential with my Flesh-Shaping. And frankly, I think that, as long as I can get a handle on it, Flesh-Shaping will be far more versatile than Stun. If Flesh-Shaping is a scalpel, Stun seems to be like, well, a stun grenade. A burst of mana to lock my opponent in place. Great in certain circumstances or as a last-ditch escape attempt. The problem is the lack of control it offers me. It says it in the Skill description ¨C I have to empty my whole mana pool for the effect. And the effect isn¡¯t even that great ¨C one to ten seconds of stillness. And what if one of my Bound is biting or attacking the being at the same time? Would they get caught in the effect, or does the stun only affect my opponent? Also, this seems good against a single more powerful enemy, but more often than not I¡¯ve been facing up against weaker but more numerous enemies. Would Stun be able to be used on multiple enemies, or just the one I¡¯m facing? Because if it¡¯s the latter, it isn¡¯t a good addition to my arsenal. Flesh-Shaping, on the other hand, offers me the same ability to paralyse my opponents, and in a much more efficient and long-lasting way. If I could send magic into an enemy and block or damage their spinal cord, they won¡¯t be able to control any limbs beyond that point. Or if facing an invertebrate, I could grow the creature¡¯s exoskeleton to stymie their movements. And I won¡¯t necessarily have to empty my mana pool to do that. Sure, Stun offers a more fast-acting Skill, but that¡¯s not enough to make me want to take it ¨C I suspect that with enough practice and wide enough disparity between our mental stats, I¡¯ll be able to do the same with Flesh-Shaping. So no Stun. As for the Skills offered at level ten, I¡¯ll admit to being tempted. Being able to hear or see through my Bound would be pretty awesome, despite my feeling of unease about the ¡®tightly-controlled Bond¡¯ mentioned in the description. Clearly, it would also work with trust which was all I really needed to know. The reason I didn¡¯t take either of those was because...I can already do it. Sort of. I remember accidentally going into Fenrir¡¯s mind when I was investigating the source of the flashes of Energy that entered my system from the outside. I was in his thoughts, smelling what he smelled, seeing what he saw, hearing what he heard. I¡¯ve also had memories passed across the Bond from my Bound, showing me things from their perspectives, though admittedly that¡¯s not in real time. And, as I recently saw with Bastet, it¡¯s also not necessarily true to life, or what I would have seen if I¡¯d been present. Still, it¡¯s enough for me to have a good feeling about being able to develop those Skills by myself, no Skill points necessary. I don¡¯t have any confidence about being able to develop inspection Skills by myself, though I suppose I might have been able to develop a second after getting to know the first. If I¡¯d only chosen one of the inspection Skills, I would have then been able to take the final Skill which I¡¯ll admit did intrigue me. For all that I don¡¯t like the idea of being a puppet-master to my Bound, if one of them trusted me enough to let me control their limbs, I can see some ways I could use that. Though, I do question what the benefit of being able to puppet a Bound is if you can¡¯t actually see what you¡¯re doing. Either Bond Puppet has to have some sort of connection to the Bound¡¯s senses implicit in it ¨C in which case, why have separate Skills for seeing and hearing through the Bond ¨C or it seems pretty useless. Well, I suppose it could have been useful to be able to puppet River in the lizard-folk village if I¡¯d needed him to do something within the area I could see. But then wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just order him with the Bond to do whatever? After all, I can¡¯t help but think that puppeting one of my Bound would take practice. I¡¯m not used to their bodies; would I gain an instinctual knowledge of how to move their limbs or would I just have to work it out for myself? Because in the case of the latter, it would really be more helpful if I could just be present in their mind at a distance and then tell them what I wanted them to do, rather than trying to do it myself directly. And frankly, if I succeed in repeating what I did with Fenrir, though this time with my Bound¡¯s permission, I reckon that that would be superior to any of the offered Skills, especially since they were all individual. So, with no reason to save four of my points for any of the level ten Skills, I¡¯d decided to go all in with the inspection ones. Curious about how they work, I dismiss my status screen and stare at the first thing my eyes alight upon. A bush. Inspect Flora, I invoke, paying close attention to the sensations within me. It¡¯s only because I¡¯m being so attentive that I feel a faint movement of mana flow from my Core, through my body and out through my feet. There I lose track of it, only detecting it a fraction of a second later when it returns to my body. It re-enters my body and I feel a sudden wave of knowledge hit me even as I sense a notification waiting for me.
Common bush: Myceria Xilapse Edible: Yes (leaves, flowers, branches, roots) Alchemical uses: Unknown, soothing balm (flowers) Medical uses: None This bush flowers twice yearly and loses its leaves only when temperatures drop below 0¡ãC. The flowers exude a scent which soothes the nerves of those who smell it.
Close message? Y/N
The notification matches the information that I received upon the return of the pulse. In fact, if anything, I got more information from the pulse than I did in the notification. The pulse also told me that the plant is healthy, not sapient or sentient, and a long, long way from evolution. Still, it¡¯s all useful stuff, especially the fact that it¡¯s edible. I might not try just stuffing the leaves in my mouth, though ¨C they look a bit difficult to digest. So far pleased with what I¡¯ve learned about that new Skill, I decide to try the next. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Six: Target Using Inspect Environment turns out to be a bit different from Inspect Flora, interestingly enough. The same pulse of mana is sent out from me, but this time it doesn¡¯t just go through my feet; it seems to emerge from all parts of my body, shooting in all directions. When it returns, there¡¯s no notification. Instead, it¡¯s like there¡¯s an overlay over my sight. Certain plants are haloed in a golden light, with one or two being haloed in red. The plant I¡¯d just inspected is one of those outlined in gold, so I have to guess that it¡¯s something about being edible, or useful in alchemy, or something. The plants aren¡¯t the only things haloed ¨C there is a subtle glow to the cave itself, though when I venture closer, the light doesn¡¯t seem to be around anything in particular. Interestingly, I noticed a bright gold light coming from my side ¨C my knife. Brighter than anything I¡¯ve seen so far, I realise that the gold must indicate that my knife is indeed as special as I thought it was. Is this proof of its enchantment? The overlay doesn¡¯t last more than about thirty seconds before it fades from view. Good to know. I wonder if I can somehow give it more mana in order to make it last longer, like I did when turning Lay-on-hands into its channelled version. Perhaps it¡¯s not necessary, though ¨C I could just use the Skill again for the same benefit. Right, time to test my last new Skill. For this, I need a target. Looking around, I see all my Bound absorbed in their activities. Still, there¡¯s one person I¡¯m going to have to disturb in a moment anyway, so it might as well be now. ¡°River,¡± I call quietly. The lizard-man jolts a little despite my low volume, opening his eyes immediately. I¡¯m ready to go, he says, pushing himself to his feet. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll do that shortly. I was just hoping to try something first, if you¡¯re OK with it?¡± I check. He tilts his head, a questioning sense coming down the Bond. ¡°I¡¯ve got a new Skill to find out information about¡­creatures. I wanted to know both what information it gives me, and what it feels like for the¡­for you.¡± River just waits expectantly. ¡°Are you OK with me using it?¡± Of course, he answers. I am at your service. Yeah, why didn¡¯t I expect that? I ask myself a little sarcastically, still not comfortable with the way he seems to be willing to do whatever I want. I¡¯m not going to over-analyse it now, though ¨C I doubt that this will hurt him in any way after all. Inspect Fauna, I trigger mentally, hoping that it will work like the other two did. I don¡¯t see why not. The pulse of mana which leaves me this time is much like Inspect Flora had been. The only difference is that, like Inspect Environment, it doesn¡¯t just leave through my feet. So Inspect Flora expects the plants to be rooted in some way? Makes sense, I suppose, but what if they¡¯re flying plants or something? It doesn¡¯t move entirely like Inspect Environment either, though. That one had just expanded out from me in a rolling pulse. This one expands from multiple parts of me, but seems completely focussed on River. Before I lose sense of the connections, I feel them spooling off directly at my Bound. Then the pulse returns and I feel knowledge enter my mind just as the nagging of a notification starts niggling at me. Opening it, I see something much like Inspect Flora had shown me. Does that mean that Inspect Flora and Inspect Fauna are more similar to each other than each are to Inspect Environment?
Lizard-folk: Runs-with-the-river (River) Tier 1 Beast (unevolved) Special abilities: None detected Health: 830u Mana:70u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 25 Bound (Dominate) of Markus Luke Wolfe. Most commonly used weapon is a spear, though this Beast is capable of using claws and teeth when required. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds.
Close message? Y/N
Nothing I hadn¡¯t already known from my Bound tab or experience with River himself - though the minimum Willpower is quite interesting to see. If I hadn¡¯t thought of asking for my Bounds¡¯ stats to be added to my status screen, though, I would be quite happy to have the information. However, it does raise a question: do I only see so much information because I already know it? Or would I see the same thing for any creature? I guess I¡¯ll have to try it on different animals just to see. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°How did it feel?¡± I ask River curiously. He seems unsure for a moment. Odd, he says finally. Like a poke in a place I didn¡¯t realise existed. ¡°Did it hurt?¡± I check, concerned that it had. No¡­he replies, though doesn¡¯t sound completely sure about that. It was¡­not pleasant, but it wasn¡¯t terribly unpleasant, either. Just¡­odd. ¡°Alright,¡± I say finally. I suppose that in a way it¡¯s surprising that River felt anything at all: the description had talked about Beasts in Tier Two and upwards having a chance to feel the inspection, and River is very clearly still in Tier One. Is that why it was ¡®a poke¡¯ in a place he ¡®didn¡¯t realise existed¡¯? Because for him it didn¡¯t yet? ¡°Well, shall we go, then?¡± River tilted his chin upwards briefly, sending agreement over the Bond. Moving over to Bastet, I lay my hand on her shoulder. She opens her eyes and looks up at me inquisitively. ¡°Sorry to disturb you,¡± I say, knowing that she¡¯s not often able to absorb her Energy-Hearts in peace like this. At the same time, she¡¯s the one I trust most out of the group, particularly since she actively accepted my Bond again. ¡°I¡¯m going into the forest with River. Can you keep an eye on things here?¡± She sends a sense of asking if I want her to come with us, starting to push herself to her feet even before I answer. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± I reassure her. She eyes me doubtfully. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll be with River. And we¡¯re not going far. If I need you, I¡¯ll call, OK?¡± She gazes at me for a few moments more, sending over the sense that she will be annoyed if I get in trouble and don¡¯t call her. ¡°OK, deal,¡± I say, unable to help a sense of amusement from bubbling up inside me. Amusement, but also a little bit of grief; it¡¯s been a long time since I felt like someone was concerned about me in a familial way. I push myself to my feet as I start to feel my eyes get a little hot, banishing those memories away from me. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you later. OK.¡± Without waiting for her response, I turn and stride over to River. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say a little roughly. He seems to take the cue that I¡¯m not in the mood to speak and keeps pace with me silently even as a sense of confusion drifts over the Bond towards me. I appreciate his presence, realising in this moment just how lonely for human companionship I am. My Bound are great, but they¡¯re not human. They don¡¯t understand where I¡¯m coming from, why I react the way I do. Kalanthia¡¯s the same: while she may have had (bad) experiences with humans, she¡¯s still not one. And still so long before I see another human, I mourn a little, the pricking in my eyes intensifying until I have to fight to keep the tears at bay. Why is this hitting me so hard? I wonder, trying to distract myself. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m alone, after all. Bastet was great, like the big sister I¡¯d never had. River was a solid companion, even if his recent tendency to be a bit too servile means that I have to be careful in my words in case he takes them too hard. Even Fenrir is a solid presence, and I¡¯d felt reasonably safe with him on guard. Thinking about it, I realise that my emotions have been a little out of whack for a while. I¡¯ve been mood swinging like it¡¯s my time-of-the-month. Sadness, depression, frustration, but also ecstatic happiness. Why? I¡¯ve been putting each emotion down to the situation. Frustration over not being able to make a bloody needle? That¡¯s because with sixteen points in Dexterity, as well as memories of having done the task a hundred times, I felt like I really should be able to. But frustration to the point of throwing a childish tantrum? That¡¯s a little over the top. Abnormally so. Or it should be ¨C if that¡¯s who I¡¯ve become after a couple of months in a solo survival environment, then I don¡¯t like who I¡¯m turning into. It shouldn¡¯t take me snapping at River and him asking me to punish him because he doesn¡¯t want me to go back on my promise to help out his village to make me realise that my behaviour isn¡¯t appropriate. And when was the last time I started dancing because I was so happy? OK, it¡¯s happened, but usually about something momentous. I think the last time was when Lucy agreed to move in with me. But although managing to flense the crocodile hide was pretty exciting, did it really warrant such a degree of happiness over it? Not that dancing or being happy is a bad thing, but I can¡¯t help but look at it suspiciously in the light of my other out of character mood swings. Actually¡­I rather worked myself into a panic over Bastet, didn¡¯t I? Looking back on it, I wonder how I managed to convince myself that she was going to attack me. I¡¯m still grateful that she didn¡¯t choose to leave, but in the light of her so-easy reacceptance of the Bond, I find myself wondering how I could have misread her so much to think that she would react violently to the Bond being taken away. I lost all sense of perspective, becoming mired in my depressive thoughts. Then again, I suppose that considering what happened just before coming to this world, this is the most understandable of my mood swings. Still, I¡¯ve got to find some way of pulling myself together; I¡¯m not only responsible for myself now. If I¡¯d thrown myself off my apartment roof, few would have mourned me, and I had no dependants who would have been affected. It¡¯s different now. So, either I need to start exercising more self control because this time alone in the forest has made me lose all manners, or something else is wrong. Thinking about it, could it be to do with the lack of balance in my stats? In a way I hope it¡¯s that simple; nothing that time or another level up couldn¡¯t cure. Another possible option I can see is that it¡¯s linked to the damage I experienced to my soul when I absorbed the Pure Energy. If it¡¯s that, hopefully it¡¯s fixable ¨C I have a couple of ideas to try there, but am not sure if they¡¯ll work. It could be trauma, I suppose. I think I read somewhere that trauma can cause mood swings and heaven knows I¡¯ve been through some traumatic situations recently. Though if that¡¯s the case then I¡¯m out of luck: I don¡¯t think there are any therapists in this ¡®uncivilised¡¯ world. If it¡¯s that then I¡¯ll just have to revert to option one: try to notice when I¡¯m experiencing an unusual level of emotion and do my best to control my reactions while feeling it. A bit of a tall order, that, though. Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I realise we¡¯re just standing in the forest, not that far from the treeline. River is looking at me quizzically, confusion and concern coming from his side of the Bond. Concern over what? Me? Or my reactions? Deciding that therein lies pointless navel-gazing, I try to distract myself. While I need to be more aware of my emotional state, clearly, I can¡¯t second-guess myself so much that I hesitate at the wrong moment. We¡¯ve come into the forest to fell a tree, so that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. Book 2: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Seven: Felling the Tree Although I personally don¡¯t know anything about trees, the memories I absorbed from the wilderness survival knowledge stone all those weeks ago kick in as soon as I start actively wondering about it. I need a reasonably-sized tree so that I have sufficient width to be able to hollow out a decent basin inside it without thinning the sides of it too much. Although it seems a bit of a waste to take down a whole tree to just make a single basin ¨C or maybe a couple if I can be bothered to put in the effort ¨C it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll just leave the rest of the wood to rot. Even if I didn¡¯t need lots of firewood to turn into charcoal for my intentions with the metal ore I collected, I always need wood for my fireplace. Now that I have a decent axe, I might as well start building up a supply. And although my reflex from Earth is to be concerned about deforestation, I highly doubt that I ¨C a single man with a flint-head axe ¨C am going to make much impact on the thousands or millions of trees in this forest. Besides, if my vague plans come to fruition, I won¡¯t be impacting this area for too much longer. With my current concerns dealt with, and my other lurking fears being firmly ignored, I focus on the trees around. There are several options here. The trees in this forest are not used to being felled; clearly they grow until either old age takes them or an event happens with the weather which kills off a few. All that means is that there are lots of big trees, something I¡¯d already known. I want one with decent wood, not one that¡¯s half-rotted inside, so I gaze up at the foliage above to make sure that my choice is healthy. Having scars on the bark itself isn¡¯t an issue, just as long as they¡¯ve healed over. It¡¯s strange to think about trees like that ¨C gaining scars and healing over injuries. Much like my own flesh. Actually, that¡¯s a thought ¨C could Flesh-Shaping be used on trees? Because that would save a lot of trouble. The thought suddenly makes me think of something else: could I have used Flesh-Shaping on the hides instead of flensing them the old-fashioned way? And could I have reduced the pain I suffered in my knees and back by using a bit of Flesh-Shaping there? I chide myself for not thinking of it at the time. Without any real guidance about how this Skill works, I risk missing out on important functionalities if I don¡¯t experiment. Well, it¡¯s not like those are the only hides I have, I tell myself. Although I started with the crocodile skin, I¡¯ve also got the salamander hide to deal with too. Not to mention the number of other hides that I want to treat to make some more durable clothes for myself. For now, however, I¡¯m standing in front of a tree which I need to fell in one way or another. Placing my hand on the tree trunk, I concentrate and try to feed mana into the tree. Nothing happens. Surprise, surprise. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be that easy, I sigh to myself. ¡°This is going to take a bit, River ¨C I want to test something,¡± I say, figuring that he needs the warning. As you wish, he answers, unruffled. He seems to be less concerned about me, which is good. I shall keep watch. ¡°Thanks.¡± With him watching my back, I feel I can relax a bit. Now, how to do this? What did I do last time? I think to myself, casting my mind back to my experimentation in the cave with Fenrir keeping guard outside. I¡¯d moved mana from my Core through to the area which was damaged, feeding the mana from the Energy channels to the flesh itself. There, I had controlled it until it finished healing me. However, this isn¡¯t something inside me, but outside. I¡¯m trying to affect another being here, not my own flesh. It makes sense that I¡¯ll have to do something different. What did I do with the salamander? I wonder, since that is the last time I actually sent my magic into someone without the aim to heal. It¡¯s harder to remember back to that time ¨C so much has happened since and the occasion itself was a bit of a mess. On the other hand, my memory has improved by leaps and bounds, so after a short time of concentration, I find myself able to almost replay what I did. I¡¯d sent healing magic into the body, like I¡¯d have done with any of my Bound. Except when it got inside, I¡¯d¡­taken control of it and directed it to do something that most definitely wasn¡¯t beneficial to the host. Since this whole thing happened before I gained the stat points in my mental and soul stats, and long before I started to understand anything about my Core or internal matrix, it¡¯s not as helpful as I¡¯d hoped. Especially since I no longer have the Skill that automated the process for me. Maybe I should have tested this on one of my Bound before trying to do it on a tree, I think to myself. Actually¡­. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°River,¡± I start, opening my eyes ¨C I¡¯d closed them in concentration at some point. ¡°I¡¯d like to test something on you, if you¡¯re open to more experimentation. I¡¯m not intending it to hurt you in any way, but I can¡¯t promise that it won¡¯t happen accidentally. Are you willing? You can say no, by the way ¨C this definitely isn¡¯t an order.¡± I want him to be absolutely clear on that before he accepts becoming my guinea pig. I am at your service, he reminds me. ¡°Yeah, I know you¡¯ve said that,¡± I sigh. ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to feel like I¡¯m going to get angry or refuse to help your people if you say no. I can find someone ¨C or something ¨C else to experiment on if necessary.¡± Will this help you grow stronger and thus help our group and thereby my village indirectly? I hesitate. ¡°Well, yes, I suppose,¡± I reply after a moment. Me learning how to send mana into another body does benefit the group rather directly ¨C it allows me to heal them when they¡¯re injured as well as potentially being able to reduce the threat an opponent poses. After all, trying to learn how to send my magic into someone else¡¯s body when they¡¯re bleeding out doesn¡¯t seem like the best choice if I¡¯ve got the option of practising earlier. As for River¡¯s village, if I die or my team loses important members, that will reduce the strength that we¡¯ll be able to bring to bear against the Forest of Death. So yes, even indirectly this benefits River¡¯s village. Then please go ahead. Already shifting towards him, I pause as he continues. However, if it is likely that I will be incapacitated either during or after your experiment, consider calling for another of the group or returning us to the cave for our safety. I should have thought of that. I sigh to myself and curl my fingers back from where they were reaching out to River. When will I learn to put safety ahead of my impulsive curiosity? He¡¯s right ¨C even though he didn¡¯t say this in as many words, I really should have done this while we were with the others. Should we just cut this tree down and then I experiment with it later? I wonder. It¡¯ll take a lot longer to cut it down than if I was able to Shape it. Then again, if I went back with River to the plateau to test healing, and then came back to find that I wasn¡¯t able to Shape the tree in the end anyway, I¡¯d have lost daylight hours doing something I could do in the dark. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll test later,¡± I finally decide. OK, I might lose time here, but hopefully I¡¯ll pick up at least a point in Strength with all the physical labour this task will involve. Then, tonight when it¡¯s too dark to do any other task, I¡¯ll experiment with my new Skill. I can always test it on another tree tomorrow or something. ¡°Here,¡± I say, pulling out the rudimentary tool I made near Bastet¡¯s former home and handing it to River. If it breaks, so be it ¨C it didn¡¯t take long to make in the first place. He takes it with an air of confusion even as I look carefully at the tree and the area around it. You wish me to dig and find more odd-coloured rocks? he asks in bemusement. ¡°No,¡± I reply, unable to help smiling a little. ¡°We¡¯re chopping down a tree and you¡¯re going to help me. Here, watch me.¡± I withdraw my own axe, one which will hopefully be more hard-wearing than the one the lizard-man is holding in his clawed paws. Focussing on a single spot on the tree, I swing my axe at it. Half-expecting to miss the spot I was aiming at completely, I¡¯m pleased when I almost hit it. That must be the points in Dexterity speaking, even if this type of aiming is somewhat different from my archery. The flint head chips off some bark and bites into the wood of the tree a little. Pulling it out, I swing again, biting a little more into the wood of the tree. This time when I withdraw it, the blade sticks just a little, heralding the more difficult task we¡¯ll have later. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to dig a little bit more into this side, and then we¡¯re going to work on the other side together,¡± I tell River. ¡°Just make sure that you¡¯re never swinging that tool towards me, OK? It¡¯s not particularly sharp, but I¡¯d rather not have it break one of my bones either.¡± As you say, he agrees and then waits patiently as I cut a notch from the side of the tree on which I¡¯d like it to fall. From my quick look around, this direction seems the least likely to get too tangled up with other trees. Some tangling will definitely happen, and we¡¯ll need to cut the trunk a couple of other times before being able to move the whole of it, but the fewer cuts necessary at this stage, the better. I¡¯m hoping that if we can chop the trunk into small enough pieces that I¡¯ll be able to lift them a little off the ground, then I¡¯ll be able to put it in my Inventory. Those are later considerations, however. First we need to get the tree down. ***** Hours later when the cracking meets my ears, I can¡¯t help a tired grin from pushing the corners of my mouth upwards. We haven¡¯t cut all the way through the trunk, but we¡¯ve cut enough of a notch out that the weight of the tree is pulling it over. We¡¯d had a few early scares with the wind shoving the top-heavy piece of massive flora around, but fortunately it didn¡¯t collapse on us at any point ¨C always a concern when cutting down tall trees. The descent of one of the mighty forest giants is an awe-inspiring event, its branches ripping at the other trees around like it¡¯s doing its best to claw its way back to uprightness. When the roar of its fall ceases, the forest around is silent for a long moment as if in respectful mourning. A little sadness mixes with the elation of my success, the mixture of emotions once more threatening to bring tears to my eyes. I need to figure out these mood-swings, I tell myself, blinking them away angrily. Again, that¡¯s something to do later: right now, I need to concentrate on the rest of the hard work we need to accomplish before dark. Felling the tree, after all, is only the beginning of the labour. Book 2: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Eight: Luminous Blackness It turns out that my increased Strength isn¡¯t just numbers on a screen. While River and I working together aren¡¯t able to move the tree trunk as a whole, nor do I manage to get it into my Inventory, we actually end up only needing to cut it into two parts. They end up being unequal in size but relatively equal in weight, given how the tree¡¯s trunk is thicker down at its base than at its crown. We don¡¯t carry the pieces, exactly, but are able to part-lift, part-drag the trunk sufficiently to get it back. We do strip off the branches, but even so, I¡¯m left surprised at just how much strength the two of us are able to bring to bear. The branches, I do put in my Inventory ¨C I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to have any issues with firewood for a while. Though, I suppose that this is technically green wood, so not ideal for using on a fire. Ah well: a bit of time baking in the sun will help dry it out, though if it rains like it did the day after we came back with Lathani, that won¡¯t help much. On the other hand, perhaps it might wash out some of the sap which wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. By the time we¡¯ve made our slow progress back to the plateau with the bottom third of the tree in tow, we¡¯re both exhausted and the sun has almost completely dipped below the horizon. ¡°Shall we go back for the other part of the tree in the morning?¡± I groan more than say, wanting nothing more than to just flop down on the ground and never move again. Please, River responds, sounding just as exhausted as I feel. ¡°Alright then,¡± I give in, not putting up too much of a fight. It¡¯s probably not a good idea for us to go out into the forest as tired as we are: we¡¯ve been lucky so far to avoid any attack, but that won¡¯t necessarily hold. Between us we probably couldn¡¯t fight off a kitten right now. ¡°Do you need some meat? To eat, that is.¡± I ate sufficiently while we were out this morning. Besides, we brought back some carcasses which I can feed from if I¡¯m hungry. ¡°OK,¡± I accept, then wave vaguely in his direction and shuffle towards the alcove. Making myself comfortable on my mess of jackets and coats ¨C I really need to make a proper bed ¨C I pull out a soup I made earlier from my Inventory. I sip the all-too-familiar taste with a grimace. It fills my stomach, but it¡¯s just so boring. Two months on these rations has been a bit too much even for me. Still, with my new Inspect Flora Skill, I should be able to identify some more plants which are edible, and thereby expand my diet a little. The time needed to be dedicated to testing each plant is the main reason why I haven¡¯t expanded my diet up until now. At least the salt helps season it all a bit. While I eat, I check my notifications, suspecting that I know what¡¯s been nagging at me for a while.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Strength (Power) and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
Bingo. I smile in satisfaction as I accept the point. Curious to see what happens as I accept a point like that, I slip into my Core space and watch. I see Energy expand out of my Core, my internal matrix lighting up in a Mexican wave that rushes out from the centre to the extremities. It doesn¡¯t head out to the threads which have their ends dangling in mid-air, but instead rushes around my internal matrix, like a wave which clashes against the pool wall on the opposite side and returns in the direction from whence it came. As it returns to the Core, it doesn¡¯t actually enter the crystalline structure. Instead, it once more changes direction and heads out again. My focus narrows as I realise that the wave which is travelling around is becoming weaker; the light it emits is less than when it started. I try to work out why. Focussing on the wave doesn¡¯t help ¨C I only start understanding a little when I start looking at where the wave has passed. The area just behind the wave stays bright for a little bit of time before it fades back to its normal light level. Focussing on one of these spots reveals that the light isn¡¯t just disappearing; it¡¯s seeping away. The process rather reminds me of what I had to do when I healed the small cut on myself with Flesh-Shaping. It¡¯s different, though ¨C what I did was I moved the mana from the nearest Energy channel to the wound itself, concentrating the mana in that one spot. This is more like diffusing the mana through my body. The changes are completed before I¡¯ve finished watching, unfortunately, but this wasn¡¯t the only notification waiting for me. With any luck, I¡¯ve got another point I can add and observe how it works some more.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Strength (Endurance) and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
A pleasant surprise, though not exactly hard to work out why: the pain in my muscles would certainly explain it. Happily, I accept the point and then dive back into my inner Core space. The process starts exactly the same, and this time I focus more quickly on the changes to the space after the wave has passed, more than the wave itself. I watch how the Energy, or mana, or whatever it is feeds into the black area around the Energy channels making them all so infinitesimally slightly more luminous. If black can be luminous. But it can, as I remember all too soon. Why? Because there is one area that remains stubbornly black. The area which was damaged by the Pure Energy two weeks ago or so. As the Energy from this stat point starts to wind down, I pay particular attention to what¡¯s happening in the space eaten away by the Pure Energy. When the process stops once more, I return to my notifications and the next message waiting for me. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Constitution and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
Barely reading it enough to realise that Constitution has finally taken the final step to maxing out its natural growth, I accept the point and dive back into my Core space, navigating directly to the section of void-black. As I watch, my fears grow. The same process is happening here as in all other parts of my internal matrix: the Energy is pouring down my channels, leaving a little in its wake which then seeps into the space around the channels. That¡¯s where it ends, though. Where in all other situations, the Energy had illuminated the blackness even if only slightly, here it does nothing. It¡­vanishes. Perhaps the comparison I made to it being a ¡®void¡¯ is more apt than I¡¯d thought: it acts like a consuming void, a black hole. Like it could take all this Energy and more and still not be satisfied. I suppose I can only be glad that it¡¯s not acting like a black hole in other ways: it doesn¡¯t seem to have taken more than its fair share of Energy; its gravity doesn¡¯t seem to be any greater than other parts of my internal matrix. Thinking about what might have happened if it had been able to draw more Energy towards it than it should have makes me shudder, despite not having a physical body to move with. When the process winds down again, I return to my notifications, selecting the last one to read.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
Y/N?
I should be happy, and I am. Suddenly, I¡¯m glad that I chose to take the tree down the old-fashioned way rather than trying to do it with Flesh-Shaping. The whole exhausting ordeal has certainly meant a windfall of points. I must have been close to earning them even before starting the task. Still, I can¡¯t help but also be a bit concerned. Knowing that the percentage of damage to my Soul hasn¡¯t changed is a different thing from seeing that damage in action. Plus, I can¡¯t help but wonder what the issue with that black space means. Accepting the point, I return back into my Core space to check that nothing is different this time around, my mind only half on my observations. My theory is that the black space is in some way representative of my body. When I touched the Pure Energy, I did so with a finger, and it spread into my hand and would have continued spreading up my arm. As I saw afterwards, that was shown in my Core space as if someone had taken an ice-cream scoop and dug out a chunk from the edge of it all. Now, the internal matrix is intact again, but the damage is still evident in that the blackness around the new Energy channels is as dark as ever. Another point of evidence to my mind is the fact that when I wanted to heal my flesh wound, I had to let the mana seep into the blackness before I could direct it to the cut. If the blackness wasn¡¯t intrinsically linked to my flesh, why would I have had to do that? Clearly, I¡¯m not looking at the flesh itself ¨C the shape of my Core space is most definitely either a sphere or ovoid, but certainly not the shape of my body. However, they are clearly linked and what is done to one is done to the other. This makes the black space worrying. I¡¯ve just increased my Strength stat twice ¨C Power and Endurance ¨C my Constitution stat once, and my Dexterity stat once. As I saw in my Core space, those changes necessitated Energy ¨C or mana ¨C being fed into my body. Yet, there was one space where that Energy didn¡¯t reach: my left hand. Does this mean that although my right hand is now stronger, my left is not? Or that my left hand is more vulnerable than my right? Less dextrous? And what about if I accidentally injure that hand, or something bites it ¨C will I find myself unable to heal it? Or does it mean that there¡¯s a weakness to the whole system rather than just that one area? The questions are endless and concerning, reducing the excitement I should otherwise be feeling about having increased three stats at once. Reluctantly deciding that I need to investigate more, and soon, I open my status screen, my anticipation returning despite my worries.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 91% Energy absorption rate: 29u/hr Energy towards debt: 85%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 360/360
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 850u/hr
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 20 Health: 200/200
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 17 Stamina regeneration rate: 170u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 2 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Inspect Fauna ¨C Beginner 1 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 1 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Novice 5 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 6 Meditation ¨C Initiate 3 Energy Manipulation ¨C Initiate 7 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5
Sure enough, Constitution and Strength have both hit twenty points, meaning that the only way I¡¯m going to be able to increase them in the future will be via level-ups. Only three points are now needed to bring Dexterity up to join them. And then I¡¯ll have all my stats above twenty, rather an achievement considering what my status screen looked like the first time I called it up! Leaning back, I frown. I feel a bit¡­different. I¡¯ve only just noticed it because of the distraction I¡¯d had from the questions about my soul damage. It¡¯s hard to describe, but I¡¯m pretty sure that it originates from when I accepted the Constitution point and the Energy poured through me. I feel¡­steadier. More stable. More¡­grounded. I hadn¡¯t realised how adrift I¡¯d been feeling, like a paper bag blowing in the wind. Is this the source of my mood swings? I wonder. Something tells me that I¡¯m not quite right, but that it¡¯s linked. Is it to do with my Constitution being below twenty points when everything else was above? Or to do with my soul damage? Or both? Unfortunately, I suspect I won¡¯t know the answer to those questions for sure until I manage to repair the soul damage. At least, I hope I can repair the soul damage; the alternative seems rather grim, given what I¡¯ve just observed. Some ideas are percolating in my head, but they will all require good Energy control, something which I know I¡¯m getting better at, but which still isn¡¯t perfect by any means. I have another idea of how to practise it, though, and it comes with the side benefit of helping me to stop aching: Flesh-Shaping. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Eighty-Nine: Still No Expert Heading back into my Core space, I take a moment to think about how to do this. I could feed mana directly to the areas which are aching ¨C my shoulders, my core muscles, my arms, the muscles in my thighs ¨C and essentially deal with one area at a time. However, I want to try something else. With Lay-on-hands I was able to send a wave of healing magic through my system and deal with small aches and pains like these ones. It would be good to know if I can do the same thing, or something similar with Flesh-Shaping. It should be possible, I suppose; it¡¯s just working out how to do it. Perhaps I can learn from the way the stat points worked? They sort of flooded my whole body in a wave; maybe if I could do that with the intention of healing, it would work? I mentally shrug ¨C it¡¯s worth a try. I¡¯m not using my mana for anything else right now. Deciding to do it is one thing; actually doing it is another. It turns out that feeding mana evenly down all of my channels at once is just a little past the limits of my current capabilities. Even managing to feed mana relatively evenly down three channels at the same time stretches the limits of my control. Still, this exercise has to be good for my mana manipulation Skill; with any luck it will have increased a rank or two by the end. Focussing entirely on the three channels I fed the energy down, I draw the mana carefully towards the aches in my right shoulder. Like before when I fixed the small self-inflicted injury, I have an instinct about where to go and I follow the sense without questioning it too much. When I get to the area my instinct has led me to, I carefully push the mana to seep out of the channels. I remember this from using Flesh-Shaping before: it¡¯s like the channels offer some direction to the mana ¨C it will easily move towards the Core or down the channels to whatever is beyond, but it takes some effort to force them through the walls of the channels. In the process, I lose control of one of the beads of mana and I watch on, dismayed, as it goes flashing down the channel to escape out the end. Still, I have two other beads of mana which are currently taking all my focus to feed through the walls of the channels, so I don¡¯t spend too much time mourning the lost one. Feeding the mana through the walls of the channels is difficult; keeping control of it once it¡¯s out of the Energy channels is even more of a struggle. I sense that if I release the mana, at best it will just flash through my system and then leave; at worst, it might actually change things in a way I don¡¯t want it to. Since that¡¯s the last thing I want to happen, I call up the anatomical knowledge which I retain from Lay-on-hands, focussing on clearing out the lactic acid build up and repairing the micro-tears in the muscles. It makes me wonder whether I could repair muscles to be stronger than they are currently without actually doing the exercise which tears them in the first place. I venture to say that it should be possible with Flesh-Shaping, but also admit that I might be too worried about causing myself further issues. After all, although I have a fair bit of knowledge about how the body works, thanks to Lay-on-hands, I¡¯m still no expert. As I return to the sense of my body, my right shoulder now feeling so much better, I feel a sense of pleasure at achieving my goal. At the same time, I realise how much more I¡¯m going to have to learn if I¡¯m going to use this new Skill properly. I¡¯d thought about growing claws, but that¡¯s more complicated than just growing my fingernails: claws are actually a digit by themselves. And if I want retractable claws, that¡¯s even more complex. What about if I want to fly? Well, magic is going to have to play at least some part of it since I don¡¯t see any other way in which a body as heavy as mine will ever get off the ground, no matter how large the wings. But even with magic being involved ¨C since there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to attempt to make my bones hollow ¨C I¡¯d still need to be able to direct my magic to form all the underlying muscle and ligament connections, let alone the wings themselves. It¡¯s a daunting challenge, but at the same time I find myself almost looking forward to it. I¡¯m going to have to explore different bodies, look at their functioning in more depth. Luckily for me ¨C or my victims, rather ¨C with magic, I shouldn¡¯t need to cut them open like the scientists back on Earth had to before X-rays and the like were invented. Still, right now I¡¯m very much at the beginning of all this; my rank of ¡®novice¡¯ in the Skill is testament to that. Right now, I¡¯m focussing on trying to heal more than one injury at once. To that end, I dive back into my Core space and continue working. ***** By the time my body is feeling relaxed and pain-free, my head is the part of me that¡¯s aching. Still, I feel like I¡¯ve made steps forward: by the end of it, I was able to control four beads of mana at the same time and saturate an area about the size of my hand. It¡¯s a far cry from what I was able to do automatically with Lay-on-hands, but I feel like I have a lot more control over exactly what I¡¯m healing. Like I¡¯d be able to heal four stab wounds at the same time as leaving one untouched because it has a foreign body in it which I need to remove first. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. My Flesh-Shaping Skill has levelled up too, offering me a satisfying sense of progress. From Novice five, it¡¯s now Novice six. Also gratifying is the fact that my Energy Manipulation Skill has levelled up ¨C from Initiate seven to Initiate eight. I stretch, breathing deeply. I¡¯m still tired, even if I¡¯ve wiped away the actual injuries I did to myself. Perhaps more so now since I¡¯ve spent a good hour or more stretching my understanding of my new Skill. While I wanted to test Flesh-Shaping on River, I¡¯m not in the right state of mind to do so now, even if he was. One more thing left to do and then I¡¯ll sleep. Bastet and the cubs are already curled up together near the fire, having crept in without me being aware. River has joined me on the bed ¨C he did disturb me and was apologetic about it. I told him not to be stupid and just shifted so he had some space against the wall. With as much physical activity as he did earlier ¨C hunting and then helping me take down a tree ¨C I¡¯m not surprised that he went out like a light. That¡¯s the other reason not to do Flesh-Shaping experimentation now: I¡¯m not going to wake him up for it; neither am I going to experiment on him while he¡¯s asleep even if he has basically given permission. Fenrir is lying at the entrance to the cave, his Bond indicating that he feels he¡¯s ¡®on guard¡¯. As he feels my attention, he lifts his head and a sense of pleasant expectation comes across the Bond, like he¡¯s hoping that I¡¯m going to be pleased with his actions. If he¡¯d been a dog from Earth, I¡¯d expect him to be wagging his tail. As it is, I can¡¯t help but praise him, sending it down the Bond rather than risk waking one of my other companions. Good boy, Fenrir. A sense of pleasure comes across the Bond, showing his happiness at my words. Laying his head back on his paws, he stills once more. I continue looking around the room, realising the presence of the last of my Bound, with a bit of shock. This is the first time Sirocco has decided to join us in the alcove. I don¡¯t blame her for not wanting to be trapped in a stone cave ¨C she¡¯s a creature of the sky, not the underground. But here she is ¨C perched atop the drying rack I used for sinew, head tucked close to her chest, wings neatly folded. It doesn¡¯t look very comfortable, but she¡¯s chosen the roost, so it must be good enough. Reminding myself that I have one more task to do before I sleep, I shuffle a little bit to get comfortable again, and then close my eyes once more. This time, I don¡¯t drop into my Core space, instead trying to focus on ¡®feeling the earth¡¯. I¡¯ve been trying to do this every morning and afternoon to little effect. It¡¯s more than a little frustrating. Maybe I¡¯m going about this wrong? What if I use Meditation at the same time? I consider the idea but then just shrug: it¡¯s not like it could cause any problems, right? And it might even lead to the breakthrough I¡¯ve been searching for. Focussing on my breaths, I slip into that calmer state where I become more aware of the world around me and the connections I have to it. The connections I have with my Bound are the most obvious, like fluorescent tubes leading from me to them. They¡¯re not the only links, though. Two other strong connections lead off to the side; touching them, I know what ¨C or rather ¡®who¡¯ ¨C they lead to. Those aren¡¯t what I¡¯m looking for. I remember the vine-stranglers and how they had connections which led down into the ground, heading for the Pure Energy. They also had other connections, ones to each other, ones to the earth, ones even to the air around. Looking back now, I realise that I saw a lot more at the time than I was capable of truly understanding. And it makes sense that there would be connections: although the trees clearly fed off the Pure Energy, they had to also take sustenance from the earth below them, and from the air around too. Surely I will have similar connections? After all, although I don¡¯t take nutrients from the soil, I do breathe the oxygen in the air. And I walk on the earth. Trying to look beyond the strongest connections, I attempt to feel the slighter ones. Maybe if I start with the air or something, I¡¯ll be able to get an idea of what to feel for with earth. Breathing in, I try to feel a connection with the air that enters my lungs. Breathing out, I try to somehow follow it out of my body. Not knowing if I honestly have a decent idea here or if it¡¯s a red herring, I continue trying, figuring it¡¯s no worse than repeating the same thing which hadn¡¯t been working before. At least I¡¯m comfortable; the crackle of the fire is almost music to my ears and its warmth is pleasant on my skin. I feel¡­something. I¡¯m not sure if it''s the earth or air, though. It feels¡­warm. Hungry. I¡¯m drawn towards it, like a moth to a flame. I only realise how apt that analogy is when I start to burn, the crackle of the fire suddenly feeling like it¡¯s all around me rather than a metre or so in front of me. Molten heat licks at my skin and sends a mixture of pleasure and pain through me. Breathing in, I feel like it¡¯s flames that enter my lungs rather than air. Coughing, I¡¯m jolted out of my meditation, my eyes flying open. I haven¡¯t moved, for all that I felt like I was sitting in the fire a moment ago. Returning to settle back in my physical self, I breathe carefully, wanting to see if my lungs are actually burnt. A few painless breaths seem to indicate that it had just been in my imagination, fortunately. There are no burns on my skin either. Checking done, I stare thoughtfully at the dancing flames. I mean, being able to control fire would actually be pretty amazing too. Fire-Shaping? Fire-Dancing? No, Fire-Taming! I smile at the thought ¨C as if anyone could actually tame fire. I know that there are plenty of people in Nicholas¡¯ world who can control fire to a certain extent, but they all seem to just use it for combat purposes. I can think of so many other uses. Just considering the task I¡¯d like to accomplish with making metal tools, it would be so much easier if I could somehow control the temperature of the flames. Let alone all the other jobs which would be simplified if I was able to shape and direct the fire. And yes, obviously there would be a combat use of it too: I¡¯d never have to worry about walking through the vine-strangler grove again, for example. Plus, if I can learn to control fire, perhaps it could give me an insight into how to control earth too? But those are thoughts for tomorrow. Fire is dangerous at the best of times; I¡¯ll need to make some preparations in case things go wrong. Besides, my head is already aching and tired; I¡¯ve learnt my lesson about making important decisions while exhausted. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety: My Candle Burns at Both Ends The next morning I awake, excited, yet also nervous about my experience with fire yesterday. I don¡¯t think it was just my imagination: I¡¯m not that creative. To be able to imagine fire licking at my skin is probably beyond my scope. Maybe I should speak to Kalanthia? It¡¯s not ¡®feeling the earth¡¯, but perhaps she¡¯d have some guidance even so? Kalanthia? Are you awake? I try to ¡®project¡¯. I suspect that if I get up, I¡¯ll disturb all of my still-sleeping Bound, so if the massive nunda doesn¡¯t respond, I¡¯ll have to do something else. Since it¡¯s still dark, I¡¯m limited in what I can do, but I¡¯m too awake to go back to sleep. Fortunately, it appears that my landlady-friend has similar hours to mine. Or she¡¯s easily roused. Either way, she responds to me quite quickly. Yes, Markus Wolfe. I am awake. OK, great. I was hoping you could help me a little here? Perhaps, she responds with a hint of curious amusement. What is your question? Last night I didn¡¯t feel the earth¡­but I think I felt fire, I tell her, then explain exactly what happened. When I¡¯m done, she is silent for a long while, but somehow, despite not actually having a Bond with her or even being in the same room, I sense it is a thoughtful silence rather than a rejecting one. Perhaps she projected the emotion to me as much as she projects her thoughts, so I would know she was thinking about it. I am not familiar with fire, Kalanthia says finally, thoughtfully. My mate controls lightning, which perhaps is closer to it than earth, but I cannot ask him for advice: he is too far away. My own experience with earth was that I felt it under my paws, felt its firmness, felt its steadiness, felt its endurance. Those seeped into my own veins, giving me patience and endurance for the trials I had to face, and eventually helped me wait for the opportunity to escape my captors. However, whether that is a good approach to take with fire, I know not. Inviting fire to fill your veins seems a risky proposition since it burns indiscriminately. Earth has never hurt me, not even when I made mistakes. I have hurt myself by reaching for more than I can manage, creating a mana debt which pained me to repay. Yet the earth has always simply been¡­there. Unyielding, and comforting in that steadfastness. I suspect that fire will be a very different character. She is silent for a little longer, but I sense that she has more to say and keep from interrupting. You will have to find your own path through this unknown battleground. I suggest that you study fire, that you observe how it functions with as many senses as you can. I do not command the earth; I request it cooperate with me, feeding it mana and visualising the images I wish it to take. Perhaps fire will be the same; perhaps it will be different. I wish I could offer more help, she finishes, sounding a little sad at her lack of insight to offer, but truly my mate would be of more use here. It¡¯s fine, I say, trying to project my own feelings of appreciation. Already you¡¯ve helped me get further than I would have on my own. Perhaps I¡¯m more suited to fire than earth, I finish. Perhaps, she agrees. Good luck, Markus Wolfe. With that, the sense of her presence withdraws, the conversation clearly done for now. Not that I mind ¨C since it was a perfect time to get information from Kalanthia, I wanted to do so. Now that she doesn¡¯t seem to have any more guidance to offer, I¡¯d rather get stuck in and try to work things out myself than keep on chatting. So, I need to observe the fire with as many senses as possible. Sliding quietly from the bed, I manage to shift closer to the glowing embers in the fireplace without disturbing anyone. Well, Bastet opened an eye as I got close, but seeing that it was just me, she closed it again. I can¡¯t help reaching over to rub at her neck, stroking the proto-feathers behind her ears. A sense of sleepy contentment comes over the Bond to me and I continue doing it for a few more minutes while I quickly chew on some meat and a cooked potato to ease the growling of my stomach. Then I remind myself that, as pleasurable as stroking Bastet is for both of us, I have another task to do. The fire is burning very low, the hours without any new fuel being added meaning that it has mostly consumed the branches which had been on there. The heat being put off by the glowing embers is limited, and mostly only detectable when I put my hand above them. As I blow, I see the white ash dance into the air, and the red glow brightening a little. The fire triangle, I think to myself, remembering back to GCSEs at the tender age of sixteen. Fuel, oxygen, and heat. The coals still had the heat, and still had the fuel, though not too much of it. Add a bit more oxygen and suddenly the fire perks up. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Curious, I slip into my meditation, suddenly viewing the fire through different eyes. It¡¯s still as bright as with my normal vision, but this time it¡¯s bright because of the number of connections between it and the environment. It¡¯s actually difficult to differentiate the fire from the connections. Maybe fire is more connection than substance? I wonder even as I try to make sense of it. The fire has worms of connection that pierce the fuel around it, and feed particularly hungrily from the surface. There are also filament-thin connections which wave in the air, sucking heavily to ensure that it continues to draw sufficient oxygen for its needs. At the same time, these connections output heat as well as drawing in air. Leaning forwards, I fight to remain viewing the world through this other set of eyes while I blow. I¡¯m not disappointed in my discoveries. The connections brighten, a set of filaments weaving wildly in the air towards me, drawing the oxygen down into the body of the fire. The fire itself expands a little, the network of links chewing hungrily at the coals increasing their activity until the glut of oxygen has been consumed. It¡¯s strange to ascribe emotion to something as much of a force of nature as fire, but I can¡¯t help but do so. It is hungry: hungry for oxygen, hungry for fuel. Its nature is to consume and it appears to wish to do that as quickly as possible. It doesn¡¯t care that the brighter it burns, the quicker it will flash towards its end. I remember a verse which always stuck with me, though I cannot remember its author. My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night. But oh my friends and ah my foes, it gives a lovely light. Fire knows nothing of conservation of resources, or endurance, or planning for the future. It is all about the present; the enjoyment of the now. What does that say about me, I wonder, if I¡¯m drawn more to this than to the patient steadfastness of the earth? Then again, fire is steadfast in its own way. While there remains oxygen, fuel, and heat, it will continue burning. It is not like the wind which blows in gusts and might change its mind at any moment to blow in a different direction, or not blow at all. Fire does one thing alone, but that it does excellently. It will always do its best, will continue attempting to burn something until either it succeeds or is extinguished. And then, a fire which is almost, but not quite extinguished, may see a resurgence when the conditions are right. One must only consider how difficult firefighters have to work to put out a wildfire or house fire to realise how stubbornly determined fire can be too, even to its own detriment. That, I can identify with. I¡¯m a stubborn ass sometimes, even when I shouldn''t be; even when it brings me trouble. Fire is both creation and destruction. It burns everything it can to ash, but so often that ash offers benefits to others. It helps me in my attempts to create soap, for example. The fertile ash left in the wake of a wildfire in a forest also offers greater growth to the survivors. Fire is a natural part of the cycle of life, though it¡¯s one that may offer great pain and loss in the short term. I have burned so many bridges in my life, and the process has been painful. Yet in the wake of the inferno, sometimes I¡¯ve found a path which has offered a new beginning. With these thoughts in mind, I reach carefully out to the fire in front of me. Kalanthia¡¯s words about fire burning indiscriminately drift through my mind, but I don¡¯t know how else to start. If I burn myself, I can heal. I don¡¯t plunge my hand into the embers despite knowing that whatever burns I would gain would easily be healable. Instead, I lower my hand until the heat is on the uncomfortable side of too hot. I watch the way the connections originating from the fire wrap themselves around my fingers, and try to feed from the surface of my hand. How do I move from the fire trying to consume me to obeying me? I question as I tilt my hand this way and that, watching how the connections are always densest on the part of my hand closest to the embers. Lowering my hand a little more, I wince slightly as it starts to burn, the connections thickening and multiplying the closer I get. Lifting my hand a little, I move back into the slightly-uncomfortable-but-not-burning range. Remembering back to what Kalanthia had said about how she controlled the earth, I have an idea. She mentioned offering the earth mana and visualising what she wanted. Perhaps I should try that. Of course, that requires somehow making my mana leave my body, something else which I wanted to experiment with today. Pulling my hand out of the fire, I decide that I might as well heal the surface burns I¡¯ve given myself in my exploration. My natural health regeneration will probably clear them up in ten minutes or so, but I need all the practice I can get with Flesh-Shaping. With my practice yesterday, the burns are healed within a couple of minutes, two beads of mana being controlled to cover sufficient area to heal the whole surface of my hand in one go. Progress. Now, how can I practise pulling the mana actually outside my body, and control it? The only experience I¡¯ve had recently where mana left my body and I followed it took me into Fenrir¡¯s head while he was out hunting ¨C not what I¡¯m aiming for. Pulling myself out of meditation, I look around to see that faint hints of daylight are entering the cave and my Bound have mostly woken during my experimentation. I must have been in that state for longer than I realised. Fenrir has already left the cave; the sounds of chewing and snapping coming from outside indicate that he has found one of the carcasses left out there and is having breakfast. Bastet is still next to me, pressed against my leg. She¡¯s awake, but the cubs are not yet. Sirocco isn¡¯t in the cave anymore, though I don¡¯t know where she is. Finally, River is sitting on the bed, watching me curiously. What were you doing? he asks, obviously interested. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-One: Decided to Go See the Sights ¡°I was trying to ¡®feel fire¡¯ since it seems to come more easily to me than ¡®feeling the earth¡¯,¡± I tell him honestly. Actually¡­. ¡°Do you know anything about controlling fire? Was anyone in your village capable of it?¡± I know it¡¯s probably a long-shot considering what I know of the lizard-folk, but I¡¯ll kick myself if I don¡¯t ask and then later it turns out that he did know something and I just didn¡¯t bother to ask. I don¡¯t believe so, River answers, predictably, after a moment of thought. Is it possible to tame the Life-Devourer? I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m going to try, though.¡± If anyone can do it, I believe you can, River declares loyally after a moment. I¡¯m touched, not at all as certain as he sounds. I feel a sudden added pressure to succeed ¨C I don¡¯t want to betray his faith in me. ¡°Thanks,¡± I say in return, feeling a little awkward. ¡°My problem is that I need to work out how to move mana externally. At least, I think that that might help. Certainly I need it for Flesh-Shaping or I¡¯ll be stuck using only a fraction of what I think the Skill is capable of.¡± Shall we test what you wished to do in the forest yesterday? River asked. That¡¯s true: he¡¯d already agreed to be my guinea pig but we¡¯d thought that the middle of the forest wasn¡¯t the best idea to test out potentially damaging things. ¡°Alright,¡± I agree. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. If you¡¯re hungry, maybe get something to eat first, though: I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯re going to need for the experimentation.¡± There are a hundred and one other jobs to do, top of my list being dealing with the tree we felled yesterday. However, I think this is more important. It won¡¯t do the tree any harm to lie in the forest for a few days; it might cause harm to my Bound if we get attacked when I still haven¡¯t figured out how to heal them. Very well, he agrees. I will have a bite to eat. Where do you wish to do this? Inside or out? ¡°Uh, out in the sun, perhaps? If it¡¯s sunny, that is.¡± River shrugged. It probably is. We have had the first rainstorm of the season; the second is not likely to be for a while yet. Though after that they tend to be more and more frequent until the sun is as rare as the rain is now. ¡°Fun,¡± I say sarcastically. That sounds worse than London¡¯s weather. I¡¯m definitely going to have to make sure the hides I tan are sealed from the wet otherwise all my hard work is likely to go to waste the first time I get caught out in the rain. And I need to remember to keep up the oiling of my bow and string or that¡¯s going to take damage too. The downside of having things made out of natural materials. With an unspoken agreement to meet up outside, River slips out of the alcove quietly. I stoke the fire and then set some water to boil on it, making a mental note to fill my canteen and water pot the next time I go down to the stream. I also think about finding more edible plants when I head down with River to deal with the rest of the tree ¨C maybe I can even find something which I can use to make tea. It will be nice to drink something with a taste other than boiled water. I think wistfully of a bottle of whiskey, but then again, maybe better not. While I¡¯m in a much better state emotionally-speaking than I was before I came here ¨C which seems odd considering everything ¨C having a bottle of whiskey around might be a bit too much of a temptation. No, maybe a reward for succeeding with Flesh-Shaping should be for me to give myself the time to explore the edible plants in the environment: I¡¯ve become sick of roast meat and potato and pondweed soup. When my water boils, I take it off the fire and bring it outside with me, my make-shift oven-gloves doing enough of a job at protecting my hands that I don¡¯t have to heal any burns when I set it down. Since we¡¯re not having to rush off, I might as well let it cool down before adding it to my Inventory. By this point the cubs have woken up and they¡¯re playing together with Lathani outside. I can¡¯t help observing them for a bit, particularly Lathani. Although her physical appearance hasn¡¯t changed, her movements have. Even in the short time since her mum has started taking her out hunting, she¡¯s learned an economy and grace of movement which is beautiful to see. And then she stumbles over her own paw and she¡¯s the gawky half-grown cub again. I wonder how long she¡¯ll want to continue playing with the cubs. They¡¯re so much younger than her in size. Though as I watch them, I realise how much the cubs have grown too. They¡¯re more than twice the size they were when I met Bastet a month and a half ago. They¡¯re still definitely cubs, but their bodies are changing too, lengthening and strengthening. I should probably ask Bastet how long it normally takes them to mature, though I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯ll be able to communicate the question well enough, or whether her answer will be helpful. Perhaps after she¡¯s evolved she¡¯ll be better at communicating. Actually, thinking that¡­. Bound ¨C Companion ¨C ¡®Bastet¡¯ Health units: 650/650 Mana units: 50/50 Stamina units: 280/280 If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Progress to Tier 2: 98% Lifespan remaining: ~1y 6m I stare in surprise at the screen. Bastet is only two percent away from evolving. Alright, that settles it. ¡°Fenrir, Sirocco, can you keep an eye on the cubs for now, please? Alert me if they¡¯re about to get into danger or run off into the forest, and you don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to stop them, OK?¡± Fenrir agrees happily. Sirocco, who I¡¯ve identified as being settled in one of the trees, is less happy, but still willing. ¡°Bastet,¡± I continue, sending wordless thanks down the Bond to the bird and lizog, ¡°I want you to concentrate on getting enough Energy to evolve. Do you need another Heart?¡± The raptorcat sends a sense of denial and gratitude down the Bond, as well as a touch of excitement. I don¡¯t blame her: I¡¯d be excited too if I was facing an unknown evolution. She goes and fetches the much-diminished Energy Heart that she obviously tucked away somewhere in the alcove, and settles down with it not far from the cubs. I guess that even with the reassurance that there are two sets of eyes watching out for her babies, she¡¯s still not willing to leave them completely alone. Fair enough; as long as she is able to concentrate, it¡¯s up to her to choose where she goes. Now for my task. ¡°Ready, River?¡± I ask hopefully as he stands up from where he¡¯s been crouching next to the half-eaten carcass in the shade, tearing bits of meat off with his claws and tossing them into his toothy maw. Ready, he confirms and stands up. How do you wish to do this? ¡°Come over here and we¡¯ll sit down together,¡± I tell him, having had a chance to think about it while waiting for my water to boil. ¡°You need to tell me exactly how everything feels, if it hurts especially. In fact, if it hurts, interrupt me. Right now, I¡¯m just going to try to move some of my mana from me to you, and then control it in your body.¡± I try not to think about how that could be misinterpreted; fortunately, River doesn¡¯t seem to do so. Instead, he just tilts his chin up and sends agreement over the Bond to me. Now, how to do this? With Lay-on-hands I needed to actually physically touch my target to heal them. Although I doubt that that is a requirement of the new Skill, I decide to start there: it¡¯s more familiar for me and maybe more familiar for my Energy channels, for all I know. Going into my Core space, I do the mental equivalent of frowning as I consider the situation. I see two options here. Either I need to do something like I did before: find the right connection between me and River, and then send mana down it, or maybe I should send the mana to my hand, and then...let it seep into River¡¯s skin by osmosis? Well, let¡¯s try both, shall we? Deciding to start with the second as I think that might be the easier one to test, I pull four beads of mana from my Core and focus on sending them to the fingers which are touching River. With my practice yesterday in this task, it¡¯s relatively easy to get the beads to the right spot. It¡¯s harder to keep all the mana controlled once it has seeped out of my mana channels into my flesh, but I don¡¯t see another way of doing it: My mana channels will move close to my skin, but I sense that they won¡¯t go through it. Not the ones which curve back into the mandala, anyway. Struggling to control the cloud of mana, I focus on pushing it closer to the barrier of my skin. From my Core space, my skin feels impossibly thick; my fingers enormous. The mana moves fast, though, and would move faster if I let it. I don¡¯t, though: I fear that it would just fly completely out of control if I release my tight grip on it. The barrier of my skin requires only a small push before it can be overcome, which is when I hit another barrier. This one holds against me for a moment, before it gives way. And then I¡¯m suddenly in a new space. The difference is relatively subtle. The Energy has a strange feel to it; my ability to navigate abruptly reduced. There is no resistance, though I sense that there could be. Perhaps because River is my Bound, I theorise. Or because he¡¯s consented to this. That my consciousness is somehow inside River is undeniable. Although I cannot sense all the details of his body, I do sense the outline of it. The differently shaped head, clawed fingers, elongated and clawed feet are all hallmarks of exactly where I am. The mana I¡¯ve passed into his body via osmosis is actually easier to control in River¡¯s body than it is in mine, oddly enough: I¡¯d have expected it to be the reverse, actually. In my own body, the mana always felt like it was eager to go. Whether it was zipping down my Energy channels and out of my body entirely, or, once it had seeped out of the Energy channels completely, into the luminous black space, my Energy always pulled at my control like a dog on a leash. Here, it¡¯s like that same dog is now uneasy in a new place and wanting to stick close to me. I have to exert more concentration on wading through the different Energy of River¡¯s body than in holding my mana together. Still, since he¡¯s not resisting me, it¡¯s not difficult. Wondering what I can do here, I start ¡®wandering¡¯ around River¡¯s body with my little bead of mana, like a blood clot which has taken on a life of its own and decided to go see the sights. As I ¡®move¡¯, I start getting more of a sense of River¡¯s body. The veins and arteries that form a network around it to deliver vital nutrients. The lungs, differently shaped from my own, which do as good a job as mine does to oxygenate his blood. Better, even. The heart, again, slightly differently shaped and more centrally-placed than my own. The organs, mostly similar to my own, but not entirely, the appendix missing entirely and other organs added in. I sense that after understanding comes the ability to modify, and resolve to do this kind of ¡®scan¡¯ in my own body. At the same time, I sense that my understanding is limited, perhaps due to the level of Flesh-Shaping or my knowledge of anatomy. I have no sense of how mana moves around River¡¯s body, or how Energy interacts with his body to heal injuries. Perhaps I need to study that in myself and others to be able to detect it more easily, I wonder. For once, the addition of a job to my to-do list doesn¡¯t fill me with dismay, but excitement. However, that¡¯s for another time. Right now, I search to see if I can find any area which is less than healed. Eventually, I find a small scratch on his side. Perhaps it was from the tree yesterday as it already seems more than half-healed. Feeding the mana into it and concentrating on the flesh coming together and healing, I¡¯m pleased to see my intentions take shape. Of course, it was only a relatively small amount of mana, and I seem to have lost some while ¡®exploring¡¯ River¡¯s body, so just that action used it all up. With no more mana to hand, I find myself being pushed inexorably back to my own body. Much as I fight, I can¡¯t seem to find purchase on the odd Energy which surrounds me that I¡¯d been using to navigate. No matter, I¡¯ve learnt a lot. Back in my body, I open my eyes and smile. A success, I think. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Two: To Create Wounds Success or not, I can¡¯t rest on my laurels. If nothing else, this experience has taught me that I¡¯m going to need to seriously put some practice in before I can dream of reaching the level of proficiency in healing which I had with Lay-on-hands. I can¡¯t spend that long healing a tiny cut. Not when I¡¯m probably going to have to heal gashes which are ten times worse, or deal with poisoning, or perforated organs. It¡¯s a relief to know that I will still be able to heal my Bound; now I need to be able to do so reliably and quickly. To that end, though, I¡¯m going to have to ask River to do something I really don¡¯t want to: hurt himself so I have something to heal. I look up at him and I suppose that my reluctance comes across the link. Just ask, River tells me calmly. I sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, but¡­it¡¯s unfortunately necessary. I need things to heal,¡± I tell him, my mouth twisting into a grimace. So you need to create wounds on me to practise on? River checks, still as calm as before. ¡°Yes,¡± I admit. Do you wish to do it or have me use my claws? I¡¯m astounded at how well he¡¯s taking it. If someone had told me I needed to submit myself to their mad scientist experiments, I¡¯d have told them where to go. River seems to sense my disbelief, or maybe I accidentally project my thoughts down the Bond to him. You need to do this in order to improve your healing to help us while we are in combat, yes? I nod. Then why would I not be willing to help? Pain is fleeting, especially when you are able to heal it away shortly after. Death because you couldn¡¯t heal my wound quickly enough after a fight is much more permanent. He¡¯s right, and frankly, his thinking matches my own. It¡¯s just I hadn¡¯t expected him to see the logic straight away. Maybe that¡¯s a projection of my own failings on him, though. Or maybe I¡¯m still reacting illogically to things: I sense that my emotions have become steadier since reaching twenty in Constitution, but they don¡¯t feel entirely settled. Pushing that thought away for consideration later, I turn my attention back to the task at hand. ¡°Thank you for your understanding,¡± I say genuinely. ¡°I just need a cut for now, it doesn¡¯t matter where. As for whether you should use your claw on yourself or I should cut you with my knife, that¡¯s up to you. What would you be most¡­well, not comfortable with, exactly, but¡­.¡± I trail off, hoping that he¡¯ll fill in the missing words without me needing to explicitly say them. Fortunately, he seems to, as he looks at his claws thoughtfully. I suppose that a claw would be more true to life: I am unlikely to be injured by a blade. Not one like yours, anyway. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I admit. ¡°If you¡¯re OK with it then?¡± In answer, River lowers one of his claws to his inner thigh and puts pressure on it. His scaled skin resists, even though he¡¯s probably chosen an area with minimal defence. With a bit more pressure, though, the sharp claw pierces through. Discomfort comes across the Bond between us and his spikes flash faintly red as he starts trying to drag down. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s enough!¡± I tell him. Clearly his claws are better for piercing than slicing, and I don¡¯t want him to undergo more pain than absolutely necessary. He stops as soon as I speak and pulls his claw away. Blood wells up slowly, the colour darker than my own, though still red. A different balance of minerals, perhaps? Or less oxygenated than my blood? My scan of his body didn¡¯t tell me that kind of thing: it indicated what was ¡®wrong¡¯ in the body, as well as, by implication, what was ¡®right¡¯, but it didn¡¯t tell me the details of everything. Although I was able to estimate what each aspect of his body did, that was based on my own knowledge of anatomy, and what remains from Lay-on-hands. There¡¯s a reason why I wasn¡¯t able to exactly identify what River¡¯s extra organs do. So knowing the exact nutritional and mineral profile of his blood is a bit beyond me. At this level, anyway. Wondering if reducing the distance would help, I place my hand over the wound without actually putting any pressure on it. Focussing, I once more go into myself and repeat the process of pulling mana from my Core, directing it down the channels, then out of the channels and into my fingers. After I¡¯ve crossed the barrier of skin, I once more find myself in the other space which is felt as much as it is seen. Knowing ¡®where¡¯ to go, I focus on directing the mana towards the wound. I reckon that putting my hand over it has helped: the wound feels like it¡¯s very close already. I¡¯d had to travel a lot further in the body in order to find the scratch I healed last time. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Knitting the flesh together is a little more involved this time as a few capillaries were pierced in River¡¯s self-harm, but I¡¯ve already had some practice with that, at least, in my own bout of knife-play. It goes quickly, though I realise once I¡¯ve knitted everything together that something still feels ¡®wrong¡¯ about the area. Since I still have a bit of mana ¨C I did have to pop back into my own body to grab some more when I started running low ¨C I stay and try to figure it out. My magic is telling me something, but it¡¯s like it¡¯s speaking in a language which is not quite English. Or like it¡¯s a voice which is whispering just slightly too low for me to catch the words. Still, as I stay and focus on it, I find that it becomes slightly clearer. Instead of understanding the words, I start to get a sense of there being something¡­foreign? Something in the wound which should not be there. Suddenly, it strikes me. Foreign bodies! Of course, River¡¯s claw wouldn¡¯t be as clean as the metal blade which I had intentionally sterilised. Though I thought I¡¯d already done that while healing the wound ¨C certainly, removing dirt and bacteria which could have been introduced is something I know should be part of the process. So what could this be? I focus more on the wound again, trying to determine what I¡¯m sensing. Whatever is irritating my senses is rapidly disappearing, being broken down by the body. Within a short space of time, the sense of ¡®wrongness¡¯ is gone and I feel like the healing is complete without needing to actually do anything. Returning to my own body, still baffled, I leave the few units of mana I had left in River, wondering if they will do anything. Pulling out of meditation, I stare unseeingly at River¡¯s thigh, mentally paging through the possibilities. Ma-Markus? the lizard-man asks tentatively. I¡¯m pulled out of my thoughts, briefly distracted. ¡°You¡¯re still having trouble just saying my name?¡± I ask him, trying to keep the judgement out of both my thoughts and my voice. He looks away. I¡¯m sorry, he responds apologetically. I sigh. ¡°Look,¡± I start, not sure where I¡¯m intending on taking this. ¡°What do you want to call me? And why?¡± I ask. River cocks his head sideways, looking at me again. I believe we already discussed this. I serve you in repayment of the debt I owe you. And because you offer protection and resources. I called the Herbalist master too while I served her. Similarly, she offered her protection and access to more resources than I would have had by myself. It¡¯s my turn to tilt my head. ¡°It¡¯s not just the Bond making you want to call me master, then? It¡¯s part of your culture?¡± I do not know about ¡®culture¡¯, but each of the Pathwalkers in the village had the right to take on an assistant. In exchange for the assistant helping her to gain the resources she needs to conduct her craft, eliminating the necessity for the Pathwalker to herself venture into danger, she offers protection and guaranteed access to food. I frown. ¡°Why would you need a guaranteed access to food? You¡¯re good at hunting.¡± River shakes his head. It is forbidden for hatchlings and unevolved adults to hunt for themselves. All resources gathered must be brought back to the village in exchange for tokens. Different numbers of tokens allow access to different communal carcasses which, in turn, offers the opportunity to fill one¡¯s belly or not, depending on how many others have access to the same carasses. The penalties for disobedience are¡­steep.¡± I sense the pain that accompanies whatever memory he¡¯s considering, and decide that it¡¯s not something I should dig into further. I don¡¯t know how to feel about this. On the one hand, it¡¯s barbaric to think that they might deny food to the very lizard-kin who collected it in the first place. On the other, I suppose that it¡¯s not all that different from how serfs in the middle ages were treated: the requirement to labour for the lords and be taxed for everything they did. Perhaps serfs had a little more guaranteed access to the food they worked for, but in lean years, they were probably expected to send the same amount of food to the lord¡¯s table and might not be left with anything for themselves. How was this much worse than that? I shake my head and return back to the question of the day. Ultimately, it looks like it¡¯s my own reluctance to seem like the bad guy here that¡¯s causing issues. And maybe, if it¡¯ll make River more comfortable, I should accept the reminder of my actions. Because ultimately, I did essentially enslave River. That he agreed to it due to his village being under threat doesn¡¯t make it much better. Maybe I¡¯m just being selfish here, in asking him to adapt his vocabulary to me, on top of ripping him away from his life. I know he feels like he owes me a debt, but I still feel that if anything, I¡¯m the one who owes the debt here. ¡°Look, if you want to call me ¡®master¡¯¡± and my stomach twists uncomfortably as I say it, ¡°then do so. I¡¯m perfectly happy with you calling me ¡®Markus¡¯, prefer it even, but I want you to be comfortable. So don¡¯t feel the need to correct yourself ¨C just go with whatever feels natural, alright?¡± River looks uncertain but tilts his chin up a little and sends a sense of agreement over the Bond. I guess I¡¯ll have to be satisfied with that. So, back to the topic at hand. What was the foreign body which was in the wound? And can I do anything with the mana I left in River¡¯s body? Regarding the latter, I realise that I can still sense it, even without touching River. ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± I tell him, and stand up, slowly moving backwards. I lose contact with the mana about five steps away. It¡¯s like a tenuous thread between us has been cut. When I go back into range, I¡¯m unable to reconnect to it. I move my hand towards River¡¯s leg once more. ¡°May I?¡± I ask, looking up at him, not wanting to touch him without his consent. When he indicates that it¡¯s fine, I touch him with my finger tips. The mana I¡¯d left in him suddenly rushes towards my fingers, and the connection is quickly reestablished. I sit back on my heels and consider what¡¯s just happened. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Three: Evolving So, I can leave some sort of tracker, though my range is very limited. Perhaps it is likely to increase with one or more of my stats? More important to me right now is whether I can do anything with the mana while at a distance. I decide to check. ¡°Stay there again, River,¡± I instruct him, once more moving a little away. This time, I don¡¯t go as far as five paces, only taking two big steps back. Able to feel the connection to the mana, I concentrate on trying to move it. After a few minutes of trying, I conclude that I can move it, but that it¡¯s far harder than when I¡¯m touching River. I can¡¯t go ¡®into¡¯ his body in the same way as I was doing earlier, so it¡¯s like I¡¯m trying to complete a 3D puzzle of a statue by feel. Possible, since I can ¡®feel¡¯ where the different pieces connect and their different shapes, but difficult. I take a step back and then another. Each step multiplies the difficulty: by the time I¡¯m reaching the limits I discovered earlier of how far I can be before I lose connection, it feels more like I¡¯m trying to complete the puzzle of an amorphous blob rather than of a defined humanoid statue. Still, when I return back to sit before River, I¡¯m grinning. That I can do anything with the blob of mana from a distance is amazing: it indicates to me that over time I will be able to do Flesh-Shaping at a distance, something I¡¯d been concerned might not be possible at all. What else could this little blob be used for? Well, it could keep track of my Bound, though it would have to have a longer range for that. It could also potentially be useful for keeping track of enemies. Since Bastet, Kalanthia, and River have a version of Stealth, I can easily imagine that we might at some point encounter an enemy which uses ambushing as its strategy, jumping away to hide if its ambush doesn¡¯t work, and then leaping out once more once we¡¯ve lost track of it. Or what about those worm-tailed things which spat sticky stuff at me after the encounter with the monster in the salt-caves? I can well-imagine that there are creatures which might use the underground as a way of popping out to surprise its prey, and then retreat back before the prey can react. If I could ¡®tag¡¯ the enemy, I¡¯d know where it was about to come out, and take the creature by surprise instead. Of course, that would require me being able to first ¡®tag¡¯ it, and then not be able to corner it. But if I can get better at affecting the mana inside something, I could potentially ¡®tag¡¯ a dangerous enemy, and then we play a game of keep-away until I¡¯ve been able to disable or kill it via the mana invader I planted in it. I imagine becoming more of a mage fighter ¨C healing my allies and hurting my enemies from a distance which isn¡¯t going to get me torn to shreds. Though I¡¯ve kind of got used to regularly being in agony, I won¡¯t lie and say it¡¯s now my preference. Not to mention that, despite all the improvements I¡¯ve made to my health pool and regeneration rate, I¡¯m still barely less ¡®squishy¡¯ than Sirocco, and she¡¯s an easily-injured bird! So fighting mostly from a distance would be good. I¡¯ll still need to get in close to ¡®plant¡¯ the mana, though, even if I get good enough at manipulating it not to need constant contact, I think to myself. Maybe a mount could help? I can¡¯t prevent myself from wondering, the image of a knight on horseback skewering his opponent with his lance coming to mind. Master! River¡¯s voice interrupts my thoughts. I look at him, immediately alert from the urgency in his tone. Look at Bastet! I twist around, hope and anticipation rising inside me. There¡¯s only one reason I can think that might be the reason for his excitement. The sight that meets my eyes almost makes my jaw drop. I scramble to push myself to a standing position and stumble closer for a better look, almost tripping over my own feet. Apparently seventeen points in Dexterity mean nothing when it comes to being fully distracted. Bastet¡¯s evolving, there¡¯s no doubt about it. She¡¯s wrapped in a whirling cocoon of forest-green sparks matching the lighter shades on her coat. At least, I think they do: the sparks have completely obscured all view of her body. There¡¯s a feeling of static in the air that makes my hair feel like it¡¯s standing out from my body. Everyone is watching; even Kalanthia is standing at the entrance to her cave. The cubs and Lathani are watching, rapt, as is Fenrir. Sirocco seems to realise something is happening because a sudden weight on my shoulder reveals that she¡¯s winged her way from wherever she was before. I sense more than see River come to join me, standing just behind my shoulder. We all just watch silently, the quiet of the day allowing us all to hear the soft whirring that the sparks make as they continue their frantic orbit around Bastet. Of the raptorcat herself, no sound emerges. I hope she¡¯s OK, I think, worry grabbing at my throat. Darting a glance over to Kalanthia, I¡¯m unsurprised when she senses my concern. Fear not, Markus Wolfe, this is normal. Since the nunda seems disposed to be reassuring, I risk asking another question. I thought Evolution meant a Core is created; why is there this¡­cocoon? Your Bound has accumulated enough Energy. It has been drawn in to condense into a Core, but the pressure is such that it has subsequently exploded out of her. It is a good sign. I frown. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. How so? If Cores are supposed to contain Energy, then how is having Energy explode out a good thing? Kalanthia sends a sense of amusement to me. Many things can go wrong when forming a Core. The creature¡¯s Energy channels are insufficient for condensing a core so the Energy does not reach a tipping point and the creature never obtains a Core at all. The Energy gathered does not condense with enough force and the creature¡¯s Core is formed flawed ¨C that your Bound¡¯s Core exploded out at all is a good indication that the initial stage of forming a Core has gone well. The Core is correctly formed, but the Beast does not have sufficient control and the Energy dissipates after the explosion; this leads to the creature being weakened temporarily, and not gaining the full benefits of Evolution. This is why this cocoon is a good sign: the larnatis has controlled the Energy well enough to keep it from dissipating. She is now absorbing it slowly, using it to improve her body and channels. The danger now is that she does not understand her own body and limits well enough to appropriately affect her body. I have seen unfortunate Beasts post-evolution who reached for more than they were capable of and only half-transformed themselves, or badly transformed themselves. They never last long. Wait, I say, surprised, Do you mean that Bastet could look completely different or something? Evolution is a time of reshaping, Kalanthia explains. The wise use it to reshape their Energy channels and to refine their existing bodies. The foolish try to reshape their bodies into something which they were never intended to be. It rarely ends well. I kind of regret asking ¨C although her original words were reassuring, these were not. I hadn¡¯t realised that Evolution was so dangerous. I thought it was more a case of being able to do it or not: from what River had said, I suspect that most lizard-folk either fall into the category of not being able to form a Core, or just not being able to gather enough Energy to do so. Then again, Bastet¡¯s sensible, practical, I try to remind myself. She¡¯s not the kind of person ¨C beast ¨C who would reach for some dream of being a bird instead of a raptorcat. So far everything has apparently gone well; I can only hope that that state of affairs continues. Slowly, the cocoon reduces in both density and speed of revolution. At first all I can see is a shadowy form inside it, no details. As time goes on and the sparks reduce further, details are revealed piecemeal. By the time Bastet is revealed in all her glory, the final sparks are being absorbed into her skin. She stands there looking at us, an undeniably smug expression both in her body-language and coming across the Bond. At first glance, it looks like nothing has changed. Certainly not any of the changes I was fearing. The raptorcat still has four taloned-paws and two wings, a plumed tail rising behind her and a sharp-toothed muzzle on her feline-like face. However, when I take another look, I realise how much has changed. She¡¯s bigger, for one. Before, she used to reach about mid-thigh on me; now she¡¯s as tall as my hips. She¡¯s grown proportionately, one reason I didn¡¯t spot it immediately. Her wings are a bit bigger proportionately compared to her body than they were before, though I doubt this means she can fly. Perhaps she could glide a little, or maybe simply reduce the impact of a fall. Or they could be pretty good weapons: with their new size and probable strength, I can imagine them being rather effective bludgeoning tools. Her talons are sharper, gleaming in the light. When she opens her mouth to yawn a little, I see that her teeth are too. Her feather-fur is glossy, even healthier than before. I hadn¡¯t realised how some of it was looking a bit scruffy until I saw what it looks like now. She¡¯s holding herself more upright, a stoop that I hadn¡¯t even noticed before now absent from her positioning. In fact, she looks¡­younger. With hope making me almost breathless, I open my screen, navigating quickly to my Bound tab. Bound ¨C Companion ¨C ¡®Bastet¡¯ Health units: 1300/1300 Mana units: 150/150 Stamina units: 460/460 Progress to Tier 3: 0% Lifespan remaining: ~37y 1m Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®River¡¯ Health units: 830/830 Mana units: 70/70 Stamina units: 300/300 Progress to Tier 2: 57% Lifespan remaining: ~34y Bound ¨C Tame ¨C ¡®Sirocco¡¯ Health units: 120/120 Mana units: 75/75 Stamina units: 190/190 Progress to Tier 2: 39% Lifespan remaining: ~16y Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Fenrir¡¯ Health units: 1020/1020 Mana units: 20/20 Stamina units: 380/380 Progress to Tier 2: 35% Lifespan remaining: ~25y I focus particularly on Bastet¡¯s new stats, though pay enough attention to my other Bound to see that they¡¯ve all made progress towards the next tiers. The first thing I look at is her lifespan. The number written in that section lets me breathe a sigh of relief. I guess I won¡¯t be losing her in a couple of years, no matter how much I try. And the fact that she gained another thirty-six years to live by tiering up is excellent to know. Then I have a look at her stat points in more detail. ¡°Your health pool doubled?¡± I exclaim, then my eyes widen more at the next line. ¡°And your mana pool tripled?!¡± The raptorcat, in true feline fashion, just looks smug. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Four: As Bad As A Nineteen Fifties Car I continue looking through her stats, my eyebrows rising in surprise. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t your stamina increased similarly, though ¨C it¡¯s increased, but not even as much as double.¡± No need. My stamina is sufficient. Mana was not. Health was not. I¡¯d thought that my eyebrows had risen as high as they could, but hearing the female voice in my mind proved me wrong. ¡°Bastet?¡± I ask, though I don¡¯t need her confirmation to know that it¡¯s her. ¡°You¡¯re talking?¡± It¡¯s inane, and stating the obvious, but I¡¯d otherwise be speechless. I was kind of expecting her to start talking after evolving, but not right after. Yes. I nod absently, still trying to take in the surprises. I hadn¡¯t known what to expect from this evolution, but so far it hasn¡¯t disappointed. Heck, actually being able to hear Bastet talk to me would have been enough. Although our communication has improved over our time together, I won¡¯t deny that there haven¡¯t been times when her being able to tell me something in words wouldn¡¯t have been far easier. Though I also sense that she¡¯s still not really using words. Not on her side of things. There¡¯s a blurred edge to her words which I recognise from my experience with Kalanthia. It means that she¡¯s still sending directed thoughts at me rather than forming her thoughts into words and then sending them to me as River does. And she seems to prefer short phrases over long sentences if that little discourse was anything to judge by. But the point is that she¡¯s talking. After marvelling over that fact for a moment, I think over her actual words and notice something. ¡°Wait, you said that your stamina is sufficient but that your mana wasn¡¯t?¡± Yes. ¡°But you don¡¯t use mana for anything¡­do you?¡± Maybe her stealth used magic? That would make sense¡­ Not before. Now, yes. Before I can ask her what she means by that, she leaps forward, moving with greater speed and lightness than she¡¯d demonstrated before. Pausing at the edge of the plateau, she rears back onto her back legs, and her wings beat forwards. I wonder for a moment if she¡¯s trying to fly ¨C if she¡¯s now going to use mana to overcome the fact that her wings are still far too small for her body ¨C but then realise that the angle isn¡¯t right for that. She¡¯s not beating towards the ground, but towards the air in front of her. And then she breathes out and a billow of flame emerges from her muzzle into the air ahead of her, visible because she¡¯s angled herself so that we can see it but also not be in danger. The fire is propelled forwards, licking at the air perhaps a metre or so in front of her body. My mouth drops open. A flame-throwing raptorcat? Bastet¡¯s status screen is still open in front of me and I see her pools of mana and stamina start to empty, their rate of use increasing as the seconds tick by. By the time Bastet stops breathing out, instead gasping in some air, and drops back to all four paws with her wings tucked on her back again, she¡¯s used almost half her mana pool and a good quarter of her stamina. ¡°That attack guzzles mana as badly as a nineteen fifties car,¡± I murmur quietly, my eyes still wide. Yes, she agrees, trotting back towards us, her expression very much the cat who¡¯s got the cream. Mana was insufficient. ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± I agree fervently. Fortunately, I can already see her mana start to tick up slowly. She probably won¡¯t be able to get more than two of those attacks per fight, but hopefully she¡¯ll be able to regenerate mana enough to then use at least one in the next fight. Darting a look around at the rest of the audience, I see ¨C and feel ¨C a number of different reactions. Kalanthia is thoughtful, Lathani impressed. The other cubs also looked impressed but are already starting to squabble amongst themselves over a leaf, the lack of continuing action losing their attention. River is surprised, though I don¡¯t get much more from his expression or what I feel over the Bond. Sirocco, surprisingly enough, is a mixture of fearful and envious. As for Fenrir, he doesn¡¯t seem to have understood exactly what has just gone on, but recognises that everyone else appears to feel it¡¯s good. Like someone who doesn¡¯t actually get the joke and just laughs because everyone else is laughing, his reaction is a little delayed. I can¡¯t help the amusement from tugging the corner of my mouth into a grin. ¡°So,¡± I say, turning back to Bastet, ¡°Did you choose to be able to do that, or did it just¡­happen?¡± A sense of a shrug comes across the Bond. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I wanted another attack. One that could help us against our enemies. This is what happened. When I knew what the attack was, I knew my mana was not sufficient. And I knew before that my health was not sufficient. I could not improve everything at once. Interesting. I wonder whether fire became part of the attack because she saw me using it against the vine-stranglers, the enemy which, arguably, was the only one recently which she couldn¡¯t do a lot against. Or whether it was the salamander which had inspired it. Or¡­another possibility comes to mind. Kalanthia mentioned that the Energy-Hearts are fire-aspected, I remind myself pensively. All of us have been using them, and suddenly I¡¯m able to ¡®feel the fire¡¯ and Bastet gains a fire-breath attack upon her evolution. Is it a coincidence, or is there a pattern here? It¡¯s hard to say. Perhaps if the next of my Bound gets some sort of fire attack on their evolution after heavily using the fire-aspected Hearts from the cavern, it will offer more evidence of my theory. Though, with that being River at fifty-seven percent progress, it¡¯s going to be a while off yet. Then again, we¡¯ve still got a good month before the quest means we have to go back to the cavern; it might happen shortly before then if he keeps hunting and using Energy-Hearts. ¡°So what else has changed?¡± I ask Bastet curiously. She eyes me and for a moment I think she¡¯s just going to let me stew in my own curiosity; wait until I see the changes in action. Then she seems to make her mind up to actually throw me a bone. Perhaps because she realises that revealing things in the middle of a fight probably isn¡¯t the best idea. Faster. A little stronger. Bigger¡­younger. So, nothing I hadn¡¯t already noticed. Well, not the stronger bit, but the other aspects, yes. Though that doesn¡¯t give me any idea of how much faster and stronger that she¡¯s become. Then an idea occurs to me and I look between her and my other Bound. Perhaps there¡¯s a way of killing two birds with one stone. Or not killing per se, and I¡¯m not sure if Sirocco will want to be involved but¡­ ¡°How do all of you feel about¡­sparring?¡± Silent confusion meets my question. Sparring¡­play? River asks at the same time as Bastet makes a suggestion. Mock battles of cubs? ¡°Kind of,¡± I answer both of them. ¡°Basically, fighting, but for the purposes of practice rather than killing or injuring the opponent. So not ripping out each other¡¯s throats, for example. Do you understand?¡± I get a mixture of responses, but they seem to get the idea. If all three of them only seem to understand by remembering times when they were younger and playing with their siblings before they were able to start hunting for themselves, I¡¯m not going to complain. Why do this? Bastet asks bluntly. We are not cubs. ¡°No, but you¡¯ve just evolved and have increased capabilities. You probably need to get used to using them in a battle and the rest of us need to get used to them too. As an extra benefit, I need to work on improving my use of Flesh-Shaping, and small injuries from sparring would probably be pretty good practice for that.¡± OK, Bastet answered with the feeling of an unconvinced shrug, and Fenrir and River sent their agreement too. I turn my head to look at Sirocco, still sitting on my shoulder. ¡°Do you want to take part in this too?¡± She sends an uncertain feeling at me. I get the distinct feeling that she¡¯s not exactly against the idea, just not sure what part she can play. ¡°Well, I would suggest that we start with one on one pairings, just to get used to it. Then we can try team sparring and a group of us ganging up against one.¡± I¡¯m musing out loud more than talking to them, but probably just as well give them an idea of what I¡¯m thinking. ¡°Maybe River and Bastet first, then Fenrir and Sirocco? Just remember, small injuries are fine, large injuries no.¡± This should be a good opportunity for me to test out different things when it comes to Flesh shaping. I want to get involved in the sparring too, but figure that it would be better for me to be an observer at first, so if the action starts getting more heated than appropriate for a sparring match, I can quickly call a halt to it. Without needing more instruction than that, the two opponents face each other. Though, River does have a question for me, it appears. Should I use a spear or just my natural weapons? I consider it. ¡°Perhaps your spear this time. You can go without in some other matches, but if Bastet¡¯s improved as much as it seems, you¡¯re probably going to need it now.¡± Then may I fetch it? I quickly wave at him, a little frustrated that he¡¯s asking permission for such a small thing. He darts away, returning with the flint-tipped spear I gave him a while ago. Now prepared, the two square up to each other. For a moment, neither move, and then when they do, it¡¯s almost too quick to follow. Bastet wasn¡¯t kidding when she said she¡¯d become faster ¨C she leaps forwards and lands an attack on River before he can react. Although she¡¯s clearly pulling her strike, she still leaves two three-clawed stripes down his chest that start to bleed sluggishly. Before River can react, she¡¯s pushed off his chest and is already a few paces away, crouching ready to attack again. River, to judge by the feelings coming through the Bond, is more embarrassed at being so taken off guard than hurt, so I don¡¯t call the match there. He seems determined not to be so easily attacked again, his grip tightening on his spear. This time when Bastet leaps at him, she has to abort her attack as a flint-tipped spear suddenly appears right in her path. I have to admit that my heart was in my mouth for a moment there ¨C I was worried that she wouldn¡¯t react in time and that I wouldn¡¯t be able to fix a spear through her heart. Maybe this isn¡¯t such a good idea ¨C I don¡¯t want Bastet¡¯s first day after Evolution to become her last¡­. Then again, my worries came to naught, and we do need practice. If only because we can¡¯t expect to become some powerful fighting force if the only practice we have is in the middle of battle ¨C we¡¯re too busy just trying to survive at that point to work on or test out technique. Suddenly, I find myself eager for my own turn to come around ¨C I can¡¯t believe that I never thought of this before! Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Five: Kinship to Matilda After the initial lightning clashes, River and Bastet have a few almost hesitant exchanges. Bastet feints at River, clearly not wanting to commit and then have a spear strike her; River remains mostly on the defensive, also clearly not wanting to commit to an ineffective offensive. ¡°Alright, stop there,¡± I say. They both do, relaxing and turning to look at me quizzically. Did you not wish us to fight to yield? River asks me, surprised. I shake my head. ¡°Not necessarily. The point of this isn¡¯t to beat the other person, it¡¯s to improve your own technique and fighting approach. So, while I check you both over and heal any injuries, think about what you learned from that little exchange.¡± Master, my injuries are inconsequential: I can easily fight again, River protests. Mine too, Bastet adds. I shake my head again. ¡°I also need to practise Flesh-Shaping ¨C that¡¯s part of it. So while I¡¯m fully aware that neither of you suffered anything worse than a scratch there, you¡¯re not the only ones this sparring is for!¡± I finish with a smile, not wanting either of them to think that I¡¯m angry. With my explanation, their hackles ¨C metaphorical and literal ¨C go down and a sense of thoughtfulness comes across the link. Curious to see whether I can heal River with the mana left in him earlier, I move closer but don¡¯t touch him. Concentrating on the link that remains intact, I focus on sending that little bit of mana to the still-bleeding scratches on his chest. What I quickly find is that telling the mana to ¡®heal River¡¯s injuries¡¯ is useless. Expected, since I¡¯ve lost the automatic healing of Lay-on-hands, but a little annoying. However, I do have some success. I am able to direct the mana to the wounds and start healing them. The problem is that I have to focus so strongly on the mana that I become blind to everything else around. In fact, closing my eyes works better as that shuts out the distraction of my vision. My other senses are easier to ignore without literally closing my ears or nose, and once I¡¯ve sufficiently managed to reduce the input of my senses, I¡¯m able to move the mana. It¡¯s a bit like trying to make something levitate with one¡¯s mind; I feel a sudden kinship to Matilda. Once the mana is used up in River¡¯s wound, I lose the connection completely and the rest of the world fades back into focus. Of course, becoming blind and deaf to everything around me is dangerous even when I¡¯m not in the middle of battle. I have to hope that this Skill will become easier to use with practice as otherwise I¡¯m going to be very vulnerable indeed. ¡°May I?¡± I ask, hovering my hand above River¡¯s chest. Of course, my Bound responds, sounding surprised ¨C again ¨C that I asked. But I¡¯ve decided that, unless it¡¯s a question of life and death, I shouldn¡¯t get in the habit of assuming permission to touch my Bound. Not without some other indication that it¡¯s desired, like Bastet cuddling into me, or Sirocco coming to sit on my shoulder. Putting my hand over the six lines of scratches, I close my eyes and start the process of pulling more mana out of my Core. I challenge myself to pull out as much as I can control, feeding it out of my Energy channels and through my skin into River. There, I pause. I wonder¡­. Returning to my Core, I pull out more mana and feed it down the channels, through my skin, and into River again to join what I¡¯d already put in there. Paying full attention to what¡¯s happening, I¡¯m happy to note that it seems like adding different ¡®dollops¡¯ of mana doesn¡¯t mean that the mana stays separate; instead, it seems like one part of my mana is easily attracted to and mixed with another part of my mana. Although there are another couple of experiments I¡¯d like to try, I don¡¯t want to leave my Bound bleeding for longer than necessary, so quickly redirect the mana to the scratches. Although my healing skills are faster this time than the previous ¨C my familiarity both with closing broken flesh and River¡¯s body working to my advantage ¨C I still take a while to heal all of the damage. Unlike before, here there are six slashes rather than just one, and it¡¯s tempting just to heal one at a time. The purpose of this is to challenge myself, though, and so I split my attention and do two at once for the first two slices. As I get used to splitting my attention like that, I speed up, the last parts of the slashes being twice as fast to heal as when I started. I next try to heal three cuts at once, but find myself doing a little bit on each and switching focus rather than true multi-tasking. A little disappointed, I return to doing two at once: perhaps once I¡¯m confident with that, I¡¯ll be able to do more. If nothing else, my discoveries have proven just how much I need to practise with this Skill before we will be at the same level of safety in going out into the forest as we used to be with Lay-on-hands. When I finish healing River¡¯s wounds, I check my status screen, pleased to see that Energy Manipulation has increased a level to Initiate nine, and Flesh-Shaping has increased two levels to Novice eight. ¡°Alright Bastet, your turn,¡± I announce, opening my eyes and turning my head to look at her. She saunters over to lie down next to me. ¡°Where are you hurt?¡± I ask her, not seeing any marks with a quick once-over. However, when I had mentioned about healing, she¡¯d agreed with River that her own wounds were merely scratches, indicating she has been hurt somewhere. My chest, she says, rolling onto her back. Sure enough, looking closely I see a little bit of staining on the feather-fur to the left side of her chest. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°May I?¡± I ask her and she bats at my hand with her taloned front paw as if to say ¡®get on with it¡¯. Grinning a little, I touch her soft coat and worm my fingers down to touch the flesh beneath. Repeating the same process as I had with River, I quickly find the culprit. It looks like she wasn¡¯t completely successful in avoiding River¡¯s spear when she aborted her second attack. Though it didn¡¯t pierce her through the heart, it did glance off her ribs, taking with it a chunk of skin. I¡¯m surprised it didn¡¯t bleed more, but to be fair I can see that the actual amount of flesh lost was limited, and it¡¯s already started healing. Still, this is a wound I haven¡¯t actually yet tried healing, making it a good exercise for me. Regenerating flesh to fill the small hole left by the spear takes more energy than merely knitting existing flesh together, and I have to return my consciousness to my own body to grab some more mana. Not that I¡¯m actually using a lot of mana objectively-speaking ¨C by the time I return back to my body, I¡¯ve regenerated what I took before ¨C but my ability to control it is still limited. I also have to be careful not to just regenerate the same type of cell all the time: even though it was a small section of flesh, there were blood vessels, nerves, and small glands in it which had to lead to pores on the surface. The surface, too, was slightly different from the flesh below. Then there were also some feathers which were lost meaning that the follicles have to be regenerated too. I probably could replace the feathers themselves, but they seem rather too complex for me to try right now. The only way I find myself able to do the task is by scanning the area around it and duplicating what I find. Then, making sure the blood vessels match up and that the flesh is intact with no indication of scarring or defective healing, I pull out of her body again. Using my physical eyes to look at the wound after gently moving the existing feathers out of the way, I can¡¯t help but feel rather chuffed with myself. Sure, I¡¯ve healed Bastet many times before, from much worse wounds than this one, but previously it was mostly just pouring mana into the injured part and letting the magic work by itself. The closest to what I did here is probably when I healed my eye, but even then that was more about guiding the magic in vaguely the right direction rather than actually instructing it. This, I get the sense that if I instructed the magic to just repeat a single cell to fill the whole of the space which had been damaged, it would have done that just as ¡®happily¡¯ as it had done what I actually instructed it to do. Then Bastet would have had a small section of flesh which had no blood flow, no sensitivity, and no feathers ¨C a much worse prospect than just letting her own healing do the job. So when I once more sink some mana into Bastet and can barely even tell when I¡¯m in an area which was healed compared to an area which was undamaged, I¡¯m pleased. I can only tell because there¡¯s some lingering residue of my own magic which makes my own mana act a little differently ¨C more like it¡¯s in my own body rather than Bastet¡¯s. While I¡¯m in her body, I take the opportunity to ¡®scan¡¯ it like I did River¡¯s. I reckon that my increased familiarity with his body thanks to the ¡®scan¡¯ was part of what helped me control the mana I left in his body even when I wasn¡¯t touching it. I do find myself lingering a little bit in her wings, finding their construction fascinating. I¡¯ve always loved watching birds fly. In fact, I used to be interested as a child when I went to mediaeval-inspired festivals at our local castle and saw the falcons and hawks. Once I saw a ¡®hunt¡¯, and the speed at which the hawk dived on the ¡®rabbit¡¯ was amazing. Though it hadn¡¯t exactly been ¡®mediaeval¡¯, they¡¯d actually videoed the event and showed the video later in slow-motion on a large screen. Watching the way the wings had moved prior to and just following the strike had kept me rapt for a good ten or eleven video loops. Now, it¡¯s like I¡¯m back in that reenactment as I trace the inside of Bastet¡¯s wings with my magic, looking at the joints, the way the feathers connect, the tendons that join everything together. I hope she is able to fly one day, I think wistfully. Maybe then I could join her. After all, if I can use Flesh-Shaping to understand how she and Sirocco are able to fly, then perhaps I could do the same. Pulling myself back to the present, I turn to my two Bound. I have other things I want to test with them, ideas which sparked during my healing of River, but they can wait for darkness to fall. Sparring can¡¯t. ¡°Alright, what did you learn from that short bout?¡± River and Bastet exchange wordless glances. Bastet is fast, she prefers to leap at me unexpectedly, River offers. I nod in agreement, having also seen that. I chose to act defensively to fend her off. ¡°And do you feel it was effective as a strategy?¡± River hesitated. It was effective in preventing her from attacking me, but didn¡¯t offer me any advantage in and of itself. I would have to wait for my opponent to commit to an attack in order to gain the advantage. In a pack, you would be surrounded, chimes in Bastet, sending me an image of her working with her previous packmates to surround an enemy. One of them would be ¡®bait¡¯ and then the others would pile in when the target was vulnerable ¨C much like I experienced myself in our first meeting when I had to hide underneath a tree for the night to avoid being eaten. I ¡®forward¡¯ the image on to River as I had done with his comments to Bastet. He tilts his chin to accept her point. Yes. Though if I had the numbers on my side, the situation would be flipped the other way, he points out. I would also generally have some sort of poison on my spear; even a glancing wound might be enough to make me the victor as long as I could survive until it took full hold. I direct his words to Bastet, the transfer automatic by this point. I seriously hope that when I rank Dominate up next it will offer intra-Bound communications as me having to be the connection between them is going to become more and more frustrating now that Bastet is actually verbal. ¡°And you, Bastet?¡± I could not overcome his long claw, she says immediately. My initial attack was good. In a real fight, my opponent would be dead. ¡°But you can¡¯t guarantee that your opponent would be dead in one attack,¡± I point out. ¡°The salamander wouldn¡¯t have died so easily.¡± Agreed, she admits. That¡¯s why the pack is important. She¡¯s right ¨C her attacks work better as part of a pack than alone. And the environment is not ideal. Always in view. Again, a good point: in the forest, the environment she is adapted to, she would be able to more easily hide and then attack from another angle, even if she was hunting alone. ¡°So, any advice for each other? Or anything you want to work on?¡± I ask both of them. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Six: I Could Be Faster I think I would like to improve my offensive skills, River said thoughtfully. I have seen our village Warriors fight and they are impressive. Their spears are wielded with such skill that they appear to be many spears instead of just one, and despite being much bigger than me, they move so quickly that they are never where the enemy expects them to be. Although I have not Evolved, I would like to try to emulate them as much as possible. ¡°That sounds like a good goal,¡± I praise him, while privately thinking that I could learn a bit from them in my own spear-technique ¨C or lack of it, rather. Certainly I know what I¡¯m going to be focussing on when I spar with one of my Bound. Probably River would be best, actually. ¡°What about you, Bastet?¡± She tilts her head thoughtfully to one side. I could be faster, she answers after a moment. I am not as fast as my body can be now. Move faster. Change direction faster. Strike faster. I nod slowly, thinking I understand her point. ¡°So you want to train your speed. Perhaps you could practise running at things, doing it as fast as possible and then trying to change your direction at the last minute or something?¡± I suggest. Not that I¡¯m any sort of trainer, but I¡¯ve heard of speed runs and that seems like it might be a good way for her to push herself without needing to worry about her safety. I¡¯m not a cub, she responds rather crossly. Apparently she doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. Fresh off an Evolution, you are not much further advanced than one. Markus Wolfe is right: you must practise. Kalanthia¡¯s voice rumbles through all of our heads and we turn to look at her simultaneously. Apparently she¡¯s been paying more attention than I would have thought. You have transformed your body with the Energy of Evolution. It would be wise to discover its limits before you enter battle. ¡°Thanks, Kalanthia,¡± I say, inclining my head towards her. Thankfully, I¡¯m apparently not as misguided as I was fearing. Bastet lifts one taloned paw and licks at it, slightly disgruntled agreement coming through the Bond from her. To give her a bit of privacy, I look away to check on the cubs. It seems like they¡¯ve taken our actions to heart and are engaging in their own form of sparring. The teams seem to change from moment to moment, at one point being the raptorcat cubs against Lathani, and then the next being all of them against Trouble. A few moments after that, it¡¯s everyone for him or herself. Maybe that¡¯s why Bastet was a bit resistant ¨C my suggestion may have seemed to be exactly what¡¯s going on there. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, looking at Fenrir. ¡°You and Sirocco are up next, if you¡¯re OK with that?¡± I check with Sirocco, still on my shoulder. She sends me a sense of uncertain agreement. ¡°You saw what it was like before ¨C we¡¯re not aiming to kill or even subdue the other in the spar; it¡¯s an opportunity for you to see how effective your attacks are. Just please try not to damage each other too much, OK?¡± I say, looking from one to the other, my short-distance eyesight getting a workout with the bird. ¡°No eye gouges or anything like that.¡± Both of them send me a sense of agreement, Sirocco almost reluctant where Fenrir is eager. Sirocco takes off from my shoulder and dives at the lizog. Fenrir jumps at her, but she banks her wings and flies out of range before his teeth can snap closed on any part of her. The ensuing few minutes are as much a stalemate as the previous battle was, only with one party being airborne and the other earthbound. Sirocco¡¯s swoops in to land a few scratches across Fenrir¡¯s back, and a couple of times he pulls out one or two of her feathers as his jaws close quickly enough. By the end of the first few minutes it becomes clear who would be the winner if this was a battle to the death: Sirocco¡¯s lack of stamina begins to tell, her dodges happening increasingly slowly. Eventually, she flaps to land on the ground and I call an end to the spar before Fenrir can lunge to bite her. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± I say again, and they stop. Fenrir sits. He looks rather pleased with himself, clearly aware that he basically came out the de facto victor here. ¡°Right, let me check you both out.¡± I check my Bound stats to see which one is the most in need of healing. Although Fenrir has lost more actual health, his pool is so much larger than Sirocco¡¯s that he¡¯s actually lost a much smaller fraction of his overall health. I decide to help Sirocco first. Once more repeating the process I¡¯ve done a number of times, I feed mana into Sirocco¡¯s body and address the small bits of flesh which were caught by Fenrir¡¯s teeth and ripped slightly. Honestly, most of the damage is aesthetic rather than damaging: more of her feathers have been pulled out than skin ripped, let alone anything more. Since I don¡¯t want to try reforming feathers for her, I just make sure that the feather follicles are intact in the damaged areas and then leave it at that. I do a scan of her body too, curious about the differences between her wings and Bastet¡¯s ¨C quite a few, actually. Perhaps similar to how there are significant differences between my skeletal structure and River¡¯s even though we¡¯re both two bipedal humanoids. I know I¡¯m going to want to investigate more, but am aware that all my Bound are waiting for me and don¡¯t want to waste the time they could be spending sparring. Pulling out of Sirocco¡¯s body, I leave some mana in there too. I can now feel an extra connection with three of my Bound. Fenrir¡¯s the only one missing, though not for long. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Diving into the lizog¡¯s body, the numerous scratches that Sirocco¡¯s claws left on him take longer to heal than the bird¡¯s wounds, merely because there are far more of them. They¡¯re also rather superficial, though. Also, I notice an interesting similarity between River and Fenrir¡¯s bodies ¨C is it because they¡¯re more closely related than Bastet or Sirocco are to them? While their skeletal structure is, of course, very different, they both have those extra organs, the purpose of which I haven¡¯t yet determined. In total, there are three organs, though they appear to be repeats of each other, a bit like how kidneys are almost identical to each other. One, the biggest, is up in their skulls, near the roof of their mouths, and the other two are tiny and in the hollow of their wrists. The latter two seem to connect somehow to their hands or front paws, but it¡¯s not entirely clear what they do. Deciding to try to investigate a bit more later, I pull myself out of Fenrir. ¡°Alright, same question as Bastet and River answered, what did you learn from that bout?¡± I¡¯m aware that it may be more difficult to do this with the two non-verbal members of my team, but I¡¯m going to try at least. Fenrir sends across a sense of confusion at the question, but Sirocco seems surprisingly thoughtful. After a moment, she manages to express a sense of frustration that she couldn¡¯t seem to do any damage, and that she ran out of energy too quickly. ¡°Your stamina pool is not quite the lowest among us ¨C that¡¯s mine ¨C but your attacks seem very stamina-heavy.¡± She sends me a series of pictures of looking at a beast from above while sitting in the trees, then swooping down on it, and then a third of her back in the trees. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I acknowledge. ¡°In the forest, you can use the trees to reduce your use of stamina; here you had to stay in the air all the time. However, we can¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯ll always be fighting in a forest or a place with lots of perches above so if we can find some way of either you increasing your stamina pool or using attacks which are less stamina-heavy then that would be good for when we¡¯re in a less ideal environment.¡± Honestly, I¡¯m going to leave her to think about that herself: I have no idea what she might be capable of doing, and feel that any more input from me might be more detrimental than helpful. Still, she¡¯s sending a thoughtful feel down the Bond, so perhaps my words have helped. Turning to Fenrir, I look at him pensively. ¡°You dealt with Sirocco¡¯s attacks very well, and were clearly the victor in that. But can you think of anything which could have been better?¡± The lizog is very obviously struggling with the advanced concepts of how he could have changed something which is already past and unchangeable, so I try to rephrase it. ¡°If you face Sirocco again in the future, what could help you win more quickly?¡± This seems to work better for him as he¡¯s clearly thinking about something. A few moments later he sends me a few images with a questioning feel about them. They depict Fenrir snapping his jaws together just short of Sirocco¡¯s tail feathers, and then another one with him actually closing his jaws on Sirocco herself. ¡°You¡­Are you saying you want to be quicker?¡± I ask, trying to decipher his message. He sends me enthusiastic agreement. Fair point: he¡¯s strong, tanky, and has powerful jaws, but he¡¯s not the fastest. Lizogs in general aren¡¯t: that¡¯s why Bastet and I had enough time to prepare a trap for them the first time we encountered a pack feeding on the remains of her family. ¡°Maybe you can practise speed runs with Bastet?¡± I suggest, not sure if either it will help or even if it¡¯s a good idea, but knowing how poorly-qualified I am as a personal trainer, I¡¯m not going to argue with him. He¡¯s identified a possible weakness in his attack-style; it¡¯s up to him to decide later if that¡¯s a good route for him to follow. Post-spar analysis done, I feel a rising sense of excitement. Time for my spar! ¡°River, can you spar with me?¡± As you wish, River assents uncertainly. We move to face each other, each of us with a spear. I wait for him to attack, trying to focus on the way I¡¯m holding my spear. I still have the memories from absorbing the hunting stone, and those contained some instructions as to how to use a spear. The problem is that in the heat of battle I haven¡¯t been able to think about them, just trying to make it through the fight, so I¡¯m aware that I¡¯ve been wielding it in more of a ham-fisted way than anything skilled. ¡°Let¡¯s do this really slowly,¡± I say, looking up at River. ¡°I want to focus on technique just as much as you do. We¡¯re not going to be able to do that if we¡¯re moving quickly and trying to defeat each other like in a normal fight. So, half speed? Or even less, perhaps?¡± Very well, River agrees, a hint of relief in his voice. I frown slightly, wondering why it¡¯s there. Could he have been worried about hurting me or something? Is this once more his cultural norms about respect and protection coming up? Or the Bond driving him to protect me and not offer harm? Anyway, it shouldn¡¯t be an issue right now. If it comes up when we actually practise fighting at full speed, I¡¯ll deal with it then. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± I say, thrusting my spear forwards slowly. As I do it, I frown. The memories from the hunting stone aren¡¯t as clear as they would have been if I¡¯d done this in the week after absorbing it, but the stones must have some mechanism to ensure that the information contained within them is somehow protected. If they didn¡¯t, I¡¯d have forgotten a lot more information that I actually have. I think. Either way, the point is that the memories are telling me that basically everything I¡¯m doing from how I¡¯m holding the spear to how I¡¯m standing is wrong. I put up my hand to halt River¡¯s own thrust. Master? ¡°Just give me a moment,¡± I tell him absently, focussing on what the memories are telling me. My position is far too high: I need to lower my centre of gravity significantly if I want to have enough balance to both attack and defend properly. I do a couple of test thrusts, feeling how much steadier they feel. My muscles are not used to this position, though, and are already starting to hurt. Why are you standing like that? River asks curiously. ¡°This position is better for offering me a good base to attack and defend from,¡± I explain. Curious myself, I ask him a question too. ¡°What sort of position do the warriors in your village stand in when they¡¯re fighting?¡± River looks thoughtful. They do stand differently, it¡¯s true. He too lowers his centre of gravity, but with his differently proportioned legs, it¡¯s not the same position as I¡¯m trying to take. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try this again,¡± I tell him when we¡¯re both settled in our positions. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Seven: You Have Advanced A Skill We continue like that, exchanging and practising techniques more than actually fighting until my own stamina pool runs out. At that point, we stop and I run mana through both of our bodies, healing the damage caused by exertion. It¡¯s a little challenging to make sure that I heal the damage but do so in a way that builds the muscles up from where they were damaged, rather than returning them to their original state pre-exercise. That wasn¡¯t something I had needed to worry about with Lay-on-hands: in that Skill there seemed to be an automatic function which recognised when damage was caused by exertion rather than injury in a fight. Fortunately, because otherwise any healing I¡¯d done would have undone any beneficial effects of exercise. Flesh-Shaping is far more flexible, but that means I have to give it more detailed instructions. Still, the practice is good for me. By the time River and I decide to call it a day, mostly because we¡¯re both famished and it¡¯s way past lunch, I¡¯ve got another two levels in Flesh-Shaping which ¨C excitingly ¨C means I¡¯ve ranked the Skill up. And that¡¯s not the only notification waiting for me. Before I check them out, though, I take a moment to pull some meat out of my Inventory to chew on even as River makes a beeline for a corpse tucked in the shade. Making a face at the too-familiar taste, I decide that the rest of the day is going to be spent working on my Inspect Flora Skill, finding more things I can eat. Some more fresh meat for my Bound would probably be a good idea: since I¡¯m not keeping the majority of it in my Inventory, it goes off much quicker. Though, with as many mouths as are eating, that rarely means much goes to waste. Briefly glancing at my other Bound, I see that the cubs are curled up with Bastet who, in turn, is curled around an Energy-Heart. I was vaguely aware of her ¨C grudgingly ¨C practising speed runs earlier. Though, I did notice her mood improve as time went on ¨C I think she got a bit into it when the cubs started joining in. Maybe she was able to convince herself that she was doing it for the sake of the cubs. Or maybe she just found it was helping. I don¡¯t know ¨C I¡¯m probably humanising her motivations too much again. Fenrir also joined in and Sirocco was doing¡­something. I¡¯m not sure what it was, but it involved a whole lot of aerial manoeuvres. Both of them have stopped too and are absorbing Energy-Hearts. Interestingly, so is Lathani. ¡°It¡¯s safe for her?¡± I check quietly with Kalanthia. She looks at me as if to ask why I¡¯m even questioning whether she¡¯d allow her cub to do something unsafe. Well, more than necessary for a young predator who needs to grow up. ¡°I know it must be,¡± I respond defensively. ¡°I¡¯m just a little surprised. And curious.¡± We have been hunting together. The Energy from her kills has been improving her Energy channels. Some use of these natural Cores will help reinforce the channels which are already there. We are going hunting again tonight to continue expanding her Energy channel network. ¡°So Energy from kills expands the channels but Energy from Cores reinforces them?¡± I ask, interested. It is not so clear-cut as that, but yes, in a broad swipe, we could say that. Interesting. I don¡¯t think it works exactly like that for me, but maybe it does? I should see what happens when I kill something: if the Energy starts carving new channels or not. And when I absorb an Energy-Heart, I know that the Energy rushes directly towards my Core, but is it reinforcing the channels as it passes through them? But right now, I have something else to do. Thanking Kalanthia with a small dip of my head towards her, I find a nice spot in the sun and sit to check my notifications.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Novice. Flesh-Shaping is now Initiate 1. You have familiarised yourself with this Skill and the differences between it and your previous Skill. You have learned to heal a number of injuries in yourself and others. You have learned to scan another¡¯s body to discover injuries. Due to your focus on healing up to this point, your Skill has grown to be able to heal more efficiently and effectively. For every level in this Skill, you become quicker and more mana-efficient when healing consenting targets. Your ability to scan a consenting target¡¯s body is improved: +10% chance to discover physical abnormalities per Initiate level in this Skill. +5% chance to discover non-physical abnormalities per Initiate level in this Skill.
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Relatively expected, I decide. It¡¯s been clear for a long time that the way my Skills advance is based on how I¡¯ve used them and heretofore, I¡¯ve been using Flesh-Shaping as another version of Lay-on-hands. However, I do make a mental note to explore other options between now and reaching Journeyman: I don¡¯t want to accidentally pigeonhole myself into becoming a knock-off healer rather than the widely effective flesh-shaper which the Skill potentially offers. I should try using Flesh-Shaping on those hides, I think to myself: if Flesh-Shaping can work on dead creatures, then I have the opportunity to test things out without the moral issues of testing them out on live enemies, or the practical concerns with testing them out on myself or my Bound. Not until I¡¯m confident that I have some clue of what I¡¯m doing. Still, since my primary need is that of healing, being more able to do it on this rank-up of Flesh-Shaping is a good thing. I move onto the next message, also a rank-up. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Initiate. Energy Manipulation is now Journeyman 1. Having previously focussed on the internal, you have recently been exploring your ability to manipulate your mana externally. You continue to earn 1% Energy efficiency per Journeyman level in this Skill. In addition, you will gain +4% Energy control while mana is not in your internal matrix and a further +2% Energy control while mana is within the domain of a consenting target per Journeyman level in this Skill.
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The description takes me a little time to get my head around it, but when I do, I¡¯m pleased with the improvement. Although only getting a single percent increase in Energy efficiency per level isn¡¯t as good as before with two percent, I¡¯m currently sitting at forty percent Energy efficiency increase. That means by the end of the Journeyman levels, I¡¯ll be at fifty percent Energy efficiency, which is a pretty good level. The real benefit is the other six percent increase to Energy Control per level. What does it mean when it says it¡¯s not in my internal matrix? Does that mean that when I have to feed the mana out of the channels and into the black area, my control will be better? I hope so ¨C it gives me hope that another thought I had earlier might work. Four percent per level in that will soon offer noticeable improvements. As for the additional two percent improvement in Energy control while I¡¯m controlling mana in my Bounds¡¯ bodies ¨C since that¡¯s what I interpret by this description ¨C I¡¯m hoping that it will enhance the improvements that I¡¯ve already got to healing with my Flesh-Shaping upgrade. I guess I¡¯ll see the next time I heal one of them. Moving onto the next message, I¡¯m excited to see that it¡¯s a new Skill: it¡¯s been a while since I got one of those!
Congratulations! You have earned a new Skill: Spearmanship Would you like to see the Skill description?
Y/N?
Spearmanship You have taken the first step along the path to Spear Mastery. You have displayed an understanding that wielding a spear means more than simply jabbing a stick at a target. Continue practising techniques designed for the more efficient and effective use of a spear in order to advance this Skill. Gain 1% to the effects of Strength and 1% to the effects of Dexterity per level in this Skill when using a spear.
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I think that¡¯s the first Skill I¡¯ve had which has so directly affected my stats, I decide, remembering the various descriptions of my other Skills. Some of my Skill leverage my stats ¨C like Fade and Dominate ¨C and others seem to link indirectly to them ¨C like Energy Manipulation. None so far, however, have given me more stat points. Though neither does this, if I¡¯m reading it correctly. I¡¯m not completely certain of my interpretation, but I think it means that if I have a base status of twenty points in Strength, and I reach Novice in Spearmanship, when I use a spear I¡¯ll be able to act like I have twenty-two points. Perhaps that doesn¡¯t seem like much, but what about forty points acting like forty-four? Or if Novice also adds another 1% per level and so it¡¯ll be twenty-four or forty-eight points by the time I get to Journeyman? Or what if instead of Novice adding one percent to each of those stats, it adds two percent? Then I could be gaining a thirty percent increase to my stats by the time I hit Journeyman. It also makes me think about something else: why haven¡¯t I yet got a bowmanship Skill? Or Skill for a mace? I¡¯ve used those arguably more than my spear. Maybe I just haven¡¯t been using them well enough: it¡¯s only now when I actually spent a few hours concentrating on improving my technique that I¡¯ve earned an actual Skill in spearmanship. Well, I know what I¡¯m going to be doing in the next few days, I say to myself ruefully, adding another task to the mental to-do list which is already as long as my arm. Actually, maybe I should write the to-do list down: I feel like I¡¯m forgetting things. Maybe I¡¯ll do that tonight when it¡¯s dark outside: finding some tasty plants to add into my diet is no longer something I¡¯m willing to put off until later. There are two more notifications which I¡¯m glad to see.
Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity and have earned a point. This has been applied to your status.
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Congratulations! You have worked hard on your Dexterity and have earned a point. Would you like to apply this to your status?
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With that, I only have a single more point to earn in Dexterity to finally get it to the level 20 threshold. Then I feel comfortable in levelling up ¨C once I earn enough Energy for it again. That¡¯s the downside with picking up stat points, I think to myself. And also the problem with levelling up to the point that I need a day of absorbing the ambient Energy just to gain one or two percent towards my next level, let alone the level itself. I¡¯ve got plans for improving that, I think, but quite a few other things to do first. That was another good argument for actually writing a physical to-do list: that way I can most effectively plan when to do things and in what order. But that will be for tonight. For now¡­. ¡°Who wants to go hunting with me?¡± I ask all and sundry. It¡¯s always better to kill two birds with one stone. Besides, even if I don¡¯t go out looking specifically for meat, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll still get attacked at some point. I shrug to myself ¨C the more the merrier, I suppose. Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Eight: Haloed In the end, River, Fenrir, Sirocco, and I all troop down the hill together. I know I need to work on the tree trunk River and I cut down, and I hope that I¡¯ll be able to use magic to shape it since that will save time. But for now, I am determined to expand my diet a little. Plus, with any luck, using the inspection Skills will level them up quickly. Through the Beginner ranks, anyway. As soon as we hit the forest, I use Inspect Environment. Like before, a pulse of mana goes out from me and a number of plants are haloed in either red or gold. Focussing on one of the plans haloed in red, I use Inspect Flora.
Common plant: Aasmuclanor Edible: Poisonous (leaves, flowers, roots) Alchemical uses: Poison (leaves, flowers, roots) Medical uses: Unknown This plant is a perennial which poisons most creatures that consume it. Its distinctive red patterning is a warning to those which encounter it.
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¡°Do you recognise this plant, River?¡± I ask, gesturing towards it. He stoops to look at it more closely, sniffing at it and using a claw to tilt its leaves upwards, revealing small white flowers beneath. It looks similar to one I recognise, he answered. It¡¯s smaller though. ¡°What do you use the plant which looks similar to this for?¡± I¡¯m curious. He shrugs. It¡¯s a poison when eaten directly. It sends a numbing through the body, stopping the heart in relatively small quantities. However, my¡­the Herbalist can add it in small quantities to other substances to create a numbing effect which does not harm. She uses it particularly in balm for soothing sunburn, injuries, and a potion for pain in general. Interesting. An analgesic in the right quantities. I shoot another Inspect Flora at the same plant, wondering if my new knowledge will make a difference to its results.
Common plant: Aasmuclanor Edible: Poisonous (leaves, flowers, roots) Alchemical uses: Poison (cardiotoxic) (leaves, flowers, roots) Medical uses: Analgesic in correct quantities. This plant is a perennial which poisons most creatures that consume it. Its distinctive red patterning is a warning to those which encounter it.
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So my own knowledge does matter, I conclude. And as I learn more, more information is added. Good to know. By this point, Inspect Environment has long ceased its effects, so I cast it again. I don¡¯t really need to ¨C the benefits of increased Intelligence appear to be a better memory. I therefore could technically identify all the plants which had previously been haloed in gold or red. However, I do need to level up the Skills as much as possible, and each of the casts of Inspect Environment only take ten mana each, so no reason why not to cast again. Besides, I think the light effects look kind of cool. This time I pick a plant which is haloed in gold. This one is a darker green than the previous, its leaves thinner and longer. It doesn¡¯t seem to have any flowers at all, though maybe that¡¯s just because it¡¯s not the right season.
Common plant: Sycopsis franguloides Edible: Yes (leaves) Alchemical uses: Unknown Medical uses: Unknown This plant is an evergreen which may have specific properties when exposed to extremes of temperature
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¡°How about this one?¡± I ask, gesturing towards it. River once more stoops to inspect the small plant. Sirocco sends me a series of images tinged with impatience: she would like to know whether we¡¯re actually going hunting or just looking at plants. ¡°Well if you want to go and find some prey, then we can hunt it,¡± I tell her with a shrug. River seems perfectly happy to look at plants and Fenrir just seems to be happy to be out with the pack. It¡¯s only Sirocco who¡¯s got a problem. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. She sends me a feeling which I can only compare to a huffy ¡®fine¡¯ and wings away. If she finds something, great: I can use Inspect Fauna on it before my Bound kill it. If not, no big deal. If we really can¡¯t find anything, we can always head further down into the valley tomorrow: creatures get more dangerous as we descend so we¡¯re sure to find something that won¡¯t immediately run away from us. We have enough meat for now, though it will be the stuff from my Inventory which Sirocco, at least, turns her beak up at. I don¡¯t recognise this one, River says once my attention is back on him. Either it doesn¡¯t grow near us, or it¡¯s not one that the Herbalist uses. Certainly, she never asked me to gather it for her. I nod and cast Inspect Flora again on it. Unsurprisingly, the information that I receive is the same as before. We continue like that. I alternate casts of Inspect Environment and Inspect Flora, gaining more and more knowledge about the plants around. Unfortunately, there is no record of what Inspect Flora says in my status screen, so I¡¯m going to have to rely on my own memory. At least that¡¯s improving with my stats, though, so hopefully I won¡¯t forget too many of these plants. I also take the time to gather a number of them. Curious about whether the Energy-stripping quality of my Inventory makes any difference, I put half the plants I gather into my Inventory and tuck the other half into my pockets. I really need to create some sort of bag, I decide. Once I¡¯ve got some tanned hide, sewing one together shouldn¡¯t take too long. Though it¡¯s unlikely I¡¯ll be able to create a bag which will be able to hold the carcasses of creatures we kill; I¡¯ll have to just stick to other methods like carrying them on a stick between River and me. By the time Sirocco comes back to tell us excitedly about a group of prey animals further into the forest, I¡¯ve amassed a good collection and the two Inspect Skills I¡¯ve been using have both increased to Beginner three. Inspect Fauna, of course, hasn¡¯t moved. Though thinking about it, I should at least use it on all my Bound. Not that the Skill is likely to tell me anything I don¡¯t already know about them. Fenrir doesn¡¯t react when I cast Inspect Fauna on him; neither does Sirocco, though she seems to sense that something¡¯s been directed at her. Maybe through the Bond rather than her having a sense of the Skill itself. She sends brief curiosity at me, but then seems to forget it as the animals she found come into view. They¡¯re¡­odd. Kind of like large ¨C very large ¨C beetles. The smallest are about the size of a dinner plate; the largest are about three times that. They¡¯re quite flat, their tops only about six inches off the ground at their highest, and their legs more side-ways squat than holding them up tall. In fact, their legs rather remind me of a cockroach, even if the actual shape of the thing isn¡¯t particularly similar. Instead, they¡¯re round with no obvious head. I realise why that is a moment later: their mouths must be underneath them as I see them leave a trail of destruction as they move slowly across the ground. Generally bizarre. Not wanting to miss the chance to use my Inspect Fauna Skill, I quickly cast it.
Pylobus Tier 1 Beast (unevolved) Special abilities: None detected Health: 90u Mana: 10u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 10 Invertebrate species subsisting on loam and other detritus. Important for the health of the forest as a whole.
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Basically worms, I conclude, except with an exoskeleton. ¡°You want to hunt these?¡± I ask Sirocco dubiously. Not only are they not likely to be much good for Energy considering how little health they have, but bottom-feeders don¡¯t tend to taste good. Yes, I know that many people like eating the rubbish bins of the ocean ¨C namely shellfish such as oysters and mussels ¨C but that doesn¡¯t mean that these are likely to be particularly nice to eat. Sirocco, however, seems to be of another opinion. She sends a series of images to me of her finding a much smaller one once, picking it up and letting it fall on a rock to crack open the exoskeleton. Apparently she really liked the taste of the meat inside. I¡¯m rather impressed at her ingenuity in finding a solution to getting through their hard outer covering. ¡°Alright,¡± I say quietly. Pulling my mace out of my Inventory, I then pause. Maybe a mace would be better for crushing, but perhaps these things have a softer underbelly. Certainly they have a mouth, so that indicates that there might be some easier way through the exoskeleton. If I can flip them over with my spear, I might be able to make the fight easier than it¡¯s already likely to be: I can¡¯t imagine that these creatures are going to offer our group much threat. Then again, I have been wrong before. Pulling my spear out, I look around at my group. ¡°Ready?¡± I ask, receiving a range of affirmative responses. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Since the creatures don¡¯t seem to have identified our approach despite the lack of stealth we¡¯ve been practising, I don¡¯t bother to engage it now. Although, on second thoughts, maybe I should have used it anyway: it¡¯s not going to increase in level unless I use it, and then what if I fail against a more perceptive opponent because I didn¡¯t use it when I could have? Anyway, too late for that. The beetles ¨C pylobus, apparently ¨C become aware of our approach when we¡¯re only a few steps away. They scatter, darting into the bushes as quickly as they can. Which turns out to be pretty fast when they have a mind for speed. Using my spear, I try to flip as many of the creatures as I can, figuring that even if I don¡¯t kill them immediately, either one of my Bound can, or I can come back to deal with them later. I reckon that they¡¯ll take a few moments to right themselves either way. It takes me a couple of tries to get the right angle to flip the pylobus I target, and in the end I only manage to get three onto their backs by the time the rest have disappeared into the bushes. True to my expectations, they rock back and forth in place, their legs waving madly. Definitely a design flaw, that one. When I look at what they were hiding underneath I can¡¯t help my face from screwing in disgust. Where the top of the pylobuses are dark brown and obviously hard, their undersides are some non-descript beige colour. Also looking pretty hard, I can see why Sirocco chose to drop it on rocks from above, like vultures do with bones or seagulls do with mussels on Earth. The pylobuses have legs set all around their bodies, emerging from joints at the edge of their carapaces. Right now, they are all waving in the air, the pylobuses clearly trying to gain some sort of purchase somewhere. It¡¯s hard to get a proper count with them moving so much, but I reckon that there has to be around twenty to twenty-five legs on each, though the bigger ones appear to have more legs than the smaller. The disgusting bit, however, is their mouths. It¡¯s a mess of tendrils that remind me more of an anemone or a parasitic infestation of worms than anything else. With them stuck on their backs, even their mouths are doing their best to reach out for anything they can grab. I can¡¯t help turning to Sirocco again. ¡°You really want to eat these?¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter Ninety-Nine: Incoming! Sirocco sends an impatient assent, clearly making it obvious that she¡¯s already answered that question. Then she wonders whether I¡¯m going to kill them or not. I shrug and pull out my spear, holding it above the closest pylobus. Then, before I stab it, I suddenly wonder whether using Inspect on different members of the same species makes any difference. Mentally shrugging this time, I decide that it¡¯s worth a try. Casting Inspect Fauna, I discover that the biggest of the pylobus is actually Evolved. I wonder if it has a Core, I think to myself with interest. Then, focussing on moving and holding the spear correctly, I kill the helpless pylobuses. The one which was identified as being evolved already had double the health points than the others, so required four strikes where the others only needed two. Stabbing them in the mouth must have meant I was hitting some vulnerable bit considering that, even with my strength, I¡¯m still only using a sharpened stick here. Looking over at the others, I see them already tucking into their own kills. River appears to have used his spear too as it¡¯s lying next to him. I don¡¯t know how Sirocco and Fenrir killed theirs, but when Fenrir senses my curiosity, he sends a quick image of him flipping them and Sirocco pecking them to death with her toothed beak. Fair enough. In total, we killed eight pylobuses. That it hasn¡¯t even made a noticeable impact on my Energy store is not a surprise: these probably would have only given me a couple of percent each when I was at level 1. By this point, I¡¯d probably have had to kill the whole¡­herd? Pack? Swarm? Anyway, I¡¯d have had to kill a lot of them to gain any sort of progress towards my next level. Still, I¡¯m not actually too worried about levelling. I still have one point in Dexterity to gain before I want to activate my next level-up, and preferably I¡¯ll have found a way of fixing my soul damage too. And although I¡¯m not gaining much Energy now, if my plans work, then I¡¯ll be gaining a lot more in the relatively near future. With any luck, I¡¯ll gain my last point in Dexterity from my tanning endeavours. Or from training with either the bow or my spear: I reckon that either of those are good possibilities. Don¡¯t you want to eat some, master? River asks, his head cocked to one side. Sirocco is not wrong: the meat is surprisingly tasty and very tender, he adds. I suddenly realise that I¡¯ve been standing here like a lemon for too long, just staring into space. I eye the dead beetles, a squirmy, sick feeling in my stomach. Remember tortoises, I say to myself. Considered by Darwin to be extremely tasty, and they¡¯re creatures in shells like these ones. But somehow the limp, ichorous tendrils coming out of the creatures¡¯ ¡®mouths¡¯ are just so off-putting. Not to mention those legs. ¡°No, it¡¯s OK,¡± I say finally. ¡°I¡¯ve been collecting plants to eat; it¡¯s only fair that you guys have something tasty too.¡± Very well, River responds, though he gives off the distinct impression that he thinks I¡¯m a little mad. ¡°If you find a Core, can you give it to me, please?¡± I say, turning away from where he¡¯s starting to dive into one of the ones I killed. While they dine, I use Inspect Environment on the area around. Interestingly enough, the Skill points me to a number of still, circular objects half-buried in the ground underneath the bushes. I only see them because they¡¯re ringed in red, but upon having my attention drawn to them, I realise what the pylobuses have done: they disappeared under the bush to break my line of sight, and then settled themselves into the forest loam. They might even have some sort of Stealth Skill or ability to go unnoticed as long as they don¡¯t draw attention to themselves since no one spotted them before. I don¡¯t draw my Bound¡¯s attention to their hiding places, though ¨C I figure the pylobuses have earned a break. It¡¯s not their fault that I have a Skill which can spot their hiding places. And they¡¯re fulfilling an important function in the forest: waste disposal is always necessary. Besides, I hardly feel it would be fair ¨C a bit like attacking the baby porcupigs all the way back in the beginning. Though, to be honest, with what I know now about them, I reckon I might have come off worse in that fight. Or it would have certainly been more difficult than I was expecting, anyway. I do resolve to take the carapaces of the dead ones with me, though: I reckon that they¡¯ll make pretty good bowls or plates. ***** By the time my Bound have finished munching on the meat of the dead pylobuses and I¡¯ve packed all the carapaces into my Inventory, the afternoon sun is more than halfway on its journey towards the horizon. ¡°Are you guys full, or are you still hungry?¡± I ask my Bound. Sirocco sends back a satisfied feeling ¨C apparently the three pylobuses she ate were sufficient for her. I could eat, River replies carefully ¨C which for him means he is hungry but doesn¡¯t want to say. Fenrir equally gives off a sense of hunger. OK, so these are clearly good enough for a snack, but not much more. I guess they¡¯re a bit like crabs ¨C a lot of work to get through the shell and then not much meat once you manage it. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Well, with the light quality, I reckon that we still have enough time before dark to do some proper hunting for meat ¡°Can any of you detect anything good to eat? Bigger than these, too,¡± I ask all and sundry, knowing that they all have different ways of finding prey. I get a series of thoughtful but negative responses. Then the last ¨C Fenrir ¨C seems to indicate an uncertain positive. ¡°What is it, Fenrir?¡± I ask him specifically. The lizog offers me a sense of a group of big, two-legged creatures somewhere to the right of us. If my interpretation of his message is correct, he¡¯s not sure where they are or how far away they are: although he caught a faint hint of scent, it wasn¡¯t strong enough to give him much information. Well, that¡¯s more than we have to go off otherwise. I decide that we might as well investigate. Directing Fenrir to lead us to the creatures, I wonder what it is that he¡¯s taking us to ¨C something I¡¯ve already encountered or something new? While we travel, I continue using my Inspection Skills on a regular basis, Inspect Environment and Inspect Flora more often than Inspect Fauna, but even the last gets a bit of a workout whenever I see a creature scurrying away from our party. The forest is alive, but I feel pretty safe walking through it ¨C with the four of us together, we kind of out-level the area. While there are still creatures who could pose a risk to us around, most are not likely to choose to start something. Since they don¡¯t look particularly appetising or likely to offer much Energy, we don¡¯t attack them either. I frown as we head back into an area which seems very familiar: weren¡¯t we there ten minutes ago or so? I pull up my Map, but since I hadn¡¯t looked at it before, I can¡¯t tell whether we are going in circles. I do, however, notice that we¡¯re heading back down towards the valley, though the general downward trend of our route could have told me that anyway. Over the next few minutes, I check my Map several times. We¡¯re moving at a medium pace ¨C something like a quick jog or a slow run. It means we cover ground reasonably fast without chewing into our stamina too much. It also means that I can tell how Fenrir is leading us on a bit of a meandering path, though always in a certain direction. Is it that he¡¯s trying to triangulate the scent? I wonder. I¡¯d love to hop back into his head to work out whether my guess is correct, but that would mean I¡¯d have to stop moving so I could concentrate. I suppose I¡¯ll have to live with my curiosity for now. As it is, I notice that the meandering on our route seems to reduce more and more as we move further down the valley. Soon, we¡¯re not meandering at all but running almost directly towards something. The creatures, whatever they are, are further away than I was expecting; I¡¯m rather in awe of how sensitive a lizog¡¯s nose is. Bastet was right when she gave me the sense of the lizogs being able to follow us all those weeks ago when I first Dominiated her. Finally, though, Fenrir slows and sends warning that we¡¯re close. By this point River seems to have identified something too if his intent focus is anything to go by. ¡°Sirocco, can you go scout for us?¡± I ask the bird. She sends an indifferent assent, winging her way through the trees towards whatever the rest of my Bound can detect. Personally, my senses are still too dull: I can¡¯t see anything, though if I concentrate there is a quiet sound of rustling and cracking up ahead. The bird doesn¡¯t take long to do her scouting and return. Upon landing on my shoulder, the impact surprising considering her slight weight, she sends me an image of what she saw. I immediately recognise the creatures: the two-legged, odd mixture between an ostrich and diplodocus which I¡¯ve creatively named ostridocus. I¡¯m able to count this herd to number between twenty and thirty individuals. We won¡¯t need to kill even half that amount: they¡¯re big enough that a single corpse should feed at least two of my Bound for a couple of days. If we each kill one, we¡¯ll have enough meat to last us for a few days. If we kill more than that, I¡¯ll probably have to put the meat in my Inventory: even if that will strip the Energy away, it still provides important nutrition which makes it better than starving. This is also a good opportunity for us all to practise our fighting in a relatively safe scenario. No, not completely safe: the ostridocuses are not completely defenceless. However, considering that Bastet and I took them on and killed a good few with only us two and without suffering significant injury, we should be able to do better than that with the four of us. Plus, we can actually try to work together: the fight with ¨C or rather, slaughter of ¨C the pylobuses didn¡¯t have any strategy to it; didn¡¯t need any strategy. ¡°Alright,¡± I say quietly to my Bound. ¡°Here¡¯s what we should do.¡± With that, I outline my thoughts. ¡°Any comments?¡± I ask after my explanation. If I may summarise, River asks, then continues when I nod at him. Fenrir will be the visible threat, driving the bulk of the herd towards our trap. You and I will be the true damage-dealers, the jaws of the trap which close on the herd. Am I correct? ¡°Yes,¡± I affirm, ¡°and Sirocco will be keeping an eye on things from above. There¡¯s no need to kill every member of the herd; we only need to grab two or three each to easily satisfy our requirements. Any other questions?¡± I receive a series of negative responses. ¡°Alright let¡¯s do this.¡± Moving off, we quickly get into positions. At first, the plan goes exactly as intended: the appearance of a lizog serves to spook the herd. I¡¯d imagine that, since lizogs run in packs, they imagined that the first lizog was only the herald of more to come. If they were thinking at all, of course. The members of the herd quickly move away from Fenrir who, as intended, drives them straight into our trap. The panicked ostridocuses ¨C or bisonisans, if my Inspect Fauna is anything to judge by ¨C are easy targets and I manage to get in a lethal spear strike on two of the stampeding creatures with no issue. In fact, there¡¯s more indirect risk of being knocked over and trampled than direct risk of being attacked. That, of course, is the moment when a feeling of alarm from Sirocco comes across the Bond. If I could put the feeling into words, I would only need one: ¡®incoming¡¯! Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred: Hunters Waiting What¡¯s coming? I ask Sirocco sharply over the Bond, at the same time sending out a warning feeling to my other two Bound. The bird sends me a picture of a running creature snapping at the heels of the herd. The picture is blurry, though ¨C I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s because it¡¯s fast or because Sirocco¡¯s not focussing enough on either its details or on sending a clear picture to me. Fenrir confirms her message at the same time, his own image that of a much-larger silhouetted figure running past him. Evidently, it chose to ignore the lizog for now; why, I don¡¯t know. Because it doesn¡¯t see him as a threat? Because it doesn¡¯t feel he¡¯d offer enough meat to make the fight worth it? By this point, both River and I have closed ranks, our spears in our hands, the other ostridocuses ¨C bisonisans ¨C ignored. As the last of the herd moves past our sightlines, we are able to see what¡¯s chasing them. Though Fenrir¡¯s perspective is affected by his own short stature, the creature is big. Its shoulders are level with my own, above even River¡¯s. On top of that, it has a long neck putting it at least a head taller than me if they stand up completely straight. It has four limbs, but only runs on two of them: the other two are flightless wings which nonetheless play a role. I watch as it flaps its wings to add speed to its strike at the bisonian in front of it. Its jaws are long and toothy, its tail surprisingly weighty: I would have imagined it to have a tail more like Sirocco or Bastet, but it turns out that it¡¯s more like the prey it¡¯s chasing in the tail department. Its skin is scaly and barely feathered except on its wings which have a bit more plumage. In fact, it kind of looks like an allosaurus if the dinosaur¡¯s small front legs had become small wings instead. It chases the bisonisans towards us. I grip my spear more firmly, prepared to defend myself. It gets closer and closer, its jaws opening. And then it¡¯s past us. I exchange a dumbfounded look with River even as Fenrir trots up to us, having been following the newcomer at a safe distance. Turning my head to watch the predator continue snapping at the heels of the bisonian herd, I dare to use Inspect Fauna on it, hoping it¡¯s not too far out of range. My hope proves to be in vain, though: clearly my Inspection Skills have quite a short range. Since the whole group of creatures are now practically out of sight, I just shrug and stoop to check on the creatures we¡¯ve killed. I got two; River managed to get three. Five bisonisans are likely to be enough meat to satisfy us for a couple of days at least so I reckon that this hunting trip can be considered a success. Just as I¡¯m starting to tie the feet and tails of the bisonisans to a couple of long branches I have in my Inventory, I hear a familiar sound of thudding. It¡¯s a bit like thunder, except there aren¡¯t enough clouds in the sky for a storm. Plus, the sound isn¡¯t coming from the sky above, but the forest in front of us. And it¡¯s the same noise I heard only a few minutes before. As I look up, I realise what¡¯s happening: the whole load of bisonisans are running at us once more. Why? ¡°Sirocco, what¡¯s happening?¡± I ask urgently. She takes off from the branch on which she¡¯d perched herself and skims over the top of the herd of frantic prey animals. She sends me a picture which looks rather like the one she sent me earlier: the new predator chasing the bisonisans. The only difference here is that there are three of the creatures. Suddenly I realise what must have happened. While we were strategically driving the herd of bisonisans towards the hunters waiting for them, the other predators must have been doing exactly the same thing. That would explain why the predator ignored Fenrir and us, and was only snapping at the heels of the bisonisans rather than actually properly attacking them. Which means that we¡¯re about to be overrun by bisonisans and their hunters at best, or caught in a pincer move between these hunters and any which might have run ahead of the herd to catch them a second time at worst. Neither of which sounded like a good position to be in. ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± I tell my Bound urgently, eyeing the swiftly approaching line of bisonisans. Apparently, I don¡¯t need to tell them twice: before I¡¯ve even fully got the words out, they¡¯re all hurrying off to the side. I run after them, pushing to my fastest speed to make it past the line of charging prey-beasts before they overrun me. Succeeding ¨C by the skin of our teeth ¨C apparently doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re out of danger. The hunters are apparently less keen on just letting us be observers this time. Oddly enough, they seem to decide to give up on the chase. Are they that territorial or do we somehow look like better prey than the bisonisans? The three of them approach us, their heads down and hissing menacingly. As they stalk towards us, every inch of their demeanours is that of menace. I send a quick few messages to my Bound and take hold of my spear in a grip which my memories tell me is an appropriate one for combat. With any luck, I might even get levels in my spear-wielding Skill. I also take the opportunity to cast Inspect Fauna ¨C this time they¡¯re within range.
Kiina Tier 2 Beast (evolved) Special abilities: Unknown Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Health: 920u Mana: 100u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 45 These intelligent group predators are a dominating force in their local territory. Forced to migrate into areas with lower Energy density due to their previous territory being overtaken by an explosion of aggressive flora, these Beasts are hungry for both meat and Energy.
Close message? Y/N
Interesting¡­. A moment before the hunters come in range to strike, I decide to change the plan. A bit, at least. Sending a mental message to my Bound, we prepare for the attack. As the kiinas approach, Sirocco flies at their heads, raking at their eyes. She¡¯s careful not to get too close to their toothed maws, but then her purpose isn¡¯t to really do any damage: she¡¯s more of a distraction than anything else. While the three kiinas are momentarily distracted by the flying threat, Fenrir, River, and I attack. Fenrir goes in to bite at one of the kiina¡¯s legs; River and I both move in with our spear, going more for the kill. Of course, when we¡¯re dealing with a creature which is taller than me, that¡¯s easier said than done. On the other hand, it¡¯s not a giant salamander, either. Without any real idea of where its heart might be, and with its head far too mobile to make a target, getting a kill in a single hit seems unlikely. We both aim for the chests of the two kiina, hoping that perhaps it will contain their hearts or lungs or other vital organs. I purposefully don¡¯t aim for the centre of the chest, the slight ridge under the scaly skin indicating that there is probably a chest-bone protecting the vital organs there. My recent practice with a spear comes in useful, as does my increase in Dexterity, allowing me to hit almost the exact area I was aiming for. Twenty points in Strength is no joke, either, even if more than half of them are in Endurance rather than Power. My spear sinks deeply into the kiina¡¯s chest, wrenching a screech of pain out of it. Sirocco forgotten, it swipes at me with its wing. I wasn¡¯t expecting the blow and barely manage to react in time to raise an arm to protect my face. I¡¯m knocked off balance, my spear falling from my hands. My arm explodes in pain but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s broken. At least, I don¡¯t feel the nausea which had accompanied the agonising pain when the crocodile broke it. However, whatever the kiina has done has clearly damaged it in some way as when I reach to grab the spear still stuck in the kiina¡¯s chest, I struggle to fasten my grip around its shaft. It doesn¡¯t help that the kiina¡¯s movements are making it swing in and out of my range. With my right hand mostly out of action, using my bow is also removed from the list of possibilities. Maybe I should have started with that instead of my spear, but too late now. Here¡¯s where Flesh-Shaping has its drawbacks: with Lay-on-hands I¡¯d already have been pouring healing magic into my arm, hopefully bringing it back into the fight within a short time. With Flesh-Shaping, I¡¯m unable to apply sufficient focus to even start the healing process. But that¡¯s life and if I spend too long mourning could-have-beens, I¡¯ll lose my future. So, using my non-dominant hand, I pull out my mace from my Inventory. The spear stuck in the kiina¡¯s chest is hampering its movements ¨C a plus in my favour. Approaching it, I bash the wing that swings at me and then the toothed maw which tries to snap at my face. My blows feel clumsier than they would have been in my right hand, but far more fluid than they were at the start of my time in this world. I start to get in the rhythm of defending from the alternating wings and bites, my mind searching for a way to break through the deadlock. It¡¯s not doing damage to me, but I¡¯m not doing much damage to it either. With my spear in its body, it¡¯s not even bleeding much, though the weapon must be causing a significant amount of pain. Then the kiina changes tactics. Where I¡¯d got used to two wing beats and then a bite, the kiina suddenly claps both wings together behind me, and then lunges forwards. A trap! I realise as I automatically try to dodge backwards and am stopped by the barrier of the wings. On the other hand, it¡¯s also an opportunity. At the last moment, I drop my mace and summon my knife out of my Inventory. Using my damaged right arm to deflect its toothed maw sideways ¨C not without gaining more injury to that limb ¨C I lunge forwards and bury my knife in its throat. Using my eight points in Power, I yank at the blade viciously, opening as wide a wound in its airway as I can. When it tries to flinch away, I step with it. This close, it can¡¯t do much: its wings can¡¯t bend that far, nor can its mouth reach me when I¡¯m so close. It tries to lift one foot, maybe to kick me away, but that just puts it off-balance and easy to tip over sideways. Once on the ground, I throw myself on top of it, stabbing with my knife until it stops moving, though it continues to twitch. Looking up, I see that River has dealt much more skillfully with his opponent. Although he¡¯s not quite done yet, the kiina looks to be on its last legs ¨C well, leg. It¡¯s limping fairly significantly. Fenrir, however, is still attached to the leg of his own target which, instead of trying to attack, is now attempting to run away. Since this kiina is also limping, I have to guess that at some point Fenrir chose to switch legs. Having two mauled legs is a significant injury to a bipedal creature. I almost wince at the thought. I¡¯d hoped that Fenrir would be able to keep the third one alive ¨C that¡¯s why I asked him to do his best to subdue it rather than kill it. I knew that we¡¯d most likely have to kill the others; that River has managed to lame his own opponent rather than kill it is testament to how much more skillful he is with a spear than me. But now the battle is pretty much done, I move eagerly over to River¡¯s opponent. The lizard-man trips the kiina so that it falls heavily to the ground. For a moment, I feel a moral qualm. Should I do this? They attacked us, I remind myself. We would have been perfectly happy just to get out of the way of the kiinas¡¯ hunt, but they¡¯re the ones who clearly decided that we would make better prey than the bisonisans. They¡¯re the ones who broke off their own hunt to come back to attack us. The law of the jungle is brutal. I¡¯ll offer them the same choice as I¡¯ve done before, I decide. I know that the snake attacked after but it paid for that. I feel guilty enough over coercing River; I don¡¯t want to add to that guilt with another Bound. My moral qualms quietened, I crouch and grab the toothed muzzle as it bites at me. The kiina is strong, but it¡¯s already exhausted and at the end of its rope. Looking in its eyes, I invoke my Skill. ¡°Dominate.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and One: Another Bastet Once more entering the space which has become increasingly familiar, I face the kiina. The pressure beating against me is strong but has a sense of¡­tiredness to it. And fear. I¡¯d been gambling a bit ¨C the recommended Willpower to Dominate is forty-five points according to my Inspect Fauna Skill. While technically I have fifty points in Willpower, I¡¯m also suffering from a twenty percent reduction to that stat. Whether that impacts my ability to Dominate, I don¡¯t know ¨C I¡¯d have to guess it does, but don¡¯t know for sure. However, I was hoping that by rebuffing their attack first, I might be able to reduce the requirements, just as River being tied up and threatened with the destruction of his village enabled me to Dominate him despite being below the necessary Willpower threshold to succeed outright. My first impression is that my guess is accurate. The fear and fatigue hollow the pressure that pushes me back, making it feel like a paper bag is pressing against me instead of the usual jet of water. The air inside is strong, but the bag itself is weak, and a single harsh move from me will tear a hole and deflate it completely. What ¡®tearing a hole¡¯ would entail when we¡¯re talking about a sense of metaphysical pressure rather than any real object pressing against me, I don¡¯t know. What I do know is that, as always, all I can do is press forward until I can communicate with the other party. Which actually happens sooner than I¡¯d thought. Normally I need to push to halfway between my starting point and the creature to find the moment we start to be able to communicate mentally. This time I only need to press forward about a third of the way. Is this the difference between the first and second tiers? Why have you not killed me? Another surprise is the clarity of the communication. It¡¯s not dissimilar from the mental messages I receive from Bastet now, though still not quite as clear as what I receive from River. Although this space facilitates communication and the kiina probably isn¡¯t capable of such communication by itself in the real world, it¡¯s still likely that these creatures are able to communicate between themselves in some way. However, the slight ¡®blurriness¡¯ does indicate that, though evolved, these creatures are not used to communicating in words ¨C or whatever I should call what River¡¯s people use. ¡°I wanted to offer you an opportunity,¡± I say honestly. ¡°You and your companion.¡± You killed one of my mates. You may still kill the other. Your mate could kill me at any time. What opportunity do you think to offer me? It¡¯s very clear that this creature is capable of a wide range of thought and emotion. Perhaps even as much as River or me. At the same time, it¡¯s as straightforward as Bastet, its fear not preventing it from speaking its mind. Though I can communicate with the kiina at this distance, I can¡¯t really feel its emotions: its ability to send mental messages is good enough that very little emotion actually accompanies the thoughts themselves. I take a few steps forwards, pressing against the paper bag. What are you doing? No! Stay back! the kiina cries, its mental voice laced with panic. The pressure between us resists me, almost halting my progress. And then I push just a little bit more and the bag tears. The pressure practically disappears in a moment. The kiina lets out a wounded cry of despair, of hopelessness. I stop immediately, hoping I haven¡¯t gone too far. This battle has not been similar to any other in my experience and I¡¯m a little at a loss for what to do. However, with the pressure having almost completely disappeared, only the ambient pressure remaining, I¡¯m certain that I¡¯d be able to stroll over to the kiina and complete the Bond easily. However, that¡¯s not what I could live with myself doing. Anyway, I¡¯ve succeeded in my goal. With the bursting of the resistance against me, the kiina¡¯s emotions flow over me unhindered. She¡¯s in pain and scared, her fear almost making me feel nauseous with its intensity and omnipresence. I frown and concentrate, trying to work out exactly what is frightening her. My ¡®battle¡¯ with Fenrir was over so quickly that I didn¡¯t really notice the difference in comparison to before my stats had such a dramatic boost, but this time I do. With my significant increase in mental stats, I realise that I¡¯m able to detect nuances in the sea of emotion that surrounds me. That¡¯s to my benefit: if I can reassure her, I¡¯ll be more able to convince her to accept the Bond willingly. She¡¯s fearful of our strength, that¡¯s clear. Both the strength of River in being able to overcome her when she believed him to be easy prey, and my strength here in demonstrating how easily I can overcome her resistance. I mean, I wouldn¡¯t say it was easy, but her impression of me is that it was. She¡¯s also sorrowful about her dead mate, and fears the death of her second mate. Tied up in that is a fear for her unborn children, the eggs that are growing within her, soon to be laid. I actually take a step back in surprise when I realise that she¡¯s pregnant. Or sort of: is it pregnant if we¡¯re talking about an egg-laying species? And then, of course, there¡¯s the fear of death which exists in any thinking species, and the desire to find a way out of the problematic situation. I can work with that. ¡°Look,¡± I say to her. By this point, although she¡¯s unable to move, I get the sense that she would be hunched up if she could. Her eyes are glassy and despairing. ¡°First of all, I promise that, as long as your mate, your children, and you don¡¯t try to attack me or my companions, we will let you go.¡± I¡¯m actually less worried about these two than I should have been about the snake: the snake was barely hurt; this one is badly injured and her mate is half-lame. If they try to attack, it will be easy to take them down. Besides, I was able to kill one almost completely by myself, and they know that. It would be suicide if they attacked us again, and they¡¯re intelligent enough to realise that. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Either way, the hope actually brings light back to the kiina¡¯s eyes, especially when I support my statement with a sense of the genuine intention behind my words. You would let us go? Then why attack us? Why bring me here? ¡°You attacked us, ¡° I point out, my eyes narrowed. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that. We were hunting the same prey, but we had already got what we needed and would have cleared out of your way. You chose to pursue us.¡± You seemed weak. Good prey, the kiina retorted. ¡°How did that work out for you?¡± I ask, a little sarcastically. She doesn¡¯t reply. ¡°So, as I said, I will let you go if you reject my offer. However, I hope that you¡¯ll see the benefit of what I suggest.¡± Which is? ¡°Strength in numbers,¡± I say straight up. ¡°You clearly already see the benefit of that: you were travelling around in a group of three. Yet you¡¯ve also seen how easily we took you down, and that¡¯s because we were able to apply our strengths to your weaknesses,¡± I tell her honestly. ¡°Being different species, we¡¯re able to cover each other¡¯s weaknesses offering an all-rounder group without significant downside.¡± Or significant strength, I think, but don¡¯t say. Still, I¡¯d rather be part of a jack-of-all-trades group than a glass cannon group which could only handle half of what was thrown at us. ¡°And that doesn¡¯t mean that we don¡¯t also offer individual strength: one of our group has recently evolved and the rest of the group are on their way to it, advancing quickly.¡± The kiina looks at me keenly, her attention now focussed entirely on me, interest beginning to quicken the emotional cloud around me. I am injured, significantly. How can you offer me strength when you have taken it from me? ¡°I can heal you,¡± I say confidently. While it might take more than one session, I¡¯m confident that I can heal her entirely: I wouldn¡¯t have offered the Bond otherwise. From what I¡¯ve seen, most of the injuries to the kiina are flesh wounds, though some might have hit some organs. Scepticism fills the area around me. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± I inisist. ¡°Look.¡± I shove the memory of meeting Bastet at her, then a memory of what she looked like after I¡¯d healed her, the feather-less skin showing where the wounds had been. I throw in the memory of the tail end of her evolution for good measure, proving my words about one of our number having undergone it. The scepticism I feel is replaced by further interest. Not, I sense, specifically for herself, but more for her unborn offspring. Like Bastet, her concern turns towards her young. If I allow this chain, if I accept binding myself to your path, what will happen with my eggs? I sense that, like with Bastet, this is a make-or-break question. ¡°We are already looking after the young of one of my companions,¡± I tell her honestly, shoving an image of the three raptorcat cubs playing together. ¡°She keeps them under control. When they reach adolescence, I intend to offer them a Bond. If they refuse, they will be allowed to leave with no hard feelings. If they attack any of my Bound, they will be driven out forcibly, though I will still try not to kill them if it¡¯s at all possible to avoid. Or they may choose to take the Bond and be able to stay with the rest of us. Does that sound acceptable to you?¡± I ask. The kiina considers the offer for a short time before responding with a sense of uncertainty. My offspring will not stay with me until adolescence. I will protect my eggs until they hatch, then bring them their meals for the first few sun cycles. When they are able to move easily, and are capable of hunting for themselves, they will be responsible for themselves. I would not want them to be trapped before they had any experience of the world. I consider the question. It¡¯s true that it¡¯s a different situation than that with the raptorcats. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be comfortable Binding babies, not now knowing how much a Bond impacts a creature, willing or not. Thinking about Binding the raptorcat cubs as they are now actually makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. ¡°How much time are we talking about here?¡± I ask. ¡°I mean, how much time would you or the eggs need to be protected?¡± The kiina hesitates. My eggs will hatch before the rains start fully, and they will be independent a while before the longest night. To be fair, that she¡¯s capable of giving me even that precision of estimated time is pretty good. To expect her to be able to tell me how many days with numbers is probably unreasonable. Still, though we¡¯re talking about a few weeks, we¡¯re probably not talking about more than two or three months of time. ¡°Then I will not offer a Bond to any of your young before they leave the nest,¡± I decide. Yes, it will be annoying to have one or more of my Bound tied up in looking after the young, but the raptorcat cubs are unlikely to be fully grown by that point anyway. Given that though they¡¯ve grown in the month and a half since I Bound Bastet, they aren¡¯t even as far along as Lathani is now, it¡¯s going to take a while yet. That said, what happened to Lathani wasn¡¯t exactly natural growth. So, we¡¯d have to be protecting the cubs anyway; protecting some baby kiina isn¡¯t going to be much more work. ¡°If we come across them later when they¡¯re old enough to make their own decision, though, I¡¯m not making any promises,¡± I warn her. I get the sense of indifference from her: I have a feeling that after the hatchlings leave the nest, she¡¯s not too concerned with what happens to them. ¡°And if any choose to stay with us until they are grown, I¡¯ll decide that on a case-by-case basis,¡± I add, my mind considering what to do if they choose not to leave at all. This elicits more discomfort from her, but I don¡¯t get the sense of outright rejection. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± I ask. ¡°Do you wish to join us or not?¡± She considers the question for a few moments more, but I¡¯m already sure of what she¡¯s going to choose. Sure enough, a moment later, she answers with what I expected. I wish to join you. You will offer this to my mate too? ¡°I will,¡± I confirm. ¡°But be warned: if you become part of our group you are part of it. We share what we have, need, not greed. We help each other where necessary, knowing that we will be helped in our turn. Basically, what I¡¯m saying is expect to give at least as much as you take.¡± I fix her with a serious stare. ¡°If you can¡¯t deal with that, tell me now.¡± A sense of impatience comes from her, not what I was expecting after my little speech. That is normal. Alright. I¡¯ve definitely got a second Bastet here. ¡°OK, good,¡± I finish, a little nonplussed. Then, with a little shrug, I keep walking forwards. The kiina keeps her eyes on me until I¡¯m standing within arm¡¯s length. I will her to accept the Bond; she lowers her head and does. A moment later, the misty grey space vanishes and we¡¯re back in the ¡®real¡¯ world. Right, one down, one to go. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Two: Hades and Persephone By the time we get back to the cave, the sun is well on its way down to the horizon. I didn¡¯t want us to get back too late because I wanted to work on the tree trunk before dark. That plan obviously failed ¨C we ended up travelling further and for longer than I¡¯d anticipated. Not to mention the unexpected double Battle of Wills. Not that the second one really counts as much of a ¡®battle¡¯. Persephone had requested a few moments to communicate with her mate before I started the Battle of Wills with him. Though I was a bit wary, I figured that she wouldn¡¯t gain anything by betraying me at that point, so I gave her the time. As it turned out, she had clearly been somehow communicating what had happened as her mate very quickly accepted my Bond when I initiated the Battle of Wills. She carries my unborn offspring, he¡¯d told me. I will follow and protect her now and in the future. Since she has decided to accept a Bond with you, I must do the same. There had been no resentment, no antipathy. No sorrow, actually, about the loss of the other kiina; I have to wonder what their relationship was like ¨C allies, rivals, or a mixture of both. Either way, I think it¡¯s probably the shortest Dominate I ever conducted.The shortest successful one, anyway ¨C the failure with the salamander probably set the record for the shortest overall. After successfully Binding both kiina, I had to do some stop-gap healing to get them able to travel at all. At least, without attracting every scavenger in the forest around us from the smell of their blood. That, of course, took more time and exhausted my mana pool. I had a nasty, nauseous headache until it ticked back up to ten units. I¡¯m feeling pretty happy with the trip, despite not now having much time to work on the tree trunk. Not only do we have two new members of our group, who I suspect are going to fill important roles, but we¡¯ve also got a fair number of bodies to feed all the hungry mouths. In addition to the bisonisans which River and I downed, we¡¯ve also brought back two of the three bisonisans that the kiinas took down before they decided to attack us. The third has already been consumed. The uneaten bodies are tied to a couple of branches which River and I are carrying between us. I¡¯d considered using the kiinas as pack beasts too, but decided against it considering their continued injuries. Actually, I¡¯ll need to focus some time into healing them; at least it should improve my Flesh-Shaping Skill. It already has ¨C from Initiate one to Initiate two. So, we have meat for at least a couple of days, especially since none of my Bound who came out with me are at all hungry by this point. I am a bit, especially since I didn¡¯t want to take the time to make a fire, so I didn¡¯t actually eat the hearts as I normally would. Anyway, I decided that it was better for my Bound to make progress towards evolving by eating the Energy-dense meat. With what happened to Bastet, I¡¯m keen to see how the others will change once they reach that point. The kiina, of course, are already evolved; it will be interesting to see what happens to them. Actually, I realise that I haven¡¯t yet checked out their stats. Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Persephone¡¯ Health units: 613/920 Mana units: 100/100 Stamina units: 565/600 Progress to Tier 3: 17% Lifespan remaining: ~32y Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Hades¡¯ Health units: 721/880 Mana units: 110/110 Stamina units: 529/550 Progress to Tier 3: 19% Lifespan remaining: ~31y Yes, I decided to call them after the Ancient Greek power-couple. After the loyalty Hades showed to his mate, willing to follow her into a Dominate Bond just to continue protecting her, I figured that that would be a good name. I¡¯d briefly considered Artemis and Apollo ¨C that would have suited the female quite well with Artemis being a goddess of hunting, but Apollo wasn¡¯t so appropriate. Besides, Apollo and Artemis were siblings, not lovers, so Persephone and Hades sounded like a better option. They both seem rather indifferent to names, not showing any particular preference, or joy. It¡¯s interesting how each of my Bound has had a different response considering none of them were used to having names before I came into their lives. Now it remains to be seen how they each fit into the team. I¡¯ll need to see them in action to get a better idea of what their advantages are ¨C while actually fighting against them myself helps, that they clearly weren¡¯t used to fighting against creatures with weapons means that they were automatically at a disadvantage. And there was no point in setting up an encounter with them still injured. Maybe some sparring would help, though I¡¯ll have to be sure that they understand what ¡®sparring¡¯ means. Our trip out into the forest has had another benefit: my three Inspect Skills have increased significantly. Inspect Environment and Inspect Flora have both advanced to Beginner seven and even Inspect Fauna has reached Beginner four, which considering how there were far fewer targets to use it on than the other two Skills, I¡¯m still pleased about. I do wonder whether I should be levelling them together, though: what if a combination is possible, but only if they get to the next rank up at the same time? As well as that, I have gained another two percent in progress to the next level. Though it might not seem like much, the amount of objective Energy I actually need to gain to raise it by a single percentage point just speaks to the killing spree we¡¯ve been on this afternoon. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Bastet trots over to greet us, rubbing her head against my thighs and then moving on to do equivalent actions with the rest of our group. Good hunt? she asks, sending a questioning feeling over with a picture of the kiina. Clearly she¡¯s realised that they are new additions to the team. I¡¯m glad not to sense any antipathy from her towards them ¨C she hadn¡¯t liked the snake from the get-go. For good reason it turned out. ¡°Yes, it was a good hunt," I respond with a smile and a reassuring feeling. That¡¯s what I love about Bastet, I realise suddenly. She just accepts what I throw at her and does her best to roll with it. I¡¯m far more used to complaints and resistance to suggestions. As for what happened when I had to deliver an edict to the office workers which didn¡¯t even come from HR, but from the board? I¡¯m suddenly glad I¡¯m here ¨C suddenly being attacked by rabid beasts in the forest seems positively relaxing in comparison. River approaches her and holds out an item. A gift for you, Bastet, he says and I transfer his words to Bastet without thinking about it. For me? Smells yummy! I look away as she starts tearing into it. The item is, indeed, a pylobus which River saved for her. By this point the Energy must have practically disappeared from the body, but she seems to like it well enough. As I¡¯d planned, I also have the carapaces of the other pylobuses, and resolve to clean them out and turn them into serviceable bowl-plates. I was already using one to carry the pile of plants I collected which were unable to be fitted in my pockets, and which I didn¡¯t want to put in my Inventory. Moving over to Kalanthia, I pull out two Cores from my Inventory. One is from the kiina we killed. Persephone expressed discomfort with the idea of cannibalism, but was indifferent to others eating his body. Perhaps she¡¯s like Bastet: sorrowful about his death, but not trying to deny it like humans usually do. The other Core is from one of the pylobuses which had managed to evolve. How a bottom-feeder like that is able to evolve when more than half of River''s people aren''t, I don''t know, but the Core is the proof that it had, if any was needed considering the description. I regret in a way that I killed the third kiina. Not only would Persephone have been happier to have her other mate there, but having three kiinas was sure to be better than having two. Then again, I¡¯m not sure if I could have conducted another Battle of Wills ¨C after doing two in a row, I was feeling rather fatigued in a way which doesn¡¯t seem to be related to stamina. Not physical stamina, anyway. By this point, I¡¯m feeling fine again, but it took me most of the way back to get to that state. I wouldn¡¯t have wanted to begin a third Battle of Wills in such quick succession for fear of not having enough energy to see it to its conclusion. Besides, my battle with Persephone might have been harder if we hadn¡¯t so clearly revealed our power. Still, it¡¯s good to know that there¡¯s that limit, especially with Kalanthia¡¯s suggestion about River¡¯s village. Unless something significant changes, I won¡¯t be Binding all of the members of the village in one go. ¡°For payment of River¡¯s debt,¡± I tell Kalanthia about the Cores. She eyes them speculatively. A little small. I shall count the two together as one, she decides. It¡¯s a bit annoying, but since she¡¯d asked for fist-sized ones, I suppose I should count myself lucky that she¡¯s willing to take two giant-marble sized Cores instead. That means three down, twelve to go. They seem to be fairly rare in creatures around here; perhaps deeper down into the valley will be more productive. ¡°Would you accept this body as another Core?¡± I ask her hopefully, waving to the corpse of the kiina which is on top of the two branches holding the bisonisans by their feet and tails. Kalanthia moves over to sniff at the body. Persephone and Hades back away fearfully as she gets closer. It¡¯s OK, I send to them mentally. As long as you are my Bound and you don¡¯t attack her or her cub, you¡¯ll be fine. Persephone sends a feeling of mistrust down the Bond to me ¨C it¡¯s understandable since we¡¯ve only been allies for a few hours. Bastet had difficulty too. Heck, so did River, but that was for another reason. And Sirocco. In fact, only Fenrir has taken Kalanthia¡¯s presence with complete equanimity. You¡¯ve been collecting, Binder, Kalanthia sends to me, a hint of amusement in her mental voice. I shrug. It was a good opportunity. And they¡¯re already evolved. Yes. It¡¯s unusual to see members of their species this high in the valley. I think the vine-stranglers have chased them up the mountain-side, I tell her, based on what I read in the description from my Inspect Fauna Skill. That seems like a good explanation, Kalanthia remarked. I will accept this body towards another Core. Supply another two like this, or a small Core, and we will call it even. ¡°Alright,¡± I say aloud with a shrug ¨C she¡¯s the boss when it comes to River¡¯s debt. Kalanthia sends a mental message which I can¡¯t decipher, but a moment later Lathani comes running out. She rubs against me briefly in greeting, then leaps straight at the body. I nod at Kalanthia and then move away. I¡¯ve got plans for getting the rest of River¡¯s debt: once I¡¯ve got my armour, I decide we¡¯d better do a hunting trip further down into the valley. Certainly, there seem to be more evolved beasts there, and those are the ones with the Cores. But for now, I need to do some more healing on my new Bound and then do some more experimentation. At least I don¡¯t need the light for that. I walk over to the two kiina, rubbing the heads of the three raptorcat cubs en route. They¡¯re already eating one of the bisonisan carcasses which is still tied to the branches. ¡°Can you get these knots undone?¡± I ask River. ¡°If you can aim not to cut the cord, that would be good.¡± Then I remember him trying to do such a thing a few days ago and failing. ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, let me know and I¡¯ll get to it when I can,¡± I add. As you wish, he responds, lifting his chin briefly, then stooping to get to the task. I send him the feeling of my appreciation down the Bond. ¡°Thanks both of you for your help,¡± I say to Fenrir and Sirocco, turning to them next. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± Both of them send across feelings of negation so I reply with feelings of gratitude then walk off to my newest Bound. ¡°OK, my mana has regenerated a bit, so I¡¯ll continue with your healing.¡± I can tell that Persephone in particular is in pain. Hades¡¯ injuries were mostly dealt with on site, though I do want to do another round on his bones. Frankly, I suppose I ought to be glad that Flesh-Shaping does seem to consider bone as ¡®flesh¡¯. Then again, I suppose its use would be pretty limited if not. Fenrir had done a number on Hades¡¯ legs, and although they hadn¡¯t been snapped, they¡¯d certainly been cracked a bit. Plus, it seems that bone takes more mana to repair than flesh; natural, I suppose. As for Persephone, my mana pool only managed to seal the worst of her wounds so they didn¡¯t keep leaking; I hadn¡¯t really managed to properly deal with them. Sitting down and directing them to come down to my level ¨C which they do with some reluctance, something putting them on their guard ¨C I put my hand on Persephone¡¯s chest and get to work. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Three: More of a Picture Healing Persephone and Hades takes my full mana pool twice and it hasn¡¯t fully healed them; I think that this is proof my new Flesh-Shaping Skill is more mana-hungry than Lay-on-hands used to be. But I don¡¯t begrudge them the effort ¨C I can feel myself improving as I practise. Since the wounds on Persephone were so extensive, I¡¯ve been focussing my attention on covering as much ground as possible at a time. That means taking mana from my Core in larger quantities and channelling it in greater quantities too. By the time I empty out my mana pool for a second time, I feel significantly more fluid with the process. Not to mention more familiar with how the kiinas¡¯ bodies work. In the middle of the battle it was hard to observe too much about them; now with my mind able to explore inside each of them, I¡¯m able to get much more of a picture. Starting from their heads, they have a relatively long muzzle, about the length of my forearm. It¡¯s something between a pterodactyl¡¯s and a crocodile¡¯s, with the bit near its head narrower than that of a crocodile but not as narrow as a pterodactyl. When closed, the teeth interlock, but are angled a little inwards. Their heads are relatively small with bifocal eyes. Like most of the creatures I¡¯ve come across, their eyes are slit with dark bronze irises ¨C no indication of any whites. Their skin is scaly in the way of a fish rather than a crocodile ¨C smooth, with each scale dappling from darker green at the root to lighter green at the tips. The exception is a stripe of black which runs from their crest down their spine to the tips of their tails. A way of communicating with those behind, perhaps? Their wings are similarly coloured, their feathers a bit brighter green than their scales, but only by a shade or two. Like Sirocco, their ¡®wrist¡¯ joint has a talon protruding from it which I experienced the dead kiina trying to use on me. Unfortunately, as that battle proved, their wings are not flexible enough to be able to use the talons on themselves ¨C or on anything clinging to them. However, I¡¯d imagine they¡¯re pretty useful for grabbing onto prey to stop it escaping. And, as I also experienced, the wings themselves are good as weapons in their own right. While their chests are relatively narrow with most of the muscle being around their shoulders, their hips and thighs are thick and muscled. Their torsos are shorter in comparison to mine, and their hips are actually at mid-stomach height on me. Clearly, running is a particular strength, as we saw. Though their natural pose seems to be leaning forward ¨C their necks, backs, and tails forming an inclined chair shape ¨C they¡¯re capable of standing taller, their backs almost vertical. The latter seems to be the best pose for them to use their wings as weapons ¨C at least, that¡¯s what I experienced. Their legs descend into a four-clawed foot ¨C three claws forward, one shorter claw behind. Their tails are thick at the base of the spine, but continue to be fairly thick along its length. As a result, they¡¯re relatively short, probably only about a metre long or so. Due to the thickness, that appears to be enough to counterbalance the rest of the kiina. When running, they lean forwards a bit and tuck their wings in close to their bodies ¨C unless they¡¯re using their wings to add a bit of extra forward momentum, of course. In that respect, they¡¯re much like Bastet. As it turns out, their special ability from their evolution is the ability to use their wings to send a wind blade. Persephone helpfully demonstrated for me on our way back from the hunting area. It wiped out more than half of her mana pool in a single attack, but perhaps she will become more efficient in using it as she progresses to the next tier. I have a few ideas I¡¯d like to try in combining that attack with our team, but I¡¯ll need to think about them for a bit. If we could somehow combine Bastet¡¯s fire-breath with the kiinas¡¯ wind-blades¡­. Persephone and Hades aren¡¯t completely healed, but their own natural healing should probably deal with the rest of the small injuries. I¡¯ll check them over tomorrow morning just to make sure. While waiting for my mana to refill for a second time, I pull out some meat and munch on it. The salt I¡¯ve been adding when cooking the food has been helping with the taste, but I¡¯m still looking forward to experimenting a bit with the plants I¡¯ve brought back. ¡°So, you were driven out of your normal area, right?¡± I ask, lying back. The nauseous headache of bottoming out my mana is fading as my mana ticks up again, but I¡¯m feeling mentally fatigued after the elongated period of concentration. To increase the speed of my mana regeneration, I spent my time between the healing sessions in Meditation. On the upside, I got another level in that Skill; the downside was that I had less time to recover mentally. We had to move away from our territory, yes, Persephone answers. From my short experience with them, she definitely seems to be more the leader of the pair. Hades is a quiet, attentive presence. I know that Dominating a creature automatically forces the inclination to protect and obey me, but I have a feeling that Hades¡¯ instincts of protection towards his mate are stronger even than those. Let¡¯s just say that I wouldn¡¯t want to test which of us he would side with if it came to a conflict between us ¨C I suspect that I¡¯d lose. Though I know I could control his movements, disable him from trying to attack me, I also know that that would build up resentment given how intelligent the kiina have turned out to be. ¡°Why?¡± I follow up on Persephone¡¯s answer. The trees around us started trying to eat us. So, as I thought: the vine-stranglers drove them up the mountain. At least, that¡¯s the most likely explanation. I wonder how many other animals have been displaced by the sudden explosion of carnivorous trees. And how many more are going to attack us: being from deeper into the valley, they¡¯re more likely to be evolved as Persephone and Hades are. Good sources of Cores, I say to myself thoughtfully. Pulling up my status screen, I check how my mana pool is getting on.

Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 94% Energy absorption rate: 29u/hr Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Energy towards debt: 85%
Intelligence 36 Mana: 73/360
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 850u/hr
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 20 Health: 200/200
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 19 Stamina regeneration rate: 170u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 4 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 1 Inspect Fauna ¨C Beginner 4 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 7 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 7 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Initiate 6 Stealth ¨C Novice 1 Animal Empathy ¨C Novice 8 Meditation ¨C Initiate 6 Energy Manipulation ¨C Journeyman 7 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5 Spearmanship ¨C Beginner 2
It¡¯s not increased much, but enough perhaps for a little experiment I want to try. I¡¯m pleased to look at my increased Skills too ¨C between the various events which have happened, almost all of my Skills have improved. My Dominate jumped up two levels from the Battle of Wills with the kiinas, and my Inspection Skills all increased several levels thanks to my use of them in the forest today. Of course Flesh-Shaping has gone up a couple of levels, as has Meditation, and Animal Empathy also jumped up a couple of levels. I¡¯m not sure exactly why the last has increased, but perhaps it¡¯s to do with starting to learn a bit of kiina body language ¨C it¡¯s quite different from what I¡¯m used to. Without the Bond, I¡¯d really be struggling to understand how they were feeling. Energy Manipulation even went up by three levels. I¡¯m not really surprised at that, given the sheer amount of injured flesh and my noticeable increase in ability to control greater quantities of mana at a time. Spearmanship also increased by a single level ¨C in the early ranks levels seem to come quite quickly. The only Skills which didn¡¯t increase were Stealth, Fade, Tame, and Sensation Management. Not bad for a single trip out into the forest; just another reason why I shouldn¡¯t just stay at home and send my Bound out to hunt for me, even if technically I could. With any luck, my next experiment will increase my levels a bit too. Heading towards the log that¡¯s lying off to the side of the cave, I crouch down next to it. Next, I try to send magic to it the way I would to River or one of my other Bound. After my practice this morning with healing, and further practice this afternoon when my Bound got cut or bitten by our prey, not to mention the extensive healing I¡¯ve just done on the kiina, being able to feed mana out of my body is becoming second nature. In fact, I¡¯ve actually noticed something interesting: since I tend to feed the mana through my fingertips, I''m actually finding that there¡¯s the beginnings of a path being traced through the ¡®blackness¡¯ that surrounds my Energy channels. It¡¯s only the beginning, but I¡¯m pretty sure that a new filament is being extended from the area of my Energy channels where I usually pull the mana out so that I can then feed it through my skin. I¡¯m quite excited to see how that develops, though I can¡¯t help thinking of possible consequences of me being able to create my own mana channels. On the positive side, it might mean more flexibility for me, being able to build channels where I need them. On the other hand, what if my mana channels need to be symmetrical and balanced in a way that they currently are, but won¡¯t be if I start building channels willy-nilly? Anyway, it seems to be happening whether I like it or not. I resolve to ask Kalanthia if she¡¯s got any ideas ¨C which she¡¯s willing to share, of course. She¡¯s been rather cagey about the next steps every time I¡¯ve asked her so far. With my increased amount of experience doing this, it doesn¡¯t take too much experimentation to realise that I¡¯m not going to be able to shape the log. Not with magic, anyway. I¡¯m able to push magic into the log, but once it¡¯s past the barrier of my skin, I find that I¡¯m unable to control it. It¡¯s not like when I was able to follow it into and around River¡¯s body, or Bastet¡¯s, or any of my other Bound. My mind stops at my skin and my mana just¡­vanishes. So apparently wood doesn¡¯t count as ¡®flesh¡¯. It¡¯s not entirely surprising; why should it? Yes, it¡¯s the flesh of a tree, but trees are so different from animals that I might as well be trying to use Flesh-Shaping on stone. Or soil, since soil is made of a mixture of decayed animal ¨C and plant ¨C matter in addition to stone fragments. I guess it¡¯s back to Plan A ¨C using primitive stone implements to carve out the basin. Fun. While trying to use Flesh-Shaping on the log wasn¡¯t the only experiment I had planned, the darkness which has settled around us is a sign that it¡¯s time to start preparing for bed. Once more, I need to find a place for my newest Bound to sleep. This time, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to make space for them in my little alcove: while there¡¯s still space to move around as it is, adding another two creatures who are taller than me and come equipped with winglike limbs is likely to see it overflowing. I stand up and approach the two kiinas. They eye me a little warily, more suspicious than any of my Bound so far. Then again, I suppose that this is the first time I¡¯ve Dominated a creature after having killed their mate in front of them¡­. Maybe they have good reason to be wary. ¡°We normally sleep inside in an alcove,¡± I start, ¡°but I don¡¯t think there¡¯s going to be enough space for all of us. Are you two OK sleeping out here for now? If you¡¯d rather sleep down in the trees, that would be fine too.¡± They eye each other and I get the feeling that they¡¯re communicating in some way that I¡¯m not quite capable of understanding. I probably could if I invaded one of their minds, but that would probably break their burgeoning trust ¨C which is fragile enough as it is. We shall find shelter under the trees, Persephone said finally. I nod. ¡°Alright. I hope to change our living situation in the future, but for now I guess that¡¯ll have to do. Are you hungry?¡± No, is the short but prompt reply. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in the morning. Please return here when the sun rises. And don¡¯t hesitate to call for help if you get attacked by anything.¡± At this Hades shifts, his feathers mantling a little bit. I get the sense of surprise, irritation, and affront. I¡¯m confused for a moment, but then as I look at how he¡¯s standing protectively in front of Persephone, I think I understand. ¡°It¡¯s not that I think you need our help, but we¡¯re a team now,¡± I continue, pretending not to have noticed. The sense of affront reduces, though the surprise remains. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll say goodnight.¡± Persephone and Hades don¡¯t seem to be ones for polite conversation ¨C unsurprisingly ¨C and immediately turn to make their way down the slope. Sirocco wings her way over my head, sending me a quick thought. I send one back to her in gratitude: she indicated to me that she¡¯s going to keep an eye on them. Although I suspect that Persephone will put the safety of her unborn children first, that doesn¡¯t mean that she will definitely call for me soon enough for me to actually help. It eases my heart to know that Sirocco will be there. ¡°Alright,¡± I say to my other Bound. ¡°Bed.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Four: Experimenting Bastet has already gone inside with the cubs, so Fenrir, River, and I follow them in. On the way into the cave Kalanthia hails me. Lathani and I are going hunting, she informs me. We should be back by dawn. ¡°Thanks for telling me,¡± I reply, nodding at her as she walks out, Lathani trotting at her heels. River looks at me inquisitively so I relay the message ¨C apparently Kalanthia directed it to me specifically for some reason. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± I check with him, Fenrir, and Bastet ¨C who isn¡¯t asleep, just curled up with the cubs near the embers of the fire. I get a series of negative answers from the three ¨C apparently they¡¯ve gorged themselves sufficiently for now. I suppose I don¡¯t need to ask them when there are a pile of corpses outside ¨C they all know to help themselves. Still, it makes me feel better to know they¡¯re doing OK. Fenrir stops to curl up near the doorway, on guard as usual. River lies down on the bed and closes his eyes. I¡¯m feeling pretty tired too, the long trip into the forest along with the fight and subsequent Battle of Wills exhausting. Still, there¡¯s something else to do, the prospect of which makes me rub my hands together excitedly. Food! And more than just food ¨C different food. I haven¡¯t taken the time yet today to go through the edible plants I collected. The non-edible ones I¡¯ve already given to River to have a go making some of the potions and poisons he knows; surprisingly, one of the potions he knows for healing actually uses an unexpected cocktail of poisons to work. He seemed pretty happy about the offering and spent most of the time I was healing the kiinas experimenting with them. I¡¯ll check with him tomorrow about the potions he¡¯s made. That, of course, leaves me with at least twenty different plants which were all ¡®edible¡¯ according to Inspect Flora. I quickly cast Inspect again, just to check which bits of each plant are identified as edible, not wanting to accidentally eat the bits that aren¡¯t. Using my knife, I separate the plants into leaves, roots, stalks, flowers, berries, and in one case, the seeds. ¡°Right, which one to start with?¡± I murmur to myself. I might prefer a juicy steak over a side-salad ninety-nine times out of a hundred, but even so the lack of variety in my diet has been very wearing. If Lucy could see how excited I am over plants, she¡¯d laugh until she cried. A memory slides into my mind unbidden, one where she and I were mock-arguing over choosing which restaurant to go to. She kept jokingly insisting on going to a salad bar ¨C just because she knew I¡¯d hate it. To get my own back, I equally insisted in going to Carnivore¡¯s Paradise, a restaurant which only served a token lettuce leaf to the side of their massive portions of meat and chips. Of course, we ended up going to a completely different restaurant which would suit both of us. I find my lips turning up at the memory, mirth mixing with the inevitable pain. Strangely enough, though, I find myself able to concentrate more on the fond amusement I had felt at the time than the regretful agony which I usually feel about any of the good memories I have of Lucy. I wonder why that is. Am I getting used to it? Or am I slowly getting over her? Has being in this world where death is sometimes only a wrong move away helped me put things into perspective? While I¡¯d love for Lucy to be here with me¡­no, that¡¯s not quite true. Part of me yearns for her to be here, but part of me is also glad she¡¯s not. Lucy was no more an outdoor girl than I was an outdoor guy. I don¡¯t know how she¡¯d have dealt with it. Worse than me? Better? Perhaps there¡¯s a little spiteful part of me that is glad she¡¯s not here: I¡¯ve discovered things about myself that I would never have thought existed; have improved in ways I never thought were possible. I don¡¯t really want to share that with her. Here, I¡¯m carving out a new life. It¡¯s a hard one, completely empty of so many luxuries I took for granted. But it¡¯s mine. Everything I have now is due to my own efforts and the relationships I¡¯ve built. Yes, I¡¯ve been given things, and my Bound have been absolutely key to what I¡¯ve achieved. I¡¯ve also made mistakes ¨C many of them. But if I hadn¡¯t made the choices I did, I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here. Though some of those choices were a bit questionable, and there was luck involved too, I¡¯m still here. So far, I¡¯ve survived everything this world has thrown at me. With that lingering feeling of victory going through me, I pick up the first berry and pop it in my mouth. I hope Inspect Flora is reliable since I don¡¯t have a hankering to discover how to heal a poison with myself as a test subject! Although I¡¯m not following the proper procedure to check whether a new food is edible or not, I do take a bit of time over chewing the berry. It¡¯s tart, but there¡¯s a hint of sweetness which soothes an ache I hadn¡¯t realised I¡¯d been craving. It¡¯s not like I ate lots of sweets or chocolate before coming to this world. I will admit to adding a spoonful of sugar to my coffee on a regular basis, and liking the occasional cake or biscuit. But sugar is so much a part of modern life that my body has had to go on a bit of detox since being here, even though I hadn¡¯t realised I was so addicted. So the touch of sugar in the berry is surprisingly welcome. I let the berry sit in my mouth for a good minute or so before swallowing. Sitting quietly for a couple of minutes, I actually dive into my own body, curious as to whether I¡¯ll be able to detect any problems before I would normally be able to feel them. As it is, it appears that the berry is perfectly fine for me so I pull out of my body after a short time watching the digestive process of my stomach. Surprisingly interesting, actually. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Next I pick a leaf. Chewing it, my eyebrows shoot up at the taste. It¡¯s like something between mint and basil. An odd combination, but one which will definitely add some flavour to my soups and roasted meat. It might even make decent herbal tea. Once more repeating the slow chewing, swallowing, and then monitoring, I¡¯m glad to see that there don¡¯t appear to be any negative consequences of it. One by one, I test the different plants. After tasting them raw, I next cook them one by one to find out the results. I try both boiling and grilling, just to see what happens. For obvious reasons, most of the leaves don¡¯t do very well on the grill, and they don¡¯t necessarily do that well when boiled either, but I figure it¡¯s a good experiment. Maybe if I find a plant where the leaves are more densely packed together that would work better on the grill. By the end I have settled on seventeen that I¡¯m determined to collect more of. Some of them are just very tasty and will easily flavour the food I cook. Others are nice enough to eat by themselves, like the berries and another type of root which doesn¡¯t taste like much raw, but when I shove it into the fire, takes on a delicate nutty flavour. One of the leaves which shrivelled into practically nothing on the grill actually disintegrated in the water. However, when it did that, it created a surprisingly savoury-tasting broth which I can see being very appealing as the base of a soup. The last four which I decide not to bother with for now are simply either too tough, even after cooking, too dull-tasting, or, in one case, just tasted bad. Like rotten meat, I¡¯d say. I did bother to cook it just in case the cooking broke down whatever made it taste so awful, but to no avail. Ah well. Though I do resolve to give the first three another go at some point. Possibly stewing them will deal with the toughness and the dull-tasting leaves could be mixed with other ¨C tastier ¨C things while still providing some nutrition. I also test whether there¡¯s any noticeable difference between the plants stored in my Inventory and the ones I kept out of it. Honestly, I can¡¯t tell any difference. But then, I can¡¯t seem to tell the difference between meat I¡¯ve had in my Inventory and the meat I¡¯ve carried separately. Not unless I get a percentage towards the next level out of it. I¡¯ll check with River tomorrow about whether he¡¯s noticed any differences in his potion-making: I made sure to indicate clearly which plants were which. My belly full and my taste-buds finally satisfied ¨C I even had dessert in the form of the rest of the berries ¨C I lie down next to the already slumbering River. I¡¯m tired, but my mind is still active. I¡¯ve got so many things to do and I keep adding to my list, it seems. However, being tired won¡¯t do me any good or help me to achieve them. I resolve to make my to-do list tomorrow morning as soon as I wake up. For now, I lie back and try to relax. Easier said than done. There have been many times when I¡¯ve wished I had an ¡®off¡¯ button like a computer; now is one of those times. Sighing, I sink into meditation. Not going into my Core space, and keeping my eyes closed, I¡¯m aware of the connections around me, but they¡¯re not as obvious as when I have my eyes open. In fact, I find them almost relaxing once I get used to them ¨C a bit like white noise. The links with my Bound are mostly soothing and warm, the only exceptions being my two newest. Those add a small cold spot of wariness and uncertainty. Hopefully that will change as they get used to our group. I do feel a bit of guilt over killing the first kiina, especially when I could arguably have just disabled it like we did the other two. But then I remind myself that they attacked us. That might not be enough justification in a human society to kill someone, but even there self-defence is an accepted explanation for violent action. In the jungle self-defence isn¡¯t only an accepted justification, but necessary. Being a pacifist is a quick way of getting killed. Yes, I could have not Bound the two remaining kiina to their partner¡¯s killer, but at the same time I didn¡¯t coerce them. They had a choice. It wasn¡¯t a good one ¨C as injured as they were, they may not have survived much beyond another predator coming across them ¨C but that was the consequence of them choosing to attack a more-powerful foe. A knot of guilt remains in my belly, but I know that it¡¯s only an emotional response born of growing up in a kinder, more structured society. One where taking the law into one¡¯s own hands was actively discouraged. If I try to live by those standards now, I¡¯ll die ¨C and maybe kill my Bound along with me. Trying to move past my feelings of lingering guilt, I actively seek out the other connections, the ones which are less obvious than those of my Bound. The warmth of the fire which caresses my skin is mimicked in the gentle movement of the connections which tantalise and stroke against me. Mentally following them back to their source, I see them in my mind¡¯s eye, even though my eyes themselves are closed. The fire is as hungry as ever, the flame busy with consuming the fuel I added to it during and after my cooking experiments. Starting to get sleepy, I let my mind sink into the fire, like I would a hot bath ¨C oh, that sounds wonderful. With flames licking at my mind, I¡¯m enveloped by the warm blanket of sleep. ***** That night my dreams are filled with fire. I dance amid the flames, the flames licking at my skin. Sometimes the fire burns, sometimes it caresses. It feels like I¡¯m dancing with a partner, one who is always a hair¡¯s breadth from choosing to immolate me. There¡¯s a thrill to the danger which I¡¯ve never felt before. I speak to my partner, but my words are lost in the crackle of the flame so thoroughly that even I don¡¯t remember what I said. I am walking on fire, surrounded by it. It forms the hall around me, a ballroom of white-hot pillars and vaulted arches of red and orange, constantly moving. We spin and my partner dips close enough to whisper in my ear, but all I hear are the snap, crackle, and pop of the flame in her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I whisper back. Her expression becomes frustrated and she speaks again at a normal volume. This time, her voice is the roar of an inferno, but is no more understandable than the first time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand,¡± I tell her, genuinely distressed at my inability to communicate with my wonderful dance partner. A third time she tries to talk to me, stopping our dance and shouting, her expression twisted in frustration and anger. Her voice is the crack and rumble of something unable to take the intense heat and finally giving way. A house that has withstood an era being consumed by a fire; a rock which has endured for aeons being melted and broken in a lava flow. It¡¯s an awesome sound, yet still not one which I can interpret. Wordlessly, I shake my head. My partner erupts into incandescent rage, the fire of her being turning white-hot and blue-tinged. I cry out as what had before simply been the threat of burning becomes the reality of it. I jerk awake as the pain mounts, only to discover that the fire wasn¡¯t only in my dreams. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Five: Wake-up Call Cursing, I beat at the fire which has set light to the fabric I¡¯m lying on. Fumbling for my canteen, I pour it on the flames licking at my clothing. Fortunately, since most of them are from synthetic fabric, they¡¯re resisting the fire. Annoyingly, though, it has caught on my cotton jacket. After a few moments, I¡¯ve managed to get the accidental fire under control. There are still some hints of fire which I fear might erupt anew into flame. Then I have a thought which I wish had come sooner: what about my Inventory? It puts out fire on torches, so wouldn¡¯t it deal with the fire on my clothes too? Putting action to thought, I start piling the fabric in. Then, my head cocking to one side, I pause. Am I seeing something here? Looking at the marks in the fabric which had been around me while I slept, I start to see a pattern. Did the fire actually erupt from my body? It looks like it ¨C although the line of burnt fabric is blurred thanks to both the fire spreading and my own efforts to beat it out, I can see the shape of my own body. I finish putting the fabric into my Inventory, wondering at how exactly I managed to set light to everything around me without actually burning myself or even setting light to the clothes I¡¯m wearing. I vaguely remember a dream of some sort. I was dancing? In a ballroom? Or was it in a fire? And I don¡¯t really remember who I was dancing with, but I do remember feeling sad about something. Anyway, that I was apparently able to create fire is good; that it was completely uncontrolled is not. As I look at the fire, I become aware of several pairs of wide eyes looking at me. Oh hell, I forgot that I wasn¡¯t alone in this cave! I twist to find River pressed against the back wall looking ¨C and feeling, now I¡¯m paying attention to the Bond ¨C rather terrified. I remember him telling me about the poor experiences he¡¯d had with a forest fire ¨C rousing to licking flames probably wasn¡¯t the best wake-up call¡­. By the door, Fenrir is less afraid, but more wary, poised to run ¨C either out of the cave or into the alcove to drag us out. Bastet is equally wary by the fire, standing in front of the cubs protectively. The cubs are peeking around her legs, more curious than afraid. ¡°Sorry guys,¡± I say, a bit shamefaced. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what happened there, but I don¡¯t think it will happen again.¡± I cross my fingers behind my back. That said, I am actually fairly confident that the reason this happened was because I was playing with the connections spooling out from the fire before I fell asleep. Hopefully, if I just go to sleep normally, I won¡¯t have any accidental eruptions in my sleep. At least, none involving fire. At my reassurance, Bastet and Fenrir both settle down, Bastet licking a couple of cubs who make a few quiet noises of complaint or question but then settle down too. River, on the other hand, while relaxing a bit, doesn¡¯t lie back down. What happened? he asked. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± I admit, not wanting to lie to him. ¡°But I think it was connected to some exercises I was doing before I went to sleep. I¡¯m not going to do those exercises again now, so it should be fine. Go back to sleep.¡± River slowly tilts up his head and, with just as much reticence, lies down again, though doesn¡¯t close his eyes. ¡°You can sleep outside if you¡¯d prefer,¡± I offer, not wanting him to be uncomfortable. I sense him weighing up the decision: inside where there might be fire but it was warm, or outside where it was cold but the risk of fire was much lower. He eyes me again. What do you intend to do now? Good question. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been asleep for, but I¡¯m not feeling particularly tired right now. I walk quietly to the entrance of the cave and look out at the sky. It¡¯s cloudy and dark, not offering any indication of time. I shrug, stepping carefully back inside the alcove. ¡°I¡¯ll think through my to-do list,¡± I tell him quietly, deciding while I speak. ¡°Then maybe do a few experiments, but nothing with fire. Or go to sleep if I start getting sleepy again.¡± For now, I''m definitely too awake to do that. Very well, River accepted. I shall stay inside for now. I get the sense that if he wakes up to fire again, he¡¯ll probably choose to brave the cold instead of risking getting burned. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see you later, then,¡± I agree. He turns onto his side to face the wall, presenting me with his back. Knowing that it¡¯s a gesture of trust more than affront, I don¡¯t take offence. Instead, I lie back down and think, staring at the stone ceiling. The first thing I think about is the time-bound task hanging over my head: that quest. I search through my notifications. I wish there was a Quest tab or something! I say to myself in frustration. Then I remember how I was able to make my Bound¡¯s stats appear in a tab and wonder whether I could do the same here. Focussing, I¡¯m pleased when it suddenly appears next to my Bound tab. Opening it, I see a few entries.
Quests
Active Quests:
  • The Vine-Strangler Copse II
Completed Quests:
  • The Vine-Strangler Copse I
Available Quests: The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Focussing on my only active quest brings up the information about it.
In the course of your adventures, you explored the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and defeated its guardian. Upon investigating the guardian beast¡¯s lair, you discovered a route down to one of the Ley Lines of the planet, running unusually close to the surface. However, you do not seem to have been the first to make this discovery. You have realistically theorised that a beast may have tunnelled down to access the Ley Line and blocked the stream. You have posited that a side effect of this may have created the stagnant pool of Pure Energy, the Cores, and the tunnel you first encountered.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse II Quest type: Regional
Objective: Find evidence to prove (or in the event of the theory being disproven, discover) the reason for the formation of the underground tunnels. Objective: Rectify the situation with the exposed stream of Pure Energy and return the area to its previous state.
Time to complete quest: 43 days
Suggested difficulty: Journeyman Reward: Uncommon Silver chest ¡ú Rare Silver chest (rarity increased due to passing over of previous rewards).
As I see, ten days have already passed since I got it, and I¡¯ve still got a lot to do. I wonder if I could have some sort of note-taking tab? I think to myself. It would certainly be useful to be able to write a to-do list. Figuring that I might as well try, I focus hard on what I want to achieve. There¡¯s a bit of resistance this time. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because the System or whatever is controlling this display doesn¡¯t know what I mean, doesn¡¯t want me to have this facility, or if there¡¯s some other reason. However, I just double-down on my visualisation. I want a blank screen which I can add words to by thinking at it, which I can then access later. I visualise a blank page on a computer screen, the keyboard input allowing me to only add what I want; no more or less. As my brain starts to hurt, the System gives way. Slowly, a screen forms in front of my eyes, exactly as I¡¯d imagined it. At the top where I can see ¡®Quests¡¯, and ¡®Bound¡¯, and ¡®Status¡¯, there¡¯s now a new entry: ¡®Notes¡¯. There¡¯s even a qwerty keyboard input at the bottom of the screen which, surprisingly, reacts to my finger movements rather than my mind directly. Maybe it¡¯s running off sense memory rather than actual touch since I certainly can¡¯t feel anything beneath my fingertips. It was probably because I was concentrating on how it felt to write on a Word document. Still, I¡¯m not upset about that: if anything, it makes writing easier. I have a feeling that otherwise I¡¯d struggle to keep my thoughts disciplined. I¡¯d hate for my new note-taking software to be filled with nonsense because I¡¯d start thinking about one thing and end up with another ¨C I had enough of that kind of rubbish when taking notes during quick-paced university lectures. Actually, if I can get a quest tab and a note-taking tab, why can¡¯t I get a clock? Excitement fills me as I think of another option too ¨C if my quest can count down the days, can¡¯t I get some sort of indication about when my Energy debt will be due? Since they¡¯re two different ideas, I focus on them one at a time. I start with the idea of my Energy debt showing a countdown first; that¡¯s probably more important than me knowing exactly what time it is. There¡¯s a little resistance, but not as much as when I was attempting to get the Notes tab to appear. In a short amount of time, I see a number appear in my status screen, below the Energy debt. Two hundred and sixty-one. The number of days remaining, I¡¯d imagine. Huh, longer than I¡¯d thought. Better that way, I suppose, than shorter. When I try to get a clock, however, I find that there¡¯s some sort of impassable block. It doesn¡¯t matter how much I focus, or on what image I settle; no clock of any sort appears. Eventually, I give up. I have the countdown to when I¡¯ll be leaving this world; that will have to do. Returning to the notes tab, I just check that what I write on the tab remains even when I switch to another tab, or close the screen completely. I¡¯d hate to write my whole to-do list and then have it disappear as soon as I click away¡­. Fortunately, my experiments prove successful. My touch-typing is a little rusty since I haven¡¯t touched a computer keyboard in a couple of months, but I did it for enough years that after a little practice, I¡¯m soon back to my previous ease. So, a to-do list. I¡¯ve only got forty-three days until the quest timer reaches 0. I assume that that means I¡¯d fail the quest automatically; what that means in terms of consequences, I don¡¯t know. Losing the potential rewards, for sure. Would there be more consequences than that? Possibly. Either way, I¡¯d like to at least try. However, before I do that, I want some decent armour and better weapons. Hopefully I will be able to use Flesh-Shaping to make the creation of the former easier and, potentially, better. I will have to test whether I can affect an animal when it¡¯s dead, and whether I can affect a hide once it¡¯s been taken off a body. Then, even if those two tests prove successful, I¡¯ll need to see whether I can still affect a hide once it¡¯s been tanned. If I can, and I¡¯m also able to gain an understanding of the differences between an untanned hide and tanned hide on a structural level, there¡¯s the possibility that I might be able to essentially ¡®tan¡¯ a hide with magic alone. That would certainly save time and effort. Even if future tanning is able to be done magically, I¡¯ll need to at least do the first one manually. That means completing the tanning basin. Even if I end up not needing to use it as a tanning basin in the future, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find a purpose for it. If nothing else, it could be a water trough afterwards for watering my plants: I keep forgetting to do it and am worried that the poor things are going to suffer from my neglect as much as they¡¯ve already suffered from being massacred. On my list, I write ¡®tanning basin¡¯ and ¡®water plants¡¯. Once the hide is tanned, what I do next will be rather determined by how much control over the flesh I subsequently have. If I have control, I can easily shape it to my needs, though I¡¯ll probably still put on some non-magical fastening so that if I run out of mana, I¡¯ll still be able to put it on and take it off. If I don¡¯t have any control because it no longer counts as ¡®flesh¡¯, I¡¯ll need to take more time cutting and shaping it, probably using sinew to sew the pieces together. I¡¯m planning on making something like a tabard. Since the roll of salamander hide which I have in my Inventory is a bit longer than I am tall, I¡¯m intending on making a hole in the middle for my head, meaning that it should hang down about mid-thigh on both sides of my body. That might still offer some vulnerabilities to my sides, but maybe I can do something with the crocodile hide to help with that. Of course, that will only be once it¡¯s tanned. I¡¯m probably going to need the tanning frames whether or not I can add magic to the hides pre- or post-treatment. So that means making them. I¡¯ve started the job, but didn¡¯t get far with it before getting distracted; I¡¯m going to have to focus more on that. I add ¡®tanning frames¡¯ to my list. So, that¡¯s armour. Onto the next topic. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Six: Daily Tasks Weapons is another topic. I¡¯ve got the iron ore in my Inventory, but it¡¯s going to take a lot of processing to render it into a useable form. While both metal tools and metal weapons would be an immense upgrade, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯m going to have time to do that as well as the tanning before the quest timer runs out. And I¡¯d rather go and investigate the quest area before it gets down to the final day anyway. It takes two days ¨C well, a day and a half ¨C to get to the tunnel down to the Pure Energy stream, with no delays. Of course, that¡¯s definitely not predictable, even if we should be reasonably safe travelling as a big group. I¡¯d better build in extra time so, say I want to be there a few days before the quest timer ticks down to zero, we¡¯d better leave at least five days before. Which means that I only have thirty-seven days until we need to depart. Thirty-seven days, more than a month, might seem a lot, but not with the amount of preparation required to make metal tools or weapons. Primitive techniques are as long-winded as they are laborious. Once more I heartfully wish for an inter-dimensional Amazon. Heck, I¡¯d even take an inter-dimensional DHL at this point! At least they might be able to take an order and bring it to me. I¡¯m going to need to make charcoal for one thing; green wood won¡¯t be able to burn as steadily or as hot as charcoal will. However, even the most simplistic method will take time to collect or process enough wood, chop it into the right sorts of sizes, build it into a mound, cover the mound with mud, and then the actual time that the wood will take to char until it becomes useable charcoal. That last alone will take a couple of days. So all together, probably a week of work. Then there¡¯s all the processing of the ore itself. Another good two weeks of effort when I consider all the time it takes to create the tools as well as actually do the job ¨C I¡¯ll need to build a kiln, and hollow a log to make bellows. And then even after I¡¯ve actually got a lump of rudimentary iron out of the process, it¡¯ll take a good amount of time to turn the unformed metal into the shaped tools I¡¯ll need to even begin creating the arrowheads and spearheads which are my first priorities. So, we¡¯re looking at about twenty to thirty days of pretty consistent effort before I can expect to be able to make some better quality weapons. And that¡¯s just the black-smithing work. For arrows I¡¯ll also need to make a balanced arrow-shaft, fletch it, then attach the arrowhead. Not to mention that the tools and spear will need handles or shafts, all of which take time to create. Even if the tanning was the only other thing I needed to do, it probably wouldn¡¯t be possible to fit them both in. Though, at least the longer days on this world and my reduced need for rest and sleep do mean I can get more work done than the average person on Earth. Heck, more than the average person in Nicholas¡¯ world too since, although a twenty in Strength is technically possible for anyone, not everyone will have it. Besides, I have other aims in mind too. I want to explore more of the connection I felt to fire. Obviously I don¡¯t want to have unexpected events like what¡¯s just happened, so I need to work out how to exert some control over it. Perhaps applying some of what I¡¯ve learned with Flesh-Shaping could help? Certainly, being able to control the temperature of the iron would make my task of processing the metal significantly easier. So I definitely want to work on both of those. In addition to Flesh and Fire-Shaping, I do still want to work on Earth-Shaping since I reckon that that would be very useful too, especially with my plans for the future. Both practical for daily life and useful in combat, I¡¯m keen to find a way past the obstacle stopping me from ¡®feeling the earth¡¯, whatever it is. And then there¡¯s weapons training. As I learnt this morning, actually taking time to focus on technique is a good way to earn a new Skill which offers good benefits to using that weapon in combat. I¡¯m determined to get an equivalent Skill for archery, and then to train both of them up. That means dedicating time to sparring. One thing I didn¡¯t think of earlier regarding tanning is also my need to create some more clothes for myself. Though armour is a must, I need things to wear under the armour, and my current clothes are in bad condition. Either I need to create softer hides which can replace my clothes, or I need to cannibalise clothes to create intact items I can wear. I¡¯m getting there with making a needle, but still haven¡¯t completely succeeded in making one which will be suitable. In addition to making the needle, I¡¯ll need to also make the thread. For that, I guess animal hair would be my best bet if I can find something with long enough strands ¨C so far I haven¡¯t come across many furred animals. My own hair hasn¡¯t yet grown out enough to use ¨C though I¡¯m certainly sporting an increasingly impressive beard. Otherwise, I could use sinew or bark-fibre. I add ¡®make needle¡¯, ¡®make thread¡¯, and ¡®make clothes¡¯ to my list. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Finally, there are all the normal daily tasks. Fetching water. Cooking food. Hunting. Collecting Cores for River¡¯s debt. Helping my Bound to get closer to their evolution. Not to mention helping the new additions become comfortable with the rest of us. Plus, my experience so far has taught me that I get restless when I do one activity for too long. Then again, I think ruefully, I suppose that with as many things as I¡¯m adding to my to-do list at the moment, I¡¯m not going to have to worry about running out of different things to switch between. Adding ¡®Fire-Shaping¡¯, ¡®Earth-Shaping¡¯, ¡®Sparring¡¯, ¡®Charcoal¡¯, and ¡®Ore processing¡¯ to my to-do list and eyeing it once more, I decide that I¡¯d better give up definitively on making metal tools and weapons before needing to address the quest. Which means that I need to resupply myself with arrows and create another flint-headed spear. Maybe two more, actually, in case one of ours breaks. I add ¡®arrows¡¯, and ¡®spears¡¯ to my list. Ah well, at least River¡¯s poisons add another element to the weapons, plus my bow is only just now starting to reach its full draw with my current strength. When I increase my strength, I¡¯ll have to either find another material or a different construction method to enable it to cope with me. Or change to a weapon which will more directly translate my strength into damage. An atlatl, perhaps? It¡¯s worth considering: I haven¡¯t dedicated so much time to a bow that I couldn¡¯t switch to a different weapon right now. But whether it¡¯s a good idea or not, I¡¯ll have to decide later. Besides, I like my bow. It¡¯s a lot to do. Fortunately, I do have my Bound who can help out, especially when it comes to hunting, collecting resources, and in River¡¯s case, some of the processing too. A plus point to having a sapient, humanoid Bound, for all that the whole thing leaves me with a knot of guilt in my stomach now when I think about it. Mentally, I put collecting enough Cores to pay River¡¯s debt to the top of the priority list. That, and saving his village, are what need to happen before I¡¯ll be able to offer him his freedom and feel confident that he won¡¯t feel obliged to accept a Companion Bond unless he wants to. Satisfied at having decided how to spend the next thirty-seven days, though already exhausted at the thought of all the work ahead, I decide that it¡¯s time to get going on my to-do list. First, I feel that I need to experiment with the potentially practical uses of Flesh-Shaping. Deciding to go outside, I pull a torch out of my Inventory and light it. Perhaps it¡¯s a bad use of resources, but I¡¯m awake now; I might as well get some work done. It¡¯s probably more of a waste to lie down here and just stare at the ceiling when I¡¯ve ¨C clearly ¨C got so much to do. Walking out of the cave, I head towards the Bisonisan corpse that Bastet and the cubs happily tucked into a few hours earlier. Hopefully the fact that it¡¯s not complete won¡¯t make a difference. I don¡¯t see why it would: that¡¯s the whole point of a ¡®healing¡¯ spell, after all ¨C making torn and broken things whole again. Whether it being dead is a limiting factor is another question. Time to find out, I decide, touching the body and feeding mana down to my fingertips. This time, instead of my mind hitting a wall as I try to follow the mana, I¡¯m able to actually enter the corpse of the ostrich-dinosaur hybrid ¨C apparently called a bisonisan. Immediately, I notice the differences with this experience compared to when I¡¯d experimented with my Bound. When exploring Hades¡¯, Persephone¡¯s, River¡¯s or Bastet¡¯s body ¨C and to a lesser extent Fenrir¡¯s and Sirocco¡¯s ¨C I felt a resistance to my presence. I guess it was from the Energy or mana already circulating in them. It hadn¡¯t caused me any issues since the resistance was only slight, mostly serving to make it easier to keep my mana together while I moved it through their bodies. I¡¯d imagine that¡¯s either because they¡¯re my Bound, or because they consented to my presence. Or both. Here¡­there is very little resistance. Practically none, in fact. If anything, the flesh I travel through seems to suck at my mana, pulling it away from me rather than pushing it together. I find that it¡¯s draining to move in the body, making it more of a struggle than I was expecting. There¡¯s also¡­something missing. I can¡¯t quite put my finger on what but I feel a lack. Hmm, worth trying to identify later, I decide. Scanning the body is even easier than doing it with one of my Bound, but there is one drawback to the body being dead: when I encounter an organ I don¡¯t recognise, I have even less idea about what it could be for than I had for the mysterious organs I identified in River and Fenrir. At least those I recognised were for producing some sort of fluid; this could be used in digestion, reproduction, or even magic, for all I can work out. When I¡¯m finished with my scan, I head to one of the wounds closest to where I¡¯m touching with my fingertips. Not that I care much about this body, but it¡¯s a good test of whether I can heal damage even after the creature is dead. It¡¯s quite possible I¡¯ll damage a desirable hide while killing the creature, so being able to repair it after the fact would be rather useful. Getting to it, I start directing my mana into the body. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Seven: Masochist After a bit of experimentation, I conclude that yes, I can heal the damage to a dead body. However, it takes a lot of mana. If healing the spear wound on Bastet took about sixty mana, repairing a small cut to the hide of the bisonisan takes about a hundred and seventy. Almost three times as much, and the wound was probably smaller than the one I healed on Bastet. Clearly this new Skill of mine is going to be a mana-hog. I¡¯m going to have to continue to increase my mana pool and/or mana regeneration rate. If I don¡¯t use Meditation, it takes less than half an hour to completely replenish my mana pool; using Meditation cuts that time to around ten minutes. So, not too bad unless, like with Bastet after the incident with the salamander, it¡¯s a question of life and death. Though, thinking about it, possibly the issue is that I¡¯m still relatively low level in my Flesh-Shaping Skill; maybe later I¡¯ll get some efficiency bonuses which will reduce the initial cost. Or practice will make perfect ¨C maybe I¡¯m unknowingly using more mana than I need. Still, at least my experimentation has increased my Flesh-Shaping Skill level by two, taking it to Initiate eight. Plus, all the back-and-forth between my Core and the wound has also pushed my Energy Manipulation up a level to Journeyman eight. Though, thinking about it, I reckon that that was less because of the frequency of the actions, and more because I¡¯m pretty sure I managed to cross a threshold when it comes to channelling and controlling large amounts of mana at a time. Moving onto my next test, I pull out a carcass out from my Inventory. This is one of the last remaining monkiles, though my Inventory has kept it as fresh as when it was stored. Suddenly curious about whether my Inspect Fauna works on dead bodies, I cast it. The answer to my question seems to be ¡®kind of¡¯.
Paranax Tier 1 Beast (unevolved) Dead Unknown
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Actually, the information which isn¡¯t present is just as interesting as the information that is. Apparently the Skill can identify the species and tier of the beast even with it being dead. However, it doesn¡¯t give me any information about the function of the species or its strengths or weaknesses. That it doesn¡¯t indicate how much Willpower I should have to Dominate it is unsurprising: Dominate doesn¡¯t work on the dead. Or, at least, I doubt it does given everything I¡¯ve discovered about it so far. I haven¡¯t actually checked, though. Just wanting to be thorough, I turn the monkile ¨C Paranax ¨C corpse so that I¡¯m meeting its sightless gaze with my own. Muttering ¡®Dominate¡¯, I¡¯m completely unsurprised when nothing happens. But good to know that that¡¯s a feature: for all I knew, Dominate could be used as a necromancer¡¯s tool if the target was already dead. Returning to the notification with information about the Paranax, I tap at my lip in thought as I scan it again. How did the Skill know the name of the species? I get how it would know about the Tier level ¨C if the creature is in Tier two, it probably has a Core. And who knows what other physical changes are made when moving from Tier two to Tier three? So a scan that can identify such information is somewhat expected. The species name is something else. To me, that indicates that there must be some sort of ¡®database¡¯ somewhere with all these names in, and Inspect somehow has access to it. But then that raises the question about the language. It¡¯s not English, that¡¯s for sure. Pylobus had a latinate sense to it, but I¡¯m pretty sure it isn¡¯t actually Latin. So then is it in the language of Nicholas¡¯ world? That would make sense in that the stones I received were from him, and it¡¯s clear that I¡¯ve gained the ability to speak his language. Either that or the memories downloaded into my mind have been translated automatically into English. At least, I¡¯ve never had any problems understanding them, even though it¡¯s just as clear that they do not speak or write in a way that I¡¯m familiar with. The problem I have with that theory is that this is not Nicholas¡¯ world, so how would a System using a database from Nicholas¡¯ world be able to identify creatures on this one? Unless the animals were the same, of course, and the Skill was drawing from the same ¡®database¡¯ as would be found on Nicholas¡¯ world. That¡¯s, of course, assuming that the Skill would even be able to use the database this distance away from its source ¨C unless, of course, it¡¯s contained within the Skill itself. The problem with that is that the continents on Earth showed just how differently creatures could develop once they were no longer interacting and interbreeding on a regular basis. I find it highly unlikely that this world and Nicholas¡¯ have the same animals on it. So how does it work? If it gave them the names I¡¯d been giving them mentally, that would be one thing ¨C pulling from my conscious mind would make sense. Heck, calling the pylobuses ¡®dinner-plate beetles¡¯ or something would be fine too: it would have been obviously drawing on my own subconscious. But as it is, I¡¯d have never called them ¡®pylobuses¡¯. So where did the name come from? Or am I overthinking this: is there just some sort of random-generator built into the Skill where if it has no information to draw on, it just makes something up? Perhaps, though that then raises the question about if there was another person with Inspect Fauna here: would they get the same name as I have? Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. In the end, I have to shake my head and move on. There isn¡¯t another person to compare results with, so I¡¯ll just have to live with my curiosity until I get to Nicholas¡¯ world. Though, I suddenly am struck with inspiration, perhaps Kalanthia would have an idea. After all, she has her own names for each of my Bound. And that raises another point. When I Inspected my Bound, their species names came up as ¡®lizardfolk, raptorcat, lizog, and bird¡¯. Why were they drawn from my mind where all these other creatures are not? Is that another way the Bond has influenced things? I shake my head again. I have already spent too much time musing on this while staring blankly at the carcass of the paranax in front of me. Placing a finger on the paranax¡¯s corpse, I send mana down my mana channels in the familiar process. Following the flow of mana with my mind, I¡¯m now able to keep it channelling towards my finger while I¡¯m still within my own Core space. I haven¡¯t yet got to the point where I can channel it while my mind is in another¡¯s body, but I reckon I should be able to get there sooner rather than later with how things are going. Reaching the barrier of my skin, I start pushing mana into the corpse. Suddenly, it feels like a vacuum has opened up on the other side as it begins dragging my mana in. While the pull is not as strong as that of the Pure Energy I once had trapped in my hand, the feeling is similar enough that I immediately flinch back, cutting the flow. I open my eyes and stare at the corpse warily. What just happened? I wonder. Nothing has happened to the corpse itself. It hasn¡¯t changed colour, twitched, opened its eyes, or suddenly lunged for my throat. Fortunately. Should I continue? I question myself. Breathing slowly in and out, my heart slows down from its suddenly frantic beat: the last time I had something latch onto my mana and drag at it, I almost died. I¡¯m not surprised that the trauma of that experience hasn¡¯t completely left me. But maybe there¡¯s an explanation for it. After all, I¡¯d already noted that healing the small cut on the bisonisan took several times the amount of mana required to heal a more serious injury on Bastet. Could this be linked to how the amount of Energy that could be gained from a corpse dropped significantly after an hour, and was wiped out completely by my Inventory? If it is that, I say to myself, then adding more mana into the body should make a difference. Though I¡¯m a little hesitant to reestablish contact, since I was so easily able to cut the connection ¨C not like with the Pure Energy ¨C I decide that it¡¯s worth a try. Putting my finger to the same spot on the paranax¡¯s body, I cautiously establish the connection. Once more there¡¯s a hungry drag on my mana, but I quickly realise that I¡¯m in complete control of it. Not like with the Pure Energy where it pulled my resources from me like a reeling machine would a rope, but more like a fish trying to pull on a line. While I¡¯m not trying to reel it in as I would if I was fishing, I am able to control the flow of my mana, as well as still feel my mana in the body I¡¯m touching. Though I¡¯m not really able to control my mana in the other body, I¡¯m able to feel that it¡¯s¡­saturating the corpse, spreading out like dye in cloth. As for my mind, I¡¯m not able to shift into the other body ¨C yet. Unlike with the tree, I have the distinct impression that I will be able to move into the other body, probably when it¡¯s sufficiently saturated with mana. But that¡¯s likely to take some time: I¡¯m getting low on mana and haven¡¯t yet sufficiently saturated even the area below my finger. Pulling out of my Core space as soon as I hit ten mana units remaining, I sigh. This is going to take a while. Oh well ¨C perhaps I¡¯ll level up in Meditation again before too long. If it gives me another set of increases to my mana regeneration, it¡¯ll be worth the time and effort spent now. When my mana is fully replenished, I start the process again, emptying my mana pool again and again. Each time I empty my pool, nausea and a headache hit me, but, interestingly, over time, the effects seem to lessen with repetition. On the fifteenth time that I empty my mana pool to almost nothing and start meditating to regenerate it more quickly, I feel the sense of a nagging notification. Wondering if I¡¯ve ranked up Meditation or something, I interrupt my regeneration to check it out.
Achievement awarded: Masochist. The ill effects which happen when the mana inside your Core runs low are generally heeded as indications that you should not empty your Core so thoroughly. You, however, have shown a disturbing tendency to continually ignore your body¡¯s warnings. Fortunately for you, your Core has been strengthened by the stress you have put it under rather than damaged. As a result, it has become proportionately more able to hold mana. You can hold an additional 5 units of mana per point in Intelligence.
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A burgeoning smile at the appearance of an achievement is checked by the rather snarky message below. Then as I actually see what benefits the achievement has awarded, my smile grows to stretch across my face. I quickly pull up my status screen and fist-pump the air as I see the results. Thirty-six points in Intelligence now counting for fifteen units each means that, instead of three hundred and sixty units of mana, I now have a cool five hundred and forty units available. Not bad, I think with gleeful pleasure, rather glad that I didn¡¯t realise the risks of emptying my mana pool so many times in a row. At least, I¡¯m glad now that it¡¯s turned out fine ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have been too pleased if I¡¯d fractured my Core again, though at least now I know what to do about it. Though it does set me to wondering why it stresses my Core to be emptied so many times in a row, and also why strengthening my Core has had the result of giving me more mana units to work with. Not to mention whether I can repeat the effects, or do something similar for my health and stamina points¡­. My hopeful reverie is abruptly interrupted by the feeling of drops falling on my head. My mind automatically leaping to something standing above me and drooling, I look up, preparing to roll away at a moment¡¯s notice. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Refreshing As it turns out, I think that I¡¯ve been attacked one too many times because the source of the drops turns out to be something a lot more benign than I¡¯d immediately feared: rain. It seems that the clouds which had been blocking my view of the sky, and thereby my knowledge of how late in the night it is, have now decided to release their contents. The intermittent drops quickly multiply. I grab the corpse of the paranax and hotfoot it back into the cave. I think River will be glad that he decided to stick inside anyway, despite the risk of fire. Sneaking back into the alcove, I sit by the fire near Bastet. Fenrir shifts a little as I go past him, but I send a quick reassurance down our Bond and he settles back down. Focussing on the body of the paranax, I continue feeding it with mana, my new mana pool helping, though also taking longer to regenerate each time. By the time I¡¯ve finally managed to fully saturate the corpse of the paranax with mana, I¡¯m shaking my head in shock. I¡¯ve tried to keep track of how many times I¡¯ve emptied my mana pool to give me an estimate of how much mana it¡¯s taken, and the total is frankly frightening. And that¡¯s not including what my regeneration would have given me during the channelling. Perhaps even as much as ten thousand units of mana have disappeared into the corpse of the monkey-reptile cross. If the amount increases along with size, I shudder to think how much mana the salamander would have required. At least it seems like once I¡¯ve put mana into the body, it doesn¡¯t leak out or anything. And channelling all the mana has actually earned me a couple of things. Unfortunately, no stat points, though I suspect that if I¡¯d done this before reaching twenty points in my Wisdom stat, I¡¯d have increased that. Or my Intelligence. Then again, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯d have been capable of doing this with any fewer stat points in those than I currently have: controlling as much mana as I have been is a bit of a strain at the best of times. Still, it¡¯s got easier thanks to my Energy Manipulation advancing another level. My Flesh-Shaping has also increased by one level. Not a huge amount, perhaps, but I sense that my actual control has improved more than either of those would indicate. By the end of it, I was capable of channelling mana directly from my Core to the body, even without being ¡®present¡¯ in the body. When my mind was in the body, I was not only able to channel the mana, but also direct the mana in where to go in the body, ensuring that everything was evenly saturated. Interestingly enough, I had some sort of instinct that this was the way to go. Bastet is awake, made obvious when she shifts closer to me. Now, my side is pressed up against her soft feather-fur, warmth coming both through her body and across the Bond. Closing my eyes, I send my mind into the creature¡¯s body. My mind is able to move around the whole corpse with no hesitation, moving as easily there as it can in my own body. It¡¯s easier by far than when I tried to move around the dead bisonisan¡¯s body; easier even than moving in my Bound¡¯s bodies. Pulling out from the body, I open my eyes, curious about something. I cast Inspect Fauna, wondering if the description might have changed now that the creature is so saturated with my own magic.
Paranax? Tier 1 Beast (unevolved, saturated) Dead? Mana: 856u (2u per minute loss) The body of a paranax which has been saturated with foreign energy for some unknown purpose. An inefficient mana battery: 10u of mana will be required for every 1u of mana stored.
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I often find my notifications interesting, and this is no exception. I¡¯m glad that I used Inspect on the body again, especially when it gives me another level in the Skill. Whether that was because I was already close to levelling or because different actions offer different progress to levelling and this happened to offer a lot, I don¡¯t know. Anyway, I consider the questions raised by the new information. The question-marks themselves are particularly interesting. Do they mean that I could change the species of something, since it¡¯s now in question? Or by adding mana, have I meant that the creature is not quite a paranax anymore? And what¡¯s up with ¡®dead¡¯ being questionable all of a sudden? Could I actually bring a creature back to life through this? Or is flooding a corpse with mana what a necromancer needs to do before he can raise the corpse and make it undead? I mean, I¡¯m assuming necromancy is a thing now that magic has been added to the mix, but I don¡¯t see why not. Especially if death can be ¡®questionable¡¯ long after the fact. That ¡®saturated¡¯ is now being considered on par with the creature being unevolved probably means something, but I¡¯m not sure what. Then there¡¯s something I find the most interesting: the body has become a mana battery. Clearly not a good one: it¡¯s both highly inefficient in terms of what went in there, and also leaks so that I would lose the whole store in a few hours. However, it does raise the possibility that I could find something better for the purpose. I hadn¡¯t even considered mana batteries before. Though there was that thought I had earlier¡­. ¡°Bastet,¡± I say quietly, not wanting to disrupt the raptorcat cubs who I can tell are fast asleep. Bastet herself is just staring at the fire, calm thoughtfulness coming over the link from her direction. Yes? she responds after a moment, turning to face me with curiosity in her eyes. ¡°Do you mind if I test something?¡± What? she asks again immediately, a hint of wariness coming across the link. Not wariness because she thinks I¡¯ll hurt her intentionally, but caution caused by having lived through a number of my poor decisions. Not to mention the recent fire episode. Honestly, her attitude is actually refreshing. River is great and I know that I¡¯ll miss him terribly if he decides to have nothing to do with me after I¡¯ve released him from the Bond, but I¡¯m realising how exhausting it is doing anything with him at the moment. The problem is that I suspect he won¡¯t say ¡®no¡¯ to me out of his own feelings of owing me obedience. So I have to consider whether he actually wants to say no, but isn¡¯t doing so out of a desire to please me. I know I¡¯ve made my own bed here by the way I started our relationship, but it does make me crave something simpler sometimes. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Now that Bastet¡¯s capable of more understandable communication, I see myself turning to her more and more, honestly. Well, we¡¯ll see if things get better with River first. At least Persephone and Hades appear likely to be more towards Bastet¡¯s way of approaching life than River¡¯s; maybe it¡¯s a difference of culture when growing up? A question for another time. ¡°It should be fine,¡± I try to reassure her. ¡°I just want to feed a load of my mana into you and see what happens.¡± The feeling of scepticism increases despite my attempt at soothing her worries. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not going to ask the mana to do anything. I just want to¡­¡± I trail off, figuring that ¡®see if you can become a magical battery for me¡¯ wouldn¡¯t sound great. There¡¯s silence between us for a few seconds. If this causes a problem for me, I expect you to correct it, Bastet tells me finally. ¡°I promise,¡± I say, meaning it. After all, if Bastet had any sort of problem, caused by me or not, I¡¯d do my best to sort it anyway. Then I¡¯ll allow it, she consents, turning her head back to the fire and leaning into my knee more heavily. I feed mana through my hand and into her. With all the practice I had with the corpse, I find that I¡¯m actually able to do it without even fully entering my Core space. That will certainly make healing her easier, though I may still need to go into Meditation to actually do the healing bit. After channelling most of my mana pool into Bastet, I cast an Inspect Fauna on her.
Raptorcat: Bastet Tier 2 Beast (Evolved (rare) ¨C Fire) Special abilities: Fire-breath. Health: 1300u Mana:150u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 35 Bound (Companion) of Markus Luke Wolfe. Most commonly used weapons are its natural features of teeth and claws, though this Beast may use the wind generated by its wings and its magical ability of Fire-breath to gain an advantage. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds. Will not quickly or willingly give up previously-formed Bonds.
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This is the first time I¡¯ve used Inspect Fauna on Bastet since her evolution. Maybe I should have used it before, but I didn¡¯t think of it. It¡¯s interesting seeing the changes. Nothing I didn¡¯t know, much like River¡¯s, though. I do find it interesting that I¡¯d have needed fewer points in Willpower to Dominate her than I would have needed for the kiinas, even post-evolution. I¡¯m not sure why that is ¨C is it due to species or personality? Or are there other factors I¡¯m not aware about? And what does that (rare) tag mean? Nothing like that appeared in the kiinas¡¯ descriptions. That tickles, Bastet tells me a moment after I use the Inspect Skill on her. ¡°You felt it?¡± I ask, my eyebrows rising up my forehead. It ran through my Energy channels and poked at my Core, she added. Huh. So that¡¯s why it could potentially enrage Tier two creatures, I guess. Since the kiinas had already been intending on attacking us when I used it on one of them, I don¡¯t know if my Skill had any impact. Besides, the one I used it on is now dead. Actually, considering he came straight for me, maybe that¡¯s an indication that he was irritated by the Skill¡­. ¡°Did you feel anything from my mana? Or now?¡± I get the impression of a shrug from her. Warmth. Nothing more. Well, at least it doesn¡¯t hurt her. I shrug too. I didn¡¯t see anything about Bastet becoming a mana battery or anything like that. Maybe it only happens if I saturate the target with my mana. Considering Bastet¡¯s size, bigger even than she was before her evolution and already bigger then than the paranaxes, it¡¯ll probably take another several hours to do that. I don¡¯t feel like dedicating that much time for now. Maybe later. I do leave the mana I already transferred, though: even if she isn¡¯t identified as a ¡®mana-battery¡¯, if I can withdraw the mana I put in her later, she could act as one in a pinch. ¡°Alright, thanks,¡± I say to Bastet. ¡°Let me know if you feel anything odd or uncomfortable at any point, OK?¡± Yes, she assents easily, then lays her head down on her taloned paws. I turn my attention back to the corpse next to me. Despite having been around for hours, it doesn¡¯t smell worse than it did when I first got it out. Maybe even better. Nor has it become bloated or stiff ¨C I¡¯d put it in my Inventory too soon after killing it for rigor mortis to set in or for any other effects of decomposition to begin showing. None of those are showing now either. Touching it, I send my mind into it quickly. Once more moving around its body mentally, I marvel at both the ease and the amount of information that¡¯s at my fingertips. Figuratively speaking, if not literally. With my own magic suffusing its organs, I can tell instinctively what each of them are for and how they should work if the creature were alive. I gain information about how its slightly-scaled, tough skin works, and how so many things interact which I¡¯d never even considered before. I marvel at the information that I sense is being imprinted on my Skill. Where Lay-on-hands seemed to contain all the information needed to heal, Flesh-Shaping seems to be more an open book waiting to have knowledge recorded in its pages. I reckon that, having done this, I¡¯ll have a much easier job healing paranaxes in the future ¨C if I so wish. And even if I don¡¯t end up healing any more paranaxes, any other creatures with similar physiologies are likely to be easier for me to deal with. If that was the only benefit, it would still be good; more knowledge is always useful. However, there¡¯s an even more important benefit of which I soon learn: shaping flesh which my mana saturates ends up being a doddle. With the amount of knowledge I have about the body of the paranax, changing small elements of its body is child¡¯s play. I extend its claws, change the shape of its teeth. I thicken its skin and then change the shape of the scales into spikes that emerge from its body. Emboldened, I try to do some more ambitious actions. Reshaping its legs to ones similar to me takes some more mana out of me, as I find I have to resaturate the parts of flesh which are created as well as the actual growth taking mana. Pausing for a moment, I consider what to do next. I¡¯m tempted to try something more difficult like enhance its heart or brain or something, but I decide not to in the end: with it being dead, it would be hard to discern if my changes were actually an improvement or would have killed it if it hadn¡¯t already been knocked off its mortal coil. In the end, I just go with something that would be immensely practical if possible: removing its hide from its body without leaving any scraps of fat or flesh attached. A few minutes and a bit of mana later, I¡¯m holding the paranax¡¯s bloodless hide in one hand. Its skinned corpse isn¡¯t even leaking any blood on the floor either, since I managed to close every blood vessel that would otherwise have leaked while I was removing the hide itself. Even though I have no intention of using the paranax¡¯s hide for anything ¨C too rough for clothes, not tough enough for armour ¨C I still practically glow with satisfaction. This will save so much time. Now I just need to test if I can do the same thing with a section of flesh already detached from the body: the salamander¡¯s skin. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Nine: More Flexible Pulling a chunk of the salamander¡¯s hide out of my Inventory, I immediately set to injecting mana into it in the same way as I did the paranax¡¯s corpse. To my pleasure, it works! It still takes a lot of mana: I have to wait twice for my mana pool to refill before I succeed in saturating the roll of skin. It¡¯s a bit longer than my height and about two thirds of that in width, so it¡¯s pretty big in area. However, since it¡¯s only skin with a bit of fat and flesh attached, I reckon that it actually takes a bit less time to saturate than a corpse of similar volume would. I¡¯d have to test it out to be sure, but my impression is that each centimetre cubed of flesh takes less mana to saturate than the organs of the paranax had. Even though I know that skin is actually considered an organ by itself. When I sense that the hide is fully saturated with mana, I sink my mind into it. Moving through the skin is a bit different from moving through a complete body. It¡¯s¡­all very similar. There¡¯s no depth to my perception, no sense of there being more to discover. Instead, it¡¯s skin and not much else. However, I¡¯m just as able to interact with it as I was the paranax¡¯s corpse. I sense that I can toughen the hide at the expense of its flexibility, or the reverse. I can even grow the hide to a certain extent, though when I try doing it, I find the process is more sluggish and mana-consumptive than doing the same on either the paranax or the bisonisan. I wonder why. It makes cleaning the hide very easy. I strip the fat and flesh off it in a few minutes and a small amount of mana. Pulling my mind out of the corpse, I toss the fat into one pot and the meat in another: I always need fat for the continued treating of my weapons. Not to mention for making new soap since I¡¯m getting through my block of it rather quicker than I¡¯d imagined. And the meat will make a nice meal for me, especially combined with some of the new plants I¡¯ve discovered. Actually, I decide to toss in a couple of the roots I found which have a nice flavour when they¡¯re cooked ¨C apparently called ¡®snoom¡¯ ¨C along with the leaves which disintegrate in water ¨C volel. Picking up the hide, I run it thoughtfully between my fingers. Without the fat or flesh attached, it¡¯s more supple, more flexible. But there¡¯s still no getting around the fact that it¡¯s thick, armoured skin from a beast which was multiple times my mass. It¡¯s still far stiffer than the paranax¡¯s hide, but is no doubt far better armoured too. However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to get around the need to tan it. Tanning is necessary to stabilise the skin so that it doesn¡¯t rot. I don¡¯t want to go and create some armour and then suddenly find that it¡¯s rotting off my body. Though would leaving my mana in the hide stop it from putrefying? Perhaps. I don¡¯t really want to try it with the salamander hide, though: it¡¯s too precious. Sighing, I¡¯m about to add the hide back into my Inventory, when I pause. What if shoving it into my Inventory strips it of the mana I put into it? Figuring that it¡¯s actually pretty likely, I decide to test with something else first. The paranax¡¯s hide is sitting on the floor next to me, and is still full of the mana I shoved into it earlier. Picking it up, I put it in my Inventory. A moment later, I pull it back out and try to connect to it with my mind. To my dismay, my fears proved true. My mind is stopped at the barrier of my skin and I feel the same sense of void which I¡¯d felt when I started injecting the corpse with my mana. It seems like my Inventory keeps proving that it¡¯s less useful than I¡¯d thought. I¡¯m sure there are ways around its Energy-draining properties, but I don¡¯t know them ¨C unfortunately none of the stones I absorbed came equipped with that information. Staring at the fire, I take stock. So, I have a roll of salamander hide full of mana which will lose it if I toss it in my Inventory, but will spoil quickly if I don¡¯t. Heck, it might even start showing signs of deterioration overnight, and I¡¯m still a good few days away from actually starting the tanning process. I sigh. While it¡¯s possible that my mana will help stop the process of decomposition, there are no guarantees. And if I let it rot and then have to use magic to regenerate the bits of flesh which are damaged, I might end up using more mana than it would take to resaturate the skin anyway. I¡¯m just going to have to bite the bullet. Before I do that, however, I decide to see if something else works. I put my hand on the salamander skin and focus on pulling mana out of it, the complete reverse of what I was doing earlier. My mana inside the hide is sluggish to respond. It¡¯s like it¡¯s changed in some way, become different as it¡¯s made contact with the flesh. Perhaps it has: I¡¯ve had notifications which have mentioned ¡®healing¡¯ magic. No reason why this couldn¡¯t have become ¡®flesh¡¯ magic. Eventually some mana filters back into me, but I can sense that the ratio between what I put in and what I can get out is even worse than the notification had said would have applied to the paranax. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Actually, that¡¯s something I haven¡¯t tested yet. I quickly use Inspect Fauna on the skin, only to get back a result which I probably should have expected: none. The pulse shoots out of me as normal, takes longer than usual, only to then return to me without any more information. Since I was using it on a piece of the hide rather than the beast itself, I¡¯m not really surprised. It would have been nice if it worked, though. After I¡¯ve pulled out as much mana as I can, almost refilling my pool with the fifty-three units I was able to access, I put the roll of salamander into my Inventory with a sense of resignation. As my last test of the day, I take the paranax hide in my hands once more and refill it with mana. Since I¡¯m only dealing with the hide instead of the whole body this time, it takes a lot less mana ¨C just a bit more than my mana pool this time. Since I sense that I¡¯m pretty close to saturating it after I¡¯ve dumped my whole mana pool in it, I don¡¯t wait for my mana to regenerate completely, just adding mana points as they start to become available again. Once it¡¯s full, I put it near the entrance-way of the alcove: if it does start to rot overnight, I don¡¯t want the smell to stink up the whole of our sleeping area. By this point I¡¯m actually starting to feel sleepy again, so after putting the hide aside, I go to lie down next to River on the ¡®bed¡¯. Tomorrow¡¯s going to be a heavy day, is the last thought to go through my mind as I drift back off to sleep. ***** I think I dream, but if I do, I don¡¯t remember it. At least there are no spontaneous eruptions of fire ¨C I suspect that rain or no rain, River would have given up on sleeping inside if there had been. When I wake, grey light is filtering into the cave from outside. It¡¯s still raining, though not as heavily as the first rainstorm that hit us. Sighing, I remind myself that there are things I can do, rain or no rain. The first of which is calling a meeting of all my Bound. And yes, that includes Hades and Persephone. While I wait for my two newest Bound to make their way up to the cave, I take advantage of the rain to collect clean water by putting out as many containers as I can. I won¡¯t even need to boil that water since I doubt this world has any sort of contamination similar to the pollution-filled skies that I¡¯m used to from Earth. I also drink a bit of meat and nutty broth and chew the last of the berries I collected. Hmm, maybe I could grind that root up into flour, I think. If I can do that, then find edible eggs ¨C surely possible in this world of reptilian creatures ¨C I could probably make some basic pancakes. Mmm, pancakes¡­. Add some berries either to the batter or squish them into berry sauce and I¡¯ll have a nice little breakfast. Of course, it would be even better if I could mix them with milk and add a knob of butter, but so far the only creatures I¡¯ve encountered with milk are Kalanthia ¨C who I don¡¯t dare ask ¨C and the raptorcats, but not Bastet herself. Perhaps I could make some tea of some sort, though, I say to myself thoughtfully. Although I prefer to drink either coffee or black tea with milk, I¡¯m fine without it when drinking herbal teas. Actually, that basil-mint herb might work quite nicely as a herbal beverage¡­. By the time I¡¯m done, Persephone and Hades are heading into the cave, their movements slow and reluctant. I¡¯d imagine that, like it was for River at the beginning, it¡¯s the equivalent of voluntarily walking into the belly of the beast. While I might have reassured them that Kalanthia¡¯s not going to eat them, their instincts are no doubt screaming at them with every step. Still, they come in nonetheless, shaking off their wet scales like a dog would. I grimace as the droplets pelt me, making me unpleasantly damp. Sending a hint of displeasure down the Bond to help is met with indifference. The grumble of dissatisfaction that comes from Kalanthia¡¯s bed is significantly more impactful, and I take pleasure in their flinch and hop backwards. Maybe that will teach them to be more considerate of those who managed to stay dry. Sirocco, who wings her way in next, sends me a grumpy feeling down the Bond. I guiltily realise that she probably stayed outside with the kiina because I hadn¡¯t told them to come in, and as far as she knew, she was meant to keep an eye on them. Sorry, I tell her down the Bond. Why don¡¯t you go and dry off by the fire? I¡¯d stoked it after waking so it¡¯s burning merrily. Of course, I only have a limited amount of firewood indoors, and the rest is outside and getting wet. Sirocco takes off without another ¡®word¡¯ ¨C clearly giving me the cold-shoulder. Well, I suppose I have a decent supply in my Inventory too, but those are more spindly branches than decent chunks of wood. I resolve to change that situation once the wood outside has dried again. From what both River and Kalanthia have said, we¡¯re going to be facing a lot more of this wet stuff so I¡¯d better have a good supply of dry firewood on hand. Finally, we¡¯re all gathered. Hades and Persephone are near the entrance to the cave. Bastet and the cubs have elected to stay with Sirocco near the fire. Fenrir is pressing up against me and River has decided to lean against the wall of the cave and stare out at the rain. I¡¯m sitting in the alcove entrance, bridging the gap between the two groups, just like I¡¯ll be bridging the communications. ¡°Right everyone,¡± I start. ¡°Here¡¯s the plan.¡± Book Two: Growth -Chapter One Hundred and Ten: Monday Morning Meeting As I lay out our objectives, I have the weirdest sense of being back in a Monday morning team meeting. ¡°First of all, Hades and Persephone, we recently passed through a forest of carnivorous trees which I believe are the reason you were pushed out of your territory. I think I know why they¡¯re growing so quickly and have a quest to deal with the issue. I have a time limit on that quest of forty-three days.¡± I stop and reconsider. ¡°Actually, forty-two from today. So we only really have thirty-six days to prepare before we¡¯ll need to leave. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know exactly what is going to happen but, given our experiences in that area, I doubt it¡¯s going to be easy. I¡¯m going to be working on a number of tasks to improve my defence.¡± I pause again as a thought occurs. ¡°I might be able to improve others¡¯ defence too, but no promises.¡± After all, if I end up being able to use magic to speed up the process of tanning and shaping the tanned hides, I might be able to create armour for my Bound as well. Some of them, at least ¨C I don¡¯t think either Bastet or Sirocco would be keen considering it would directly impact their offensive capabilities. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to be very busy with a number of tasks, meaning that I¡¯m not going to be doing much hunting. That doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t though.¡± I look around at them all meaningfully. ¡°What I want all of you to do is to work towards improving yourself. That means daily sparring, which I will take part in too.¡± After all, it will help both my own technique and my use of Flesh-Shaping. ¡°River,¡± the lizard-man turns to look at me. ¡°I want you to work on your herbalism. Test out those different herbs, see what kind of concoctions you can make. Try them out on enemies unless you¡¯re very confident that they are beneficial, but try to give us a range of options that we could use on different opponents.¡± Yes, master, the lizard-man readily agrees. ¡°Bastet,¡± she cocks her head to show she¡¯s listening. ¡°Practise that new ability of yours; see if there¡¯s a way of making it more efficient, or more useable in battle. Test it out on enemies, find out how powerful it is. Get to know it a bit.¡± Yes, she agrees, sending a sense of anticipation and excitement. I probably didn¡¯t need to tell her to do this as it is, but better to be clear. ¡°Sirocco, Fenrir, and River,¡± I continue, looking at each of them one by one, ¡°Try to get as close to your evolution as you can. The more Tier Two teammates we have, the more firepower we can bring to a fight. You all saw what Bastet has managed to achieve with her Evolution.¡± They all send a sense of agreement and then also a mixture of other responses. Irritation that I felt it necessary to be said ¨C Sirocco. Eagerness ¨C Fenrir. Anticipation and a hint of trepidation ¨C River. Wondering why he¡¯s trepidatious at the thought, I don¡¯t allow myself to get sidetracked. ¡°Do any of you need Energy-Hearts as matters stand?¡± Sirocco sends a negative feeling, but both River and Fenrir indicate the need for one. Pulling a couple out of my Inventory, I notice the dwindling supplies. Well, if nothing else, the quest means that I¡¯m likely to be able to replenish our stocks, if not offer even more than that. The two kiina lean forward as I pull the Energy-Hearts out and hand them over. They seem interested, which might actually answer my next question. ¡°Hades and Persephone,¡± and that¡¯s a bit of a mouthful to say, ¡°What do you feel you need to do to improve from where you are now?¡± They are my first two Tier Two Bound ¨C if we don¡¯t include Bastet. Which I don¡¯t in this context since she¡¯s only just evolved. While absorbing the Energy Hearts was important at Tier One, I don¡¯t know if such a technique would work well at Tier Two. Hence why I¡¯m asking. Hades and Persephone ¨C Sephie? Nah, sounds too cutsie ¨C exchange glances and some body language I struggle to understand. I¡¯ll probably get to grips with it in time, just as I did with River¡¯s, but for now I have to go off the feelings coming across the Bond instead. And they¡¯re not particularly informative. We must spend time hunting and time¡­resting. The pause before the final ¡®word¡¯ is because Sephie isn¡¯t quite sure how to communicate exactly what she means. From the images that she sends me, of them resting and concentrating on the Energy flow around their bodies, it sounds more like meditation to me. ¡°Then do that. When River needs to go out into the forest to collect ingredients, or Bastet wants to test her ability, go with them. Until your pregnancy means that you can¡¯t, anyway. If you want access to Energy Hearts, let me know. We don¡¯t have an unlimited number, but we do still have a reasonable number. Though if you find any Cores in the animals you hunt, please bring them back,¡± I remember to say. Why? Hades demands, clearly not liking the idea. I raise my eyebrows at him, wondering if he¡¯s going to be difficult over this. ¡°If you must know, because a member of our group owes them to Kalanthia.¡± I tilt my head towards the massive nunda lying against the cave wall. ¡°Would you like to explain to her why she won¡¯t get them?¡± A blast of fear comes across from his side of the Bond and his wings mantle. No, he replies shortly. His mate jabs at him with her toothed beak, perhaps the equivalent of an elbow-nudge from a human female. We shall do this if you give access to these¡­Energy Hearts. Persephone says. ¡°Of course,¡± I respond quickly. ¡°I already said you could have access to them.¡± The kiina sends over a wordless agreement. I want to take the cubs out, Bastet says suddenly breaking through the silence that has briefly fallen. ¡°What, into the forest? Like you did before?¡± Yes. They must learn to hunt. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Alright,¡± I shrug. No issues with that. ¡°As long as you still get a chance to practise your new fire-breathing. Actually¡­.¡± I turn to face the giant nunda resting with her eyes half-closed. ¡°Kalanthia, would you like Lathani to go out with them? I think that will give her a more realistic hunting experience than when you are there as a scary presence.¡± I am more able to hide from prospective prey than perhaps you think, Kalanthia¡¯s voice rumbled in my mind. Yet, it is a good suggestion. If you deem your Bound sufficient protection for her then I agree with your suggestion. ¡°What do you think, Bastet? Are you confident enough about your ability to keep Lathani safe?¡± I check with her. A sense of indignant offence comes across the Bond. Of course. I will not take my cubs into dangerous areas. Not until they are ready. I hold up my hands in a placating gesture. ¡°Just wanted to check. So, Kalanthia, Bastet seems confident and I trust her judgement.¡± I¡¯m not sure how much Kalanthia¡¯s telepathy picks up on the communication we have via the Bond, so I figure I¡¯d better transfer the message anyway. Then I will entrust my cub to her care if I am not planning on going out hunting with her later. It will do her good to absorb the Energy of kills in addition to that of Cores, and when I am hunting with her, I receive the vast majority of it, Kalanthia admits. That makes sense. ¡°Alright, any other questions?¡± I ask, looking around the group. After waiting a few long seconds, I decide that there aren¡¯t, or at least, none that they want to ask right now. Looking outside, I see that the rain seems to be easing off. Maybe it¡¯s not going to be a day-long rain-storm like the last one was. ¡°Right then, let¡¯s get to it,¡± I tell everyone. Oddly enough, though I¡¯m already exhausted at the thought of all the work to come, I¡¯m also strangely excited about the potential gains in the next few weeks. ***** By the end of the morning, I¡¯m already making progress. Since I¡¯d got the Spearmanship Skill from spending a bit of time practising with a spear, this morning I elect not to actually join in the sparring itself, but to see if I can get a similar Skill for each of my other weapons of choice. I spend a bit of time with each weapon, focussing on holding it at first and nothing else. Then, when I think I¡¯m holding it correctly, I check my posture. Each of the weapons demands a different approach. Using the spear required my centre of gravity to be low, my weight easily shifted forwards or backwards. Using a bow is a more upright posture, but is equally planted in the ground. There, my feet don¡¯t point the same way, but instead are perpendicular to each other, keeping my balance while offering me some flexibility to deal with the tension and release of the bow string. My knees are supple; my hips are open. As for a mace, the position doesn¡¯t seem so strict, and is mostly about keeping my core muscles tense so as to be able to manage the weight of the weapon. Because of the heavy head of my mace, it¡¯s quite a different technique from either the spear or bow. Then, of course, after focussing on my posture while staying still, I have to work on it while being mobile, all without actually attempting to attack anyone. I do have to interrupt my efforts to heal my Bound after their own bouts. Since Persephone and Hades are so new to the group, I decided that it would be best for them to watch from the side-lines for this go. The others took to the task with relative ease, but they¡¯d already built bonds of trust from fighting and travelling together; all Hades and Persephone know of us is as enemies. I think it will be better to ease them into the idea of sparring ¨C hopefully letting them watch what¡¯s happening rather than taking part immediately themselves will help. Once we call it a day for sparring, everyone goes off to do their individual tasks. The rest of them all head into the forest for a hunt or to collect ingredients. The cubs and Lathani go with the group, so it¡¯s pretty quiet in the cave with only Kalanthia and me present. ¡°What shall we do with ourselves?¡± I ask Kalanthia with a hint of amusement curling my lips as she steps out of the cave. She huffs at me. Well, I intend on taking full advantage to have an uninterrupted nap, she tells me with a sense of pleasure. ¡°Enjoy that, then,¡± I say, giving her a thumbs up. Hint taken: I won¡¯t disturb her. I sit down in the sun with a baked potato ¨C well, this world¡¯s equivalent. I¡¯d felt several notifications appear as the morning wore on, but have exercised some discipline in not actually checking them until now. I hope they are what I was expecting from this morning¡¯s efforts. A quick glance sends a smile across my face. Sure enough, I¡¯ve earned a Skill for each of the weapons I practised with. I quickly look at the description of ¡®Archery¡¯.
Archery You have taken the first step along the path to Master Archer. You have displayed an understanding that wielding a bow means more than simply setting a stick against a string, pulling it back, and letting it go. Continue practising techniques designed for the more efficient and effective use of a bow in order to advance this Skill. Gain 2% to the effects of Dexterity per level in this Skill when using a bow.
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Mostly what I was expecting. I wonder why I haven¡¯t had this Skill until now, though? After all, unlike my use of the spear and mace, I did actually try to put some effort into my technique at the beginning. Was it that I needed to cross some threshold of use first? Or that my technique at the beginning was too flawed? Still, I¡¯ve got it now, and it basically looks like my Spearmanship Skill except for only enhancing Dexterity. I move onto the next message, seeing that I¡¯ve received another new Skill. Having expected it to be ¡®maceship¡¯ or ¡®macery¡¯, I¡¯m surprised at its actual name of Blunt Weaponry. I check its description, intrigued.
Blunt Weaponry You have shown a more nuanced approach to the use of a blunt weapon than simply swinging it at a target. Improve this Skill by continuing to practise techniques designed for the more efficient and effective application of force with blunt weapons. Gain 5% to the effects of Strength (Power : Endurance = 4 : 1) when using a weapon which principally deals blunt damage to a target.
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Now this is a more interesting Skill. Not only is it more widely applicable, affecting all types of blunt weapons, from the looks of it, but it offers a much better enhancement ¨C five percent in total per level in the Skill. Which means that by the time I get this to novice, I¡¯ll be hitting almost half again my Strength. Though the question I have is how the ratio between Power and Endurance is calculated. At the moment, I essentially have eight points in Power and twelve points in Endurance. So does that mean that I¡¯ll get an increase of four percent to eight points and one percent to twelve points? Or that I¡¯ll get a blanket five percent increase to my twenty total points, four fifths of that enhancing my Power, one fifth of it enhancing my Endurance¡­? I guess that I¡¯ll have to practise and increase the Skill level to find out. Notifications checked, it¡¯s time to get on with my next task: working on my tanning basin. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: A Good Water-Trough ¡°At last!¡± I say, smoothing my hand lightly across my finished tanning basin. It¡¯s taken longer than I wanted to get it done, but finally, I¡¯m ready to make the next step towards having better armour than modern-day clothing and my skin. Carving the basin has taken a while, but it would have been less time if I¡¯d dedicated a couple of days to it. However, I¡¯ve had other things to do, and don¡¯t mind too much that it¡¯s ended up taking five days to get to this point. In fact, I decide to celebrate by taking a break ¨C and eating one of my most recent experiments with food. It¡¯s a sort of flat cake which I made with ground roots, water, and one of the five eggs River managed to find for me on one of his hunting trips into the forest. I was a bit dubious about them at first, but they turned out to taste much like the eggs I¡¯m used to ¨C a bit more strongly ¡®eggy¡¯, perhaps. Either way, it seems to do the job I wanted it to of holding my cake together. I also sip from my sneleon shell which is now filled with a herbal tea of those berries with a couple of leaves which go quite nicely together. With the woodlice-type creature¡¯s shells working well enough as deep bowls, I can now use the sneleon shell purely for drinks. I keep two other pots in my Inventory at all times with water that¡¯s safe to drink. After my experience of suffering from thirst while getting out of the vine-strangler forest ¨C and almost dying in chasing the sounds of a river ¨C I want to make sure I always have a couple of days¡¯ worth of drinking water in my Inventory. In fact, I should probably make some more big clay pots exactly for that purpose ¨C with my increased strength, I should be able to lift them to put them into my Inventory. It¡¯s just that all the effort of making and firing pottery leaves me feeling tired before even starting. Well, maybe I can make a few containers out of other parts of the tree trunk ¨C I¡¯m pleased with my recent efforts, after all. So thinking, I inspect my basin with proud eyes. While it¡¯s still very roughly-hewn, it¡¯s deep and wide enough to be able to take a couple of hides at a time, if I choose. Plus, the sides are thick enough that it shouldn¡¯t leak much. If it does start leaking, I will seal the inside with pitch, but since that¡¯s a fair bit more work, I¡¯m not planning on doing that unless it proves necessary. At least, it proved to be a good water-trough when it rained again yesterday, so I don¡¯t think I need to worry too much. Next, I¡¯ll need to mash up the brains with some hot water to create my tanning solution, something which I¡¯ll do this evening. That way it can soak overnight and then I can start stretching it on one of the frames I¡¯ve also prepared. However, before that, I have another task that I need to do ¨C I need firewood for the night. Heading over to the two pieces of trunk, I swing my axe at the tree trunk. An interesting effect of my newest Skill is that apparently an axe counts as a blunt weapon. Or my axe does, anyway: perhaps a properly sharp metal axe wouldn¡¯t. Which means that I gain extra Strength when I use it for the practical task of chopping firewood, just as much as I¡¯d gain it in combat. Useful! Since I¡¯ve already got that Skill up to Beginner three, that means an additional fifteen percent increase to my Strength. By this point, I¡¯m getting pretty sure that the answer to my original question about the ratio is that it¡¯s a percentage of my Strength as a whole, divided afterwards into four fifths towards Power and one fifth towards Endurance. When I¡¯m wielding the axe, I get a whole six points added to my stamina. Such a boost. Not. Anyway, that works out if I look at my total Strength points ¨C twenty ¨C multiply that by fifteen percent, and then assign the three points that would give me along the ratio of the Skill. Power (Endurance) would earn point six of a point, which would give me six more stamina points. I suppose that I should be glad the fractional value is being taken into account at all, but I can¡¯t help rolling my eyes at little. Then again, if I can get the Skill up to the Beginner ranks, I¡¯ll be getting eighteen more stamina points, which might make more of a difference. And if the increase continues or improves in Novice levels¡­. Though, I do have to admit that I feel the difference even at only Beginner three. I suppose that¡¯s because I¡¯ve effectively increased my Power by twenty-five percent ¨C the benefit of having fewer points in it. Since I only have eight points in Strength (Endurance), but the Skill seems to take my Strength value of twenty as a whole, and then assigns four fifths of the increase to Power, my Strength (Power) is increased by more than two points. So perhaps it¡¯s not too surprising that I notice a difference in that. I find myself wondering whether I have to actively be using my axe or whether I could just do actions with it in my hand. If the latter, I could see it as a bit of a cheat for certain laborious tasks¡­. A good twenty minutes or so of sweaty work later and I¡¯ve chopped a chunk off the trunk. Now I need to split it into actual logs suitable for my fire. I¡¯ve become aware that my fireplace isn¡¯t actually completely suitable for proper firewood now I¡¯ve started using it. I designed it while using branches found on the forest floor which I could easily snap into shorter lengths if necessary. However, longer and thicker firewood logs don¡¯t fit quite so well. I¡¯m not keen on putting in the effort right now to remake it, though I¡¯m sure I could do a much better job a second time around, not when I¡¯ve got hopes of changing the location of my base. I¡¯ve decided to see how the quest goes before deciding whether to rip out my fireplace or not. Until then, I¡¯ll just cut my firewood a bit shorter than ideal. Tipping the chunk of trunk onto its end, I use my axe to make a deep cut in the centre. Then, grabbing a wedge of wood which I made for this purpose, I hammer it into place with my mace. A bit of a make-shift hammer, but it does well enough. After a few blows, the tree splits in half. Sometimes the cut hasn¡¯t been as successful and I¡¯ve got a third off rather than a half, but I¡¯m getting better at identifying where to make the initial cut. Using the same technique, I set to cutting the half into logs suitable for my fireplace. I¡¯ll probably need another round or two like this to have enough wood for the next day, maybe two if I let it die down significantly over the day. I don¡¯t like letting it die completely, though, since it¡¯s always a pain to light it again. The last five days have ended up falling into a bit of a routine. First, we start with some sparring. As I thought, Hades and Persephone have taken a bit of time to get used to the idea of fighting seriously, while not intending on maiming or killing their opponents. My Flesh-Shaping got a bit of a work-out the first few times. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Side note: it turns out that healing a gouged eye is possible with Flesh-Shaping; it just takes a lot of mana. Fenrir was rather happy with that discovery. I¡¯m pretty pleased with my own progress when it comes to sparring: I¡¯ve earned three levels in each of my weapons Skills, and actually earned a new one. That was when I remembered that I actually use my knife as much as any of my other weapons and started practising technique with that one too. The new Skill ¨C Short Blades ¨C turned out to be much like Blunt Weaponry in that it didn¡¯t specify ¡®knife¡¯ but seems to cover any short blade. It also offers a five percent increase to my Dexterity so I can better use the blade with ¡®finesse¡¯ ¨C direct quote. I¡¯m starting to wonder if there¡¯s something wrong with my spear and bow Skills in that they only offer two percent increases in total, where my more general weapons Skills are offering five percent. Or maybe I¡¯m supposed to have general Skills for those in addition to the specific ones? Oh well ¨C it¡¯s more than nothing which is what I was dealing with before. After the sparring, we tend to all get on with other tasks. River has been hard at work with the potions I asked him to experiment with, spending his time either mixing potions or in the forest looking for more ingredients, usually with one or more of my other Bound. He¡¯s been testing out the effects of potions he¡¯s pretty sure are poisonous on his prey, but we¡¯ve all still been test subjects for potions he thinks will be beneficial. Needless to say, I¡¯m glad that Flesh-Shaping has also proven able to deal with poisons. Actually, that particular Skill has jumped into the mid-Journeyman ranks thanks to its workout over the last few days. I pull up my status screen to have a look at how it¡¯s coming on.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 12 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 29u/hr Energy towards debt: 86% (255)
Intelligence 36 Mana: 540/540 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 34 Mana regeneration rate: 850u/hr
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 20 Health: 200/200
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 2 Inspect Fauna ¨C Beginner 6 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 8 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 3 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Initiate 1 Meditation ¨C Initiate 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Journeyman 9 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5 Spearmanship ¨C Beginner 5 Archery ¨C Beginner 3 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Beginner 5 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 1
Despite not actually having been all that long, several of my Skills have made progress. Obviously, all the weapons Skills have increased due to the time I¡¯m spending working on technique during sparring. Actually, thanks to making an effort during cutting firewood to focus on how I¡¯m holding the axe or the hammer and in bringing it down with both power and precision, Blunt Weaponry has actually caught up with Spearmanship, despite being earned later. As Hades and Persephone have relaxed with the group, I¡¯ve noticed my Dominate increasing, so I venture to say that there might be some sort of relationship there. Tame is still stubbornly sitting at Beginner 9 despite Sirocco gelling better with our group, so I don¡¯t know what I need to do there. Tame another creature, perhaps? I¡¯ve been out into the forest once since I Dominated the kiinas, my excuse being to collect plants for food, but the reality was that I was getting antsy about being in the same place all the time. I tried to make the outing useful, though, exercising all my Inspection Skills as well as Fade and Stealth, two Skills I haven¡¯t paid much attention to at all recently. Since I¡¯m generally travelling with a group of much less stealthy Bound, there¡¯s not much point. However, they¡¯re still good Skills to keep sharp, just in case I have to go somewhere alone, or only with Bastet. Interestingly, Stealth jumped forwards two levels and Fade quickly increased by one. Perhaps it¡¯s linked to the work I¡¯ve been doing on my Energy channels? Or through Meditation? Speaking of that particular Skill, it¡¯s increased all the way to the maximum level in Initiate; I look forward to seeing what the new developments will be there. I was a bit mystified by the upgrade to Flesh-Shaping. Not sure whether to be disappointed or pleased. I pull the description up again.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Initiate. Flesh-Shaping is now Journeyman 1. You have become a confident user of mana in both your own body and that of others. You have focussed on healing with some exploration of non-healing purposes. You have saturated the bodies of both living and dead creatures and discovered some of the different effects that this causes. While your Skill remains more healing-focussed, it has grown to include more non-healing modifications. Scanning a body now gives more information about the body of your target, and the functionality of different aspects. You are more able to memorise this information and automatically use it to achieve your goals. The previously narrowed focus of your Skill has widened once more, opening up options which you have not yet tried.
Close message? Y/N
The problem is that it¡¯s just so¡­vague. Previous upgrades gave percentages which were easy to quantify. This time, though, it just talks about improvements and widening and growing. It will probably prove to be useful, but for now I can¡¯t see the extent of its utility. I sigh, closing the screen. Oh well, at least it¡¯s probably more useful than my Animal Empathy upgrade which basically amounted to improving my ability to understand my Bound¡¯s body language, even directly after Binding them. Not much use when I don¡¯t often use either of my binding Skills. It was probably because I had so recently Bound Hades and Persephone that I got that upgrade. Hopefully the next one will be better. Though thinking about upgrades, I reached a hundred percent progress towards my next level a couple of days ago. Ever since then, I¡¯ve been debating whether I should level up at all. While my procrastination has meant that my debt has been reduced by another percent, I do need to make a decision. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: Advantageous This issue is, as always, the fact that I¡¯m still suffering the consequences of absorbing too much Pure Energy. The twenty percent reduction to my Willpower, and thereby my Health regeneration rate, is a constant spectre which I don¡¯t seem capable of exorcising. From what I saw when I earned points to Strength and Dexterity, I¡¯m losing part of the Energy that rushes through my inner world to the black void that is the result of the Pure Energy. I think it¡¯s logical to say, therefore, that every level up I do while still suffering the reduction is partially wasted. That¡¯s simply not something I want to keep doing. I¡¯ve already lost who knows how much in levelling up to twelve, most of those levels while suffering the effects of the Pure Energy. I didn¡¯t have any choice then ¨C it was level up or explode. I do have a choice now. However, I¡¯m not making much progress on fixing it, either. Which is to say ¡®none¡¯. I¡¯ve tried feeding mana into the blackness, but it just seems to disappear, or be devoured or something. Either way, I haven¡¯t felt that it¡¯s improved in the slightest, and I¡¯ve emptied my mana pool into it several times. Heck, I¡¯ve probably fed enough mana into it to saturate the paranax corpse twice over, but still no sign of anything changing. Oh well ¨C at least all the using and refilling of my mana pool has done wonders for my Meditation Skill. I haven¡¯t earned a new Masochist achievement, sadly, but perhaps an upgrade to that will come in time. I¡¯m also finding myself frustrated with my magical efforts. I still haven¡¯t managed to ¡®feel the earth¡¯, despite trying. As for fire, that¡¯s going better ¨C I¡¯ve certainly been able to ¡®feel¡¯ that, sense its connection to the world around and to me, but I haven¡¯t yet found a way of actually asking or commanding it to do anything. I¡¯ve tried feeding mana to it, but, unlike with the corpses, I haven¡¯t been able to move the mana past the surface of my skin. At least, not while being able to control it. I¡¯ve managed to push bits of mana out, but they¡¯ve just turned into uncontrollable ¡®wisps¡¯. The fire quite happily consumed those wisps, but it didn¡¯t seem to offer me any sort of control in return. I have to guess that it¡¯s because I don¡¯t have Fire-Shaping, or something similar, but Stealth along with my weapons Skills have proven that I¡¯m able to get a Skill by practising actions relative to it. So I clearly haven¡¯t proven enough competence to even get the Skill. It¡¯s that which makes me wonder whether I should level up and use the points to give me a better chance of succeeding in making a connection with the fire. Why am I so keen on getting Fire-Shaping? Because it will make at least one of my tasks much easier, probably multiple ones. And perhaps if I get Fire-Shaping, I¡¯ll stand a better chance of understanding how to get Earth-Shaping, which would make at least one other task easier. Another factor that I¡¯ve been turning over in my mind with regard to levelling is that it could be useful to see how the mental and soul stats affect my inner world. Watching the Energy make changes to my Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity was very interesting, the Energy washing around my inner matrix and seeping into my body from there. I haven¡¯t been able to use that knowledge yet in any sort of way, but I might be able to in the future, somehow. I¡¯d like to see whether Energy making changes to my Intelligence, Wisdom, or Willpower stats would be similar to what happened with my physical ones, or different. Perhaps it could even give me an idea about what I need to do. My issue is that although I¡¯d like to spread my points out evenly between all three stats, the nature of my level up doesn¡¯t seem likely to tell me much if I do it. I was lucky when I was able to see how Strength and Dexterity changed my inner world: I earned each of those points individually. On level up, I think that all changes essentially happen at once. Meaning that if I increased all three of my mental and soul stats, I¡¯d end up seeing all the changes at once, rather than knowing which ones applied to which stat. While that might help me anyway, it would be less clear than if I could see each stat at a time. But the problem there is that I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to earn another level up before the quest. If I was going out hunting every day, I probably would be able to, despite the much higher Energy requirements per percentage point now that I¡¯m level twelve. With me mostly spending my time crafting and meditating, though¡­. Actually, a thought suddenly occurs as I think about Meditation. I know what happens if I meditate while my mana pool is empty, but what happens if I meditate when it¡¯s full? It¡¯s an interesting question. I sink into my inner world and just watch my Energy channels for a while. I¡¯m intentionally not meditating, not properly. I¡¯ve noticed the difference as I¡¯ve increased my capabilities both with Energy Manipulation and Meditation itself. Although at first entering my Core space was only possible with Meditation, now I¡¯m capable of doing it at a much¡­greater level of awareness, I suppose. I remember when entering my Core space meant I was basically unaware of what was going around me. Now it¡¯s not like that. Or it doesn¡¯t have to be, at least. I can dip into my Core space and watch the movements of Energy while still listening to a conversation, and be aware of movements around. I still can¡¯t use my physical eyes and mental eyes at the same time, but perhaps I¡¯ll get there. Of course, there are consequences to not being so deeply engaged. The slowing down of time that I experience when I¡¯m deeply engaged in my Core space is not present, which means that changes and fluctuations are a bit harder to see: they happen too quickly for me to notice everything. More relevant, it also means I don¡¯t trigger true Meditation, meaning that I don¡¯t gain its benefits of increased mana regeneration. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. After watching a bit, trying to get a sense for the flow of Energy coming in, I then focus on calming my mind and body, triggering Meditation. My mana pool is full, so if Meditation simply works to fill my mana pool and then stops working, I shouldn¡¯t see any change. If, however, it pulls Energy in regardless of whether my mana pool is full or empty, the flow of golden Energy through my channels should increase. Of course, given that I¡¯m now experiencing the relative speeding up of my perception, that makes it a little difficult to tell if the flow has increased or stayed the same. The flow only reduces slightly in my estimation, but I have to guess that, in fact, it has sped up. By this point with my bonuses from Beginner and Novice levels, my Energy increase should be more than twice what it was before. Shame I can¡¯t check my status sheet in this state to see for sure. My speed of perception is probably three or four times faster while I¡¯m deep in both Meditation and my Core space. Therefore I conclude that Meditation is most likely helping me absorb more Energy than I otherwise would. It would help if I could see a percentage increase to confirm my idea, but since it took me two days to get the last percentage point towards my debt, I¡¯d have to focus on Mediation for almost a full day to be sure. I¡¯m not willing to commit that amount of time to it: there are so many other things to do. If I do earn Energy faster while in Meditation, I muse idly, perhaps I need to see if I can access some sort of meditative state when I¡¯m doing other things too. While I might not get the full hundred and thirty-five percent increase to my rate, if I could even get a fifty percent increase, it would help. I might even manage to earn another level before we need to go finish that quest. Which brings me right back to where I started. Levelling up. It would certainly be advantageous to have more stat points, I muse. Especially if I can get two level ups under my belt before heading off into the valley. I¡¯ve already made significant inroads into my debt and still have over two hundred and fifty days before it will come due, so that¡¯s not a reason to delay. And potentially I could learn more about how to fix my soul damage from the experience¡­. It seems like my subconscious has decided that levelling up is a good idea, despite the potential risks. The question now is where to put my points. I automatically cross out Strength and Dexterity: I¡¯ve already increased those since gaining access to my Core space. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll learn anything more, and I already know that I lose out on improvements from those with my soul the way it currently is. Whatever is considered my soul by this system, anyway. I think about Constitution for a moment. It clearly has a link with health; maybe it has a link with health regeneration that I¡¯d be able to use to heal the damage to my Willpower stat. Or maybe not. Maybe I¡¯d just suffer some invisible reduction to whatever Energy I dedicate to that stat. If I was going down that route, I might as well put all my points in Willpower. That¡¯s the one that¡¯s damaged; potentially putting points in it might show me the route to getting rid of the continuing legacy of my encounter with Pure Energy. It¡¯s an idea and I put it to one side for later consideration. I dismiss Intelligence after a moment¡¯s thought. More Intelligence would be great, sure. The way it improves the functioning of my mind is definitely a point in its favour and the mana points it would give me would be great, especially with how they now give me fifty percent more bang for my buck each time. But I¡¯m not sure that more mana would help me in any way. I haven¡¯t got anywhere with as much mana as I have; do I really want to gamble that ninety more mana points would solve all my issues for me? Wisdom, however, is another strong contender. As far as I¡¯ve worked out, Wisdom seems to be linked to connection. Certainly, it was healing the Energy channels in my Core space which removed the penalty I¡¯d gained to that stat after my encounter below the vine-strangler forest. While most of those connections were woven in with each other, connecting to create the ever-flowing mandala of my internal matrix, there were a handful which reached out and then¡­stopped. They were, in fact, the last ones I completed and when I did, I noticed that my Energy absorption rate increased from twenty-six units per hour to twenty-nine. So clearly Wisdom has a big impact on my Energy absorption. That¡¯s another reason I feel that adding all six of my level up points to Wisdom might be a good idea ¨C if I¡¯m wrong and it doesn¡¯t directly help me either to remove the final reductions to my Willpower, or to get the hang of Fire-Shaping, then at least it will help me gather the Energy I need for levelling up again that much faster. I take a moment to consider Willpower again, but it¡¯s not long before I settle on Wisdom as the best choice for now. The main problem I have with Willpower is that it¡¯s a gamble. With it damaged the way it is, putting points there could show me how to repair it¡­but it also might just waste the Energy. Or worse, potentially actually damage my soul further ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure levelling up again before I fixed my Core would have been a bad idea, for example. Alright, direction chosen, I act without second-guessing myself ¨C again. Activating the level up ¨C something I feel I haven¡¯t done for a long time ¨C I¡¯m almost surprised when the box comes up to ask me about sub-categories. I hadn¡¯t thought of that. Breadth or Depth, it asks. Good question. Before all of this, I had no idea about what these might mean in practical terms. Now¡­I have a couple of ideas. Having discovered my Core space, what if my internal matrix is what it refers to? What if Breadth is about spreading it wider where Depth is about enhancing what is already there? And which would be better in this situation? Breadth might easily give me more Energy absorption per point spent, but Depth is more likely to give me information I could potentially use to heal myself. That latter is a bit of a gamble, though ¨C it might just as well mean that it is more likely to lose Energy to the hungry black void within my Core space. Breadth, on the other hand, might help my efforts to connect with fire. Do I have to choose? I question myself. Choosing one stat to put all my points into makes sense to me. But when it comes to choosing the sub-categories in the same stat? Choosing to split my points evenly might mean I get a bit less information about what each of the subcategories do, but I should learn more about Wisdom as a whole. Decided, I plug three points into Breadth and then three points into Depth. If I¡¯m lucky, the changes will happen chronologically and I¡¯ll actually be able to see the difference between them anyway. My last point chosen, I quickly dive back into my Core space, Meditation engaged and perception speed increased as much as possible. I don¡¯t want to miss anything that¡¯s about to happen! Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Symphony I enter my inner world before anything starts happening. At first glance, nothing is different. Then, as I look at my Core, I see that the light within it is growing in intensity, the usual fluctuations moving faster and faster until my whole Core is a steadily-glowing heart of heat-less light. I normally compare my Core to being the star at the centre of the solar system which is my inner world, but only now I can see just how wrong I¡¯d been. Now, it¡¯s a star. A source of light so bright that I feel even my mental eyes should have been burnt out by its intensity. When the luminance increases beyond anything I thought possible, there is a pause. For a heartbeat, it feels like time has stopped, like the world is taking a breath. And then with the exhale, it all begins. Like the strident first notes of a symphony where every instrument plays simultaneously, the light explodes out of my Core like a tidal wave. An ocean of light forces itself through my narrow channels. I don¡¯t understand how it¡¯s possible for such a huge amount of Energy to fit in them, but somehow it works. Normally almost completely detached from my bodily sensations, I still feel the echoes of the intense pleasure which usually pours through me during a level up. Now inside my inner world, I can see what causes it. The Energy, at first so uniform, has shattered into a thousand or more smaller movements. Like a wave which encounters obstacles and becomes different ripples, the tsunami which had ripped through me is now ricocheting around the mandala. Getting closer, I investigate what¡¯s happening on a more detailed front. Every time the Energy passes through my mandala, the channels widen and somehow¡­strengthen? Unlike with the Strength and Dexterity points, I don¡¯t notice much Energy seeping through the channels themselves into the blackness beyond. There is some, but it doesn¡¯t appear to be doing the same thing as the Energy which seeped out during the individual Strength and Dexterity points. It also appears a little different from the rest of the Energy passing through me. Dimmer, perhaps? More bronze than gold. At least it¡¯s not much. I¡¯m satisfied at the thought that I shouldn¡¯t be losing a whole load of my level up benefits to the ever-hungry void which surrounds part of the mandala ¨C just as I¡¯d hoped. As I investigate my internal matrix, I realise that there¡¯s something else happening. The Energy isn¡¯t just washing around my mandala, it¡¯s also pushing in rhythmic waves through the channels which lead outwards. Worried that I might be losing Energy to my surroundings, I go to see what¡¯s happening. I probably am losing some Energy to my environment, but the majority of it is actually being used. Each pulse of Energy extends the threads outwards just a bit more. The channels are noticeably growing ¨C I¡¯m surprised at just how much. Considering that I¡¯ve only added six points to Wisdom in comparison to the thirty-four I¡¯d had previously, I wouldn¡¯t have expected it to have had as much effect as I¡¯m seeing here. By the time the pulses of Energy start slowing down, the threads extending from my mandala must have put on a good third more growth compared to what they¡¯d had when I first arrived. I¡¯m not complaining, but I do have to wonder why. Is it because I committed so many points to Wisdom all at once? Or is it because the points become more ¡®valuable¡¯ as I increase in level? And they themselves move past certain thresholds? Certainly, less Energy is required to add a point to a stat with fewer than ten points than if the stat already had more than that in it. Presumably, that means more changes were made with each of the stat points. Is that what¡¯s happened here? Or is forty a threshold value of some sort of itself? Perhaps I¡¯ll find out when I add points to my other stats. The pulses of Energy have slowed down significantly by now, the ripples moving much more slowly and sluggishly than they had at the start. My matrix in general is dimmer, not as under strain as it appeared to be earlier. Looking at my core, I note how it seems a lot dimmer now. Not in a bad way; in fact, if anything, I would say it looks in better condition at this level of brightness. The patterns of movement inside are more relaxed and it just simply looks under less stress than before. I¡¯m not too surprised at the observation ¨C it was the Pure Energy¡¯s forcible filling of my Core that both caused the damage to it and gave me no choice but to level up again and again. Actually, I¡¯m a little surprised that I didn¡¯t cause damage to my internal matrix as a whole: now I¡¯ve seen what happens when I level up, I would imagine that starting another level up before the last one has really finished would cause overloading of the internal matrix itself. Well, maybe it would be good for me to go through my matrix with a fine-toothed comb just to make sure. Nothing is showing on my status sheet about it, but that might just mean any damage isn¡¯t serious enough to appear. Not right now, though. Thinking that it¡¯s all over, I¡¯m surprised when the remaining ripples within my internal matrix suddenly reverse direction. Where before they had been ricocheting around my mandala, now they concentrate back on my Core, moving back to encircle it like a halo. Wondering whether some of the Energy is actually going to be reabsorbed, I¡¯m quickly proven wrong. Instead, it explodes outwards, a sudden wave of light going through my internal matrix. When it reaches the outer loops of my mandala, it actually feeds into the luminous blackness, continuing to expand out to the limits of my Core world. As it does that, it seems to collect those motes of bronze light I had noticed earlier, which interestingly enough haven¡¯t diffused into the blackness the way I was expecting. At the edges of my inner world, the wave seems to diffuse through the edges of my Core space and then¡­vanishes. Perplexed by this finale, I pull out of my Core space, only to be hit by a sudden wave of nausea. I¡¯m quickly reminded of something I¡¯d forgotten happened at times like this, not having levelled in a while. For all the pleasure during the levelling up itself, the aftermath isn¡¯t fun. Not to mention something else: the smell. It¡¯s not actually too bad. I don¡¯t think I even vomited this time ¨C I don¡¯t see any evidence of it, anyway. Perhaps my body has got rid of the majority of its toxins, or perhaps a non-physical stat causes less purging, I don¡¯t know. Is this what that final explosion of light did? Stolen novel; please report. Of course, less purging doesn¡¯t mean none ¨C I¡¯ve still sweated dark brown stuff and currently stink to high heaven. I can see my Bound recoiling in disgust, their sensitive noses probably suffering more than mine. Sirocco is the only one not seemingly bothered ¨C probably her sense of smell isn¡¯t the best, being a bird. Her eyesight is probably her strongest sense. Even Lathani decides to make a comment, padding over lightly and circling me once. You stink again, she announces. ¡°Hello to you too,¡± I reply, more than a little amused. I haven¡¯t seen her a lot recently ¨C her waking hours have been spent out in the forest with either Bastet and a couple more of my Bound, or her mother. By the time she gets back, she¡¯s been too tired to do much, tending to just go into the cave and sleep. Her efforts are bearing fruit, though ¨C her body is even more lithe and muscled than before, her gait sinuous and balanced. She makes only the barest whisper of a noise with her paws even when she¡¯s not trying to be quiet. In fact, she¡¯s growing into quite the little predator. You need to wash yourself, she chides me, sitting down, her head held primly cocked to one side. ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± I sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going down to the river now.¡± I match words to action, pushing myself to my feet. ¡°Who wants to come with me?¡± I ask, looking around at my relaxing Bound. Hades and Persephone are both meditating with Cores and express a lack of desire to move. Fenrir sends over a feeling of tiredness ¨C I suppose that it¡¯s not surprising considering that he went out earlier today with the hunting party. That leaves River and Bastet. I¡¯ll come, Bastet says. I¡¯ll bring the cubs. Would you like me to come, master? River asked. By this point, I¡¯ve mostly just accepted that his overly-subservient demeanour is unlikely to improve before our arrangement has been settled. ¡°Sure. The more, the merrier,¡± I tell him. Can I come too? asked Lathani, getting to her paws and bouncing around a bit. I glance up at her mother but Kalanthia just yawns in disinterest. I guess that¡¯s implicit permission. ¡°Alright,¡± I tell her then glance over at Bastet. ¡°Are you OK watching over Lathani while I wash myself?¡± The raptorcat sends over the feeling of a nonchalant shrug. Considering that they¡¯ve been out several times into the forest together, there shouldn¡¯t be any issues. Grabbing my soap, we go down the hill. It¡¯s actually quite nice to be in the company of the closest of my Bound and Lathani. Almost like a return to a previous time, though River hasn¡¯t been here much longer than Sirocco or Fenrir. Still, with his full sapience, I feel like we¡¯ve been able to build more of a bond together. Though how much of that will prove to be real after I release the actual Bond, I don¡¯t know. The thought is depressing, so I hastily divert my mind off the topic. Instead, I try to feel the differences between pre- and post-levelling. I haven¡¯t yet checked my status screen, but I¡¯ve definitely got more of a sense of¡­connection to my surroundings. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a sixth sense which is slowly being awakened. I¡¯m not limited only to my eyes anymore, though my new sense is nowhere near as clear as my other senses. It¡¯s more instinctual, like a flicker in my peripheral vision or the hint of a scent. I also feel less like an outsider. More like I¡­belong here. It¡¯s odd to say, but I feel a kinship to the creatures and plants around me that had been missing before. Curious about how it might affect my Inspection Skills, I cast Inspect Environment. There¡¯s a qualitative improvement ¨C I feel the pulse go further and impact more plants and hidden creatures than it did before. Interesting. ¡°Just one moment,¡± I say to my companions. They stop, looking at me curiously as I cast Inspect Flora on a plant by my feet. It¡¯s one I recognise, one I¡¯ve cast before. I¡¯m doing that intentionally: I¡¯d like to see how it¡¯s changed.
Common plant: Sycopsis franguloides Edible: Yes (leaves, roots after being exposed to high heat, berries after being frozen) Alchemical uses: Leaves (unknown), sap (unknown) Medical uses: Unknown (burn treatment). This plant is an evergreen which may have specific properties when exposed to extremes of temperature. It has multiple alchemical and medical uses.
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The answer is that yes, there is significantly more information. Where before only leaves had been identified as edible, now the roots and berries are marked as edible, but only after they¡¯ve been exposed to a certain temperature.There¡¯s also more information about the alchemical and medical uses ¨C clearly the leaves and sap are the most useful when it comes to alchemy. More experimentation will be needed to find out which part of the plant is good for treating burns, and what needs to be done to make it into suitable medicine. Still, it¡¯s a lot more information that I¡¯d had before, proving the immediate use of adding points to Wisdom. Looking up at River, I tell him about the new properties that the Skill revealed to me. He looks interested and leans down to pick the plant. ¡°Why don¡¯t we come back this way and grab a few then?¡± I suggest. ¡°That way we don¡¯t have to carry them for long. You can experiment when we get back.¡± Very well, River agrees, standing up straight again. It¡¯s not long before we get to the river bank. We all check the surrounding area for any signs of threats. Not seeing any, I strip off my clothes and squat down by the river, washing them out first. There¡¯s no point in putting on dirty clothes after getting clean, after all. After washing them out, I tuck them into my Inventory. They¡¯ll need to dry, but I¡¯ll drape them over a bush near the cave rather than a bush here. Another glance around not revealing anything, I step into the river itself. By this point the cold doesn¡¯t bother me too much. Part of it¡¯s probably my increased Constitution ¨C I¡¯ve certainly noticed that temperature has bothered me less as it¡¯s gone up ¨C but most of it is probably just that I¡¯ve got used to cold baths. I¡¯m not overthinking it now, just getting on with it. As I soap myself up, I do think longingly of nice hot showers, or a luxurious bath in which I could spend an hour, topping it up with warm water as it gets cool. I¡¯ve just tucked my soap into my Inventory when I feel something brush past my leg. My senses immediately leap to high alert and I still, looking around me. I don¡¯t see anything, but my nerves are jangling. It could have just been a current of water that briefly changed the texture of the water. But my instincts are telling me that it¡¯s more than that. Not bothering to rinse myself off, I start wading back to shore. Just in case, I pull my knife out of my Inventory, gripping it firmly. Bastet and River have both stiffened too. River is focussing intently on the river itself, where Bastet is looking around the area in case we¡¯re about to be ambushed. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve seen anything; I think it¡¯s my own alarm which has set off theirs. Lathani is looking confused, but seeing her companions¡¯ tension, she too is preparing, crouching down with her ears pinned back against her head and her teeth bared. I¡¯m almost to the shore when I feel the current of water change around my leg. Master, there! I hear just as I look down. A mouth appears out of nowhere and slams shut on my limb, a crushing bite piercing my skin in a second. Before I can react with more than a hiss of pain, a powerful yank pulls me down into the water which closes over my head. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen: Poured Concrete For one crucial instant, I¡¯m frozen. I¡¯ve had a lot of fights, but none of them has been underwater. It¡¯s immediately disorientating. I hadn¡¯t been expecting to be pulled under, so I didn¡¯t take a proper breath before the waters enveloped me. My sense of hearing is muffled, my sense of sight blurred by the water. Having lost my footing, I can¡¯t immediately tell which way is up. Reaching out with my free hand, I manage to touch the bed of the river ¨C that¡¯s down, then. Bracing my free foot against it, I push up enough to break the surface briefly. Enough time to gasp in air, but no more. Because it¡¯s then that the creature crushing my leg makes its move. Before I know what¡¯s happening, I¡¯m being twisted in the water, my leg forcing my body to turn or be ripped away. It¡¯s all happening so quickly! I don¡¯t have time¡­. Time. This seems like the worst moment to do it, but I dive into Meditation and my Core space. Fortunately, all the practice I¡¯ve had with this allows me to do it even when I¡¯m so disorientated and, yes, panicked. In my Core space, my perception speed is much faster, giving me more time to think. I don¡¯t waste a single moment. I¡¯ve been attacked, I establish. By what? I think back to what happened. None of us saw the creature until the last moment ¨C it must have been camouflaged or had some ability to make it invisible. Its jaws are big enough to go around my leg. Its teeth are sharp enough to pierce my skin, but they¡¯re not that long. Its jaw pressure is immense. It¡¯s in the river. It¡¯s all very familiar. The crocodile. I last saw those jaws when they snapped together an inch from my nose. But that time, the crocodile was on dry land, my turf; this time I¡¯m in its chosen environment. I also remember something about crocodiles on Earth: the ¡®death roll¡¯. From what happened just before I entered my Core space, I suspect that that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happening here. That¡¯s not good. Although I suspect I could regrow my leg with Flesh-Shaping, I have no desire to actually do so. Unfortunately, being dismembered seems the most likely consequence of the death roll. Unless I can change something, somehow. Aware that time is still passing in the ¡®real world¡¯ I quickly run through a couple of strategies mentally before I pull out of my Core space. Now I¡¯ll have to play it by ear, getting my Bound involved where appropriate. Coming back to a full awareness of my body, I¡¯m already aware of the strain being applied to my leg, of the pain that¡¯s already verging on excruciating. Willing the pain to reduce, I don¡¯t try to ignore it completely: I need to know if my limb is about to tear free, after all. The crocodile is fully engaged in its roll by this point. The consequent centrifugal force being applied to my body means that it¡¯s very difficult for me to do any more than just try to keep my limbs as close to my body as possible and keep hold of my knife with a white-knuckled grip. River! Try to interrupt its roll with your spear! I order even as I focus my own attention on going with the movement. My aim right now is to preserve my limb if I possibly can ¨C reducing the force trying to tear it away is the best thing I can think of doing. My lungs are already starting to complain about lack of air, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about that either. Come on, River, I say to myself. The Bond already tells me that he¡¯s heard my order, and is trying to follow it. I¡¯m trying to think of other options if he doesn¡¯t succeed when I feel the frantic twisting motion start slowing. Finally. If it was hard for me before to know which way was up, it¡¯s even harder now that the river bed has been thoroughly disturbed and my brain thoroughly rattled. The water is no longer clear; instead it¡¯s thick with dirt and debris. Still, my dizzy brain is able to interpret the input of my eyes to work out that the area which is lighter is probably the surface. Using the crocodile¡¯s own grip on my leg to give me leverage, I force my upper body upwards. Briefly breaking the surface, I breathe out explosively and then back in again with a great big gasp. Thus armed, I pull myself down to where my foot is trapped. The crocodile isn¡¯t lying still. I don¡¯t know what River is doing, but either the massive reptile is trying to escape his stabs or it¡¯s trying to fight back without opening its mouth. Either way, I¡¯m jerked about a lot before I manage to grab at its head with my free hand. Its head is smooth, with no easy place to grip. I end up actually sliding my fingers between its teeth, hoping that it doesn¡¯t bite them. But then, to do that, it would have to open its jaws and let my leg out, which is exactly what I want. I heave against the jaws, trying to force them open. An utter failure: apparently twenty points in Strength isn¡¯t a match for the bite pressure of these jaws. Using my knife, I try to lever the jaws, or cut the muscles to the sides of them. The crocodile doesn¡¯t like that, tossing and twisting its head to try to deter me. Grinning humourlessly, I just redouble my effort ¨C is this the weak spot I need? The crocodile starts bucking. One moment I break the surface again, and then the next, I slam into the ground. The force winds me, knocking out at least half of the precious air I had in my lungs. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Worse, it jars my elbow. I feel a sharp shooting pain go through my arm. My hand spasms and goes numb. A moment later when feeling returns, I realise that something¡¯s missing. The bottom drops out of my stomach as I realise that I¡¯ve lost my knife! With only one possible strategy remaining, I pull myself closer to the crocodile¡¯s head, meet the its bronze-coloured eyes and mentally shout at it. Dominate! The space we enter is familiar, but the amount of pressure against me is not. I¡¯m almost forced back a pace from the very start. How is it this strong? I ask myself. But there¡¯s no time for that. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any time dilation with a Battle of Wills and I don¡¯t want to drown because I¡¯m taking too long in it. I set my face to the deluge of pressure against me and force my foot forwards a step. Pace by pace, foot by foot, inch by inch, I gain on the foreboding presence on the other side of the space. It¡¯s more than an uphill battle. It¡¯s an uphill battle through a river rushing with meltwater in the spring. Only my knowledge that if I give up I¡¯ll be rendered paralysed for ten vital seconds keeps me going. Starting this was a mistake. I¡¯d thought it would be a quick battle, was even prepared to forgo my moral qualms and forcibly Dominate the crocodile, if only to get out of its clutches. But that¡¯s not going to work; if there¡¯s no time dilation, I¡¯m going to drown before I succeed. If I can at all. Two thirds of the way towards the crocodile, I find I¡¯m unable to make any more headway. The pressure has built and built, and now feels like a solid wall in front of me. Unlike the paper bag of the kiinas, this feels like I¡¯m pressing against a block of poured concrete. I shout in frustration, anger, and fear, the sound echoing oddly around the space. What am I to do now? And then, without warning, the concrete wavers. A moment later, it vanishes completely. I stagger forwards, the abrupt lack of pressure against me bewildering. Looking towards the crocodile¡¯s form, I suddenly realise that it¡¯s not there anymore. A moment later, the space around me collapses and I come back to myself. I¡¯m coughing violently, lying on my back. I push myself weakly onto my knees and elbows as my chest continues convulsing painfully. Water splashes out of my mouth as I hack up the fluid in my lungs. My stomach, deciding to join the party, convulses too and I vomit up everything I¡¯ve eaten in the last few hours. As soon as my airway opens again, my coughs resume. I dearly hope that nothing is about to attack me because I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight off a kitten at this moment. After a few, long, minutes, my coughs subside. My lungs still feel irritated and uncomfortable, my breathing laboured, but I can breathe, and I¡¯m not being forced to cough every moment. Carefully, I sit upright and look around me. I¡¯m on land. That¡¯s the first thing I notice. I mean, I should have realised that before, but I was a little distracted. I¡¯m on the bank next to the river. The crocodile which attacked me is mostly still in the river, but its head and forelegs are propped up on the bank. It¡¯s dead. That¡¯s clear enough. The blood at the back of its head, the glassiness in its eyes, and its sheer stillness are enough clues to tell me that. Though Lathani doesn¡¯t seem to believe it ¨C she¡¯s growling angrily while glaring at it, daring it to make a move. I would be concerned by her proximity except for the fact that I¡¯m sure it¡¯s dead. ¡°Your work, I presume?¡± I croak out, looking at River. He¡¯s standing over me, the emotions from his side of the Bond only a hair away from panic. Bastet is calmer, and is keeping an eye on our surroundings. Though she, too, is very concerned. I send them both a sense of ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯ over the Bond. Yes, he answered. I¡¯m sorry, master! I know you were trying to Bind the crocodile, but you were both still and you were going blue and I didn¡¯t think that you could breathe water and- I cut him off with a raised hand. ¡°You did the right thing,¡± I say before grimacing at the pain talking causes me. I continue speaking mentally to him. I wasn¡¯t making headway fast enough. I would have drowned before succeeding ¨C if I succeeded at all. Thank you for saving me. Of course, he replies, sounding a little calmer. I apologise profusely for not seeing it in time. I failed in my task of guarding you while you were vulnerable. I beg you to punish me as you see fit for my lapse. He sounds absolutely miserable. I shake my head. I didn¡¯t see it either. Nor did Bastet. I¡¯ve encountered this type of creature before: it can camouflage itself against the river bed. Though that suddenly makes me think about something. Could Inspect Environment have detected it? A thought for later, though. I focus back on my remorseful Bound. You saved my life ¨C again. That more than makes up for any ¡®failure¡¯ to see it in the first place. I should be rewarding you, not punishing you. River actually recoils at that. No, I¡­reward? I could not accept a reward when you almost died from my negligence. And I¡¯m telling you, I repeat with as much sincerity in my mental ¡®voice¡¯, that I do not consider it negligence. There are many, many dangers in this forest that none of us know about, and probably a good number of them are not ones we could hope to win against. Certainly there¡¯s one in particular that I would still not dare to face, even with as much progress as I¡¯ve made personally and we¡¯ve made as a group. If you don¡¯t want a reward, fine, but I¡¯m not punishing you for it either. I¡¯m not going to punish Bastet for not noticing it, so why would I punish you? Do you feel like you¡¯re more capable of recognising danger than she is? I challenge with my eyebrows raised. The lizard-kin looks at Bastet hesitantly as if he wants to say something. At her narrow-eyed look, he shuts his mouth with a wordless click. Apparently he¡¯s not willing to risk her wrath by professing any sense of superiority. No, he admits almost grudgingly. Then that¡¯s the end of it, I say with finality. He tips his chin up for an elongated moment. I feel his side of the Bond lighten as if a weight has dropped away from it. Good. Now, if the coast is clear, I need to check out my body. Do either of you have any injuries? Or Lathani? No, Bastet says shortly, making it clear that she¡¯s answering for Lathani as well as herself. I am well, River replies. The crocodile did not touch me. I nod and then settle more comfortably in a cross-legged position. Time to check out the damage. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen: Are Humans Supposed to Change Colour? Sinking my magic into myself, I do a whole body scan. It takes time and we¡¯re not in the safest place, as has just been proven. Even so, I don¡¯t want to risk the damage I¡¯ve sustained worsening in the time it will take to get back through the trees and up the hill to the cave. And I have sustained damage. The joints of my leg, of course, underwent significant strain with the death roll of the crocodile. Then there¡¯s the impact I had with the ground. The wounds created by the crocodile¡¯s teeth are actually probably the least of the injuries I¡¯ve suffered, but they¡¯re there too. The worst, however, are my lungs. The influx of river water has messed with the delicate tissue that makes them up, explaining the shortness of breath and difficulty in speaking that I¡¯ve been experiencing. That¡¯s where I start my healing. It¡¯s a bit like dealing with a poison: I have to shift the water out of my lungs entirely, while retaining and repairing the mucous membrane which normally covers the alveoli to protect them. I actually take a moment to pull myself out of my mental disconnection to reposition myself. After returning to the position on my elbows and knees, my head relaxing downwards, I go back to working on my lungs. With gravity aiding me, it¡¯s a lot easier to purge my breathing apparatus of the intrusive liquid. Another pass through that area of my body to ensure that there are no foreign bodies or bacteria which could harm me, and I¡¯m pretty much done there. I shift back to a position on my back to tackle my leg next. My consciousness streaming down to where I feel a sharp ache, I start with the open wounds. Getting rid of the bacteria from the crocodile¡¯s mouth takes longer than healing the holes its teeth made ¨C it obviously had never tried brushing its teeth! With those incisions done, I move up to my knee joint. It¡¯s actually quite interesting to see: the initial injury has caused the tendons to swell around where they¡¯ve torn a little, but my own healing has clearly already kicked in. That¡¯s evident by the indications I can see that the damage was worse before. I quickly finish what my natural healing has already started and then move onto my hip. The damage is more extensive here, but it¡¯s fairly similar in type to my knee. I guess this is the bit that took the most strain when I was being flung around. Once I¡¯ve finished dealing with that, I open my eyes again, feeling much better. Bastet is sitting next to me, keeping half an eye on me, and the rest on the surroundings beyond me. River is standing with his spear ready, vigilantly guarding my vulnerable form ¨C clearly he¡¯s still being eaten up over his ¡®failure¡¯. Damn camouflaged crocodiles, I think to myself grumpily. This was meant to be a ¡®safe¡¯ trip down to the river so I could wash up, and the crocodile just had to intrude. I push myself to my feet and walk over to the crocodile itself. Lathani seems to have given up on guarding the beast ¨C perhaps she¡¯s understood that it¡¯s dead and not any threat to us anymore. She was poking around curiously at various things in the undergrowth, but when she sees me stand, she comes hurrying over. She presses up against my legs, almost tripping me. Are you well now? I was worried when the water enemy dragged you under the surface. I don¡¯t like getting wet, do you? And then you changed colour. Are humans supposed to change colour? And your leg was bleeding, and I was worried¨C I interrupt her by stroking her head and rubbing behind her ears. Leaning into my hand, I feel a rumble go through her, the sound ending on a plaintive whine. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I tell her gently. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much fun, and no, I don¡¯t tend to like being dragged under water, but I¡¯m glad that it didn¡¯t grab you instead.¡± I¡¯ve never seen anything attack from the water before, she told me, her body and ¡®voice¡¯ relaxing a bit at my reassurance. In fact, I think that you need to improve your hunting. I frown down at her. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± I mean, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s not true, but I¡¯m surprised that she¡¯s the one pointing it out. When I¡¯m out with mother we¡¯re the ones who are attacking, not the ones being attacked, she points out, with a bit of superiority. I laugh out loud. ¡°Your mother is both way too powerful for anything in this part of the forest, and also amazingly good at concealing herself. I¡¯m not surprised that nothing attacks her, or you when you¡¯re with her.¡± Exactly. She¡¯s much better at hunting, Lathani points out, like that explains everything. I¡¯m still smiling. ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll work on my hunting. Good enough?¡± This time she sends a wordless wave of satisfaction, then presses once more against my leg before bounding off to continue inspecting whatever she was looking at before. I stare after her for a moment more, a fond look no doubt on my face. Then, giving myself a quick shake, I turn to the corpse of the crocodile ¨C time to find out a little more about this beast. Casting Inspect Fauna, I wonder how much information I¡¯ll get this time from the Skill.
Nere Tier 2 Beast (evolved) Dead Able to camouflage itself thoroughly against the bottom of the river bed. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
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The answer is: not much more than I already knew. The only new information is basically that it was Tier 2. That¡¯s good ¨C there should be a Core somewhere in the body which can be put against River¡¯s debt. Given the size of the creature and the fact that it¡¯s Tier 2, Kalanthia might even be willing to count that as two Cores. With all the hunts my Bound have been doing, it¡¯s been inevitable that they would run into the odd Tier 2 creature. Especially since, I think, they¡¯ve been heading deeper into the valley at times. With the Tier 2 creatures have come some Cores. Not all were big enough, but enough have been found to bring our progress towards paying back River¡¯s debt to seven Cores out of fifteen. Almost halfway! I next step forward to examine the creature itself thoughtfully. I didn¡¯t have Inspect Fauna when I last fought this crocodile creature ¨C a nere, according to the System ¨C but I don¡¯t think that one was evolved. Certainly, Kalanthia never mentioned finding a Core, though maybe she did but just didn¡¯t mention it, assuming that I¡¯d intentionally given it to her. This one looks bigger than the previous, about half again as long and much heavier. Maybe I should use this one¡¯s hide rather than the other¡¯s for my armour? Or maybe I should use the first nere¡¯s hide as an experiment ¨C if I mess up the tanning for it, it doesn¡¯t matter too much. Getting it back is going to be a trial, though. A glint of metal catches my eye as I turn my head to the side. Frowning, I step forwards for a closer look. Then I spot it. My knife! I realise, and my heart skips a beat. Of course ¨C I¡¯d dropped it in the middle of the fight. My heart resumes its usual rhythm, though somewhat faster than before. If I lost that¡­. I¡¯m lucky that the current isn¡¯t too strong and only pulled it a little bit downstream. Wading in, I grab it and quickly return it to my Inventory with slightly-shaky hands. I¡¯m still a long way away from being able to create a metal knife, let alone something of this quality. Not to forget, of course, that I suspect there are enchantments strengthening and keeping it sharp. Coming out of the river dripping reminds me of something else: I¡¯m still wandering around naked. Pulling out a clean set of clothes, I get dressed. I put on my dress shoes too ¨C they¡¯re not exactly suitable for the forest, but they¡¯re better than going barefoot. My second set of trainers are, unfortunately, out of action now ¨C they¡¯ve got just too many cuts and holes in them to offer any sort of defence for my feet, even from the normal dangers of the forest floor. Having the soles of my feet stabbed by branches and stones is not fun, I can attest to that. Clambering up a nearby tree, I pull out my axe and start chopping at the branch I¡¯m sitting on. Obviously, I¡¯m sitting closer to the trunk than I¡¯m chopping ¨C I don¡¯t want to become a contender for a Darwin award, after all! Lathani comes over to investigate what I¡¯m doing. ¡°No, Lathani,¡± I tell her as she starts getting closer. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± She doesn¡¯t listen ¨C I get the sense that she¡¯s pretending she hasn¡¯t heard me. Worse, she wanders underneath the branch just as the weight of it starts to pull it downwards. ¡°Lathani!¡± I say with more urgency as I feel the balance of the branch starting to shift. The damn cub is just staring up at the moving branch in fascination. ¡°Move, Lathani!¡± I tell her sharply. ¡°Bastet,¡± I start, intending on getting the raptorcat to push her out the way if she doesn¡¯t obey. This time, though, she grudgingly obeys, but her stiff posture tells me that she didn¡¯t like my tone of voice. I take a few more moments to cut through the last fibres holding the branch to the tree, the heavy bough thudding to the ground. Then, jumping the couple of metres to the ground, I walk over to the nunda cub. As I move closer, she turns away so I¡¯m always facing her back, her posture that of indignation. ¡°Lathani,¡± I say to her firmly, ¡°you mustn¡¯t go underneath a falling branch. If it had hit you, I¡¯d now have to be explaining to Kalanthia why her daughter got severely injured or even killed by something that isn¡¯t even capable of attacking!¡± I sigh, looking at her stiff back and ruffled hackles. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for speaking sharply to you, but I needed to get you to move with urgency.¡± No change. I look over at Bastet beseechingly. Help? The raptorcat sends across the feeling of an exasperated eyeroll, then pushes herself into a standing position. Stalking forwards, she goes up to Lathani, cuffs her over the head, then growls at her. Don¡¯t be stupid, I hear her say, her ¡®voice¡¯ muffled ¨C because she¡¯s not directing it at me, I guess. Pack leader gave an order, you follow. Lathani growls at Bastet, her tone still unhappy. Bastet is apparently not taking any backtalk, though, and instead shoulder-checks the nunda, sending her stumbling off-balance. They¡¯re almost the same size, so I¡¯m a little surprised that Bastet manages to shift her so easily. Then again, I suppose that experience wins out every time. While she¡¯s off balance, Bastet pounces on her, rolling her over in a tumble of limbs. The contretemps comes to an end with Bastet leaning over Lathani, her paw on the young nunda¡¯s throat. You may be bigger, but you are still a cub. Follow your elders¡¯ orders without question, she instructs Lathani with finality. There¡¯s a silence for a few moments as River and I look on with interest. Yes, elder, Lathani says grudgingly. Bastet steps away and lets her up. She pushes herself to her feet quickly, then licks at her ruffled fur with a sense of embarrassment. Bastet steps forwards and licks at some ruffled fur near her ear. Good. Listening to your elders is how you become an elder yourself in time. Then you can teach the same lessons to your pack¡¯s cubs. Lathani doesn¡¯t reply in words to that, but she seems to like the idea, if the hint of pleasure coming off her and the way her fur starts lying flat again is anything to judge by. Sorry, elder, she says finally to Bastet when she¡¯s got rid of the leaves and small twigs which had got caught in her fur during the tumble. Forgiven, Bastet replies, then nudges her towards me. Lathani darts a look at me, then another at Bastet. The raptorcat growls softly, the tone warning. Lathani slumps, then pads towards me, looking like she¡¯s going to her execution. Sorry, elder, she says finally, her tone almost begrudging, her gaze fixed defiantly on mine, her ears back. Bastet growls and comes over to cuff her on the head. Try again, she orders the nunda cub. Lathani makes some grumbling noise. Now. Sorry, pack leader, she says finally, but her teeth are still slightly bared, her eyes are on mine, and her ears are back. Something¡¯s not right here. Forgiven, I say, following Bastet¡¯s lead. The nunda then stalks off, returning to prodding at the undergrowth with an anger which hadn¡¯t been present before. I¡¯m left staring at Bastet, completely baffled. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: An….Interesting Age What just happened? I ask my raptorcat matriarch mentally. First she was really concerned about whether I was OK, and now she¡¯s grumpy because I told her off for almost getting herself killed. I don¡¯t get it. Bastet comes over to me and butts at my hip, rubbing her head against me affectionately. It¡¯s a difficult age, she says to me. She is old enough to start wishing to be independent, but not old enough to truly be so. She must be reminded regularly that her elders are still stronger and more capable than she is. So, what, beat her into compliance? I ask, more than a little disturbed by the notion. Bastet eyes me. Humans are odd. Your thought carries strange nuances. No, it is not a ¡®beat into compliance¡¯, she sends back the same thought I¡¯d sent her, complete with the nuances of abuse and victimisation which I hadn¡¯t realised I¡¯d attached. It is proving that we still have more to teach. When she can overcome us, or even simply stand against us in defence of her desires, she will have demonstrated her ability to be independent. I shake my head, not in negation, just in confusion. Going over to the bough, I chop off a length suitable for carrying the long crocodile ¨C nere ¨C carcass back to the cave. Shoving the rest of the branch into my Inventory for later use as firewood, I start tying the crocodile¡¯s legs and body to the stick I prepared. So what, I didn¡¯t prove that I had more to teach, or something? I ask Bastet who has followed me over, once more taking a vigilant pose, watching the forest around. No. You were attacked, the only one out of us. You were injured. You admitted that you are not as good a hunter as her mother. I interrupt. But I didn¡¯t want to be attacked! And I¡¯m not as good a hunter as Kalanthia. Bastet sends me a quelling look and the feeling over the Bond to match. Do you wish to listen or to speak? she asks me cuttingly. I subside, then wave her on a little grumpily. As I was saying, those factors instinctually indicated to Lathani that you are weaker. I am sure she did not consciously think this, but her subconscious urged her to test you. By almost getting herself killed? I ask with some heat. By discovering how you would react when she disobeyed. I sigh and rub at my face. Realising that my hand is covered in dirt from the crocodile¡¯s skin, I grimace, then rinse both hand and face with the river water. And? I prompt Bastet. Because from how Lathani had reacted, I hadn¡¯t chosen the right approach. What did I do wrong there? You sought to use my authority. Not as effective as using your own, but not a terrible choice: to command my authority is to automatically have more of your own. OK, I can kind of see that, if I squint at it sideways. But then you sought to appease the cub, to have her forgive you! Bastet starts hissing agitatedly, moving to her feet and pacing back and forth. A cub had disobeyed you and you apologise for how you phrased your order? What should I have done, then? I ask, feeling a bit lost. Clearly I really haven¡¯t spent enough time with Lathani recently. Or she¡¯s changed a lot in the recent time. Or both. Something similar to what I did. Prove your superiority, and why she should listen to you. Then demand she appease you. If you wish her to listen to you in the future, you must do this now. Otherwise, she will only obey you if her mother or I ensure her compliance. She pauses for a moment, and then continues a little tentatively. It is about¡­respect? The last word is very blurry, mostly a series of images and feelings. OK, I can kind of understand that. But why is it only coming up now? And why don¡¯t you seem to have the same problem? I ask her in frustration. As I said, it is a difficult age. Not quite a cub, not quite an adult. Alright, a teenager, then. That makes sense, I suppose. As for me, it is a different context. You earned my respect long ago, and my cooperation with it. I do not need demonstrations of superiority to recognise that it is better if you are pack leader. Well, that¡¯s good to know. I suppose if I think about Lathani being a teenager, it makes a little more sense ¨C humans are known to go through an¡­interesting period of time where they feel a strong urge to defy all types of authority. Maybe it¡¯s the same for Lathani now. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. But how am I supposed to ¡®prove my superiority¡¯? Am I supposed to just go up to her and roll her over like Bastet did? Not really my style. I¡¯d like to ask Bastet for more advice, but I have a feeling that she might tell me to go figure it out for myself. Actually, I should probably do that anyway, otherwise it¡¯s probably just as bad as leaning on Bastet¡¯s authority instead of my own. Finishing up tying the legs of the crocodile to the branch along with winding a few loops around its body too, I call River over to help me lift the whole thing. It¡¯s heavy, but with the two of us working, it¡¯s manageable for now. Struggling up the hill, I keep thinking about what to do with Lathani. The nunda cub is moving with the group, but I can tell that we¡¯re not yet settled. It¡¯s a mixture of Animal Empathy and perhaps my new sense of connection to the world around, I think ¨C I can clearly see that Lathani is still being very standoffish with me while being fine with Bastet and River. I definitely need to get this sorted. By the time we¡¯re reaching the plateau, I¡¯ve got a couple of ideas of how to do so. I head straight for Kalanthia, River following with the other end of the pole. Your visit to the river was not so relaxing, I take it, Kalanthia says in amusement. The corners of my mouth curl up in a slightly shame-faced smile. ¡°Not exactly,¡± I respond. ¡°But it¡¯s a Tier two beast so should have a Core. I¡¯d like to keep the hide, but you can have the body, if you want.¡± To count against the weregild your Bound owes my cub? ¡°Exactly.¡± The nunda stands up and moves over to inspect the body. A strong beast. I suspect you were lucky to survive. ¡°Pretty much,¡± I agree with a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t even see it until it bit me while I was washing.¡± Common among these ¨C their ability to hide themselves is particularly powerful. It¡¯s fortunate you were able to get free. ¡°Teamwork,¡± I agree with a smile, then continue by directing my mental voice at her. I hope that Lathani won¡¯t be able to hear me that way. I had a problem with Lathani and Bastet seems to feel I need to do something to¡­uh, establish my authority? I eye her nervously, not sure how she will take it. She surprises me a bit when she seems to take it completely in stride. Indeed. Do you feel you need my permission or some such? My eyebrows raised, I fumble a little with my response. Kind of, I suppose. We do have the agreement about not offering violence, after all. That is true, though I suspect that your aim is in fact to prevent harm to my cub, Kalanthia points out. I nod unconsciously. She almost had a branch drop on her head today because apparently she was trying to test what I would do if she disobeyed me. Bastet almost had to intervene because she wasn¡¯t listening to me. Then it seems like establishing your authority is overdue, Kalanthia answers very seriously, the hint of amusement that frequently laces her mental voice completely absent. Alright, I answer, a little taken aback at her sudden focus. And if she is injured? Assuming you do not cause any damage you cannot heal, pain is the best teacher. Huh, is all I can say, feeling like I¡¯ve just been given a carte blanche which I didn¡¯t actually want ¨C if Kalanthia had required this to be kept to only minor cuts and scrapes, that would be one thing. Having only the requirement of nothing I can¡¯t heal¡­by this point, that basically means keeping her alive. Go make things right with my cub. I shall ensure that the hide is saved for you ¨C it would do Lathani no good to eat it anyway. ¡°OK,¡± I say, returning to audible conversation now that I¡¯ve discussed the most sensitive topic. ¡°Actually, I¡¯d like to see if I can get the hide off with one of my Skills, OK?¡± Very well, Kalanthia responded. However, if it spoils either the meat or the Core for Lathani¡¯s consumption, then I will not count it towards your Bound¡¯s debt. ¡°I understand,¡± I acknowledge. The conversation done for now, I walk over to where Lathani is prodding at a beetle. I¡¯m reminded of the time when she poked at a beetle while I was digging my firepit and was bitten by it. The memory of her panic when this tiny thing wouldn¡¯t let go brings a smile back to my face even now. It puts me in a better mood for what I apparently need to do. ¡°Right, Lathani,¡± I say to her. She sends me a glance and then returns to what she¡¯s doing, still clearly huffy. ¡°Let¡¯s have a bout, you and I.¡± She looks at me again, this time more interested in what I have to say. ¡°First to be pinned or to give up loses. Do you agree?¡± She looks at me calculatingly. You are much bigger than me. It isn¡¯t fair. ¡°Are you giving up just because of that?¡± I ask with my eyebrows raised. ¡°Are you saying that your teeth and claws are not capable of making up the difference? That I am automatically superior to you because of my size?¡± I feel stupid saying it, but I can¡¯t think of any other way. Lathani looks at me again for a long moment. Hunt-leader says you are pack leader. If I win, am I pack leader? I¡¯m taken a little aback by her question. ¡°Not automatically,¡± I say slowly. ¡°I am, uh, pack leader because I have come to an agreement with¡­or proven dominance over all the members of my group.¡± Again, I don¡¯t like really talking about the ¡®dominate¡¯ bit of Dominate, but I can¡¯t ignore that it was a major feature of my battle with the kiinas and Fenrir. And apparently a significant one of my battles with Bastet and River too, though those were more negotiations than the others. ¡°You would have to come to your own arrangements with each individual to have them consider you pack leader.¡± She appears to think that over for a little, looking around at my Bound curiously. Then if I win, I can tell you what to do, yes? I can¡¯t help chuckling, finding her negotiation more cute than annoying. ¡°Let¡¯s compromise. If I win, you accept my position as leader of the group, regardless of who else is present. If you win, I will leave orders to Bastet and will not presume to offer you instruction. Deal?¡± Deal, she replies, crouching down, ready to pounce. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: Not Even Trying I quickly summon my spear to my hand. It¡¯s something I discovered by accident a while ago ¨C if I concentrate well enough on what I want to withdraw, I don¡¯t actually need to open up my Inventory properly to get it out. That¡¯s fortunate, because Lathani¡¯s clearly not going to give me time to prepare. But that¡¯s OK ¨C I¡¯m used to being attacked at a moment¡¯s notice. She springs forward quickly, even as the spear materialises in my hand. I swing my weapon at her, butt end first. The blow knocks her off course and she lands a little heavily to the side. That hurt! she complains. I raise my eyebrows at her. ¡°You think an enemy is going to care about that?¡± I ask her. But you¡¯re not an enemy, she objects, sounding uncertain. ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± I respond with a sigh. ¡°But although we¡¯re not trying to kill each other the way we would with an enemy, pain is going to come into it. Or how is one of us going to force the other to yield?¡± Lathani goes completely still, as if she hadn¡¯t thought about that. I just¡­I thought it would be like with the smaller siblings. We roll around a bit and then one of us pins the other. Not¡­this. ¡°I¡¯m not a raptorcat cub or a nunda,¡± I say to her gently. ¡°I don¡¯t fight like you do. And if you want to win, you¡¯re going to have to adapt to that. Just like you do when hunting. Or wasn¡¯t it you who told me I needed to improve my hunting skills?¡± She makes a disgruntled noise at that. ¡°It seems like the shoe¡¯s on the other foot,¡± I continue, pretending to be off-guard while actually watching her very carefully. ¡°I guess it¡¯s you who needs some hunting lessons from me.¡± That, apparently, is a red rag to a bull and Lathani jumps at me again with a growl. Once more I swing my spear butt, and once more she¡¯s knocked off course with a calculated blow to the ribs. It¡¯s a bit like sparring with Bastet. A much younger, less adaptable, less canny Bastet. Lathani is practically the same size as her and has a similar tendency to pounce with her claws and teeth bared. But where Bastet very quickly works out that a technique isn¡¯t working and tries another, Lathani seems to ascribe to the mentality that if something hasn¡¯t worked, she¡¯d better try, try, and try again. I soon realise that my nerves when starting the spar are for naught. It¡¯s not that Lathani couldn¡¯t win, it¡¯s that she shouldn¡¯t. She doesn¡¯t have the right kind of technique to get past my weapon. She doesn¡¯t have the ferocity to just shrug off pain. She isn¡¯t adaptable, and while she¡¯s quick and strong, I¡¯m quicker and stronger than she is. The only thing actually going for her is that she has plenty of determination: she hasn¡¯t yet given up despite the constant failure. I actually start using the opportunity to continue practising my spear technique, playing a bit of a game. At first I keep hitting the same spot every time she jumps at me, then practise hitting different spots each leap. It starts feeling like a normal spar, a notion that¡¯s enhanced when I realise that we¡¯ve got an audience ¨C all my Bound have formed a large circle around us and are watching. Kalanthia too, of course. On the one hand, the situation is good for me ¨C Lathani¡¯s inability to fight works to my advantage in this particular fight. On the other, it¡¯s worrying: how am I going to help Lathani stay alive when she¡¯s this poor at fighting? Then again, was I much better when I arrived in this world? If I can learn then Lathani, who is by nature a powerful predator, should pick it up much quicker. The nunda juvenile pauses after her most recent attempt to jump at me and glares hotly. You¡¯re not even trying! she whines. I glare back at her. ¡°You¡¯re right ¨C I¡¯m not. You¡¯re not good enough to make me try.¡± That hits home. I see her lips curl back from her teeth in anger. I bare my own teeth, letting my worry turn into righteous anger. ¡°How have you managed to kill anything if all you can do is pounce?¡± It¡¯s always worked so far, she argues sulkily. ¡°And what happens when it doesn¡¯t, eh? What happens when you pounce on an enemy and they aren¡¯t where you expect them to be? What happens when they avoid your attack and then return their own?¡± So saying, I shift my footwork forwards quickly and then jab at her. My spear point comes to rest against the fur of her breast. She jumps back and I pursue with quick steps. She leaps sideways, but I just shift my spear around to follow her. She jumps at me again, perhaps hoping that my movements have put me off-balance, but this time I knock the wind out of her with the butt end of my spear as I bring it sweeping around. It¡¯s not fair ¨C you can attack me long before I can reach you! Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°And why the hell do you think life should be fair?¡± I ask, frustrated with her continuing resistance. Where would she have got the notion from, anyway? She¡¯s not a human child, raised in a world where justice rules ¨C or is supposed to do so, anyway. ¡°What is fair about you hunting smaller creatures than yourself? What is fair about me being attacked by a creature several times my weight in its preferred habitat? What is fair about what happened to you at the claws of the lizard-folk?¡± She bares her teeth again at me, but this time it looks more defensive than angry ¨C the rest of her body is huddled into the ground, doing its best to present a smaller target. I sigh and try to soften my tone. ¡°Look, life isn¡¯t fair, OK? You won¡¯t always be faced with creatures who you can take down in a single pounce. So what do you do then?¡± I wait for a moment, but she doesn¡¯t answer. ¡°You have to try something different,¡± I continue, answering my own question. ¡°Bastet, come here, would you?¡± I say, not taking my eyes off Lathani. For all her proclamations of things ¡®not being fair¡¯, I don¡¯t doubt that she¡¯d quickly take advantage of any distraction on my part. Which she should ¨C that would probably be the best move she¡¯d made all ¡®fight¡¯ ¨C but I wouldn¡¯t want her to accidentally win on a technicality. Yes? Bastet asks, stepping forward to stand next to me. There¡¯s a sense of amusement in her tone ¨C I have a feeling she already knows why I asked her to come forward. ¡°Let¡¯s show Lathani how it¡¯s done,¡± I tell her. Sending a look at Lathani, I warn her to watch and stay put, ¡°or I¡¯ll have River sit on you.¡± With the uncomfortable look each of them send me at that, I have a feeling that I¡¯m not going to have an issue with her disobeying right now. Locking eyes with Bastet, I settle back into my spear stance, levelling the point at her. No using the butt here ¨C I can heal the wounds I cause to Bastet, and just being knocked sideways wouldn¡¯t do anything more than give her another platform to jump from. The raptorcat attempts to trick me with a feint, leaping forwards as if to go for my throat while instead aiming for my front leg. I see the shift of movement, though, and spot the trick in time ¨C the sparring we¡¯ve been doing for the last few days is really paying off. Stabbing down at her, I miss actually hitting my Bound by a hair when she aborts her attack in the nick of time by flicking her wings. Instead of backing away as Lathani was doing, she pushes herself to one side and then attempts to leap at me from that angle. My spear out of position, I have to scramble to hit her with the butt. The force of the impact shudders through both of us, but pushes Bastet more than it does me. She turns the tables on me, though, by twisting her head to bite at the spear shaft. We engage in a tug-of-war as we both struggle over control of the spear. I¡¯m about to drop the spear and attempt a different approach when Bastet beats me to it. Already braced to drop the spear myself, I don¡¯t fall over as I might have done otherwise. I do lose my balance a little, though, and Bastet takes quick advantage. She leaps at me, bowling me over to land on the ground with my arms and legs splayed. Not being the first time I¡¯ve ended up in this position during our spars, I don¡¯t panic. Instead, I grip my spear with both hands and pull it down to separate us. Then, using my greater body-weight, I twist us around so I¡¯m on top with my spear pressed against her throat. ¡°Stop,¡± I say and we both freeze. A moment later, I pull my spear away from her throat and push myself off her. I¡¯d probably be considered the victor there ¨C I could easily have crushed her throat. However, I wouldn¡¯t have come out unscathed. Bastet can¡¯t retract her claws like Lathani can ¨C her paws are more like a bird¡¯s talons than a feline paw. Nonetheless, she did keep them away from me as much as possible which I appreciate ¨C wounds can heal; my clothes, on the other hand, would have been torn to shreds. So while I would have won even if this was a real fight, I¡¯d have had a lot to heal afterwards, risking bleeding out before succeeding in closing all my wounds. Pushing ourselves to stand, I scratch at Bastet¡¯s head as she rubs herself against me. ¡°Good fight,¡± I praise. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that tug-of-war with the spear.¡± I saw Fenrir do it with River, Bastet admits. ¡°Even better, then ¨C that¡¯s what these spars are for: learning from each other.¡± Looking over at Lathani, I pin her with a pointed stare. ¡°Do you see what I mean? Bastet had the same issue as you but instead of just doing the same thing over and over again, and then complaining about it being unfair, she adapted. She tried different things. She took risks, but calculated ones. In short, she turned what you felt was an impossible fight into one which would have ended with me severely injured if she¡¯d used her claws.¡± Lathani has left her defensive stance and is now sitting properly, her eyes and ears clearly showing how intently she had been focussing on our demonstration. I understand. But how does she know what to do? I glance at Bastet and then turn back to the nunda juvenile, shrugging. ¡°How do any of us? Practice. You¡¯ve seen us practise fighting against each other every morning for the past few days. That¡¯s helped. Otherwise, for each of us it has been getting into real fights and coming out the victor, or at least not too hurt to continue,¡± I add the latter thinking about Fenrir and his fights with his pack mates. Can I join? Lathani asks, her attitude abruptly different from what she¡¯d been showing me earlier. I raise my eyebrows at her. ¡°That depends. Do you accept that we still have things to teach you? That I have things to teach you?¡± She looks down at the ground and her ears relax. I do. Darting a glance up at me, she then returns her eyes to the ground. Pack leader. I move over to her and crouch down beside her slumped form. Reaching out, I rub her fur behind her ears. With a noise of pleasure, she pushes against my hand, then stands and rubs herself against me with enough force to almost send me sprawling. ¡°Alright then,¡± I say, both pleasure and relief going through me that this whole thing seems to have worked out. ¡°I expect to see you joining us during our sparring every day. Unless your mother has something else for you to do,¡± I quickly add, looking up at the massive nunda. You¡¯re OK with that, right? I send to her, realising that I might have overstepped. Fortunately, her response sets me at ease. I am glad she will have an opportunity to learn in a safer environment. It is a privilege few of us have. After spending a little more time bonding with Lathani again, I push myself to my feet. Enough lollygagging around. Time to see what impact my new points in Wisdom have had on my ability to make a connection with fire. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Grasps at Life Unreservedly Instead of going inside the cave, I decide to do something a little different this time. So far, I¡¯ve always tried to make a connection with a fire which is already established: I don¡¯t let the fire in my hearth go out completely if I can at all avoid it. But what if watching fire catch light and grow is a good way of learning how to connect with it? It¡¯s worth finding out, I think. To that end, I gather a small pile of items in my fire pit ¨C dried leaves and small twigs from the forest¡¯s edge, larger branches and a couple of logs from my firewood store. Not having used my fire pit for a while, it¡¯s already starting to grow some greenery, the ashes left behind by my pottery-making good fertiliser. In a couple of months¡¯ time, it will be like I was never even here, I tell myself, not sure how I feel about that. With how I¡¯m living, the only remnants of my existence in years to come will be the pottery shards and, perhaps, metal weapons that I leave behind. With a sense of thoughtfulness and a tenuous connection to the generations of my ancestors who lived much like I am now, I pull out my fire-starter and begin striking sparks off it and onto the little pile of material in front of me. Something I¡¯ve considered in the last few days has been Meditation as a Skill. It¡¯s powerful, but limited by the fact that I can only use it when unmoving and disconnected from the world around me in terms of my usual senses. I¡¯m very vulnerable while I¡¯m meditating; the deeper into it I go, the more vulnerable I become. This may be inevitable: a Skill which offers a bonus to my Energy consumption as Meditation does is always going to come with drawbacks. But I would really, really like it if I can use Meditation while doing other activities, even if I don¡¯t get the full benefits. Even if it doesn¡¯t apply to combat situations, if I could have even fifty percent more Energy absorption per hour and still be able to accomplish everything I need to, it would make a big difference. My Energy absorption rate per hour would jump from thirty-five to over fifty units per hour. That, in turn, would speed up how quickly I can gain levels or pay off my debt; while I still have two hundred and fifty-five days until D-day, I don¡¯t want to risk missing it. Meditation is at Initiate nine. That means I¡¯m due for some sort of change to the Skill as I hit Journeyman. Obviously, a greater bonus to my Energy absorption would be nice; being able to use it in more contexts would be even nicer. I¡¯m therefore trying to nudge the Skill towards that. I¡¯ve long been aware that my Skill evolutions depend largely on how I¡¯ve used the Skill between the last rank up and the next. So, to help my dreams along, I¡¯ve been trying to use Meditation while moving ¨C as long as it seems to be a safe enough situation to do that, anyway. Making my tanning basin has been one of the activities I¡¯ve tried to do both together. Not particularly successfully, but I like to think that I¡¯ve managed to stay a little time in Meditation while moving to carve the tree trunk. At least it¡¯s an activity which doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m half-distracted while doing it. Trying to start the fire seems to be another perfect opportunity. Striking the fire-starter, I drop into my external view of the connections and watch the spark. Its faint, nascent tendrils grasp at the air, and then at the dry materials, failing to latch onto them before it fades. Watching the spark wink out through my mental eyes is interesting. And¡­a little sad. Like something was born but never allowed to grow. When the same thing happens again and again, I find my sadness growing. So many sparks of life failing before they¡¯d ever really had a chance. The next time, I find myself actually reaching out to the fire, not physically, but somehow mentally. It¡¯s¡­a very odd feeling, and the sheer unfamiliarity with it makes me falter and draw back to myself. I realise that I¡¯ve closed my physical eyes and open them, staring thoughtfully at the pile of dry material just waiting for a spark to take light. Why do I close my eyes all the time? I wonder a little inanely. Am I incapable of processing two sets of data? Perhaps that¡¯s part of my issue in moving at the same time as meditating ¨C I can¡¯t reconcile the physical with the non-physical. That¡¯s not what I want to think about now, though. I remember back to the moment when part of me reached out. Some instinct tells me that I¡¯m on the right track here, but I want to try and work out exactly what¡¯s happening ¨C maybe knowing will help me somehow. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I try to recreate the motion, remembering more how strange it had felt than the actual action involved. It was like I was reaching out with fingers that I had never known I had, fingers emerging from a limb which is at the same time intimately familiar and terribly alien. Trying to once more reach out doesn¡¯t seem to work. My face turns hot with the effort, and I have a strong suspicion it¡¯s going red. I probably look rather constipated too. And all for nothing ¨C I don¡¯t even sense where the limb is, let alone the fingers to move. Alright. If actively trying to recreate the sensation isn¡¯t working, I need to recreate the situation instead. Once more striking the fire-starter, I drop immediately into my meditation, my physical eyes closing as my mental ones open. I don¡¯t manage with that spark or the next, but by the third, I¡¯ve returned into the mindset of admiring the way the spark grasps at life eagerly and completely unreservedly. When it starts fading, that strange part of myself once more reaches out. Expecting it this time, I don¡¯t instinctively recoil from the odd sensation. It¡¯s a little discomforting, but I nonetheless try to suppress my instinctive desire to pull back in order to see where this might go. I reach out with those ephemeral fingers and touch the dying spark. For a brief moment, I make a connection. And then the spark dies completely and the connection is sundered. It leaves me with a sense of loss that lingers and then vanishes too as if it had never been. I open my eyes once more and stare unseeingly in front of me. This is something that has never happened before. Is this because of the points I¡¯ve put into Wisdom? Or is it because I¡¯m focussing on the very beginnings of a fire? It¡¯s worth a test, but I¡¯d like to see where this will take me first. So, I am able to make a connection, but a connection isn¡¯t enough ¨C the spark still died. The logical continuation, I figure, is to offer it some mana. After all, looked at scientifically, the sparks I create are incandescent particles of whatever material my firestarter is made of. When the energy that goes into heating the particles is used up, the spark needs to have found a new source of fuel if it wishes to continue burning. If I want to be able to control fire, I figure that offering it its new source of fuel will have to be the first move I make. I¡¯ve already tried to do that with the fire in my hearth, but with no luck. Maybe I¡¯ll have a better chance here at the very beginning of the fire¡¯s existence. Once more calming my mind and opening my mental eyes after striking my firestarter, I try to reach out to the spark that¡¯s flying through the air and landing on the pile of material. In this other view, I don¡¯t really see the physical objects, but the connections they have with everything around. One thing I note absently is that the items I took out of my Inventory have far fewer connections in comparison to the objects I sourced directly from the forest¡¯s edge. But I push that observation to the side ¨C I¡¯ll have more time to check that out later. Right now, the focus is on the spark. Getting into the right mindset is quicker this time ¨C practice clearly makes perfect. Before the spark fades much, I¡¯m already reaching out to connect with it. Not wasting any time, I quickly pull some mana out of my Core and feed it down towards the connection. I¡¯m moving more by ¡®touch¡¯ than by ¡®sight¡¯ ¨C when I¡¯m using this external view, I¡¯m unable to see my internal matrix. But I¡¯ve done enough work on it that that doesn¡¯t matter: I have a sense of my internal channels whenever I¡¯m in Meditation, whether or not I¡¯m looking at the golden weave. My gamble appears to pay off: I¡¯d guessed that the connection I¡¯m making to the fire is somehow linked to my internal matrix, and it seems to be so. At least, the mana is easily guided down from my Core to the spark. I¡¯m glad that, even if the time dilation of my perception seems to be less in this view than when I¡¯m fully in my Core space, it is still slower than reality. Nonetheless, I don¡¯t succeed in getting the mana to the spark before it flickers out of existence. A bit disappointed, I remind myself to have patience. Already, I¡¯ve made a step forward in being able to connect to the spark at all. Like with everything else, I just need practice. I must look a bit strange to an observer. Most people, when they¡¯re trying to light a fire, will strike the firestarter quickly, sending a shower of sparks onto the dry material in the hope that this will increase the chances of one of them catching light. I, however, am striking it in a way that generates only a single spark, or at most two, and then leaving a pause in between each attempt. But then, we have different aims. It takes more than a few tries, but eventually I get quick enough both at connecting to the spark and sending my mana through the channels that I finally succeed in my endeavour. The spark devours my mana greedily, burning white-hot as it latches onto its new fuel. The tenuous tendrils it had been sending out now strengthen and lengthen, the fire swiftly catching hold of the dry material on which it sits. My mana running out, the fire continues, though dims significantly. Like before when I¡¯ve observed my hearth fire, it sends tendrils into the leaves and twigs, eagerly consuming the new fuel. However, my connection is still there. It¡¯s weaker now it¡¯s not actively being drawn on, but it hasn¡¯t fallen away, consumed by the fire itself in lieu of the mana I was feeding it before. I absently sense a grin pulling my lips apart, exhilaration running through me. Success! Time to see what this connection allows me to do. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Size Isn’t Important I start by sending a request down the connection like I would one of my Bonds. Holding a twig near the fire, but not close enough to catch light by itself, I ask the fire to move to the twig. There¡¯s no reaction. Hmm. Maybe the fire can¡¯t leap across the gap? I move the stick so it is touching an area of dry material which hasn¡¯t yet caught light. Once more asking the fire to move to the stick, I frown as it doesn¡¯t respond in the slightest. Maybe I need to give it mana? Dropping into my lightest level of Meditation, I carefully send a little bit of mana down the connection from my Core. The moment it hits the end of my thread, I feel it sucked away from my ¡®grasp¡¯, the force stronger than I¡¯d thought. The flame burns white again, even a hint of blue visible for a split-second at its centre. And then it dies back down. I¡¯m suddenly glad that I only brought out a few units of mana ¨C I¡¯d hate to know of the conflagration I could have caused with ten or more units, let alone fifty or something. I try to direct the fire once more to move, but it doesn¡¯t listen. So just ¡®paying¡¯ it is no good. Sitting back on my heels from where I¡¯ve been leaning forwards, I consider the situation thoughtfully. Already this is quite different from Flesh-Shaping ¨C though they both seem to use connections, the way these connections happen is not at all the same. Although, thinking about it¡­so far, all my healing has been done by touching my target and sending my mana straight into their body by pushing it through my skin. The only distance healing I¡¯ve done has been with the lingering connection and the mana I¡¯d left in their bodies. Perhaps my solutions to Flesh-Shaping and Fire-Shaping are in fact different sides of the same coin. I¡¯ve succeeded in creating a connection to the fire, but I¡¯m not succeeding in affecting it beyond making it burn more brightly and hotly. On the other side, with Flesh-Shaping, I¡¯m able to affect the flesh through control of my mana, but I haven¡¯t worked out how to create a connection. Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone ¨C learn how to create the connections for distance healing at the same time as learning how to control fire. Well, I can dream. I feel more inspired now. I don¡¯t want to touch the fire at this moment, and indeed am not sure it¡¯s necessary since I already have the connection, but I do wonder if my solution to Fire-Shaping is in better mana control. When I¡¯m using Flesh-Shaping, I stay in control of my mana even when it¡¯s in the body of one of my Bound. Experimentation in the last few days has told me that the mana that I just dump in my Bound¡¯s bodies sticks around for a bit but is slowly absorbed by them over a number of hours. I actually took some time three days ago to test this, filling Bastet¡¯s body as full of mana as I could. I was hoping that she might be able to be a mobile battery or, at least, that the mana could then be used for healing. The answer I learned is that both are true, but only for a limited amount of time. Bastet took my whole mana pool twice and then a little more ¨C which in itself was interesting. Although over a thousand units of mana could be stored in her flesh, it was a lot less than what I¡¯d had to pack the paranax carcass with before it was saturated. I¡¯d wondered a while about why this was the case ¨C repeated with my other Bound too ¨C but ultimately concluded that it must be because the body is already in use. My Bound all have their own mana pools which may take up space. Not to mention the Energy which must be suffusing their bodies. The paranax wouldn¡¯t have had any of that ¨C it was dead and had been in my Inventory which had cleared any remnants of Energy out of its body. Immediately after saturating Bastet¡¯s body, I¡¯d pulled the mana back out of her, just to check if I could. As it turned out, I could withdraw almost all the mana, only about fifty units refusing to respond. I learned something else at that moment ¨C that when my mana pool was filled up, I could still continue to absorb mana but that it didn¡¯t show on my status screen. My mana pool is limited to five hundred and forty mana units, but it must have gone somewhere. Where? I still want to explore that question ¨C I didn¡¯t at the time because I was focussed on other discoveries, just as I am now. I do know one thing, though ¨C I was unable to reuse mana absorbed beyond my storage capacity since I couldn¡¯t work out where it had gone. So, the conclusion was that as an immediate-use battery, Bastet was much more efficient than the paranax¡¯s carcass that only yielded a single mana back for every ten units ¡®spent¡¯. However, that didn¡¯t continue. The mana in Bastet disappeared quickly as multiple experiments demonstrated. After saturating her at the beginning of the day, I was only able to withdraw just over five hundred units of mana by the time the sun went down. Repeating the experiment a third time once the sun had set, by midday the next day, I was only able to withdraw around twenty units from her. In my final experiment, I waited a day and a half before attempting to withdraw the mana ¨C without success for even a single unit. I discovered by accident that I could pull her own mana out through touch, but it was painful for her, much as it had been for River near the salamander¡¯s corpse. Maybe even more so. While Bastet had mana in her body, using it for healing purposes was simple. Frankly, it was like I¡¯d just fed the mana into her for the objective of healing rather than it having been in her for half a day ¨C I just needed to reconnect with it by touching her. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. So, as a conclusion, I¡¯ve decided that if I have enough forewarning and time to fill my Bound with mana, I will. If each of my Bound is full or almost so of mana, even significant injuries will be made easier to deal with. If Bastet and River had been full of mana when we faced the salamander, she wouldn¡¯t have almost died. Of course, that does require quite a lot of preparation. Bastet holds the most mana out of my Bound at over a thousand points with Fenrir holding the least at around two hundred and fifty. The two kiinas were next at a thousand units each, and River was just behind them at nine hundred and seventy. Sirocco was second-last, holding just under five hundred units, so clearly size isn¡¯t important. Or, at least, it¡¯s not the only factor. When I total up the mana I could store within my Bound, it adds up to more than four thousand, five hundred units. Even with my faster mana regeneration when meditating, that¡¯s almost an hour and a half purely dedicated to emptying and refilling my mana pool. When they then lose half of that over the daylight hours, it seems like a bit of a waste to do it on a daily basis, especially when I¡¯m staying at home for that day. I do resolve to do it when we go out into the forest together, and especially when we set out on the quest. As past experience has shown, we never know what¡¯s likely to hit us as we head down into the valley. But returning to the topic at hand ¨C fire. The point is that when I feed my mana into Bastet, or any of my Bound, for the purpose of Flesh-Shaping, I have to control it. When I don¡¯t control it, it disappears over time. Perhaps their bodies are using it in a much slower version of what the fire is doing here. All of which is a very roundabout way of deciding that what I need to improve here is my control. The fire ripped the mana away from my grasp and did what it wanted with it, not heeding me in the slightest afterwards. Perhaps if I can maintain control of the mana, I will gain control of the fire in return. It¡¯s worth a shot ¨C or, most likely, several. My prediction turns out to be true. I feed the mana down the connection to the fire only to have it wrested from my grip once more. I refuse to give up, feeling like I¡¯m on the right track here, and keep trying. Each time, the mana is pulled from my control by a force that feels inevitable. But inevitability isn¡¯t the domain of fire ¨C that¡¯s more earth. Fire is stubborn and ever-hungry, but it¡¯s not inevitable. It can be smothered, or redirected, or starved of fuel. Though on that note, I do have to add more fuel to make sure that it doesn¡¯t accidentally burn out in between my attempts to gain some sort of control. Staring into the flames as I watch them lick at the new additions, I wonder whether I¡¯m going at this erroneously. But then, what other options are there? I can control fire physically. I can pull the materials that it feeds off apart, starving the fire of fuel in time. I can cover it with earth and starve it of oxygen. I created it in the first place with the spark from my firestarter. But I¡¯m not sure whether any of those help me when it comes to controlling it magically. Sighing, I return back into the lightest level of Meditation, my vision switching to seeing connections. Maybe I¡¯ll pursue madness for a little longer ¨C trying the same thing and expecting a different result. Pulling my mana out of my Core, I focus this time on the mental ¡®grip¡¯ I have on it. In fact, considering it, I let it return to the little ball of light which it naturally wants to make. I¡¯ve been automatically making it into the oblong which worked so well when repairing my internal matrix, but maybe this is a time to go back to basics. Not needing to focus on keeping the mana in an oblong shape, I find that it¡¯s much easier to control. I remember back to when even manipulating a ball of mana was difficult ¨C I¡¯ve come a long way since then. As I move the ball down the connection to the fire, I stay with it in a way I haven¡¯t until now. It requires going deeper into meditation, but I know that my Bound are all around ¨C I¡¯m unlikely to be in danger. Perhaps being more ¡®present¡¯ with the mana will help me maintain control. I approach the end of the connection. Looking at it this way, the fire appears immense. The little blaze which I had set light to and nurtured is now an inferno that fills my full vision. Its flames are not themselves visible, but the tendrils which wave in the air and burrow into the fuel below are reminiscent enough of the physical appearance of fire that it makes little difference. I see my connection disappearing into the heart of the fire. Following it with my mind, I¡¯m almost surprised when I don¡¯t actually get burnt. In this state, the fire is not hot, but there are other dangers. One of the tendrils passes through my presence and I abruptly feel a sense of suction. Instinctively rejecting the sensation, the tendril falls away ¨C but not before another has come to try to investigate. I move hastily on, a little unnerved despite myself. Into the heart of the fire I go, and there I find the end of the connection. It doesn¡¯t end abruptly, instead breaking into multiple threads which surround a single ball of light ¨C the fire¡¯s heart, I guess. It¡¯s odd to think about from a scientific perspective. I wasn¡¯t aware that fires have hearts, though I suppose they have areas of particular heat. But these change as the conditions do ¨C the fuel which previously had offered plenty of burning potential is used up and so the fire moves. That¡¯s what a forest fire does, after all ¨C sweeps through a forest, constantly burning new material as the old is consumed and left behind as ash. But then maybe this fire heart isn¡¯t actually physical. As I observe what¡¯s happening, I notice the heart shifting about, jumping from place to place. At one point, another heart develops, my connection sending new strands to weave in with that one too. Then it flickers out and my connection returns to this one. It¡¯s a fascinating view, and I could honestly watch it for hours, but I have a task here. Holding the ball of mana a little way back in the connection channel has been easy enough, requiring very little focus. Fortunate, considering my distraction. I pull it forwards and approach where my connection splits into multiple strands. As it hits that point, I suddenly feel the strong suction again. It¡¯s like each of the smaller strands is a waterfall and my ball of mana, a boat. No, not a boat ¨C a pool of oil floating on the river. I see the ball of mana waver in shape, trying to go down each of the strands equally, and thereby be separated into tiny fractions of itself. Paying more attention to what the whole environment looks like, I don¡¯t focus on the ball of mana quickly enough and it is pulled away as inexorably as my previous attempts. With a ringside seat this time, I see how the mana is broken into pieces and fed to the fire¡¯s heart. I try to maintain control over it, but from the moment it becomes split into fractions of units, it becomes too slippery to grasp. The bright light of the fire¡¯s heart increases in intensity until it would be hard to look at if my mental eyes had the same limits as my physical ones. As it is, I¡¯m able to see how the tendrils of fire expand in size and intensify as well, the mana I gave it being used to temporarily increase the fire¡¯s reach. And then it returns back to the way it was, the few units I had fed it consumed. Right, time to try again. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Ancient Repeating my previous actions of taking mana from my Core, then manipulating it along the channels and into the heart of the fire ¨C not the fire heart, mind ¨C I am determined this time to exert control over the process. Expecting the strong suction and not wanting to once more fail, I stubbornly apply my Will to the mana which seems to be attempting to become one of Dali¡¯s clocks, forcing it back into a ball shape. The suction increases in strength and a tug of war eventuates. But Battles of Wills are something I¡¯ve become better at in recent times ¨C time to see if I can win one against a fire. I feel like I¡¯m playing a game with a dog. The force on the other end yanks at the ball of mana, constantly aiming to deform it and consume the strains of mana that filter through the channels. I, on the other hand, refuse to let the mana go, seeking to keep it in the ball shape which is the easiest way of holding it. The mana, just like the dog toy of the metaphor, has no opinion on the matter. As time stretches, neither of us gaining any ground, I start questioning exactly what I¡¯m doing. Why am I trying to pull the ball away from the fire? The whole point was to feed the fire ¨C but in a way that offers me control over it. I can¡¯t do that if the ball remains in my channel. But I can¡¯t do that if the mana is split apart and devoured, either. My mind races even as my mental eyes search the battleground for inspiration. A good part of the problem is how the connection ends. Instead of being a channel wide enough for the ball to move along as it is, it splits the units of mana up into fractions, meaning they lose their cohesion and I lose control at the same time. What if¡­? I ask myself thoughtfully. It¡¯s a bit of a task ¨C most of my attention needs to be focussed on the battle I¡¯m having over keeping the ball of mana together ¨C but I manage to spare a little for my new idea. My thoughts are thus: if the fragmented way the connection ends is causing the problem, can I change it to instead be a solution? In short, I focus on a single channel and attempt to force it to grow. At first it resists. Strongly. It¡¯s something of a struggle ¨C holding the ball of mana together at the same time as also trying to force the connection open a bit. Like trying to shove open a stubborn door with the previously playing big dog now on the other end of a leash and trying to pull in the opposite direction. Something has to give. And then it does. The connection, like the metaphorical door, resists until it passes a certain tipping point. All of a sudden, the strand widens, absorbing the other strands in its expansion. Instead of being like a tree, a single trunk widening into many different branches, it¡¯s now like I¡¯ve forced all the branches to come together to continue the trunk, spearing into the heart of the fire. Instead of reducing, as I was more than half-expecting, the suction doubles. The ball of mana slides forwards into the newly widened connection before I can stop it. I grasp at it desperately, my mental fingers locking around it just before it disappears into the fire¡¯s heart. If I was aware of my physical body, I reckon that my own heart would be beating like crazy right now, as I only just manage to hold the ball of mana back from being sucked into the centre of the fire. With control over it reestablished, I slowly let it continue moving along the connection to the end. Even when it drops out of the connection and into the fire heart itself, I refuse to lose control over the mana. I don¡¯t worry myself with the hows and whys of the situation ¨C if I start wondering how I¡¯m able to keep control of a ball of mana in the middle of a fire, I will start doubting, and that will spell immediate failure. No, instead, I approach this with the same confidence that I approach Flesh-Shaping. It¡¯s my mana, whether or not it is in my body ¨C of course I can maintain control over it. And then my mental presence has also dropped from the connection, though I feel its steady presence at my ¡®back¡¯, reassuring me that I haven¡¯t been somehow cut off from my body. I keep the mana close to me, establishing my ownership over it. In a strange sense, it feels like the ball of mana is inside my mental presence, rather than the feeling I always had with Flesh-Shaping of my mana clustered around me. The fire objects. I feel it tearing at my presence, trying to rip through to the mana I hold within, uncaring about the damage it might do to me. It hurts in a strange ephemeral way. While only a small campfire which has only been in existence for half an hour or so, I somehow sense that the flame around me is ancient, connected in a way to all fire that was, that is, and that will be. Like all fire is of the same body, an existence which spans eons. Fortunately for me, although it feels ancient and powerful, I also sense that it is limited to its context. Even as it burns in fury at my presumption of entering into its domain and withholding precious fuel from its grasp, it eats through the fuel it has at hand, weakening itself in the long run. There is plenty of oxygen to consume, but the branches and leaves it feeds from are limited. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I¡¯m at a little of a loss and end up falling into my usual approach when facing a mental battle. Bargaining. I will give you mana, but you must listen to me, I say to it, speaking without a mouth to something that doesn¡¯t have ears. The fire roars wordlessly, its hunger and its rejection both as clear as each other. It claws at me with burning tendrils, wearing the mantle of a conqueror and demanding tribute from me in the form of the mana I hold. I refuse. I gave you life, I threaten. I can take it away. I send the fire images of earth being poured upon it, its ashes doused in water, its burning twigs scattered and its flames fading into nonexistence. The fire roars at me in defiance, its tendrils battering at me once more. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m withstanding its attacks, but although the tendrils hurt, they aren¡¯t actually doing much damage. My presence stands against the flame, mostly unscathed. As for the pain, that¡¯s something I¡¯m increasingly used to and it doesn¡¯t faze me. But I¡¯m not making headway. Maybe another approach. This time I send images of sitting by the fire for untold amounts of time, admiring the beauty of its flickering flames. I show it making a campfire, building a pile of twigs and leaves, then striking sparks to set light to it. I mix in other images of lighting my hearth fire and keeping it going by adding fuel whenever needed. I finish up with some images of reawakening the fire in the mornings, gently blowing the dimly glowing embers into full light, the almost-burnt out fire flaring up once more. We could be partners, you and I, I wheedle, hoping that honeyed words might work better than threats. Certainly, the fire doesn¡¯t roar at me in defiance, and its tendrils stop clawing at me so fiercely. It almost seems to be listening. I already give you life for your warmth and your beauty. All you need to do is listen to me and heed my requests and I will give you mana to help you burn brighter. The fire crackles and its tendrils writhe around in indecision. It¡¯s very odd to ascribe emotion to a fire but I can¡¯t help but do so. I sense that I¡¯m getting somewhere, but haven¡¯t yet overcome its reluctance to bow to me, to anyone. I send it more images, this time of our journey through the vine-strangler forest. I show it how the tree recoiled from the torch once I¡¯d lit it, how the flames had kept me and my companions safe as we travelled through the brooding copse. I showed it the salamander, how its flames had consumed a tree and burned it to ashes in a short amount of time. Imagine how much more powerful these flames would have been with mana to feed them as well as wood? The tendrils around me flutter, flicking towards me, then away, before repeating the movement. Deciding to take a risk, I allow my presence to open up like a cloak, revealing the mana within. I don¡¯t give it the mana, exactly, but I do tantalise it with what it could have, if only it agrees to follow my direction. A tendril slowly, tentatively approaches me. I wait, feeling more like a hunter waiting for my prey to enter the trap than one of the parties in a business deal. I don¡¯t know why ¨C surely this is more of the latter than the former, offering benefits to both myself and the fire. But despite the ancientness of the flame, there is an innocence at the same time. Again, an odd thing to ascribe to fire, but an undeniable impression all the same. The tendril hesitates as it reaches the limit of my presence. Through some indescribable means, I¡¯ve made a route through to the mana ball, but I¡¯m still present, though that makes little sense to think about. It¡¯s hard to conceptualise even for me ¨C and I¡¯m the one doing it ¨C but I¡¯m working off instinct more than anything else. All I know is that the fire tendril should be able to reach the mana, but that it will have to come onto my turf to do so. And to do that, it will have to consent to the bargain which I have set out. For a long moment, everything is still, the fire not even drawing on its oxygen or fuel. And then it decides. The tendril flashes into me, piercing the ball of mana and consuming it. Unlike before, the fire doesn¡¯t suddenly grow brighter or bigger. Instead, I sense my mana suffusing the flames ¨C and still under my control. I focus on the fire shifting to one side and see its tendrils do just that. I focus on it consuming one particular branch; it does. Finally, I focus on it stopping the consumption of fuel at all. This is harder, as it goes completely against what the fire desires to do. I win the battle of wills there, but the fire switches to eating my mana instead. When my mana is consumed, the fire returns to burning its usual fuel with a vengeance, and I sense that my control over it has expired. Again, fire shouldn¡¯t feel emotion, but I get the distinct sensation of disgruntlement from the fire ¨C like it¡¯s angry that I tried to stop it burning, that that was against our agreement. Suddenly feeling bad, I pull another couple of units of mana from my Core and drop them into the fire heart, sending my own feelings of appreciation to it. The disgruntlement changes to eagerness and it happily consumes the couple of units. I can¡¯t help but feel that I¡¯ve just given the dog a treat. I watch the fire a little longer. The connection I have to it has thickened, stabilised. I sense that it will take more effort to sever, though I suspect that if I put the fire out, the connection will go with it. As for the fire itself, it has returned to how it was before, no hint that anything has changed. My contemplations of the flames are brought to an abrupt end as I feel my internal matrix beginning to shift. Have I earned Fire-Shaping? I ask myself, dashing eagerly back to my Core space to find out. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One: You Have Earned a Skill I arrive in my Core space just as the process of gaining a new Skill starts. With excitement, I realise that I¡¯ve managed to arrive in the space quicker this time, probably because I was already in Meditation when it activated. As a result, I see more about the beginning of the process than I did before. The mana, or Energy, which drives the process doesn¡¯t come from my Core; it instead seems to come from¡­my body? Or the internal matrix itself? Or both? All I can say is that it seems like particles of light are drifting towards my internal matrix, the attraction triggered by something in the process of gaining a Skill. Once my internal matrix is glowing brighter than usual, the brightness all shifts towards a specific area ¨C where my new Skill will be positioned, I guess. Interestingly, it seems to be in the same sort of area where my Inspect Skills and Taming Skills are. Actually, the lines which are starting to move are closest to where Tame, Dominate, and Companion Bond are placed. I watch in fascination as the tapestry of my internal matrix starts weaving a new part to it. As the shape becomes clear, I see hints of fire, but also hints which are similar to¡­Tame? I mentally frown as I compare the two. Yes, there are similar kinds of swirls and connections. It¡¯s definitely more like Tame than Dominate ¨C the latter¡¯s swirls are tighter, more constricting. And Companion Bond is more similar to Dominate than it is to Tame, even if there are differences. As for the Inspect Skills, they are quite different. I mean, I wasn¡¯t expecting to get an ¡®Inspect Fire¡¯ Skill, but I suppose it could have been possible ¨C I did spend a bit of time watching the fire heart. But no, this is definitely not an Inspect Skill. Though, as I compare the new Skill with my Flesh-Shaping, I feel my heart sink ¨C I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Fire-Shaping, either. When the process is done, I pull out of Meditation and check my notifications.
Congratulations! You have earned a Skill: Fire Taming
Read Skill description? Y/N
It seems like my comparisons were pretty much on the mark. So not Fire-Shaping but Fire Taming. I wonder what difference that will make.
Fire Taming You have succeeded in forming an agreement with an aspect of Fire and this paves the way for you to create agreements with other aspects of Fire in the future. Beware: the greater the conflagration, the stronger the Will of Fire.
Close messages? Y/N
Well, vaguely ominous, I decide, eyeing the warning. I guess that it¡¯s talking about the moment where I was fighting to hold the bead of mana against the pull of the fire heart. And considering how much trouble I had with a small campfire, I can imagine that any larger fire would be even more difficult. But what if I already had an agreement with it while it was small and then helped it grow bigger? I wonder, looking thoughtfully at the small campfire still burning merrily. The Skill description is fairly bare, certainly one of the shortest of any of the Skills I¡¯ve earned so far. I have to guess that it¡¯s because, like Tame, the limits of what I can do with the Skill depend on the agreement I come to. It¡¯s as I saw with the fire ¨C I promised it fuel to consume, so I could control its movement as long as I gave it that. When I tried to smother it, my ability to control it vanished. I suppose that I¡¯d broken the agreement. I tap my finger against my lip in thought. This¡­might change things. It all depends on just how much control I can exert. While what I¡¯ve seen so far might easily be sufficient for easing the process of forging metal tools and weapons, it might not be what I need to help me with my Quest. Maybe I should still spend some time investigating the fire heart, I think to myself. Just because I¡¯ve got one Skill out of the experience doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s the only one I could earn. I¡¯ve got Fire Taming, yes, but does that mean that Fire-Shaping is out of reach? I hope not. Though, thinking about it, Fire Taming may only be limited by my Willpower ¨C at least, that seems to be the stat it hinges on most. I suspect that Wisdom might be part of it, though, based on the fact that it¡¯s about forming connections. Alright, I say to myself. Time to test this out. ***** By the time night falls, I feel like I¡¯ve got more of a grasp on this new Skill. It turns out that a successful agreement means that a subsequent agreement is more likely to work; an unsuccessful agreement, or one which the fire feels I ¡®betrayed¡¯ makes it harder to build a new one ¨C the second agreement I made was a little harder than the first as a result of how the first ended. Something else I¡¯ve learned is that each fire is connected, in some mystical way ¨C even when I doused the campfire after finishing an agreement and then made a new one with a new fire, there was some sort of memory which affected my success. So potentially, if I could build enough of a relationship with smaller fires, I could then create an agreement with a larger fire with less difficulty. Potentially. At least each time I create a connection and come to an agreement it becomes easier and faster to do. By the end of my attempts, I¡¯m able to form a wide connection with an already-burning fire, and have become relatively practised at resisting the first attempts of the fire to consume. What I haven¡¯t managed to achieve yet is a way of smothering or even reducing the fire without it strongly resisting. The reason is because of the nature of fire: it wishes to grow, to consume more and more. Although it is perfectly capable of being reduced to embers and then regrowing, that is not its preferred state. If there is fuel for it to consume, it strongly wishes to consume it. I¡¯m going to have to find some way around that otherwise I¡¯m, literally, playing with fire. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I also spend some time just observing the fire heart as I said I would do. I don¡¯t suddenly get any sort of notification of having earned Fire-Shaping, unfortunately, but I honestly wasn¡¯t expecting it. Already getting one Skill is probably more than I should really be hoping for, but I can¡¯t help being a bit greedy. Pulling out of my meditative state with a mixture of hope and disappointment lingering a little, my eyes alight on the corpse of the crocodile we killed earlier today. Oh yes. I¡¯d almost forgotten about that, caught up in the excitement of my Fire Taming. I said I would try to get the hide off with one of my Skills. Walking over, I notice that the belly has already been opened and most of the crocodile¡¯s organs consumed. Kalanthia is lying nearby and must have noticed my surprise. You seemed very deeply intent on your fire, she rumbles. Lathani needed to eat, but I did not wish to disturb you. Looking at the carcass I see that the way it¡¯s been opened is with a single, clean cut along from throat to anus, frankly a far cleaner job than I would be able to do with tools. ¡°No problem,¡± I respond. ¡°I appreciate not being disturbed. Sorry for not getting to it earlier.¡± Kalanthia rumbles again quietly, the closest she seems to come to a purr. ¡°Did it taste nice? Or didn¡¯t you try?¡± Lathani was happy, she mused. And I do admit to sampling a little, she followed up, a hint of mischief accompanying her words. I grin at her. ¡°No harm in doing that. So, you approve?¡± A good kill indeed, is her only admission. However I will remind you about what I said about if whatever you intend to do spoils the meat¡­. ¡°I remember,¡± I assure her. And no way of it going unnoticed either now that she¡¯s tasted the beast herself. Still, hopefully what I¡¯m about to do won¡¯t hurt its value to Lathani. Going to sit by the dead and disembowelled crocodile, I place my hand on it and start sending in my mana. I¡¯m prepared for this to take a long time, and am not surprised when it does. The paranax took at least eight thousand units of mana to saturate ¨C this crocodile is both much bigger and a higher Tier than the paranax was. Fortunately, my increased mana pool speeds up the process, as does Meditation hastening my mana regeneration. In the end, I estimate that it takes approximately seventeen thousand units of mana, actually a little less than I thought it might. Given the fact that it is both bigger and higher Tier, I was expecting it to be over twenty thousand. Still, I¡¯m grateful that it isn¡¯t: even with my faster mana regeneration rate when in Meditation, it¡¯s still taken a good few hours. Full dark has fallen and one of the moons is already rising high in the sky. Not that the darkness matters too much to me ¨C with my mana saturating the crocodile, I can sense its body as well as I can my own. I regret not doing this earlier ¨C without the organs still being present, I¡¯m missing a good part of what I could have scanned. Oh well, no point crying over spilt milk. Perhaps we¡¯ll come up against another of these creatures and I can scan it then. At least I¡¯ve been doing fairly well at scanning the creatures my Bound bring back from their hunts. Even if I don¡¯t want to use their hides, it¡¯s worth knowing more about the different physiologies. With my mana saturating the crocodile carcass, I work to separate its hide from its body, splitting it along seams I sense are already weaker. I¡¯m gratified when only a few minutes of work allow me to slide the hide out. It requires me to tip the meat of the carcass onto the dirt, but I figure that neither Lathani or Kalanthia will be too fussy about that. The hide comes away remarkably clean, my ability to cut the connections holding it in place far superior to any blade. I¡¯m even able to clear off any dirt clinging to the scales by just letting the thinnest surface layer fall free, the dirt falling with it. Excellent, I grin. Working by the light of the moon, I place the crocodile hide into the tanning basin and fill it with the tanning solution I prepared earlier. It¡¯s very simple: I boiled water and then mashed the brains that I¡¯d saved from my previous butchery session. I¡¯m hoping that the brains on this world have the same properties as the ones on Nicholas¡¯ one. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to try using the eggs I¡¯ve found. I don¡¯t have very many of those, though. Swishing the crocodile hide around a bit with a stick, I try to make sure that as much of it is exposed to the tanning solution as possible. Leaving it overnight, I hope that it will be well-soaked by the morning. Returning to the cave mouth, I¡¯m a little surprised that a number of my Bound are still awake. Bastet has already gone inside with the cubs and I sense that she¡¯s asleep. The two kiina are curled up together near the entrance of the cave, napping. As I come close, Hades raises his head to look at me. The two kiina have relaxed around me a little, but there¡¯s still a distance between us. We probably ought to go out into the forest together ¨C nothing builds a bond quicker than saving each other¡¯s lives. Fenrir is keeping watch as usual, but his eyes are half-closed. He, too, reacts as I walk towards them, pushing himself to his feet. I¡¯m not sure where Sirocco is, though I sense that she¡¯s still awake ¨C probably in a tree nearby. She sometimes stays inside with us, but usually remains outside: she prefers the freedom of the outdoors. Looking at Hades, I speak quietly to him, not wanting to wake Persephone since I sense that she¡¯s asleep. She¡¯s been more tired recently ¨C probably the pregnancy weighing on her. ¡°I¡¯m going inside to sleep. Are you two staying here?¡± I ask him neutrally, not bothered either way. For now, he replies shortly. Rain is likely coming later. We will go to the forest. ¡°Or duck into the cave,¡± I tell him with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s drier in there.¡± Perhaps, he offers, wariness accompanying the sending. Oh well, if they choose to stay outside in the wet, no problem. I do send a message to Sirocco, though. Apparently it might be wet overnight. Do you want to come and join us in the cave? I feel a sense of ¡®wait¡¯ and then a few moments later, a large shape comes winging out of the darkness to land on my shoulder. An imperious sense of impatience comes across the Bond from the bird and I chuckle quietly as I walk into the cave. Each of my Bound certainly have their own personalities. I start walking into the cave but before I do, I toss another comment to Hades. ¡°While you¡¯re still here, could you keep an ear out for any scavengers attracted by my tanning basin, please? Either deal with whatever it is, or wake me and I¡¯ll come out.¡± He sends agreement to my request and then lays his head back down on top of his mate, guarding even in his sleep. Actually, perhaps particularly in his sleep. I consider how the rain might dilute my tanning solution but end up shrugging a little. I don¡¯t have anything to hand that could easily shield it from the rain ¨C creating a little wooden cover might be a good idea, but not one that I¡¯ve already prepared. And I¡¯m too tired to do it now. Hopefully it will be OK, or the rain will happen late enough that the hide has already been fully soaked in the oily solution. Entering the alcove with Fenrir at my heel, Sirocco taking wing to perch on top of my drying rack, I¡¯m startled to see that River is still concentrating over a mixture near the fire. What¡¯s got him working so late? I wonder. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: Herbalism I¡¯d sensed that he was awake so that¡¯s not a surprise but I¡¯d thought he¡¯d already be lying on the bed, at least trying to sleep. Not so. Instead, he¡¯s frowning over a bowl full of blackish liquid, two vaguely familiar plants beside him along with another couple of bowls. He¡¯s been doing a lot of work on potions, almost more time spent on that than absorbing Cores. Still, he has made some progress towards Tier two ¨C when I briefly check my Bound tab, I see that he¡¯s up to sixty-four percent, seven percent more than he was when Bastet evolved. ¡°How are you doing?¡± I ask softly when River shifts and sighs, the sense of intense concentration leaving him. I am¡­frustrated, River replies. I know that this combination works ¨C I have seen the Herbalist do it many times before. But every time I make it, I end in failure. Moving over, I kneel beside him, enjoying the touch of warmth from the still-glowing hearth fire. The nights are beginning to get rather nippy ¨C winter approaching, I guess. ¡°Not that I know, well, anything about herbalism, but can you tell me what you¡¯re doing? And what you saw the herbalist do. Maybe I can help you pick out the difference?¡± I speak quietly, not wanting to disrupt the sleeping raptorcats or keep Sirocco or Fenrir from their own rest but having a feeling that River won¡¯t be able to go to bed until he¡¯s made some progress. The lizard-man shifts and he points to one of the plants lying next to him. It has angular, almost spiky leaves, a thin stem, and surprisingly tuberous roots. This is aslebellum. It is a plant which grows near the river. Its leaves are poisonous, but its roots are the reverse ¨C even just chewing on them helps one¡¯s wounds heal a little faster. River points to the next plant. I think I recognise it ¨C I¡¯ve probably used Inspect Plant on it before as I have with most of the plants River uses. I might not have used my Skill on every plant, though, as I haven¡¯t been with him for every resource collection trip he¡¯s done recently. Plus, apparently there¡¯s a limited amount of time between the plant being collected and when Inspect Plant stops working. Why this is, I haven¡¯t quite discovered, but I suspect it¡¯s to do with Energy ¨C that seems to be the answer to everything these days. This plant is more like grass, its long and flexible leaves all emerging from a single stem. Its roots, in comparison to the previous, are thin and stringy. This one is called harash. Its roots can be eaten, but do not offer much benefit; the leaves are what I am using here. However, the healing properties are difficult to get at as the leaves themselves are very fibrous. To that end, I have to use this. He gestures at a black liquid in one of my smaller earthenware bowls. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± I ask, curious. I sniff at it and recoil, its acidic tang hitting my nose harshly. The venom of a grunt-click-flash-of-orange. Not a creature I¡¯m familiar with, then. The accompanying image of something that looks almost identical to a scorpion but with two tails doesn¡¯t spark any memories either. It doesn¡¯t look very big, but from how strong its venom smells, I¡¯m glad I haven¡¯t encountered it. ¡°So, what, that eats into the fibre of the harash?¡± I ask, not seeing any other reason for using the venom. Yes, exactly. But therein lies my problem. The resulting potion has the healing nature required, but it also retains the acidic quality of the venom. It shouldn¡¯t do that. I feel his frustration emanating across the Bond. I understand it ¨C I¡¯ve encountered plenty of moments like that myself. ¡°How does the herbalist overcome that, then?¡± I ask. I don¡¯t know! River exclaims. I have been trying to mimic exactly what she does, but I keep encountering the same problems. ¡°Can you demonstrate for me?¡± I ask. Perhaps I will be able to spot something, or ask the right question to make River realise whatever he¡¯s doing wrong. ¡°Explain what you¡¯re doing as you do it.¡± Very well, River says with his equivalent of a sigh. First, I mince the aslebellum roots into as small pieces as possible. As he says it, he takes a root and does exactly that, his wooden knife doing a surprisingly decent job at the task. Once the pieces are all as small as possible ¨C resembling grains of rice more than the root they started as ¨C River takes the next plant. I then also slice the harash into as thin slivers as possible. So saying, he wraps the leaves of the harash into a tube and slices from the bottom, like I might do with a leek. Once he has a small pile of leaf slivers, he collects them and places them in a bowl, one of the smaller pylobus carapaces. I wonder if it having been part of an animal might make any difference to the product. ¡°What kind of containers does the herbalist use?¡± I ask. River does his equivalent of a shrug. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Whatever we can find, really. We still have some containers remaining from before the Earth-Shaper died, but not many. Otherwise, we use carapaces or shells or hollowed-out roots, or bowls the Wood-shaper creates. ¡°Does it make a difference?¡± Some materials must be in a shell as they may eat through wooden bowls. This venom is an example of that. It¡¯s why I have used your earthenware and the carapaces. So, that¡¯s a probable ¡®no¡¯ for the container being the problem. River continues working, pouring a little of the venom on top of the pile of harash slices and swirling the bowl about. I have poured the (scorpion lizard) venom onto the harash leaves and am agitating them to encourage the fibres in the leaves to break down. He then places the bowl onto the ground and holds his hands above it for a long moment. Then, dropping his hands, he reaches for the pile of minced aslebellum. I now take the- ¡°Wait, what were you doing when you held your hands above the bowl?¡± I interrupt. River looks considering for a moment and then shrugs. It is something the Herbalist always does with this mixture. I don¡¯t know why. I nod slowly even as he continues his explanation about dropping the aslebellum into the mixture and combining them by swirling the basin. I think I might have an inkling about what¡¯s going wrong but I save my thoughts for now. And so you see, River finishes, although the two plants have been correctly dissolved by the acid of the venom, the concoction remains acidic. The lizard-man clicks his teeth together in frustration. I just don¡¯t understand it. I¡¯ve used exactly the same amount of each ingredient that the Herbalist would use. I¡¯ve prepared it in exactly the same way. Unless I am forgetting something. ¡°I have an idea,¡± I start slowly, ¡°though I may easily be wrong.¡± River grunts loudly. Any guidance would be appreciated, master. I smile humorlessly. ¡°Unless it sends you in the wrong direction. Just¡­take my suggestion with a pinch of salt, OK?¡± River just waits, a sense of impatience coming over the link even as he regards me silently. ¡°So, I remember you¡¯ve mentioned before that the herbalist is capable of using shards of the Cores to infuse potions. Right?¡± Yes, though I don¡¯t see why that would be relevant here ¨C this is not one of the combinations which requires such treatment. ¡°It¡¯s less about relevance and more about evidence. I¡¯m thinking out loud here.¡± River tips his chin up briefly before eyeing me again. ¡°So, all the other Path-walkers appear to be able to use mana. Is that right?¡± It is. ¡°You held your hand over the concoction for no real reason, only because you¡¯d seen the herbalist do it.¡± River sends affirmation over the Bond. ¡°What if the herbalist does this because she¡¯s using mana on the potion to get rid of the acidity?¡± The lizard-man looks taken aback, the thought clearly not having occurred to him. It wouldn¡¯t have occurred to me either, except for the fact that I¡¯ve been contemplating the mana in everything around for the last few weeks. But if that¡¯s the case, then I won¡¯t be able to make this concoction, he tells me, crestfallen. I shrug. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. First of all, you do have mana. Perhaps you could learn to use it.¡± The Bond communicates River¡¯s doubt. That¡¯s what the Path-walkers do, not the Unevolved, he pointed out. I shrug again. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s how it¡¯s always been, but does that mean it has to be the case? I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t ignore that it might be possible. If you try and it doesn¡¯t work, then it¡¯s not the end of the world. For all we know, it will increase the chance that you will become a Path-walker instead of a Warrior upon your Evolution. Then you¡¯ll be able to do it however your herbalist does.¡± I can try, my Bound replies, doubt still filling his mental voice. But that doesn¡¯t help much right now. ¡°If that¡¯s the issue in the first place,¡± I remind him. ¡°But I do actually have two suggestions about things to maybe try which don''t require mana.¡± River perks up in interest. Please tell me, master! ¡°OK, first of all, perhaps use less of the venom.¡± River looks at me in confusion. But if I don¡¯t use the venom, the concoction definitely won¡¯t work. ¡°I didn¡¯t say don¡¯t use any of it, I suggested using less. Where I come from, we understand that acid can be neutralised, but only if it¡¯s used in the right quantities. Perhaps if you use less acid, more of it will be used in the process and won¡¯t remain to cause an issue with the final potion.¡± I shrug. ¡°Like I said, it works where I come from; that doesn¡¯t mean it will work here ¨C the rules do seem to be quite different in some cases. If you do it that way, you¡¯ll probably have to swirl it longer, maybe significantly longer as it will take the acid more time to break down all the fibres in the harash. And you¡¯ll have to test through trial and error about how much venom to use.¡± I see, River says slowly. You mentioned two suggestions? ¡°Yeah. The second is a bit more¡­based on guesswork,¡± I say, hesitating. ¡°So, you said that the purpose of the acid was to eat away at the fibres which the leaves of the harash are composed of, right? What about boiling them instead?¡± The idea had occurred to me when he¡¯d first mentioned why he was using the acid. I¡¯d automatically thought how awkward it was to use acid when boiling was exactly how humans had dealt with tough plants for thousands of years. Then I¡¯d remembered that the lizard-folk haven¡¯t yet discovered fire and it started to make a little more sense to me. My guess is that the acid is used despite its downsides because there aren¡¯t any other better options. And when magic can deal with the residual acidity, it turns from a possible solution to a realistic one. But without that magic¡­. Of course, I don¡¯t know if boiling the plants would destroy whatever makes them beneficial for healing; River will need to test that for himself. Will you show me how to do this¡­boiling? ¡°Of course,¡± I smile. ¡°But tomorrow, OK? Let¡¯s sleep now.¡± River raises his chin for a long moment, a mixture of emotions running around him. I identify the strongest, the ones he¡¯s essentially projecting down the Bond ¨C excitement, nerves, curiosity, hope. As you wish. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three: Fire Triangle The next morning dawns, though I¡¯ve already been awake for a few hours. I¡¯ve used the time semi-productively ¨C meditating on my hearthfire. Either my increased Wisdom or my new Skill is responsible for my far greater ability to actually see the internal workings of the fire ¨C or both. Whichever it is, I¡¯m grateful ¨C it¡¯s opened up a whole world to me, one which I hadn¡¯t realised I couldn¡¯t see. Like when I first gained Meditation, I wonder at what greater depths there are that I still can¡¯t see but which I may be able to gain insight into later. My improved ability to see the interconnection within the fire itself and not just between the fire and the world around has given me ideas about the earth too, ideas which I will explore later. I want to get a bit more of a handle on fire first. I haven¡¯t tried creating any more agreements with the use of Fire Taming; I¡¯ve just been observing. Even in the hours I¡¯ve been watching, I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve made any significant progress, but I sense that I could if I spend enough time there. And when I¡¯m all slept out but the world around me is still dark and dreaming, why shouldn¡¯t I spare the time to stare into the heart of an ancient fire and listen for its secrets? Still, I have to admit that I¡¯m rather excited when I sense that River¡¯s woken up behind me. I intend to teach him how to start a fire, and in doing so give fire to the lizard-folk for the first time in history ¨C as far as either of us knows. Does that make me Prometheus? Then I consider exactly what that unfortunate titan¡¯s fate was and shudder. With my own increased ability to heal, having my liver torn out every morning and it regrowing by the next morning doesn¡¯t seem as far-fetched as it used to. Perhaps it¡¯s better not to tempt fate. ¡°Ready to make fire?¡± I ask River. A mixture of trepidation and nervous excitement comes over the Bond. It seems like his fear is outweighing his anticipation ¨C for now, at least. I think it might do him some good to actually gain some control over the terror which imprinted itself on him as a child. Or hatchling, or whatever they call themselves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it ¨C the worst that will happen is you burn yourself a bit and I¡¯ll heal you. No, actually, the more likely worst-case scenario is that you don¡¯t manage to set light to the fire at all,¡± I try to reassure him, my tone amused. I trust you will keep me safe, master, River replies and his honesty takes my breath away for a moment in a mixture of joy and pain. ¡°I will,¡± I promise instead, my voice suddenly a little thick. I can¡¯t free him and offer Companion Bond, I remind myself. Not yet. I have to wait a while longer to find out how much of our relationship is real. I cough to clear away the physical indications of my feelings and then indicate the hearth in front of me. When I sensed him beginning to surface, I pulled the fire apart and let the remaining coals die. There may be a few residual embers and there¡¯s definitely residual heat, but all the better: both will make it more likely that one of his first attempts will succeed. ¡°Alright,¡± I start, trying to make my tone professional and business-like. Fortunately, I have practice in both covering and suppressing my emotions. ¡°First you need to build your fire.¡± I show him how to construct the fire with a mixture of materials ¨C from the dried moss-like plant which I often use as kindling to the thin, dry twigs which are the next step, all the way up to the thicker pieces of cut firewood. I¡¯ve put significant effort over the last couple of weeks into building a stockpile of these from the tree we brought down as well as other wood we¡¯ve found in the forest. ¡°You need to make sure that there are lots of gaps,¡± I emphasise as I place the last, thickest, pieces in a pyramid shape above the rest of the kindling. ¡°Fire requires oxygen to burn, which is in the air around us. At the same time, by placing these branches above the fire, we make it easier for them to catch light. This is because heat rises and the hotter something is, the more likely it is to ignite." I understand, River replies, watching intently. When I next deconstruct the fire and ask him to recreate it, his actions are slow but steady, moving almost without error. Certainly, his first attempt at the physical construction of a fire is significantly better than mine. I don¡¯t think the lizard-folk know how to write, so their powers of observation are probably a whole lot better than most humans¡¯. Once the fire has been remade, I take out my firestarter. ¡°OK, so this is called a firestarter and it makes our job a lot easier. You¡¯ve seen me use it before, I¡¯m sure.¡± Yes. You strike one piece against the other and little lights fly off. ¡°In essence, yes. You have to get the right angle and the ¡®little lights¡¯ are called ¡®sparks¡¯. Sparks are actually tiny pieces of the material which have become hot enough to ignite. The aim is to get those sparks to land on our easily ignited kindling and then to coax it into a fire. Come on, let¡¯s try.¡± I pass the firestarter to River and help correct his grip until he¡¯s managing to strike the right sort of angle. It¡¯s fortunate that his hands are almost as agile as mine ¨C only his claws get in the way sometimes. It does take him a number of tries before he manages to strike his first spark, and then several more until he¡¯s getting a small shower of them. After that, it takes even more time before he gets the idea of aiming them onto the small patch of dried moss. Once he¡¯s managed that, blowing on where the spark has landed is the next challenge: it turns out that having a lipless mouth doesn¡¯t make blowing easy. In the end, we settle on making a fan out of a thin and wide bit of wood that¡¯s just lying around the alcove. Ultimately, the point is to get the air moving over the spark; how that happens is irrelevant. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I didn¡¯t realise it took so much effort to start a fire, River admits when we¡¯re finally sitting back, watching the fire start licking at the twigs. He is fanning it with the piece of wood, but the fire¡¯s now doing most of the work. I find it interesting that he¡¯s now able to say ¡®fire¡¯. Or perhaps, it¡¯s that our understanding of fire is now overlapping sufficiently for the Bond to be able to translate it correctly. I don¡¯t understand how the life-devourer attacked us if making a fire is so difficult, he says next, sounding a little confused. I shrug. ¡°It doesn¡¯t always take as much effort as this. And sometimes it takes more. Basically, where I come from, we talk about the fire triangle. If all three elements are present, a fire will happen. If one is absent, it won¡¯t. Can you work out the three elements now you know more about fire?¡± River looks thoughtful. You talked about gaps in the firewood, and we needed to move the air around the spark. So, air is one? ¡°Well, oxygen, but yes, essentially. So one way of stopping a fire is to smother it ¨C pile earth or another substance on it which stops air from reaching the elements which are burning. That¡¯s one. What¡¯s the second?¡± River considers it for a few moments. We needed to supply firewood or other materials. Those are the second element? ¡°Fuel, yes. Fuel comes in a variety of forms. The ones we use here are solid, but if you remember the massive salamander, it used a flammable liquid to project its fire. There are also gases which ignite and can be very dangerous. Good so far. What¡¯s the third element?¡± This one seems to have River stumped. He eyes the fire, then me, then the fire again. After a bit of time, he holds up the firestarter. Is it this? he asks hesitantly. But then I don¡¯t understand how the life-devourer started. As far as I understand it, you were not present two years ago. ¡°No I wasn¡¯t,¡± I confirm. ¡°Wait,¡± I continue after a beat where the implications of his words register. ¡°I thought that you were a¡­hatchling? When this happened.¡± I was, he agrees easily. I blink. ¡°So you¡¯re, what, three years old?¡± I ask incredulously. Almost, he replies. I hatched in the first few days of the sun¡¯s return to strength. Spring, I interpret that to mean, according to my knowledge of the seasons. I can¡¯t seem to get my head around this. He¡¯s only two years old? At this age, human children are still practically helpless, unable to be left without supervision, unable to do practically anything for themselves. Whereas for the lizard-folk, two years old is clearly an independent adult. Well, I suppose the relatively short lifespan makes a bit more sense, then ¨C River¡¯s expected life span is only thirty-seven years in total. Hopefully his lifespan will increase as significantly as Bastet¡¯s. Actually, what about mine? The memories I have from the system knowledge stone do seem to indicate that lives of people on Nicholas¡¯ world are longer, but I''m not sure if that¡¯s a result of levelling or if they¡¯re a different species of human with a longer lifespan than mine. You seem surprised at my age, master, River interrupts my thoughts with a tentative statement. Did you wish for one younger than me? Or older and more experienced? ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just that my kind only reach adulthood in¡­¡± I chuckle, ¡°well, depends on what you consider adulthood. We¡¯re technically able to start having children at thirteen or fourteen years of age, sometimes a bit earlier, but that isn¡¯t a good idea for many reasons. Generally, we¡¯re considered to be of adult age at eighteen, though some places consider twenty-one the age for full independence. Heck, in the past, sometimes it took until thirty-five before a person was considered able to make all decisions for himself.¡± River stares at me. ¡­.How has your species survived? he asks wonderingly. To have to wait even thirteen years between broods would spell the death of our village. As it is, only five or six hatchlings survive in each brood, and then there are always deaths of unevolved adults which whittle down our population further. And that¡¯s with yearly hatchings. I hold up a hand. ¡°Now, that¡¯s one key difference. We don¡¯t have to wait for each child to grow up before having another. In fact, technically, I think it¡¯s possible to have a child every year and a half or so. In the past, some women had ten or even twenty children.¡± You only have one child at a time? River sounds even more surprised which, again, I understand. The lizard-folk seem to have the same scatter-gun approach to progeny as do most reptilian species ¨C have many in the hope that a few will survive. ¡°Yes. We put more effort into ensuring children survive, one or both parents generally dedicating decades of effort to raising them. In the past, child mortality was a lot worse than now, but I don¡¯t think it ever exceeded fifty percent as an average. I mean, there were plenty of things that killed adults then too, but even so, apart from a few outlier events, our population has only grown over the centuries. ¡°In the last century, it¡¯s exploded ¨C better health care means reduction of deaths by natural causes and fewer wars have meant that¡¯s not killing us off either.¡± I grimace. ¡°Unfortunately, though all those things have helped us as a species, our effect on the world hasn¡¯t been so positive.¡± After a moment, I shake the morose thoughts. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s irrelevant. I think we¡¯ve discussed lightning before?¡± River eyes me for a moment and then clearly concentrates on trying to remember. Yes, he says slowly. Then his expression lights up ¨C literally: his spikes start flashing an almost lurid green. I remember you suggested that as the cause of the life-devourer the first time I saw you make fire. ¡°Yes, exactly. The third element of the fire triangle is called ¡®heat¡¯ or sometimes the ¡®ignition source¡¯. So this,¡± I point at the firestarter, ¡°gave us the ignition event for our little fire here. There are a number of causes of a forest fire, but it¡¯s probably lightning. On a hot day when there hasn¡¯t been much rain, a storm builds, lightning strikes a tree and sets fire to it. If it¡¯s close enough to other fuel, such as dry wood, the fire can spread. Obviously, since it¡¯s outside, there¡¯s plenty of air available. So all three conditions are present for a fire which, unfortunately, will rage until one of the elements is removed.¡± I understand, River says thoughtfully. And now we can try boiling the concoction? ¡°Give the fire a little time to fully catch, but then, yes. Let¡¯s start preparing the ingredients.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Four: Cauldron Burn and Cauldron Bubble The brew is ready. I feel like we¡¯re a pair of witches ready to cackle over their cast iron pot. Double, double, toil and trouble. Cauldron burn and cauldron bubble, and all that, I think with amusement to myself, my boyhood participation in the Scottish play coming back to me abruptly. I feel a sudden urge to turn widdershins and spit, but suppress it with a wry grin. Who would have thought that I¡¯d actually be brewing a magical potion in a cauldron? Well, sort of a cauldron. Of course it¡¯s not a cast iron pot ¨C I haven¡¯t even got that far with my metal processing. Though that¡¯s something to add to the list, I decide. And it¡¯s just a couple of plants which have been stewing long enough to colour the water they¡¯re cooking in a faint green. ¡°So, how are we going to test it?¡± I ask River. I¡¯ll cut myself a little and then take a mouthful, he tells me decisively. ¡°Would you like me to do it?¡± I offer, clearing poison being easier from my own system than anyone else¡¯s. He sends across a sense of negation over the Bond. No, you have never used the original concoction, or tested any of my previous failures. It would be hard to know how this new technique compares. Understandable ¨C he needs a fair trial. He picks up the bowl and tilts it towards his mouth. ¡°Wait!¡± I interject, but a little too late. He jumps as the boiling hot liquid touches the inside of his mouth and some of the scalding liquid splashes out of the bowl. Although he has the presence of mind to bear through the pain to place the bowl back onto the floor, he makes disturbing noises of pain throughout. I grab my canteen from my Inventory, filled with cold water that I haven¡¯t yet boiled ¨C fortunately. ¡°Drink this,¡± I order him, passing him the canteen. He does, splashing the water particularly on bits of his mouth that are already going red. I see that, despite his scales, he¡¯s also showing small signs of injury to the areas where the water splashed over the edge of the bowl. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I send my consciousness into him, taking a chunk of mana with me. Healing the burns to his scales isn¡¯t difficult ¨C the injury is only slight. The injuries to his mouth are worse since the tissue there is softer and more vulnerable, but I¡¯ve had enough practice with Flesh-Shaping by now that it¡¯s easy enough. I pull out of his body and glare at him balefully. ¡°Don¡¯t drink scalding hot water. Honestly!¡± River just looks at me, his expression dismayed. I¡­I didn¡¯t think, he finishes lamely. ¡°Clearly!¡± I breathe explosively, throwing my hands up in disgust. Is this a case of disjointed thinking? He knew that fire was hot and could burn, but didn¡¯t realise that hot water could also burn? Ah well ¨C lesson learned now. ¡°Just for future reference, anything that is heated by a fire can itself cause damage. That¡¯s why we used those rags to take the bowl off the heat in the first place. And the contents of a pan heated on the fire will need time to cool down. And the more of a substance there is, the longer it generally takes to cool, especially if it¡¯s a liquid.¡± I will remember, he promises. I believe him. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be so hard on him ¨C I¡¯ve had to learn my own sharp lessons from experience too. And I¡¯ve made stupid errors with far more serious consequences than drinking boiling water. River makes a second attempt. This time, he¡¯s clearly taken my words about more substance taking longer to cool as he tips the bowl to allow a small amount of liquid to fill another, smaller bowl. This, he eyes cautiously. How do I know when it is safe to drink? he asks me warily. I shrug and point at the steam rising from it. ¡°That¡¯s often a good indicator that it¡¯s hot, though not always completely reliable. The warmer the day, the hotter something has to be to steam. Equally, the colder the day, the lower the temperature needs to be before it will produce steam. Heck, on really cold days, even our breaths steam like we¡¯re dragons. Have you seen that?¡± A dragon? River asks, surprised. ¡°No, your breath steaming,¡± I clarify. The lizard-man looks thoughtful. Once, perhaps? We did not leave our huts that day; we were too uncomfortable. We just huddled together and shivered. We thought we were being attacked by spirits, that they were summoning our very souls with every breath we took. The Shaman blessed us the next day, returning our souls to us, she said. Those who survived, that is ¨C not everyone did. Depressing. ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t anything about souls or spirits,¡± I tell him, doing my best to be cheerful. ¡°It¡¯s just about difference in temperature. So, if something steams, approach with caution. You can also hold your hand nearby. If you don¡¯t feel much heat, try holding your hand above it. If it¡¯s still not too hot, you can lower your hand and then, eventually dip your finger in the liquid to test its heat.¡± I eye his scaled and clawed hands. ¡°Though I¡¯d see how good your ability to sense heat is first ¨C it¡¯s not a good idea to accidentally burn yourself because your scales are so protective they don¡¯t allow you to feel it¡¯s hot. ¡°Basically, just try different things, but approach it with caution. In this case, you can blow on the liquid, as that hastens its cooling.¡± Blowing on it? Is it some sort of magical technique? ¡°Not magical, just¡­¡± I sigh, wondering how on earth to explain about energy transfer between atoms. Then I give up. ¡°It just works, OK?¡± Of course, as we¡¯ve established before, blowing isn¡¯t quite so easy for the crocodile-mouthed lizard-man. ¡°Or you can wave a fan at it. Any air movement works.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. After that little discussion, it doesn¡¯t take long before the small quantity of liquid is cool enough for River to drink it. He does so with more caution than before. Then, taking his knife, he makes a small cut in his inner forearm. Funny that that seems to be a soft spot for both of us. Watching intently, he waits until it¡¯s fully closed before pronouncing his judgement. ¡°So?¡± I ask, impatient to know. Weak, very weak¡­but it does have the effects of the original with none of the downsides of the venom, he concludes. A sudden bout of curiosity seizes me. The brew is entirely made of plants and water. Could I¡­.? Inspect Plant. I feel the pulse of mana go out from me, hit the bowl of mixed aslebellum and harash and return to me. There¡¯s no notification, but the pulse does return some information to me. It¡¯s confused, however, disjointed. I get hints of healing, and edible, and health, but nothing clear. Hmm. Tapping my chin with a finger, an idea occurs. I consider it for a moment and then mentally shrug. Might as well see what happens. Inspect Plant, Inspect Environment. This time, I feel a double pulse of mana pulse out of me, one directed at the bowl, one expanding out from me in all directions. When they return, I feel a moment of acute discomfort. It¡¯s like¡­I¡¯m listening to music, but there are two pieces playing at the same time. They¡¯re discordant enough to actually hurt my ears, but some instinct tells me that they are actually meant to fit together. The information I get is much the same as the first time. Interestingly, though, it¡¯s a little clearer, the aspects of health, healing, and edibility more definite. The golden glow around the bowl is stronger than usual, too, with the glows around the plants themselves and the venom ¨C gold and red respectively ¨C being significantly weaker than normal. It seems like, even if Inspect Environment expanded all around me as usual, it didn¡¯t do so equally. Deciding that there¡¯s no point stopping there, I next activate all three, trying to do them as quickly as possible, not quite able to do them simultaneously. This time when the pulse returns, I actually get a notification. Kind of.
Po!&o% ¡ìame: Les(%? &eal+$% I#gre!¡ìie&@s: Aslebellum, Harash, Water Ef¡±/¡ìs: &eal+$% for 3u of h%¡ìlth o#&! 5 m¡ì?ut
Close message? Y/N
¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit of nonsense,¡± I murmur. Master? River asks in confusion. I wave at him distractedly. ¡°Just a weird notification,¡± I explain. Notification? Is his next confused question but I ignore him for a moment, trying to work out what I¡¯m looking at here. The only words which are clear are the three ingredients of the potion and ¡®none¡¯. ¡°¡®Les something eal something?¡¯ What could that be about?¡± I stare at it, my mind working over the problems. ¡°Les eal. For something that heals. Could it be saying Less something heal?¡± I count the number of indecipherable characters. ¡°Actually, could it be ¡®lesser healing¡¯?¡± Things start slotting into place. ¡®Po!&o%¡¯ might easily be ¡®potion¡¯ ¨C it has the right letters in the right places and the right number of characters overall. I¡¯m not sure about the second word, but maybe ¡®name¡¯? So, the potion name is ¡®Lesser Healing¡¯. That makes sense. As for the next line, being able to read the ingredients makes it very clear what the word preceding them is. The third line is a bit of a blighter, but having worked out healing, I see that the same indecipherable characters are repeated. Though, given that % is used as the ¡®n¡¯ at the end of ¡®potion¡¯, and then as the ¡®g¡¯ in ¡®healing¡¯, I don¡¯t think the symbols are themselves used as any sort of code. Unless I¡¯m wrong about ¡®potion¡¯, but I don¡¯t think I am. ¡°So, ¡®healing for 3u of something something 5 something¡¯,¡± I think out loud. ¡°Hmm, could that last one be ¡®5 minutes¡¯?¡± I wonder, eyeing the vague shape of the word. ¡°And if that last one is ¡®minutes¡¯, it would seem that it¡¯s talking about the ¡®effects¡¯, which would work with the beginning of that line¡­. What about the other two words?¡± I look at ¡®h%¡ìlth¡¯ and think that I might know what it is. After that, the final word falls into place. ¡°So, ¡®Effects: healing for 3u of health over 5 minutes.¡¯¡±. Makes sense. And that simplifies the last line which says ¡®S¡ì&e-effects: none¡¯. Side-effects, I¡¯m sure. I dismiss the screen, a grin on my face of pleasure at managing to puzzle that out. I¡¯d certainly managed to think through that much faster and more easily than I would have been able to do before I gained all those points in my mental stats. Good to know what the effects of this potion actually are. Though, it didn¡¯t say anything about whether the effects are stackable or if there are any cooldowns involved, I note. I guess we¡¯ll have to test that ourselves. It¡¯s also illuminating to realise that the three Skills used together are able to offer more information than each used separately, or even two used together. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve tested up until now, but I make a mental note to do so ¨C when I have time. That reminds me that I have other things I wanted to do today. I did have a couple of other ideas for River, though. They occurred to me while we were watching the potion brew and I¡¯d like to talk River through them before leaving him to get on with experimentation. I think this could be an interesting turning point in his potion-brewing ¨C the use of boiling. ¡°OK, sorry about that,¡± I tell the patiently-waiting lizard-man. ¡°I have this¡­thing¡­which gives me information sometimes. This time, I had to put more work into deciphering it. Anyway, apparently this offers three units of health over five minutes which¡­is pretty weak.¡± My first Lay-on-hands did better even than that, even if it is a little above my original regeneration rate. Yes, I noticed that, he commented. ¡°Exactly. I have a couple of ideas that you might like to try?¡± He just watches me expectantly. ¡°Alright, first, you could try reducing the mixture, see if that strengthens it,¡± I tell him. Reducing? ¡°Continuing to boil away the liquid until the contents of the bowl are concentrated. It makes a stronger-tasting stew; it may do the same to a potion, for all I know.¡± I don¡¯t know either, River replies thoughtfully. ¡°And perhaps you could try grinding the leaves with a mortar and pestle,¡± I suggest next. ¡°Do you have one of those?¡± This? River asks, turning to his log-chest and pulling out a smooth stone and vaguely bowl-shaped stone. ¡°Yeah, that looks about right,¡± I tell him, not too surprised that the lizard-folk might have discovered this particular tool ¨C it does seem to go hand in hand with alchemy. Or herbalism, or whatever. I shall try your suggestions, River tells me with an enthusiastic glint in his bronze-coloured eyes, his clawed fingers already reaching for more ingredients. ¡°Sure, but let me just make breakfast first, OK?¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five: The Smelliest Parts of Town After a quick but satisfying breakfast of the last two of my eggs, some of my meat, and some more of those nice berries, I leave the cave and River within it, diligently experimenting with his potion. Time to check on my soaking hide. Outside, I find the rest of my Bound. It¡¯s sunny, though the wet ground proves that the rain did come as expected. They¡¯re all meditating with an Energy-Heart except for Fenrir, who is apparently the designated cub watcher. I suspect they¡¯ll be heading out on a hunt soon after sparring ¨C that seems to be the normal routine these days. I¡¯ll need to join them in the sparring before they go. I quickly greet Fenrir but don¡¯t disturb the others in their meditation. Walking over to my tanning basin, I investigate the progress of the hide. Pulling out the loosely rolled crocodile hide, I first note that there is still some Energy held within. Actually, a surprising amount. I only have to top it up by just short of my full mana pool once and it¡¯s completely saturated again. Interesting. My Bound lose far more of a proportion overnight than this hide has. Is that because they¡¯re living and this is dead? But no ¨C the paranax¡¯s body had lost two units of mana per minute. If that had been the case with this hide, I¡¯d have had to load a lot more than almost my full mana pool to resaturate it. Perhaps it¡¯s because it¡¯s a different species? Or different Tier? Anyway, that¡¯s a good sign in the sense of potentially investing my mana into it to keep it malleable. With any luck, I might even be able to improve its armour capabilities by keeping it saturated with mana ¨C for later testing. After resaturating the hide, I send my mind into it again, ¡®scanning¡¯ it for the differences the oily tanning mixture has resulted in. Interestingly enough, I come out of the scan wondering if the mana I¡¯ve just had to commit to the hide was actually mostly because of the brain oils now impregnating the skin. The oils I encounter now read like an intrinsic part of the hide ¨C and are already full of my mana. There haven¡¯t been that many changes in the hide otherwise, mostly just the addition of the oils. At least it appears that the rain wasn¡¯t so heavy that it diluted my solution here too much. Right, soaking done, next step ¨C drying. Suddenly, I remember that I haven¡¯t asked my nunda landlord a very important question.Temporarily returning the roll of hide into the tanning basin, I go over to where she¡¯s enjoying the morning sun. ¡°Kalanthia, do you mind if I put up some frames in the main cave? I would do them in mine, but¡­there¡¯s no space.¡± The giant leopard opens one golden eye. Frames for what? ¡°For drying hides,¡± I respond quickly. Will they take up much space? Will it be for long? she asks casually. I hesitate, thinking about just how much tanning I need to do. ¡°Uh¡­probably a fair bit¡­and for a while. And it might¡­smell a bit,¡± I add, wincing. Not that I¡¯ve done this before, but both my ¡®memories¡¯ of tanning inform me that, even at the best of time, it honks a bit, and my knowledge of mediaeval practices tell me that the tanning facilities used to be the smelliest parts of town. Kalanthia scrunches up her nose a bit in distaste. Why must you put it inside at all? Can it not remain out here? I shake my head. ¡°If it gets wet, it will significantly impact the progress of the tanning. Basically, it won¡¯t work.¡± Kalanthia sighs, the gust of wind from her mouth blowing my hair right back in a rotten-meat scented billow. Lovely. I want three of your Cores for this, she tells me grumpily. I open my mouth to protest ¨C three Cores just for letting me store some frames in her cave? Then I hear the grind of stone and turn around. Behind me, in the cliff, a new hole is being created. I look at Kalanthia with my eyebrows raised. ¡°You¡¯re creating a new space?¡± She sends me the feeling of a shrug. It seems the best way to achieve your needs without leading to unpleasantness in my cave. Fair point. The rumbling goes on for a while before stopping. I look at the hole assessingly. It¡¯s not very big, only about half my height and about the same in width. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°I hate to say this but¨C¡± It¡¯s bigger inside, Kalanthia interrupts. You said you did not wish for your projects to be wet. If the opening was too big, they would become so. OK, good point. ¡°Thanks for thinking about that, then,¡± I preface, ¡°but if it could be high enough for me to walk in instead of needing to crawl, that would be good¡­.¡± After all, although I can carry some things in my Inventory, I can¡¯t do that with everything or I¡¯ll lose all the mana I¡¯ve invested in things like my hide here. A rumble of stone later and the entrance increases in height by a foot. Better? ¡°Much, thanks. Mind if I take a look?¡± Go ahead. But I want my Cores after that ¨C creating so much space took a fair bit of Energy from me. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell her. Frankly, I¡¯ll consider them well-spent if I have a good area in which to do my crafting. Entering the cave requires me to stoop almost double, but it¡¯s better than the crawling I would have had to do before. Inside, I straighten slowly and carefully, finding that past the foot-thick lip, the ceiling is at least high enough that my hair isn¡¯t brushing it. It takes me a little time for my eyes to adjust to the much-lower light conditions. Even once they have, I squint at the cave, not able to see much. Maybe I should bring a torch? Then I remember something that makes me want to facepalm ¨C I have a way of enhancing my vision in the dark. Sliding into Fade, I find my vision significantly improving. Now, I can see that the space is roughly oval, stretching away from me at the entrance. It¡¯s a bit like a bubble of air that held its form within lava, the rock walls moulded around it. I take big steps to the other end of the oval, estimating it to be about three and a half metres long, and two and a half wide. The highest part is right in the middle, at a bit under twice my height. The average is probably my height and a half, though, with the ceiling near the walls swiftly curving lower. The same is true of the floor ¨C I¡¯m going to have to carefully work out how to manage my timber frames since they¡¯re not going to easily balance on such an uneven surface. It occurs to me that this is exactly where having Earth-Shaping would be useful ¨C as Kalanthia just clearly demonstrated. Well, I don¡¯t have it. Though, after my experience with Fire-Shaping ¨C or Taming, rather ¨C I have more of an idea of how I might approach it. That¡¯s still a bit far off, though, and my need is immediate so I¡¯m going to have to find another way around it. I sigh, eyeing the space. I can think of a few possibilities, some stop-gap, others more long-term. I¡¯m hesitant to build for the long-term since I¡¯m hoping to be moving soon. But the reality is that I have a lot of tanning that I¡¯d like to get done and if I choose a less-durable approach, I¡¯ll end up needing to repeat it every time I want to process a hide. On the other hand, if it turns out that I¡¯m able to use Flesh-Shaping to tan a hide from raw to finished, then my efforts to create a long-term tanning facility will be pointless ¨C I have plenty of other things to fill my time with which would have better long-term effect. I nod. OK, that makes it clear. I¡¯ll do a stop-gap measure for this first hide, and then, if it turns out that something more permanent will be necessary, I¡¯ll do it then. At least this space has been created now, no matter what I end up doing with it. Though, there is one change I¡¯m hoping Kalanthia will be willing to make. Exiting the cave, I go over to her, pulling three Energy Hearts out of my dwindling supply. ¡°Thanks for creating that,¡± I say to her, laying down the three faintly-glowing chunks of pseudo crystal. ¡°Just¡­is it possible to make a small hole above the door, as high as possible while still being able to go all the way through from inside to outside?¡± Kalanthia flicks her whiskers. It¡¯s done, she answers. I turn around, seeing that, sure enough, there¡¯s a hole probably about the size of my head about a metre above the entrance. ¡°OK, perfect,¡± I say, smiling. My main concern had been ventilation. Yes, there was always the entrance hole, but that wouldn¡¯t necessarily help for anything above waist-level and I didn¡¯t want to be accidentally suffocated by something hanging around at head-height. Now that the cave has a ventilation hole well above my head, that worry should be eliminated. With the way hot air rises, there should be a decent flow of air in the cave ¨C warmer air rising to the top and being pulled through the hole; cooler air being equally pulled in at the bottom to replace it. And to help my hides dry faster, I have the plan to light a fire at the back of the cave. That way there will be even more suction pulling the wind through the cave, and the heat will send any fumes billowing out of the top ventilation hole. I¡¯ve even got an idea of how to smoke multiple hides later, the close confines of the cave offering some interesting potential methods. But that¡¯s for later. For now, I need to adjust the frame I¡¯ve already made so that it will be able to stand upright ¨C or at least vaguely so ¨C in the cave. With a final word of appreciation to Kalanthia, I walk over to where my semi-finished frame is leaning against the cliff wall. It¡¯s a bit wet from the rain, but since all my joints are purely wooden, that doesn¡¯t matter too much. Eyeing it, I decide to take it into the cave and see what can be done about it. It¡¯s large and unwieldy; I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get it in through the door. Fortunately, I don¡¯t need to ¨C although it¡¯s heavy, I can still lift it and thus it slips into my Inventory with ease. Pulling it out once I¡¯m back in the cave ¨C Fade active once more for the sake of vision ¨C I prop it up against the wall. A moment later, I have to grab it as it starts to slide noisily across the ground. I heave it upwards until it¡¯s leaning at a sharp enough angle that its own friction holds it upright ¨C just. But that isn¡¯t enough for what I need to do with it ¨C the first time I stretch the hide with a stick, the whole lot will slide again. Another idea occurs. I grab six solid chunks of wood from my Inventory ¨C two longer than the others ¨C and set to work. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Six: Sense of Self Using a stick, I poke at the hide stretched on the frame in front of me. Prodding carefully, I stretch the crocodile skin in multiple places, then walk around the frame and start doing the same to the other side. I¡¯ve already done this process several times in the last few hours and expect to do it several times more. The hide is bound to the frame with my bark-fibre cord threaded through holes around the edges of the skin. Normally, I would have made those holes with my knife, but this is where my Flesh-Shaping has come in handy: with holes shaped instead of cut, there should be less chance of the hide ripping free. The frame is standing in the middle of the cave. Using my chunks of wood, I created ¡®feet¡¯ for it. Two chunks are perpendicular to the frame and resting on the floor. The other four pieces of wood are braces, spanning the diagonal between the ends of the ¡®feet¡¯ and the frame itself. When I first started doing this job, the feet worked perfectly well, stopping the frame from falling over. What happened instead, though, was that the force of my efforts made the whole thing slide back. To prevent that, I grabbed four big chunks of stone and placed them so that they hold the frame in one place. Now, I¡¯m able to work uninterrupted. With another two pokes with my stick, I¡¯m done for this round. I feel the skin, then nod in satisfaction ¨C the drying is coming along nicely. The fire I have burning cleanly at the end of the cave is doing exactly what I¡¯d hoped ¨C pulling in a strong draught from the door and sending its smoke out of the top hole. The wind helps the drying go faster, as does the warmth that fills the cave. Putting my stick down on the ground, I walk back over to the fire, sitting down next to it and closing my eyes. Since it¡¯s my first time actually tanning something, I have to admit to feeling some anxiety over making sure everything goes well and don¡¯t want to go too far away from my skin. Obviously, I also don¡¯t want to waste time. So, I figure that trying to improve my magical abilities is a good use of the time between needing to stretch the skin. Previously, I¡¯ve just stared at the fire with my mental eyes, finding the fire heart and contemplating it. That has felt¡­it¡¯s hard to say ¡®productive¡¯ when there is nothing to measure how things have improved. Yet I sense that, somehow, I have made progress. Each time I¡¯ve spent more than a few minutes staring at the connections within the fire and between it and everything around, I¡¯ve felt more¡­implicit. More like I¡¯m not merely an observer, but actually part of the action, part of the dance. Maybe that¡¯s what the dream which woke me with flames licking at my ¡®bed¡¯ was about ¨C the fire inviting me to join it properly. This time, instead of looking at the fire heart, I just stare into the fire¡¯s physical appearance. And for the first time, I think I might be catching glimpses of the world I usually only see when engaging in meditation. Flickers of connections seem to shift at the corner of my vision, the flames almost perfectly hiding the world I can normally only see with my mind¡¯s eyes. Almost. Thoughts go around my head but I don¡¯t try to direct them much, merely let them come and go, my gaze soft and my mind unfocussed. It¡¯s like star-gazing ¨C try to look at them and they vanish. So instead, I just¡­relax. Invite them to be seen, to be known. To be acknowledged. But coaxed, not ordered. Slowly, like the first hesitant licks of fire caressing a new piece of fuel, like the initial tentative connections built from the fire to its surroundings, ideas coalesce. My mind is taken back to talking through the fire triangle with River. Fuel, oxygen, heat. Necessary for a fire; just as necessary for me. Are we that different? I suffocate as easily as a fire, if I am buried below earth or my openings are blocked. I starve just as a fire does if all my fuel is taken away from me. I will freeze and expire if I have no heat to keep me moving and working. Instinctively, I reach a hand out to the fire. I¡¯m not afraid, not fearful of being burned. Because we¡¯re the same and, as I¡¯ve learned, all fire is the same fire. The flames lick around my hand playfully, the dance of the physical matching the movement of the connections that I now see plainly, even with my physical eyes. But all of that is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that we are one. A bubble of excitement rises inside me, a desire to dance, to make merry, to enjoy the present. For what is the past? What is the future? There is only the present. And in the present, we have everything we need, so why not dance? We move together, the heat warming but not burning. Why would it burn? We are fire, we do not burn, we cannot. Everything else burns in our presence but we ourselves are exempt. We realise that there is more fuel nearby, enveloping us. Hungry, always hungry for more, we start munching it happily. But something is wrong. What is wrong? What is this ¡®wrong¡¯? Wrong does not exist. We feed, we consume, we live. That is all. But no, something is wrong. The coverings are not fuel, are not food. We hesitate for a long moment as we war with ourselves. All that burns is fuel, yet this can burn but is not fuel? We pause, and in that pause become suddenly aware that we are not we. There is an outsider. Or we are an outsider? Like a brick wall suddenly giving way to the heat of a house fire, my sense of self returns and fills me with cold fear. I¡¯m kneeling in the fire, having somehow crawled close enough to it to actually be in it. The flames which had been licking harmlessly at my skin suddenly burn me. I yelp and push myself backwards. My clothes have caught fire; so has my hair and beard. Doing the old drop and roll, I keep going until I¡¯m sure that all the fire is out. A nasty smell fills the air ¨C burnt hair is never pleasant. I suddenly can¡¯t bear to be in the cave and quickly make my way out of it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. River is my only Bound present ¨C the others have gone out hunting. I can tell they¡¯ve been doing well with hunting: I¡¯m already at nine percent towards my next level. OK, five of those are my daily accumulation over the last two days, but for me to have already another four percent just from the ¡®tax¡¯ on their kills, proves that they¡¯re terrorising the forest. Are you well, master? River asks with a hint of concern, glancing up from where he¡¯s stirring a pot over his own fire. More concern goes through him as he looks at me properly. You¡¯ve got something here, he says, raising his clawed fingers to brush under his long muzzle. I lift my hand as a mirror image, finding that I have a much shorter patch of beard on one side. I pull my hand away from it quickly, not liking the reminder. Maybe I¡¯ll have to properly shave just to get rid of it. ¡°Yeah,¡± I say, brushing myself down with slightly shaky fingers. It¡¯s not every day I almost lose my sense of self completely. ¡°How are your experiments going?¡± River eyes me, but then decides to go along with my obvious desire to change the subject. Well. The, uh, reducing, seems to strengthen the potion, but it also reduces its quantity. ¡°Expected,¡± I comment, since that basically is the idea of reducing ¨C getting rid of the dilution doesn¡¯t change how much active product is in the brew. Yes. He holds up a small bowl of liquid which is the same shade as the one I Inspected earlier but more opaque. This is what I was able to produce. The same mouthful seems to work at least three times as fast. ¡°Alright, let me see if I can get any information about this,¡± I comment with interest. As before, I trigger all three of my Inspect Skills, receiving a notification.
%oti¦Ì% N&¡ìe: $?ss¡èr H%@l+n% #n?&edie&t¡ì: Aslebellum, Harash, Water /¡ìff¡±cts: H%@l+n% for 11u of he¡ìl¡ì: #v&r 2 /@nu!es S¡ì&e-/¡ìff¡±cts: none
Close message? Y/N
Still a lot of gibberish, I sigh. And not even the same gibberish. If I¡¯d thought there might be some sort of code within the messages, that hope is gone now as I compare the two notifications to each other. Even the words which are clearly the same don¡¯t have the same symbols, or are made difficult to read in the same way. I add trying to make my Inspect Skills to play more nicely together to my to-do list. Still, at least it appears the same actual words have been used so it doesn¡¯t take me too long to work out what this notification is saying. It seems like this potion is still classified as ¡®Lesser Healing¡¯, though its effects definitely are better. Eleven units of health over two minutes is a lot better than three units over five minutes. In fact, it¡¯s even starting to verge on the useful ¨C the healing is equivalent to one of my original Lay-on-hands casts, though significantly slower. Assuming it can be used in conjunction with my Flesh-Shaping, it could help in the situation where I¡¯m just not able to channel healing fast enough. Or, if I have multiple injured Bound, it could be enough to keep the lesser injured one in the game while I deal with the more injured one. ¡°Not bad,¡± I say to River. ¡°Eleven units of healing over two minutes.¡± He makes a face of disgust. Still very poor, he comments. The Herbalist could make concoctions with at least four times the healing power of that one with her eyes closed. I shrug, passing the bowl back to him. ¡°She is probably using magic to do so,¡± I point out. ¡°On that front, any success?¡± No, River admits. I¡¯ve tried, but¡­I don¡¯t even know where to start. I nod slowly. Honestly, if I hadn¡¯t had to do all that work on my Core and then internal matrix, I probably wouldn¡¯t have known where to begin with Flesh-Shaping either. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be glad about the damage the Pure Energy did, but the experience has taught me a hell of a lot. ¡°Maybe I can help you with that,¡± I suggest tentatively. ¡°I¡¯m not promising anything but¡­I¡¯ve had some experience recently with using mana in different ways.¡± I would appreciate it, River says with gratitude. I have tried your other suggestion of reducing the amount of venom. ¡°Has it helped?¡± I ask in interest. He makes his equivalent of a shrug. Some. There are still the side effects. He holds up two bowls, both with black, lumpy liquid. Appealing. Not. This one is with half as much venom as I originally used. This other is with a quarter as much. I use my Inspection Skills on the first potion, once more rolling my eyes at the gibberish that appears.
P¡ìti¦Ìn N&m!: Ac!?ic #?a¡ìin@ ¡ì?gre&#e&ts: Aslebellum, Harash, (unknown) venom Ef¡ì¡±c&s: #?a¡ìin@ for 25u of he¡ìl¡ì: #v&r 2 mi?u!¡ìs ¡ìid&-ef¡ì¡±c&s: 6 acidic d#m!?e e/e%y mi?u!¡ì /or 4 mi?u!¡ìs
Close message? Y/N
¡°It¡¯s no longer classed as a Lesser Healing potion,¡± is the first thing I comment on with interest. Squinting, I try to work out what it is classed as. Ac something ic. Ac-ic. Acidic! Well, that makes sense, considering what River said. Interesting that the venom is identified as ¡®unknown¡¯. Because I haven¡¯t identified the creature it comes from? Perhaps. The healing on this is much better even than the reduced health potion: twenty-five units over two minutes. But there¡¯s something written in the ¡®side-effects¡¯ section. It takes me a little time to work my way through. ¡°Six acidic¡­dme¡­damage? That would work. So, six acidic damage something minutes? No, minute ¨C there¡¯s no ¡®s¡¯ at the end. Six acidic damage over¡­no, every minute for four minutes? Yes, that makes sense.¡± Which really sucks. Twenty-five units of healing for twenty-four units of damage. I wonder why it¡¯s not outright saying ¡®health damage¡¯. Maybe some creatures would be resistant to acid damage, so drinking this would be like a normal health potion? Perhaps. I check the other potion, but it¡¯s much of the same, just lower healing and commensurately lower damage. ¡°Seventeen health points healed over two minutes, but fifteen points of acidic damage in total over three minutes,¡± I tell River. He looks a little depressed, but not surprised. Much as I thought, he comments a moment later, shaking his head. I itch to give helping him a go, but I feel like I need to actually consider what¡¯s just happened with the fire first before I start doing more new experiments with mana. What if the fire changed something inside me? ¡°Look, let me just work on something for a bit, then I¡¯ll come and we can see what¡¯s possible to do with mana. OK?¡± I¡¯ll be ready for you when you are, is River¡¯s immediate response. ¡°I¡¯ll be as quick as I can,¡± I promise hoping that I¡¯ll be able to keep it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Seven: Pulled Adrift, Askew I¡¯m feeling a bit too antsy to just sit still and meditate, so decide to do something useful: moving my store of firewood under shelter. I hadn¡¯t done it before because there was no space in the alcove and I didn¡¯t want to overflow into Kalanthia¡¯s area ¨C I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be happy with that. And putting it in my Inventory means that it isn¡¯t able to dry any more than it already is. But now I have this convenient little space, keeping my firewood dry is actually feasible. That will be especially useful in the rainy winter. The physical activity is perfect for contemplation. It takes almost no brain-power to move firewood, only a little being reserved for making sure the logs are stacked in a way that means they¡¯re not likely to fall. The rest of my focus can therefore be on working through what just happened to me. Deciding that ripping the bandaid off is the most effective solution, I focus on the core of the issue, the thought that had sent me reeling away from the fire with my hands shaking and my legs feeling weak. I almost lost my sense of self and became part of the fire. And I can¡¯t help but think that it might have even been on a permanent basis. But what does that mean? If it hadn¡¯t started licking at my clothes and jarred me out of that state, what would have happened? Would my body have dissolved into flames? Or would it have been left there, mindless, as my consciousness lost all connection with it? And what would have happened when the fire went out? Would my mind have returned to my body, should it still have been present? Or would my mind be snuffed out with the flames, rejoining the greater Fire in whatever way normal flames do? Perhaps it¡¯s not useful to think of such what ifs, but I feel like I need to. That I need to work through what could have happened emotionally. I could have lost everything. Because, ultimately, without my sense of self, what am I? I can replace tools, clothes, furniture, shelter. But I can¡¯t replace friends. And I can¡¯t replace myself. I suddenly sense that I¡¯m touching on something with that thought, but it vanishes even as I chase after it. Giving up after a few fruitless attempts to follow the idea, I sigh and return to the issue at hand. I feel like¡­. It¡¯s almost like some part of me was pulled adrift, askew ¨C like a tablecloth tugged sideways off a table. It¡¯s still on the table, but not as it was before, not hanging evenly on all sides and smooth across the top. The physical activity and contemplation is helping, like somehow each minute that passes twitches the tablecloth back into position, its well-worn creases settling over the edges and corners of the table as always. I know I said to River that I¡¯d be done as soon as possible, but I can¡¯t help settling on the ground near the entrance to the cave when I¡¯m done with moving the firewood. Closing my eyes, I drop into my Core space. It¡¯s only when I see my internal matrix with the burning sun of my Core that I realise I didn¡¯t even take a single deep breath, let alone any other form of clearing my mind. Actually, it¡¯s funny. I remember back to when I first got the ability to see connections around me, back in the cage in the middle of the lizard-folk village. I had to focus on clearing my mind, relaxing my thoughts, and paying attention to my breathing for quite a while before it worked. When I first discovered my Core space, it wasn¡¯t much different. Now, though, I can slip into either state as easily as breathing, merely needing to close my eyes and concentrate to get here. Am I even meditating any more? I pause on that thought, observing the flow of Energy around my matrix. What is Meditation? And is it the same as meditation anymore? The movement of Energy is like a pulse, like the internal matrix truly is the network of blood vessels that I¡¯ve compared it to many times, and my Core is the heart. The golden light rushes towards my Core in a small wave, then rushes away from it as if pushed. It¡¯s not all that dissimilar to what happened when I levelled up, actually, just on a much, much smaller scale. Curiosity suffuses me. I know this isn¡¯t what I came here to do, but I can¡¯t help wanting to satisfy my desire to know. Pulling out of my Core space, I take a moment to slow my breathing, to calm my mind. And then, instead of diving into my Core space, appearing there abruptly, I¡­drift downwards. Like a burning fragment of ash through the air. The ultimate destination is the same, but I feel different about it. Like I am now, I¡¯m calmer than before, more peaceful. And interestingly, I feel the connections leading out of my body more strongly. I¡¯m inordinately tempted to follow the connections I sense are my Bound, perhaps repeating what I did with Fenrir once. Later, I promise myself. When I¡¯ve at least warned them I¡¯ll be trying something. I wouldn¡¯t want to accidentally disrupt them in the middle of a fight, after all. The thought sobers me and I return back to the centre of my Core space from where I was drifting to the outer reaches. At first glance nothing has changed. The Core is still ¡®beating¡¯; the ripples are still moving back and forth like waves on a beach. What has changed, I realise, is the intensity of the waves. Now the waves moving towards my Core are at least twice as big. Increased Energy absorption? I wonder to myself. I guess that proves something: it¡¯s not necessary to use Meditation to get to my Core space, but it is if I want to gain the benefit of the Energy absorption. Can I gain the benefit while moving? I wonder thoughtfully. If I could, would I sky-rocket my ability to gain Energy for levelling up? It¡¯s worth a go. Trying to maintain the same feeling of peace and tranquillity, I slowly open my eyes. I attempt to avoid concentrating on anything in particular, focussing on my breathing and relaxing my mind. Slowly, I roll myself to my hands and knees and then push myself to standing. It takes me about five times as long as it normally would, but I sense that I haven¡¯t pulled completely out of Meditation. Pulling up my status screen, I can¡¯t help but grin as I see it.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 13 Energy to next level: 10% Energy absorption rate: 56u/hr Stolen story; please report. Energy towards debt: 84% (254)
Intelligence 36 Mana: 540/540 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40 Mana regeneration rate: 1000u/hr
Willpower 42+8 (+20%) Health regeneration rate: 40u/hr (-20%)
Constitution 20 Health: 200/200
Strength 20 Stamina: 113/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Novice 7 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 3 Inspect Fauna ¨C Beginner 6 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 8 Fire-Taming ¨C Beginner 2 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 3 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Initiate 1 Meditation ¨C Initiate 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Journeyman 9 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 5 Spearmanship ¨C Beginner 5 Archery ¨C Beginner 3 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Beginner 5 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 1
The fact that my Energy absorption rate is at fifty-six units per hour instead of thirty-five indicates success, even if not full success. Thanks to my gains at Beginner and Novice levels, I should be earning a hundred and thirty-five percent more Energy per hour when Meditation is fully active. But even if I¡¯m not earning that much more, I¡¯m still earning more Energy than I would normally, proving that it is possible to use Meditation while moving. Of course, my excitement at realising that sends my sense of peace and tranquillity vanishing like fog under the hot sun, and my Energy absorption rate drops back to its normal level. But that¡¯s OK ¨C I just need to practise. While I¡¯m practising, I consider something else that I¡¯ve been meaning to try. Only being able to heal while concentrating fully on my target is a bit of a drawback which I¡¯d like to see if I can overcome. After all, if Meditating is possible while moving, surely healing is too. And isn¡¯t it fortunate that I have some new burns here to deal with? Actually, I¡¯d almost forgotten the burns in the excitement of River¡¯s and my own experiments. Yes, they hurt, but they¡¯re only first-degree burns, and my pain tolerance is pretty high by this point. Instead of closing my eyes and dedicating all my focus to the task, I try to draw the mana out of my Core and through my internal matrix just standing here and staring into space. It¡¯s hard, very hard. It¡¯s just as difficult as trying to heal my Bound at a distance, though in a different way. That¡¯s difficult because it¡¯s like trying to use a long pole with a pen on the end of it to write on a board ¨C the fine detail becomes increasingly trickier the longer the distance. This, however, is difficult because it requires me to split my attention in a way I¡¯m not used to. Like trying to have a conversation with someone at the same time as trying to solve complex maths problems. Possible, because they¡¯re two different subjects and use different parts of the brain, but not easy. Still, the chances are that practice makes perfect, so the more I do it, the more likely it is that I¡¯ll be able to use this in a combat situation. Ultimately, that¡¯s what I need to aim for in order to be at least as effective as I was with Lay-on-hands. So, despite the way it makes my head feel like it¡¯s being split with my own stone axe, I refuse to close my eyes, clenching my fists and furrowing my brow as I try to cope with two different sets of inputs at the same time. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m surprised, relieved, or simply unmoved by my success, because as my burns start healing, I¡¯m just concentrating too hard to take note of my emotional reaction. By the time I¡¯ve moved onto the third burn, it¡¯s starting to get easier. Perhaps because, having done one burn, it¡¯s simpler to do others. Or perhaps I¡¯m getting used to it ¨C I never realised that directing healing with my mind would be comparable to working out in the gym, but it is. As the task becomes easier for me to do, I challenge myself further, beginning to actually move and continue my task of shifting the firewood logs between one pile and the other. This is even more of a challenge, and I mostly move on autopilot, the odd disruption of logs dropping on my feet or splinters piercing my fingers threatening to tip me off this delicate balance. But I keep going doggedly until, finally, my fingers grasp at empty air and my mana fails to heal. It¡¯s only then that I realise I¡¯ve both moved all the firewood and healed all the burns. The corners of my mouth tug upwards tiredly. I have a splitting headache, like someone truly has taken my axe and got their kicks out of cleaving my head with it. I consider trying to use mana to deal with the headache, but refrain. Something tells me that this kind of pain isn¡¯t actually anything that mana is going to be able to fix. If I¡¯m unlucky, it would actually make things worse. I do want to make sure that I haven¡¯t accidentally done myself any damage, though, both from this particular activity as well as from the fire earlier. Dropping into my Core space ¨C without Meditating this time ¨C I do a quick scan over myself. No problems as far as I can see, I conclude after completing my inspection. My Fire Taming Skill seems to have grown a little, taking up just a touch more space than it had been doing before. I examine it a little longer, moving around so I can see it from different angles. After a while, I give up, dissatisfied. It¡¯s changed a little, but I can¡¯t work out exactly how or what the implications are of the changes. Perhaps it will become clearer later. At any rate, it proves that what I did with the fire has had an impact. A good one or not, we¡¯ll see. Interestingly, Energy Manipulation ¨C or the dense interwoven lines I¡¯m pretty sure belong to that Skill, anyway ¨C has grown too. I guess that¡¯s normal. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve received any notification, though, so it obviously hasn¡¯t crossed from Journeyman into the next rank yet. A quick look over to the void area proves that nothing¡¯s changed in that region, either. I make a mental note to do some experiments on that this evening ¨C I have some ideas from increasing my Wisdom that I¡¯d like to try. Opening my eyes, I pick up my stick and poke my drying hide a bit more, eyeing the fire. Risks aside, both physical and mental, I do feel like I¡¯ve made a bit of a break-through with my understanding of fire. Where it will take me, though, is another question. Where I want it to take me is again a separate matter. Honestly, I¡¯d still like to try for Fire-Shaping. Fire Taming is potentially good, but it seems far more limited. I can think of so many applications for Fire-Shaping, but I don''t know if Fire Taming will be able to fulfil them. And I have a deadline: the time I have to complete the quest ticks down one more day every morning. The reason I have for wanting Fire-Shaping before then is linked to the vine-stranglers. They are both an obstacle in my way, and the threat to River¡¯s village ¨C dealing with them would kill two birds with one stone. Since they seem so flammable, fire is the obvious solution. But I have no desire to create another forest fire. A fire like that is indiscriminatory and will hurt friend just as easily as foe. Furthermore, from River¡¯s own experience with a forest fire I could end up hurting lots of lizard-folk with my attempt to save them. While killing off the whole village arguably solves the issue with Kalanthia, I have a feeling that River would be¡­upset. And it¡¯s not like that would be any better a solution than just letting her take her due from the village in the first place. So, if I start a fire, it needs to be one I can control. If I can Tame the fire sufficiently to be able to do that, then great. However, I suspect that I can¡¯t. Not without significantly more points in Willpower, anyway. The small campfire I lit was loath to give up its fuel, and only did so in exchange for some mana to burn instead. How much more difficult to control would be a forest fire? All that is why I¡¯ve decided to continue meditating on fire in the hopes of either deepening my connection to fire, making it easier to Tame, or expanding Fire Taming into Fire-Shaping fully. Of course, whether even Fire-Shaping would enable me to be capable of controlling a forest fire is another question. The risks are worth the potential benefits, I decide, unconsciously nodding in agreement with my own thoughts. But forewarned is hopefully forearmed; I don¡¯t want to experience the realisation I had while kneeling in the fire. That I could have lost it all and not even known it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight: Dissolution ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what we can do,¡± I say to River, returning to sit cross-legged next to him. He hasn¡¯t been idle in the time I¡¯ve been gone ¨C I see the evidence of multiple tests, both with the venom and without. ¡°Any luck?¡± I ask. The lizard-man sends me a sense of frustrated negation. The concoction has improved but not enough. When I test it on myself, it doesn¡¯t even come close to what I experienced with the Herbalist¡¯s creation. ¡°You know,¡± I say thoughtfully, ¡°it may not just be the technique. Animals contain more Energy the further into the valley we get; perhaps the same is true of plants.¡± It¡¯s something that occurred to me while I was recently stretching my hide: idly comparing the crocodile to the salamander. That¡¯s true, River allows pensively. Clearly he hadn¡¯t thought about it either. ¡°But it¡¯s still likely that your herbalist uses magic in the creation process, so we might as well give it a go.¡± So saying, I get started. I need to try to work out if I can do it before I have a chance of teaching River. And I figure that that starts with me testing what I can actually do with the materials. Though I suspect that the herbalist affects the concoction directly, she probably has a particular Skill for that ¨C or whatever she¡¯d call it. To that end, I pick up the harash and try to infuse mana into it the way I would with a carcass. It¡¯s not all that surprising when it doesn¡¯t work; I¡¯d been more than half-expecting that result. After all, my attempt to infuse the tree trunk with mana hadn¡¯t succeeded, so why would it work with a different kind of plant? Nonetheless, in the pursuit of being thorough, I pick up the aslebellum and do the same. With the same result. Alright, I say to myself. How about the venom? This attempt, I give even odds. It¡¯s an animal product, which might mean that it¡¯s able to be affected by Flesh-Shaping. On the other hand, it¡¯s not the whole body; only a small part, and not really flesh at all. A flicker of hope lights inside me when my mana isn¡¯t just automatically rejected. At the same time, it isn¡¯t absorbed inside as easily as the crocodile skin, for example. It¡¯s almost like my mana is reluctant to move forwards. Like it¡¯s uncertain whether it should do this or not. If it¡¯s possible for mana to have an opinion, of course. Which, actually isn¡¯t as far-fetched an idea as I might have thought at the beginning of all this; if fire is able to bargain, why wouldn¡¯t my mana be able to have feelings? Though I¡¯d rather it didn¡¯t because I¡¯d hate to know what would happen if my mana decided it didn¡¯t like me¡­. Either way, I press forwards, trying to overcome the reluctance of my mana with my will. Slowly, begrudgingly, it enters the venom and starts to spread within it. I suddenly realise that I understand why it dissolves everything around ¨C it¡¯s not dissimilar to my own stomach acid, but several times stronger. If I remember correctly, stomach acid is usually hydrochloric acid, and strong enough to dissolve food as it is. Why it¡¯s black, I put down to the other substances that are mixed in with the acid. What they¡¯re for, I don¡¯t know. Perhaps something to do with why the acid doesn¡¯t dissolve the creature¡¯s own body? Once my mana fully saturates the venom, I sense that I have just as much control over the liquid as I do over skin or a carcass itself. I test it briefly, adding in some more mana to increase the quantity of the liquid. I¡¯m tempted to test whether I can change the concentration, but decide that I¡¯d better separate it out for that. Actually, if I do separate it into two amounts, will both parts be equally saturated, or will my mana only stay in one? To test that out, I take another of my earthenware pots ¨C this one a bit bigger than really ideal ¨C and separate some of the acid into it. To my pleasure, separating the liquid changes nothing: I have equal control over both quantities. A further few tests to the liquid in the bigger earthenware pot reveal that, yes, I can increase or reduce the concentration of the acid ¨C to a point. I suspect that I can increase the concentration about two or three times. Reducing the concentration, funnily enough, is actually harder, and I can only reduce it to perhaps half of its initial concentration, at most. I do find something else interesting. If I increase the concentration of the acid and then rapidly reduce it, I can reduce the concentration to half of the original acid. If, however, I increase the acid¡¯s concentration and then wait for a few minutes, the new concentration becomes the ¡®base value¡¯ by which the half concentration is calculated. I have to guess that that indicates that the mana actually changes into the physical components of the acid, but takes a little bit of time to do it, even if the effects are immediately evident. My tests done for now, I turn back to River who is waiting patiently. It must be pretty boring for him ¨C although I can sense all the differences I¡¯ve made to the venom, for him it must have been like watching paint dry. ¡°Let¡¯s give this another go. I haven¡¯t been able to affect the plants at all, but the venom is a different story. Perhaps that will be enough to make a difference.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Perhaps, River replies, equally cautious, but his eyes tell a different story, as does the excitement in his movements. He chops the harash and aslebellum. Why he didn¡¯t do that while I was testing the venom, I don¡¯t know ¨C perhaps the freshness makes a difference? Or he thinks it does, at least. Putting the harash slivers in a bowl, he reaches for the venom. This time when he pours it in, I¡¯m immediately able to feel what happens. The acid in the venom starts reacting with the harash, breaking the outer layers apart. Even as it does that, parts of the venom itself are transformed. Some of that is the acid itself ¨C being neutralised, I suppose ¨C but the other components of the venom, the elements I wasn¡¯t able to identify the function of, are also being affected. So, there goes the idea that it¡¯s the pure acidity which makes a difference to this potion. Clearly the acid is important, and I guess the plants themselves are a large part of the function of the potion. That is evident from the fact that boiling them did work. However, I have to now theorise that the venom is important in some way to enhance the healing aspects of the plants. Or perhaps the reactions which are going on here, besides the immediate dissolution of the hydrocholoric acid, are actually detrimental. Could they be the reason why the potion is almost as harmful as it is helpful? But then, that¡¯s clearly not a feature of the original potion, so the herbalist must have some way of getting around it. I just observe while the reactions continue. I even swirl the bowl a little when the speed starts to die down, making sure that the venom which has not yet had a chance to come in contact with the plant pieces is able to do so. Finally, it seems like the mixture has stabilised; even when I swirl it around, no further reactions take place. ¡°OK, add the aslebellum, please,¡± I tell River. The lizard-man jumps a little, perhaps startled by me suddenly speaking after having been silent for a rather long time. He wordlessly obeys, not asking any questions even though his curiosity and impatience coming across the Bond. All I can say is that he¡¯s far more patient than me. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d have been able to keep silent all this time. Even so, I don¡¯t say anything right now ¨C I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve learned enough yet. When the minced aslebellum enters the liquid, a new explosion of frantic reactions takes place. Once more the acid itself dissolves the new pieces of plant, but also the substance which was already changed by the harash is now interacting too. I suspect that changing the order of plants would make an impact on the potion produced, I think to myself. After all, venom which has reacted first with aslebellum wouldn¡¯t necessarily react in the same way with harash and that might have unknown effects. As before, once the reaction speed starts dying down, I swirl the bowl to speed it up again. By the end, I¡¯m left with a liquid that is quite different from what it started as. Interestingly, I maintain control over the liquid as a whole, even though it¡¯s fully encompassed the plants which I was previously unable to affect. I suddenly wonder whether it¡¯s because my mana has been present since the start. Curious, I turn to one of River¡¯s previous attempts with the venom, trying to sink my mana into it. I fail, just as I did with the plants. My magic clearly doesn¡¯t recognise this as a space it can affect in any sort of way. Well, that answers that question. Now only¡­hmm, a myriad more? The concoction done, I quickly cast my combined Inspect. Once more gibberish comes up, but I¡¯m familiar enough with it now to verify that nothing has changed just from me adding my mana: it still offers twenty-four damage for twenty-five healing. That verified, I pick it up and take a mouthful. Master, don¡¯t- River exclaims, reaching out for me. Too late. The potion is nasty and I grimace as I swallow it. Although it doesn¡¯t taste like stomach acid, it¡¯s certainly got that same burn to it. The taste isn¡¯t particularly nice either, earthy and bitter at the same time. I immediately close my eyes and focus on being able to see what it¡¯s doing to my body. As expected, the acid remaining in the liquid burns the lining of my mouth, throat, and then hits my stomach like a punch. Since my stomach is already designed to deal with strong acid, it¡¯s not as impactful there as in the other places, but I have a feeling that if I ingested too many of these potions without being able to heal myself, I¡¯d find I¡¯d develop a stomach ulcer before too long. At the same time, though, I sense the other aspects of the mixture getting to work on the damage the potion caused. Once that damage has been healed, a little of it is absorbed into my body and heads towards my aching shoulders. When the small amount of substance ¨C healing mana? ¨C reaches my over-used muscles, it goes to work on healing them, used up in a second and making no noticeable difference to my muscles. That¡¯s the point of healing above the damage, I say to myself in amusement. Opening my eyes, I see River looking at me anxiously. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I reassure him. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve tested worse concoctions on me before. This one even healed its own damage.¡± You should have given it to me, he chides me grumpily. It¡¯s the most critical I¡¯ve seen him and it makes me feel exasperated that it¡¯s over me hurting myself. ¡°One, I made it ¨C I should test it. Two, I wanted to see its effects and of the two of us, I know my own body best,¡± I say with a shrug. Did you learn anything? River asks, losing his grumpy demeanour in favour of excitement. ¡°I learnt lots of interesting things,¡± I tell him obligingly, ¡°But whether they will be useful to improving the potion¡¯s success, I don¡¯t know.¡± He looks a little depressed, perhaps assuming that that means we¡¯re not going to go any further. That, of course, is far from the truth. ¡°Let me just go and stretch my hide some more, and then I¡¯ll come back and do some experiments. I¡¯m sure now that I can affect the potion; it remains to be seen if those changes are improvements, of course. And then, if they are improvements, if you can do them.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine: Satisfying In the end, the most effective method for the potion-making turns out to be relatively complex. I have to first double the concentration of the acid, then, before the new concentration ¡®sets¡¯ I have to return it to its original concentration. Repeating that a few times while swirling the mixture seems to do a good job at making the reactions happen quickly. And making the reaction happen quickly between the harash root slivers and the venom seems to be key to increasing the number of health points the potion offers. After that, I actually reduce the concentration further ¨C in comparison to the harash root, the aslebellum seems to work better with a longer dissolution time. I¡¯ve also discovered that, as long as enough time passes after I reduce the concentration, I can actually reduce it further. Therefore, my final step is to reduce the concentration by half again as soon as I can, and then by half a final time when the reaction between the aslebellum and the rest of the concoction is complete. The final product that I come out with is a lot more satisfying than what we started off producing.
!o+on ¡ì&me: @cid%c Heal¡ì?! Ingre&ie&ts: Aslebellum, Harash, (unknown) venom E¡ì¡ìec!s: Heal¡ì?! for 39u of heal%*: ov/r 2 ?!nute¡ì Sid#-e¡ì¡ìec!s: 2 acidic dama¡ìe e/e%y ?!nute fo% 4 ?!nute¡ì
Close message? Y/N
The healing and the damage time haven¡¯t changed, but this new potion only loses eight units of health for the thirty-nine that it provides, giving a net benefit of thirty-one units of health. Significantly better than the one unit of net benefit that we¡¯d had before. My other experiments had mostly offered better results than the initial potion, though a few were worse, but this is definitely the best of them all. The downside, of course, is that I have to be involved in it. ¡°No luck?¡± I ask River. He gives his equivalent of a sigh. No, master. I¡¯m sorry. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I say, though sigh a little myself. The problem is that River is failing at the first hurdle: he¡¯s unable to even enter his Core space, or whatever the equivalent is for lizard-folk. Either my instructions are exceedingly poor, or it¡¯s because he¡¯s only Tier one. Or both. What do you wish me to do? River asks. I consider the question for a moment. ¡°Keep trying,¡± I say in the end. Surely it wouldn¡¯t hurt? ¡°But don¡¯t spend too much time on it. I will try to create a few more of these potions for backup, but you keep making ones with boiling water. Try to improve the concentration as much as possible by reducing them, maybe try grinding the leaves and roots too, but don¡¯t worry about matching the venom exactly.¡± My reasoning is that, even if they¡¯re weaker, he¡¯s able to create them by himself. And who knows? Perhaps by reducing the concentration of the water significantly and grinding the herbs, he¡¯ll be able to make a potion which has at least thirty-one units of health. If it has more than that, he¡¯ll actually be beating the acidic healing potion for effect. As you wish, River agreed. I will need to find more ingredients. ¡°I¡¯d imagine that some of the others have finished their meditation by now,¡± I reply. ¡°I¡¯m sure that we can find a group to go with you.¡± The others have all returned from their hunt and have been meditating for most of our exploration time, but I¡¯m sure some of them wouldn¡¯t mind going out again ¨C hunting is necessary to maximise their gains after all. It only takes a few minutes to check with my Bound and soon I¡¯m watching the backs of River, Bastet, the cubs, and the two kiinas disappear down the hill. Fenrir and Sirocco both stay with me ¨C Fenrir because he apparently wants to guard me, and Sirocco because she wants to absorb more of her Energy-Heart. The sun is already mid-afternoon, the experiments having taken a good two or three hours. My hide is doing well; the ventilation the fire provides helps it dry quickly. I still anticipate it needs a little bit more time, though. Stretching it for a bit longer, I settle down to sit in the sun. After my experience with the fire earlier, I feel reluctant to go too deeply into that again any time soon. Instead, I want to work on something which desperately needs to be solved, and which might actually help me with my efforts anyway. My soul damage. The problem is that I¡¯ve already tried several methods, and they just haven¡¯t worked. I¡¯ve tried feeding Energy into the void, and it¡¯s just been consumed. I¡¯ve tried extending my matrix further in that area, but though I succeeded in doing that, it had no noticeable effect. I¡¯ve even tried forming my mana into ¡®healing¡¯ mana, and using that. No luck. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Perhaps the issue with the methods I¡¯ve been trying so far is that they¡¯re what worked with healing my Core and internal matrix; that doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯ll work with my soul. So, this time, instead of trying immediately to think of a solution, I attempt to start at the root ¨C what caused the problem in the first place. Obviously, it was Pure Energy, and I don¡¯t know enough about Pure Energy for this line of thought to be at all helpful. What I do know, is how it felt to have sustained the damage in the first place. Even a few weeks after the event, it¡¯s still vivid in my memory. Before coming here, I wasn¡¯t even sure I had a soul at all; after suffering the pain and damage to it from the Pure Energy, I was convinced that I do. I close my eyes and bring to mind that moment. The feeling of pain in something I recognised on an instinctive level, but could never have discovered on my own. Part of me recoils once again, as if flinching at the memory. Attempting to pounce on it like Bastet would an unsuspecting beast, I¡¯m just as disappointed as she becomes when it escapes my mental grasp. I try a couple more times, but it seems like my soul ¨C if I¡¯m even succeeding this much in feeling it ¨C quickly becomes inured to the traumatic memory and stops reacting. Or perhaps it¡¯s because I am more used to it. This isn¡¯t working. I sigh, adding it to the list of other things that haven¡¯t been working. Opening my eyes, I stare up at the blue sky. There¡¯s not a cloud to be seen today, though the slight haze that obscures my view of the valley indicates that this is not a state of affairs that¡¯s likely to continue. Somehow, the blue sky, the same clear colour of my father¡¯s eyes, reminds me of something. I have a Skill which deals with the soul. Two, actually, though only one might possibly be able to help me here. After all, what can the Battle of Wills be but a battle between two souls? I¡¯m putting words to a thought that¡¯s been percolating at the back of my mind for a while ¨C maybe this is what I almost grasped when considering how the fire could have consumed the essence of who I am: my soul. Ever since the first Battle of Wills with Spike, I¡¯ve been wondering about what the space actually is. With all the evidence of subsequent Battles, that it is some sort of soul space is the only thing that makes sense. Point one: Kalanthia said right at the beginning how Bonds affect the soul, so that the sundering of a Bond, willing or unwilling leaves scars upon it. Point two: when I¡¯m engaging in a Battle of Wills, I have the same access to my opponent¡¯s emotions as I do with a full Bond ¨C as long as I move close enough. But that could be because our souls have to be within a certain distance of each other to do so. Point three: we are unable to feel our own bodies while in this space, even though time continues to pass for our bodies. I mean, I¡¯m assuming a little bit here, but I was unable to feel how close to drowning my own body was during the fight with the crocodile. Equally, the crocodile appeared unable to defend itself while it was engaged in the Battle, given how River didn¡¯t have any injuries. That time passed is clear ¨C I wasn¡¯t sure it did, but given that River was able to kill the crocodile in the middle of our Battle, I think there is sufficient evidence that time doesn¡¯t stop. Actually, that latter is very important to know: it means that I mustn¡¯t use Dominate on an opponent which is surrounded by allies, not unless I have my own allies to defend me while I¡¯m vulnerable. Otherwise, next time, it could be me who disappears mid-Battle. Which in itself seems to support the Battle of Wills being either a mental or soul projection. It might not be a soul projection; it might be a mental one. But with what I know about Willpower being connected to the soul from Nicolas¡¯ world¡¯s experiments, I think there¡¯s a strong likelihood that my guess here is correct. Who knows ¨C what if the crocodile was so indomitable because I¡¯m suffering a penalty of twenty percent to the stat which governs the success of the Battle? Perhaps if I hadn¡¯t had the damage, I might have made more headway against the water-dweller. Then again, perhaps not. Obviously, I wasn¡¯t able to Inspect it before it was dead, so I have no idea what the minimum recommended Willpower level for it was. Anyway, that¡¯s somewhat irrelevant to the matter at hand. If I¡¯m right, that gives me a new avenue to explore to heal my soul damage. But how to use it? Can I enter that space again by directing it at one of my Bound? I doubt it, somehow, but decide to give it a go. Of course, I¡¯d better try it on Fenrir, not Sirocco ¨C since she¡¯s connected to me through Tame, that could have some unintended side-effects. ¡°Fenrir, could you come and help me here, please?¡± I say out loud, turning my eyes to where he¡¯s gnawing on a chunk of meat. He perks up at my words and comes trotting over, his side of the Bond emanating eagerness. ¡°Do you remember when we first met? The space we entered?¡± Fenrir cocks his head and sends a sense of confusion along with a few images. The pictures are of us fighting in the cave, of him feeling weakness suffusing his limbs, of seeing me stand over him ¨C much larger than life. ¡°Yes, and then after that ¨C do you remember what happened?¡± This time, he sends a picture of grey mist, the feelings attached far more informative than the picture itself. The emotions are those of fear, of sensing something much larger and more powerful than himself come closer. Of being offered safety and belonging. Of his eager acceptance and the immediate brightness of a connection being formed. Of him feeling an instantaneous sense of loyalty, hierarchy, and Pack. So he does remember it, though somewhat differently from me. It¡¯s interesting to see how he¡¯s connected the automatic feelings of loyalty and obedience to the usual expectations within a Pack. Unlike what happened with River, I get the feeling that this isn¡¯t so foreign to his personality, fortunately for my sense of guilt. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to do something similar to what happened in that last memory of yours,¡± I tell Fenrir. ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen, but are you OK with me trying?¡± He sends a sense of confusion across to me, but willing acceptance of whatever I wish to do. Perhaps I should wait for River to come back¡­or Bastet. They, at least, would be able to better understand what I¡¯m trying to do here. Then again, who knows when they¡¯ll be back? Surely this is unlikely to hurt Fenrir? He¡¯s already been through it once, already. ¡°Dominate,¡± I say firmly, looking in his eyes. As if the universe is laughing at my previous trepidation, nothing happens. I try again, but then shake my head. It¡¯s not working. Clearly, the Skill detects that a Bond is already in place and stops it from triggering. Or something like that. ¡°Thanks Fenrir,¡± I say, trying not to let my disappointment leak across to him. ¡°You can go back to eating.¡± With a hint of confusion, he trots away. Well, that was a let down. My throat is dry, so I pull out my sneleon shell full of water. As I drink, I see the blue sky and my own face reflected in the surface. I suddenly pause. Could that work? Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty: Challenge It¡¯s an idea. Is it a good one, though? Although using Dominate on myself might offer the potential of healing my soul, it might also cause some significant problems. What would a Bond with myself entail? Who would I even be facing? My shadow-self? My evil-twin. My good-twin? Or would something else happen? What if triggering Dominate on myself caused some catastrophic failure which essentially rendered me brain-dead? Or if I successfully finished the Battle of Wills, some self-continuing feedback loop eventuated which trapped me in the role of the Bound at the same time as the Binder and unable to be either. The potential downsides are almost enough to make me dismiss the notion as an option at all. The only thing that stops me from deciding to move onto another idea is the question about what else to try. I¡¯ve spoken to Kalanthia, and she has no ideas ¨C soul damage is not something she is at all familiar with. I¡¯ve checked with River, and even Bastet. No dice. I¡¯ve tried everything I can think of, and none of it has worked. The only thing I haven¡¯t yet tried is levelling up and committing all my points to Willpower, looking to see what happens to the Energy and trying to mimic it. The problem with that is that I¡¯m still a long way from earning enough Energy to do that ¨C I check my status screen; my progress is at twelve percent. I suppose that if I spent time in Meditation, I would gain more Energy¡­but as of yet, I can only move slowly and do actions which don¡¯t require much thought to maintain the state¡­. I¡¯ve got a lot of things to do which will take my full concentration, meaning I can¡¯t be in Meditation for them. My Bound¡¯s hunting does help, of course, as does my natural daily absorption. By using Meditation as much as possible, I suppose I might be able to level up in ten days or so. But what if that doesn¡¯t work? What if I pour my six level-up points into Willpower, and don¡¯t learn enough to heal myself? Worse, what if some of the points get lost by the Energy being sucked into the blackness? Or if it damages me further? Then, at best, I¡¯ll be back at square one, facing this same dilemma but with fewer days to go until the quest deadline. At worst, I¡¯ll have even more damage to heal, and no sure way of doing so. I agonise over the decision. Using Dominate on myself is so uncertain. These potential consequences I¡¯m considering are simply based on my own fears ¨C I simply don¡¯t have enough knowledge to give any realistic estimates. My estimation of the potential consequences of levelling up and putting points in Willpower are a lot more based on what I¡¯ve seen and what I feel. I¡¯ve seen Energy disappear into the void; I¡¯ve sensed that increasing my Willpower, especially so significantly, is more than likely to damage it further. Trying to mitigate the damage by only adding a couple of points to Willpower isn¡¯t something I consider for long ¨C seeing how much information I gained from solely levelling Wisdom has convinced me that it would be a good idea to commit a level up at some point to each stat so I can learn exactly what they¡¯re doing to my internal systems. Even though I¡¯ve kind of seen that already with my physical stats, I¡¯d still be interested in doing it with them too ¨C now they¡¯ve reached the limit of what is naturally possible, I¡¯d be curious to see if anything has changed about how they¡¯re increased. But all of that is beside the point. I need to decide whether to go forward with my idea of trying to Dominate my reflection, or not. Racked with indecision, I end up entering Meditation and slipping slowly into my Core space. Drifting over to the knot of Energy channels which make up Dominate, I eye them, wondering if they might give me an indication of what might happen if I try to use the Skill on myself. Of course, it would be a massive disappointment if, after all this time spent going over whether to do it or not, I chose to do it and found that it was impossible to conduct a Battle of Wills with myself. Honestly, though, when I think about it, that¡¯s probably the most likely result. In my meditative state which has followed me even into this other space, I go over the Energy channels, tracing them like I might trace an etching with my fingers. It¡¯s interesting how, as I¡¯ve become more familiar with Meditation, Energy Manipulation, and my Core space, they¡¯ve become more distinct from each other. At the beginning, they all melded into each other; now I can use each Skill separately. And do. As I trace the Skill, holding the question in my mind of whether I can safely try Dominate on myself, I find that an answer starts coming to me. Or, not an answer, exactly. It¡¯s not like my Skill starts speaking to me and telling me what would happen. Instead, I become more and more convinced that it¡¯s possible, and without immediate risk. I do get the sense that there probably is some risk attached, but nothing that will immediately trigger just by using the Skill. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So perhaps no feedback loop of brain death. The fact that I still feel that there are probably some risks to this process isn¡¯t so heartening, but I suppose that there are risks to everything. Certainly, my only other idea of levelling up is risky too. I pull out of my Core space and open my eyes. I¡¯m still feeling the floaty, peaceful sense of being in a light meditative state ¨C somehow it¡¯s a little easier to consider the decision without all my emotions of fear and dread attached. I idly resolve to practise entering this state as much as possible ¨C beyond the Energy gain, the clarity of thought is definitely appreciated. My fears about an immediate failure, catastrophic or otherwise, when first activating Dominate seem to be unfounded. However, that still leaves the questions of who exactly I¡¯ll be facing, and what the consequences of a successful Battle of Wills would be. But without the fear of immediately lobotomising myself the moment I activate Dominate, I¡¯m more willing to give it a go. After all, as always, if I feel that I can¡¯t or don¡¯t want to move forward, I can always exit the space. And who knows; perhaps just being in the space will allow me to work on my soul damage. Perhaps I don¡¯t need to actually Dominate myself successfully to do it. My mind made up, I stand and go into the alcove. I brought my shaving kit with me ¨C not that I¡¯ve used it, despite my vague plans of evening my beard out from where it¡¯s half-burned ¨C and there¡¯s a mirror inside the box. It¡¯s only when I open the box that I realise there¡¯s also a block of shaving soap there. I slap a hand to my forehead: all that work to make some soap when I¡¯d actually brought it with me in the first place! I haven¡¯t bothered trying to shave since being here, so this is the first time I¡¯ve opened the box and reminded myself of its presence. I make a mental note that it exists, not wanting to forget about it again, but withdraw the mirror from the box for now. Going back outside, I take a seat. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I meet my own eyes in the mirror. Am I really going to do this? I ask myself a final time. Then, my resolve firming again, I focus and speak quietly. ¡°Dominate.¡± The space is different from usual. That¡¯s immediately evident. I¡¯m not facing myself, or anything, actually. Instead, I¡¯m alone in a grey, featureless area. I can¡¯t tell how far it extends, since it starts becoming misty from the tips of my fingers outwards; only the area directly around me is clear. It feels like I¡¯m standing in a fogbank, but even the ground beneath my feet is grey. It feels secure, but doesn¡¯t appear to be ¨C I quickly look back up, unnerved despite myself. Turning on the spot, a nasty thought suddenly occurs. If there¡¯s nowhere to move towards¡­there¡¯s also nowhere to move away from. How am I supposed to exit this space? I try to move one way, then the other. The area of clear space moves with me, the misty area around me unchanging, making me feel like I¡¯m walking but going nowhere. I¡¯m starting to panic when a screen suddenly appears in front of my eyes.
Challenge initiated: level one
Commence challenge / Leave arena
¡°Challenge? What challenge?¡± I ask, though the words come out¡­strangely. Instead of vocalisations I hear with my ears, they seem to resonate with something else. To my utter lack of shock, there is no response from the box in front of me. However, its presence is comforting. First, it offers me a way out. Second, the fact that it¡¯s there at all suggests that this is actually a legitimate use of Dominate ¨C I haven¡¯t gone completely off-piste and into pastures new. Given how much else I¡¯ve learned that apparently Nicolas¡¯s world didn¡¯t know about, this is reassuring. I shrug to myself and pick the first option. I¡¯ve come this far; why not see what else this new use of the Skill has to offer? I suspect that picking the second would just take me back to my body, so there¡¯s no point in doing that right now. A new box appears in front of me.
Error Damage to the soul detected. Risks of damage to the soul as a result of the challenge are therefore multiplied tenfold. Do you wish to commence the challenge regardless of the damage?
Y/N?
I hesitate, but then shake my head, frustration and disappointment mounting inside me. So this is a legitimate use of Dominate, but I can¡¯t do it with my soul in the state it is. I don¡¯t know what the original risk is, but for it to be multiplied tenfold is just too much to chance. Selecting ¡®no¡¯, another box appears.
Challenge declined. Do you wish to remain in the soul space or leave it? Note, you can leave at any time by stating ¡®leave soul space¡¯. If you decide to commence the challenge again, you must leave the soul space and reenter it.
Remain in soul space / leave soul space.
My flagging spirits perk up at this. So I don¡¯t have to leave entirely? Now I know that it¡¯s possible to leave, I find that I don¡¯t want to. When I spoke, I felt something resonate, something which I¡¯ve only felt once before. I¡¯m suddenly convinced that this might be the key to my problem. Choosing to remain in the soul space, the box disappears. The grey mist, once so foreboding, is suddenly alluring, seeming less like it¡¯s hiding dangers and more that it contains secrets waiting to be revealed. Still not focussing too much on what is beneath me, I settle down to the ground in a cross-legged position. Right, let me see what I can do here. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-One: Ommmm Of course, deciding that this is the perfect place and time to work on my soul doesn¡¯t mean that I automatically know how to do it. Without any other ideas, I try entering Meditation, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be available to me. At least, I enter a calmer and more peaceful state of mind, but I don¡¯t transition into my Core space or start being able to see the connections around me with my mind¡¯s eye. However, as I allow the meditation to continue, I start feeling¡­something. A vibration in the world around me. I¡¯m reminded of when I spoke out loud and how the results had been very different from what normally happens when I speak. ¡°Hi?¡± I say, testing. The world vibrates around me, but only for a moment. I need a longer sound, I decide. ¡°Aah,¡± I say next, drawing out the sound. This time, the vibrations are far easier to feel. But there¡¯s still something not quite right. I suddenly remember the stereotypical sound that apparently Tibetan monks are supposed to make when meditating on the universe. Well, it¡¯s worth a try, I say to myself with a shrug. Feeling a bit stupid, I even shift myself into a lotus position ¨C my new Dexterity actually makes that possible. ¡°Ommmm¡­¡± I say, drawing out the sound as long as I can make it. This time, the vibrations around me are so much deeper, feeling like they touch on something almost transcendent. The vibrations of my ¡®voice¡¯ reverberate around the grey space, somehow amplified instead of deadened. My sound continues long after I feel like I should have run out of breath. Maybe I don¡¯t actually have lungs here? Or maybe the sound has been so taken up by the environment around me that whether I make a sound or not makes no difference. And in that vibration of sound, I feel a dissonance. An area where the sound is not echoed, where it is absorbed and not reflected back. Is that the damage? I wonder. Opening my eyes, I see no difference, but I can feel it. The question, though, is whether actually being able to feel the damage means that I can heal it. It¡¯s got to be a better start than not even being able to detect the damage, though. Focussing on the damaged area, I use this new vibration sense to feel at its edges. It¡¯s a very odd feeling ¨C I¡¯m kind of hearing it, but in hearing, I also see? It¡¯s almost like I¡¯ve got that condition ¨C synesthesia or something. Either way, I find I get something of an image in my head, created by the vibration ¨C as long as I don¡¯t actually open my eyes. In exploring the area with sound that somehow translates to sight, I find out something interesting: my soul damage is already healing. That¡¯s the only explanation I can think of, anyway. There is evidence that the damage had been made with clean slices, some edges of the injured areas still completely smooth. But not all of them are still smooth; some have a faint clouding which partially reflects the sound. I can only take that to mean that whatever substance my soul is made from is replenishing itself. I feel a sense of relief go through me, my emotion so strong that it cuts through even the peaceful state of my meditative trance. If I¡¯m right, and I¡¯m pretty sure I am, even if I don¡¯t find a way of healing my soul, it will sort itself out eventually. I don¡¯t know how long it will take ¨C the repairs which have happened so far are slight enough that I didn¡¯t notice until I started examining the area closer ¨C but I will be whole once more, someday. Of course, if I can speed up the process, that would be great ¨C walking around with a twenty percent debuff to my Willpower doesn¡¯t really improve my odds of surviving to see the end of the year. It¡¯s still relieving. And, unlike what I might have thought, the removal of some of the pressure I¡¯d been feeling doesn¡¯t reduce my motivation to do the job. Instead, it fills me with hope that it¡¯s possible. How, is another question, of course. But at least I¡¯m further ahead than I was. The key must be in these vibrations. It¡¯s the only thing so far that I¡¯ve tried which has affected the fog-like substance at all. Though, actually, when I open my eyes, I realise that it¡¯s not the fog which is being affected at all. I¡¯d thought it was, but instead it¡¯s something which is filling the space directly around me. I¡¯d thought it was empty, but as I hum ¡®om¡¯, I notice that the area directly touching my skin is instead¡­thickening. It¡¯s like the air around me in the ¡®real¡¯ world. The air is completely transparent, invisible and undetectable if you sit still and just look at it. However, its presence becomes clear on a windy day when it blows stiffly against the skin, or on a cold day when my breath plumes into it, or on a hot day when it shimmers and creates mirages just above the surface of the road. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it In this case, it¡¯s the vibrations which are making it become denser, hazy. Now able to properly see what I have to conclude is my soul, I also see the damage. Where the haze everywhere else is so dense it¡¯s practically becoming physical, the damage is an absence. Oddly enough, it¡¯s not at all the same shape as in my internal matrix. There, it was like an ice cream scoop had taken a hemisphere out of my being. Here, it¡¯s more like a four-sided pyramid, with the tip centred on my elbow. Shifting my arm, I notice how it moves with my arm, though in a sort of delayed reaction. A bit like how moving one¡¯s hand quickly leaves afterimages in the air, the damage to my soul takes a little bit of time to catch up with my movement. Interesting, though I¡¯m not sure whether it helps me much. Oh well, when I know as little as I do, any knowledge has got to be good to have, even if it doesn¡¯t ultimately prove to be of much immediate use. Holding my arm still, I inspect the damage with my eyes. I notice similar things to what I had already sensed with the vibrations. I confirm that it looks like my soul is healing itself ¨C it¡¯s starting from the tip and moving outwards, but from the looks of it, the rate is very slow. If I leave it to its own devices, I¡¯ll probably have healed by the time I¡¯m due to go to Nicolas¡¯ world, but not very long before. Since vibrations seem to have been key so far, I hum again, this time putting as much force into it as I can. I notice how the visible density of my soul thickens further, though I can still ¡®see¡¯ all parts of it at the same time, in a strange contradiction to the normal laws of reality. I try not to think about it too much: it¡¯s helping me; that¡¯s what¡¯s important. The healing which has already happened to my soul thickens too, but doesn¡¯t seem to spread. Instead, it just swirls gently on the spot, not pushing at its boundaries. I reduce the hum, relaxing a bit as I try to think about a possible next step. What am I doing wrong here? Or what am I not doing here that I should be? Sitting with the question for a little while, a thought slowly bubbles up from under the surface. Everything I¡¯ve done with magic so far seems to have needed intention as well as action. When earning a Skill, I¡¯ve had to intend to do what the Skill¡¯s objective is and then make an effort to achieve the goal without the Skill at all. Take Stealth, the very first Skill I earned by myself. I had to intend to make as little noise as possible, then I had to make an effort to walk quietly. As a result, I gained a Skill which enhanced my ability to move quietly through the forest. Or Fire Taming, my most recent Skill. I had to intend to gain control over fire, but the reason I must have ended up with Fire Taming instead of Fire-Shaping was because I bargained with it, offering promises in exchange for it obeying me. It¡¯s even applied to my Skill rank-ups ¨C I¡¯ve long noticed the connection between the new developments of a Skill and what I¡¯ve been doing with it. That¡¯s intention and action combined. So what if this is the same? Determined to test it, I once more start humming, the sound never having completely disappeared but now returning with renewed vigour. Focussing on the damaged parts, in particular the ones which have already started to heal, I project my intention that they heal. Nothing happens, but I¡¯m not daunted. Instead, I redouble my effort, straining all my Will to make those swirling areas of haze extend until my whole being starts to ache. Nothing happens. I huff a tired sigh, a little dismayed nonetheless. I realise now that I¡¯d been so sure that my idea would work. Perhaps it should, but I¡¯m missing something. Once more, I close my eyes and just breathe ¨C I don¡¯t care whether I need to in this space or not, but the action is familiar and calming. An indeterminate while later, I open my eyes again. By this time the vibrations have almost disappeared and the area around me is clear once more. I don¡¯t mind ¨C I know how to make it solidify again. The thought which has occurred to me is about fuel. Fixing my Core required using Energy. Fixing my internal matrix involved using mana. What does fixing my soul need? It¡¯s possible that it could consume either Energy or mana, just like one of the others, but something inside me doubts this. Which leaves two other resource pools I could draw on: stamina¡­or health. Given that Wisdom and thereby my internal matrix are linked to mana regeneration and that I needed to use mana to fix that stat, I have to guess that the most likely option for fixing my health regeneration stat will be health. However, I¡¯d still like to test with both Energy and mana since I¡¯d much rather use those than my health directly ¨C what if I pull too much and empty it entirely? Could I accidentally kill myself? No, I have to hope that either Energy or mana will be able to heal the damage. Actually accessing my resource pools while in this state is another question. It takes me a good few trial and errors to succeed in touching my mana pool at all. It takes me even longer before I¡¯m able to pull at my mana while focussing on the damage done to my soul. And when I do succeed, I find that it doesn¡¯t work. Feeling a sense of inevitability, I nonetheless attempt to pull at my Energy store, but this seems to be impossible. I try for double the time that I attempted to access my mana pool, but when none of my efforts work, I eventually give up. Resigning myself to what I suspected would be the result from the outset, I turn my attention to pulling from my health pool. Book 2: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Two: Push the Boundaries That¡¯s easier thought than done, of course. However, with my recent experience of managing to touch my mana pool, I find that it takes me less time to access my health pool than it might have. In fact, most of the difficulty is trying to work out where to find it. My mana pool, I¡¯m used to accessing ¨C I know it¡¯s mostly held within my Core and have become relatively adept at pulling it out and directing it through my internal matrix. My health pool is a different story. I¡¯m aware that it drops when I am injured, and is replenished when the injuries are healed. I¡¯m aware that it increases slowly over time even if I don¡¯t actively heal myself, my injuries knitting together with my natural health regeneration. I¡¯m even, unfortunately, aware of how a severe enough injury can permanently reduce the pool I have to draw on ¨C that¡¯s what happened with my eye when my natural regeneration and potion were unable to heal it. Thinking about more recent experiences, I managed to see what happens to my Core space when I add a Constitution point, the stat which determines my health pool itself. Most of the Energy was fed into the blackness around my internal matrix rather than the golden weave itself. All of that together implies to me that my Health is very much grounded in the body. That might seem obvious by the fact that it¡¯s what¡¯s most affected when I sustain an injury, but I feel that it¡¯s an important foundation point to make clear. So, instead of trying to touch on my Core as I did before, I do my best to touch my body. In this strange grey world, my body feels very far away and difficult to access. It¡¯s a bit like I¡¯m reaching for something, but can¡¯t see because of a blind-fold and can only feel the most obvious aspects because I¡¯m wearing thick gloves. It probably would be easier to leave the space, work out how to access my health pool, and then enter it again, but I¡¯m uncertain I¡¯ll even be able to make it back to this exact space. I should ¨C it seems like it¡¯s part of Dominate, but what if because I couldn¡¯t take the ¡®challenge¡¯, I¡¯m barred from entry until my soul is whole again? It¡¯s probably unlikely, but not impossible. Having finally found a way of properly accessing the damage to my soul, I¡¯m reluctant to do anything that might jeopardise it. So I choose to take the harder route of fumbling around blindly. Eventually, after a lot of trial and error ¨C mostly error ¨C I manage to grasp the fact that my health seems to be held in an opposite manner to my mana. My mana, as far as I can make out, is kept under pressure in my Core along with the Energy I absorb. That makes sense when I consider that when I was force-fed Energy it threatened to fracture my Core, and then actually did damage it when I levelled up too many times. I have to guess that the Core didn¡¯t have enough time to adapt to the greater amount of mana it was being forced to hold. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t have done as much damage to myself if I¡¯d chosen physical stats instead of my mental and soul ones on each level-up then. Or maybe I would have ¨C I guess that rapidly increasing the number of points in my physical stats could do just as much damage in a different way. The effect of this compression within my Core is that when the mana comes out, I have to actively work to keep it together. If I don¡¯t, it will quite happily either dissipate or rush out of my Core space entirely. My health appears to be the complete opposite. It¡¯s already diffused throughout my body. That¡¯s probably why I lose health when I have an injury: the energy is lost with the blood, or damaged in an impact, or poisoned by venom. It seems to take on the state of whatever part of the body it¡¯s in: if the body part is rendered useless, so is the health within it, dropping from my bar. It makes me wonder if I could change that: if I could make the body part mimic the health energy within it? So, an attack would have to affect the health energy itself before it impacted my body? For later experimentation, perhaps. The most important discovery I¡¯ve made is that my health is just another form of energy, no doubt deriving from the Energy I absorb. It suddenly makes so much more sense! My body naturally absorbs Energy, the connection I have with the outside through my internal matrix (or should I call it ¡®external¡¯ matrix, since they¡¯re the tendrils which extend outside me?) determining how much I gain. If my mana pool isn¡¯t full, some of this Energy is transformed into mana. Kalanthia has indicated that it¡¯s linked to the soul, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a difference between beasts and humans. Equally, if my health pool isn¡¯t full, some of the Energy I absorb is transformed into health, replacing what was lost with my injury. I suddenly start wondering if my stamina is actually the same. Though why then would its pool size be determined by Strength and its regeneration by Dexterity? I decide not to pursue that line of thinking at this moment ¨C it will probably make more sense to do it when I¡¯m not in my soul space and might be able to examine myself a bit better. Pausing for a moment, I consider the implications of the fact that at least two, maybe all three of my resource pools are derivatives from Energy. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Shouldn¡¯t I have noticed something about my Energy absorption rate fluctuating? I think to myself. Or, maybe not my actual Energy absorption rate, but the amount of Energy I¡¯m actually accumulating in my store. After all, if I¡¯m absorbing, say, thirty units of Energy per hour, but I¡¯ve got a deficit of three hundred units of mana and fifty units of health, then wouldn¡¯t I earn less Energy towards my next level? Then again, I continue the thought, given that all I have to work on with my Energy store is a percentage progress, perhaps it¡¯s happening, but I don¡¯t even realise it. I resolve to pay better attention to what I can actually see on my status screen. Because if getting injured and using my mana actually slows my progress to the next level, I need to know about it. Then again, I don¡¯t generally intend on getting injured, and I need to use my mana ¨C either to keep myself alive, one of my Bound alive, or deal with an attack, for the same result as the first two options. I suppose I could use mana less for things like skinning a carcass, but if I avoid using it too much, my Skills won¡¯t increase much. So maybe it doesn¡¯t matter too much if my progress to the next level is affected. It would still be good to know, though. Returning more to the question of drawing on my health, in opposition to my mana which is already condensed, I find that I have to actually condense the energy within my body to draw on it at all. I find myself wondering what would happen if I was able to transform Energy into health and force more of it into my body. Could I increase my health pool that way? Or would it damage me? Perhaps worth an experiment. But not now. For now, once I figure out how to access the energy stored as health, I start trying to apply it to my soul damage. This proves to be the easiest part of the process. Now using the correct ¡®material¡¯, all I have to do is focus on expanding the mist into the areas which need it. The most difficult bit is multitasking ¨C keeping my hum going even while I also focus on pushing the boundaries of the mist. I realise at one point that I¡¯m not actually breathing; apparently in this space I don¡¯t need to do so to speak. I suppose that it¡¯s additional evidence of me not actually being here physically. Too soon, my health runs out. It becomes harder and harder to draw on the energy in my flesh, like what happens when I continue sucking on a straw when only the dregs of the drink remain. I feel a sudden weakness take over me, even in this non-physical space, an ache filling every inch of my being. Guess that¡¯s my signal to stop, I think to myself weakly as I fold to half-lying on the floor. As I look at my efforts, though, I¡¯m a little dismayed. I¡¯d felt like I was making progress. Actually, I have made progress. Just not as much of it as I¡¯d thought. I¡¯ve filled in the tip of the pyramid, but not much more. From what I can see, I¡¯m going to do this many, many more times. But my health pool is pretty tapped out, from what I can tell. I sigh. At least I¡¯ve discovered that there is a natural limit stopping me from killing myself, though what if I continued pushing past the weakness? Not that I¡¯m intending on doing that. Actually, it was probably pretty reckless of me just to keep pulling at my health like that¡­. Hindsight and all that. More to the point right now, if I wait for my health to refill naturally, this is going to take a very long time. Though, do I have to wait for it to fill naturally? I push myself more upright as I consider that thought. If my theories earlier about health just being another form of Energy were correct, could I use mana to replenish my health directly? Certainly, Lay-on-hands and now Flesh-Shaping are able to replenish my health when I¡¯ve lost it through an injury. But does that mean that I can replenish my health energy even when I haven¡¯t actually sustained an injury? It would be focussing on doing something that usually only happens incidentally, but the fact that it happens at all means that it should be possible, right? All I can do is try. And that¡¯s what I do indeed. Once more, it takes me a fair bit of time to figure out how to convert mana into health, but I eventually succeed. By that point, my health pool has actually regenerated almost halfway by itself, indicating that a good couple of hours has gone past in my testing, but when I figure out exactly what I have to do to turn mana into health, I can¡¯t help cheering. The conversion seems to be two mana units per health unit, but I¡¯m pretty sure that that¡¯s only because I¡¯m being inefficient in the transfer. After all, I¡¯d got Lay-on-hands to offer over twenty points worth of healing per cast, the cost of which had reduced to five units of mana, by the end. And that was with some of the mana being used for the actual healing bit, not just replenishing the health which had been lost. I set myself a goal to get the conversion to at least one mana for three health units by the time I finish this task. With a feeling of achievement, I quickly refill my health bar. And then I proceed to empty it again. And then refill it. And then empty it. Time passes without me reckoning, caught in the repetitive actions. Draw on my health, push the boundaries, draw on my health, push the boundaries. Empty on health? Convert mana into health. Full health? Draw on health, push the boundaries¡­. I only come back to myself when pushing suddenly becomes far harder. Not impossible, but harder. Coming out of my fugue state, I blink, realising that the whole pyramid-shaped wedge has been filled in, and I¡¯m now pushing at the boundaries of my soul itself rather than just filling in what had been damaged. Stopping, since I suddenly feel incredibly fatigued, I nevertheless make a mental note to come back here if I can and test further. After all, although it feels a lot more difficult to do, it doesn¡¯t feel impossible. Could I improve my Willpower or soul without actually levelling up? Exiting the space is easy. However, my exhaustion is so great that I barely even register that it¡¯s full dark around me before I drop like a stone into sleep. Book 2: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Three: Congratulations! -eader, pack-leader, wake up! I rise from the darkness to the sound of a familiar voice rattling around my head. I blink, the world when I¡¯ve opened my eyes not much different from when they had been closed. Pack-leader, Bastet sounds relieved. Are you well? I blink again, a little owlishly. What happened? My recent memories take a little bit of time to filter back in, but when they do, I sit bolt upright. Hissing in discomfort, I become aware that my whole body is aching. Throbbing, more like. I try to determine what¡¯s causing the pain, but my answer is inconclusive. From what my magic is telling me, it seems like it¡¯s everything. ¡°Ow,¡± I groan, trying to send magic to at least reduce the pain, but not really knowing where to even start. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I say belatedly to Bastet, realising that I never answered her question. At least, I hope I¡¯m telling her the truth. My voice is surprisingly croaky. What happened? ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know,¡± I mutter more to myself than her. I sigh. ¡°I was testing something. Hopefully it¡¯s worked and has been worth the effort.¡± Then something occurs to me. ¡°Why were you so concerned?¡± OK, it¡¯s obviously been a number of hours, but they¡¯re used to me meditating for long periods of time. You have been unreachable for three dawns and four dusks, Bastet informs me. I stare at her, my jaw muscles going slack in shock. Three and a half days? Am I understanding that right? How am I alive? I¡¯m pretty sure that humans are supposed to die after three days without water. Or at least be in a very bad state. I mean, I¡¯m ravenous and parched, but otherwise fine. ¡°Three days?¡± I ask, more disbelieving than actually questioning, automatically reaching for my canteen from my Inventory to quench my thirst. It¡¯s amazing how good water tastes when you¡¯re parched. Yes. And then some time ago but during the same dark period, you suddenly started moving, and then collapsed completely. We all felt a shift a few beats ago and pain from your side of our connection. We were worried. Sure enough, it is ¡®we¡¯, I realise, as I look around. All of my Bound are present, encircling me. Although I can only see the most vague silhouettes in the darkness, I sense their presence and feel their worry through the Bonds. Even the kiinas actually appear a little concerned ¨C clearly the sparring we¡¯ve been doing together is helping build an actual bond between us. That or Persephone is worried about not having a safe place to have her eggs and Hades is mimicking her. Anyway, that¡¯s beside the very important point: that somehow I¡¯ve completely skipped three days without knowing it. Maybe when I replenished my health points after using it as fuel to repair my soul ¨C or, at least, that¡¯s what I hope I was doing ¨C I undid the damage not having any water or food would have been doing to me? That¡¯s the only thing I can think of for why I wouldn¡¯t be half or fully dead at this point. Or my Constitution being at twenty points means that I¡¯m more able to undergo starvation and dehydration. That¡¯s possible too. I suddenly realise that I¡¯m actually inside my alcove rather than sitting outside where I remember starting all of this. It¡¯s a bit of a squash with everyone inside, the kiinas in particular taking up a lot of space. Though, their concern apparently soothed by me being awake and talking, they soon leave without a word. We moved you in when you started changing colour, River says, my question clearly going over the Bond. The Great Predator said that when humans change colour, it is an indication that something is wrong. Though I thought that was only when you turned blue, not red? he asks, his relief giving way to curiosity. I can¡¯t help but laugh a little. ¡°I turned blue before because I wasn¡¯t getting enough air. I probably turned red because I was in the sun for too long.¡± Then I consider for a moment. ¡°I turn green when I feel sick, too, and can go white for a number of reasons ¨C fear, shock, blood loss, illness.¡± River eyes me carefully. I thought you did not use colour to communicate like we do. I laugh again, the convulsive movement making my aching worse. I stop quickly. ¡°It¡¯s not voluntary! It¡¯s just how my body reacts.¡± Speaking of my body, I really need to check out what¡¯s happened to it. ¡°Thanks for your concern, everyone, but I promise I¡¯m OK. I just need to eat, drink and check out the changes.¡± The rest of my Bound apparently take that as their cue to settle back down to sleep, it apparently being somewhere in the middle of the night. River doesn¡¯t move, though. I lean forwards to rekindle the fire, surprised to find that there are still glowing embers present rather than it being completely cold as I would expect from three days of no attention. ¡°Did you look after the fire?¡± I ask a few minutes later. Having put some more fuel on and blown it a bit, the flames are now starting to grow and lick at the sticks. Yes, master, the lizard-man confirms. I know you do not like it going out fully. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him gratefully. I would have otherwise had to go without any real light ¨C possible, but not preferable. Pulling out a pot of pre-boiled water, I swig at it thirstily. When I¡¯ve soothed my parched throat, I pull out a handful of cooked meat, not even caring about the taste as I devour it. Piece after piece disappears down my gullet until finally I start to feel a little less like my stomach is trying to affix itself to my spine. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sleep?¡± I ask River in between my slower bites. I was curious about what you were doing, he answers. If you would care to tell me, of course, he hastily adds. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Just, let me check what¡¯s actually happened. I was¡­experimenting,¡± I hesitate to say. ¡®Flying by the seat of my pants¡¯ is probably more accurate, but doesn¡¯t sound as good. Pulling up my status screen, I stare at the changes. Wow.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 13 Energy to next level: 37% The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Energy absorption rate: 40u/hr Energy towards debt: 84% (250)
Intelligence 36+1 (+5%) Mana: 555/555 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 43+10 (+25%) Health regeneration rate: 53u/hr
Constitution 22 Health: 142/330 (15u/CP)
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 2 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Beginner 9 Fade ¨C Initiate 3 Inspect Fauna ¨C Beginner 6 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 8 Fire-Taming ¨C Beginner 2 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 7 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Initiate 1 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 4 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 1 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 7 Spearmanship ¨C Beginner 8 Archery ¨C Beginner 6 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Beginner 9 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 4
So many things have happened¡­ I say to myself. The first, and most important, is that I was not wrong ¨C what I was doing in that different space was healing my soul. I have finally got rid of that reduction to my health regeneration ¨C and probably to my effective Willpower too. However, the rest of it¡­. I decide to switch to my messages, hoping that they will enlighten me to all the differences. Like how, suddenly, I have half again the health units that I used to have, and a five percent multiplier to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower. Not to mention the single Skill which has now gained Master rank. The first message that came up was actually about Dominate. I hadn¡¯t realised when I quickly scanned through my status ¨C too distracted by the percentages and health and Master ranked Skill ¨C but my Class Skill has now ranked up to Initiate.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Novice. Dominate is now Initiate 1. Due to your uses of this Skill, two new effects have been discovered. Effect 1: You have used this Skill to build connections between your Bound, seeking greater cooperation and collaboration between them. You have even sent your Bound away to work together without your presence. Henceforth, any of those Bonded to you will be able to communicate with each other via the Bond. You will be able to access any of these communications but will not be obliged to pay attention. Note that Tamed Bonds may not automatically allow these connections to take place, depending on the conditions set during the Taming. Effect 2: You have sought self-mastery and have taken the first step along this path by using the access to the soul-space that Dominate can offer. You will henceforth be able to access this soul-space even without using Dominate and can explore the challenges that you are offered to increase your self-mastery.
Next message? Y/N
Well, that will make organisation significantly easier, I think to myself as I read the first effect. My Bound have seemed to manage to make hunting and so on work through body-language, but being able to communicate as they do with me but with each other will be so much simpler. The other effect is also welcome, even though it doesn¡¯t seem to offer me much more than I was able to do by staring into my reflection and casting Dominate. Though perhaps that method is risky in some way, or being able to access my ¡®soul-space¡¯ without using Dominate has benefits. Either way, it¡¯s a nice improvement, and a welcome one, but nothing to explain the crazy things I saw on my status screen. I pull up the next message, another rank up as it turns out.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Initiate. Meditation is now Journeyman 1. You have extended your understanding of your inner world, recognising that your body and your internal matrix are inextricably linked. You have succeeded in accessing your soul-space and have entered a deeper level of meditation with it. You have repaired damage to your soul, an achievement only a very rare few can boast. At the same time, you have also succeeded in maintaining a light level of Meditation even when moving and doing other activities. You have therefore unlocked different levels of Meditation, each with different rates of Energy gain. Light Meditation ¨C at this level, you are able to move and do a number of simple tasks while maintaining a clear and focussed mind, and additional Energy gain. Speed and complexity of tasks will increase with practice. Extra Energy gain: 15 - 50% (+5% per level past Journeyman in this Skill. Medium Meditation ¨C at this level you must be stationary, but you are aware of your surroundings and able to react to danger at a moment¡¯s notice. Awareness and speed of reaction will increase with practice. Extra Energy gain: 45% - 90% (+10% per level past Journeyman in this Skill.) Heavy Meditation ¨C at this level you must be stationary and you will be unaware of your surroundings. You can, however, engage in work in your Core space or within your domain and maintain the benefits of Meditation. Ease with completing activities in your Core space will increase with practice. Extra Energy gain: 70 - 130% (+15% per level past Journeyman in this Skill.) Deep Meditation ¨C you may only achieve this level of Meditation when meditating in your soul-space. This will offer you greater capacity to repair or expand your soul. Warning: you will be completely unaware of your surroundings and of time passing. Sufficient pain may alert you to a problem, however it will take time for you to surface from this meditation and disorientation may occur directly afterwards. Ease when manipulating your soul will increase with practice, and disorientation after exiting Deep Meditation may reduce with use. Extra Energy gain: 100 - 200% (+20% per level past Journeyman in this Skill.)
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My eyebrows rise higher and higher as I read the information about each new level. Like most of the Skill evolutions, it¡¯s nothing terribly new. In a way, I¡¯ve done each of those types of meditation before. But this is concretising it, offering paths to grow and officially stating the benefits and limitations of each. It also seems like there are two metrics going on here ¨C practice with each single level, and advancing the Skill as a whole and the Energy absorption with it. At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve interpreted ¨C I gain more Energy in each of the levels when I increase my overall level in the Skill. However, my ease and ability to use each of the levels seems to improve if I practise them individually. Though, I may be wrong about that. I¡¯ll have to find out when I use them. Honestly, it¡¯s a pretty awesome upgrade. Not only have I now got a type of meditation which I¡¯ll be able to do when moving slowly ¨C and which offers the potential of being able to always use it if I practise it sufficiently ¨C but I have a level of Meditation which, if my assumptions are correct, at my current rank of Journeyman four, offers me up to two hundred and eighty percent more Energy absorption. My current basic rate is forty units per hour, which means that in Deep Meditation, I could be earning up to a hundred and fifty two units per hour. Suddenly, level fourteen doesn¡¯t seem so far away. Pulling myself out of my daydream of once more steam-rolling through the levels, I remind myself that there are other things to look at. And when I open the next message, I realise that it¡¯s a doozy. Book 2: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Four: Master
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Journeyman. Energy Manipulation is now Master 1. You have achieved this feat by gaining an in-depth understanding of at least one aspect of your Skill. You have come to understand that Health, Mana, and Energy are all intrinsically linked, to the extent of being able to convert one to the other. You are henceforth able to convert Energy to mana intentionally and your efficiency in this increases as you practise it. However, your understanding is still limited and you must research and explore further to potentially unlock other effects of your new discoveries. The path to Sage is long and hard; do you have the will and inspiration to stay the course?
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Not only is it my first Skill to reach Master level, but the wording of the message makes it appear that it requires crossing some sort of threshold. Also different is the message at the end. So ¡®Sage¡¯ is the end goal? I wonder. Though how many steps are there between Master and Sage? And what are the requirements for it? Evidently ¡®will¡¯ and ¡®inspiration¡¯, but what else? The way the message tells me that I achieved Master level in Energy Manipulation by ¡®gaining an in-depth understanding of at least one aspect¡¯ of my Skill indicates to me that crossing from Journeyman to Master isn¡¯t as simple as continuing to practise the Skill ¨C I actually need to understand it. That could be useful to know in the future: already two of my other Skills are in the Journeyman ranks ¨C Meditation and Flesh-Shaping, so this may become directly relevant soon. It also seems to give me a path forwards too, and not the one about becoming a ¡®Sage¡¯. It very clearly states that my understanding of converting one form of Energy into another is flawed, and must be corrected and expanded. Perhaps this is how my Skill will progress from Master to Grandmaster ¨C if that¡¯s the next rank? Or perhaps I need to advance my understanding just to move through the levels in Master itself. I suppose it makes sense: one can reach a Journeyman¡¯s level of understanding by being able to do things with a Skill, but cannot become a Master of it. To do that, one must actually understand why it works. Perhaps that¡¯s why it¡¯s described as a ¡®feat¡¯ ¨C I can imagine Journeyman nine being a bottleneck for many people. Heck, it probably would have ended up a frustrating obstacle for me too, if necessity hadn¡¯t forced me to develop the understanding required to get past it. Still musing on the implications of that message, I click to the next.
Achievement awarded: Masochist II If the odds of successfully gaining a single Masochist achievement are low, the chances of gaining a second are vanishingly small. Not because few attempt them, but because the process of gaining them kills the vast majority of those who do. Nevertheless, you have successfully managed to not die, despite reducing your health to one unit over fifty times within three days. Either you truly are a masochist, or someone really wants information from you. As a result of draining and replacing your health in such quick succession, your body has now become more able to hold health energy. Each point in Constitution now offers 5 more units of health.
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Well, that explains the sudden increase in health. I shake my head a little at the message text. Most of the notifications are written quite neutrally, but the Masochist achievements seem to have a remarkably chatty tone. It makes me wonder what exactly is producing the messages. I was thinking it was some sort of automatic message, something like a computer would offer whenever something triggered a specific routine. Even the way the text relating to rank-ups seems personalised could be explained by an AI-type intelligence generating it. But to have snark? Either the ¡®computer¡¯ is very advanced, or there¡¯s someone, somewhere sending these messages. Both options make me feel rather uncomfortable, the hairs sticking up on the back of my neck at the thought of something ¨C or someone ¨C being able to see my every move, my every thought. And then I remind myself that whatever or whoever it is, there¡¯s simply no way that I¡¯ll be able to do anything about it. I can¡¯t even wear a tinfoil hat, I joke to myself. No point in wasting time thinking about something I have zero chance of being able to affect. Not now, anyway. Having achieved two Masochist achievements, I suddenly start wondering about whether I could either upgrade them or get a third for stamina. Or both. After all, my rank-up in Energy Manipulation mentioned health, mana, and Energy, but it didn¡¯t mention stamina. What if it didn¡¯t mention my third resource pool simply because I haven¡¯t found a way of converting Energy into it? Because if two of the pools are simply different forms of Energy, why would the third pool be any different? And if my body gained an extra ability to hold health energy because I¡¯d emptied and refilled my cells over fifty times in three days, what if I could empty and refill it over a hundred times in three days? Or less. Would my body be able to hold even more Energy? Suddenly, it doesn¡¯t feel so much an ¡®achievement¡¯ in the sense of a reward for attaining something, but more of an ¡®achievement¡¯ like winning a race or obtaining an objective. Clicking onto the next message, my eyebrows rise again. Another achievement?
Achievement awarded: Healer. You have succeeded in healing damage to your Core, Core space, and Soul. To have suffered all three types of damage at the same time is unfortunate; to have successfully repaired all three areas in full is incredible, requiring insight, inspiration, and perseverance in large measure. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. In light of your remarkable achievement you have gained +5% to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Willpower.
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That¡¯s nice, I think to myself, a smile tugging the corners of my lips apart. That explains the percentage increases I¡¯d seen on my status screen. Honestly, I¡¯d have been happy with just being whole again. Heck, gaining Masochist II in the process was enough of a reward. I¡¯m not going to turn it down, though. Or even think too loud about not needing it ¨C if Big Brother knows my every thought, who knows if it might just be taken away from me? Closing the message, the screen vanishes from my vision leaving me staring at the fire thoughtfully. There had been a few other changes which had been obvious in my status screen but which weren¡¯t actually highlighted in my messages. I¡¯ve gained a couple of levels in Flesh-Shaping ¨C not unexpected ¨C and in Sensation Management as well. Again, that makes sense. What doesn¡¯t make sense, are the points I gained in Willpower and Constitution. After levelling up, I was sitting at forty-two base points in Willpower, and twenty base points in Constitution. Since they were both twenty or above, I wasn¡¯t expecting to gain anything to them except what I put in when levelling. However, somehow, Willpower has gained one point and Constitution two. How? That¡¯s the question I find rattling around in my head. Was my point in Willpower caused by me accidentally continuing to push even when my soul was completely healed? And were the Constitution points somehow due to something I was doing with draining and refilling my health? The most important factor, I feel, is the clear evidence that what is believed to be true in Nicholas¡¯ world is wrong. The system knowledge stone I absorbed was very clear that twenty points in each stat is the highest a human can naturally achieve without having a Class and using Energy to gain levels. But somehow, I¡¯ve just gained three points without leveling up at all. I don¡¯t know if they used Energy, though ¨C my Energy store is higher than it was when I started my Meditation, but it¡¯s also been three and a half days, apparently. I frown as I try to work out whether it¡¯s more likely they did or didn¡¯t. First of all, I¡¯d have my daily absorption rate to take into account ¨C probably with a significant percentage increase considering that I was in Deep Meditation for the whole time. Heck, I¡¯m already in Journeyman four in that Skill, so clearly I didn¡¯t just gain it at the end ¨C it¡¯s probably been affecting my rate of absorption for at least a day. Secondly, my Bound may easily have gone out hunting without me ¨C even if a couple stayed with me to guard me, the others probably didn¡¯t. So I have an unknown amount of Energy absorbed from their kills to account for as well. In short, it¡¯s impossible to know for sure. What I do know, though, is that I¡¯m going to do my best to recreate it ¨C if I¡¯m able to gain stat points between levels and it¡¯s ¡®cheaper¡¯ to do it, of course I want to know! But¡­I might work on something else for a bit ¨C I think I¡¯ve had enough ¡®Deep Meditation¡¯ for now. I¡¯ve lost three days of the time before the quest is due. Usefully spent, but lost all the same. Gazing into the flickering flames, my thoughts slow a little, most of my questions upon seeing my status screen answered, the others not answerable without further testing. I slowly become aware of something else. It¡¯s not an obvious change, not one that was mentioned on my status screen. Yet I can¡¯t help feeling that something has changed. I stretch towards the fire, interlacing my fingers and turning them so my palms face outwards. Then releasing the interlacing, I twist my wrists and wriggle my fingers. I clench my hands into fists and then open them wide. There is a difference, I note. My left hand feels¡­fuller than before. It¡¯s very hard to put into words, but it feels like there was something missing which I hadn¡¯t even truly known was absent, but which is now present. Like it¡¯s heavier, more vibrant, denser, but all in a very, very good way. At the same time, although I still ache all over, the rest of me feels more settled, more comfortable in my own skin. I feel a bit like I do sometimes when I¡¯ve finally been forced to release my emotions. Cathartic, I believe it¡¯s called. When I¡¯ve been sobbing, or screaming, or so pent-up with energy that I¡¯ve punched a cushion or ¨C once ¨C a wall. Though, that latter didn¡¯t actually result in this feeling since the pain on the outside just added to the pain inside. But in the other situations, after venting my emotions, I suddenly felt exhausted, but like by ridding myself of the heavy feelings, I had finally cleared some space for myself again inside me. That¡¯s how I feel now. Although the soul damage had been a void in my Core space, and an area without mist in my soul space, it feels more like I¡¯ve just got rid of something than filled in a hole. I hadn¡¯t realised how displaced I¡¯d been feeling until now I feel re-placed. No wonder I¡¯d been having issues with my emotions ¨C between this and the difference between my Constitution and my mental stats, it¡¯s a wonder I wasn¡¯t having more problems. Hopefully that will now be all behind me, though. Exhaustion suddenly hitting me, I turn back towards the bed. Catching River¡¯s eyes, I abruptly remember that I¡¯d promised to tell him what I¡¯d been doing. Sorry about that, I apologise to him, realising he¡¯s just been sitting there patiently, waiting for me. Since the rest of my Bound are currently trying to sleep, I try to respect that by communicating mentally. It is no problem. He hesitates. It¡¯s good to see you back with us. We were¡­worried. Especially when your eyes and nasal holes started bleeding. My eyebrows rise at that. I was bleeding? Yes, at regular intervals. But you didn¡¯t seem to be worse for it. Not that there was much we could have done about it if you were. Is it just me or were those words rather pointed? Then I think about what the consequences of my death would have been, and I realise that he has good reason to be a little annoyed at me. Not to say angry. After all, he¡¯s thrown in his lot with me, hoping that I will hold the key to helping his village. Me dying kind of scuppers that plan. And perhaps there¡¯s an element of emotional attachment too ¨C though that might just be wishful thinking. I was trying to heal my soul damage, I say abruptly, wanting to justify myself. I found a way to do it and was worried I would lose the chance if I stopped. I didn¡¯t realise I was bleeding. I didn¡¯t realise it could kill me, is what I think but don¡¯t actually say. Perhaps the message and the remorse moves across the link without me intending it to as River¡­softens, in some way. Did you succeed? he asks, letting me off the hook ¨C probably being more forgiving to me than he should be. At that, I smile. I did. Those words somehow manage to encompass the whole of what I¡¯ve just achieved, satisfaction rolling through me like a cat stretching luxuriously. Then that you achieved your goals and came back to us is what is important, River finishes. You must be tired. I am, I admit. Without another word, River shifts to lie down turning his back to me and curling his tail up to his chest. I¡¯d never noticed before, but he actually holds the tip of his tail to his neck, like a child might hold a teddy bear. Is it for the same purpose, or just to keep it away from harm? I¡¯m not going to ask, though. Instead, I happily take the invitation and lie down too, my exhaustion hitting me full-force once more. About to fall asleep, my eyes abruptly fly back open as a thought hits me like a lightning bolt. If I¡¯ve been meditating for three days, what¡¯s happened to the hide I was drying?! If it¡¯s been ruined, I¡¯m going to scream. Book 2: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Five: Observation When I wake up the next morning, the first thing I do is to go to check on my hide. It¡¯s still on the rack, now completely dry. Testing its stretch with a hand, I frown a little in confusion as I feel its flexibility. Although I¡¯d done lots of stretching before going into my meditative trance, the hide hadn¡¯t been quite dry so I was expecting to feel some stiffness. But no. The slight scrape of a claw behind me alerts me to the presence of someone else. Turning around, I see River has followed me in, the entrance no doubt at least as awkward for him as for me. I had seen that you were poking at this hide with a stick at regular intervals, so continued doing it while you were unconscious. Was that the right thing to do? he asks uncertainly. My eyebrows rise a little in surprise. I hadn¡¯t realised he¡¯d seen me, certainly not enough to realise that I was using the stick on the hide regularly. That he did seems to have worked in my favour this time. I¡¯ll have to remember that he¡¯s more observant than I¡¯d anticipated. Perhaps I should have realised that he would have good observation skills ¨C he¡¯s survived in a more dangerous forest area a lot longer than me. It¡¯s a miracle how I¡¯ve managed to stay alive this long, as often as I¡¯ve found my head in the clouds while travelling through the forest, I think to myself ruefully. ¡°Thanks for doing that, it¡¯s perfect,¡± I answer, realising that he¡¯s still anxiously anticipating my response. ¡°I was a bit worried that it would be ruined when I heard just how long I¡¯d been meditating. What else happened while I was¡­away?¡± River gives his equivalent of a shrug, nerves playing across the Bond. Nothing much different from usual. That first day we were all worried about you, but apart from a bit of bleeding, you didn¡¯t seem to be distressed or hurt, though the sensations we received over the Bond were a little strange. After trying to rouse you a few times without success and then monitoring your state for a while, we went hunting as usual. I was uncertain about leaving you here without all of us considering how vulnerable you clearly were, but Bastet convinced me that you would prefer us to continue advancing. We made sure to leave you with at least two of us at all times to guard you, though, he finished, looking at me anxiously. Even without saying it over the Bond, I feel that he¡¯s seeking reassurance. ¡°That sounds like a good compromise,¡± I tell him a little soothingly ¨C it¡¯s much as I¡¯d expected, actually. Though there is one thing that makes me a little surprised. ¡°Wait, what do you mean by ¡®Bastet convinced¡¯ you? Could you speak to each other?¡± Yes. Shortly after you fell unconscious, we discovered that we could communicate with each other even as we do with you. It has certainly simplified things! That¡¯s interesting, indicating that I ranked up Dominate while in the soul space. In fact, I probably ranked it up by reaching the soul space. And it also proves that I don¡¯t have to be aware of the change for it to take effect, though I had suspected that already. Still, I¡¯m glad of it ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have wanted my absence to mean that my Bound were thrown into chaos. Kalanthia might have been able to help them communicate between each other; whether she would have been willing to do so would have been another question. At least it didn¡¯t come up. On that note, I wonder how my Bound are doing: it¡¯s been a while since I checked on their progress to the next level. Bound ¨C Companion ¨C ¡®Bastet¡¯ Progress to Tier 3: 2% Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®River¡¯ Progress to Tier 2: 71% Bound ¨C Tame ¨C ¡®Sirocco¡¯ Progress to Tier 2: 59% Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Fenrir¡¯ Progress to Tier 2: 51% Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Persephone¡¯ Progress to Tier 3: 20% Bound ¨C Dominate ¨C ¡®Hades¡¯ Progress to Tier 3: 21% To my pleasure, I see that all of them have made progress, even those who are already in Tier two. Obviously, theirs is a lot slower ¨C two or three percent in comparison to the others making ten to twenty percent progress. River is almost in the home stretch, his progress sitting at seventy-one percent. ¡°Have you guys run out of Energy-Hearts?¡± I ask, suddenly remembering that they¡¯re all in my Inventory and inaccessible to anyone but me. Fenrir still has his, but the rest of us need more, River confirms. I sigh in annoyance ¨C I feel the pressure of time enough that I¡¯m frustrated at losing these few days. It is no issue, River continues, perhaps feeling my self-castigation at not leaving them a small store before accidentally going unconscious. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Not that I would have known that I needed to ¨C it was accidental, after all. But it¡¯s probably a good idea for me to leave a small pile of them in the corner of my alcove so they can help themselves. Not all of them ¨C that way if something happens or a creature manages to steal them, we¡¯ll still have some more in my Inventory. ¡°I¡¯ll put a few in the alcove so this doesn¡¯t happen again,¡± I voice my thoughts to River. That¡¯s probably a good idea, but honestly, it doesn¡¯t matter too much. Bastet explained that we need to do plenty of hunting as well as absorbing Energy Hearts to prepare for Evolution. ¡°Oh?¡± I ask, interested. ¡°Did she explain why?¡± It¡¯s good that Bastet is offering some direction. Her own Evolution went very well, according to Kalanthia, so if she can help the others to achieve similar results, that would be excellent. I didn¡¯t entirely understand what she told us, River admits, but apparently the Energy from the Hearts is different from the Energy from hunting and we need at least twice as much of the latter as the former when starting the Evolution process. Interesting. Kalanthia has been very careful about what kind of Energy Lathani has access too ¨C she¡¯d said it was something about laying the right kinds of foundations. I wonder if this is linked. ¡°So what are your plans for the day?¡± I ask. ¡°Hunting again?¡± Sparring first. We continued it while you were absent, but were a bit more cautious about it, not wanting to cause an injury which we could not heal without you. Then yes, the majority of us will probably go hunting. Unless you have other preferences? I shake my head. ¡°No, that sounds good. In fact, I¡¯ll come and join you for sparring now. After so long meditating, I could really do with some physical exercise!¡± ***** By the time I get back to my hide, the sun is more than halfway to its zenith and my body is feeling pleasantly tired. I was also pleased to see the progress of my Bound when it came to sparring ¨C both River and Bastet got the better of me and it was a close run with Hades. I¡¯m clearly going to have to up my game to not be overtaken by them. Once I have my armour, I¡¯m fully intending on testing it out by going on a hunt. Persephone is a bit slower, her midsection starting to show some faint lumps ¨C the eggs I guess. She¡¯s therefore being more cautious and protective. Actually, it was fortunate that she only took part in two spars since I could see that Hades was unable to concentrate on his own battles while she was fighting. As for Sirocco and Fenrir, they¡¯ve both progressed too, but their strengths don¡¯t yet allow them to overcome mine, particularly since my reach with most of my weapons permits me to keep them at bay without risking injury to myself. Though it was a lot closer when I used my knife. Thanks to working with all my weapons, I¡¯ve gained a level in each of my related Skills. And that means I¡¯ve ranked up in Blunt Weaponry.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner: Blunt Weaponry is now at Novice 1. Due to focussing on technique, you finally appear to be a little better than a rakshi swinging a stick. Your blows land with more accuracy and thereby cause more damage. To help you with this, you have gained access to a new effect. By concentrating on a target, see areas which are particularly vulnerable to blunt damage. The longer you have been exchanging blows with a target, the more obvious the areas become. In addition to this new effect, your previous benefit is enhanced: gain 10% to the effects of Strength (Power : Endurance = 4 : 1) when using a weapon which principally deals blunt damage to a target.
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That should be useful, I decide. I¡¯ll have to explore how it works, but if it does something like give me a sense of which areas to target, that would be great. I start wondering whether my other weapon Skills might give me something similar on rank-up to Novice. It would be pretty cool if I could glance at an enemy and work out exactly which weapon would be the best to use. Closing the message, I lean my tanning rack down so it¡¯s forming the hypotenuse of a triangle. Working on the knots I¡¯ve tied to hold the hide onto the rack, I give up after a short while: all the work that¡¯s gone into making the hide flexible has meant that the knots have pulled impossibly tight. Resigning myself to cutting the cord, I decide that I might as well put the bits to one side: I¡¯m going to need to make more pitch at some point and the bits of fibre would be perfect for that purpose. Detaching the hide from the rack, I send my magic into it. As suspected, a good portion of the mana I¡¯ve saturated it with before has vanished ¨C three days is definitely too long for all the magic to stick around. Still, I sense that only about a quarter of the magic has been lost, proving that this hide has a much slower rate of mana loss than anything else I¡¯ve experimented with so far. It takes a bit of time to refill, but by using Heavy Meditation, I find that my mana regenerates significantly faster than I would naturally. And my natural regeneration isn¡¯t anything to sniff at besides. I suddenly realise that I could have made my job a lot easier earlier ¨C and saved the cord ¨C if I had used magic to remove the hide from the frame. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t think of it at the time. Once it is saturated again, I drop back into Light Meditation ¨C I need to remember to stay in that state as much as possible. Not only because it offers me more Energy absorption and a clearer mind in the present, but also because the description so clearly highlighted the need to practise in order to gain more benefits. Exploring the tanned hide, I¡¯m interested in noticing the differences between the original hide, the hide soaked with brain-soup, and the hide now. Not being a biologist or chemist, I can¡¯t say exactly what¡¯s happened on a scientific level. However, what I can see is that it¡¯s different. The oils which had soaked into the hide before have now become part of it on a different level, the fibres of the hide coated and protected by them. I cut off a small piece of the hide for later reference, and then try to grow the tanned hide to replace the piece I cut off. It¡¯s hard, very hard. Much more difficult than simply regrowing the hide before it had tanned. But hard doesn¡¯t mean impossible. I have to try to replicate the changed fibres as well as the oils that saturate them, and generating all of that new material takes probably four times the mana that simply regrowing the hide had. And regrowing the hide had already been mana heavy. In short, just to replace the small corner of hide I cut off, I have to empty my mana pool twice in quick succession. Despite my mana pool growing, it seems like I need even more. For now, it looks like using a single tanned hide and simply growing it to have a never-ending source of material may not be sustainable. Tanning with magic, however, might be a possibility. And of course, I am currently dealing with a Tier two ¡®nere¡¯ hide, a beast whose skin was armoured enough to repel most attacks, and magical enough to hide itself almost perfectly. Possibly creating a simple buckskin equivalent with paranax hide wouldn¡¯t require nearly as much mana. For now, though, I want to complete the tanning process and make my new material waterproof. That, of course, means smoking it. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Six: Smoke Fortunately, I¡¯ve already spent some time considering how to smoke my hide. With my magic already saturating the flesh, it doesn¡¯t take too much effort to close up the small holes I created for the bark-fibre cord to pass through. Then, folding it in half, I expend a lot more mana to make the edges match up with each other. It takes a good half an hour as I have to refill my mana pool several times, but that¡¯s not too bad ¨C I spend some of my meditation wondering whether my new Master level in Energy Manipulation might actually allow me to consume my Energy store to refill my mana or health. That could come in useful if I¡¯m in a situation where one of my Bound is severely injured ¨C or I am. It¡¯s probably worth testing, though it¡¯s unlikely to be something I practise regularly since I¡¯m trying to gain Energy for levelling up. Well, unless I find that I can increase my stat points purely with Energy ¨C and that it¡¯s cheaper to do that than level up. Actually, didn¡¯t I do something like that before? Though not with Energy, precisely. I remember all the way back to my experience in the middle of the vine-strangler forest, when I almost died from falling for the venomous creature¡¯s trap. I¡¯d run out of mana, run out of practically everything. I¡¯d drawn from River, pulled his mana from him. And then when his mana ran out, I think I¡¯d accidentally pulled at his health pool too. Certainly, whatever I did had hurt him. But that¡¯s something to explore later. For now, I bind the edges of the hide together on all sides but one, creating a large open-mouthed bag. Then, thinking about it, I form four more holes at the top, feeding two lines of bark-fibre cord through the holes so they cross inside. The hide sorted, I now work on my frame. The one I used before did a very good job for stretching, but smoking the hide will require something a little different. I consider using the previous frame, but decide not: I may easily need it again, and don¡¯t want to have to remake it in the future. No, this time, I make something else pretty simple, but hopefully sturdy enough. If I was doing this in the forest, I would easily be able to hang the hide from a branch, but a cave isn¡¯t quite so easy to work with. Instead, I¡¯ll have to ¡®make¡¯ my branches. Fortunately, after all the work on trimming the tree River and I felled, I have plenty of different sized branches in my Inventory. Pulling out a few long ones, I chop them into four roughly equal lengths, a bit taller than my height. Crossing them near the top, I bind them with some more cord into a rough sort of teepee and stand it on its legs. Since the teepee is pretty tall, I do this in the middle of the cave ¨C it will make ventilation easier as well. Next, I take another length of wood and cross it with one of a similar length, binding the two together in the centre. Tying rope to either end of each branch, I fix it to where the teepee lengths cross at the top. Pausing for a moment to think about what might happen when I put the weight of the hide onto the teepee, I cut a few little notches down near the base of the legs, then run a piece of cord around its circumference. Hopefully the cord catching in the notches will stop the legs from splaying sideways and dumping my precious hide in the fire. Using the cord I fed through the top of the hide bag, I attach the lengths to the ends of the crossed branches I¡¯ve just fixed onto the teepee. The shape of it keeps the bag open, though I do need to adjust the crossed branches a bit to make sure it¡¯s well-balanced. Not wanting it to accidentally tip one way or the other ¨C I¡¯m trying to tan a hide, not play with a puppet, after all ¨C I use a bit more bark cord to hold the ends of the cross to their closest teepee legs. With the whole contraption apparently stable, I pause, tapping my lips in thought. My memories tell me that I should attach a heavy water-drenched cloth to the bottom of the hide in a sort of ¡®skirt¡¯ ¨C to ensure that the smoke from the fire is directed straight up into the hide bag. But what should I use? Most of my clothes are not particularly heavy, and I¡¯m not keen on destroying my few pairs of jeans ¨C they¡¯re pretty good for wearing in the forest since the material is quite thick. Maybe I could use the paranax hide? I don¡¯t need to keep it for actual tanning ¨C it¡¯s nothing special so I can easily replace it with the hide of any of the creatures my Bound bring home. If I douse it in water and keep doing so, I should be able to keep it wet enough not to easily catch light. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m intending on there being a whole load of flames anyway. Satisfied with that as an idea, I pull the paranax hide out of my Inventory and then go to fetch the other things I¡¯ll need. Bastet is the one staying with me today, so I go over to where she¡¯s absorbing an Energy Heart. I hate to disturb her, but I need to get water from the stream and a load of green leaves to burn. The last time I went down to the river, I was attacked by the nere, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for me to go alone. ¡°Bastet?¡± I call quietly. She¡¯s immediately alert, opening her eyes, a sharp gaze in them which softens slightly as she realises there isn¡¯t any sort of problem. Yes? I explain what I need to get and she pushes herself willingly to her feet. She makes a chirping sound to summon the cubs and they bound over from where they were playing. Well, two of them do. ¡°Where¡¯s Trouble?¡± I ask Bastet, looking around. He¡¯s vanished. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Then, I hear a rustle behind me and quickly turn, my knife appearing in one hand. I only just manage to redirect it as I recognise the form leaping out at me from behind a bush, ending up over-extending as I pierce the air above Trouble instead of the raptorcat cub himself. ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± I scold him. His tufted ears are already pinned against his head in fright: clearly he wasn¡¯t expecting me to attack him. Bastet makes a scolding kind of chuff, and I sense her telling Trouble that if he¡¯d got hurt it would have been his fault. Or something of the sort. Feeling slightly rattled at almost accidentally impaling one of Bastet¡¯s cubs, I¡¯m glad that she doesn¡¯t seem to hold it against me. On the one hand, I need to tone down my traumatised responses. On the other, out in the forest, it might actually keep me alive so perhaps not. Or not yet, at least. Well, I guess it will depend on how often the cubs decide to use me as their target¡­. ***** The trip down to the river bank doesn¡¯t take very long. I fill my empty pots with water, and pile a whole load of leaves into my Inventory. We¡¯re not attacked, which makes a nice change, so we end up being quite efficient. I also get to see the cubs practising their pouncing on things other than me. The cubs turn out to be very good hunters of small mouse-sized lizards, beating even their lightning-fast reactions to play with them. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever looked more like cats than when they were torturing small lizards by not killing them, but also not allowing them to disappear. I look forward to going out hunting with the whole group ¨C it will be interesting to see how they¡¯ve changed as a result of both the sparring and hunting practice. Once we¡¯re back, I¡¯m hit by a brainwave. Rather than saturating the whole of the paranax hide, I control my mana so that it fills only about a centimetre¡¯s width along one edge. It takes quite a lot of control to keep the mana in that single area, and to fill that area to bursting, but I manage ¨C probably my new Master level in Energy Manipulation is helping me on that. I also sense that it¡¯s unlikely to last for long once I shift my attention, but that¡¯s OK for my purposes. Hopefully. Dunking the hide into water, I arrange it around the base of the nere hide bag so that the edge I¡¯ve filled with mana is pressing against the bottom edge of the nere hide. Not sure whether this will work, but with a backup plan in mind for if it doesn¡¯t, I try to connect the two hides together. The hides resist being combined, the substance that they are made of feeling different. But it¡¯s not, surely. All flesh is essentially the same. Even between my flesh and that of the creatures here, there aren¡¯t that many differences. Probably if I looked at their chemical composition, I might find some small differences, but we all have cells which function similarly. Our cells all require the same sort of energy to function, and generate that energy in the same sort of way. It makes sense that I can¡¯t affect plant matter with Flesh-Shaping: the way the cells of plants are formed and function are quite different from animal cells. But why should the flesh of one animal not be able to connect to the flesh of another? Especially two animals from the same world. With that in mind, I focus my Will on forcing them to make the link which must be possible. They resist for a little longer before conceding, the two merging at the edge to create a single whole. Relief mixed with a sense of victory at the validation of my theory going through me. The skirt formed around my hide bag, I hook it around one of the teepee legs so that it¡¯s out of the way of where I need to create the fire. After setting up the fire as normal, I use my Fire Taming to encourage the fire to burn more quickly, wanting to have glowing embers more than flaming logs. With my fire manipulation magic in addition to supplying it with oxygen through blowing, it¡¯s not too long before I manage to achieve the kind of fire I want. Once more dipping the paranax hide into water, I place a whole load of leaves over the top of the glowing embers, though take care not to smother the fire completely. I actually maintain a connection to the fire with Fire Taming ¨C that way I can feed it small amounts of mana if it starts running out of fuel. Carefully arranging the hide so that the paranax skin skirt is around the edges of the small fire, all the smoke fills the nere hide bag. Watching tendrils of smoke leak out of the holes in the top of the bag, I settle in to watch my hide ¨C I have no desire to come back to find it all in ashes because the fire went out of control and caught on my precious crafting material. As I settle back on my heels, I can¡¯t help my mind wondering about other applications of what I¡¯ve just learned. If it¡¯s possible to join one piece of hide to another, what else could I join? Could I connect it to myself? Create living armour that moves like my skin because it¡¯s indeed connected to me? Could I offer my Bound more protection in certain areas? What about natural weaponry ¨C could I give myself claws? Or spiked knuckles so that I¡¯m never without a weapon? If I attached the hide to myself as another layer of skin, I think I¡¯d have to form blood vessels within it: the whole reason I have to tan a hide is because it¡¯s essentially dead flesh; tanning stops the flesh from rotting. I wouldn¡¯t want to attach something to myself that then putrefies. So blood vessels would be a must. Though, I might not put in nerve endings, otherwise I¡¯d start feeling pain. Then again, that could cause other issues¡­. But nothing that I wouldn¡¯t already have to deal with if I¡¯m wearing it as armour. Though armour is easier to remove¡­. It¡¯s an interesting question. As well, if I connect blood vessels into hide and add it as another layer of skin, what else could I add? I¡¯ve already been thinking about wings. What if I took a pair of wings from another creature and Shaped them so that they suited me? Or what if I could add another pair of arms ¨C extra limbs could definitely come in handy. Pun intended. Or a tail? A venomous sting could offer me an edge in a fight. But when do changes like that ¨C if they¡¯re even possible ¨C turn me from human to¡­something else? I did promise myself that I wouldn''t become a mad scientist, and this kind of frankensteinism is definitely well into the territory of mad scientists. Besides, how would I even control all those new additions? My brain isn¡¯t wired like that and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to mess around with my neurons ¨C I simply don¡¯t know enough about how the brain works, even with magic helping me. Having wings would be pretty useless without the nerve and brain connections to make them function. No, big changes are probably a bit too far beyond my capabilities, even if I decided that I wanted them. But perhaps a bit of skin enhancement just to protect some of my vulnerable areas wouldn¡¯t be too much¡­? A question for later. For now, I have a perfect opportunity to work on expanding my understanding of fire. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Tongue of Flame I figure that even if I don¡¯t manage to gain Fire-Shaping at any point, knowing more about fire should help me with Fire Taming. To that end, I spend some time meditating next to the fire, sitting out of the way of the little smoke that escapes my hide bag. It¡¯s interesting to compare what I see and feel this time to previous times: here, the fire is much cooler, and barely holding onto life. The connections are fewer and much shorter, but they are still there, sinking into the leaves over the glowing embers. The determination and perseverance of fire is showcased here: true flames absent, but the fire eating at the wet fuel nonetheless. When at one point it starts flagging, the energy gained from consuming the leaves not quite keeping up with the energy expenditure at burning off the liquids, I offer it a little of my own mana. Probably another benefit of my more-advanced Energy Manipulation, or perhaps Meditation ¨C or even both ¨C I can see more of what happens to the mana as I pass it over. The mana which leaves me and the energy which the fire consumes is different. The fire transforms my mana easily into something it is able to consume. Perhaps that¡¯s natural ¨C fire is all about transformation, after all. I¡¯m seeing it happen before my eyes as it transforms the leaves into usable fuel, and then ashes. It makes sense that it could do the same with the mana I feed it. Pulling back a bit, I stare at the fire sightlessly with my physical eyes. Is this the key that I¡¯ve been missing? Lay-on-hands was referred to on a number of occasions as ¡®healing¡¯ magic. When I use Flesh-Shaping, does my mana change? I¡¯ve never noticed. Deciding it¡¯s worth a little investigation, I pick up the piece of hide I cut off from the rest of the nere hide which is currently being smoked. Touching the mana inside, I do notice some subtle differences to it now that I¡¯m paying attention. Is this why I can¡¯t get out as much of my mana as I put in? It¡¯s being changed as I do it and the rate of conversion back to ¡®normal¡¯ mana isn¡¯t very good? Or is there another reason? Either way, it seems that I¡¯ve confirmed that I¡¯m using a different type of magic when I engage in Flesh-Shaping, and I know I used healing magic with Lay-on-hands. So that lends evidence to the idea that fire also has its own type of magic¡­and that Fire-Shaping might require me to find a way to transform my own mana into that of fire. When engaging in Fire Taming, I don¡¯t change my mana into a different form; I bargain with the fire over following my instructions if it wants access to the condensed energy I can offer it. So the fire still transforms the mana. But if I can work out how to transform the mana myself¡­? I spend some time feeding the fire with magic, being careful not to give it too much at a time ¨C I don¡¯t want my experiments to accidentally make flames leap up inside my hide bag. Instead, I just offer it a unit at a time, trying my best to reduce even that down to fractions of units since a single unit still proves to be a lot for a fire this subdued. While I do that, I observe carefully with as many senses as possible to try to work out exactly what¡¯s changing about the mana to make it into ¡®fire¡¯ mana instead of my mana. After a while, I start noticing a certain difference. It¡¯s impossible to describe, a mixture of ¡®sight¡¯ and ¡®feel¡¯. Nonetheless, it¡¯s enough for me to start trying to replicate it. The rest of the world almost falls away and I have to consciously focus on pulling myself out of the state every so often to check on my hide¡¯s progress. As my attempts to transform the mana fail again and again, I find myself getting frustrated. Knowing that frustration isn¡¯t going to help at all, I pull myself fully out of meditation, standing up and stretching a bit. A few squats and press-ups help remove the lingering irritation out of my system. I then investigate the hide over the fire with both eyes and magic. A few moments later, I withdraw my hand, nodding in satisfaction. The inside of the hide seems to be fairly thoroughly coated in the tar carried on the smoke ¨C it should be waterproof enough now. Of course, that¡¯s only half the job ¨C I need to smoke both sides. Fortunately, reversing the bag doesn¡¯t take too much effort. I undo the knots holding the four ends of the two pieces of cord connecting the hide with the cross-piece above it. Knowing that I was going to be doing this, I¡¯d tied easy-release knots, so doing this is a matter of seconds. Pulling the cord pieces through, I reverse the bag, dip the skirt of paranax hide into the water again ¨C something I¡¯ve done a few more times since starting this process ¨C then string the hide back up over the fire. Checking that the fire is doing fine ¨C it is ¨C I pile on a few more leaves. Spending a few more minutes just making sure that the process is going off without a hitch, I return to my attempts of converting my mana into fire magic. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It has to be almost halfway through the smoking process of this second side by the time I make something of a breakthrough. Like something clicks in my mind, I suddenly manage to transform my mana into something approximating what I had seen with the fire. The only problem: it was in my internal matrix at the time, and apparently fire magic and my Energy channels don¡¯t go well together. Actually, that¡¯s an understatement. I shout in pain as it feels like an explosion has gone off in my hand. The Energy channel in which I¡¯d been holding the mana ruptures completely, my finger quickly burning black. I grit my teeth against the agony, consciously using Sensation Management to dim the pain down to more manageable levels. The fire magic ¨C or was it ¡®explosion¡¯ magic? ¨C has vanished, or been used up, leaving a mess behind it. Fortunately, thanks to Flesh-Shaping, I can deal with my damaged finger, and as a result of regrowing a good portion of my internal matrix, dealing with the rupture of my Energy channel only takes a few minutes to do. I never thought I¡¯d be grateful for the damage the Pure Energy did to me, but in healing myself, I have to admit that I¡¯ve learned a great deal. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to attempt to transform mana into fire magic without having had the experiences I did. Even if I had still managed it, I¡¯d have been completely stuffed if I¡¯d damaged my internal matrix like this without having had the experience of already rebuilding it. As it is, I¡¯ve learned a painful lesson, and once both aspects are healed, pause to work out what to do next. Clearly I can¡¯t transform the mana within my channels, ergo, I need to do it outside my channels. The issue here is that so far, the only time I¡¯ve managed to control magic outside my body is when I¡¯ve fed it into another body or along a connection. Maybe I need to extend a connection beyond my skin? I wonder. Or could I use one of those connections which are already out there, drawing in Energy? It¡¯s worth a try. I attempt to send a bead of mana down one of the channels leading out of my body. It works, but slips through my mental ¡®fingers¡¯ as it reaches the end of the channel. After trying a couple of times with the same result, despite my best efforts, I decide to attempt another approach. There¡¯s the channel which has started establishing itself in my left hand index finger, the same one that was so recently damaged. While not my dominant hand, it is the one I tend to lay on my Bound to heal them, probably because I¡¯m usually carrying a weapon in my dominant hand. So it¡¯s become the hand I tend to use for magic-related tasks, including when I¡¯m not carrying a weapon. I¡¯d noticed a while ago that a thin connection was leading off my internal matrix to touch my skin, and by using a combination of looking at my Core space and scanning my body, I¡¯ve been able to determine that it leads to the tip of my finger ¨C and no further. It¡¯s only recently that I¡¯ve been able to start seeing my internal matrix when scanning my body, and I still can¡¯t see the internal matrix of any of my Bound ¨C though Bastet at least must have one, or something similar. What I see is that the organisation of it has hints of the network of the internal matrix, but is different, the lines weaving their way through every inch of my flesh rather than being centred around my heart. Though, my Core does appear to be vaguely situated under my sternum ¨C most of the time, anyway. Oddly enough, it seems to change position ¨C I remember once finding it in my stomach. I¡¯m still trying to work out why it has different positions depending on how deeply into Meditation I sink, and the implications of that. Either way, right now, I focus on the single connection running from my internal matrix to the tip of my finger. I¡¯m hesitant to use it as is because the connection stops at my skin ¨C the reason why I tried using one of the other connections first. Given what happened to my finger before, I have no desire to repeat the experience and blow my nail off. So, before trying to transform mana into fire magic, I start trying to extend my connection past my skin. Ideally, I want fire to appear beyond my finger, not in it. Due to having regrown a large chunk of my internal matrix, and having seen the Wisdom points affecting the connections leading outwards, I have a good idea of where to start. Pulling mana from my Core, I feed it to my finger strand and then start trying to push it outwards. It¡¯s exponentially harder to do this than it was to regrow my internal matrix. If I can compare, it¡¯s the difference between a plant growing roots in a field which has already been ploughed compared to the same plant trying to grow in stone. When I was repairing my internal matrix, the strands ¡®knew¡¯ where to go next; I just had to provide the energy and intention. This time, though, I¡¯m pushing into new areas which have never been touched before. Not only that, but I¡¯m trying to push past what I think is my domain. It¡¯s just a guess, but given the relative ease with which I control magic within my skin compared to outside it, I have to imagine that it¡¯s linked to what Kalanthia demonstrated a while ago. It takes a lot of focus, and a lot of mana ¨C I actually have to channel the mana from my Core through to the strand rather than taking a few units at a time ¨C but eventually I succeed. Like trying to go through a wall, the connection is blocked. Until suddenly it isn¡¯t and surges forwards. The quick progress rapidly grinds to a halt almost as soon as it starts. But I¡¯ve got through my skin, and that¡¯s what¡¯s most important to me right now. I release both intention and mana with a sigh of relief, reaching up to rub at my temples. A burgeoning headache blooms, but a quick pass with Flesh-Shaping to reduce the slight inflammation in my brain sees it ebb rapidly. Excited to try to use my new strand with my new conversion process, I soon send a bead of mana to the end of my finger and then beyond. Wary of another explosion, I only send a single unit of mana to the end of the strand. I almost hold my breath as I once more convert the unit of mana into what I hope is fire magic. Before my eyes, a tongue of flame appears at the tip of my finger and a wave of exhilaration runs through me. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Eight: Armour Exhilaration is quickly followed by something else. ¡°Ow!¡± I exclaim as the fire singes the top layer of my skin. Losing control of the mana in my surprise, I shout again as the fire quickly consumes all of it in a single burst, the flame growing to double its length and then winking out just as quickly after. My finger is red and already starting to blister, so I quickly send my Flesh magic into the area to soothe and heal. I¡¯m a little disappointed that I don¡¯t feel the nagging sense of a notification waiting for me ¨C have I not acquired Fire-Shaping or something similar to that yet? I check just in case I¡¯ve got a message without the sense of it being there, but my fears are confirmed when I see the lack of notification. As I stare sightlessly at my finger, I hear a scrabble of claws and see Bastet coming running, her ears pinned back and fangs bared. When she sees I¡¯m alone and unharmed, she slows and then pads over to me. Her lips lowering over her teeth, she sniffs at me, a faint hint of disapproval coming over the Bond. What did you do? I smell fire and burning. I¡¯m a bit shame-faced that she can so quickly detect what I did to myself despite already healing the obvious injury. ¡°Nothing serious. I¡¯m just trying to learn how to use fire.¡± Then a thought suddenly occurs to me as I look at her. Didn¡¯t she just gain the ability to breathe fire from her Evolution? ¡°Actually, could you help me with something?¡± She cocks her head to one side. Perhaps. What? ¡°I¡¯d like to watch you breathe fire, see what you¡¯re doing differently from me,¡± I tell her. ¡°Is that OK?¡± She casts a dubious look around the cave. Not in here. ¡°No, I meant outside.¡± Yes. Now? About to answer, I hesitate, my own glance around the cave revealing that I¡¯m in the middle of another project right now. ¡°Not now. But when I¡¯ve finished working on my armour for the day?¡± I¡¯ll be outside, she acknowledges with a wave of agreement over the Bond. Turning, she starts trotting out. Try not to hurt yourself again, she admonishes with a flick of her tail just as she clicks through the entrance way ¨C unlike River and me, she doesn¡¯t have the slightest difficulty due to being a little shorter than the cave mouth itself. ¡°Mother cat,¡± I chuckle to myself at her maternal scolding. Honestly, it kind of feels nice. Especially since she doesn¡¯t try to stop me from doing anything, just tells me to be more careful if I hurt myself while doing it. And calls me out if it seems like it¡¯s a bad idea all round. I wonder what I¡¯ll see when I watch her breathing fire. Maybe I should touch her at the same time, try to see what¡¯s actually happening in her body. Actually, it would also be a good time to find out if I can replenish her mana pool from my own. After all, she¡¯s only got a hundred and fifty units of it. Although I use my mana for a lot more than she does, it could be useful to know if I can send mana to her just as easily as I can draw it from her. Thinking about it, it would be pretty awesome if we could have something of a communal mana pool ¨C if each of us could draw from the others at need. River, for example, doesn¡¯t have any use for his mana pool at present, nor do Fenrir or Sirocco. The kiinas have their airblade attacks which use a bit of mana each time. If those without mana-consuming abilities could offer mana to those needing it, that could potentially strengthen the whole group¡­. But before I can go and explore those ideas, I really need to finish this project. Having armour will make a big difference to my survivability, and I¡¯m so close to being done. Checking the hide, I realise that I¡¯ve spent so long working out how to do fire magic, that the smoking process is pretty much done. Detaching the hide bag from the cross-piece, I find it¡¯s fairly easy to find the connection between the paranax hide and the nere¡¯s ¨C since I wasn¡¯t trying to make the join seamless, it¡¯s only attached by a few fibres. These are easily severed, the paranax hide dropping to the floor. The nere hide is heavy, the weight of the tar from the smoke adding to what had already been a hefty burden. Still, with my new Strength attribute, it¡¯s no real challenge. It may slow me down and fatigue me a bit when I¡¯m travelling with it on my body, but I don¡¯t mind that too much ¨C the added protection will be worth it. Now, two important points to cover: first, can I form it into armour just with magic; second, can I tan a hide from scratch just with magic too? But neither of those need to be done in here and between a smoky cave and the outdoors, I¡¯ll pick the outdoors. Even if, when I exit the cave, I realise that it¡¯s suddenly got cloudy, the sun which had been present when I went in to smoke my hide now hidden. Maybe it¡¯ll come out again later, I say to myself hopefully. It would be a pity if I¡¯d lost the best part of the day while stuck inside. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. For now, though, I settle down against the wall with the nere hide on my lap. Then, after shivering a bit, I realise that it¡¯s colder than I¡¯d thought, going to get my jacket from my ¡®bed¡¯ inside before continuing. Topping up the hide with my mana doesn¡¯t take long and only uses a fraction of my mana pool. Sending my mind into the hide, I register the new changes. Interestingly, I can¡¯t affect the new coating of the hide at all. Is it because it¡¯s a derivative from plants rather than flesh? But I was able to affect the potions ¨C though, to be fair, only after the plants had already interacted with the venom. I have an immediate suspicion that I won¡¯t be able to replicate the effects of smoking with my magic ¨C it¡¯s more of a coating than something that¡¯s affected the nature of the flesh. The brain oils were different, so perhaps I¡¯ll be able to skip some of the tanning process, but I now doubt I¡¯ll be able to tan from scratch to finish solely with magic. On the positive side, manipulating the flesh is still easy enough, though I do run into a snag when I try to extend the hide ¨C the coating doesn¡¯t extend with it. Oh well, I say to myself as I try unsuccessfully to find a way to transfer the smoke coating along with the hide. Looks like I¡¯ll only be able to work with what I¡¯ve got here. Lesson learned: finalise the design of my hide armour before smoking. At least I have a lot of hide here. I create very rudimentary armour with a minimum of effort. First of all, I split the ¡®bag¡¯ back into a single length of almost rectangular hide. Next, I make a hole for my neck, briefly splitting and then rejoining flesh so it¡¯s tucked snuggly against my throat. In an effort to gain a little more protection as well as reduce chafing, I shift the hide which needs to be removed for my neck to have space upwards at an angle so it works as a sort of gorget. It only covers a few centimetres of my neck, but something is better than nothing. Further splitting the hide in some strategic places, I end up with armour around my upper arms and wrapping around my torso and upper legs. I have to leave some slits in certain places so that I can move easily ¨C there¡¯s a reason why armour tends to be much thinner around joints. It does leave me a little vulnerable when I extend my arms upwards or at certain angles, but hopefully that won¡¯t be my undoing. At least my sides are pretty well protected: the armour is wrapped in a double layer so that I don¡¯t waste the fabric. Something coming at me from below is still going to cause me issues ¨C I don¡¯t have anything between my legs. What I have done, though, is create a kind of ¡®skirt¡¯ that flaps before and behind me ending just below my hips. Hopefully that will be enough to protect my most vulnerable inner thigh arteries from attacks from the front, though. I jump around a bit, testing my range of movement and making a few minor changes as I feel things shift. Suddenly having an idea, I pour mana into the front and back of my armour, thickening the breast and back plate. When I compare this to the rudimentary protection I tied around myself a few weeks ago, I marvel at how far I¡¯ve come. Not that it hasn¡¯t taken its time ¨C I really do hope that I can do some tanning with magic otherwise outfitting myself in both clothing and armour is going to take forever. Not to mention replacing my boots: my dress shoes are getting to be practically unusable. Well, maybe that can be my next task: making boots which cover the rest of my legs as armour in and of themselves. Actually¡­ I think to myself, hit by a sudden wave of inspiration. I hurry back into the cave and grab a couple of things I¡¯d left behind next to the still-smouldering fire. Sitting back down on the ground, I start pouring mana into the paranax hide I¡¯d picked up. It¡¯s not particularly armoured, but with how much I¡¯ve been able to affect the nere hide, I have a feeling that I¡¯ll be able to change that. It¡¯s not tanned either, but it has been smoked along with the nere hide, though my frequent dunks of it into water probably haven¡¯t done it any favours. It takes a while to fully saturate the paranax hide, but my new ability to drop into Heavy Meditation and significantly increase my mana regeneration makes it possible in not too long a time. The sun is reaching its zenith overhead when I succeed. I don¡¯t care so much about this hide, so if I mess it up, it¡¯s not the end of the world. With one hand touching the off-cut of nere hide, and the other touching the paranax skin, I do my best to treat the fibres within the paranax hide as in the nere hide. Feeling that something¡¯s missing, I have a brainwave and take my project over to the tanning basin. Dipping one corner of the nere hide in the solution, the oils of which have risen to the top, I soon feel the difference. The oily sheen on the top of the water is sucked into the paranax hide like it¡¯s a sponge, my magic guiding it to saturate the fibres. A process that would usually take hours of absorption and then hours of drying is accomplished in less than one. It¡¯s not that it¡¯s effortless ¨C emptying my mana pool still gives me a headache and makes me feel nauseous and weak. But it¡¯s a lot quicker than doing it the way I did the nere hide before. In the end, I have a length of thin hide which isn¡¯t as supple as my armour, but will probably become so with a bit of wear. A bit more effort and imagination and I¡¯m soon standing in two new leather boots. Interestingly, it¡¯s a lot easier to shape the paranax hide compared to the nere one. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s because I did more magically to it, or because it¡¯s a thinner hide to begin with. Or because it¡¯s from a weaker creature ¨C it could be that too. The soles are very thin, so I send magic to change that, thickening the sole so the stones beneath my feet are now barely detectable. The boots reach just above my knee and, while a bit stiff, are flexible enough that I can move in them fine. I commit a bit more magic to thickening the areas which don¡¯t need to bend, then grin as I grab a spear from my Inventory and start practising with it. Satisfied with my new creations, I walk towards where Bastet is playing with the cubs ¨C well, juvenile raptorcats now, I suppose. She seems to be teaching them pouncing technique, demonstrating, then letting them leap at her from the bushes. Now I know why Trouble thought it would be a good idea to jump at me the other day. ¡°Alright, Bastet,¡± I start, then freeze. She does exactly the same as me, and we both turn in unison to face the forest. Something¡¯s wrong. A sense of unease ripples through me and I close my eyes to drop into my Core space. The connections to my Bound who are not present are jangling with alarm. They¡¯re too far away for me to tell what¡¯s happened, though I sense that they are closing the distance between us. ¡°Something¡¯s happened with the hunt,¡± I say to Bastet, my voice tight, as soon as I exit my Core space. She sends a grim sense of agreement. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Nine: Where There’s Life There’s Hope The time it takes my hunting Bound to reach us seems like an eternity, but is probably only around an hour. I was torn between running towards them to meet them partway, or waiting for them to come to us. In the end, I decided to stay put. That was for two main reasons. One, I sense that none of my Bound are near death, or at least not to the point where minutes might count. Two, I don¡¯t know exactly what the problem is. If they¡¯re being chased by something that they¡¯ve accidentally angered, it would be better for us to have a defensible location. After spending a few minutes fidgeting, then realising from the progress my Bound had made that it would be quite a while longer, I decided to use the time as productively as possible. Meditation had never felt harder to enter, but thanks to my new rank in it, I was able to calm myself down despite the situation. Topping up my mana pool, I then started feeding more of it into Bastet. Whatever the issue that¡¯s happened, it should be helpful to do that. If one of my Bound is significantly injured, I can use her as a mana reserve to draw on. If they¡¯re being chased by something, Bastet having extra mana in her has got to be helpful. It would be good if Bastet could draw on my mana within her herself, but we haven¡¯t tried to do it and now isn¡¯t the time. We haven¡¯t tested her ability to take my mana at all; maybe we should have rather than me trying to work out how to control fire myself. It''s pointless thinking about that, I tell myself firmly ¨C even with Meditation actively helping me to calm my mind, I¡¯m struggling to control my thoughts. What ifs about the past never helped anyone. I don¡¯t even know what the problem is; it¡¯s far too soon to start with self-recriminations. But what could have happened? With two Tier two kiinas, a lizard-man who¡¯s close to Tier two, a lizog, and an aerial scout, what could have taken them unawares? Is it a hunting party of lizard-folk including Path-walkers and Warriors? Is it a group of beasts which has been unexpectedly difficult to combat, and which refuses to give up the chase? Is it something else which has been pushed out by the vine-stranglers? Could it be something of a similar level to Kalanthia, maybe another mother seeking to find a safer area for her offspring ¨C and finding my Bound to be tasty snacks? I can¡¯t tell where my Bound are exactly, only a vague sense of distance and direction offering me any clues. That¡¯s another reason not to go charging off into the forest willy-nilly: with my inability to clearly pin-point exactly where my Bound are, we might spend more time actually trying to triangulate each other¡¯s location than just waiting here will take. What¡¯s odd, though, is that I''m becoming increasingly sure that only three of my Bound are approaching me; the other two are not. If anything, they¡¯re getting further away. I can sense that one of them is Sirocco ¨C the Bond between us is different enough that it¡¯s relatively easy to tell. Only by spending some time meditating on it am I able to identify the other Bond as Fenrir. Oddly enough, he seems¡­asleep? The Bond is muted, the emotions muffled in the same way as happens when he¡¯s asleep. My other Bound are all broadcasting different degrees of worry, fear, and urgency. At least they¡¯re all alive. Has something happened to Fenrir? If so, what? Why would he be asleep? By the time I see my Bound break through the treeline and run towards us, I¡¯m relieved to finally get some news; anything must be better than the tortuous turning-over of possible scenarios I¡¯ve been doing. Bastet and I stand from where we¡¯ve been resting. We scan the trees behind my Bound; nothing seems to be chasing them. Or, if they are being chased, their pursuers aren¡¯t hot on their heels. Are any of you injured? I send to River as soon as he comes into range of our mental communication. Yes, but not seriously, he answers quickly, a sense of worry and urgency coming over the Bond. As they crest the hill a moment later, I see the truth in his words. It seems like all of them are injured, their scales or feathers bloodied. However, it doesn¡¯t look too bad. Hades is limping a bit and Persephone has a badly torn wing ¨C those seem to be the worst I can see. I immediately go over to check them out. ¡°What happened?¡± I snap tensely at River. He¡¯s injured too, blood marking his scales in multiple places. Fenrir¡¯s been taken. His mental voice rings clearly even as he half-bends over to heave in air. The kiinas are better off but they look tired too. ¡°Taken? Taken by what? Or who?¡± I ask sharply. At least the lizard-folk¡¯s way of communication isn¡¯t impeded too much by being out of breath, and our mental connection isn¡¯t impacted at all. A great beast. Not explaining any further, River shoves a memory at me. I pause in my healing to check it out, more able to multitask now than in the past, but still not able to juggle directing mana with reviewing memories from my Bound. The image is still, but I draw in an abrupt breath as I see it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Absently passing it over to Bastet, I see her tense out of the corner of my eye and hear her instinctive growl as she sees it too. It¡¯s big, that¡¯s the first thing. The image that River has sent includes Hades, so I can see that the creature is slightly taller than him ¨C and it doesn¡¯t appear to be at full height. It¡¯s wider even than that, and appears more like a giant spider with ten legs than anything else. It has a multi-segmented body, but not like a millipede ¨C this one instead appears to have a main body, perhaps a thorax, with a head attached, and then a multi-segmented tail. In the image, the tail is halfway through a swing towards Fenrir, who¡¯s attempting to gnaw on one of the creature¡¯s many legs. Even though this is an image of something that¡¯s already happened, I see the sting on the end of the tail and wince. It¡¯s furry, perhaps the first native creature I¡¯ve seen here which isn¡¯t either scaly or feathered. It also has massive mandibles, and these are more like a wasp than a spider. It doesn¡¯t appear to have eight eyes, either, but the four on the front of its head and the two on the sides are definitely enough. ¡°This attacked you?¡± I ask, horror going through my body. With the clear strength and size of the creature, I suppose I¡¯d best be glad all of my Bound are still alive, even if two are currently missing. ¡°And where¡¯s Sirocco?¡± Realising that I¡¯ve stopped healing Hades, I turn my attention back to that even as River replies. It came out of nowhere, he confirmed. None of us knew it was there until it was on top of us. We kept it at bay for a while, but none of our weapons could get through the hard armour protecting it except for Fenrir. Oddly enough, it didn¡¯t seem to be trying to kill us, aiming more to cripple us. Well, that would explain why their injuries appear mostly fairly superficial. Hades'' limp has been caused by some blunt impact but doesn¡¯t actually take too long to sort out. Moving on to Persephone¡¯s wings, I listen as River continues his report. It tried to strike all of us with its tail spike, but we all managed to dodge it. Until Fenrir didn¡¯t. That was the moment River had sent over the Bond. I did my best to deflect the sting, but was too out of position to do so. His tone is full of shame. It knocked me away with one leg, and by the time I stood up again, it was crouching over Fenrir. He pauses for a moment, reluctance coming across the Bond. ¡°Tell me,¡± I urge. ¡°I need to know.¡± River tilts his chin upwards for a moment, then visibly forces himself to continue. We tried to attack it to get at Fenrir, but it just defended itself. When it stood up, we couldn¡¯t see our pack-mate. Not until we looked at its belly. River seems unable to put his thoughts into words, and instead sends another image. I pause my healing once more to look at it. The creature looked even more like the spider I had compared it to, a webbed parcel now stuck to its underside. It only took a brief moment for me to understand that Fenrir was wrapped in the web. It did not try to attack us further, River continues after I start healing again, feeling a bit numb. It just ran off, Fenrir attached to it, leaving a mess of sticky substance which trapped us until it was out of sight. I considered chasing it ¨C although its trail was not obvious, Sirocco could easily find it, but thought that, since our efforts hadn¡¯t worked before, we should return here to seek your aid instead. He pauses for a long moment. Master, I¡¯m sorry, he says, sounding wrecked. I failed you. ¡°What?¡± I ask eloquently, confusion filling me. ¡°How did you fail me?¡± We all know that Bastet is your second, and leads the hunt if you are not present, but if neither of you are there, command falls to me. Therefore, the responsibility of losing one of our members falls to me too. I accept the consequences. I stare at the lizard-man. Seriously, what kind of society are the lizard-folk? His tendency to self-blame all of the time can¡¯t be solely down to the Bond¡­can it? ¡°Look, you¡¯ve said already that the creature came out of nowhere, right?¡± I ask, waiting for his acknowledgement before continuing. ¡°And that you did your best to protect Fenrir, but were unable to in the end, right?¡± He admits that it¡¯s true. ¡°Then what on earth could you have done to prevent this outcome?¡± I should have called for a retreat sooner, River replies quickly, showing that he¡¯s been turning this over in his mind for a while, probably ever since it happened. ¡°And do you think you would have been faster than the creature? That it would have let you go before it got what it came for?¡± Because that¡¯s the conclusion I¡¯ve come to, with all the evidence I¡¯ve seen. Not aiming to kill, but aiming to sting. Then, as soon as it had stung a creature successfully, stopping its actions, wrapping Fenrir up, then running away? It seems likely to me that it was searching for live prey, for whatever reason. That¡¯s fortunate for Fenrir ¨C for now. Though I don¡¯t know if I want to know exactly why the creature wants live prey. Visions run through my mind of all sorts of possible reasons. No, River admits after a moment. I¡¯ve almost forgotten the question I¡¯d asked him, my thoughts had been racing so far in another direction, but I manage to recall it after a brief instant. ¡°Then I don¡¯t see anything that you could have done differently which would have had another outcome. Where is Sirocco? Chasing the creature?¡± That¡¯s the only thing I can think that she might be doing ¨C she hasn¡¯t broken the Bond so she hasn¡¯t cut her losses and flown away. Yes, River confirms. I sent her to watch where the creature goes and what it does. She should be able to find us later and tell us what has happened. He hesitates, eyeing me. I¡­thought that you might wish to pursue. Is that correct? I pause for a moment, surprised that he even needs to ask the question. Then I remember what kind of society he comes from and understand. ¡°Of course we¡¯re going to pursue,¡± I tell him with emotion. ¡°Fenrir is still alive, and while there¡¯s life, there¡¯s hope. Now, let¡¯s get right onto that.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty: Can I Come? We need to get going as soon as possible, but setting off without even thinking about what we might need would be stupid. The first thing I consider is supplies. Fortunately, with the number of slots I now have in my Inventory, I keep very little outside of it, only things which definitely won¡¯t deteriorate and which I¡¯m unlikely to need at a moment¡¯s notice. In fact, all that I¡¯ll need to grab from the alcove is a pot of water that I boiled earlier. It¡¯s been cooling down ever since, but should be fine now. My weapons situation isn¡¯t as good as it should be ¨C I¡¯ve been too distracted recently by all the mystical and magical exploration that I haven¡¯t actually done much to address my physical weapons situation. River has my only flint-tipped spear, though I have a couple of fire-hardened wooden ones. As for arrows, I¡¯ve fixed the ones which had minimal amount of work needed, but I haven¡¯t taken the time to knap more flint-heads, nor have I fixed the arrows which had snapped into two parts. Overall, I have twenty-one arrows which are usable. Apart from that, I have my mace, my knife, and, at a pinch, my axe. My Bound are all well-equipped with their natural weapons, River also carrying the afore-mentioned spear. That, plus our various magical advantages, will have to be enough. The alternative is not one that I wish to consider. Despite the distraction, I¡¯ve managed to heal Hades¡¯ limp fully. I¡¯ve also quickly scanned River and Persephone. They¡¯re all injured, but as River had said, not too badly. The worst damage is to Persephone¡¯s wing ¨C if she could fly on a normal day, she wouldn¡¯t be able to at the moment. As it is, I don¡¯t determine it as an essential injury to heal completely. Not right now, anyway. We need to get moving: the longer we delay, the further Fenrir gets and the more likely it is to be too late by the time we get there. Breaking the connection with Persephone, I dash towards the cave, waving down Bastet and River when they move to follow me. Pausing at the cave entrance, I meet Kalanthia¡¯s golden eyes. They look startled ¨C did I wake her up with my abrupt entry? No matter, she can go back to sleep after, if that was what she was doing. ¡°Fenrir¡¯s been taken by a creature ¨C we¡¯re going to rescue him,¡± I tell her urgently, the spider-like image appearing in my mind¡¯s eye and making me shudder once more. I see a little shape pressed against her flank perk up. Can I come? the young nunda asks eagerly. ¡°No,¡± I say at the same time as Kalanthia gives off a negative wave of intent. ¡°It¡¯s likely to be too dangerous, and we need to move quickly. I don¡¯t have time to look after you.¡± I feel a wave of indignation from her at my last words. I can look after myself! Lathani objects strenuously. I bet you¡¯re taking the little siblings with you. It¡¯s a good point, but I don¡¯t have time to argue with her. ¡°That¡¯s Bastet¡¯s choice to make. You are still your mother¡¯s responsibility. She doesn¡¯t want you to come so you¡¯re not coming. End of subject,¡± I tell her sharply, frowning at her. Kalanthia rumbles to confirm my words. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when we get back.¡± Hopefully with Fenrir. With a quick nod to Kalanthia, I duck into my alcove and pack my drinking water pot into my Inventory. More than half-full, it¡¯s heavy, but I lift it easily enough. Taking a moment to glance around my alcove, I check that I¡¯m not missing anything. A sudden thought occurring to me, I grab three of my jackets from my ¡®bed¡¯ ¨C I suspect I¡¯m going to need them, as bedding if nothing else. I also spot my fire-starter sitting next to the hearth and my stomach swoops a little at the thought of accidentally leaving that behind. I¡¯d assumed that it was in my Inventory since that¡¯s where I normally keep it. River, however, has recently been starting some of the fires for his own potions experiments, so I¡¯ve been leaving it there to be accessible to him. Another, more thorough, glance around reveals that I haven¡¯t overlooked anything else. Ducking out of the alcove, I head back towards my Bound. Good hunting to you, Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia sends to me as I cross the threshold. I pause for a moment to send her grim acknowledgement, then continue. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I tell them, after having taken a moment to grab the half-eaten carcasses from their last hunt and put them in my Inventory. While eating Energy-rich meat is better for them, meat from my Inventory is better than starving. Without a word, we turn and head down the hill. At first our progress is slow ¨C I have to keep stopping to dive into my Core space to get our heading. I actually get most information from Fenrir¡¯s Bond; though I have a very vague idea of where Sirocco might be, it¡¯s much clearer from Fenrir ¨C probably to do with the fact that my Dominate Skill is a lot higher than my Tame Skill. At least I know that Sirocco is following Fenrir, so by finding one, we¡¯ll find the other. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. After a while of not making much progress, I¡¯ve had enough. It¡¯s not working ¨C I¡¯m trying to balance the frequency with which I have to stop to check with the risk of accidentally going in the wrong direction but it¡¯s still adding far too much time. ¡°Persephone, will you carry me?¡± I ask in frustration. Fenrir is still moving, so I definitely need to keep checking regularly, but at the same time I¡¯m getting increasingly frustrated with any minute we aren¡¯t spending travelling. Minutes we need considering how far behind this creature we are. When the kiina radiates confusion, I shove my thoughts at her, my emotions of fear and frustration inevitably attached too. Very well, she replies with composure, crouching down for me. No, Hades responds, stepping between us and glaring a little at me. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to-¡± He interrupts me. She is becoming increasingly egg-heavy. I will carry you. I pause. Fair point. ¡°I was going to heal her at the same time,¡± I point out without the anger that had been starting to kindle before his explanation. You can heal from a distance can you not? he asks, sounding like a genuine question rather than a pointed one. ¡°I suppose,¡± I say a little dubiously. ¡°But I will need physical contact to transfer the mana to you in the first place. And you will have to stay close together.¡± Especially when healing an injury as delicate as what¡¯s happened to her wings. But looking on the bright side, this should be good practice for me healing from a distance. Hades crouches as Persephone had been and I climb onto his back. Once I¡¯ve settled myself with my feet hooked around his wings, sitting so my weight is directly over his back feet, we take off again. ¡°Is this OK?¡± I check with Hades quietly. It is fine, the kiina responds stoically, though I sense it¡¯s an extra strain for him ¨C I see why he didn¡¯t want Persephone to have it in addition to her pregnancy. I resolve to get off and run with them as much as possible. For now, though, I lose focus on my surroundings as I dip into my Core space to check that we are still reducing the distance between us and Fenrir. When I come out of my Core space, satisfied, I call Persephone over. She presses her body as close as she can to her mate without either of them tripping each other. Reaching out with a hand, I channel my mana pool into her. ¡°You can move a little away,¡± I tell her after I¡¯ve almost completely emptied my pool. ¡°Not far, though.¡± She doesn¡¯t argue, moving just far enough away that she doesn¡¯t have to pay quite so much attention to not bumping into Hades at every step. Focussing, I direct the mana within her towards her injuries, starting with her wing. ***** By the time Fenrir stops moving, we¡¯ve actually made some decent headway into narrowing the gap between us and him. I¡¯ve fully healed all three of my Bound who were injured in the fight and have started feeding everyone present some of my mana. We¡¯ve been moving fast for a good few hours, and everyone needs a break. Even me ¨C although I wasn¡¯t running all the time, I did take my turn to give Hades as much of a break as possible. Of course, when I was riding, I wasn¡¯t exactly idle either. Once I had healed all of their assorted injuries, I actually concentrated my efforts on boosting Hades, trying to make up for my weight causing him more strain. I used my Flesh-Shaping to soothe aching muscles, repair broken or strained cells, and give him more energy. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve done before, but with a mixture of the remaining knowledge from Lay-on-hands, my exploration with Flesh-Shaping, and my knowledge from Biology at school, I cobbled together something which seemed to work. Even as my Bound rest a little, I tiredly move around from one to the other, doing the same thing to everyone as I had been doing to Hades as we ran. The three raptorcat cubs are particularly tired, lying slumped on the floor like piles of feather-fur and flesh which don¡¯t intend to move ever again. I clear out the build up of chemicals in their body which are acting similarly to lactic acid, soothing their muscles and building them so they¡¯re just that little bit stronger and more resilient. I¡¯m not sure why Bastet decided to bring them with us; I guess it¡¯s to do with the pack moving together. Or maybe she doesn¡¯t want to leave them alone again. Either way, they¡¯ve done an excellent job at keeping up with the rest of us. I did notice that Bastet had copied my idea, though ¨C when we paused for me to either climb back onto or off Hades¡¯ back, one of the raptorcat cubs would leap onto Bastet¡¯s back, held in place by her wings. That way, each cub only had to run two-thirds as much as the other adults. Myself excluded, of course. I did notice that I¡¯m still the slowest of the group ¨C when Hades carried me, we all actually moved faster than when I was running alongside. Even the cubs seem to be faster than me, though their stamina isn¡¯t as good. But that¡¯s where being carried at regular intervals by Bastet came in useful. I pull out the two half-eaten carcasses that I¡¯d dumped into my Inventory before we left. Everyone descends like they¡¯re half-starved. Actually, considering that they had been hunting before the whole debacle, they may be feeling more than half-starved. I¡¯m hungry myself ¨C apparently using as much mana as I have been in the last few hours, not to mention the physical activity, is an excellent appetite-stimulant. Not tempted by the raw meat, I pull out various bits of food I¡¯ve made. A sort-of flatbread, a pylobus-platter of savoury soup, and a chunk of grilled meat with salt. And some berry tea in my sneleon shell. We¡¯re all still digging in hungrily when we hear a very slight noise from the bushes nearby. The rustle of a leaf being shifted just a little. Everyone automatically reacts with caution. Food and rest are forgotten when potential danger is nearby. Even the cubs tense and push themselves to their feet, their teeth bared. I pull out my spear, then cast Inspect Environment. It might enrage whatever the creature is, but I¡¯d rather know what we¡¯re dealing with here. The result isn¡¯t what I¡¯d expected. I ignore all the red and gold of the plants around, my attention grabbed by the new blue colour outlining a shape. A familiar shape. And one I wasn¡¯t expecting to see here. Though, thinking about it now, I probably should have. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-One: Consequences ¡°Stand down,¡± I say to everyone, relaxing my own grip. I feel confusion from River and the kiinas, but Bastet seems to already know who¡¯s there. It makes sense ¨C her sense of smell is better than any of the others who seem to be primarily sight-hunters. ¡°Lathani, come out,¡± I tell her wearily. The bushes rustle a bit more and then the nunda cub emerges from them. I don¡¯t even need her to speak to know how she¡¯s feeling: her body-language tells the whole tale. Defiance on the surface with forward-tilted ears, stiff shoulders, and a lifted tail, but hints of guilt clear nonetheless in the way she slopes forwards. I might have thought it was shame to do with being caught, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s more that she knows she¡¯s not meant to be here ¨C but has come anyway. ¡°Why are you here?¡± I ask with crossed arms and a glare. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that your mum and I were very definite earlier about you not coming on this trip.¡± I don¡¯t see why I should be excluded. I didn¡¯t even have to ride on anyone¡¯s back to keep up, she accuses defiantly, her teeth slightly bared. ¡°Because both your mother, the strongest being I know, and I, the person you¡¯ve acknowledged as pack-leader before, said so!¡± I half-shout back at her. I sigh forcefully, then breathe in deeply, trying to calm myself. Getting angry at her, even if I¡¯m furious, won¡¯t solve anything. ¡°How did you even get here? Have you been following us?¡± Yes. And you didn¡¯t even realise I was here until now. She seems to think that should mean something. ¡°We weren¡¯t exactly watching for pursuers,¡± I tell her, a little exasperated. Though, honestly, it is a bit of a failing on our parts. What if whatever had followed us so quietly had been something waiting for the moment to strike? We were travelling pretty fast, but that doesn¡¯t mean we could have just escaped any danger; Lathani has proven that. Well, I¡¯m here now, so I¡¯m coming with you, she announces, like that¡¯s the end of the matter. Bastet growls at her tone, crouching as if seconds from pouncing on her to teach her respect, and River shifts uncomfortably. Conflict between me and Lathani is always difficult for him given his past history with the cub, and his loyalty to me. I want to refute her, want to send her packing back home. But I can¡¯t. My mind races, but I can¡¯t think of an alternative solution which would present less danger to her. If her mother is in hot pursuit, which she may be, that would be the ideal scenario ¨C I could pass Lathani over to Kalanthia for a judicious scolding and return to the cave. But I have no idea if that is the case or not. If she¡¯s not coming, then the options are to leave Lathani here, send her home, or bring her with us. Of the three, the last seems the least dangerous and most likely to succeed. I doubt I¡¯d be able to send her home: she¡¯s defied both Kalanthia and me to follow us in the first place. At best she would just follow us at a greater distance. As for leaving her here, that¡¯s not really an option: I¡¯d have to tie her up to stop her from following us, and then she¡¯d be very vulnerable to any creature which happened upon her ¨C which would be completely counter-productive. Actually, even if I did succeed in convincing her to go home, it¡¯s probably pretty dangerous too. After all, moving as a group of three Tier twos, four Tier ones, and me presents a strong front. I doubt much would try to attack us. A single Tier one juvenile nunda moving through the forest on her own would probably be a different story. I don¡¯t want to open her up to more danger. But at the same time, we¡¯re heading into an unknown situation, with at least one creature involved which has already got the better of a group of four of my Bound, two of whom are the strongest in terms of Tier. I sigh and return my gaze to Lathani who, wonder of wonders, has realised that she shouldn¡¯t interrupt my thought process. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re coming with us,¡± I say. Her body language immediately changes, clear elation running through her at the acceptance. Confusion and surprise come across the Bond from my Bound at my changed mind. ¡°Only because it would be more dangerous to do anything else now you¡¯ve forced my hand,¡± I tell her with a hard edge, staring sternly at her. ¡°If your mother comes, I¡¯ll happily relinquish you to her care.¡± She won¡¯t come, Lathani interrupts cheerily. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± I ask with a frown. Did Kalanthia change her mind? She¡¯s said before that she thinks I should learn the ¡®consequences¡¯ of my ¡®actions¡¯. She won¡¯t come, Lathani reiterates with a chirp. ¡°Meaning that instead you¡¯re going to become a pain in my arse,¡± I sigh. ¡°She¡¯d better not blame me for if you get injured or killed, then,¡± I grumble, eyeing my current headache. Not that I mean it ¨C obviously I¡¯m going to do my best to not let her get hurt. Still¡­. ¡°Let me make one thing clear though, Lathani,¡± I tell her, pinning her gaze with my own. ¡°While on this trip, you obey me or any of my Bound without question. In this hunt, you are at the bottom of the pecking order. Do you understand me?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. She grumbles and looks away, her posture showing displeasure. I move closer, crouching down in front of her and putting my hand on her neck, gently but firmly pushing with my fingers to indicate that she should look at me again. She does, a bit unwillingly. ¡°Your mother talked about consequences,¡± I say, quietly, but very firmly. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re mentally prepared to be hurt. Perhaps you think you¡¯re even ready to face death. I won¡¯t say whether you are or not. But consider this: are you ready to watch Bastet get hurt because of your disobedience?¡± She jerks, her eyes going wide. ¡°Or die? What about River? I know you¡¯ve got closer to him since the rocky beginning of your relationship. Are you ready to watch him be hurt because you refused to dodge when someone told you to? Or die because he moved to protect you when you disobeyed the order to retreat?¡± She¡¯s broadcasting her emotions and I feel the denial and rejection of my words. I press harder. ¡°What about me? You are precious to me, Lathani. If I see that you¡¯re in danger, I will try to protect you, as much as I would any of my Bound. We¡¯re going to save Fenrir because of that. But could you live with yourself if you disobeyed an order and then I died while trying to protect you from the consequences of your choice?¡± My words are hitting home; I see the horror in her eyes. If she could tear up, I¡¯m sure that there would already be rivers running down her furry cheeks. As it is, her fur is dry, but I think that I¡¯m getting through to her. Good. I don¡¯t want to scare her unduly, but the fact is that she¡¯s chosen to add complication into something that was already going to be a nightmare. I don¡¯t think I would be able to forgive her if she caused the death of one of my Bound because of wilful disobedience. It¡¯s one thing if we get hurt or worse in a fight; it¡¯s quite another if the injury was easily avoidable. The more I can impress the dangers into her head now, the better. ¡°My Bound and I are able to communicate mentally. We can send messages to each other in split-seconds in the midst of a fight. This allows us to tell each other of dangers, and to strategise or change our strategy at a moment¡¯s notice. We¡¯ve also hunted together,¡± some of us more than others, admittedly, ¡°and trust each other¡¯s judgement. I have no doubt that if I give a command in the middle of the battle, they will follow it.¡± Well, if I told Hades to abandon Persephone to danger, I have some doubts about him obeying that. But then I know that the male kiina is intensely protective over his mate, so I wouldn¡¯t give that order unless it was absolutely necessary. And if it was absolutely necessary, and would, in fact, be the best option for protecting his mate overall, I¡¯m sure that Hades would then recognise that and follow it. Although we haven¡¯t hunted much together, we¡¯ve gone out a couple of times, so I feel like I¡¯ve started to understand where he¡¯s coming from. ¡°We work together as a team. We do our best to support our team-mates, not expose them to danger,¡± I continue. ¡°I don¡¯t have the same confidence in you,¡± This gets a new reaction, one of indignation. She shakes off my hand and pins her ears back, glaring at me. I wouldn¡¯t put anyone in danger! ¡°You already have!¡± I snap back at her, dropping my hand to my side and standing up to glare down at her. ¡°By coming here, you have added an extra element to an already-complicated situation. Right now, I should be feeding mana into my Bound, preparing all of us for the fight ahead, but instead I¡¯m having to talk to you. Your actions are already having consequences ¨C and right now, it¡¯s not you paying them!¡± I breathe more heavily, my anger rising despite my attempts to control it. Taking in and letting out a couple of deep breaths, I feel the rising tide ebb a little. ¡°Listen, Lathani. I love you like family.¡± I¡¯m amazed at how easily the words fall out of my mouth ¨C if only I could have been as open as that with Lucy. ¡°But if even a single action of yours in the next few hours makes me fear that your presence will put the rest of us in danger, I will tie you to Persephone¡¯s back and you¡¯ll both be out of the fight.¡± I mean it, too. From the wave of sudden support from Hades, I can tell that he¡¯d be happier with that solution, too. Persephone¡¯s disgruntled response both to me and to her mate, on the other hand, proves that she wouldn¡¯t be happy if we end up doing things that way. Nevertheless, I don¡¯t doubt that she would accept, however grumpily ¨C that¡¯s exactly the point I was trying to make to the juvenile nunda. No! Lathani protests. ¡°Then prove to me that you¡¯ll obey any order,¡± I tell her, shaking my finger in her face. ¡°That¡¯s the choice now. Accept that you are at the bottom of the pack hierarchy, or be side-lined completely.¡± There¡¯s a long moment where I can¡¯t read her emotions from either her body or her eyes. She¡¯s clearly taking care not to broadcast them either. Fine, she accepts finally. It¡¯s sulky, but genuine. ¡°You¡¯ll obey any order from any of us?¡± I check, not relenting. Yes. I stare at her expectantly. I¡¯ll obey any order. From any of the pack, she continues the sulkiness leaving her tone to be replaced with resignation. ¡°Alright,¡± I sigh too, suddenly feeling even more exhausted than I had been earlier. I look around at my Bound. ¡°Looks like Lathani¡¯s coming with us,¡± I say, probably pretty redundantly: they were there for the discussion, after all. But it feels like something I should ¡®officially¡¯ acknowledge. The others seem to take that as the cue to reach out to Lathani in acceptance, ranging from the standoffish greeting of the two kiinas to the enthusiastic head-butting of the raptorcat cubs. Bastet actually moves over and bites Lathani¡¯s ear before rubbing against her. Not that hard, but enough to make Lathani yowl slightly ¨C evidently the raptorcat hasn¡¯t quite forgiven the nunda for her disobedience. River¡¯s own emotions are a little complicated, probably not comfortable going into danger with the young nunda again. Are you sure about this? he sends to me, the message having the feel of being a ¡®private¡¯ one ¨C I¡¯ve started getting to grips with how messages directly sent between two on the ¡®web¡¯ feel different from ¡®general broadcasts¡¯. No, I send back to him alone. But I don¡¯t see any other option. If she¡¯s a liability, I¡¯ll carry out my threat of tying her to Persephone¡¯s back and side-lining both of them, but I¡¯d rather not lose a capable fighter if I can avoid it. We¡¯ve already lost more time than I¡¯d hoped. Fortunately, my Bound kept eating while I was dealing with Lathani. I didn¡¯t, obviously, but should be able to at least eat my ¡®flatbread¡¯ and grilled meat while we move. ¡°Come on everyone; we need to get moving,¡± I say grimly. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Two: Join Our Little Posse The trees are thinning: we¡¯re heading up one of the mountains¡¯ sides. It¡¯s not the same mountain as the one Kalanthia¡¯s cave is on, nor is it near the site of my arrival. Instead, it¡¯s one a bit further down the range. I might think that we are likely to encounter less danger except for the fact that I know that there are at least two very powerful beings living in low-density areas. Kalanthia, for the sake of Lathani, and the squid thing living in the salt lake under the mountain, perhaps because it can¡¯t go anywhere else. So in reality, we may end up facing anything. At the very least, we¡¯re likely to face that monstrous spider-like creature. I sense Sirocco arriving before I actually see her; the sun is setting and a mist is embracing the upper slopes of the mountains. Since we¡¯re now on the upper slope of this mountain, swirling mist obscures our long-distance vision. It¡¯s not very thick ¨C at the moment. I suspect that that might change. Rain may even be in our near future. I become suddenly glad that I¡¯ve taken a few minutes every day to oil my weapons and that my hide armour has been fully tanned. Hopefully everything will come out fine. We pause as I communicate Sirocco¡¯s imminent arrival. A dark shape wings its way through the mist and then comes to land on my shoulder. With my thick nere-hide armour, I don¡¯t feel her impact nearly as much as I¡¯m used to. ¡°What¡¯s been happening?¡± I ask, my muscles tensing. I sense that Fenrir¡¯s still alive, and that he¡¯s awake now, but feeling very groggy. Sirocco sends a series of images to me, which I quickly pass on to my Bound. ¡°Right, so now we all know what the situation is-¡± I¡¯m interrupted by the nunda juvenile. I don¡¯t! I¡¯m not as good as mother at hearing thoughts and those images were too quick for me to see, she complains. I close my eyes for a moment and sigh. Sirocco sends a sense of surprised question. No, I didn¡¯t want her to come, I answer the bird privately. She followed us. Sirocco responds with disapproval and concern. I know, I tell her, trying to send reassurance along the Bond. She¡¯s promised to be good. When Sirocco sends a sense of doubt along the Bond, I just sigh again, but don¡¯t respond. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve got any major reassurance for her. And with this added problem of communication¡­I should have thought about it before. ¡°How much of our internal communication can you understand?¡± I ask Lathani. She cocks her head sideways. What is on the surface, or has strong emotion attached. But when messages are sent too quickly, or are very complex, or things like these images, I don¡¯t get it, she answers, a hint of shame. Mother says I will be able to do that after my Evolution. ¡°Much good that does us now,¡± I sigh. ¡°This is another reason why you shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± I say in frustration. ¡°Having a Bond and a means of communicating quickly and silently is a major benefit to our fights.¡± After all, having to do everything verbally means potentially attracting attention at the wrong moment, or taking too long to communicate a message ¨C sending an abrupt feeling of danger is a lot quicker than shouting ¡®look out¡¯, for one thing. Then why don¡¯t you offer me a Bond? Lathani suggests. ¡°No!¡± I yelp quietly at the idea. ¡°Your mother would kill me.¡± She wouldn¡¯t, Lathani argues. ¡°Yes, she absolutely would! Maybe you don¡¯t remember, but she almost bit my head off when she thought I was trying to tame you by feeding you cooked meat right at the beginning of things.¡± The young nunda tilts her head the other way. No, I don¡¯t remember that, she admits. But could you not offer me a temporary Bond ¨C one just for now? If it¡¯s gone before we return, then mother will never know. About to say ¡®no¡¯ immediately, I hesitate. Actually¡­maybe that¡¯s not such a bad idea. I could use Tame on her, offer a Bond which only lasts a day or something. Surely that wouldn¡¯t leave any marks on her soul? Or if it did, very minimal ones? I¡¯m not convinced that Kalanthia wouldn¡¯t notice, but if the Bond had already been dissolved, would she be so angry about it? Especially if the reason for the Bond being in place was to protect Lathani from suffering the ultimate consequence for her bad choices? What do you think? I send down the Bond to my present Bound. The kiinas, as expected, are not too bothered. If it will reduce risk to my mate, it is a good idea, is Hades¡¯ opinion. Persephone is just as practical, but in a different way. Communication within the pack is important. This will improve communication. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Sirocco sends agreement, throwing her vote in for Bonding with Lathani if I insist on letting her be a part of the battle at all. I agree, is Bastet¡¯s thought too. If Lathani is going to join the fight, then she should be a full part of it. Are you not letting the cubs join? I ask. She sends a sense of negation. No. They know to find a good spot to hide, and to pay attention to our movements in case we decide to retreat. And will they obey? I ask, a little sardonically, casting a glance at the expectant juvenile nunda sitting within our circle. They are not yet at this difficult age. They will obey, Bastet reassures me. Not yet at the difficult age, she says. Great ¨C so we have this to look forward to from the cubs as well¡­. But that is future-Markus¡¯ problem so I forcibly move my thoughts on. And you, River? I ask my only silent Bound. The Great Predator is not one to anger, he warns. But, he continues with reluctance, I suspect that she would be even more angered if her cub were to die. Yeah, that¡¯s my thought too, I sigh mentally. Alright, looks like everyone is in agreement about inviting Lathani to ¨C temporarily ¨C join our little posse. ¡°I¡¯m going to offer you a Tame Bond,¡± I tell Lathani. ¡°It will just be for the next few hours, OK? If this ends up taking longer than the night, we¡¯ll have to renew it. Any questions?¡± I pause for a moment. What will happen? she asks, suddenly sounding a little uncertain. I frown in confusion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Will it¡­will the Bond hurt? Or do we have to battle or something? Mother warned me about battles, but I didn¡¯t understand what she meant. Interesting ¨C Kalanthia seems to know a surprising amount about Taming. I wonder how. ¡°No,¡± I reassure Lathani. ¡°Not for this type of Bond. This one is more of a negotiation: I put in requirements and promises, and then you respond to either accept them or put in a counter-proposal of requirements and promises. When we both accept, the Bond snaps into place. No pain, no battles.¡± Then I can change things? ¡°You can,¡± I answer slowly, ¡°but I will be putting in the requirement that you follow instructions from any of my other Bound ¨C you¡¯ve already agreed to it, so I don¡¯t see any problem with formalising it. If you change that, you won¡¯t be taking part in the fight ¨C you¡¯ll be sticking with the cubs on the sidelines of the battle.¡± Actually, maybe that¡¯s not such a bad idea¡­. Perhaps Lathani realises that I¡¯m seriously considering side-lining her again, because she hastily confirms that it won¡¯t be a problem for her to agree to following orders. I then check if she has any more questions. She doesn¡¯t, so I initiate the Bond. Into my side of the ¡®trade window¡¯, I put the time limit ¨C only until the dawn ¨C and my own requirement that she follow the clear orders of anyone within the network of Bonds without question. I do put in the proviso that if following the order would put her at immediate risk of harm, she can choose not to. At least this way we all have a bit more insurance against her willfulness ¨C yelling at her after the fact for disobeying at the wrong moment is one thing, but the actual reality of it could have tragic consequences. In return for my requirements, I promise that I will never intentionally order her into a position where she is guaranteed to get hurt, without her full knowledge and consent. I promise that I will protect her as much as I am able, and that I will not order her to be side-lined as long as she has not proven to be a danger to either herself or others. Lathani hesitates for a moment, then accepts the Bond without adding in anything extra. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she didn¡¯t think that I would accept what she would like to add, or didn¡¯t feel like a short-term Bond like this needed any further additions. Either way, I feel the Bond snap into place between us. It¡¯s interesting, because I sense that the Bond is as different from Sirocco¡¯s Bond as it is from my Dominate Bonds. It¡¯s actually somewhere in between. Where I sense that the control of the Bond of my Dominate Bonds is entirely in my hands, and with Sirocco¡¯s Bond is split equally with each of us able to control our own ends, I sense that Lathani¡¯s leans more towards the former than the latter. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she didn''t put any of her own requirements in before accepting, or because freedom wasn¡¯t such an important thing for Lathani as Sirocco. Maybe it¡¯s because of the requirement for obedience within the Bond itself, something which is absent from Sirocco¡¯s. Either way, I sense that in this case neither of us can break the Bond within the time-limit. I also sense that I can control Lathani with it in the same way as with any of my Dominated Bound, as long as I don¡¯t contravene what I promised when creating it. It¡¯s a relief in one way, but a concern in another: is this likely to leave marks on Lathani¡¯s soul? And if it does, are they likely to look like a Dominate Bond which then was broken? Well, it¡¯s done. It¡¯s not possible to change the past; if Kalanthia¡¯s going to get angry with me for the Bond, there¡¯s nothing I can do about that right now. I sense that there¡¯s a notification waiting for me ¨C no doubt Taming Lathani has triggered a rank-up to Tame. I quickly open it and scan it, not noticing anything particularly ground-breaking. Closing the message, I resolve to look at it in more detail later; for now, we have a lizog to rescue. Now that we have a Bond, I quickly send the images from Sirocco over to her. The bird followed as the spider-monstrosity went running through the forest. It had run in almost a straight line in this direction, moving around a couple of areas which I take a mental note of for later ¨C if this creature was avoiding them, we probably want to as well. Breaking through the trees had made it both easier and harder for Sirocco to follow. Easier in that it was simpler to fly through the open air of the mountainside rather than needing to dodge all the trees; harder because her stamina pool is still rather small for the amount of flying she needed to do. Eventually, the spider had headed into a cave mouth, something wider than it is tall ¨C the spider had to lower itself a bit to enter. Sirocco flew close but didn¡¯t dare go in completely. She heard movement and a number of different animal noises, some she recognised, some she didn¡¯t. It seems like there¡¯s a whole menagerie of creatures in there. However, whether they are hostile or victims as well will remain to be seen. Though, that said, the two states are not exactly exclusive. Time for me to try to find out more information. We have an insider; hopefully I¡¯ll be able to connect to him as I did once before. While I¡¯m itching to run inside and save him, I know that any information I can get will be helpful, and might be the difference between succeeding in our mission and failing. The spider hasn¡¯t killed Fenrir yet, even though it¡¯s arrived back in its den. It must have some other reason for bringing him back. We have time. At least, that¡¯s what I tell myself. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Three: Bowled Over Settling down to the ground against Bastet, I close my eyes and drop into my Core space. A cursory glance at Tame reveals the new complexity to it, though since it didn¡¯t change significantly, the new additions are limited to a few more woven threads adding to its complexity. However, my aim isn¡¯t Tame, but the Skill that sits right next to it. By this point, I¡¯m a lot more familiar with my Core space than the first time I accessed it, and I¡¯ve realised that the pathway I followed before into Fenrir¡¯s mind actually originates in the depths of Dominate. Threads spool out of the Skill, winding and weaving with the rest of the golden tapestry, easily mistaken for just another thread of the whole. Moving ever outward, they are some of the strings which trail off into nothingness. Except, I¡¯ve come to recognise, they don¡¯t disappear ¨C I am just unable to see their whole length. However, when it comes to my Bound, I¡¯m able to feel it. Mentally touching each of the five threads that stem from my Dominate Skill, one of which stems from the golden weave of Companion Bond that wraps around Dominate rather than the centres of Dominate itself, I dismiss the ones which lead to River, the kiinas, and Bastet. Once I find the one for Fenrir, however, I start running my mind along it, doggedly following it out of my Core space. Here is the difficult moment. I did it by accident all that time ago, but intentionally doing it doesn¡¯t seem to be as simple. I¡¯m limited by my Core space, unable to move past it and through the Bond into Fenrir¡¯s mind. Frustration builds: this is important! I don¡¯t want to be taking my Bound into the fight completely blind! Especially when I know that this is possible; Realising that the frustration is probably actively impeding my continued efforts, I take a moment to pull on Meditation. I¡¯m not in it properly, only Light Meditation at most, but I use its calming and pacifying techniques to bring a bit more clarity to my mind. Maybe I¡¯m overthinking this? Maybe because I¡¯m expecting it to be difficult¡­it is? When I did it before, I had no idea what I was doing. I just¡­did it. Maybe I need to do the same now. Easier said than done, but I draw heavily on Meditation to keep my mind smooth and placid as I slide down the Bond once more. No fear, no worry, no anger disrupts the peacefulness of my mental presence. I do my best not to even pay attention to exactly how far along the Bond I¡¯ve got. I just¡­move. And then suddenly, I realise that I¡¯m not in my own mind any more. It¡¯s not the same sensation as before. Last time, when I entered Fenrir, I became part of his thoughts, almost losing my own sense of self as I was drowned in his mind. This time, that doesn¡¯t happen. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m using Meditation to calm my own mental presence: it may have the side-effect of keeping my mind distinct as well. Or perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯m expecting it to happen, so I don''t get immediately submerged in Fenrir¡¯s personality. Either way, I find that what I¡¯ve gained in clarity of my own mind, I¡¯ve lost in Fenrir¡¯s. Before, it was like I was Fenrir, receiving the information from his senses like I was him, thinking like I was him, reacting like I was him. Now, I¡¯m a bystander. I sense his emotions, but cannot see out of his eyes. It¡¯s more like what we had during our Battle of Wills, actually. Hmm, a thought for later, perhaps¡­. But for now, I need to get the information I came for. Fenrir? I ask. We¡¯re still a little too far from the cave for our normal mental communication to work ¨C that¡¯s pretty short-range and I didn¡¯t want to get close enough to the cave that we might end up provoking the spider creature prematurely. The lizog is fearful, hungry, in pain, and a little angry. But mostly fearful. It¡¯s not terror ¨C it feels like he¡¯s been through terror and that¡¯s worn thin, leaving only a deep dread behind. He doesn¡¯t seem to think that there is any hope ¨C does he not realise that we would definitely come to rescue him? His emotions are so strong that he doesn¡¯t respond to my mental voice ¨C I sense that it¡¯s been unable to penetrate his fear-filled mind. Fenrir, can you hear me? I ask with a little more force. Still nothing. ¡®Reaching out¡¯ with my mental presence ¨C something I do automatically and try not to wonder how it works ¨C I stroke his mind as I would his body. Fenrir, we¡¯re here, we¡¯ve come to rescue you. I repeat similar platitudes while also trying to send a sense of calm and peace at him. I can only liken it to a fearful animal or child who¡¯s curled up with their hands over their ears and their eyes screwed shut, hoping that if they ignore the world, the world will ignore them too. As I keep going with my calming strategies, though, the tight-curl unwinds a little, hands pulling away from ears and eyes opening. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. When he realises that I¡¯m there, Fenrir doesn¡¯t respond in words, but sensations. If we were physically present together, I think I would have been bowled over considering the enthusiasm with which his mental presence knocks into mine. Relief, joy, longing, all of that hits with almost enough force to almost push my mind out of his body entirely. Since that is the last thing I want to happen right now, I try to send more calming vibes to him. Yes, we¡¯re here to rescue you, I confirm, but we need information from you first. Just to check, you can hear me now, right? The wave of confirmation from Fenrir is enough to verify that. OK, can you show me exactly what you¡¯ve seen since you entered the cave? The lizog shoves a memory at me and I go silent as I focus on viewing it. I swing below the body of a powerful predator. I feel woozy and weak, having only just woken from an unexpected sleep. I try to shift, but my body is not responding to me. I am trapped within bindings, pinned almost completely against the belly of my captor. Even as I start getting control back over my limbs, they remain weak; the best I can do is try to scrabble against the sticky ropes binding me. I even try to chew them, but my powerful jaws aren¡¯t sufficient to free me, the bindings flexing and resisting the crushing power and sharpness of my teeth. I can see little, trapped under the creature¡¯s belly as I am, but I realise when we have entered a cave by the way the floor and light level change. I see little around me, even after my eyes have quickly adapted to the dimmer light. There are empty caves, and many areas covered with the white material which still holds me to my captor¡¯s body. Then we stop. I feel movement along my sides, and the white bindings, which had resisted everything I could try, tear easily away. I fall to the ground, my slow and weak limbs unable to break my descent. Landing heavily, I feel pain, but nothing serious. I wish to leap to my feet and attack my captor, but my body still refuses to follow my desires. Instead, my feet scrabble uselessly against the stone floor below me. I growl, the sound of frustration just as useless in deterring my captor. I want my pack! The powerful predator above me shifts and I suddenly feel intense pain pierce my flank. Even when the creature shifts again, the pain does not vanish, but instead continues to throb. Then a leg comes and shoves me sideways. I roll into a side cave, an area a bit bigger than I am, but not a lot. Still unable to do more than scratch at the ground and bite the air, I watch as my captor starts layering on the bindings. I¡¯m left in almost complete darkness, only a faint glow allowed through the white material covering the entrance to my cave permitting me to see anything. In time I get the strength in my limbs back, but it does me no good. The material blocking the entrance to the cave is as impenetrable as always, and the small space allows me little opportunity to build up a charge. I am equally unable to do anything about the pain in my flank, which continues to throb. The creature has left more of its binding over my flank, and I am unable to shift it off. I¡¯ve even caused damage to myself in my attempts to chew it away, but short of gnawing a hole through my own flesh, I am unlikely to succeed. That doesn¡¯t stop me trying, though. I pull myself out of the memory with an almost audible gasp. Apparently viewing things from my Bound¡¯s point of view while in their mind means pretty much reliving the memory. Good for information purposes, yes, but it takes a moment for my mind to resettle as Markus rather than some Markus-Fenrir hybrid. I need to discuss this with the others. Thanks Fenrir, I tell the lizog, trying to give him a mental pat while sending approval at him. Even hungry, tired, and in pain, he perks up at that. I¡¯m going to go for now, but we¡¯ll get you out as soon as we can, OK? The sense of faith and joy with which he meets that is enough to bring a tear to my eye ¨C if I could cry in this kind of mental space, anyway. How to leave is another question, but in the end I find it is just as simple as arriving. Thinking too hard about it only puts obstacles in my way ¨C what turns out to work is just relaxing and willing myself to be back in my body. And then¡­I am. Opening my eyes, I turn to my anxious-looking Bound. ¡°OK, so this is what Fenrir saw¡­¡± When I¡¯m finished, there¡¯s silence as they digest what I¡¯ve told them. I recognise this creature, River says suddenly. Though I thought it only to be legend. I look over at him in interest. ¡°Tell me?¡± I invite. The spider-monster is a figure of fear. Brood-mothers tell misbehaving hatchlings that if they do not do their chores, or are lazy when gathering resources, they will be taken by it. Taken back to its lair where they will be implanted with its eggs and meet an end as meat for its spawn. I¡­didn¡¯t think it was real. He sounds horrified. I don¡¯t blame him ¨C I¡¯m pretty uncomfortable with this whole thing myself. I mean, that a creature might implant others with their eggs is understandable ¨C lots of insects do it on Earth. That a much larger insect ¨C even if it¡¯s not actually an insect at all ¨C might do the same to much larger prey is equally logical. And it does explain why the creature might have kidnapped Fenrir in the first place: it wants fresh meat for its offspring, not dead. But that does mean we¡¯re on a bit of a timeline ¨C it must be due to hatch soon. Why do I think that? Because it¡¯s trapped its prey in a small space with no food or water. If we didn¡¯t come to rescue Fenrir, he would die of dehydration within a few days. In that time, he would also consume some of his own body to keep going through a starved state. That would in turn mean less food for the hatchling. So no, I don¡¯t think it will take very long for the hatchling to emerge ¨C perhaps it has already. Which means we need to get Fenrir out ¨C and the hatchling in turn ¨C PDQ. But how? Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Four: Fireblade The sun is heading towards the horizon by the time we¡¯re ready, but we still have a good hour before dark. Hopefully that will be enough ¨C I don¡¯t really want to fight this creature in the dark, even if all of us have pretty good sight in low light conditions. But it''s been worth spending a bit more time to make sure we''re all going to be fighting in good conditions. Approaching a fight like this while tired, or half out of mana, or at all injured is stupid. The steadily decreasing light level is one of the reasons that, after we¡¯re all set up, my first move is to drop into Fade, then move towards the cave entrance. I have my bow in one hand and a bunch of arrows covered in one of River¡¯s poisons in a hastily-made quiver on my back. The quiver, actually, is just a thin layer of skin that I¡¯ve grown to make a long pouch diagonally across my back. It took a bit of trial and error, but now I can easily access my arrows. That is only the most recent change I¡¯ve made to my hide armour ¨C in the run here as well as after we stopped, I made small edits to it in places where it was rubbing. My new boots needed particular attention to make sure that they don¡¯t rub my feet raw. One of the many benefits of Flesh-Shaping ¨C never having to deal with the ¡®new shoe¡¯ pain again. Concentrate, I tell myself, rubbing my damp hands against my armour. I¡¯m nervous, but confident in my companions. Most of them, anyway. Nocking an arrow to the string of my bow, I use my improved night-vision to determine where the creature is in the dimly-lit cave. Not wanting to risk accidentally piercing one of the web-covered caves for fear of hitting Fenrir, I aim for a dark patch which is glinting a little bit in the small amount of light still entering the cave. Loosing my arrow, I¡¯m gratified when I hear the dull thud of an impact with flesh, followed by a high-pitched shriek of pain. A moment later, the creature comes barrelling out from the dark cavern, its ten legs skittering quickly and easily despite its crouched position. I don¡¯t move for a moment, taking the chance to shoot two more arrows to join the one currently hanging out one of the creature¡¯s bulbous black eyes. They both hit, though one bounces off the hard chitin, causing no damage. The other misses the eye I was aiming for, but sinks into the web-spinner¡¯s toothy maw, causing another pain-filled shriek. The creature starting to be too close for comfort, I drop Fade and leap on Hades¡¯ back, the kiina quickly fleeing towards Bastet. As we run, I do something I wanted to do right at the beginning but decided not to for fear that it might lose us the element of surprise ¨C cast Inspect Fauna.
Danaris Tier 2 Beast (evolved) Special abilities: Web-spinning, Unknown Health: 8560u Mana: 10u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 63 Known for the females¡¯ tendency to take live prey to fill ¡®larders¡¯ for themselves and their offspring, this Beast is cunning, quick, and has formidable armour to protect itself. Their ability to spin different types of threads from protein is a weapon they can deploy to entangle even the strongest foe. Caution is advised when approaching this creature.
Close message? Y/N
My mind races as I consider the new information, sending it out to each of my Bound. Such high health ¨C because of its size, or because it¡¯s traded mana for health? Both, perhaps. Either way, it¡¯s higher than I expected, and justifies why my whole hunting group was unable to make headway. Hopefully, our new composition will make a difference. I can take Dominate off the table, though ¨C my fifty-three points in Willpower are ten less than I would need to reasonably stand a chance. Even if we managed to whittle the creature¡¯s health down or tie it up sufficiently to impact its willpower, it would still be unlikely to close the gap sufficiently. Clearly, this creature is significantly more powerful than my kiinas. Maybe it¡¯s further in its evolution? I do take special note of its web-spinning being mentioned as a weapon. I didn¡¯t see that happening in the fight with my Bound before, but maybe it didn¡¯t consider it necessary. Or maybe it wished to save its webbing for when it captured one of my Bound. Possible ¨C being a ¡®protein¡¯, there is surely a limited amount of the material and replenishing its stocks must take time and probably food. Still, I have no desire for any of us to be ¡®entangled¡¯. And there¡¯s also that ¡®unknown¡¯ to keep an eye on. Such is the speed of my thoughts that we¡¯re only just approaching Bastet as I finish my analysis. Dashing past her, Hades skids to a halt and turns around. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The danaris barrels towards us, its eyes fixed on me with anger and killing intention. It pays little attention to the raptorcat in its path. A mistake. Timed to the split-second, Hades claps his wings forwards sending an airblade towards the spider¡¯s head. Simultaneously, Bastet breathes in deeply and then releases her firebreath. The flames catch hold of the airblade and set it alight. The airblade, now a fireblade, crashes into the danaris¡¯ head. Apparently, whatever the material the spiky hairs covering the danaris are made out of is, it¡¯s particularly vulnerable to fire. The creature shrieks once more, this time actually making several of us wince as the sound reaches painful decibels. Its two front legs come up to scrub at the ball of flames which is what its head has become. I can¡¯t help hoping that the fire might cook the thing¡¯s brain and end the fight there. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not that lucky. Though the hairs seem to be particularly flammable, the rest of the chitin appears to be much more resistant. The fire dies down all too quickly. I find myself wishing dearly that I could affect it from a distance: I can sense the fire with more than just my physical senses, but despite my best efforts, I am unable to do anything to it. If I could, I¡¯d have given it mana to burn hotter and for longer, but there is no connection between me and it to feed mana down. Still, it¡¯s not that bad: these are our opening moves. If we¡¯d managed to slay the creature with them, great, but we weren¡¯t expecting to. Especially not now knowing just how big its health pool is. While the creature is still distracted by the remnants of fire, Lathani leaps out from where she¡¯d been hiding behind a rock. She is tasked with taking any possible opportunity to give it an injury, however small, as long as it won¡¯t put her in danger. That¡¯s one reason we wanted to draw the creature out of its lair ¨C being able to decide and control the battleground. As was predictable, her attempt to dig into its body with her claws and teeth is a failure, the chitin resisting her natural weaponry perfectly. Still, she had to try it. We do learn something valuable, though ¨C the hairs on the creature¡¯s body are probably more comparable to spines which break and get stuck in the flesh. That hadn¡¯t come up much in the last fight either: the kiina had mostly used airblades and their teeth, Fenrir had used his teeth, and River had used his spear. None of them had tried to use claws, accidentally coming into contact with the short spines like Lathani. Pain shoots down the Bond from her and I quickly focus on the mana I have floating around in her body. Mentally urging Hades to get closer, it only takes me a few moments to push the nasty spines out of Lathani¡¯s paws along with the contaminants they introduced, closing up the holes as a stop-gap solution since I don''t have time to heal her fully. By the time I tune back into the fight, the danaris has been distracted by Persephone and Sirocco. The former is sending small airblades at the spider creature, one after another. With her mana pool of a hundred units and each small airblade only taking five or so units, she has a few in the tank, but not that many. Sirocco, on the other hand, is doing what she does best ¨C swooping for the weak points. WIth one eye already damaged by my arrow, she is trying to blind its five others. Its head now clear of the flames ¨C and the spines ¨C the creature is rather distracted by the two sets of attacks. But that¡¯s not likely to last too long. My mind works over the situation busily. We¡¯d made our plans for the opening moves without knowing too much about the creature¡¯s strengths or weaknesses. Although we still don¡¯t know too much about the latter, we have more knowledge about the former. It¡¯s quick, it¡¯s strong, and it has a weapon which we haven¡¯t seen in action as well as one we have ¨C its sting. At the same time, it is covered by a defensive layer that will quickly exhaust my stores of mana in my Bound if I have to be pushing spikes out of them every time they make an attack which requires contact with the enemy. A layer which is vulnerable to fire, even if the rest of it isn¡¯t. Can you do another fire attack now? I ask Bastet hurriedly, using our Bond to communicate across the distance between us. I can, but I will be exhausted of both mana and stamina, she warns. That¡¯s fine, I tell her. River can carry you out of the fight if you can¡¯t move yourself. I cast a look over to the lizard-man who has so far been watching the fight with a tight expression. I know he¡¯s itching to get in, but it¡¯s too dangerous for close fighting right now. From the ground, anyway. He sends agreement down the Bond and I hurriedly turn my attention back to Bastet. OK, on three, I tell her. Hades, Persephone, try to catch the fire with airblades too. I am almost exhausted of mana, Persephone informs me, tiredness in her mental voice. That¡¯s fine, I reassure her. Keep enough back that you can move, but otherwise send a last big one along with Bastet¡¯s fire, then pull back. I sense Hades¡¯ uneasiness at how unprotected his mate will be, but his relief that she will be out of the fight for a bit. Join River and Bastet ¨C you should be safer together, I continue to reassure both of them. Hopefully, if my plan goes as I¡¯m intending it, the danaris will be too busy dealing with the next attacks to try to get revenge. One, two, three! I count, the attacks all launching simultaneously. Two powerful airblades fly towards the danaris again, each touching the firebreath which emerges once more from Bastet¡¯s maw. The danaris tries to dodge the fireblades, clearly understanding that they caused pain and damage, but at the short range, doesn¡¯t succeed. One crashes into its abdomen, the other glances across several legs, setting small fires on each of them. The fires won¡¯t last long ¨C already they greedily consume the flammable spines within easy reach. But hopefully they will last long enough for me to prepare our next attack. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Five: Out with a Bang Even as part of my attention is on the results of my Bounds¡¯ attacks, the rest of me is focussed on doing what I¡¯ve done twice before now: transforming some units of mana into fire-mana. I¡¯m using the same channel as I used when I produced a plume of fire from my finger, pointing my index finger at the torch head like it¡¯s a firelighter. The stress of the situation is a hindrance, making it ten times more difficult to focus sufficiently to achieve the result I want. Meditation is a life-saver here ¨C drawing on its calming qualities means that I succeed in transforming the few units of mana I sent down to my finger. Focussing on directing it outwards so that it doesn¡¯t once more chargrill my own flesh, I connect a line of mana from my Core to the tip of my index. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve tried to do that, so I¡¯m flying by the seat of my pants a bit here, but inspiration had come while watching Bastet¡¯s firebreaths. If I can do this¡­. Pulling a torch out of my Inventory, I light it and drop it on the stony ground ¨C it¡¯s a back-up in case this doesn¡¯t work. Still sending a thin stream of mana to the fire pluming from my finger, I urge Hades into the fight. I trust him to take me into the middle of the fight without being hit ¨C something I would definitely not manage by myself. It¡¯s taking more than half my concentration to keep the fire going from my finger without it either sucking me dry of mana, or burning my own flesh. Neither of those outcomes are desirable, but honestly, it will never not be cool to see fire pluming out of my finger like I¡¯m a human flame-thrower! Even while I¡¯m taking a moment to revel in my feeling of badassery, Hades runs in closer to the danaris, his whole focus that of getting me to my destination as quickly and safely as possible. The spider-creature is still distracted by the fireblades he and Persephone sent with Bastet¡¯s help, so we¡¯re able to get in close before it realises we¡¯re there. I reach towards the closest leg but it shifts away from me before I can brush it with the fire. Closer, I urge Hades and he complies. A leg almost collides with us and I twist around to slam my fire-covered hand against it. The flames eagerly take hold, lighting up the spines covering the chitin with ease. Even as I pull away, I sense that I have more control over this fire than ever before ¨C even with Fire Taming. I send the flames to chew eagerly up its leg, feeding on anything it can reach. The danaris shrieks again as it feels the heat of fire scorching its leg. It turns its full attention to us. That¡¯s good in one way ¨C it gives Bastet and Persephone a chance to recover. Sirocco too, as I¡¯m vaguely aware of her message that her stamina is getting low. It also gives River the opportunity to come in and attempt to stab at the gaps between the creature¡¯s chitin ¨C maybe the blunt impact of his spear will have more effect than the other attacks so far. However, that comes at the cost of us now having to avoid legs which are as long as Hades is tall ¨C when he¡¯s standing fully upright ¨C that come at us, and a sting-laden tail which flashes down whenever we are in a position that it can. I want to move away, get some distance between us and this thing, but I can¡¯t. Not if I want to maintain my connection with the fire. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have much range with this ability. And I don¡¯t want to lose the connection because without my mana, the fire will go out quickly, the spines not really enough to sustain it for long. The direction of the fire takes most of my focus now, very little being able to be spared for dodging. It¡¯s fortunate, therefore, that I have such a capable mount and partner in this fight. Hades and I communicate seamlessly, the kiina already used to working with a partner and perfectly intelligent enough to understand what we¡¯re doing here. Our mental connection makes it even easier. We don¡¯t even need to put thoughts into words. I send him a sense of when we¡¯re getting to the edges of my control and he moves back in closer; he sends a sense of danger and where the threat is coming from and I shift my body to avoid it. I honestly wouldn¡¯t be able to do this without him. But I don¡¯t have the brainpower to be able to think more than vaguely about that. Under my direction and with my mana helping to fuel the growth, the fire spreads from where it latched onto the danaris¡¯ leg. Going upwards and downwards, it wipes the whole limb free of those nasty spines. Going upwards, it acts like a cleansing hand, the spines crumbing to ashes in its wake. It would be good if it could do more than that, but the chitin is annoyingly resistant. Even worse, the danaris seems to have realised that the fire is hot and annoying, but not actively damaging, and has decided to ignore it in favour of dealing with us first. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It might regret that decision before we¡¯re through, though. My heart suddenly rises into my mouth as the danaris whirls around almost too quickly to follow, its leg slamming solidly into River. The force and direction of the blow takes us all unawares ¨C with how much it had been focussing on Hades and me, to have it suddenly attack River is a shock. Losing focus completely on what¡¯s around me, I send my now-free attention down the Bond to River, checking his state. He¡¯s injured, but not too badly. At least, not as badly as might happen from a solid leg of chitin slamming into a body at high speed. His scales have spread some of the force of the blow, cracking a few of them. The skin itself has only torn in a couple of places, but that minor surface damage belies the real injury: deep tissue damage, bruised organs, and cracked ribs. Feeling like I have two dogs pulling on their leash in different directions, I mentally strain myself to keep the fire fed, even if I¡¯m not able to direct it much. At the same time, I redirect as much of my focus as I can into healing River¡¯s body. Closer, I tell Hades again, this time sending a sense of where I need to be in relation to River. Within moments, the connection I have with my lizard-kin Bound stabilises and improves, I grab at the mana already floating around in his body, directing it to the most serious injuries. The rest will have to be done later, but I don¡¯t want him to be running around with internal bleeding if we can avoid it. It takes more time than I¡¯d like, but a lot less than if I hadn¡¯t had all the practice Flesh-Shaping during our spars. By the time I¡¯ve fixed the worst of the damage, I¡¯ve depleted more than half of the mana I¡¯d managed to feed into him. Still, I¡¯m glad that I had the time to empty my mana pool into my Bound a few times while travelling here ¨C it would have become impossible to manage keeping the fire going, however little mana that¡¯s actually taking per second otherwise. As it is, it¡¯s a real struggle to manipulate both streams of mana, coming from two different sources at the same time. Frankly, I doubt I¡¯d even manage if my Energy Manipulation Skill hadn¡¯t so recently ranked up to Master, even if multitasking with multiple streams of mana wasn¡¯t something which had explicitly improved. Resurfacing to awareness, I duck at the last moment as a sting passes through the space where my head was a split-second ago. I wouldn¡¯t have actually been hit by it even if I hadn¡¯t moved, though ¨C Hades has also taken evasive manoeuvres and jinked to the side with a flap of his wings. He sends me a wordless sense of becoming fatigued, and I sense that the last few minutes have been hard on him. As I see what¡¯s going on, I realise why. The danaris is enraged, its speed having picked up to a pace previously unseen. It¡¯s clearly taking all of Hades'' agility to dodge the constant attacks. As it is, we are the sole focus of its attention, half of our group currently lying low and recovering. River is only just getting back on his feet from the last blow, and Lathani is nowhere to be seen. She hasn¡¯t vanished, though ¨C I sense where she is even if I can¡¯t see her. But given the last unsuccessful attack, I don¡¯t blame her for waiting until a better moment appears. As it is, we appear to have had little impact on the creature so far ¨C it¡¯s still moving perfectly well and though one eye is weeping a blackish ichor, the other three are perfectly able to see. However, the spines are now pretty much gone, opening the creature¡¯s legs and body up to the teeth and claws of my group. The fire is still there, though starting to gutter now that its fuel has vanished. Without fuel, I know from past experience that its draw on my mana will start to become more hefty than really worth it. However, before I let it die, I want to at least give it a final hurrah. Before I do that, though, I check in with all my Bound. Bastet and Persephone are still pretty low on mana, but they¡¯ve recovered enough not to be hit by the exhaustion and ill-feelings that accompany an empty mana pool. Sirocco is apparently still a bit low on stamina, but among my Bound, she¡¯s the quickest to recover it so that shouldn¡¯t be the case for long. River is still pained by his remaining injuries, but sends me a quick feeling of grim readiness ¨C he will do his best to do what I ask of him. He¡¯s also taken one of his own healing potions ¨C a non-envenomed one ¨C so that should help his healing a little. I tell him to use as many as he needs. As for Hades, I pull at the mana within him, doing my best to heal the effects of muscle overuse, even if I can¡¯t ¨C yet ¨C replenish his stamina directly. If the faint sense of gratitude is anything to judge by, it does something at least. Just hold on a little longer, I tell him, sending my own sense of gratitude down the Bond even as we jerk from one side to another to avoid a double blow of legs that crash down where we were. The rest of you, attack when it¡¯s distracted, I tell them all. Hades, create some distance when they do. Feeling nothing but grim assent, I focus on the fire. Feeding it mana piecemeal, I direct it to crawl up the body of the danaris towards its head. The spider-creature ignores the fire, having learned that it poses little threat to its defences. At least, it¡¯s posed little threat up until now. As I feel my Bound poised to move, and Hades dodging below me, my own legs locked around the bases of his wings to keep myself in place, I pour mana suddenly into the fire. Time for it to go out with a bang. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Six: Frozen Around the danaris¡¯ head, the flames become brighter by an order of magnitude, from their previous relatively cool orange and red, becoming yellow and almost white. I push mana into it, cutting it off when I¡¯m down to only two hundred units. With the severing of my mana, the connection I have to the fire goes too. But that¡¯s OK ¨C I still have the torch flickering on the ground back a way. If necessary, I don¡¯t even have to rely on creating my own fire: I can use Fire-Taming to build a Bond with the one back there. Surely it can¡¯t have coped with a fire that hot, no matter how good its chitin is. If nothing else, won¡¯t its brain ¨C or whatever it has that passes for one ¨C have boiled inside its head? The danaris is frozen even as the fire starts to die, and my Bound take full advantage of that. Hades beats a hasty retreat, his head hanging low and his chest heaving even while the others move in. Bastet and Lathani snap at the thing¡¯s legs, trying their best to crack the chitin. River joins them in striking at the joints of the danaris¡¯ limbs. His impact is almost immediately felt within a few moments as his flint-tipped spear manages to pierce a thin bit of chitin. Liquid jets out of the hole he makes and that leg goes limp. Persephone darts in and out, her toothed maw not finding much purchase on the defensive layer, even now. Sirocco is the only one of my Bound otherwise who doesn¡¯t fly in, but I understand: with the fire still wreathing the creature¡¯s head, there isn¡¯t anything she can really target right now. I feel her frustration and try to send soothing feelings down the link. Ultimately, she¡¯s not the strongest combatant, but she makes up for it with her scouting abilities and being able to get a ¨C literal ¨C bird¡¯s eye view. I join my Bound in striking at the danaris¡¯ legs, pulling out my mace and leaping down from Hades¡¯ back to run in. The stone head of my mace crashes into the chitin with an audible thunk, but my weapon rebounds off the armour without leaving more than a small mark. I frown and strike again, aiming for a joint this time. The knee joint or ankle joint or whatever it is is the closest, but it¡¯s still above my head, limiting the amount of power I can bring to bear. Still, the added damage of Blunt Weaponry helps and this time I hear a bit of a crunch. Another blow later and I too see a jet of liquid escaping, a second leg going limp. Heartened, I set to striking the next leg. Only a few moments later the fire wreathing the danaris¡¯ head and keeping it frozen dies completely. In its wake, it reveals a sight which both gladdens and frustrates me. There is damage, but not nearly as much as I¡¯d have liked. The danaris¡¯ eyes are gone, burnt and evaporated orbs now leaving only holes where they used to be. Its mandibles have been eaten away too, the substance they¡¯re made of obviously not quite as fire-resistant as the rest of its body. That¡¯s all good. The issue is that the material making up the structure of the head isn¡¯t nearly as damaged as I would expect it to be with a fire as hot as the one that¡¯s only just died. There are scorch marks visible against the dark grey of the material itself, but little more than that. And from the way the danaris is now moving, it most certainly hasn¡¯t done sufficient damage to its internal organs to kill the creature. As the fight progresses, though, the spider¡¯s movements make it clear that there has probably been more damage than immediately obvious. Where before it was moving fluidly, each of its limbs moving perfectly in relation to the others, now it is moving jerkily, far more uncoordinated. That doesn¡¯t remove its danger. Indeed, in some ways, it might actually be increased as its movements are a lot less predictable than before. From what I saw of the battle from Hades¡¯ back, the main issue so far has been that it¡¯s fast ¨C the blow that hit River is one of the few that was truly not foreseeable. Now, though, it might suddenly drop a couple of feet on top of me or one of my Bound, or its tail might flash in to stab at the air suddenly. One of its legs might flick out at a strange angle or curl inwards unexpectedly to strike at one of my Bound snapping at the underside of its abdomen. Few, if any, of these movements appear to be intended; if anything, they look more like the kind of abrupt shifts that might characterise someone having a fit. Perhaps the fire has done some internal damage to its brain, I think to myself as I back away. I bite my lip as I stare with narrowed eyes at the scene. Even worse than the unpredictable movements of its legs and sting, though, is the fact that the webbing weapon which the description warned about has started to come into play. In the same abrupt and unpredictable way as all of its other movements, sticky white webbing is being shot every which way. Sometimes, it even entangles its own legs in the material, but since its chitin seems to be as resistant to that as anything else, it doesn¡¯t impede itself too much. The result is that the surface below the spider is becoming increasingly treacherous, with my Bound having to have eyes in the backs of their heads to make sure they¡¯re not about to be stuck to the ground at the worst possible moment. I only know that the webbing is sticky because Lathani accidentally steps in a patch and then almost takes a blow from the sting because she can¡¯t jump out of its way. It¡¯s only because Persephone bodily collides with the segmented ¡®tail¡¯ and pushes it off course that it slams into the ground rather than the nunda. I manage to get her free a moment later by essentially forcing her paw to ¡®shed¡¯ the outer layer of her skin and fur ¨C and the webbing with it. She¡¯s much more careful after that to avoid the gleaming patches of white dotting the rocky ground below their feet. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Back away, everyone, I order and they quickly obey. Even once they¡¯ve gone, the danaris still jerks around, proving that this is more of a seizure than a directed attack. My Bound eye the danaris warily, taking the moment to have a breather, but clearly ready to jump back into the action as soon as I give the word. Don¡¯t go back in until it¡¯s stopped seizing as much, I tell them. Despite the danaris not actually actively ¡®fighting back¡¯ against my Bound, it¡¯s still a difficult opponent. It¡¯s not only because of its unpredictability or the way it¡¯s turning the battleground into a minefield. The main reason is the same as always: its incredibly defensive exo-skeleton. Fenrir, ironically, would probably do a better job than any of my other Bound thanks to his powerful bite pressure. But although the lair is probably left unguarded right at this moment, I¡¯m not inclined to go inside to find him right now: we don¡¯t know what might be waiting for us in the cave and all of us are needed here. Well, Sirocco not so much, but she doesn¡¯t do well with caves as a general rule, nor does she have particularly good vision in the dark. No, there has to be another way. Ideas flick through my mind, but are summarily dismissed. A trap with rocks or tree trunks falling onto the spider ¨C too long to set up. I don¡¯t know if the issues the creature is experiencing are temporary or permanent, but don¡¯t want to wager on it being the latter. I catalogue each of the weapons I¡¯m carrying, but dismiss all of them. The one that has proved to have a decent effect is my mace; I doubt any of the others would work that well right now since I still don¡¯t have a proper spear. My bow might be good if I had the accuracy to hit its joints, but as it is, I¡¯m far more likely to miss than hit it, despite my increased Dexterity. Using my mace, however, would require me getting a lot closer to its flailing legs again, so is definitely not the preferable plan. I¡¯m slower and much squishier than River, for example, and he already came off worse from making contact with one of those powerful limbs. No, although I¡¯m not as loaded with mana as I would like, I think that magic is my only real option here. And at least I have a way of quickly replenishing my pool. Explaining my idea to Hades, I feel his consent. Pulling almost all of the mana in his body back into mine, I refill my mana pool to overflowing. Then, leaping onto his back again, I take a different position from before. Crouching with my feet on the joints of his wings rather than securing my knees there, I¡¯m rather precarious. He keeps his head up and I use his neck to help me balance. He trots into the action, choosing to come up from behind the danaris, heading towards its flailing and twitching tail. This reminds me of nothing more than a dying wasp¡¯s sting, the way the abdomen pulses and its sting emerges convulsively. However, it¡¯s also the area where we¡¯re least likely to encounter a leg flying through the air and threatening to take our heads off. There, Hades pauses. I pour all my power into my legs, pushing myself up explosively. Jumping into the air, I grit my teeth as I focus on where I want to go. A directed airblade from Hades helps me move just a bit further. He softened the air from its usual cutting edge, but it¡¯s enough to carry me to land right between the tail section and the round body section to which all the legs are attached. I hit the danaris¡¯ back with a thump that it can surely feel. If it can, though, it shows no sign. I stay tense for a good few seconds as I wait for the tail to flip up like a scorpion¡¯s to stab me, or for a leg to twist to slam me off its back. Neither of those happen. Maybe it¡¯s because it doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here. Maybe it does, but it can¡¯t control its limbs enough to rid itself of my presence. Or maybe its joints don¡¯t even work like that. Either way, it looks like I might be able to have an effect here. I place my hand on the spider-creature¡¯s back, focussing on sending my mind into its body. Unlike with my Bound, I meet with strong resistance as soon as I push my mind through my skin. I grit my teeth as I set my Willpower against the resistance. We struggle for what feels like an eternity, but is probably only a few minutes. Refusing to let myself entertain the idea that I might be outmatched, that I might lose this battle, I keep pushing. An inch, a centimetre, a millimetre¡­ultimately, it doesn¡¯t matter how much progress I make, as long as I keep moving forwards. And then the resistance gives way, like my opponent has decided to give up this battle in order to win the war. Because what I sense is that I now have a certain amount of freedom to roam, that I can scan the body in the way I can do with other bodies. But I also sense that if I try to do anything to the body, the resistance which faced me before will be back, and more intense besides. Still, being able to see inside the danaris¡¯ body is a step towards actually being able to do anything. The battle took over half my mana ¨C and that includes the overflow which seeped into my mana pool slowly as I emptied it ¨C and a good bit of my mental energy. I take the break with just as much concealed relief as the danaris itself. The creature¡¯s body, at first glance, is completely alien. I struggle to identify any of it. Then, as I spend a little more time going over what I can see and sense, I realise that most of the organs are actually relatively familiar, just different shapes and with slightly different functions. I thought spiders had to drink the liquified remains of their prey? I find myself saying mentally as I see the horror of a toothed throat that lies behind its mandibles. Then again, as much as it is comparable to an Earth spider, it really isn¡¯t. I see the organs which obviously produce the silk, the venom glands which lead to the tail spike. I see weird shaped lungs and an elongated stomach and intestine. Ouch, that looks like it hurt, I almost wince as I see its stomach and digestive pockets ¨C they appear to have taken the bulk of the damage caused by the fire as they¡¯re ruptured in multiple places. I¡¯m pretty sure I can see brain damage too, explaining the odd convulsive movements of the creature. However, it¡¯s not all good news: as the resistance showed me, the danaris is very much alive and kicking, and the damage is already noticeably healing. We need to end this before it recovers its health. Pulling almost all the way out of the body, my mind works busily over what to do next. Trying to give it an aneurysm is out of the realms of possibility. I instinctively know that the more integral an organ is to the functionality of a creature, the more it will be defended. That eliminates its lungs too, though I do send a quick message to all of my Bound about where their openings can be found: if River or someone can block them, that might do the job for me. Frankly, any attempts to change anything are likely to be met with high resistance. But what if the thing I¡¯m changing isn¡¯t actually a part of the danaris at all? Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Seven: MAD Staying on the back of the spider-like danaris is difficult: even if its apparent inadvertent convulsions aren¡¯t aimed at shaking me off, they might have the same effect if I¡¯m not careful. Gripping with my legs hooked around the insectile monster¡¯s thin waist between its abdomen and thorax, I pull my knife from my belt and another item from my Inventory. Closing my eyes, I send my mind into the item in my hand ¨C a gland full of venom. It¡¯s the item which River managed to get from the creature which lured me deeper into the forest of vine-stranglers after we¡¯d killed the salamander. Given its effects on me, it¡¯s a pretty powerful poison. Hopefully it will have just as much effect on this danaris. Of course, I¡¯m not just going to stab the massive spider with a knife coated in this venom: I¡¯m going to try to do more than that. For that reason, I pour my remaining mana into the small organ. Fortunately, it turns out to be just about enough ¨C I¡¯m panting and nauseous by the time I sense that the organ and venom inside are saturated, but it¡¯s done. Opening my eyes again, I notice with some trepidation that the movements are starting to be a little less jerky and more fluid again. The danaris is healing. I need to get a move on, especially since my Bound have obviously noted the same things as me and have started attacking again. Using my knife, I stab between two plates of chitin, doing my best to open up a hole, however small. A cry comes from below and River sends me an urgent image of the danaris having coated Bastet¡¯s feet in the sticky web, pinning her down. Defend her! I send back to him with emphasis. Or get her out if you can. Hopefully this won¡¯t take much longer. My full focus switches into manipulating the venom into the hole I¡¯ve made. Feeding the poison into the spider-creature¡¯s system, I fight against the creature¡¯s Will to follow it into the danaris¡¯ body. I win again, not because my Will outmatches that of the danarais, but because the poison isn¡¯t something recognised by the creature¡¯s system. Though my ability to sense the Beast¡¯s body is limited, my mind can travel relatively easily within the venom. Travel¡­and multiply. As my mana returns bit by bit, I dedicate it into increasing the amount of venom that is affecting the danaris¡¯ systems. Increasing, and enhancing as much as I can ¨C since I haven¡¯t spent time studying the venom, my understanding of how it works is limited. However, since I¡¯ve saturated both it and its organ with my magic I do have some understanding and it¡¯s this which I use to enhance and hasten its effects. The massive spider creature under me falters. I feel its legs fail for a moment. For good reason: the venom has managed to eat its way into the thin tubes of fluid that surround the creature¡¯s endoskeleton and act as hydraulics to operate its limbs. Backup systems seem to kick in, and I¡¯ve only managed to get into a small portion of the hydraulic tubes, so it rights itself quickly, but I feel elated at the sense of progress. Heartened, I pour as much mana as I can into the venom, draining myself dry again and again. At the same time, I sense that the danaris is focussing as much of its attention as it can into trying to clear the poison out of its systems. From a message I receive from one of my Bound ¨C I¡¯m concentrating too hard to even tell who ¨C I realise that both of us have gone completely stock-still. Apparently, the spider-creature has decided that I¡¯m a threat worth paying its full attention to. We struggle against each other, a new type of battle of wills. The situation teeters on a knife¡¯s edge: the danaris¡¯ capacity to regenerate is powerful, perhaps its ¡®unknown¡¯ special ability mentioned in its description. I damage one part of its body, and it swoops in with its regeneration to heal, or at least plaster over, the injury. But I¡¯m running out of resources. My mana regeneration just isn¡¯t fast enough to keep up with the rapid pace and I find myself giving ground. If this keeps up, it will push my venom out of its body before I manage to destroy any vital organs. I redouble my effort, pulling all the venom I can in to attack the brain: no brain, no consciousness, game over. It seems to understand the danger it¡¯s in, and redoubles its own effort to heal the damage I inflict almost as soon as I¡¯ve caused it. I need more mana. Sending out a desperate wordless message to my Bound, I get an answer. A small weight landing on my shoulder offers me the opportunity to pull some more mana into my empty reserves. Sirocco doesn¡¯t hold a huge amount of it, and I can¡¯t even pull all of what she can hold out of her, but it¡¯s enough to replenish my pool sufficiently. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. At the same time, I sense my Bound moving below me, but it would take too much focus away from my internal efforts to work out what they¡¯re doing. Instead, with my mana pool almost full again, I pour the resource into the venom. The danaris is unable to deal with my suddenly empowered efforts, the venom multiplying beyond its capacity to purge. I start getting more of a foothold, the danaris unable to heal all of the damage I¡¯m now able to inflict. Still, I focus on the alien brain of the creature, eating away at it with an enhanced version of the poison which almost killed me. The spider-creature rallies, trying desperately to force me out through sheer willpower. It fails: I bury my presence within the venom where it can¡¯t put any pressure on me. The venom eats and eats¡­and then it¡¯s done. I¡¯ve cut the connections between the brain and the body. Somehow acting on autopilot, as if it had a back-up routine or some other way of controlling its body, it seems to take an attitude of mutual destruction. The legs which had been frozen, suddenly leap into life, flailing at my Bound. I sense their surprise, and pain as River is once more impacted by a leg, Persephone too. Only half my attention is now on the venom, searching for a way of halting its attack, or discovering whatever organ it¡¯s using to ¡®think¡¯. With the rest of my focus, I sense Hades¡¯ immediate protective fury as he leaps into the fray, his wings spreading to cover his fallen mate. And then the danaris stills. It¡¯s not dead. I still feel signals shooting around its body, even as I frantically try to disrupt them. Get out of there! I yell mentally, my vague view on its system informing me of what it¡¯s about to do. In a final MAD attempt, the danaris rears up on its back four legs, actually managing to tip me off completely. But that wasn¡¯t the main aim of its action. Instead, it aims its tail end at my Bound. Sending out an immense amount of white web, probably emptying its web-making organs completely, it coats all of my Bound who were underneath it. That is basically all of them except for Sirocco. And Fenrir, of course. Then, it pauses again. A moment later, its sting projects a spray of greenish droplets through the air, the liquid landing on the web and immediately soaking into it. A moment later, I have to scramble to avoid the creature as it crumples to the ground. Dead, or close enough to count. But I can¡¯t check ¨C my Bound are in trouble. I scramble to my feet and stagger towards them, the effects of the mental and magical battle taking their toll on my body. I can¡¯t focus on that, though. My Bound need me! That final spray was clearly poison, and they¡¯re already suffering. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the same poison which acted as a sedative for Fenrir, or if the danaris had multiple venoms to inject, but either way, I don¡¯t want them being exposed to it for any longer than absolutely necessary. I still have a bit of mana left, but not a lot. Though the most effective method would probably be to feed mana into the webbing and saturate it, gaining complete control over it, I definitely don¡¯t have enough in the tank for that, and I don¡¯t have the time to Meditate in between attempts. No, I¡¯m going to have to do this another way. Choosing to leave my companions who are visibly struggling for the moment, I go for one who is worryingly still: Bastet. She¡¯s next to River who is clearly trying to cut his way out of the webbing with his spear, though not making much headway. So my own idea of using my knife to cut through is probably out. I¡¯ll try anyway. I have to walk over the webbing myself, but fortunately it doesn¡¯t seem to be particularly sticky: this one was clearly meant more for confinement through quantity than adhesive properties. Even better, my hide boots keep me removed from the poison itself, so I get to Bastet ¨C the one who has lowest health at the moment ¨C without being affected. Crouching down, I try to cut the web with my knife. No good. It¡¯s tough to cut through for one thing, and as soon as I do, there seems to be some sort of sticky substance inside which very quickly coats my knife blade and blunts it. I tuck my knife away, praying that I¡¯ll find a way of getting the sticky substance off later. My next attempt involves touching the webbing near my raptorcat companion. Focussing mana into my finger, I push it into the web, but try to limit its spread. Instead of saturating the whole network, I only want to saturate the immediate area at my fingertip. Then, once it¡¯s saturated, I break it apart. It¡¯s slow at first, but speeds up with practice ¨C good thing too as I¡¯m very much aware of the slowly weakening movements of even my most active Bound. They¡¯re all alive, I know that, but I still don¡¯t know if the poison is only a sedative or something more threatening than that. And then Bastet¡¯s free. I grab her and lift her out of the area, laying her down gently. Immediately connecting with the small pool of mana left inside her, I do the same strategy as I did with Lathani to free her from ongoing contact with the poison: flaking off everything that¡¯s currently touching it. That does mean she loses a good portion of her feathers, but those are replaceable. Even that brief contact with the poison reveals something I was fearing: that the venom is not designed purely as a sedative. That¡¯s certainly part of its effects, but the end goal is a lot more¡­permanent. I need to get them all out and clear of it as soon as possible. Not easy considering how low on mana I already am. I¡¯ll have to hope that I¡¯m able to get most of them out with the mana that¡¯s within their own bodies otherwise I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to do this. For now, I shove two of River¡¯s potions down Bastet¡¯s throat ¨C that will have to keep her going for now. I simply can¡¯t spend the time or mana getting her fully healed. Returning to the webbed area, I go for River next. He¡¯s not the worst off, but he should be able to help me keep the others going until I can properly clear the poison out of them. Hopefully he has significantly more potions than I do. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Eight: It’s Amazing What A Little Meditation Can Do By the time I¡¯m getting Hades and Persephone out, we¡¯ve got a system going. River, as I had hoped, was able to help me with the others. He wasn¡¯t as badly off as Bastet or Lathani, probably because he¡¯d curled himself into a ball when the first lot of webbing landed and had used his spear to partially shelter himself. That had given him a good position to fight against the constriction of the webbing after the second attack had landed and less exposure to the venom itself. Plus, it seems like his scales had been a pretty good defence against the deadly substance, the only access to his flesh being offered by places where his natural armour had already been pierced. He was certainly much better off than either Lathani and Bastet whose skins seem to have relatively easily absorbed the venom. The fact that Lathani is still Tier one is probably a good reason for why her health declined even quicker under the web trap than Bastet did. Honestly, her good-sized health pool is probably the only reason she was any better off than Bastet at all ¨C at eight hundred and ten health units when full, her pool is better than Bastet¡¯s had been at Tier one. I therefore headed towards Lathani straight after. A quick check of the condition of my Bound justified my decisions ¨C Bastet was down to her last fifty health points, Lathani only just above that. I figure that the kiina¡¯s scales protect them as much ¨C or better ¨C than River¡¯s did. It¡¯s fortunate that it¡¯s worked out that way ¨C I would hate to lose any of my Bound, but if I let Lathani die, the rest of us wouldn¡¯t outlive her for long due to Kalanthia¡¯s vengeful retribution. In a choice between Lathani and any of my other Bound, I would be forced to choose Lathani ¨C and I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever forgive her for putting me in that position. I recognise the hypocrite that makes me, but emotions aren¡¯t logical. Persephone was otherwise worst off, currently sitting at just over two hundred health points, but Hades is still at more than half-health. Probably the main reason for Persephone¡¯s lower health is to do with the blow which hit her soon before the grand finale of the fight. Still, as the last ones entangled, I work as quickly as I can to get them free, finding that Hades has, as expected, shielded Persephone from most of the attack. His position crouched over her with his wings spread means that there¡¯s actually little poison coating the female kiina¡¯s scales, though a lot coating those of Hades. Like River, the small cuts he picked up in the fight are the access points for the venom. I could probably pick the kiina up with my increased strength, but it would be a strain. I don¡¯t have to, though ¨C like River, Hades and Persephone are both capable of walking out of the mess, though Persephone with more than a little pain. All my Bound finally free, I tiredly set to dealing with the actual injuries. Lathani is my first target. With only fifty health points remaining now, and the health potions River keeps feeding her barely keeping up with the continued ticking down from the poison circulating around her system, she¡¯s the most clearly in need of healing. I do take a moment to do a quick scan of Persephone¡¯s body, though ¨C since she¡¯s pregnant I¡¯m aware that there could be dire consequences of her being poisoned on the eggs growing inside her. From Hades¡¯ concern that shows in his shifting movements and leaks down our Bond, he¡¯s aware of the same. Fortunately, it appears that Persephone has some degree of internal control and is managing to keep the poison away from the eggs. That¡¯s at the expense of more negatively affecting her own body than it normally would, but it¡¯s nothing I won¡¯t be able to help heal. When I have the time and mana. ¡°You¡¯re doing well,¡± I say to Persephone soothingly. ¡°Just keep at it and I¡¯ll be with you as soon as I can, OK?¡± I lift my hand and stroke the side of her neck. It¡¯s instinctual, but the kiina presses into my palm, closing her eyes. I turn my head to see Hades giving me an unreadable look, even the Bond not giving much of a clue. ¡°What?¡± I ask, impatiently, then decide to ignore it when he just turns his head away. I don¡¯t have time for this. Going to my knees next to Lathani, I pull at the pitiful amount of mana still left in her. After healing her earlier, and more recently using the mana to flake off webbing twice, there¡¯s not much for me to work with. Fortunately, River has some more stored within him, so I pull at that to be able to work with more than just fumes. I flush out the poison from Lathani¡¯s body, working methodically to shift it bit by bit. Perhaps saturating the venom itself and then manipulating it directly would be a good idea, but that would take more mana that I have to spare. As it is, even just working with Lathani¡¯s body to force all the poison to a slit I cut in one of her veins takes almost everything I have. The last of my mana, I use on healing damage that could potentially cause her lungs to fail. As it turns out, the venom attacks the central nervous system. It probably is the same venom as was used on Fenrir, but in a much higher dose since sleeping pills tend to do the same thing. However, just as too high doses of sleeping pills can have serious effects, the same is true of this poison. ¡°I need to Meditate,¡± I say wearily after quickly checking on Bastet. Her system seems to be more robust than Lathani¡¯s ¨C because she¡¯s a Tier two? Either way, the healing the potions River keeps pouring down her throat are helping her natural healing to almost keep up with the damage the poison is doing. She¡¯s still unconscious, though, and I hope that that¡¯s just because the venom is designed to first send its targets off to sleep and then kill them rather than because some serious damage has been done which I haven¡¯t yet been able to detect. I only have three more healing concoctions, River warns me. I nod. ¡°OK. Space them out, please. But I need to Meditate.¡± Not only do I need the mana regeneration, but I also need the clarity of mind and a break. The battle has been hard on all of us, physically or mentally. As I drop into the third level of Meditation, trusting in my Bound to protect me, I realise that the frenetic situation meant I didn¡¯t think of doing something which would have helped: using at least Light Meditation to bolster my mana regeneration while working on healing my Bound. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I don¡¯t think it would have worked in my battle with the danaris ¨C it required just too much focus and mental activity for me to do any level of Meditation. Not at this point, anyway. But healing my Bound? That, I should be able to combine with the lightest level of Meditation. And that means I should be able to do more at a time. Once I sense that my mana pool is full again, I shift to Light Meditation and open my eyes. My mind feels refreshed and a headache I didn¡¯t even realise I had is gone. I still feel strained, like I¡¯ve over-exercised a muscle that¡¯s not used to being used to that extent, but it¡¯s better than before. It¡¯s amazing what a little meditation can do! Or Meditation, at least. ¡°Right,¡± I say to no one in particular. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± ***** By the time all of my Bound are healed and awake, night has fallen and I¡¯m completely exhausted. Not so much physically as mentally. I¡¯ve used my magic more today than ever before, I think. Yes, I technically might have used more mana in total when I was practising saturating different carcasses and hides, but that was a completely non-stressful situation. This, where it¡¯s the wellbeing of my Bound in question, is a different story. But finally, everyone is fine, including Persephone and her babies, which has allowed Hades to finally settle down. While I was healing her, I had a feeling that making the wrong move and hurting any of the beings I was working on would lead to him doing his best to kill me. I mean, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d have succeeded, but it would have been uncomfortable for all of us if he¡¯d tried. The danaris, fortunately, is definitely dead. I¡¯d been half-worried that even with the connections between its brain and its body completely destroyed it might find a way to repair them sufficiently to keep living. Or, worse, that it might have some back-up organ which might allow it to survive. But no, it¡¯s gone. Unfortunately, none of us feel like eating it ¨C as a Beast which I¡¯m sure had to have been near the top of Tier two its flesh must have been full of Energy. But as it is, even Sirocco turns her beak up at it. I suppose that with the venom I controlled still flooding its system, its meat might have been spoiled anyway, but apparently no one wants to take the risk of being poisoned once more. Instead, I pull a couple of carcasses out of my Inventory. Although Sirocco and the kiinas accept the Energy-less meat reluctantly, they¡¯re obviously hungry enough from the battle to eat it anyway. For myself, I pull out a nice bowl of thick stew, containing meat, potato, and a couple of the plants I¡¯d found. Seasoned with salt and that basil-mint leaf, it¡¯s satisfying both to the mouth and the stomach. As I eat, I eye the danaris carcass again. Poisonous or not, I do want to harvest a few bits from it before we go. A good bit of that chitin for one thing; its venom for another. But for now, there¡¯s something more important to do ¨C rescue Fenrir from where he¡¯s waiting patiently for us to come. Seeing that my raptorcat companion seems to be satisfied for now, I speak to her. ¡°Bastet, can you go and scout the cave, please?¡± Can I go too? asks Lathani brightly. She was rather subdued for a bit after the battle. I¡¯m not sure exactly why, and didn¡¯t want to invade her privacy too much by diving into the Bond between us ¨C unlike Sirocco, I sense that I could do that with her. Perhaps it was because of being part of a fight which was far more desperate than anything else she¡¯d seen before. Except perhaps the fight with the salamander, but then she hadn¡¯t really been a part of that one. ¡°Sure,¡± I say after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°But,¡± I continue, a serious expression on my face and a stern tone in my voice, ¡°do you realise how close you came to dying there?¡± My heart almost breaks at the slumping of her posture. But this needs to be said. ¡°You got down to forty-one health points, Lathani. Forty-one! Out of eight hundred and ten! That¡¯s five percent of your health left!¡± I stare at the nunda juvenile as she looks away from me. Her posture is subdued, but I know better than to believe that ¨C the Bond between us reveals the rebellious undercurrent to her current attitude. ¡°Have you thought about what would happen if you¡¯d died there? Because you honestly came close.¡± That startles her a little. I don¡¯t know if she doesn¡¯t realise just how close she got ¨C if I hadn¡¯t already been practised at removing poison from a body, if I hadn¡¯t had Meditation to help regain mana, if River hadn¡¯t shoved health potions down her throat¡­. I wasn¡¯t going to die, she says finally. And if I did then¡­I don¡¯t know. You¡¯d have taken my body back to mother? She seems far too blas¨¦ for the situation. ¡°And you think that your mother would just accept that?¡± I chuckle humorlessly. ¡°She¡¯d have killed us, Lathani. Heck, she might still kill me for Binding you at all, but we¡¯ve covered that one already. But if you died? Under my watch?¡± I shake my head. ¡°I should have kept you away from the battle entirely,¡± I murmur more to myself than anyone else. I should have known better. Rather that Lathani is angry at me for keeping her safe than dead. Yes, I know she somehow managed to survive all that, but frankly, that¡¯s more to do with luck than anything else. I should have benched her, tied her to the back of Persephone; kept them both safe. But then we might not have won this. I don¡¯t know how much damage Persephone did while I was attacking the danaris with venom. I sigh mentally. Hindsight is apparently twenty-twenty, but even that¡¯s not enough to tell me if I made the right decision here. She wouldn¡¯t have, Lathani interjects weakly, startling me out of my thoughts. It takes me a moment to remember exactly what she¡¯s responding to. I give her a long look until she shifts to avoid my eyes. She doesn¡¯t believe her words herself, even. Fine. She would have been angry. Lathani sighs. I just¡­I just wanted to be part of the group. It seemed like it might be¡­fun. I want to shout at her ¨C what about this was fun? ¨C but refrain. That¡¯s not what she needs. ¡°And was it fun?¡± I mean¡­. She hesitates. It was nice to work as a team but¡­no. It wasn¡¯t fun. Nodding slowly, I feel more satisfied that she is making progress on this. ¡°That¡¯s because survival isn¡¯t fun,¡± I say quietly. ¡°We¡¯re here to save Fenrir, not because we want the¡­glory of the fight.¡± Finally, I sense the right kind of emotions coming from her side of the Bond, the rebelliousness finally absent. ¡°But Lathani,¡± I add, not wanting to leave it on that note. The nunda juvenile looks up at me with wariness, as if expecting another reprimand. ¡°Well done on that fight otherwise. ¡°Bastet and River have told me that they almost didn¡¯t need to order you at all ¨C you worked well as a supportive team member. That¡¯s exactly what you should have done,¡± I praise. Surprised pleasure floods down the link from her side and I reckon that she¡¯d be blushing if she could. She turns back to Bastet and pads off towards the cavern without another word, but I know she¡¯s happy with the praise. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine: Turn Enemies Into Friends While I wait for the two feline-types to return, I rest and muse over the fight. About Lathani in particular. Honestly, I¡¯m pleased with how she operated in that battle. River and Bastet between them have filled me in on what happened while I wasn¡¯t able to watch. Though none of them managed to do as much as render a limb ineffective, as River had done at the start, they kept working at it. At best, they hoped to find a weak spot; at worst they would provide a distraction to help me. That was their thinking, anyway, and I agree with it. Lathani had followed their lead perfectly, using her agility to land blows and bites on the spider creature¡¯s legs. Though none of them had much impact, her physical weight had often shifted the leg off-course, sometimes making the creature over balance by a little. Of course, when it had ten legs, and at least seven which were working, there was no chance of making the creature fall over by affecting a single leg, but her efforts had still had an impact on the battle, however small. Especially after the fire fried some of the danaris¡¯ ability to control its limbs. She had also moved in of her own accord to help defend Persephone when the kiina had been slammed off her feet by a blow which had hit her mid-back. Actually, the kiina had been lucky not to be paralysed by that attack ¨C the bones of her spine had been damaged but her spinal cord hadn¡¯t been affected. That¡¯s fortunate as, though I think there¡¯s a high chance I could mend a spinal cord, there¡¯s no way I want to be forced to. Overall, the nunda cub showed a lot more judgement in that fight than she¡¯d shown in our spar not that long ago. She still has a tendency to continue with the same strategy, whether it works or not, but she displayed a lot more willingness to listen to her elders ¨C even when uncoerced by the Bond ¨C than previously and a better ability to react to the situation at hand. Of course, she does have the Bond in place ¨C I wonder what impact that has had. Oh well, the Bond will be gone in a few hours, and then we¡¯ll be able to see on our next hunting trip together. Assuming that Kalanthia doesn¡¯t kill me for Binding her cub, of course. But that¡¯s something for later even if it is rather worrying me now. I sense more than see Bastet and Lathani coming closer, their natural stealth abilities combined with the darkness making them hard to distinguish. ¡°What did you find?¡± I ask the pair as they materialise out of the gloom and into the puddle of torchlight. No more enemies free, Bastet answers my question promptly, Lathani still looking a little subdued. Maybe Bastet had a word with her too while they were out of hearing-range. Many creatures behind white walls. Well, that matches what I¡¯d got from Fenrir¡¯s own memories, though the fact that all the creatures are behind what I guess are webbed walls much as my Bound is makes it easier. Even if we aren¡¯t here to hurt any of the other animals, if they¡¯d blocked our way to rescuing Fenrir, we¡¯d have had to. ¡°Is it safe enough to bring the cubs along?¡± I ask her. She pauses for a moment in thought, then lets out a chirruping sound. A moment later, a patter of light feet heralds more shapes entering the torchlight, previously invisible in the shadows. I guess that¡¯s my answer, then. ¡°You were safe?¡± I ask Stormcloud when she comes to rub against me in greeting. She chirps at me which I interpret to mean ¡®yes¡¯, then goes to join Trouble and Ninja in tearing eagerly at what¡¯s left of the carcasses after my other Bound have consumed their share. They watched the battle from a tree, Bastet informs me. I suppose that¡¯s as good a seat as any. It¡¯s probably the least likely to be vulnerable to attack ¨C unless a snake or bird came along to eat them, of course. Actually, it¡¯s just as well they weren¡¯t anywhere near the danaris and its sedative-soaked web. With their small health pools they¡¯d have probably succumbed to it before I could get them out. Anyway, that was why they were out of the battle completely. Though, as I take a good look at them, I realise that they probably will be joining us in battles against normal opponents soon enough. That means creatures which are Tier one, not a creature like the danaris, for obvious reasons. My little raptorcub nephew and nieces ¨C or should I consider them cousins ¨C Aunt Bastet? ¨C are growing up fast. But speaking of growing up fast, the sooner we can get the spawn of that danaris out of Fenrir, the better. As soon as everyone in the group has appeared to have eaten their fill and replenished the energy they used in the battle, I decide to make a move. ¡°Alright then,¡± I say to everyone, packing the carcasses back into my Inventory. ¡°Let¡¯s go get Fenrir out.¡± At least my mana has had a chance to replenish a bit. It would have worked faster with Meditation, but I wanted to spend that moment with my Bound, just eating with them and relaxing in the knowledge that, despite what it looked like would happen a couple of times, we actually managed to win the battle without casualties. I sense that I have some notifications waiting for me, but I¡¯m more anxious to get Fenrir out than to check them. Whatever it is can probably wait for now ¨C I do focus briefly on shifting my Energy absorption to my debt just in case I''ve somehow earned enough Energy to level up again. That¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s likely to be time-sensitive. I could probably have checked them earlier, but I didn¡¯t think of it ¨C I¡¯m tired and the night¡¯s not over yet. Grabbing my torch, we head towards the darker spot in the already-dark terrain. Neither of the moons has risen yet, so we¡¯re experiencing the world as dark as it gets. I even drop into Fade, just to benefit from the better dark vision, though pull out again when I realise that the torch works against me in that state. It¡¯s too dark for me to extinguish the torch and rely solely on Fade, so I guess I¡¯ll have to just be careful when moving. Entering the cave cautiously, the flickering light of the torch illuminates a surprising number of webbed prison cells. The cave itself is quite bare, none of the half-eaten webbed bundles that I might have expected to be hanging down from the ceiling. Though, on second thoughts, the danaris didn¡¯t really seem to be the type of creature which would be able to climb a wall and hang on the ceiling like the house spiders I¡¯m familiar with from Earth. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. There is a small pile of something odorous that I don¡¯t want to investigate on one side of the cave, but other than that, it¡¯s just a beehive of walled-off cells. As I try to sense which one Fenrir is trapped within, I wonder idly how this cavern was created. It certainly doesn¡¯t look natural, but unless the danaris had Earth-Shaping or something similar, I don¡¯t know how it could have made this place. And I don¡¯t think it had Earth-Shaping ¨C it certainly didn¡¯t show any indication that it did; wouldn¡¯t it have done so before it died if it could? So what, did it dig this place out itself? But a good portion of the holes seem to have been made in the stone of the mountainside. It was strong, but surely not that strong. Its legs would have worn away before the mountain did, I would have thought. Maybe it was some other creature which was either chased out by the danaris or had already abandoned the cave for whatever reason. At least, I hope they don¡¯t use this cave anymore ¨C for all I know, the danaris was in a constant war with some termite-like species that can chew through stone, but not through its web, and some of these webbed-off cells aren¡¯t cells at all but tunnels. Well, I¡¯m only really here for Fenrir anyway. If I can find him, that is ¨C the Bond tells me that he¡¯s nearby, but not exactly where he is. I don¡¯t want to just start opening up these cells willy-nilly. Not only might I potentially give entrance to the original occupants stone-chewing of the cave, but who knows what other creatures the danaris amassed to be part of its larder? Then I feel like hitting myself in the forehead. I have a far easier way of finding out information about the world around me. Inspect Environment. The pulse goes out of me in an expanding ring. For a few moments, I can see all the creatures hidden behind the webbing, the red glow outlining them visible even through it, just like the pylobuses had been visible even hidden underneath foliage. My eyebrows rise in surprise at just how many creatures are here. At least twenty, though it fades before I can count them all. Not, however, before I take note of the single creature who is not outlined in red, but in blue. Moving over to the ¡®door¡¯ of the cell, I once more employ the same method I used to cut my Bound out of the venom-laced webbing. Within a few moments, the ¡®door¡¯ is falling away, an ecstatic lizog almost bowling me over as he leaps at me, making hissing noises to express his happiness at seeing us again. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± I say through my laughter, the similarity once more to a typical Earth dog being happy when its master comes home impossible not to think about. ¡°We¡¯re here. Now can you let me up?¡± After all, sixty kilograms ¨C or more ¨C of solid muscle sitting on my chest is not the easiest thing to shift in the awkward position he has me. Sending a hint of apology across the Bond along with his gratitude, Fenrir leaps off me and goes to greet the rest of the pack. I push myself to my feet again, brushing off the dust which has coated my new armour. Seeing the patch of white webbing which I cut away to release Fenrir, I pick it up and finger it thoughtfully. It¡¯s not sticky, that¡¯s the first thing I notice. Actually, it¡¯s surprisingly soft. It¡¯s also pretty strong and thickly woven. Wrapping it around the exposed skin of my hand, I nod unconsciously. It¡¯s also quite warm. As a test, I send a bit more mana into it. The energy is absorbed relatively easily, the material clearly counting just as much as ¡®flesh¡¯ as the venom did earlier. A smile creeps over my face. I think I¡¯ve solved my undergarment situation. Heck, if I do this, I¡¯ll have armoured undies given how strong the material is! It¡¯ll also help with my issue of getting cold in the approaching winter. Honestly, I think this is the best find I¡¯ve made so far this week! Once Fenrir has finished expressing his happiness and gratitude to all the members of our pack ¨C even the raptorcat cubs, despite them not actually doing anything but being there ¨C I call him over. ¡°Let¡¯s get that thing out of you,¡± I tell him, pointing at an area in front of me as I settle down to the ground. I sense Bastet, River, and Hades communicating between each other about who should go on guard and where. Sirocco stayed outside anyway, not liking being confined indoors. Persephone and Lathani both settle near me, Persephone watching the other cells with watchful caution, Lathani watching me and Fenrir with curiosity. What are you going to do? she asks. ¡°He¡¯s got something from the danaris implanted in his flank,¡± I tell her, not sugar-coating it. ¡°An egg, or multiple, is my guess. We need to get it out before it hatches and starts eating him from the inside out.¡± The nunda cub recoils in disgust. It did that? Disgusting. Then she looks around at the number of cells and the creatures trapped behind them. Are they¡­? ¡°Yes.¡± All of them? ¡°Probably,¡± I shrug. ¡°Now, let me concentrate, please?¡± I request pointedly. She goes quiet immediately and turns her attention back to me. I close my eyes and sink into Light Meditation to help with my mana regeneration, then feed my mind into Fenrir¡¯s body. I¡¯d rather dedicate as much focus to this as I can ¨C I don¡¯t want to accidentally miss any of the parasites if there are multiple. The visibly bulging area in Fenrir¡¯s flank is still just as painful as when I¡¯d entered his mind earlier. Perhaps more: the wound has actually started getting infected. After all, the deposit the danaris had made in his flesh probably carried bacteria which got into his flesh. In addition, it¡¯s clearly not a part of his body, and he¡¯s been unconsciously trying to reject it, inadvertently worsening the situation. But it¡¯s OK ¨C it¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t heal with enough time and mana. He¡¯s alive ¨C the parasites haven¡¯t yet eaten anything important. As it is, there are multiple, but only three. Well, there were three. One has already hatched and cannibalistically consumed one of the others. It¡¯s interesting that it hasn¡¯t yet started trying to eat at Fenrir¡¯s body, preferring to consume its own egg case and the egg case and body of its sibling. The other egg contains a shifting hatchling, but it hasn¡¯t yet hatched. The baby danarises are ugly things, about the length of my index finger and more similar to fat larvae than the spider their parent was. Though I can see an element of similarity: the larva which has hatched shows a slight definition in its body shape which is reminiscent of its parent¡¯s three-part body. It also has ten small legs, but they are completely dwarfed in comparison to its bulbous abdomen. That it can move at all seems a miracle, but it clearly can. It has no resistance to my magic as I sweep through its body. At least, I sense that it attempts to, but its resistance is the equivalent of a person trying to hold back the sea with a bucket: useless. The one that hasn¡¯t hatched yet is even less aware and doesn¡¯t so much as attempt to resist. I sense that I could liquify their internal organs with even less effort than it would take me to heal a papercut. But would that be the right approach here? After all, although I have no desire to leave an enemy at my back, what if I could turn those enemies into friends? Or, not friends but Bound. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty: Potential Pay-off Perhaps not through Dominate, though. Not right now, at least. At the moment, the larvae are complete babies and I¡¯d feel bad about crushing their nascent Wills, since I doubt I¡¯d be able to negotiate with them. It might even do damage to their souls ¨C now that I know that the Battle of Wills is linked to the soul-space somehow, and am far more familiar with both arenas, I suspect that it¡¯s actually likely to happen if they put up any resistance. But I¡¯m not willing to keep around creatures such as these without some sort of Bond in place. Which leads me onto the next idea: using Tame instead. Honestly, I really haven¡¯t explored that Skill nearly enough considering how it¡¯s one of the two Skills I gained right at the beginning. I¡¯ve used Dominate so much it¡¯s got to Initiate level; Tame only passed into Novice rank recently when I Tamed Lathani. Perhaps this will help it catch up a bit with Dominate. However, I sense that first I ought to offer them some food ¨C and not my Bound who they will no doubt turn to eating once they¡¯ve fully finished consuming the eggs from which they hatched. Not to mention their unfortunate sibling. Getting them out is simple enough. Flaking away the skin to which the protective webbing is attached, the nasty incubation area in Fenrir¡¯s side is easily revealed. As I look at exactly what¡¯s been hidden beneath, I have to admit feeling pretty sick, and wondering whether I really do want to leave any of these larvae alive. After all, having fewer creatures which propagate in this way has got to be a good thing. Then again, as long as the larva is fed and protected, surely it doesn¡¯t have to eat meat which is still on a living creature. Well, I guess I¡¯ll find out. Based on the relatively small entrance wound and the way Fenrir¡¯s skin is bulging around the hatchlings, I have to guess that the danaris had had some sort of ovipositor, inserting its eggs into the flesh of its victim. I suppose it makes a sick sort of sense ¨C if the eggs only just fit in, they will be harder to get out, and more protected than a massive open wound besides. Not that that makes much difference for me. Gently pouring mana into the area, I expand the size of the wound, then start healing the damaged area so that the hatchlings are forced to and then through the hole by which they had entered. They fall on the ground with a wet sort of thud, immediately scrabbling at the ground and showing signs of distress. I¡¯m not surprised, but I¡¯m not particularly sympathetic either. Yes, they¡¯re relatively defenceless babies¡­but that¡¯s my lizog they were going to eat through. Taking a moment to pull another small carcass out of my Inventory, I create a little area around it with sticks pulled from my Inventory. Placing the larva and the unhatched egg in it ¨C at opposite sides of the area just in case the moving larva wants to continue its cannibalism ¨C I cover the area with my shirt. The reason I do that is because I suspect the environment might be a bit breezy for them; they¡¯re used to the protected environment of Fenrir¡¯s body, after all. That done, I turn my attention back to healing my sluggishly-bleeding Bound, sending a brief thought to my other Bound to keep an eye that the creatures don¡¯t escape. Continuing with the healing, I make sure to take extra care in pushing out any further foreign bodies ¨C whether bacterial or material ¨C and letting them drain with the blood. It doesn¡¯t take too long before Fenrir is healed as good as new, not even a scar showing any indication of what happened. It¡¯s taken a lot of mana ¨C of course ¨C but staying in Light Meditation has definitely helped me regain what I used more quickly. Fenrir is delighted to finally be free of the nagging pain in his side, and leaps at me again to express his joy. I can¡¯t resist stroking him and making a fuss of him too ¨C at times I was worried that I might lose him forever. Now that the most important task is done, I need to think about other matters: what to do in the immediate future. It¡¯s dark for one thing. Though heading back through the forest is possible, and may not even be too dangerous considering the group we have, it¡¯s certainly more risky than travelling in the light. The dark would hamper Sirocco and me in particular who don¡¯t have very good night-vision, for one thing. Even though the others have reasonable or good night-vision, none of them are primarily nocturnal creatures so it would still impact them. That would mean that we¡¯d have to slow down so as not to trip over roots and break ankles or legs. Honestly, it makes more sense to stay here until dawn and then travel back in the light, but I put the question to my Bound. The response is unanimous: stay here. Well, that makes the decision easy, I think with a little humour. I suppose it¡¯s not too surprising that they¡¯d agree on that: it was a tiring journey here, and then an exhausting fight with the danaris. Not to mention that several of them had been hunting before Fenrir was kidnapped anyway. They want their sleep; so do I, if I¡¯m honest. The next question, of course, is where to stay. Remaining inside the cavern should be the easy answer since here we¡¯d be protected from the elements and less likely to suffer from a surprise attack. The problem there is that it¡¯s not exactly quiet in here. And it stinks. The other webbed-off caves each have their own occupants, beings which are scared, in pain, and unhappy with their current accommodations. Trapped, with no occasion to leave for a toilet break, they¡¯ve no doubt defecated and urinated in their areas, from terror and agony if not need. It certainly smells like they have, and the evidence in Fenrir¡¯s erstwhile cell supports this theory. The stench is probably ignorable enough to sleep, if I could cold-heartedly block out the sounds of so many creatures¡¯ suffering, but there is another factor to consider. Although it¡¯s probably fairly unlikely, there¡¯s also the possibility that one or more could break out in the middle of the night. In such a case, they¡¯d be unlikely to recognise us as the ones who had killed their captor; instead, they¡¯re far more likely to just straight out attack us. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Of course, there¡¯s a simple solution to most of these issues, though not an easy one: release the creatures within and deal with the larvae. I should probably do it anyway: I have no desire for more danaris to be running around the forest, kidnapping other creatures and propagating further. At the very least, I need to kill the larvae inhabiting these other bodies and then redirect the victims so that they don¡¯t see us as easy prey and attack. Another possibility occurs to me ¨C I could just kill everything currently in this cave except for my Bound and the couple of larvae I wish to keep. It¡¯s probably the easiest solution, and offers the bonus of Energy for myself and whichever of my Bound help me kill them. After a moment of thought, I shake my head and dismiss that possibility. Well, relegate it to Plan B status. I have another idea. It¡¯s more risky, and will take much more of me than Plan B, but it also has much more potential pay-off. Plus, it¡¯s more humane and would give me less guilt to add to what I¡¯m already carrying. My inspiration comes from remembering how I saved Sirocco from the thornbush in the vine-strangler forest. Because of that, she wanted a Bond with me, and she¡¯s since proven to be an invaluable member of the team. Who¡¯s to say the same might not be true of these other creatures? Though I won¡¯t force it on them if they¡¯re not interested. Longingly, I imagine curling up with Bastet and River on something soft that I manage to cobble together from items in my Inventory. Or even some of that soft webbing¡­. No, I can sleep later, I tell myself firmly. This is an opportunity I¡¯d be a fool to miss. However, that means individually letting creatures out, healing them, feeding them, offering them a drink, and then offering them the chance to leave. Only if they choose to stay can I then offer them a Bond. I might exhaust myself healing only to find that none of them choose to stay to take the Bond. Or only a few. That¡¯s the risk I have to take, I decide. I¡¯d feel bad just condemning all the creatures to death, anyway ¨C they were as much victims of the danaris as Fenrir was. And releasing them with a gaping hole in their sides and probably foreign bodies from the hatchlings as well is basically just giving them a more distant death sentence. ¡°Alright, this is what I want us to do.¡± I start to outline the plan which I¡¯ve pulled together. It¡¯s not particularly complicated: the main factor of it is that I figure not everyone needs to be awake the whole time. I need help just in case one of them turns violent when I¡¯m not in a state to defend myself, or it turns out that one of the creatures is unexpectedly strong. But I don¡¯t think I need everyone hovering at all times. Heck, it might even work against me ¨C if the creature is convinced that it¡¯s about to be eaten, it¡¯s unlikely to take my healing well and might even turn violent in self-defence. We therefore work out who should be awake and when. For the first attempt we decide that everyone will remain awake, but only Bastet and River will be near me. Deciding to take a logical approach, I start near the entrance of the cave, picking the first webbed cell to the left. Trying to send soothing thoughts to the inhabitant who sounds agitated, I use my mana-coated finger to slice halfway around the webbed disk. ¡°It¡¯s OK, I¡¯m trying to help you,¡± I say soothingly, not expecting the creature within to understand my words, but hoping that the tone will communicate my meaning somehow. Pinching a little of the material between my index finger and thumb, I pull it back slowly. I¡¯m wary in case the creature shoots out some sort of attack, making sure that no part of me is directly in front of the now-open section of the cave. No clawed limb, or biting mouth, or venomous stinger emerges from the cell. I take that as a good sign. Once more coating my finger with mana and tracing it along the web, I dissolve the threads holding the ¡®door¡¯ shut. Bit by bit I pull the material back while murmuring soothing words until the creature inside is revealed. It¡¯s one of the reptilian deer-like creatures I¡¯ve seen before. It¡¯s terrified, pressing itself against the back of the cave which is barely big enough for it to stand. The entrance is a bit too small for it ¨C the danaris must have just shoved it straight in without much care. In fact, from what I see of the dried blood around the entrance to the cell, it probably has more injuries than just the expected one. ¡°It¡¯s OK, come forward, I just want to help you,¡± I say encouragingly. If ever it would be a good time for Animal Empathy to kick in and help me communicate, it would be now. While wary about potentially enraging it, I need to know more details about it.
Stio Tier 1 Beast Special abilities:None Health: 250u Mana: 100u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 15 Fleet of foot and agile, this herbivore usually travels in groups of between five and twenty individuals. Prey to anything that can catch them, few succeed in getting to any stage higher than Tier 1.
Close message? Y/N
Drawing back a little from the entrance to the smaller cave, I encourage Bastet and River to do the same. They do, though seem uneasy about it. I understand their caution, and even check with them that they don¡¯t have any specific reason to be worried. They don¡¯t ¨C they just would prefer to be closer to the potentially-violent beast. Not that I¡¯m too worried about this one ¨C herbivore and prey beast, both imply that there¡¯s not too much for me to fear. After confirming that this creature ¨C a stio ¨C is herbivorous, I pull out a few plants which I¡¯d been storing in my Inventory for my own consumption. Placing them in the entrance to the cell, I also pull out one of my pots of water and a pylobus shell. Filling the shell, I place it next to the plants. Patience is the next requirement, something I don¡¯t usually have much of. Fortunately for me, the deer is clearly thirsty as it doesn¡¯t take long for it to stick its head out of the hole and dip its pointed muzzle into the water. Shifting closer carefully, I keep murmuring soothing words, resorting to the kind of nonsense people often use with animals as I move. The deer is obviously aware and wary of my approach, but apart from a few flinches here and there, clearly considers the water more important than keeping away from me. When that bowl is empty, it skitters away, but when I refill it, it approaches again. This time, it¡¯s willing to tolerate me staying by the entrance to the cave. Frankly, either Animal Empathy is helping me, creatures in this world are generally less wary, or this deer is really desperate for water, as I was expecting it to take much longer than this. After it¡¯s had more than half the bowl again, it diverts to attacking the plants lying in the entrance, clearly starving. I gaze at the creature. This one is complicated by it being almost trapped by the shape and size of the entrance to its cell: I will have to hurt it more to get it out which would probably completely undo the progress I¡¯ve just made. While I¡¯m a bit doubtful about whether this creature will be a good fit for our group, I think I¡¯m going to need a Bond to get the stio out at all. I could just leave it to die, of course, but condemning it to die of dehydration just because I don¡¯t think it will be useful to me is more than I can justify to myself. So, offering a Tame Bond it is. I suppose I could always cut the Bond later if it proves to be useless to us. It said that the minimum Willpower stat required to Dominate the stio was fifteen points; I wonder whether that has any impact on Tame¡­? Well, perhaps I¡¯ll find out. Catching the deer¡¯s gaze, I invoke my Skill. ¡°Tame.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-One: More Than Tripled By the time dawn¡¯s light is peeking over the horizon, I¡¯ve gone past the point of exhausted and into almost delirious from tiredness. My brain feels wrung out, and an ache permeates the whole of my body. Even my Core is throbbing, the constant emptying and refilling putting it under strain. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve earned a new level of Masochist for my pains. Instead, I sense that I need to take it a bit easier on the casting magic front for the next few days or risk rupturing something. While I suspect that it would be either my Core or Energy channels which would be damaged, and know that I could repair them even if they were, I¡¯d rather not have to deal with it in the first place. Fortunately, I¡¯m done, or at least that¡¯s what I realise after I reach for the next webbed hole only to find myself grasping into the thin air of the cave entrance. I¡¯ve done the whole tour of the cave, returning back practically to where I started. My brain numb enough to barely be able to register this fact, I allow River to guide me to sit next to a little fire he set in the middle of the cavern. I¡¯m surrounded by shapes, some familiar, some less so. I feel a sharp pain somewhere inside, and a brief sense of loss. It takes my over-tired brain far too long to realise that it¡¯s the sensation of Lathani¡¯s Bond snapping. I have enough awareness to be relieved about that: however much it helped with the fight, however ¡®right¡¯ it felt to have her properly as one of us, it¡¯s really not worth enraging Kalanthia by having an active Bond when we return. More than she will probably already be, anyway. Sleep, master, River tells me firmly, a rumble in his throat. You have done everything necessary. You need to rest. I don¡¯t have enough energy to argue with him, dropping into a dreamless sleep before I even lie down. ***** When I wake, it¡¯s obviously been a number of hours. Not enough for me to be fully rested, but my mind actually feels like it might be able to work. I¡¯m also ravenous, so immediately pull out a bowl of thick stew as soon as I¡¯ve sat up. Drinking it hungrily by using a rough spoon I managed at some point to find some time to carve ¨C really no more than a slightly indented piece of wood ¨C I am single-minded in my focus until it¡¯s all gone. Thirst still continuing to annoy me, I next pull out my canteen and finish the water left in it. With all the animals drinking from my big pot, I¡¯m going to have to do some work to restock my supplies of drinking water. Or just take the risk that whatever parasites or diseases I could pick up from contaminated drinking water, I¡¯ll be able to deal with by using Flesh-Shaping. I still need to refill my containers, whichever choice I go with in the end. My thirst and hunger levels now satisfied for now, another basic need becomes uncomfortably obvious. I sidle out of the cave and find a spot to the side of it to do my business. Covering the smelliest parts with some earth I dig up with a stick, I return back to the cave. Pausing at the entrance, I have to take a moment to just absorb the sight. By the end of the night, I¡¯d been so exhausted that even with my higher Intelligence stats, I¡¯m unable to bring up any clear image of what the cavern looked like. Now, though, is a different story. My efforts were successful beyond what I¡¯d thought reasonably possible. Every single webbed cell is now open ¨C all twenty-seven of them ¨C and a good two thirds of the occupants have remained. If the sight inside of prey beast sitting warily beside predator isn¡¯t sufficient, the number of connections I now feel from my Core space is more than enough proof. In the course of a single night, my group of Bound has more than tripled. Of course, it¡¯s not as simple as that. Although I¡¯ll need to spend more time analysing each of the new Bonds independently, I know that they are not all designed for the long-term. Some, in fact, I sense will run out in the near future; I decide to put analysing those to the top of my list. I would love to say that I remember each and every one of the beasts as the unique individuals that they are¡­but I don¡¯t. Frankly, after the fourth, the rest started to blur as my exhaustion took over. Hopefully my sleep-deprived self didn¡¯t promise anything I shouldn¡¯t have. I also have the nagging sense of notifications informing me of some ¨C probably significant ¨C changes to my status sheet. About to open it, I¡¯m interrupted by Bastet. What are we doing now, pack leader? That¡¯s a very good question. A very good question indeed¡­. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Kalanthia may be worried about Lathani, but honestly I¡¯m not feeling all that keen to see her any time soon, knowing her reaction is likely to be poor. Even if in a sense it¡¯s at least partially her own fault for not keeping sufficient watch on Lathani despite knowing we were going after something that had managed to kidnap a lizog. However, I do need to get back to the cave ¨C there are still a number of preparations I need to make before we engage with the quest. And despite grumbling about Kalanthia¡¯s lack of surveillance of her cub, I know that she¡¯ll be worried, and don¡¯t want to force it to extend longer. But is it a good idea to go right now? I look up at the sky, estimating the time, then check my map to see how we are in comparison to home. It took us a good few hours to get here, and that was with all of us running flat out and me riding Hades most of the time. Not all of my new Bound are likely to be capable of either that speed or distance. Especially not with how poor a state most of them still are in. With as much time as I¡¯ve spent asleep, the sun is already past its zenith. Much as I dislike the idea of staying in that smelly cave longer than we need to, it might actually be the best option for us. We can then set out at dawn tomorrow and spend as much time during the day travelling. Actually, that¡¯s not a bad idea ¨C it gives everyone a day to rest and recover and offers me some time to get to know my new Bound. I¡¯d like to become familiar both with them and their Bonds, and to figure out how to integrate those who are going to be sticking around with our life. Hopefully Kalanthia won¡¯t mind us descending with such a large group of extra bodies. Well, if I survive seeing her again, anyway. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here for the day and night,¡± I answer Bastet, the cave going silent as I speak, every pair (or more) of eyes fixing on me. I feel a hint of unease at having so much focussed attention on my person, but power through it with the same kind of mask I used to use in the occasional big meeting at work where I was obliged to speak. ¡°I want to get to know all of you a little, and delaying until tomorrow will allow our slower and weaker members to make the journey back home within the day. As it is, I suspect we¡¯d be risking travelling through the dark if we left now.¡± What do you wish us to do, then? Bastet asks next, the rest seeming happy for her to speak for them. I hesitate. There are lots of things that need doing ¨C collection of food and water just at the top of the list ¨C but until I know what everyone is able to do, I can¡¯t correctly delegate. And until I know what exactly is in each of the Bond agreements, I¡¯m not willing to send off my most competent Bound as I can¡¯t be certain that my safety will be guaranteed. If they were all Dominate Bonds, I would be, but as they¡¯re Tame Bonds, it might be another question. ¡°For now, just rest and relax.¡± Then I wrinkle my nose as I look at the various piles of excrement both inside and outside the cells. ¡°Actually, if any of you can find a way of reducing the smell and making this cave a little more comfortable, that would be good. But we won¡¯t be staying here for long. Also,¡± I continue as a thought occurs, ¡°I¡¯d like all the pieces of white webbing put in a pile, please. But don¡¯t touch the web outside ¨C it¡¯s soaked with venom and I don¡¯t want to have to heal any of you.¡± More to the point, I don¡¯t think I should heal any of them because of the risk it poses to me. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know as and when there are other things to do.¡± Master, River interjects hesitantly. Many are still hungry and thirsty. The aid you offered helped, but they have been without for too long. You may recall that some were nearly dead of it when you opened their cages. That¡¯s unfortunately true. I think back to my vague memories of last night¡¯s marathon; Three of my new Bound were so weak that I thought them too far gone when I removed the web covering their cells. I tried anyway, and their flesh sucked in mana like a hungry sponge, the energy helping to make up for some of the damage that starvation and, more importantly, dehydration had caused. Invariably, these chose to take the Bond. In fact, there were only seven where the Bond was not successful. I recall that two of them were Tier two and had probably only recently been caught. Although they¡¯d accepted the food and water, they¡¯d rejected the healing as much as they could and had beat a retreat as quickly as possible. I¡¯m thankful that they were clearly not predatory ¨C probably the only reason the danaris managed to catch them ¨C as they didn¡¯t seem interested in a fight. I was only barely able to send a wave of Flesh-Shaping into the larvae in their wounds to kill them before the beasts vanished. Hopefully they won¡¯t get sepsis, but if they do then that¡¯s on them. Three of the others came out fighting, and of those we were only able to calm down one enough to heal it. Even then, it only allowed enough to remove the danaris larvae within its wound and to close the hole in its side before it took off. The other two, my Bound had needed to pin down so I could yank the larvae out with a ¡®knife¡¯ of Flesh-Shaping, and then release to scramble away. As for the final two, those were fortunately our only deaths, though I regret the necessity of losing any. They had been unreasonable and too powerful to pin. I think that the pain and perhaps knowing what was going on had driven them mad. I don¡¯t blame them, but at the same time, it was getting too risky for my Bound ¨C I wasn¡¯t willing to lose one of my companions for the sake of a creature which was unable to see when we were trying to help it. But that still leaves me with twenty new Bound, of which one in particular was a massive surprise ¨C I¡¯m keen to speak to him for sure! But River has a point. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s all go down to the closest water source. Sirocco, can you find that, please?¡± The bird sends me a wave of acceptance, then wings her way out of the cave ¨C apparently she overcame her dislike of being inside it at some point during the last few hours. ¡°We¡¯ll move together at the pace of the slowest member,¡± I tell everyone with a little sigh. Looks like I won¡¯t be able to check my notifications for a while. Unless¡­ I wonder, eyeing Hades. Was his willingness to carry me before contingent on it being the most efficient means of transport or battle? Only one way to find out. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Two: Quality Over Quantity As it turns out, Hades isn¡¯t too bothered by the idea of carrying me. Perhaps I have more hangups about it because of associating that sort of thing with horses and vehicles. He seems to be approaching it from the logical perspective of questioning whether it¡¯s important in some way and will improve the security of the group in general. Since my choosing to prioritise finding food and water over staying here to look at my notifications is arguably to help the group, he is willing to carry me. Before hopping on his back, I go around the cave and grab all the sections of web that were previously covering the mini-caves. Tucking half of them into my Inventory, I hook the other half into my belt: I want to see if there¡¯s a difference between them having been in my Inventory or not. I also take a moment to look at the collection of ugly larvae that I¡¯ve amassed through the night. With two or three in each creature, I¡¯ve managed to collect a total of thirty-three squirming creatures. My original ¡®cage¡¯ was nowhere near big enough; at some point during the night, one of my Bound ¨C probably River ¨C expanded it so that it¡¯s now an extended almost-ovoid, using the stone of the cave as one of its walls. The others are blocked off with sticks and chunks of wood. Did he ask me to give them to him? Perhaps ¨C the latter half of last night is enough of a blur that he could have danced naked in front of me and I probably wouldn¡¯t remember. Well, he¡¯s always technically naked¡­. Skinless, then, perhaps. Anyway, it¡¯s probably just as well that he changed the shape anyway: apparently the larvae are more than a little voracious and definitely cannibalistic. The carcass I put in originally is almost untouched, the larvae seeming to prefer killing and consuming their brethren over eating other meat. Or maybe it¡¯s because the carcass is lacking in Energy. Just in case that¡¯s the reason, I carefully direct a bit of my mana into the meat. Then I hesitate. I¡¯m about to leave to allow my Bound to eat and drink ¨C what should I do with all these larvae right now? ¡°River,¡± I say quietly and my Bound quickly appears beside me. ¡°How secure would you say this enclosure is?¡± He eyes it, then looks back at me. None of them succeeded in escaping during the night, the lizard-man informs me. They do not appear able to climb, falling back every time they tried. The only time any of them even came close to escaping was when I was reforming the cage ¨C I left a small gap which one managed to squeeze through. So I was right ¨C it was River who had expanded the cage. But good to know. ¡°So you think they will be safe enough if we leave them here for now?¡± As long as nothing investigates the cave while we are gone, he agrees. Then he eyes me again. Though I am unsure how many will remain if we leave them until dusk: they seem particularly keen on eating each other¡¯s flesh, he comments with a little distaste. I suppose that as cold as the lizard-folk¡¯s society seems, they don¡¯t actually actively encourage deadly competition within the society. Competition appears to be more about finding the best resources to give them access to better food, and killing each other doesn¡¯t appear to give them any sort of benefits. Not that River has said, anyway. ¡°True,¡± I agree, ¡°But that might be a good thing,¡± I say, putting words to the practical voice of reason inside me. River frowns. How, master? Do you not wish to Bond many of them? ¡°I¡¯d rather have quality over quantity,¡± I tell him. ¡°If only one remains when we return, that means that it is the best of them all at surviving. And so that means it might be more powerful later than a group of mediocre danaris would be.¡± But what if it dies later? I understand where River¡¯s coming from ¨C given his own species¡¯ rather lax approach when it comes to rearing his young, he¡¯s used to a very high mortality rate. There, quantity is definitely the most important factor. ¡°I hope it won¡¯t, and will do everything necessary to make sure it doesn¡¯t.¡± I shrug. ¡°Between being able to get meat for it and heal it if it¡¯s injured or sick, there should be a good chance of it surviving.¡± At least, I hope I can deal with sickness, but I figure that Flesh-Shaping should be able to, as long as I know enough about what I¡¯m doing. In the end River sends over the sense of a shrug. As you wish, master. Covering the cage with a couple of shirts, I take a moment just to check there are no holes the larvae could squeeze through, reinforcing a couple of places which look like they might shift if a larva tries to climb. Then, casting another glance around the cave, I head towards the entrance and hop on Hades¡¯ back. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s go,¡± I say, and our large cavalcade starts moving towards the forest line. Opening my message panel, I review the upgrade to Tame again: I had very quickly skimmed it before, but hadn¡¯t looked at it in detail. From the number of other new messages waiting for me, I¡¯ve got some other rank-ups to look forward to as well.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Beginner. Tame is now Novice 1. Due to your uses of this Skill, two new effects have been discovered. Effect 1: You have offered this Skill as a connection between equals, allowing its potential to become something closer than the original contract allowed for. Hereafter, the original terms of the contact can be modified without explicit agreement from both parties as long as both parties subconsciously agree to the change. Effect 2: You have taken inspiration from Dominate for the terms of a contract. Henceforth, as a modification of Effect 1, a Tame Bond can become a Companion Bond, following the same procedure as with a Dominate Bond.
Next message? Y/N
As I¡¯d thought at the time, neither of the new effects are particularly ground-breaking. They certainly aren¡¯t as impressive as the most recent update to Dominate which allowed my Bound to communicate with each other. But then I suppose that it¡¯s not too surprising: I¡¯d only created two Tame Bonds before this rank-up. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Still, it¡¯s good to know that I won¡¯t need to necessarily sit down and talk with my Bound to amend the terms of our contract. A bit worrying too ¨C I¡¯m much more comfortable with that approach. I guess that I¡¯ll need to check in regularly with my Bound just to see how things are going. Not that that¡¯s a bad thing to do anyway. It¡¯s also interesting for me to note that apparently it wasn¡¯t possible to convert a Tame Bond to a Companion Bond before. Though I suspect that if I¡¯d offered it to a Tamed Companion and they accepted it, it would have worked and this new effect would have immediately fallen into place ¨C the system seems quite demonstrative in nature. First I have to demonstrate that I can do something, or can at least start to do something, and then it acknowledges it. Except on these rank-ups where it sometimes offers me interesting changes to Skills which were not previously demonstrated. Opening the next message, it takes me a moment to realise exactly what it¡¯s saying. Then, as I register it fully, elation shoots through me with the pulse of my heart.
Congratulations! You have earned a new Skill: Fire-Shaping
Read Skill description? Y/N
Fire-Shaping By studying fire, you have become capable of transforming mana into fire magic, and have proved yourself capable of controlling and shaping this magic according to your Will. Henceforth, you will now be more easily able to summon fire at a thought and shape it. However, as you have also learned, fire has its own will and further practice will be required to fully master it.
Next message? Y/N
I finally got it! I cry mentally, only the fact that I¡¯m sitting on Hades¡¯ back stopping me from leaping and punching the air. After all that time trying to get it, I¡¯ve finally earned Fire-Shaping. Wondering why it suddenly happened now of all times, I read over the description again. This time around, I notice that it mentions both that I can ¡®summon fire at a thought¡¯ and ¡®shape it¡¯. Perhaps that¡¯s my explanation. After all, it was only just before we set off to rescue Fenrir that I worked out how to transform my mana into fire magic, burning my finger the first time I did it. While I was planning on practising with the fire after succeeding, I didn¡¯t have time before we left. Or at least, I chose to do other things with my time. It¡¯s only in this most recent battle when I started manipulating fire with my new understanding of fire-magic. So I guess it makes sense that Fire-Shaping would only have happened now. But now that I have earned it, I have much more hope that I will be able to gain more Shaping Skills. After all, this particular notification has given me something that is hopefully a good clue into what I need to do to demonstrate sufficient knowledge to the System for it to ease the rest of my efforts. First, I need to transform my magic into a different form. That¡¯s clearly stated in the description of Fire-Shaping, and I know it¡¯s true of Flesh-Shaping too. Lay-on-hands mentioned healing magic, and I¡¯ve noticed the difference between my normal mana and what I use when healing my Bound. I didn¡¯t have to work out how to ¡®transform¡¯ mana into flesh-shaping magic in the same way, but Lay-on-hands must have been a bit of a shortcut ¨C healing magic must be similar enough to make the jump easily. Perhaps if I¡¯d been given Fireball as a Skill I might have more quickly been able to leap to Fire-Shaping by observing and exploring the Skill. Second, I need to actually shape something with my new form of magic. Once again, for Fire-Shaping, it says that in the description. And for Flesh-Shaping, that¡¯s exactly what I did when I caused an aneurysm in the salamander¡¯s brain, triggering the choice between Flesh-Shaping and keeping Lay-on-hands. So for Earth-Shaping, I reckon that I¡¯ll need to first discover how earth magic is different from my mana, and then work out how to shape it. Simple, right? Probably not, but at least now I have somewhere to start. Resolving to test out this new Skill at a better time than just sitting on my Bound¡¯s back, I open the next message. This one is more expected, informing me that Animal Empathy has significantly increased in level. Frankly, considering the amount of ¡®communication¡¯ I had with so many different animals last night, I¡¯d have been more surprised if it hadn¡¯t ranked up.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Initiate. Animal Empathy is now Journeyman 1. As well as becoming more able to interpret the communicative cues of animals you observe, you have become able to mimic some of the cues yourself to convey a message. Note that not all physical communications will be possible to mimic; addition of mana into this Skill can help to compensate for some of your body¡¯s limitations. Non-physical communications can be attempted to be mimicked with mana. Success in mimicking communication cues is directly related to your familiarity with the object of your attempts.
Next message? Y/N
Yep, that Skill definitely got a real workout last night. Potentially useful, though, especially with trying to convince non-telepathic beings to consider a Tame Bond. Or not eat us. Hopefully familiarity with similar creatures will carry over to helping my attempts to communicate with a new being. And not mean that I accidentally insult it in the way it¡¯s so easy to do with foreign languages. Moving on, I see another rank-up message.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Beginner. Inspect Fauna is now Novice 1. Due to your uses of this Skill, two new effects have been discovered. Effect 1: Gain more information about how much Willpower is required to Dominate a being in its current state. More information may be offered which gives insight into what might convince the being to take the Bond. Chances of extra information being offered increase with the level of this Skill past Novice. Effect 2: You now have the option to send out a more subtle probe for information about a subject within your eyesight. This probe will stop pressing as soon as it detects that the creature is likely to become aware of its presence. This will therefore potentially return less information than the usual use, but has a much lower chance of alerting the target.
Next message? Y/N
Now this one is interesting ¨C more information about the Willpower required for its ¡®current¡¯ state? Is that linked to whether the creature is scared or trapped or something? And if so, is that because of the number of Bonds I made last night with creatures in poor conditions, probably with pretty low Willpower? Thinking about that makes me glad I didn¡¯t choose to use Dominate ¨C I¡¯d be feeling a bit guilty now if I had. As it is, though, I¡¯m just interested to see what it actually tells me in the moment. Knowing what the creature might want to be offered is useful too ¨C it could have increased my success rate with Bonds last night even further, or meant that I knew not to even try with the ones which had torn up Hades and River. I can imagine this being useful with the lizard-folk and, frankly, any time I consider Bonding a creature. I wonder whether it will say whether Tame or Dominate is the best choice, or if that decision is still left up to me. The second effect is also pretty interesting. The chance to send out a subtle probe which has a low probability of alerting the target? Useful! Especially once we descend into the valley and potentially encounter creatures which would be potentially dangerous to draw the attention of. Of course, I do note the fact that it says ¡®lower chance¡¯, not ¡®no chance¡¯. It doesn¡¯t say which stats affect the probability of the probe being detected, but I suspect that it¡¯s probably more to do with a comparison between my stats and those of my target. If my target outclasses me too much in stats, probably either Wisdom or Willpower ¨C or both ¨C then the chance of being detected is likely to be much higher. But either way, it¡¯s a good new effect. Incidentally, having now had three Class Skills rank up, I¡¯m starting to wonder whether having two new effects is standard, or more reflective of the diverse uses I¡¯ve been putting my Skills to. The final message is a bit of a surprise: Tame has ranked up again! Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Three: Delegation Is Key Then again, perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be too astonished ¨C I have just Tamed about twenty different creatures in a single night. If two Bonds got me to Novice, maybe I should instead be shocked that twenty new Bonds didn¡¯t shoot me all the way to the peak of Journeyman.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Novice. Tame is now Initiate 1. Due to your uses of this Skill, two new effects have been discovered. Effect 1: Quantity is its own version of quality. However, to gain the full benefit of this, delegation is key. You can now nominate ¡®Managers¡¯ of teams of up to five additional individuals. The Managers will have a more limited version of your control over the Bonds. Note that no control will be accessible by your Managers which has not already been ceded to you. Due to your diverse type of Bonds, and the fact that the division between Tame Bonds and Dominate Bonds is not always clear, Managers can be either Tamed or Dominated beings, and are not limited to control only over others of the same type of Bond. Effect 2: You have made the choice of diversity over homogeneity. You have more than twenty-five Bound and no more than two of the same type. As a result, you have a choice to make: - Group special abilities: once per day, per Bound, each of your Bound can use an ability from any other of your Bound. - Individual enhancement: once per day, per Bound, you can ¡®borrow¡¯ an ability from any of your Bound.
Which ability would you like to choose? Group special abilities / Individual enhancement
This is new. This is the first time I¡¯ve had to make a decision on a rank-up message. And it¡¯s a hard one. From what I gather, the first option would allow each of my Bound, once per day, to copy a special ability from another of my Bound. I have to guess that the kiinas¡¯ airblades and Bastet¡¯s fire-breath would be the main candidates here, though from my vague memories from last night, I think that two of my other new Bound have special abilities too. That could be pretty powerful: imagine all of my Bound sending an airblade at the same time and overwhelming an enemy. Or half sending an airblade, and the other half setting fire to them with fire-breath. Really, that¡¯s definitely a way of turning quantity into quality, as the first effect talked about. On the other hand, giving myself the ability to borrow abilities would be pretty awesome. Right now, it¡¯s more limited than the group option: I would only be able to ¡®borrow¡¯ an airblade twice and fire-breath once. And whatever my other new Bound have once too. But this could turn me into a really badass beast ¨C once per day. I briefly bask in dreams of pouring out attacks like some sort of magical gun turret, in the future when I potentially have access to attacks of every element and not just one. But after a moment, I shake my head and push it away. It might be cool, but I mustn¡¯t make my decision based on ¡®cool-factor¡¯. No, there¡¯s a more important element to take into consideration: resources. Both the kiinas¡¯ airblade, and Bastet¡¯s fire-breath use mana. The airblades are relatively economical in mana-use ¨C they only seem to take ten units or so. The fire-breath, on the other hand, is rather heavy on its mana consumption, generally taking seventy or more units of mana at a time. Although I need to check out the stats for all my new Tamed Bound, of my core group, only Bastet, River, and the two kiinas had the mana pool to even pull off a single fire-breath. However, they could have each pulled off an air-blade. So, unless borrowing the ability is ¡®free¡¯ ¨C which I seriously doubt ¨C then clearly there are other considerations than just the once per day limitation there. At the same time, although my mana pool is significantly better than any of those of my Bound, what if in the future several more develop abilities more along the lines of Bastet¡¯s mana-consuming one than the kiinas¡¯ relatively economical one? In that situation, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to take full benefit from having access to the full pool of my Bound¡¯s abilities. There¡¯s also another factor to take into account: replicability. With sufficient study, could I succeed in replicating the attacks of my Bound all on my own? I¡¯ve so recently gained Fire-shaping, though haven''t really fully got to grips with it yet. When I have, what if I could learn to do a type of fire-breath by myself? Or even not have to rely on it being a breath attack ¨C what if I could make jets of fire come out of my palms like a flame-thrower? Could I learn to create a wind attack of my own? Honestly, given what I¡¯ve learned to do so far, I suspect that I¡¯m far more likely to learn to create an attack which is at least similar to what my Bound are capable of than all my Bound are to be able to do the same. Plus, another thought. What if, by essentially having access to mana abilities before reaching Tier two, my Bound are therefore more likely to develop mana abilities? It¡¯s an exciting thought. Though it does bring up another question: what if abilities can only be shared within the tier? I frown at the text hanging in front of my eyes. It is stubbornly silent, not giving any indication whether my sudden fear might be true or not. Well, it doesn''t say that there¡¯s a limitation like that, I think to myself. It talks about once per day, per Bound. Should I take the risk? Because, honestly, I think I¡¯m leaning more towards group empowerment than personal empowerment. If I¡¯m trapped, or out of mana, or needing to keep my mana for all the other magical things I¡¯m able to do, then I¡¯ve essentially wasted this choice. Just like the first effect mentioned, delegation is important. As the most recent battle and then subsequent night proved, I have enough uses for my mana at the moment. Unless I double or triple my mana pool, I¡¯m unlikely to have much spare mana floating around in times of crisis. Certainly not enough to become a magical gun turret. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. So, just as the first effect is linked to improving the group, I think the second effect should be too. I haven¡¯t even properly considered the first effect, so caught up in trying to make my choice for the second. The ability to raise some of my Bound to the position of ¡®manager¡¯ both excites and frustrates me. I was wondering how the hell I was going to be able to properly direct so many Bound, but this is an easy solution. But it is frustrating that even in a world which never knew humans before me, I can¡¯t get away from corporate hierarchy. At least this time, I¡¯m at the top! Though it is interesting that I can essentially grant a certain amount of power over the Bonds to my ¡®Managers¡¯. I already know that Bastet and River will be my first candidates, but will have to spend some time considering who the others will be, and who I¡¯m going to assign to them. Suddenly, I become glad for all my experience in HR. I wouldn¡¯t have any clue where to start otherwise. But as it is, I know: draw up a job description of what I¡¯m looking for, then create profiles of all the candidates, both for Manager roles and for their teams. Strangely excited to get started, I choose ¡®Group special abilities¡¯, confirm ¡®yes¡¯ when it asks whether I¡¯m sure, then close the window. We¡¯re travelling through the forest. When I check my map briefly, I see that we¡¯re heading away from the cave, into an area which has no detail on my map. I realise that we¡¯re following a combination of Sirocco¡¯s scouting and Fenrir¡¯s nose by observing the cavalcade for a bit. Hades is travelling beside Persephone, right in the middle of the group, the safest position, I guess. Probably a good idea with me focussing so much on my notifications. Seeing that we¡¯re still travelling, I decide to quickly look at my status screen ¨C there have been enough changes to it that I want to actually see them.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 13 Energy to next level: 48% Energy absorption rate: 46u/hr Energy towards debt: 84% (248)
Intelligence 36+1 (+5%) Mana: 555/555 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 43+10 (+25%) Health regeneration rate: 53u/hr
Constitution 22 Health: 330/330 (15u/CP)
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 2 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Initiate 1 Fade ¨C Initiate 3 Inspect Fauna ¨C Novice 4 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Taming ¨C Beginner 3 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 9 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 1 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 4 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 1 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 7 Spearmanship ¨C Beginner 9 Archery ¨C Beginner 7 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 1 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 5 Fire-Shaping ¨C Beginner 3
In addition to the rank-ups, Flesh-Shaping went up one whole level ¨C though I suppose that I should be grateful it did that much, sitting in Journeyman as it is ¨C and so did Short Blades. That one probably only because I did something different with my knife ¨C poisoning it first. I did get a nice chunk of Energy, either from the danaris or from Taming so many creatures. Honestly, I¡¯m still not entirely sure if I do get Energy from that. I seem to get some with Dominate, but with Tame? I haven¡¯t noticed, but I¡¯ve generally been more focussed on other things each time. With Sirocco, it was the vine-strangler forest. With Lathani, it was saving Fenrir. With all these others, it was more about getting through the whole lot so we could sleep in safety and peace. Perhaps one day I¡¯ll be able to definitively answer the question, but it¡¯s not today. Seeing as we¡¯re still travelling, I pull one of the bits of spiderweb off my belt. Once more fingering it, I try to identify its texture. Somewhere between wool and silk, I decide in the end. It¡¯s warm, far warmer than silk, but it¡¯s not nearly as scratchy as wool. This will be perfect for clothes, I decide. Pulling one of the pieces from my Inventory, I close my eyes and compare them. Surprisingly, there¡¯s not much difference. Both accept my mana and take about half my mana pool for a piece I¡¯d estimate as about half a metre squared, more or less. The one which was in my Inventory takes a little bit more mana, perhaps three hundred and fifty where the other takes a little less than three hundred, but it¡¯s not a big difference. Certainly not if I compare to what saturating carcasses is like. Does that mean the danaris didn¡¯t expend much Energy when creating this? Or because it¡¯s a product rather than an implicit part, it¡¯s less saturated anyway? Or perhaps it¡¯s because it¡¯s been sitting around for days ¨C maybe it did have more Energy in but lost it over time? Though in that case I would expect there to be differences between the pieces which I haven¡¯t put in my Inventory. Once the pieces are saturated with mana, I test my control over them. To my glee, I discover that I can basically do the same thing with this material as with hide ¨C I can change the shape easily. If it remains the same area, it takes precious little mana to change, but I can also expand it with extra investment of mana. I test the material with some weapons too, as much as I can while riding on Hades. While I doubt it will have much effect on blunt damage since it has no rigidity to it ¨C which is part of its attraction ¨C I discover that it does have some potential as armour. My flint arrowheads battle to pierce it, though they would probably have more luck when travelling at speed, and my wooden spear fares even worse. My knife does manage to cut it, but I have to put some effort into doing so. Clearly this material isn¡¯t as strong as earth spiders¡¯ web would be scaled up, but it¡¯s far better than I could achieve with plant fibre, and much more flexible than equally armoured hide would ever be. And if it has the same effect as silk does on projectiles, this is definitely a good find. Tucking the patches of web into my Inventory, I resolve to create some clothes for myself at the first possible opportunity. Now, onto more important matters: a job description for a Manager. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Four: Just Appreciation…Perhaps Friendship Opening my notes panel, I start the process which is still all too familiar to me, despite my time in this survival forest. It seems like you can take the human out of Human Resources, but you can¡¯t take the Human Resources out of the human. At least this time I won¡¯t be squeezed from both sides ¨C feeling the directors breathe down my neck via my manager to offer as little as possible at the same time as the candidate is pushing to get as much as possible. Knowing that I¡¯m going to have to find a compromise which risks satisfying neither party, and that this could cause the candidate to go elsewhere, or my manager to override me and offer something which is likely to be a slap in the face to the person I¡¯ve been in contact with which they¡¯ll probably blame on me¡­. No, this time, I¡¯m the director and the balancing act is going to be different, though perhaps just as delicate in its own way. By the time we reach the river, all the erstwhile prisoners drinking thirstily at the clear water, I think I¡¯ve jotted down a few important points. But those can wait until the immediate tasks are done. I hop off Hades¡¯ back, thanking him for carrying me. Giving him a little stroke down the neck, he leans into the touch for a moment before rearing back, giving me another suspicious look, just like he did when I did the same to Persephone. Am I doing the kiina equivalent of flirting, or something? ¡°I¡¯m just trying to express my appreciation,¡± I tell him. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, say, and I¡¯ll stop.¡± He seems to consider the question warily for a moment. Just appreciation? Nothing else? ¡°Just appreciation,¡± I assure him. ¡°Perhaps friendship.¡± And for my mate? he demands. ¡°The same.¡± I¡¯m pretty sure I was right with my suspicions ¨C this is some form of kiina courtship. Then I will allow it, he tells me loftily, pressing his neck to my shoulder insistently. I hold my laugh inside, lifting my hand to stroke at his smoothly scaled neck ¨C as long as I stroke downwards, anyway. Ah well, even if it is a form of flirting, he seems to like it well enough. After a few moments of just enjoying a little time together, I move away. ¡°River, will you come with me?¡± I ask. The lizard-man immediately moves away from the new Bound he¡¯s been standing next to, walking quickly over to me. Where are we going, master? he asks curiously. ¡°Just a little upriver so I can collect some uncontaminated water.¡± He tips up his chin briefly in response and we walk away together in companionable silence. While we don¡¯t go far, I do make sure the sight lines are a little obscured between us and the main group. For good reason ¨C I don¡¯t want our conversation to be detectable by the others. One other in particular. ¡°One of your village?¡± I ask as soon as I think we¡¯re far enough away, dipping my water containers into the stream. Deciding to just risk it, I drink thirstily straight from one of the pots. The clear, hopefully-uncontaminated water tastes delicious, better than my boiled and cooled versions for sure. Yes, River responds a little cautiously to my question. One of the Unevolved. ¡°How was he taken?¡± I ask. ¡°We¡¯re pretty far from your village, aren¡¯t we?¡± I pull my map up to check. Sure enough, although we¡¯ve headed vaguely in the direction of River¡¯s village, we¡¯re much higher up the mountainside than them. It¡¯s like a triangle, where if the distance between Kalanthia¡¯s cave and the village is the hypotenuse, where we are is the point of the third angle. Not a right angle, but not far off from it. Catches-leaves has never been known for his navigation skills. He used to even get lost in our village when he was a hatchling. He is a year younger than I am, and frankly, the fact that he survived to adulthood has always been a bit of a mystery. To my knowledge, he¡¯s disappeared three times, only eventually making it back to the village, rail-thin and on his last legs. But always with something that was enough to allow him access to the communal carcass. River pauses, looking and feeling contemplative. I sometimes wondered whether he should have been called Last-chance-lucky instead of Catches-leaves. It certainly would be more apt. ¡°So you don¡¯t think that it¡¯s an indication that the Path-walkers have sent out a hunting party for us?¡± I check with him. That, actually, had been the first thing I¡¯d been concerned about when I¡¯d had the time to think about the implications of a lizard-kin being caught by the same creature which had also come close enough to Kalanthia¡¯s territory to catch Fenrir. While it could be explained by the danaris ranging widely, this area is pretty much as far from the lizard-folk¡¯s village as we were near Kalanthia¡¯s cave. River hesitates. Catches-leaves would never be chosen to be part of such a hunting party, he answers. ¡°But¡­?¡± I prompt, hearing it unspoken in his voice. But I suspect that there likely is one, nonetheless, he continues reluctantly. They would have had to search for our tracks after going around the Forest of Death, and I doubt that the Shaman would have been part of the hunting group, so the ones which were following us probably returned to the village before sending out another party. But I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they¡¯re in the area. ¡°Won¡¯t they know that we¡¯re with Kalanthia?¡± I ask, a little surprised. Not necessarily, he answers. Just because we took Lathani does not mean that we are in league with the Great Predator. It will no doubt have occurred to them, but they will be reluctant to trespass on the Great Predator¡¯s territory without proof. Especially now they know that she will be on the alert. Too many were killed in the first expedition; the village can¡¯t afford to lose the same number, let alone even more. No, I think that they will try to find and then follow our tracks, hoping that we are not connected to the Great Predator and that they will be able to pursue the village¡¯s justice without invoking her wrath. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Eyeing the number of creatures around me now, I grin a little sardonically at River. ¡°They think we¡¯re an easy target, huh?¡± I ask with more than a hint of irony. He seems almost apologetic on behalf of his village. They do not have all the information. ¡°No kidding,¡± I mutter in response, returning to filling my containers. Then, glancing back up at River, I ask another question. ¡°Does Catches-leaves not know?¡± River does his equivalent of a shrug. He is not the most observant. Nor is he involved in any sort of decision-making, being at the bottom of the hierarchy. I asked, but he couldn''t seem to say for sure whether there were more or fewer Warriors around. The Shaman was there before he was captured, though ¨C as was the Herbalist. They are rather¡­unmissable. ¡°So we¡¯d better assume that they are hunting us,¡± I sigh. Hopefully Kalanthia will be keeping more of an eye out this time ¨C I seriously don¡¯t want to return to find that she¡¯s been brought near death again. Or worse ¨C killed. Even if that would let me off the hook when it comes to Lathani. Master, I have a suggestion, River breaks into my thoughts. I send a wave of expectation through the Bond, prompting him to continue. I think you should Dominate Catches-leaves. Alright, that wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. ¡°Why?¡± I ask, surprised. He¡¯s feeling very anxious. ¡°About the Bond?¡± River sends a sense that it¡¯s kind-of-but-not that. He¡¯s always followed the rules of the Path-walkers. Even when he was starving in the wilderness. He was always terrified that he wouldn¡¯t have a home to come back to, that he would be banished from the village if he ate something. ¡°Even if there was no way of them knowing?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, taken aback by just how strict the rules of the lizard-folk seemed to be. If he¡¯d disappeared for a week and come back looking as well as when he¡¯d left, they¡¯d have known he¡¯d eaten something, River points out. OK, fair. ¡°He¡¯s eaten something now, though, right?¡± I check ¨C though my memories really aren¡¯t clear, I¡¯m pretty sure that he was one of the emaciated ones. He did last night ¨C he was too starved to resist. That¡¯s why he¡¯s anxious. But he¡¯s refusing to eat now, and he really needs the sustenance. I blink, trying to make the right connections to understand what River¡¯s getting at without saying directly, and how that relates to him suggesting that I Dominate a creature who¡¯s already taken a Tame Bond. ¡°So,¡± I start slowly, ¡°you think I should Dominate him so I can force him to eat? I don¡¯t want to do that,¡± I tell River firmly. Shouldn¡¯t that be Catches-leaves¡¯ choice? Yes, but not entirely. Catches-leaves isn¡¯t convinced that we have the strength to offer him what he¡¯s used to with the village. That we don¡¯t have the protection, or the healing. He doesn¡¯t realise how much better it is with you. While it¡¯s nice to hear River¡¯s enthusiasm, I¡¯m still not convinced that this is the best option. ¡°Can¡¯t we just show him what it¡¯s like?¡± Master, please, River pleads. Catches-leaves will die if he doesn¡¯t eat. And he won¡¯t eat until he realises that you are a stronger, kinder leader than the council of Path-walkers. For him, he¡¯s offered to serve you temporarily in gratitude for releasing him, but he would be much better off if he served you in perpetuity; like I do. That¡¯s part of what¡¯s worrying me: I still don¡¯t know River¡¯s true feelings on the subject. What if his argument is being motivated by his own sense of Bond-induced loyalty to me? ¡°I don¡¯t see why I need to force it,¡± I tell River firmly. ¡°Surely he will eat when he gets hungry enough? Like he did when we released him from the danaris¡¯ clutches.¡± The lizardman seems unexpectedly frustrated by my continued reticence. ¡°River, why are you being so emphatic about this?¡± He paces for a little in silence, then stops and turns to me. I do not know what others of your kind are like, but from what I have seen, you operate differently from us. For us, strength is paramount. If it came down to it, the Unevolved could slaughter the hatchlings with some difficulty depending on their age, but then be slaughtered just as easily by the Warriors. While it is not so clear cut between the Warriors and the Path-walkers, past battles have proved that the Path-walkers will win against the Warriors far more often than they lose. ¡°How does that relate to the topic in hand, though?¡± I protest. River sends me a look which brings me up short ¨C I¡¯ve never seen him look quite so reproving. I let him speak. Catches-leaves does not know your strength. We killed the danaris, but that was not you, that was us. He needs to know that you are powerful enough to command his permanent service ¨C not just his temporary service, offered out of gratitude. Only then will he adapt to being able to eat as we do. Without that, he will serve quietly at the periphery before disappearing back to the village ¨C except by that point, he will be dead or almost so. I digest the information in silence. I think I understand, as much as I dislike the idea. And it kind of makes sense: he needs to know that if it came down to a clash between me and the Path-walkers ¨C which it probably will ¨C that I would come out victorious. This is going to be a repeated theme with the lizard-folk, isn¡¯t it? Their society is based on strength, so of course any new leader needs to prove that they have the strength to overcome the old. Maybe this is what River¡¯s been trying to tell me all along. Though I do wonder exactly what¡¯s driving River right now. Is it just because Catches-leaves is another lizard-kin or is this some sort of psychological tactic to make himself feel better? Like being Bonded to me is justified if I can convince others of his kind to do so? Perhaps I¡¯m reading too much into this. Ultimately, if Catches-leaves isn¡¯t going to eat during the whole of his time in the Tame Bond, something needs to be done. ¡°OK, thanks for the information,¡± I say, standing up. All my water containers are now filled, and I¡¯ve got the answers I needed, even if they aren¡¯t exactly what I want. Returning to the group, I pull a number of carcasses out of my Inventory. I¡¯m running pretty low ¨C we¡¯ll need to do some serious hunting soon ¨C but this should be enough for now, even with as many mouths to feed as there are. ¡°Alright everyone, listen up,¡± I say, once more quailing a little inside as every single eye comes to rest on me. Except for the two who have eyes pointing both forwards and backwards, that is. ¡°If you prefer to eat meat, come and help yourself to the carcasses here. No arguing ¨C share and share alike, please. Any arguing or attempts to attack another Bound will mean that you are required to step to the side and won¡¯t be able to eat until everyone else has finished,¡± I warn. Even the Bond I have with them doesn¡¯t allow me to directly order them to step aside, there¡¯s always good old-fashioned physical force. Though I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that. ¡°If you prefer to eat plants or insects, feel free to forage around the area. Please don¡¯t go far, though, and make sure to send an alert down the Bond and run back here if you detect any danger.¡± They are all still looking at me. ¡°OK, then, go ahead?¡± I finish, more questioningly than I intended to be. Still, it seems to have had the right effect: about sixteen creatures ¨C including Lathani and the cubs ¨C move towards the carcasses I¡¯ve set at small distances apart. Another seven shift towards different areas. Some start grazing the bushes, others the plants poking out of the leaf-litter floor-covering. One starts rooting through the leaves itself, reminding me of my very first Bound. It¡¯s not a porcupig, but apparently has similar eating habits. One is conspicuous as he stays apart from all the others, not starting in on a carcass or hunting for food in the undergrowth. I guess that makes my next move obvious. Starting with Catches-leaves it is. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Five: How Far Can You See? The new lizard-man is standing next to a tree, longingly looking at the mix of creatures clustered around the carcasses, his nostrils flaring as they catch the scent of the food. Those surrounding the bodies are already devouring the available meat ¨C a flock of locusts wouldn¡¯t have any more effect on a field of crops than these ravenous creatures seem capable of. ¡°We¡¯re really going to have to go hunting,¡± I murmur to myself. And although I have the vague idea that not all the Bonds I have are permanent or even of particularly long duration, feeding them for as long as they are Bound to me is going to be a challenge. Then again, more mouths hopefully mean more bodies to actually do the hunting in the first place. Putting that issue to the back of my mind, I walk over to Catches-leaves. Speaking of short Bonds, his definitely is ¨C he¡¯s only offered me seven days, but has offered to obey me in everything within those days, as long as it does not put him up against his village. Not remembering exactly what my Inspect Fauna told me about him, I do it again, from a few paces away.
Samuran: Catches-leaves Tier 1 Beast (unevolved) Special abilities: Stealth Health: 720u Mana:110u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 25 (10) Bound (Tame - 7 days) of Markus Luke Wolfe. Most commonly used weapon is a club, though this Beast is capable of using claws and teeth when required. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds.
Close message? Y/N
Samuran, eh? That¡¯s different from what River¡¯s information had said. Is it because of the different Bond? Because I used Dominate with River, did that somehow allow me to ¡®change¡¯ his species to the name I was using? And it¡¯s a different name from what Kalanthia uses too, which sort of answers that question too. It¡¯s interesting that Catches-leaves already apparently has some sort of special ability ¨C stealth. So it is possible to have abilities at Tier one? And I guess we have some of the answer as to how he¡¯s survived this long ¨C he¡¯s a sneaky little bastard, apparently. He¡¯s also got lower health but higher mana than River. The Willpower required to Dominate is the same, though, and easily manageable. If I go down that route, anyway. Is the ten in brackets a reflection of his current state? I guess it must be ¨C I suppose it makes sense considering we¡¯re already Bonded and he¡¯s literally starving. Otherwise, the description at the end is much the same, though apparently Catches-leaves is more prone to using a club than a spear. I suppose it makes sense ¨C he seems to be much lower on the hierarchy ladder than River, so I guess a Path-walker wouldn¡¯t make him tools to use. A club is much more easily found in nature, though he could make his own spear, if he chose. However, those are thoughts for later, if at all given how short the Bond is. Closing the message, I start moving closer to Catches-leaves again. He startles as I crack a twig near him, flinching into a crouch, his mouth opens slightly to bare his teeth. ¡°It¡¯s OK,¡± I say to him, noting his gaze snapping towards me. I frown as I look at his eyes. Is it just me or are they unfocussed? ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± Catches-leaves pushes himself back up to stand, his body language still wary, his crest roiling with orange and red. I wait for him to say something, but he remains silent. ¡°Alright then,¡± I say softly to myself, then clear my throat awkwardly. ¡°River¡­Runs-with-the-River, that is, said that you¡¯re not willing to eat.¡± Not permitted, he replies, the mental communication far more closed-off than River¡¯s has ever been. Probably because after touching souls in the Battle of Wills, holding emotion back seems a little pointless. ¡°It is permitted,¡± I argue, wondering how he will respond. ¡°That¡¯s why the carcasses are out there.¡± Not permitted. The Pathwalkers would be angry. This time, a little emotion slips through Catches-leaves¡¯ tight control. I¡¯m briefly hit by a moment of bone-deep hunger and desperation to eat. It seems like River¡¯s assessment of the situation has been spot-on so far. Not that I¡¯d expect any different in this case. ¡°But we¡¯re currently in a Bond,¡± I point out. ¡°And I say it¡¯s fine.¡± Catches-leaves looks away. Temporary Bond, he replies after a moment. ¡°Only because you wanted it to be,¡± I remind him. If I had to guess, based on River¡¯s words just now, the short duration is because he doesn¡¯t think he can last much longer than that without food. Frankly, I¡¯m not sure whether he can even last that long, but I guess he knows his own limits better than I do. ¡°I would be willing to offer a longer-term Bond; then you could eat as much as you like.¡± I gesture at River. ¡°Does he look half-starved to you?¡± Another bit of emotion slips through the blockage, an instant of longing. Then it¡¯s shut away like it never existed. Catches-leaves slumps and turns back to me. The Pathwalkers hunt you. You are prey. Runs-with-the-River is already doomed; I do not wish to be included. I agreed to a temporary Bond only in gratitude for freeing me. For what little my service might be worth. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m meant to hear the last ¨C it¡¯s quiet and even the changing colour of his spikes is subtle. ¡°The Pathwalkers will be the ones who regret facing me at the end of this,¡± I tell him, meaning every word of it. The more I¡¯ve learned about the way they run things, the more I want to interfere. Even if I didn¡¯t have to deal with the samurans¡¯ village to keep them safe from Kalanthia, I¡¯d probably end up doing so anyway. He doesn¡¯t look convinced, though. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He glances at me again, and once more I frown. I¡¯m sure of it ¨C his eyes aren¡¯t focussing on me. I have seen no proof that you have the might to face even one of our Pathwalkers, he tells me earnestly, but I¡¯m only half-listening. ¡°Catches-leaves, how far can you see?¡± I ask abruptly. The lizard-man hesitates. My¡­I can see. Catches-leaves replies, but with so much defensiveness that I become almost convinced of what I¡¯d already suspected. Moving slowly, I bring my hand up to almost cover his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to move my hand away. Tell me when it starts getting blurry or you can¡¯t see it anymore.¡± As you wish, he consents reluctantly. As I¡¯d said, I start moving. I¡¯m barely past the end of his snout when he interrupts me. It is blurry. ¡°OK, well done,¡± I tell him. ¡°Now I¡¯m going to keep moving. Tell me when you cannot identify what the object is at all.¡± I keep moving slowly but steadily further away. I cannot see it anymore, Catches-leaves says when I¡¯m only three paces away from him. He sounds miserable. I¡¯m not surprised. For him, no doubt this is what he would consider to be his greatest weakness. If the Pathwalkers knew about it, would they turn him out automatically? Or would they allow him to continue living in the village as long as he continues providing? Though how he¡¯s able to hunt ¨C or survive ¨C in the forest when he would probably be considered legally blind, I don¡¯t know. Maybe that¡¯s how he got an ability while still Unevolved ¨C he had to learn it to survive. I¡¯m abruptly filled with admiration: I know how daunting it felt to consider life with only one eye before ¨C and that was with good vision in that eye. To live for over two years in this dangerous environment with such limited sight is something else. However, thinking about my own eyes brings up another possibility. I turn and beckon my other lizard-kin Bound. ¡°River, come over here, would you?¡± The lizard-man comes easily at my call, stopping just short of me and eyeing Catches-leaves quizzically. Master, I thought you were going to use Dominate on him? he asks, and I sense that it¡¯s a private communication between us. I never said I would ¨C I wanted to get more of an idea of the situation. River¡¯s tail shifts restlessly, clearly not pleased. But that¡¯s not why I called him over. ¡°Catches-leaves has very weak eyesight,¡± I say bluntly. The samuran in question stiffens as I reveal his weakness so easily, even as River stills. ¡°I¡¯d like to compare your eyes, see if I can fix his.¡± For a moment, it¡¯s almost like the world holds its breath. Then it turns out that it¡¯s not the world; it¡¯s just Catches-leaves doing that. You think you could help me? he asks hesitantly, letting out an explosive breath. It¡¯s almost like he fears that even voicing ¨C well, his version of it ¨C the possibility might mean that it doesn¡¯t work. ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± I tell him, ¡°though not guaranteed.¡± I don¡¯t want to raise his hopes too much: I don¡¯t even know what the issue is. But¡­I¡¯m actually pretty confident. I healed my own eye in my first days in this world. Since then, my Skill has undergone a massive change, and is now capable of regenerating organs, repairing and creating flesh, and mimicking other areas of flesh. Heck, I¡¯ve already healed an eye when Fenrir¡¯s was damaged in sparring. I wouldn¡¯t be confident in doing this without the template of River¡¯s healthy eyes, but with it? Of course, it¡¯s possible that it isn¡¯t an issue with the eyes at all; I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m so confident about healing brain-damage, so there is a chance it won¡¯t work. But I won¡¯t know that until I¡¯ve had a look. ¡°Are you willing to let me try?¡± I ask him. ¡°Knowing that there¡¯s no guarantee it will improve anything?¡± Catches-leaves breathes in and then out shakily. Even the possibility that it might work is¡­more than I¡¯ve had ever since the herbalist said it was incurable. Please. Go ahead. ¡°Alright.¡± I consider the situation for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down,¡± I suggest, then match action to words, sitting cross-legged on the ground. It¡¯s not the most comfortable place, but I reckon that I¡¯m going to need my full concentration for this. Sitting down means that I don¡¯t have to pay attention to staying balanced on my feet. Plus, I should be able to use at least Light Meditation to keep my mana regeneration up, if not Medium Meditation since I won¡¯t be moving. The two samurans haven¡¯t moved, shifting uneasily. I look up at them, raising my eyebrows quizzically. ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± It¡¯s hard for us to stand again, master, River reminds me after a moment of hesitation. We are vulnerable here. ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± I reply slowly. ¡°But the sooner we can help Catches-leaves ¨C if we can at all ¨C the better. And I honestly think you should sit down,¡± I say directly to the lizard-man in question. ¡°It¡¯s likely to be painful, since I don¡¯t really want to mess around with your nerves. It may also be disorientating if it works. River, you can just crouch if you prefer. I need to be able to touch you, and preferably on your head, but you don¡¯t need to sit.¡± River nods and quickly shifts into a crouch, bowing his head so I can reach it. After a moment more of hesitation, Catches-leaves sinks to the ground, shifting awkwardly into a sitting kneel. Good enough. He¡¯s twitchy but doesn¡¯t flinch away when I touch his own head, instead leaning closer so I don¡¯t have to stretch to touch the two of them. Closing my eyes, I pull on Medium Meditation to help calm my mind and increase my mana regeneration. Then, I sink my mind into my Bound. I¡¯ve made good progress with my Flesh-Shaping recently, so sinking my mind into both samurans at the same time is difficult, but not impossible. With my hands on their heads, I don¡¯t have to travel far to compare their eye structures. Relief fills me when I realise that, indeed, there are significant differences between the two of them. Eyes, I have a chance of mending. Brains, probably not for now. Fortunately, although there are differences between their brains, they are only slight, surely not enough to account for the vast gulf between their abilities to see. Catches-leaves¡¯ eyeballs are the wrong shape, and the lens inside seems to be completely malformed. Frankly, it¡¯s a bit surprising that he can see at all. I¡¯m still amazed that he¡¯s managed to survive: from what I¡¯ve gathered from River, their kind are almost as sight-reliant as humans are. River¡¯s sense of smell and hearing are better than mine, but not significantly. So to have been deprived of his sight¡­. Well, hopefully no longer. I hear the pained breaths and clicks that Catches-leaves lets out as I start reforming his eyeballs, using River¡¯s own as a template. It¡¯s surprisingly simple. I almost act like a 3D printer-photocopier: I ¡®scan¡¯ River¡¯s right eyeball, then reshape the flesh of Catches-leaves¡¯ right eyeball to match. I have to change the size a little: Catches-leaves¡¯ skull is just a touch smaller than River¡¯s ¨C because he¡¯s younger? Or just because he¡¯s smaller naturally? When I make that change, I have to make sure I reflect it as I reform the connection between the eye and the optic nerve leading to the brain. That part in particular uses up a whole chunk of mental and magical energy: I know just how important it is that it¡¯s correctly connected. When I think the first eye is done, I check again and then once more, just to make sure I haven¡¯t made any mistakes. Then, pulling out of my trance, I let my hands drop and open my eyes. You¡¯re done? Catches-leaves asks. Even his mental voice is trembling like he can¡¯t bear to know the answer, can¡¯t bear to find out that his hope has been dashed. ¡°I¡¯ve done your right eye,¡± I tell him. He still keeps his eyes shut. You¡¯re not going to¡­? He sounds so disappointed ¨C it practically breaks my heart. ¡°If this has worked, I will,¡± I tell him quickly. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to do both eyes and then find out that I¡¯ve accidentally made it worse.¡± I feel Catches-leaves¡¯ trepidation at the thought, a bolt of fear slipping through the link. ¡°So open your right eye, let me know whether it¡¯s any better.¡± Catches-leaves hesitates, but then slowly cracks open his right eye. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Six: Farting Rainbows For a moment my newest samuran Bound looks absolutely stricken and all I get from the Bond is a sense of intense emotion. Fearing the worst, I¡¯m trying to summon up the courage to ask him exactly what has happened, but I am arrested when he instead starts grunting and clicking. It¡¯s so beautiful, he breathes, his mental voice sounding utterly awed. ¡°You can see?¡± I ask hesitantly, but hopefully. More than I ever believed was possible, Catches-leaves confirms. He closes one eye ¨C the one I haven¡¯t yet touched ¨C and then looks around. Is this what you see? All the time? He sounds so disbelieving that my heart goes out to him. And I don¡¯t even know what he¡¯s seeing exactly. ¡°What can you see? And how clear is it?¡± He doesn¡¯t answer for a moment, seemingly still taking everything in. I can¡­I can see the trees. And¡­Runs-with-the-river, I can see you! You¡¯re a lot scrawnier than I thought you were, he comments. I can¡¯t hide the smile that suddenly takes over my expression at River¡¯s affront. Catches-leaves, apparently oblivious to the flickering orange in the other lizard-kin¡¯s spikes, continues. Actually, I wonder how well someone so short-sighted would do with a communication system which is at least half visually based. I listen carefully to his continued descriptions, satisfied with everything he can see. Although I don¡¯t know exactly how good River¡¯s eyesight is, from his thoughtful nodding, it seems like Catches-leaves compares pretty well. ¡°Well, it seems like it¡¯s been a success,¡± I comment after Catches-leaves¡¯ monologue tapers off. ¡°Would you like me to do your other eye now?¡± I don¡¯t even need a verbal response: the immediate eagerness that flows across the Bond answers my question. Having done it once already, the second eye is relatively simple to fix. I have to reverse some of what I did on the other eye, otherwise my magic would be inclined to just make a direct copy, but between working with the template from River¡¯s left eye, and Catches-leaves¡¯ fixed eye, I¡¯m pretty sure it should be good enough now. When he opens his eyes again ¨C this time eagerly ¨C he is suffused with a joy so deep that I never thought it was possible for anyone to feel that much when the emotion was positive. Not expounding about what he can see this time, instead, he twists to face me fully. Lifting his chin as high as it will go, he speaks, even his grunts and clicks sounding joyous, vibrant blues and a deep purple curling through his spikes. You have given me sight! For the first time in my life, I can see everything. I can never repay you for this, Honoured Pathwalker, but ask of me what you will: I¡¯m yours. Now, and forever. As he speaks, I¡¯m surprised to feel the Bond between us break like an elastic band. There¡¯s a sharp, though short backlash which makes me frown, but I don¡¯t have time to react more than that before I feel another Bond snap back into place. It¡¯s significantly deeper than before, and far more permanent. I recognise the feeling immediately: it¡¯s a Companion Bond. My jaw slackens and surprise robs me of speech briefly. ¡°What¡­? How¡­?¡± I ask with the little brain power that remains to me. Did he just¡­initiate a Companion Bond? Is that possible? Apparently so. I am convinced of your power, Honoured Pathwalker, greater than any of the other Pathwalkers. Not one of them could offer me my sight, but you have done so and without even requiring anything of me for it first. For the first time, he hesitates. I know you already have a capable assistant in Runs-with-the-river, but if you would accept my service and offer me your guidance, I would be honoured to call you master. My eyes still wide, I feel like there¡¯s been a bit of an overload of information. Fortunately, these days I¡¯m better at dealing with too many revelations given at once. ¡°Let¡¯s just slow down a moment,¡± I suggest. ¡°So you¡¯re willing to Bond with me for longer because you¡¯re confident that we, that I can protect you?¡± I ask slowly. I hope that is the case, Catches-leaves admits, lowering his chin to look me in the eye. However, you have given me the means to better protect myself and have proven yourself capable of what I had considered impossible before this. Why should I not believe what you said about being capable of winning against the Pathwalkers? Well, I sometimes ask myself that question, so perhaps he shouldn¡¯t be quite as hopeful as he is. However, I appreciate his faith and, indeed, hope that he¡¯s right. ¡°Next question, then. How did you just do that?¡± Do what, Honoured Pathwalker? ¡°Break the Bond and then recreate it.¡± His confusion doesn¡¯t seem to have lifted. I don¡¯t know. I just¡­did it? he responds tentatively. Was I wrong, Honoured Pathwalker? ¡°No,¡± I sigh. ¡°No, I¡¯m happy that you trust me this much. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t understand how it happened.¡± Particularly because I thought that the Bond between me and my Companion had to already be deep. How could my Bond with a lizard-man I met less than a day ago be significant enough to qualify? Not to mention that I thought I was supposed to be the one to offer it, not just have it snap into place without my say-so. Who¡¯s the Binder here, anyway? The samuran does their equivalent of a shrug with a flick of his tail. I felt, feel, immense gratitude for your aid. I owe you my life twice over since I do not know how much further I could have gone with the way things were, but I was too afraid to change them. Too afraid of having nowhere to call home; no protection against the dangers that surrounded me, unseen. You have not only given me my sight, but also another option. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Then you¡¯ll eat now?¡± I ask, a little wryly. If I¡¯d known all that was required to make you eat was to completely recreate your eyes and replace our Bond with Companion one, I would have started with that, I joke to myself. Lifting his chin briefly, Catches-leaves is ¨C when taking everything into account ¨C predictable. If you will permit me to. ¡°Yes, I permit you to eat,¡± I sigh again, a little exasperated. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s a standing order that you can eat the meat of any carcass and whenever, as long as it¡¯s not one I¡¯ve specifically told you not to consume. OK?¡± I understand, Honoured Pathwalker. And, Catches-leaves hesitates before continuing, what should I call you? ¡°I prefer my name ¨C Markus,¡± I tell him immediately. As you wish, Catches-leaves responds and my eyes narrow in confusion at the slightly disappointed tone. May I be excused to eat¡­Honoured Markus? he asks before I can challenge him on it. ¡°Oh. Sure. Go ahead.¡± I watch as he lifts his chin briefly and then turns to walk towards the closest carcass, his steps a little hesitant but excited. When he gets to the already half-devoured body, his hunger is clear in just how quickly he rips into the meat. ¡°Well, that went better than expected,¡± I remark to River, pushing myself to my feet. ¡°But is it just me or did he seem disappointed at the end there?¡± When no response comes, I look at my Bound. He¡¯s focussed on Catches-leaves and I¡¯m a little startled by his expression, little that there is. Touching the Bond, I realise that I¡¯m not mistaken: River is jealous. Of what? Or who? Catches-leaves? Why would he be jealous of the other samuran? ¡°River?¡± I ask quietly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The lizard-man seems to shake himself free of his funk, the faint orange which had been colouring his spikes dying down to be replaced with a neutral green. Wrong, master? Nothing. But I know that he¡¯s lying. Or at least, he¡¯s not telling me why the Bond still feels like a lake whose surface is still but that churns with strong, conflicting currents underneath. I hesitate, but remember that the last time I tried to just ignore this sort of thing, I¡¯d had to have a talk with him over it anyway. ¡°River,¡± I warn, my voice hard. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. Ever.¡± Then I allow my voice to soften. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, then say so. But don¡¯t tell me nothing¡¯s wrong when it¡¯s clear that something is.¡± River looks at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable, and the Bond roiling with conflicting emotions. I¡­.Do you wish to replace me? My eyes go wide in surprise. ¡°What on earth would make you think that?¡± Catches-leaves is¡­younger. Has joined you completely willingly, without requiring you to do anything in return. Hasn¡¯t harmed those you care for. And now has better sight even than me. He would make a better assistant for you. The last is said in his equivalent of a whisper, his colours muted and his vocalisations barely audible. ¡°What makes you¡­? Why would I¡­?¡± I stop, closing my eyes and holding up a hand to pause anything River might say while I try to sort this out. I¡¯m almost completely sure that this is some sort of cultural misunderstanding, because I really don¡¯t see why there would be a problem otherwise. So perhaps that¡¯s where I should start ¨C straightening that out. ¡°Alright, can you explain what ¡®assistant¡¯ means to you, please.¡± I think I already have an idea from previous discussions, but would like it clarified here. It is a position of particular importance in the village, River answers promptly, as it requires aiding a Pathwalker directly and, by default, being able to learn from them. I was the assistant for the Herbalist: that¡¯s why, despite only being three years old, I was relatively highly ranked in the village and was allowed to access most communal carcasses. Except the Pathwalkers¡¯ or Warriors¡¯ ones, of course. I was chosen because I was fast and strong, and good at finding herbs in the forest. He says the last with a sort of well-worn pride ¨C not one that made him arrogant, but one that he¡¯d drawn upon many times as a motivation to keep going. I know the kind of thing ¨C there were times in my life where I had to do the same. When my pride seemed all that I had left to me. ¡°So it¡¯s a coveted position,¡± I summarise. Yes. And each Pathwalker only has one assistant. I nod slowly. ¡°And you would call the Pathwalker you assist ¡®master¡¯, I guess,¡± I continue, putting several pieces together. That¡¯s right. ¡°So because you call me ¡®master¡¯, Catches-leaves has assumed that you are my ¡®assistant¡¯?¡± My eyes widen as realisation dawns. ¡°So his request to call me ¡®master¡¯ was actually a bit of a betrayal for you.¡± After all, Catches-leaves had offered to become my assistant while ¡®knowing¡¯ that River already occupied the position. And, if all had been the same as in the village, that would have meant knocking River several notches down the hierarchy, to install himself as a more influential figure. Of course, that¡¯s not how things work with our pack, but Catches-leaves doesn¡¯t know that, and I don¡¯t like what it says about his character that that was the first thing he tried to do. Don¡¯t be too upset, master, River interrupts my thoughts, perhaps sensing my increasing anger across the Bond. He had always been the lowest in the hierarchy because of multiple reasons that I now realise were probably due to his inability to see. It is not surprising that he might take any opportunity to raise his status now that he is not forcibly kept at the bottom. River might say those things, but I sense a certain amount of satisfaction with my response regardless. ¡°I hope you realise how important you are to me,¡± I say in an abrupt non-sequitur. Because honestly, regardless of whether I should be angry at Catches-leaves or not, I don¡¯t want River doubting how much I appreciate his presence. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard for our group, have been there for me time and time again, and have helped and supported everyone else, both with hunting and herbalism. You and Bastet are my right and left hands. ¡°Catches-leaves may be able to offer a lot, time will tell. But even if he suddenly becomes my star warrior, or can find more useful plants than you, or develops a way of farting rainbows, it won¡¯t matter. Not to us. He might become a friend, but I¡¯m not going to forget someone who already is my friend.¡± It¡¯s probably not terribly eloquent, but I hope the earnestness with which I say the words is enough to convince him. ¡°And if it bothers you that he has better sight than you? Well, we¡¯ll just have to rebuild your eyeballs from scratch too,¡± I say with a grin. River looks at me properly for the first time in the whole conversation. So¡­you¡¯re not replacing me? ¡°Not now, not ever,¡± I assure him. Then I hesitate, wondering if I should say what is on the tip of my tongue. After a brief moment of thought, I decide to go for it ¨C if I don¡¯t say it now, it might never be said. ¡°One day I will be able to give you the choice to leave if you want. But I will never force you to go.¡± His expression softer than it¡¯s been all day, River is about to reply when we both hear a sound. It¡¯s a shriek of pain. A familiar shriek of pain. After briefly glancing at Bastet who¡¯s just jumped to her feet, all three of us run towards the scene of trouble. Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Seven: Scene of Trouble Scene of trouble, and scene of Trouble, I grumble to myself as we run. What has that damn raptorcat got himself into this time?! Can you scout ahead? I ask Sirocco, receiving a grim acknowledgement from her. Stay with the group, I send to Persephone next. Stay with the group but be ready to come if we call, I tell Hades. The rest of them, I send out a blanket order to continue eating, but be ready to run back to the cave if necessary. I¡¯ll be glad when I¡¯ve figured out how to do that delegation thing: frankly, trying to manage this number of Bound mentally is just too much. By the time I¡¯ve managed to do all that, we¡¯re approaching where the shriek came from. There, we meet an unwelcome sight. Trouble and Lathani have managed to disrupt a small family group of those mini-triceratops. Trouble is limping and Lathani¡¯s lying worryingly still against a tree. ¡°Take care of the beasts,¡± I snap at River and Bastet, while mentally signalling Fenrir to come ¨C we¡¯re going to need the extra support. After a brief moment of hesitation, I also call for Catches-leaves. He¡¯s thin as a rake, but he¡¯s survived until now in an even worse condition. Perhaps he can help. While doing that, I run as quickly as I can to Lathani¡¯s side. She¡¯s breathing ¨C thank whoever might be listening! But it looks laboured and painful whimpers come out with every panting exhale. Immediately, I lay my hand on her shoulder, sending my mana into her. Not being my Bound anymore makes it more of a struggle than before. Much more. ¡°Lathani, you need to let me in,¡± I plead with her. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you!¡± She doesn¡¯t react. Has she even heard me? I push against her resistance and make headway, but it¡¯s like trying to walk up a river. Her Willpower must be lower than mine, but her body is unconsciously recognising my presence as a threat ¨C that¡¯s another downside of Flesh-Shaping over Lay-on-hands, I realise. There¡¯s no automatic recognition of my intentions as beneficial, even when they are. She¡¯s hurt badly, I can tell that with my eyes, and nothing I discover with my magic disagrees with my impression. If I don¡¯t manage to make some headway soon, I¡¯m going to lose her. If she doesn¡¯t react in the next couple of minutes, I¡¯m going to have to Dominate her, I realise with a sinking sense of doom. Damned if I do, damned if I don¡¯t: I doubt Kalanthia will take the death of her cub while I sat by any better than us coming back with an active Dominate Bond. But that¡¯s the only way I can think of to do it. Unless¡­. It¡¯s a risk, but it should work. If it doesn¡¯t¡­.no, it should. I arrange myself so that I¡¯m lying next to Lathani, in contact with her at several points, just in case. Keep us safe, I order River and Bastet. I won¡¯t be able to defend us. Then, prying open Lathani¡¯s closed eyelids, I invoke my Class Skill. Entering the soul-space for the Battle of Wills, I don¡¯t step forwards at all, though note the surprising amount of pressure that immediately hits me. I could push against it, but with difficulty. But that¡¯s not my intention. ¡°Lathani!¡± I shout at the figure lying still opposite me. ¡°Lathani!¡± I hear you, stop shouting, she responds grouchily. Relief goes through me. I don¡¯t want to move any closer than I absolutely have to, not wanting to chance my luck any further. ¡°We have no time to spare. You need to let me heal you,¡± I tell her forcibly. ¡°If you don¡¯t, you¡¯re going to die. Do you hear me?¡± ¡­I do, she says, her voice faint. I hope that¡¯s shock rather than her being so close to death that she can¡¯t even properly speak in this space. ¡°And will you let my magic into your body without resistance? Because we don¡¯t have time.¡± I will, she responds, her voice thankfully stronger. Hoping that¡¯s enough, I turn and run in the opposite direction from her. Thank you¡­pack leader, I hear, just before the world fractures around me. Hit by the consequences of ¡®failing¡¯ a Battle of Wills, I¡¯m completely paralysed. My heart in my mouth, I try to send mana into Lathani¡¯s body. To my huge relief, it works. I had been banking on it doing so: the last time I ¡®failed¡¯ a Battle of Wills, I was unable to move, but I continued to be able to communicate with my Bound. I¡¯d hoped that that might mean that my ability to control mana continued. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. It seems like my gamble has paid off as my mana flows into Lathani¡¯s body as easily as it had when she was under a Tame Bond. I quickly discover the most important areas to work on ¨C her punctured lung and half-crushed heart ¨C and pour mana into them. Fortunately, my previous healing of her body means that my Skill knows exactly what to fix, and I can concentrate most of my mental energy on sending mana into her as quickly as possible. Trusting my Bound, I go into Medium Meditation to increase my mana regeneration as much as possible. From working on the wounds, I get an idea of how they must have been made. Her ribcage is fractured in several places, her spine damaged. There are puncture wounds in her chest and a fracture in her skull. She must have been taken by surprise, one of the mini-triceratops goring her in the chest, lifting her off her feet, and sending her flying to slam into the tree. It¡¯s unsurprising she was so badly hurt. By the time she¡¯s healed enough to be safe to stand ¨C meaning that the spine damage, fractured ribs, punctured lung and bruised heart are more than half-healed ¨C the noises of the battle behind have ended and my paralysis has long worn off. I take a short break, just to find out what¡¯s going on. Lathani¡¯s stable, but some of my other Bound might not be, though I don¡¯t have any sense of them being in danger of immediate death. I keep a level of Light Meditation, though, needing to regenerate my mana as quickly as I can. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± I ask, moving slowly towards my group of Bound. They are standing around the four mini-triceratops, looking tired, but not too badly hurt. River is limping ¨C one of the creatures seems to have got him in the leg. Catches-leaves is looking tired, but unhurt, a bloody chunk of wood hanging from his claws. Bastet has a number of bleeding gashes over her body, but they seem mostly shallow. Fenrir looks as though he was run over by a truck, but he¡¯s tanky enough that he would probably get through even that without too much damage. Sirocco looks unhurt. The triceratops are looking much worse. One has part of its skull caved in ¨C given how thick their skulls seem to be, Catches-leaves must be significantly stronger than he looks. Two others have lost their eyes and bled out from either their throats or an artery beyond the front legs. As for the last, it¡¯s actually still alive, but completely lame: Fenrir¡¯s work is plain to see in the crushed bone that now makes up two of its legs. I don¡¯t see any evidence of Bastet¡¯s fire-breath ¨C perhaps she feels it would have been too dangerous here in the forest, with Lathani and me lying completely helpless to the side of the action. We thought you might like to Bind this one, master, River suggested, gesturing tiredly towards the still-alive triceratops. Well, alive for now: it won¡¯t be alive for long if I don¡¯t heal it, as much blood as it¡¯s leaking. ¡°Good thought,¡± I tell him with a tired grin of my own ¨C healing Lathani hasn¡¯t exactly been easy. ¡°Where¡¯s Trouble?¡± I ask, realising I can¡¯t see the troublesome cub. With shame suffusing his body-language, the juvenile raptorcat slinks out from behind one of the carcasses. He¡¯s obviously injured, but not heavily so. Considering that this whole mess is his and Lathani¡¯s fault he can deal with it until everyone else has been healed. I pin him with a look. ¡°Why the hell did you go running off by yourself?¡± I demand. He shifts a little bit and I understand something to do with ¡®hunting¡¯. ¡°Well, you did a fantastic job at that, didn¡¯t you?¡± I snap at him angrily. He cowers a little at my clear anger. With a huff, I decide that I¡¯m not in the right state of mind to even chastise him. Though I should probably leave that to Bastet anyway ¨C she¡¯ll do a far better job than I would. Instead, I turn to the most heavily-injured of my Bound. Sending mana into Fenrir, I heal the deep bruises and hairline fracture in several of his bones. Rather than having actually been run over by one of them, I have to guess that he latched onto the triceratop¡¯s leg and then just stayed attached, no matter how much he was battered or slammed into the ground. He really is a pitbull. My mana running low, I approach the triceratops. River has a good point: this creature would probably be a lot more useful to us than several of the ones back with the kiinas. Especially if I could use Flesh-Shaping to enhance its already-hefty defensive abilities. Should I try to use Tame on it? I wonder for a moment. Then shake my head. Ultimately, it was an antagonist to my group, though I¡¯m not sure of the complete story behind how and why Lathani and Trouble had ended up facing four of these creatures while ¡®hunting¡¯. If I didn¡¯t have the ability to heal, it would be doomed to die in the near future ¨C either because of another predator or from starvation. Offering it a Bond could even be seen as a mercy on my part. It¡¯s not the same as the creatures in the cave who hadn¡¯t offered any harm to my family. Apart from the danaris and its larvae, anyway. Casting Inspect Fauna, I focus on wanting more information about whether this creature would be open to a Bond, and if so, what would help convince it. I might as well go into the situation with as much information as possible. I don¡¯t bother trying to keep the probe subtle, though.
Cyran Tier 1 Beast (unevolved) Special abilities: None Health: 1560u Mana: 20u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 30 (15) Open to a Bond: No Impacting factor: Protection This herbivore is not to be underestimated. Possessing a particularly stubborn and determined nature, this creature lives life by going through obstacles. It cares little whether they are vegetal or animal in nature. Few Tier 1 predators hunt these creatures, and none when they are protecting young as they are particularly aggressive at this time.
Close message? Y/N
Protection, huh, I think to myself, noting how apparently the chance of Inspect revealing a way of convincing the creature to Bond has triggered. If this was a parent protecting its young, then the fact that we¡¯ve just killed them all may significantly impact my ability to talk her round, however easy it appears for me to be able to force the issue. Alternatively, it may be indicating that I should offer protection to convince it¡­. Ultimately, is there any harm in trying? At worst, I¡¯m paralysed for ten seconds while surrounded by my Bound. I could even use that time to regenerate mana quickly, ready to get healing when I recover. Mentally shrugging, I decide to give it a go. Approaching the cyran, I stare into its pain- and rage-filled orbs. ¡°Dominate.¡± Book Two: Growth - Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Eight: Utterly Screwed Opening my eyes thoughtfully, I gaze at my new Bound for a moment. As it turned out, this one wasn¡¯t the big mama of the group, but was instead one of her daughters. As a result, it was a bit less of an ordeal to convince her that we could become her new family than I thought it might be. My mana having regenerated a bit ¨C apparently being in Battle of Wills automatically counts as being in some form of meditation ¨C I immediately start to work on her legs. It takes me a couple of mana loads to heal them, but as I found with Catches-leaves, after having done one, the other turns out to be easier. Once her legs are mostly healed, she pushes to her feet and eyes the rest of my Bound warily. ¡°You¡¯re one of us now,¡± I remind her. ¡°None of us will attack you or hurt you intentionally. Except in sparring,¡± I add after a moment. ¡°And then only to help you grow stronger.¡± Sighing a little tiredly ¨C emptying and filling my mana pool several times in a row always makes me feel exhausted ¨C I eye the rest of my Bound. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the rest of the group,¡± I say. ¡°If you can all move well enough?¡± I get a series of assents from everyone around. Except for Lathani who¡¯s still out cold. But that¡¯s OK ¨C I just head over to pick her up. Since I¡¯ve already dealt with her spinal injury, and the puncture to her lungs, that shouldn¡¯t cause her any further damage. We make our way back to where Hades and Persephone are standing protective guard on the rest of my Bound. Is all well? Persephone asks as we come into view. Then she raises her head in surprise as she sees the hulking behemoth accompanying us. A new companion? she asks next. Yes, and yes, I send back to her with a sigh. To add to the menagerie, I tell myself privately next. Goodness knows what Kalanthia¡¯s going to think when I come back with four times the number of Bound I set out with. Though she might be more concerned with ripping me a new one over Taming Lathani. Hopefully only figuratively. ¡°Everyone can relax a bit,¡± I say. ¡°Problem solved.¡± The creatures around me react in a variety of ways. Some actually relax, going back to drinking, eating, or resting. Others don¡¯t seem quite so reassured, and continue gazing around themselves nervously. Honestly, I don¡¯t care too much. I need to heal everyone who was injured the rest of the way, then bring those carcasses back here for my meat-eaters to enjoy. Sooner rather than later. Actually¡­maybe I don¡¯t have to wait until everyone is healed. ¡°Hades, Persephone, can you take a group of helpers back to the battle ground and bring the three carcasses there back here, please?¡± I ask them. A moment after, I feel the nagging sense of a notification. With a hunch of what it might be linked to, I quickly pull it open.
You have designated your Bound ¡®Hades¡¯ and ¡®Persephone¡¯ as team leaders. Would you like them to co-lead a team, or each lead a team separately?
Co-lead a team / Individually lead separate teams.
A smile pulls at the corners of my mouth. Well, at least that¡¯s easy to trigger. Hesitating for a moment, I decide on the second option: while I reckon they could co-lead a team fine, I remember that there was a limit on the number of beings that could be part of each team. I don¡¯t know if the limit is the same if it¡¯s co-led but at least this way I know I¡¯m doubling up the potential numbers.
Would you like this team to be temporary (ending at the end of the assigned task) or permanent (requiring intentional dissolution).
Temporary / Permanent
That one¡¯s easy; I pick ¡®temporary¡¯. Although I reckon that River, Bastet, Hades, and Persephone should each have a permanent team at some point, now is not the time to decide who should be part of those. With my choice, the boxes disappear and a couple of numbers appear at the corner of my vision. I see ¡®Had¡¯ and ¡®Per¡¯ written with a fractional value of zero out of five below them. Within a few minutes, those numbers have changed to four out of five for each ¡®team¡¯. With a quick glance at me for my approval, the two kiina are off, their teams trailing behind them. Unsurprisingly, most of the creatures are meat-eaters, but there are also two herbivores and one omnivore present. Or at least, I assume that based on what they¡¯ve been eating so far. I¡¯m not surprised Persephone chose them ¨C they¡¯re the biggest of my Bound apart from the triceratops and their strength will no-doubt be useful in the task. With that delegated, I turn to healing my Bound. Getting to Lathani last, I¡¯m surprised that she¡¯s not woken up yet. I send a scan through her body, hoping with a sinking heart that I didn¡¯t miss something vital. Sitting back after inspecting her body closely, I find myself puzzled at her ongoing unconsciousness. As far as I can tell with my magic, she¡¯s fully healed ¨C yet she¡¯s still asleep. ¡°Any thoughts?¡± I ask Bastet who¡¯s come to investigate. She nudges Lathani and sniffs at her for a bit. She will wake when she¡¯s ready, pronounced the raptorcat. ¡°But what if there¡¯s something wrong?¡± There is nothing wrong. She is working on her Energy channels. ¡°Now?!¡± I exclaim. Is this really the time and place for that? When struck by inspiration, it is necessary to follow it or risk being unable to recall it later. ¡°But as far as she knew, we were in the middle of a fight! She could have died!¡± Bastet sends me her version of a shrug. She must have trusted you to keep her safe. While a part of me is undeniably flattered by that, the rest of me can¡¯t believe just how irresponsible Lathani¡¯s being ¨C and I really don¡¯t understand why Bastet is being so blithe about it. Not when we both know the stakes if Lathani is killed before we get back to Kalanthia. I know that I¡¯ve been guilty of spacing out and becoming distracted at the wrong time, but at least I knew to wait until I was somewhere safe to do something like working on my Energy channels! Not to mention going off hunting with Trouble on her own! Or whatever she was doing. I thought that she¡¯d matured past that sort of loose cannon behaviour. Or was it only the effects of the Bond? I huff, trying to get rid of my frustration and, yes, worry before it causes me to lash out at someone undeserving. ¡°Can you keep an eye on her, then?¡± I ask Bastet. ¡°Let me know when she wakes up.¡± Of course, she agrees, settling down next to the nunda juvenile. I glance around, seeing Trouble sitting sulkily next to River. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°He¡¯s in time-out?¡± I ask Bastet, my eyebrows raised. He is to spend some time thinking about exactly what he did, and how he should have better approached it, Bastet answers. To me, that sounds pretty much like a time-out. Well, probably good for him to do that! Perhaps we should require the same of Lathani when she wakes up. ¡°Did he tell you why he was out there with Lathani?¡± Bastet sends me a feeling of uncertainty. He was unclear. They were hunting; that¡¯s all he would tell me. Which is as much as I¡¯d gathered from him before. ¡°I see,¡± I murmur, glancing between the two of them. If they¡¯re going to team up on a regular basis, I¡¯m going to be completely grey long before my time. Or they¡¯re going to be dead. Hopefully after all this, Kalanthia¡¯s going to be more on the ball with Lathani. Frankly, I¡¯m still surprised that she didn¡¯t bother coming after us. Where is all the maternal anger and protectiveness that she¡¯s exhibited on many other occasions? Well, we have to deal with the hand we¡¯ve been given. And right now, I have something else I need to do: getting to know my new Bound. ***** By the time Bastet lets me know that the nunda juvenile is showing signs of waking, I¡¯ve managed to finally make some good progress with each of my Bound. While I haven¡¯t managed to name them all yet, I now know exactly how many have each type of Bond, sorting them into three general categories. Out of my twenty new Tamed Bound, I¡¯ve already ¡®lost¡¯ one ¨C Catches-leaves who had had a temporary Bond which is now a Companion Bond. Then there are six others who have a similar kind of Bond ¨C a very temporary one which is based purely on gratitude for my help. I get a sense of it being a repayment for a debt. These range between what I estimate is a month and three months. Eight more have a longer duration Bond, but still temporary. I get the sense of these being a sort of trial period. In comparison to the first group who seem to have no intention of permanently changing their lives, this group gives off the sense of wanting to see whether being part of our team is better than going it alone or trying to find others of their kind. The final five are all individuals more like Sirocco. They have committed in the long-term, but each have their own specific requirements. One requires time away to find a mate and protection during her time of brooding. Another requires me to find at least two females of his kind to join him within the next few months. A third already has a pack and will only continue with her Bond if I can prove to the others that they ought to join us too. The last two have simply required that I offer them sufficient food for themselves and any young they have, and an expressed preference of having more of their kind. These, in fact, are the two deer-like stio, one of which was the first creature I released. I wonder how much use some of these creatures will be, and whether I might choose to end our Bonds prematurely when Bastet interrupts me. I quickly hurry over to the rousing nunda cub. ¡°Lathani,¡± I breathe in relief before putting on my professional face. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Better, pack-leader, she says, none of her usual attitude in her voice. While part of me appreciates that, the rest of me would much rather she¡¯d decided to be like that before running off and almost getting herself killed. Again! ¡°Then can you please explain to me why the hell you thought running off with Trouble of all companions was a good idea?!¡± I demand, having to work very hard to prevent my voice from rising above an acceptable level. I compromise by making it all the harder and sterner instead. Lathani looks away, her body language as slumped as Trouble¡¯s had been when I¡¯d first confronted him. I¡­.I wanted to be useful. ¡°Useful?¡± I hiss. ¡°Exactly how is going off and enraging a group of cyran useful?¡± She looks even more abashed. We didn¡¯t mean to! We thought there was only one of them. And that it would offer lots of meat for you. I heard you say that you needed to hunt. I thought that I could do it ¨C I¡¯d been doing so well with the others when I went out hunting with them. I thought I could do it on my own. Then little-sibling spotted me going into the bushes and followed me. I tried to send him back, but he told me he¡¯d tell Elder if I didn¡¯t let him come so¡­. ¡°So you did,¡± I concluded, sighing heavily. With that exhale, a whole load of my frustration and anger are released, leaving me simply tired. The excuse of so many children and teenagers: I didn¡¯t mean to. My thoughts can¡¯t help but go back to that immensely painful time when my own choices led to the death of my mother. And while, looking back on it years later, I know that it wasn¡¯t my fault the driver who hit us was drunk, it was my fault we were out on the road at all. My lies and my cowardice which landed us in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like Lathani, I didn¡¯t mean to. ¡°You need to stop doing this, Lathani,¡± I tell her earnestly, a note in my voice that¡¯s almost begging. ¡°Do you realise just how close you came to death this time? And that¡¯s less than a day after you almost died against the danaris, a fight which you shouldn¡¯t have been in at all.¡± I know I bear some responsibility for that: it was my decision to Bond and then permit her into the fight with the danaris. But at the same time, I was forced into making a decision by the fact that she followed us in the first place, and the knowledge that if I didn¡¯t Bond her, she would have probably tried to join us at the wrong moment. However, there were other options than the one I chose, so I accept some responsibility for that. This particular situation though¡­no, I don¡¯t accept any of the blame here. Yes, I said that we needed to hunt, but I¡¯m not Henry II whose followers interpreted his own frustration as a desire to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. Lathani might be my responsibility in as much as she¡¯s a youngster under my care, but she¡¯s not one of my Bound. Not since her Tame Bond snapped with the dawn. I know, Lathani says, drawing me out of my furious thoughts. I have to mentally dial back, to work out what she¡¯s responding to. ¡°Do you, though?¡± I ask, my anger resurging. ¡°Your lung was punctured, Lathani. Your heart was bruised. Your spine was damaged enough that you would have been paralysed if I hadn¡¯t been there! Even without any more intervention from the cyrans, you¡¯d have died within a few minutes. With them present, you would probably have been crushed after they¡¯d dealt with Trouble.¡± My hands are waving in the air with my passion, the fear bubbling within me and turning to rage. I know, Lathani says again, this time with a depth of understanding that makes me pause. When we were in that odd space, I felt my life dripping away from me. I felt my soul for the first time. And then after, I felt life fill me again as you poured your own strength into me. For the first time, I understood. Her fervour makes me pause. ¡°Understood what?¡± I ask, a little uncertainly. She hesitates. I cannot explain it. But in that moment, I understood something important, something that changed my path in life. ¡°And that¡¯s why you decided that the middle of a battle was the right time to start working on your Energy channels?¡± I ask, another head of steam ready to build up over that particular choice. I knew you would keep me safe, she answers, so earnestly and so confidently that it quite takes the wind out of my sails. And if I did not do it then, I sensed that a future would be forever closed to me. A future I knew that I wanted. That I needed. I don¡¯t understand exactly what she¡¯s on about, but Bastet was firm about the point that sometimes inspiration has to be acted on, regardless of the precarity of the situation around, and Lathani seems to be saying the same. ¡°Alright,¡± I say finally, my anger all bubbled away. ¡°Just¡­you can¡¯t keep doing this, OK? Making choices that impact the others around you as much as, if not more than you yourself.¡± Yes, I know ¨C practise what you preach and all that, but I¡¯m working on it. I understand. And I¡¯m sorry, pack-leader. I eye her for a moment. An apology certainly isn¡¯t amiss, but there¡¯s something wrong, something I¡¯m picking up in her body-language or emotional projection. ¡°Lathani, why does that sound more like you''re apologising for something that hasn¡¯t happened yet rather than for something that has?¡± Because it is, she says, sounding almost regretful over it. ¡°Lathani?¡± I ask, half a question, half a warning. Pack leader, you have protected and guided me, opening doors to my future that would have stayed closed if not for your actions. We are stronger together than apart. You have risked your own life to protect mine and so I give it to you. We are Bound, now and until death. ¡°Lathani!¡± I exclaim, even as part of me can¡¯t help wondering why this sounds like a marriage vow. ¡°What are you-¡± And then I cut myself off as I feel it snap into place. My eyes wide in horror, I can¡¯t help a sudden realisation from going through me. Thanks to what Lathani has just done, I am now completely and utterly screwed. Interlude the Second Across worlds, Lord Nicholas Titanbend is preparing to leave his manor. ¡°Tell my groom to saddle my horse,¡± he orders one of the servants. ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the man acknowledges, bowing and then hurrying away. Walking towards the main doors, Nicholas takes his scarf and coat from the cupboard next to them. He knows that Sarran is likely on his way, but is too impatient to wait for his manservant. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s an invalid, anyway. Or one of those dainty lords, too good to even take their coats off a rail. He snorts contemptuously at the thought, several faces coming to mind. If only the king didn¡¯t require him to play ¡®nicely¡¯ with the other lords¡­. But there is no point in thinking such things: the kingdom is in a delicate enough state as it is. There¡¯s no sense in upsetting the udja cart just to satisfy his own vanity. That would make him just as bad as one of those alara-flower lords. The lord is already opening the doors, the heavy wood easy for him to move thanks to a combination of well-oiled hinges and his Strength stat, when Sarran appears around the corner. As always a perfect manservant, the other man has perfected the ability to move without making more than a whisper of sound, even to Nicholas¡¯ enhanced senses, and to be able to hurry without looking like he is. ¡°My lord, where are you off to?¡± asks Sarran as he stops at arm¡¯s length away from Nicholas. ¡°Why, do you wish to come with me?¡± the lord asks with an arched eyebrow. ¡°If my lord wishes,¡± the other man answers levelly. About to refuse, Nicholas then reconsiders. ¡°In fact, yes. I do wish it. It has been too long since we travelled a road together. I¡¯ll tell the groom to saddle another horse while you get yourself changed.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the manservant replies, bowing. He holds the position until the lord turns away, then Nicholas¡¯ keen ears catch the slightest sound to indicate his quick retreat. The lord grins to himself: though Sarran is far too professional to ever let on any sense of discomfort, Nicholas knows that he was more than a little perturbed at his employer¡¯s unexpected order. The fact is that he actually would appreciate the company on his trip, and it has been a while since they¡¯ve gone riding out together. Of course, it isn¡¯t in the slightest because of that dig about his midnight brooding a week or so ago. Whistling cheerily to himself, Lord Nicholas walks along his wide driveway to the stables which are at its end. Letting himself in, he sees the groom holding his horse, saddled and bridled. ¡°Sarran¡¯s coming along too, Lark,¡± he announces. The groom, Lark, looks a little startled. ¡°Truly, my lord?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then I should go and saddle White Lightning for him, I presume,¡± he suggests, a wicked grin curling at his lips and dancing in his eyes. ¡°Cheeky,¡± Lord Nicholas reprimands, but the humour in his own eyes and on his lips soothes the sting. ¡°Tease Sarran and he¡¯ll have you helping the groundsmen for a few days. Spreading the piles of material you muck out from the horses¡¯ stalls would no doubt be his answer to the jest.¡± ¡°That it would,¡± the groom admits wryly. ¡°With your permission, lord, I¡¯ll go and saddle Old Nala instead, then.¡± ¡°Go on then,¡± Nicolas encourages, walking forward to take the reins. ¡°Hello my beauty,¡± he says, stroking his horse¡¯s nose gently. It¡¯s been a long time since he Bonded this stallion as a foal, but he still remembers the joy of it. After spending weeks caring for the orphaned foal, feeding, grooming, and encouraging it, to have the young creature accept his Tame Bond had been a validation of all the effort he¡¯d put in. All the sleep he¡¯d sacrificed. And even now, Tempest is a magnificent mount, though he is starting to get on a little in years. ¡°But then, we both are,¡± Nicholas sighs to himself. Tempest¡¯s strength and life has been prolonged with excellent feed, excellent care, and a good number of Cores, but even that will come to an end. The stallion¡¯s only fault is that he¡¯s never shown any sign of being able to progress to the next Tier; without that, prolonging his life can only be about delaying the inevitable. Still, for now, his beloved horse is still one of his Bound, and he takes the time to fuss over the stallion. He actually appreciates the time Sarran takes to get ready, though he¡¯s certainly going to chide his manservant on it when he appears ¨C amicably anyway. ***** ¡°Where are we going? You never said,¡± Sarran asks once they¡¯re en route ¨C and the obligatory joshing at him primping himself like a lord or lady bound for court has been done. ¡°I wish to visit the Oracle,¡± Nicolas answers shortly. Sarran turns in his seat to look at him for a moment, then quickly turns back to face the front when his sudden movement threatens to unseat him. ¡°The one who directed you to the candidate?¡± he asks once he¡¯s sure he¡¯s not about to accidentally nose-dive off the side of his horse. ¡°The same,¡± Nicolas replies. ¡°Why? If I may ask,¡± Sarran hurriedly adds. Silence spreads between them for a few long moments. The manservant is probably giving up hope of a reply when Nicholas begins thoughtfully. ¡°I am wondering about the character of my candidate. To have accrued as much Energy as he did in such a short time¡­. How did he do it? Did he kill something immensely powerful? Did he Bind the creature instead? Did he find some sort of treasure? My curiosity is driving me insane.¡± ¡°And do you think that the Oracle can answer your questions?¡± Sarran asks, his eyebrows climbing up his head. ¡°¡®Can she¡¯ isn¡¯t the question,¡± Nicholas corrects him. ¡°¡®Will she¡¯, is more uncertain.¡± He sighs. ¡°I have brought a few items she might find interesting. I hope that at least one of them will engage her curiosity sufficiently to pay for the questions.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ***** ¡°Is this it?¡± asks Sarran, sounding like he isn¡¯t sure whether to believe it or whether to assume Nicholas is playing a joke on him. A faint hint of resignation is tucked in the wrinkles of his face, like he¡¯s prepared for the revelation that the whole story about the Oracle is just a cover for some other expedition. Nicholas doesn¡¯t blame him. The Oracle¡¯s house is an unassuming cottage tucked into some woods just out of their closest city. It¡¯s surrounded by flowers, even a type of climbing flowering vine crawling all over the front of the house. Its blossoms fill the air with a heady type of fragrance. ¡°I felt the same way when Roland first gave me the directions,¡± Nicholas tells him with wry amusement. ¡°But based on my previous experience, she¡¯s the real deal. However, her requirements for payment are a little unusual.¡± Without saying anything more, he walks up to the door and lifts his hand to knock. Before it falls, the door opens. Clearly it¡¯s not a coincidence as the woman now standing in the doorway doesn¡¯t look the slightest surprised. She could have just seen them coming through the window, but Sarran feels like it isn¡¯t because of that. ¡°Lord Nicholas Titanbend,¡± murmurs the lady, who looks like she absolutely fits in this quaint cottage setting, and not a bit like Sarran would have imagined an oracle to appear. ¡°A pleasure to see you again. And Sarran Mirransson,¡± she continues, shifting her gaze to the manservant. ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Sarran can¡¯t help swallowing a little, his eyes going wide, wondering just how she knows his name. As he meets her eyes, he finds himself struck by some other-worldly quality in them. Suddenly, despite the setting, despite her appearance otherwise, he has no doubt that she is indeed an Oracle. The Oracle looks back at Nicholas. ¡°I will take all three of your offered items,¡± she announced, though he hadn¡¯t said a word or even moved to withdraw them from his Inventory. ¡°Three items for three questions. Fair, yes?¡± Nicholas can¡¯t help but chuckle a little. ¡°Fair indeed, my lady.¡± A small smile teases at the corner of the Oracle¡¯s mouth, though it doesn¡¯t soften her visage at all, instead making it all the more mysterious. ¡°Then shall we begin?¡± she invites. Inside, Lord Nicholas takes a seat at the circular two-person table in the cosy room, the Oracle sitting opposite. Sarran stands at the door, falling easily into his role as manservant and, while his master is otherwise occupied, guard. ¡°A question each of the past, present, and future,¡± states the oracle. "Ask your first.¡± Lord Nicholas thinks for a moment. The topic is obvious, but how to phrase it right is another matter. ¡°What was the event which caused the candidate to so quickly pay off a large portion of his debt?¡± The Oracle takes a pouch, holds it within her hands for a moment, then quickly upends it. A number of items fall out around the table, arranging themselves on the intricate design which is painted upon it. Bones, stones, feathers, and other objects which neither man is able to identify immediately. Murmuring to herself, she shifts some of the items off, tucking them back into the pouch. Others, she nudges and prods before lifting her head to gaze at the lord. ¡°The world-traveller encountered an unmissable opportunity. Like many, risk was balanced with reward; he suffered greatly, but what he gained was many times the value of what he lost.¡± Clear as mud, Nicholas thinks to himself, but is partially satisfied nonetheless. The candidate might have killed a great creature, but if so, it¡¯s likely that it was in the attempt to reach some natural treasure. Actually, that seems rather probable: any natural treasure is bound to be guarded by a powerful beast. Satisfied with his conclusions, the lord asks the next question. ¡°How many Bonds does he hold right now?¡± It¡¯s a strategic question: the candidate¡¯s use of his Class will be key for his success in the future here. By this point, if he has not started using his Class Skills, it spells dire things for the future. At the same time, it will be interesting to discover if he has a tendency to seek a small group of intelligent and powerful Bonds, or a larger group of weaker and less intelligent ones. Once more, the Oracles goes through the rigamarole of her art. ¡°The world-traveller currently holds twenty-seven Bonds.¡± Nicholas¡¯ eyebrows shoot up in shock. ¡°Twenty-seven?¡± he sputters. ¡°What sort of Willpower stat does he have?!¡± The Oracle eyes him. ¡°I can only answer one question about the present,¡± she comments wryly. Nicholas waves it away. ¡°It was an exclamation, not a genuine question,¡± he answers quickly. Twenty-seven, he can¡¯t help but repeat to himself again. Either the candidate has rapidly increased his levels as he couldn¡¯t have had more than a fifteen in Willpower before coming to the world, or he has had some other fortuitous encounter. Or, Nicholas theorises, all of the Bonds are with particularly weak and unintelligent creatures. He will have to hope that this isn¡¯t the case, though, as a high Willpower would definitely stand the candidate in better stead when he comes to this world. Of course, it could also be due to having raised Dominate rapidly, but since that went along with gaining Bonds, it was unlikely to be the sole reason. Could they be Tame Bonds instead? Nicholas wonders to himself. That wouldn¡¯t necessitate such a high Willpower stat, but engineering the kind of circumstances to gain twenty-seven Tame bonds in such a short space of time has its own kind of difficulty. After all, it takes time to build the trust necessary for them. Time, or trials. Perhaps he has come across a creature with a large amount of young and has built Bonds with each of them? ¡°What is your third question?¡± the Oracle asks at a moment when his thoughts have paused ¨C almost like she knows exactly when is best to prompt him. Which, honestly, she probably does. Nicholas takes a moment to consider again, still a little shocked by the previous information. ¡°What will be his greatest obstacle before he arrives here?¡± Nicholas chooses to ask the question assuming that the candidate would survive the year: he¡¯d made unexpected steps so far that the lord sees no point in assuming that he won¡¯t. Once more the Oracle plies her trade, but this time is different. She takes much longer over the paraphernalia than the previous two times, and a frown creeps onto her face. Nicholas waits, more than a little impatient as she mutters to herself and nudges the items. Finally, she shakes her head a little. ¡°I cannot truly answer that question.¡± Before Nicholas can object, she holds up her hand. ¡°It is not that I won¡¯t, it¡¯s that I can¡¯t. His fate hangs on a knife¡¯s edge, a filament bridge over a chasm. If he falls off the path, on either side lies death. All my arts cannot see further than this moment. Come to me again in a few weeks and perhaps I will be able to answer your question.¡± She hesitates for a moment. ¡°In return for my inability to give you an answer now, do you wish to ask another question?¡± Nicholas eyes her. While the greedy part of him would dearly love to milk this situation for all it is worth, and the merchant within him wishes to get at least as much as he¡¯s paid for, an instinct warns him that this situation is not all it seems. He is playing mental games with an opponent who probably already knows his moves at least five steps in the future. ¡°No,¡± he says finally, trying to smile unconcernedly, like the rejection means nothing to him. ¡°You have given me information about the future, even if it is not exactly what I asked for. You have earned your reward.¡± The Oracle smiles, the mystery in her eyes lightened with pleasure. ¡°A gentleman as always, Lord Nicholas. Then I shall give you this for free. Should he navigate his path correctly and traverse the chasm, he has the potential to come to this world far more powerful than you might have ever imagined he could with beasts and elements at his command.¡± With those parting words, the two men thanked the Oracle and left, Nicholas giving her the three items he had promised. The ride home was quiet, the two men both thinking over what they had learned that day. Book Four: Expansion - Prologue The inferno roars, tongues of flame leaping high into the air. With some sense other than physical hearing, I hear the sounds of desperate screams fill the air. Closing my eyes, I revel in the power that lies at my fingertips, the sense of my control being on a knife¡¯s edge sending a thrill through me. If I lose control of this fire, it will sweep through a large portion of the forest before it burns out. Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of beings would be killed as it burns unchecked. Millions, if I consider the insects and flora. Perhaps the effect wouldn¡¯t be as bad now as it would have been in the height of summer, but even the rains we¡¯ve had so far haven¡¯t sunk in enough to truly stymie its progress. Especially not with a fire as strong as this one. But I won¡¯t let that happen. I have too much reason not to. There are too many lives riding on me maintaining control, too many people I don¡¯t wish to disappoint. Too many potential gains from burning only what I wish to burn. So I cling onto control. I am on the back of a galloping horse, but I am in my seat with my hands on the reins. I am on the back of a tiger, but I have a knife to its throat. I am damming a river and feeling its power try to push through my barrier, but still I am controlling the jet of its exit. It takes all my Will, all my concentration. I have to rely on my Bound to keep me safe while I do this or risk being attacked at the worst moment. I know that if that happened, I would fully lose control of the fire. My attacker wouldn¡¯t come off well since they¡¯d probably be immolated by the fire that I would then be surrounded by, but the damage would be done. Forcing my eyes to open, I wonder at the beauty of the destruction before me. Trees are like roman candles, blazing with light and sending out explosions of sparks. Twisting and writhing, I almost feel sorry for them as they try to escape the blaze. But this must be done. They are a cancer on this area, trying to take over everything. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Finding the fire pulling at my control again, I¡¯m forced to close my eyes once more. Not long after, I sense that we need to move. Too far from me and I will definitely lose control. Walking forward, I move slowly, each foot carefully placed to make sure that I don¡¯t accidentally jolt myself. The ground is hot, but that somehow doesn¡¯t matter to me. In this state, though I¡¯m not exactly part of the fire, I am somehow kin with it. As such, the heat doesn¡¯t do more than warm me. My Bound are another question, and I have to make the decision over whether I can afford the concentration to pull the heat out of their paths forwards, or if I can risk moving forwards alone. Preferring to keep them with me if I can, I tentatively reach out a tendril of my awareness, pulling the spark of fire from the area directly around me and returning it to myself. Unlike before when I had such trouble with extinguishing fire, now it is no problem: I was the spark, and therefore the spark is me. Transforming it back into my own mana is just a matter of Will. I send a sense of reassurance to my companions, wordlessly indicating the area around me which I instinctively know is cool enough for them to traverse. I trust them to follow the implicit guidance. If they don¡¯t, they will feel the burn and quickly be directed back to cooler paths anyway. Walking towards the fire, I clear a route for my Bound, replenishing my dwindling mana pool as I do: controlling the fire is not mana-hungry as I am not feeding it directly, but it does take power to accomplish. Time becomes immaterial, the world simply reduced to one of stark beauty: dark and light, tree and ash, hot and cool, black and orange and red and yellow. I refill my stocks of mana almost as quickly as I use them, but my mental energy drains with time. My lips become dry and cracked, my throat like sandpaper when I swallow. And then something changes. I feel something reach out to me. Please, I hear, whispered on the wind. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter One: Advocate I gulp as I pass the rock that looks vaguely shaped like a head. It¡¯s the sign that we¡¯re rapidly approaching ¡®home¡¯ ¨C and the angry nunda mother who is no doubt going to confront me as soon as she notices the bond between me and her cub. We¡¯ve gone over various possibilities, each of us who have come into extended contact with Kalanthia guessing what she might do or say, and how to deal with each scenario. But it¡¯s hard to know exactly what her reaction might be ¨C she¡¯s surprised me in the past. Probably, Bastet is the one with the best ability to predict ¨C she too is a maternal figure with cubs to protect. River is too fearful of ¡®the Great Predator¡¯ and Lathani is too biased. But even she seems split on how Kalanthia might react. Frankly, I¡¯m a little surprised that Kalanthia hasn¡¯t already confronted us. Last time we came back from rescuing Lathani, she¡¯d met us shortly after this point, so we figured that the same would happen this time. We¡¯ve been bracing for that for the last hour, but there¡¯s been no sign of the massive nunda. I look around the cavalcade travelling with me instinctively, wanting to make sure everyone is with us. I see River with his temporary team of tempin, scalla, itho, encono, and his fellow samuran ¨C Catches-leaves. When given the choice, he chose a team of mostly-bipedal creatures, with only one moving on four legs ¨C the tempin who looks a bit like a tortoise, but is significantly faster than one. Leading the vanguard is Bastet with her smaller and stealthier group of Tamed Bound. She¡¯s only taken three, as she also has the three cubs to keep track of. These are the reer, oloc, and mea ¨C all lithe-looking predators. The reer is the biggest of the group, slightly bigger than Bastet herself, and with a wicked bone spike on his tail. He¡¯s completely scaled and has several bone protrusions elsewhere on his body, making him a thorny prospect to attack. That hadn¡¯t seemed to deter the danaris, though. The oloc and mea are not nearly as dangerous looking ¨C at first glance. One look at their mouths full of needle-sharp teeth proves that they can do some damage when they want. The oloc looks rather like a big weasel, her body held close to the ground, her scales slipping easily through any sort of obstacle. The mea is far more chunky, looking far more like the wolvezard that I encountered in my first few days in this world. Heck, for all I know it is a wolvezard ¨C I wasn¡¯t able to Inspect creatures at that point so have no idea what that one was actually called. Persephone has taken almost only herbivores, interestingly enough. That¡¯s the icehal, quan, thion, and cyran whose hulking body offers significant protection against any attack. The lone carnivore of the group, the meiryl, is a shy-looking thing which seems to try to hide at every opportunity. Even Bonded, she was unwilling to come too close to me. I hope that that wears off ¨C her bond is a trial one, so I guess that if I prove that I¡¯m not planning on eating her or something, that she might decide to stick with us for the long-term. Hades has a rather mismatched assortment of my new Bound in his team: the woshel, tidis, hernem, deri, and krerus. He¡¯s acting as rear-guard, and his temporary team looks to be suited to that role. They have a couple of heavy-hitters, a couple of what look like moving tanks, and the krerus who looks particularly suited to rogue-like attacks. The last three ¨C the carnivorous serara and the two herbivorous stio ¨C are just sticking with our group, moving warily at the edge of the party. Frankly, were it not that my destination makes me far more anxious than the forest itself does even on a normal day, I would feel completely relaxed at travelling in such a cavalcade. The feeling and sound of scrabbling in the hide bag on my back reminds me of something else ¨C the three danaris larvae I kept from the wounds of my new Bound. They¡¯ve got a chunk of meat in there which should be keeping them happy. I was concerned at first that they might engage in cannibalism, since that¡¯s clearly something which they¡¯re happy to do, but it turns out that these slightly-older larvae can actually defend themselves well enough to deter the other larvae from seeing them as an easy meal. As long as there¡¯s an easier meal present, anyway. With my check done, I focus once more on the route ahead, soon seeing the river come into view. We¡¯re almost back. As each metre passes without any sign of the massive leopard-like predator, I find the knot in my stomach tightening. Almost at the hill now, I find myself mentally cursing Lathani for putting me in this spot. We all agreed that it was going to be bad enough with the marks of a consensual Tame Bond no doubt visible on her soul, but this? This is going to be far worse. I glare down at the nunda cub padding next to me. I¡¯d been very clear when we woke up this morning that I wanted her at my side throughout the trip. There¡¯s no way I want to risk her getting into more trouble. I¡¯m sorry, she says again. It¡¯s not the first time she¡¯s apologised, and probably not the last, but all it does now is make me sigh in frustration. ¡°Sorry doesn¡¯t magically make things all better,¡± I tell her, breaking the silence I¡¯ve been in for the past couple of hours. ¡°Besides, if you were truly sorry, you wouldn¡¯t have done it in the first place: you knew before invoking the Bond that it wasn¡¯t a good idea.¡± It is a good idea, she corrects obstinately, as she has every time we¡¯ve discussed this. But I know mother will be angry at you for it. And I¡¯m sorry for that. ¡°Angry,¡± I chuckle humorlessly. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s call it that. The alternative is murderously furious.¡± Why would I be murderously furious, Markus Wolfe? I freeze. The rest of the cavalcade stops with me. The ¡®managers¡¯ take their cue from me, and their teams take their cues from their leaders. Kalanthia fades into view, her stealth ability falling away to reveal her massive form standing just at the foot of the hill on the other side of the river. The herbivores among us are abruptly poised to flee, the massive predator in front of them too much for their sense of safety. The carnivores cower a little too, their senses no doubt telling them that they have no chance against this apex-predator. As discussed, the managers take control of their groups, calming them and reassuring them. At least, that¡¯s what they should be doing. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. It¡¯s OK, I send along the network of Bonds, just in case. She¡¯s friendly. At least, I hope she is. Or will be when she realises what¡¯s happened. She definitely hasn¡¯t yet, as she looks more curious and amused than angry. ¡°Come on,¡± I tell Lathani quietly, walking forwards. She follows my lead, though her own nerves are clear in her body language. Better to get it over sooner rather than later. Are you sure I should not come? Bastet offers again as I pass her spot. I send a sense of negation down the Bond to her: as I¡¯ve told her before, I¡¯d rather not have anyone else in the line of fire. We keep walking forwards. I, at least, feel a bit like I¡¯m walking to my execution here. I know the moment that Kalanthia senses exactly what¡¯s happened. We¡¯re only a few body-lengths away from her at that point, and her demeanour completely changes. Her lips lift to bare her teeth, her hackles rise as she shifts into a threatening crouch, and, most importantly, her aura billows out from her in a frightening wave. I grit my teeth and stand my ground ¨C having already felt it a couple of times improves my ability to withstand it, and my increased Willpower must also help as I manage to not even take a step back. My Bound are not so lucky, and I sense my team leaders needing to take firm control of their groups to prevent a terror-stricken stampede from happening. But that¡¯s why I delegated almost all the Bonds. The last three I have to control myself, but that¡¯s relatively easily accomplished. Then I have no time to think about anything other than the angry nunda in front of me. True to our expectations, she¡¯s almost incandescent in her fury. Her eyes burn with some inner energy, the earth shifting beneath her paw. I¡¯m very aware that at any moment, she could open a chasm beneath my feet and drop me in it, silencing my cries in an instant. But then, she could also swipe or bite my head off in just as little time, so the fact that she hasn¡¯t done any of that is a good sign. Isn¡¯t it? You¡¯ve Bound my cub, Binder, seethes Kalanthia. After everything I¡¯ve done for you, everything I¡¯ve¡­I trusted you and you¡¯ve taken my cub for your own selfish designs. She seems to be working herself into even more of a rage, though I wouldn¡¯t have believed it possible. ¡°Kalanthia, look, listen to me, I didn¡¯t-¡± No! she roars. No! I listened to you before and you have betrayed me! Then she stops and glares at me. My heart almost fails me at the look in her eyes. In that moment, I believe that looks can genuinely kill in this new reality. It¡¯s not only because of the anger there, but also the soul-deep hurt which I see. Without giving me a moment to say or do anything, she leaps towards me. She¡¯s too fast for me to do anything but hopelessly and instinctively lift my hands to cover my face. The next moment, an impact strikes me, but not the one I was expecting. Instead of teeth and claws tearing through my flesh like butter, I¡¯m slammed to the ground, a weight landing on top of me. Not Kalanthia¡¯s. I open my eyes which had instinctively slid closed to see Lathani standing over me. That wasn¡¯t the plan. Any of them. Through her legs, I see that her mother has halted her own strike and is standing only a couple of inches away from me, her claws practically touching my armour. I gulp at the sheer sharpness and lethality of those weapons. I highly doubt that even my nere-hide armour would stand up for more than a fraction of a second against them. Fortunately, it appears I have something of a protector in Lathani, as she¡¯s currently snarling back at her mother. By dipping into the Bond between us, I can eavesdrop on their conversation ¨C Kalanthia¡¯s already wanting to kill me, so I might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb. As might be expected, their conversation isn¡¯t really in words, but my mind automatically interprets it into such. You¡¯re defending your captor! shouts Kalanthia at her cub. He¡¯s not my captor! shouts Lathani back, just as passionate. I won¡¯t let you kill him! You¡¯ll have to go through me first! If it hadn¡¯t been my life at stake, I might have rolled my eyes at the melodrama of teenagers, but as it is, I¡¯m grateful. I mean, considering she caused the most recent issue, I would hope that she would defend me but still, I¡¯m not going to just take it for granted. You¡¯re being affected by the insidious nature of the Bond, Kalanthia hisses at her cub next, her aura increasing in spikiness, almost provoking a physical response from my body. I do my best to stay still despite having the almost uncontrollable urge to squirm. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying. I will kill him and then you will be free. And then you will realise that I am right. I could be free any time I chose! rejects Lathani. It¡¯s you who doesn¡¯t understand! I understand, Kalanthia says suddenly, sounding abruptly calmer. I would like to feel relieved, but a gut instinct tells me that it¡¯s not what it seems. I understand that he has made you promises. Told you that he will release you whenever you want it. That he won¡¯t force you to do anything you don¡¯t want to do. That he won¡¯t force you to kill anyone precious to you. But he¡¯s lied. That¡¯s what humans do! They cheat, and they lie, and they destroy. I thought that maybe he was different. But I was a fool to believe it. I will kill him and remove this cancer from our lives. There¡¯s a deafening silence for a moment. I feel hurt, I have to admit it, if only to myself. It¡¯s illogical ¨C I am pretty certain that Kalanthia has good reason to distrust humans, from what little I¡¯ve picked up. I also know that this whole situation doesn¡¯t look good ¨C that¡¯s why I was so nervous about coming back. Perhaps it¡¯s more empathetic hurt than hurt in myself. I know how awful it feels to be betrayed, and regret that everything has led to Kalanthia feeling like that. Especially when Lathani and I both know that the situation isn¡¯t at all as she thinks it is. Whether Lathani can get the message across before it¡¯s too late for me is another question, though ¨C I have a feeling that Kalanthia¡¯s almost on the point of forcibly separating us so that she can kill me without risking Lathani. I¡¯m not sure why she hasn¡¯t just opened a pit beneath me ¨C maybe she thinks that might hurt Lathani, or maybe she¡¯s just been too angry to think of it yet. In that case, her calming down might be a two-edged sword. I would try to speak up in my own defence, but have a distinct feeling that it would just make things worse. Especially if I revealed that I¡¯m listening into their private conversation. For better or worse, it appears that I¡¯ve got to rely on Lathani to be my advocate here ¨C and hope that she succeeds in getting Kalanthia to back down before I get my head torn off. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Two: Listen For A Moment The ground shifts below me abruptly, and I send an instinctive and wordless message to Lathani. We roll away just in time to avoid me getting a spear of earth in my gut. However, with me now on top of Lathani, I¡¯m fully exposed to Kalanthia¡¯s rage and barely dodge her strike. I probably only manage even that because she¡¯s pulling her blows so as not to accidentally go through me and into Lathani below. I¡¯m on borrowed time ¨C I dodge Kalanthia¡¯s strikes by a hair¡¯s breadth, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before I take just a fraction of a second too long. Especially since every step is potentially treacherous with the earth falling away beneath my feet or forming a spike just where I want to land. I didn¡¯t Dominate your cub! She Bonded me! I shriek mentally, not having the breath to say it out loud. I mean, it¡¯s not completely true, but my vague hopes come true as the unexpected statement makes Kalanthia stop trying to kill me for a moment. What is this new lie? she asks, poised to pounce once more, but for now not actually doing so. I take a moment to breathe ¨C a very brief moment. ¡°I Bonded her, yes, but only as a very temporary situation,¡± I say, returning to speech using my mouth rather than my brain. I might have got more used to mental speech, but it¡¯s still not my preferred option. ¡°This Bond came later, and I did not at all instigate it.¡± For the first time since this conversation began, Kalanthia looks a little uncertain. Perhaps she felt the sincerity of my statement or caught a little of the memory behind the words? Then why do I feel a fully intact chain between you and my cub. I can sense that you are the holder of her chains, so don¡¯t try to deceive me with lies about her chaining you. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± I quickly say. I sigh. ¡°Look, Kalanthia, please can we just have a pause here. Let us explain a bit. You know that we¡¯re not going anywhere. What harm would it cause for you just to listen for a moment?¡± Apparently that was the wrong thing to say as her aura spikes once more, almost feeling like knives are pricking at my skin, poised to pierce me like a magician¡¯s assistant in the famous box of swords trick. Only, unlike the magician¡¯s assistant, I don¡¯t have a false floor to escape through. Listening to you is how my cub became chained to you in the first place! She leaps at me, her mouth open and teeth bared. Reacting more on instinct than anything else, I summon fire to my fingertips, the element eager to come to life, to burn. My own flesh sizzles a little in the heat, my divided concentration unable to pay sufficient attention to make sure that it doesn¡¯t. I ignore the pain, directing the gout of fire to singe Kalanthia¡¯s whiskers and lips; no more. It¡¯s a struggle to stop it from burning anything else, but I¡¯m determined to not hurt anyone except for my target, and even then, only as much as she forces me to. I do have to intensify the fire, though, pouring in my own mana to force it to burn more hotly ¨C Kalanthia is apparently not going to be deterred by a simple singing of her whiskers, but she does back off when the heat threatens to do a lot more than that. While she retreats a moment, I know it¡¯s not for long. I see her through the billowing fire, a silhouette prowling and waiting for my guard to drop. At least she hasn¡¯t tried to attack any of my other Bound ¨C that would have been a good way of distracting me and forcing me to defend them. But perhaps there¡¯s some innate sense of justice in her which says that I and I alone am her target. I¡¯m certainly not going to complain. But this isn¡¯t tenable. My fire will burn through my mana in time, especially with as much as I¡¯m having to pour into it to keep it burning hotly with no other source of fuel. Then what do I do? It¡¯s not only the fire which is burning hot; tempers are also far too high. Kalanthia is too enveloped by emotion to look at this at all logically. She¡¯s not listening to me; she¡¯s not listening to Lathani. At this point, I don¡¯t even really consider any of my other Bound intervening as we discussed ¨C at best she¡¯d dismiss them as biased; at worst, she would turn her rage on them. We¡¯d known she was going to be angry, but had thought she¡¯d be more reasonable than she turned out to be, more willing to at least hear me out. What if I¡­? The new idea comes to mind like an assassin, creeping in the darkness of my mind to suddenly appear when I least expect it. No, she¡¯s far too strong! I reject it. Yet it still nags at me. I only need a few moments. Maybe this is a way of getting through to her. It¡¯s possible, but¡­what if this enrages her even more? Honestly, the latter is probably more likely than the former, but do I have a choice? I don¡¯t want to even properly attempt to kill Lathani¡¯s mother. If I had the time to prepare, I might be able to by this point, using all my Bound and my Bound¡¯s talents wisely. Without that time to prepare, it¡¯s a lot less likely. But I don¡¯t want to do it nonetheless. Not only would Lathani probably never forgive me for it, but¡­I would probably never forgive myself for it either. The problem is that she¡¯s trying to kill me which leaves me with few real options. I can¡¯t retreat either ¨C she¡¯s far faster than me or my Bound as a group. So what does that leave me with? Abruptly, I cut the mana flow to the fire, its billow guttering out. I meet Kalanthia¡¯s eyes. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Dominate,¡± I whisper, and brace myself. It¡¯s a good thing I knew this was going to be difficult because I¡¯m almost blown out of the Battle of Wills in the first instant. It¡¯s only by applying the full strength of my Will that we remain in the space, clinging on by my metaphorical fingertips. You dare?! Kalanthia roars, a blurred shape at the far end of the space. Judging by how little detail I can see, I¡¯m only a few inches from being booted out of the space completely. The pressure against me is incredible, a fireman¡¯s hose of water aimed straight at me, a deluge of spring waters falling over a waterfall and trying to pound me to the depths of the pool beneath. I actually crouch down to the ground, hoping that presenting a smaller target area might affect even metaphysical pressure. Oddly enough, it does seem to help. Enough to allow me to cling on. For now ¨C I sense that even a soul battle like this uses some form of stamina. Just like with the crocodile, I know that the soulspace around me will fracture long before I make any real sort of progress. The difference here is that ¡®progress¡¯ to me in this case counts as just managing to stay put, not actually moving forward at all. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to Dominate you!¡± I call back at Kalanthia, doing my best to shove my sincerity at her. Normally I wouldn¡¯t be able to communicate in that way until I¡¯m at least a third of the way towards my opponent, but this isn¡¯t by any means a normal situation. I¡¯m hoping that her own telepathy will be able to do the legwork here. Then why have you brought me here? she demands, not sounding in any way appeased. ¡°I just want to talk!¡± I call back to her, once more trying my best to emanate honesty. We must be in your battleground with chains clinking ominously around me to talk? she asks somewhat sarcastically, but I¡¯m relieved to hear less actual ire in her voice. Plus, her poetic words indicate that she¡¯s a little less angry than she was. Good. Honestly, that¡¯s what I was banking on. I knew that it was probably the biggest gamble I¡¯ve ever taken, but a previous improvement to my Dominate Skill was that my opponents would be calmed and pacified while in my space ¨C as long as I remain calm and peaceful myself. With Kalanthia¡¯s temper so high, this was the only thing I could think to do. Of course, if she¡¯d immediately thrown me out of the space like the salamander did all those weeks ago, I¡¯d have been completely done for. But I was hoping that with my significantly greater Willpower now, I¡¯d at least be able to stand my ground. As it is, I perhaps underestimated just how great the difference between our Willpowers still is, but I was never intending on actually trying to win this. If I can calm her down enough to not want to immediately kill me when I inevitably get cast out of the space, that will be enough for me. ¡°You weren¡¯t willing to talk outside my ¡®battleground¡¯, so yes,¡± I point out to her, trying to draw on meditation. I need a calm head here so if I can even get into a state of Light Meditation, that would improve things. Plus, I¡¯ve proved before that I can still use magic even while paralysed physically from failing a Dominate; if I can regenerate enough mana, I might be able to cover myself with a blanket of fire while I¡¯m completely physically vulnerable. Perhaps that might stop her. Then again, she has Earth-Shaping at her command, so probably not. Your words are clearly poison, hissing in my cub¡¯s ear, Kalanthia says, hissing herself, but less angry than she had been. ¡°And we keep trying to tell you that that¡¯s not how it happened.¡± I say firmly. ¡°Did you send Lathani after my party?¡± I ask. I¡¯m ninety-nine percent sure that I know the answer to that, but it¡¯s worth establishing foundations here. What? Kalanthia asks, seemingly pulled up short. That, too, was something I was aiming for ¨C just like I changed the physical battleground to here, I need to change the battleground of our words too. Letting her be the predator and me the prey even verbally isn¡¯t going to work: I need to take control of the discussion if we¡¯re going to make any headway. ¡°Lathani followed me. I didn¡¯t ask her to, in fact I specifically told her not to ¨C you were there for that. Did you send her?¡± Once more, I push my sincerity at her, figuring that it can only help. It had occurred to me that she might think I had said one thing in front of her and then encouraged Lathani to follow in some other way. No, I didn¡¯t, Kalanthia replies strongly. I interpreted your words and thoughts to indicate a significantly dangerous foe and did my best to discourage her from following. ¡°Then how did she slip out to follow us?¡± Even I must sleep, Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia tells me, bridling a bit at my unspoken accusation. In the quiet of my own mind, I smile: she used my name. I thought her to be slumbering too. ¡°I understand that,¡± I say, sending soothing feelings at Kalanthia almost unconsciously, despite my surprise that Lathani was able to move quietly enough to slip past her eminently-aware mother. ¡°But then why did you not come to find her?¡± The pressure against me lessens a little. Not enough to allow me to take even one small step forwards, but enough that losing a finger¡¯s hold might not spell the end of my stay here. Losing two probably still would, but a little leeway is more than I had before. By the time I woke, she was out of my Earth-sense range, Kalanthia says, a little grumpily. ¡°Could you not have followed her tracks?¡± I¡¯m not a rocas, she snaps back at me. I cannot just follow a scent on the breeze. And I have been teaching Lathani to hide her presence in as many ways as possible, she finishes, sounding even more grumpy, as if she didn¡¯t want to admit it. Could that be another effect of this space? Encouraging honesty even when my opponent isn¡¯t keen to give it? I shake the thought away ¨C for when I¡¯m not facing dismemberment from an angry mother. It takes a second for ¡®rocas¡¯ to click, but based on her reference to ¡®scent on the breeze¡¯ I have to guess that she¡¯s talking about Fenrir. Evidently, the powerful nundas don¡¯t have particularly good tracking abilities. Or Lathani has a particularly strong anti-tracking talent. ¡°She¡¯s that good at stealth?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask. She¡¯s far more talented at it than I expected, Kalanthia admits, a little pride in her voice. Then the anger returns. And now you will expect to use it, to use her. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I was thinking,¡± I object immediately, though now she¡¯s mentioned it¡­. ¡°So Lathani slipped out below your notice, escaped your earth sense range, and your tracking abilities. Is that right?¡± Kalanthia doesn¡¯t reply and I feel a sense of impatience from the blurred shape in the distance. ¡°Didn¡¯t you think she might have followed us?¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Three: My Patience Is Wearing Thin I didn¡¯t think her such a fool, Kalanthia snaps. Even after you¡¯d gone, I impressed on her how dangerous the foe you sought was, and thought that she had understood. I imagined she had gone hunting, but when she didn¡¯t come back by nightfall, I became worried and went searching for her. ¡°You¡¯ve been searching for her for a night and day?¡± I ask incredulously. A growl comes at me from the other side of the space. Yes! I worried that she had been killed by a creature, or caught by those wretched lizards again ¨C and my patience is wearing thin on that matter ¨C or taken by some other predator to provide food for their own young. When I picked up her presence on the edge of my senses, I was overjoyed ¨C and then I saw her and saw exactly what you had done to her! The anger is back, but I understand it far better now. Kalanthia has spent the majority of the time since we¡¯ve been gone frantically worried for her cub, probably combing every inch of the mountainside and forest for any trace of her presence ¨C or her body. Not being a parent, I can¡¯t imagine how it felt to feel the relief of knowing her child was alive, but then finding out that she¡¯d been ¡®chained¡¯. Her fury is no surprise, but I still don¡¯t want to be killed by it. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why I did it!¡± I respond to Kalanthia just as firmly as she¡¯s been speaking, but without the anger. Did what? The seeming non-sequitur seems to have derailed her a little ¨C good. ¡°Lathani followed us into a battle with a dangerous opponent. I offered her a temporary Tame Bond ¨C temporary, mind,¡± I repeat just in case she didn¡¯t hear it the first time, ¡°to protect her.¡± How does chaining her protect her? Kalanthia asks more than a little incredulously. But at least she¡¯s actually asking the question now rather than just rejecting my words outright. ¡°Telepathic communication both ways means that we can communicate danger and a decision to retreat in split-seconds. In addition, I made it a requirement in Lathani¡¯s Bond that she listened to the instructions of my other Bound, all of whom knew how important it was that she survived. That was to stop her from deciding to disobey an order to retreat if necessary. Without that, she would have been a complete loose cannon, and I wasn¡¯t willing to put the rest of us at risk just because she refused to sit on the sidelines.¡± The pressure against me lessens even further and I actually manage to start creeping forwards a little. I meant what I said to Kalanthia ¨C I¡¯m not trying to Dominate her at all ¨C but gaining a bit more of a sense of her feelings would help. That it would also help her feel the sincerity and honesty within my own words can only be a benefit too. You are telling me that she accepted a chain willingly? Kalanthia asks, still incredulous, but this time sounding a little less sure of herself. ¡°She did since that was the only way I would permit her to be part of the battle.¡± If you had a choice, why not keep her out of the battle completely? Kalanthia demands. I know what you were up against and cannot fathom why you would let Lathani anywhere near one of them. ¡°Because the only way to keep her out of the fight was either to tie her to a tree, which could lead to her being vulnerable to any other predator that came past,¡± I say to Kalanthia, my words snapping through the space between us, ¡°or tying her to one of my Bound, thereby depriving us of another fighter.¡± I breathe in and out deeply. I probably don¡¯t have to in this space, but it helps me clear my mind a little, dropping back into Light Meditation. ¡°It seemed like the best idea of the time, and in fact meant that I was able to keep her alive.¡± What do you mean? Kalanthia questions me furiously, the pressure suddenly hitting me full force once more. I lose one of the inches I¡¯ve just gained before I manage to brace fully against the force. I can feel myself tiring, though ¨C the soulspace isn¡¯t likely to last all that much longer. River¡¯s lasted longer than this, but it was significantly less draining than this constant battle against pressure that I¡¯m required to engage in now. ¡°She almost died from the venom of the danaris, but because she was my Bound at the time, I was able to heal her without her body putting up any resistance.¡± I know that for a fact now that I¡¯ve had to heal her while unconscious and not Bound to me. ¡°When the dawn came, as intended, her Bond dropped away and she was ¡®released¡¯,¡± I continue. Then why is she still chained to you, if the Bond released? Kalanthia demands, seemingly confused. I don¡¯t blame her, but I¡¯m thankful when it means that the pressure between us drops a little and I can start inching forwards again. ¡°Because of what happened after,¡± I sigh. ¡°To give you a little background, since I don''t know what you know and what you don¡¯t, I have three types of Bonds. One through Dominate, gained through a Battle of Wills in this space,¡± I explain, gesturing to the space around us with a hand that quickly returns to clinging onto the ground. ¡°One through Tame, which is more of a negotiation. That is the kind I had with Lathani. It¡¯s more limited in duration or extent, or both. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Then I have Companion Bond. This requires me to already have had a Bond of significant depth with the other being.¡± Actually, how come Catches-leaves was able to have a Companion Bond with me, then? We¡¯d only met less than a day before. Unless it¡¯s because of his deep gratitude for me healing his eyes? I dismiss the thought ¨C something else to consider later, maybe. ¡°I discovered by accident that I don¡¯t have to be the one to offer a Companion Bond ¨C if one of my Bound feels like making a significant commitment to me, apparently that¡¯s enough to trigger it.¡± I feel Kalanthia¡¯s impatience even without her saying anything. I get to the point. ¡°Lathani almost died again. She went off hunting with Trouble ¨C without instruction or telling any of us ¨C and angered a family group of cyrans.¡± I try to project a picture of the creatures to Kalanthia. Whether it works or not, I feel Kalanthia¡¯s exasperation and see her tail lashing. ¡°We got there just in time to save the two of them, and I was able to heal Lathani, though not without a huge amount of difficulty since she wasn¡¯t my Bound at the time,¡± I add, just to help justify why Taming her in the first place had been a good idea. I don¡¯t, however, mention that I activated Dominate on her: I don¡¯t think it actually made any difference to the Bond between us, but still don¡¯t feel like I should muddy the waters here. Kalanthia has only just properly started listening, after all. ¡°Afterwards, when she woke up, she decided that she wanted to join our group ¨C permanently ¨C and the Companion Bond snapped into place without any intention on my part. And she wasn¡¯t lying earlier,¡± I add, ¡°or being deceived. Unlike Dominate, beings Bound with Companion Bond are able to end the Bond at any time. However, once broken the Bond cannot be reestablished ¨C ever. And I think there¡¯s probably some significant soul backlash ¨C on us both, most likely.¡± My piece finally fully said, I wait for Kalanthia to speak. She¡¯s been listening in silence and doesn¡¯t seem to be too inclined to break that streak yet. Why should I believe your claim? she says finally, sounding calmer than she¡¯s been all conversation, yet I sense that the calm is just on the surface. I search for a good response before finally shrugging helplessly. ¡°You can sense my mind, can you not? You can detect if I¡¯m telling the truth or not. You can speak to Lathani and see whether her story is the same as mine-¡± Kalanthia snorts. And hear only what you have told her to say? I think not. I pause, momentarily derailed before picking up my train of thought again. ¡°Well, you can still tell if I¡¯m lying or not in my mind.¡± I¡¯ve closed the distance between us enough by now that I can start seeing some details of her body and I see her looking at me thoughtfully. I know I¡¯ve only made this much headway because she¡¯s not been actively working against me for the past while, but even the non-focussed pressure between us is enough to challenge me. If she actively starts resisting me, I¡¯ll be blown back to my starting point before I can say ¡®Kalanthia!¡¯. Out of respect for that, and to prove that I meant what I said when I told her I wasn¡¯t trying to actually win this Battle of Wills, I pause my movement forwards as soon as I can see enough of her to properly read her body language. Plus, we¡¯re now probably ¡®touching souls¡¯ or whatever happens when I start being able to feel my opponent¡¯s emotions ¨C and they mine. Kalanthia¡¯s dominant emotion right now is one of consideration, as if she¡¯s weighing up pros and cons of a decision. If it¡¯s one about whether to let me live or not, I¡¯m seriously hoping that the pros outweigh the cons. But for now, I¡¯ve said my piece; speaking more would just weaken my position. Let me into your mind and if your memories and thoughts match your words, I will let you live, she says finally, her voice resolute. ¡°Like you did with River when we first came back with Lathani?¡± I ask, a little dubiously. Yes. I grimace a little: even second-hand I¡¯d felt the pain of what she¡¯d done to him. Actually, why does she need permission anyway? Isn¡¯t reading minds something she does all the time? Sort of, anyway? Unless maybe her telepathy is a bit like my Flesh-Shaping ¨C possible to do with or without permission, but a lot easier with permission. ¡°Alright, fine,¡± I say after a few moments of thought. Although I¡¯m a bit nervous about what she might find in there ¨C my thoughts aren¡¯t all pure or well-meaning, after all ¨C and not too keen on having myself completely laid bare, I¡¯m also rather attached to my life. If this is the only way she¡¯ll be willing to agree with me keeping it, I¡¯m willing to let her into my mind. Hopefully this way will also maintain a reasonable relationship between Kalanthia and me too ¨C although I might be able to escape or hurt Kalanthia enough that she couldn¡¯t follow us, that would mean making her an irreconcilable enemy. Not what I want. I¡¯m willing to take one on the chin if it means avoiding that. ¡°Do you want to do it now?¡± I ask, a little concerned: I suspect that it might shatter the soul-space around us. No, this is your domain. We must do it in mine, she tells me, eliminating that possibility anyway. ¡°OK, I¡¯ll exit this space. I won¡¯t be able to move for a few seconds after,¡± I warn, before wondering whether I should have revealed that vulnerability. It matters not. You do not have to move for me to read your thoughts. Joy, I say to myself sarcastically, before stepping backwards. The Battle of Wills space shatters around me as I intentionally fail it, and I mentally sigh in relief as a burden falls away from my metaphysical shoulders. A headache blooms, sharp and strong, and I feel liquid trickling down from my nose. Am I bleeding? Without being able to raise my hand, I can¡¯t tell, but since I didn¡¯t have a cold earlier, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s mucus. Did I actually cause myself some damage? Before I can send healing magic through to check my brain¡¯s condition, I see Kalanthia moving towards me. Perhaps healing my brain after she¡¯s done digging through it would be a better option anyway. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Four: I Don’t Want To Be Alone As Kalanthia walks towards me, I sense my Bound tense, ready to attack. Lathani shifts over me, having obviously moved to guard me while I was vulnerable in the Battle of Wills. It¡¯s OK, I send to all of them at the same time. We¡¯ve talked. She¡¯s going to look at my memories. Then I consider what might happen if Kalanthia decides that I wasn¡¯t justified in Binding her cub. But be prepared to move anyway, just in case, I add. The massive nunda stops when she¡¯s less than the length of my body away. Honestly, even if my Bound are prepared, I doubt they¡¯ll be able to move fast enough to do anything. Move to the side, Lathani, I hear Kalanthia tell her cub, muffled through our connection. The nunda cub tenses for a moment, but then reluctantly complies with shifting off me. Instead of moving to the side, though, she puts herself between her mother and me. Do the protective aspects of Dominate apply to Companion Bond too? Even if the Bound in question started with a Tame Bond? And what about the inclination towards obedience? I¡¯ll have to ask Lathani later and hope she has enough self-awareness to be able to tell the difference. However, to be able to even ask her, I need to survive the next few minutes. With the way Kalanthia has placed herself, she¡¯s looking directly into my eyes, unimpeded by Lathani¡¯s body. Bracing myself, I prepare for Kalanthia to start her work, but nothing could prepare me for the actual experience. Her eyes boring into mine, I feel like I¡¯m falling within them, while simultaneously feeling her tunnel inside me. It¡¯s a very different sensation from the Pure Energy, though, I muse in the moment before the pain hits. Suddenly, it feels like a needle the size of my finger is piercing my brain. I grimace and can¡¯t prevent myself from trying to close my eyes. A shiver of fear goes down my spine as I realise that I can¡¯t close them. Nor can I move under her gaze ¨C it¡¯s like there truly is a needle pinning me in place. River coped with this without letting out a cry, I say to myself stubbornly. I¡¯m not going to either. Clenching my jaw, I set myself to enduring this, remembering belatedly that I can use Sensation Management to dull the pain a bit. I sense Kalanthia flicking through my memories, odd snippets of conversation or half-seen images flashing up unbidden. It¡¯s much like I remember the most severe period of my PTSD was after the accident with my mother: a memory would surge up from the darkness below and grab me by the throat without my direction. And during the worst of the times, I was unable to exit the memory until it released me either. This is very much reminiscent of that, without the strong emotional component of my PTSD flashbacks. I never experienced as much pain then as now, though. I¡¯m reluctant to use Sensation Management too much ¨C if I don¡¯t know that I¡¯m injured, I won¡¯t be able to heal it. When the needle finally pulls back, it leaves my mind feeling as sore as if I genuinely have just had a thick piece of metal shoved into it. And maybe I did, in mental terms ¨C perhaps my mind was forced to yield to the telepathic intrusion as much as flesh would be forced to give way to the piercing of sharp metal. Still I don¡¯t think that any damage has been done, certainly nothing that won¡¯t heal with a bit of time. While I didn¡¯t see a lot of the actual memories she examined, I saw enough of the flashes that I can tell she was mainly looking at the last few days, in particular the moments with Lathani linked to both Bonds. What I can¡¯t tell is how she feels about them. She could have been angrily pawing through them or methodically inspecting them ¨C I don¡¯t have enough experience with having my mind ransacked to know the difference. Kalanthia blinks and turns her attention elsewhere. The paralysis from ¡®failing¡¯ the Battle of Wills wore off a while ago, but I was forced to remain unmoving. Even now, I stay still: I¡¯m anxious to know how Kalanthia is feeling about things before I draw her attention back to me. Through my connection with Lathani, I sense that her mother is now interrogating her instead. Not surprising, really ¨C she¡¯s heard and seen my side of the story; now she wants Lathani¡¯s. Well, now she¡¯s willing to actually listen to it properly. Whether she doesn¡¯t know that I can eavesdrop on the conversation, or she doesn¡¯t care, I¡¯m not planning on giving up the advantage unless she actively objects. As before, they don¡¯t exactly communicate in words, but their thoughts are so well directed that it takes little effort for me to put their mental speech into something that makes more sense to me. You agreed to two chains, Lathani. Two! Why?! I had a moment of enlightenment, mother, Lathani says, a little subdued, but with a core of defiance running below the surface. Enlightenment? Kalanthia asks, startled. Yes.I want to be part of their group, Lathani tells her, more of that defiance coming through this time. It¡¯s the best thing for me. You¡¯re a nunda, Lathani. You don¡¯t need to be part of a group. We¡¯re not pack Beasts; we¡¯re apex predators! A group will hold you back, prevent you from being all you can become. My moment of enlightenment said exactly the opposite. Just because you and my sire are solitary apex predators, does that mean I have to be too? Lathani hesitates for a moment. Mother¡­ maybe¡­maybe I¡¯m not like other nundas. What do you mean? Kalanthia asks, sounding confused. I have to admit that I am too. I¡¯ve been trying to get Lathani to tell me exactly why she prompted the second Bond ever since it happened, but she¡¯s been rather tight-mouthed over it all, and what she has said has been confusing. Perhaps Kalanthia will be able to get more out of her. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I¡­. Lathani hesitates, fear winding sickly through the connection between us. You won¡¯t hate me? She sounds so much like a plaintive cub that my heart goes out to her. Never, her mother promises. Perhaps I''m different because¡­of what the lizard-folk did. Explain, the adult nunda demands, her own mental connection suddenly emotionless, like she¡¯s intentionally keeping her reaction back. They wanted to make me into a protector, right? Into a spirit loyal to them, who would fight danger with them and¡­help them. That seems likely, Kalanthia agrees, though still as flatly as before. I think they succeeded. But not in making me loyal to them. The Binder has made you loyal to him instead? Kalanthia hisses, her hackles rising and her tail starting to lash angrily. If I kill him then your forcibly transferred loyalty shall be sundered. You will be free. No! shouted Lathani urgently. I mean, yes, but not in the way you think. Mentally, I roll my eyes. How eloquent¡­Hopefully she doesn¡¯t talk me into getting killed rather than out of it. The next moment, I feel bad for my scathing thoughts: Lathani¡¯s doing her best. It¡¯s not her fault she¡¯s an awkward teenager who¡¯s unable to properly explain herself to an angry parent ¨C I didn¡¯t do much better with my own parents in that situation either. Then tell me, Lathani! Kalanthia demands forcefully. Pack-leader has never been anything other than good to me. He¡¯s played with me, fed me, taught me, and saved my life multiple times. I owe him for that. Which is exactly why I rewarded him every time he saved you, emphasised Kalanthia. Debts must be paid, but you should have waited to get back here. I would have rewarded him on your behalf, as your mother. You did not need to allow yourself to be chained to him. But I wanted to! Lathani shouts back at her mother. I like spending time with him. I like spending time with the other elders. The time I spent Bound to him was¡­ The next part of the communication is not translatable into words. Instead, it¡¯s a sensation of joy and connection and togetherness that warms my heart. Mother¡­I know what you¡¯ve been trying to teach me when we go out. I know you¡¯re trying to make me independent. But¡­maybe I don¡¯t want to be independent like you. And¡­I don¡¯t want to be alone. Lathani¡­. Kalanthia sounds like she doesn¡¯t quite understand where her cub is coming from. I get it, kind of. But I don¡¯t want her motivation to Bond with me to be from fear of being independent. I guess I¡¯ll have to see how things work out. If Kalanthia doesn¡¯t kill me or force the sundering of the Bond, that is. Lathani, my cub, the adult nunda starts again. You are young, inexperienced. Your growth has been affected by those pests but that is not permanent ¨C in time you will barely remember it. I can¡¯t help but feel a little sceptical at her thoughts here ¨C not only do I have my own memories of enduring childhood trauma, but she¡¯s indicated that she does too. So either she thinks that whatever she went through was worse than Lathani¡¯s experiences, or she¡¯s hoping that Lathani will be able to do what she can¡¯t. You will grow into your paws; you are like any other nunda juvenile in that. Independence requires experience, and judgement, Kalanthia continues soothingly. Both come with age. But this Bond? You have marked your soul. If you end the Bond now, there will forever be scars, but they will be limited. If you wait for yourself to feel more capable of independence, the scars at the Bond¡¯s end will become much, much deeper. But I don¡¯t want to give up the Bond, Lathani says sincerely, though a hint of petulance comes through with her words. I like it. I¡¯m suddenly struck by the uneasy thought that I am now Bonded to a teenager, by her own decision. Is that morally wrong? She¡¯s very much still exploring her place in the world ¨C maybe now she¡¯s keen on being part of our group, thinking that that¡¯s what she wants to do with her life but what happens if she changes her mind in a year¡¯s time? Or ten years¡¯ time? Once, I wanted to be a fireman. Then I wanted to be an astronaut. Later, I realised that I wanted neither. What if Lathani is as changeable as younger-me? Suddenly, I understand a little more about where Kalanthia¡¯s coming from here. The main issue is that if I break the Bond now, it burns a bridge. I remember what the Companion Bond description said: A Bond once broken may not be reinstated. While the description did indicate that another Bond might be able to be created, it almost certainly wouldn¡¯t be Companion Bond. And I¡¯m not too keen on just breaking the Bond I have simply for the sake of breaking it. The thing is that though I didn¡¯t ask Lathani to reinstate the Bond between us, or make it into a Companion Bond instead of Tame one¡­as long as Kalanthia doesn¡¯t kill me over it, I¡¯m not actually upset about having it. Lathani can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but it¡¯s the way Trouble is ¨C she¡¯s my pain. While I haven¡¯t known her for all that long, I feel like I¡¯ve been there through multiple significant moments in her life. I was there when she was attacked by the wolvezard. I rescued her from the lizard-folk. I reunited her with her mother. Between my Bound and I, we¡¯ve helped her develop a fair bit as a hunter and been part of battles with her. I definitely feel at least an uncle to her at this point. So to break the Bond with her when she doesn¡¯t want to, just because of her mother¡¯s qualms doesn¡¯t sit well with me. Through her decision to Bond with me, I now have more ability to keep her alive. That could be by actively keeping her out of danger: with her in a Companion Bond, she will be forced by the connection between us to stay on the sidelines if I order it. She wouldn¡¯t like it, and I won¡¯t do it unless I absolutely have to, but it¡¯s possible. The other protective aspects are the same as I offer all my Bound: a telepathic network to call for help, mana stores in the body, and now the ability for each Bound to use one attack from any other member of the group. In addition to her natural advantages, these should keep her safe. Plus, I might even work out how to send healing down a mental link: I certainly managed to pull mana from River that one time. Putting aside my emotional connection to her, though, there are very good practical reasons for keeping Lathani close, though I had better not think about them too hard while near her mother: they are the same reasons for why Kalanthia was so afraid that I would Bind her in the first place. But it¡¯s only necessary to look at Kalanthia herself to recognise most of them. So, overall, I¡¯m not going to break the Bond unilaterally. I might have offered the Tame Bond, but Lathani¡¯s the one to make herself into a Companion. If she decides later down the line that she wishes to break it, that¡¯s her right ¨C she has the power to end it at any moment. But it remains to be seen if Kalanthia will understand that. And even if she understand it, whether she will accept it. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Five: I Have Stayed My Claw For Now Kalanthia regards her cub seriously, her body-language hard to decipher. Her tail has stopped lashing; her ears are no longer pinned back. Her hackles are still somewhat raised, but not as much as they were. While her domain is still present, it¡¯s not pressing as much against me as it was before, and is far less sharp. Is this the calm before the storm? The moment of consideration before she decides to eliminate me once and for all, or is she actually being convinced to allow this? Markus Wolfe, Kalanthia starts, and it takes me a moment to realise that she¡¯s speaking directly to me this time. If you continue to hold the chain you have wrapped around my cub, what will you do with it? A brief moment of glee sweeps through me ¨C she is genuinely considering letting the status quo continue. Then I quench it, focussing on her actual question. ¡°You mean, what will I do with Lathani?¡± I clarify. Yes. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll treat her the same as any of our party. As one of us,¡± I offer. Expand, Kalanthia orders, her tone implacable. I bridle a little inside at her high-handedness, but oblige: this is no time to get offended. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to tell you,¡± I confess. ¡°My Bound are my companions, but not only that. We¡¯re a team, a¡­family, of sorts. It¡¯s not just about helping me, but us all helping each other. We offer each other advice, and I take it as much as I give it. We help each other get stronger, sharing resources and time. We hunt together, and face enemies together, either in small groups or with everyone present. You saw what happened when Fenrir was taken ¨C we went after him and saved him.¡± And many others, I notice, Kalanthia comments dryly. I incline my head in a brief nod. ¡°Yes, because I couldn¡¯t leave all the other creatures who were there to die.¡± Don¡¯t pretend that you acted purely out of a sense of altruism, Kalanthia chides me. I¡¯ve been in your memories; I¡¯ve seen your thoughts. ¡°Then you¡¯ll know that those who chose not to form a Bond with me were allowed to go their way after I got the larvae out,¡± I point out, a little piqued. ¡°And that I did not put any demands in the Bonds I offered regarding the permanency of the Bonds themselves. They chose that themselves. I¡¯m not denying that I sought to find some element of benefit for myself and my group, but I still benefited the creatures more than I have yet benefitted myself. And you¡¯re a fine one to talk about that ¨C did you not want to wipe out an entire group of creatures to keep your cub safe?¡± That seems to silence her as she doesn¡¯t respond for a few moments, her tail-tip flicking, her eyes piercing. You swear to protect Lathani, while she remains under your care? The question is unsurprising except in that it indicates that Kalanthia is on the point of accepting our Bond. ¡°As much as possible, I do,¡± I say. ¡°I cannot guarantee her safety anymore than you can,¡± I warn, ¡°but I recognise that the Bonds mean that the lives of my party are held in my hands. I do my best to keep them safe, even when that means letting them face danger: only by becoming stronger can they keep themselves safe.¡± Thank you Spike for teaching me that. May your memory mean that I don¡¯t make the same mistake again. ¡°I think you understand that,¡± I say shrewdly. I do, the adult nunda sighs. It is the nature of the world: those who do not challenge themselves cannot advance. And it is with advancement that we protect ourselves and lengthen our lives, making ourselves more able to face the next challenge. She pauses for a moment, eyeing me. But what will happen when you must leave this world? If the connection between the two of you must be sundered in less than a cycle, why not break it now; it would be less harmful. I hesitate. She has a good point there, one I haven¡¯t actually considered up until now. What will happen in a year¡¯s time? I¡¯ve been so focussed on working out ways to survive the year at all that I¡¯ve barely given any thought to what happens at the end of it. Nicholas sent me a Tamer Class stone; he must know that I would create Bonds with creatures. So surely that means whatever I¡¯m gathering Energy for takes into account the Bonds I make? Except that the Energy I must gather appears to be static: despite forming twenty new Bonds, I¡¯m still sitting at eighty-four percent progress towards my debt. Nicholas talked about the power to move me through worlds being great, hence why he made it as part of my ¡®test¡¯. In that case, wouldn¡¯t pulling other creatures through space be even more demanding? So the fact that it¡¯s static, does that mean that all Bonds will be broken when I leave here? Willingly or not. A bolt of fear goes through me at the thought ¨C arriving once more in an unfamiliar land with no one else, losing those I have come to care for once again. But surely Nicholas wouldn¡¯t expect that? Wouldn¡¯t expect me to either put time and effort into Bonds and then abandon them at the drop of a hat? Or not even use the two core Skills of my Class? Then again, I don¡¯t know enough about how magic works to even begin to guess. Maybe establishing the connection takes the most Energy, not actually transporting me. Perhaps it is more like a bus than a bicycle: the majority of the ¡®fuel¡¯ goes into simply moving the vehicle; the number of passengers on board is relatively immaterial. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I admit to Kalanthia out loud. ¡°I don¡¯t know how the transportation system will work. I don¡¯t know how many of my Bound I¡¯ll be able to bring with me, if any. But I can¡¯t let that control me,¡± I decide, putting words to my thoughts as I process them. ¡°If it turns out that I can¡¯t bring anyone with me? Yeah, that¡¯s really going to suck, but if I can leave everyone stronger, longer lived, and more able to face the future and achieve their objectives? Then that¡¯s better than assuming the worst and just breaking all the Bonds now, right?¡± Kalanthia tilts her head to one side. And what if the Bond is not sundered at that point? Would you take Lathani with you into the next world? Force her to leave me? I suck in a breath, having not thought of that either. My mind races, I look at Lathani herself. She doesn¡¯t seem to have any idea of the question I¡¯ve just been posed, though seems rather anxious about the conversation. I don¡¯t blame her: I am too. ¡°I think that by that point, it would have to be Lathani¡¯s decision,¡± I say slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to force her to choose between me and a parent, I never want to do that,¡± I emphasise, looking at Kalanthia. After all, that¡¯s one major reason for me coming back, despite knowing that the mother nunda would take the Bond between us badly. I risked my life ¨C technically am still on the knife¡¯s edge ¨C to offer Lathani and Kalanthia the opportunity to remain together even after the juvenile nunda had decided to Bond so deeply with me. ¡°However,¡± I continue, ¡°it¡¯s true that I will be leaving this world at the end of the year, which guarantees that either the Bond will be broken by necessity, or she will have to choose whether to continue with me or stay with you.¡± I shift to my knees, then reach out to cup Lathani¡¯s neck. ¡°Lathani, did you hear enough of what we¡¯ve been talking about to understand?¡± I did, she confirms. Mother wants me to stay with her, to break our Bond so that I will not be hurt later. ¡°Yes, and if it turns out that you can come with me to where I¡¯m going, you will then have to make a choice of who to go with.¡± It¡¯s easy, she says, sounding like it should be obvious. I frown. ¡°What do you mean?¡± If mother comes with us, I need make no choice, she says, with the emotional equivalent of an eyeroll, in typical teenage style. ¡°I doubt that even if my Bound can come with me, that anyone else will be able to,¡± I comment, my eyebrow raised. Then Bond with mother, Lathani, suggests earnestly, as if it¡¯s that simple. I can¡¯t help but laugh a little incredulously. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I dart a glance at Kalanthia who probably heard exactly what Lathani said, message through our connection or not. ¡°I doubt she¡¯d be open to that. Lathani, please think about it carefully ¨C do you want to continue with the Bond now, despite knowing that it may forcibly be broken in less than a year¡¯s time? Or that you may have to choose between your mother and me? You can still hunt with us, even without a Bond.¡± I can¡¯t believe that I¡¯m arguing against having a nunda Companion, but I want to be sure that she¡¯s not going to regret this later. Well, as much as I can now ¨C she might say one thing now and then change her mind, but at least if we¡¯ve broached the subject now, she¡¯ll be hopefully more prepared when the situation occurs. But would you let me join battles like the one we just had? Would you take me with you to face the¡­those who caged me? ¡°No,¡± I say without hesitation. Because it¡¯s true ¨C without the advantages of a Bond between us, I wouldn¡¯t be able to trust her in dangerous situations like that. Then I want the Bond, Lathani says firmly. I do not wish to be left back at the cave like a cub when you are doing exciting things. I wish to face those who attacked me at your side and prove that they were mistaken in what they did to me. ¡°We aren¡¯t planning on committing genocide,¡± I warn her. ¡°Though I fully expect some of the lizard-folk to die, I¡¯m hoping to minimise the loss of life. If you want to Bond with me out of wanting revenge, then I suggest that we end it there.¡± She shakes her head firmly. It is not just for revenge. I like feeling the emotions of you and my elders. I like the sense of connection between us. It is as I said to mother: I feel like my path lies in a different direction from most nundas. That I am not born to be a solitary predator, lonely at the apex. I crave the companionship that I have found with your group. And you have proven yourself to be a capable leader. ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± I say seriously. ¡°You have challenged me before, disobeyed me intentionally to test how I would respond. If we keep this Bond, you mustn¡¯t do that. Moreover, you won¡¯t be able to ¨C the Bond will prevent it. I imagine you can sense the limitations of the Bond; don¡¯t think that I won¡¯t use all aspects of it if necessary.¡± I hope she understands what I¡¯m saying there ¨C if the safety of one of us is at stake, I won¡¯t hesitate to force her to obey. I trust you, she says simply, the words hitting me in the chest with the force of a crowbar. As must I, Kalanthia interjects, having clearly followed the conversation closely. If Lathani is so determined to maintain the Bond, I shall not gainsay her. I am satisfied that you have not sought to chain her from malice or pure selfishness. I recognise that the second Bond happened on her instigation, without your intention. But I must trust my precious cub ¨C the fruit of so many years of labour and dedication ¨C to your hands, trust you to take her into dangerous situations, and give her the means of coming out of them. Her words are solemn, her tone even more so. Once more, I feel the weight of responsibility settling on my shoulders. I push myself to my feet and look her in the eyes, treating it with the seriousness the situation deserves. ¡°I can only promise that I will do my best,¡± I say. ¡°And surely you will still be there? You¡¯re not going to suddenly disappear, are you?¡± I wonder, abruptly concerned. Of course not. But there can only be one highest authority. That is now you. ¡°Then I hope you will not hesitate to give me advice or your suggestions if you think I need them,¡± I tell her. For the first time since we¡¯ve returned, I feel warmth from her side of things. With pleasure. Then her gaze narrows on me once more. And on that note, I wish to know what you are planning on doing with the vermin infesting my territory. I have stayed my claw for now, but I shall not for much longer. I frown. ¡°What vermin do you mean?¡± Vermin like them, she answers, nodding towards where River and Catches-leaves are still tense and ready to attack or defend. My eyes widen as I realise exactly what she means. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Six: Middle Manager ¡°You¡¯ve actually spotted lizard-folk? Near here?¡± Sniffing around, far too close to my den. If you do not deal with them soon, I will kill them all for their trespass ¨C and for what they have done to my cub. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them,¡± I hurriedly promise. There is far more to be gained from facing them myself. ¡°Do you know how many there are?¡± I am unsure about exact numbers but there are more than your group before, but less than your group now. That¡¯s a bit of a range: my group before numbered seven; now it numbers twenty-seven. So anything between eight and twenty-six. I nod slowly ¨C that¡¯s going to require some careful consideration. Ideas already starting to flick through my mind, I meet eyes with Sirocco, sitting on the branch above. Do you feel up to some scouting? I ask. She sends me the sense of being eager to do something more exciting than this slow trudge through the forest. It¡¯s true that our trip has been much longer this way than the other ¨C it¡¯s already well past midday, heading on for dusk. Sirocco has been practically hopping from branch to branch, taking short flights between trees as we moved below at the speed of our slowest members. It was still probably a quick jogging speed from before I started being enhanced, since even the hulking cyran was able to move relatively quickly. But it certainly can¡¯t compare to our speed in the other direction. Alright then, try to find the party of lizard-folk, I ask the bird. Be careful, try not to be seen and come back to me as soon as you¡¯ve found them. She sends me a sense of assent and then wings away. Looking back at Kalanthia, I see her watching with intelligent eyes. ¡°Sirocco will find them,¡± I tell her. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with them as soon as possible. But for now, we need to get back home and sort things out a bit.¡± Frankly, I¡¯m thoroughly looking forward to having a wash, and I know there are a number of things that would be best done at home. My quiet cave seems to be something of the past, Kalanthia comments a little pointedly. ¡°Yeah¡­sorry about that,¡± I say a bit bashfully, scratching the back of my head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly planned. Is it OK?¡± I check, because after all, it is her territory and technically she only offered me a home, not all of my Bound. Kalanthia heaves a gusty sigh. I should have known when I invited a Binder to stay that it would mean inviting others too. As long as they don¡¯t bother me, they may stay. ¡°Thanks,¡± I say with a hint of gratitude. ¡°And thanks for being understanding and¡­well, not killing me,¡± I tell her. While I would have fought against it regardless of her decision ¨C my life is rather precious to me ¨C I¡¯m still grateful that it seems to have turned out OK. Continuing to prove worthy of Lathani¡¯s and my trust in you will be gratitude enough, she says meaningfully. Then, a moment later, she looks away from me. For my part, I thank you for protecting my cub on several occasions. And I¡­apologise for not being willing to hear you out at first. You have done nothing but prove yourself to be an ally and trustworthy. I was overcome by emotion but it is no excuse. I am more than just a thoughtless beast. I gape at her for a moment. This is a first! Kalanthia is a prideful being, and doesn¡¯t strike me as someone who will easily admit to being wrong. I quickly collect myself: I must respond correctly to this olive branch. Kalanthia has made the first moves to heal the rift between us, but it takes two to tango. ¡°Thank you for your apology,¡± I say carefully. ¡°While I was hoping you would hear me out, I admit that I understand how bad it might have looked to you. Especially since you seem to have had poor experiences with those of my Class before,¡± I mention, eyeing her to see her reaction. She doesn¡¯t speak for a moment, then sighs again. That is true. But I should not have allowed my past experience to overcome everything I have seen of you. I apologise for the pain you suffered during my mental investigation. At the time I did not care to make it much easier on you than I did on the Bound at your side. Another wrong I did you. Does your mind feel well now? she asks solicitously, clearly a little anxious to not have caused permanent damage. ¡°A little sore,¡± I admit, ¡°but it feels like it should get better soon enough.¡± A renewed sense of shame comes from the massive nunda in front of me. Her ears are back, her hackles lowered. Perhaps it should feel good to see her humbled, after how easily I could have died because she wouldn¡¯t listen, or how she could have caused me mental damage because of not being careful as she dug through my memories. Somehow, though, it feels wrong. Still, I¡¯m not above milking the situation, plus, if I¡¯m calculating correctly, it might help her feel better anyway. ¡°If you want to do something to make up for it,¡± I start slowly, watching her closely, ¡°there¡¯s one thing I need.¡± Kalanthia¡¯s gaze returns to mine, very slightly suspicious. Which is? ¡°Forgive the rest of River¡¯s debt,¡± I say to her straight. ¡°It¡¯s more than two-thirds complete as it is, and now Lathani¡¯s part of our group we¡¯ll all be working to help each other anyway. Then we¡¯re square; all forgiven. How about it?¡± The big nunda thinks for a moment, then she sends a sense of acceptance. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Very well. It is forgiven. I shall not hold Lathani¡¯s treatment against your Bound. However, if Lathani¡¯s two main torturers survive your takeover of their village, I will demand more restitution from them, and I wish for compensation for her from the village as a whole, she warns. I nod. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I have a bone to pick with the shaman and herbalist anyway,¡± I agree. Then I shall return to the den, Kalanthia says, abruptly taking her leave with only a single glance at Lathani. Before I can do more than offer her a farewell, or suggest that the nunda juvenile go with her too, she fades to near invisibility and takes off with impressive speed. Unlike the last time she did this in our presence, I can actually see the faintest distortion around her outline, allowing me to actually keep track of her as she runs off. Perhaps my increased Wisdom is to thank for that. Either way, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to see her standing still, and I doubt I would spot her moving unless I was looking for the tell-tale signs of distortion. I turn back to my group. The lightening of the sense of dread caused by an angered Kalanthia¡¯s domain has calmed my Bound to some degree, and the absence of the massive predator has reduced their tension even further. It¡¯s not gone completely: my herbivorous Bound in particular are nervous even with her disappearance, probably because they fear that she might just be waiting to ambush them. But it¡¯s better. ¡°Alright everyone,¡± I say, sending a sense of safety over the Bond, ¡°That was Kalanthia. Normally we have a much better relationship than you¡¯ve just seen, and now we¡¯ve sorted things out, you should be safe as long as you don¡¯t bother her. But you will have to get used to being around her ¨C we live next to each other.¡± The response I get back from my Bound is mixed. Those of my Bound who are already familiar with Kalanthia send relief that the situation was resolved without bloodshed. Those who are not either express reluctance to go nearer the apex predator than absolutely necessary, trust that I will keep them safe, fear that despite my promises, I am unable to do so, distrust in my motives, or a mixture of all of them. But none of them immediately break their Bonds, so I take that as a good sign that they¡¯re willing to see how things turn out. The final stretch back home seems to pass in a flash, though we do stop at the river near the cave to wash and replenish water supplies once more. Walking up the hill, I feel a sudden sense of relief once more when I see the hole in the mountainside which now says ¡®home¡¯ to me. Thinking through everything, I decide that my ¡®crafting¡¯ cave is going to have to fulfil another purpose for now ¨C my Bound are definitely not all going to fit inside the alcove. It might be a bit of a challenge to get them all fitting in the new cave as well. I eye the cyran in particular ¨C I have a feeling that that one¡¯s going to struggle with even getting through the entrance. The icehal is another one who might have difficulty, but that¡¯s because she¡¯s quite tall. Looking rather like a relatively short-necked scaly giraffe, similar to an okapi, she¡¯s both wide and long-legged. She¡¯s easily the tallest of my Bound, her shoulder just above my head, but unlike the kiinas, who are second tallest when they¡¯re standing as high as possible, she can¡¯t duck down as easily. Well, if I have to make the opening a bit larger, I¡¯ll do so, though it will take a fair bit of effort. Or I¡¯ll need to bribe Kalanthia to help me again. Facing my Bound, I send the sense of needing their attention down the Bond to all of them. One by one, they quieten and look at me. For a moment, I can¡¯t help but marvel at the diversity now in front of me. Easily twenty different species are before me. Their sizes range from the tempin, a creature looking rather like a long-legged tortoise and about the size of a football, to the cyran, the triceratops look-alike which is far smaller than the dinosaurs were, but still has a shoulder at the level of mine. Not to mention that she¡¯s probably ten times my weight. Size isn¡¯t the only difference. Body types range hugely, as do diets ¨C from pure carnivore, to pure herbivore, including insectivores and omnivores. And I suspect that behaviour and personality probably range just as much, but I won¡¯t know that until I become more familiar with each of them. ¡°Right everyone,¡± I start. ¡°If you want to sleep inside, this is where to go. It¡¯s pretty bare inside, so I''ll send a party down to the forest so you can collect items for bedding and eat some more, if you like. For the meat-eaters among you, I¡¯ll put out a carcass for you,¡± Lathani¡¯s intervention fortunately yielded us a fair bit of meat, ¡°and we¡¯ll organise a couple of hunting parties for tomorrow.¡± I pause for a moment, thinking through what to say next. Though I¡¯ve managed to touch base with all of them, it was brief and mostly just to work out the basics: what kind of Bond we have, their sex, their immediate needs, their diets etc. I also scanned all of them, alerted by the problem Catches-leaves had been suffering, and found a number of problems which I¡¯m going to try to correct. I didn¡¯t want to spend the mana then, but I will do it over time. ¡°We¡¯re a group,¡± I say finally. ¡°A team. We work together for each other¡¯s benefit. We help each other become stronger. While you are part of our network of Bonds, you are one of us, benefiting from everything we each can offer, as long as you give as wholeheartedly as you receive. That might be for a week, a month, a year, or permanently.¡± It took a bit of thinking for me to decide on that, especially as it affects distribution of the few Energy Hearts I have remaining and any Cores we find. But in the end, I look at Sirocco. If I¡¯d done what I¡¯d originally planned of treating her as different because she was my only Tame in a group of Dominated Bound, we wouldn¡¯t now have the close Bond we do. I was convinced to treat her as one of us, and she has become such. Perhaps some of those who have only chosen to have a limited Bond with me will change their minds. Perhaps not. But either way, it benefits me to have stronger Bound, even if only for a limited time. ¡°That means no attacking a fellow Bound outside our daily sparring,¡± I take up the thread of my speech once more. ¡°If you have a problem with another Bound, come to me or to your team leader. Heck, if you have a problem full-stop, come tell us about it. If we know, we can help you solve it; if we don¡¯t, we might not notice until it becomes much worse than if you¡¯d just told us straight. ¡°Follow first my instructions, then second your team-leader¡¯s. If they are contradictory, come and ask me about it unless you are out in the forest where it would be dangerous to do so. In that case, just follow what makes most sense in that context.¡± I think carefully. What have I missed? ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we will be here for,¡± I admit. ¡°I have several objectives to meet which may include some or all of you and which will require extended time away from the cave. And I have plans for the future which will probably involve moving. But when I have more concrete ideas, I will let you know.¡± Not able to think of anything else to say, I end my impromptu speech with some positivity, advice from colleagues coming back to me of always leaving the audience on a high note if possible. ¡°But I¡¯d like to officially say welcome to the team, and express my gratitude that you¡¯re all here with me. We are stronger together and if we all pull together, we¡¯ll get stronger still,¡± I finish, part of me cringing inside at hearing the familiar jargon of middle managers coming out of my own mouth. The sense of doubt and caution that still lingers in the network of Bonds makes me feel even more awkward inside. Still, I was being honest, and hope that they will come around in time to the ¡®new¡¯ way of doing things. Dismissing the group, I quickly organise a party to go into the forest ¨C I figure half should go at a time. River being the leader of five new Bound, Bastet being the leader of the other five and leaving the cubs behind. A brainwave has me shaping a hide to fit across three branches as a sort of makeshift stretcher ¨C a way of carrying the bedding material. I entrust that to River and Catches-leaves just before they start walking down the hill. Even as their silhouettes disappear into the trees, I notice another shape winging her way up to me. Sirocco¡¯s back. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seven: Did You Find Them ¡°Did you find them?¡± I ask urgently as soon as she lands on my shoulder. In return, she sends me an image. No, a memory ¨C of her watching the party of lizard-folk. It¡¯s a pity that River¡¯s out of range already, otherwise I¡¯d share it with him and get his thoughts. I¡¯ll have to wait until he gets back and then do it. My first concern is to count the number of lizard-folk who have come to find me, as that is the most likely explanation for their presence, I figure. Fifteen. No, sixteen ¨C as Sirocco turned her head, she spotted another hiding behind a bush, on guard. Five of them were clustered around a carcass. One small and slim, two hulking, and the other two bigger than the smallest, but lithe rather than on steroids. The other ten were waiting patiently to one side, gazing at the group in the middle, but not approaching. No, not gazing at the group ¨C looking at the carcass itself. Paying close attention to the differences between them, I become increasingly convinced that the party is composed of one Pathwalker, four Warriors, and ten, probably eleven unevolved ¨C I can¡¯t tell what the sentry might be since I can only see his crest sticking up over the bush. Given what I¡¯ve learned about the way the lizard-folk operate, I¡¯m not surprised that even in the field ¨C or the forest, more accurately ¨C the unevolved are second to eat. I suppose it¡¯s only the presence of the Pathwalker which permits them to eat at all; otherwise they¡¯d probably be forced to be like Catches-leaves had been ¨C starving while surrounded by food. I force my thoughts away from my anger at that cruelty and focus once more on the matter at hand. Why this composition? Is it a standard one unless intending to fight a powerful foe: I remember River indicating that the party which left to face Kalanthia had been bigger and mostly, if not entirely, composed of Warriors. I also remember him saying that their deaths had left the village vulnerable ¨C perhaps there are so many unevolved here because they can¡¯t dedicate the same number of Warriors without leaving the village defenceless? Something to ask my own lizard-folk Bound when they come back. With sixteen fighters, four of which are probably faster or stronger than the unevolved, perhaps both at once, and one capable of using magic, this is going to be a challenging fight. I¡¯ve seen how both River and Catches-leaves use their weapons, and I¡¯m sure that the Warriors at least would be even more effective. A head-on battle is likely to lead to casualties on both sides. And that¡¯s not what I want. But then, maybe it doesn¡¯t have to be a straight battle. My mind ticking over busily, I slowly smile as an idea comes to mind. I¡¯ll have to see whether it will work when my Bound come back from the forest, so I consider a few other alternative plans as well. The sensation of squirming against my back reminds me of something. Three things, actually, and I head quickly into my alcove to sort them out. When we¡¯d returned to the danaris¡¯ cave after all my Bound had had the chance to eat and drink ¨C and all the other fateful events which happened too ¨C I¡¯d found three of the danaris larvae still alive. They seemed to have established a truce after vanquishing all the others. The chitinous bones of their siblings had littered the ground around them, and they were casually snacking on the carcass I¡¯d left for them, peacefully side by side. Why they would be peaceful after having had such a voracious appetite for the flesh of their own kind, I don¡¯t know. Did each larva have a limit in the terms of the number of siblings they would kill? Were they satisfied with what they had already consumed and felt no need to be aggressive towards the other hatchlings? Or did they all recognise in the other a powerful opponent, an instinct for survival telling them not to engage? Perhaps I will discover one day. For now, it seems like I have three danaris larvae to look after as well as three raptorcat cubs. Concerned that they would just eat through anything made from creatures, I¡¯d actually made a little bag out of one of my polyester shirts and given it to Persephone to carry in her mouth ¨C I figured that asking the soon-to-be mother to carry the babies was a reasonable demand. After the confrontation with Kalanthia and when Persephone wanted to drink at the stream, I¡¯d taken it from her and carried it myself the rest of the way. Now in the alcove, I start building a small enclosure as far away from the fire as possible. I¡¯m not keen on having them close to my head, so put them close to where my feet will be when I¡¯m lying down. Using rocks, I build a ¡®cage¡¯, then use sticks on the outside to reinforce the wall and hopefully block any gaps the stones don¡¯t. Maybe I ought to get some clay to create a properly smooth wall later, but this will do for now. Putting a pile of meat chunks inside ¨C since I don¡¯t have any more whole carcasses ¨C I tip the larvae in. Gazing at them for a moment, I note that they seem half again as big as the larvae I pulled out of Fenrir were. Is that because they grow fast at this stage? Or because these ones were big to begin with, and that¡¯s why they survived the feeding frenzy? Or a bit of both, perhaps. Covering the cage over with one of my jackets so it¡¯s as dark as it would be inside a creature¡¯s body, I head back outside. Sitting on the ground, I pull out a few lumps of roasted meat for myself. I¡¯m not famished since I¡¯ve been snacking at regular intervals, but I¡¯m looking forward to a good meal later ¨C I need to prepare it though. After I¡¯ve eaten, I¡¯m going to get on to creating clothes for myself out of the danaris¡¯ web, but for now I feel the need to relax a bit. A hulking lump catches my eye and I twist my head to look at it: the carcass of the danaris is now decorating the hillside ¨C I really need to get on to harvesting that. I didn¡¯t want to do it at the cave, first because I was keen to get going, wanting to make the best use of the light and second because I wanted to get the inevitable confrontation with Kalanthia over with. I did grab a large section of the poisoned web, though, and I see that next to the carcass, still on the long stick I¡¯d made for Catches-leaves to carry it without needing to touch the dangerous material. If I can replicate the effects, that could come in very useful too. Perhaps Kalanthia might like the meat of the danaris? My Bound hadn¡¯t, but she¡¯s stronger; maybe the venom-laced meat would be palatable to her where it wasn¡¯t to them. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a Core inside too; perhaps giving that to her might help smooth the disruption between us. Or maybe she¡¯d see it as a bribe for her cub¡¯s life. She did imply that the most important thing for her at this moment would be that I keep Lathani alive and help her get stronger, after all. I do find it a bit odd that the Oath we took didn¡¯t react to this whole situation. Weren¡¯t our promises of mutual no harm contravened here? Either by me Bonding Lathani, or by Kalanthia attacking me. It¡¯s understandable if the oaths didn¡¯t react to me Bonding Lathani. After all, I offered the first Bond to help protect her, and then she instigated the second by herself. What would the Oaths have against that? But then Kalanthia attacked me. I expected it, but it still wasn¡¯t necessary; if she had heard either me or Lathani out first, she probably wouldn¡¯t have chosen to attack. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Perhaps the Oaths didn¡¯t activate because she thought it was warranted? But then when would any attack trigger the Oath? After all, we always think our attacks are warranted, even if only motivated by greed. Unless it only activates when, deep down, we know that what we are doing is wrong. But then that¡¯s a bit of a shoddy protection. Unless it did activate, but didn¡¯t tell me? In which case, that¡¯s not a particularly good protection either. I¡¯m starting to understand why Oaths are not well-regarded by many people in Nicholas¡¯ world. Deciding to see if there¡¯s anything in my status screen, I pull it up.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 13 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 40u/hr Energy towards debt: 89% (246)
Intelligence 36+1 (+5%) Mana: 546/555 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 43+10 (+25%) Health regeneration rate: 53u/hr
Constitution 22 Health: 330/330 (15u/CP)
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 3 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Initiate 1 Fade ¨C Initiate 3 Inspect Fauna ¨C Novice 4 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Taming ¨C Beginner 3 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 9 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 2 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 6 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 1 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 9 Spearmanship ¨C Beginner 9 Archery ¨C Beginner 8 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 2 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 6 Fire-Shaping ¨C Beginner 3
Glancing down at my Skills, I notice that a few have increased by one or two levels, Sensation Management now on the precipice of crossing into Novice. I was leaning on that Skill quite a bit during that confrontation with Kalanthia, so it¡¯s not terribly surprising. Energy Manipulation is still sitting stubbornly at Master one, but that¡¯s also not too shocking: I haven¡¯t spent any time trying to increase it. Actually, I have four Skills now which are due for a rank-up any time soon ¨C Flesh-Shaping, Sensation Management, Spearmanship, and Inspect Environment. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get there. More relevant right now, though, is what I¡¯m seeing in both my Energy store and debt. They¡¯ve both climbed significantly. My Energy towards the next level is now sitting at one hundred percent ¨C I can level up! I think with glee ¨C and the percentage of Energy put towards my debt is now at eighty-nine percent, five percent higher than it was the last time I looked. Does that mean that the Oaths broke? And that I received Kalanthia¡¯s portion of the collateral as well as my own back? It¡¯s possible, but in that case, it¡¯s definitely not a good system: there has never been an indication of the Oath being active, and apparently no real indication of it being broken. All I can guess is that the amount of Energy from Kalanthia filled my store, then, per my usual intentions, overflowed into my debt storage. Perhaps if it had happened when I¡¯d still been level one, I¡¯d have noticed a large amount of Energy entering me, but maybe not. Nicholas¡¯ world must have some better way of monitoring active Oaths, I think to myself. Otherwise, what use are they? And what if you have multiple? How would you know which had been broken? In the end, I just shrug to myself. I think that Kalanthia and I are past the point of needing oaths. I respect her capabilities, and she has come to trust my intentions ¨C mostly. I know her well enough now to have a good idea of what actions will set her off. Bonding her cub was always going to cross one of the clear lines she drew, hence why I¡¯d been uncertain about being able to come out of that confrontation fully intact. Now, though, I¡¯m pretty sure there are only really three lines which I could cross. One, allow Lathani to die. Two, attack Kalanthia. Three, try to Bind Kalanthia ¨C in a serious attempt, not what I just did to her which was more to make her stop and listen than actually an attack on her. Since I¡¯m not planning on doing any of that, we should be fine. So, once more I have to make a decision about what stats to increase, and now I can choose from all of them. Closing my status screen, I head over to the danaris¡¯ carcass. Before I start cutting, though I poke my head into the cave and look at Kalanthia. She¡¯s cuddling with Lathani, but her eyes are open. ¡°Are you interested in the danaris¡¯ flesh? I¡¯m going to butcher the carcass now,¡± I tell her, trying to keep a usual bright and casual tone in my voice, not the wary one which wants to come out. Nor do I let my gaze linger too long on the massive white fangs which almost pierced me, or the paws from which sword-like claws had extended. If you can succeed in removing the venom which usually laces it and makes it inedible, yes, Kalanthia says after a moment of thought. That tells me two things: one, that she has faced this creature before, and two, that the venom would be distasteful or actively harmful even to Kalanthia. Good to know. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try,¡± I promise, then quickly beat it outside again. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll feel more comfortable with the giant leopard in the near future: I overcame the last time she attacked me quickly enough. And I logically know that she¡¯s very unlikely to attack me right now. It still doesn¡¯t mean that my heart won¡¯t beat faster when she¡¯s watching me with that predator¡¯s gaze, or when I remember just how quickly she could end my life. Though, thinking about it, although it felt like I was on the brink of dying at any moment, the fact is that I didn¡¯t die. Does that mean that she wasn''t actually trying to kill me? Or that part of her was holding her back? The thought warms me ¨C that maybe, despite her anger, she had still had a part of her that hoped she was wrong, and that wanted to give me a chance to explain. Even while I go back to the danaris¡¯ carcass and start to dismember it, even as I think about where to put my level-up points, I find the warmth from that thought lingering. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Eight: Another Authority By the time I¡¯ve decided what I¡¯m going to upgrade, I¡¯ve managed to butcher the carcass of the danaris. In fact, it¡¯s the way I do the majority of the butchering that helps convince me. Instead of using my knife, I end up spending a while filling the carcass with mana, switching between Light and Heavy Meditation to maximise my mana regeneration. I¡¯d love to go into Deep Meditation and experiment a bit with the ¡®challenge¡¯ that I was offered last time, but considering how removed that makes me from the world, I¡¯m reluctant to do it right now. I¡¯m fairly confident of my safety: the two kiinas are here, as are Fenrir and Sirocco, so even if one of my other Tame Bound decided to try to attack me, I think I¡¯d probably be fine. It¡¯s more a question of if I could be woken up from it: last time, I lost three days without even realising it. This time, I don¡¯t have that to spare. So Heavy Meditation it is: at least I have more of a sense of time passing there. Once the carcass is full of my mana, it¡¯s simple to separate all the bits. I create a neat pile of mana-filled chitin, and another little pile of the danaris¡¯ organs: its oddly-shaped lungs, its web-glands, its damaged brain ¨C since I didn¡¯t bother to reconstruct that ¨C and its digestive sacs. Then there¡¯s a bigger pile of the meat from inside its legs and body. I¡¯m surprised at just how much there is to eat ¨C if I can rid it of the venom within. As it turns out, removing the venom is more complicated than butchering it, but not by much. With my mana saturating the material, all it really takes is finding the right image and applying my will to the task. Finding a container is more of a challenge, but in the end, I actually take two pieces of chitin and reform them to make a large bowl. Then, holding each piece of meat above the bowl, I force the venom out of it, letting it drip into the bowl like water from a cloth that I¡¯m wringing. Much easier than getting blood out of a stone, I chuckle to myself. There¡¯s a Core too, as expected ¨C a large one. It was buried in the meat of the tail, not far from the sting and nestled in among the silk-glands. It¡¯s about the size of my head, and more faceted than the natural ones. It¡¯s brighter than all the other beast Cores I¡¯ve encountered so far ¨C a vibrant yellow not all that dissimilar from its venom. I think I¡¯ll have to use this one carefully: any who absorb it are likely to gain some characteristics of its venomous approach. However, I already have two in mind who I think will benefit most from it ¨C and who deserve to. In one case, at least. The thing is that my exploration of the danaris¡¯ body has yielded an interesting fact: River and Fenrir both have venom glands. The organs in their body which I couldn¡¯t identify the function of are all too similar to the venom glands near the danaris¡¯ stinger to be for a different purpose. I think that the reason I wasn¡¯t able to identify them before was because they don¡¯t seem to be active, or if they are active, they¡¯re not functioning very well. Whether it¡¯s a mutation, or even an inert organ from their ancestors which has stopped working for their generations, I don¡¯t know. Either way, Catches-leaves doesn¡¯t have the same glands. Thinking about it, maybe that¡¯s the reason for why River¡¯s self-injury when I was testing the healing aspect of Flesh-Shaping was so difficult to heal. My healing magic at the time registered ¡®foreign bodies¡¯ in his flesh; maybe those were caused by a small amount of venom from his claws. Perhaps if River and Fenrir absorb this Core, those glands will become active. That would add further firepower on our side: from what I can see, Fenrir¡¯s front claws would then become venomous, as would River¡¯s teeth and claws. I¡¯ll check with them first, but figure that they will probably leap on the opportunity. I¡¯ll speak to them together when River returns. For now, though, I go over to the cave mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to get the venom out of the meat,¡± I tell Kalanthia. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to have some.¡± The large nunda pushes herself to her feet and stretches luxuriously. I don¡¯t take a step back at the sight of the cavernous mouth, but it¡¯s a close thing. This shall be a treat ¨C I tried once to taste the flesh of the trapper, but the venom made me so sick that I never tried again. ¡°You¡¯ve encountered them before, then?¡± I ask while moving backwards to give her enough space to walk past me. A few times. They have never been dangerous for me, but I cleared the area of two when I moved here with Lathani: she would have been a tasty meal for them. ¡°How did you deal with their venom, then?¡± I ask curiously. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I didn¡¯t bite them, she replies with her equivalent of a shrug. I used my claws and the earth. ¡°Good strategy,¡± I admit. ¡°So, how is it?¡± I ask since by this time we¡¯re standing by the pile of meat and Kalanthia has taken a bite. Delicious, she says with a rumble of pleasure. Full of mana, tender, and scrumptious. That¡¯s interesting. I take a piece of meat from the pile and pull out all the mana I can from it. ¡°How does this one compare?¡± I ask, holding it out to her. She takes it from my hand and I barely have a moment for my stomach to drop at the thought of her immense teeth so close to my fingers before she¡¯s already pulling away. Not so nice, she says pensively. Still tender, but not so tasty. Not so much mana. I remember this taste from the nere. You can fill flesh with mana? ¡°Yes,¡± I tell her. ¡°But didn¡¯t you know that? I¡¯ve been doing it for weeks now.¡± She shrugs again. I did not know you could do it to dead flesh, she responds. Fair enough, I suppose: I¡¯m not sure how much experimentation I¡¯ve done regarding that while she¡¯s been awake ¨C the bulk of my discoveries have been done during the dark hours, I think. Can I try? My thoughts are interrupted by Lathani piping up. She followed us out and is evidently interested by what her mother¡¯s eating. Mother, can I? Kalanthia casts a considering glance down to her cub, then looks at me with an unreadable expression. You have another authority now, Lathani. Ask your binder. Lathani seems a little taken-aback. So am I, to be honest. I wasn¡¯t expecting Kalanthia to take to it that well. If anything, I was expecting there to be more conflict of authority, where she would continue to expect Lathani to follow her instructions. I was mentally prepared for that, had already decided that I would let things be ¡®normal¡¯ at the cave, as long as the chain of command was clear when we went out hunting. But if Kalanthia is going to recognise the change in the situation, all the better. Though maybe this is a test ¨C to see how far I will push my new Bond with Lathani. Perhaps Kalanthia is trying to see whether I will deny Lathani something for no good reason, just because I can. The young nunda herself doesn¡¯t seem fazed, looking at me next. Pack-leader, can I eat some? she asks next. I look back at Kalanthia. ¡°Yes, if your mother is happy to share,¡± I answer. Kalanthia holds my gaze for a moment longer before she dips her head to grab a few pieces, tossing them gently over to her cub. Enjoy, my cub, she says, sounding the faintest bit satisfied. Perhaps I passed the test, if it was one. Leaving the predators to their meal, I go over to sit next to the poison-laced web. Hesitating for a moment, I then touch it with one finger. Ready to pull it away at a moment¡¯s notice, I watch like a hawk ¨C or Sirocco ¨C at how the poison immediately seeps through my skin and into the nerve network. It starts spreading through the network, obviously intending to do the same to me as it did to my Bound. Unlike my Bound, however, I have sufficient control over the mana saturating my body that I¡¯m able to immediately stymie its progress. I send my own mana into the poison, invading it as much as it¡¯s intending on invading me. Passing from the poison into the body of the web itself, I use my control to isolate a small section of it and cut it away. I¡¯d like to investigate this final attack from the danaris, but imbuing the whole of the large piece I cut will take way more of my mana pool than I¡¯d like. Even if I don¡¯t feel as over-strained as I did the morning after rescuing all of my new Bound, I still don¡¯t want to have to refill my mana pool multiple times. A small piece will work well enough. Over the next period of time I experiment a bit with the piece of web and the venom saturating it. I work at separating the two, and combining them. Next, at growing the web and the venom within, then each separately. Finally, I work on changing the venom itself. If I can strengthen it, I might have another poison I could use on my enemies in addition to the one from that mimic creature which I used on the danaris. After spending so much time working with that particular venom within the body of the spider-like creature, I feel like I might even be able to recreate it from scratch. If that¡¯s true, that would be good ¨C I won¡¯t necessarily always have an example of venom to hand. Being able to weaken a venom also has a good purpose: the danaris proved that it could inject its victims with a version of its venom which would simply put its targets to sleep without actually killing them. If I could do that, it might help me with the lizard-folk ¨C in both the near and more distant future. Not having a test subject is a bit of a drawback, but I decide with resignation to test it on myself: I don¡¯t want to subject any of my Bound to something that could kill them before I could heal them, after all. I have a little bit more faith in my own ability to self-heal, but keep close at hand a couple of the healing potions I left back in the cave ¨C just in case. When my Bound come back from the forest, I¡¯ll need to organise the second group to visit and get their own bedding. In the meantime, I¡¯ll need to get the first group sorted and ensure that they¡¯re all comfortable. Hopefully I¡¯ll even be able to get a bit of time in with each of them, to continue building our Bonds. I need to find names for them all, after all. Then when the second group comes back, I¡¯ll need to plan with River and Catches-leaves. In between all of that, I need to feed myself and get some rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day. But for now, I lose myself in the curiosity of experimenting with a new substance. One, I feel, will play a pivotal role in the coming hunt. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Nine: A New Name, A New Start ¡°Do you think everyone¡¯s sorted?¡± I ask as River and Catches-leaves come up the slope, looking fatigued. The beasts in their train immediately carry what is in their mouths or on their backs into the alcove. Bastet brings up the rear but only briefly greets me with a head-rub before tapping into the alcove to find the cubs. This is the second group to come back, and some of the first group have already gone to bed. The raptorcat cubs are in a snoozing pile currently watched over by Fenrir. It¡¯s getting to be time for bed, anyway ¨C the sun has just disappeared below the horizon and it¡¯s rapidly getting darker. But before everyone disappears, I still need to do something. Everyone in the group has eaten, master, River reports, fatigue in his mental voice. And they should have enough bedding, Catches-leaves continues, indicating the stretcher they¡¯ve just laid down which is piled with vegetation as well as a carcass. ¡°You caught something?¡± We thought that with as many mouths to feed, we¡¯d need more meat, River shrugged. And this beast was unwary enough to get too close. I think that it was attracted by the number of prey beasts in our group. ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± I muse. ¡°We¡¯ll have to be careful about taking them out into the forest.¡± I don¡¯t want another Spike to happen, after all. ¡°They¡¯ll need to have protectors every time they do,¡± I say, more speaking out-loud than to them. I¡¯m definitely going to have to carefully consider my groups. Master, River hesitates so I raise my eyebrows to prompt him to continue. Are we, I mean, are you going to keep all of these beasts in the pack? ¡°You can say ¡®we¡¯: it¡¯s your pack too,¡± I point out. ¡°And, honestly, I was planning on just seeing how things fall. I¡¯ve already been wrong about the offensive ability of a creature I thought was purely defensive in nature. Besides, not everyone has to be a warrior: there are lots of things we¡¯re going to need to do in the future, and lots of ways members of the pack could be helpful. Then, of course, there¡¯s the fact that not all of these new Bound are planning on staying, and some will only stay if I succeed in completing their requirements within a specific time period.¡± Yet you are willing to accept them even if they have not committed to staying for the long term, Honoured Markus? Catches-leaves asks, speaking up for the first time. I frown a little ¨C is he still not able to just say my name? It doesn¡¯t come up all that much ¨C most of the time, he just doesn¡¯t use any name since it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s speaking to me. ¡°Just Markus, alright?¡± I sigh. But I do honour you for what you have done for me, Catches-leaves objects. Does it offend you if I say it? ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­oh never mind. Call me what you wish,¡± I respond a little irritably, not having a good way of saying that I feel like I don¡¯t deserve it. Very well, Honoured Markus, Catches-leaves agrees, a little uncertainly, tilting his chin upwards to reveal his throat for a long moment. Looks like he¡¯s not any easier to convince than River. Well, at least he¡¯s not calling me ¡®master¡¯. Even though I understand better what the term means to River ¨C and presumably Catches-leaves too ¨C I personally still have some instinctive dislike when I hear it. ¡°Speaking of names, do you mind if I shorten yours a little?¡± Catches-leaves is less of a mouthful than Runs-with-the-river, but it¡¯s still likely to trip my tongue up a bit. In what way? the lizard-man in question asks with a questioning tilt of his head. ¡°Perhaps to ¡®Catch¡¯. Is that OK?¡± Catch¡­. This is like how you call Runs-with-the-river simply by ¡®river¡¯, yes? A way of showing belonging to the group? I have been informed of how you name everyone in it when they first join. ¡°Yeah, I guess,¡± I say, a little taken aback at the meaning he¡¯s ascribing to my desire to make addressing him easier on myself. But in a way, it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? I name those without a name, and rename those with one. ¡°I mean, if you don¡¯t like it, then there¡¯s no problem in sticking with your preferred name,¡± I quickly say, just in case he¡¯s feeling obliged. No, it is fitting, he muses. New eyes, a new name, a new start. I smile. ¡°As long as you¡¯re OK with it, Catch. And, of course, you can change your mind. Or request another name, if there¡¯s one you¡¯d prefer." No, this is good, the newly renamed Catch replies firmly. Bearing the presence of the past, but not bound by it. Well, at least it doesn¡¯t seem that Catch has the same issue with telling me ¡®no¡¯ that River does. I suppose that Catch feels less guilt than River: his decision to Bind himself to me permanently was born of his gratitude, not the messy process of a mixture of threats and bargains and guilt that has muddied the waters with River¡¯s Bond. ¡°Right, well now that¡¯s sorted, can you choose a couple of Bound who you think might be good at protecting me and who are not too tired? I need to go level up.¡± Though Catch looks confused, River immediately forces himself to straighten. Master, I will come. I shake my head sharply. ¡°You¡¯ve just done two trips into the forest, in addition to the trip we did from the cave. You need to rest.¡± But- ¡°No,¡± I tell him firmly. ¡°I appreciate your dedication to my protection,¡± I continue, my voice softer, ¡°but it won¡¯t do either of us any good if you come when you¡¯re practically stumbling from exhaustion. I doubt you got much sleep last night, either,¡± I accuse him. He looks a little guilty, proving that I¡¯m right. Though I slept well last night, still tired from the night before, I was aware of him only sleeping lightly, keeping guard on our core group with as many newcomers as there were. ¡°I¡¯ll take Hades, Persephone, Fenrir, and three others that you recommend. That should be fine.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. What is this, Honoured Markus? Catch asks. Of course, he¡¯s never been around for when I levelled up. ¡°When I level up, I usually expel a whole load of nasty-smelling liquid. I therefore, as much as possible, do it near the river so I can wash off after. But this does sometimes lead to attacks while I¡¯m vulnerable, hence needing a guard.¡± The last time it happened, master was attacked by an Evolved nere, River explains to Catch. The second samuran hisses through his teeth. And yet you are all still here and intact? Impressive. ¡°Yeah, so that¡¯s why I need your recommendations of creatures who can keep a good watch. Ones with keen senses might be the best options,¡± I say pensively, thinking about it. Fenrir has his sense of smell and a powerful bite; the kiinas have their air-blades and impressive ability to use both wings and teeth as weapons. Really, what we need most is advanced warning from sight- or hearing-specialised Bound since Sirocco won¡¯t be particularly useful in the rapidly darkening forest. I should probably wait until tomorrow morning to do this, but tomorrow¡¯s going to be a full day, I suspect, and any delay will just lengthen it. The woshel? asks Catch, looking at River. Yes, and the quan, agrees River. Looking at me, he explains. The woshel has a very keen sense of hearing, and vicious claws and teeth, despite her small size. The quan is a prey beast, but a wary one, with the ability to see in all directions at all times, and a particularly strong capacity to spot movement. Perhaps the krerus too, Catch adds. His bite is venomous and he is fast to strike. He will defend you well if you are attacked. ¡°Alright, thanks for the recommendations,¡± I say to them with a smile. ¡°If you could just signal to them to meet me out here, I¡¯ll go get the others. Then you two rest.¡± From the feeling over the Bond, they are both happy with that instruction, despite River¡¯s previous protests about accompanying me. ***** It¡¯s not long before I find myself down by the stream. I light a torch and stick it in the bank of the river, after inspecting the water for any signs of another nere. I even cast an Inspect Environment, but it comes back clear of any creatures, though I do note a few plants which are outlined in red or gold for later. Hopefully, that means I¡¯ll be able to level up in peace. I¡¯ve been thinking about where to put my points for a bit of time, so know exactly what I¡¯m going to do now. I said to myself before that I would dedicate one level up to each stat, just so I can see exactly what happens to it. Last time, I put all my points in Wisdom, and that was a very informative experience. This time, I¡¯ve decided to put them all in Willpower. Not only is it the stat which gives me the biggest ¡®bang for my buck¡¯ because of the additional twenty-five percent I get from my bonuses, but it¡¯s also the most important to me at the moment. Part of my conclusion is based on logic; part is based on instinct. The logical aspect comes primarily from when I Inspected the danaris. I would have needed sixty-three points in Willpower to have a reasonable chance of Dominating it. Yes, perhaps I could have Dominated it with a lower Willpower, but from how hard it was to even push the venom through its system, I suspect not. The danaris was probably fairly high in Tier two, but it didn¡¯t seem all that smart. Smarter than the average Earth creature, perhaps, but not by a huge amount. Not as much as the lizard-folk, that was for sure. Which means that there is a good chance the Pathwalkers and Warriors will require even higher Willpower. And what about other creatures in Tier two? Or Tier three beasts? If I¡¯m really going to put my Tamer Class to work with either Tame or Dominate, I¡¯m going to need more Willpower. Not to mention that using Flesh-Shaping in battle also either uses Willpower or the amount of mana I can throw at the issue to decide whether I¡¯m successful or not; considering how quickly I seem to go through mana, it¡¯s better not to bank on the expectation that I¡¯ll have enough to do the latter. The instinct part comes from sensing that I might have a few too many Bound. There¡¯s some sort of sense of¡­strain right now. Like I¡¯m carrying a heavy weight, or have ropes pulling me in different directions. I don¡¯t sense that it¡¯s at breaking point at the moment ¨C I reckon that I could easily have another few Bonds as matters currently stand, but that there is a limit and I¡¯m rapidly approaching it. I remember that I felt something vaguely similar a while ago, though far weaker, and it disappeared when my Willpower increased. Evidently, there is some sort of limit on the number of Bonds I can hold, though I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s due solely to the number of Bonds, or is impacted by other factors. Considering that I¡¯m likely to lose a few of these beasts as their Bonds come to their predetermined end, it may not be an issue for too long; it¡¯s worth monitoring though. Perhaps by levelling up with only Willpower, I¡¯ll be given a clue of where to start looking. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to level up, now,¡± I tell everyone. ¡°No signs of anything nearby that¡¯s likely to attack?¡± With the series of ¡®no¡¯s or negative feelings across the Bond, I nod and start stripping off. Stepping away from my clothes, I settle down to the ground, my Bound surrounding me. I might be worried about being so vulnerable in front of my new Tame Bound, especially since two of them are predators who are not obliged not to hurt me. However, I have faith in Fenrir and the two kiinas to keep me safe and alert me if the others suddenly turn on me. And let¡¯s face it, I¡¯m not so easy to kill, not anymore. Activating the level up is easy, especially since there are no subcategories to Willpower. Quickly diving into my Core space, I watch the modifications to my system unfold. Like when I levelled up Wisdom, light gathers in my Core, increasing in intensity until I can barely stand to look at it, before exploding outwards like a star might. The Energy rushes through my mandala, just as it did before, but here¡¯s where I see the difference. Before, it ricocheted through my inner weave like the golden lines were an inescapable series of tubes. This time, it¡¯s almost like the lines aren¡¯t even there. The Energy passes through the matrix and beyond, into the blackness. The contradictory luminosity of the darkness in which my inner matrix is situated, like a jewel in its setting, increases by a noticeable amount. At the same time¡­can that be right? I squint as I try to work out if I really am seeing what I think I¡¯m seeing. It is! I exclaim to myself in excitement. The Energy, still being sent out from my Core in waves, is actually expanding my Core space, like air being blown into a balloon. Or the tide lapping at a beach. How interesting, I think to myself. So Wisdom widens and strengthens the channels of my matrix, while also extending the lines which lead out of my Core space entirely. Willpower, however, seems to almost ignore my internal matrix entirely and fills the black space around my matrix, while expanding that too. They¡¯re almost like opposites¡­ I wonder what the implications of that might be, especially since none of this was in the information I received from Nicholas, not in the letter and not in the stone. Like the other things I¡¯ve discovered about my internal matrix and how it affects and is affected by my stats, I wonder whether it¡¯s just that this is considered advanced information, and not therefore included in a basic information stone, or whether they just don¡¯t know about it. As before, the waves of Energy lose their impetus, but the same ending happens: the waves pull back toward my Core, then explode in one final powerful punch, blowing the bronze specks out of my body. Pulling out of my Core space, I quickly scrub off the disgusting liquid that the bronze specks seem to turn into. Only after verifying that there are no more crocodiles ¨C or anything else ¨C waiting for me in the river, of course. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Ten: Give That Lizog An Oscar I¡¯m wedged in the crook of a large branch, my feet tucked around the trunk, my stomach flat on the branch itself. I¡¯ve chosen it carefully: it¡¯s overlooking the clearing but is high enough above it that I shouldn¡¯t be immediately noticeable. The lizard-folk have ranged weapons, after all. My ears are pricked, both physical and mental ones. All around me, the Bound I have brought with me are waiting silently. I decided to leave the most vulnerable of my Bound at the cave today, so we have slightly reduced numbers, but hopefully that will also reduce the number of possible casualties. We wait. All hinges on the lizard-folk party not knowing what they¡¯re getting into. I¡¯m coming, I hear faintly through one of the Bonds. I send a signal to the rest of my Bound to be ready and sense them shifting slightly, moving from waiting to full readiness. I mentally run through the plan once more, as well as the contingencies based on how the lizard-folk react. I think I¡¯ve planned for everything, but I¡¯m aware that reality has a way of kicking plans in the teeth. As I¡¯m about to start running through the plan again, I see a shape moving through the trees. My grip tightening on the branch I¡¯m lying on, I don¡¯t relax even when I identify it as River. He¡¯s running full-tilt and barely slows as he gets into the clearing. Running around the edge, he stops when he is on the far side of where he entered. Pulling his spear from his back, he prepares. Behind him, I see a whole load more of silhouettes that rapidly become full-colour as they get closer. One, two, three¡­.sixteen. Yes. Good, they¡¯re all here. Two of the Warriors are at the front, the slimmer and more lithe ones apparently faster than the hulking examples of their species. At the back, accompanied by one of the biggest lizard-kin, is the slim figure of the Pathwalker. They enter the clearing warily, their eyes mostly focussed on River¡¯s halted form, but also looking around at the trees and bushes. As I know from River, the lizard-folk have learned to be highly observant ¨C they would have died young if they hadn¡¯t. I hope that none of my Bound are visible, but moving at this point would be the worst possible reaction. To that end, I also stay absolutely still, my position fortunately already lending me an excellent view on the situation ¨C intentionally so, of course. I can imagine what the lizard-folk are thinking. They¡¯ve been chasing a member of their village, who disappeared under suspicious circumstances with two escapees. Suddenly, he¡¯s stopped running. Rather suspect, right? Leaning into River¡¯s understanding of his own language, I¡¯m able to catch hints of the uncertain murmurs between the members of the hunting party. They don¡¯t know whether to wait or to attack, and if to attack, whether to run forwards and grab the estranged member of their village or to use weapons from a distance ¨C use the advantage of his turned back to bring him down. They look towards the Pathwalker and the Warrior at her side for guidance. These two seem hesitant to commit. Perhaps they fear a trap ¨C rightly so. But that¡¯s not what we want them to be thinking about right now. Well, that¡¯s what the next bit of drama is for. And who better to play the part than someone who¡¯s already proven himself quite capable of acting? A blood-thirsty growl ripples through the air, grabbing the attention of all the lizard-folk. Levelling his spear at the bush in front of him, River starts backing away ¨C towards the group of lizard-kin. He¡¯s pretending that he¡¯s not even aware of their presence, he¡¯s so focussed on the ¡®threat¡¯ in front of him. But I can see how he deliberately stops before he reaches the line he¡¯s fully aware he mustn¡¯t cross. Emerging from the bushes is Fenrir, his teeth bared, his body hunched. He¡¯s got bigger, I realise. I hadn¡¯t noticed before, but now seeing them from above, I can tell that he¡¯s grown both in height and breadth. Well, I¡¯d always thought his mental presence felt young; maybe instead of being a bit of a runt, he¡¯s actually just not fully-grown? Either way, he¡¯s a threatening sight. Well worthy of the ¡®fearfully¡¯ shaking spear of River. The other lizard-folk curse when they see him; eavesdropping on the utterances they make explains why: they¡¯re fully aware that lizogs run as a pack. They think that Fenrir is just the single one visible. Darting looks at the forest around, they seem to be searching for the rest of the group. Holding their weapons more firmly, they pull together. To their credit, they don¡¯t look fearful, simply wary. As if it¡¯s a previously established strategy ¨C which it might easily be ¨C they arrange themselves with the Pathwalker in the middle of the group, the Warriors protecting her, the Unevolved adults surrounding them. They¡¯re clearly ready for anything, but they¡¯re not quite where I want them to be yet. Still, at least the first step has succeeded: they¡¯re bunched up together rather than spread apart. But I need to get them to move a bit further into the clearing. Fortunately, I have a plan for that. After all, this lizog does run as a pack, but not with other lizogs. Sending a message to certain of my Bound, a sudden ripple of growls and snarls fills the air around the lizard-folk. They startle, their heads turning this way and that, trying to pinpoint the sounds probably. This isn¡¯t right, I see one of them saying, his spikes an urgent orange. There are too many different beasts. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Well, I suppose I should have expected that: beings who have lived in the forest for all their lives should know the difference between different sounds. That¡¯s not as relevant as the fact that even the sounds of aggressive animals haven''t made them shift at all. Instead, they¡¯ve just pulled their circle in tighter. I send a message to one Bound in particular. The next moment, a loud bellow makes the Unevolved adults around the edge of the circle flinch. A cyran? I interpret one of them saying. A lizog, and now a cyran? What¡¯s going on? A moment later, the thunder of thudding feet fills the air and the hulking shape of my cyran Bound ¨C newly named Trinity for her three horns ¨C comes into view, stampeding towards the group. They shift like water, changing shape to form more of a line, the six Unevolved with spears presenting them like pikes, their bases against the earth below, the Warriors with clubs clearly ready to clobber my Bound when she comes near. At the last moment, she slides to a halt, the spears coming within a hand¡¯s width of her skin, but not actually managing to pierce it. The lizard-folk stand firm. Pity. Move away quickly, I tell Trinity and she snorts but follows my instruction. The lizard-folk by this point seem very confused. I don¡¯t blame them. But I still need them to move. Perhaps another threat would work better. Lathani, Bastet, Artemis, you¡¯re up. From the trees jump three figures. Artemis is the deri I Tamed, the one who requires me to find others of her pack to join us if I wish to keep her Bond past a few months. She¡¯s also clearly an ambush predator along the lines of Bastet, though looks more wolfish than Bastet¡¯s panther-like appearance. Apparently she¡¯s a particular effective hunter, hence why I settled on the goddess of the hunt for her name. These new threats cause the lizard-folk to shift once more, pulling their formation tighter, their weapons bristling from the group like a hedgehog. Or porcupig. The three predators prowl around, testing their defences. They don¡¯t commit to any attack, but feint a few times, jumping towards the lizard-folk and then pulling away before they can be hit. But they¡¯re still not moving. River, try to get their attention, then look like you¡¯re getting away, I tell him. He quickly obeys, stabbing at Fenrir. Take that! he yells loudly, then sends a private message to Fenrir ¨C a message which as the master of the communication network, I can still hear. Play dead, he tells the lizog. Fenrir, bless him, immediately understands and gives a mournful yelp, keeling over to one side with a thud. Give that lizog an Oscar, I can¡¯t help but chuckle to myself despite the tenseness of the situation. Ten out of ten for drama, but it¡¯s done what River intended it to do. The lizard-folk now have their attention split: between the predators still prowling in front of them, and their estranged member who, having ¡®killed¡¯ Fenrir, has now run out of the clearing. He doesn¡¯t run far before he hides behind a tree and then starts making his way back to the clearing, but the lizard-folk still bunched together seem completely fooled. He¡¯s getting away! shouts one. Do we go after him? demands another. He must have answers. The Pathwalker speaks for the first time since she entered my view. Quiet all of you! That yellow and black prey looks like the creature he was accused of stealing, she says suspiciously. We can track Runs-with-the-river¡¯s path later. Now, we should kill the black and grey prey, and catch the black and yellow one. I will trap it if you direct it to the edge of the clearing. An opportunity, even if the Pathwalker¡¯s dismissive approach to Lathani makes my blood boil a bit. Lathani, run around the group and then let them ¡®chase¡¯ you over the centre of the clearing. When they¡¯re all there, quickly leap clear. Yes, pack-leader, she quickly assents, clearly pleased with her pivotal role in this little drama of ours. Just try to make it look natural, OK? I emphasise. After all, Fenrir is clearly a born actor, but I¡¯ve never seen Lathani in action. Fortunately, it seems like Lathani is treating it a little like a game, like something she might do with the raptorcat cubs if she wants something that they¡¯re playing with ¨C drawing them away from it with little feints and then running around to get it when they¡¯re distracted. The lizard-folk follow perfectly in her lead, the only moves they make which are not so desirable being spreading out a bit. Artemis and Bastet work to stop that without me even needing to ask them. By threatening any member they see who is at all outside the group, they reduce the amount the lizard-folk spread out. Then, finally, they¡¯re in position. Lathani, get clear! I tell her urgently. As she follows my order immediately, I send my mind down the mana-saturated string connecting me with the large web beneath their feet. The whole web isn¡¯t itself saturated with mana, not anymore ¨C I did need to conserve some mana for simply growing it to the size it is now. But the threads connecting it to the pegs buried in the ground are. With a flex of will, I sever them all. I can¡¯t manage them all in one go, but I¡¯m fast enough that the difference is limited. The ground disappears beneath the lizard-kin¡¯s feet, and they tumble into a deep hole. The two which were on the edge of the hole and manage to remain on the surface teeter off-balance for one crucial moment. With a ¡®helping¡¯ hand ¨C or head-butt, rather ¨C from Artemis and Bastet, however, they tumble into the pit to join the rest of the group. From above, I grab the pile of material sitting in front of me. Letting it unfold with gravity, I focus carefully and then drop it on their heads. The sleeping poison-laced web fulfils two roles ¨C subduing, and preventing them from throwing their weapons. At least, that¡¯s what I hope it will do. Swinging one leg over the branch, I let myself slide down the tree, dropping the last metre or so to the ground. Approaching the hole, I sigh in relief and relax a little. The first major step is done. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Eleven: Great Egg Take You The lizard-folk hunting party has been captured. They¡¯re struggling to remove the web covering, but it¡¯s big and unwieldy. Not to mention the poison which coats it is no doubt making their movements more difficult and their minds more foggy. Already, I see less movement than before. Hopefully that means the poison is taking effect, not that they are preparing to do something to us when I remove the web. I will have to do that, though ¨C I don¡¯t actually want to send them into comas, which I know can happen with too much exposure to this particular poison. ¡°Well done, team,¡± I say to everyone. River, now re-entering the clearing. Fenrir, ¡®resurrected¡¯ from the dead and peering curiously down into the pit below. Bastet and Lathani, rubbing affectionately against me. Artemis, a bit more stand-offish and looking into the forest. Trinity, her heavy footsteps thudding as she comes closer. Sirocco, landing on my shoulder ¨C she wasn¡¯t needed in the end as none of the lizard-folk ran, but she was prepared to do her part if needed. The ten other Bound who had filled the air with growls and snarls and flashes of movement to disturb the lizard-kin and make them fear. I¡¯ll need to say well done to those waiting back at the cave too ¨C this really was a team effort; even some of those who aren¡¯t here now helped dig the hole. There¡¯s no way I could have created it by myself. Not unless I spent a week or more on it. The pit is big. When I tested its diameter down at the bottom, I could lie flat with my hands above my head and almost brush my fingertips against one side while my toes touched the other. As for its height, it¡¯s half again as tall as River, which makes it about the same height as it is in diameter. It was a challenge in several ways and, frankly, I¡¯m still surprised and pleased that we managed to pull it off in as little time as we did. Digging such a massive hole in a single day seems impossible, or at least improbable, but with almost all of my Bound helping with something, we managed it. Fifteen of my Bound ended up digging in shifts, five at a time. Some were better than others, sure, but they all attacked the task with single-minded focus. In between times, they rested or ate. River, Catches-leaves, and Louie ¨C the omnivorous henerm who looks rather like an orangutan except with four arms, a tail, and scaly skin ¨C as the most dextrous of all my Bound had another task. They filled a couple of buckets I¡¯d made out of hide with the earth the diggers disturbed and spread it around the clearing so it wouldn¡¯t be obvious to our targets. When the hole started getting too deep to easily step out of it, I had to set up a primitive rope-pulley system. I did this by using a tree and several strands of my cord twisted together. Trinity, as the heaviest and strongest of my Bound, was responsible for pulling any of my Bound out of the hole who needed to be, and the bucket of earth itself. Just walking back and forth throughout the day didn¡¯t seem to bother her too much as long as she was still able to eat, which was fortunate. As for the others, I kept some of the predators back as guards, and sent Bastet with a couple of captains to take a group out to collect food to feed the workers ¨C for both carnivores and herbivores. In the course of doing that, I learnt something useful about the new delegating aspect of my Tame Skill: I can create a hierarchy. If I assign the manager role and a number of Bound to a creature, and then add that manager to another Bound¡¯s group, then there¡¯s an enforced chain of command. That worked very well as it meant that I was able to assign the predators to one of my new Bound, the prey to another, and then assign both leaders to Bastet¡¯s party. She therefore had overall command, but her two sub-leaders were able to maintain control over their own parties in the absence of a specific order from Bastet. Very useful indeed. So, we had quite a good system going there of food and resources being collected and brought back to the clearing to keep the workers here able to do their tasks without worrying about getting hungry. Meanwhile, my role was mostly one of supervision and creation. Namely, the two pieces of web and the poison which has now almost finished doing its job. Such large pieces of fabric took a long time to grow since I needed to keep waiting for my mana to replenish. Being able to dip into Heavy Meditation and significantly increase my mana regeneration rate is probably the only reason I was done before dark as it was. At least it¡¯s given me a couple more levels in that Skill: one more and then I¡¯ll be on the precipice of Master with Meditation too. Creating the poison was another challenge, though it was getting the dosage right which was the main issue. I don¡¯t actually want to knock the lizard-folk into a coma, after all. I asked Bastet to bring a few live test subjects back with her ¨C I needed to know how it worked on creatures who weren¡¯t Bonded to me, in case that made a difference. A laborious series of testing ensued, and included testing on River and Catches-leaves too ¨C that was unavoidable, unfortunately, unless I wanted to just guesstimate the required dosage. After I¡¯d figured that out, I needed to lace one of the pieces of web with enough to deal with the whole party. That one was folded and tucked on the branch I was planning on watching everything from. The other piece was laid across the top of the hole, its size only just a bit larger than the hole itself. I spun thick pieces of web from the edges while my Bound held it in place, using quickly crafted wooden pegs to hold them in place. Much like a trampoline or a tent, really. To disguise the shifting feel a little, River, Catches-leaves, and Louie piled some earth on top that they¡¯d set aside for this very purpose. Besides, we were hopeful that the lizard-folk would be sufficiently distracted that they wouldn¡¯t notice how the ground beneath their feet wasn¡¯t quite as stable as it should be. Evidently, we had good reason to hope. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I was worried for a little bit that the earth would be too heavy for either the webbing threads or the wooden pegs, but it turned out that my worries were groundless. Even when the three of them stepped on top, it didn¡¯t shift. I didn¡¯t ask Trinity to test it, though ¨C the hulking cyran would probably have been a step too far. Our final task was to make the clearing look as though nothing had happened ¨C a bit of a challenge, but one that apparently my two lizard-folk Bound were perfectly capable of. I suppose they would know what their kin would be looking for, so with a bit of thought and ingenuity, they were able to disguise our activity. Now it¡¯s time to see whether all that effort was worth it. Using a stick which I¡¯ve tied another stick to at an angle in order to form something of a hook, I slowly lift the webbing off the lizard-kin¡¯s heads. As the off-white material reveals the hunting party below, I see that not everyone is unmoving. The Unevolved all seem to be still, though I note that they¡¯re all breathing, which is one worry off my mind. The Warriors, though, are mostly still awake, though clearly battling with the soporific nature of the poison. One actually grabs his spear and moves as if to throw it at me, but halfway through the attempt, his hand relaxes without his instruction and it falls out of his grip. The red flashing through his spikes show his anger and frustration. The two lithe Warriors seem the worst off, unable even to stand anymore, though still trying to force their eyes open. The Pathwalker, too, seems to be trying to fight off sleep from sheer determination and stares up at me with a glare. I might feel more intimidated if her eyelids didn¡¯t keep trying to close and her eyes didn¡¯t keep losing focus, but I can tell that she¡¯s not happy with me. She¡¯s also trying to use magic, I think ¨C she¡¯s touching roots sticking out of the earthen walls and appears to be¡­weaving them? I have to admit that I wasn¡¯t exactly impressed with her showing in the confrontation, but maybe she doesn¡¯t really have battle-suitable magic? Anyway, that doesn¡¯t matter too much: she might be trying to escape, but even if she managed to do it, she would be facing us while fighting off the poison; not a good position to be in. Especially because her back up would be equally afflicted. But I have other plans for her. While I¡¯m aware that diplomacy might not work, especially considering all the things River has told me about the village, I¡¯m keen to at least try. ¡°River, help me communicate with them, would you?¡± I ask and my first samuran Bound quickly assents. ¡°Tell them that I mean them no harm as long as they don¡¯t attack me or mine.¡± He does, repeating what I said word for word as far as I can tell. Still tapping into his understanding of his native language, I also understand her response. ¡°The Great Egg take you, traitor!¡± she spits. ¡°Don¡¯t think I have forgotten how you killed one of us on your way out. And to bow to a prey-thing? Have you no shame?¡± ¡°He is not prey,¡± River argues, without me even needing to prompt him. ¡°He is worthy of respect. He is going to save our village from the Forest of Death, and bring knowledge of how to control the life-devourer!¡± ¡°Our village? No more, outcast ¨C you are to be brought back to justice. If you are lucky, you will only be banished,¡± the Pathwalker glares and spits again with all the strength she can. Not literally spitting ¨C I¡¯m not sure their mouths are suited to that physical action ¨C but the way her teeth click almost enough to cut her own gums and the grunts make her chest move sharply tells its own story. River reels back a little as her words hit him ¨C although he¡¯d told me before that he felt he was betraying his village, I¡¯m not sure it had ever fully registered that everyone he loved would feel the same way too. That Catches-leaves doesn¡¯t is a bit of a miracle, probably mostly due to him being so far down the hierarchy that no one really cared to tell him anything. ¡°And saving our village from the Forest of Death? Controlling the life-devourer? Don¡¯t make me laugh!¡± She doesn¡¯t look anywhere near laughter, instead appearing enraged. ¡°You¡¯ve been listening to too many hatchlings¡¯ tales. Or perhaps you just don¡¯t want to admit that you betrayed our people for a prey-thing which cannot offer you anything like what you had with us.¡± I make a ball of fire appear in my hand but she¡¯s already turned back to the wall. I dismiss the flame with a hint of annoyance ¨C her expression would be fun to see. Unfortunately, instead of looking around, she¡¯s redoubled her efforts in trying to create a way out of the pit, even as the poison takes greater and greater effect on her. And the others are too sleepy and glazed to even notice. Pity. Looking down, I see that River¡¯s claws have curled into balls, cutting his own palm if the blood which abruptly drips through his fingers is anything to go by. He seems about to tear a patch from the Pathwalker, but I put my hand on his shoulder. ¡°Calm,¡± I say quietly. But master, Honoured Weaver disrespects you! he almost shouts through our mental connection. ¡°Because she hasn¡¯t learned to respect me,¡± I sigh. ¡°I understand what you were telling me before: first I¡¯m going to have to force them to acknowledge my power. Then maybe we¡¯ll get somewhere.¡± River¡¯s fist loosens and he grimaces as his claws pull free of the wounds. I quickly send a little magic down through where I¡¯m still holding his shoulder, healing them in a few moments. Then you are going to- ¡°Yes,¡± I quickly reply. ¡°Though I hope it will only be necessary with her.¡± I¡¯ve already got enough Bound, after all ¨C I don¡¯t need a whole village of lizard-folk tied to me like that too! If I¡¯m lucky, once I¡¯ve got the Pathwalker under my control, the others will fall in line: they¡¯re used to looking to the Pathwalkers for instruction, after all. Well, I¡¯ve tried the diplomatic route and it failed just as River thought it would. I could try using Catches-leaves as my mouthpiece ¨C clearly the way we left the village means that River is persona non grata with his people ¨C but he¡¯s so low-ranking that I doubt it would be any better. River had the Pathwalker clearly angry; she would probably just ignore Catches-leaves. Oh well, I guess it¡¯s to the Battle of Wills I go. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twelve: Laid Some Cards On The Table If the Pathwalker continued to glare at me intermittently, that would help. Unfortunately, she seems to be determined not to look at me as she puts all her limited efforts into trying to escape. I¡¯ll definitely need to do something catch her gaze before she falls asleep from the poison. Still, there is something else I want to do first. Inspect Fauna
Samuran: Shouts-joyfully Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Weaving Health: 580u Mana:1050u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 68 (52) Open to a Bond: No Impacting factor: Power Member of a samuran community; one of its leaders. While this beast is mostly suited to non-combat activities, she can apply some of her special abilities in combat if necessary. Social Beast with a strong capacity to form bonds.
Close message? Y/N
It¡¯s my first time being able to see any details about one of the Pathwalkers. I¡¯m quite taken aback by just how high my Willpower would need to be to Dominate this one at least in a straight battle ¨C higher even than to Dominate the danaris. Though I suppose that shouldn¡¯t be too surprising: the danaris wasn¡¯t nearly as sapient as the lizard-folk ¨C or samurans, as I should remember to call them. The danaris must have focussed more of its Evolution into its bodily power based on how much health it had had. Not to mention that I have to guess that sapience also has a significant impact. I¡¯m abruptly glad that I decided to pour six points into Willpower yesterday: now with sixty-five points in it, I reckon that I¡¯d have actually stood a pretty good chance of Dominating her successfully even without trapping and poisoning her. As it is, it should almost be a piece of cake. Indeed, the fact that my current trap has brought the requirement all the way down to fifty-two points is interesting, and indicates that if I¡¯m smart about how I approach the village as a whole, having really high Willpower isn¡¯t absolutely necessary. At least, that¡¯s what I assume the fifty-two within brackets means. It makes sense, anyway. I have to guess it¡¯s coming from levelling either Dominate or Tame, not that it¡¯s said anything about that in the information boxes. It all bodes well for my upcoming battle with the other Pathwalkers. I mustn¡¯t expect it to be a doddle ¨C for all I know, this is the weakest of the group and the shaman is the strongest ¨C but it¡¯s heartening to think that I¡¯m probably not all that far off. If I can tilt the odds in my favour by having already defeated my opponent in a physical battle, or by trapping them like I have here, then it should be fine. If I get the opportunity to level up again before tackling the lizard-folk¡¯s village, I might double down on Willpower, but I want to explore what that challenge in my soul space was about first. I managed to gain an extra point in Willpower without expending Energy, I think. Anyway, that¡¯s for later. Right now, it¡¯s time to see what this battle has in store for me. Waiting until the next time the samuran looks directly at me is irritating; Murphy seems to be on duty as now I want her to look at me, she¡¯s dedicating all of her failing focus on her attempts to weave a way out of the pit. Her fluttering eyelids indicate that I¡¯m running out of time. Clapping loudly doesn¡¯t draw her attention; moving to stand over her head and making flame flare from my hand does. Her eyes widen and spikes flash a deep blue. I immediately take the opportunity her rapt gaze offers me. ¡°Dominate.¡± Immediately, we enter the usual greyish space. I¡¯m hit by significant pressure from the start, but it¡¯s nothing like Kalanthia¡¯s. Hers was a waterfall of snow melt that beat me down and forced me back with every stinging drop. This is more like the crocodile-like nere¡¯s was, except there¡¯s one big difference: like it was when I faced Persephone, the pressure feels empty. It¡¯s a gust of air trying to be a river of water, a paper bag trying to pretend to be a concrete wall. The consequence of me doing this while she¡¯s trapped and poisoned, I would conclude. But even if it didn¡¯t feel hollow, the pressure doesn¡¯t feel anywhere near as insurmountable as facing Kalanthia had been. Pressing forwards, I barely have to lean into the wind to make progress. The figure on the other, the Pathwalker, is clearly not a happy bunny as I approach her. Stay away, prey, she hisses at me, attempting to strike me with her emotions. Interestingly, she¡¯s the first to have tried to use that as a weapon in this space, and it¡¯s surprisingly effective. I hiss in pain as her lash of anger lands, her disbelief that something she has designated as prey would dare to try to force her to submit. I will not, I say through gritted teeth as she lashes at me again. I try one last attempt at diplomacy. River spoke true: I am going to save your village from the Forest of Death. I shove my sincerity at her, as much of a weapon as her fury had been. As if inferior prey could offer us help! Even if you do have some sort of trick with something that looks like the life-devourer. Her scathing words and tone rub me all up the wrong way. I grit my teeth even more ¨C if I was actually here physically, I¡¯d probably have risked cracking my teeth. However, since this seems to be a projection of my soul, I guess I don¡¯t have to be too concerned. Instead, I just put my whole will into moving forwards, the lashes of her anger and outrage falling with every step. As I get closer, though, they weaken as I sense fear creeping into them, making them brittle and sharper, but less able to pierce my steady determination to advance. I even start deflecting them, finding that my rock-hard Will is a good defence against the attacks. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Step by step, I move towards my opponent. The pressure is great, but fails to keep me at bay. Like with Persephone, as I approach a certain point in the distance between us ¨C in this case two thirds of the way towards the samuran ¨C the pressure builds and builds until it actually threatens to make me pause. Taking a moment, I focus my attention, imagining it like a blade: if the samuran can use emotions as a weapon, why can¡¯t I? I visualise my will becoming the blade that has become as familiar to me as another limb, then strike the space in front of me. Like the paper bag of the kiina¡¯s fearful will, the lizard-kin¡¯s resistance caves, pressure streaming past me, unguided. In its wake rises fear and disbelief, lingering like a miasma in the air between us. Impeded even less than before, I stride forwards until I am six inches away from the Pathwalker. There, I stop. Meeting her eyes with my own, I see the mixture of fear and rage and disbelief that are echoed in the emotions surrounding her. She can¡¯t believe that a prey beast she and her sisters ordered caged could have cut through her will like the knife I imagined it to be. ¡°I could force the Bond right now, you can feel it, can¡¯t you?¡± I ask her levelly, though it¡¯s less of a question, and more of a statement that I¡¯m demanding she confirm. My eyes bore into hers: both River and Catch have indicated that strength is the only thing their society recognises. Well, I might not like that, but if I wish to change it, then I¡¯m going to have to prove to them that I have the strength they require, before I can teach them that there are other ways of measuring people¡¯s worth. She doesn¡¯t answer me, but I feel the rage around her flare. ¡°Look,¡± I tell her, equally firmly but not allowing my own anger at what these people did to Lathani and me any rein. ¡°Either you respond to me and we can have a nice little conversation here, or I can Bind you here and now, and we can have the conversation after when you have no agency to deny my wishes.¡± The fear and rage both flare in equal measure as she takes in my words, but she doesn¡¯t respond. I sigh in disappointment, but reach out towards her nonetheless. She can¡¯t move, can¡¯t avoid my hand, and all her resistance up until now has been fruitless. I don¡¯t want this, but she¡¯s forcing my hand. Almost literally. Stop, she says, my fingers only a couple of centimetres away from her forehead. I pause, but don¡¯t back off at all. ¡°Will you converse with me?¡± I ask, not letting emotions come through my voice, though she can probably read the hope in my aura: it¡¯s hard to hide what you¡¯re feeling in this space, perhaps even impossible. But I generally don¡¯t mind too much: it¡¯s better that both parties are honest with each other, I think ¨C I¡¯ve seen the consequences of contracts made in bad faith, and I reckon that this would probably be even more damaging. I will converse with you if you will release me afterwards. ¡°The Bond is non-negotiable,¡± I tell her firmly. Quite apart from the fact that Kalanthia expects me to take control of the lizard-folk village if I wish to keep the members of it alive and protected from her wrath, I suspect that Bonding at least the Pathwalker of this little band is the only way to keep the others in line. And since I suspect she¡¯d reject any Tame Bond which didn¡¯t favour her far more than I¡¯d be willing to accept, Dominate is the only option for now. Then why do you wish to converse with me? she demands. Or perhaps you are unable to carry out your threat and wish to convince me to accept the chain I feel hovering around me, she suggests scornfully. ¡°I am not bluffing,¡± I tell her. ¡°Feel my sincerity in my aura.¡± I instruct, waiting patiently for her to do so. The fear in her aura grows, even as she tries to deny it. No, you must be bluffing! And even if you are not, it is only because you have trapped me and poisoned me. If you met me at my full strength, you would fall before my might! she insists. You¡¯ve cheated and this contest is worthless for it. I can¡¯t help laughing. ¡°I used my advantages against you. You are a Weaver; I am a Tamer. I used my Bound to scout for you, to create the trap, to lead you into it. How is that cheating? If you and I faced each other, would you stop yourself from using your magic to attack your opponent?¡± She gazes at me, frustration in her eyes and aura, but doesn¡¯t answer. She knows that I¡¯m right. ¡°And frankly, even if we were matched face to face with no poison or trap or numbers, I give myself better chances of winning than I would give you. Do you know why?¡± No, she mutters reluctantly after a moment. ¡°Because, as River said and you rejected, I am not only a Tamer; I am also capable of controlling fire and flesh.¡± While I recognise that the Pathwalker is probably much stronger in her single area of magic, I think that fire would probably be a hard counter to whatever she could weave, unless she can weave the air itself. And if I could get close enough, with how close our Willpower stats are, I reckon that I¡¯d be able to cause her some serious harm, enough that Dominate would be easy afterwards. My strength of conviction is clearly obvious to the samuran and I feel her aura quail away from mine for a moment. Then I do not understand why you have not yet closed the noose on me, she challenges, her defiance empty. If you are so sure of yourself. ¡°Because I would prefer not to be Bound to someone completely antagonistic to me,¡± I say honestly. ¡°If you force my hand, then I will Bind you regardless, an inevitable consequence of what your shaman and herbalist did. But this is your opportunity to decide to cooperate. You will find that I can be amenable, though don¡¯t test my patience and ask for too much or I will press on regardless,¡± I warn her. The thing is that even if I can force my Dominated Bound to do anything, I don¡¯t want to be obliged to dictate their every move. I like my connection with my current Dominated Bound because all of them desire to work together, rather than only doing so begrudgingly. Adding someone into the mix who is constantly looking for a loophole or a way to escape is like putting a rotten apple in among good ones. I¡¯ve seen it happen before with teams of people. So if, by making some small concession, I can buy her goodwill, then I¡¯m willing to do that. What do you mean by your words about inevitable consequences of the Shaman and Herbalist¡¯s actions? They have done nothing but try to help and protect our people! the samuran demands, her tone indignant, completely failing to address the other parts of my declaration. Very well ¨C I¡¯ll play along for now. ¡°They were working on a solution to the issue with the vine-stranglers. Did you know that?¡± Of course! ¡°Then did you know what the solution was?¡± This time, she hesitates. Though Shaman and Herbalist have refused to clarify, they have said that it is a long-term solution which should combat many threats which might face our village in the future, not only the threat of the Forest of Death. ¡°Then let me tell you. They kidnapped the cub of Kalanthia, the being you know as the Great Predator, and brought her back to your village,¡± I tell her bluntly, my calm words not showing the rage which threatens to boil over the limits of my control. I fight it back, not wanting it to derail what is slowly becoming a decent negotiation. ¡°They fed her a series of potions which somehow drew on her future potential, ageing her and making her more powerful in the present, but at a cost. That cost was one they were willing to pay as they were intending on killing her and enslaving her spirit, using that somehow as a weapon against the vine-strangler¡¯s encroachment.¡± I forcibly force myself to calm, even in this non-physical space feeling my breath quicken and heart beat faster. ¡°Now, how does that sound as a plan to you?¡± Horror has taken over the Pathwalker¡¯s being, though I can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s horrified at. The treatment of Lathani? The fact that it was the Great Predator¡¯s cub? Or that I, a ¡®prey¡¯ creature, knows about it when she doesn¡¯t? I¡¯ve laid some cards on the table; time to see how she responds. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirteen: Clearly, That’s Going Well For You The samuran is silent for a long moment, but finally she responds. If that is how my sisters sought to protect us, then I support them in it, the Path-walker says loyally, though the doubt in her aura is enough to prove to me that she¡¯s not as content with the method of protection as she¡¯d like me to believe. ¡°Even if it has actually called another doom upon your head?¡± Confusion fills the Pathwalker¡¯s aura. How so? ¡°The group sent to kidnap Kalanthia¡¯s cub failed in one big aspect: they left Kalanthia alive. For the crime of kidnapping her cub, Kalanthia would have sought blood. When her cub returned, permanently changed, she desired to kill every last one of your village. Does that seem like a good method of protection now?¡± The lizard-kin is silent for a long moment. She¡­they¡­I¡¯m sure they did not expect such a response from the Great Predator. ¡°They should have,¡± I tell her grimly. ¡°I do not believe that Kalanthia is known for her mercy.¡± Then perhaps they had a plan to defend us against the Great Predator, the samuran snaps. You should ask them, not me ¨C I don¡¯t know! ¡°Oh, believe me,¡± I tell her, my anger finally leaking into my words. ¡°I will.¡± Then, closing my eyes, I take a moment to rein back my fury. It has no place here. ¡°Fortunately for you, your village had a spokesperson.¡± Confusion once more leaks into the space around us. What? Who? ¡°The lizard-kin you call ¡®traitor,¡¯¡± I hiss at her, unable to allow a bit of vindication into my voice. I saw how River flinched at the word, how it had hurt him to be rejected by the people he had only ever tried to protect. ¡°River, Runs-with-the-river, agreed to help me because he believed both in the vengeance which Kalanthia would bring to bear for the loss of her cub, and because he believed that I could protect your village myself. He sold himself to me to protect you. And when Kalanthia spoke of genocide, he offered up his own life in an attempt to placate her.¡± My emotions rising once more inside me, I can¡¯t help but shove the memory of River kneeling before Kalanthia at the Pathwalker in front of me. I don¡¯t know how it works considering there is no Bond between us ¨C not yet ¨C but perhaps it''s because we¡¯re touching souls. Either way, I know my attempt is successful. The Pathwalker¡¯s aura betrays her uncertainty after she¡¯s viewed the memory, and I don¡¯t hesitate to hammer it further in. ¡°Thanks to his demonstration of regret and my own request to spare you for his sake, Kalanthia has agreed to let your village live; on one condition.¡± Which is what? the Pathwalker asks a moment later, her voice faint. ¡°That I rule your village.¡± The lizard-kin is silent. ¡°So you see that the Bond is inevitable, and this is the opportunity to ask for something in exchange for your cooperation. Unless you prefer death, of course,¡± I say in an afterthought. If that genuinely would be someone¡¯s preference, I won¡¯t stand in their way or force them to Bond with me. The Pathwalker is silent for several long moments. I wait patiently, pushing my anger, my impatience, my restlessness away. Interestingly, the space isn¡¯t showing any sign of shattering, nor am I tiring from holding it. Perhaps it¡¯s because Dominate has increased in level? Or because my Willpower is higher? Or perhaps because the differences between our Willpower stats are small. Eventually the lizard-woman answers. I do not wish to die, she admits in a small voice. ¡°Then you accept that a Bond is the only other alternative?¡± I ask levelly. I wish for power, she says, instead of answering me properly. Give that to me, and I will offer you cooperation. ¡°Magical power? Advancement to the next tier? Power over other lizard-folk?¡± I check. The first two. She gives off a feeling that I reckon would be a head toss if she could move. I care little about power over others of my kin. The first two will give me the third, anyway, she admits. I nod slowly. ¡°Being part of my group, a proper part, means cooperating with each other, and seeking each other¡¯s safety and benefit. In that way, we all benefit, we all rise. One of my Bound has already evolved into the next Tier while Bound with me, and others are approaching that time. Three are also heading for Tier three, like you. If you can accept that, then I will agree to your desire for power.¡± There¡¯s a long pause, then a sense of acceptance emanates from her. It¡¯s not a whole-hearted agreement, not like Fenrir who had practically thrown himself at me emotionally when I made the same offer. But at the same time, it¡¯s not a begrudging or plotting agreement which might indicate she¡¯s planning on making trouble later. I¡¯ll take it. I move my hand back towards her head from where I had withdrawn it earlier. ¡°Then join us, Shouts-joyfully.¡± Surprise emanates from her, even as my fingers touch her skin and the world shatters around us, a new Bond thrumming into place. The world comes into colour around me and I breathe deeply for what feels like the first time in a while. I¡¯m still staring at the samuran in the pit below; her eyes continue to flutter, the poison almost having done its job in pulling her to sleep. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. How do you know that name? she demands, her voice thin and exhausted. I haven¡¯t used it in many cycles. Not many know it and those who do don¡¯t use it. ¡°I know many things,¡± I tell her, a grin curling the corner of my lips. ¡°River, Catch, help Joy out of the pit, would you?¡± They immediately snap to, eagerness evident in the quick movements of their limbs. Briefly brushing the Bonds between us, I sense triumph mingled with relief, welcome mixed with a hidden sense of fear. Knowing both of them as I do, I suspect that I know why each emotion is there. Relief that I can indeed overcome at least one of the leaders of their village. Triumph that we have succeeded in our task. Welcome for another of their people joining us. Yet fear that perhaps now a higher Tier samuran is present, that they will be relegated to the outskirts once more. Not that I will ever let that happen. River has been at my side through thick and thin ever since our own Battle; loyalty like that is only to be rewarded, not punished by being cast aside. Though I¡¯ll need to make sure he understands that when I release his Bond it¡¯s not because I don¡¯t want him now I have a more powerful member of his species Bound to me. Catch decided to Bind himself to me out of gratitude and so far has done everything I could have reasonably wished him to do. That¡¯s worth far more than someone who¡¯s only really accepted the Bond because she hopes for power through it. Even if she¡¯s a Pathwalker. Hopefully, they¡¯ll see that with time ¨C actions will probably speak louder than words at this point. Joy definitely needs the help of both River and Catch leaning down and grabbing onto her to get out of the pit ¨C her limbs are too weak right now to hold onto a rope by herself. It makes me concerned about the others in there, especially the Unevolved who succumbed much more quickly. I wasn¡¯t expecting it to have that much effect ¨C maybe I underestimated either how much each would absorb, or how powerful I made the venom¡­. ¡°Trinity,¡± I call quietly, and the massive three-horned beast lumbers over to me. ¡°Could you help River and Catch get the samurans out of the trap, please.¡± She sends over a good-natured feeling of assent ¨C apparently now we¡¯ve become her ¡®family¡¯, she¡¯s perfectly willing to help us in whatever way we¡¯d like. My two Tier one samurans seem about to launch themselves down into the pit, but I tell them to wait. ¡°Here, let me wrap these around your feet,¡± I say, pulling a few hides out of my Inventory. Filling them with my mana will take too long, but the two lizard-men don¡¯t need perfectly tailored shoes; they just need something that will keep them from accidentally absorbing the venom themselves. Wrapping the hides around their feet and then using some bark cord to tie them on offers them serviceable, if probably uncomfortable, footwear. With that, it¡¯s only a matter of minutes before they¡¯re jumping down into the pit, a rope tied around Trinity¡¯s tail. While they cooperate to tie the unconscious samurans one by one to the rope and get them hauled up to the top, then untied, I turn to Joy. ¡°I¡¯m just going to clear the venom from your system,¡± I tell her as I reach towards her. Unease comes across the Bond, but she submits to my touch, perhaps picking up for herself from the Bond that I mean no harm. Diving into her body, I focus on searching out the venom and pulling it out of her. It¡¯s not hard: since the venom was previously soaked with my mana, it seems to reaccept it easily. Most of the work is actually in repairing the small amount of damage it¡¯s caused to her system. While doing that, I find myself comparing her body to River¡¯s and Catch¡¯s. It¡¯s¡­surprisingly different. Not only are there a number of organs present which are clearly linked to reproduction of which there is no sign in River or Catch, but there¡¯s also some sort of network which I can almost see. It¡¯s like looking at faint stars in the night sky: I can see them in my peripheral vision, but if I look at them directly, they vanish. I¡¯m intrigued, but put that aside for now: I need to clear Joy¡¯s body as quickly as possible so I can then get started on dealing with the rest of the samurans. ¡°Feel better?¡± I ask as I return to myself and open my eyes: even if I¡¯ve managed to learn how to heal myself with my eyes open, I¡¯m not yet confident enough in doing it to someone else like that. I do, Joy responds, sounding¡­strange. ¡°What?¡± I ask with a frown. ¡°If something doesn¡¯t feel right, tell me. If you leave it, it could have bad consequences.¡± No, it is all well, she hurries to assure me. ¡°Then what is it?¡± You¡­I did not expect you to be so powerful, she admits. ¡°Powerful?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, the question slipping out without my permission. I felt your magic inside me, invading me. I sensed that if you had intended me harm, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist it. That¡¯s probably more to do with the Bond than my own personal power, but I don¡¯t tell her that. Honestly, it¡¯s probably better for her to be in awe than contemptuous, especially when it seems like power is the only thing she wants ¨C and will respect. ¡°Well, as long as you work with me and my group, as we discussed, I won¡¯t need to harm you,¡± I say neutrally instead. ¡°On that note, what will happen if we wake up your companions here with you Bound to me, but them not?¡± She hesitates. I am unsure, she admits. I frown again. ¡°I thought that you Pathwalkers were the leaders of the village?¡± We are, she quickly responds, sounding slightly offended at my doubt. But the Warriors are sworn to protect the village. If they feel that my actions are not in keeping with that, they might choose to disobey my orders. And if that happened, I am unsure who the Unevolved would obey. I raise an eyebrow. ¡°So in fact it¡¯s the Warriors who control the village, really.¡± Surprisingly, she doesn¡¯t become offended again. The Pathwalkers offer the direction, the Warriors, the support. Yet they will not choose to support a direction which appears to lead to destruction for the People. However, without direction, they would be vulnerable to the changing challenges which threaten the village. We are in balance with each other, as it should be. Interesting¡­but not particularly helpful. Apparently my hope that by converting the Pathwalker of the group to my side she¡¯d be able to keep everyone in check, was unfounded. ¡°Alright. You¡¯re a weaver, right?¡± I ask, changing the subject. She tilts her head briefly upwards to affirm what I said. ¡°What can you weave?¡± Plant fibres, strips of animal hide and sinew. Branches. Plant roots. Anything physical, she answers with the sense of a shrug. ¡°Good,¡± I say, thoughts coming together. ¡°I¡¯m going to cleanse each of your hunting group members now, and I¡¯d like you to bind their limbs so they are unable to get up and attack me or any of my Bound when they regain consciousness. Can you do that?¡± Of course! she replies, her tone indignant. That was what I was sent for. Then she stops abruptly, a sense of alarm coming across the bond like she felt she said too much. ¡°Expand on that,¡± I order her with a steely gaze. She turns her head away and says nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t make me force you,¡± I threaten. A sense of irritation mingled with frustrated helplessness comes across the Bond. We were sent to find Runs-with-the-river ¨C and the prey beast he freed from the cage and allowed to kill one of our sisters. You. I was to bind him, and you if you still lived, so that you could be taken back to the village for punishment. ¡°Lovely,¡± I sigh, staring at the canopy above. Ah well, not much more than I¡¯d already learned from the insults she threw at River earlier. ¡°Clearly that¡¯s going well for you,¡± I can¡¯t help but prod at the lizard-kin. I hear the sound of her snapping her teeth in irritation, but she doesn¡¯t respond. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going with dealing with your friends here.¡± Pushing myself to my feet, I go over to the first samuran, aiming for an Unevolved one since they seem to be the most vulnerable. I pretend not to hear the question that drifts over almost unintentionally from Joy. What is ¡®friends¡¯? Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fourteen: What I’m Dealing With Since the other samurans are not Bound to me, it¡¯s harder work to heal them than it was to heal Joy, but still not too difficult. The Unevolved ones, anyway. It¡¯s actually much easier to deal with them than it was to heal Lathani while she wasn¡¯t Bound to me, interestingly enough. Since they were both Tier one, I would have expected them to be similar. But then, Lathani¡¯s a nunda, so perhaps that makes a difference. Plus, I¡¯ve added six more points in Willpower since then, and the venom is already half-imbued with my mana. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be so surprised. It¡¯s more mana consumptive than difficult, actually, but by keeping at least the Light level of Meditation going, and the Medium one where possible, I manage to pace myself enough that I only have to stop to regenerate my mana properly a few times. Which, considering that I¡¯m cleansing and healing fifteen lizard-kin, is quite a good improvement. Joy follows behind me, weaving plant roots from the ground to bind the samurans firmly to it, preventing them from moving more than a few inches. I think she¡¯s a bit bored of the task: after the first two, I start noticing her creating patterns and shapes in the bindings. Oh well, as long as they do the job, she can use the fibres to tell an epic ballad, if she likes. I pause my healing of the unconscious samurans to clear my two helpers of venom when they finish hauling all of their previous village-mates out of the pit. Although the hides wrapped around their feet had done a good job in protecting them from the venom-laced web beneath their feet, they couldn¡¯t help but absorb some of it from the bodies they were touching. Fortunately, it¡¯s only a matter of moments to force the last bits out of them, the venom being squeezed through a small area of skin at their wrists ¨C that being an area with very thin scales. Of course, I¡¯m collecting all the venom in one of my pots: I never know when having sleeping poison which is absorbed through the skin will come in handy. Though I will have to work on dosage more: by the time I get to the last of the Unevolved, I¡¯m concerned that they might not actually wake up again, even once the venom is out of their system. Finishing the healing, I eye them as they remain unconscious. I guess I¡¯ll have to see how it goes. Moving onto the Warriors, I immediately feel how much harder it is to heal them than any of the previous. I have to fight to remain in their bodies, much as I did with the danaris. It¡¯s not quite as hard as that ¨C I am making progress, and am able to affect their body. It¡¯s still hard work. While taking a breather, and allowing my mana to refill, I Inspect the Warrior I¡¯m working on.
Samuran: Murmurs-quietly Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Increased Strength Health: 1590u Mana: 50u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 60 (45) Open to a Bond: No Impacting factor: Protection of the Village Member of a samuran community; one of its protectors. Fights mainly with spears and clubs, overwhelming opponents with his raw strength. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds.
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Interesting¡­well, his Willpower stat checks out, I suppose, I think to myself. I still don¡¯t know exactly what impacts how easily or not I¡¯m able to affect a target¡¯s body, but Willpower must be a big part of it. Flesh-Shaping must not be affected by the same debuffs to Willpower that Dominate is, though, because I would expect interfering in the body of a creature with only forty-five points in Willpower to be significantly easier than this is: there is a difference between the resistance I¡¯ve been feeling here and what I felt with the danaris, but not almost twenty points¡¯ worth of it. So it must be based on sixty, not forty-five. It¡¯s interesting to see that the Willpower is seven points lower than Joy¡¯s is ¨C is that because Joy is closer to Tier three? Or is it the reason for why Joy is a magic-user and the other one isn¡¯t? Or is it simply that different beings have different Willpowers, as is no doubt the case among humans? Perhaps one day I¡¯ll be able to answer that question, but today is not that day. I put it out of my mind and concentrate on refilling my mana. Wanting to minimise the amount of work I have to do, I simply direct the venom out through a hole I make with my knife, then only repair the worst of the damage. Even just that takes as much time and mana as two of the Unevolved. It seems to be enough, though, as the bulky Warrior wakes up with a vengeance, tugging and straining against the fibres holding him to the ground. Using the understanding of the lizard-kin¡¯s language gleaned from all three of my samuran Bound, I can tell that he¡¯s not saying anything constructive, more spewing invective against Joy for turning against them. In response to his insults, the Unevolved, who up until now have been pretty docile since a Pathwalker is by my side, start struggling too. ¡°If you shut his mouth, I¡¯ll cover his spikes,¡± I suggest with a glance at Joy. An expression of distaste tugging at the corner of her crocodilian mouth and discomfort coming through the Bond, Joy complies without a word. Roots snake up towards his mouth and, despite his thrashing attempts to keep away from them they crawl inexorably around his jaws and bind them shut. Not wanting the lizard-man to suffocate, I simply cover his head with one of my jackets. With both audio and visual cues hidden, we have effectively silenced the Warrior. ¡°Settle down,¡± I say to the shifting Unevolved samurans with Joy as my mouthpiece. ¡°All will become clear soon.¡± Hoping that that will be enough for them ¨C they do stop wriggling a bit, though whether that¡¯s more to do with the fact that we so easily silence the one who had been encouraging them to move than my instructions, I don¡¯t know ¨C I go back to healing. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Moving over to the next one ¨C one of the slim, lithe samurans ¨C I first Inspect him so I know what I¡¯m dealing with.
Samuran: Eats-dirt Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Increased Speed Health: 1480u Mana: 70u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 61 (46) Open to a Bond: No Impacting factor: Protection of the Village Member of a samuran community; one of its protectors. Fights mainly at range with javelins and rocks, conquering opponents with his speed. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds.
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¡°Not all that dissimilar to the first Warrior, but more speed focussed. Makes sense,¡± I murmur to myself. It¡¯s interesting to see that the Willpower of this one is a little higher than the previous, as is his mana, but only by a little. Hopefully that won¡¯t make healing him much harder, though¡­. One by one, I work through the four Warriors. The last two are practically the same as the first two when it comes to Willpower; the only real difference is in the weapons they use and their abilities. The other bulky Warrior apparently uses a shield and spear, where the other lithe one uses darts. Although the bulky Warrior had the Increased Strength ability of the other Warrior, the second lithe one had Stealthy Step instead of Increase Speed. I wonder with interest if it¡¯s similar to the Stealth Skill that I have. Their health and mana pools are a little different, but only by ten units for mana and twenty for health. As for their names, the bulky Warrior is apparently called ¨C rather incongruously ¨C Leaps-from-fright, and the lithe one is called Sleeps-peacefully. I have to admit that it amuses and horrifies me in equal measures to think that the samuran hatchlings end up burdened with a name that reflects the first action they did on their name day, regardless of whether it suits them in terms of general behaviour or not. Then again, parents on Earth could be known to give rather burdensome names that they felt sounded ¡®cool¡¯. I remember a boy at my secondary school called Andrew Niss. Whenever his first name was shortened to an initial, it was the cue for everyone in the class to snigger. Apparently he had an elder brother called Peter, which was probably just as bad. What their parents were thinking, I don¡¯t know. I redirect my wandering mind ¨C I¡¯m tired, and we¡¯re not even finished yet. We¡¯ve had to silence three out of the four Warriors because they started spewing invective as soon as they realised their situation. The third, however, has just watched us with calculating eyes ever since he woke up. I¡¯ve been tempted to cover his head just for that, but so far have managed to convince myself that just looking doesn¡¯t deserve being shoved into darkness. I¡¯m going to have to get these Warriors on board, somehow. Not only to keep the other eleven Unevolved in line, but also because having four Warriors on my side would definitely help when it comes to taking over the village. But I doubt I¡¯m going to be able to Dominate all of them right now: I can already feel a hint of mental strain from all the battling I¡¯ve had to do to heal them. One round of Dominate is probably fine, maybe two. But four? Not unless they¡¯re very short and easy. And no way I could do fifteen. So no, the Unevolved are going to have to stay Bond-less ¨C unless they agree to a Tame Bond. But they probably will only agree to that if all four Warriors as well as Pathwalker are on my side ¨C otherwise they¡¯ll have the same issue Catch had when he was Bound to me with a Tame Bond. At least since increasing my Willpower by six points I don¡¯t have the same sense of getting close to reaching some sort of limit. Apparently my theory was right there. Could I offer the Warriors a Tame Bond instead of Dominate? Perhaps. We¡¯ll see how they take my explanation. But first, I need to eat and rest a little. Trinity is lying down on the ground, evidently deciding to have a little snooze after all her hard work earlier. The rope around her tail has been untied and coiled up neatly next to her. With a sigh, I sit down and lean against her warm scaly side. She grunts a little, but doesn¡¯t actually wake ¨C I guess she feels safe enough with us to sleep despite the disruption. I find I appreciate that more than I might have thought I would. Pulling out some chunks of roast meat, I devour them hungrily, all the work I¡¯ve been doing with mana really taking it out of me. When I stop feeling the need to stuff my face quite so quickly, I look back up and call River and Catch over. ¡°Update me on the situation, please,¡± I ask, still eating. I¡¯ve been aware of them moving around and doing things, but with my focus on the healing, I don¡¯t know exactly what they¡¯ve been up to. Hopefully organising the rest of my Bound. We¡¯ve split your Bound into groups. One group is hunting with Bastet ¨C the scalla, the woshel, the reer, and the mea, River starts his report. I take a moment to picture them ¨C reminding myself that I need to find names for all these newcomers. The scalla is bipedal, a bit like a spinosaurus, but its spine ridge isn¡¯t nearly as impressive as those dinosaurs had been. A lot smaller too ¨C even when it stands fully upright, its head is lower than mine. Not that I¡¯d want its toothed maw anywhere near my face if it wasn¡¯t Bound to me. The woshel is one of the Bound I took with me to the river when I levelled up ¨C a relatively small carnivore that looks a little like a big otter, but with absolutely vicious claws and teeth. She¡¯s also got particularly powerful senses of hearing and sight. The reer is the one that kind of looks like a more dangerous ankylosaurus ¨C the bone protrusions all over its body are spiky, as are its tail spikes. It¡¯s not all that fast, but is probably the tank of the group. Finally, the mea is the one that reminds me almost uncomfortably of a wolvezard. That¡¯s the creature which almost killed me when I stepped in to interfere with it hurting Lathani way back in my first few days on this world. As I think through them, I realise it¡¯s not a bad hunting group, actually. If Bastet is OK with it, I might assign them to her on a more permanent basis. She¡¯s got all the bases covered with it ¨C strong senses, speed from some of the members, defence from other members, and plenty of damage power. Heck, the reer probably is good at carrying the bodies too. ¡°When did they go out?¡± I ask. A while ago, master. They¡¯ve already come back twice with a carcass for the rest of us to eat. ¡°You¡¯ve had something, right?¡± I check, looking at each of them. We have, thank you, Honoured Markus, Catch replies. There are some who haven¡¯t eaten yet, but they should be given the opportunity when the group comes back the next time. ¡°What about those who don¡¯t eat meat?¡± I ask next, the thought suddenly occurring. Hades and Persephone have been taking out a few prey beasts at a time to graze the surrounding areas. We assigned a group of sentries ¨C mixed prey and predator beasts ¨C and we¡¯ve been rotating them at regular intervals so each has the opportunity to eat. They also regularly bring some back for those here. I can¡¯t help but chuckle in amazement. ¡°Maybe you guys should be running the show here. You seem like you¡¯ve got everything sorted.¡± River makes his version of a shrug. We could not have healed all these creatures, or Bound them together, he says matter-of-factly. But cooperating with others to gather needed resources is what we are used to; though not as the organisers, granted. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I muse. Thinking about it, River and Catch might have more idea about what needs to be done than I do ¨C I¡¯m far more used to a corporate work context than a forest one. The lizard-folk, however, are far more used to surviving in the forest. I¡¯ll need to sit down with them and have a good chat about how to delegate the large number of my Bound with them. But first, I have this other challenge. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifteen: I Shall Test His Might And See If He Is Worthy ¡°So,¡± I say quietly, darting a glance at the samurans tied to the ground. Hopefully they won¡¯t be able to hear from this distance, or see the flashing colours of Catch¡¯s and River¡¯s crests, but maybe we should go around the other side of Trinity anyway. Having done that, I start again. ¡°So, do you think any of them would be open to diplomacy? Should I even try diplomacy?¡± The two samurans eye me. Should the Honoured Pathwalker not be part of this discussion? suggests Catch. She would surely know better how to advise you. I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her yet,¡± I say bluntly. ¡°I trust you two.¡± They both look a little taken aback, Catch more than River, a sense of feeling flattered coming across the Bond from both of them. Then I would say that you are likely to need to prove yourself to the Warriors too, River responds a little hesitantly after a moment of thought. ¡°They won¡¯t accept my victory over a Pathwalker as sufficient?¡± I ask for the sake of being thorough, though the reactions of the Warriors have been fairly plain so far. Both samurans before me send me a sense of negation. The Pathwalkers and Warriors are good at different things: they will not accept that they would necessarily be the losers just because one of the others has lost, River answers. I sigh. ¡°Great. So I need to win four more battles, do I?¡± River and Catch exchange looks. Not necessarily, River ventures to say. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask. The Warriors have a ranking system amongst themselves, as do the Pathwalkers, Catch continues, a hint of enthusiasm creeping into his voice. Yes, agrees River, continuing the thought. I feel a hint of amusement at how close they¡¯re getting ¨C and suppress the tinge of jealousy that causes me. Just because Catch and River are friends doesn¡¯t mean that River can¡¯t be my friend too. If he even sees me that way¡­. I catch myself before I end up going too far down that train of thought again, tuning back into what the lizard-man is saying. -so if you can defeat the strongest, the others will most likely fall into line. I take a moment to mentally recall what River said ¨C my ears heard, even if my brain was elsewhere. Something about a regular competition among the Warriors to determine exactly where in the rankings each fell. ¡°But how do I know which is the highest ranking?¡± I ask. River and Catch exchange another glance. Wasn¡¯t it Murmurs-quietly? No, he lost a ranking to Leaps-from-fright at the last fight. But what about Sleeps-peacefully? He did pretty well last time. I don¡¯t think he was higher than Leaps-from-fright, though. They seem to have come to a consensus. ¡°Leaps-from-fright, then?¡± We think so, River replies, a little doubtfully. But perhaps check with the Honoured Pathwalker: they monitor all the Warrior ranking fights. We may have missed something when needing to go and find resources. Standing up, I beckon Joy over. She seems a little confused by my gesture so I clarify with a mental instruction to come over. Looking a little irritated by my summons, she nonetheless obeys. ¡°Which of the Warriors is higher in the ranking?¡± I ask her bluntly. Leaps-from-fright was higher than the other three in the most recent ranking fight, she answers without hesitation. That is why he was charged with my protection specifically. That was an interesting bit of information. ¡°How would the village take the fact that you were captured under his watch, then?¡± I wonder. Poorly, she answers promptly, a biting quality to her voice. Warriors are highly-valued, but his failure in such an important matter would immediately drop him to the bottom of the Warrior hierarchy and disbar him from ranking fights for a good few double moon cycles were he to return without me. I nod slowly, my mind turning over the new information. I wonder how it might affect my own likelihood of turning him to my side. If he feels insulted and offended by me overcoming his defence, he will probably be less open to a proposal from me. On the other hand, if he fears returning to the village without the Pathwalker more, then he might be open to making a deal. ¡°Alright, next question. You said that the Warriors and Pathwalkers are kind of two sides of the same coin, the Pathwalkers offering direction; the Warriors offering support.¡± I wait for her to send a confirming feeling down the Bond. ¡°So, what would happen if the Warriors and Pathwalkers come into conflict?¡± Joy hesitates. It¡­has happened. Not in our village, but in others. And it was always a poor outcome for the village, which is why we do our best to balance the needs of both Warriors and Pathwalkers. To ensure that each group still respects the other, every year when the warmth returns, shortly before the eggs hatch, we fight each other. Each group has a ranking match to determine the hierarchy within the group, and then the top Pathwalker fights the top Warrior to determine the overall hierarchy. The loser of the battle must fight with the others of opposite role until they win. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°And who usually wins those matches, or is it fairly equal on each side?¡± Even though a Pathwalker is not always the highest ranking of the village, it happens more often than not. In those cases, Pathwalkers with more combat-capable magic tend to do well against him. However, those with less combat-capable magic are sometimes at a disadvantage, and the speediest Warriors can sometimes take us unawares. When the top Pathwalker loses against the top Warrior, it usually only takes one or two battles with the other ranking Warriors before she wins. Also interesting to know. I think I might have an approach to work with. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to try.¡± Standing up, I walk over to the bound samurans. ¡°Joy, translate for me, please¡± I tell her before starting to take the hides off the Warriors¡¯ faces. The Warriors immediately start squirming and insulting me, agitating the Unevolved samurans again. ¡°Quiet, please¡± I tell them, and Joy repeats my word in their clicks and grunts. They don¡¯t; if anything, the sight of a Pathwalker standing at my side seems to set them off even more. The insults and threats are kicked up a notch. ¡°I said: quiet!¡± I try again; again Joy repeats my words. Again, they have no impact. I¡¯m starting to feel frustrated. It¡¯s difficult to speak through someone else, especially when Joy¡¯s voice is being drowned out by the racket that the Warriors are making. Her teeth click together in annoyance as she has to once more reinforce the root bindings that are holding them captive. Taking a deep breath, my focus narrows onto being heard. ¡°Quiet!¡± I tell them, loudly and firmly. They all go silent, staring at me with their eyes wide. My own eyebrows go up a little in surprise. I wasn¡¯t that loud, was I? Surprise also echoes down my Bonds, surprise and shock. If even my Bound are shocked¡­did something different happen? Suddenly, the memory of the recent upgrade to Animal Empathy comes to mind ¨C that talked about being able to be understood, didn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll have to check later. For now, I have another job to do. Focussing on the desire to be understood, I speak once more. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± I ask, and this time hear a strange¡­overlay of my voice. While words are coming out of my mouth as usual, I can also hear some clicks and grunts, as if River were speaking at the same time, his voice combining with mine. ¡°How are you speaking?¡± the biggest of the Warriors asks, the one I¡¯ve identified as Leaps-from-fright. Well, that confirms it, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m going to have to explore this Skill for sure. But not now. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Now, listen to me ¨C¡± ¡°What have you done to our Honoured Pathwalker, you egg-sucking prey beast?¡± Leaps-from-fright roars. ¡°What have you threatened her with that she will stand by your side and turn against us, her kin?¡± I eye Joy. ¡°Care to tell them?¡± I invite. She clicks her teeth together nervously, but steps forwards. ¡°He has great magic. He overcame my Will and wrapped a chain around me.¡± There is a sudden outcry from all the samurans on the ground, one of outrage and disbelief. I glare at Joy. Tell them everything, I order her with annoyance. She flashes me a look, but then focusses back on her people. ¡°But I accepted the chain after we had conversed!¡± she hurriedly added, her words causing the cries to die down as they automatically listened to the Pathwalker. ¡°He¡­Our Shaman¡­Our village is in danger, and he offers a way to survive ¨C as long as we submit to his leadership. He offers power and knowledge; I have felt his strength and I have accepted his promises.¡± Well, I suppose that¡¯s a reasonable summary of things without actually going into details of exactly who is at fault here. Probably just as well ¨C Joy seems to still hold a fair bit of loyalty to her ¡®sister¡¯ and is unlikely to cast her as the villain. To my mind, she definitely is, though. There is silence for a few moments. The Unevolved look to the Warriors; the Warriors all look to Leaps-from-fright, the hierarchy clear. Perhaps I didn¡¯t even need to clarify with Joy about who is the highest ranking ¨C I¡¯d have been able to see it here. ¡°You swear that you speak the truth, not only the words he wishes you to speak?¡± Leaps-from-fright asks suspiciously. ¡°I swear it on my Weave,¡± Joy answers, raising her right paw, a faint green hue surrounding it briefly. The big samuran¡¯s spikes flash a complimentary green with his acceptance. Whatever vow that was, I suspect it was something big. ¡°Perhaps he has proven his strength to you, but he has not to me,¡± announces Leaps-from-fright a moment of thought later. ¡°Release me from these Bonds, and I shall test his might and see if he is worthy of leading our village.¡± Since that was as much as I was expecting to happen, I direct Joy to loosen his bonds. ¡°I accept,¡± I say, the focus needed to create that overlay of my voice coming easier each time I do it. The Pathwalker flicks her claws and the bindings over Leaps-from-fright fall away, even as the others stay tight. Still not completely trusting my newest Bound, I privately direct River and Bastet to keep their eyes out for treachery. At the first indication that any other bonds might accidentally come loose, they are to order the rest of my Bound into action, that action depending on whatever the situation is at that moment. My attention is going to have to be on the big lizard-man now prowling towards me. ¡°Do you dare allow me to use my weapon?¡± he snarls at me, his grunts having a growling quality to them. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell him grimly. ¡°Feel free to take it. I shall not attack until then.¡± Eyeing me suspiciously, Leaps-from-fright goes over to retrieve his spear and shield from where River and Catch had put them after retrieving the samurans from the pit. While he¡¯s doing that, I move. He whirls around at the first sound, clearly expecting me to take advantage of his turned back, but that wasn¡¯t what I was doing at all. Instead, I cross over to an area of the clearing to one side of the pit ¨C I might be able to drive him back into the pit and win the fight, but I don¡¯t think that using tactics like that would prove my ¡®strength¡¯. Having chosen my battleground, I wait for my opponent to prowl closer. Joy, allow the others of your group to sit up, but not stand, I tell her, making sure to include Bastet and River in the communication so they didn¡¯t think they needed to give the order to the rest of my Bound. I¡¯m not willing to take my eyes off my opponent, so I hope that she has indeed done what I asked of her. Stopping several paces away, the samuran eyes me, bouncing a little on his elongated toes, his claws digging into the soil. ¡°You should have attacked while my back was turned,¡± Leaps-from-fright growls at me. ¡°That was your only chance to beat me, prey beast. I will enjoy ripping your spine out of your body and whipping you with it.¡± ¡°You should never have attacked me at all,¡± I respond, unable to resist the smack talk, though unruffled by his threat. ¡°Your mistake was in coming so close to my home. Like the Pathwalker, you will submit, or die.¡± That appears to be the end of the pre-fight banter: as if there had been some signal, the big lizard-man explodes towards me, his feet digging deeply into the loam. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixteen: You Were Never Going To Win I haven¡¯t been idle during the banter time, though. I automatically jab my hand at the samuran Warrior, imagining my index finger as the nozzle of a flame-thrower. The mana I transformed into fire magic provides the spark, and then the flame draws greedily on my mana as it billows outwards. With no other fuel, my mana is its only source of life. Fortunately, I¡¯m full right now; I drop into Light Meditation to increase my regeneration and improve my thinking ability. Moving too fast will break it, but it doesn¡¯t stop me from reacting quickly, if I need to. The samuran halts his forwards advance immediately. In fact, he starts backpedalling, making sure he¡¯s out of the range of my fire. His eyes are wide, alarm in his spikes, but he doesn¡¯t seem about to turn and run. To conserve mana as much as possible, I let the flame die back: with a Master-rank in Energy Manipulation controlling the amount of mana I feed to the flame to produce exactly the amount of flame I want is just a matter of focus and intention. The samuran hesitates, eyeing me. ¡°You can control the Devourer?¡± He sounds a mixture between wary and impressed. I¡¯m a little impressed myself: he doesn¡¯t actually sound scared so much as wary. Given River¡¯s reaction, I would have thought that fear would be a common factor among the lizard-folk when exposed to fire. Apparently Warriors are a cut above the others in more ways than one. And Pathwalkers too ¨C Joy hadn¡¯t been as impressed as I would have liked earlier. ¡°I can,¡± I tell him. It¡¯s probably a bit of an¡­extension of the truth. I¡¯m still very much learning the limits of my new Skill. But I can control fire a lot more than I could a few days ago, and infinitely better than the lizard-folk who haven¡¯t even discovered it yet. Leaps-from-fright is silent for a few more moments longer before he asks his next question. Well, questioning statement. ¡°It was my impression that you were a physical fighter,¡± he says cautiously. ¡°Where did you get that idea?¡± I ask, slightly surprised. How do they have enough data on my fighting style to make any assumptions about me at all? Then the answer hits me, just as he responds. ¡°The way you caved in Honoured Mover¡¯s head!¡± the lizard-man answers with anger tinting his voice, his spikes flashing red. I shrug, though since I didn¡¯t put any real intention into the movement, doubt that its meaning is conveyed. ¡°I am capable of defending myself physically, but I am primarily a magical fighter.¡± Leaps-from-fright looks me up and down with a hint of a glint in his eyes that I take an immediate dislike to. ¡°You are female?¡± he asks with more than a little interest. A sense of horror goes through me. ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡± I say more than a little forcefully. I try to ignore the amusement that comes through the Bond from River and Bastet at the lizard-man¡¯s misunderstanding. ¡°I¡¯m not the same kind of creature as you; I am male and I am also capable of magic!¡± I emphasise. Then, wanting to move quickly off that topic, and deciding that a bit of grandstanding probably wouldn¡¯t go amiss, I continue. ¡°I am a Flesh-Shaper, a Fire-Shaper, and a Binder. Offer me your surrender now and I will not force you to submit.¡± Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t seem to have the reaction I was hoping it might, vague ideas about perhaps offering a Tame Bond flying out the window as the samuran speaks. ¡°One of us or not, if you seek my surrender, you will have to force it,¡± the lizard-man clicks and grunts at me, the sounds clipped more than usual, emphasising the sharpness of his teeth. ¡°So be it,¡± I say grimly. With that, the battle is once more joined. As the lizard-man charges towards me, his spear in hand, his maw slightly open, I once more open up with the fire. Again, it makes him shy away, but he doesn¡¯t backpedal this time. Instead, he dodges sideways. I follow him with my jet of fire, but he keeps staying just ahead of my blast, getting closer with each step. Briefly strangling the amount of mana I¡¯m feeding to the fire, the jet dies away almost completely. I twist just a bit faster than I had been, and blast straight at where Leaps-from-fright is about to be. The samuran takes the jet right to his face and he lets out a stomach-curdling shriek of pain and, well, fright. I feel guilt well up in me, but remind myself that, first, he demanded this, and second, I can heal it after. Letting my fire die away almost completely, I look on slightly anxiously to see what effect I¡¯ve had. Bad idea ¨C I almost take a spear to the gut as the samuran strikes forwards. His aim is off: his eyes are streaming and his jaws are burnt. Because of that, the spear misses me by an inch. Letting my flame die away completely, I grab my own spear in both hands, knocking his off-course and striking back at him. I don¡¯t pull my blow any: even if I pierce his gut, I can heal it. I don¡¯t know what my chances are against him like this: meeting him with his own weapon. I do well enough against River, beating him more than I lose, but he¡¯s not a Warrior. This guy looks significantly stronger than he is, and is probably far more skilled. Nonetheless, I can¡¯t help but want to just try it out. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Besides, being close might offer me an opening with my other Shaping Skill. Even already injured, the samuran is fast, dodging away from my blow and pulling his spear back into position, striking at me with an efficiency of movement that leaves me briefly jealous. It¡¯s my turn to backpedal, and my first back-step turns into several more as the blows just keep coming. Leaps-from-fright is significantly faster than River, and his level of Skill is leagues better. It¡¯s all my improved physical stats can do to keep up with dodging his blows. No thought of winning. But that¡¯s OK ¨C Spear Mastery isn¡¯t anywhere near my highest Skill for a reason. The spear flies towards me, its sharply shaped point almost gleaming maliciously at me. I try to twist away, but am just not quite fast enough. The blow hits, the first one to actually do so. Fortunately for me, my nere hide armour seems up to the job and the point is deflected away. Leaps-from-fright wasn¡¯t expecting that ¨C he clearly committed enough to the blow that he¡¯s now over-extended. I take the opportunity to strike at him with my own spear. Unfortunately for me, he¡¯s faster than I am and he manages to dodge my blow completely. It does put him a little on the back-foot, though, which I take advantage of. We exchange more blows. The Warrior quickly regains the upper hand, quenching the sudden fire of hope which had been lit in my breast by my brief moment of dominance. As if he had been holding back, the blows come faster and stronger than before. My armour proves itself time and time again, the blows bruising with their force, but not coming close to piercing my flesh. In his increasing frustration, the Warrior aims for the areas not covered, but they are easier to keep away from his blows than the solid trunk of my torso and he doesn¡¯t succeed. It¡¯s a stalemate with neither of us managing to strike any significant blows, but one that teeters on a knife¡¯s edge. I¡¯m tempted to activate Dominate now, but one thing stops me: proof of strength. The whole point of doing this is to prove to the Warriors that they should accept me as a form of authority. If I want to do that, more than half the battle taking place in another realm isn¡¯t likely to help. At the same time, it¡¯s a bit of a risk extending the battle here when I know that Dominate is going to be the finale ¨C the more defeated my opponent feels before the Battle of Wills, the easier it is. Conversely, the more confident my opponent is, the harder defeating them with Dominate is. I could make a bad error at any moment and give Leaps-from-fright the opening he needs to bring me low. Frankly, that¡¯s only a matter of time. I¡¯m not going to win solely with my spear, and letting him feel like he is on the cusp of winning isn¡¯t helpful. However, if I can take that away from him¡­ My distraction is costly, the almost-fatal error happening sooner than I could have predicted it. Leaps-from-fright¡¯s spear flies at my head. I jerk sideways, only to realise with a swoop of horror in my belly that it was a feint ¨C and that I¡¯ve dodged right into the place he wants me. In the split-second before it hits my chest, I see the spear glowing yellow. This time, when it hits my armour, it isn¡¯t deflected; instead, it goes straight through. Not without effort, but it pierces nonetheless. It slides into my chest, only a last-moment flinch stopping it from stabbing my heart. It punctures a lung, though, and I have the horrible sensation of feeling something deflating forcibly within me. I wheeze in shock, then forcibly dull the agony down ¨C I know I¡¯m badly injured; pain will only distract me further. I can still breathe with one lung ¨C that¡¯s enough for now. Leaps-from-fright opens his jaw, his spikes flashing a bright blue of satisfaction as he realises he¡¯s struck a significant blow. He doesn¡¯t expect the next move, though. When he tries to pull the spear from me, I grab onto it with all my strength. He tugs harder, his clawed hands grabbing closer to my body. Releasing the spear suddenly, I clutch instead onto his forearms, shoving in my magic. He breaks my grip soon enough, swinging his arms, spear held tight in his clawed hands. I¡¯m sent staggering away as the blood on my hands from the spear-shaft makes my grip more slippery than I¡¯d like. But that¡¯s OK. I stand there grinning at him. The blood staining my teeth combined with my lack of apparent fear seems to make Leaps-from-fright even warier than before. He eyes me carefully, flicking his eyes this way and that, perhaps fearing that I¡¯ve sent some trap for him. I have, but he¡¯s playing right into it. Perhaps he hasn¡¯t got enough sensitivity to feel it, but my mana is running rampant through his body at this very moment. It¡¯s hard work, and takes more effort than I¡¯d like ¨C one reason I¡¯m standing still and grinning is because I can¡¯t do much else. I¡¯ve only done a very stop-gap healing to limit the blood pouring out of my body and any movement will dislodge it. My lung is filling with blood and any movement is likely to worsen the damage to that too. The other reason is because I¡¯m manipulating mana from a distance ¨C and in a foreign body that I haven¡¯t scanned. I don¡¯t think I could spare the concentration to dodge right now, so it¡¯s fortunate that Leaps-from-fright is being extra cautious. It gives me the time I need to force myself through his body¡¯s natural resistance and start actually causing damage. One point in my favour is that his body is substantially less resistant than even Lathani¡¯s had been, despite being a Tier higher. No, two points ¨C causing damage requires significantly less attention to detail than healing does. ¡°Why are you so confident?¡± Leaps-from-fright growls. ¡°If you call on your assistants, I will never submit to you. You must defeat me with your weapons alone.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I reply, splitting a small part of my precious conscious thought off to speak ¨C the longer I can draw this out, the better. My voice is more breathless than usual, the words taking more effort to force out. I try to keep that hidden, though. ¡°I¡¯m a Tamer. Arguably, my Bound are my weapons.¡± The samuran growls in outrage. ¡±But that is not my intention.¡± ¡°Then what is your intention?¡± the lizard-man demands. My grin grows wider. ¡°To stall.¡± The samuran¡¯s eyes widen in shock, and he leaps forwards, spear outstretched. At least, that¡¯s what he tries to do. I¡¯d been paying particular focus to his joints, to his leg and arm joints especially. Leaps-from-fright found to his abrupt dismay that they weren¡¯t responding to him when he tried to move. In fact, all he succeeded in doing was sending himself falling to the ground with a faint huff of air knocked out of him. Light Meditation had broken earlier, but I¡¯d engaged it as soon as I¡¯d stopped moving, so while I¡¯m low on mana, it¡¯s rapidly being replenished. I direct as much as I can to my chest wound, focussing on creating unblemished skin where his spear pierced me as well as dealing with as many of the most serious aspects of the wound as possible. I verify that the injury is in no way life-threatening, not if dealt with properly soon enough. Then, Sensation Management still dulling the pain of the wound, I walk forward. Crouching down, I grab Leaps-from-fright¡¯s head by his crest and lift it, meeting his eyes. ¡°You were never going to win,¡± I bluff. Dropping my own spear, I lift my hand to my chest and wipe away the blood, holding open the rent made in my armour. His eyes go wide as he sees the apparently healed wound below. I see the disbelief turn to defeat in his eyes. Perfect. ¡°Dominate,¡± I growl. The world greys out around me, the misty space which has become so familiar to me spreading in its place. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventeen: The Strong Decide, The Weak Obey The pressure against me in this space is almost the weakest I¡¯ve ever felt. A breeze rather than a gale or torrent of water. Walking forward is easy, barely any resistance keeping me back. The samuran has a lower Willpower than me, but not so much lower that I would expect this to be the consequence. No doubt it¡¯s the result of his physical defeat. I decide to do something similar to the Pathwalker and walk forwards until I stand only an arm¡¯s length away from the big Warrior. There are none of the attempts to attack which I encountered with the Pathwalker. He doesn¡¯t even resist as much as the other creatures I¡¯ve Dominated did. I find myself baffled, even suspicious. Standing before him, I see nothing but acceptance; even his emotions are calm. There is no anger, no resentment. If anything¡­there¡¯s respect. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you resisting?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask. Should I? He asks in return. You have proven yourself a worthy Pathwalker. Several of my kin have already been defeated and bowed to you; why should I not do the same? It¡­takes me a little aback. To have someone be so matter-of-fact about it. But then, I suppose it¡¯s more normal in their society ¨C if they have ranking fights on a regular basis, being defeated must be a familiar experience. This defeat is different, though, and I¡¯m not completely sure the Warrior has recognised that. ¡°Do you sense what will happen upon this defeat, though?¡± I ask him. Maybe it¡¯s stupid to do so; maybe I should just take his resignation and go with it. But I don¡¯t want him feeling later that he¡¯s been tricked into something. I sense the weave poised around me, he acknowledges. It waits only for your decision to tighten and confine. OK, so maybe he does know what¡¯s happening. ¡°And you¡¯re OK with that?¡± I ask, the question almost slipping out without permission. But then, this is the moment for honesty, for clarification. When we¡¯re soul to soul, no deception can last long. The strong decide, the weak obey, the samuran says with equanimity. You have proven yourself a worthy Pathwalker, albeit a strange one fighting with both magic and weapons as you did. I have demanded obedience from those weaker than me; now I have been proven weaker, it is my turn to yield to the one stronger than me. My Pathwalker has acknowledged you as her leader meaning that there is no shame in me doing the same. I nod slowly, a frown making its way onto my face ¨C this might not be the physical world, but that doesn¡¯t mean my sense of self or reactions have changed. While it works out well for me right now, I fear that this absolute philosophy might cause issues for me in the future. But I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Without another word, I reach out and touch Leaps-from-fright on the bone that runs between his eyes. So lost in thought am I that I barely notice the world reshaping itself around me. I do notice the pain that suddenly spears through my chest, though, Sensation Management having apparently been reset or something while I was otherwise engaged. My mana has regenerated a little, so I send it to immediately repair the still-serious wound in my chest. Then, moving to sit by the now-aware Warrior, I send a quick message to River, Bastet, and Catch, letting them know of my success. The first two should have deduced it at the very least: they know what happens if I fail a Battle of Wills. Catch, however, might not. ¡°I¡¯ll heal you once I¡¯ve regenerated some mana,¡± I tell Lee ¨C Leaps-from-fright is both far too long and doesn¡¯t suit the burly Warrior at all. I¡¯ll check with him later as to whether he¡¯s OK with the name change ¨C given his graciousness in accepting defeat, I figure he has earned the right to object ¨C but for now that¡¯s what I¡¯m sticking with. After a quick mental warning to my ¡®managers¡¯ I drop into Deep Meditation, resting within my Core space and watching the waves of Energy come flowing in. It¡¯s relaxing, removing the remaining stress from the battles recently, both physical, mental, and in my soul. Once my stores are full again, I ¡®rise¡¯ out of my meditative state, though maintain Light Meditation even while I finish my own healing and then get to work on Lee¡¯s. Fortunately, even though I¡¯d acted a bit like a bull in a china shop while damaging his joints earlier, they aren¡¯t too difficult to fix; I¡¯m already very familiar with the joints of River¡¯s body, so I just have to reinforce them a bit more to match the bone around them and what I see in the undamaged joints, and it¡¯s fine. After sorting out the joints, I heal the light burning to his jaw and face. When I come out of my healing trance and look at Lee, I find him bending his right elbow with a look of wondering surprise on his face and flashing in his spikes. ¡°What?¡± I ask. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve made a mistake ¨C especially as his reactions seem to be positive, but it¡¯s always possible. This joint has been painful since I broke it in a fight last winter. Yet now, it feels like new. ¡°Well, I guess it kind of is,¡± I reply, feeling a bit awkward, though also a little bit pleased. Are there more undiscovered or unhealed injuries in the samuran¡¯s village than I¡¯d thought? Well, perhaps that¡¯s one way of me winning everyone over. Standing, I hold out a hand to the now-healed lizard-man. He looks at my hand in confusion, then pushes himself upright and lifts his chin. I thank you, Honoured Pathwalker. What command do you have for me? I shrug after a moment. ¡°I need to deal with the rest of your group, so perhaps come and help me convince them to accept me as a Pathwalker so I don¡¯t have to fight all of them.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. You fear their strength? he asks, hints of red and orange flickering in his crest of spikes. ¡°No,¡± I tell him, my eyes narrowed. ¡°But I have better things to do than beat them one by one to prove my own strength.¡± Is the whole ¡®might makes right¡¯ thing going to bite me sooner than I thought? He certainly seems to be more than a little offended by my response, though appears trying to keep it off his expression ¨C the Bond between us doesn¡¯t lie, though. If you wish to earn the loyalty of my brothers, you must prove yourself to them, as to me, he answers, his tone almost neutral if it weren¡¯t for the distaste I can still read in it. I hesitate for a moment, then dip a bit deeper into his emotions than I normally would ¨C I don¡¯t like doing it since I see it as an invasion of privacy, but at the same time, I need to know where I am with this new guy. If there¡¯s an issue here, I need to know what it is and how to deal with it before it becomes worse. A moment later, I have my answer, and it¡¯s probably one I should have realised before now. Essentially, for a society like the samurans to exist, one where the strongest rules, the strength of the ¡®boss¡¯ must be undeniable. That¡¯s why they have the regular ranking fights within the Warriors, so only the strongest Warrior would lead the group, and why they have yearly fights with all the Pathwalkers so it was clear who stood where in the hierarchy; who could command who. I was hoping that, having used magic in the fight, I could be considered as the ¡®top Pathwalker¡¯ fighting the ¡®top Warrior¡¯. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem to have worked out that way ¨C I am not of any established group like the Pathwalkers, and they haven¡¯t seen me fight for my place even among my actual group. So that means I have to prove myself. Me saying that I had better things to do than fight all the Warriors had been tantamount to spitting on their culture and announcing my own lack of conviction. I wonder for a moment why I haven¡¯t run into this issue with River or Catch, but it doesn¡¯t take me too long to work it out. They¡¯ve never really been part of the hierarchy, not really. As hatchlings, they were the bottom of the pile ¨C no hatchling could command another, apart from perhaps another of its own age-group. Then, as adults, Catch remained at the bottom of the pile because of his disability; River did rise up, but that was purely to do with the choice of Herbalist to take him as her assistant. It wasn¡¯t because he¡¯d fought and defeated the majority of the unevolved adults. It didn¡¯t seem like that kind of strict hierarchy actually came in until they¡¯d crossed the tier threshold. From what River had said, and Catch a little too, the unevolved adults had a selfish outlook for the most part, scrambling for the resources that would give them access to more meat, but not actually targeting each other that much. I can¡¯t help but wonder why not ¨C wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for the stronger to take the weaker samurans¡¯ resources? But it didn¡¯t seem to happen particularly. I mentally shake the thoughts away ¨C right now I need to deal with the samurans in front of me. And apparently I¡¯m going to have three more fights. I feel exhausted already. ¡°Very well,¡± I say finally to Lee with a hint of a sigh in my voice. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, then.¡± Without waiting for a response, I walk over to the still-bound samurans. Stabbing the butt of my spear into the ground, I cross my arms and glare at them, still annoyed that my strategy of challenging and winning against the most powerful of them and therefore having them all decide to obey is not going to work. If I¡¯m going to have to fight them all, I¡¯m going to Dominate them all too, I decide. It might be a little unfair, but right now, I don¡¯t care. Especially now I know more about how the Warriors in particular are structured, I probably shouldn¡¯t risk any of them having Tame Bonds, anyway. Too much opportunity for betrayal if one of them decides that I¡¯m vulnerable. ¡°Right then,¡± I say, concentrating on being able to communicate with the non-Bound lizard-folk. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± The three Warriors look at each other, a little more uncertainly than they did before. ¡°I shall challenge you,¡± responded one of the lithe ones ¨C Eats-dirt, I think it was. ¡°Fine,¡± I say, then turn to Joy and indicate that she should release him from his bindings. Once more we head to the ¡®duelling field¡¯, but this time, I don¡¯t mess around with fire, Flesh-Shaping or even my spear. I¡¯d done that before because I¡¯d hoped that by showcasing exactly what I could do, I¡¯d prevent the fights from even starting; now that that strategy has failed, I don¡¯t see the point in wasting more time. Instead, I just use Dominate as soon as my opponent meets my eyes. The resistance is stronger this time: defeating Lee in the physical world had definitely made his battle easier. It¡¯s not all that difficult though, either. A torrent of water, yes, but one that I can wade through without too much difficulty. Perhaps the fact that Lee had been identified as stronger than Eats-dirt but had still fallen to me has had an effect on Eats-dirt¡¯s own feelings of likelihood of success. Whatever the reason, I force my way forwards from my starting spot. Once I¡¯m more than a third of the way towards the samuran on the other side, he speaks to me, though his words aren¡¯t exactly what I was expecting. Hey, I thought that you would use some of that cool magic; maybe have a bit of a spear against javelin battle. Not¡­this. It¡¯s more the tone of the samuran¡¯s words than the content which gives me pause. He sounds¡­sulky. Disappointed. ¡°You¡¯re objecting to my way of beating you, rather than the fact that I¡¯m beating you?¡± I ask, just checking whether I¡¯ve heard correctly. Yes! I mean, I knew I wasn¡¯t going to win ¨C Leaps-from-fright beat me within ten seconds during our last ranking fight and he still says that my aim with a javelin is little better than that of a hatchling, but I was hoping for more of a fight, you know? I eye him dubiously. That¡­wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. But I¡¯ve been learning enough new things today that I decide not to question it further. Instead, I start moving forwards again, even as I speak. ¡°We can fight like that another time. We do plenty of sparring to improve our Skills,¡± I promise the samuran. The crazy lizard-man actually perks up at that. You do? Awesome ¨C I love it when one of the older Warriors is willing to teach me some things. Hunting is all well and good, but sometimes you don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong until someone points it out, you get me? ¡°I do,¡± I agree, starting to like this one, crazy as he seems. ¡°So, do you accept the Bond? You sense what it¡¯s about, right?¡± I check even as I come to a stop in front of Eats-dirt. Sure, he says with a hint of a shrug. You don¡¯t need my agreement anyway ¨C I can¡¯t stop you. Probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to even if we¡¯d had our fight first. ¡°No, but I¡¯d rather have it,¡± I tell him, though I feel myself to be a hypocrite even as I say it ¨C if he said no, wouldn¡¯t I do it anyway? What other choice do I have right now? I touch the bone between Eats-dirt¡¯s eyes and the Bond snaps into place even as the discomfort within me grows. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Eighteen: Honey Badger Don’t Care Finalising the Bonds between me and the other two lizard-folk doesn¡¯t take much more time. Though I recognised Eats-dirt¡¯s annoyance at not getting a proper battle ¨C and what nickname am I going to use for him? ¨C I decide that the time would be better spent elsewhere. Of course, there¡¯s also always the risk that, out of tiredness, I accidentally make a mistake and lose the physical battle, rendering the soul one more difficult. On that note, I manage to complete the final Battle of Wills, but only just. The last two resist more than either Lee or¡­Iandee. That would work, I say to myself in satisfaction. It¡¯s a bit of a play on letters ¨C E and D: Iandee. More syllables than the original, but it rolls off the tongue far more easily. In addition, it seems like I really do have a limit when it comes to conducting soul battles. I remember how it felt after I''d had the battle with Persephone; even though Hades hadn¡¯t resisted much after, I was still exhausted. If I hadn¡¯t increased my Willpower so recently ¨C and probably fixing my soul has had an effect too ¨C I doubt I¡¯d have managed to complete all five of these Bonds in one day, even if the only real battle was with Joy. The last two samurans ¨C Murmurs-quietly and Sleeps-peacefully ¨C resisted at first, but as I proved that I could push through their resistance easily enough, and had already proved my physical might against their superior, they gave in. I did my best to convince them about why I was doing it, but feel like my words were falling a little on deaf ears. Well, not deaf ears, but more uncaring ones. It just¡­seemed irrelevant to them. Unlike Joy who was clearly very concerned about the future of the village, the Warriors in generally have been more interested in whether I have more strength than they do, physically or otherwise. It seems like River was absolutely right when he talked about needing to prove my strength ¨C much as I dislike the concept. Feeling completely done-in, I withdraw from my final battle with Sleeps-peacefully. I¡¯m very tempted to call him Sleepy, but half-fear that it might cause a certain multi-billion corporation to discover how to world-hop just to slap me with a lawsuit. Tiredly, I once more indicate for Joy to release the Warrior. She does and he pushes up from the ground, brushing himself down. He eyes me a little uncertainly, but then steps to join his brothers and the Pathwalker at my side. With fatigue pulling at my eyes and a headache pounding in my head, I sigh wearily. It¡¯s not done yet. I walk over to the Unevolved. They¡¯ve quietened as one by one their champions have been defeated. Now, they look at all five of the Warriors and the Pathwalker standing at my shoulder, at my command. ¡°Are you going to cause me any trouble?¡± I ask bluntly. They look at each other as if unsure who should answer. ¡°I do not believe we could¡­Honoured Pathwalker?¡± one of them finally answers, looking from the Weaver, then to me, then back again. I eye Joy in my peripheral vision, seeing her clench her jaw a little. After a moment, she relaxes it and gives an almost imperceptible twitch upwards with her jaw. At the signal, the Unevolved relaxes a little too. ¡°No, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± he answers more easily. ¡°We are at your command.¡± The others around him flash their agreement in their spikes. ¡°Alright,¡± I sigh, looking at Joy. ¡°Release them, then.¡± Then I focus back on the group of Unevolved. ¡°But if any of them decide to run, I want you to wrap them up again before they can take more than a couple of steps.¡± As you command, Joy responds both audibly and through the Bond, a mixed sense of irritation and reluctant agreement coming across our connection. If I had to guess, I would say that she doesn¡¯t like being ordered around, but recognises the reason for the command. But honestly, I¡¯m too mentally tired to be able to deal with figuring out the emotional hang ups of my new Bound. And it¡¯s not quite done, but I don¡¯t feel like I have the mental energy to even deal with offering the Unevolved Tame Bonds right now. Since they aren¡¯t challenging me and requiring me to show them my strength, nor have I had the indication from River or Catch that the Unevolved generally see challenging the status quo as a way of them going up the rankings, I don¡¯t feel the need to use Dominate on them. But, for similar reasons as offering Lathani the Tame Bond in the first place, they need to be linked into the network somehow. Although the sun itself considers the day unfinished, I personally have had enough of it: the trap, the battle, and the aftermath have all been tense and tiring enough that it feels we¡¯ve done a full day¡¯s work. River, I don¡¯t feel like bringing this whole group of lizard-folk to the den is a good idea ¨C shoving them in Kalanthia¡¯s face probably wouldn¡¯t be very diplomatic of us, I send to him privately. I agree, he responds in the same vein. Do you trust them to stay out here on their own? They have bowed to your strength, but that doesn''t mean they can¡¯t betray you, he warns. I send him a warm sense of appreciation for his protectiveness. That¡¯s why I decided to do a full Dominate, but I know ¨C if I am not here to give an order or to stop them doing something, even Dominate is no protection. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to leave you here, if you¡¯re up for it. Leave me here? He sounds surprised. They will not listen to me, an Unevolved adult. I feel a surprising sense of anger rise inside me. To think that they would disregard the caring, careful, and level-headed lizard-kin that I¡¯m lucky to call my Bound just because he hasn¡¯t yet got into the second Tier? But I have an answer to that. They will if you hold control over the Bonds they are now bound by. There¡¯s a pause as River interprets my words. You mean to make me their team-leader? I do, I confirm. There are four Warriors and one Pathwalker; that¡¯s a perfect number for River¡¯s team. I can leave you with some others as back up, if you like. Maybe Bastet and the kiinas? A sense of negation comes from him. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. No, master, if you wish to leave me here, you must take Bastet with you. Perhaps if I keep Trinity, the woshel, and the quan, that would be sufficient. Why them? I ask, curiously. Trinity is big and could offer significant defence if they turn on me, he explained. The woshel is a keen combatant for all that she is small ¨C she fights like a creature several times her size and knows no fear. The quan, while not a combatant, has excellent abilities to see ¨C she will help me spot signs of betrayal before they happen. Good reasoning, I agree after a moment of thought. And his descriptions have given me ideas for names too. Honey for the woshel because River¡¯s words here have reminded me of honey badgers ¨C everyone knows that honey badger don¡¯t care. As for the quan, I think Theia might work ¨C the Greek goddess of sight and vision. With her all-round visual perception, I figure it¡¯s enough of a tenuous connection to suffice. Alright, I say finally. I¡¯ll designate you team-leader, leave those three with you, and ask Sirocco to perch nearby ¨C if you need anything, anything at all, tell her and she¡¯ll come get me. Thank you, master, he replies gratefully, excitement and trepidation warring within him. I don¡¯t blame him for the mixed emotions ¨C facing those he once looked up to as superior, and giving them orders. No doubt it will be hard for the Warriors and Pathwalker to stomach too. But to me, River is worth all of them put together so they¡¯ll just have to deal. After communicating with those we¡¯ve discussed leaving behind, and checking with Sirocco that she¡¯s OK with being on guard duty, I step forward to face the members of the hunting party. They¡¯ve been surprisingly quiet, obviously understanding that something was going on that they couldn¡¯t hear or interpret. I noticed that even when I was speaking with River, he was making an effort not to let his spikes flash and to keep the communication purely mental. He didn¡¯t entirely succeed, but I think he was successful enough to keep the plan away from his kin. ¡°Right,¡± I start with a business-like tone, focussing on making myself understood. ¡°I want you guys to set up camp somewhere near here. I live with the Great Predator, and I doubt she¡¯ll want to be sharing space with you.¡± From the uncomfortable reactions to that news, I don¡¯t think they want to be near her either. ¡°River here is one of my most trusted Bound,¡± I tell them, beckoning River forwards. He moves closer, his expression as blank as I¡¯ve ever seen it, his muscles tense. ¡°He will be in charge of you when I¡¯m not present.¡± That gets a reaction. They Unevolved exchange startled looks; the Evolved, offended and questioning ones. Like they aren¡¯t sure whether I really said that. Honoured Pathwalker¡­you can¡¯t be serious? Lee questions incredulously. ¡°I am,¡± I assure him. But, an Unevolved¡­commanding us? He has no strength to do such a thing; any of us could defeat him in battle, Lee explains, indicating the group of Tier two samurans, like that should be the end of it. With my peripheral vision, I note how the others are all intent on the confrontation. The Warriors look more curious; the Pathwalker more calculating. She hasn¡¯t spoken yet, seemingly willing to let the top Warrior do her talking for her. I need to nip this in the bud if River is going to have any peace tonight. I feel my face harden and I take a step towards Lee, crossing my arms. He¡¯s a bit taller than I am, but I don¡¯t let that be a disadvantage: I just remember what he looked like toppled on the dirt at my feet, his joints frozen, his eyes defeated. Suddenly his height is irrelevant. ¡°I did things your way,¡± I tell him levelly, but with my tone allowing no rebuttal. ¡°I proved my strength to you physically, magically, and mentally. You lost. By your own culture, that means that you have no grounds to argue my commands.¡± I wait until he looks away, his chin tilting up slightly, a little begrudgingly, in submission. Then I step away, returning to River¡¯s side. I stare individually at each of the lizard-folk until they look away or up in submission. Even Joy does, though I sense that there are more battles to be fought there. ¡°I do things differently from your village,¡± I tell them quietly but firmly. ¡°Among my Bound, no one goes hungry.¡± The Unevolved perk up at that, a couple flashing looks back at me even as flickers of blue and yellow play over their crests ¨C pleasure and suspicion intermingling, I would guess. ¡°We all work for the benefit of each other. We try to raise everyone up, not a chosen few,¡± I tell them, keeping a careful eye on their reactions. As predictable, the ¡®chosen few¡¯ don¡¯t seem too happy about that; the majority who are not ¡®chosen¡¯, on the other hand, seem a lot more hopeful. ¡°For us, strength itself matters less than loyalty; power is less important than what that power can do for the group. River has proved his loyalty many times over, and has used his power for the benefit of everyone ¨C over his own benefit sometimes. He, therefore, is my designated leader over you, who have so far done nothing to prove yourselves to me.¡± The reactions to my words are mixed, but I was expecting that. My way of approaching things requires a complete upheaval to what they are used to. Time will tell if it¡¯s any better for their people, but I refuse to compromise my own beliefs or way of doing things to fit in with those of a people who have caused so much damage. We hear and understand, Joy says finally, her tone guarded. She can¡¯t guard the Bond, though, and I feel her discomfort, and a slight undercurrent of rebelliousness. ¡°And obey?¡± I ask pointedly. That thread of rebelliousness strengthens for a moment, then dies away. And obey, she sighs, shooting a quelling look at Lee when he looks like he¡¯s going to object. There¡¯s a much stronger sense of rebelliousness from him, but it¡¯s overlain by resignation. The others all seem to be willing to follow the lead of their two superiors. ¡°Good,¡± I say, then allow my mask to crack, a humourless smile spreading across it. ¡°You won¡¯t have much choice, anyway: I¡¯m designating River as Manager of your team with power over your Bonds just under my own.¡± I do just that as I speak, finalising the temporary party with River as its leader. Evidently, there¡¯s some sort of shift in the Bonds which the Tier two can feel, as their eyes all shoot towards River, shock and discomfort threading through the Bonds once more. With a few more words of parting to River and the three Bound ¨C including checking with them that the names I¡¯ve identified are acceptable with the Warriors ¨C the rest of us leave. Honey and Theia seem perfectly happy with what I¡¯ve selected, fortunately. Honey, actually, seems more than pleased at the choice, especially when I showed her memories of seeing honey badgers in action: I think she approves of their viciousness. I hope I haven¡¯t created a monster here¡­. I nod to Sirocco as I pass under her tree and she flicks her tail in response. Hopefully everything will be OK with the lizard-folk tonight. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Nineteen: Getting To Know My Bound We pause at the river¡¯s edge ¨C after doing our best to make sure that there are no creatures hiding in or near it in ambush. My herbivorous Bound start rooting and nosing through the bushes, seeking sustenance. Catch, Louie, my orangutan-like Bound, the okapi-like icehal, and the serara have all been carrying the left-over carcasses which the hunting groups brought while the rest of us were building the trap yesterday. They put the carcasses down on the ground; the rest of the leftovers are in my Inventory. I notice a few bite marks in one of the carcasses which look like they might match the mouth of the serara. I look at the Bound in question and she ducks her head to avoid my eyes. She¡¯s an odd-looking creature. A bit like a kentrosaurus, but she¡¯s clearly not a herbivore. Her spikes each have one of those venom glands which I recognised in River¡¯s and Fenrir¡¯s bodies, enabling her to make the spikes venomous at will. Out of curiosity, I wander over to her and sit down. Getting to know my Bound a bit more is a good idea anyway and as tired as I am, I¡¯m not going to be doing anything else particularly productive. ¡°You hunt, right?¡± I ask her. She seems to consider it for a moment, then gives a sense of uncertainty. No, it¡¯s more of a ¡®sort of¡¯. She sends me an image of burying herself under leaves or among branches, then waiting for something to step on her. Ah. That makes sense. Though she¡¯s not too slow, she¡¯s also not fast enough to catch prey. But if she waits for the prey to come to her¡­. Her venom must be fairly fast acting, then. I¡¯ll have to test it. ¡°And are you doing OK?¡± I ask, then settle in for some time as she starts giving impressions of her experiences so far with the group. It seems like there have been a few teething problems which I haven¡¯t even been aware of ¨C my Managers have done a good job in dealing with their teams. In fact, they¡¯ve even collaborated with each other to head off inter-team problems, especially ones where a predator has started trying to throw around its weight among the herbivores ¨C the scalla and reer have apparently needed to be told off about that a couple of times. I make a mental note to go and see them next. In the end, we settle on Spine for a name. Not particularly imaginative, but she seems to be a rather practical sort, and it certainly is descriptive with the number of venomous spines sticking out of her. Spiky probably would actually do better as a description, but it¡¯s too similar to Spike for my comfort so that one wasn¡¯t even suggested. One by one, I make the rounds of my Bound. The scalla, a large creature which looks almost like a spinosaurus except with a smaller sail on his back, gets called Pride. That one was a bit of an accident ¨C after debating back and forth for far too long over possible names, I¡¯d exclaimed that I¡¯d call him ¡®Pride¡¯ if he was going to be so picky about his names. Funnily enough, that was the first one he¡¯d liked, so Pride it was. I spoke firmly to him about the fact that all Bound should be considered equal unless otherwise stated and warned that there would be consequences if he continued trying to bully the smaller and weaker members. He seemed to take the rebuke well enough, but we¡¯ll have to see if he¡¯s actually taken it to heart. The reer is another question. He¡¯s turned out to be a most obstinate creature. Difficult to talk to, and even more difficult to convince of a course of action he doesn¡¯t agree with. He seems to be set in the idea that the strong take, the weak give ¨C he¡¯d fit right in with the samuran village with an attitude like that. He only has a temporary Bond, but it¡¯s still for three months. That could be a long three months if he doesn¡¯t change his ideas. Well, we¡¯ll have to see. I spoke to him about the benefits that each member brought to the group, that even those physically weaker could be stronger in other areas. Time will tell if that discussion bears fruit. I end up calling him Thorn because he was so thorny to deal with ¨C and he has several bone spikes sticking out of his tail and the plates covering his body, though not nearly as many as Spine. The icehal gets the name Shakira because her hips don¡¯t lie! Actually, I noticed how she sways from side to side as she walks to and from bushes and the name jumped into my mind. She didn¡¯t object, so Shakira it was. The oloc receives the name Woozle because when I came over to see her, she was high up in a tree and had actually found something very interesting: a beehive! Well, not exactly bees, but a type of insect which seems to do the same sort of thing. Interestingly, they don¡¯t create hexagonal hives, but square ones. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s that they haven¡¯t yet discovered that hexagons are a better choice, or if there are reasons to make squares preferable. They also have nasty bites rather than stings, but my armour proves its worth once more: by sealing the hide as close to my skin as possible, and then using some of the web to cover my face and hands, I¡¯m able to harvest a good portion of the¡­well, I suppose I could still call it honey-comb. Hardening my skin would probably have worked too, but I¡¯m still mentally-fatigued ¨C not the state I want to be in when making changes to my own body. ¡°Good find!¡± I tell Woozle happily, handing her a small chunk while tasting a little of the sweet gold myself. Of course, I only do that once I¡¯m again standing on firm ground. It doesn¡¯t taste exactly like honey, but it¡¯s sweet and delicious, so that¡¯s good enough. I have a moment of fear that it might be poisonous: just because it kind of looks like honey and kind of tastes like honey, doesn¡¯t mean it is definitely as safe to eat as honey. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Scanning my body with Flesh-Shaping doesn¡¯t reveal any indication of parasite, disease, or poison, though. I¡¯ll have to keep an eye, but so far so good. A thought occurs to me as I gaze at the now-disturbed not-bees¡¯ hive. Now that I¡¯ve found it, I don¡¯t want to risk the not-bees abandoning their home, or being attacked by something else. Another oloc, perhaps, or something else. I¡¯m sure these not-bees have the same number of raiding enemies which wild bees do on Earth. What if I made a bee-hive? It should be fairly simple. My survival memories don¡¯t have that kind of information, but I remember seeing something about it on a documentary once. It¡¯s basically just a box with removable frames, right? And holes for the bees to go in and out. If I could form a Bond with the queen ¨C presuming there is a queen for this type of creature ¨C then it might work even better than the traditional way of managing bees¡­. I make a note on my Map about where the beehive is and hope that it will still be here when I come back. Then I remember that I need to get going on my quest and dealing with the lizard-folk and my heart sinks. I don¡¯t have time to build a hive. And then I remember that I¡¯m not alone in this anymore. ¡°Looks like I have something for the samuran group to do tomorrow,¡± I say to myself, rubbing my hands together. The thought of the samurans brings me back to my feelings of concern about whether I¡¯m using Dominate too much. I don¡¯t want to just steamroll over everyone I encounter: otherwise, I¡¯ll just end up becoming the lizard-folk, justifying my actions by the fact that I¡¯m stronger. Might means right is a tempting philosophy, but I¡¯m aware from the history of Earth where that ends up. But then, am I actually steamrolling over everyone? I would have only used Dominate on the Pathwalker, but it had been clear afterwards that that wouldn¡¯t be enough to make the rest back down. The Warriors had needed a demonstration of my might to respect me, and even the demonstration with their strongest member hadn¡¯t been enough. I don¡¯t like to say that they ¡®forced¡¯ me to use Dominate as that smacks to me of not taking responsibility for my own actions, but at the same time, I don¡¯t see that I had a better option. Sure, I could have offered Tame Bonds rather than Dominate, but I¡¯m not keen on presenting my own back for the knife. Knowing how cut-throat and strength-focussed the society is, using Tame Bonds would just be asking for another challenge to happen at probably the worst possible time. With a Dominate, I protect myself, and consequently all my Bound who depend on me. At the same time, I feel like the lizard-folk have to take some responsibility for where this has all ended too. After all, I wouldn¡¯t have gone searching for the samurans of my own accord. They chose to make themselves my concern by starting off the whole chain of events with Lathani and then hunting for River and me. No, it wasn¡¯t this group of lizard-folk who took the actions against the nunda cub, but their philosophy of the strongest leads is now coming back to bite them. They are guilty by association, particularly the Pathwalker and potentially the Warriors as they arguably had the power to stand against Shaman, or at least demand an explanation for exactly what she was doing. They didn¡¯t, and then they came searching for us so¡­. In the end, I shrug a little. I think it¡¯s right not to Dominate the Unevolved, though I will offer a Tame Bond to each of them, just for the benefits it offers. As for the other Pathwalkers and Warriors we come across¡­if they require me to show my strength, I won¡¯t hold back and will bind them with Dominate. If they are willing to follow the lead of those I have already Dominated, then I¡¯ll offer them a Tame Bond. And if they refuse to follow my lead¡­well, I suppose I¡¯ll have to cross that bridge when and if I get to it. Satisfied with my conclusions and noticing that my Bound here seem to be content, I figure it¡¯s time to head back. The sun is almost touching the horizon by this time. I¡¯m looking forward to being home anyway ¨C we slept near the trap last night. It was warm enough with as many bodies as there were, and I made a fire besides. But I found myself missing home, funnily enough. Walking up the hill, the majority of my Bound head willingly for the cave which was meant to be my tanning cave, but has now become an overflow sleeping area for all my new companions. Bastet rubs against me then nudges the cubs along to our alcove. Catch pauses for a moment, eyeing me in question, but I just wave him towards the main cave entrance. Lathani copies Bastet, rubbing against me, then bounding over to greet her mother who is enjoying the last of the sun. I follow her ¨C something tells me that Kalanthia would like to speak to me. I pause in front of her, about a body-length away: that¡¯s the best way for me to actually see her whole face at once, she¡¯s so big. She¡¯s not having any of that, though, reaching out to gently pull me closer, nudging me insistently with her head. I can¡¯t help but smile and bury my fingers in her soft fur, something tight within me loosening ¨C although she¡¯s been fine with me since we ironed out the whole Bond with Lathani thing, we haven¡¯t been quite as relaxed with each other as before. This demand for scratches indicates that she¡¯s willing to look past that. I smell the lizard-folk on you. Have you dealt with the vermin in my territory? she asks after a few moments of us mutually just enjoying the stroking. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with that group, yes,¡± I confirm. ¡°There weren¡¯t any others that you know of?¡± Not at present. But more will come. When will you fulfil your promise to deal with the root of the problem? she asks, a hint of impatience in her voice. I take a few moments to run through what I need to do before leaving. ¡°Five days,¡± I say finally, resuming scratching behind her ears and down the side of her face, as she purrs. ¡°We will go in five days.¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty: Give Me The Edge It¡¯s the evening of the fourth day since I Bound the Tier two members of the samuran hunting party. Tomorrow, I have a promise to Kalanthia to fulfil. The sun has been gone from the sky for a while and I¡¯m starting to feel tired, but not quite tired enough to go to sleep. It¡¯s odd: I remember when I first got here that the elongated and laborious days meant that my head would happily hit the pillow as soon as the sun had set. Now, I find myself still a little restless. Perhaps I have just got used to the length of the days, or it¡¯s the fact that magic is making my life easier. Or maybe it¡¯s my stats at work here ¨C I don¡¯t know what impact they have on sleeping patterns. Either way, I settle down next to the campfire I have outside. The nights are getting colder, and even if I doubt I¡¯ll ever have to worry about frostbite with my Flesh-Shaping Skill, it¡¯s more comfortable to sit next to a nice fire. My new clothes are definitely helping though: I¡¯ve managed to find time to turn the spider-web I made for the samurans¡¯ trap into clothes ¨C after clearing it of poison, of course. Well, I call them clothes, but it¡¯s really more of a onesie undersuit which I made for myself and basically only take off when I want to have a bath. Disgusting? Not so much when my mana is soaked into the whole of the fabric and can prevent dirt from sticking. I do find that there¡¯s a bit of dust that comes out when I shake it, though, so taking it off every so often is still necessary. Going from my ankles to my wrists, it¡¯s basically a wetsuit. Even better? No need for zips when mana¡¯s involved, so no chance of accidentally catching a very sensitive bit of flesh when needing to answer nature¡¯s call. Most of the time I have my armour on top of it; I¡¯m getting used to its weight though I¡¯m still slowed a bit by it. I guess that that will continue until I manage to increase my Strength or Dexterity or something. It¡¯s good that I¡¯m not too slowed, though, as I¡¯ve upgraded my armour a bit, adding to its weight. I reinforced the armour with chitin from the danaris, covering the tough hide almost completely. By this point, it almost looks like I¡¯m wearing black dragonhide armour, the tough substance reformed into hand-sized scales which I¡¯ve melded into the body of the armour itself. It¡¯s truly amazing what Flesh-Shaping is able to do ¨C frankly, it¡¯s come in far more useful than I ever thought in my preparations. I¡¯ve also been working on my other Shaping Skill, and I decide to do a little more of that now. Focussing on the fire, I place a new log on the glowing embers and try to make the flames leap merely through my will. Just as yesterday and the day before, it doesn¡¯t work. I sigh, and reach out to the fire, both physically and mentally. Feeding it mana, I see it leap and start devouring the new log happily. Knowing what lies before us, I¡¯ve been doing my best to get a handle on my fire-related abilities. I¡¯ve discovered a lot, and my control over the fire both in macro and micro tasks has improved immensely, but I still can¡¯t control a fire I¡¯m not connected to. Perhaps that¡¯s just a natural limit, but without any guidance, I find all I can do is push and push at the limits, finding which will move and which stay firm. Though, at least I can affect it through two types of connection: simply feeding it my own mana after bargaining with it through Fire-Taming, and transforming my own mana into fire magic and controlling it through Fire-Shaping. What I¡¯ve discovered is that, at my current Skill level, anyway, it¡¯s easier to work with an established fire with Fire-Taming where Fire-Shaping is better when creating fire. They feel¡­different. It¡¯s hard to explain, but fire which is established has more¡­presence. If I try to use Fire-Shaping on it, I tend to have very poor results as something seems to be fighting me for control. On the other hand, I¡¯ve discovered that I get much better results with Fire-Taming if I offer it fire magic rather than just my normal mana. I only discovered that this morning, so I¡¯m keen to experiment a little with it. Closing my eyes, I extend my hand towards the fire, working more with the lines of connection than anything else. I don¡¯t need to drop into any level of Meditation: I¡¯ve basically been in a permanent state of Light Meditation except for when I¡¯ve needed to move quickly or have dipped into a deeper state. Feeding the small bead of mana down my channels, I transform it into fire magic. With the amount of practice I¡¯ve had with this, the speed at which I¡¯ve become able to transform magic has increased significantly, as has the ease. Holding the magic within ¡®me¡¯ I feel how interested the fire is in the bead of magic. Actually, it¡¯s less a sense of ¡®interest¡¯, and more confusion. Contemplating exactly what I¡¯m feeling, I realise that it¡¯s that the fire feels like it is ¡®here¡¯ and ¡®there¡¯ and is confused about why it can¡¯t affect ¡®there¡¯. It reminds me of that experience I had where I felt like I had become the flames, only this time it¡¯s the fire which is confused, not me. I sense some hint of inspiration there, some understanding which is just outside my reach. Trying to grasp it only makes it skip further away, like some teasing child playing keep-away with something of mine. Giving up, I instead test what I discovered this morning: that because the fire considers the magic to already be part of it, it is far less hesitant to agree to any sort of bargain. After all, why would it deny itself something? That is not the nature of fire. Allowing it the bead of fire-magic, I find that I don¡¯t even have to keep a constant stream of mana going towards it: I am part of it, so it follows my wishes willingly ¨C as long as I don¡¯t try to quench it. I¡¯m able to move it off one area of fuel and onto another, or to exchange wood for mana, but the moment I try to smother it entirely, it seems to recognise that I am not part of it. It was the same before, I remember: it was my desire not to let the fire burn my clothes which caused me to return to my own mind. Fortunately, in that case. Equally, it is my desire to stop the fire burning entirely which causes it to realise that I am other. I manage to reduce the fire to a single branch, but it resists firmly being snuffed out completely. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Not wanting to build resentment within the greater body of Fire, I release the fire from my control completely. It roars back to life, swiftly regaining access to the still-hot branches, half-burnt logs, and cinders. Opening my eyes, I stare at the fire contemplatively. It should be possible, my plan, I decide. But I¡¯m going to have to make sure I¡¯m as rested as possible: I¡¯ll need all my wits about me. And, frankly, as much willpower as possible. I sigh and lean back, staring up at the sky. Should I? My work in my soul space gave me more Willpower last time, but that was only after three days of effort. Though was the Willpower from the three days? Or was it from the end, after I had finished healing my soul and started pushing? And there¡¯s that challenge. Might that not help me in some way? But then how long might it take? After all, last time my Bound were unable to wake me. We have a time pressure now, is this really the time to be trying something new? But what if this can give me the edge? Despite my time in Meditation, despite my Bound hunting regularly, I¡¯m only halfway towards my next level. I¡¯m unlikely to acquire enough Energy to level up in our route deeper into the valley; what if the challenge gives me a boost which will make achieving my objectives even possible? Feeling restless, I check my Inventory: better make sure everything else is prepared. Plenty of food, both cooked and not, I say to myself, noting all the slots filled with different foodstuffs, some for me, some for my Bound. Having been in my Inventory, they will be Energy-less unless I decide to spend some of my own mana to infuse them, but that¡¯s better than starving. Plenty of water too. I¡¯ve taken some time to create more containers out of flesh, or at least what counts as flesh for my flesh shaping. What that actually means is bones, fused together to become watertight, chitin extended and reshaped to work as a bowl or a bottle or an urn, thick water-proof hide reinforced with bone to create sturdy pouches, and more. I didn¡¯t bother tanning the hide I used for the water-skins: I figured that since they¡¯ll be spending most of the time in my Inventory, they shouldn¡¯t end up rotting. If they do anyway, I¡¯ll be able to replace them easily enough. I¡¯ve discovered that items which are made of the same materials and are almost exactly the same size and shape stack, so have done my best to make as many uniform receptacles as possible. That¡¯s not always easy when working with natural materials, however. I¡¯ve also created plenty more arrows. In some ways, I¡¯m glad about having waited for one reason in particular: no more of the dreaded flint-knapping! With Flesh-shaping able to manipulate any part of the body, I¡¯ve found a solution to my projectile needs: tooth arrows. Well, kind of tooth since I¡¯m using purely the tooth enamel and reforming it into a sharp point. It took a fair bit of experimentation, but I¡¯ve managed to create arrow shafts made of bone which have enough flexibility to be almost as good as wooden shafts, and have the added benefit of being able to be melded with the fletching feathers and enamel tips. It¡¯s almost anti-climactic: my first set of arrows took so much time and effort to craft, requiring me to make pitch and spend hours knapping the heads. My second set took an afternoon after determining the right kind of bone to make the shafts. An afternoon to make about fifty arrows. Insane. Still, I¡¯m grateful. I even made some equivalent spears, though this necessitated even more testing since a spear shaft is put under a lot more stress than an arrow shaft. Finally, I kind of used wood as an inspiration and melded some of the qualities of sinew together with bone, creating a flexible yet strong structure which I hope will work well enough. The arrow points are wickedly sharp, my Flesh-Shaping able to create a point which no human would be able to achieve with filing alone. My spear points are a lot less sharp since I decided that given it needs to hold its point more reliably than the arrows, it was worth losing a bit of the sharpness for durability. As a result, they¡¯re much thicker around and the point is relatively blunt. Then again, with my Strength behind it, they should still be able to pack a punch. To help with durability for all my weapons, I¡¯ve used magic to reinforce them to the extent that they¡¯re almost able to compete with flint for pure hardness. Almost. But what I give up in terms of hardness and sharpness, I gain in terms of the ease of replacing my weaponry and flexibility in battle. Other than that, I have clothing, boots, armour, and have even made some for some of my Bound. I haven¡¯t had time to outfit them all, but River has been convinced to wear light hide armour and even Bastet has agreed to a layer of spider-web that covers her neck, chest, between her wings, and even has a sort of barding that offers a little protection to her flanks. It¡¯s thin and light by necessity because of the way she fights, but should help ward off glancing blows and provide a little protection against direct ones. Since the spiderweb itself is naturally white, and that doesn¡¯t go at all with Bastet¡¯s role, I intentionally made it a bit sticky and then rolled it in mud so it was completely covered. At River¡¯s request, I even reshaped his eyes ¨C apparently the job I did on Catch was good enough that River wanted better eyesight too. He approached me very apologetically, apparently feeling like he was asking too much. I suspect that that¡¯s why it took him several days to ask me. Honestly, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it myself. In the end, I also improved his sense of smell and hearing as it turned out that Catch had much better senses in both areas ¨C unsurprising considering how much they needed to compensate for his poor eyesight. I considered trying to help my other Bound but, honestly, I¡¯m reluctant to try to improve things without a template. That Catch¡¯s eyes ended up better than River¡¯s was a bit of an accident; it could easily have gone the other way. River¡¯s hearing and sense of smell ended up being about the same as Catch¡¯s, but no better. And I¡¯m not inclined to offer the Warriors and Pathwalker the same benefits that I¡¯ve given Catch. Not yet ¨C they haven¡¯t earned it, in my opinion. Nor are they as disabled as Catch was when we first met. It¡¯s a bit odd not to have had River with us for the last few nights though I invited Catch into the alcove so at least it hasn¡¯t been as empty as it could have been. Though the other samurans have been behaving themselves so far, apart from a few tests of his authority that we both agree was most likely calculated to see our reactions, River¡¯s thoughts have been that he ought to stay with them. I agreed, unfortunately, so I have just had to deal with one of my closest Bound, and one I consider a friend, not being around much. They¡¯ve been quite industrious, making a little camp out there in the woods ¨C three huts have sprung up around a small pile of bones ¨C and a campfire. Although I wasn¡¯t there at the time, River shared with me the memory of his people¡¯s faces when he first lit a fire. I decided to give him the fire starter because with my new Fire-Shaping abilities, I don¡¯t need it so much. Probably that¡¯s one reason they haven¡¯t caused much trouble: that I was able to share my ¡®magical¡¯ control of fire with River has to have impressed them a fair bit. So far, they¡¯ve been quite stand-offish around my other Bound, though. While that¡¯s worked OK until now, since they didn¡¯t need to interact much, the trip back down is likely to force them into closer contact. Hopefully they¡¯re not going to let their cultural biases cloud their vision too much. River didn¡¯t, but then he approached the whole thing from a different perspective. Either way, I think that they are as prepared as possible for the return down into the valley and, from the looks of my Inventory, so am I. But should I take the risk of trying to enhance my Willpower in my soul space before we go? Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-One: Withstand and Overcome With all the practice I¡¯ve had of my various Skills, I¡¯ve certainly seen results on my status screen. They have all made me stronger and more able to face the challenges ahead even if individually some don¡¯t mean much. Pulling it up, I remind myself of them.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 14 Energy to next level: 49% Energy absorption rate: 40u/hr (+25) Energy towards debt: 94% (241)
Intelligence 39+1 (+5%) Mana: 600/600 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 52+13 (+25%) Health regeneration rate: 65u/hr
Constitution 22 Health: 330/330 (15u/CP)
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Initiate 7 Fade ¨C Initiate 4 Inspect Fauna ¨C Novice 9 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Taming ¨C Beginner 7 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 9 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 5 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 1 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 9 Spearmanship ¨C Novice 3 Archery ¨C Beginner 8 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 1 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Shaping ¨C Beginner 8
As expected, Flesh-Shaping has increased, though it now seems to be stuck at the bottleneck of the leap from Journeyman to Master. If Energy Manipulation was anything to go by, I¡¯m going to have to deepen my understanding of the Skill to be able to get it over the threshold. Thinking about Energy Manipulation, that¡¯s still only at the first level of Master. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised: I haven¡¯t actually been spending much time on discovering more about stamina, or how to make the conversion of Energy more efficient. Still, I thought that perhaps managing to turn some mana into Fire magic might have counted. Apparently not. Most of my other Skills have increased by a few levels. Even my weapons Skills: I¡¯ve managed to fit in a little bit of sparring every day with my new Bound, the exercise useful for me in learning both how to counter new styles and how they tend to fight. I won¡¯t be taking everyone with me down to the samuran village, and the spars have helped me decide who should go and who should stay. The biggest change was probably the rank up of Spearmanship. That happened a couple of days ago, and I¡¯ve already been experimenting with its new effect.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill from Beginner: Spearmanship is now Novice 1. You have taken further steps along the path to Spear Mastery. You are starting to display some understanding of technique, and how to more efficiently use your weapon. Continue practising techniques designed for the more efficient and effective use of a spear in order to advance this Skill. Gain 3% to the effects of Strength and 3% to the effects of Dexterity per level in this Skill when using a spear. When focussing on a target, you have a 5% chance per level in this Skill post Beginner to spot an area of particular vulnerability to a spear attack. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
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It¡¯s not as good an upgrade as Blunt Weaponry, not at first glance. But as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. When I use a blunt weapon, I have a guaranteed chance of spotting an area which might be vulnerable to a blunt weapon, and the longer the fight goes on, the more obvious it becomes. At first glance, the effect Spearmanship gives is the same, only not a guaranteed chance. However, in practice, the effect that Spearmanship offers is far more precise. Where Blunt Weaponry just gives an area, Spearmanship gives an exact spot. It also gives an idea of what kind of strike would be best: a straight thrust for the area? A sweep? The butt end of the spear first, followed by the point immediately after? It gives that information and more ¨C a slight sense of how strong to make the strike itself to be most efficient. It¡¯s like my attempts to become more efficient and effective have been rewarded with an effect which offers just that. Par for the course from what I¡¯ve seen of this System so far. Once more, I get the feeling that I¡¯m missing something, that Blunt Weaponry is the overarching Skill which should then be complemented by more specific Skills for the weapons I use. And equally, that I¡¯m missing the overarching Skill that should complement Spearmanship. Oh well, nothing I can do about it right now except to continue what I¡¯m already doing: making better weapons and then trying to improve how I use them. I¡¯ve got several other Skills on the point of ranking up: Inspect Fauna, Inspect Environment, Sensation Management, and Short Blades, with Meditation also being on the cusp of crossing over into Master. It¡¯s a pity that I haven¡¯t earned enough Energy to level up again. I hope that I will succeed before needing to face the other Pathwalkers and Warriors: if they¡¯re all going to require me to defeat and Dominate them, then I¡¯m definitely going to need more Willpower. While the Tame Bonds of the Unevolved haven¡¯t added any more strain on me, I definitely sense that my capacity to create more Dominate Bonds is¡­limited. Closing my status screen, I look at the sky. Dark, though getting lighter as the first moon rises above the forest. Should I explore the challenge that awaits me in my soul space? Or should I just go to sleep? I hesitate for a long moment, weighing up the pros and cons. In the end, my curiosity wins out. I mean, as long as I leave tomorrow I¡¯m still upholding my promise to Kalanthia, right? It¡¯s too tempting to resist. I¡¯ve been holding off all this time because of other things that needed to be done; now they¡¯re all done and I¡¯m sitting here with little to do, I find myself without a way of saying ¡®no¡¯. Sure, there are other things I could do: there are always projects which need to be progressed. But what I really need right now is Willpower, and this offers me the possibility of just that. Or at least, I think it does. But first, a little failsafe. Reaching out mentally, I touch Bastet¡¯s mind. She¡¯s asleep, but only lightly and rouses at the touch of my mind. I feel a bit guilty about that, but since she is awake now, I might as well continue. I¡¯m going to test something in my soul, I tell her. If I¡¯m not awake by tomorrow, get Catch or River to tie me onto Trinity¡¯s back and we¡¯ll go regardless, OK? She sends me a sense of hesitant agreement. You¡¯re not trying to do something dangerous, are you? she asks dubiously. No, I tell her. Well, it shouldn¡¯t be, I admit as she sends a pointed questioning feel. Just, if I start bleeding from my eyes or nose or something again¡­don¡¯t worry. Her questioning turns into alarm. You¡¯re not going to do the same thing as before when we couldn¡¯t rouse you for three whole days, are you?! No, not the same thing, I reassure her. I decide not to tell her that I¡¯m going to do something else completely new instead. And I¡¯m not intending on being out that long, but if I am, we might as well get going anyway. It¡¯ll just have to be you giving the orders rather than me. We¡¯ve discussed the plan, anyway. As you wish, she agrees, a little reluctantly. But she doesn¡¯t argue any further. I¡¯ve given both River and Bastet the status of ¡®managers of managers¡¯ meaning that between them, they can order the whole lot of Bound in my name, if necessary. It¡¯s a lot of trust, but they¡¯ve earned it. That sorted, I close my eyes by the fire. Then, thinking better, I push myself to my feet and slip into the alcove, avoiding Bastet¡¯s gaze as I sneak in past my other sleeping Bound. Fade and Stealth are particularly useful for that. I¡¯d rather not accidentally get hypothermia because I allowed myself to go insensate outside when it¡¯s probably going to drop to five degrees or something. Much better to do it in my bed. Accessing my soul space turns out to be pretty easy. I just have to sink¡­deeper into myself than normal to access my Core space. I somehow open my eyes and then I¡¯m there, in the grey feature-less world which surrounds me. And then there¡¯s something floating in front of me, as it did once before.
Challenge initiated: level one
Commence challenge / Leave arena
¡°What challenge?¡± I ask again. Last time, this had led to an error. This time¡­.
Challenge initiated: level one Withstand and overcome.
Commence challenge / Leave arena
¡°Withstand,¡± I murmur to myself. ¡°Withstand what? Overcome what?¡± It doesn¡¯t give me much more information than the first box did ¨C three words only, in fact. But perhaps those two words tell me enough. I don¡¯t have to kill anything, or build anything. I don¡¯t have to go on some quest. What I have to do is withstand whatever is about to happen. And then somehow overcome it. Once more I hesitate for a moment before shrugging. I¡¯ve come this far, I might as well see what it¡¯s all about, I decide. Besides, it¡¯s only the level one challenge, how hard could it be? The moment I think that, I feel like facepalming. Way to jinx fate, idiot, I reprimand myself. Choosing to commence the challenge, I brace myself for anything. Perhaps a beast will come and I need to withstand its strikes. Or perhaps I will have to withstand pain. Or- My thoughts are cut off by a light sense of pressure settling upon my shoulders. I look upwards automatically but see nothing there. ¡°Is this it?¡± I ask, baffled. It feels like there are hands loosely resting upon me; nothing more. Withstanding this will be easy. Though it still doesn¡¯t clarify what the ¡®overcome¡¯ refers to. After a few more moments, though, the challenge becomes clearer. The pressure upon me increases incrementally. The hands resting upon me start pushing, at first lightly, and then increasingly heavily. They go from resting to pushing in a relatively short period. I can¡¯t tell how time passes in this strange space, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that long until I have to shift my stance to better brace against the pressure. It¡¯s even less time before I start gritting my teeth, the pressure becoming overbearing. I suddenly realise what this reminds me of: a Battle of Wills. Yet it¡¯s different because there, I normally experience two senses of pressure. One from the environment, one from my opponent. Here, my opponent is absent, leaving only the environmental pressure. Maybe this isn¡¯t about gaining Willpower; maybe this is designed to help Tamers better withstand the pressure in the Battle of Wills. Well, if it¡¯s that, then surely a level one challenge can¡¯t throw at me the same kind of pressure that Kalanthia did in the midst of her rage. And if I could cling on with my fingertips there, then I can stand tall here. Gritting my teeth once more, I find my stubbornness rising. If all the heavens can throw at me is pressure, I¡¯m determined not to let them see me collapse under their weight. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Two: The ‘Perfect’ Me Perhaps the challenge can read my mind as the atmosphere around me changes. While before I could feel it increasing slowly, it now seems as if it¡¯s doubled or tripled the rate at which it increases. While I still manage to stay standing, the increasing pressure makes that harder and harder. It starts to actually become painful, the pressure radiating through my whole body, making my bones grind together, squishing my organs. Why am I resisting? I wonder. What is the benefit to this if I kill myself doing it? And what if I am injured in reality? Last time, I had blood running out of my eyes and nose; what about if this time I end up with organ failure? I need to leave today to travel towards the samuran village; this is no time to go too far. Surely I could just give up now and then come back to it. I wanted to see what happened with the challenge and I now have. There¡¯s no need to drive myself to the point of injury this first time. There¡¯s always next time. I¡¯m on the point of giving up. Somehow I sense that all I need to do to call an end to the challenge is to drop to my knees under the pressure. I almost do. The words slither through my head like snakes, all too logical, all too tempting. But I don¡¯t. Why? Because I recognise that voice. It¡¯s the voice of my doubts. It¡¯s the voice of my temptations. It¡¯s what led me into drinking so much the night before I came here. It¡¯s what encouraged me to party and procrastinate instead of working on my first year assignments, meaning that I only just scraped by with a pass ¨C the sobering revelation of my year¡¯s marks is the main motivation for the effort I put in for the rest of my degree. It¡¯s what encouraged me to lie to my mother about that fateful sleepover; it¡¯s the same voice that made me throw in the towel when the other boys¡¯ bullying became too much for me. It¡¯s what ultimately led to us being on that road at the same time as the drunk driver. It¡¯s a voice which has never led me anywhere good. Here in this space, I find it easier to identify: it seems to almost come from outside myself, rather than being an insidious thought inside which only becomes verbal when I¡¯m already starting to consider it properly. ¡°No, I will not give up,¡± I grind out, needing the sound of my own voice to reassure me, to make it more of a promise that I must keep. ¡°Oh but you will ¨C you¡¯re weak.¡± I almost accidentally fall to my knees, my surprise reducing my resistance for what might have been a fatal moment of inattention. Fatal in terms of my hopes, that is: I doubt that failing this challenge would actually kill me. My surprise is because that¡¯s my voice, though more malicious than I¡¯ve ever heard myself. Out loud, that is. It¡¯s the voice which scathingly criticises my friends and family when they¡¯ve done something which I don¡¯t agree with ¨C the voice which says the things I would never express out loud because they¡¯re so nasty. And it¡¯s the voice which says horrible things about me too ¨C it¡¯s the voice which drove me to drink, and the voice which drove me to the roof. It¡¯s even the voice which goaded me to use the emblem in the first place, telling me how if I didn¡¯t take this opportunity, it just proved how weak I was. Suddenly, I think I understand a little more about this challenge. It isn¡¯t only about dealing with outside pressure akin to that experienced during a Battle of Wills; it¡¯s also about facing myself. And maybe that¡¯s exactly who I need to ¡®overcome¡¯. As a figure fades into view in the mists, walking towards me casually, I realise that my thoughts were actually more true than I thought. The figure, as might have been expected, is me. Only, it¡¯s not the me that I see in any vaguely reflective surface at the moment: wild beard, wild hair, and usually at least a bit dirty. It¡¯s the me that I consider ¨C considered? ¨C the ¡®perfect¡¯ me. His dark brown hair is short, neatly combed with a side parting. His face is clean-shaven. He¡¯s impeccably dressed in a snappy suit, a neat tie around his neck and not a speck of dirt or dust on any of his clothes. His blue eyes are piercing, sharp. And then there¡¯s his bearing. He looks like he¡¯s just walked out of a board room after having been an implicit part of the discussions, his words weighty, his hand one of the most important on the rudder of the company. In short, he looks exactly like I dreamed I could look, all those times I was denied a promotion, or sat in an information meeting, only able to receive the decisions which had come down from on high. But it¡¯s not all as I imagined. The look on his face, for one. His mouth is twisted in disgust, his eyes glinting in malice and contempt. He¡¯s looking at me as if I¡¯m a speck of dirt on his polished Oxfords. As if I¡¯m almost below his notice, and that I¡¯m going to regret having been brought to his attention. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Is this what I would have become if I¡¯d risen as high in the company as I wanted? I can¡¯t help but ask myself, my eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re weak,¡± he says again, his mouth twisting further. Even though we¡¯re the same height, he seems to be looking down on me. ¡°You will fail. You always do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I grind out, the pressure on my shoulders intensifying even more. ¡°You do,¡± he says. It would be dispassionate if there weren¡¯t the slightest hint of glee. ¡°Look at our mother. Lucy. Our father. Our friends. Our job. Our ambitions. All gone. You failed.¡± The pressure redoubles on my shoulders, what had felt like bearing the weight of a single boulder now feeling like supporting two. The doubt and reminders of past failures steal into my heart like thieves. Perhaps the pressure itself hasn¡¯t doubled; perhaps it¡¯s that the doubt has just made it harder to bear. No. I¡¯ve come too far to fall now. There has to be an end to this and I¡¯m determined to reach it. ¡°Past failures don¡¯t mean future ones,¡± I force out, barely managing to keep standing with the pain running through my body, the weight on my head and shoulders. I can¡¯t deny his words: I have failed. But hope springs eternal and tomorrow is another day. It sounds trite even in my own head. ¡°No? But look at your track record just in this world,¡± the figure of me says languidly. ¡°How long did it take you to start to properly pay attention to your surroundings? It¡¯s only by pure luck that you survived the first month. And look at how much you¡¯re leaning on your Bound now. You can¡¯t stand by yourself; it¡¯s pathetic.¡± The words hit me like arrows to the heart. ¡°That¡¯s the nature of a Tamer,¡± I protest weakly. ¡°I can¡¯t do everything.¡± He flicks his hand, like my words are flies buzzing around him. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything. What have you even done for them anyway? You promised River to save his village and yet you¡¯ve been spending days, weeks doing everything but. You¡¯ve been messing around with magic and tanning and petty concerns where, for all you know, his village has already been engulfed by the trees.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been preparing,¡± I respond quietly, the explanation sounding all too insipid in this context. ¡°You¡¯ve been procrastinating,¡± he accuses. I close my eyes, my legs wobbling, my back starting to curve. This is too much. Murphey must have been listening to my thoughts, must have taken offence at my determination not to bow to the pressures of the heavens. I didn¡¯t know then that they could release my inner demons to torment me like this. And this is only level one! The reminder steadies me. This is a challenge. Moreover, it¡¯s a challenge from one of my Class Skills, something designed to help me get stronger. It¡¯s not something like the Pure Energy where my life was something I had to struggle to keep. I also realise something important: though this demon has insulted me, derided me, tried to tear me down ¨C is doing so at the moment, even, though my own thoughts are drowning him out for the most part. But not once has he touched me. He¡¯s not even come close. He¡¯s stood still, and talked to me. At me. Understanding goes through me. His only power over me is what I give him in listening to him. If I let him destroy my self-confidence, I will fall and I will fail. Just as he wants me to. But if I don¡¯t? He is powerless. This is good. My inner demon has been given life, and is giving voice to the doubts which have plagued me both recently and in years gone past. He wears the visage of all I aimed to be ¨C once. But I¡¯ve changed, and my desires with me. My Wisdom has grown, and I realise that it¡¯s not only a stat, a number on a screen. I realise that the answers to all his insults and questions lie within me already. The knowledge steadies me. The burden on my shoulders suddenly feels a little lighter; my back straightens, my knees lock once more. The demon stops talking and eyes me. He seems slightly wary, like he¡¯s suddenly aware that the pitiful animal he was poking with a stick has grown teeth and claws and is growling at him. ¡°I am human,¡± I say. The words are difficult to get out, but easier, somehow, than the weak protests I was giving before. ¡°I make mistakes. Before, I interacted with other humans who also made mistakes. I failed to achieve things I sought, but in some cases, my true mistake was in seeking the wrong things.¡± Images of Lucy¡¯s upset and angry face flashes through my mind. Not the stone one which she wore when she walked out of our relationship, but the ones she wore before then, every time she discovered that I would put my job before her. The demon in front of me looks like every ambitious career dream I ever had, but I doubt that Lucy ¨C or any other significant partner ¨C is part of the deal. And if they are, it¡¯s probably because they¡¯re seeking something other than intimacy and relationship: where there¡¯s money, there are always those willing to prostitute themselves for it. But that¡¯s not what I wanted. ¡°I did fail,¡± I admit, but the admission doesn¡¯t make me weaker; if anything, recognising my mistakes makes me stronger. ¡°But the good thing about surviving a failure is that I have the possibility to learn from it, to become better and try again. As for not saving River¡¯s village? Yes, I recognise that perhaps I haven¡¯t been as focussed on that objective as I should have been. It¡¯s true that I was preparing, but I admit that I have also been procrastinating a little. Or not procrastinating, but allowing other concerns to take precedence. I will apologise to him for that.¡± I swallow, then say the words which really don¡¯t want to come out of my mouth. ¡°Thank you for raising it to my attention.¡± The demon looks rather taken aback; I don¡¯t blame it. It¡¯s not something I would have done before. But now, I¡¯m becoming more self-aware, more humble, more willing to admit when I have been wrong. And that¡¯s a good thing, as long as I don¡¯t let it stymie future growth. Because that¡¯s what the demon wants to do. ¡°I am human, and I have made mistakes. I will make more. But all I can do is try to be better. And that¡¯s what I¡¯m determined to do.¡± With that last pronouncement, I feel the pressure on my shoulders intensify one more time. I stand my ground, holding my position through sheer force of will, the determination filling me and steeling my spine. And then suddenly, it vanishes, the figure of my alternate self vanishing along with it, as if neither were ever there. I guess that in many ways, that¡¯s completely true. For a moment, I stare around at my misty surroundings, and then a box forms in my vision.
Challenge completed: level 1
See rewards / Leave arena
Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Three: Waves On The Beach Of course, I select the option which lets me see the rewards. Stupid question, really.
Congratulations! You have completed: challenge of Willpower level 1. Grade: A (G-SS) ¡®It is not by having no demons that we learn to strengthen our will; it is by not allowing their voices to sway us.¡¯ Reward: +2 Willpower, +2% Effective Willpower. Challenge unlocked: challenge of Willpower level 2
Accept rewards? Y/N
Another stupid question! As if I would choose to reject the rewards after going through all of that!
Rewards accepted; Energy store sufficient.
Leave arena / Challenge level 2
I have to admit that I¡¯m very tempted to take the second challenge. The rewards from the first one are exactly what I was hoping for. Though two points to Willpower aren¡¯t a huge amount, the fact that I can earn them without needing to level up is huge. Though what was that about my Energy store being sufficient? I frown. Does that mean that the points I¡¯ve been ¡®rewarded¡¯ are being given to me like the points I ¡®earned¡¯ before reaching twenty in each stat? Meaning that to be applied to my status, they take away from my Energy store? It seems likely, which feels like a bit of a swindle: I¡¯ve worked hard, yet still have to give up Energy to get the points? Then again, with what I now know about how the points on my status screen actually are reflected in my bodily changes, I suppose it¡¯s not so surprising. I might have put effort into increasing my willpower, but for it to become Willpower with a capital letter, Energy needs to explode out of my Core and make the changes. Without the Energy, I don¡¯t know what would happen. Probably nothing. Though I can¡¯t say for sure, I don¡¯t think I lost Energy last time I increased my Willpower in my Core space, but perhaps that was more to do with my use of health. Maybe that¡¯s what I should try next? Using my health to push at the boundaries of my soul space? Then again, maybe I should see just how much time has passed in the ¡®real world¡¯ first. I can always come back, I tell myself. Reluctantly choosing ¡®leave arena¡¯, I feel myself rise slowly out of my soul. As was the case last time, I feel very disorientated as I open my eyes, the world spinning around me. Swallowing down the nausea, I close my eyes again and just focus on breathing. At least I¡¯m lying down so there¡¯s no way for me to fall. After a relatively short amount of time, the sickness abates and I reopen my eyes tentatively. The world has stopped spinning, the rough ceiling above my head staying where it should. I turn my head to one side; Catch is there, sleeping. Turning to the other side, I see Bastet by the fire, eyeing me. How long was I out? I ask her. My mouth doesn¡¯t feel that dry so it can¡¯t have been nearly as long as last time. I¡¯m not famished either, though I am a bit peckish. Pulling a lump of meat from my Inventory, I chew at it as she responds. Not long. One white eye has reached its zenith; the other is cresting the horizon. Thanks, I tell her with a hint of gratitude. Good ¨C that¡¯s not too long at all. Actually, I could probably have answered my own question: there¡¯s a ray of moonlight coming through the hole in the wall and making a spot on the wall opposite. That must be the second moon rising. So now I have another question: do I sleep, or do I go back and experiment with pushing the boundaries of my soul space? It¡¯s hard to decide. I do often feel refreshed after meditating, especially when I¡¯m in Heavy Meditation. This would be Deep Meditation which could arguably be more relaxing. On the other hand, I certainly don¡¯t feel mentally rested right now. Physically rested, yes, but mentally tired. But then maybe that¡¯s because it was a challenge? In the end, it¡¯s my status screen that convinces me.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 14 Energy to next level: 49% Energy absorption rate: 40u/hr Energy towards debt: 94% (240)
Intelligence 39+1 (+5%) Mana: 600/600 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 54+14 (+27%) Health regeneration rate: 68u/hr Stolen story; please report.
Constitution 22 Health: 142/330 (15u/CP)
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Initiate 7 Fade ¨C Initiate 4 Inspect Fauna ¨C Novice 9 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Taming ¨C Beginner 7 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 9 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 5 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 1 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 9 Spearmanship ¨C Novice 3 Archery ¨C Beginner 8 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 1 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Shaping ¨C Beginner 8
My Energy store hasn¡¯t dropped since earlier today, even if the rewards panel in the status screen indicated that it used Energy. Or should that be ¡®since yesterday¡¯ since according to my countdown on my debt, it¡¯s now a day later? I suspect that in fact it did use Energy from my store to increase my Willpower: that is coherent with what I know about how this whole System works. But I¡¯ve been in Deep Meditation for hours. At its base rate, Deep Meditation offered between seventy and a hundred and thirty percent increase in Energy gain. I¡¯m now sitting at Journeyman nine, which means that my increase is now between a hundred and sixty-five and two hundred and thirty percent. With my current level, I seem to gain about four or five percent per day, purely with Light Meditation offering a bit more than half again my base absorption rate ¨C effectively forty units turns into over sixty, though the actual rate seems to depend on how much I¡¯m actually ¡®meditating¡¯ even as I move and do other tasks. If Deep Meditation can offer around two hundred percent increase on average, that means that I¡¯d be earning more like nine or ten percent per day. Although I wasn¡¯t in my soul space for a long time ¨C comparative to my last time doing it, at least ¨C I was still in there for a good few hours. So, I might easily have earned enough Energy to pay for my increase in Willpower. In fact, that seems the most likely explanation since otherwise it doesn¡¯t make sense for why I wouldn¡¯t have gained Energy. Which means that if I spend the rest of the night in Deep Meditation, I might have two good effects: more Energy gain and maybe even another point in Willpower. At the same time, we¡¯re going to be travelling through the forest tomorrow, going deeper into the valley; I''m going to need my wits about me. I hesitate for a moment, then make my decision. I will go back into my soul space. I won¡¯t do a challenge, and I won¡¯t spend a long time there. When I come out, I will see whether I¡¯m feeling more or less fatigued than when I went in. If I¡¯m feeling more fatigued, I will sleep. If I¡¯m feeling less fatigued, I will continue. It¡¯s worth a go, I figure. Though if I end up feeling less fatigued, I know I¡¯m going to regret not doing this every night since discovering this facet of my Dominate Skill. Putting that out of my mind for now, I go back into my soul space. The box which offers me the challenge appears immediately in my vision, but I reject it this time. Instead, I settle down to the ¡®ground¡¯ as before. I¡¯m not completely sure how it worked last time, but I have a good idea where to start. Once more making a humming, elongated ¡®ommm¡¯ sound, I get a sense of exactly where my limits are. It feels like the substance I have to call my soul extends beyond my ¡®body¡¯ by about a millimetre. Last time, I filled in the empty space which had surrounded my hand and arm. Once I¡¯d finished doing that, I pushed at the empty space surrounding the rest of me. I figure that that¡¯s what I need to do now. Reaching for my health pool, it doesn¡¯t take me long to grab it again: I developed something similar to muscle memory while doing it so much when healing my soul. Not sure exactly what to do here, I just push at the boundaries around me. I actually move physically, holding my hands out in front of me and imagining them extending further, even with me sitting still. I feel resistance, not against my ¡®hands¡¯ but a mental resistance. It¡¯s different from that of the challenge, though. That was more of a rushing pressure; this is more like I¡¯m reaching for something which is just a little out of my grasp. Not really knowing what I¡¯m doing here, I just¡­direct my health into my ¡®fingers¡¯ and reach some more. It doesn¡¯t seem to do anything so I sigh and stop pushing. What happens when I level up? I think to myself. Closing my eyes, I bring back the memory of watching my most recent level up when I committed all my points to Willpower. The Energy had washed out of my Core like waves, lapping at the edges of the Core space and expanding them little by little. It didn¡¯t explode out in a single wave, nor had it focussed only on one spot. Maybe that¡¯s where I¡¯m going wrong. Returning my hands to my lap, I keep my eyes closed. Even if I know that this is only some sort of avatar or mental image of myself, I¡¯m so attached to my physical body and the physical effects of it that closing my eyes still helps me concentrate. Humming again since that seems to work, I once more take hold of my health and gently send it washing out of me like a wave. I focus on imagining it emerging in my centre, my heart coming to my mind, and with every pulse of my heart it is sent to my extremities, to my skin. There, it washes past my skin to push a little outwards before returning to the centre, the next wave taking over. I imagine waves on the beach, the next one coming as the first returns, yet like the tide coming in, each wave pushes just a little further up the beach, or in my case, outwards. Over time, I sink into the images, my heart pulsing with the beat of the ocean, the waves washing through me like blood. It feels endless. Like the waves that wash with my heartbeat are but a drop in the oceans of water that lie behind them. It¡¯s almost a shock when I start feeling resistance, when my health runs almost dry. The ocean does not run out of water; how then can this be? I almost keep pulling from my reserves, but a sense of danger runs through me like an electric shock. It startles me back into wakefulness; pulls me out of my image. My heart stutters, the waves drain away. Slowly rising out of my Deep Meditation once more, I feel even worse this time. It¡¯s a real struggle to keep from seeing my supper again, only sheer force of will and swallowing almost convulsively stops the bile from rising too high. I don¡¯t even try to open my eyes. I feel absolutely horrible, shaky and shivering. I¡¯m in shock, I realise with a moment of clarity. I curse the fact that I have to focus to be able to use Flesh-Shaping. I need more health. Remembering what I did before, I slide back into Heavy Meditation to work on converting mana into health and sending it flooding back into my body. The disconnection from my senses works in my favour here as I actually manage to concentrate without the nausea and physical suffering grabbing at my attention. My body gobbles the health I feed it as if it were starving, the luminous blackness surrounding my internal matrix almost matte. Once it¡¯s finished consuming the health I feed it, I pull back out of Meditation. This time, I feel a lot better. There¡¯s less disorientation to using Heavy Meditation than Deep Meditation anyway, and I¡¯m no longer suffering the symptoms of shock. I feel liquid trickling down my cheeks and lift my hand to wipe it away. As I do, I smell the coppery scent of blood. Looking at my hand, I¡¯m unable to see colour ¨C the little moonlight allowed into the alcove isn¡¯t strong enough for that ¨C but the darkness of it against my skin indicates it¡¯s what I suspected: blood. Sighing, I pull a rag from my Inventory and wipe my face. I¡¯ll need to wash it properly in the morning but this will do for now. Lying back down, I feel the bone-deep tiredness in my body. This time, it seems like I¡¯m physically tired as well as mentally ¨C pulling the health out of my body and replacing it clearly has an effect. Though I should have known that from how much pain I was in after last time. Looks like I will still need to sleep. Pity. Checking my status screen, I can¡¯t help but smile. At least I got a point in Willpower out of it ¨C proof that it wasn¡¯t just a one-off last time. Even better, I¡¯m sitting at fifty-one percent Energy, indicating that it didn¡¯t even use any of my store. Closing my eyes, I¡¯m asleep before I can even think about what that means for the future. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Four: Before the Sun Rises I wake up before the sun rises. That¡¯s pretty usual, especially these days, and apparently my late night wasn¡¯t enough to change my habit. Normally I wouldn¡¯t actually get up; I¡¯d just stay in my warm bed. Although I wouldn¡¯t say that sleeping on the floor is exactly comfortable, and do sometimes think of my soft mattress with longing, I¡¯ve mostly got used to it. Enough that it¡¯s often a sufficient lure to keep me dozing until the sun actually starts to rise above the horizon. This morning, though, I know I have too much to do to laze around, so I get up. Bastet opens an eye as I shift to sit in front of the fireplace, but I send a wordless message down the Bond about taking advantage of the time to sleep while she still can. She yawns and closes her eyes again, nosing into the pile of cubs next to her. They¡¯re getting so big, I can¡¯t help but think to myself. Once able to fit in a sling against my chest ¨C all three at once, even ¨C the ¡®cubs¡¯ are now the length of my torso. They¡¯re finally growing into their paws. Well, talons. By the time the spring comes, I bet they¡¯ll be fully grown. But in some ways they¡¯re still very much cubs, tumbling together and playing just as fiercely as ever. The only difference is just how much trouble they get into ¨C Bastet¡¯s has had to warn off each of the cubs at least twice recently from going to explore the forest on their own. Apparently Trouble is completely undaunted from his experience only a week ago with Lathani. At least the nunda juvenile seems to have calmed down since being accepted into our group. Actually, she¡¯s been the model of good behaviour. It¡¯s been a bit awkward, giving her orders with her mother just there. But the awkwardness is fading, and Lathani herself doesn¡¯t seem to be in the least conflicted about who to look to, which is good, I suppose. She¡¯s been going out a lot with the hunting groups, and has apparently been a great help. I¡¯m not surprised, not after hunting with her myself. I¡¯ve only managed to make it out with a hunting group twice, but both times included the nunda juvenile. Though still sometimes a bit impulsive and with an annoying tendency to act before checking with the rest of the group, she¡¯s a strong and accomplished hunter with an ability to keep herself concealed that rivals even the Tier two Bastet. Even with the Bond indicating her location, I¡¯ve sometimes found myself struggling to keep track of her. I¡¯m starting to understand how she was able to get away from Kalanthia. Using an almost absent-minded bit of Fire-Shaping, I relight the fire in my stove, quickly adding in some branches and then a couple of logs. My intervention means that the fire roars to life very quickly, consuming the fuel with eagerness. Setting a pot of water from the stream on the fire, I chop in some herbs, some roots, and some chunks of meat. Not for breakfast, but for later ¨C hot stew after a long day of travel will be very welcome. Because it¡¯s going to be a long day of travel, that I¡¯m sure about. For breakfast, I pull out a couple of pancakes from my Inventory along with a large bowl of steaming herbal tea which I sip from. I cooked a whole stack of them the day before yesterday ¨C more like potato pancakes than anything else, but the addition of almost-honey into the batter has given them a lovely taste. Adding a drizzle more of the liquid gold, I half-close my eyes in delight. Now this is more like it. Pancakes and tea for breakfast¡­all I need is smoked bacon to go with it. Instead of bacon, I have roast meat which, while not bad, just doesn¡¯t quite hit the ¡®bacon¡¯ spot. In winter, I definitely need to have a go at making smoked meat, I decide. It¡¯s a good way of preserving meat outside of my Inventory anyway. And who knows ¨C maybe it will preserve the natural Energy in the meat better too. After breakfast, I head outside to continue my preparations. Though most of the items are in my Inventory, I don¡¯t want to disturb my Bound more than I already have. Pausing at the entrance of the alcove to scratch the stirring Fenrir behind his ears, making him settle back down, I glance back into the main body of the cave, spotting the dappled shape of the large nunda. Kalanthia opens her eyes to gaze at me, returning my greeting nod with a flicker of acknowledgement. She then closes them again and I head outside. The second moon is still bathing the area in its light; it¡¯s enough that I don¡¯t need to light a torch to see where I¡¯m walking. If I slip into Fade, then I can see even better. Walking out onto the plateau, I nod at the two on watch ¨C Bary and Kanga. I¡¯ve finally been able to meet with all my Bound and give them proper names. Well, apart from all the Unevolved samurans from the hunting band, that is. Although I offered them all Tame Bonds which basically required them to follow orders, I haven¡¯t managed to spend much time with them. Frankly, I¡¯ve been too busy. But I¡¯ve had Catch join them for the days to help take them out in groups to the forest, so hopefully delegating my responsibilities to him and River has meant that they¡¯re not feeling too abandoned. Certainly, Catch seemed pretty pleased with himself: I suppose that going from bottom of the pile to top dog in one fell swoop is quite satisfying. River confided in me when I went to visit him that he¡¯d heard more than one of the group exclaiming over the transformation ¨C and wondering what other transformations I might do. That¡¯s all pretty positive, even if it adds more pressure onto me. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. While we¡¯re on the road, I do want to do a scan of all the lizard-folk, just checking for injuries. I¡¯ve already managed to do that with all the creatures we rescued from the danaris, and they know they are to bring me any injuries they suffer in the meantime; several of them have already taken me up on that, though not for anything serious. Returning my thoughts to the moment, I wander over to my two watchers. I didn¡¯t ask them to do that; one of my more aware managers must have thought of it. Probably Bastet, knowing her. ¡°All quiet?¡± I ask casually. They both send over a sense of agreement and welcome. It¡¯s¡­nice. Bary, named because he looks rather like a baryonyx except smaller and with flightless wings instead of mini-arms, nudges at me with his head. He¡¯s not all that gentle, so the shove pushes me back a pace, making him grunt in satisfaction. I chuckle, scratching him at the root of the short crest which goes from the base of his skull down his neck to mid-back. He makes a moaning sound, the pleasure which comes down the link letting me know that he¡¯s enjoying this. Not wanting to be left out, Kanga nudges at me, though she¡¯s more polite about it. Obliging, I start rubbing her under her chin ¨C her preferred spot. I can never remember the name of the dinosaur she reminds me of ¨C it¡¯s one which looks like it kind of has an elongated skull, though it is vaguely pointed on the top end so she can use it to defend herself a little. She¡¯s also one of those who has two sets of eyes, so her field of vision is excellent. I named her Kanga because, despite being scaled and dinosaur-like, she rather reminds me of a kangaroo. She certainly can sit like one, and does when she¡¯s alert and on watch. Though she tends to walk on four legs, she also runs like a kangaroo, her bigger and stronger back legs sending her lolloping forwards. After spending some time with them, I quickly head down to the forest line ¨C my bladder is sending some rather strong messages to me. At the treeline, I cast an Inspect Environment, looking for any signs of something about to pounce on me. All I see are a few plants outlined in either red or gold, and few of those. Reassured, I manipulate the mana in my undersuit to create an opening, take myself in hand and then sigh at the sense of relief even as splashing meets my ears. I keep a sharp eye on my surroundings, though ¨C I slipped into Fade as well as checking my surroundings before I started releasing, but I never know if there might be a creature which comes by and can still see me which decides I might make a good meal. Finishing my business, I head back. Before starting to walk up the slope, I see the item which the lizard-folk hunting party have laboured over the last few days sitting just a few steps away from the forest edge. This one is Mark Three, the first two definitely not being suitable. This one is promising enough that we¡¯ve actually taken the next steps. It¡¯s a cuboid made of six faces of woven twigs. Within it are ten frames, each made of four pieces of branch, about as thick around as my two fingers put next to each other. They are held together with densely woven bark fibre, Joy¡¯s input very useful at that stage. Though I can¡¯t see it right at this moment, I know that at the bottom, there¡¯s another woven piece with small holes in it, but this one is horizontal where the frames are vertical. This one is held a bit above the other woven piece which forms the bottom. It¡¯s a very rudimentary bee hive, and I¡¯m really hoping that will work. Not only was I not a bee-keeper in any sense of the word back on earth, but my survival knowledge doesn''t have anything on making a beehive or keeping bees. Added to that is the fact that these creatures aren¡¯t even bees. I don¡¯t know how they will react ¨C whether they will stay in the long term, or take the hive and disappear. The only reason I think it might be at all possible is because they seem to behave like bees. They build hives out of a waxy substance, which they fill with sweet honey-like substance. They defend these hives with their bites and numbers. They even appear to have a queen like bees do, a single insect which was about three times the size of the others, and five times as long. I walk carefully towards the hive, keeping my eyes peeled. It¡¯s still dark so most if not all of them should be in the hive still, but I should be able to see the odd one here or there if they¡¯re still in there. My sharp eyes catch sight of one lump of black on one of the branches, then another, then another. I stop moving forwards and smile in satisfaction. I would guess that they¡¯re all still there, then. Excellent. I do still have the Tame Bond with the queen, but that¡¯s no guarantee that they will stick around in the accommodations I¡¯ve provided them, and if they don¡¯t accept the hive the lizard-folk built, then the queen could easily break the Bond. Yes, I discovered that I can indeed offer a Tame Bond to an insect. Well, kind of insect ¨C they have eight legs but are definitely not arachnids. It did take me braving the bites of her warriors ¨C covered in dense web, of course ¨C and carefully taking apart the hive that they had built at the top of the tree, to find the queen. We did it at night when they were more docile, me testing my control over fire to stop it from burning any not-bee which came close. That didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t willing to bite, of course, and I had to close up a couple of holes that they managed to find ¨C their bites hurt even if I could almost immediately heal them. Once I found the queen ¨C not too hard considering her significantly different size ¨C I offered her a Tame Bond. To my surprise at the time, it worked ¨C though maybe I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised: she does have eyes. Essentially, she agreed to pay tribute in terms of an amount of honeycomb as long as I didn¡¯t take so much that the hive would be in danger, and also provided protected accommodation for their hive. Honestly, I was surprised at how intelligent her requests were, even if we are as yet unable to communicate beyond the most imprecise of feelings. Either way, she seems to be happy enough with the hive the lizard-folk built; now, I just need to make sure they are guarded. The Bound I¡¯m leaving behind should be perfectly up to the task. I notice the sun coming up, its rays starting to touch the top of the mountain, visible beyond the band of trees which grow above Kalanthia¡¯s cave. From the plateau, I hear the sounds of movement. It¡¯s time to give my final instructions, and then depart on our expedition. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Five: Every Little Helps ¡°Right, you know what to do, then?¡± I ask the group of my Bound staying behind, my question aimed mostly at Hades and Persephone who I¡¯m leaving in charge. Unfortunately, Persephone is within days of laying her eggs, the lumps in her belly now actually visible, so there¡¯s no way I can bring her with me. And of course, where Persephone goes, so does her mate. It¡¯s not all bad: there are a few other Bound who I¡¯m not comfortable taking on this particular expedition, so having two of my most intelligent companions stay with them is probably a good idea. Plus, I don¡¯t want to take the danaris larvae with me, even if I did give in to creating a Dominate Bond with them to keep them out of trouble, so someone needs to keep them fed and under control. And it also means that, for once, the raptorcat cubs don¡¯t need to accompany us into a situation with unforeseeable risk levels; Bastet seemed rather happy with that. The other ones I didn¡¯t want to bring with me are Cery and Neian, the two lizard-deer; Scooter, the tortoise-like herbivore; Rooter, the insectivorous almost-porcupig; and Sailor, the large lizard with a sail which is at least twice his height, sticking out of his back. Due to almost all of them being herbivorous, I judged that the risk of bringing them with me seemed to be higher than the possible benefits that they could bring to the team. Of course, I couldn¡¯t only leave the ones I didn¡¯t want since they¡¯re still going to have to be protected and Persephone is going to have to be fed while she¡¯s guarding her eggs. So, after careful consideration, I¡¯ve also left Artemis, a wolfish Bound a little smaller than Bastet; Bary; and Kanga. I figured that the former two could protect whatever group is going out while Kanga can spot any threat before it has a chance to target them. Hopefully they will all still be present when I come back. Hades and Persephone both confirm that they are prepared so I next look at Kalanthia, standing in the mouth of the cave. I struggled to find the right words; perhaps she realises that as she speaks first. May your hunt be successful, Markus Wolfe, and take good care of my cub. ¡°I will,¡± I say. ¡°I would appreciate if you would keep an eye out for my Bound too, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± I will ensure that the den and its immediate surroundings do not become part of any other predator¡¯s territory, as always. They may bargain with me over other services with Cores that they find, as you do. Good enough, I decide. ¡°Thanks. Goodbye, then ¨C next time you see me, I¡¯ll be the overlord of the lizard-folk¡¯s village,¡± I say with more confidence than I really feel. For their sake, I dearly hope so, Kalanthia says. Lathani looks at me for a moment, her eyes pleading. When I abruptly realise what she¡¯s asking me, I nod at her and she bounds over for a quick nuzzle and final goodbye. While she does that, I give the members of our pack who are staying a last message of good wishes. Then, with a last look over everything, checking for anything I might have forgotten, we depart down the hill. We¡¯re a cavalcade walking down the hill, and this isn¡¯t even all of us: the new samurans along with River and Catch are still in their little camp in the forest. Still, even without them, our party numbers eighteen. When we get to the camp and add in the others, we will have a whopping thirty-four to travel down into the valley ¨C it¡¯ll feel like an army. It does give me hope in our success, that¡¯s for sure. For now, River will remain in charge of his Tier two brethren, and they continue to be in charge of the Unevolved samurans, though not as official ¡®managers¡¯, but just with their usual hierarchical bonds. I would rather have had all of them under one of my trusted Bound¡¯s direct control, but unfortunately with Hades and Persephone staying back, I simply don¡¯t have enough to cover everyone. As soon as we hit the forest line, Bastet moves ahead with her own group of stealthy and predatory Bound, namely Honey, Woozle, Thorn, Marty, and Wolverine. The biggest of the lot is Bastet herself; the smallest, Marty ¨C a shy creature rather similar to a scaled pine marten, hence the name. Their job now, as it will be during the rest of our trip, is to scout the way ahead, checking for threats that might threaten the main part of our group. Sirocco, still the only flying Bound of our group, is charged with ranging further ahead and spotting both issues with our terrain and potential threats. The rest of us are travelling together, though Theia is walking at the back as the rearguard, accompanied by Fenrir and Pride, the spinosaurus-like scalla, as protection. That leaves Shakira, the okapi-like icehal, Demon, the small but vicious daemonosaurus, Louie, the vaguely orangutan-like omnivore, Spine, the kind-of-kentrosaurus carnivore, Lathani, and Trinity, the triceratops. They stick with me in the centre of it all, two of them the slowest of all of my Bound, and the ones who are going to set our pace. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I anticipate it taking at least two days to get down to the forest line, but don¡¯t feel too worried about camping out under the stars: with this many creatures all moving together, I doubt that there will be many who choose to challenge us ¨C and we still haven¡¯t added almost our full number again in samurans. It only takes us a few minutes of walking to find the samuran camp. I connect with River as soon as he comes into range, something that I¡¯m pretty sure has extended just a little since completing the challenge last night. Are you ready to go? I check with him, nervousness making butterflies flutter in my belly. We¡¯re actually doing this. Everything is prepared, River answers promptly. I see that for myself a couple of minutes later when we enter the clearing that they have made. The logs from the trees they cut down have become the roof of the underground shelter that they dug for themselves. Bones are piled in one small area; ashes in the other ¨C River hasn¡¯t wasted any time in communicating the knowledge about fire that I shared with him. I mentally shrug ¨C I knew that once shared, it wouldn¡¯t be long before all of them would know. All I can hope is that I haven¡¯t done the equivalent of teaching people previously only using spears and arrows how to create and use a firearm. The samurans have arranged themselves with Joy and Lee at the front, the other three Warriors behind them, and then the Unevolved finishing up the group. It¡¯s hard to read their expressions, but over the Bonds between me and the front five I can tell that they¡¯re rather conflicted. Understandable, perhaps, since I present both a threat and opportunity for their village. Even if those Bonded through Dominate don¡¯t really have the choice of whether to follow me or not, they still have the freedom to feel as they will. And their feelings have changed a little since that first day. Though I haven¡¯t personally had a lot of contact with them, River has; knowing him, he¡¯s been doing his best to get them to come around. That they seem to have given him, an Unevolved adult, their attention is evidence enough of how their attitudes have changed. I can only hope that we have as much success with the rest of the village. This is probably the time when I should give some awesome inspirational speech, but I don¡¯t have one to give. ¡°Let¡¯s go and deal with the forest of vine-stranglers threatening your village,¡± I say simply instead. ***** The first day of the journey goes surprisingly smoothly. By the time dark has fallen, we¡¯ve found a nice spot to rest for the night. Creating a small shelter for the night for those Bound who would prefer it is simple enough with many hands working. Trees are cut down for the large teepee frame, branches and bushes are collected for the walls, earth is dug to make the floor. Obviously, neither Trinity nor Shakira are going to stay inside with us. Spine is another one whose venom-laced spikes make poor bedfellows. Three are set on watch at all times, keeping an eye in all directions, the large number of us meaning that each only has to stay alert for a relatively short amount of time. The rest all pack into the shelter, a fire at the centre warming the space, its smoke disappearing through the holes at the top where the brush doesn¡¯t cover. With the amount of bodies present, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be getting cold. Bastet¡¯s team of predators spent the time the rest of us were building the shelter in hunting for dinner, and brought enough meat to satisfy the group. I even roasted a couple of haunches ¨C I decided I might as well benefit from the Energy-laced dinner rather than just eating pre-prepared food. I left the hearts for those who had actually done the hunting. Iandee asked to try some of my roasted meat, and surprisingly enjoyed it ¨C neither Catch nor River had. After he¡¯d shown evidence of liking it, the other samurans all tried. It seems to be a bit of a rare taste among them, though: only one other liked the meat cooked, and even then preferred it more bleu than well-done. There was even a Core in one of the creatures: I let Bastet decide which of her team should get it and she chose Honey ¨C apparently the honey-badger-like creature had been the most active in the hunt. River and Fenrir are still absorbing the danaris Core: apparently they feel that it¡¯s important to take their time over it. Since neither of them have any good means of storage, they keep giving it back to me to hold for them and then asking for it at convenient times. I noticed several of the samurans giving River envious looks as he spent some time doing that after supper. And then incredulous ones when he passed it over to the lizog. It¡¯s the new world order, I feel like saying to them, but don¡¯t ¨C it¡¯s more something they¡¯ll have to discover for themselves. After tucking the remains of the carcasses in my Inventory and asking Trinity and Spine to help with digging over the blood-soaked earth, I join the mass of bodies in the shelter. Sure enough, it¡¯s more than sufficiently warm ¨C I end up pulling the fire apart a bit to reduce it. I could use magic, but in this case it¡¯s actually quicker and easier to do it manually: if I¡¯d been trying to make it grow, that would be another question. Lying down with my eyes closed, I find my thoughts going to tomorrow. I¡¯m not heading for the tunnel which leads to the Pure Energy spring ¨C even with Bonds in place I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d trust all of the samurans with that knowledge. Besides, I still don¡¯t know what kind of situation the quest is going to make me deal with, so I¡¯d rather avoid that just for now. Dealing with the vine-stranglers is definitely the priority, especially with only twenty-two days still remaining before the quest becomes due. For that reason, we¡¯re heading for an area which is thick with them. I decided not to go for the narrow bit of the ¡®eye¡¯ but to one of the bulbous bits, a place where it would take more than a day to walk through normally. I¡¯m still not entirely sure that my plan will work, and may need to adapt it. There¡¯s little I can do in the way of preparation, not until I have more information. However, there is one thing which is bound to help me in my future endeavours: gaining more Willpower. To that end, after briefly warning River about what I¡¯m doing, since he¡¯s one of those taking first watch, I sink into my soul space to work on pushing it outwards. As a well-known chain of shops put it: every little helps. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Six: Ever-changing Venom The first indication I have of danger is when alarm spikes through our vanguard¡¯s Bonds. What¡¯s happening? I ask Bastet urgently, speeding up and encouraging the others with me to do the same. Ambush, she replies grimly, with an accompanying still image. The sight makes me suck in a breath. They are being attacked by seven beasts that are far too reminiscent of a komodo dragon to be comfortable. They¡¯re more than three times the length of Bastet and are a little taller, mouths full of sharp-looking teeth. Their heavy and muscular bodies are going to be difficult for the relatively small and light members of the vanguard to land any wounds on at all. Trinity is slower than I would like, and once she builds up steam, it¡¯s also difficult for her to stop or turn. As a result, I leave her and Shakira behind, surging on ahead with the bulk of the samuran Unevolved and all of the Tier two lizard-folk. We explode onto the scene with our weapons bared, but several of the Unevolved samurans flinch back as they see the creatures. Problem? I shoot at River as I move forwards quickly, kindling fire in my hands and shooting it as a thin flame-thrower at the large lizard currently menacing Marty. It flinches back from the attack, but its scales are thick and all I succeed in doing is pulling its attention to me instead. Belatedly, I shoot an Inspect Fauna at it, hoping that it might tell me about some weak points.
Kalestan Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Enhanced rip, Ever-changing venom Health: 2440u Mana: 100u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 65 (69) Open to a Bond: No Impacting factor: Power Running in packs, this creature dominates the upper middle region of the valley, and is only rarely found in areas of low Energy density. This species is feared due to their venomous bites and strategic tactics which spell the end of the majority of their targets. Displaced, this group is searching for another territory.
Close message? Y/N
Looks like there aren¡¯t any obvious weak points, I think grimly, quickly dismissing the box as I see the movement rapidly approaching through it. The kalestan snaps at me and I deftly avoid it, my mind working busily. I need more distance in this situation. ¡°Lee, take over,¡± I snap at him and he appears before I have to do more than dodge two more attempts at strikes. Then the kalestan has more to worry about. Backing up, I leap on top of a rock to the side of the action, getting me a little bit higher. The kalestans have strategically divided the vanguard away from the rest of us and three are now facing four of them. Bastet is off to one side with a kalastan attacking her ¨C fortunately her barding seems to be helping to confuse the creature as it keeps snapping at the cloth rather than her body. Marty is also off to the side but fortunately doesn¡¯t have anything actually attacking her. The other three kalestans are all now facing the bulk of the samurans, who have bunched up together with only Lee being separate, facing one by himself. I feel an unusual level of fear coming from the group of samurans, and they certainly aren¡¯t the usual tough, fierce warriors which I¡¯m used to. Even the Warriors seem reluctant to engage, with Joy tucked in the centre of the group. What¡¯s the problem? I ask River again, who is circling the group to go back up Bastet. Their bites are notorious for being killers even if you survive the attack, River answers a little tersely. We avoid them wherever possible. I have healing magic, I remind him. I know. They don¡¯t, he pointed out, referring to his brethren. Well, arguably, they do know, but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they wouldn¡¯t trust that in the middle of a battle. But I¡¯m determined not to lose someone because of their fear. Honey, Woozle, Marty, Wolverine, Thorn, Bastet, evasive manoeuvres, I snap at them. Avoid the trap and join the rest of us as soon and as safely as you can. Extra points if you can get them to group up a bit as you move. Samurans, I want them grouped, not spread out. I can heal you if you¡¯re hurt; get them in the centre. I send a thought back to another creature who¡¯s quickly approaching. Trinity, full speed towards me. My Bound follow my orders with gratifying alacrity. The members of the vanguard evade their pursuers. Marty and Woozle go straight up trees and into the branches above. Wolverine and Bastet instead circle around the kalestan group, Bastet almost running into River in the process. Thorn and Honey, with their characteristic ornery attitudes, actually go straight through the group. Their actions are appreciated as it turns three more of the kalestans around, bunching up with the other three already attacking the group of samurans. The temerity of my Bound in daring to defend themselves apparently attracts the undivided attention of the komodo dragon type creatures. They don¡¯t get through unscathed though, and I see several wounds bleeding on each of them as they make it through the line of spear-wielding Warriors and Unevolved samurans. Of course, with Thorn¡¯s protective bone protrusions, the kalestans pay in blood for their attacks too. Lee, retreat into the group, I order him and he immediately obeys. With that, the seven kalestans are as bunched up as we¡¯re likely to get them. Joy, weave them into place, then everyone back away as quickly as possible. Make sure there¡¯s a clear path through from the direction we came in. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I watch closely as they obey. Joy weaves the roots and branches beneath the kalestans¡¯ feet, the creatures hissing and trying their best to move as they see their prey backing away from them. Their strength breaks through the bindings again and again, but every time they succeed in freeing one foot, she snags another. The Pathwalker¡¯s face is a mask of concentration and I sense her strength flagging as she expends herself on growing and replacing her bindings, but she¡¯s having the effect I need and her job will be done shortly. However, with as much as she needs to concentrate, she¡¯s just standing there, the four Warriors sticking around to defend her, even as the others have followed my instructions to back away. And that¡¯s a problem. Lee, Murmur, just pick her up and get her out of there, I order, my ears now telling me what the Bond has also indicated. They obey, but only just in time. Iandee actually gets clipped as the juggernaut of Trinity brushes past him, the momentum of her passage sending him flying forwards. The rhino-sized triceratops slams into the lizards which stand waist-high on me. Her head is lowered, her horns angled downwards to catch the kalestans which are only just tall enough to brush the bottom of her throat in a normal situation. I have a moment where I fear that she might catch the tips of her horns in them and end up accidentally breaking her own neck. A moment later, I realise I shouldn¡¯t have worried. Evidently, her neck is powerful enough to cope with the impact as a kalestan actually becomes impaled on her horns and wrenched into the air, the bindings around its feet disintegrating into pieces. Trinity roars, the low boom of her cry rattling through my chest. She soon breaks through the group of kalestans, her head still decorated with the carcass of one of them. Behind her is a blood-drenched path, littered with the flesh of those who stood in her way. Skidding to a halt, she shakes her head irritatedly, the carcass of the still-living kalestan evidently unwanted. Go help her, I instruct two of the Unevolved samurans. They shoot a look at me, fear coming through the Bond. I don¡¯t blame them, but need them to do what I¡¯ve asked. Go on, she won¡¯t hurt you, I try to reassure them. They obey, a bit reluctantly, but they go, which is the most important thing. Trinity, two samurans are coming to help you get rid of that carcass, I send to her, just in case she mistakes them for enemies ¨C her vision isn¡¯t all that great, so it¡¯s possible. That sorted, I turn my attention back to the battle ¨C or the remains of it, anyway. Without me needing to direct them, River and Lee have urged the rest of the samurans forward to deal with the kalestans which survived Trinity¡¯s rampage. Which, actually, is most of them. Three were out of her path entirely and haven¡¯t suffered much more than shock and minor injuries. Two more are injured to a greater or lesser degree. One is nothing more than pulp on the ground, and the last is still attached to Trinity for now. Keep the biggest one alive, I tell River since he¡¯s the closest to it and he sends me a sense of acknowledgement. Summoning Honey and Thorn over, I start working on dealing with their wounds. I quickly understand why the kalestans are so feared by the samurans, and what it means by ¡®Ever-changing venom¡¯. I¡¯d taken opportunities where I could to check out the other kalestans with Inspect Fauna and seen that apart from small variations on health points, and number of points required for Willpower, all of the members of this band seemed pretty identical. Ever-changing venom appears to be a venom which keeps changing what it attacks. For a short time, it¡¯s a hemotoxin, increasing blood loss and reducing clotting. Then it becomes a necrotoxin, destroying the cells around where it is. Then it¡¯s a myotoxin, attacking the muscles. Then it becomes something different. No pattern, no way of predicting what it will do. And also, I suspect, an absolute nightmare to try to create an antidote or treatment for. In the end, all I can do is force the venom to exit the body and then heal the damage which it caused. While I do that, I keep an eye on the battle, my improved capabilities with Flesh-Shaping and Energy-Manipulation allowing me to heal while not being completely unaware of my surroundings. Once they¡¯re healed, Thorn and Honey both join the battle, eager to express their dissatisfaction with the creatures which hurt them. One by one, the kalestans are whittled down to just the one which River is keeping occupied. I see the increased confidence in the samurans, especially when the first healthy one is taken down: the bogeyman has been proven to be mortal and their numbers great enough to kill it. I only notice a couple of injuries, and mostly because the samurans become too overconfident. They calm down once they realise that, though I can heal them, it hurts. When Lee and his band move to kill it after dropping the other two healthy ones, River stops them, indicating that it¡¯s at my instruction. Seeing that as my cue, I cast a last look around the area, then jump down when I see no further threat. ¡°Keep an eye for other predators or scavengers which might be attracted by the fight,¡± I instruct all and sundry, walking over to the injured and angry kalestan which is now surrounded by a wall of spears. It¡¯s not attacking right now, but seems to just be looking for an opportunity. So, too, do I see an opportunity. I gained another point in Willpower last night after I emptied my health pool again to push my soul outwards just a little more. That one point turned into two thanks to the twenty-seven percent extra I gain in that stat. Though I¡¯m aware I¡¯m going to need to use Dominate plenty in the samuran village, I figure that showing I control a creature they fear so much can only help my cause. I use Inspect Fauna again on it.
Kalestan Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Enhanced rip, Ever-changing venom Health: 2860u Mana: 140u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 69 (41) Open to a Bond: Yes Impacting factor: Power Running in packs, this creature dominates the upper middle region of the valley, and is only rarely found in areas of low Energy density. This species is feared due to their venomous bites and strategic tactics which spell the end of the majority of their targets. Displaced, this individual is searching for another territory.
Close message? Y/N
Little is different from the other kalestans. Its health is the highest I¡¯ve seen, as is its mana. The required Willpower to Dominate in normal conditions is higher than the others had been. However, with its injured and cornered state, the current Willpower required is a lot lower, and well within my limits considering that my Willpower is currently sitting at seventy-two effective points. Actually, though it wasn¡¯t something I was able to do more than briefly note at the time, I noticed that when I Inspected the first kalestan, the recommended Willpower for the situation at that time was actually higher than its usual Willpower; I can only guess that that was because it felt it had the upper hand. This one, obviously, has no such delusion. Interestingly, it actually shows that it¡¯s open to a Tame Bond ¨C perhaps it¡¯s realised that it has no chance of survival. I don¡¯t find myself particularly keen on that idea, though ¨C it¡¯s attacked us and proven itself to be a threat. Like with the Warriors, I don¡¯t really want to give it the chance to become one a second time. No, I¡¯m going to give it the chance to live, more than I¡¯d give it if I didn¡¯t have the ability to use Dominate. If it would rather die, that¡¯s its choice; from the look on multiple faces around me and the feelings rippling down my Bonds, I suspect that plenty of the samurans in particular would be happy with that option. Putting those thoughts out of my head for now, I approach the creature. Meeting eyes, I trigger the Battle of Wills. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Light Is Fading With one more Bound added to the list, we keep going. Though there are a couple of other tentative attacks on one or more of the vanguard members, the moment the rest of us appear on the scene, the creature disappears as quickly as possible. That¡¯s if it¡¯s successful in evading all of the reinforcements, of course. And assuming it doesn¡¯t get killed by the other members of the vanguard too. By the end of the day, my Energy to the next level has increased by fourteen percent, bringing me to sixty-five percent progress to level fifteen. That¡¯s from a combination of the various creatures killed and the increasing Energy absorption rate which, by this point, is just shy of a hundred units per hour. It just proves how much my increased Wisdom is affecting Energy absorption. Or perhaps the Pure Energy in the centre is emitting more Energy than before ¨C I have no way of knowing. As the light is fading, we come into view of the Forest of Death. We¡¯ve made good time, even with the fight with the kalestans, but that¡¯s not the only reason why we¡¯re seeing the vine-stranglers half a day sooner than before: they¡¯ve expanded. ¡°How close was the line of the carnivorous trees to your village when you left?¡± I ask Joy, summoning her closer as we pause next to a clear pool of water. It¡¯s an off-shoot from the river, and returns to it later, but in the meantime has created a small pond, complete with glinting silver fish. The Pathwalker moves to my side, also eyeing the trees with worried orange-yellow spikes. A little closer than when Runs-with-the-river left, but not much. They were not this far up the valley either, though: we passed through this area when searching for his tracks and stopped at this pool. I nod, my suspicions confirmed. I can only hope that the village hasn¡¯t yet been engulfed, though I suppose it would solve some issues if it had. Then again, it would cause others at the same time so it¡¯s six of one and half a dozen of the other, really. Even if the light is fading, it looks like it¡¯s too urgent to leave this to the morning. However, we have been running all day, and have engaged in fighting too. Everyone is tired, including me. ¡°River, make camp here. Bastet, have your group rest. Theia, Louis, Spine, take first watch. Otherwise, eat and rest for now.¡± After giving my brisk instructions, I close my eyes, concentrating on reaching out to Sirocco, asking her to return. I wish I could make more detailed contact with her but vague ideas are my limit at the moment considering her range. Then, following my own advice, I pull out some food and take a seat on a nearby log. I watch as the samurans work efficiently, creating much the same shelter as yesterday. It¡¯s a quickly accomplished task which ends up being half underground, half a sort of teepee above ground. Though it¡¯s the Unevolved who do most of the digging, they all pitch in. The strength-focussed Warriors concentrate on cutting the wooden supports for the teepee and also clearing the area of trees and bushes. Joy¡¯s weaving abilities certainly come in handy with making the shelter as water and wind-proof as possible. Frankly, I¡¯d just get in the way of their smooth process. There¡¯s a small pile of bodies in the middle of the camp, the carcasses of creatures that we¡¯ve killed throughout the day and then hauled with us. Several of my Bound are tucking into them, with the herbivores instead munching plants and trees around our little campsite. The areas the Warriors cleared are popular feeding spots. Bastet¡¯s group are among the creatures feeding, looking very fatigued. It¡¯s not surprising: they¡¯ve taken the brunt of the attacks for one thing, and have also used a lot of energy in running backwards and forwards, scouting the area around where the bulk of our group would be travelling. River is in the centre, making a fire which I¡¯m glad to see ¨C I¡¯m definitely going to want to boil this water. It¡¯s more stagnant than the river normally is, so, even if it looks fairly clear, I don¡¯t want to drink it directly. Sliding off the log, I fill my wok with water from the pond and place it next to the fire ¨C like old times. It will take a while for the metal to transfer enough heat into the water for it to boil so I settle down next to it, closing my eyes. Trusting my Bound to protect me and themselves for now, I drop into Medium Meditation. It''s partly for rest purposes, partly for Energy gain, and partly for something else. The thing is that I¡¯m feeling rather nervous at this point. I¡¯ve been doing little bits of practice with both Fire-Shaping and Fire-Taming whenever I¡¯ve found a moment. Both of them are now sitting at the cusp of Novice, though they haven¡¯t yet broken through from Beginner nine. But that¡¯s the thing: they¡¯re both still Beginner tier. I¡¯m about to try to use them to defeat a massive forest of trees which are particularly vulnerable to fire. And that would be far easier if I didn¡¯t want to avoid burning down all other parts of the forest along with the vine-stranglers. Creating a fire is easy enough; controlling it is another question, especially something as powerful as the inferno I¡¯m likely to create here. Sure, I could burn the trees one by one, make a path through the forest easily enough. But that¡¯s not really feasible: the forest is growing far too fast for such a measure to work. And sure, I could have others set fire to different parts of the forest: Bastet has her Firebreath, as does everyone else with sufficient mana if I get them to use the group perk I earned when Tame ranked up. But as I considered before, starting the fire isn¡¯t the issue ¨C it¡¯s the control. Plus, there are other concerns here. Creating a fire isn¡¯t only about the fire. More deaths occur due to smoke inhalation than by burning in house fires. I don¡¯t have control over air; neither do any of my Bound. Well, not proper control: again, using the once a day perk, all of my followers could technically cast Airblade once. I did test it yesterday and Bastet was able to do it even though neither of the kiina are with us, proving that it¡¯s not limited by distance in any way. However, that¡¯s only once per day; not enough to offer proper smoke control. Another option to reduce smoke is to make the fire burn hot enough to fully combust the materials it¡¯s burning. But fire that hot brings other complications with it, namely how close I can stand to the source. As I can see from even my little campfire here, my water is starting to boil despite only actually sitting next to the fire. A fire that¡¯s bigger and hotter than this? I¡¯m not going to be able to be anywhere near. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Which is a problem because my control range is limited and even practice hasn¡¯t extended it much. That will probably come at higher levels, but again, both my Fire control Skills are only Beginner still. I find it difficult to maintain Medium Meditation, rising to Light Meditation level and opening my eyes. By this point, I¡¯ve used Light Meditation so much that it¡¯s basically become a passive, enhancing the clarity of my thoughts a little, and my Energy absorption by different percentages depending on how much I¡¯m moving and focussing on something else. Staring into the fire, I hold my hand out. I feel the fire¡¯s heat; the sight of invisible connections overlaying my vision of physical reality ¨C practice apparently makes perfect when it comes to that. I gaze at the tendrils eagerly seeking my hand. I know that I could easily make a connection with the fire, taming it. But that¡¯s not exactly what I¡¯m seeking right now. I remember when I was experimenting with fire, I think before I even gained Fire-Taming. Or maybe after Fire-Taming but before Fire-Shaping. It was when I almost lost sense of myself, when I woke up having crawled into the fire. I¡¯m not aiming to lose control of myself again, quite the opposite. However, in that state, I was the fire, and the fire was me, and the fire could not damage me because it would be like a flame burning another flame. That¡¯s what I want; what I need. But how? Sirocco¡¯s arrival jolts me from my thoughts and I flinch back from the fire as my hand ventures just a little too close, the burn a sharp pain that engages my reflexes. ¡°How was your scouting? What did you see?¡± I ask the bird. She sends me a sense of discomfort, then her memories of what she saw. Instead of trying to focus on them like that, I switch to looking at my Map. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t update automatically with what my Bound can see. Fortunately, it does accept the transferred memories of my Bound as my own memories. As a result, it now reflects Sirocco¡¯s observations. For a moment, it¡¯s hard for me to work out exactly what I¡¯m seeing, and then I spot the river. My heart thumps suddenly in my chest, the bottom dropping out of my stomach. It¡¯s the Forest of Death. But so much bigger. There¡¯s no ¡®pupil¡¯ in the centre of the ¡®eye¡¯ now: clearly without the salamander present, the trees have repopulated the area around the entrance to the Pure Energy cave. Looking northwards, I realise that the trees are almost at the other entrance to that tunnel, the place where we exited; when we left, there hadn¡¯t been any vine-stranglers in sight. Where before the forest had only stretched out to touch one bend of the river, it has now engulfed that area completely. It has extended out in all directions though not completely evenly. I actually spot the samuran village ¨C right on the edge of the vine-stranglers. No, not on the edge, but slightly into the forest itself. Confusion runs through me as I focus on that little circular clearing. The trees should have almost consumed the village as the edge has advanced almost past it, but instead there is a ring of normal forest forming a horseshoe of protection. The lizard-folk still have a narrow neck of non-carnivorous trees down-valley, but they must fear being cut off any day now. Truly, there¡¯s no time to waste. We need to get through to them as soon as possible. But that doesn¡¯t mean leaping to action right this minute and running around like headless chickens. The situation of the samurans is dire, but it¡¯s not yet hopeless. Though they are probably hard pressed, it¡¯s still a better reality than the one I was fearing when I saw just how much the trees had expanded: that they would be completely gone, the village merely absorbed into the body of the vine-strangler forest. Closing my eyes, I drop back into Medium Meditation to work on a plan. When I open my eyes again, the light has almost completely faded, but I have an idea of what to do. ¡°River, come here, please,¡± I say quietly. He hears nonetheless and quickly comes to crouch next to me. Master? How much do you trust the other samurans in this group? I ask him, sending it as a private message. Confusion comes through the link from him. I do not understand. Do you trust them to follow your orders no matter the situation? Not to stab you in the back as soon as they gain any control or support? He thinks about the situation carefully. I wait as patiently as I can: this is important. The other samurans have seen wonders. They have seen the power of controlled fire; they have felt the benefits of your Flesh-shaping. The other Unevolved in particular are pleased with having full bellies every day for the first time in their lives and are willing to show their appreciation by doing what I ask. And the Pathwalker? The Warriors? I knew that the Unevolved should prefer our way of doing things to that of the village; it¡¯s a different question to ask about those who had been benefiting from the system. River pauses for a moment. Joy is curious. She sees in me one more powerful than I should be considering my Unevolved nature. She sees in your other Bound power she has never experienced before in the village. She wishes to know more of our secrets more than she wishes to return to the way things were, I believe. The Warriors though¡­ He sighs. They are held mostly by the fact that you have beaten them, and that you have appointed me as your representative. Apart from Iandee who I succeeded in defeating in battle, I have not won their respect of my own merit. Would they betray you? I ask urgently. I do not know, he admitted. Lee is not the strongest of the Warriors from my village, so if he was ordered by the leader of them to attack me? I do not know what Lee would choose. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but not terribly surprising either. I nod slowly. ¡°Alright. This is what I want you to do.¡± Without any further procrastination, I tell him all about the situation and the role I wish him to play. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Eight: Consume It¡¯s full dark. The only light is cast by the moon filtering through the leaves and branches above us and the torch I¡¯m holding. Butterflies are fluttering in my stomach and my mouth is going dry. This is it: the big one. The one I¡¯ve been waiting and preparing for since returning from this area in the first place. And there¡¯s so much that could go wrong. Soft feathers brush past me on one side and soft fur on the other. I send appreciation down the Bonds to Bastet and Lathani for their non-verbal support. Lathani has been surprisingly well-behaved over the last couple of days ¨C I¡¯ve barely even noticed she¡¯s been present. She¡¯s been walking with me but I¡¯ve hardly seen her. I¡¯m wondering if she has some sort of innate stealth abilities because she seems to just¡­vanish. From sight and mind. Then I realise that I¡¯m trying to divert my mind away from the task at hand and quickly return my thoughts to it. We¡¯re quickly approaching the tree line. By we, I unfortunately am not including River. He¡¯s currently back at the camp with the majority of my Bound, though he won¡¯t be staying there for long. Instead, he and most of the samurans will soon set off to circle the edge of the vine-stranglers and try to get back to their village before it¡¯s completely cut off. Right now, they are resting for a bit in preparation since once they get going, they won¡¯t be stopping until they¡¯re back at the village. It will be a hard slog, but while samurans aren¡¯t necessarily the fastest of my Bound, they¡¯re certainly able to endure; I¡¯ve seen that much from how they can travel a whole day and then create a camp in less than an hour. Not to mention from Catch¡¯s capacity to survive. Going with River are all the Unevolved samurans from the hunting party, Joy the Pathwalker, and two of the Warriors. Wary of betrayal, we still decided that Lee should go with the party as his word will hold the most weight with the other Warriors back at the village. Though this also means he¡¯s the most potentially dangerous one to send with the group, hopefully my focus on giving River as much control of the Bonds as I have will mean that he¡¯s able to stop Lee in his tracks if he tries anything. I¡¯ve kept two of the Warriors: Murmur who seems to be the strong but silent type, though I¡¯ve noticed that even Lee and Joy listen when he does decide to say something; and Iandee, who is the absolute opposite, nattering on about all and sundry. I¡¯m actually tuning out what he¡¯s saying now ¨C some sort of story about the last time he saw the Forest of Death. Since Bastet is already occupied with her five, I¡¯ve put the two Warriors under the control of Catch: though I haven¡¯t known him for much longer than I¡¯ve known them, I¡¯m almost certain that he¡¯s not likely to betray me. Not after how he committed himself to me. Finally, Fenrir is back at the camp with the rest of the group, the ones who are neither quick nor would offer me much protection if something tries to attack me while I¡¯m concentrating on the fire. That would not be good. I would rather have one of my Tier two Bound with that group, but the kiinas aren¡¯t here so I¡¯ve got to hope that Fenrir¡¯s up to it. We stop. We¡¯re here. The closest vine-strangler sits just a couple of metres in front of me. Its branches shift slightly, ominous creaking coming from wood rubbing against wood. The last one only started stabbing at us when we were trapped within its cage, but that doesn¡¯t mean this one is willing to wait that long. ¡°Be prepared for if it attacks us,¡± I warn my followers. ¡°Don¡¯t focus on destroying the wooden spears; just focus on deflecting them.¡± Agreement and acknowledgement comes in various forms from all those surrounding me. I can already see other baby vine-stranglers pushing their way out of the ground. In the time it takes me to look from the sapling to the fully grown tree, I¡¯m sure that the sapling puts on a few more centimetres. Then again, given as much ground as they¡¯ve covered in the last four weeks, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that they¡¯re literally growing before my eyes. But now is not the time for distraction. I close my eyes and drop as deeply into Light Meditation as I can. My body feels slightly disconnected from me, the nervous chemicals rushing through my bloodstream having minimal effect on my thoughts now. It¡¯s almost into Medium Meditation but I do maintain some connection to the external. With my vision of connections, I see the vine-strangler forest once more. As I once thought, there is so much more here than I could see before. The trees are connected inextricably to each other and to everything around. The ground, yes, but also the air. They¡¯re even feeding off the Energy of everything that lives within their domain ¨C parasites, or perhaps symbiotes since they do offer a certain degree of refuge to those they don¡¯t try to kill. As I gaze at the trees, I realise something else: what I thought was a forest of trees isn¡¯t that at all. It¡¯s a single, vast organism. Like that massive fungi network which stretches across most of North America, except this one is populating every inch with its own roots and its own saplings. If I¡¯m going to succeed here, I¡¯m going to have to burn it out underground just as much as I burn it overground. However, one thought does occur. If it¡¯s a single organism, can I convince it to back off? To absorb its own trees and give up the ground it¡¯s taken? It¡¯s proven itself able to recognise a threat in the salamander and be able to shift its limbs to force us to face the fire-using creature when we travelled through the forest last time. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. In a last ditch attempt to resolve this a different way, I reach out to the network of connections. I send it impressions of my thoughts, the desire not to create conflict where conflict is not necessary, the fire that I can bring to bear if it does not yield. For a long moment it is silent. I think that perhaps it hasn¡¯t heard me; that I am too small for it to take notice. Then it responds, and its answer makes me clench my jaw in anger. Contempt. It does not believe a little creature like me could do anything. It sees me as another salamander ¨C annoying, but not ultimately damaging. Well, if that¡¯s how you want to play it, then fine by me, I send back to it, not really caring whether it hears me or not. My anger making the butterflies vanish, I send a good ball of mana down my connection and make it pool in my palm at the end of my bent finger. Setting light to it, I focus on the fire not hurting my hand: I¡¯ve managed to do that much. Then, moving my hand, I touch the top of the baby vine-strangler with the ball. It immediately bursts into flames and we all have to take a step back from the heat. Focussing on the fire, I have it burn hotly and thoroughly consume the wood, producing little smoke. The tree burns to the ground quickly ¨C it started off only reaching my waist anyway. The fire descends down the trunk like it¡¯s burning a stick of incense, only ash remaining. Then it reaches the ground and starts licking at the dead branches and leaves lying around the base of the tree. With an effort, I control the fire and send it down into the ground. It doesn¡¯t like that. The ground is slightly damp and has no oxygen within it. But this isn¡¯t just an ordinary fire: it¡¯s a fire connected to me ¨C and my mana. As it turns out, magic can replace any of the elements of the fire-triangle, or all of them. Though it consumes more mana than I¡¯d like, the fire follows the tracery of roots through the underground world, burning out the organism¡¯s foothold in this area. Under my guidance, it follows them back to the body of the vine-strangler network and three trees start smouldering at their base. It¡¯s harder to keep my focus on all three fires at once. My attention jumps from one to the other, fanning the flames, encouraging them to burn. The vine-stranglers writhe, and the closest starts sending spears at us. Bastet takes on the first, demonstrating exactly what to do to the rest. I¡¯m not able to pay much attention to them, but I see it when the lizard-folk start joining in, as do Lathani and Wolverine. The rest of Bastet¡¯s group probably aren¡¯t suited to the activity so I imagine they remain watching for attacks from other creatures instead. But I dare not look away from the fires to check. The fire is starting to take a hold. It¡¯s burning brighter and hotter by itself, little mana needed from me to do so. It still needs encouragement and support in entering the underground root network, but it¡¯s happy and eager to consume the flammable wood above ground. Too eager, perhaps: the fire consuming a branch ends up crossing the distance to another tree, setting light to that one too. While trying to wrestle back control of the fire in that area, I take my eye off another of the trees. When I next look back at it, I see that that one has set two other fires ablaze! Fear creeps into my belly and I step forward almost unconsciously, desperately trying to grab control of the fire which I have created, the fire which threatens to rage throughout the forest without my hand on the reins. But every attempt of mine to bring it back under control only sees it slipping further. It¡¯s like a child, gleefully playing keepaway, darting around the other side of the table every time I try to grab it. Five trees turns into seven, into ten. They are incredibly vulnerable to fire and the flames I have created take full advantage of that. Even the air around me is changing, a breeze being caused by the hungry fire sucking in more and more oxygen to feed its growth. My forehead is sweaty, my skin clammy despite the heat. My eyes are wide in horror as I imagine the fire raging into an inferno, animals trapped within the flames, River cooking in his scales, Bastet, Lathani, Fenrir¡­all of them being unable to escape, as close to the fire as they are now. No. No! I take a step back ¨C mentally rather than literally ¨C and pull on the peace of Meditation to calm my mind and my emotions. Fear makes people act stupidly, and right now, I¡¯m panicking. Breathing deeply, I reach out to the fire. It hasn¡¯t escaped my control; it¡¯s just being like an excitable child. Or no, perhaps part of the issue is my imagery. Likening it to a child makes it other. If I was using Fire-Taming, perhaps that would be useful. But I¡¯m not ¨C I¡¯m using Fire-Shaping. This fire is not other, it is a part of me. In that state of calm meditation, I find myself managing to grasp the same thoughts which I experienced once before, only this time I am in control of them. The fire is my mana, my mana is the fire. It came from me, and it is mine. Much as my armour is me, and my undershirt is me. They are filled with my mana and they are mine. I do not fear that my armour will fail to stand between me and an attack; I do not imagine that my boots will walk off without me. Nor that my undershirt will constrict me in my sleep. Why then do I fear my fire? It¡¯s like an epiphany hits me. The hours of staring into the heart of the fire, of interacting with it, exploring it, using it, playing with it, admiring it, they all merge into one understanding. I breathe in and the fire sucks in oxygen. I exhale and the fire grows. I feel each flicker of flame as if they are hairs on my body. Almost in a trance, I step forwards, into the fire. I keep walking until I¡¯m at the heart of the flames immolating the trees. I feel the heat; it does not burn me. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Light Which Burns Bastet watches as her packleader walks into the light-which-burns. Even this far away, her feathers curl slightly at the heat it¡¯s producing. Packmate Marty makes a quiet sound and shifts in worry. Bastet sends her a feeling of calm, of patience. Though packleader doesn¡¯t always know what he¡¯s doing, he certainly seemed to this time. Looking up, she sees that the two of Packmate River¡¯s kin who accompanied their pack are staring at the flames, their eyes wide and panicked, their muscles restless. They might run at any moment. Bastet grunts and her pack shifts accordingly to block off the escape routes of the taller creatures. The leader looks around her pack in satisfaction: they might not be her kind ¨C those her pack leader calls ¡®raptorcats¡¯ ¨C but they are good team-mates. Bastet might have taken inspiration from the ¡®spars¡¯ and set up a number of exercises to help her group become more accustomed to working together. Cubs learn it when they are small; just because these are no longer cubs does not mean that they cannot learn the same lessons. Bastet recognised that for herself after her body changed and elder Kalanthia reprimanded her. Rightly so. Settling back down, the raptorcat looks into the fire carefully, trying to catch a glimpse of the tall creature who leads her pack. There. The fire thins enough to show the shadow of a bipedal figure. Then the fire closes in again and he is gone. Bastet feels a hint of relief. Even if she was confident that he would be well, it¡¯s good to have confirmation. She watches as the burning-light grows bigger and bigger, its tongues licking hungrily at the hunter-trees in an expanding ring ¨C yet only them. There is the sense of intense concentration across the link, of focus that must not be disturbed. Bastet shifts a little: she is concerned that there might be an attack. While most creatures should be running away from the dangerous heat, there is no guarantee that a panic-stricken beast might not charge straight through its centre. Yet if she and her group step forwards, they would be immolated like the trees themselves. So she waits. The fire continues to build. A great wind ruffles the branches of the trees near them, the flames before them sucking eagerly at the air. And then, suddenly, a feeling of summons. A beckoning from her packleader. Towards the tongues-which-bite. For a moment, Bastet finds herself feeling doubt. Towards the light-which-burns? And not even to follow from a distance, but to enter the roaring-beast itself? Yet she trusts the packleader to keep them safe. Standing, she orders her pack to gather up, and to walk forwards. As she trusts the packleader, they trust her and obey, despite the fear running through them. The two of Packmate River¡¯s kin are reluctant, but Packmate Thorn¡¯s boney spikes and Packmate Honey¡¯s growls get them moving forwards, their claws tight around their long sticks. Pace by pace they step closer to the flickering tongues. The heat builds more and more, yet it never reaches the point of singing scales or feathers or fur. The black dust which remains in the wake of the burning-light¡¯s path coats their feet in warmth, but does not sear their flesh. Fear and dread of being eaten away, until they too turn into black dust, turns into wonder as they step through a world which has been reduced to black, white, and different shades of orange. Bastet keeps her gaze ahead, eyes fixed on the hazy figure which gains more definition with every step. Finally, they make it to the side of the packleader. His eyes are distant, his concentration so much that he doesn¡¯t even greet them. However, the fact that the flames do not swoop in to consume them must mean that a part of him knows they are there. Bastet calls a halt among the other packmembers. They are here to protect from anything that might have survived the fire, not to be completely distracted by their surroundings that they almost bump into him. She has to remind one of Packmate River¡¯s kin that as he stumbles over a rock and almost careens into their pack leader. He will not soon forget the feel of her teeth sinking into his scales and dragging him backwards. Giving out the instructions, they settle into the task. They move forwards at a slow rate, cool air swirling around them from somewhere beyond the flickering light and allowing them to breathe without inhaling smoke or ash. Bastet cannot say how long it has been since they entered the domain of the burning hunter-trees: it has been both long and short. All she knows is that something has changed. Packleader¡¯s focus has shifted. She sends a warning to the rest of the Bound: be ready. ***** Please, I hear, whispered on the wind. It¡¯s almost more concentration than I can spare to listen to it. The fire rages and the delicate balance I have between losing myself to the fire and losing control of it is on a knife¡¯s edge. It¡¯s like I¡¯m on a tightrope which keeps getting thinner the more the fire grows. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I feel every tree that it eagerly bites into, three turning into ten, turning into fifty, to hundreds, even thousands. I also feel the innumerable other lives the fire has taken ¨C I¡¯ve taken. Animals too slow or too close to flee, insects, fungi, birds, other plants, even a few of those mimic-creatures. I¡¯m not at all regretful about those, though I do feel a faint twinge of it about the others. I¡¯m too at one with the fire to feel more than that. For now. Fortunately, thanks to my epiphany, I¡¯ve also managed to work out how to transform fire magic back into my own mana. Given that the fire seems to generate its own magic by burning things, it¡¯s an exothermic reaction which keeps feeding me what I need to maintain my control. But that doesn¡¯t make it easy. Another plus: I¡¯ve succeeded in working out how to control the fire and heat around my Bound, giving them a path through the raging inferno to follow me. Working out how to give them sufficient oxygen to breathe while the fire greedily sucks at any that it could reach was another challenge, but by keeping the area above them flameless, I¡¯m able to indirectly control the draught¡¯s direction and make sure that they get it first. I only managed that because they joined me fairly early on when the fire hadn¡¯t stretched as far, when I¡¯d had more concentration available for experimenting. Now, the fire is happy to respect my wishes ¨C as long as I continue helping it to grow. Stopping it will be a different question, but since my epiphany, I no longer have any doubt that I will be able to do so; I just know that it will be hard, perhaps the hardest thing I¡¯ve ever done. Please, stop, I hear the voice say again. ¡°Stop what?¡± I croak, my voice surprising me with the way it cracks, my lips painful. Liquid trickles from them and I taste blood. I swallow dryly and fight back the urge to cough, suddenly becoming aware of how utterly parched I am. I ignore it: as long as I¡¯m alive, I should be able to fix any of these things with Flesh-Shaping. If I switch my focus now to heal myself, I might easily lose control of the flames and then I won¡¯t be alive. I was on the verge of losing it a moment ago when I spoke, the concentration required to form words almost more than I could cope with. You are hurting me, burning me, the voice implores. I can barely spare it any of my attention, but what I can dedicate to the task tells me that something about it feels familiar. That, added to its words, tells me exactly who, or what, I¡¯m speaking too. Why should I? I ask mentally. If it can project to me, surely it can hear me in return. And I really can¡¯t afford to keep speaking. Why do you hurt me? It sounds bewildered, but I have no sympathy to spare. How can you hurt me? I am legion. You threaten those under my protection. And I don¡¯t want a carnivorous forest in my backyard, I grit out. The line of fire stretches even further. Abruptly, I feel that the next tree to burn is different. It¡¯s not so flammable, not connected by its roots. With a force of will, I prevent those flames from licking forwards. Instead, I spread them a little further in both directions sideways. I¡¯ve reached the other side of the forest? Already? I do not wish to be consumed, the forest tells me plaintively. Can we not make a bargain? I inhale and the flames pull more oxygen. I exhale and they spread wider. Another line of trees falls victim to my advance. Yet part of me is intrigued. What do you propose? I will not threaten those under your protection; you leave me to grow as I will, the forest suggests eagerly. I shake my head, the desiccated skin on my neck tearing a little with my movement. You threaten us with your presence. I don¡¯t have the focus to explain, but shove vague memories of beasts appearing where they shouldn¡¯t have been, driven out by the forest from their usual hunting grounds. Confine yourself to a small area, and I will let you live. Confine myself?! the forest booms, and through the flames, I feel those I have only recently touched sway and shoot spears in all directions in its fury. It¡¯s far away from where my physical body is so I am unaffected. Never! I mentally shrug and return to focussing on the fire. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. The forest falls before my advance. I reach the point where I feel like I¡¯m extended to my uttermost, that the next tree will be the last before I lose. And then I¡¯m past that point, yet I remain. It¡¯s almost like a second wind, like the feeling after having pushed myself to what I thought were my limits in lifting weights and running, only to find that I actually have more to give. That there¡¯s another world beyond the horizon. The tightrope has not got any wider; the fire has not become more tame. I just suddenly realise that I¡¯m not going to fall, not going to fail. Confidence fills me and I lose some sense of my body as my mind soars through the inferno. But not like before. I still know who I am; I still know I am me. But Me is Fire, and Fire is Me and I understand that like never before. The flames ripple out, covering new ground faster than ever. They travel through the root network, leap across the gaps to grab the branches. The trees try to pull apart, try to create gaps that the fire cannot span. But they cannot completely detach themselves from the root network. Even a single root is enough to allow a spark to travel through and, fed by my mana, recreate the inferno. And the mana used to feed that spark is returned quickly enough by the fire that consumes the flammable wood of the tree. It¡¯s a cycle that will guarantee the demise of the entire forest in the not too distant future, despite its size. And the forest knows it. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty: Supernova Time passes. A lot of it? A little? Fire cares not for time, so nor do I. All I care about is that my flames keep consuming. I am only pushing in one direction now. I stopped pushing in the other direction after I met trees which were different, less easy to burn. I don¡¯t quite remember why it was important, but I do remember that I¡¯m only supposed to burn the easily flammable trees. I was tempted to ignore my urge to stop pushing. Why should I stop pushing? I am Fire and fire burns everything. Yet something inside me kept insisting not to push past the limit of the easily combustible plants, and so in the end, I reined in my hunger for more. The fire under my control protested, but I soothed it by redoubling the efforts on the other front: one tree or the other, as long as it could burn and grow, it¡¯s happy, and so am I. My consciousness is spread thin; I start to lose connection entirely with my physical body. I¡¯m aware of it, but can¡¯t recall why that¡¯s a problem. My flesh body is inherently limiting; my new fire body offers so much more. More power, more flexibility. Just¡­more. Though the fire doesn¡¯t have a voice, I feel it urging me to join it, to leave my earthly concerns aside. To become part of the immortal being of Fire. As the inferno grows ever bigger, ever hotter, ever more powerful, the seductive call becomes equally more powerful. Join us, I almost hear, whispered through my mind like it had always existed there. Be part of us forever. Never know pain or death, disappointment or heartbreak again. I waver. That would be nice. My memories of pain and death, disappointment, and heartbreak are hard to recall in this moment, but I remember that I didn¡¯t like them. Part of me reaches for the promise, disconnecting almost entirely from who I had been. There is an odd, uncomfortable feeling like I¡¯m being stretched. Like I have bindings around me which are being pulled too tightly. A sense of worry touches me from one of the bindings, concern mingled with deep, deep trust. The two emotions seem so contradictory that I find myself hesitating. What is this? Then other emotions seem to spill into me: worry, fear, concern, awe, admiration, hope, determination, protectiveness¡­love. I touch each of them, their presence spilling colour into the world which I realised had narrowed down to black, white, and shades of orange. Without realising it, I¡¯ve drifted back to my body. Back to a greater sense of me. Suddenly, like being hit by a concrete hammer, I remember what I¡¯m doing, why I¡¯m doing it, and most importantly, what I must not do. The fire crackles in displeasure. It has grown big enough to gain more of its own consciousness, and it doesn¡¯t like that I have drawn away from it. It is possessive, and sees me as belonging to it, a part of it. Too, I find that there is a voice screaming in my mind, one I could not hear when enveloped by the crackling of the flames. I yield, I yield, please! Please stop! Just leave part of me alive and I will do whatever you want! It¡¯s the forest. Desperate, without any recourse but to beg for its life from the force of nature currently threatening its existence. Very well, is all I can say, and that only a bare thought which I hope it can hear. While I would love to finalise the deal now, I simply can¡¯t spare the attention. The fire is trying to buck out of my control for real and I need every ounce of concentration I can spare to keep it from raging unchecked. The fire has done its job. I don¡¯t know how much forest it has consumed, but I sense that it¡¯s a huge amount. It¡¯s time to pull it in. Gritting my teeth, I reach out to the front lines, to where the fire is greedily leaping to the next trees, passing along the root network. I wrap my will around it and hold it back. Like I¡¯m trying to hold back a team of stallions with bits between their teeth and thin pieces of leather for reins, my control teeters on a knife-edge of failure. The fire screams at me, the sound heard with my mind, my soul, rather than my ears. It rejects my attempts to stop it, rails against my control. I just clench my teeth until they crack and hold on tighter. I have friends with me, family. River and his group are travelling somewhere in the woods. I can not lose control now. The fire fights me. It struggles against me. But it is made of my mana, it has been directed by my Will. I have fed it, led it to burn more, sparked it in the first place. It and I are inextricably interwoven. It obeys, pausing where it is and not spreading anywhere new. But it is not happy: it knows that its fuel is limited and will soon be gone. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I do not wish to die! I feel it moan through the wind that it continues to greedily suck into its maw. I feel struck through the heart: did not the forest say just that a moment ago? Why must one die to allow the other to survive? Acting more on instinct than anything else, I start feeding it with my own mana, beckoning the flames back to me. When I start running out of mana, I draw from the heat still around me, the conversion between the lingering fire magic and my mana a poor one, but it helps me to sustain the fire. The flames move. Quickly. Happily. Eagerly, even. I am giving the fire a command which does not spell its oblivion, which offers it something to consume; it is happy to cooperate. It pulls back from the vine-stranglers, not even embers left to burn. It streams across the burned and destroyed gulf between me and the head of the fire. It shouldn¡¯t work ¨C there is nothing more for it to burn ¨C but magic seems to solve all problems. It is much reduced by the time it reaches me, but what actually returns to me is stronger, oddly more solid. It streams around me, twining around my whole body in streams like a strangely-shaped cat. Being this close to the almost white-hot flames should be enough to consume me in seconds, but it¡¯s not even uncomfortable. This is the core of the flame, the heart of the inferno. It has come at my call, trusting in me to offer a solution to it being starved. Not even fully knowing what I¡¯m doing, I direct the flames to condense more and more. From thick streamers which can wrap all around my body at the same time, I direct them to become thinner and thinner streamers which shift around me faster and faster. Then, sensing that it is time, I hold out my hand to catch them. They condense in my palm, the immensity of the inferno confined to a space which could hold a large marble. I flood the space and flames with what remains of my mana. It¡¯s not enough. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing, but I sense that it¡¯s not enough. I draw all the lingering fire magic from the environment which I can, feeding it into the ball. It¡¯s still not enough. Desperate, I pull my Bonds, feeling small bits of magic flow down the links between us. It¡¯s still not enough. Going beyond frantic, I convert my own health into mana, pouring it into the ball even as my body weakens and pain creeps in. I feel liquid trickle from my eyes, from my nose, from my ears. It is enough. A moment before I sense that I will not be able to take any more from my own health and am wondering whether I can justify taking it from my Bound¡¯s health, I realise that it¡¯s done. What¡¯s done? I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s done. The glowing ball which had been formed when the streamers of fire condensed in my hand has become incandescent. It shivers, trembling in my palm. For a moment, I think that it¡¯s because my hand is shaking. And that is true, but it¡¯s not why. The ball vibrates, its small shifts to one side and then to the other growing in speed and frequency. It isn¡¯t long before I can¡¯t see the movement any more, but that¡¯s not because it¡¯s stopped: it¡¯s because it¡¯s too fast for my eyes to track. Almost feeling like I¡¯m sobering up, I return to full awareness of myself. I stare at the ball. What the hell have I created here? I wonder, a sense of dread sinking deeply into my stomach. I wonder frantically whether I should throw the thing away: it looks like it¡¯s going to explode. If so, I want to be well away from it. I try to throw the ball into the already desolated swathe of land ahead of me. It refuses to leave my hand ¨C it¡¯s stuck somehow. I try to brush it off, but my other hand just passes through it as if it¡¯s not there. I look frantically around me and, for the first time, realise that I¡¯m surrounded by my concerned Bound. They¡¯re not all looking so good: tired, singed, several with blood marking their faces. ¡°Get away from me!¡± I croak, or try to. My throat would put the Sahara to shame in its dryness and lets very little sound out. But that doesn¡¯t matter: they¡¯ve heard my instruction through their Bonds and back away. Bastet is the last, moving slowly and reluctantly. The vibration of the ball reaches a point where it¡¯s sending ripples through my whole body. How it can do that when I can¡¯t seem to touch it otherwise, I don¡¯t know, but it does. I sense that it¡¯s coming to some sort of denouement and fear ripples through me with the vibrations at what that might be. A moment later, the ball explodes. It¡¯s like a mini sun has just gone supernova, a wave of light, heat, and wind explodes out from my palm. It hits me in the chest and knocks me backwards. From my position, I see Bastet shield herself with her wings, the heat fortunately dissipating to the environment quickly: she is otherwise unharmed. My other Bound are further away and are only knocked off balance a little. I feel awful. Almost as bad as when the water monster knocked me into a wall and I broke my jaw, spine, gave myself brain damage, and ended up covered in bruises and other injuries. This isn¡¯t the same kind of hurt: this time I feel like I¡¯ve had my head squeezed through an old laundry press and my gut sliced open with all my internal organs pulled out to leave an empty, aching hollow within. I¡¯m nauseous and exhausted, my mental and physical energy completely defeated. I couldn¡¯t fight off a beetle at this point, can¡¯t even bring myself to push my body off the ground and stand up. But all that vanishes when I see what¡¯s in front of me. A flame hangs in midair above my face. It¡¯s impossible. What is it burning? Nothing. My exhaustion forgotten, I lift my trembling hand up to touch it. It twines with my fingers, a sense of¡­affection coming from it? From it, or from me? Or from both of us? It¡¯s an odd temperature: immensely hot, but it doesn¡¯t burn. Like the flame is contained within something which only lets a hint of its true heat through. Then I feel a moment of mischievousness and a moment later the flame shifts down to hop on my nose. Mystified, I stare at it. What the hell have I done? I ask myself again. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-One: Everything We Had Whatever this thing is, it seems as benign as the inferno was threatening. After hopping on my nose for a little, it then moves to explore my face, touching everything with feather-light almost-hot strokes. Its form is ever-shifting, sometimes a candle flame without the candle, sometimes a ball, sometimes something that looks more like a child¡¯s drawing of the sun or a virus with spikes of flame coming out of the centre. When it finally bounces back into the air, curiosity and expectation emanating from it, I lift my hand to rub at my face ¨C its exploration tickled but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt it while it was busy. I still don¡¯t know what on earth it is. Apart from something made of fire ¨C that¡¯s obvious. A fire spirit? Is it possible? It¡¯s harder to open my eyes after closing them than I thought it would be. I¡¯m exhausted. My mind has been put through the wringer; my soul has been worked harder than it ever has before. And yes, I can now identify the difference between my mind and my soul when it comes to exhaustion. My body actually isn¡¯t too bad ¨C I¡¯ve done a fair bit of walking, but nothing compared to normal daily labour in this world. Most of the pain comes from when I pulled almost all the health out of my own body to transform into mana to feed¡­whatever this is. My health points have already started replenishing themselves, but I quickly transform some of my faster-replenishing mana into health to replace it. I wince as I do so: my internal channels feel raw and¡­different, in some way. Something shifts nearby and I feel alarm spike within me. It¡¯s followed by determination and protectiveness. From the ball of fire, I realise after a moment. Heat suddenly washes over me, like the sun has just come out, but only on one side. Forcing myself to sit up, I quickly take in the scene. Bastet is halted, one paw raised, her eyes narrowed, the feather-fur of her hackles raised. Before her eyes bobs the ball of fire. It is back in that spiky ball form, and this time it seems to actually be releasing heat. From the slight pain coming down the link from Bastet, I realise that the heat feels a lot worse for her than for me. ¡°Stop it!¡± I croak, then cough. Both turn to look at me. Well, Bastet does, and somehow I sense that the spiky ball¡¯s attention has settled back on me. ¡°She¡¯s a friend,¡± I tell the ball, sending it a sense of peace and comfort, hoping that my impression of the situation is correct. I felt alarm and protectiveness from it when Bastet approached yet it had been comfortable while bobbing above my head and exploring my face. I can only conclude that it thinks it¡¯s defending me, since it appears possible that a ball of fire can think at all. Fortunately, it seems that I was right. The heat abruptly fades, like a veil has been dropped between the ball and the world around it. It flies back to me, bobbing a little next to my head, caution and fierce vigilance rippling out from it. We don¡¯t have a Bond, not the way I have with my Bound, Tamed or Dominated. But we are connected in some way. The nagging sense of notifications indicates that probably some of the answers are waiting for me to read them. However, first I need to make sure everyone is OK. Sending a tendril of Flesh-Shaping magic to my throat, I heal the scorched and desiccated layers of my trachea. That should help me to speak without it feeling like I¡¯m rubbing sandpaper through my voice-box every time. I spare a little more to heal and revitalise the cracked and broken skin on my lips too: even if it¡¯s not very painful, it¡¯s still annoying. ¡°How are you all?¡± I ask Bastet urgently, my eyes sweeping over her. She has blood on her face, like tears tracking down from her eyes. Concern and caution are intermingled in her body language and Bond. We are¡­able to fight, she says in response, though I sense that a whole wealth of meaning lies behind her words. Are you well? You felt so distant. Our Bond felt held by a single claw, tenuous and breakable. I¡­don¡¯t remember everything, I realise. There¡¯s a period of time which is filled only with the crackling and roar of the forest fire. It¡¯s almost like that dream I remember having ¨C the one with the woman who spoke to me with the sounds of a fire, yet I couldn¡¯t understand a word. That¡¯s what my memories are to me now. ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± I tell her, a little distantly. Then my eyes focus on her. ¡°Why are you bloody? Were you attacked?¡± It seems crazy to think that something might have attacked her in the middle of an ash field still smouldering from the fire which had passed through it, but everything¡¯s possible. No. You needed mana; we all gave you mana. You needed more; we gave you everything we had. It suddenly dawns on me exactly what happened. Her words spark some sort of familiarity, the sense of needing more, more, more, and drawing it from my Bonds without thinking about what that might mean for my Bound. With a sudden sense of fear, I open my Bound tab and scan through all the entries, noting each that I pass. Finally, after a few frantic moments, I relax. Everyone is fine. I apparently only drew from the Bound here present: River and his band were evidently too far for me to draw from, as were the members of Fenir¡¯s group back at the campsite and the kiinas¡¯ group at the cave. Marty, as the smallest and one with the lowest health points, is the worst off, but even she is at more than half health. Apparently being able to draw from nine Bound meant that I didn¡¯t take too much from any of them. Seeing Joy, Lee, Iandee, Murmur, and Peace still on my list actually answers another concern I¡¯d had at Bastet¡¯s words. She¡¯d mentioned that for a moment, the Bond had felt very weak, very fragile. I was concerned that some of my newest samuran Bound might have taken advantage of the opportunity to break their Bond. Apparently they didn¡¯t. I¡¯ll have to find out later if that¡¯s because they didn¡¯t want to or didn¡¯t realise they could. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I summon all my Bound present to come closer and, pushing myself to my feet, I start healing each of them. I¡¯m exhausted, at my utter limit, and every use of my magic feels like I¡¯m an almost-finished tube of toothpaste being forced to squeeze out just a little bit more. But I keep going until each of my Bound is healed: I owe that much to them. And then once they¡¯re healed, I thank them deeply for their support. I don¡¯t remember exactly what happened in that last period of the inferno; what I do know is that I would have been lost without them. Every one of them has stood beside me and given everything I asked for. Not to thank them for that would be an insult. After healing Murmur, the last on my list since he has the largest health pool and therefore suffered the least from my draw, I collapse to the ground, utterly spent. Trying to force myself back to my feet, I can only curse weakly as I am unable to do more than roll over. You must rest, Bastet chides me. She has been watching with more than a little disapproval as I pushed myself to heal everyone. I feel the silent ¡®I told you so,¡¯ from her ¨C she did. But I was determined to do it. Pick him up, I hear her say, confusing me. I can¡¯t pick myself up; how can I pick anyone else up? Then I realise that my fuzzy mind had interpreted the instruction incorrectly. A shadow falls over me a moment before I feel things wiggle their way underneath me like snakes. I¡¯m lifted into the air before my mind can catch up with what¡¯s happening. The world rights itself a moment later ¨C well, sort of. I realise that I¡¯ve been hoisted over one of the samuran¡¯s shoulders like a bag of potatoes and am being carried. Catching sight of Iandee, I realise that I must be over Murmur¡¯s shoulders since I don¡¯t think that Catch would be able to carry my weight this easily. A flash of light accompanied by a feeling of concern and question makes me realise that the ball of fire is still bobbing near my head. I send it a sense of reassurance, or try to, anyway. Maybe it works; maybe it doesn¡¯t. Either way, I can¡¯t care any more about it, or about the undignified way in which I¡¯m being toted around. My eyes unable to stay open any longer, I slide into exhausted sleep. ***** When I wake, I¡¯m lying on my back again and I¡¯m not moving. I blink at the ceiling, the lattice-work of dark and light taking a moment to resolve itself. It¡¯s a few moments before I realise where I am: I¡¯m back at the campsite near the pool of water, staring up at the roof of the shelter the hunting band of samurans made for our group last night. Was it only last night? It feels much longer ago than that. I feel better. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve slept for, but it has to have been a good while because I¡¯m ravenous. Sitting up, I realise that it¡¯s actually night time: the light coming through the roof must be moonlight rather than sunlight. And of course there¡¯s also light from the ball of fire which is still bobbing gently above my head. Definitely need to work out what you are, I say to myself, deciding not to speak out loud in deference to the number of creatures spread around me who are currently sleeping. Looking around carefully, I realise how much smaller our group is now that River and his party have left: there¡¯s enough room for everyone in the shelter to have space to spare, though the three samurans are curled up near each other anyway. I don¡¯t see Trinity¡¯s bulk, nor Shakira¡¯s ¨C they must be outside. Otherwise, almost all the others seem to be present. Wolverine isn¡¯t, nor is Honey ¨C they¡¯re probably on guard. Fenrir is near me, pressed against my leg. Bastet is just above where my head was. Though she wasn¡¯t touching me, from the gap left behind now I¡¯ve moved, her nose must have been almost doing it on one side, her tail on the other. One of her eyes is open and gazing at me. Seeing that I¡¯ve noticed her wakefulness, she shifts, lifting her head and eyeing me questioningly. I¡¯m going outside to check my notifications, I tell her, shifting quietly to a standing position. I want to eat, drink, and check the messages waiting for me without disturbing everyone else. I will join you, she announces, pushing herself to her feet as well. You don¡¯t have to, I protest, but not too strongly: it would be nice to have the company. I will join you, she repeats, fixing me with a look that warns me not to argue. Fine then, mother, I tell her with mock anger, but accompany the message with a sense of affection that belies the tone of my words. We step carefully out of the shelter, avoiding the paws, tails, heads, and other assorted body parts which threaten to trip us. Or cause someone to bury their teeth or claws in our flesh out of a mistaken belief that they were being attacked. Settling by the pool, I pull out some thick stew and ¡®bread¡¯. Tearing into it, I wash it down with pre-boiled water: even if I might be willing to drink directly from the stream, I¡¯m not drinking from this pool, especially not after we¡¯ve been camping next to it for a couple of days. I eat about double what I normally would, feeling the energy rush through my body. Touching the automatic sense of my own body that I gain from having such an advanced Flesh-Shaping Skill, I realise that the food and liquid I¡¯m pouring into myself is being broken down even faster than normal, the nutrients being delivered to my desperate cells by magic-aided bodily systems. Whether this is an effect of Flesh-Shaping or Constitution, I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s certainly intriguing: maybe something for later exploration. It takes a bit of time, but finally I feel like I¡¯m back in a good condition. Physically, that is: my mind still feels tired, like the sleep wasn¡¯t long enough, and my soul feels over-strained. I don¡¯t sense that there¡¯s anything exactly wrong with it: it¡¯s just like a muscle which has been overused ¨C time and rest is what¡¯s needed. I know I need to deal with the forest: it¡¯s surrendered, but I didn¡¯t see any sign of a new entry on my Bound list, so I don¡¯t think anything ¡®official¡¯ has happened. But I can spare the time I need to deal with my notifications. Worst comes to worst, I just have to control another inferno. But hopefully the fact that I controlled the first one will be enough motivation for the forest not to renege on its original capitulation. But for now, I¡¯m going to check out the messages which are waiting for me. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Two: Finally, Some Answers The first thing I do, as usual, is pull up my status screen ¨C I always find it better to see the effects of whatever¡¯s happened first and then check out the reasons for the changes afterwards.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 14 Energy to next level: 100% Energy absorption rate: 102u/hr Energy towards debt: 112% (238)
Intelligence 34+1 (+5%) Mana: 615/615 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 56+15 (+27%) Health regeneration rate: 71u/hr
Constitution 24 Health: 345/350 (360) (15u/CP)
Strength 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 20 Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr
Special: Fire Affinity (25%)
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Initiate 7 Fade ¨C Initiate 4 Inspect Fauna ¨C Novice 9 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 9 Fire Taming ¨C Beginner 9 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 9 Stealth ¨C Novice 3 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 5 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 2 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 9 Spearmanship ¨C Novice 3 Archery ¨C Beginner 8 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 1 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Shaping ¨C Novice 5
Apparently burning that forest was worth a significant amount of Energy, I say to myself, staring a little dumbfounded at the numbers at the top of my status sheet. Getting to a hundred percent towards the next level isn¡¯t too surprising; the amount of overflow that went into my debt is. As is the fact that apparently the debt isn¡¯t capped at a hundred percent. Though, what that means in practice, I don¡¯t know. I eye my stats, pretty sure that something has changed there too. Aren¡¯t my mana and health pools larger than they were? Though why is there a three hundred and sixty in brackets after my maximum health? There¡¯s also a new line on my status - ¡®Special¡¯. What¡¯s ¡®fire affinity¡¯? I wonder. Obviously, I can tell that it¡¯s something to do with my experience of getting closer to fire, but what does that mean in a practical sense? Finally, as expected, there¡¯s been some movement in my Skills lists, though not completely what I¡¯d expect. Fire-Shaping has made a leap into the next rank, which was expected ¨C if controlling an inferno wasn¡¯t enough to make it rank up, I don¡¯t know what would be. Fire-Taming appears to have been changed, but it¡¯s in those italics that Lay-on-hands once was ¨C I guess that means it¡¯s waiting for me to make a decision on whether to change it to another Ability. If my past experience is anything to judge by, anyway. The one change which surprises and pleases me is to Energy Manipulation: it¡¯s gone up a level. While that might not seem like a lot, the fact is that it¡¯s been stuck at Master one for a long time; going up even a single level at that rank is an achievement. But why? It¡¯s unlikely to show up in my messages so I spend a few minutes trying to work it out. Could this be something to do with how I was manipulating fire? No, it must be to do with how I manipulated the fire magic. It makes sense ¨C I got to Master in the first place by transforming mana into health and health into soul-healing energy. Today, well, yesterday, I created a cycle of transforming mana into fire magic, then excess fire magic back into mana. That must be why I ended up advancing a level. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Satisfied with my theory, I switch over to my messages tab and select the oldest unread notification.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner: Fire-Shaping is now Novice 1. You have created and controlled an inferno which threatened to wipe out a large swathe of the forest. You have wielded the destructive power of fire without losing yourself to it. Your ability to control fire now improves slightly according to the size and power of the fire you¡¯ve created: the bigger and more powerful the fire, the better your control.
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Interesting, I find myself thinking. Is this rank up the reason why I found that second wind while controlling the inferno? Because what I¡¯d previously experienced was that the bigger the fire, the harder it was to control. This is turning that on its head. Well, sort of ¨C it doesn¡¯t give any numerical indication of just how much it¡¯s improving my control, after all. It could simply help me keep an even keel when the inferno threatens to consume me along with whatever it¡¯s burning ¨C which would match my experience, honestly. Either way, it¡¯s a good little update. Though, I do notice one thing: it mentions ¡®the destructive power of fire¡¯. I remember how a long time ago, before I had either Fire Taming or Fire-Shaping, I thought about how fire isn¡¯t only destruction. Maybe I need to explore other things that fire can do before I get too trapped in one aspect of fire alone. At least, that¡¯s how it seemed to work with Flesh-Shaping, anyway.
Congratulations! You have earned enough Energy to complete the Gateway and Passage. A destination Gateway must be opened first. The destination Gateway is due to be opened in 237 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes. The gateway will be open for 30 seconds. Every 2% more Energy you can gather will keep the Gateway open another 1 second. Current duration of Gateway: 36 seconds.
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Finally, some answers! So, from the sounds of it, the process at the end of my time here will be a bit different from when I arrived. When I arrived, the emblem had done something to pull me through worlds ¨C but it only applied to me and whatever I was holding. This seems to be different, which I¡¯m relieved about. Trying to have all my Bound perched on top of me would have been a bit of a difficult proposition. Sending them through a ¡®gateway¡¯ ¨C if indeed it¡¯s a doorway like I¡¯m imagining ¨C seems a lot more likely to succeed. Of course, that is assuming that I can send them through the ¡®Gateway¡¯, but why would Nicholas have sent me this Class if he wasn¡¯t expecting me to bring others with me? Because if he expects me to leave everyone behind and be happy about it, he has another think coming. So, while it¡¯s relieving to know that I¡¯m not going to die at the end of this year when all my Energy is wrenched out of my body or something horrible like that, it looks like the debt still isn¡¯t done: the longer this ¡®Gateway¡¯ can be kept open, the more room for error we¡¯ll have. Still feeling rather thoughtful, I look at the next message.
Congratulations! You have gained a ¡®special¡¯ quality: Fire Affinity Affinity is a measure of how closely linked you are to a specific type of Energy. This is reflected both internally and externally and governs your interactions with all types of Energy. An affinity for Fire energy means that you find using this type of Energy easier and less draining; conversely, you will find that your ease of using all other types of Energy has changed too. Fire-adjacent types of Energy will be easier to use, though not as easy as Fire, and Fire-opposing types of Energy will be commensurately harder to use.
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So that¡¯s what it means by Fire Affinity, then, I muse to myself. Something happened during the inferno; something changed. I felt it then, and I can still feel echoes of it now. Closing my eyes and trusting in my Bound to keep me safe, I dive into my Core space. At first glance, nothing has changed. It¡¯s still a glittering mandala of lines of golden light which encircle and embrace the glowing Core in the centre. But when I look closer, I see that the pattern of the mandala has shifted very slightly. It¡¯s slightly more jagged, the places where it twists and turns slightly sharper. The mandala still has more in common with the centres of dense pattern which make up my Core Skills, but now there is inspiration from the patterns which make up Fire-Shaping too. I would say that it¡¯s similar to Fire Taming too, but that Skill is oddly¡­blurred. It¡¯s hard to look at directly, and even when I succeed in snatching a glance at it, I find it hard to identify exactly what it looks like. That must be to do with the choice which is probably waiting for me. Feeling that I¡¯ve got the answers I came for, I pull back out, my mind whirling. I suppose that the most important question I¡¯ll need to answer next is how much Flesh-Shaping is affected: that¡¯s one of my most important Skills and it¡¯s already heavy on mana usage and the need for concentration. If having a Fire affinity makes it harder to use that then I might be in trouble. I¡¯m definitely going to have to test exactly what Fire Affinity means, but at least I¡¯ve got more idea of what the implications probably will be. And I suppose it¡¯s not too surprising that I gained it: I rather was filling my body with converted fire magic, and spreading my mind and soul through the inferno. It would have been more surprising if that hadn¡¯t had any effect.
Congratulations! You have earned a new achievement: Elemental Creator Creating an elemental is not too difficult: enough mana fed into a large enough concentration of the element often results in an elemental being birthed. You have wrestled with an inferno and dedicated enough of your personal mana and health to kill you in pursuit of this goal, yet have survived. You have gained +1 to your Intelligence and +2 to your Constitution.
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The next message confirms that my thoughts about my mana pool and health pool growing were correct. While the percentages I¡¯d received with the last achievement will probably help me in the long run, the two points I¡¯ve just received towards Constitution are very welcome. It doesn¡¯t explain about the brackets, though. And actually, why is my maximum health three hundred and fifty? At twenty-four points of Constitution and each point being worth fifteen health points, I should have three hundred and sixty points as my maximum capacity ¨C the number in brackets. I frown, confused but hoping another message might reveal the reason. I guess that there must be tiers of achievements ¨C and this one is on the lowest of them. Survivor, my first achievement, gave me three stat points each to Constitution and Willpower. Then there were the two Masochist achievements I¡¯ve had which increased my mana and health pools by half again on an ongoing ¨C and retrospective ¨C basis. Healer gave me percentage increases to my mental and soul stats. This one, with its total of three points given, is not nearly as good as any of them. Still, three points which I haven¡¯t had to ¡®pay¡¯ for are better than nothing ¨C though how Achievements give anything is still a question I can¡¯t answer. Other than that, it¡¯s good to know exactly what the little ball of fire is ¨C since I assume that¡¯s what it¡¯s talking about when it¡¯s referring to ¡®elemental¡¯ ¨C and to know how exactly it came about. Like with Fire Affinity, I guess I¡¯ll have to discover anything more than that for myself. The next message gives me a little more information about the Fire elemental ¨C and the reason for my maximum health being ten points lower than what it should be.
Congratulations! You have formed a symbiotic Bond with a Fire elemental (nascent). In exchange for regular gifts of your mana, it will follow your orders and attempt to satisfy your desires. As a nascent Fire elemental, it has no health pool of its own, and therefore has required some of your own. It will die if your health points reach 0. As a non-physical elemental, it is immune to all physical attacks, however it is vulnerable to attacks made from opposing elements. With time and sufficient Energy accumulated, it may evolve into a different form of elemental, however this is not guaranteed. At any point, either you or the elemental can choose to break the Bond, but if the elemental has not found another source of health, it will die upon the severance.
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Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Three: What I Am Well, that¡¯s a bit of a turn-up for the books, I say to myself, my eyebrows disappearing into my hairline ¨C not too hard these days, admittedly, considering how shaggy my locks have become. So, if I¡¯ve understood it correctly, the Fire elemental doesn¡¯t have its own health pool so it uses a bit of mine ¨C which means that if I die, so does it. I don¡¯t think the reverse is the case, though. I do apparently need to give it mana, though. And it¡¯s not able to be attacked physically, but it can be by ¡®opposing elements¡¯. I guess that that makes sense: if I think about fire, I have now become this elemental¡¯s fuel. If I go, and it hasn¡¯t found a new source of fuel, then it will die. I could beat at a fire¡¯s flames as much as I¡¯d like, but if I don¡¯t disturb either its fuel, source of oxygen, or heat, then I¡¯m not going to have any effect. If I pour water or earth on it, though, or cool it so much the exothermic reaction cannot continue, or remove the oxygen or replace it with some other nonflammable gas¡­. At least I guess that that¡¯s what it means by ¡®opposing elements¡¯. Still thoughtful, I pass onto my final message. There, I find the reason for why Fire Taming is in italics on my list.
You have tamed a Fire and have transformed it into a Fire elemental. You therefore have a choice to either keep your current Skill or transform it. If you choose to keep your current Skill, it will rank up with the following additional effects: - Increased Ease in Taming a fire according to your Fire Affinity. - Increased chance to create a Fire elemental depending on the duration of your active taming connection with a specific instance of Fire. - Increased chance of making a symbiotic Bond with other Fire elementals, whether you are the creator or not. Note, some fire elementals may still be hostile even with this increased chance. - Slightly increased chance of making a symbiotic Bond with elementals from Fire-adjacent elements. - Reduced chance of making a symbiotic Bond with elementals from opposing elements. Transform If you choose to transform your Skill, you will gain access to a new Skill instead: Elemental Bonding. Until you make a choice, you will remain with the functionality of Fire Taming at Beginner rank.
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This time, I know more about the kind of choice it¡¯s offering me and I know that I ought to make it as soon as possible. That doesn¡¯t make the choice any easier, though I know where I think I¡¯m leaning already. The thing is that although the rank up of Fire Taming sounds pretty awesome with a surprising number of effects ¨C three, really, if I combine the chances of making a symbiotic Bond with any elemental into one effect ¨C I¡¯m not sure how much more it really offers me. Fire-Shaping already offers me control of fire. This whole inferno was managed through my use of Fire-Shaping, not Fire Taming. And with my rank up to Fire-Shaping, I¡¯ve increased my ability to control bigger fires through that. Fire Taming was gained pretty much by mistake in the first place: I approached trying to control fire in the same way I would approach a potential new Bound, and so I got a Skill which was closer to my Class than I really wanted. Now with Fire-Shaping becoming more and more powerful, I¡¯m not sure how much I will use the control aspect of Fire Taming. As for the increased chance of creating Fire elementals¡­I¡¯ve got one already, and I¡¯m not keen on losing even more of my maximum health to create an army of them. Besides, technically, I already created one without the Skill to help me, so what¡¯s to say that I couldn¡¯t create another if I put my mind to it? It might be harder, but surely it would be possible? Finally, the increased chance of making a Bond with another Fire elemental, or Fire-adjacent elemental, is balanced by the reduced chance of making a Bond with an elemental of an opposing element. The notification is fairly thin in information about the other Skill it¡¯s offering me ¨C Elemental Bonding. However, just from the name, I have to conclude that it¡¯s exchanging the increased power over fire specifically for a more general power over elementals of all types. Whether my Fire Affinity will make a difference to elementals which are opposed to Fire, I don¡¯t know. Probably, I would guess. But perhaps if I have a Skill which is designed to help me make a Bond with all elementals, it would counteract whatever issues my Fire Affinity would cause them. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. So really, it comes down to a question of specialisation versus generalisation. Specialise by choosing to continue with a Skill which doesn¡¯t offer me a lot of new benefits, but improves what I already have access to, or generalise by taking something which potentially offers me new options. I take some time to consider both options carefully. Ultimately, the choice comes down to one main consideration: what I am. I¡¯m not a Fire-mage; I¡¯m a Tamer. Continuing with Fire Taming offers me aspects which would help me with my fire-magery, but limit me with my taming. Of course, I might be completely wrong about what Elemental Bond is about, but it seems more likely to give me more versatility in my Taming Skill-set. After taking a moment more to think through the options for a last time, I nod my head and make my choice. Curious about what¡¯s going to happen, I dive straight into my Core space. Last time, it was Lay-on-hands which transformed into Flesh-Shaping. Then, the core of Lay-on-hands had been integrated into Flesh-Shaping, but that¡¯s because it had promised that all aspects previously explored would be included in the new Skill. The same thing hasn¡¯t been promised here, so I¡¯m curious about what the differences will be. My internal matrix vibrates, the shifting becoming stronger and stronger, centralised around the dense web of lines which makes up Fire-Taming. Then, the lines start shifting. At first the movement is small, subtle. Then, it becomes more and more evident. The lines move like snakes, coiling and uncoiling, writhing and twisting. Though some of the lines don¡¯t move, most of them do, the area becoming a blur of gold for an elongated moment. Then the moment passes. The snakes find their new positions and settle down, finally quiescent. The design before my eyes now is significantly different from the one which had been there before, as different as it is from any of the other Skills in this area of my matrix. This is where all my Class Skills are, so they all have a similarity to them which they share with my matrix as a whole. At least, they used to ¨C now with the changes my Fire affinity has had on the mandala around my Core, the similarity isn¡¯t so strong. Seeing as the process seems to have finished, I pull out of my Core space. As expected, I have a new message waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have gained a new Skill: Elemental Bonding. Would you like to see the Skill description?
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Elemental Bonding Elementals appear from time to time in places where a concentration of their element and Energy coincide. With this Skill, gain the attention of the elemental and be able to offer them a Bond. With your Fire affinity, you have an increase of 25% in your chance of success with Fire elementals, and 12.5% more chance of success in Bonding Fire-adjacent elementals.
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Much as expected, though it¡¯s good to see that I don¡¯t appear to have had any reduction in my chances of Bonding an elemental of an opposing element to Fire, which I would have if I¡¯d continued with Fire Taming. It¡¯s also good to see that my guess about what Elemental Bonding actually was turned out to be fairly accurate. My messages all dealt with, I turn my mind to deciding how to assign my points in my next level up. While I wanted to dedicate a level to each stat, and found watching both Willpower and Wisdom being increased by six points to be very interesting, I have to consider my needs at the moment. What¡¯s facing me in the near future is first dealing with the forest, which hopefully will fall into place easily enough, and then dealing with the lizard-folk. Although I could always do with more health, more mana, more strength, more everything, I have to make a choice. Ultimately, I have to go back to the reason I chose Elemental Bonding over Fire Taming ¨C I¡¯m a Tamer, and that¡¯s where my strength is. My Bound provide the strength, the power, the protection. In a pinch, as I¡¯ve just seen, they can also provide the mana either from their own pools or from their health ¨C not that I want to make a habit of demanding that from them. What I do, as I¡¯ve identified before, is bring the players to the table in the first place. With a sigh, I decide that I know where I need to put my points. Adding six at a time to my physical stats and Intelligence to see how that works when I¡¯m in my Core space will have to wait. For now, I¡¯ve got to make sure that when I face the Pathwalker and Warriors ¨C no matter if they are trapped or free ¨C I don¡¯t fail. So that means putting at least the bulk of the points in Willpower. Though, I might put a point each in Dexterity and Strength: those ones are rather falling behind and if it comes down to a fight, as it did with the members of the hunting party, then a point in each of those might help me get to the point where I can confidently use Dominate. But that will be in the morning ¨C I¡¯m not stupid enough to go wandering into the pool in the middle of the night when I can¡¯t see what I¡¯m putting my feet on. And even if I can easily clean my clothes now, I¡¯m not keen on stinking up the shelter for hours with the stench of the liquid that is expelled from me when levelling up. ¡°Want to sleep a bit more?¡± I ask Bastet quietly. She¡¯s been pressed up against my back this whole time, her presence comforting. I could sleep, she comments off-handedly, pushing herself to her feet. Then after a good stretch, she nudges at my shoulder. Is all well? I cock my head to one side. Is all well? River and his group are who knows where. I don¡¯t know how Persephone is getting on with her pregnancy. I¡¯m still tired on a mental and soul level. And I still haven¡¯t completely figured out this ball of fire that has continued bobbing gently over my shoulder without pause or sign of distress for goodness knows how long. Well enough, I reply finally. Well enough. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Four: Grey Wasteland The next day dawns upon a sobering sight. If I had ever doubted the power of fire, the scene before me is enough to cure me of it forever. A grey wasteland stretches ahead of me, its reach vast. The contrast between healthy forest and burnt field is stark. I don¡¯t think any Earth fire would look like this: the edge of forest almost untouched next to an area which has been burnt completely to ash. The non-vine-strangler trees have of course been impacted ¨C the heat of the inferno has made its mark in terms of wrinkled and burnt leaves, singe marks on the closest trunks. Yet the impact is minimal: with plenty of vine-stranglers to feed the fire, it hadn¡¯t protested too much about me directing it away from the other trees. Looking back on it, I think that, in as much as fire can think, the inferno considered it a ¡®later¡¯ rather than a ¡®don¡¯t touch¡¯. It doesn¡¯t take well to being told it can¡¯t have something, but if it thinks it might get it later, it¡¯s a lot more amenable. Thinking about fire brings me back to the ball of it still bobbing over my shoulder. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± I ask, a little uncertainly. It doesn¡¯t seem to react. Maybe it didn¡¯t understand me, or maybe, like my first Bound, it just can¡¯t communicate its understanding. ¡°If you understand me, move over to my other shoulder,¡± I tell it, pointing with my finger and also focussing on my intentions. Nothing. Maybe it can¡¯t understand me? But then why did it stop attacking Bastet right at the beginning? It seemed to recognise what I said when I called her a ¡®friend¡¯. Sighing, I sit down and pull out some food, barely even recognising what I¡¯m eating as I do so. My mind going over the question, I¡¯m suddenly hit by an idea. All communication so far seems to have been emotional in nature. It sent me affection, curiosity, and alarm. What if my emotions are what were communicated instead of my thoughts? Turning to face the ball of fire, I wordlessly tap my right shoulder and try to project a sense of¡­desire. The ball moves to bob over my right shoulder, exuding a sense of question. In response, I send it the bubbly feeling which inevitably causes a smile. It bobs a little faster, sending the same feeling but times ten back at me. My slight smile widens, unable to do anything else at the feeling of¡­I can only call it simple joy. Alright, well, communication is clearly not going to be easy, but at least it¡¯s possible. More testing will have to be done later. There are other things we need to do and at the moment the elemental ball of fire I¡¯ve somehow Bonded is interesting, but not urgent. Forest, can you hear me? I ask, projecting my mental voice as much as I can. Recently, I seem to have done a lot of projecting my mind ¨C across the Bond between Fenrir and me, into the venom in the danaris¡¯ body, into the inferno as it consumed the vine-stranglers. All of it means that I¡¯m becoming a little more used to the idea that my being ¨C whether my mind or my soul, or something else ¨C does not need to stop at my skin. And means in turn that I can sense better how my mental messages are projected into my environment. At this moment, though, I don¡¯t actually have any link to the being I¡¯m trying to contact, so my mental projection doesn¡¯t go far. Perhaps it¡¯s limited by my ¡®domain¡¯ or something. I hear nothing. I feel nothing. No sense of connection, not even any sense of something which hears but does not want to respond. Sighing, I finish my food and push myself to my feet. I was concerned that this might be the case. Before, my connection was either with the vine-strangler right in front of me or the inferno which was consuming them. Now, there is nothing for miles except for this grey wasteland. A whisper of wings heralds my scout. She¡¯d gone up without me even asking, predicting exactly what I¡¯d need. Landing on the opposite shoulder from the Fire elemental, a picture is sent across the Bond and I know that my map will have updated. ¡°Thanks Sirocco,¡± I say, daring to affectionately rub at her head. She hesitates for a moment, then leans into my touch, as if deciding that yes, I may pet her a little. Then she pulls away, ruffling her feathers in a business-like manner. A pointed feeling comes across the Bond ¨C it¡¯s like she¡¯s the chair of one of the meetings I used to attend, sternly pulling me back on task. ¡°Alright, bossy bird,¡± I tell her, more than a little fondly. Opening the map, I look at the changes. A frown makes its way onto my face. They¡¯re not exactly what I was expecting. Of course, there is a huge area which is now blank on my map ¨C no vine-stranglers, no forest, no grass, nothing. Nothing but ash, anyway. I feel a bit depressed at that thought for a moment. You did this, a little voice inside me accuses. You destroyed all of this. A feather-light touch brushes past my right cheek and I turn my head to see the Fire elemental bobbing just an inch away from my eyes. It¡¯s exuding concern, question, and a touch of fierceness. I find I understand exactly what it¡¯s trying to say ¨C concern for if I am well, a question about if there is an enemy to fight, and a commitment to doing what it can to help. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say, trying to send that as some sort of feeling that the little elemental will understand. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± And after that moment of depression, I find that I am. The vine-stranglers were a blight on this area of the forest; they would have killed and driven out just as many in their spread, if not more. I remember too what I once thought about fire when studying it for the first time: fire is not destruction alone; it is also creation. The ash which lies upon the ground now will be watered in by the next rainfall. The nutrients within it will provide a rich terrain for other plants to grow. In a few years¡¯ time, there will be no way of telling what happened here. In a few decades, or centuries ¨C depending on how long these normal trees take to grow ¨C the forest will have retaken the area and it will be like it was never invaded. However, that is for the future. For now, I see where the collection of remaining vine-stranglers is on my map. This is what is confusing me. While I don¡¯t have completely clear memories of my time connected so thoroughly to the inferno, I¡¯m pretty sure that I didn¡¯t intentionally sweep around in a circle to isolate a small patch of the carnivorous trees in a sort of island at the centre. I thought I was rather burning them in an always-advancing line which stretched across the whole of the vine-strangler forest. I was expecting to see the remaining ones in the furthest corner. Then I recognise exactly where the trees are making their final stand and I realise what must have happened. It¡¯s not news that the trees can move ¨C we learned that to our detriment when they funnelled us through their body to face the salamander. But I had thought it was more of a slow shift that they could do rather than an all-out march. However, whatever the capabilities of the trees, it seems like they¡¯ve holed up around the entrance to the tunnel through which we passed ¨C the tunnel which leads to the Pure Energy stream and the Energy Hearts nearby. That¡¯s both good and bad for us. Good, in that it¡¯s not that far away; at the speed we can travel, we can probably make it within the day, even from where we are right now. Bad in the sense that I don¡¯t know what the clump of trap trees could do with the time and Energy to prepare. Then again, I suppose that there¡¯s probably little they can do to protect against me calling another inferno on them. I¡¯m not injured from the last time and with them isolated as they are, I wouldn¡¯t need to worry too much about stopping the fire burning: it would go out by itself once it ran out of fuel. Of course, the question remains about whether we can spare the time: River and his band must be a good way towards the village by now, and it will still be a good day¡¯s travel to get to the village for us. Then again¡­I suppose that it¡¯s not completely out of our way: the Energy tunnel is relatively close to the village. It might extend our journey by a few hours, but not by as much as a day. Though we would need to camp before reaching the village in the morning¡­. But that¡¯s only if we get going straight away. I make my decision. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s get going as soon as possible. Drink something, grab a bite to eat, and then we¡¯re going into the ash wasteland.¡± ***** Of course, we weren¡¯t able to leave as quickly as I¡¯d hoped. Since we are travelling through wasteland, the herbivores ¨C Trinity and Shakira ¨C aren¡¯t able to graze while walking. That necessitated a bit of a delay where all of my Bound got to work collecting things they could eat and piling them on Trinity¡¯s back. Shakira had been happy with that arrangement ¨C she could eat on the hoof. Trinity hadn¡¯t been so content, but by instructing Shakira to feed Trinity as much as she ate, I¡¯ve managed to keep both of them happy. I took advantage of the delay to level up, putting four of my points into Willpower ¨C which effectively meant five thanks to the bonus ¨C one into Constitution to bring my health above what it had been before the elemental came along, and one into Dexterity. That final point had been the subject of much mental debate, but in the end, I decided that Dexterity would still be necessary for using physical weapons and tools, even if it didn¡¯t have an impact on mental processes. Which I¡¯m not at all sure that it doesn¡¯t. Plus, I was hoping that it would help me move a little better in my chitin-scale and nere-hide armour. On reflection, I think that it does, but one point makes such a little difference now that it¡¯s hard to tell for sure. I dipped myself in the pool after all my other Bound had drunk their fill and I had replenished my containers of water with boiled stuff from upstream. Going into the dry ash field, we¡¯re going to need it. The trek through the field of ash is, predictably, dusty and unpleasant. I have never wished I had wings like Sirocco so much as today when every step kicked up light ash which coated us in grey. By the time we see the vine-stranglers on the horizon, it looks like we¡¯ve been dipped in grey paint. Then there¡¯s the danger aspect: the ash coats the landscape like freshly-fallen snow, hiding an uncountable number of holes and dips in the terrain. I have to fix several sprained legs and one broken tibia when Pride, the haughty spinosaurus look-alike, gets one foot caught. All that means that it takes a lot longer than I was expecting to get to the final stand of vine-strangler trees. The sun is already barely hovering above the horizon by the time we get there. Those vine-stranglers had better still be willing to make a deal or I¡¯ll burn them immediately, I think darkly to myself, in a bit of a foul mood from all the difficulties and delays. I have no intention of camping on top of ash ¨C who knows what danger inhaling so much of the stuff could cause us? No, the cave system would be a far better proposition, assuming that nothing else has moved in to take the salamander¡¯s place. Though if it has, I¡¯ll burn it too, I decide. Maybe I should be worried about how easily my mind is jumping to burning things, especially considering what my experience of walking through its aftermath has been, but right now I don¡¯t care. Can you hear me now? I ask the trees as we get within a few metres of the closest. My tone is weary despite my best efforts ¨C I¡¯ve been doing the same thing at regular intervals. I suppose at least the fact that I haven¡¯t had any sense of the forest being able to hear me is a good thing: if it could, that would probably have meant that I¡¯d have left bits of its root network unburned. I certainly didn¡¯t leave any trees half consumed. I hear you, a voice comes back. Finally. It sounds fearful, the trees closest to me starting to move gently, though there is no breeze strong enough to move them. Have you come to consume me utterly? it asks. Not unless you intend on trying to take back your surrender, I tell it grimly. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Five: That Benefits Both Of Us There is a pregnant pause. Completely unamused at the idea that, after all of this, the forest might be having second thoughts, I summon some fire to my hand. Pushing a little bit more mana into it makes it flare up like a torch. To my surprise, a sense of delight comes from the elemental still hanging around my shoulder and it zooms forwards to bathe happily in the flames. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be shocked, thinking about it. It¡¯s made of fire, and fire, as an intelligence, is remarkably welcoming and all-embracing for something that destroys everything else by nature. Then again, I guess that the destructive nature is the reason for it ¨C everything becomes part of the greater whole eventually. The addition of the elemental makes the flames jump higher even without me adding more mana and they also increase in temperature. Catch, who is standing right next to me, takes a careful step away, worried perhaps about what might happen. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s worried that they might go out of control, or whether I will create another inferno of myself, but I don¡¯t blame him too much for his caution. Turning my attention back to the trees ¨C which I will be setting on fire unless they reply to me with an answer I want to hear soon ¨C I take a step towards them. Wait! I hear, the trees starting to shiver even more violently. I pause for a moment, eyeing the little that¡¯s left of the forest. I¡¯m waiting, I answer, but not for long. Do you surrender? Yes, or no. I surrender, I surrender, the forest answers, it¡¯s tone a mixture between resigned, annoyed, and desperate. An odd combination, but the only one that describes the feelings I get off it. Then here are the terms. You will move away from this area ¨C I want access to the tunnel and Energy. You will not grow any larger than you currently are. You will not bother me or any of my Bound. Clear? Then you might as well consume me now, the forest argued, a hint of petulance to its mental voice. Unable to grow; what do I have to live for? I¡¯m only barely holding onto the ability to think as it is! So, what, you become more sentient the bigger you get? I can¡¯t help but ask. The bigger or the older or the more Energy I absorb, the forest willingly tells me. Now I¡¯ve actually convinced it to talk, it seems almost chatty. But if you force me away from this nice little spot, force me not to grow, not to eat, I might as well just die. It pauses for a moment and then, if it had eyes, I bet it would be glaring at me from the feeling it gives off. Murderer. I scoff, unable to refute its accusation but finding its hypocrisy just a bit grating. Breathing in and out deeply I try to push both my irritation and bad mood aside. I give serious thought to actually just going through with it ¨C setting fire to the small remnants of the vine-stranglers and just finishing the job. It would certainly be the cleanest option. I absentmindedly start tossing the fire in the air, looking at the trees speculatively. From the glee that comes from the elemental, apparently it likes the motion. I can¡¯t help but smile slightly at the creature, its ball of flames just a few shades lighter than the ones surrounding it. Perhaps the forest senses somehow the direction in which my thoughts are heading as it suddenly breaks in with a suggestion. What if we find a solution that benefits both of us? You want to benefit from the Energy too. I can keep other creatures from getting at it ¨C I¡¯ve been doing that ever since I was a single sapling growing above it. I could let you through unharmed and keep all others out. Then we can both have access to the Energy. It¡¯s not actually a bad idea, I decide contemplatively. Having the forest here sucking up the Energy has almost certainly kept other stronger creatures from coming to investigate. One downside of me wiping it out is that then the Energy will spill out unimpeded, announcing its presence to all and sundry. Since I want to take advantage of it myself, that wouldn¡¯t be a good strategy. Here¡¯s a counter-offer, I say firmly. You guard the entrance to the cave but let me or any of my Bound through unimpeded. That means no attacking, no blocking, nothing. Actually, you should also protect them if they ask you for help and kill anyone who tries to follow unless they¡¯ve made it clear that the other being is a guest. In return, you can continue to absorb the excess Energy. And grow? The forest sounds hopeful. About to refuse immediately, I hesitate. I¡¯m currently raising danaris larvae. I¡¯m also probably going to be arming the samurans with metal and fire. Can I really justify not letting the forest grow at all just because it¡¯s also a potential disaster in the making? Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A little, I say slowly, my mouth twisting at its immediate sense of success. No faster than the slowest of the trees in the surrounding area. And when you meet their growth later, you must not supplant them but grow among them. What? The forest seemed surprised at my suggestion. Displeased too. Think about it, if you want to eat creatures, how many more would wander within range of your branches if you are among trees which won¡¯t attack them? I point out, half of me yelling that this is a bad idea: teaching a carnivorous tree how to hide in a forest. However, I¡¯m thinking about when I¡¯m gone from this world. A vine-strangler forest which replaces everything it encounters will destroy the local ecosystem. One that intermingles with it just becomes another threat to be wary of, not an eco-disaster. I never tried that, it replies, appearing a little intrigued. So, we have an agreement? I ask, aware of the sun almost disappearing below the horizon. If you insist, the forest says, trying to appear that it¡¯s giving me the concession. I let the fire disappear from my palm ¨C my fire elemental isn¡¯t very happy with that ¨C and reach out with a Tame Bond. I don¡¯t know if this will work ¨C I¡¯m trying to Tame a group of trees for heaven¡¯s sake ¨C but I¡¯ve had enough experience with Tame to know how to reach out with it. What is this? the forest asks me, confused. Apparently something has happened. It¡¯s our agreement, I tell it shortly. It hesitates for another long moment. Accept it or the fire comes back out, I threaten it. I¡¯m still not sure that this isn¡¯t a bad idea, so if it pushes me, I will be happy to finish what I started and find some other solution to the escaping Energy. After another little pause, almost long enough for me to ignite the ball in my hand again, I feel the Tame Bond snap into place between us. It¡¯s a different sensation from what I¡¯ve experienced before. Taking a moment to close my eyes and feel it, I sense that the difference is because of two reasons. One, the forest is just so different from any creature I¡¯ve Bonded before: it¡¯s a single consciousness spread across many bodies, no more in one than it is in any of the others. As a result, the Bond is a lot more¡­mental than physical. Where my Dominate Bonds offer me the possibility of feeling the actual body of my Bound, and my Tame Bonds offer me more or less of that depending on the Bond itself, this one doesn¡¯t offer my any sort of connection to the body. The second reason is that the Tame Bond itself feels quite a bit different from any of the others. Going into my Core-space briefly, I note that though the new strand emerges from my Tame Skill, it loops once around my Dominate Skill too. Is that because I essentially forced the forest to accept the Bond? I wonder as I open my eyes again. Then I put it to one side. The forest is obliged to follow the terms of the agreement as long as it¡¯s in force. It can break the agreement, sure, but I will know if it does and then come with fire to wipe it out. How I¡¯ll stop it from going back to its old habits once I¡¯m gone, I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve still got over two hundred days to figure that out. For now, we¡¯re all hungry, tired, and need a bath. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve only got enough supplies in my Inventory to partially satiate one of those. But at least we can go and bed down in the cavern and harvest some of the Energy Hearts. Hopefully that will make everyone happy enough to forget their hunger and thirst. I¡¯m a little nervous despite the agreement we¡¯ve just hammered out as we step towards the trees. Not wanting to start our truce off on the wrong foot, I don¡¯t recreate the ball of fire, but I do keep a very sharp eye out. Watch out for an attack, I warn my Bound, careful to keep the forest out of the group communication. It should be fine but¡­just be wary. By using a Tame Bond, I¡¯ve left the door open for betrayal: having warning of the agreement breaking is no good if it happens the instant before a root pierces my brain. I could have tried Dominate, but with no obvious eyes on this thing, I don¡¯t know if it would have worked, and besides, I''ve already got too many Bonds on my hands ¨C both current and the ones I¡¯m probably going to have to create in the future. The trees creak as we get closer, but rather than strike at us with the roots hanging from their branches, they shuffle aside slightly, leaving a path wide enough for three of us to walk abreast. Well, me and two samurans, that is ¨C Trinity takes up more than half of the passageway by herself. Bastet ranges a little ahead with Honey and Woozle, the other three members of her team staying close to me. Pride brings up the rear with Lathani and Fenrir, between the three of them probably able to deal with any threat other than trees which might be hiding in this forest. At least for long enough that we can come to help them out. Full dark has fallen before we make it to the centre of the forest. Well, more of a wood now. Since both moons are currently in the sky, we actually have enough light for all of us to see by as long as I drop into Fade. Since we¡¯re in shadow, I get the extra bonus from the Skill so I can see pretty well. Finally reaching the centre, I see the hole in the ground. Unlike before where there had been a cleared space all around it, this time the trees are practically growing in the tunnel. Still, that we¡¯re approaching it is obvious: the dip in the ground is still significant and the trees are offering a clear path forwards anyway. I¡¯m anxious to know whether something else has taken up residence ¨C the trees only protect the outside, after all, and there is another route through to this area. Sending Bastet and her team forwards, I wait with the rest of our group near the lip of the basin. Bastet has only just reached the edge of the hole when she pauses and looks back at me. What is it? I ask urgently. Come and see for yourself. It is safe. I think. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Six: A Few Hours Earlier A few hours earlier River and his group have been travelling in silence for hours. He couldn¡¯t say whether it¡¯s a comfortable or uncomfortable quiet, though. They are all attentive to their surroundings; every one of them knows the danger of their environment intimately. It is a good reason for silence: even if their communication is a lot quieter than that of the noisy human, it is still audible. Well, it used to have to be ¨C these days with the Bonds facilitating communication it¡¯s a different story. They remain silent regardless. River suspects another cause. Though most of his kin have come around to the new way of things, not all have been so willing to acknowledge his leadership. The Honoured Pathwalker ¨C no, just ¡®Pathwalker¡¯ he tells himself ¨C for one has not been so happy about it. Lee is another. They obey because they must, but River doesn¡¯t doubt what would happen if the Bond broke. The Unevolved are happy with the change in status quo, much as Catch had been ¨C the opportunity to eat without needing to fulfil a quota of resources is key in that. River senses discontent among the Evolved, though, as if they fear that the order of the world has been turned on its head. Some of the Unevolved, too, are uneasy, as if fearful that they have done something wrong. The closer they get to the village, the more the unease mounts ¨C it is one thing to accept new, beneficial rules when far from home; it¡¯s very difficult to do so when returning to it. But is this home still? For the others, yes. For River himself¡­.? He finds he cannot answer, good memories of the village and convivial moments shared with other villagers juxtaposed with warm moments and camaraderie with Markus¡¯ band of hunters. And he has a number of bad memories of the village, but very few of them with his master¡¯s group. They are approaching the village. River has been noticing familiar landmarks for a while, the trees and rocks he has used to lead him home since he was a hatchling. They do not pause. It has taken almost two Egg-rises to reach this point, the need for them to go around the furthest reach of the Forest of Death necessitating them to go a good distance out of their way. Joy had complained about that, demanding why, if River¡¯s master ¨C their master ¨C was so powerful, they could not just go through the trees. The answer had come within the first Egg-rise. A plume of smoke had been the first thing they saw, stretching up to heaven above the forest canopy. They hadn¡¯t known what it was then. Next had come the rush of beasts, maddened and terrified, stampeding out of the forest. These were the beasts which were obviously too small, or too weak, or otherwise not interesting enough for the forest to kill. The villagers had to pause to weather the storm, the Warriors acting as the first line of defence as they huddled behind a the trunk of a large tree. Fortunately, the beasts didn¡¯t seem interested in fighting; they simply wished to get away. From what became all too obvious. The light was what they saw first, a reddish, orangey light which flickered and made their shadows fall oddly. Then they felt the heat, the waves of it that emanated from the forest to their sides. And then they saw it: the life-devourer. This one was the real deal. After having seen and made so many small fires for his alchemy or his master¡¯s cooking, River had started wondering whether his memories were faulty, if the life-devourer wasn¡¯t actually as terrible as he had remembered. What he saw then reminded him of just how terribly powerful the life-devourer could be. They had backed away from the flames which licked out, expanding the body of the devourer faster than they could run. River didn¡¯t think he was alone in fearing that he would never see another Egg-rise. He¡¯d cursed himself for not running with the beasts earlier, for not having let the others run when they wished too. And then¡­he saw the power of his master ¨C as he was sure this was Honoured Markus¡¯ work. The flames had spread to the edge of the Forest of Death¡¯s domain¡­and there they had stopped. Though the leaves of the normal forest trees had withered, their branches blackened and singed from sheer proximity to the heat of the life-devourer, they had not caught light. The villagers had paused, their desire to flee quenched. They had stared at the fire, just as River had. It truly was magnificent, and all the more so because of the sheer control that they could sense behind it. A river of fire which could so easily burn them to the same ash that they could see the trees crumbling into, yet it was held leashed, bound to the will of the one who controlled it. River felt awe go through him and through the Bonds of the others he was connected to. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. They bore witness in silence, watching as the edge of the Forest of Death was burned, the trees showing their vulnerability to fire in the speed that they were consumed. And then, once the fire had taken its due from each of the trees, it died, the flames reducing to nothing more than glowing embers. Still the villagers stood staring, for what was revealed after the curtain of fire disappeared was just as awe-inspiring as the control of the fire had been. Where a dense forest of trees had been, there was suddenly nothing more than a blank, featureless field of grey ash that stretched as far as their eyes could see. With his enhanced vision, River was able to catch sight of flickers of red and orange far in the distance ¨C the life-devourer hadn''t finished its work. Neither, apparently, had his master. Yet in that place, where the villagers were, the Forest of Death was no more. ¡°This was your master¡¯s work?¡± Lee had asked, his spikes muted, awe still flickering through them. ¡°Yes,¡± River answered simply. ¡°Would he be willing to teach us, do you think?¡± Joy asked moving to face River directly, greed and awe warring for dominance in her spikes. River hesitated. ¡°My master is generous,¡± he said finally. ¡°But only with those who are as committed to the group as he is. As I am. You know that he taught me to set a fire, and would have taught me magic if I could learn it.¡± He couldn¡¯t answer for his master, but that is what he had seen of Markus¡¯ approach so far. Joy seemed satisfied enough with that answer, as did the others who had heard it, the Unevolved seeming almost as interested as the Pathwalker. River had felt a brief pang of fear go through him at the thought of his master taking another assistant and replacing him. A moment after, he had chided himself ¨C his master had said and proved multiple times that he valued River, that even if he gave others attention, he would not cast River aside. They had continued loping through the forest not long after that, and had made camp soon after the Great Egg had disappeared below the mountains, maximising the amount of travel time. River had felt a change in the Bonds connected to him, a sense of awe never fully leaving them, joined by hope. At the same time, he sensed increased conflict within the Bonds of the Evolved, though the details escaped him. Now, as they prepare to put into place the plans they discussed in the darkness of last dark-fall, River takes a moment to once more touch the Bonds which he can control. While they are still connected to his master, as a team-leader, they seem to go through him first. It¡¯s taken quite a while for him to get used to feeling the emotions of his kin constantly ¨C like he is being forced to watch their spikes all the time. He doesn¡¯t understand how his master can cope with so many Bonds feeding their emotions to him, but maybe he knows a way to mute them. For now, though, it¡¯s important for him to know how his kin are feeling since, potentially, his life will lie in their claws. While he can control the actions of the Pathwalker and two Warriors with him, the same is not true of the Unevolved. And even with the control, there is much damage which can be done ¨C River himself is held with a Dominate Bond and knows exactly how much wriggle room there is in it. Not that he¡¯s ever taken advantage of that. Reaching a spot that they know is only a short distance away from the village, but is not yet actually in sight of it, they pause. River withdraws from his sense of the Bond ¨C with no indication that any appear to be planning to betray him to the Pathwalkers who seek his head, he will just have to trust his kin. He feels a brief sense of grief that he needs to consider his own kin as enemies, but pushes it aside ¨C he knows he is doing this for the village¡¯s good. And they will know it too before the end. ¡°Right,¡± says River quietly, facing the group of villagers. ¡°Yells-a-curse, it¡¯s up to you now. Remember, quick in, see what¡¯s going on, then quickly come out again and tell us what you¡¯ve found out.¡± ¡°Yes, Runs-with-the-river,¡± the Unevolved assents, lifting his chin briefly. ¡°I understand my task.¡± River nods briefly, then feels a flash of¡­something at the realisation that he¡¯s picked up some of his master¡¯s physical movements. He pushes that to the side too. ¡°Give him the carcass,¡± River orders Lee ¨C the biggest villager has been charged with bearing the body of the beast they killed only a short while ago. It¡¯s Yells-a-curse¡¯s reason for returning to the village and he accepts it with a bit of effort. Then, setting off, the rest of them hide in the nearby bushes ¨C they don¡¯t want to be found before they know where the land lies in the village. River can only hope that Yells-a-curse will be back soon ¨C and that no one realises he isn¡¯t meant to be there at all. That¡¯s why, after copious debate about the right approach to take, they had chosen to send in an Unevolved adult. After all, everyone would know which Pathwalker and Warriors had been sent to chase down ¡®the traitor Runs-with-the-river¡¯, but would they remember which Unevolved had gone? It would have been even better if Catch had been able to scout for them, but he had stayed with Markus. River is glad of that, despite how much more certain the plan would be with Catch ¨C his master needs to be protected and River is certain that Catch will do so with his life. However, it does mean that there is a chance that someone will realise Yells-a-curse isn¡¯t meant to be in the village and the whole plan will come tumbling down around their jaws. As a result, River finds himself unable to be completely still. From the tension he senses over the Bonds which he keeps checking with almost frenetic frequency, he is not the only one feeling concerned that their half-dead corpse of a plan might escape their claws. The Great Egg moves across the sky, heading once more for the mountains; the tension mounts still higher. They wait. The Great Egg dips below the mountains; its disappearance heralds the return of darkness. They wait. The white glow of the first Spirit¡¯s Eye rises and pierces the darkness, making it almost as bright as day to their dark-adapted eyes. They wait. When they hear the sound of feet drumming towards them across the forest floor, River hears a shift from all his kin hidden around. Finally, something is about to happen. Yells-a-curse bursts into the clearing, his eyes wide, his spikes flashing with alarm. ¡°We need to stop it! The Honoured Shaman she¡¯s¡­.she¡¯s gone mad.¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Seven: Our Side At the Unevolved¡¯s words, all the hidden villagers emerge from the bushes and trees where they have been hiding. They circle him, each demanding a question. Yells-a-curse tries to answer them all at once and ends up answering none. The clicks and grunts of the group members create a cacophonous din; the flashing of spikes is enough to blind one even in the dim light. ¡°Quiet, everyone!¡± River tries to say, but his clicks are lost in the din. ¡°Let him speak!¡± With frustration he tries to pull at the Bonds, but he can only tug on those of the Warriors and Pathwalker. They look at him and he wonders what their response will be ¨C help, or hinder. ¡°Yells-a-curse, take a hold of yourself,¡± Joy snaps out, her teeth chattering together cutting through the rest of the noise. ¡°The rest of you, clear a path.¡± Accustomed to obeying the Pathwalker, they do just that, revealing the small scout in their midst. Help, it seems is their decision, to River¡¯s private relief. Joy, Lee, and River step closer. Yells-a-curse looks pale, like his blood has fled his body. His eyes are still wide, his body juddering with nerves. ¡°Now, Yells-a-curse, start from the beginning. What did you see?¡± Joy asks briskly. Everyone focuses on the small adult. ¡°I got back into the village fine ¨C the Warriors on guard didn¡¯t seem to realise I wasn¡¯t meant to be there. It was quiet, almost deserted despite being the time for villagers to return for food. One of the Warriors remarked that I was almost late for the ceremony. I didn¡¯t dare ask which ceremony for fear of betraying my ignorance. There, I saw¡­¡± he gulps and takes a breath. ¡°Go on,¡± River encourages him softly when it looks like he might not. ¡°I saw¡­the Honoured Shaman¡­she¡­she¡­k-killed the hatchlings.¡± The last is said in a rush, as if he has to force it out, and once started, it comes out like a stream that was blocked suddenly becoming undammed. ¡°What?¡± is asked by several voices, everyone¡¯s crests flashing in confusion and concern. ¡°She killed the hatchlings? Shaman?¡± Joy asks as if she can¡¯t believe it. River, too, is finding it hard to conceive of it. He may have come to understand that Shaman¡¯s plans with Lathani would have led to nothing but destruction for their village, but he never doubted that she was trying to protect it. But this¡­killing hatchlings? Yells-a-curse¡¯s spikes flash with damning confirmation. ¡°I saw it. They had ingested some sort of concoction, I¡¯m almost sure: their eyes were glassy and their movements unnatural. It was like when we must say goodbye to another villager and release their spirits, yet here the hatchlings were alive. The adults all chewed the macanna root. I did not ¨C I pretended to, and then kept in the shadows cast by the Spirit¡¯s Eye. I watched as they danced around the hatchlings, like they were already dead. Yet they were not. Not until¡­until¡­¡± He gulps again, then closes his eyes, as if reliving the moment. ¡°She danced between them, then drew a claw across the throat of the closest. The hatchling¡¯s blood pumped out; it fell. She moved to the next. By the end, they were all gone. Their bodies lay on the blood-soaked ground. ¡°The adults all collapsed to the ground too, their Energy spent. But not me: I stayed hidden in the shadows.¡± ¡°And then? What did you see?¡± asks River sharply, horror rising within him at the description. What, by the ancestors, is Shaman doing? ¡°The Pathwalkers were the only ones still standing; even the Warriors who took part in the ceremony had collapsed. But even they seemed drained. Most of the Pathwalkers chose to move off a little way and then sit down together, sitting in silence. Shaman was the only one who seemed energised. ¡°She walked away from the bloody mess, accompanied by one other Pathwalker.¡± Here Yells-a-curse opens his eyes again, looking at River with a mixture of hostility and sympathy in his expression. ¡°Herbalist.¡± The knowledge hits River like a spear blow to his chest. His previous master was involved in this travesty? How much? ¡°And what did they do?¡± he asks, barely able to click his teeth together correctly or force out the grunts to ask the question. ¡°They moved towards Shaman¡¯s hut, which brought them closer to where I was hiding. Herbalist asked ¡®is it enough?¡¯. Shaman replied: ¡®not yet¡¯. There was a pause and then Herbalist asked ¡®then what can we do?¡¯ and Shaman replied ¡®we need more sacrifices. Five adults next Egg-rise.¡¯¡± River hears the sound of teeth chattering around him, everyone paying close attention to what Yells-a-curse has to say. He sees red and orange in everyone¡¯s crests, the rest of the group as horror-filled as he is at the story. ¡°And did Herbalist agree to it?¡± River can barely ask, noting as he does so how easily the honorific falls away from his previous master¡¯s title. Yells-a-curse, too, hasn¡¯t used it since starting his story. River doesn¡¯t blame him. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°She was uneasy. Asked whether it was truly necessary, especially since recent reports had been that a life-devourer had come through to consume all of the Forest of Death. Shaman scoffed at the idea that a life-devourer might have come through yet only ate at their enemy. She insisted that this meant the ¡®weapon¡¯ was even more necessary ¨C that it would protect against anything which threatens the village. Life-devourer, Forest of Death, or other unknown threat. She insisted that the ¡®weapon¡¯ was almost ready, but that it needed more power. According to her ¡®the lifeforce of the hatchlings, unprepared, isn¡¯t enough.¡¯.¡± Yells-a-curse¡¯s jaw hangs open for a moment in disgust, then clicks shut again. ¡°Herbalist gave in.¡± The Unevolved adult looks at River, the same mixture of sympathy and anger in his gaze and spikes. ¡°I do not think that she was happy with the answer, but she accepted it nonetheless. They then separated, Shaman to her hut, Herbalist to hers. I waited until they had disappeared before slipping out of the village by the side gate. And then I came here.¡± He stops and looks at River expectantly. Glancing around himself, River realises that everyone else is doing the same. Instead of looking to Joy, or to Lee for answers, they¡¯re looking towards him. For a moment he can¡¯t help but ask why, but that moment of thought reveals the answer. The old systems have failed them. Shaman is the leader of the village, the main protector, the one who stands between them and the evil spirits who would otherwise destroy them. Yet she has gone mad, has turned on her own. From the sounds of it, she has decided that creating whatever this ¡®weapon¡¯ is requires the lives of some of those under her protection; and that this is somehow justifiable. For a moment, River is taken back to a day long ago when he stood next to the cooling carcass of an adult he had hunted with, had tried to save, only to fail. Then, the Honoured Herbalist had told him that it was everyone¡¯s duty to serve the village. That those who were weak would die, and that this was good because if the weak survived, the village would be weakened in its turn. What was this but taking that philosophy a little bit further ¨C to where if the deaths of villagers could benefit the village directly, should they not give it? Yet even if River could agree with that philosophy ¨C which he could not now, not having experienced life with Markus ¨C how could he permit it to happen when he knew that the threat of the Forest of Death was no more? That Shaman was being willfully blind? He could not. He would not permit this to happen. ¡°Egg-rise, you said?¡± he asks, looking at Yells-a-curse. His kin¡¯s spikes flash in confirmation. ¡°Then we don¡¯t have much time. Come, let us make a plan.¡± ¡°You intend on interfering?¡± asks Joy, an odd note in her voice. ¡°I do,¡± River says firmly. ¡°Not only do I disagree strongly with the whole idea of willfully killing some of our kin to save the rest, but if they are trying to create something which defends against the Forest of Death, they are working in vain. The Forest of Death is already conquered ¨C we¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°Are we sure that the whole forest is conquered, though?¡± asks Lee, his rumbling grunts breaking into the conversation for the first time in a while. ¡°We saw the furthest section of it burn, but we do not know if the whole of it has.¡± River gives the burly Warrior a level look, clicking his teeth together sharply to underscore the solid belief clearly flashing through his spikes. ¡°I¡¯m sure. We have seen nothing but ash of the trees all day.¡± Even the stretches of trees which had almost encircled the village had been destroyed to the last one. River wonders how the village reacted when they saw the flames and smoke so close, even if there¡¯s still a stretch of normal forest around the village itself which remained untouched. ¡°What if your master was only able to destroy a small section of the forest?¡± asks Lee, his spikes intentionally muted to disguise his emotions. He was unable to keep them from the Bond, though, and River feels the tumultuous emotions rumbling under the surface. ¡°He conquered the Forest of Death, I¡¯m sure of it,¡± River says, his voice completely confident. ¡°By this point, I expect that the Forest is nothing but ash. Or perhaps master has forced it to bow to his might and accept his Bond, much as he did with both of us,¡± he says firmly, staring at the other villager until Lee looks away. ¡°Our kin are making decisions based on fear ¨C horrible, awful decisions. We must stop them.¡± ¡°I agree with Runs-with-the-river,¡± Peace says, speaking for the first time. He¡¯s the other Warrior, a lithe scout-build. He is a quiet villager, only talking when he has something to say. As a result, when he does speak, his words hold weight. ¡°So do I,¡± pipes up one of the other Unevolved adults ¨C Stumbles-over-a-bone. He looks defiant, like he feels like he probably shouldn¡¯t be saying anything in this discussion between leaders, but he¡¯s going to anyway. River flashes approval in his spikes ¨C he¡¯s glad to see that change is happening. ¡°And me,¡± agrees another Unevolved adult, looking like Stumbles-over-a-bone¡¯s daring has given him the confidence to speak. At that, it¡¯s like a dam has broken ¨C the other Unevolved all chime in with their agreement. Suddenly, instead of it being River making the decision with Joy and Lee hesitantly agreeing, it¡¯s eleven adults all exclaiming their strong agreement that something must be done. Lee, Joy, and Peace all seem surprised at the vehemence of the Unevolved. Or perhaps surprised that they would dare try to be part of the decision-making. River, as one of those Unevolved, put in a position of power only because his master had decreed it, and had the power to enforce his decree, can¡¯t help but feel a visceral sense of satisfaction. ¡°So, it¡¯s decided: we will interfere, we will save our kin from the leaders who should be protecting them, and we will deal with Shaman¡­and Herbalist.¡± His grunts feel hard to force out as he says the last. Herbalist, after all, still has a special place in his heart ¨C without her, he would have been just one of the other Unevolved, struggling every day to gather enough resources to eat. River regrets that they will not be able to wait for his master to join them ¨C if Shaman intends to sacrifice five adults at Egg-rise, they will need to interrupt within the next few hours. Closing his eyes for a moment, he attempts to send a message through the Bond that he has with Markus, a message of urgency and needing him to come quickly. Unsure whether it has got through or not, he opens his eyes and faces his kin. Ultimately, they will need to make a plan based on only the people they have here. Which means¡­. ¡°So, since the fifteen of us are not going to be able to overcome all the others in the village, does anyone have any idea of how to convince everyone else to join our side?¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Traitor The fifteen villagers head through the dark forest. Their path is lit only by the light of the Spirit¡¯s Eyes which move across the sky, watching everything below with an unwavering gaze. Underneath the canopy, their rays are impeded by the leaves, but still enough slips through to allow the sharp-eyed People to avoid most dangers. With so many of them travelling together, including three Evolved, the rest of the potential threats apparently choose not to bother them. Or perhaps it''s the recent visit of the life-devourer which causes the forest to be so quiet tonight. It¡¯s just as well since River doesn¡¯t feel like he would be inclined to offer any sort of mercy to creatures who attempt to interfere with their mission tonight, not when the hours before Egg-rise are too short as they are. Reaching the so-familiar path that leads directly to the gateway to the village proper, River takes a moment to swallow, pushing away his fears and worries. Once more, he attempts to send his master a message to hurry, to join them as soon as possible. He didn¡¯t expect to be doing this by himself, for all that the whole reason for him bringing almost all of his kin who were tied to Markus was that he could if necessary. Though, the ¡®if necessary¡¯ had been more to do with if Markus had an issue with his fire, or the threat from the forest was more immediate than they had thought. They hadn¡¯t considered that Shaman might have done something so¡­detestable. Be planning to do more. That was the only way he could describe it, sacrificing the lives of hatchlings, planning to sacrifice the lives of adults. All so that the rest of the village could survive. At least he wasn¡¯t alone in his disgust ¨C everyone had agreed that Shaman¡¯s actions could not be tolerated, even if Joy and Lee had taken some time to come around. Hopefully they would be able to convince others. Well, he would know sooner rather than later: the first targets stand just a few paces away, motionless in the moonlight. Motionless, until they spot the approach of the large party. Clearly not recognising the group as kin, the Warriors move into a threatening position, one shifting his spear into a ready position, crouching lower to the ground to give himself stability. The other has a throwing weapon, the woven pockets for the stones and the bands of which were probably created by the Pathwalker stepping silently beside River. ¡°Halt, come no closer. State your business,¡± the Warrior holding the spear commands firmly. His voice is flat, toneless without light to illuminate the colours on his crest, but the meaning is clear. ¡°Peace, Fights-a-broodmate,¡± Lee says, at the front of their little cavalcade. ¡°It is I, Leaps-in-fright. We have returned from our hunt.¡± The reaction of the Warriors is quick. They immediately relax, spear butt placed back on the earth, sling slowed and stopped from whirling above the other Warrior¡¯s head. The group of returning villagers start moving forward again. ¡°Leaps-in-fright! You are welcome back. Presuming you have brought our Honoured Weaver with you too, that is.¡± ¡°I am here,¡± answers Joy. Fights-a-broodmate clicks his teeth together in what River has to guess is an expression of gladness. ¡°It is good to have you back, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± the Warrior says. ¡°I am glad that our Warriors have kept you safe.¡± River senses an odd discomfort from both Peace and Lee. He supposes it makes sense ¨C technically, they utterly failed in all their objectives. Due to the trees having been cleared away from the village and its environs, the returning hunting party steps into the light as they approach the two Warriors, allowing the guards to better identify all the members of the group. River notices their expressions twist. ¡°I see that you were successful in recapturing the traitor Runs-with-the-river,¡± says Fights-a-broodmate. This close, River can catch a hint of the deep colour which spills through his spikes. He can¡¯t quite tell what the colour is, but he can guess well enough. ¡°We found him, for sure,¡± Lee answers, his own spikes kept carefully blank. ¡°Brother, there is much to speak about. Let the others enter the village and Sleeps-peacefully and I will share news with you.¡± ¡°The Pathwalker will be safe without you to protect her?¡± the other Warrior asks dubiously, speaking for the first time. River is able to identify him as Chews-a-bone, one of only three Warriors in the village who rely on ranged weapons. ¡°He does not seem bound in any way and I do not see Murmurs-quietly or Eats-dirt with you.¡± ¡°By my claw, I promise that Honoured Weaver will be safe,¡± reassures Lee. ¡°As for the other two of our brethren, they are well, but on another mission at the moment.¡± Though not looking entirely convinced, the two Warriors nonetheless shift to the side to give the hunting party entrance. As River¡¯s party moves into the village, the quiet sounds of the Warriors¡¯ conversation become indecipherable. It¡¯s an odd experience for River, entering somewhere which is both so achingly familiar, and so terribly strange. He has become habituated to calling the cave home, to considering his people to be Bastet and Markus, and Fenrir, and Sirocco. Even Hades and Persephone feel more familiar to him than the two Warriors he has just walked past. There is also a surprisingly vulnerable feeling, brought home to him in the guarded question of Chews-a-bone. A reminder that here he is considered a traitor, one deserving the heavy and sharp claw of justice for his crimes against the village. He doesn¡¯t doubt in his companions ¨C he trusts in their equal fervour to see the shaman¡¯s plans foiled, even if he didn¡¯t trust in the Bonds which hold them tied to the same master as him. Yet still, he can¡¯t help a niggling sense of doubt. Is this like it was when Markus walked into a camp of enemies, forced to trust in me, so newly Bonded, to keep him safe? River can¡¯t help but wonder. No, it must have been worse: River, at least, knows and trusts the rest of the hunting party, having worked with them for years. Led them for days. Seen their change of heart and lack of desire to return to the old ways of thought. Or, at least, their motivation to see Shaman¡¯s plan a failure. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. River brushes the thoughts aside ¨C they will do him no good. He has a task to do. The Unevolved break away from their party as previously agreed, moving over to try to rouse the other Unevolved, to find out if all the hatchlings have been sacrificed or only a small number. Silently, Joy and River head to their destination. Once more River approaches the hut of his previous master in the middle of the night. This time, however, it is not to sneak Lathani out like a thief. Instead, he heads to the hut next door, the one where his master¡­his previous master sleeps. At the entrance, he hesitates for a moment, then pushes the leaf-door aside, crawling in feet first. Inside, he finds himself suddenly accosted, a blow pushing him against the wall. ¡°Stop!¡± he exclaims, the sounds of his grunt and snapping teeth cutting through the air like a spark through the darkness. His assailant freezes. ¡°Runs-with-the-river?¡± a voice breathes, the clicks almost inaudible. He would recognise the voice of his master¡­his previous master anywhere. ¡°Yes,¡± he answers flatly. Not that Herbalist would be able to see any emotions he showed on his spikes anyway. Not in this all-encompassing darkness. ¡°Are you¡­are you here to kill me?¡± Herbalist asks, her teeth chattering slightly. In anger? Fear? He cannot tell. ¡°No,¡± he breathes, just as quiet as Herbalist¡¯s had been before. ¡°At least, I hope not,¡± he can¡¯t help but add. From what Yells-a-curse said, Herbalist has been a reluctant participant in Shaman¡¯s scheme, but a participant she has been regardless. And River can¡¯t forget that she seemed perfectly willing to go along with the plan to use Lathani as their weapon. That¡¯s also another reason he can¡¯t promise that he won¡¯t kill her ¨C if his master requires him to kill Herbalist for her crimes against Lathani¡­but he wouldn¡¯t ask that of River, surely? He would do the job himself, or give it to the Great Predator to take her revenge. He wouldn¡¯t be cruel enough to ask Herbalist¡¯s previous assistant to be her executioner. River feels a faint hint of doubt, but pushes it away ¨C he wouldn¡¯t. But that¡¯s a later consideration for when his master joins him. For now, they have to deal with the impending sacrifice of five adults for nothing. ¡°It¡¯s dark,¡± he says, pointing out the obvious. ¡°We need some light.¡± ¡°Do you wish to take this outside?¡± asks Herbalist, a little uncertainly. Clearly she doesn¡¯t want to take it outside, out of her den and away from her weapons. ¡°No need,¡± River says, pulling two items from his belt. Working from feel, he strikes the firestarter until sparks fly. They are enough to illuminate the torch head, allowing him to aim the next set at the flammable end. Soon, one catches, and then flames ripple across the pitch-soaked plant fibre which is wrapped around the piece of stick, held in place by more fibre. The flames illuminate the wide eyes of Herbalist. River watches as she recoils backwards in shock, her tail knocking into several pots of unknown substances as she backs into the drying plants hanging against the wall. ¡°What¡­?¡± she apparently can¡¯t help but ask, her jaw sagging open in shock to allow the grunts through. Her spikes, now lit in the torchlight, show deep shock and confusion, shot through with not a little worry. ¡°How?¡± ¡°My master taught me,¡± River says carefully. Her reaction has helped steady him a little, has reminded him that however great an impact on his life she has had in his memories, she is no longer the direct authority over him. And she seems oddly diminished compared to his memories even if her physical size has not changed. ¡°Your¡­you have taken another¡­one of my sisters as master?¡± she asks, confusion spilling through her spikes. And is that hurt that he sees? As if with unfortunate timing, Joy decides that now is the right moment for her to slide through into the room. ¡°I saw the fire,¡± she explains as soon as she gets in. ¡°I thought perhaps you had managed to make some progress.¡± A curious expression twists Herbalist¡¯s jaws, and an odd pinkish shade goes through her crest ¨C not one River has ever really seen before. Certainly not with him as part of the conversation. ¡°So it is you!¡± Herbalist clicks angrily, her breath hissing through her teeth. ¡°What?¡± Joy asks, looking completely baffled. River feels much the same. ¡°You stole my Runs-with-the-river¡¯s loyalty!¡± accuses Herbalist, stepping forward towards Joy, away from the wall. ¡°Did you tell him to kill Mover? And to let that prey-beast free? Why? Because you couldn¡¯t stand being weaker, lower in the rankings than I am? You disgust me!¡± Her tail lashes angrily back and forth; she doesn¡¯t seem to notice the pots being knocked over and spilled behind her. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± cries Joy, her grunts rising in volume. River begins to worry that Shaman will hear: the mud walls of the huts are good at insulating sound but not that good. ¡°And it¡¯s you who disgusts me! Hatchlings, how could you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you¡¯re better than me sister. All you can do is steal.¡± The two Pathwalkers are practically jaw to jaw and River doesn¡¯t know how long it will be until a fight breaks out. ¡°Stop it,¡± he says, at first a little weakly. Then, when the two females show no indication of having heard him, he says it more firmly. ¡°Stop it!¡± This time, they glance at him, Herbalist in surprise, Joy in wariness. Perhaps Herbalist has never heard him being so assertive ¨C he certainly never has been with her. Not until now. He¡¯d always known what his place was when he was with her, and had never even considered risking it by being rude or aggressive. Now it was a different story. ¡°Joy, back off,¡± he orders firmly, holding the Bond instinctively just to make sure she would obey. He has never done this before, wasn¡¯t even sure whether he would dare command a Pathwalker if it came to it. Apparently, though, he¡¯s willing to do it. The Weaver eyes him for a moment, rebellion both in her eyes and her Bond. She doesn¡¯t like it. Doesn¡¯t like him ordering her around; especially doesn¡¯t like it that he¡¯s doing it in front of her sister. He fears that she will try anyway, wonders what might happen if she does. However, he senses that the Bond will not let her defy him, not with him holding it as firmly as he is now. He still remembers the times his master used the Bond against him ¨C first when they had been escaping this very village, second when he had been enraptured by the Energy Hearts. He remembers well the feeling of his body obeying another over him. No doubt Joy feels that now, the inability to make her limbs obey her if she tries to move against his command. It sends an odd thrill up his spine. Joy steps back, closing her jaws from where they¡¯ve been gaping open in a threat, lowering her claws. Her tail sinks from where it had been lifting to offer her balance if she needed to move quickly. River looks over at Herbalist. She, too, has partially dropped the threatening position. She doesn¡¯t look any more relaxed though: instead of glaring at Joy, she¡¯s now looking at River with suspicion flickering through her spikes. ¡°So, Weaver is not your new master?¡± she asks slowly a moment later. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Thirty-Nine: Weakness is Not Failure, but the Opportunity to Succeed ¡°No,¡± River answers slowly. ¡°Did you think¡­?¡± Herbalist glares back at him. ¡°You said you had another master, and suddenly Weaver comes in. What am I supposed to think?¡± Then she glances as Joy and her spikes ripple with thoughtfulness, the light blue colour replacing the pink. ¡°But if anything, I would have said that the relationship seems to be the other way around. Though how that could be true, I don¡¯t know.¡± Her gaze narrows as she stares at Joy who looks vaguely offended. ¡°Especially since you were supposed to be chasing Runs-with-the-river down to catch him to bring him back to face our judgement, the last I¡¯d heard.¡± Joy eyes River instead of answering. He sighs through his teeth ¨C it was true, he¡¯d insisted on leading the discussion. Joy was supposed to back him up; that was it. They¡¯d discussed different options and Joy had mentioned that Herbalist didn¡¯t like her much ¨C apparently that was true enough if what he¡¯d seen so far was any judge. ¡°Let¡¯s start again,¡± River suggests, feeling surprisingly calm. Joy huffs and shifts, but doesn¡¯t protest. Herbalist eyes him, but lowers her tail and leans back against a wooden cupboard. River pretends not to notice how close her claws are to a pot he recognises ¨C if she throws that one, he will have to close his eyes so as not to be blinded by the irritating contents. ¡°Go on,¡± Herbalist says, the colours in her spikes carefully muted. River opens his jaws, but pauses. How should he start? The same question has been going around and around in his mind ever since they decided that he should lead the discussion. He¡¯d hoped that once he got in front of his erstwhile master, the ancestors would bring him the words to say, but apparently not. Momentarily speechless, he looks around the room. This hut is not as familiar to him as the one next door, her workshop. However, he has been here a number of times. There is Herbalist¡¯s bed, made of a type of bush from the forest which is comfortably springy. Its top layer is made of soft leaves to cushion the spikes of the bush. That had been his task too ¨C renewing it when the plants started to lose their natural bounciness. Around the edges of the round hut are a number of cupboards, tailor-made by Wood-shaper to fit the space. He wonders if he still knows what is in most of those ¨C he has been sent often enough to collect one of the pre-made concoctions which Herbalist stores in them. Or stored, perhaps ¨C he doesn¡¯t know whether anything has changed in his absence. Where they stand is a woven mat, perhaps made by Joy even. Here, he had helped care for a number of wounded villagers who had been injured enough to be given a bed here: if their conditions deteriorated in the night, Herbalist could help them immediately. Lathani hadn¡¯t been one of them ¨C she had been kept in the workshop. For obvious reasons: if she¡¯d broken free of the cage, the risk of Herbalist being injured or killed was too high. That, of all his thoughts, gave him inspiration to speak. ¡°We made a mistake,¡± he says calmly, looking up at Herbalist. She stays silent. ¡°Shaman made a mistake ¨C more than one, but I¡¯ll get on to that. You made a mistake.¡± His previous master shifts a little, faint red spiking through her crest ¨C he doesn¡¯t care. He doesn¡¯t need to impress her any more. ¡°I made a mistake by going along with it, not that I realised at the time. ¡°Capturing the Great Predator¡¯s cub was a big mistake. But in a way, it has led to our salvation.¡± ¡°Salvation,¡± Herbalist repeats, her tone flat, her spikes colourless. River gestures at the fire. ¡°The ¡®prey beast¡¯ who I brought into the camp was nothing of the sort. A while before that, he had captured me, brought me low. Showed himself to be far more powerful than me, strong enough to force my surrender. Yet instead of doing so, he explained the situation. Gave me an ultimatum: to help him save the cub, and in doing so avert disaster, or to be tied up and out of the way while he did it by himself. I convinced him to go a step further ¨C to destroy the threat offered by the Forest of Death in exchange for my service.¡± Herbalist shifts again, her claws digging into the wood of the cupboards. ¡°He has now done just that. The Forest of Death is no more.¡± At that, Herbalist pushes herself fully upright. ¡°That can¡¯t be true-¡± ¡°It is,¡± River answers, the click of his teeth almost seeming to echo off the walls of the hut. Herbalist looks at Joy. ¡°Sister¡­has he eaten something? Is he deluded? Is that why he turned from us?¡± she pleads, almost sounding like she wants to believe that that is the reason for the incredible things she¡¯s hearing from River¡¯s mouth. Joy shakes her head. ¡°Sister, I¡­I understand your disbelief. But¡­I have to support Runs-with-the-river. The¡­I do not know what to call him. He is not one of us, that is sure, but he is no prey. He wields the powers of a Pathwalker, and powers no Pathwalker has ever wielded before, to our knowledge.¡± She gestures to the fire as River had done before her. ¡°He knows the secrets of the life-devourer. I watched as he produced it from his claws. I have seen Runs-with-the-river creating this ¡®fire¡¯ which warms our scales at night, a secret learned from his new master.¡± She swallows, her eyes gaining a gleam of fear. ¡°And I have seen the life-devourer consume the trees of the Forest of Death, leaving only ash, yet touch not a single tree beyond its limits.¡± Herbalist gazes at the fire, then at Joy, then River, then back to the fire again. She steps forwards, holding her claws out to the flame, pulling them back with a wince of pain. ¡°Did you think it was not real?¡± River asks softly. ¡°An illusion?¡± ¡°That would be more credible than your story,¡± grumbles Herbalist. She sighs, drops her claws back to her side, then looks back at the two of them. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°We want to stop Shaman from sacrificing our people,¡± River tells her frankly. ¡°It is pointless for one thing ¨C the Forest of Death is gone. For another, it is the wrong thing to do.¡± ¡°The weak serve the strong,¡± argues Herbalist, but her spikes ripple with colours which indicate her doubt in her own argument. ¡°I told you that long ago, Runs-with-the-river.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°You did,¡± he concedes. ¡°But I have learned another philosophy since then. One where the weak are only that because they have not had the time or opportunity to become strong. Where differences are desirable, needed, because no one can be strong in all things at all times. Where weakness is a responsibility of the group to strengthen, not an opportunity for them to take advantage. And then I come back here to find that Shaman, and Herbalist, two of the pillars of our village, the two who should be our greatest protectors, have instead killed hatchlings in pursuit of power.¡± The grunts falling out of his mouth are heavy, his spikes no doubt flaring with the deep colours of disappointment. Herbalist stands straight, as if he has just run his claws sharply along her spine. ¡°You dare to philosophise at me? You who are not even three Great Cycles old?¡± ¡°I do,¡± he responds, stepping forward and clicking his jaws together. Even Unevolved, he is bigger than the slighter Pathwalker; that has never seemed like an advantage before today. ¡°Because I have learned better from a being who is over twenty Great Cycles old.¡± Herbalist rears back in shock. ¡°That¡¯s as old as Shaman,¡± she responds, her teeth clicks barely a whisper of sound. ¡°Older, perhaps.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± River agrees, though he keeps his master¡¯s words about the significantly different ageing of his kind to himself. For now, his pure age is an advantage in this discussion. ¡°And, just so you know, if we had continued with the original plans for Lathani ¨C the Great Predator¡¯s cub ¨C the Great Predator herself would have come to wipe us out.¡± ¡°The Great Predator was killed by the hunting party which captured the cub in the first place,¡± disagrees Herbalist, as if she¡¯s holding onto the thread of the argument only by a claw. ¡°Wrong. By the time my master, the cub, and I got back to her den, she was in perfect condition,¡± River refutes grimly. ¡°The only reason our village has yet been spared was because my master argued for our continued survival.¡± ¡°And why would he do that?¡± demandes Herbalist, her eyes half-mad. ¡°If he is so intelligent, so old, so powerful, why did he care one bit about us? We, who put him in a cage, who would have used or eaten him happily.¡± ¡°Because of me,¡± growls River. ¡°Because even if I was weaker than him, he valued my service well enough to defend what I cared about. And that is why, whether you are with me or against me, I will defend those of my kin who will let me. I will not let Shaman ¨C or you ¨C sacrifice any more of their lives. They deserve the chance to grow, to develop, to learn what I have: that weakness is not failure, but the opportunity to succeed.¡± By the end, he¡¯s almost panting, his claws curled so tightly that the tips risk piercing his own skin. He quickly loosens them ¨C since absorbing a large portion of the Core of the danaris, his master had informed him that he now has active poison glands. They don¡¯t seem to be particularly powerful ¨C not yet, anyway. Since they¡¯re apparently still in flux, that might change even before he Evolves. Herbalist looks at him, her jaw sagging loosely again. She closes her mouth a couple of times, seeming to search for what to say. ¡°Weaver, sister, what say you to this madness?¡± she asks weakly. ¡°Do you support it? To throw the order of our village on its head?¡± Joy cocks her head to one side and flicks her tail in uncertainty. ¡°I do not know whether I truly support it or not,¡± she says slowly. ¡°But I don¡¯t have much choice.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an Unevolved!¡± cries Herbalist. ¡°If you do not agree with him, why is he not trussed up right now?¡± Joy twitches her tail again, though River notices the faint colouration of embarrassment playing through her spikes. She¡¯s silent. ¡°Tell her, Joy,¡± River says quietly. He doesn¡¯t use the Bond to force her compliance, but as she looks up at him and they meet eyes, he sees that she knows very well that he could. ¡°The truth is, that we, too, have been subdued by River¡¯s master,¡± Joy admits, sounding ashamed. ¡°What?¡± demands Herbalist, her grunts faint. ¡°It was a trap,¡± Joy almost falls over herself trying to explain, the grunts and clicks tumbling out of her mouth like a rain-swollen stream over rocks. ¡°We fell into it ¨C literally. We didn¡¯t have a chance. There was poison, and there was the life-devourer, and then he and I were facing each other in some other space. He was too strong. I tried to fight him off, to push him away, but he just kept coming. And then¡­and then¡­¡± She trails off, closing her eyes and swallowing dryly. ¡°And then he promised power. Knowledge. He¡­and I believe him. He is¡­you need to meet him.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s the prey beast we ordered shoved in a cage, I believe I have,¡± comments Herbalist faintly. ¡°No, properly.¡± Joy shakes her head violently as if to flick water away from her eyes. ¡°In that space where you feel yourself completely bare to him, and he to you. Where only truth is possible, and it is only your will against his.¡± There is silence for a few moments. ¡°So the whole hunting party is, in fact, a group of galaba come to infest the camp,¡± Herbalist asks tiredly, referring to a type of creature which tend to hide under the skin below the lower claws of villagers, laying their eggs where they would easily fall free to be picked up by another. One villager with a galaba infestation quickly passes them around to all the other villagers, only for it to be discovered when a number of kin fall sick with foot infections. ¡°Not galaba,¡± River breaks in before Joy reacts in offence. ¡°We do not seek to hurt, but to improve. It is Shaman who seeks to destroy ¨C for no more reason than power.¡± Herbalist holds still for a long moment, then sighs. ¡°Runs-with-the-river, speak plainly, if you please,¡± she starts, sounding like her patience is wearing thin. Were this to be the past, he would have lifted his chin and paid close attention to anything she asked of him, for fear of inciting her wrath. But this is not the past; she is no longer his master, no longer the gatekeeper to his survival. ¡°What do you wish of me? Why have you come here, in the middle of the night?¡± River, too, takes in a deep breath. ¡°I wish you to help convince the other Pathwalkers not to aid Shaman. No matter what happens.¡± She eyes him carefully. ¡°You do not intend to fight her, do you? She is a powerful Pathwalker, and has held the highest place in both rankings for the last four Great Cycles. Longer than you¡¯ve even lived. And you are still Unevolved, besides. You know what the consequence of raising a claw against a Pathwalker would be, even if, somehow, you won.¡± ¡°I will do what I must,¡± River answers with determination, meeting and holding her gaze in a way he would have never dared to do before. ¡°But all I wish is to protect our people from her. When my master comes, he will help sort things out and decide her fate.¡± Herbalist continues to gaze at him, her eyes unreadable, her spikes neutral. ¡°If your master is strong enough to prevail over Shaman, then he has earned the right to decide her fate.¡± She pauses for a long, tense moment. ¡°If you are right and the Forest of Death is no more, then I agree that sacrificing five adults upon Egg-rise is the wrong decision.¡± ¡°It is,¡± River assures her once more. She flicks her head slightly, expressing her dubiousness. ¡°I do not know whether I believe you, but I do not wish to be proven wrong after having condemned five of our village to death. I will support you in protecting our villagers. I will talk to my sisters and try to convince them of the same. But any further than that is your responsibility.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± River says with a sigh that is more relieved than he thought it would be. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, Runs-with-the-river,¡± Herbalist warns. ¡°You have made many claims this evening. If but one of them proves false, you will find yourself in so much trouble that you will wish you had kept running.¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty: Your Fault By the time River emerges with Joy and Herbalist following closely behind, there is already a murmur going throughout the area, unusual for this time of night. Returning to the main area, River sees a number of groups which wouldn¡¯t be out of place close to Egg-rise or dark fall, but under the Spirit¡¯s Eyes looks very strange indeed. The Unevolved are mostly sitting in groups, figures moving between each of the groups with regularity. Near the gates is a small clump of Warriors, clear even in the low light by their distinctive body types. Another small group is huddled together just outside one of their communal huts. River can only see one Pathwalker other than the two next to him and at this distance, he can¡¯t identify who it is. Perhaps Wind-Whisperer. ¡°Weaver, let us go and talk to our sisters,¡± murmurs Herbalist. River glances back to catch Joy eyeing him warily. Go with her, he says, sending the Pathwalker under his control a private message. Let me know if she does what she said she was going to do. He feels a wrench inside at the thought of doubting Herbalist ¨C the Pathwalker had done so much for him, after all. But his loyalties are elsewhere now, and until his master comes and takes over, he will have to be on his guard. Joy eyes him for a moment longer, then twitches her jaw upwards almost imperceptibly in silent acknowledgement. River fancies he feels a slight hint of appreciation that he¡¯d at least kept the order silent this time. ¡°Yes, let us go, sister,¡± Joy agrees with Herbalist and they hurry off to the Pathwalker standing in the shadows. River takes a moment to check in with the rest of his group. Lee, how is it going with the Warriors? Are you making any progress? There is a moment of silence but River doesn¡¯t doubt that he¡¯s been heard. He might think that he¡¯s being ignored except that the feeling emanating from Lee¡¯s side of the Bond is one of distraction. While waiting for Lee to get back to him, River sends the same message to the other Unevolved. Breaks-a-claw is the one who replies. It¡¯s not too surprising ¨C he¡¯s a rather silent villager, one who listens far more than he speaks. Where the others may be involved in discussions, he¡¯s probably just sitting and listening. They are groggy, Breaks-a-claw says. Some worse than others. We haven¡¯t been able to rouse about four of the adults and they don¡¯t look good. I see you have convinced Herbalist ¨C perhaps she could look at them. Can you see any marks on them? Are they injured? asks River with concern, already starting to walk over to Herbalist. They look¡­hungry. Injured, no. But tired. Their scales are drawn tightly on their bones. The ones who are best off have more meat on their bones, but everyone seems to be fatigued. More so than we would expect from being awake at this point in the night. And mentally? How are their minds? It is mixed, but I think they are all afraid. I think they are only just starting to remember what happened to the hatchlings. Some are resigned, others angry. Two have already tried to leave to bring Shaman ¨C they think she is doing the right thing. Do they know that they were next to be sacrificed? Yells-a-curse told them, group by group. A few have said they don¡¯t believe him, but I think that almost all of them do. They¡­they don¡¯t know what to do. They need the Pathwalkers to give them direction. Or the Warriors. River stops next to Herbalist, a feeling in his stomach as if he has swallowed the torch he instead left near Herbalist¡¯s hut ¨C he had estimated that holding it would bring too much attention to him and could derail the efforts of the rest of the group to convince the others in the village. After all, he¡¯s a known ¡®traitor¡¯. This close, he can see that the other Pathwalker is indeed Wind-whisperer. The three of them have been joined by two more ¨C Grower and Wood-shaper. With Mover having been killed when River and Markus had run away the last time, that means all Pathwalkers except for Shaman are present. Once, River would have either basked or quailed at the regard of all five of them turning to look at him, depending on whether it was for a good or bad reason. Now, however, he has eyes only for Herbalist. ¡°The Unevolved are in a poor state,¡± he says neutrally, only a hint of the anger he feels inside colouring his scales. ¡°They would appreciate your attention, Herbalist.¡± The other Pathwalkers ¨C except for Joy, of course ¨C hiss in anger at his disrespect. He feels a hint of air movement around his spikes as Wind-whisperer calls on her gift. Perhaps he should be afraid, but he¡¯s too angry to be such. Instead, he just stares around the group, meeting their eyes one by one with his own livid gaze. These are supposed to be the kin who protect and grow the village. That¡¯s why they are given their positions of honour, fed the best food, obeyed instantly by any of the village. Yet they have betrayed that, allowing one of their number to use hatchlings as sacrifices. Even if they didn¡¯t know what Shaman planned with the adults, to have stood by and allowed any of the village to be killed in the pursuit of power is a betrayal. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Perhaps the Pathwalkers read his thoughts in his gaze or in the emotions he cannot keep from his spikes. Either way, the wisps of wind playing about his scales vanish and the Pathwalkers look away from him. River turns his head to see Herbalist staring at him, her eyes narrowed. ¡°Will you help?¡± he asks her, almost daring her to say no. She tilts her head to one side gently, then brings it back to centre. ¡°They are probably fatigued from the ritual,¡± she replies after a moment. ¡°It is normal. They will recover in time.¡± ¡°Four cannot be roused,¡± River tells her abruptly, gesturing to the group of villagers sitting around four prone shapes, unable to stop his teeth from chattering a little in his anger. ¡°Is that what you consider normal?¡± Herbalist startles a little, her tail twitching. ¡°They should not be that fatigued, no,¡± she admits. ¡°Then you will investigate?¡± River growls, a restless energy going through his body which makes his claws tap on the ground. ¡°I will,¡± Herbalist agrees. ¡°Sisters, remember my words,¡± she warns them, then bustles off, immediately moving to the group River had gestured towards. The four other Pathwalkers look at him with varying emotions. ¡°So, you think you can just walk back in here and start ordering everyone around,¡± starts Wind-whisperer angrily, ¡°you, an Unevolved!¡± ¡°Sister,¡± interrupts Joy. ¡°I¡¯ve told you ¨C he represents a power we did not expect.¡± ¡°And where is this power?¡± demands Wood-shaper. ¡°Why is it not here representing itself?¡± ¡°My master will come when he comes,¡± says River flatly, cutting in. ¡°Do I have your agreement that you will not interfere when we deal with Shaman?¡± The three non-bound Pathwalkers hiss again in anger. ¡°The temerity of him,¡± Wood-shaper says, Wind-whisperer agreeing. Grower, however, appears to be watching him with more calculation, sending glances to Joy every so often. Joy, of course, is silent, her expression carefully neutral. ¡°Speaking to us with such little respect. And he, an ancestor-damned traitor.¡± ¡°I speak to you with as much respect as is due to Pathwalkers who have failed their people,¡± River tells them levelly, not allowing the fire flaring in his belly to come out in his voice or spikes. ¡°Now, do you agree to not support Shaman? Or do you hold with her plan to kill five of our number before Egg-rise?¡± The two more vociferous Pathwalkers look like they¡¯re biting back words, closing their mouths tightly rather than letting their teeth click together and accidentally letting out their thoughts. ¡°We will stand back and watch Shaman punish you,¡± Wind-whisperer says more than a little spitefully after a moment, Wood-shaper tilting her head in agreement. ¡°For what you did to our sister Mover, and for your attempts at rebellion now. Because we know what this is! It''s a rebellion against all that is right and good!¡± ¡°We did not agree with Shaman¡¯s idea,¡± says Grower, speaking for the first time, her level voice cutting through the rest of them. ¡°But we saw no other option. Think of us as you will, Runs-with-the-river, but do not forget that we have always sought the good of the village ¨C while you only weakened us by bringing the prey beast into our midst that killed our sister.¡± Oddly enough, that does cool the fire a little in River¡¯s belly. He had been so angered at the idea that his defenceless brethren were being taken to feed Shaman¡¯s desire for power that he had forgotten why the Pathwalkers would have agreed to it. However, while the fire has cooled, it has left behind a residue not unlike the ashes of a real fire ¨C the determination to see that his people won¡¯t have to make that sort of choice again. ¡°What is the trouble?¡± a voice asks. One with an unmistakable click of authority. Everyone goes silent and turns to look at the origin of the sound. Even in the darkness, Shaman is unmistakable. She¡¯s not wearing her usual decorations, her spikes looking bare without adornment, her scales looking oddly naked. Like when River spies his master bathing and sees vulnerable skin which is usually hidden away. Lee, are the Warriors willing to stay neutral? River demands of the Evolved. Because if they aren¡¯t¡­. As long as we don¡¯t all pile on Shaman, they will not attack, he answers, sounding a little harried. In the light of current circumstances, they are willing to see it as a ranking challenge, but that means that whoever faces Shaman will be on his own. I¡­I really don''t think I could win against her, he admits, shame filtering across the Bond from him. It¡¯s fine, River tells him with a hint of resignation. He is the leader of the group ¨C Unevolved or not, it is up to him to confront the enemy. ¡°I asked a question,¡± continues Shaman after several long beats of silence. Everyone seems fixed in place, like hatchlings quailing before the gaze of some powerful beast. River breathes in and out slowly, steeling himself. Abruptly, he wishes that he hadn¡¯t left the torch by Herbalist¡¯s hut. The reasons had seemed good at the time, but he would appreciate having its comforting heat now. And the reminder of all that has changed in recent times. Stepping forwards, he comes close enough to see the faintest hints of the colour spilling across Shaman¡¯s spikes. Recognition lights her eyes. ¡°Runs-with-the-river. You have returned.¡± She seems confused, looking around at the other villagers. River watches her in silence. He could take advantage of her confusion to strike the first blow, but that is not their way. Not if the Warriors wish to make this a ranking fight. Foul play will probably see them stepping in to defend Shaman. Even if he was confident he could kill the Pathwalker in one blow, which he isn¡¯t, he only has two Warriors and a Pathwalker under his command. With another nine Warriors unbound, his chances of escaping with his life are slim. Escaping without any of his kin dying is even less likely, and he has no desire to spill his kin¡¯s blood ¨C that¡¯s exactly where this all started. Except one necessary exception, unfortunately. So he waits until Shaman is ready. ¡°Why are you unbound?¡± the Pathwalker asks him directly, after apparently not being able to answer her own question. ¡°And why is everyone awake? It¡¯s the middle of the night.¡± ¡°Why did you kill all the hatchlings of this generation that remained to the village?¡± River asks instead, ignoring her question. She doesn¡¯t miss the disrespect ¨C she¡¯s far too observant for that. But, given the strange situation, she apparently decides to ignore it for now. ¡°Because I had to,¡± she clicks, hissing through her teeth. ¡°Do you think I wanted to?¡± River doesn¡¯t respond, doesn¡¯t know how to respond. She chatters her teeth in angry laughter. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s rich. You¡¯re outraged at what I have had to do? It¡¯s your fault!¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-One: You’re Wrong! ¡°What?¡± River can¡¯t help but ask, his tail shifting from side to side in cautious surprise. ¡°You took the cub! You stole it. Ancestors only know why, but you took it. Days of effort, weeks of preparation¡­gone.¡± She chatters her teeth again and her eyes gleam wildly with anger and something else. ¡°That creature was powerful. By focussing its potential into the present, by redrawing its magical pathways into something far simpler, far more useful, I could have harnessed its spirit into something wonderful. Something no other village has. A shield, and a guardian. ¡°Nothing could have threatened us within the boundaries of our home. Nothing. But you stole it away, and so I have been forced to settle for weaker options. And since they¡¯re weaker, and unprepared besides, I needed more spirits. Even all the hatchlings aren¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°No, you wish to take the adults too, don¡¯t you!¡± growls River, taking a step forwards to stare down at the slightly smaller Pathwalker. She growls too, the sound rumbling in her throat. ¡°Because I have to. Because they will all die otherwise. Because of you.¡± Hisses and clicks come from the group of villagers behind River. He hears the shift of bodies but can¡¯t turn to look. ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± he grunts loudly at Shaman. ¡°There were other solutions. We could have moved -¡± ¡°And left our ancestors¡¯ bones behind? Forsaken our territory? What solution is that?¡± cries Shaman angrily. ¡°And how was your solution any better?¡± demands River. ¡°The moment our people kidnapped the Great Predator¡¯s cub, we were sentenced to death! Her mother would have come to kill us all if you¡¯d been allowed to finalise your plan.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? She wouldn¡¯t have been able to get in! The cub¡¯s spirit, strengthened by our ancestors¡¯ blessings, and the power over spirits that I wield, would have kept even the Great Predator at bay! We would have been safe from the Great Predator, from the Forest of Death, from anything which threatened us!¡± There is the sound of murmuring behind River, but he still doesn¡¯t look away from Shaman even to check whether he¡¯s about to be attacked by his kin. ¡°And so what?¡± River asks with frustrated exasperation. ¡°Were we to be prisoners within our own village? Caged in as we would do to a prey-beast? How long would we have survived with the Great Predator prowling around our boundary, killing any who left the shield? What would we have done when the vine-stranglers took over the whole forest around us? What sort of a plan is that?¡± ¡°The Great Predator would have given up when it found it couldn¡¯t get in,¡± the Pathwalker dismissed. ¡°We chased it away once; we would be able to do so again. It would have just been a matter of time.¡± She conveniently seems to forget the question about the Forest of Death. ¡°You are seriously underestimating just how strongly she feels about her cub,¡± River warns Shaman, then shakes his head in what he only realises afterwards is a very Markus gesture. ¡°You have failed the people you were supposed to protect. You have brought us to the point of ruin several times. You are no longer fit to lead.¡± The Shaman chatters again in angry amusement. ¡°And who is going to challenge me? You?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± answers River firmly, however much his spirit quailed within his breast at the very thought of it. The Pathwalker rears back, as if she wasn¡¯t expecting him to actually go through with it. ¡°Sisters, Warriors, are you going to stand for this?¡± clicks Shaman incredulously. ¡°A mere Unevolved, challenging me? Does this not make a mockery of everything we hold dear? And a traitor at that!¡± For the first time, River dares to look backwards. There he sees that the whole village seems to have assembled to watch the events. Herbalist is missing, but a brief moment of searching proves that she¡¯s still tending to the four adults who have not yet roused. At Shaman¡¯s question, however, she pushes herself to her feet and comes to join the rest of the Pathwalkers. The Warriors are in two groups, the Pathwalkers all together in a clump. The Unevolved adults are hanging back, filling the spaces between the three more distinct sections. One of the Warriors steps forwards. He¡¯s even bigger than Lee and River recognises him as Shrieks-loudly, the current top ranked Warrior, the leader of the male Evolved. ¡°The Warriors support Runs-with-the-river¡¯s challenge,¡± he rumbles, even his tooth-clicks sounding more sonorous than anyone else¡¯s. ¡°What?¡± Shaman asks faintly, sounding like she has taken a blow to the jaw. ¡°How could you¡­¡± ¡°Do you remember what you said when the party came back from hunting the Great Predator¡¯s cub? The single Warrior out of almost twenty?¡± Shrieks-loudly asks, sounding like he¡¯s chewing stones. ¡°That their sacrifice was worth it. That they would ensure the village would be safe forever.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s exactly what would have happened if Runs-with-the-river hadn¡¯t fled with the ancestor-damned cub!¡± ¡°Perhaps. Perhaps not. But your decision to sacrifice the hatchlings is one I wish I had never stood by to allow to happen. They may be weak and almost useless, but with no hatchlings, we will not replace our numbers of Warriors. The Warriors you threw away for a single cub.¡± He straightens again and steps back. ¡°The Warriors support this challenge ¨C we question your dedication to the village,¡± he says once more. ¡°Let our ancient rituals decide the village¡¯s fate, and who is in the right.¡± The Shaman¡¯s jaw hangs open and she looks wildly at the other Pathwalkers. ¡°Sisters, you cannot mean to let this happen? Allowing an Unevolved to challenge a Pathwalker? What next ¨C a hatchling?¡± It¡¯s a poor choice of words and River sees her realise that a moment after they¡¯ve left her jaws. At the same time, he notes how the other Pathwalkers straighten and stiffen. ¡°We too have doubted your recent decisions,¡± Herbalist says levelly. ¡°I, for one, have only gone along with it because I believed it to be the best course of action. I no longer believe that.¡± ¡°And what has changed?¡± demands Shaman, her eyes gleaming brightly with anger ¨C and what River suddenly realises is madness. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°The Forest of Death is gone,¡± interjects Joy levelly. ¡°I saw it with my own eyes.¡± ¡°Gone? It can¡¯t be gone,¡± denies Shaman weakly. ¡°And if it is, then we must defend against whatever it is that destroyed it ¨C it must be a most powerful foe.¡± River and Joy exchange glances and River is almost surprised to see a hint of amusement in the bound Pathwalker¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sister, why are you arguing so much?¡± Wind-whisperer asks, clearly irritated. ¡°We understand how humiliating it is to be forced to fight an Unevolved, as if he is an equal. But just destroy him and be done with it. Do it fast enough or gruesomely enough and no one will dare try it again in the future.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± admits Shaman, turning her gaze to River. He almost recoils at the menace gleaming within the orbs. ¡°Very well. I will entertain this ridiculous challenge, just to prove to all of you that there should be none.¡± Pulling his spear from his back, River sends an order to Peace, an instruction he probably should have given before now. Due to the heightened emotions caused by the situation, he had briefly forgotten that he could send messages to the other Bound. ¡°Commence,¡± says Shrieks-loudly, his clicks clear in the air. River strikes at Shaman with all the speed and power he had built in the time sparring with his master and other Bound. Ending this battle as quickly as possible has to be his best strategy. After all, he has never seen a ranking fight ¨C the Unevolved are not allowed to watch them ¨C but he knows that Shaman must be powerful, being the undefeated champion for the last four years. Unfortunately, Shaman is used to quicker and more powerful spear strikes than River can produce. She sidesteps his blow. Redirecting his strike, he attacks her again. She dodges once more. The next time, he tries to feint, and then strikes where he thinks she will be a moment later. She somehow knows that it''s a feint, and goes in exactly the opposite direction than he had thought she would. She scoffs in disgust. ¡°This is my challenger?¡± She shows her contempt by daring to look away from River and at her sisters. ¡°This is simply humiliating. I don¡¯t even need to use my powers to defeat this imbecile.¡± River feels his anger grow within him at her dismissal. Seeing as she¡¯s still looking away from him, he takes advantage of it to bodily throw himself at her. This, she is not expecting, and she is unable to completely avoid it ¨C his whole body covers much more space than his spearpoint. She manages to avoid part of his attack by moving back swiftly, but he succeeds in raking his claws down her front. Her scales are thinner than his own and peel under his attack. With a hint of satisfaction, River knows that she now has some of his venom in her system too. The battle pauses for a moment as she stares down at the sluggishly bleeding gashes now marring her chest. ¡°How dare you?!¡± she practically shrieks, her grunts higher pitched than River has ever heard one of his kin make. ¡°I¡¯m going to tear you apart!¡± Even as River tries to leap forward again, Shaman makes sounds which throb oddly in his ears. Suddenly, he feels something close around his wrist, then something else around his opposite ankle. Then, abruptly, they start to pull. River fights back against them, but the tension refuses to slacken. With his free hand, he tries to push whatever it is away, but it¡¯s like nothing exists there ¨C his claws just pass through open air. The opposing pulls are threatening to throw him completely off balance ¨C only his free foot and tail are keeping him upright. The tension is becoming painful as his body protests. His mind works busily. The Shaman is known for her work with spirits. Is that what this is? Are there spirits trying to literally tear him apart? He darts a look at Shaman, seeing her stare down at him with amusement and satisfaction playing across her spikes, visible even in the low light. And what can he do against spirits, if that¡¯s indeed what they are? Is this why Shaman has beaten all, even the greatest of Warriors? Another band wraps itself around his free wrist, a fourth around his other ankle. Abruptly, he is no longer even in contact with the ground ¨C the spirits are holding him above it and pulling. The Shaman steps lightly, close enough to him that he would easily be able to stab her ¨C if his limbs were not completely immobile. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, Runs-with-the-river,¡± Shaman clicks with regret ¨C he can¡¯t tell if it is genuine or not. ¡°You had so much potential.¡± Her eyes glint oddly, and the sight sets off the anger within River again. Is this to be how it ends? Torn into pieces by things he can¡¯t even see? Abandoning his people to Shaman¡¯s poor decisions? No. River refuses to give up now. Not when there¡¯s still something he can do. Ever since the Egg-rise after they¡¯d killed the danaris, he has felt something inside him, something waiting for him to call on it. And now, he beckons it. Heat builds greater and greater in his chest, scorching at his throat. When it feels like his body will be consumed by the fire, he opens his jaws and lets it pour out. The fire spills out of his mouth, licking eagerly at Shaman¡¯s face. She shrieks, a high-pitched noise which pierces his ears. The bonds holding him fall away and he tumbles to the ground. The flames run out quickly: his mana pool is much smaller than Bastet¡¯s, but it is enough to free him. Now would be a perfect time to attack, but he can do no more than rake at her again before she stumbles away, out of reach, the fire already done. All his joints aching, his throat and mouth raw and burnt, he pushes himself to his feet. The Shaman glares at him, absolutely fury filling her eyes. She starts making those disconcerting noises again, and River knows he has moments before he¡¯s wrapped in spirits again. But now he has a weapon against them. Peace, toss me the torch, he orders. The Warrior obeys immediately. From the look of him, he¡¯d been lingering uneasily at the edge of the crowd, not sure what to do. The torch arcs through the air towards River. He manages to catch it. Just in time ¨C he feels the sensation of the spirits try to grasp him around the ankles again. Gripping the wooden handle, River waves the head of the torch through the space, forcing the spirits to let go. He looks at the furious Shaman, sure that his face must be a rictus of glee, his spikes practically overflowing with his pleasure at her failure. ¡°You think that is my only trick?¡± The Pathwalker laughs angrily, her face marked by the flames which had so recently wreathed them. ¡°You will die screaming.¡± Once more, she speaks those odd sounds which make River uncomfortable. Pushing through the discomfort, he attempts to attack the Pathwalker, but he finds himself slowed. It¡¯s like he¡¯s walking through mud. With the torch, he waves at his legs. It helps, but only for moments. It¡¯s like the spirit shifts back while the torch is in the way, but fills the space again once it has moved. River sets his teeth and moves doggedly on. If only he can get close enough to Shaman to stab¡­but she is not willing to let that happen. Abruptly, the situation changes, and not for the better. One moment he is swinging the torch before his knees, his mind working busily to try to work out another approach ¨C perhaps he should try throwing stones at her? The next, a force strikes him on the wrist. It¡¯s a precise, hard blow which numbs his wrist. He inadvertently drops the torch, and then another force knocks him sprawling. He¡¯s pinned once more. This time, he¡¯s completely enveloped in the spirits ¨C they are apparently not willing to take any chances this time. Even his mouth is being pinned shut, though he can still breathe. Not that they need to worry ¨C he senses that he will not be able to repeat the same feat. The Shaman approaches him again, this time a little more warily. She holds a long knife in her claws. Apparently she doesn¡¯t want to sully herself with his blood. She lifts the knife high, then pauses for a moment, as if considering whether to say something more. To gloat, perhaps. And then she jerks. River looks at her in confusion. Her head looks different. There is a growth from it, something long that has abruptly appeared from her mouth. Not her tongue. With no warning, the spirits let go of him, vanishing like they were never there. Suddenly, River realises what it is. Without a second more of hesitation, he surges upwards and rips out Shaman¡¯s throat with his teeth. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Two: The Village Are you sure you want to come with us? I ask Lathani for what feels like the fiftieth time since we left the remains of the vine-strangler forest, though it¡¯s probably only been a handful of times in reality. I send the message mentally since I¡¯m panting too hard to say it aloud. We¡¯ve been running for three hours already, and I¡¯m desperately hoping that we haven¡¯t delayed too much as it is ¨C the messages I¡¯ve received from River seemed to indicate significant urgency. I will be fine pack-leader, the nunda juvenile seems to sigh even as she runs alongside me, grace incarnate. Her muscles ripple under her spotted fur, every stride a lesson in economy of movement. She¡¯s not panting. At least this time I¡¯m not the slowest of the group ¨C that¡¯s my newest Bound, Komodo. It would have been Trinity, but given the urgency of River¡¯s message, we¡¯ve left her and Spine behind to follow after us at their pace. Komodo, though slower than me, is only just so ¨C I figure it makes sense to have the highly venomous Tier two bound with us even if it delays us slightly. Hopefully my gamble will be proven to be the right thing to do. Because it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not, I reply to Lathani. Previously, I dropped it after she said she wasn¡¯t worried. And then I would find my own concern rising again, only to once more ask the question with the same response. This time, I¡¯m going to dig a bit more into it ¨C to make sure she really is as fine as she says she is. We¡¯re heading back to confront the creatures who shoved you in a cage and were going to kill you and use you. And are they going to be allowed to do that again? she asks me pointedly, impatience drifting across the Bond between us. Of course not, I reply immediately ¨C as if I would even consider it. Then all is well. If anything, I am relishing the opportunity to show them that they were terribly arrogant to think that they could capture me and get away with it. I search the Bond between us but see no indication that she¡¯s lying in any way. Though she¡¯s not quite as lacking in concern as she would like me to believe, it seems more to be a sense of uneasiness which is bothering her slightly than the fear or trauma which I half expect. Are you sure it¡¯s not you who doesn¡¯t want to return? asks Lathani a moment later. Of course it¡¯s not, I respond again, automatically, but her question does make me think. A moment later, I have to admit to myself, even if not to her, that she might have a small point. I¡¯m almost as nervous now as I was right before starting the fire among the vine-stranglers. Partially because of my previous experiences, I have to admit that. After all, though I didn¡¯t suffer through what Lathani did, I too was shoved in a cage and not entirely sure I would get out of the whole thing with my life ¨C it¡¯s not one of my best memories, that¡¯s for certain. But it¡¯s also because of what this means. Even assuming that everything goes well and I can take control of the lizard-folks¡¯ village with minimal casualties, which is not at all a guarantee, everything will change afterwards. I will be in charge of a whole village of sapients and responsible for their actions. I¡¯m planning on changing their whole way of life and it¡¯s on me to make sure that I don¡¯t doom them in doing so. More personally, it will also mean that there are no obligations remaining between River and I ¨C I will finally find out exactly what he feels about me, with no Bond between us to affect his emotions. That is a surprisingly large part of my nervousness, actually. We¡¯re getting close ¨C I can see the tree line only a short distance ahead. The field of ash curls around the trees, like arms reaching out to embrace the village, yet they have somehow maintained a small margin of normal trees between them and where the vine-stranglers were. It means that we can¡¯t see anything of the village itself, not yet. We wouldn¡¯t be able to even if it was light; with it being only lit by the moons, our visibility reduces further. At least both moons are more than half full tonight. And Aingeal, the inferno-turned-fire-elemental, is actually pretty useful at lighting our path forward too ¨C by offering it a little mana, it glows more brightly and basically acts like a torch-less light. Even better, it seems perfectly happy to do so, pleased to be given more fuel to burn. Suddenly I receive a message from Sirocco. The bird, as usual, is scouting ahead, though since her vision is more day-adapted than night-adapted, she¡¯s not able to see as much as usual. Nevertheless, I can see well enough from what she¡¯s sent me to know that we need to speed up. There¡¯s some sort of fight breaking out, I tell the rest of my Bound tersely. Quicker! Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Pulling stamina from reserves we didn¡¯t know we had, we pile on the speed for the final sprint. This time, we don¡¯t move at the pace of the slowest member, instead each moving at their fastest pace. We¡¯re close enough that the differences between us are not too significant now. Entering the trees, we have to slow down a bit to avoid running into something, though the footing is actually a bit more secure than the drifts of ash we¡¯ve been running through otherwise. There¡¯s a flare of light through the trees ahead. Very brief, but it sends unease down my spine. While not easily identified, it was the right colour for fire, and there¡¯s only one being I know who might be using that in the samuran village. Breaking through the last of the trees, I¡¯m met with a sight which makes my heart rise into my mouth. We¡¯ve got a view right between the gates and through the open central area of the village. All the lizard-folk are gathered together in a massive clump, but thanks to our position with them facing us, we can actually see what they¡¯re staring at. River, his arms and legs being held unnaturally widely outwards, none of his limbs touching the ground. And towering above him, a large knife gleaming between her claws, a samuran, clearly identifiable as a Pathwalker from size and shape. Even the fastest of my Bound won¡¯t get halfway between us and them before the knife comes down to give River a wound he may easily not survive long enough for me to get there and heal him. Without thinking, I whip my strung bow out of my Inventory, nock a bone arrow to it, and release with only a moment to aim. I can only hope that my twenty-one points in Dexterity will mean that I manage to hit at least near what I aimed for, despite the speed. Even before I see the arrow land, I¡¯m running again. The rest of my Bound never paused, so I need to catch up with them. My eyes on the Pathwalker, I see with a sense of relief how she abruptly jerks. My arrow must have hit somewhere important, I conclude. River falls to the ground, hopefully out of danger. Then, just before Bastet and Honey, the fastest of my Bound, reach the pair, I see River spring upwards, jaws first. Liquid sprays out, black in the light of the moons. It takes me a moment to realise what it is: blood. All the lizard-folk are frozen for a long moment. Bastet reaches the pair and plants herself next to River. After a brief glance at the dead or dying Pathwalker, she positions herself between River and the rest of the lizard-folk. I approve ¨C we don¡¯t know exactly what the situation is here. Even if Joy, Lee, and Peace shouldn¡¯t have been able to betray River, there¡¯s no guarantee. Better to make sure that River is protected for now. Honey pauses next to her, but just starts growling at all and sundry, seeming to indicate that the next to move will feel her teeth. No one seems inclined to test her on it. A moment later, the rest of us are able to catch up and I slide to a stop next to River, my spear in my hand, my magic ready to set anyone who moves on fire. By this point I¡¯m rather winded, but know that it won¡¯t take much time for my stamina to regenerate a bit. If the samurans decide to attack, I¡¯ve definitely got enough Bound with me to make them reconsider, even without my magic. River looks up at me with relief both on his features and pouring through the Bond. Master, you made it. ¡°Just in time,¡± I say, wheezing a little. ¡°This is your new ¡®master¡¯?¡± a voice asks incredulously. I look up to see a Pathwalker stepping forward from a small group. ¡°This prey beast? You can¡¯t be serious.¡± She looks towards Joy who I abruptly realise is standing with four other Pathwalkers. ¡°This is your unexpected power?¡± I watch as Joy¡¯s eyes narrow and her jaw sags open a little to reveal her teeth, irritation spilling over the Bond. ¡°Wind-whisperer, hold your tongue. You do not know what he is capable of.¡± The other Pathwalker, Wind-whisperer, apparently, makes a sound that my Animal Empathy translates as a snort. ¡°Clearly it¡¯s capable of deceiving even you, sister. But I will not believe it capable of anything else. And now Runs-with-the-river has killed Shaman with its help ¨C another of our sisters murdered by this duo. What are we to do now?¡± I glance at River, more than a little surprised at the identity of his opponent ¨C and slightly disappointed that I won¡¯t be able to battle her myself. Then, I pull myself to my full height ¨C first impressions are important and I¡¯m not only speaking to this insulting Pathwalker, but also to everyone else standing silently around the scene. I sense that the situation hangs on a knife¡¯s edge, and, even if I¡¯m confident that I have enough numbers on my side to make it out alive, I have no desire to engage in a full-out battle. Instead, I step forwards confidently, stopping a bare half-pace away from the Pathwalker who turns to glare up at me. Shorter even than River, she only reaches my shoulders, making it easy to appear physically imposing. Bastet hisses at me about putting myself in danger, but I just ask her to keep an eye on my surroundings ¨C if any of the lizard-folk move towards me, I''ll step back. But for now, I need the closeness. ¡°You ask what I am capable of,¡± I say, concentrating on being understood. At the way both the Pathwalker and several others around rear back in shock, they weren¡¯t expecting that. ¡°I defeated your sister and several of your Warriors in single combat. I convinced the Great Predator to spare your lives. And I destroyed the Forest of Death.¡± At those final words, I send a large chunk of mana to Aingeal and ask it to move above the gathering. It does, and abruptly it¡¯s like the sun has just come out from behind a cloud. The lizard-folk hiss and cover their eyes as colour washes over the whole central area. By the time they are able to see again, they are met with another sight: though I¡¯m spending mana like water, I¡¯ve created a cloak of fire which flares out around and above me, hot yet not burning my flesh. With another flick of a finger, I send a line of fire spooling out from my cloak, circling around the whole of the group of samurans. ¡°What say you? Will you submit to me and my rule, or will you be the next obstacle in my way?¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Three: It’s Not That Simple The samurans react in different ways to the fire. The Pathwalkers, interestingly, show the most fear, pulling tightly together and stepping almost as one away from the fire wall ¨C Joy included. The Warriors show the least: while some fidget uncomfortably and I see a good amount of unease flickering through their spikes, none actually move. The Unevolved are more varied, some reacting almost as strongly as the Pathwalkers, others barely reacting at all. If I had to guess, it would be that it is based on whether they have actually experienced the ¡®life-devourer¡¯ before. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± a massive samuran rumbles from the crowd, his grunts more guttural and deeper than any other I¡¯ve spoken with. Of course it¡¯s not, I sigh to myself. Not wanting to waste more mana, I cut the connection to the ring of fire and my ¡®cloak¡¯. Without my mana as fuel and with little else to burn in the dirt and thin cover of dried grass of the samuran¡¯s village, it disappears quickly. I keep feeding mana into Aingeal, though, and the not-so-little flame continues burning merrily. It doesn¡¯t require much mana at all to keep the fire elemental shining brightly, and having the extra light is definitely an advantage. ¡°Is it not? Your leader is dead, killed by one under my command. I¡¯ve taken out a threat which none of you could deal with and which threatened your village with extinction. And if I don¡¯t take control of your village, you will be wiped out by the Great Predator for what your leader did to her cub.¡± ¡°We hear your words,¡± the large lizard-man grunts. ¡°Yet we have no guarantee that you speak truth.¡± I feel like groaning. The vine-stranglers disappear in a fire, then I suddenly turn up with fire at my command and they don¡¯t believe I had anything to do with it? No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true, I realise, looking carefully around at the different samuran faces. They do believe it, but apparently that¡¯s not enough for them. ¡°Our leader is dead, that is true,¡± one of the other samurans starts saying carefully, a Pathwalker this time. ¡°However, the situation has been very¡­irregular.¡± What even happened, River? I ask my Bound mentally. He answers quickly and concisely, filling me in on the broad brushstrokes of what happened. I still don¡¯t know why the shaman had decided to kill her own people, nor how exactly they managed to convince the rest of the village not to intervene on her behalf, but at least I know a little more than before. The mental messages are quicker than speaking, but it¡¯s still been a long pause before I answer the Pathwalker. Apparently the lizard-folk are not in a hurry and have been taking the time to look me and my Bound over in the meantime. There are a few surprised grunts of recognition as the three samurans who had stayed behind with me move forward and into the light. ¡°It seems pretty clear cut for me,¡± I say finally. ¡°From what I understand, you guys consider your leader to be the one who beats all of you, and Shaman was the strongest combatant. River succeeded in defeating Shaman; does that not make him de facto the leader? And as his boss, me too?¡± I¡¯m trying to come to terms with their ¡®might is right¡¯ philosophy; it would be just typical that this is one situation in which it doesn¡¯t apply. ¡°Except he didn¡¯t win the battle in the right way,¡± points out another Pathwalker, this one with an obstinate cast to her jaw. ¡°Even if we ignore the fact that he¡¯s not Evolved, it wasn¡¯t a proper challenge fight. Not to mention the fact that he didn¡¯t defeat Shaman completely independently ¨C had your party not arrived in time to help him, he would now be dead. He has not proven his strength anywhere near adequately for us. As for you, you¡¯re not even one of us; how could you become our leader?¡± I sigh again. Great. The idea of just attacking them with all my Bound and forcing them to acknowledge me is sounding less and less stupid by the minute. Maybe it¡¯s the exhaustion of having spent a whole day travelling, and then having only just settled down to rest when the message from River came through and so having to immediately set off immediately that¡¯s causing it. I¡¯d honestly quite happily kill to be able to rest and not have to worry about someone killing me in my sleep right now. Perhaps Joy senses my rising homicidality as she hastily intervenes. ¡°Sisters, it is late. Everyone is tired.¡± she starts saying placatingly. Ostensibly she¡¯s talking to the Pathwalkers, but her body-language indicates that it¡¯s directed at the Warriors too. ¡°We¡¯ve just lost our leader, one of the pillars of our community. No one is thinking with clear heads right now. We have dealt with Shaman and her regrettable plans. The Forest of Death is gone. We have no immediate threat to combat. Let us take the time to sleep. Then we can approach this matter in the morning when we are rested.¡± ¡°And your suggestion is not at all affected by your odd connection with Runs-with-the-river, that he says is due to this prey beast in front of us?¡± spitefully asks the same Pathwalker who had doubted me before ¨C Wind-whisperer, I believe. Apparently she¡¯s been able to recover enough from the shock of my control of fire to allow her doubts free rein again. Pity. ¡°Yes, Wind-whisperer has a point,¡± says another Pathwalker. ¡°You have said that we have dealt with all immediate threats, but how do we know that this mysterious master of Runs-with-the-river does not intend on ripping out our throats while we sleep? Poor Mover learned too late of the threat that this duo holds ¨C and they are far more than a duo now.¡± ¡°Come now, Wood-shaper,¡± a fourth Pathwalker says impatiently. ¡°Use your brain. He has said that he wishes to rule us; I hardly think that he means to rule over a village of corpses. We are most likely safe enough for the night.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because you don¡¯t want your precious Runs-with-the-river executed for killing Shaman,¡± Wood-shaper snaps back at her. ¡°I bet you¡¯d be willing to raise your chin to even a prey beast to protect your little assistant.¡± The Pathwalker I¡¯ve just realised is Herbalist growls and looks like she¡¯s a moment away from tearing Wood-shaper a new one ¨C either figuratively or literally. But before she can, the last Pathwalker to speak steps in. ¡°Sisters, calm yourselves,¡± she remonstrates. ¡°Since this is a matter of safety for the village ¨C and for ourselves ¨C we should consult the Warriors.¡± Looking towards the samuran who stands head and shoulders above even the other bulky Warriors, she invites him to speak. ¡°Shrieks-loudly, what say you?¡± The Warrior who is evidently the leader of their group takes a moment to consider the question. His bronze-coloured eyes roam across me and my group, touching on the blood-coated River, and dipping to the body of Shaman lying on the ground near us. I have the impression that he misses nothing ¨C not the readiness of my Bound to attack at my order, nor the fatigue that is surely lining my face, nor the determination to see this through that must be in my eyes. ¡°I concur with Honoured Weaver. It has been a night of ill-deeds, of intrigue and machinations which would shame our ancestors if done under the light of the sun. If the¡­mysterious master of Runs-with-the-river will agree to taking himself and all of his followers outside the walls of the village for the night, we will convene in the morning to discuss where to move next.¡± With that, he stops and waits expectantly, looking between me and River as if unsure as to who will respond. I take a moment to think it through. It¡¯s possible that he just wants to get me out of the village, me and all my Bound. Perhaps he thinks it would be easier to prevent me from reentering afterwards since they could defend the gates against our invasion. However, if that¡¯s his plan, he hasn¡¯t thought through the fact that I have fire at my command ¨C burning the palisade fence won¡¯t take all that much power, and then the village will be vulnerable to me once more. Plus, I¡¯ll then be angry. But that would be annoying to deal with, and would pretty much guarantee that I¡¯d have to slaughter most of the lizard-folk which, again, is not my aim. ¡°Very well,¡± I say finally after a moment more of thought. ¡°However, to ensure that you are equally not intending on sending a party of Warriors out to attack us, I require a hostage.¡± ¡°A hostage?¡± Shrieks-loudly repeats dubiously. ¡°Yes. Her,¡± I say, pointing at the herbalist. My demand causes uproar ¨C even my Animal Empathy Skill is unable to keep up with the grunts and clicks that fill the air around me. Abruptly, Shrieks-loudly clicks, the sound managing to cut through the raucous din. Interestingly, the Pathwalker in question has remained silent throughout, just eyeing me with an unreadable expression and the barest flickers of colours through her spikes. ¡°You cannot be serious ¨C Herbalist is one of our honoured Pathwalkers, a treasure of our community.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± I respond, fixing him with my gaze just to prove how serious I am. ¡°What better way to ensure our safety through the night? If you are being honest, then no harm will come to her and she will be released in the morning to join you for your discussion.¡± Shrieks-loudly looks like he¡¯s about to argue more, but the herbalist herself intervenes. ¡°I will go with them.¡± ¡°Honoured Herbalist-¡± ¡°Sister-¡± Several voices try to speak out but she cuts through them with a sharp snap of her teeth. ¡°I said: I will go with them.¡± She steps forwards towards us, stopping right next to River with something that looks like a challenge in her eyes. Though who it is directed at, I don¡¯t know. There is an awkward silence as it seems that several would like to speak but don¡¯t dare do so with her looking as formidable as she does right now. ¡°Then that¡¯s settled,¡± I say, deciding to move things on. ¡°We will set up camp just out of sight in the trees. At dawn, we will return. We will not engage in hostilities until then at the earliest.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Shrieks-loudly says, sounding displeased. I nod, then send a message to the Bound who have been with me all this time to back off and withdraw out of the village. We start moving but he halts us with a word. ¡°Wait.¡± I look back at the samuran. ¡°For what?¡± I ask, impatiently? I want to sleep, damn it. ¡°We agreed that you would take with you all of your followers.¡± With that, he looks meaningfully at Joy, Lee, Peace, and a few others that I recognise as the Tamed Unevolved samurans. ¡°Elder brother¡­¡± objects Lee weakly. ¡°No, I¡¯m staying here,¡± agrees Joy, more strongly. ¡°I am still one of the village¡¯s Pathwalkers, don¡¯t forget. I need to be part of the decision-making.¡± ¡°Then you may return tomorrow with Honoured Herbalist,¡± Shrieks-loudly says with a sense of finality. ¡°But I will not tolerate any with a split duty to the village to remain with us this night.¡± It¡¯s alright, I tell them mentally. Come join us for tonight and then go back in the morning. But they will be talking tonight, no matter what they say, Joy objects. And do you think that they will listen to you? With how they know that you are one of my ¡®followers¡¯? Besides, they won¡¯t have the herbalist with them either ¨C you could work on her tonight. And if they decide to do something stupid, we¡¯ve got lots of strategies which we can use to succeed eventually. I hope you¡¯re right, she sighs after a moment of thought, clearly not happy but willing to go along with it for now. Stepping forward, she joins our little party. At her movement, Lee and Peace join us too, as do the eleven Unevolved who hold a Tame Bond with me. Still, as we walk towards the gate through which we had charged, I send a couple of messages down the Bond and two forms peel off, to be lost in the shadows. There¡¯s no harm in leaving a couple of eyes to keep watch, I figure. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Four: Heart to Heart ¡°River, will you give me the details of what happened now?¡± I ask the silent lizard-man walking next to me. Of course, master, he replies readily. Shall I tell everyone, or just you? I consider the question for a moment. ¡°Might as well be everyone in our group,¡± I tell him. He subsequently starts to explain the whole of the night¡¯s events in far greater detail than before. Partway through the explanation, I realise that he¡¯s in pain so step closer to him to heal his burnt throat and mouth. He sends gratitude down the link when I finish, and continues his explanation. At the end, I eye both Joy and the herbalist speculatively. I was half-expecting Joy and the Warriors to try to betray River and me as soon as they came back into contact with their village, but in fact they did the reverse. They managed to convince their respective groups to at least give River the space to challenge the shaman instead of attacking him on sight, which would presumably have been the expected reaction. River finishes his story about how he¡¯d used Bastet¡¯s fire-breath to defeat the invisible creatures ¨C ¡®spirits¡¯ or not ¨C which had attacked him, only to then be caught a second time. It¡¯s good to know that it¡¯s not necessary for the origin of the ability to be in close proximity to the Bound temporarily borrowing it. Though we¡¯ve experimented with it a couple of times since I received that upgrade to Tame, it was always with both Bound near each other. As he describes how he spotted my arrow piercing the shaman¡¯s skull and felt the bonds holding him loosen, taking advantage of the moment to rip out the Pathwalker¡¯s throat, he looks at me a little nervously. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask as his words trail away. You are not angered? I frown. ¡°At what?¡± That I killed Shaman? I thought that you wished to take your revenge against her. I shrug. ¡°Honestly, while I was angry at the shaman, and the herbalist, and everyone even remotely connected to Lathani¡¯s kidnapping, ultimately, it¡¯s not me who holds any rights to revenge.¡± I look over at Lathani, padding almost at my heel, her body stiff. ¡°How do you feel about this?¡± And then I suddenly realise something. ¡°Oh Lathani, how are you feeling about having the herbalist here? I¡¯m sorry ¨C I should have checked that you¡¯d be OK with it first.¡± I definitely feel remorseful, and actually pause for a moment to crouch next to her so we can be eye to eye. We¡¯re out of the village by this point and within the treeline, probably almost far enough away from the village to make camp. However, when everyone else realises I¡¯ve stopped, they stop with me. The two Pathwalkers, walking near the back of the group, surrounded by the four Warriors I currently have Bound, almost run into us. Looking up at the one who stopped a moment before she would have tripped over me, I see it¡¯s the herbalist. Her gaze isn¡¯t on me, but on the nunda juvenile in front of her. It¡¯s clear from her wide eyes that she recognises who Lathani is. I glare at her, protective anger rising in my belly once more. Joy, move her away. I don¡¯t want her bothering Lathani until I¡¯ve found out how she¡¯s dealing with the situation. As you command, leader, the Pathwalker replies with more deference than I¡¯ve ever heard from her before. My eyebrows rise slightly in surprise as she puts action to word, herding the herbalist away before the other Pathwalker can say a word. I look back at Lathani, only to see her gazing over at the herbalist. The Bond between us writhes with emotions that are not expressed at all in her body language. To all outward appearances, she¡¯s normal, but I know that that¡¯s not true. I can feel eyes from all around watching us. This isn¡¯t the ideal situation to have a heart to heart. I push myself up to a standing position, putting a hand on Lathani¡¯s head and starting to stroke comfortingly. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s make camp here. Bastet, Catch, please direct the groups to make camp. River, Lathani, you stay here with me.¡± My Bound obey with alacrity ¨C I think they are all just as tired as I am. I take a moment to send a message to Spine and Trinity, letting them know where to find us. We¡¯re up-valley from the village, so hopefully there isn¡¯t any risk that they might try to go through the samurans to get to us. ¡°Right, now we¡¯re a bit more private, Lathani, talk to me. What¡¯s going through your mind?¡± I ask gently. River shifts uneasily, so I send him a look and a flick of emotion through the Bond which make him settle a little. The nunda juvenile herself shifts from paw to paw, then presses into me. I don¡¯t know, pack leader, she says finally. I can¡¯t express it. Instead, she just pushes her emotions at me through the Bond. It¡¯s a bit like Bastet used to do, but there, it was more that she chose which emotions she wanted to send, a precursor to talking. This is more like Lathani wants me to interpret her emotions for her, so she doesn¡¯t have to. I¡¯m not a therapist, but part of me can¡¯t help but think that that is an unhealthy habit to get into. After all, after my mother died, my therapist was all about coming to terms with one¡¯s own emotions. Owning them. If I interpret Lathani¡¯s emotions for her, how is she supposed to do that? ¡°Alright, well how do you feel about having just been in the village where you were held?¡± She thinks for a moment. Nothing. I didn¡¯t recognise it at all. Even the smell was different. When I was there last time, I was held in a place which was either dim or dark, full of the smells of plants and animal parts, and things that made me want to sneeze. Where we have just been was nothing like I remember. Except her, she finishes, using her nose and whiskers to indicate the herbalist who, along with Joy, is sitting in the middle of the space, watching everyone else build the shelter. I narrow my eyes at that, but decide to tackle it later. At least Joy is helping ¨C I see her focussing and branches weaving together to create the roof. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°OK. And how do you feel about the shaman dying?¡± This makes Lathani pause to think a little longer. I don¡¯t know. I am happy¡­and yet I am angry at the same time. And why do I still feel a little afraid of her? My heart aches at the confusion and frustration in the nunda¡¯s mental voice. ¡°It¡¯s OK to have multiple emotions about the same thing,¡± I tell her. I honestly never thought that I¡¯d end up channelling my old therapist so much in such a short time. ¡°Can you work out why you¡¯re feeling those different emotions?¡± I am happy that she is dead, Lathani says with vehemence. She did horrible things to me which hurt and made me feel ¡®wrong¡¯. It¡¯s only been recently that I¡¯ve started feeling right again ¨C and only when I joined the group properly. Mother taught me how to see my pathways and I can still see what a mess many of them are in. She burned almost all my minor pathways, did you know that? Destroyed them so that they will never grow again as they once were. And at the same time, she force-grew my major pathways so they are now bigger than they should be. Mother told me what would have happened ¨C I would have become very powerful, but it would have half-destroyed me each time to use that power and I wouldn¡¯t have really been able to control it. A blunt weapon rather than a graceful hunter. I had never asked Kalanthia for more details about what had happened to Lathani at the hands of the lizard-folk ¨C maybe I should have. The nunda¡¯s words don¡¯t make a huge amount of sense when put in the context of my own Energy-chanel network: the mandala seems very balanced with no evident major or minor pathways. However, from the images Lathani is sending with her words, the same is not true of her. It looks more like her system was originally more like her cardiovascular system: major veins and arteries led from the Core which appears to be somewhere in her chest, branching off into smaller and smaller channels. As she spoke about the shaman¡¯s work, I saw an image of those small capillaries one by one being extinguished. Then, as she talked about the major pathways, I saw those major arteries being doubled, tripled in thickness. Sure enough, what was left was a very crude structure, nothing but thick cables running from her Core to her extremities. I still have much to learn about Energy channels, but I can kind of imagine what might happen with a network like that ¨C the thick cables would allow a lot of power down them all at once, but it doesn¡¯t surprise me that there would be little control. ¡°So that¡¯s the happiness,¡± I say finally, getting us back on topic. ¡°What about the anger?¡± I wanted to kill her myself, Lathani says immediately. I wanted to taste her blood on my claws, to rip out her throat with my teeth. River shifts again, unease and guilt seeping through the Bond between us. ¡°Do you feel angry at River for killing her?¡± I ask carefully. It¡¯s an awkward question for sure, but one that needs a response. Otherwise, it will just fester between the two of them. Lathani looks over at River, then shifts away from my hand. I let it drop to the side, watching closely as she prowls over to him. He looks nervous, but doesn¡¯t move as she approaches. He flinches a little as she rears up, placing her front paws on his shoulders. She¡¯s got big, I think absently as I watch them. Like that, she¡¯s actually taller than him, her head easily reaching my height. Her paws are now the size of side plates, and still look a bit big for her body ¨C big as she already is, she¡¯s not finished growing yet. For a moment, they just stare at each other solemnly, then Lathani leans in and butts her head against River¡¯s crocodilian jaws. Then, leaving a shell-shocked lizard-man behind, Lathani pushes off his shoulder and drops down to her normal four-pawed position. No. I like him and wouldn¡¯t want him to have died. If he hadn¡¯t killed the nasty lizard, he probably would have been stabbed instead. ¡°Alright, good to know,¡± I reply, feeling almost as relieved as River is right now. ¡°As for fear, it¡¯s understandable that you would still feel afraid of someone who hurt you like that. Now she¡¯s gone, hopefully the fear will fade. How about the herbalist? How are you feeling, being so close to her?¡± Then, almost reluctantly, I ask the next question. ¡°Do you want to kill her too?¡± Lathani eyes me and then River. I do not have good memories of her, she says slowly. She forced me to drink potions which tasted horrible, and burnt my insides. She ignored every cry for help I ever made, blocked my attempt to communicate from her mind. She did not cause as much direct damage to me as the shaman, but she certainly hurt me just as much. River is tense next to me, negative emotions flickering both through his spikes and the Bond. Lathani¡¯s gaze rests thoughtfully on him. I want her to hurt, to be punished, yet I think that friend River would be hurt if I were to kill her as I ache to do. ¡°We¡¯re talking about your feelings here, Lathani,¡± I say gently. ¡°Not River¡¯s.¡± If it were just myself and my mother, I would choose to kill her, Lathani says with finality. I would choose to kill them all and have their blood bathe away my hurt and the damage they caused me. Apparently being genocidal is a species trait. Then again, they are cats. Kind of. However, I do not wish to hurt my friend. The nasty lizard is dead. As long as the other nasty lizard is punished in some way, and I am not required to be her friend, I can live with her survival. It¡¯s a mature way of looking at the situation, far more mature than I would have expected from the teenage nunda who followed after us when we went to rescue Fenrir, putting our rescue attempt at risk, or the same nunda who unilaterally invoked companion Bond and put me in conflict with her mother, almost leading to my own death. Then again, maybe she¡¯s finally learning that actions have consequences, and in this situation has decided that the consequences of hurting someone she¡¯s grown to care about are not worth the pleasure that taking her revenge will have. I applaud her ¨C honestly, I¡¯m not sure I could have said the same thing if it was me who had been hurt and permanently changed. Especially when River was someone who hurt her at first too. ¡°That¡¯s a very mature viewpoint,¡± I say to Lathani finally. ¡°As for whether we¡¯ll let the herbalist live, that¡¯s still up in the air. If I decide that she has to die, I¡¯ll let you do it, OK? Then you don¡¯t have to feel guilty, because it¡¯s me who made the decision, but you can still have your revenge.¡± Lathani flexes her front paws so that her sharp claws slide out of their sheaths. In that situation, I would be happy to oblige, she says darkly. Then she looks back up at me. Pack leader, I am hungry and tired. May I go rest? ¡°Of course,¡± I say. It reminds me to pull out some meat for everyone. ¡°River, wait here a moment,¡± I say, then go with Lathani to do just that. Everyone gathered around the carcasses, even Joy and the herbalist deigning to join in with the group, I return to where River is waiting for me, nerves jangling in my stomach like a whole flock of butterflies is in there. ¡°OK, River, I think now is the time.¡± The time for what, master? ¡°The time to set you free.¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Five: The Feeling of Grief River rears back from me. Master, it¡¯s not necessary, he says, a hint of pleading in his voice. ¡°River¡­it is.¡± When he looks like he¡¯s about to argue with me, I hold up a hand to stop him. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for you, it is for me. I just don¡¯t know how much of this is genuine, and how much is the Bond,¡± I tell him, gesturing between us. ¡°I¡¯ve said before that as soon as all debts were cleared between us, I would release you from the Bond. Now that the Forest of Death has been destroyed and your village is safe, that time is now. ¡°However,¡± I continue, looking seriously at him and pushing my sincerity down the Bond so it is unmistakable. ¡°I want to again make it very clear that this is in no way intended as a punishment. Or a case of trading you in for a new samuran. I will say it now that my ideal situation is that you wish to Bond again afterwards, whether Tame or Companion Bond, and that we can continue as we have been. I only want that, though, if it¡¯s what you want too. ¡°So, please, take your time to think. Make sure that if you choose to Bond again, it¡¯s purely because you feel it will be most beneficial to you.¡± There¡¯s a short pause as River just looks at me silently, emotions flickering so quickly through the Bond and over his spikes that I have no chance of interpreting them. But¡­what about the village? River asks hesitantly. I look at him quizzically. ¡°What about them?¡± If I chose not to Bond again with you, would you¡­? Would you change your plans? I consider his question, then give a slight shrug. ¡°If you¡¯re concerned that I would leave them to the tender mercies of Kalanthia if you chose not to continue as part of my group, then no. I¡¯ve invested enough time and effort already in them; I might as well see it through to the end. I need to discuss with that herbalist of yours about it all, but one way or another, I¡¯ll take over the village. How much of a part of that you wish to be is up to you.¡± I consider it carefully for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to worry about Kalanthia attacking you despite not being Bound to me ¨C you¡¯ve already ¡®paid¡¯ your dues. No, as long as you don¡¯t actively work against me in the village, you¡¯d be welcome to remain part of it, even if you don¡¯t rejoin the group.¡± But then I wouldn¡¯t have the connection to everyone else that I currently have, he says softly. ¡°No,¡± I agree. ¡°That¡¯s true. But if you¡¯ve got your village back, would you even need it? I¡¯m not planning on being a very hands-on leader here, not once things have been set up more to my satisfaction, anyway. If you choose to stay and not Bond, you probably wouldn¡¯t see the rest of us very often.¡± I see, he replies neutrally. I can¡¯t get a read on him. Well, I probably could if I dived deeply into the Bond, but given this whole thing is about severing that, I probably shouldn¡¯t. Even if I am tempted ¨C though I¡¯m trying to keep cool about it, to not let on how my own emotions are in tumult, I can¡¯t help the feeling of grief, of loss. It¡¯s like my subconscious is already resigned to losing him, to him turning his back on me like too many friends and family members have done to me in the past. ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± I ask, not sure whether I want the answer to be yes or no ¨C whether I want the opportunity to procrastinate further, or be forced to just rip the band-aid off. I do not, River answers, still just as unreadable as before. I give him a short nod. ¡°Alright. Brace yourself. When I did this with Bastet, it was very¡­unpleasant.¡± I see tension creep into the lines of his body. Then, unable to stop myself from closing my eyes, I focus on releasing the chain that stretches from my Core space to wrap around River. The pain that hits me makes me groan quietly. It¡¯s like the ache of losing a tooth combined with the wrench of saying goodbye to someone close who you know you will never see again. It feels like I¡¯ve just watched a train pull out of a station carrying a close friend, destined for somewhere on the other side of the world, in a reality without the technology to keep communication. The ache of the tooth eases after a few moments, but the gnawing ache of loss remains. It¡¯s not as bad as the pain I still carry at the loss of either my mother or my father, but it¡¯s not dissimilar. I force my eyes open. River¡¯s¡­Runs-with-the-river¡¯s face is lined with pain too, his eyes full of it. ¡°How long will this last?¡± he asks, only my Animal Empathy allowing me to understand his words, just as it allows me to understand any other unBound samuran. His words sound flat in a way I¡¯ve never noticed, the depth of emotions filtering through the Bond completely absent. It¡¯s the same as with any other samuran without a Bond, but I¡¯ve never experienced it with Ri-Runs-with-the-river. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say, then, seeing the lack of understanding on his face, realise what I forgot to do. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I repeat, focussing on letting him understand me. ¡°It was painful with Bastet too, but we quickly Bonded again afterwards, so it didn¡¯t linger. However, if this is soul-damage, which I suspect it is, it will get better ¨C in time.¡± How much time is indeed the question ¨C I remember seeing how my soul had already started healing the damage I inflicted on myself with the Pure Energy, but not enough to start making any real difference. Stolen story; please report. ¡°I can have a look at what the damage is on my end of things, to get some sort of idea,¡± I offer. ¡°If you will,¡± Runs-with-the-river asks. It doesn¡¯t suit him, this stilted politeness. I nod and am diving within myself before I consider that, now not one of my Bound at all, River has no restrictions on attacking me. When the thought does occur to me, already entering the soul space, I consider it and then push it to one side. My other Bound around would come to my aid if I needed it, I¡¯m sure. And I can¡¯t stand to think that River might attack me. Not River any more, I remind myself. Seeing as I¡¯m here, I might as well as check things out. Close inspection reveals that indeed there are small marks in the substance which makes up my soul. It¡¯s like a chain has pulled free, taking a small chunk of soul with it. I suspect that it will take a few days to a couple of weeks to fill in again. And that¡¯s with me intentionally releasing it. If it had been ripped out against my will, how much worse would the wound be? I suspect that Runs-with-the-river¡¯s wound is much worse. I can¡¯t see his soul, but from what I¡¯ve learned about the Bond, the effects are always worse on the Bound than on the Binder. I suppose I can understand Kalanthia¡¯s anger more now that I can see that the Bond¡¯s release has actually had a visible effect on my soul, and a probably far greater one on River¡¯s. Runs-with-the-river¡¯s. Pulling out of my soul space, I sway a little in disorientation. Only having spent a short time there, the effect isn¡¯t too bad. And, sending a frisson of relief and hope through me, the samuran is still sitting in front of me patiently, apparently not having moved. I tell him my findings succinctly, not trying to soften them in any way. Better to know what he¡¯s dealing with than to have false hope that the pain will resolve quicker than it probably will. ¡°I see,¡± he says finally, emotions once more flickering quickly through his spikes. ¡°I wish to take advantage of your offer to think things over a little, if I may?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± I agree hurriedly. ¡°And although you don¡¯t need to feel obligated to do so, if you do decide to stay with us tonight, you¡¯re welcome to eat the food available.¡± ¡°I thank you, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± he says, tipping up his chin briefly. ¡°May I be excused?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I agree again, watching as he steps away, joining the group around the carcasses. My eyes are narrowed, watching as he walks away. I see the pain still running through every line of his body ¨C we¡¯ve spent enough time together, and I¡¯ve seen him suffering frequently enough that it¡¯s unmistakable. Is that why he¡¯s being so formal? Or is he just falling on old habits for lack of direction of what else to do? Certainly, his final address indicated that, Bond or not, he recognised me as being at the same level as the leaders of his village, which I guess is a good sign. One, because it probably means that he doesn¡¯t intend on obstructing my attempts to gain control of the village. Two, because it might indicate that he still considers me as part of his group, even if it¡¯s the greater group rather than the smaller, more intimate one we¡¯ve had for the past while. Hope and despair war within me and I try to push them away. Denial of emotions isn¡¯t great, I know, but wallowing in them is just as bad. I told River¡­Runs-with-the-river to take some time to think about it. That he hasn¡¯t suddenly jumped to wanting a Bond straight after the last one was cut is a good thing ¨C it means he actually wants to give this some thought. I should be glad of it ¨C or so I tell myself. Either way, until he comes to me and tells me straight out what his choice is, I can¡¯t do anything about it. I might as well go and do something productive, namely speaking with the new Evolved samuran in our midst. Pushing myself off the tree I started leaning on when I moved to enter my soul space, I head with determined footsteps to where Joy and the herbalist sit, a carcass sitting between them, apparently only for them. That makes my mouth tighten in displeasure. Pausing before I get to them, I send an Inspect at the herbalist. Her head turns to look right at me, anger on her face and in her spikes. I only catch a glimpse of that before the box of information returned by the Skill appears in front of me.
Samuran: Grubs-in-the-dirt Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Transmutation, Healing Infusion Health: 540u Mana: 1220u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 72 (70) Open to a Bond: Uncertain A member of a samuran community; one of its highest-ranking leaders. While this beast is mostly suited to non-combat activities, she can apply some of her special abilities in combat if necessary. Social Beast with a strong capacity to form bonds.
Close message? Y/N
The description is almost identical to that of Joy¡¯s, but there are some key differences. Her name, for one ¨C I get a moment of amusement at the image that it brings up. She has a little lower health and higher mana than Joy too, and the Willpower needed to Dominate her is higher, though still within my capabilities. Then there¡¯s the fact that she has two special abilities. I can kind of get what Healing Infusion probably does, but Transmutation is very intriguing. It actually sways me more towards wanting to let her live, just to see what that¡¯s about. I dismiss the screen to see her glaring at me. Apparently, she felt that. Well, perhaps that¡¯s not such a bad thing ¨C it showcases that my abilities aren¡¯t limited to fire and binding. ¡°So,¡± I say, moving forwards to sit next to the carcass, like the two Pathwalkers are. ¡°Grubs-in-the-dirt is an interesting name.¡± I see her stiffen next to me ¨C I gambled a bit on starting like that, judging from Joy¡¯s reaction to me knowing her name. From the looks of it, though, it¡¯s hit a mark. Reaching forwards, I use my knife to cut a slice of the carcass off. Then, holding it between two fingers, I summon fire to surround it. It sizzles and I feel my fingers starting to burn from the heat of the meat itself. Not wanting to reveal pain and ruin the little scene I¡¯m trying to create here, I reduce my pain sensation by a little ¨C enough that I can keep a straight face without completely losing all sensation. ¡°Do you remember what exactly you were grubbing for at the time?¡± I ask as if I¡¯m not grilling meat between my own fingers. Once it¡¯s cooked enough, I dismiss the fire, then pop the meat straight in my mouth. Keeping my pain off my face and my fingertips hidden from her view, I send healing magic through my system to the burns I¡¯ve just caused myself. Perhaps that wasn¡¯t terribly well-considered, but from the impressed look on both Pathwalkers¡¯ faces, it¡¯s certainly had the effect I wanted. Point to me. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Six: Just Because You Can, Does It Mean You Should? ¡°You are capable of divining information about those you see?¡± the herbalist, Grubs-in-the-dirt, asks. And honestly, between all the names I¡¯ve heard of the lizard-folk so far, that is the one I can least take seriously. And I need to take the samuran herself seriously ¨C she seems to be at the centre of so much recently. ¡°I am,¡± I reply briefly. ¡°What else are you capable of, I wonder,¡± she says, her tone wary. ¡°Controlling the life-devourer. Somehow converting the loyalty of my kin to you. Now divining information that should remain personal.¡± ¡°Many things,¡± I answer, not giving an inch. ¡°I find your abilities to be quite interesting, too. Transmutation and Healing Infusion. Care to explain what those might be?¡± ¡°No,¡± she answers, just as short with me as I was with her. ¡°Not before I know why you¡¯re doing what you¡¯re doing. Why did you steal Runs-with-the-river?¡± The ¡®from me¡¯ is unsaid but loud nonetheless. ¡°I didn¡¯t ¡®steal¡¯ Runs-with-the-river,¡± I refute. ¡°We had a conversation and he decided that he¡¯d rather help me in exchange for my help with your problem with the ¡®Forest of Death¡¯. Especially when compared to the alternative of me just doing what I needed to do and probably killing more of your kin in the process.¡± ¡°You expect me to believe that he was willing to sit down and talk to you about traitorous actions?¡± Her tone is incredulous. ¡°That a mere conversation could create the changes I see in him and my sister?¡± Joy shifts a little uneasily at that. ¡°It¡¯s a special type of conversation,¡± I tell the herbalist. ¡°If you wish to live, you will find that out for yourself soon enough.¡± After all, the herbalist in particular is one who will either submit to a Dominate Bond or die. For her actions against Lathani, I highly doubt that Kalanthia will be satisfied with anything less than a full Dominate Bond ¨C if that. And nor will I, when it comes down to it. Not when I¡¯m realising just how much risk these Evolved samurans could offer to my family if not Bound to me. The samuran stills. ¡°Is that a threat?¡± she demands, a hiss underlying her clicks and grunts, angry red spilling into her spikes. ¡°It¡¯s a consequence,¡± I tell her, outwardly calm and unconcerned, but actually preparing to defend myself if she suddenly decides to attack me. River knew little of how the Pathwalkers attacked, but Joy was a mine of information which I took full advantage of in our journey away from Kalanthia¡¯s cave. Apparently, the herbalist tends to use a mixture of concoctions and, unusually for a Pathwalker, mundane ranged attacks with precisely thrown slim wooden daggers or darts shot through a blowgun, often laced with some sort of debilitating poison. It seems like the healer specialises in disabling her opponent one way or another, and then only gets close when they¡¯re already down. What that means is that where a Warrior might be significantly disadvantaged by starting a fight from sitting on the ground, the herbalist is not. However, I think her wooden daggers and darts would have a hard job piercing both my armour and silken undershirt, so she might have a surprise if she does try to attack. Thankfully, after a tense moment, she settles down. I still stay on alert in case it¡¯s just a facade. ¡°A consequence,¡± she repeats doubtfully. ¡°Of what? Is this where you tell me that we were wrong to try to save ourselves? I have heard Runs-with-the-river¡¯s story. He claims that we would have been destroyed by the Great Predator if we had continued with our plan to kill her cub. If so, where is she? Why did she send you in her place?¡± ¡°Because I argued against genocide,¡± I tell her, weariness suddenly dragging once more at me. The pain of burning myself briefly chased my exhaustion away, but it¡¯s back with a vengeance. ¡°Because her ultimatum for allowing you to live was to take control over your village, to ensure that you would no longer pose a threat to her or her cub.¡± ¡°Who is she to impose such on us?¡± the herbalist snaps back at me with abrupt fury. ¡°She is not our conqueror; neither are you. We succeeded in taking her cub from her against her will; she could not stand against even half our Warriors. If she is weak enough to allow that to happen, why should we bare our throats to her threats?¡± ¡°Answer me this,¡± I say instead of continuing this tit for tat argument. ¡°Is this whole ¡®might is right¡¯ philosophy working for you?" I ask, almost softly. ¡°Just because you can, does that mean you should?" I¡¯m suddenly tired of all this. The posturing, the resistance. I¡¯ve dealt with the Forest of Death for them, advocated for their lives, River almost died trying to save them from themselves while the rest of them just watched him battle a samuran much older and more powerful than him¡­. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I sigh and shift so I¡¯m looking the herbalist right in her bronze-coloured eyes. They¡¯re similar to River¡¯s and Catch¡¯s but not identical, I realise. Though the base colour is the same, there are flecks of other metallic colours which spike out from the slit of black that makes the pupil. ¡°River¡­Runs-with-the-river said that almost half the village¡¯s Warriors were killed in the expedition to kidnap Lathani. If Kalanthia attacked, this time on the offence rather than the defence, there would be far more deaths. Your village would be destroyed even if you managed to kill her before she wiped you all out. And that¡¯s by no means a guarantee, especially since I would have fought to protect her, and my Bound with me.¡± Joy shifts again, discomfort flashing through her spikes. ¡°What is your point?¡± demands the herbalist, tensing as if she is about to attack, or is perhaps bracing for one. ¡°My point is that there is a better way of doing things.¡± ¡°And you think you can teach us that?¡± she asks, hints of contempt in her voice as she looks me up and down. ¡°Who are you to come and criticise the way we¡¯ve been doing things for generations?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been killing hatchlings for generations?¡± I ask pointedly. She shifts and looks away. ¡°No, but our sister¡¯s motivations were good. She wished to protect our village.¡± ¡°Did she?¡± I ask shrewdly. ¡°Or did she just want to protect her own power?¡± It¡¯s just a theory here, but River told me how she had rejected the idea of moving away from their ¡®ancestors¡¯ bones¡¯. Given that she was known to control ¡®spirits¡¯ ¨C indeed, that was the whole idea behind kidnapping Lathani in the first place ¨C I have to wonder if her power was actually dependent on being close to the bones of creatures she had either killed or who were connected to her through blood ties. She¡¯s dead now so I can¡¯t ask her. Still, if the way the herbalist goes quiet is any judge, she either knows more or feels like my supposition might have merit. ¡°I¡¯m not from here,¡± I tell the herbalist softly. ¡°And my people have learned that though having a philosophy of the strongest rule can be good in certain ways, it doesn¡¯t allow a society to grow beyond a certain point. How many hatchlings who might have become Pathwalkers or Warriors die in their first year because of bad luck? Or how many intelligent minds which could have created ways of making your life easier and better have been lost because they were born into weak bodies? ¡°My people have set foot on the moon, have plumbed the deepest oceans, and those even though we can neither fly naturally nor breathe water. All because we recognised that different people have different strengths and weaknesses, and that by offering support for the weakest, we actually help the whole of society.¡± The herbalist says nothing, just gazing at me thoughtfully, then turning to look at the fire River¡­Runs-with-the-river has made off to the side of the camp. He is lying next to it, gazing up at the stars which peek through the canopy above ¨C I wonder if he¡¯s planning on joining everyone in the shelter later. Joy is still looking uncomfortable, darting glances between the fire and me. We need to sleep ¨C the morning will come earlier than we¡¯d like it to, considering how late we¡¯ve been awake. I push myself to my feet, making both Pathwalkers look up at me, the herbalist tensing again. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep,¡± I tell them. ¡°I suggest that you do the same.¡± Joy scrambles to her feet as quickly as she can, and catches up with me when I¡¯m only a couple of paces away. Wait, Markus, she said. I pause, turning slightly to look back at her. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask her wearily. Would you¡­ she hesitantly starts, then continues silently across our Bond. Would you¡­if the Great Predator had attacked the village and you fought with her, would you have¡­required us to fight too? I sense that she hasn¡¯t asked it privately, and that the other samurans around us, apart from the two which are not currently part of the network, are listening intently. I¡¯m dying to lie down, but it¡¯s an important question for them, so I give it the time it deserves. No, I wouldn¡¯t have, I tell them after a period of thought. Not if the goal was to wipe out your village. I would have only taken part myself to keep Kalanthia alive. After all, at the time, Kalanthia meant a lot more to me than any of the group of villagers, apart from River. I wouldn¡¯t have actively taken part in the genocide, but I would have used my healing to help Kalanthia stay alive, and if she retreated, to defend her retreat. But if that had been the decision, then it would have happened long before we met each other, so it¡¯s irrelevant in a sense. And if it turns into a fight now? This time, the question is from Lee. I hesitate for a long moment. This is different. I would like to keep deaths to a minimum. Among the leadership, it must be either submission or death; among the Unevolved, if they would prefer to leave the village entirely instead of submitting to my rule, then I may permit it. But I will need your help ¨C either to convince or to control. I will not ask any of you to kill your kin, I say making a decision about a question which had been playing on my mind for a while, and no doubt on theirs as well. Then we shall try to convince as many of our kin to submit as possible, Lee says, apparently acting as spokes-samuran for the group, if the chorus of agreement from the other lizard-folk is anything to go by. And I will continue talking to Herbalist, Joy chimes in. That way, hopefully she will offer a supporting voice tomorrow. Then, privately to me, she adds further thoughts. I am still not entirely sure whether this upheaval is a good idea, but I have seen enough that I¡¯m willing to support it for now ¨C and not only because you could oblige me to do so. Alright, thanks Joy, I say to her not sure if it¡¯s a true compliment or a bit of a back-handed one. Still, if she can convince her kin not to engage in an all-out battle, that will save us all a lot of time and pain. With that, I say goodnight to everyone, cast an uncertain glance at the figure of River still lying on the ground, staring up at the stars, and then duck inside the shelter for some much-needed sleep. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Seven: A Real Ride The next morning dawns bright and early. I see the sun rise because I was woken up by Marty and Sirocco returning. Marty isn¡¯t too badly off ¨C I get the sense that her kind is probably at least partially nocturnal ¨C but poor Sirocco seems to be almost falling asleep on her feet. Well, wings. I decided that it would be too much risk to ask them to stick around the village when it started getting light. And ultimately, the reason I left them around was just to make sure that the samurans didn¡¯t start amassing a hunting party without us knowing. They will be passing on the baton of information gathering to Joy when the Pathwalkers convene later. From what the two related, the village was mostly quiet after we left. They did send me some images of what looked like Pathwalkers and Warriors meeting together and separately ¨C the discussions which we were expecting them to have, no doubt. I was worried that they might have been discovered, but they don¡¯t think that they were. At least, there was no sort of outcry about their presence. If they had been¡­. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t such a good idea to leave them behind. I was too tired to properly consider it at the time, but thinking back to it, and considering the consequences of having made a deal to leave with all my Bound and then having been discovered not to have done so makes my stomach swoop a little. Well, nothing to do about it now. The rest of the group are rousing now that dawn¡¯s first light is peeking through the trees. The rays of light are slowly turning the murk of the mist that wreathes the bases of the trees into what looks like plumes of breath on a cold morning. There¡¯s a chill in the air which heralds the coming winter, making me glad for my spider-silk undergarments. I¡¯m pretty sure it rained during the night too: the ground is too damp for it to just have been mist. Fortunately, being under shelter, I wasn¡¯t woken by it if it did rain. Pulling on my armour, I head out to the fire circle that I lit last night. By this point, it¡¯s long cold, but between restocking it with fuel and magic, it¡¯s soon burning merrily. Aingeal, the fire elemental, happily goes to dance in the flames, becoming indistinguishable from the rest of the fire. I might think that it had completely disappeared, except that I can still sense it, an external flicker of innocent joy and freedom. Pulling out some more carcasses, my Bound gather around, eagerly digging in. Looking around the clearing, I note with relief that Trinity and Spine both made it ¨C their large forms are rather hard to miss. I hadn¡¯t liked leaving them behind, but in light of what would have happened if I¡¯d been a couple of seconds later in arriving in the village, I can¡¯t regret it. Especially not since they¡¯ve apparently made it back to us unscathed. Almost unscathed, I amend my thought, noting the small marks on Trinity¡¯s shoulder, and the broken spike on Spine¡¯s tail. Walking over there, I take a moment to check in with them, healing the injuries. It appears that they encountered a group of beasts, but that their defences were more than up to the task of keeping them safe. I didn¡¯t recognise the creatures in the memories they sent ¨C not that that¡¯s surprising. After all, I¡¯ve only been in this world a couple of months. I¡¯m just glad that they made it through fine. Heading back to the fire afterwards, I take some time to eat some of my pre-prepared food and drink some of my previously boiled water. I make a mental note to take a trip to the river bend that¡¯s closest to the village ¨C I¡¯ve got enough for now, but my Bound will also need hydration. Those thoughts flee my mind when a figure stops in front of me. ¡°How do I know you mean well for my village?¡± Grubs-in-the-dirt, the village¡¯s herbalist, confronts me. ¡°How do I know that by following your different way of approaching things, we will survive?¡± Her spikes are rippling with almost a rainbow of colours. It seems she¡¯s rather conflicted, and I abruptly wonder just how much actual sleep she got last night. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was less than me. ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± I tell her, concentrating on being understood. Evidently, that¡¯s not the answer she was expecting, if her spikes are to judge by. What, was she expecting me to have some sort of blithe answer which would wipe away all her doubts? I wish I did. ¡°But what you have right now clearly isn¡¯t working, so what do you have to lose?¡± ¡°It is working,¡± she argues, her jaws set mulishly. ¡°We have survived for untold generations like this.¡± ¡°But how many more generations will your village survive if you start sacrificing hatchlings and Unevolved adults for power?¡± I ask pointedly. The herbalist clicks loudly in frustration. ¡°I did not agree with my sister in that decision, I¡¯ve told you that already. Yet I accepted it because she had good reasons. It was only for the current situation which, prior to the burning of the Forest of Death, was dire. It wouldn¡¯t have been something that continued.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± I ask, my tone dark. ¡°The pursuit of power is a slippery slope. My people have many histories of people who started searching for power for good reasons, and ended up committing atrocities. How long would it have been until your shaman had started saying that sacrificing the next generation of hatchlings would have been necessary to give her the power to deal with a smaller threat than that of the Forest of Death? And then how long until it was justifiable to just give her the power? That¡¯s the problem with a ¡®might is right¡¯ philosophy: if the shaman has the power, then whatever she says is right.¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I¡¯m aware as I speak of the certain amount of hypocrisy in my words. After all, what am I doing here but seeking power over the lizard-folk to ¡®help¡¯ them? And I¡¯m willing to resort to using strength in combat to ensure that I succeed. My intentions are good, but in practicality, I need to seriously consider if my actions are any better than the shaman¡¯s, both now and in the future. It will be a difficult balance to reach, I think. The herbalist opens her mouth, but the words she wishes to speak are lost as both of us instinctively look off to the side at the sound of a commotion. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s the movement or the flickering light. It could even be the change in the air: the Energy almost becomes static. Though it doesn¡¯t make my hair stand on end, it feels like it should. I don¡¯t remember that happening last time, but perhaps my senses were not so good then. Either way, my attention is drawn to a spot off to the side of the clearing: the spot where, until a short time ago, River was sitting. Perhaps he still is, but I am unable to see: he is obscured from sight in a way that I¡¯ve only seen once before. A large ball of bright yellow Energy has formed around the space where, only a few short moments ago, River ¨C Runs-with-the-river ¨C sat with the much-reduced Core from the danaris between his claws. Still my Bound or not, he earned that Core, so I saw no reason to keep it from him when he came to me asking for it. ¡°He¡¯s evolving,¡± both the Pathwalker and I breathe at the same time. We exchange glances, everything else forgotten in the excitement of the moment. At our words, quiet clicks and grunts ring out among the other samurans, Warriors and Unevolved alike. The latter seem the most excited ¨C as well they should be: one of their number is well on his way to reaching another tier. It is a sign that they, too, might be capable of doing the same, someday. One by one, all of my Bound, along with the herbalist, make a circle around Runs-with-the-river. I join them too, though glance around a little warily ¨C if all of us are watching the Evolution, who¡¯s watching our backs? Fortunately, I¡¯m not alone in being concerned ¨C Bastet is alert and on the lookout, as are Lee, Catch, and Murmur. Reassured, I focus back on the Evolution taking place in front of me. The cloud of Energy concealing the person who I thought was my friend when he was my Bound, but now feel completely uncertain about where he stands. I haven¡¯t approached him in any way since he asked for space ¨C I haven¡¯t wanted to intrude. Even when he came asking for the Core, though tempted to ask whether his time to think had rendered any answers, I resisted the urge. After all, giving him the time he asked for is the least of what I owe him, really. Now, watching his Evolution, all I can feel is pride at being part of getting him there. Though I¡¯ve only seen one Evolution in my life, it seems it¡¯s going well. At least, it appears similar to what I saw happen with Bastet. The sparks are a different colour ¨C and I wouldn¡¯t have picked yellow if asked which colour might best represent River ¨C but they¡¯ve formed a whirling ball around him, just as Bastet¡¯s forest-green ones had for her. If I remember Kalanthia¡¯s words correctly, this is a good sign that the first stages of the Evolutionary process have been correctly accomplished. Certainly, the samurans around me seem to be unconcerned, watching the events with eager excitement. It occurs to me that, though Evolution is still a very new concept for me ¨C this type of evolution, anyway ¨C it¡¯s a familiar one to the samurans. Indeed, several of those standing in the circle with me have undergone it themselves. After sending a quick look around, I sidle closer to where the herbalist has joined Joy. Iandee and Peace are standing nearby too, which makes that a good group to join for a variety of different opinions. As I get closer, I hear the herbalist murmuring to Joy, the colour in her spikes indicating pleasure. Joy is aware of my presence ¨C I see it in the quick glance she sends me ¨C but since I¡¯m approaching from behind, the herbalist isn¡¯t. I pause before announcing myself, curious about what they¡¯re discussing. ¡°I told you he would be one that reached Evolution, didn¡¯t I? I told you!¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Joy replies a little testily. ¡°You don¡¯t need to rub it in. Besides, he hasn¡¯t got there yet.¡± ¡°No,¡± agreed the herbalist, seemingly undaunted. ¡°But he¡¯s past the point that all but one of out of a clawful of those who even attempt Evolution get stuck at.¡± ¡°True,¡± allows Joy. ¡°Now let¡¯s hope that your erstwhile assistant has the sense to avoid the fate that the rest of the failures managed to fall to. Markus, you wish to speak to us?¡± she asks, alerting the herbalist to my presence. Eyeing her, I¡¯m not sure whether she¡¯s trying to be polite by acknowledging me, or stymie my information-gathering about her sister. Either way, I file what I¡¯ve just learnt away for later consideration ¨C it might turn out to be useful or completely useless; for now, I have another question. ¡°What do you usually do when one of the village manages to Evolve?¡± I ask curiously. ¡°Is there a celebration or something?¡± ¡°A celebration? Oh man, you have no idea,¡± an unexpected source of information breaks in. Iandee shifts closer to me, turning himself so he can see both me and the ball of whirling sparks which is my recently-released Bound. ¡°It¡¯s wild, I tell you. First there¡¯s an obligatory ranking fight among all the Evolved. Then there¡¯s a massive feast. We eat fresh meat, we drink something that the Honoured Herbalist gives us, we see some crazy things, and then we sleep. It¡¯s a real ride, that¡¯s for sure.¡± We all stare at Iandee for a long moment. ¡°What?¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Eight: A Seat Around The Carcass I eye him for a moment, then look between Joy and Peace, silently inviting further explanation. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not wrong,¡± admits Joy, almost reluctantly. ¡°A new Evolved joining our ranks is certainly an opportunity for celebration, and one which all the village joins in on. It¡¯s one of the few times where no distinction is made between Evolved and Unevolved ¨C an acknowledgement that a villager has passed from one to the other. And Herbalist does give us all something to drink.¡± She gives the Pathwalker in question a look. The herbalist seems reluctant to speak but does so after a moment of silent urging that I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the only one engaging in. ¡°It is a concoction designed to enhance the ability of all drinkers to connect with the world around them. It has long been believed that a newly-Evolved being can offer insight to their kin in the first day after making the leap. Indeed, sometimes even those who have been Evolved for a long time can benefit, though it is more likely to benefit those who haven¡¯t yet Evolved.¡± That actually sounds pretty interesting, I reckon. I still don¡¯t know how my own Energy channels and levelling fits in with what seems to govern the natives of this world ¨C and wherever Kalanthia is from, I guess too. However, given what I¡¯ve theorised and observed about Wisdom and the way it affects my connections with everyone and everything in my environment, this potion might still be useful to me. Assuming it actually works and isn¡¯t just some psychedelic magic mushrooms equivalent, that is. And that it would work as intended on someone with a completely different physiology than a samuran. On second thoughts, maybe I shouldn¡¯t even consider taking part without some extensive testing. ¡°Though whether the usual celebrations will happen given the current situation, I don¡¯t know,¡± muses Joy, breaking through my thoughts. Iandee stares at her with clear dismay written all over him. The Unevolved adults closest to us, and apparently eavesdropping on the conversation, do the same. ¡°You can¡¯t cancel the post-Evolution celebrations!¡± Iandee almost shouted, his clicks and grunts loud enough to make me hush him. ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± he repeats at a slightly lower volume. Though they don¡¯t say anything ¨C perhaps accustomed to not having a voice ¨C I can tell the rest of the Unevolved adults around me feel the same way. ¡°Think about it, Eats-dirt,¡± Peace says with a hint of irritation. ¡°Not only is the village in a tense temporary truce with an unknown threat,¡± he sends me a hint of apology down the Bond which I reply to with understanding, ¡°but the Evolved in question is a bit of a difficult subject. Remember that we were sent to capture him for causing the death of a Pathwalker.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t him, though,¡± I interject. ¡°I¡¯m the one who killed the Pathwalker.¡± ¡°We know that,¡± Joy replies, briskly. ¡°But, like it or not, you are not part of our village ¨C or at least have not yet been accepted to be so. Runs-with-the-river is still one of us unless a judgement is rendered which changes that, and is both the one who brought you into the village and who let you¡­well, who released you to actually do the deed. Thus, in our eyes, he is the one responsible for Mover¡¯s death. We were sent to capture Runs-with-the-river: killing or capturing you would have been a bonus, but not an objective,¡± she tells me, not shying away from the hard truth. As if he¡¯s somehow aware of the growing tension, Catch drifts over to stand behind at my shoulder. I abruptly feel the lack of River at my side. While the rest of the samurans had definitely been more loyal than I feared they might be last night, in the light of day, it¡¯s clear to see where their true loyalties lie ¨C and it¡¯s not with me. Or not entirely so, anyway. Then again, I suppose I can barely expect them to do so ¨C and if they did, it would almost certainly be more to do with the effect of the Dominate Bond than a genuine change of heart. Which makes me feel guilty for missing River since, until and unless he decides to support me without the Bond forcing him to do so, there¡¯s no guarantee that any of his previous support was genuine. In that sense, I can only really trust Bastet, Catch, and Lathani which¡­actually, is more reassuring than I thought it might be. It helps put things a little into perspective for me. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope that you and your sisters manage to sort things out quickly enough that you will still get your celebration,¡± I tell them calmly, but firmly. ¡°If it helps the Unevolved in particular, I would hate for this situation to get in the way.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no point in putting the kill ahead of the hunt,¡± grunts Lee with a hint of a growl ¨C apparently he¡¯s been following the conversation through the Bond since I don¡¯t think he¡¯s been close enough to hear it most of the time. ¡°Runs-with-the-river may not survive yet, or even if he does survive, he may not have been sufficiently successful to become either Warrior or Pathwalker. In that case, this conversation is irrelevant.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. We all send him a glance, though a number of different emotions are represented, I¡¯m surprised to see that both the herbalist and mine are full of irritation. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Runs-with-the-river,¡± the herbalist says just as I speak too. ¡°I have full faith that he will complete the process.¡± We share a slightly startled look. Considering how much else we disagree on, it¡¯s good to see that at least we both want the best for the samuran currently undergoing Evolution. On that note, we wordlessly agree to table the discussion. The outline of Runs-with-the-river¡¯s form is becoming clearer ¨C it will soon become clear whether his Evolution has or hasn¡¯t become successful. What do you think are his chances? I ask Bastet privately. Good, she answered promptly. We have discussed my Evolution. I gave him the advice Kalanthia gave me. I take a moment to parse that, then find myself reassured. At least he¡¯s not doing it blind. We watch in silence, all anxious to know how things will turn out. As the outline of the Evolving samuran becomes clearer, more details appearing, grunts and clicks ring out across the clearing. I know why. Instead of the hulking form of a Warrior like Lee, or the still big but more lithe form of a Warrior like Peace, River has actually got smaller. Unless something has gone wrong with his Evolution ¨C which by the indications seems unlikely ¨C then River is actually becoming another type entirely. ¡°A Pathwalker,¡± I hear breathed by someone near me, though I can¡¯t tell who it is, and don¡¯t bother to look around to check. I¡¯m too focussed on watching exactly what is happening in front of me. Just like with Bastet, the Energy around Runs-with-the-river is slowly absorbed bit by bit until finally his¡­her form is revealed. She ¨C I can already tell it¡¯s going to be hard to get used to that ¨C pushes herself to her feet, brushing her hands over her form, investigating her own appearance for the first time. I suddenly wonder if we should be watching this: shouldn¡¯t Runs-with-the-river have the chance to get to grips with her own, very much changed body without our gawking? But she doesn¡¯t seem uncomfortable, nor do any of the other samurans around indicate any need to give privacy ¨C they should really know best in this situation. So, I instead cast my eyes over her changed form. She has got smaller and slimmer in all ways ¨C even her jaws are slightly narrower. Her ear flaps seem thinner, her spikes are shorter, and even her claws seem more dainty. From what I understand, physical strength and advantages have been traded out for magical ones. Though why that should necessitate losing the physical abilities he ¨C she ¨C had to begin with, I don¡¯t know. Within a short space of time, she looks up at us with a challenging gaze. I notice that it¡¯s particularly focussed on the two beside me: Joy and the herbalist. ¡°I am a Pathwalker,¡± she says. Even her voice has changed: the grunts becoming slightly lighter, probably because the parts that make them have reduced in size. ¡°You are,¡± acknowledges Joy. ¡°Congratulations,¡± responds the herbalist, rather warmer than Joy had been. ¡°Then you will agree that I am owed a seat around the carcass as we discuss what our village should do about the proposition posed to us,¡± she announces, a statement; not a question. The samuran around listening ¨C which is all of them ¨C fall absolutely silent and still. The two Pathwalkers exchange looks, and then flash simultaneous ones at Lee. ¡°She¡¯s¡­not wrong,¡± Lee says slowly. ¡°She¡¯s not acknowledged,¡± Joy shoots back at him. ¡°Does that matter?¡± he asks. ¡°She¡¯s a Pathwalker, and one of our village. I see no reason why she should not be given a seat around the carcass.¡± From the repetition of the odd phrase, despite the automatic translation of both the Bonds and Animal Empathy, I have to guess that it¡¯s similar to ¡®a seat around the table¡¯ or something like that. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t, I don¡¯t think,¡± answers the herbalist slowly after a short pause. ¡°However, it is likely Wind-whisperer or Wood-shaper would have more issue with it. Perhaps Shrieks-loudly would object too.¡± Runs-with-the-river shifts her jaws into an expression which I recognise even on her new features ¨C an anticipatory grin on a human. ¡°Then let us go ask them.¡± She starts walking back towards the village and the whole group shifts to follow her. I¡¯m left behind, looking at Bastet in a little amusement. Should I be concerned? I ask her half-joking, half-serious. No, she answers with a sense of nonchalance. I wonder what she knows that I don¡¯t. If Runs-with-the-river sets herself against me, it¡¯s evident that I¡¯ll have a fight on my hands even among my own Bound ¨C my fault, perhaps, for setting her up as a leader before she even became Evolved. Now, with the final barrier removed from them being able to see her as worthy of leadership, all I can hope is that she ends up at least not obstructing me. Alright then, I say finally with a shrug. Ultimately, I can¡¯t do anything more than I¡¯m already doing right now: the ball is in the newest Pathwalker¡¯s court. Come on, everyone, I instruct, extinguishing the fire in the circle with a thought. Compared to taming the inferno of the vine-strangler forest, it¡¯s child¡¯s play to overcome the fire¡¯s objections. Following the rest of the samurans, I increase my pace so I get to the front before we approach the gates. On the one hand, being at the front is the most vulnerable position if they decide to attack us. On the other hand, not being at the front might be a fatal concession of authority. When I find all three Pathwalkers and four Warriors in the vanguard, I know that my instinct was right. I¡¯d like to cast an Inspect at Runs-with-the-river, but reckon that there¡¯s a better than good chance that she¡¯ll detect it. I¡¯m still debating whether I should ask her permission to cast it when the village gates come into view and I lose my opportunity. Showtime. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Forty-Nine: The Traitor Has Evolved The shock that ripples through the guards¡¯ spines as they spot the newest addition to the Pathwalkers is satisfying to see. ¡°Who¡­?¡± asks the one on the right, only to be shoulder-checked hard enough to stumble a little sideways by the one on the left. ¡°It¡¯s Runs-with-the-river, idiot. Who else could it be?¡± ¡°Maybe a delegation from another village,¡± argued back the first. I watch in a bit of bemusement as they get into a debate and almost seem to forget about us. What sort of guards are they? ¡°A delegation from another village? Accompanied by our Pathwalkers and our Warriors? Use the berry-brain inside that thick skull of yours, would you?¡± Joy seems rather less amused at the sight. She snaps her jaws together loudly and the two arguing Warriors look up. A moment later, they appear rather shamefaced with the olive-green of embarrassment flashing through their crests. ¡°Uh, apologies Honoured Pathwalker Weaver,¡± the samuran on the left ventures, tilting his chin up. Joy flicks her tail in dismissal. ¡°We wish to enter,¡± she says neutrally instead, moving towards them. The herbalist and Runs-with-the-river stepping forward with her indicates wordlessly exactly who she means by ¡®we¡¯. The two guards exchange a nervous glance, but don¡¯t move out of their way. ¡°Shrieks-loudly said that only you and Honoured Pathwalker Herbalist were to be given entry. I¡­he said nothing about an additional Pathwalker,¡± the one on the right says tentatively. If I had to guess, it would be that he¡¯s fighting between two impulses: the desire to obey his direct superior, and the desire to obey the Pathwalkers who are his indirect superiors. ¡°Then I suggest one of you goes and finds him,¡± says Grubs-in-the-dirt levelly. ¡°And while you¡¯re doing that, you might as well find our sisters since I¡¯d imagine they¡¯ll want to have some say.¡± The guard on the right looks at the one on the left uncertainly ¨C I think I can see what the hierarchy is. ¡°Go on,¡± the samuran on the right tells him and he doesn¡¯t need more urging than that, shooting off into the village quickly. By his speed, I suspect that he has some sort of movement-enhancing ability, but I haven¡¯t checked either of them yet. I decide to remedy that now, using my slower and potentially less productive version of Inspect, since it¡¯s the one which is least likely to be detected. The remaining guard shifts a little nervously ¨C perhaps he¡¯s realised that if we decided to march into the village right now, it would be one against the whole group arrayed before him, including three Pathwalkers, four Warriors, and me. Still, I¡¯m currently intending to play nicely for now. Hopefully diplomacy gets me what I¡¯m aiming for and we don¡¯t need to resort to violence ¨C especially in light of what I was discussing earlier with the herbalist. While we wait, the results of my Inspect seep back into me. It¡¯s not the same as a normal Inspect ¨C no box appears in front of my eyes. Instead, I get a sense of how much health and mana he has compared to me, whether it¡¯s likely that I could Dominate him, and a kind of feeling of what his extra ability might be. It¡¯s unsurprising that his health is significantly more than mine; it¡¯s equally unsurprising that my mana outstrips his by a large margin. I get the sense that his Willpower is below mine, which I also expected. As for his ability, it¡¯s different from the ones I¡¯ve encountered so far ¨C more defensive than offensive. Without getting any real details about it, I would guess that it¡¯s something which would help him stand fast in the face of a charge. Tempted to do the same to Runs-with-the-river, in the end I decide that I¡¯d be better off asking her permission and then using a proper Inspect than risk her feeling betrayed or violated or something by me using a surreptitious Inspect. Stepping forwards, I come level with the newest Pathwalker, my approach making the guard tense even more. I don¡¯t pay him more than cursory attention, though, focussing instead on Runs-with-the-river. ¡°I¡¯m not coming to ask you for an answer, don¡¯t worry,¡± I say quickly, the space where River¡¯s Bond once was sending increased pangs of loss through me as I have to focus on him ¨C her ¨C being able to understand me instead of being able to rely on the Bond transmitting the information. I have to grit my teeth briefly as the pain swells. I catch a hint of pain in her body language and eyes, the lines of it both hauntingly familiar and disconcertingly different. I feel another pang run through me, this time one of dismay. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll go,¡± I say, already preparing to step back. I hadn¡¯t intended to hurt her. ¡°It is fine,¡± she says, raising one of those delicately clawed hands, clearly more agile and capable of finer movements than her old ones were. ¡°What did you wish to speak to me about?¡± ¡°I was wondering¡­¡± I hesitate. ¡°Would you mind if I use Inspect on you?¡± I ask tentatively. ¡°You don¡¯t have to agree,¡± I hurry to add. ¡°It would just be¨C¡± ¡°Very well,¡± she interrupts me. I stumble to a stop mid-sentence, eyeing her with more than a hint of surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t mind?¡± I check. ¡°No,¡± she replies, amusement joining the pain. ¡°Not as long as you share the results.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ah. Fair enough, I think. I don¡¯t know how those without a screen manage to work out what their stats or abilities are, but they obviously do. However, maybe knowing what Inspect says would be useful for them regardless. Quickly using the information-gathering Skill, I eagerly look at the notification it sends through.
Samuran: Runs-with-the-river Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Fire Herbalism, Poison-Claw Health: 610u Mana: 1530u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 78 (65) A recently Evolved samuran with as-yet unused new abilities, this Beast was recently a Bound (Dominate) of Markus Luke Wolfe. Previously a user of the spear, this Beast has not yet developed a new fighting style which encompasses her new abilities. Social Beast with a strong capacity to form bonds.
Close message? Y/N
So much has changed. From her name and description to her species. Still, I suppose that answers one question I had: River had previously been identified as ¡®lizard-folk¡¯ because he had been under a Dominate Bond with me, and that was my name for them. Now, not Bonded to me, his description has reverted to what Inspect would normally say. I¡¯m also intrigued by her Willpower: it¡¯s the highest I¡¯ve seen on a samuran so far. I wonder whether that¡¯s something inherent to Runs-with-the-river or whether it¡¯s been affected by his¡­her previous Bond with me. Like how the body successfully fighting off a virus makes it easier for the body to fight off the same virus in the future. Of course, that¡¯s only when it¡¯s at max which at the moment it¡¯s not. A dip of thirteen points is something I¡¯ve only seen when the creature in question was trapped or fearful, or similar. Runs-with-the-river is none of the above. Then come the changes in the description and her actual stats and abilities. I eye the other Pathwalkers, in particular the herbalist. ¡°Shall we take this off to the side a bit?¡± I ask her, not sure whether she wants her information shared with everyone. Unfortunately, without a Bond, I can no longer communicate it to her privately. Loss rattles through me once more. Runs-with-the-river follows my gaze and then shakes her head slightly. ¡°My sisters,¡± she starts, emphasising the relationship while eyeing the two other Pathwalkers, ¡°will need to know what I can do.¡± ¡°Well, your health has dropped a bit,¡± I tell her, though keep my voice down so it doesn¡¯t spread too far. ¡°And your mana has increased a lot.¡± In fact, her mana has increased by far more than her health has dropped. Originally, her health had been eight hundred and thirty points; now, it¡¯s six hundred and ten, which is still almost double mine. Her mana, however, has leapt from seventy points to a thousand, five hundred and thirty. That¡¯s an over twenty times increase. At only six hundred and fifteen points, I abruptly feel that I¡¯m being left behind. In comparison to Grubs-in-the-dirt, the newest Pathwalker outstrips her on all counts. Again, I wonder if that¡¯s something intrinsic to Runs-with-the-river, or whether there¡¯s another reason for the differences. ¡°And my abilities?¡± she asks, her eyes intent on me. She¡¯s shorter than she was, I realise. Before, her eyes were level with the tops of my shoulders. Now, they¡¯re level with my chest. ¡°Can you feel them in some way?¡± I ask, curious myself. ¡°I sense that I have two,¡± she responds thoughtfully. The attention that the other Pathwalkers and the samurans in earshot are paying is made clear by the surprise that ripples through their spikes and the quiet clicks which meet my ears. Those who weren¡¯t paying attention now are and I sigh internally. So much for keeping things quiet. On the other hand, perhaps they¡¯re used to knowing what each other is capable of, working together to defend and improve the village. And as long as it doesn¡¯t come to a fight between us, then them knowing what River¡¯s abilities are isn¡¯t a problem. I suddenly realise that I¡¯m assuming that River¡­Runs-with-the-river will be on my side. With that fear settling in my stomach like a lead ball, I listen to her speak. ¡°I sense that one ability is linked to fire and¡­potions? And the other ability is linked to absorbing and using poisons.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± I say, forcing myself to smile despite the fear inside. ¡°One is called ¡®Fire Herbalism¡¯, and the other ¡®Poison-Claw¡¯. So it seems like your feelings are pretty on the mark.¡± Runs-with-the-river hums. ¡°I wonder if¨C¡± But I will never know what exactly she was wondering as that¡¯s the moment when the other village Pathwalkers accompanied by seven Warriors arrive on the scene. Obviously pre-warned by the messenger, the group look unsurprised to see the third Pathwalker standing next to their herbalist and weaver. I take a couple of steps back from the small group ¨C I¡¯m not asking to go in right now, after all. ¡°So it is true,¡± the one apparently called Wind-whisperer says with clear surprise. ¡°The traitor has Evolved.¡± ¡°I am no traitor to the village,¡± declares Runs-with-the-river firmly. Apparently Evolving has made her feel more able to speak to them as an equal. Or maybe it¡¯s more than that. ¡°At least no more than the rest of you are for what you allowed to happen, and what you would have allowed to happen if I hadn¡¯t stopped it.¡± ¡°You speak with authority which you have not yet earned, Unranked,¡± hisses the other antagonistic Pathwalker ¨C if I remember correctly, that was Wood-shaper. The third ¨C Grower, or something ¨C seems to be the silent of the group and instead of participating seems to prefer to observe. ¡°And that¡¯s only if we allow you to join our group at all after all you have done,¡± adds Wind-whisperer spitefully. ¡°You mean bargaining with the one who has eliminated the threat of the Forest of Death? Or defeating the one who would have killed you all one by one for her own power?¡± Runs-with-the-river asks, refusing to back down. It¡¯s¡­quite a change. Is this due to her Evolution, or time to think, or something else? ¡°I mean that I see no reason why you, who are directly responsible for the deaths of not one but two of our sisters, should be allowed into our Honoured group. I call for banishment!¡± Wind-whisperer clicks angrily. ¡°Who is with me?¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty: Your Kin, But Not Yet Our Friends There¡¯s silence. I almost hear a cricket chirping in the stillness. Clearly, it¡¯s not the reaction that the angry Pathwalker was going for. Even her staunch ally doesn''t immediately agree with her, something that Wind-whisperer takes exception to. ¡°Wood-shaper, shame on you! Did we not discuss just last night how even banishment was too good for the one who murdered our shaman?¡± she demands. The samuran in question looks away from her and shuffles her feet slightly. ¡°That was before she Evolved,¡± she says finally. ¡°It changes nothing!¡± insists Wind-whisperer. ¡°It changes everything,¡± refutes Grower, the quiet Pathwalker evidently deciding to step in there. I see her exchange a look with the herbalist and then focus on Wind-whisperer. ¡°Sister, I understand your anger. I feel it too. Mover was a dear sister who didn¡¯t deserve to be killed in the middle of the village during the night. Shaman has been a guiding presence for our village for as long as most of us can remember.¡± I note how she doesn¡¯t say that the shaman was ¡®dear¡¯ in any sort of way. ¡°However, put your anger aside and consider the situation.¡± ¡°What situation?¡± Wind-whisperer demands waspishly, obviously feeling defensive with all of her sisters apparently set against her. At least, that¡¯s what her mulish body language seems to indicate she¡¯s thinking. ¡°We need hatchlings,¡± the herbalist says bluntly, stepping forwards to face off with Wind-whisperer. Only the single guard remaining on the gate stands between them, and he quickly backpedals, clearly not wanting to get between two potentially angry Pathwalkers. ¡°Thanks to recent events, we have none. That means no new Warriors or Pathwalkers from this year¡¯s generation. We need them due to recent losses, and not only those caused by Runs-with-the-river. To make matters worse, we have two fewer Pathwalkers; that means at least twenty fewer eggs for next year. More, probably, since Shaman was always one of our most fertile.¡± I look around to see that everyone is fully focussed on the herbalist, and that all but the Wind-whisperer look solemn enough to be convinced of her argument. ¡°If we banish Runs-with-the-river then we are left with only five of us,¡± the herbalist continues. ¡°That means around forty hatchlings when the warmth returns, if we are lucky and don¡¯t lose any to the cold. It is not enough!¡± ¡°And whose fault is that?¡± demands Wind-whisperer again angrily. ¡°Should we reward her by letting her join our ranks when she has caused the problem?¡± The herbalist steps forward once more so she¡¯s practically jaw to jaw with the other Pathwalker. ¡°We should put the needs of the village ahead of our desire for revenge,¡± she says, her tone like steel. Though she¡¯s no larger than Wind-whisperer, in that moment she seems to tower over her sister. ¡°If Shaman had done that in the first place, we would have been saved from all of this.¡± My eyebrows go up in surprise. Is she referring to Shaman targeting Lathani in the first place? I wonder. If so, then she¡¯s clearly been doing more contemplation than I¡¯d thought. There¡¯s a long moment of silence, then Wind-whisperer backs down. ¡°We should have a vote,¡± she says grumpily, taking a step backwards and turning her head slightly to one side. ¡°All to deny Runs-with-the-river a seat around the carcass for the discussion today?¡± Obviously, Wind-whisperer raises her tail, indicating that she supports her own proposal. After a moment, so does Wood-shaper. ¡°I don¡¯t support the banishment of Runs-with-the-river,¡± she explains defensively. ¡°But I don¡¯t agree that she¡¯s yet earned the right to sit with us over a discussion of such magnitude.¡± After a long moment, it becomes clear that none of the other Pathwalkers wish to vote in favour of Wind-whisperer¡¯s proposal. ¡°Then it¡¯s clear,¡± announces Grower neutrally. ¡°Two for the motion, three against. Newly-Evolved Runs-with-the-river is to be allowed a seat around the carcass for the most urgent discussions. Confirmation of her status is to happen as soon as possible afterwards, allowing her to be fully accepted.¡± ¡°Well, I count two for and one against,¡± Wind-whisper argues, apparently not willing to let it go even now. However, even Wood-shaper eyes her like she thinks the other Pathwalker has gone a little mad. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± snaps the herbalist, her hands twitching like she¡¯d like to wring her sister¡¯s neck. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You¡¯ve spent all night with the traitor and her ¡®master¡¯; your opinion cannot be trusted. Nor can Weaver¡¯s since she has such odd lines of connection with the traitor and the traitor¡¯s master,¡± the Pathwalker accuses wildly. This time, the silence that results from her assertions is even more tense than before. ¡°Wind-whisperer, consider what you¡¯re doing,¡± Grower says, her voice that of reason. ¡°You¡¯re accusing two members in good standing of being incapable of making a decision. You do not have the authority to do that. More, you do not have the rank. I know that Shaman favoured you and that you were often trusted with missions of importance for her, but do not forget that Herbalist beat you in the last ranking fight.¡± She looks around at the guard still standing in the gateway to the village. ¡°Runs-outside, let the three Pathwalkers in. No one else.¡± ¡°Yes, Honoured Grower,¡± the Warrior says respectfully. He doesn¡¯t actually need to do anything ¨C it¡¯s more ceremonial than practical since the way is open already. However, he doesn¡¯t move to interfere as the herbalist, Joy, and Runs-with-the-river step forward to make their way through into the village. Then, with nerves playing across his spikes, he moves to stand in our way, in case we decide to try to follow the three of them in. Tension fills the air for a long moment as he and the other Warriors behind him eye us. ¡°We will wait here,¡± I tell the guard, though my eyes are on Shrieks-loudly, the real boss here. After another dragging silence, the largest samuran moves his tail gently to the left and then the right, a non-verbal indication of acceptance, though without any conceding of authority. It¡¯s something that I never saw River do with me, but only with other samurans. There are a number of subtleties like that which I will have to learn if I am to communicate well with the villagers. Shrieks-loudly leaves, following the retreating Pathwalkers, three other Warriors going with him. The other four who had come with him remain, moving to stand near the original guard. One, the guard who had gone to fetch the other Evolved in the first place takes up his previous position. The others arrange themselves behind them. Silence ensues. I look around at everyone and then at the retreating Pathwalkers. I itch at the idea of leaving Joy and Runs-with-the-river unguarded in the middle of a camp which right now feels like it¡¯s full of enemies, especially with how Wind-whisperer was behaving there. Yet I¡¯m definitely not going to be allowed to go in there and, though I could probably ask Sirocco to keep an eye on things, she wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene if something went wrong. Instead, an idea comes to mind, something that I accidentally did a long while ago and have wanted to try doing again. I meant to attempt it at a time when I had the Bound in question right in front of me, but since I haven¡¯t got around to it, needs must. However, given the situation, I¡¯m not keen on making myself so vulnerable in front of the samurans. At least, not without having someone to defend me. Looking thoughtfully around my group, a plan slowly forms itself in my mind. I walk over to the komodo dragon-like lizard who is my newest Bound. If we don¡¯t include Aingeal, anyway ¨C I¡¯m still not sure whether we should consider the fire elemental as the same as my other Bound. On my way there, I summon Bastet, Lee, and Catch over. ¡°Komodo,¡± I say to the kalestan, ¡°I¡¯d like to ride on your back for a bit. I¡¯m going to be testing something out, and I¡¯m likely to be unresponsive while doing so. You¡¯ll be in charge of keeping me out of danger if something happens. Are you willing to do so?¡± The interactions I¡¯ve had with the kalestan have proven that he¡¯s reasonably smart, but rather quiet. He hasn¡¯t yet shown the ability to focus his thoughts sufficiently to ¡®speak¡¯, despite being Evolved, but as far as I can tell, he understands everything I say to him. This moment doesn¡¯t seem to be an exception and he sends me a sense of unconcerned agreement, pressing himself slightly against my leg, those venomous jaws uncomfortably close if I hadn¡¯t been confident that the Bond keeps him from using them on me. That¡¯s one of the reasons why I decided on him being my ¡®mount¡¯ in the absence of Hades: although he¡¯s not the fastest, he can be quite quick, and he¡¯s both safe for me and dangerous for my enemies. ¡°Lee, you¡¯re in charge of keeping the rest of the samurans in line, even if we¡¯re attacked by your kin. Bastet, you¡¯re in charge of the rest of the Bound. Catch, I want you next to me, helping Komodo keep me safe if it comes down to a fight or fighting retreat. Any questions?¡± All of those I¡¯m putting in charge are Bound by either Dominate or Companion Bond, meaning that I can trust they will follow my instructions. What are you doing? Lee asks, my other Bound emanating curiosity. Bastet has a sense of knowing about her too ¨C I think she either knows what I¡¯m planning or has a good idea. ¡°I¡¯m hoping to get a closer view of that meeting than we can currently have,¡± I tell him simply. He¡¯s not satisfied, I sense, but he doesn¡¯t ask any more questions, perhaps realising that I¡¯m not going to clarify further. The next couple of minutes involve Lee and Catch helping to bind me onto Komodo¡¯s back while Bastet gathers the rest of my Bound and arranges them in a more defensive position. The samurans are on one side, everyone else on the other. About to slip into Heavy Meditation, I am interrupted by Murmur coming over. Honoured Pathwalker, before you become insensate, may I ask that you give us a few of the carcasses you have stored away? ¡°Sure,¡± I say, pulling some more out, noting that we¡¯ll need to go hunting soon. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± The samuran hesitates then eyes me cautiously. It is not for me. It is for my kin, he answers, indicating the samurans standing at the gates. I pause at that, looking between the Warrior standing before me, and the Warriors blocking the path between us. Maybe it¡¯s not such a bad idea, actually. Maybe if we can work on the Warriors while Joy is working on the Pathwalkers, we¡¯ll be able to reach an agreement earlier than just relying on Joy alone. ¡°Alright, take them with my blessing,¡± I tell him. ¡°Just be careful. Right now, they might still be your kin, but they¡¯re not yet our friends.¡± Murmur tilts his chin up slowly to acknowledge my words. Then, as he grabs several carcasses at once, I close my eyes and drop into Heavy Meditation. It takes me several false starts. Thanks to my experience with Fenrir, I¡¯m able to find and reach Joy¡¯s mind easily enough, but trying to see out of her eyes and hear out her ears is oddly harder to achieve. Still, eventually I manage. Hopefully I haven¡¯t distracted Joy enough that the Pathwalkers around her have noticed that something¡¯s going on. From the intense discussion ¨C argument really ¨C going on between, surprise surprise, Wind-whisperer and Runs-with-the-river, I have a feeling that it¡¯s unlikely anyone would have noticed anything untoward. I¡¯m not in control of Joy¡¯s mouth, merely riding along as an observer, and I settle in to watch with interest. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-One: It Is Decided Joy has great affection for her sisters. They¡¯ve been working together for many cycles and know each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses with spear-point accuracy. Their sisterhood is closer than hatchlings of the same brood ¨C though that¡¯s saying little since the nature of the forest puts hatchlings in direct competition over resources. It¡¯s stronger even than the brotherhood of the Warriors since there tend to be far more of them for every Pathwalker who Evolves. Joy sends an irritated thought towards the departed Shaman whose decisions have so reduced the numbers of Warriors that there are barely even two of them for every Pathwalker, let alone the usual five or six depending on the year. Nevertheless, at this moment, she finds herself wishing that certain members would go feed themselves to a marluck and save her the trouble. ¡°For the last time, Wind-whisperer,¡± she hisses with her claws curled inwards so they won¡¯t accidentally rip her sister¡¯s throat out, ¡°we voted to allow Runs-with-the-river into this discussion. If you don¡¯t shut up about how she shouldn¡¯t be here, I¡¯ll make you shut up by binding your jaws closed!¡± ¡°Weaver, don¡¯t threaten our sister,¡± Herbalist says wearily. ¡°And Wind-whisperer, shut up. Your concerns have been recognised and dismissed. Let us actually discuss the hunt at hand rather than the one long over.¡± As the second-strongest in their most recent ranking matches, she is automatically allowed the authority of being the strongest ¨C until proven otherwise in a ranking fight. Which, presuming their sisterhood makes the right decision, should be before the next Egg-rise. Joy herself is increasingly convinced that there is nothing to gain from resisting the one who holds her Bond and everything to gain from accepting him. It is rather unusual, accepting a non-villager as overall leader, but if he is strong enough, then Joy doesn¡¯t have any issues in dispensing with tradition. The strongest creatures survive ¨C if he can make their village stronger, they stand a better chance of surviving. ¡°The question we must discuss is what role, if any, to let this prey beast take in our village,¡± states Grower neutrally. ¡°A prey beast, taking a role in our village,¡± scoffed Wood-shaper. ¡°Are you listening to yourself, Grower?¡± ¡°He is no prey beast,¡± Runs-with-the-river interjects heatedly. ¡°If anything, he makes us into prey beasts.¡± Wind-whisperer looks as if she¡¯s about to interject, probably to protest Runs-with-the-river¡¯s right to speak ¨C again ¨C but the stern looks that Herbalist, Joy, and Grower all pin her with suffice to make her subside without doing more than grunting in disapproval. ¡°Of course you would say that,¡± scathes Wood-shaper. ¡°You are his captured beast, are you not?¡± ¡°Not,¡± answers Runs-with-the-river gaping her jaws open in a threat. ¡°At this moment, there is no Bond between us, no lines of obligation or debt. He is not currently my master.¡± This is news to everyone except Joy ¨C she had felt the absence of River in their network of Bonds. Quietly observing the body language of both Markus and her newly-freed kin revealed that it was a mutually consensual break, if not pleasant for either of them. Joy was surprised that Runs-with-the-river took it as well as he did ¨C losing the Bond and position of assistant put him in a very vulnerable position. Not only would he not have been able to continue in Markus¡¯ group without a Bond ¨C that had been made clear enough with what she had heard about the affair with the Great Predator¡¯s cub ¨C but he would not have been welcome back in the village either. Not after his previous actions against the village combined with his attack on Shaman. Justified as it might have been, and Joy had been completely behind him on that matter, the effect was that he robbed the village of its leader when he was only an Unevolved. Then he had Evolved and become a Pathwalker and everything had changed. Options had blossomed for her, even if Wind-whisperer had done her best to close them down again. Perhaps that was why River had looked so unconcerned about being Bond-less ¨C he had known that his Evolution was coming. Though, if he¡¯d become a Warrior, he wouldn¡¯t have had nearly the amount of leverage she now had as a Pathwalker. ¡°Is this true?¡± Grower asks. It takes Joy a moment to realise that the question is directed at her. ¡°It is,¡± she confirms, realising that the other Pathwalkers wish her to respond to Runs-with-the-river¡¯s comment. ¡°Even your master didn¡¯t want you,¡± snaps Wind-whisperer meanly at the newest of their members. Runs-with-the-river snaps wordlessly back at the other Pathwalker, her spikes rippling with irritation and anger. Still, Joy doesn¡¯t think she¡¯s seeing things when she spots a hint of uncertainty there too. ¡°Wind-whisperer, enough,¡± Grower says. She¡¯s the most even-natured of our group, and has said more so far this discussion than in the last two added together. ¡°Your commentary is less than useful. We have a decision to make; let us actually make it.¡± Wind-whisperer seems slightly taken-aback by their sister¡¯s uncharacteristic admonition. Joy can only hope that she takes it more to heart than all the others she¡¯s received so far. ¡°How we¡¯re supposed to make a decision around a carcass when we don¡¯t even have a carcass, I don¡¯t know.¡± The grumble from Wood-shaper breaks the tension in the moment and directs the attention her way. ¡°We¡¯ve been almost cut off from the forest for three days now,¡± Herbalist says irritably. ¡°Where exactly do you expect us to summon a carcass from?¡± Joy finds herself thinking about Markus doing exactly that ¨C pulling massive amounts of meat from nowhere. It didn¡¯t always taste great, but it filled the belly and gave their limbs energy to move which was the key objective of eating. As if her thoughts were some sort of summoning, she abruptly feels a stirring¡­somewhere. Hello? Joy hears spoken, yet she doesn''t hear it with her ears. She doesn¡¯t even hear it in the same way she normally hears Markus¡¯ messages. This feels¡­closer. Like she has something in her own mind which is speaking to her. It¡¯s more than a little uncomfortable, if only because she¡¯d had absolutely no warning. Yes? Joy thinks back cautiously. OK, so it¡¯s partially working, Markus¡¯ voice ¨C for who else could it be ¨C says with a hint of blue relief to it. But I can¡¯t see through your eyes or hear through your ears right now. That¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to do? she sends back, slightly intrigued by the thought even if it is her eyes and ears in question. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It worked once before. Hang on, let me try something¡­. There¡¯s an odd sort of¡­rummaging in her mind. It¡¯s like she¡¯s a hatchling looking for worms in a leaf pile again, except she is the leaf pile. And then something clicks into place. Suddenly, she has the sense of another presence sitting at the forefront of her mind, seeing through her eyes, hearing through her ears, feeling through her claws. If she¡¯d felt even the slightest loss of control, she might have panicked. As it is, she senses that she is still completely in control ¨C to test it, she turns her head from one side to the other, looking at her sisters who are still squabbling pointlessly. Is it always like this? Markus asks her, a hint of green bemusement in his eerie mental voice. It¡¯s not usually so bad, she answers, though there¡¯s almost always some in-fighting. Except directly after a ranking fight, she adds, recalling how, with the feasting order so clearly established, the discussions directly after tended to be quick and subdued affairs. That¡¯s probably why this one is so bad, she realises. With the loss of both Mover and Shaman since their last ranking fight, and the addition of Runs-with-the-river, everyone is feeling uncertain about her place in the hierarchy. ¡°Well, until we¡¯ve sorted out this decision we can¡¯t send any villagers out into the forest for fear that they might be picked off by this¡­him,¡± Herbalist cuts into the growing argument. ¡°So, let us make the decision which we came here to make. How should we respond to his demand for our capitulation?¡± ¡°Send our Warriors to kill him,¡± answers Wind-whisperer promptly and more than a little predictably. The huffing grunts which emerge from Joy, Herbalist, and Grower all show the lack of patience the three of them have for her stupidity. ¡°And have them consumed by the life-devourer that he controls? Great idea,¡± Herbalist replies, her spikes showing her insincerity. ¡°I have seen only a portion of his strength, and it warns me not to test him too blatantly.¡± ¡°I concur,¡± Joy says, very much aware of the presence still in her mind. Wary of revealing more information than he wishes her to release, she speaks only in huts rather than individuals. ¡°You have seen only the mushroom head, not the network of roots below the ground. With his abilities, I am confident that he could carry out his threats of destroying our village.¡± She hesitates, the weight of Markus¡¯ presence in her eyes and ears heavy. ¡°Moreover, I think that he has much to offer our village. Just look at how quickly Runs-with-the-river has Evolved ¨C she is so young and yet she is already a Pathwalker.¡± ¡°A coincidence,¡± scoffs Wood-shaper. ¡°I agree with Weaver,¡± sighs Herbalist. ¡°I spoke much with this would-be warlord and observed how he acted. I am uncertain, but I think that he quite possibly could do our village good. At least, he can hardly do worse than our Shaman¡¯s most recent actions.¡± That silences even the two most verbal opponents. Grower looks at Joy and Herbalist with calculation, then turns to Runs-with-the-river. ¡°You are¡­three Great Egg cycles old, are you not?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she confirms. ¡°How much of your progression to Evolution would you say is as a direct result of your former master¡¯s different approach?¡± ¡°A large portion of it,¡± the newest Pathwalker answers immediately. ¡°Master¡­my previous master gave me access to powerful carcasses to consume, Cores to absorb, and encouraged me to go hunting frequently. My Bond-sister gave me advice about how to correctly balance the different Energies and how to succeed in and direct the Evolution itself. I fully believe that my previous master¡¯s approach to making resources freely available and encouraging cooperation rather than competition is directly responsible for my success.¡± Even Wind-whisperer and Wood-shaper don''t appear able to refute this in any way. The fact is that Runs-with-the-river has achieved Evolution at a very young age. It normally takes seven to ten full Great Egg cycles for a villager to accrue enough Energy to even attempt Evolution. More fail than succeed even then. Though there have been early Evolutions in the past, they have been far more the exception than the rule. For Runs-with-the-river to achieve an Evolution at three Great Egg cycles is more than an achievement ¨C it¡¯s almost unheard of. Joy recalls a time before she Evolved herself where one of her peers had had some sort of fortunate encounter, and had been brought to the point of Evolution at only five Great Cycles old, but he had failed. So this proves either that Runs-with-the-river is exceptional, or that River¡¯s master¡¯s methods are exceptional. The admission of either would work against what Wood-shaper and Wind-whisperer wish to argue. If Joy was asked, she would say that she thinks the answer is a little of one, a lot of the other. That Herbalist saw something in Runs-with-the-river enough to want him as her assistant and to be protective over him is undeniable. However, what Joy has seen of Markus¡¯ methods suggests that the village, and others of their kind, may have been perpetuating an inefficient method for generations. ¡°I will agree that, though I expected Runs-with-the-river to reach Evolution, and hoped that he could one day join our ranks as a Pathwalker, I wasn¡¯t expecting it to happen this quickly,¡± adds Herbalist, her opinion matching Joy¡¯s perfectly. Wood-shaper grunts wordlessly in disgust, but cannot apparently find anything to actually say. In contrast with her approach thus far, Wind-whisperer stays silent, her tail tip flicking, showing internal turmoil. ¡°Sisters, I have a suggestion,¡± Grower says, looking around from one to the other. She has definitely taken an unusually large part in this discussion and Joy finds herself reevaluating her a bit. The fact is, that with the sisterhood so divided, Grower has been the only vaguely neutral party in the group. ¡°Let us hear it,¡± sighs Wood-shaper. ¡°Our discussion is going round and round in circles, like we are hatchlings chasing each other¡¯s tails. The one to lead us can only be one of us, agreed?¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± they all say simultaneously, though different colours flashing through their spines indicate different degrees of agreement. ¡°We cannot agree on whether the one who leads the group in the forest is a prey beast, or should be accepted as one of us. Correct?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± agree Herbalist and Wood-shaper; the others remain silent. ¡°Then it is simple. Let us test both our newest sister and her previous master in the traditional post-Evolution ranking fight. We need to do one anyway, with Shaman gone. If this leader in the forest wins against all of us, then he has earned the right to be our leader. If he doesn¡¯t, then it is up to the new leader among us to be the deciding voice regarding what to do about him.¡± She pauses for a long moment, looking around at the reactions of the rest of the sisterhood. It¡¯s a mixture between anger ¨C Wind-whisperer ¨C and intrigue ¨C Herbalist and Wood-shaper. Runs-with-the-river is unreadable. ¡°Let¡¯s vote,¡± Grower suggests. ¡°All in favour?¡± Is this what you want? Joy asks tentatively, hoping that the presence in her head will hear her. For a few long moments, during which Herbalist is the only one to raise her claws, there is silence. Sure, why not? Markus responds finally. Joy lets out a breath she hadn¡¯t realised she was holding. If he had said ¡®no¡¯, she would vote according to his wishes, but she honestly thinks that this is an ingenious solution that Grower has proposed. She raises her claws. As if waiting for her signal, Runs-with-the-river raises her claws a moment after. There¡¯s a long moment of silence. With four having voted for the proposal, it will go ahead for certain, but it would be better if they could get a unanimous vote for something as potentially momentous as this. The silence drags. ¡°Wood-shaper, Wind-whisperer. Do you agree or not?¡± Grower asks eventually. Wood-shaper sends an uncertain glance at the Pathwalker to her side. ¡°It is unprecedented,¡± she says finally, looking back at Grower. ¡°We have never offered anyone outside our kind the opportunity to rule one of our villages. Even if I doubt that he will defeat all of us¡­still, it seems like more of a risk than we should take.¡± ¡°If he wins against all of us, has he not proven that he is strong enough to lead us?¡± asks Herbalist, remarkably gently for her ¨C her approach tends to be far more brusque. ¡°And no, we have never offered this opportunity to one not of our kind, but this situation has never come up before. We have never had one of another kind wanting to rule us. Either they fear us or they wish to destroy us. Never to work with us as this new being seems to wish to.¡± Wood-shaper wavers, then finally raises hesitant claws. ¡°If he¡¯s strong enough¡­¡± she says quietly to Wind-whisperer. The final hold-out clicks her teeth together in a wordless gesture of irritation. The silence drags for a moment more. Then, finally, with an irritated flick of her tail, Wind-whisperer raises her claws. ¡°Fine. But I will not hold back as we usually do. If I can kill him, I will.¡± And with that, it is decided. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Two: I Am Not Unreasonable By the time the Pathwalkers come to join the Warriors, I¡¯m standing near the gates with the rest of my Bound arrayed around me. Bastet and Catch are on one side, Lee and the three Warriors on my other. The rest of the samurans are behind me, mixed with my non-samuran Bound. I¡¯d withdrawn from Joy¡¯s senses when the discussion devolved into more mundane matters and sniping. I asked her to let me know if they started discussing anything interesting. She didn¡¯t, and the Pathwalkers are here now. I¡¯ve been trying to use my time wisely, both in devising a strategy and gathering information to help with it. I¡¯m a bit nervous, I have to admit. The thing is that, even with their numbers reduced, it¡¯s going to be a lot of fighting. Even if four of the village¡¯s Warriors and one of their Pathwalkers are already Bound to me, that still leaves nine Warriors and four, now five Pathwalkers. It means that I won¡¯t be able to use Dominate to win my battles for me: I struggled to use it five times in succession when dealing with the hunting party. Even if I¡¯ve increased my Willpower since then, there¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll be able to do thirteen Battle of Wills in quick succession ¨C since I definitely won¡¯t be using it against Runs-with-the-river. All that means I¡¯m going to need to find other ways of defeating beings who have been fighting for their lives a lot longer than I have. Fortunately, I do have a good few advantages and I¡¯m going to have to use all of them to pull this one off. Information is one of those advantages. Though I don¡¯t want to risk tipping any of my targets off, my more discreet Inspect has been feeding me information about all of the Warriors currently arrayed before me, which is almost all of them. The information it gives me is not as good as if I¡¯d been able to use the more blatant one, but it is a whole lot better than nothing. Knowing health points is only vaguely useful since I¡¯m not intending on killing them, but since health points tend to go along with toughness, they do give me a good clue as to how hard it will be to take the samurans down. Being Warriors, their mana points are uniformly low, so their special attacks must feed off something else or be very limited. As for special abilities, I notice a small range. Most of them enhance the body ¨C its speed, its strength, its dexterity. Another few enhance the Warrior¡¯s use of their chosen weapon ¨C increasing aspects of it in similar ways to the body enhancements. Then there is one with something similar to Fade, who I¡¯ll have to keep my eyes on at all times. As the Pathwalkers walk towards me, I take the chance to use my discreet Inspect on them too. The results are much as I expect ¨C high mana, though Runs-with-the-river seems to outstrip all of them ¨C and low health. As for their actual abilities, they reflect the Pathwalker¡¯s names well enough that there are no real surprises. Grower is the only one other than the herbalist with two abilities: one seeming to be geared to growing things, the other more linked to fertility, from what I can tell. Not likely to cause me issues in combat, I would guess. It seems that I¡¯m not the only one to feel nervous about the coming trials: I notice a hint of hesitation in Wood-shaper¡¯s bearing as she walks with her sisters towards us. The Pathwalkers exchange some quiet clicks and grunts with the Warriors, presumably informing them about what¡¯s about to happen ¨C I don¡¯t even try to listen in. Then, Grower steps forward a few steps, Wind-whisperer at her side as if she cannot bear to let the other Pathwalker take the lead in this moment. From what I saw of the meeting, that is most likely to be the explanation, anyway. ¡°We have made a decision,¡± Grower announces neutrally. Wind-whisperer eyes me in unconcealed disdain and anger. I remember what she said in the meeting ¨C she intends to try killing me. I mark her down as one that I will definitely attempt to use Dominate on if I get the chance. I¡¯d rather not kill her since her ability is useful, but she¡¯s clearly an enemy I don¡¯t want to be working behind my back. Not even for the few days it will take me to enter into a Battle of Wills with all of the leadership. ¡°You will have a chance to prove your strength,¡± the more neutral Pathwalker continues. ¡°These are exceptional circumstances and so we will offer an exceptional solution. You will be allowed to join a ranking fight as one of us. Win, and we shall obey you as we would any of our own leaders. Lose, and your fate shall be in the claws of whoever wins.¡± ¡°Or you¡¯ll be dead,¡± adds Wind-whisperer spitefully. ¡°And all of this shall be solved very neatly.¡± Grower shoots a quelling look at her sister but the other doesn¡¯t look away from me, her jaws gaping open slightly to reveal her teeth. ¡°Do you accept the challenge?¡± Grower asks me bluntly. ¡°I do,¡± I say immediately ¨C I¡¯ve had enough time already to second-guess myself. Ultimately, this is the best way to achieve my ends ¨C if I¡¯m up to it. ¡°Then you may enter; your beasts may not.¡± ¡°And us, Honoured Pathwalker?¡± Lee rumbles from next to me. Grower looks over at him, considering. For the first time, she looks slightly uncertain. ¡°Do you intend on taking part in the ranking challenge?¡± she asks him. Wind-whisperer hisses. ¡°They are corrupted, stolen. They are no longer part of the village.¡± ¡°We already covered that, Wind-whisperer, when discussing whether to give Weaver a seat around the carcass,¡± the herbalist tells her with irritation, stepping forwards to join the rest. Wood-Shaper and Joy, not wanting to be left behind, join their sisters. Belatedly, so does Runs-with-the-river, though I notice a gap between her and the others ¨C clearly she still hasn¡¯t been fully accepted by the group. Then again, that¡¯s the other reason for this ranking fight, isn¡¯t it? ¡°They have committed no crime against the village; as long as they pose no threat to it, they should still be considered as members of it,¡± Grubs-in-the-dirt continues. She eyes Lee and the rest of my Warriors carefully. ¡°Can you fight against the¡­him?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Lee, in turn, eyes me and stays silent until I give him a short nod, sending agreement for him to speak down the Bond. ¡°We can fight the one who holds our Bond, as long as he agrees to it,¡± Lee tells his kin matter-of-factly. ¡°However, I, for one, would not choose to.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± asks Wood-shaper, seeming confused. ¡°It seems rather pointless when the fight only goes on as long as my Binder wishes it to,¡± remarks Lee, slightly ruefully. ¡°What does it prove about strength when one party can stop the fight at any time with a single word?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± admits Grower. ¡°But we would still like to prove ourselves against our kin and perhaps earn a new place in the ranking,¡± Lee continues. The Pathwalkers exchange glances and then clicks and grunts ring out, almost too quiet for me to decipher them. From what I can hear, they¡¯re having a quiet argument about what to do. ¡°It¡¯s decided,¡± says the herbalist eventually. ¡°You are still considered as members in good standing of our village. You have the right to take part in the ranking challenge, just as you have the right to choose to submit to an opponent without fighting. You may enter, but the rest must stay here.¡± She seems to think that that is the end of it all and starts turning away, but I step forward, my hand held up before me to stop her. She tenses and abruptly turns back to face me, perhaps concerned that I¡¯m about to attack her. We pause, both unmoving. ¡°I wish to bring some of my Bound with me to help in the fights.¡± Several scornful grunts ring out from both Pathwalkers and Warriors ¨C predictably, Wind-whisperer is one of them, and indeed expresses her disdain verbally. ¡°You cannot fight your own battles and yet you wish to rule us?¡± ¡°Would you have forbidden the shaman from using her invisible spirits?¡± I ask coolly. ¡°Did you ridicule her for being unable to fight her own battles?¡± ¡°That was different!¡± exclaims Wind-whisperer. ¡°That was one of the key parts of her Evolution-given abilities ¨C controlling spirits. Denying her the use would have been like requiring Weaver not to weave.¡± ¡°Precisely,¡± I say with a thin smile that they probably don¡¯t understand. ¡°While I am capable of controlling fire and a number of other abilities, I have learned to do those. The ability to Bind and control beasts is as intrinsic to me as controlling wind is for you. If I am not allowed to bring any of my Bound with me into the fight, then should I expect you not to use the wind against me? Should we instead fight only with claws and teeth?¡± Not that I have claws, exactly, but better to use language they¡¯re used to. ¡°But if you bring all of your beasts with you, what chance do the rest of us stand?¡± demands Wood-shaper. I let the silence drag a little just to let that sink in. ¡°I am not unreasonable,¡± I say after a few moments. ¡°I recognise your need to test my strength ¨C my individual strength as well as what I can bring to bear as a Tamer. I will bring only two of my Bound with me.¡± ¡°One,¡± argues Grower swiftly. ¡°Two,¡± I say firmly. ¡°But I will only have one fighting with me at any one time.¡± The Pathwalker considers this, then looks around at her sisters. Finally, she looks at the leader of the Warriors. When he, too, agrees to the suggestion, she turns to me. ¡°Fine. You may bring two of your beasts with you, as long as only one is fighting with you during a battle ¨C and you must choose which one before beginning the fight.¡± Good enough. The first choice is obvious. ¡°Bastet,¡± I say, no more needed to be expressed between us. The second¡­. I would have chosen River if he had still been with me. Without him¡­. Komodo would be a good choice ¨C he¡¯s a powerful tier two with impressive venom. The problem with him is that we haven¡¯t fought together much and lack of teamwork could be our downfall. Fenrir is also a possible choice: he¡¯s practically a moving tank, though far more agile than one. Plus, he¡¯s got the ability to destroy a target¡¯s own agility, either by biting and holding on or by crushing bones. The problem is that his size won¡¯t do much good against the strong Warriors, and his lack of speed will be his disadvantage against the quick ones. I don¡¯t know how he would stand up against the Pathwalkers. Lathani is almost as powerful as Bastet is physically, though she doesn¡¯t have the magical bits ¨C apart from an odd kind of stealth which doesn¡¯t show up as an actual special ability on her status sheet. I¡¯d be more concerned about her hot-headedness, though. It¡¯s improved, for sure, but I just don¡¯t know if she would be able to control herself in fights with those who have hurt her so badly. I wouldn¡¯t blame her for losing her cool, but I wouldn¡¯t want it to be what lost me the match either. It¡¯s probably better not to bring her. Running through the list of my Bound currently with me, I find lots of possibilities, but none who are perfect. Then someone I wasn¡¯t considering turns to me. Would you let me fight with you? asks Catch politely and slightly anxiously. I eye him. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have peace with your kin rather than fight them?¡± You have done so much for me, Honoured Markus. Please let me show my devotion to you by helping you conquer the village I once called my own? I hesitate, looking at him. He¡¯s Unevolved, meaning that he will be at a disadvantage when it comes to speed and strength. He also doesn¡¯t have the health pool of Fenrir or the lizog¡¯s defensive capacity. However, he does know samurans. He knows how Warriors fight better than any of my other non-samuran Bound. He¡¯s crafty and adaptable ¨C the fact that he¡¯s survived so long with such a defect to his eyes is proof of that. And he has that stealth ability which might help me pull out a victory against a difficult opponent. Plus, it will be a good demonstration of my point that the Unevolved are not worthless. ¡°Alright. Catches-leaves will be my second Bound.¡± That sets off a minor uproar and more debate about whether that is permissible or not. Finally, though, with Catch remaining steadfast about his decision, and me not moving an inch either, it is decided. I¡¯m tempted to make a snide comment about whether they¡¯re afraid of the little Unevolved, but decide that it would be undiplomatic. I enter the village with Catch and Bastet to my sides, mentally preparing myself for what may be the most gruelling sparring session of my life. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Three: What Are You? I dodge a blow from the cudgel of my opponent, back-pedalling swiftly. Bastet leaps in from the side, a feint which allows her to avoid the cudgel¡¯s backswing. Her distraction offers me an opportunity to stab at the samuran with my spear. The benefits from Spearmanship and Blunt Weaponry are coming in handy already ¨C the ability to spot vulnerable areas has me aiming for a spot in his shoulder joint; the increased effect of Strength and Dexterity has me succeed in both hitting close enough to deal some damage, and actually piercing the lizard-man¡¯s tough scales. He¡¯s light on his feet, and I don¡¯t manage to completely avoid his next blow. Glowing slightly red, the cudgel slams into my shoulder, though it¡¯s mostly deflected by the chitinous plates which cover it. I let out a grunt of pain. Fortunately, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s more than bruises. To an onlooker, the trade of blows would be fairly equal but I know better. I back off and let Bastet occupy the Warrior. He tries to attack her, but she¡¯s too agile for him to hit. I see the moment when he remembers that she¡¯s not the true target anyway, not that it does him much good: she¡¯s not going to let him get close to me now. While she works her magic, I work on my own. Focussing on the venom that was on the tip of my spear and is now in my opponent¡¯s body, I feed in magic to make it multiply. It¡¯s not easy at a distance ¨C when I fought the danaris I had to actually be in physical contact with it to succeed in this same tactic. Now is a different story, though. A combination of the lizard-man being an easier opponent than the danaris and the breakthrough in controlling magic from a distance during the burning of the forest of death means that I¡¯m able to do something which previously was impossible. The venom multiplies more and more. By standing still, I¡¯m able to keep my mind in Light Meditation. Actually, almost Medium Meditation ¨C it¡¯s on the cusp but not quite into the next level. In practice, it means I¡¯m almost regenerating as much mana as I¡¯m losing per second in my work with the venom. The samuran¡¯s Willpower would have once posed me a problem, but not now. He doesn¡¯t have the capacity to fight internally that the danaris had which might have offered him a way out from his otherwise inevitable defeat. His system is vulnerable to the venom now ravaging it, and even our onlookers should be able to tell that. The Warrior finds himself slowing, tiring, and gets desperate. His attacks start getting sloppy even as he engages his enhancing ability several times in quick succession. He¡¯s determined to get past Bastet before his stamina runs out completely. I wonder if he¡¯s recognised the venom yet. It¡¯s the same one we once used on lizogs, a component of the one used on Kalanthia. Bastet isn¡¯t willing to let him get close to me: she¡¯s been charged with my protection and she takes that very seriously. Her full focus is on dodging in a way which doesn¡¯t leave the lizardman any opening to get at me. My heart is in my mouth as I see those enhanced blows aimed at her, but she manages to dodge every single one, sometimes only by a whisker. Within a few more minutes, the lizard-man slumps down to the ground, unable to continue. I look up at the onlookers and raise an eyebrow. ¡°Winner: Markus,¡± Wood-shaper announces, a hint of begrudging respect in her voice. The herbalist hurries over to check the fallen samuran, Bastet letting her pass after I send her a quick thought. She looks up at me with a bit of an accusing look in her eyes. ¡°Hadaran venom?¡± she asks. ¡°Yes,¡± I respond, walking over. Hadaran is apparently what my Inspect calls what I had previously been naming ¡®black blobs¡¯. Before we came down into the valley, River¡¯s group took one down and brought it back. After how I¡¯d killed the danaris, he¡¯d wondered whether I might find the venom useful. After tests proved that I could use it as easily as any other venom generated by a living creature, I added it to my arsenal. While the venom originally taken from that mimic creature in the vine-strangler forest is powerful, it is rather fatal. The hadaran venom is excellent for incapacitating when I don¡¯t actually want to kill my opponent, or not immediately. ¡°I think I have an antidote in my hut,¡± I hear the herbalist muttering to herself as I get closer. ¡°No need,¡± I tell her, crouching down and laying my hand on the prone Warrior. Feeding magic into him, I pull all the venom to the surface of the skin then use my knife to make a small cut. The yellowish venom pours out of his body and I collect it in a container I pull from my Inventory ¨C waste not, want not, after all. With the venom gone, I work on the actual damage done from the fight. It takes a fair bit of effort since he¡¯s not Bound to me, but from the amazement with which my healing has been met from every samuran I¡¯ve used it on, I figure that it¡¯s worth doing. Besides, with his low Willpower in comparison to mine, it¡¯s not even as difficult as trying to heal Lathani had been when I tried to heal her spine. The damage from Bastet is mostly superficial ¨C she wasn¡¯t really trying to hurt him, just distract him. As for the venom, that affects the body in ways that I haven¡¯t yet been able to understand, so he¡¯ll have to recover on his own. Without the venom still in his system, that will happen quickly. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. In fact, it¡¯s quick enough that by the time I push myself to my feet, he is able to move slowly into a sitting position. He eyes me with more than a little awe in his eyes. ¡°Thank you for healing me,¡± he says, looking like he¡¯s about to say something more. Then his eyes dart to the herbalist and he shuts his mouth with a click. ¡°You are the victor,¡± he acknowledges, tilting his chin up. I nod and stick my hand out. ¡°Good fight,¡± I tell him. He eyes my hand then grasps it and lets me pull him to his feet. With another quick chin tilt, he moves off to join the rest of his brothers. I¡¯m left with the herbalist who eyes me a little strangely even as she paints the sigil on the back of my armour which shows that I was the victor of the fight. It joins the other two which are already there. ¡°Controller of the life-devourer, poisoner, healer, binder¡­.what are you?¡± she asks with an unreadable tone to her spikes when she¡¯s finished and has returned to face my front. ¡°Human,¡± I reply with an enigmatic smile. The herbalist just gives me a frustrated look. ¡°Fine, keep your secrets. Your next match will be shortly,¡± she snaps her teeth at me, then strides off to join those watching a fight where blood is already coating the ground. I take the opportunity to wander around too, watching those who will be my opponents soon. Four fights down; six, technically nine, to go. None of my opponents so far have been particularly difficult. I¡¯d suspect the Pathwalkers of strategic sacrifice to allow the stronger Warriors to gauge my fighting abilities, except that this is just the way they apparently do it: each Warrior challenges the one directly above them in the ranking, or is challenged by the one directly below them. Since I wasn¡¯t part of the ranking last time for obvious reasons, I have to work my way up from the bottom. That doesn¡¯t matter except for the sake of order, though: every Warrior fights every other one meaning that everyone has at least fifteen fights. They then work out the rankings by overall number of fights won. What happens if there¡¯s a tie for the top spot, I don¡¯t know. I suppose it¡¯s strategic that I have been put in the Warrior tournament at all. Technically, as a magic-user, I should be in the Pathwalker tournament, meaning that I would be sitting this one out, then only fighting the other Pathwalkers. Only the top Pathwalker fights the top Warrior at the very end; the loser fights the other opposite group, moving downwards until a rank is established. I¡¯m being disadvantaged by having to fight far more battles than anyone else has to. Still, I¡¯m not actually annoyed by it too much. I¡¯m going to have to Bind all of these beings anyway; if I¡¯ve already defeated them in a physical battle, I¡¯ll have a better chance of winning the soul battle too. With so many fights that need to occur, there are twelve fights happening at any one time, the Pathwalkers and higher ranking Warriors ¨C those who aren¡¯t fighting ¨C acting as referees. I just hope that Wind-whisperer doesn¡¯t monitor any of my fights since I doubt she¡¯ll be fair about it. The last two times have been Wood-shaper, with Grower watching my first fight. I suspect that Joy won¡¯t be allowed to referee my fights either, which is fair enough. The first fight didn¡¯t start too well ¨C I¡¯d forgotten to tell Aingeal what we were doing and it almost went and immolated my opponent. Since Bastet hadn¡¯t actually attacked in any sort of way, I was able to argue that Aingeal was my Bound in that situation. Still, it almost devolved into a proper fight since they were accusing me of having brought three of my Bound with me instead of the two we¡¯d agreed. The fact that the first fight was over in about five seconds because the other opponent was so seriously burned that he couldn¡¯t continue seemed to disturb them more than a bit too. After a fair bit of talking ¨C and probably because Wind-whisperer was occupied elsewhere at that time ¨C we managed to straighten it out. I apologised for unintentionally bringing an extra Bound with me ¨C which was true since I¡¯ve got so used to the little ball of fire bobbing over my shoulder that I didn¡¯t think to leave it behind. As it turned out, Aingeal refused to leave me at all, but it did agree to not intervene unless I was close to death, the argument a little complex since it was done purely through projected emotions. Since its existence seems tied to mine, I can understand that. The samurans had to accept the compromise since they didn¡¯t want Aingeal acting in the fights and I made it clear that the ball of fire wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere. My healing of the seriously burned samuran also helped to soothe their tempers a little. I was a little worried at the start of the second fight, but Aingeal stuck to the agreement and stayed bobbing serenely over my shoulder. After seeing that he wasn¡¯t about to get immolated, my second opponent took heart and actually attacked me properly. That fight didn¡¯t last very long either ¨C seeing how tentative about fire he was, I used a flash of flame in his face to distract him. That gave Bastet the opportunity to knock into him. With my spear causing him to trip, he quickly landed heavily on the floor. With that, my spearpoint to his throat, and Bastet snarling at him menacingly, the fight was clearly over. After that it was Iandee who immediately surrendered, giving both of us a little break until the next fight. In fact, only my fourth opponent has managed to activate any ability at all so far, and it didn¡¯t do him much good. A call comes out for me and I head towards my next fight. Spotting who it is, I decide to make a quick change in my line-up. Catch, you join me on this one. Bastet, just watch for now, please, but I may need to switch you out at a moment¡¯s notice. If you can keep a careful watch on where he is, that would be good too. With any luck that will be enough to nullify the ability of my next opponent. My two Bound rearrange themselves and Catch strides forwards with me. I pull a large shield made out of chitin out of my Inventory and hand it to him. He fixes it on his arm and readjusts his grip on his own cudgel. Made out of pale reinforced bone with a large flint head and flint studs set into it, bone grown around them to hold them in place, it¡¯s a far more intimidating sight than the one my previous opponent holds. I¡¯m already ready so we step into the ring that¡¯s been drawn on the ground. Forcing an opponent outside the ring actually isn¡¯t a win condition ¨C it¡¯s just supposed to demarcate where we¡¯re supposed to be fighting. There¡¯s nothing saying that we can¡¯t go outside the ring temporarily, which is one thing I¡¯m concerned about with this new samuran. After all, I know from personal experience just how annoying stealth can be. When paired with projectile weaponry, this fight has become one that I definitely need to take seriously. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Four: Don’t Take Too Long To Rest Facing each other tensely, we wait for the Pathwalker ¨C the herbalist this time ¨C to start it. With a loud click of her jaws, she does just that. Bracing ourselves for our opponent to immediately throw his daggers ¨C no doubt laced with some sort of poison, we keep our eyes fixed on him. If my own stealth Skills and that of Catch has taught me anything, it¡¯s that paying focussed attention to the target prevents them from working properly ¨C or at all, normally. Unfortunately, it seems that the Warrior knows it too, and has a trick up his sleeve. Or, rather, on his belt. Pulling a small canister from his belt, he flicks open the top and throws the contents our way. We dart to the side, splitting up to allow whatever it was to pass harmlessly in between us. The only problem is that it turns out it wasn¡¯t anything meant to attack us, not directly, anyway. Dust fills the air, then expands until it creates a dense fog which completely blocks sight. I¡¯m reminded of my soul-space except for the fact that this mist is tinted blue and makes me cough and my eyes water. Pulling out a shirt from my Inventory, I hurriedly tie it around my nose and mouth. While I do that, I keep moving ¨C we¡¯ve lost sight of the Warrior, so he¡¯s no doubt gone into stealth. My ears strain to hear the sound of claws on the ground; my stinging and watering eyes search for signs of air movement rippling the dust. If only I had control of wind¡­I could blast this whole thing away in a moment. Then two thoughts strike me simultaneously. Catch, get out of the fog, I tell my Bound quickly, still turning and stepping carefully to reduce the chances of being caught off guard. At the same time, I start cycling healing energy through me, working on my eyes in particular to stop them impeding my vision. A slight whistle in the air is my only warning before a dagger slams into me. Fortunately, with the slight warning, I was able to shift a little, enough that it stabs into my armour rather than my neck. The dagger is sharp, and even leaves a slight mark in the nere hide that makes up the body of my armour. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t penetrate. As I shift away, I reach down to grab the dagger, tucking it into my Inventory ¨C no point leaving weapons around for the Warrior to pick back up. Another whistle comes and I twist sideways, avoiding it. I¡¯m tempted to send fire back in the direction it came from, but I¡¯m hesitant to use it when surrounded by unknown alchemical reagents. Who knows what might happen? I¡¯m out, Catch tells me, just as another dagger flies at me from a different angle than the two previous. He¡¯s moving around. I keep twisting and turning, moving this way and that as unpredictably as I can to make myself a more difficult target. Use air-blade on the smoke. Try to make it as powerful as you can. I¡­I¡¯ve never tried that before, he tells me hesitantly even as I have to avoid another dagger. A second comes unexpectedly quickly on the heels of the first and I don¡¯t manage to avoid this one. It slices the meat of my bicep and I curse. You¡¯ve used air-blade before, I tell him, my teeth gritted against the fire I already feel emanating from the wound. It¡¯s poisoned ¨C that I know. But I can¡¯t have a conversation with Catch and dodge daggers and heal my wound. Just focus on putting as much mana into the blade as possible. I know you can do it. With that, I cut off the conversation and throw my magic at the wound in my bicep. My feet never stop moving, but my concentration is more on pushing the poison out of the wound than avoiding the daggers. I¡¯m tempted to just leave the poison within me, but with how quickly it¡¯s already spreading, I fear that that would be a potentially-fatal mistake. Two more slam into me, but neither actually cut me ¨C I manage to move well enough to have them strike the armour I¡¯m wearing instead of my flesh. I breathe a silent ¡®hah¡¯ as I manage to push the last of the poison out. It trickles down my skin, but is clear of my wound now. And then a gust of wind comes and the dust cloud blows away from me. It¡¯s not gone completely, but the area around me is almost fully clear. I¡¯m willing to risk fire now, and send a wave of it spreading out from me in all directions. The fire crackles as it hits the dust particles still hanging around. As it touches the greater body of dust, there¡¯s a sudden quiet ¡®whoomph¡¯ as the whole of it abruptly ignites. I stare at it, wide-eyed for a moment. It was only a quick ignition, and over within a second. Still, I¡¯m very glad I didn¡¯t try to use fire while standing in the middle of the cloud. A pained grunt brings my attention back to where it belongs ¨C in the fight. I suddenly realise that I know where the Warrior is. It¡¯s not that he¡¯s dropped stealth ¨C I can¡¯t actually see him. Instead, it¡¯s like the pulse of fire which went out from me briefly mapped the area and told me where the only living creature in its radius is standing. Or was, anyway ¨C I doubt he¡¯s still there. With Catch still clear, I pulse my fire again, and identify where the Warrior is. As soon as I know, I send an image through to Catch. The samuran took the opportunity of the dust cloud to drop into Stealth himself, and apparently using the air-blade hasn¡¯t broken it. Now, he starts sneaking up on the Warrior. I keep sending out pulses of fire, minimising the mana I put into it by reducing the actual damage it¡¯s doing. After all, I¡¯m the distraction and information gatherer right now. I also make sure that it¡¯s not harming Catch ¨C no friendly fire here if I can avoid it. In the meantime, I pretend that I don¡¯t know where the Warrior is, continuing my careful stepping and turning, my spear held at the ready. In reality, of course, I know exactly where he¡¯s prowling, and that helps me to be ready to avoid the daggers coming in my direction. It¡¯s a cat, cat, and mouse game, only the Warrior is confused about which one of us is the mouse. Apparently he either doesn¡¯t have more of that dust, doesn¡¯t feel the need to use it, or doesn¡¯t want to use it after seeing what my fire did to it. The battle ends with more of a whimper than a bang. I stop moving and look over to where I know that Catch has just put one of the Warrior¡¯s own daggers to his neck and the other to his side. He had placed his own shield and cudgel down surreptitiously and then grabbed two of the fallen daggers for his own use. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Our onlookers look a little confused for a moment until both of them flicker back into sight, cancelling their Stealth. The Warrior has his chin tilted upwards in their gesture of submission and his claws are empty. ¡°Victor: Markus,¡± the herbalist announces neutrally and then starts stepping towards us. The Warrior nods at me and then at Catch who has lowered the daggers. ¡°Good fight,¡± he said, his grunts surprisingly reverberant considering his lithe and relatively small form. He¡¯s still bigger than Catch, but not by much which did make Catch¡¯s tactics at the end easier. ¡°Thanks, you too,¡± I say honestly. It was a different fight from the others I¡¯ve experienced ¨C I have a feeling that this one is worth keeping an eye on. I hand him back the dagger I popped in my Inventory. ¡°Did you make the poison?¡± His spikes flicker in negation. ¡°No. It is from a plant in the forest. The grunt-click-flash-of-yellow.¡± Clearly even Animal Empathy can¡¯t translate something I have no idea about. Hopefully River¡­. Perhaps Catch will know about it. I eye him and he sends me negation down the Bond. Pity. Well, something to pursue at a later time, perhaps ¨C I¡¯m intrigued by how fast-acting it was. I want to ask about the dust cloud too, but the herbalist is already here and painting my victory sigil on my back and I lose my chance. The Warrior moves around to collect his daggers. Catch helps and they exchange some words which are too quiet to be audible for me. Then the Warrior moves to join his fellows, watching another fight. ¡°Your next fight will happen as soon as you have recovered,¡± the herbalist tells me. ¡°Your opponent is already waiting. Don¡¯t take too long to rest or we will start anyway.¡± I sigh a little ¨C after four fights, I¡¯m already getting a little tired, even if Meditation is helping me to keep my mana regeneration up with my usage. I will need a couple of minutes of at least Medium Meditation to replenish it after all the fire pulses I was doing here, not to mention the healing. I sit cross-legged on the ground, Bastet and Catch moving in to guard me protectively. Before I drop into Medium Meditation, I take a glance at my next opponent ¨C I might as well use the time to do some planning. After all, no doubt he¡¯s been using the time during my fight to do just that. ***** The fight is fine. After seeing that he was a Warrior who obviously focussed on physical defence and offence, based on his size and weaponry, I decide to swap Bastet back in. While I was definitely glad to have brought in Catch for the last fight, given the significant differences between his physical capabilities and those of a fully Evolved Warrior, he would simply be too outclassed to help me. Especially since he¡¯s now used his once-a-day ability. Perhaps it would have been better to hold onto that as an ace for later, but I don¡¯t regret it. One reason I¡¯ve been using so many different Skills and techniques during the fights is to show the samurans just what I¡¯m capable of. After all, although not many of my job interviews, nor those I¡¯ve conducted, have been as much of a literal fight as this is, the similarity is undeniable. That¡¯s also why I¡¯m determined to get through this without losing a single fight, even if I probably technically could based on the way they determine the overall winner. Bastet doesn¡¯t try to overpower her opponent ¨C her advantages are speed and agility. Not to mention that she¡¯s capable of magic all by herself. The samurans haven¡¯t yet seen a fire-breathing raptorcat, but I¡¯m sure that will happen by the end. All of that goes to say that, although my fifth actual fight was with a higher ranking Warrior ¨C since I don¡¯t count Iandee¡¯s ¨C it was actually easier than my fourth. In the end, I repeat one of my previous finishing moves ¨C stab him with my spear and then have Bastet keep him busy until I¡¯ve been able to multiply the venom to the point it has him on the ground. My sixth real fight was much the same, though I used my Flesh-shaping on this one to lock his joints since he gave me a good opening when he tried to take me down by wrestling with me in the first few moments of the fight. I got away from his hold easily enough ¨C transforming myself temporarily into a human torch has the automatic reaction of making people let go, after all ¨C but left him with a nice packet of mana imbued in his limbs. My seventh fight, coming after two ¡®fights¡¯ with Peace and then Murmur, is a bit harder. It¡¯s with a lithe and fast Warrior who manages to avoid my spear blows annoyingly well. In the end, I win by blinding him with a sudden flash of fire, much like in my second fight. This time, though, it¡¯s Catch who trips him and then pins him rather than Bastet. Having my spear to his throat at the end is the same, though. I¡¯d feel disappointed over my lack of originality if I wasn¡¯t more concerned about making it through without losing a fight. Besides, I know that after the Warriors are done, I still have the Pathwalkers to fight, which is going to be¡­interesting. And I¡¯m concerned about my last two fights with the top Warriors. Taking a short break between fights, courtesy of Lee quickly surrendering in our bout, I try to flush the fatigue out of my system in the same way as I helped my Bound in our rush to get to Fenrir. It definitely helps, but it''s not an instant fix, nor does it take me back up to fresh-as-a-daisy status. Still, it prepares me for my eighth proper fight. Once more it¡¯s a Warrior who looks like he¡¯s gone the gym bunny route rather than the runner one, but that almost relaxes me. Until he goes and pulls out what looks like a bola of all things. I take my first major setback of the fights so far when the bola wraps itself around my ankle and trips me. Not only do the stones slam into my bone and give me probably deep bruises, but the Warrior was expecting me to fall and has prepared for it. Bastet is in the fight with me, since I wasn¡¯t expecting him to have a ranged weapon, and she¡¯s unable to keep him away ¨C he just charges straight forward and she has to clear out of his path or be trampled. As he gets to me, he lets loose with a bone-breaking kick that manages to lift me off the ground. A kick from a samuran is not to be dismissed easily ¨C their legs are strong, and their feet are clawed just like their hands. Fortunately, the chitin plates deflect the latter and the rest of the armour and undershirt cushion the former. A little. I¡¯m still left wheezing with the taste of blood in my mouth when I thump back down to earth a couple of metres away. Unable to move, and with a juggernaut hurtling towards me I instead have to send out an intense burst of fire to make him check himself. Aingeal stirs over my shoulder and sends me a questioning feel. Asking whether it should intervene, I guess. I try to send it a negative feeling, but don¡¯t have time to do more. Bastet, fire-breath, I tell her shortly, then trust that she will keep him distracted for a moment and drop my own fire. Working faster than ever before, I heal the wounds from both impacts ¨C enough, at least, to get up. As soon as I think I¡¯m even remotely able to stand, I push myself to my feet. Bastet seems to have attracted the Warrior¡¯s attention enough for now, but as I watch, her fire dies completely. She¡¯s probably out of mana. Her sluggish movements indicate that she¡¯s suffering from mana-depletion, at least. Pulling out my bow and arrow, I quickly nock an arrow to the string. Imbuing it with mana takes only a few moments, but they¡¯re moments in which I have to watch Bastet dodge a walking mountain¡¯s strikes. She¡¯s getting tired, just like I am ¨C her dodges are barely fast enough to keep ahead of him. I hurry up with my preparations. I shoot the arrow. It pierces the meat of the samuran¡¯s shoulder. The lizard-man turns to glare at me tauntingly, seeming to think I¡¯d missed. The bone spike which I send towards his head, and which stops only when it¡¯s pressing into his jaw, makes him freeze. Increasing its pressure little by little sees him giving up in a short time and we finish the fight with relief. With the eighth fight now done, there is only one to go. I should feel exhilarated, but instead I feel more apprehensive than anything else. After all, we barely squeaked through that fight, and from what I¡¯ve seen, the boss Warrior, Shrieks-loudly, is not to be underestimated. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Five: The Sights of a Predator I gaze at my next opponent. Shrieks-loudly is even more of a mountain of a samuran than any of my previous opponents, but I¡¯ve seen that he¡¯s not just some brute with no brain from how he handled last night¡¯s events. Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t been able to see how he actually fights ¨C whether through chance or design, he¡¯s always been fighting at the same time as I have. Now that our own battle is imminent, I hesitate over which of my Companions to bring in. Catch has done well, even if I¡¯ve only brought him in on two battles out of seven. In one of those battles, he proved to be essential to my success. However, with his once-a-day ability now used, he will be unable to use any further magic today. Beyond his Stealth ability, that is. It¡¯s tempting to bring him in for that ¨C being able to creep up on an opponent is certainly an advantage. For this battle, though, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s enough of an advantage to outweigh his disadvantages. The fact is that Shrieks-loudly is half again Catch¡¯s height, towering more than a head over me. He¡¯s broad and thickly muscled, looking like he¡¯s been living in the gym and tossing back protein shakes for the last year. That would suggest that he¡¯s slow, but from what I picked up from him earlier with my non-invasive Inspect, it¡¯s not at all the case. That means that Catch is out-matched in pretty much all ways. Bastet is just as outmatched when it comes to size and weight ¨C more so even since she¡¯s smaller and lighter than Catch. However, she¡¯s faster, perhaps fast enough to keep up with the bulky samuran. In addition, although she doesn¡¯t have a dedicated stealth ability, she has something that makes her harder to spot when she doesn¡¯t want to be, and she has both her once-a-day ability and her own magic. Her disadvantage is that there would be no way that she could go toe-to-toe with the Warrior. Catch might be able to do that if he hunkered down behind a shield, even if it wouldn¡¯t be for long; Bastet would just have to keep out of his reach. With so much on the line, I decide to use a proper Inspect. At this point, it doesn¡¯t matter if he feels it ¨C we¡¯re about to fight anyway. Making him angrier is unlikely to work against me right now.
Samuran: Shrieks-loudly Tier 2 Beast (Evolved) Special abilities: Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Blow Health: 1990u Mana: 10u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 65 (65) Open to a Bond: No Impacting factor: Protection of the Village Member of a samuran community; the current leader of its protectors. Fights with multiple weapons, overwhelming opponents with his raw strength and speed. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds.
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His health is the highest I¡¯ve seen yet from any samuran, unsurprising considering his size. Still, it¡¯s a little daunting ¨C it¡¯s almost six times my health. Having it that high clearly has had an impact on his mana, though ¨C that is the lowest I¡¯ve ever seen, and not just among the lizard-folk. I note that if I do go for the poison route, I¡¯d better not choose one which requires me to whittle his health down significantly before it will work properly. I suspect his stamina will be his weak point, though. Enhanced Speed has got to consume stamina considering how low his mana is, and so must Enhanced Blow. This is the first Warrior I¡¯ve encountered who has two abilities. No wonder he¡¯s top dog ¨C or rather, top lizard. It would have been nice if the description had told me more about the weapons he uses, but unfortunately he doesn¡¯t apparently use one or two weapons so much that my current level of Inspect will inform me about them. In the end, I make my choice of which Bound to bring in and step forwards into the ring. On the other side of the fighting area, Shrieks-loudly does the same. Catch tenses at my side, his eyes fixed on the other samuran. It¡¯s a bit of a risk to bring him with me, but having seen what Shrieks-loudly¡¯s stats are, I decided that Bastet¡¯s abilities wouldn¡¯t be suited to this battle. With his health as high as it is, her claws and teeth wouldn¡¯t make much difference, and her speed might not match his enhanced movement ability. With his speed and strength, she wouldn¡¯t offer him much deterrent even if she stood in his way, either, and would be more likely to be hurt. It remains to be seen whether Catch, with his ability to hold a shield, is a better option, though. Either way, as the refereeing Pathwalkers ¨C Grower and Wood-shaper ¨C click their teeth in unison, we all explode into movement. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Expecting Shrieks-loudly to run directly towards me, I¡¯m taken a little off-guard when that isn¡¯t what he does at all. Instead, he reaches behind himself and withdraws something. His next movement is faster than I can track. The next thing I know is that I¡¯m reeling backwards, pain exploding in my shoulder. I¡¯m only barely aware of Catch moving in to cover us both with his shield as something strikes me again in the same shoulder. The first blow cracked the carapace which protects it. The second presses those shards into the armour and transfers its force into my joint. The third, which follows quickly on the heels of the first two, causes an ominous crack and horrible pain to radiate through my shoulder. Then Catch has the shield between us and the other samuran. Several quick-fired dull thuds prove that Shrieks-loudly isn¡¯t playing around. The wood is better for absorbing impacts and dents rather than cracks, but it won¡¯t be able to stand up to this kind of abuse for long. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like the shield will need to do so as the thuds stop quickly enough. My brain scrambles to catch up with just what has happened even as I send healing magic to my shoulder. Part of my mind focuses on filling in the cracks and rips which have been caused by the three blows unerringly hitting the same spot. It¡¯s a surprise that the bulky samuran has chosen to attack with projectile weaponry, but perhaps that¡¯s exactly why he did it ¨C he wanted to push us off-balance, and that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯s done. I drop into Medium Meditation, wanting to use the increased speed of thought to work out how to move next. Aware of time not being on my side, even in this space, I quickly run through what happened. Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Blow¡­. Clearly they don¡¯t only apply to moving from A to B, but also made him able to throw his weapons fast enough that Catch¡¯s and my actions felt like moving in slow-motion in comparison. That¡¯s not good since it means that we can¡¯t risk getting into a hand-to-hand battle ¨C neither of us would be able to react fast enough to avoid being stabbed. On the other hand, I suppose that that would explain why the blows stopped fairly rapidly once they started hitting a shield ¨C if both abilities use stamina, Shrieks-loudly isn¡¯t going to want to waste too much of it. I play around briefly with the idea of taking this battle immediately to the soul-space, but decide against it. Just like with Lee at the start, the samurans need to be convinced that I can win the battle according to their terms. But I don¡¯t dismiss the possibility ¨C ultimately, I need to win. It¡¯ll be easier to convince them if I¡¯ve won the battle, regardless of how I¡¯ve actually won it. But for now, the only weak point I can determine is most likely present is his stamina. At that thought, an idea occurs. After a few more short moments of deliberation, I pull myself out of Medium Meditation. Little time has passed since I entered it, but my ears pick up the sound of feet pounding towards us. We have seconds before he is on us. Stealth, I order Catch shortly, throwing up a curtain of fire around us. Briefly obscured from view, it¡¯s easy enough for him to enter Stealth and me to engage Fade. Catch¡¯s Stealth is different from mine. Perhaps it¡¯s because it¡¯s a higher level or something like that. Where mine just helps me move more quietly, his makes him generally more unnoticeable. It¡¯s more similar to my Fade but is still a bit different. Even though I have resistance to it because he¡¯s my Bound, I still feel that my eyes wish to slide away from where he is. The feet on the other side of the flame pause, but, a moment later, there¡¯s the sound of a roar and a large, dark shape leaps through the flames to land where we both were a moment ago. Of course, we¡¯re not there now. Instead, we¡¯ve split up, each on opposite sides of the ring of fire. Now the fire is hindering more than helping us, I drop the curtains of flame. For a moment, all three of us are frozen in position. Catch and I both feel like we¡¯re in the sights of a predator as Shrieks-loudly turns his head slowly to either side, his gaze searching. My heart is in my mouth as his light bronze-coloured eyes slide over where I¡¯m standing, frozen. It stays there even when he turns away because that means he¡¯s now looking in the direction of where Catch is. The younger samuran stays just as still as I did when that gaze passed over me. With him turned away, though, I take the chance to ease backwards, putting some distance between us. I freeze as soon as he turns his head towards me with a jerk. Behind him, I see Catch beginning to shift like me, only he intentionally makes a bit of noise. He¡¯s recognised that he¡¯s the distraction without me needing to spell it out. Shrieks-loudly¡¯s head snaps back in his direction immediately and he starts prowling forwards. He¡¯d brought a long spear into the fight with him, the weapon I thought he¡¯d be using. Now, he does use it, waving it back and forth to find a lump where there shouldn¡¯t be a lump ¨C a decent tactic for finding someone in stealth. Catch retreats backwards, the space between us widening without me having to move. Just as well ¨C Fade does work with me moving slowly, but that¡¯s when I¡¯m most likely to be discovered. With what I have in mind, the longer my effective invisibility can continue, the better. Pulling my bow out of my Inventory, I take a moment to string it, moving slowly. I probably don¡¯t need to unstring it, considering my Inventory holds things in stasis, and it would certainly have sped things up now if I had left it strung. The next object I remove is one of my bone arrows, but I make a bit of a change to it on the fly. While I work, I keep an eye on the other participants of the fight. Shrieks-loudly is getting ever closer to where Catch is pressed to the ground, his shield slung on his back and somehow covered by the same effect. The smaller samuran shifts slowly whenever the Warrior isn¡¯t looking directly at him, but his movements are, by necessity, much smaller than Shrieks-loudly¡¯s. Nocking my modified arrow to the bow, I pull it back and shoot it towards the large samuran¡¯s back. The Warrior reacts faster than I had expected, but isn''t quite fast enough to avoid the arrow. It sinks into the meat of his bicep as he whirls around. I¡¯ve frozen physically as his gaze scans where the arrow came from, but my magic is active. Shrieks-loudly hisses and snatches at the arrow as it expands into his arm. Too late: even as he tears out a chunk of his flesh, the payload of the arrow has already been delivered into his blood-stream. Perhaps realising that he¡¯s now on a timer, Shrieks-loudly moves swiftly in my general direction. He clearly can¡¯t see me; he just as clearly knows approximately where the arrow came from. With his spear stabbing unpredictably at all angles, I stay absolutely still, focussing all my mana on multiplying the venom I¡¯ve just fed into him. I see Catch starting to move, creeping up behind the Warrior. His footfall is light enough that the bulky samuran doesn¡¯t know he¡¯s there until his cudgel comes heavily down on the side of Shrieks-loudly¡¯s knee. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Six: What Do You Intend For My Village The large samuran whirls around and lands Catch a stunning blow, ringed with a fiery orange glow, before he can react. My stomach drops into my feet as I see him go sailing back. Shrieks-loudly follows up his attack, running quickly towards where Catch has crumpled to the ground. Even as I start healing him with the mana I¡¯ve been feeding into his system in between fights, whenever I¡¯m free ¨C him and Bastet ¨C I also send two more bone arrows at the Warrior in quick succession. With his attention focussed on the prone and unmoving samuran, he doesn¡¯t notice the arrows flying at him this time. Without the same accuracy which the Warrior had displayed with his initial salvo, I am unable to hit him anywhere particularly vulnerable. Still, two arrows hitting him in the back are enough to regain his attention once more and he whirls around. Then I see the moment he decides that chasing after me, the ghost he can¡¯t see, is less tactically sound than dealing with Catch, the samuran he can see. Urgency pressing me, I work hard on both fronts: healing Catch so he can defend himself, and dealing with Shrieks-loudly so he doesn¡¯t have to. Pouring magic into the venom within Shrieks-loudly, I find to my surprise that the magic is unintentionally going in two different directions. It figures that I¡¯d manage to unconsciously work out how to multitask with mana in the middle of a battle. I don¡¯t waste time figuring out exactly how I¡¯m succeeding, instead just focussing on doing it, while maintaining the highest level of meditation I can so that I replenish my mana as quickly as possible. The spear flashes down, ringed with orange. At the last moment, Catch shifts away. I let out a breath of relief, but it¡¯s not over yet. The spear stabs at him again and again, Shrieks-loudly¡¯s whole body glowing faintly orange. The smaller samuran dodges him, avoiding being pinned like a butterfly on a board by a hair¡¯s breadth most of the time. But he is avoiding it, somehow. I know it won¡¯t last, though. Relaxing my focus on Catch¡¯s body ¨C his injuries not at all fully healed, but not too bad for now ¨C I turn my attention to the bone arrows I shot at the Warrior. Touching the mana within them, I force them to grow spikes. Shrieks-loudly hisses in pain, and tries to grab at them, but they¡¯re behind his back and out of his reach. The spikes growing longer, sweat rolling down my forehead at the mental and magical strain of doing it, I breathe heavily in relief when he stiffens. Abruptly, the Warrior¡¯s lower legs collapse under him, sending him to the ground. He can still move his arms ¨C and does, his spear flailing around him ¨C but everywhere from mid-back downwards is abruptly out of his control. Piercing his spinal cord with a bone spike will do that. Dropping Fade thankfully, I dry-heave for a moment, nausea abruptly the only thing in my mind. Overusing my magic is never pleasant. Fortunately, my rate of replenishment is quick enough that I¡¯m only suffering from the symptoms for a minute or so before they begin abating. I walk towards the two samurans. Catch has pushed himself to his feet and is standing out of range of the Warrior¡¯s long spear. I come to stand by his side. ¡°I¡¯ve paralysed your lower half,¡± I tell the Warrior evenly. I hear a susurration around me as the watching samurans hear me. Shrieks-loudly looks up at me with horror glinting in his eyes ¨C I¡¯m not surprised. ¡°I can heal it,¡± I tell him, ¡°But only when this battle is concluded. Will you surrender?¡± He looks up at me for a beat and then slowly lifts his chin in wordless sign of agreement. With this victory, I¡¯ve proved myself to be the strongest of the Warriors. I¡¯ve won every fight I¡¯ve been in and my Bound warriors have all surrendered the moment the Pathwalker started the fight. I thought the Pathwalkers might give up on setting us up against each other, but perhaps the structure of it all is important, even if the outcome is predetermined. Or perhaps it¡¯s to do with the sigils ¨C I only gained them once the others had officially surrendered. There¡¯s something else to consider now than just sigils. The thing is that the number of marks on the back of Shrieks-loudly here indicates that even if he¡¯s not top lizard, he¡¯s still going to be high in the rankings, and therefore have a lot of influence, especially on the other Warriors. I know that I¡¯m going to need to use Dominate on the Pathwalkers for sure, but I decide to do it on the Warrior at my feet too. I think it¡¯s worth the risk of over-extending myself later. I admit that part of my reasoning is also that fixing a spinal injury is going to take a lot of concentration and mana as it is ¨C it will work significantly better if he¡¯s one of my Bound. Shifting to the side so I can meet his eyes, I whisper the trigger word which sends us into the greyed out world of the Battle of Wills. The pressure here feels much like the pressure during the Battle with Lee. A bit stronger, perhaps, but not by a lot. I suspect if I had used Inspect on Shrieks-loudly shortly before triggering Dominate, it would have shown his effective Willpower to be below fifty. Almost strolling forwards through the minimal resistance, I make my way towards the figure on the other side of the space. Shrieks-loudly watches me approach with impressive impassiveness. Even his emotions, when I get close enough to feel them, are calmer than most. Lee was fairly calm when I Dominated him too, but Shrieks-loudly beats him hands down. I stop within an arm¡¯s length of his motionless form. ¡°Do you sense what this is about?¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I do, he rumbles, his emotions briefly flickering, before returning to their calm placidity. ¡°Do you have anything to say? Any questions? Any requests?¡± I offer him the chance to speak, probably more for my benefit than for his, based on how the other Warriors¡¯ Battles went. There¡¯s silence for a few moments, but I sense an undercurrent of emotion shifting, so wait patiently for him to answer either way. The movements are too subtle for me to determine exactly what they are, but I can feel the ripple nonetheless. What do you intend for my village? he asks after a long moment. I¡¯m not entirely surprised by the question ¨C and also not surprised that this is the samuran to ask it, of all the Warriors. After all, they only have to obey the commands from the Pathwalkers and the boss Warrior; Shrieks-loudly is the boss Warrior ¨C or was, at least. Perhaps still is since I¡¯m not exactly a ¡®Warrior¡¯ due to my use of magic. It was his job to ask that kind of question, to be the balance against the Pathwalkers¡¯ new initiatives and ideas. Personally, I think he probably should have asked that question a bit more when it was the shaman raising the idea of capturing Kalanthia¡¯s cub, but perhaps he did and was convinced in some way. I might ask him later. For now, though, I give his question the weight it deserves. ¡°I intend to share knowledge which I have from my own people, hopefully making the village stronger and more successful. I intend to try to make the village more egalitarian, recognising that even the physically and magically weaker may offer more to the village than what resources they can gather. In short, I am going to change many things about your way of life, but I intend it for the better.¡± And if they do not ultimately improve my village? he rumbles. I shrug. ¡°Then we find things which will work better.¡± I feel him searching through my aura, probably testing my sincerity and maybe something else. After a moment, his intensity fades. Very well. I give myself, and with it, my village into your hands. Considering he has little choice ¨C I have beaten him in the physical fight and could easily force the issue now ¨C it could be construed as something a little arrogant or pompous. However, I¡¯m touching him soul to soul and I feel the weight of what he is giving me ¨C his trust. I feel just how hard it is for him to give it to an outsider, one who is not even the same species. One who has already harmed those under his care. Yet, for the benefit of his village, he gives it nonetheless, if only tentatively for now. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say in the end, my tone serious, my emotions sincere and appreciative. Because ultimately, with him on my side, willingly rather than forcibly, I suspect that change will be easier to perpetrate. Reaching out, I touch him on the bone between his eyes and the Bond weaves its way into place as the space shatters around us. Some time has gone past and so Shrieks-loudly already has the herbalist at his side, fussing a little over him. She turns to me with ire colouring her spikes a deep crimson. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have won in any other way? Shrieks-loudly will be crippled for life! Our strongest Warrior, useless to us!¡± That¡¯s all she can think about? His use? I find my lips drawing back from my teeth in a gesture I¡¯ve probably picked up unconsciously from the carnivores in my life. ¡°No anger on his behalf? Just because he can no longer protect you?¡± The herbalist hisses at me, clicking her teeth together, but I don¡¯t let her speak. ¡°As it happens, you need not worry ¨C I can heal him.¡± Then, without mincing any more words, I brush the slighter Pathwalker aside, making her stumble away, and crouch down next to Shrieks-loudly. Putting my hand near the wound I caused, I close my eyes and send my mind into his body, trusting in my Bound to keep me safe. For this kind of wound, I definitely need to dedicate my full attention to healing it. Slowly, and probably unintentionally painfully, I use Flesh-Shaping to first reform the bone arrow so that it no longer has a spike sticking straight into the spinal column, and then to heal the damaged tissue and replenish the fluid around it, making sure to remove any foreign bodies that could cause issues. It¡¯s difficult, painstaking work, and I¡¯m worried about making a mistake. I might have sounded very confident when telling Shrieks-loudly and the herbalist that I can fix it, but the reality of the situation is that I¡¯m aware of how even the slightest error could cause the Warrior to be paralysed for the rest of his life. Or, even if not completely paralysed, cause enduring stiffness and weakness in his lower half. However, as I work, I realise that there¡¯s something helping me, something which I realise has been helping me for a while. I had thought that my ease with healing my Bound came from familiarity with their bodies. That probably is true to a certain extent, but I realise as I¡¯m doing this that there¡¯s something more to it. Shrieks-loudly¡¯s body is actually helping me to heal itself. It¡¯s like the body has some memory of how it should be, and as long as I don¡¯t force my own vision to take over, but instead merely gently nudge it and provide the magic, the body itself heals with far greater accuracy than I probably would be capable of. Like the body has some sort of code within it which determines how it should all look like. It¡¯s like I¡¯m hit by an epiphany. Of course the body knows exactly how all of it should look. It¡¯s not like the body has a code ¨C it actually does. DNA ¨C the chemical code within every single cell of my body and, presumably, those of all my Bound which tells the body exactly how to create and maintain itself. Could my Flesh-Shaping be tapping into that? If so¡­well, making changes on the DNA level could go very well, or very badly. On a less mad-scientist front, it could potentially supercharge my healing: I could arguably bring my Bound pretty much back from the dead as long as whatever spark it is which determines if someone is alive or not is intact. Though, if it was a genetic defect, things like Catch¡¯s eyesight may not have been healable by using his DNA as a template. I need to remember that not all DNA is perfect ¨C and that following the DNA ¡®blueprint¡¯ is not the only thing my Flesh-Shaping can do. I push the possibilities to the back of my mind and concentrate on healing my newest Bound¡¯s spine so that he is no longer paralysed. Once I¡¯ve done that, I send my mind through the rest of his body and take a moment to heal some injuries to his legs ¨C including the damage to the knee that Catch got in ¨C and a nasty scar on his arm which is currently reducing his mobility in that arm slightly. Pulling out of my trance, I¡¯m immediately aware of the nagging sense of a notification. Anticipation runs through me, but my curiosity will have to wait to be satisfied ¨C the group of samurans currently looking at me with a range of expressions need to be dealt with first. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Line-up Awe is certainly one of the expressions, and one that Shrieks-loudly himself directs at me when he sits up gingerly only to find no pain, no limitation to his movements. He¡¯s not the only one. The herbalist, who is probably the samuran who knows best just how difficult it is to heal a spinal injury, is almost as impressed as the lead Warrior himself. A couple of other Warriors look a mixture of impressed and relieved; the rest of those currently watching also look relieved, though it¡¯s mixed with other emotions like uncertainty or active discomfort. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say it¡¯s because their top Warrior has been laid low, though they could have been rooting for Shrieks-loudly to have been permanently injured, for all I know. Others are even less positive. Wind-whisperer is, of course, rather disgruntled ¨C probably because I have made it through the whole gauntlet of Warriors without losing, heck, without taking significant injury. Wood-shaper seems just as discomforted, avoiding looking in my direction at all. She¡¯s been almost as strong a voice against me, but she¡¯s been more open to reason than Wind-whisperer; why she¡¯s upset, I don¡¯t know for sure, though I have some suspicions. Bastet and Catch both have almost identical expressions of smugness. Bastet¡¯s, of course, is far more obvious than Catch¡¯s ¨C though she isn¡¯t a feline, exactly, she does their expressions rather well, and no one does smug like a cat. ¡°So, what¡¯s next?¡± I ask since no one seems to be inclined to break the quiet that¡¯s fallen around this little area. There is still plenty of noise: just because I¡¯ve finished all my fights doesn¡¯t mean that everyone else has finished theirs. But this is a small oasis of peace and quiet amongst the noise of battle. Or at least, it would be an oasis if the silence was comfortable. As it is, I push myself to my feet restlessly, putting out my hand to help Shrieks-loudly to his. He hesitates a moment, then sets his big paw in mine. I raise an eyebrow at how his massive hand makes mine look like a child¡¯s, but pull him up all the same. Fortunately, even though he¡¯s heavy, I¡¯m a lot stronger than I used to be and levering him to his feet takes little effort. Either my question or the movement, or both, manage to jolt the rest of the samurans into motion. The Warriors, now the show is over, disperse to watch the active fights. The Pathwalkers remain. The herbalist moves around me to paint the new sigil on my back ¨C well, the back of my armour anyway. There must be thirteen of the things on me now ¨C even if I didn¡¯t actually fight my four Bound, I still ¡®won¡¯ those battles, so Grubs-in-the-dirt was obliged to paint their symbols on me nonetheless. ¡°You may have made it through the Warriors without too much difficulty, but you¡¯ll soon be facing a much greater challenge,¡± Wind-whisperer tells me with their equivalent of a sneer. Shrieks-loudly shifts slightly and I feel irritation drift over his link. I¡¯m not surprised and can only think that if this is how she normally is, and it isn¡¯t just because of my presence, then I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t killed her or conveniently didn¡¯t notice something attacking her when they were out in the forest. ¡°Yes, I am slightly concerned about Runs-with-the-river¡¯s skills,¡± I ¡®admit¡¯, feeling satisfaction when Wind-whisperer clicks her teeth in anger. It¡¯s probably immature of me to prod at her, but she¡¯s really starting to get on my nerves. I¡¯m frankly looking forward to meeting her in the ring ¨C especially since, having declared that she¡¯s not going to hold back, I won¡¯t feel the need to do so either. Still, I was hoping to have a break. I¡¯ve just fought nine fights with very little respite between them, and I need some time just to chill before engaging in six more. Well, five ¨C Joy is mine, after all. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry,¡± Wind-whisperer hisses at me. ¡°It¡¯ll be all over soon for you.¡± Apparently determined to have the last word, she turns and flounces off, her tail swaying more than normal in her annoyance. ¡°She¡¯s afraid,¡± remarks a voice behind me, its tone flat without the influence of coloured spikes. ¡°Herbalist¡­¡± says Wood-shaper, her tone a mix between reproachful and hesitant. ¡°What? She is.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you should talk about one of our sisters in front of¡­.in front of him,¡± Wood-shaper continues, still refusing to look directly at me. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt he already knows it,¡± scoffs the herbalist, though she shuts up after that and just finishes painting the sigil. I don¡¯t tell her that I didn¡¯t in fact know that, though it makes a lot of sense now I think about it. Hmm, I wonder if I could use the knowledge¡­. Stepping back around to my front, the herbalist faces me squarely. ¡°The tournament between the Pathwalkers takes place immediately after the end of the Warriors¡¯, so you have the time until then to rest.¡± She goes silent for a moment, gazing at me thoughtfully, her eyes flicking to Shrieks-loudly and back. I sense that she wants to say something. ¡°Come on, Herbalist,¡± Wood-shaper says and Grubs-in-the-dirt turns her head to look at her sister. ¡°We¡¯re needed at the other fights.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The herbalist looks back at me, but the moment is lost and she departs with her sister a moment later. What was that about? I wonder to myself as I gaze at her back. The shifting of my newest Bound next to me draws my attention back to other matters. ¡°How are you feeling, Catch?¡± I ask solicitously. Even before he answers, I touch his shoulder and channel healing magic into him. Searching out the areas which were not fully healed earlier in my stop-gap actions, I smooth away the injuries and knit together the broken flesh. Much better, thank you, he says with relief when I¡¯ve finished. ¡°Up for more fights?¡± I check with him. Both he and Shrieks-loudly look at me with surprise. You want¡­me to fight with you against the Pathwalkers? Catch asks slowly. I stare at him. ¡°Well¡­yeah. Either you or Bastet, case depending. Who else?¡± Catch turns to look at Shrieks-loudly pointedly. The big samuran seems to be thinking along the same lines as his smaller kin, incredulity mingling with surprise. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I tell them, my mind turning over the idea. It should probably have occurred to me to use my newest Bound, the strongest Warrior instead of one who is an Unevolved samuran. Certainly, it seems to have been obvious to Catch and Shrieks. But as I think it over, I shake my head. ¡°No, I think it would be better to stick with the line-up as it is ¨C unless you¡¯re too tired to continue,¡± I say frankly, gazing at Catch. Both of them now send incredulity down the link at me. I can continue. But¡­why? asks Catch, clearly baffled. ¡°Several reasons,¡± I tell him. ¡°First, think about how it would appear if I swap you and Shrieks around. Shrieks, am I right in guessing that you did pretty well against the Pathwalkers last time?¡± I ask. Shrieks is staring at me with contemplation slowly replacing the confusion and surprise. I did. I did not beat Honoured Shaman, but I won against Herbalist. Well, that was useful to know ¨C I decide to ask him what the order of Pathwalkers were last time, since that will give me my battle order for this time too, I would imagine. ¡°See. Now if I take him in to fight with me, what are the chances that they will assume my victories are due to my companion, rather than to me?¡± Arguably, the strength of a Tamer is in having strong Bound, so that shouldn¡¯t make a difference, but I suspect it does. The samurans seem to be all about personal strength ¨C they allowed me to fight with two of my Bound, but weren¡¯t happy about that. And although it¡¯s important that I win these fights, how I win is just as essential. From the feelings that are filtering down the link between Shrieks and me, I suspect he¡¯s in agreement with me over that. ¡°Then there¡¯s the question of whether they¡¯d consider it to be fair play to change which Bound I bring in considering how reluctant they were to let you be part of a ranking fight at all. There¡¯s also the fact that I¡¯d like to show them that the Unevolved are worthy of respect. Finally, and perhaps most practically, there¡¯s the question of teamwork.¡± I turn so I¡¯m looking directly at Catch. ¡°You and I have fought together multiple times now, and we¡¯ve sparred together too. We know how each other fights. Shrieks and I don¡¯t.¡± I turn my head so I¡¯m now looking up at the mountainous samuran. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to cast any doubt on either your skills at fighting, or even fighting with others. I just don¡¯t feel that leaping into a fight with the Pathwalkers is the right place to start our teamwork.¡± I agree, rumbles Shrieks, taking me a little by surprise. ¡°You do?¡± Yes. I am familiar with the problems that can result from two Warriors fighting together who are unfamiliar with each other¡¯s fighting style. I do not wish to accidentally strike you or be burnt myself because we have misread each other¡¯s moves. Perhaps I forgot who I¡¯m speaking to ¨C a leader and trainer of others of his kind. Of course he¡¯d understand where I¡¯m coming from here. ¡°Alright, good. Then it¡¯s settled. Bastet, Catch, you will join me for the final battles, so take the time to rest now. Shrieks, while we rest, tell me about what you know of the existing Pathwalkers¡¯ fighting styles. Start with their ranking order, please.¡± While listening to Shrieks, I focus on running my magic through my system. I heal any small injury which I had missed before, then focus on external parts of myself. Refilling my armour with my mana, I heal it ¨C though don¡¯t clean it since I¡¯d lose all the sigils ¨C and make small changes which I think might stand me in better stead in the coming fights. Once he¡¯s finished, I send him off to watch the rest of the fights ¨C it¡¯s what he wants to do and might offer me useful information for later too. Finally, I take the chance to look at the notification which has been nagging at me all this time. As I read it, my eyes go wide.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Journeyman. Flesh-Shaping is now Master 1. You have achieved this feat by gaining an in-depth understanding of at least one aspect of your Skill. You have developed an ease with manipulating healing and shaping energy within the body, as able to fix a problem as to cause it. You have noticed that the body carries information within it which offers a blueprint to restoring its constituent parts to full health. Using previous knowledge about that which directs the body¡¯s processes, you have understood that you may be able to change the very essence of the body ¨C to heal or to harm. However, how to apply this knowledge and the consequences of doing so are still unknown to you. Equally, your understanding at present barely touches the depths of the possibilities. Advance your understanding in this area or significantly expand your understanding of other areas of Flesh-Shaping to advance this Skill further. Research and explore, but beware of unintended consequences of your actions. The path to Sage is long and hard; do you have the will and inspiration to stay the course?
Close messages
So DNA manipulation is a thing, I think to myself. Though, even the message warns me against doing it without thought about the consequences. It¡¯s interesting that I didn¡¯t actually have to manipulate DNA to get the Skill to Master ¨C is that because I was so close to ranking up that it only needed a little to tip into Master, or because DNA is such an advanced concept? Either way, I close the message for now. It¡¯s something to explore later ¨C very, very carefully. But right now, I need to concentrate on resting and getting ready for the battles to come. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Eight: I Refuse To Prepare A Knife For My Own Back ¡°Begin,¡± calls a Warrior, sounding like he¡¯s chewing on rocks. Normally that would be Shrieks¡¯ role as the lead Warrior ¨C or mine, considering I was the only one to beat him. This is not a normal situation, and he was deemed too biased to referee the match. So the second best Warrior has taken on that role instead. With the starting permission given, the three participants of the fight leap into action. I¡¯m not particularly worried about this fight: with my control of fire, I¡¯ve got a pretty hard counter to Wood-shaper¡¯s Skill set. A sneaky Inspect revealed both her name ¨C Plays-with-sticks, which seems particularly prescient ¨C and the fact that she neither has a big mana pool in comparison with her sisters, nor more than the single ability to control plants. Though, perhaps, if my Flesh-Shaping is anything to go by, to a creative enough mind, maybe that one ability is as much as she needs. Apparently she doesn¡¯t have a creative mind. Her first move is the same as Shrieks predicted ¨C the same as she¡¯s used in practically every ranking fight ever. She throws a bunch of roots at me, intending on entrapping me with them. The thing is, according to Shrieks, it worked in the first ranking fight she did. The other Pathwalkers of the time weren¡¯t expecting it and so she actually got halfway up the ranking order with that initial attack since, like with the Warriors, all the Pathwalkers are fighting right now. All but River. Runs-with-the-river. She¡¯ll be fighting Wood-shaper next ¨C with seven combatants, it¡¯s inevitable that one will sit out in each round. So Wood-shaper figured that the attack was a good one, and then never stopped using it. Of course, her second ranking fight went a bit differently as everyone was expecting the move, dropping her to the bottom of the pecking order. Seeing the balls of roots coming towards us, I reach out with my fire and incinerate them midair. Before the ash has even cleared the air, both Bastet and I are moving. The raptorcat is faster than me, so she¡¯s running straight at the Pathwalker, though is prepared to dodge aside at the last moment in case Wood-shaper has another ball of roots on her. I, on the other hand, am preparing to use ranged warfare against this magic-user. As it turns out, Wood-shaper does have more balls of roots at her disposal and she throws a couple of them at Bastet¡¯s feet. The agile raptorcat just dodges them and keeps going. Nocking an arrow to my bowstring, I pull it back and then release. The Pathwalker fails to dodge the first one and it sinks into her shoulder, the impact making the slight samuran grunt in pain. The second arrow unexpectedly sinks into a chunk of wood which seems to appear out of nowhere. Eyeing it, I see that it¡¯s actually something I¡¯d taken as a bracelet which has been expanded at speeds I wouldn¡¯t be able to match with Flesh-Shaping. Despite myself, I¡¯m slightly impressed. It seems like Wood-shaper is being more creative than in her previous two ranking tournaments. The shield, and the bracelet it used to be, crumble to dust a moment later, but it did its job. Raking my eyes over the samuran, I see several more bracelets around her upper arms and ankles which are no doubt able to achieve the same effect. Perhaps I¡¯ll be able to find out how she did it after the fight. Still, my first arrow got through which, ultimately, is all I need. Keep her distracted, I tell Bastet, then focus on the poison I¡¯ve sent into Wood-shaper¡¯s system, pushing at it and feeding it with more magic to help it overcome the body¡¯s natural defences. Running out of stamina isn¡¯t such a problem for magic-users ¨C mana exhaustion is far more detrimental. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t yet have a poison which can attack that directly. Instead, I¡¯m going with something that¡¯s already worked against a Pathwalker: the danaris¡¯ venom. It takes time ¨C more time than with the Warriors. There¡¯s more resistance to my intrusion in Wood-shaper¡¯s body than even in Shrieks¡¯. Perhaps it¡¯s her magic taking exception to my presence. Fortunately, Bastet is very good at distracting the Pathwalker ¨C especially since she doesn¡¯t appear to be a good enough fighter to realise that¡¯s what Bastet is: a distraction to allow me to defeat her. Finally, when she starts stumbling, her eyes beginning to close, Wood-shaper seems to realise that she¡¯s been tricked. That the raptorcat who she was ¡®barely holding at bay¡¯ with her shaping skills was in fact doing nothing more than keeping her busy. But by that point, it¡¯s too late. My venom has taken over her system, and within a few more moments, she slumps to the ground, sleep forcibly overcoming her. ¡°Honoured Markus is the winner,¡± the Warrior intones in a voice which neither expresses joy nor disappointment in the result. It¡¯s the guy I fought in my eighth round who used a bola. Bites-a-leaf, according to Shrieks. Since the herbalist is currently fighting, no one comes over to paint my back, but I have something else to do first. Kneeling down next to her, I carefully lever open her eyelids. Her pupils are dilated, unfocussed. I hope that this will work. What? Where am I? Plays-with-sticks asks, panic running through her aura as we both appear in the familiar greyed-out space. Interestingly enough, she¡¯s the first to react like that ¨C usually creatures react with anger or resentment, not fear. ¡°You¡¯re in my soul-space,¡± I tell her levelly as I walk towards her, focussing on sending her a sense of calm authority. ¡°And you will not be leaving it until you make a decision.¡± What-what decision is that? she asks, fear still shivering through her. There is practically no resistance to my forward movement. An instinctive pressure, perhaps, as she¡¯s certainly not focussing on keeping me away. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°To join me as one of my Bound, to accept the chain which you can no doubt feel.¡± I¡¯m past the middle point between our starting spots. O-or? comes her quavering question. ¡°Or die,¡± I say matter-of-factly. It turns my stomach a little to give such a black and white choice. Particularly when the reasons for giving it are so selfish ¨C I can¡¯t trust that even a banished Pathwalker would be harmless to me. Not only would it mean potential split loyalties of the rest of the samuran under my command, but I¡¯ve got hints that there are other lizard-folk villages out there. What if a Pathwalker went to one of them for support? From how easily River was accepted once she became a magic-user, it¡¯s clear that Pathwalkers have power over other samuran just from being female, let alone their own magical power. So no, whether objectively moral or not, I refuse to prepare a knife for my own back. The samuran of this village will fall in line under my leadership or else ¨C the Unevolved could be offered banishment as an option, but not the Warriors or the Pathwalkers. I¡­I don¡¯t want to die! cried Wood-shaper, anger now appearing around me, twined with misery. ¡°Then accept my Bond and join me,¡± I tell her firmly, then soften my voice and emotions a little as I continue. ¡°Think about Joy. Does she look miserable? Or oppressed? I know the way I¡¯m asking forces you to make a difficult choice, but if you had the opportunity to judge objectively, is my Bond such a bad thing?¡± I feel Wood-shaper waver, her Will and desire to resist, already weak, now almost gone. Al-alright. I¡¯ll join you, she finally agrees, sounding resigned. You¡¯ve proved yourself strong enough, I suppose, she sighs. Touching her forehead, the world around us fractures and fills with colour once more. Immediately, I get to work clearing Plays-with-sticks¡¯ system of the venom. With the Bond in place, it¡¯s a lot easier than infusing it had been. Still, I heave a sigh of relief when I get it all out and finish healing the damage it did. Sitting back on my heels next to the samuran, I watch carefully. With the venom out of her system and the damage repaired, it¡¯s moments before I see her eyes slit open, her eyelids blinking away to reveal sleepy eyes which quickly widen as she realises what¡¯s just happened. Don¡¯t let your sisters know for now, I order her silently. I see her take in a breath as she feels the pressure of the Bond against her. As you wish, she agrees reluctantly. It¡¯s not that I want to keep it quiet for long ¨C it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want my future opponents getting wind of what¡¯s going to happen to them when they meet me in turn. Plays-with-sticks, Wood-shaper, has joined us, I broadcast to my other Bound present. Don¡¯t let anyone else know for now. Acknowledgement rings across the Bonds and I head to where I can see the Pathwalkers who are still fighting. Wind-whisperer and Herbalist are almost obscured by a cloud of quickly moving powder of some sort. Shrieks mentioned that the herbalist, for obvious reason, had a tendency to use potions and poisons in her attacks. Grower and Weaver are just finishing up. Interestingly, it seems like Joy actually has the upper hand in that confrontation: Grower has clearly been trying to entangle Joy in plants that she¡¯s grown from seeds thrown around Joy, but my Bound has apparently turned the tables against her ¨C the plants are weaving tighter and tighter around Grower¡¯s form. Even as I watch, the plants around Grower wither a little, letting her move just a bit more. A moment later, Joy brings an end to the fight with her quarterstaff, something she¡¯s been practising with recently. Breaking through the remaining tangles around her feet, she slams the butt of the quarterstaff into her sister¡¯s jaw. Unable to move, Grower takes the full hit, and I wince as I hear the sound of cracking bone. ¡°Winner: Honoured Weaver,¡± the Warrior overseeing this fight announces. I notice a couple of the other Warriors look a bit disappointed, handing over something wooden to one of their fellows who looks rather smug. Were they betting on the outcome? Joy walks over towards me, also looking rather smug. I won, she says. ¡°I saw,¡± I answer with a hint of amusement. ¡°Well done. Looks like that staff is coming in useful.¡± Yes. I wish I had started using it sooner, she sighs. Using physical weapons does not make us any less as magic-users ¨C you taught me that. I raise my eyebrows at her a little in surprise. Is that why neither she nor my previous opponent tried to use physical weapons? ¡°I figure that we should use all the weapons we can to survive in this brutal forest. Didn''t you use weapons before you were a Pathwalker, anyway?¡± Yes, she answers, looking a little embarrassed, but after I Evolved, it felt like¡­using the same weapons as I used to made me look like my new magical abilities weren¡¯t good enough. And besides, I stopped needing to fight as much, anyway ¨C I barely went out in the forest before being sent with the hunting party to find you. I can¡¯t help shaking my head a little. I wonder where that belief came from ¨C the shaman? Consciously or unconsciously? Or was it just Joy¡¯s own insecurities causing her to unintentionally sabotage herself? ¡°Well, you¡¯re using it now,¡± I say diplomatically, ¡°and your chances of survival have increased because of it.¡± Our discussion is interrupted a moment later by a Warrior approaching. This was the fifth one that I beat ¨C I would guess that they¡¯re being careful not to let any of my Bound Warriors officiate any of my fights for the same reason that Shrieks wasn¡¯t allowed to, much to his annoyance. ¡°Honoured Weaver, Honoured Markus, you are the next pair to fight. Do you wish to begin now?¡± ¡°I am not going to fight him,¡± Joy answers quickly with a hint of exasperation in her spikes. ¡°Honoured Weaver,¡± the Warrior says with a hint of reproof, ¡°what you do in the ring is your choice. However, you must be in the ring to make it.¡± Joy looks at me with the same exasperation diffusing through the Bond to me. I just shrug. They did the same with my Warrior bound so why not with my known Pathwalker one too? ¡°Well, shall we?¡± she asks verbally with a greyish ¡®sigh¡¯ making its way through her spikes. ¡°Sure,¡± I answer in the same vein, turning and making my way to the closest empty ring. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Fifty-Nine: Serious Consequences As soon as my ¡®fight¡¯ with Joy is done ¨C a one-minute matter of facing each other in the ring and Joy immediately conceding ¨C I head towards my next opponent. Joy does the same ¨C she¡¯ll be facing Wood-shaper in the next bout. I suspect that the outcome is fairly obvious, but it¡¯s always possible that I will be unpleasantly surprised. I¡¯m a little tempted to follow her ¨C Wood-shaper is currently facing off against Runs-with-the-river and I¡¯m very interested to see what impact her new form and abilities have made to River¡¯s style of fighting. Having sparred so much, my erstwhile-Bound and I know each other¡¯s techniques very well, which means that with the changes in the newest Pathwalker, I may actually be at a disadvantage. Still, first I need to get through the next two battles, so I decide to head off to where my next two opponents are battling it out. In the ring in front of me, I see Grower taking a bit of a beating. She¡¯s facing the herbalist and not doing very well by the looks of things. Like Wind-whisperer before her, she¡¯s surrounded by a noxious cloud from which choking, coughing sounds are emanating. Unlike the herbalist¡¯s previous opponent, however, she¡¯s unable to control the cloud to, presumably, direct it away from her airways, hence the choking. While I watch, she tries to back out of it, her eyes streaming and her body convulsing as it appears to try to retch. As soon as enough of her emerges from the cloud, though ¨C which is holding together surprisingly well ¨Cthe herbalist raises a stick to her lips. There¡¯s a soft humming sound, barely audible against the backdrop of the battle sounds coming from the other two fights. Grower flinches as if struck by something and her right arm suddenly goes limp. To her credit, though, she doesn¡¯t give up despite the handicap, not even when it becomes clear that the paralysis is spreading across her body quickly. Instead, when the herbalist looks away from her for a moment to fumble with her stick ¨C the blowpipe mentioned earlier that she uses would be my guess ¨C Grower makes her move. Fumbling with a pouch at her waist, she pulls out a small stone. Working one-handed and with judicious use of her teeth, she agilely arms a sling. Grubs-in-the-dirt seems to be having problems with loading her own weapon and succeeds in getting it ready only to get a stone to her face. She looks up just as the small stone thumps the boney spot between her eyes. ¡°Impressive accuracy,¡± I comment quietly to the Bound around me. She has improved a lot since last time, Shrieks rumbles both mentally and audibly. At this point I don¡¯t know whether my understanding comes through the Bond or Animal Empathy ¨C or both. Her accuracy was poor before ¨C she has clearly been practising in secret. It is lucky that Weaver managed to bind her sling to her body during their bout or the outcome could have been very different. ¡°True,¡± I agree watching blood flow from the spot between the herbalist¡¯s eyes as a second stone hits the same spot. ¡°Perhaps she knew something that the herbalist didn¡¯t.¡± Perhaps. The first blow between her eyes stunned Grubs-in-the-dirt; the second staggers her. I can only assume that the impact of the first stone meant that she didn¡¯t have the wherewithal to dodge the second which draws blood. Knowing just how much damage tough samuran skin can take before it breaks or splits, I wince despite myself. The herbalist tries to stagger sideways, perhaps realising that she should be dodging. That movement spells her doom as she hadn¡¯t realised that a loop of roots has sneakily grown over her feet. Off-balance, she tumbles to the ground with a thump. More roots quickly grow over her body, binding her tightly to the earth and making sure she stays down. After taking those two heavy blows to the skull, she¡¯s not struggling all that much anyway. Grower isn¡¯t looking too good either, though. Within seconds of Herbalist falling to the ground, so does Grower, her right leg giving out on her. Her left arm pushes weakly at the ground but it seems to be losing its power quickly and her breath is coming in gasps. Whatever substance the herbalist injected her with via dart is acting quickly. Her bindings holding the herbalist to the ground aren¡¯t budging, though, which is interesting to note. I look at the refereeing Warrior, wondering whether he¡¯s going to call it before any permanent damage is done. He looks a little uncertain, and I don¡¯t blame him. ¡°Winner: Grower,¡± he finally decides. Interesting. Personally, I would have called it a draw, but maybe that¡¯s not possible in ranking fights. While Grower has definitely got the herbalist pinned and vulnerable, she looks like she¡¯s likely to expire sooner, her breathing becoming more and more laboured. Even her left arm and leg are now twitching uselessly at the ground. The next thing will be that her heart stops pumping: I would have to guess that this is something which attacks the muscles and the heart is as much a muscle as the arms or legs. In fact, I¡¯m morbidly surprised that her extremities have been affected before her heart ¨C I would have thought that something like this is carried through the bloodstream. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Shrieks and the other Warrior are exchanging increasingly worried glances as neither Pathwalker moves, despite the bout being officially over. They keep darting glances at me too. I cross my arms ¨C I have a feeling I know what this is about. But I let them speak ¨C I¡¯m tired, hungry, and grumpy. Not the kind of mood to give him more than I need to. Sure enough, a moment later, they speak to me. ¡°Honoured Markus, would you be willing to use your healing skills?¡± Shrieks asks politely. ¡°You were able to repair my spine; surely you would be able to help them too?¡± ¡°Quite possibly,¡± I respond shortly. ¡°Honoured Markus,¡± the other Warrior steps forwards, holding his claws out sideways beseechingly. ¡°Please. I know you have not yet been accepted, but I fear that we might lose two Pathwalkers in one fight if you do not intervene. That would spell serious consequences for our village.¡± They look at me expectantly. I sigh, eyeing the two fallen samurans. On the one hand, technically, I have no obligation to help. They are not my Bound. They are not my responsibility. They are forcing me to fight to prove myself to them. Kalanthia would happily see both of them dead and they haven¡¯t given me any reason to keep them alive. Nor, unlike when I¡¯ve healed my opponents, is it my fault ¨C they¡¯re the ones who went for attacks which could prove fatal. On the other hand, I have the power to help them, so shouldn¡¯t I? Plus, since I¡¯m intending on taking over the village ¨C and am well on my way to succeeding in my attempt ¨C the fact that the village will be weakened when these two die is my concern. Or will be, at least. Besides, healing them has got to create some goodwill among the Warriors at least ¨C they take the safety of their Pathwalkers seriously. I¡¯m tired and completely ready to be done with all of these battles ¨C while still having four more ahead of me ¨C but if I save my magic and my energy now, the consequences are likely to cause me a whole lot more trouble later. ¡°Fine,¡± I say, uncrossing my arms and striding forwards. I step first to the herbalist, just to make sure that her situation isn¡¯t as dire as Grower¡¯s. Once I¡¯ve ascertained that she¡¯s unconscious, but not likely to die from a brain bleed, I quickly move over to Grower. Her body resists my magic with more force than any I¡¯ve healed so far. Perhaps the danaris was stronger, but I wasn¡¯t trying to heal that ¨C I was trying to hurt it with venom which was already infused with my magic. The problem here is that what¡¯s affecting the Pathwalker isn¡¯t in the slightest linked to me. In fact, by how resistant it is to my magic, I suspect it¡¯s mostly plant-based anyway. Which means that I need to work with Grower¡¯s systems to get rid of it. Only, Grower¡¯s systems don¡¯t want to work with me. Worse, I¡¯m running out of time. Her heart is starting to fail, her diaphragm failing to pull in enough oxygen. If I keep going as I have been, she¡¯s going to die before I manage to push far enough into her body to be able to make a difference. Pulling one of River¡¯s healing potions out of my Inventory ¨C previous experimentation showed that they succeed in keeping their potency in that space, as opposed to dead flesh ¨C I tip it into Grower¡¯s mouth, then dive back into her system. It helps, a little, but the potion isn¡¯t strong enough to change much. Unfortunately, tipping more down her throat has diminishing returns and from what I can see, even the maximum health regeneration I could get won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯m sure that the herbalist has better brews available to her, but I wouldn''t know the difference between the beneficial and the lethal. At least, not quickly enough to save Grower. Runs-with-the-river might know, but she¡¯s in the middle of a fight. Similarly, I don¡¯t have the time to heal the herbalist to get her to help. I find myself cursing at my delay earlier ¨C seconds count now and I wasted far too many in debating whether to help at all. I let my irritation and resentment overcome my better judgement and Grower might now pay the price for that. Frankly, by this point, I see only one option. Pulling open Grower¡¯s eyelid, I quickly activate the Battle of Wills. With her so weak, the resistance against me is as feeble as Wood-shaper¡¯s was earlier. I stride forwards, stopping abruptly only an arm¡¯s length away from Grower¡¯s form. Her eyes look glassy; she¡¯s not entirely there mentally. Lathani had probably looked similar when I met her briefly in this space. I hesitate for a moment at the memory ¨C Lathani had intentionally allowed me to heal her, which had removed the resistance of her body at the time. Could just getting Grower¡¯s permission do the same? On the other hand, to what end? I hadn¡¯t wanted to Dominate Lathani because of Kalanthia¡¯s interdiction ¨C that Bond came later and at the juvenile¡¯s instigation. If I don¡¯t Dominate Grower now, I will do so in a short space of time when I face her in the ring. Not having the time to debate with myself, I make a snap decision just to go forward with it and save all of us time and trouble. I¡¯ll deal with the fallout later. ¡°You¡¯re dying,¡± I say to Grower bluntly. ¡°Your heart is failing and your lungs are unable to drag in air. I can potentially help, but your body is resisting my healing. If you accept my Bond, there¡¯s a chance that I can still save you. But we may already be too late.¡± I find fear running through me that at any moment Grower will disappear from the Battle, just as the nere once did. You¡­can save¡­me? Grower asks. ¡°Possibly,¡± I say. ¡°Though we¡¯re running out of time.¡± I shove at her my feelings of fear, tension, and urgency. She hesitates for a second. It¡¯s not long, but certainly feels like it with how close to the edge we are. If you¡­must, she responds, closing her eyes. Fear spikes through me and I quickly touch her forehead. The moment I¡¯m back in the ¡®real¡¯ world, I shove my mana into her body. Her heart has stopped. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty: A Taste Of Your Own Medicine Using my knowledge of how hearts work ¨C the electrical pulses that cause the muscles within it to contract and relax, shoving the blood through the body ¨C I force it to restart. Similarly, I quickly infuse magic into Grower¡¯s diaphragm and external intercostal muscles, forcing them to work too, filling and emptying her lungs. Fortunately, a samuran¡¯s body isn¡¯t so different from a human¡¯s in that respect. With her body operating under my magic, much as if she was hooked up to a life support device, I now have a little more leeway to actually start shoving the poison out of her system. Making a small cut at her wrist, I force the remainder of the poison to make its way out of her bloodstream. Unable to be as careful as I normally am, blood spills along with the poison. That¡¯s not ideal, but it¡¯s a small amount being lost; getting the remaining poison out is more important. Once all the poison is out of her system, I get to work on healing the injuries that it has caused to Grower¡¯s cells, allowing the underlying code of her body ¨C her DNA ¨C to guide my magic in the right directions. I find more debris being flushed out of Grower¡¯s system via the exit point in her wrist ¨C remnants of the poison that will only continue to harm the samuran. Finally, I carefully release my control over Grower¡¯s heart and respiratory muscles, moving gently and only doing one at a time. I don¡¯t want to accidentally send her into another cardiac arrest. To my relief, they continue functioning even after my magic pulls away from them. I did fear that I might have been too late and that I was keeping her body artificially alive when her soul had already departed. That her systems are now working properly by themselves is a good indicator that she is still alive in all ways. Though, it¡¯s not a guarantee that she will wake up with no permanent damage. Opening my eyes, I see the slow rise and fall of Grower¡¯s chest, her own eyes closed. I push myself to my feet, staggering slightly. Someone catches me before I accidentally face-plant. I dart a look and see that it¡¯s Catch ¨C ironically. Bastet comes up on my other side and presses herself to me in support. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I hear Wind-whisperer demanding, but I don¡¯t have the energy to respond. I¡¯m completely tapped ¨C both mentally and magically. Healing of that level would be bad enough, but coming after ten battles as it has, I¡¯m exhausted. A large hand engulfs my shoulder, heavy even through my armour. I will explain, Honoured Markus. Rest. And¡­thank you. Shrieks is gone before I can respond verbally, but I send him a sense of gratitude down the Bond. He returns it tenfold, almost taking my breath away. Together the three of us move to the side and Catch eases me down to the ground, Bastet helping. Reassured that they will warn me if anything happens, I close my eyes and dip into Medium Meditation. Bastet knows how to alert me in that state, and I really need the opportunity to rest and recuperate both my mental energy and my magic. ***** When I resurface some time later, I find that the situation seems to have calmed somewhat. Runs-with-the-river is fighting with Joy; Wind-whisperer is fighting with Wood-shaper and, from what I see of the fight, running rings around her. The herbalist is sitting off to the side, alternating between watching us and watching her sisters. Grower, my newest Bound, is sitting not far from me, looking pale and rather under the weather, but alive. That¡¯s better than I feared might be the case, despite my hard work. ¡°How are you doing?¡± I ask her. She turns her head towards me, seeming a little startled. I guess she hadn¡¯t noticed that I was awake again ¨C she seemed to have been watching the other fights with interest. I am not in full health, but I do not feel that it¡¯s anything some rest and food won¡¯t solve. That¡¯s a good point. I pull a few chunks of meat out of my Inventory ¨C I¡¯m low on actual carcasses, but still have meat that I¡¯ve prepared for my own cooking. Suspecting they will be better for her if I fill them with mana, I quickly shove a couple of hundred units in. I¡¯ll get them back in a few minutes, my mana rate plus Light Meditation bonus more than up to the task. ¡°Here. Eat something.¡± Grower looks at the offered meat in surprise and hunger. Delicately, she takes the chunks and snaps them up in her toothy jaws. Surprise ripples through her spines. Tasty, she comments and we sit in silence for a little as she gobbles down the food. I pull some chunks of cooked meat out to join her in eating, my own body needing the nutrition almost as much as hers does. ¡°So,¡± I start once we¡¯re both done. ¡°We were due to fight next,¡± I say leadingly. Grower looks back at me. I would have died without your intervention, she says with a frisson of fear that flickers through her spikes and across the Bond. Even had I not accepted your Bond and still somehow survived, I would have conceded the match to you. As it is, I agree with my kin who earlier said that a battle between us would be rather pointless for the sake of proving who is the superior. Not when you can end it without a single word. We must only meet in the ring to make it official. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, rather relieved despite myself. I might have recovered my mana and a good portion of mental energy with my Meditation earlier, but having one fight less is good news for me. Especially considering I still have three to go. Since both of us are newly mobile, we officially deal with the bout between Grower and me, taking just as little time as the similar official process took with Joy. We quickly return to our previous position of rest, taking advantage of the ¡®battle¡¯ being over so quickly. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Before too long, though, the sound of someone approaching draws both our gazes. The herbalist has apparently noticed that we are free and has come over to join us. She¡¯s not looking great. Obviously someone healed her, but she¡¯s looking pale and unsteady on her feet. A Warrior to her side steadies her every time she almost falls over, but she sits down near us with obvious relief. I¡¯m a little surprised she still looks so bad. Her forehead isn¡¯t bleeding any more, though there¡¯s a small dent in it which I don¡¯t remember being there before. However, even at this distance I can see that her pupils aren¡¯t equal ¨C a symptom even I know indicates a concussion. It seems likely that her lack of balance is linked to the same cause. Wouldn¡¯t her healing potions have dealt with those? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± I ask, eyeing her. She gives me a level look. ¡°I was hit in the head with a rock. Several times.¡± She doesn¡¯t even look at Grower, but I still sense the Pathwalker next to me bristling, irritation and indignation flowing over our Bond. ¡°You almost killed me! What was I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Realise when you were outclassed and concede, you idiot,¡± the herbalist snaps, then raises a clawed hand to her forehead. Sick-looking yellow ripples through her spikes, an indication of pain according to Animal Empathy and experience with samurans. ¡°I would have given you the antidote and there would have been no harm done. But you kept going when you shouldn¡¯t have and we ended up in a mess.¡± ¡°Exactly who was declared the winner?¡± demands Grower, her own spikes filling with crimson. ¡°Chews-a-bone was in error,¡± growls the herbalist. ¡°You would have died long before I would have, and then your roots would have withered.¡± ¡°How would you have fared if Runs-with-the-river hadn¡¯t known your storage system and given you the right healing potion, though?¡± asks my newest Bound stubbornly. The herbalist flicks her tail in a gesture of nonchalance. ¡°I would still have woken up eventually,¡± she says with irritation. ¡°Though you might still have died,¡± I interject ¡®helpfully¡¯. ¡°Concussions can be fatal.¡± I think. Bleeding and swelling in the brain is never a good thing, right? The herbalist glares at me. ¡°Anyway, why did you come over here?¡± ¡°I¡­.¡± for the first time in the conversation, the herbalist looks uncertain. ¡°I wanted to ask for your help. To heal my injuries. The potions I have on hand have not done as good a job as I had hoped they would.¡± ¡°My help?¡± I ask with a little surprise. ¡°Even though we¡¯ll be facing each other in the ring in a short space of time? And that these injuries could almost be considered self-inflicted given the situation?¡± The herbalist looks away for a few moments, then returns her gaze to me levelly. ¡°You spoke of helping the weak, of a different way of doing things. Does that not apply to this?¡± I hesitate. If she had been worse off, I would have healed her with no more questions asked. As it is, she¡¯s mobile and clearly verbal. ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing,¡± I say slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve fought far more battles than any of you have, but I don''t see anyone making any allowances for my fatigue. If my own mana regeneration wasn¡¯t enough to cope with the short pauses I have between fights, or my stamina couldn¡¯t recover quickly enough to continue fighting, would I be given a longer break? Or expected to fight regardless?¡± The herbalist is silent and looks away from me. ¡°No,¡± answers Grower for her. ¡°Endurance is an implicit part of the challenge. Herbalist has historically done well in these fights because she is able to heal her wounds in between bouts. The rest of us have had to deal with only having serious wounds healed. Unless Herbalist deigned to spare us a potion.¡± She glared at the samuran in question.¡±How is it getting a taste of your own potions? Having to ask an opponent for help and being in the position that he might refuse.¡± I sense a certain amount of history in the sheer satisfaction which flicks across the Bond from her. ¡°You little-¡± Grubs-in-the-dirt mutters before cutting herself off, shooting a look at Grower which, if glares could kill, would have seen her stone dead a moment later. ¡°Then you will not heal me?¡± she asks with a sense of resignation in her voice. I consider it for another moment. ¡°I¡¯m not willing to use my energy and mana against an opponent who¡¯s going to try to defeat me in the next few minutes, putting myself doubly at a disadvantage. If I heal you, then we should first undergo a different type of Battle.¡± The herbalist eyes me carefully. ¡°The same type as you evidently had with Grower ¨C that made her concede her fight to you without a single exchange? The one that has clearly converted her to your side, as with Weaver?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± I confirm. The herbalist seems to consider it for a moment, then twitches her tail in refusal. ¡°No. I will first meet you in the ring and test your strength, even if I have to do so at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I reply, not sure whether to be happy or not with the answer. The herbalist summons the Warrior closer with an imperious gesture, then uses his support to get back to her feet, walking slowly towards the edge of the closest available ring without another word. It¡¯s not long after that that I¡¯m asked by the presiding Warrior to face the herbalist ¨C since we¡¯re both free, there is no point in their eyes to delaying the battle any longer. Since I¡¯m as recovered as I¡¯m going to get without having a good sleep, or at least a much longer rest, I decide that I might as well. She glares at me across the ring, still looking slightly unsteady as her supporting Warrior has to leave her side. Bastet has joined me, and I sense that she¡¯s eager to face the one who caused so much pain and hurt to Lathani ¨C she¡¯s as fond of the nunda cub as I am. Though I¡¯m trying to keep my mind away from revenge since that¡¯s not going to be productive in the slightest, I can¡¯t help but feel a bit of glee at facing the herbalist in battle finally. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-One: Why Didn’t You? The Warrior referee starts the match and immediately both of us move. Unlike previous opponents, staying at range isn¡¯t going to help us here. Grubs-in-the-dirt has proven that she has at least two ranged options available to her: the blowpipe and her clouds of choking gas. She has daggers too, as far as I know, though I haven¡¯t seen any evidence in the fights so far. However, we know she¡¯s still injured from the previous fight and her physical stats are bound to be low ¨C she¡¯s a Pathwalker after all. I hear the whistle of something flying past me and then a soft whoosh of air. Jinking sideways, I chance a glance over my shoulder. Ranged attack number one: noxious cloud. Why she decided to throw it when I¡¯m moving, I don¡¯t know: the cloud stays static. There¡¯s another whoosh, then another. Abruptly, I realise her strategy: to block off view of herself, perhaps to fill the whole area with gas so that our advantages are taken away. Bringing flame mana to my fingertips, I flick sparks at the closest gas cloud. Like the previous cloud, it goes up with a whoomph. Unlike the other cloud, however, we¡¯re not trapped in it. Yet. I grin. Bastet, keep out of the clouds, but light them up with your fire breath. She obeys and soon the area is clear of all the little patches of gas that the herbalist has been working on sowing everywhere. While Bastet¡¯s doing that, I take advantage of the generally chaotic sight-lines to drop into Fade. Moving to the edge of the ring, I step slowly towards the herbalist. She looks stressed and angry ¨C or is that fear I see? Pulling out ranged option number two, the blowpipe, she raises it to her lips. Wariness flickers through me. Bastet, darts incoming. Keep clear. I hope that the barding over her is enough to shield against wooden darts, but I¡¯m not certain. It hasn¡¯t been much use against the enhanced blows of the warriors. I don¡¯t know whether there¡¯s any magic helping them fly faster or be sharper than wooden darts should be in this situation too. Unfortunately ¨C for the herbalist ¨C her aim isn¡¯t good enough to effectively use her preferred weapon. Perhaps she¡¯s even seeing double from the concussion, or her vision is blurry. I don¡¯t know. Either way, it works out for us. However, the herbalist isn¡¯t stupid. Not only does she realise that she can¡¯t hit the raptorcat, but that I¡¯ve apparently disappeared. She clearly makes the connection that I must be in stealth and creeping up on her as she reaches for a pouch at her waist and starts throwing something around her. It creates a kind of bluish mist which only rises to knee level, and doesn¡¯t seem to have any negative effects on me. What it does, though, is stick to my boots and armour like blue paint. I shed and replace the outer layers of my armour and boots as quickly as I can, but she spots me and throws something else at me. I try to avoid the powder, but it¡¯s spread widely enough that I can¡¯t. Even though I instinctively close my eyes, it leaves a residue around my eyes that makes them sting and burn. Shedding the outer layer of skin around my eyes helps, but I probably need to refresh the liquid around my eyeballs ¨C something I don¡¯t feel able to do in the middle of a fight. Her focus on me, the herbalist has lost track of Bastet ¨C that¡¯s something which she soon comes to regret. The raptorcat, using her own version of stealth, leaps at the herbalist. Grubs-in-the-dirt seems to sense something and turns, but not in time to do anything about the leaping predator. Bastet¡¯s weight bears her to the ground and sharp teeth around her throat deter her from doing anything about it. I¡¯m aware that though she¡¯s down, she¡¯s not necessarily finished, for all her words earlier about how Grower should have conceded. In her position she could rake Bastet¡¯s eyes or stab her with something like she did Grower. To try to prevent that from happening, I meet her eyes. ¡°Dominate.¡± The usual greyed-out world appears around me, the figure of the herbalist facing me on the other side. Once again, though the pressure against me is unmatched by any of the other Pathwalkers, it¡¯s still not enough to keep me at bay. Frankly, anything feels weak compared to what I experienced with Kalanthia. I push forwards, shoving my way against the jelly that stands before me. Unlike some of her sisters, Grubs-in-the-dirt doesn¡¯t actively fight against me. Nor is she full of the anger that I¡¯m used to in these sorts of battles. Instead, as I get closer to her, she feels¡­intrigued. So this is where you spoke to Runs-with-the-river when he decided to turn against his village? she asks curiously. ¡°It is,¡± I answer. ¡°Though I would argue that he merely decided to serve his village in a different way.¡± She seems to ignore my qualification. And where Weaver and Grower gave up their animosity and became your creatures? ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± I agree. And, I guess, where you expect me to do the same. ¡°That or die,¡± I acknowledge, still feeling a bit awkward at the necessity of presenting such a stark choice. Not because I feel it¡¯s unjustified, but because it¡¯s all too obvious coercion. I see. She falls silent. I keep moving forward, having to actually use some force to push through the final steps to reach a point where I could easily touch her and trigger the Bond. Still, I pause, crossing my arms and looking at her. She needs to make a choice; I won¡¯t choose for her. The silence drags on. Though I¡¯m so close to her, her emotions are muted enough that it takes me a bit of difficulty to work out what she¡¯s feeling. The task is made harder by how her emotions are flickering so quickly that I¡¯m sometimes unable to identify what she¡¯s feeling until it¡¯s already changed. All I gather is that her thoughts are racing faster than anyone else¡¯s in a battle like this. Tell me about the chain I feel hovering around me, she says finally, her tone more commanding than I would have expected from one in her position. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I eye her, trying to make it clear in my silence that she doesn¡¯t get to demand things. Not here, not now. Please? she adds finally, her emotions full of something clearly identifiable this time: exasperation. Regret flickers through me ¨C that was petty of me, wasn¡¯t it? Perhaps I have more to work through than I thought. We¡¯ve been getting on surprisingly well ¨C the herbalist is a surprisingly reasonable creature who has argued in our favour multiple times. I don¡¯t pretend, even to myself, that her motivations are to help me ¨C it¡¯s clear that she is solely motivated by a desire to do right by her village. However, that she seems to be somewhat convinced that supporting me is the way to go about that is an achievement in itself. She¡¯s clearly respected by almost all the other samuran ¨C as their healer, that¡¯s not really surprising. I shouldn¡¯t risk that by being petty. At the same time, I can¡¯t help the memories of Lathani¡¯s words last night from intruding into my mind. How she talked about this samuran¡¯s stone-cold reaction to her fear and pleas, how the herbalist had hurt her as badly as the shaman did. How Lathani wants her to be punished in some way, if my nunda is not able to take her revenge by killing the herbalist outright. But being petty will only offer me a brief satisfaction, and I¡¯m not the one she hurt. It won¡¯t offer Lathani any kind of closure or healing. I sigh, then unfold my arms and give the speech which I¡¯ve given several times before, though in different words each time. The one about working together; working for the benefit of the group. When I¡¯m done, the herbalist looks thoughtful. Do you intend to offer one of these ¡®Bonds¡¯ to all of the village? Now that¡¯s a question which no one else has asked. ¡°Not the same one as I¡¯m offering to you,¡± I tell her honestly. ¡°This one is stricter, more binding. I will offer this to all of the Evolved. Have, in fact, already offered it to all of the Pathwalkers I¡¯ve met in battle, though only one of the Warriors.¡± The herbalist¡¯s eyes widen and her emotions flicker with sudden realisation. So that¡¯s why Wood-shaper was being so subdued. I shrug. ¡°Probably. Anyway, the rest of the village may be offered a different kind of Bond when this whole ranking challenge is complete. Or maybe none at all. I¡¯ll have to see.¡± I see, the samuran says again, thoughtfully. And what of others of our kind from other villages? ¡°What about them?¡± Do you intend to offer them your Bonds? To conquer them as you attempt with us? I start shaking my head immediately. ¡°I have no real desire to be a conqueror,¡± I tell her. Her aura expresses doubt, so I shove my sincerity at her. ¡°I¡¯ve told you why I¡¯m here.¡± Yes, the cub, I remember, Grubs-in-the-dirt answers quickly. And now we¡¯re talking about it¡­I sense a certain amount of¡­hostility which feels like it is directed at me specifically. She eyes me warily ¨C I¡¯m not surprised since that very hostility is growing in my own aura at the topic of discussion. I was able to push it away temporarily while talking about more neutral things, but now it¡¯s risen with full force. Is it about what I did to the cub? she asks bluntly. I remember well how it pleaded with me to release it, to stop what I was doing. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you?!¡± I demand, my lips pulling back to bare my teeth as I shift forwards slightly into a more confrontational posture. A small voice reminds me that I need to keep calm, that the peace of this space requires me to keep my cool. But that small voice is largely washed away by the fury that rises within me. The memories of finding out about her kidnapping, that tense journey down into the valley, constantly worried that we were already too late, finding her and seeing the changes which had been wrought, her own worries about not being accepted by her mother because of how she¡¯d been affected¡­. Because I believed that my village needed that. Needed the sacrifice to be prepared, trusted in Shaman to guide us, to guide me correctly. ¡°And she did so well with that, didn¡¯t she?¡± I respond spitefully I regret my actions now, the herbalist says abruptly. I did not know, then, how far Shaman was prepared to go. I did not realise how far I would let her go. I eye the Pathwalker and feel my anger deflating like a balloon with a hole in it. There¡¯s nothing in her aura to indicate falsehood. Instead, there¡¯s just regret mingled with guilt and the touch of betrayal. ¡°Do you regret hurting Lathani so much?¡± I ask, needing to know. The herbalist hesitates. I¡­Shaman¡¯s decision to capture her was wrong, she says firmly. We lost too many in the attempt, and then it¡¯s clear that there would have been ¨C have been ¨C other consequences that Shaman either didn¡¯t take into account or outright dismissed. Going down that pathway in the first place was a bad idea because of where it ended up, sacrificing some to protect the others. ¡°But you don¡¯t regret hurting Lathani per se,¡± I conclude, a tired sense of anger going through me. The samuran just looks at me steadily. My people are paramount for me. If hurting another species will keep them well and safe, then I will do so with no guilt. I understand, even if I don¡¯t like it. I suppose it¡¯s not too dissimilar from people being willing to accept animal testing of new drugs ¨C better that any bad effects are discovered on mice or rats or rabbits or whatever rather than on humans. Lathani, for all that she is dear to me, means nothing to the herbalist. And isn¡¯t that the approach I take too? When I hunt or send my Bound out to do the same, isn¡¯t it a question of putting our needs above the needs of the creatures we kill? Isn¡¯t that the law of the jungle? How can I justify taking revenge when I do exactly the same thing? Is that likely to be a problem? the samuran in question asks hesitantly as the silence drags on. I consider the question carefully, then heave a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not going to torture you to make you feel how Lathani felt, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re afraid of,¡± I say as bluntly as she did earlier. ¡°Not even if you choose to die rather than take the Bond. But if you do decide to accept it, then your first responsibility, alongside being the healer for the village, is going to be finding a way to heal the damage which you and the shaman did to Lathani.¡± The Pathwalker mulls that over for a long moment. As long as life-threatening situations among my people are given priority over non-life-threatening research, she bargains. ¡°That¡¯s acceptable,¡± I agree ¨C I would expect her to prioritise like that anyway. Then I agree to your Bond, she says, lifting her chin slightly as the paralysis which holds her in place loosens slightly. I reach to touch her between the eyes. The irony of that same spot being her downfall in both recent battles does not escape us. The world shatters around our frozen forms. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Two: To Learn How To Modulate Immediately as the colour returns to the world around us, I lean down to heal my newest Bound. I can feel a sense of strain beginning again at the number of Bonds I¡¯m currently holding. I guess it¡¯s some sort of soul strain? Perhaps my work in the challenge space could help. Anyway, I¡¯m only feeling the starting symptoms now ¨C I should still be able to create a good number of other Dominate Bonds. Whether I¡¯ll be able to finish off the Warriors is another question, though. I may need to focus on Willpower again in my next level up just to make sure. Unfortunately, these battles are not particularly good for levelling up purposes since there doesn¡¯t seem to be any Energy transfer when I¡¯m not actually killing my opponents. I do seem to have got a bit, though ¨C probably from the successful Dominates. Once the herbalist is on her feet, she quickly retrieves her painting tools and uses the time to mark me with a number of other sigils. Unlike with the Warrior battles, apparently Grubs adds the marks of success whenever she gets a moment between battles. I guess that with fewer Pathwalkers and more observers, it would be hard for one to claim a win in a battle which they actually lost. Actually maybe I should stop thinking of her as Grubs. She¡¯s now one of my Bound which means a new name, a new start. Hmm¡­. Perhaps a herb from Earth? It would fit her profession. Perhaps ¡®tarragon¡¯, I think to myself. Tarra for short. With a hint of contrariness, I decide not to consult her about it, curious about whether she¡¯ll question me. ¡°What are the sigils for, anyway?¡± I ask. Tarra gives me a look as a sense of gleeful mysteriousness drifts across the Bond. That will be revealed at the end of the ranking fights, she informs me ¡®helpfully¡¯. I briefly consider forcing her to tell me, then decide that my impatience isn¡¯t a good excuse for using our new Bond against her. But just for that, I¡¯m not going to offer to heal her. If she asks, I will, but I¡¯m not volunteering. Instead, I sigh and cross my arms, checking through my own body for injuries. I take the opportunity to replace the saline around my eyeballs, getting rid of the material which still burns them. My magic quickly produces new liquid which makes tears pour down my cheeks. Fortunately, since crying isn¡¯t something which samurans can apparently do, no one misinterprets it. Tarra has gone off to check on the other combatants, adding sigils where she can. I wander over to see the end of the fight between Grower and Runs-with-the-river. Given that Grower¡¯s name is apparently Picks-a-flower ¨C also rather appropriate considering what she ended up being ¨C I decide to call her Flower for short.There are the indications of fire in the burnt roots which stick out of the ground, and Runs-with-the-river has clearly used her venom against her opponent, if Flower¡¯s unsteadiness is anything to go by. In fact, it¡¯s definitely the tail end of the fight ¨C within the next few moments, I see Flower succumb to the poison. As soon as the observing Warrior announces the winner, I stride forwards and touch Flower, sending magic into her system and pushing out the venom. I realise that I actually recognise the poison in question ¨C it¡¯s rather similar to the danaris¡¯. Not surprising, I guess, since absorbing the danaris¡¯ Core must be one reason why River ended up with that ability. Though she did have a poison gland of her own even before, inactive as it was, so I suppose she could have had a different type of venom to use. The substance is also full of magic already, so I don¡¯t try to fill it with my own mana. Instead, I just use my control over Flower¡¯s systems to push the venom out and heal the damage it¡¯s wrought. That done, I look up, surprised to find Runs-with-the-river standing close by and watching me with concern flickering through her spikes. ¡°Will Grower be well?¡± she asks. ¡°I am still trying to learn how to modulate the venom in my claws. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her too much.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± I reassure Runs-with-the-river. ¡°Are you well?¡± The Pathwalker flicks her tail. ¡°Well enough to fight,¡± she dismisses. The silence between us feels awkward, like neither of us knows what to say. ¡°Good luck with your next fight, mas-Honoured Markus,¡± Runs-with-the-river says finally, her spikes blushing with the pinkish red colour of embarrassment. She quickly turns and hurries away to the next ring ¨C she¡¯ll be facing the herbalist next, which should be an interesting fight. ¡°You too,¡± I call after her, several beats too late. My mind was just too full of questions at her slip to respond in the right amount of time. By this point, I¡¯m not sure whether I¡¯m looking forward or dreading our fight. Before that, though, I have Wind-whisperer to face, and that one I know is going to be a bit of a battle. It will be particularly difficult since I don¡¯t really have any good way of combating her preferred strategy ¨C creating a whirlwind around her opponent that both blocks his or her view and makes it difficult to breathe. If that¡¯s not enough to down her opponent, adding items such as rocks or sharp sticks into the mix is enough to batter the other combattant into compliance. Last ranking fight, she won against all but Tarra and the shaman. The former won because her use of poison was a significant equaliser once she managed to get it into the other samuran. The latter won because her ¡®spirits¡¯ were unaffected by wind, and therefore were able to take Wind-whisperer down even if the shaman was unable to see and hardly able to breathe. I¡¯m not sure why I was scheduled to fight Tarra before Wind-whisperer ¨C there¡¯s no doubt some reason or other. I think getting this over quickly will be the name of the game. Looking between my two Bound, I hesitate over which one to take. ¡°Come on, Catch,¡± I say finally. I have to admit that my choice is perhaps partly motivated by how scornful Wind-whisper appeared to be about the Unevolved. I kind of want to beat her with the help of one of those that she seemed perfectly willing to throw to the shaman¡¯s sacrificial knife. The other part is more practical: having two sets of poison is more effective than just the one. To that end, I make sure to coat the head of Catch¡¯s spear with the danaris¡¯ venom, as well as giving him my knife, also coated. It¡¯s a gamble, but I figure that she¡¯s likely to concentrate on me, and not let me close. Hopefully that will mean that she pays little attention to Catch. The three participants of the next fight walk up to the edge of the ring, waiting for the presiding Warrior to announce the start. ¡°Ready to die, prey beast?¡± Wind-whisperer sneers, her spikes flashing an ugly combination of muddy brown and dirty green. ¡°Ready to kiss the dirt in surrender?¡± I retort. I¡¯d love to comment about how she¡¯ll be beaten by a ¡®prey-beast¡¯ and ¡®Unevolved¡¯, but don¡¯t want to draw attention to Catch right now. Ah well, I¡¯ll have to save my gloating for after we defeat her; for now I need to focus on not making any stupid mistakes and giving her any justification for her prejudice. Wind-whisperer just gapes her mouth open in threat even as the Warrior signals the start of the fight. Immediately, I see the dust becoming disturbed around me as the wind starts to pick up. Head off to the side, I tell Catch. Let¡¯s see how she reacts. With a silent acknowledgement, he does just that. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I need to know if her attention is fixated on me, or if she can split her focus to cover both of us. To encourage the former, I pull out my bow and fit an arrow to the string. Pulling the string back, I release it quickly. My arrow flies straight and true ¨C until Wind-whisperer gestures and sends it way off course. Expected, though annoying. Arrows are so dependent on the wind that the result of using them against a wind-controller was somewhat predictable. It¡¯s a good distraction, though, so I loose three more in quick succession before noticing that, though she¡¯s a bit distracted, the wind around me is still picking up its pace uncomfortably quickly. The dust is swirling and risks clouding my vision soon enough. Deciding to try a different approach, I pull a few trusty rocks out of my Inventory. Jogging sideways in the opposite direction from Catch, I note with interest that the beginning of the cyclone moves with me, though the slight delay indicates that it requires active instruction rather than doing it automatically. Considering how static the other Pathwalkers seemed to be, I wonder how many of them realised that they could get out of it just by jogging to the side. Throwing the rocks with all my twenty points of strength behind the movement, I note with satisfaction that the Pathwalker is unable to redirect that so easily. Instead, she¡¯s forced to dodge the projectiles. She loses some of her concentration, the wind gathering around me dropping a bit. I notice that, behind her, Catch has managed to go into Stealth, and is creeping up on her with his spear ready. Throwing another rock, I make sure that it¡¯s not likely to hit my own Bound even if she dodges it ¨C which she does. I throw again, each time taking another step closer. She seems to recognise the danger of my approach as abruptly a wave of dust is thrown at me. I¡¯m not quick enough to cover my eyes, though my automatic blink does stop the dust from actually blinding me. Spluttering and coughing, I wipe the offending particles away from my face. Then I hear something which sends ice through my system: a strangled choking sound. Forcing my eyes open despite the dust still on my lashes which makes me blink furiously, I see Wind-whisperer standing over Catch who has both hands clutched to his throat. His knees give way, dropping him into the dust alongside his spear. Boiling fury chases away the ice suffusing me and, with barely a thought on my part, fire explodes out of me. It closes the distance between me and the Pathwalker in a fraction of a second, grabbing onto the woven strands decorating Wind-whisperer¡¯s body with eagerness. One moment the Pathwalker is standing triumphantly over my suffocating Bound; the next, she¡¯s a pillar of fire. A thin scream comes out from the centre of the inferno and Catch abruptly drags in heavy gasps of air. I stride forwards and dismiss the fire with a flick of my hand and a thought. The Pathwalker meets my eyes, her gaze wide and shocked, her scales burnt red in patches. Without letting her make a single move, I activate another Battle of Wills. As soon as the grey world forms around us, I stride forwards. Wind-whisperer tries to fight me off, works out how to use her emotions against me as weapons even faster than Joy had. She throws what feels like daggers of fear coated in anger at me, controlling them as if they were weapons held within her wind. But it won¡¯t help her: this is my space. I grab the daggers with a mental grip and throw them back at her. She gasps in pain as they land. I then throw my own anger and determination to see this done at her as if they were the rocks I was flinging earlier. She makes a sound of pain, as if my emotions are heavy enough to cause actual damage. Maybe they are ¨C I¡¯m no expert in soul-spaces, that¡¯s for sure. Before very long, I¡¯m standing right in front of her, glaring down at the Pathwalker who has been my most fervent opponent since the beginning. I¡¯m very tempted to just kill her, honestly ¨C she¡¯s been a thorn in my side ever since I came to the village and the thought of her being on of my Bound is not entirely a happy one. ¡°So,¡± I say to her softly, unable to stop myself taking a moment to gloat. ¡°You¡¯ve been defeated by a prey beast and an Unevolved ¨C just as I promised you would be. Why shouldn¡¯t I just kill you like you promised to do to me if you could? Or, better yet, get Catch to do it ¨C you were the one who seemed to think that Unevolved were pretty much useless.¡± Wind-whisperer has been making unhappy noises ever since I started speaking, but apparently she¡¯s decided not to interrupt me. Probably one of the wisest decisions she¡¯s made since we met. You wouldn¡¯t! she exclaims, sounding more confident than she probably should be. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± I demand suddenly more annoyed than triumphant. Even now she tries to deny reality. ¡°You¡¯ve been a constant pain in my arse, and wanted to kill me in this very fight. Why should it be any different because you¡¯re the one who lost?¡± I¡¯m a Pathwalker; you¡¯re a prey-beast¨C ¡°Shut up.¡± I interrupt her, my tone apparently strong enough to make her obey without argument this time.¡±You know that that¡¯s rubbish now,¡± I continue after a moment of giving her a hard stare. ¡°I beat you with the help of Catch, an Unevolved. You have ample evidence that the rubbish you¡¯ve been peddling is worthless. So now, give me one good reason why I should even bother Binding you to me and leaving you alive.¡± Binding me? she exclaims, suddenly indignant despite the deep fear I feel emanating from her at my threat. ¡°Yes, Binding you. Because that¡¯s the only way you¡¯re making it out alive. It¡¯s the same choice as I¡¯ve offered all your sisters so far ¨C agree to a Bond or die. Given the way you¡¯ve been acting so far, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to offer you anything else. Frankly, being offered a Bond at all is a concession I¡¯m not entirely sure I should be offering.¡± I refuse to¡­to let you do that! she tells me angrily, once more battering at me with her emotions. Flicking them away like I did before, I cross my arms and stare at her for a long moment. She stares back defiantly, her attempts to attack me dying away as she realises they aren¡¯t doing much good. ¡°So be it,¡± I tell her, crossing my arms and turning away. ¡°You die the moment we¡¯re out of this space, then.¡± I start walking away from her. It will cause some problems with the village: she is a Pathwalker, and they¡¯re a rare breed, but I¡¯m sure I can smooth things over. Besides, everyone has heard how she swore she¡¯d try to kill me. Considering how I seem to have at least been accepted by a Pathwalker, and am going to be the leader based on the number of fights I¡¯ve won, I doubt that choosing to kill her instead will lead to too much anger. Wait, she calls after I¡¯ve stepped a bit away from her. She sounds defeated. I pause but don¡¯t turn back to her. If you promise to help me get stronger, then I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll accept your chains. ¡°Not good enough,¡± I tell her. ¡°I¡¯m not even offering you my Bond yet. You haven¡¯t even given me a reason for why I should leave you alive at all ¨C and every reason why I shouldn¡¯t.¡± I sense her hesitating, a flicker of wounded pride keeping her silent. After a long moment goes by with nothing more from her, I shake my head and keep walking. Wait! she calls again, sounding far more desperate. I can¡­I can be useful to you, she says, sounding more than a little reluctant. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could be,¡± I tell her evenly, once more pausing my movement and half-turning back to her. ¡°But I¡¯m not looking for a Bound who must be coerced to do every little thing to help me or my other Bound.¡± I¡¯ll help you, she promises quickly. I¡¯d say she was lying except that there is sincerity among the resignation and anger that she has been brought to this. Make me stronger and I will do anything you want me to. It¡¯s a bit of an abrupt turn-about, but I understand ¨C Wind-whisperer seems to me to have a chronic inferiority complex, one that expresses itself by lashing out, sometimes illogically, at those she perceives to be weaker. I.e. she¡¯s a bully. But it¡¯s true that she has abilities I could use. And frankly, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s actually been particularly effective in what she¡¯s attempted. Though she¡¯s talked a lot, she¡¯s actually been pretty powerless to cause problems. She wanted to banish River; her sisters argued against her. She wanted to bar River from the discussion, wanted to discount both Tarra¡¯s and Joy¡¯s opinions because of their connection to me; she lost the argument. She didn¡¯t want to give me the opportunity to become leader of the village, but I¡¯m only one fight away from beating all of the Evolved samurans and ¨C hopefully ¨C earning their respect enough to declare me as such. Perhaps the rest of her sisters realise that her opinions aren¡¯t nearly as useful as her inherent abilities. In which case, perhaps it¡¯s not too risky to keep her alive, especially when she¡¯s Bound to me with Dominate. I turn back and start moving slowly towards her. ¡°I will not treat you any differently from any other new Bound,¡± I warn her. ¡°You will have to earn my trust and any further support. Make up for your past attempts at being an obstacle, and we can revisit your desire to get stronger.¡± She considers that for a long moment, but I sense that she¡¯s going to agree. Pausing in front of her, I raise an eyebrow. Making a discontented noise, she lifts her chin slightly. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Three: I Can’t See You As My Enemy The last fight looms before me, and I can¡¯t wait to get it over with. I¡¯m exhausted, a bone-deep fatigue that no amount of stamina regeneration can remove. I feed mana into my system to relieve the symptoms of pushing past my limits again and again. It helps, but doesn¡¯t do anything about my mental tiredness. Unfortunately, I suspect that this might be my hardest fight yet. Not only has Runs-with-the-river been making a good showing for herself among the other Pathwalkers ¨C the sigils on her back tell the tale of five battles won with only one loss ¨C but she also is the one who knows both my fighting style and my Skills the best. There¡¯s also the complication that I actively don¡¯t want to hurt her. Not anymore than a normal sparring session might cause. Yet I don¡¯t see much choice if I want to have the unbroken record which I feel obliged to aim for. Standing at the edge of the ring, I find myself once more hesitating between which Bound to bring with me. Runs-with-the-river knows Bastet as well as she knows me, and their bond is as close, which might mean that Bastet will hesitate at a vital moment too. On the other hand, Runs-with-the-river might be equally affected by her emotional connection ¨C if she hasn¡¯t disavowed us entirely in favour of fully embracing her new status. Runs-with-the-river and Catch haven¡¯t fought with each other as much, so are not as familiar with each other¡¯s fighting styles. That said, they both come from the same origins, and were exposed to the same kinds of dangers and training, meaning that their styles are not necessarily different enough to provide an advantage. Catch is younger than Runs-with-the-river, which means less combat time. Certainly, when they sparred together before, River tended to beat Catch more than the other way around, though their record was not wildly disparate. However, I do have to consider that Catch is now physically stronger than Runs-with-the-river and the weapon she¡¯s most familiar with ¨C the spear ¨C relies heavily on strength to have an effect. Dexterity is important too, but being able to hit the target matters little if the combatant''s strength is too weak to cause any damage. Even a badly aimed strike can cause damage as long as it actually hits with strength behind it. A moment before the Warrior calls for the battle to start, I decide to take Catch with me. While Runs-with-the-river might be hesitant to attack Bastet, I can¡¯t rely on that, and the fact that she knows all of the raptorcat¡¯s moves is a significant downside. ¡°Begin,¡± the Warrior calls and the three of us step into the ring. Immediately Catch runs towards Runs-with-the-river, his poisoned spear at the ready. In reaction, the Pathwalker pulls her own spear from its harness on her back, settling into a ¡®guard¡¯ position that makes short work of Catch¡¯s initial attack. Since Catch wasn¡¯t expecting his first strike to land, he¡¯s prepared to pull it, not leaving himself open for his opponent¡¯s counter-attack. They begin to fence cautiously, strikes made with force and speed, but not as much as they could put into it if they were really trying. They¡¯re more well-matched than I thought ¨C Runs-with-the-river¡¯s increased familiarity with the weapon in question makes up for her weaker physical stats. Catch is more used to using a cudgel, but unfortunately that doesn¡¯t work so well with my increasing use of poisons. While technically a blunt weapon could deliver poison to the bloodstream, it would take a much more serious wound than a sharp weapon. If it were just the two of them, I don¡¯t know who would win. Runs-with-the-river doesn¡¯t seem to be using any of her new abilities apart from striking at Catch with her claws every so often ¨C a new addition to her repertoire of attacks. However, it¡¯s not just the two of them, though they seem to have forgotten that. Seeing that their attentions are entirely fixed on each other, I quietly pull my bow out and fit an arrow to its string. Arrow, I warn Catch and see his footwork falter just a little. Runs-with-the-river pounces on the error ¨C and leaves herself open for my arrow to her shoulder. I couldn¡¯t quite force myself to shoot at her spine, for all that I know that I could heal it afterwards. The sudden pain evidently reminds Runs-with-the-river of my presence. I see the same expression on her face and in her spikes that always showed itself when she made a mistake in a spar and was furious with herself for it. She turns to start moving towards me, but Catch gets in her way. The Pathwalker is forced to deal with the threat in front of her, pained as she is by the arrow sticking out just below her left shoulder blade. In the meantime, I concentrate on the venom which I¡¯ve just sent into her bloodstream. It¡¯s more of a struggle than usual, I have to admit. Not only am I feeling resistance from the samuran¡¯s body, but I seem to only be having half my normal effect on my poison. As I battle on, I realise what¡¯s happening. Somehow Runs-with-the-river¡¯s body is absorbing some of my poison. Absorbing without causing any damage to herself. And that¡¯s not the only problem, I realise with dismay. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Her body is becoming more resistant to the poison entirely. What I¡¯m left with is having less and less effect on her system and the lethargy which had begun creeping through her is being quickly beaten back. Where Catch had started getting the upper hand in their battle, he now is becoming pressed once more. That must be an effect of Poison-Claw, I think to myself, impressed. If it allows Runs-with-the-river to become immune or at least resistant to the poisons she¡¯s exposed to, that is a pretty awesome ability. It¡¯s not good news for me in this fight, though. I consider shooting her with a different venom and trying to overwhelm her system: it¡¯s clear that her increasing immunity is taking time. That¡¯s a risky strategy, though ¨C she will either become resistant to all my venoms, or she may accidentally die as her ability is overwhelmed. I don¡¯t want to risk that. Nor do I want to burn her to cinders, which would be an option with another opponent. Sighing, I decide that we¡¯re going to have to go old-school. Running towards the fray, I pull a cudgel and a chitin shield out of my Inventory. Runs-with-the-river sees me coming at the last moment and doesn¡¯t have time to react. I slam into her, shield first, and send her staggering backwards. Unfortunately, she manages to stay on her feet or the fight might have been over then and there. Still, we have a moment¡¯s breathing space which I take full advantage of. Switch, I order Catch, handing him the cudgel and shield, and taking the spear in return. With both of us now wielding our preferred weapons, we tag-team the Pathwalker. She¡¯s hard-pressed to keep up with both of us working together, her spear whirling around frantically as she tries to block our strikes. I feel a building sense of triumph as I see her tire, her own strikes rebounding off the shield Catch is holding even as ours get closer and closer. Then she does something unexpected. Instead of aiming for one of us, she strikes at Catch¡¯s shield ¨C and with her bare claws rather than her spear. The next moment passes in a blur. Her claws press against the black surface of the shield and an expression of concentration comes over her face. Taking automatic advantage of the opportunity, I strike at her midsection. I miss, because she lunges forward, her claws going through the shield. It takes me a moment more to realise that the once-solid chitin has now transformed into ash and smoke. Her claws bury themselves in Catch¡¯s chest and he lets out a hiss of pain. I¡¯m out of position, but quickly pull myself back, ready to strike again. I aim once more for her midsection. Runs-with-the-river tries to dodge it but she¡¯s tired, even lethargic, and my spear strikes true. For a moment we are frozen in a tableau, and then the two samurans abruptly collapse. Catch¡¯s eyes are closed. He¡¯s still breathing, but I don¡¯t like the paleness to his scales. Runs-with-the-river has toppled forwards and caught herself on one hand, her claws on the other going to the gaping and heavily bleeding hole caused by my spear. I¡¯m holding my weapon, a foot of its length now covered in dark red blood. I drop it, going to my knees next to the two of them. Putting my hand on each, I frantically start trying to heal them. Catch is being affected by a poison which seems almost as strong as the danaris¡¯, and, since it¡¯s been injected in his chest, is already having bad effects on his lungs and heart. But he¡¯s easy enough to deal with ¨C his body accepts my healing willingly. Runs-with-the-river is another story. Her body resists my healing with a strength that is greater than any I¡¯ve felt so far except for Lathani¡¯s. And then¡­it doesn¡¯t. Not looking a gift-horse in the mouth, I pour my mana into each of them, dropping into the deepest level of Meditation that I feel comfortable with ¨C partially into Medium Meditation. With the lack of resistance, I¡¯m able to quickly close up the holes which are leaking out blood. Healing the damaged organs takes longer, especially since I¡¯m not as familiar with them as I was with her previous body. I¡¯m done with Catch long before I¡¯m finished with River. And then I pull out of my healing trance only to realise that she¡¯s still an opponent. The Warrior doesn¡¯t seem to have called an end to the fight if the samurans arrayed around the ring are anything to judge by. I gaze steadily at Runs-with-the-river. I¡¯ve emptied my mana healing her, and feel the nausea of low mana roil in my belly. I¡¯m kneeling next to her in a position which she could very easily take advantage of to rip out my throat, as she did the shaman, or claw at me and inject her venom. Instead, though, she tilts up her chin. ¡°I concede,¡± she says, her vocalisation loud enough for the watching samurans to hear. ¡°Winner: Markus,¡± the Warrior announces, with a hint of something in his voice. Without being able to see his spikes, I can¡¯t tell exactly what it is. But I¡¯m too focussed on Runs-with-the-river to look. ¡°You could have won,¡± I say quietly. ¡°Not if you hadn¡¯t healed me,¡± she answers just as quietly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t betray you like that.¡± I wonder if it¡¯s just me or whether there¡¯s actual affection there. ¡°Healing an enemy in the middle of combat doesn¡¯t seem like a particularly good strategy, though,¡± she comments a little wryly. ¡°I can¡¯t see you as my enemy, though,¡± I say softly after a moment. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave you like that, risk you dying.¡± River¡¯s ¨C Runs-with-the-river¡¯s gaze is soft, the muscles of her face relaxed, her spikes flickering with the blue of contentment. ¡°Offer me a Bond, Markus,¡± she requests quietly. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Four: It’s Good To Be Back ¡°You mean¡­a Tame Bond?¡± I check with her. She lifts her chin slightly in answer. ¡°Alright, then,¡± I say, triggering Tame. I should feel surprised when I feel River pour in all that she is onto her side of the Bond and then accept it, but I don¡¯t. Or not entirely. Instead, I¡¯m filled with a deep gratitude ¨C that despite everything, she has made this choice. In return, I pour in my promise of protection, of respect, and of dedication to her to match the devotion she shows me. The moment I accept, I feel the Bond return, brighter and stronger than ever. Now no longer a forced Dominate Bond, instead we now share a consensual Companion Bond. The loss and grief that have been lingering ever since the initial Bond was severed vanish, replaced by the steady thrum of her emotions; of her soul. I find that I¡¯m grinning, and am sure that my pleasure is as obvious across the Bond as River¡¯s is to me. I wanted our Bond again the moment the last was severed, River confesses to me privately. But I knew that I needed to take some time to think, to reassure both of us that any new Bond was my true desire. And then I Evolved and I wanted to Bond again, but thought that it would be better if I were not to be one of your Bound when we had the discussion. And then I saw you fight the Warriors and I wanted¡­I wanted for you to defeat me again. To prove yourself the stronger once more. She looks away and hints of guilt drift across the Bond from her side. I know that you do not like the principle of ¡®the strongest rule¡¯, but I just wanted you to be the strongest of us two. It¡¯s OK, I reassure her. I get it. And there¡¯s nothing wrong with your desires. I just don¡¯t agree with making a culture based on it. Anyway, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back. I smile at her again and her spikes flash a deep blue in response. If you two are done making up, can I get up? Catch¡¯s voice breaks into both of our minds. I look down to see that, indeed, we¡¯re rather blocking him from moving. ¡°Hah, sorry Catch,¡± I say, though there¡¯s little apology in the grin I send him. He huffs, but I sense that he¡¯s not actually annoyed. Welcome back, I hear him saying to River. It¡¯s good to be back, she answers sincerely, and I can¡¯t help but feel she¡¯s revelling in the feeling of the Bond network again. Bastet is the next to express her pleasure that River has returned to the fold, and then Joy, though the latter¡¯s is more cautious than the previous two¡¯s greetings had been. Seeming unsure, the other samurans I¡¯ve so newly Bonded also send their greetings, apparently following in the lead of my previous Bound. I push myself to my feet, then stick a hand out to pull River to hers. I¡¯m expecting her to turn away, perhaps to go and speak to the other Pathwalkers, but instead she lingers almost shyly. I know that I could be considered ungrateful, she ventures, unable to hold my gaze as she looks at her claws. Especially with how long I left it between you releasing me from the Bond and requesting this new one, but¡­if you have not yet chosen another assistant, I would be honoured to call you ¡®master¡¯ once more. Ah. This. You remember that ¡®master¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean the same thing to me as it does to you, I remind her, speaking as privately as she had started. And that I don¡¯t need an ¡®assistant¡¯ as such, not as the Pathwalkers of the village do, that is. What I need ¨C and want ¨C is what you were before. My friend, one of my most trusted team-leaders, you and Bastet are my right and left hands. If you wish to call me ¡®master¡¯ but still do all of that¡­well, I¡¯ve got used to it. But I prefer ¡®Markus¡¯. She looks thoughtful and doesn¡¯t answer immediately. Think about it and let me know, I say, patting her shoulder and then moving off to meet Tarra to have my final sigil painted on my back. With the marks of thirteen Warriors and six Pathwalkers there, it must be getting pretty crowded. Even if I¡¯m done, there¡¯s still one more fight to go: River against Joy. I sit down and watch it, but find my mind wandering as my tiredness makes it hard to concentrate. Someone comes to sit down next to me, and then someone else. And then more. Within a moment I find that I¡¯m surrounded by samurans, all of whom are my Bound. Bastet sits to my right, half-flopping over my leg as I stroke her idly. Tarra is to my left. Catch sits in front of me, though he¡¯s careful not to block my vision. Shrieks sits behind me, his hulking form definitely too big to be anywhere else. Wood-shaper ¨C who I decide to call Sticks since apparently ¡®Plays-with-sticks¡¯ is her name ¨C is a bit more cautious and sits a few paces to the side of Tarra the herbalist, previously known as Grubs. Next to her sits Wind-whisperer ¨C who I¡¯m very tempted to call something rude and related to dogs, but instead decide to go with ¡®Windy¡¯. Technically, her name is ¡®Runs-over-a-branch¡¯, but considering she¡¯s been full of hot air lately, I think ¡®windy¡¯ is appropriate. Flower, aka Grower, makes the bridge between that little group and ours, which is appropriate considering what she¡¯s been doing all day. I find myself closing my eyes and replaying the events of the day in my mind, trying to work out where I could have fought better, what I could have done to avoid the various injuries which have happened, how I could have directed different Bound, or more Bound. It¡¯s idle speculation but might help me react better in future fights. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I¡¯m pulled out of my thoughts by a question from Tarra. I know that we discussed your lack of desire to conquer other villages, but could you expand on what you mean to do exactly when you come into contact with them? she asks. I sense the attention of all the Evolved around us focussing on the question. Apparently it¡¯s an important one which makes me discard the glib response I was about to say. ¡°If the other villages leave me alone, then I will be perfectly happy to do the same,¡± I tell them bluntly. ¡°I don¡¯t see why I would need to come into contact with them at all.¡± There¡¯s a pregnant silence. I open my eyes to see the samuran around me exchanging glances. ¡°What?¡± Then you do not intend to lead the delegation to the festival? ¡°The what now?¡± I ask in confusion. Shrieks takes over the explanation. The festival is a yearly event held on the shortest day. All Pathwalkers and most Warriors join together to feast, share news, trade goods and, most importantly, mate. Only a few Warriors are left in each village to protect it; the rest of us travel deeper into the valley to meet up with others of our kind. The leaders of each village also meet together to discuss any grievances between villages, or any cooperation needed to deal with threats, he continues. If you had not already dealt with the Forest of Death, we would have had to seek our kin¡¯s aid at the festival ¨C if we were still alive. You would be rather¡­conspicuous in your absence, and indeed, to not have our leader present could cause our kin to see our village as weak ¨C and vulnerable. I groan out loud. ¡°And the fact that your leader isn¡¯t even the same species as you wouldn¡¯t cause just as much scandal?¡± I look rather pointedly at Windy. ¡°Some of you refused to accept me until it was a choice between that and death.¡± Windy looks away from the glances sent her way, her spikes pinking a little. It¡¯s a good point, Tarra agrees thoughtfully, but although you might come in for a few challenges, I agree with Shrieks-loudly that it would be worse if you''re not there to face them. Rubbing my forehead, I sigh. No one ever warned me that becoming the leader of the village would be this much trouble, I gripe to myself. Then to everyone else: ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go. When do we have to leave?¡± Everyone looks at Tarra. In about three moons to allow enough time for attacks on our journey down, she says decisively. Ninety days, if the moon cycle here is like on Earth. From what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s not all that dissimilar ¨C there have been a couple of moon cycles since I¡¯ve been here which works out in terms of number of days. Three moon cycles is quite a while in the future, but given how quickly the last two months have gone, I mustn¡¯t let that time get away with me. There is lots to accomplish, both for me and for the village. High on that list is the quest ¨C frankly, the earlier I can get that over and done with, the better. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m going to be walking into there, though the state of the tunnel at the centre of the vine-stranglers indicates that something has changed since we went through. Maybe I should take an expedition tomorrow? See what we can find. The samurans around me are pushing themselves to their feet and I notice that the fight is over. It looks like it¡¯s been a tough one ¨C both of my Bound look exhausted. Still, from Joy¡¯s pleasure and River¡¯s discontent ¨C not to mention how she¡¯s trussed up tightly ¨C I can tell who¡¯s the winner even before the Warrior announces it. I hurry over to deal with the poison running through Joy¡¯s system even as she releases River from her bonds. After healing Joy, I check River over and heal the small cuts and scrapes on her body. Gratitude flicks over the Bonds from each of them. I healed Tarra earlier too so by this point we should all be tired but in decent health. The ranking fights finally over, Tarra draws our attention with a sharp click of her teeth. ¡°Another ranking challenge is complete,¡± she announces, pleased grunts ringing out among the tired Warriors and Pathwalkers. ¡°The Pathwalkers have a new leader.¡± She beckons to me and I walk forward to stand by her side. ¡°And an additional new sister.¡± This time she beckons to River who also walks forward to stand on her other side. ¡°Sisters, do we have names for our new members?¡± she asks. The other Pathwalkers all flick their tails in assent. ¡°Then for Runs-with-the-river, sister of our village? What are your suggestions?¡± ¡°Poison-claw,¡± suggests Sticks. She gets several scornful looks for that. ¡°Poisonous Devourer,¡± says Flower. ¡°Devours-to-ash,¡± proposes Joy ¡°Spear,¡± offers Windy, which makes River scowl at her ¨C if Joy¡¯s reasoning for not wanting to use a mundane weapon is anything to go by, I understand why. ¡°Reducer,¡± suggests Tarra. They all then look to River ¨C evidently the final choice is up to her. ¡°Reducer,¡± she decides in the end. ¡°Then sisters, brothers, please welcome our new sister: Reducer.¡± Warm grunts of welcome ring out. Next, it¡¯s my turn. This time, Tarra just looks up at me. This is a bit of an unusual situation, she admits to me. Not only are you not really part of our village, but you¡¯re not female, and you¡¯ve defeated all the Warriors and Pathwalkers, making you eligible to be either. You therefore have the choice: to be offered a new name, and be considered a Pathwalker, or to retain your current one and be considered a Warrior. I think about it carefully for a few moments. From what I understand of the roles, the Pathwalkers are the ideological leaders; the Warriors are the protectors. Although I suppose I¡¯ll be fulfilling both, my aims of changing the way the village goes about things fits more with the Pathwalkers. ¡°I¡¯ll take a new name,¡± I tell Tarra quietly. She twitches her tail in assent and once more asks for new names. This time they¡¯re quite varied. ¡®Archer¡¯ makes an appearance instead of ¡®Spear¡¯. Binder, Life-devourer-shaper, Healer, and Poison-point are others. However, it¡¯s the last one which I like most, the one which describes so much at the same time as fitting my Class perfectly. Of course, it comes from River ¨C the one who knows me so well. ¡°Tamer,¡± I settle on, smiling at my Companion. ¡°Then sisters, brothers, please welcome our new Pathwalker and leader: Tamer.¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Five: Even a Fool It¡¯s another sunrise. I wake with my head aching and my stomach turning as badly as it did the day I decided to take advantage of Nicholas¡¯ offer. This time it isn''t because of alcohol, though. Nor am I restricted only to over-the-counter painkillers. Instead, I keep my eyes closed as I send magic through my body to push out all of the toxins which are making me feel so bad. It¡¯s a soothing sensation and I sigh with relief once it¡¯s over and I¡¯m feeling back to normal. With my brain no longer threatening to squeeze out of my ears or my eyes jump from my head the moment I open my eyelids, I tentatively gaze around me. We¡¯re in the middle of the samuran village, all of the lizard-folk curled up together. Interspersed between them are a number of my Bound, both lizard-kin and not. I grin as I spot Honey being cuddled by one of the Unevolved, and Wolverine curled up between Tarra and Joy. I hope that those two wake up feeling better than I did or those around them are going to regret being so close. Bastet is at my side, as are Catch, River, Fenrir, Lathani, and Sirocco ¨C perched on top of Lathani and sleeping with her head under her wing. The original gang who returned back to the cave together. Well, apart from Aingeal who, as always, is gently shifting up and down over my shoulder, not seeming to need rest or anything other than a bit of mana every so often. On that note, I send a chunk of fire mana down the link between us and it flares brighter, communicating pleasure to me. I see Trinity and Spine off to one side, Komodo with them. The rest of my non-samuran Bound are either with them or in other groups around the periphery. Reassured that everyone is where they should be, I remember back to last night. Iandee wasn¡¯t kidding about the celebrations after a ranking fight being rather wild. I have a feeling that this one was more so than usual because it wasn¡¯t just a normal ranking fight, but the recognition of two more Pathwalkers ¨C and myself as the new leader. I¡¯d been wondering at odd points where the Unevolved had been all day, and my question was answered soon after River¡¯s and my names were chosen. I¡¯d known that the Unevolved were not allowed to watch the ranking fights; instead, it seemed they¡¯d been turned out of the village and sent to find resources for the celebrations. A couple of Warriors had stood watch to make sure no one sneaked back into the village during the fights, being relieved when it was their turn to fight. Apparently even the Unevolved samurans connected to me with Tame Bonds had decided to join their brethren, taking several of my otherwise bored Bound with them. As a result, when the Warriors had allowed the rest of the villagers back in after the ranking fights had completed, there had been a steady stream of beings bearing carcasses, leaves, berries, and other assorted materials. The carcasses and most of the berries had been placed in the centre of the village in several different piles. The central pile was the biggest, though the one not far away from it was almost as big. The other three piles had decreased significantly in size and I was left wondering what the organisation was all about for a while. The rest of the resources had gone to Sticks and Tarra ¨C the village wood-shaper and herbalist, respectively. Sticks had made a whole load of new containers which also got given to Tarra. I watched her work, fascinated. I would say that it wasn¡¯t all that dissimilar from how I shape bone and I wonder if I might have a chance of learning how to do it myself. But that would take time that I don¡¯t have currently. Tarra then used a large container to combine a whole load of leaves, berries, mushrooms, and roots, all chopped or crushed in different ways, and mixed them all together with water. After adding each ingredient, she held her hand over the mixture and closed her eyes. Though I couldn¡¯t sense exactly what she was doing, I suspect she was using one of her special abilities. By the time the sun was going down, she had enough containers in front of her full of unappetising liquid that every samuran in the village had one. Well, every samuran and me, that is. What ensued was a party by all definitions of the word. The samurans drank the liquid from the bowls little by little, as if it were delicious alcohol that they wanted to savour, ate from the carcasses, played beats on drum-like instruments, and generally made merry. I was a little taken aback when I found out that the biggest pile was for the smallest group: the Pathwalkers. The second biggest pile was for the Warriors, naturally. The Unevolved had to content themselves with the other piles, with the smallest pile actually being for the biggest number of samurans. Not liking that at all, I pointedly took several carcasses from the pile set in front of me and handed them out to the Unevolved, staring down anyone who looked like they might challenge me. Windy was the only one who actually tried to say something snide, but I cut her off silently through the Bond and she subsided. After the samurans had started drinking from the herbalist¡¯s bowls, however, they became too distracted to want to pick a fight over a bit of meat when they already had plenty. As the samurans became more and more relaxed and cheerful, I was convinced to try a taste of the brew. Although very dubious to begin with, an Inspect didn¡¯t reveal anything too nefarious, nor did a small sip followed by a close inspection of my body with magic. It¡¯s taste was an odd mixture of rather pleasant and very unpleasant. But it did offer a lovely floating sensation. In the end, I did drink a little of it, though not as much as the samurans. I didn¡¯t want to get into the state that some of them entered ¨C drooling as they stared at the moon, their bodies swaying in time to the hypnotic drum beats. Instead, I only drank enough to make me feel relaxed and a bit dreamy. It was still enough to make me feel like death when I woke up, though perhaps that¡¯s because it was designed for samurans rather than humans¡­. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Around me others are now stirring too. That¡¯s good because I¡¯m eager to get going on the quest. Perhaps I should take some time to relax, but with the vine-stranglers, my Energy debt, and the samuran village now ticked off the list ¨C or almost so, anyway ¨C I¡¯d like to make some progress in my other deadline. While I wait for them to rouse fully, I think through what I have and what I need. Honestly, apart from making sure things are stable in the samuran village and replenishing my stocks of carcasses, there¡¯s probably not a huge amount of other things which I need. I haven¡¯t really used much in the samuran village which can¡¯t be easily replaced, after all, and had prepared to go deal with the quest immediately after sorting out the lizard-folk anyway. My healing skills are soon needed to help my various companions recover from their own evening of excess. The rest of the samurans around me are left eyeing my Bound in envy as they see how much more energetic and clearer-eyed they are after my treatment. Since there¡¯s still a good amount of food left over from last night, replenishing my stock of carcasses doesn¡¯t take too long. Still, it¡¯s almost mid-morning by the time we manage to set off into the forest. Not only did I have to heal my Bound and replenish my resources, but I also had to make some arrangements in the village which will have to tide us over until we get back from dealing with the quest. Which, hopefully, won¡¯t take more than four or five days. Unfortunately, as I discovered when visiting the tunnel at the heart of the vine-stranglers, we won¡¯t be able to go through that entrance which requires us to use our exit tunnel as our entrance. Given what we observed last time, I have to admit that the implications of that make me rather nervous. Making arrangements with the village was necessary since I¡¯ll be taking four of their Pathwalkers and five of their Warriors with me. With their currently rather diminished numbers, that¡¯s a significant portion of their strength, especially since the group contains three of the top Pathwalkers and their top Warrior. Fortunately, Grower, now renamed ¡®Flower¡¯ when part of my group, edged Windy out for the fourth in line, perhaps because of her victory over Tarra, which means I¡¯m not leaving the village in the hands of one who is still rather hostile to me. And apparently the ranking is actually enforceable in a way that I wasn¡¯t expecting. The use of the sigils was interesting, actually. I had thought them only a written record of battles won, but they ended up being a little more magical than that. About halfway through the evening, when most of the samurans were influenced by their brew, but not completely soused, Tarra, the herbalist, had stood up. Together with the other previous Pathwalkers, not including River or me, they had incanted something which Animal Empathy hadn¡¯t been able to translate. Though maybe that was because it wasn¡¯t a proper language since none of my Bound were able to understand it either. Shortly after the incantation was finished, I felt burning both on the skin of my back and underneath it. It was odd that I felt the burning on my skin at all, since the sigils were painted on my armour, but apparently whatever magic this was, it was able to affect even areas it didn¡¯t touch. The burning hadn¡¯t lasted long, nor had it been particularly strong, but afterwards I realised that I had a sense of what rank the Evolved Samuran I was looking at held among their group. The sigils disappeared in the process, the liquid perhaps being used up in the magic. Curious questioning revealed that I¡¯m the only one who can feel the relative ranking of both groups: Pathwalkers can otherwise only feel the relative ranking of other Pathwalkers and the top Warrior who fought some Pathwalkers. Likewise, Warriors can only feel that of other Warriors and the top Pathwalker. Perhaps it was because I had sigils from both groups painted on my skin. Obviously, the final fight between the top Pathwalker and top Warrior wasn¡¯t necessary this time since I¡¯d beaten everyone in both groups. It seems like a good theory, since those at the bottom of the ranking in both groups had much more difficulty in determining the relative ranks of those above them than the ones at the top of the rankings. I found myself becoming rather fixated on solving the puzzle, perhaps a result of the brew I¡¯d drunk. The effects remain even in the light of day, though, so it obviously wasn¡¯t only because of the mixture. That only emphasises to all of us how much of the village¡¯s strength I¡¯m taking with us, but I feel that it¡¯s necessary. I really don¡¯t know what we¡¯re heading into, only that it¡¯s significantly more dangerous than what we faced before. Tarra is coming because she¡¯s good at combat and able to produce any number of different potions. Joy and River are joining because I trust them ¨C River a lot more than Joy, but the older Pathwalker has earned a measure of trust for the way she¡¯s supported River and me ¨C and because they have skills which might be useful. I would have liked to bring Windy for her combat capabilities, but she¡¯s too much of a liability at the moment. And then, of course, I¡¯m going myself, which, to the samurans who have just lost one leader to combat, is probably one of the most concerning aspects. Of the other samurans, I¡¯ve brought my five Bound Warriors. Quite possibly some of the other Evolved would be useful, but I don¡¯t know them well enough to judge, and I''ve barely fought with them so can¡¯t really trust them as teammates. Finally, to round out the expedition, I¡¯ve brought my most combat-capable non-samuran Bound. Bastet¡¯s semi-permanent scouting group, of course. Lathani, Sirocco, and Fenrir also go without saying. Komodo is a recent addition ¨C it would be stupid to leave my Tier two kalestan Bound behind. Pride, Trinity, Spine, and Shakira are staying behind, and the rest of the Pathwalkers are under explicit orders to make sure that they remain unharmed. Catch is keeping an eye to make sure they do. He might be ¡®only¡¯ an Unevolved, but I¡¯ve given him authority over the others regarding the treatment of my other Bound. I trust him a lot more than the three newly-Bonded Pathwalkers. As for why I¡¯m leaving them behind, they¡¯re just too big for me to be comfortable taking them into the tight spaces I know await us underground. However, the rest are coming along. Hopefully that will mean we have the right combinations to cover any sort of possibility. With nerves playing through my belly, I face the village, my chosen group standing behind me. ¡°We go now to face an unknown threat, previously hidden by the Forest of Death.¡± It¡¯s not a lie ¨C it is an unknown threat, one which quite possibly could have caused issues for the village. ¡°Until we return, look to your leaders and keep yourselves and your kin safe.¡± It¡¯s probably not necessary to say, but the samurans seem to take the instruction well enough. Without saying any more ¨C even a fool who holds his silence can be considered wise, after all ¨C I turn and we head out of the village together. Once out of the gates, we break into a mile-eating lope, heading straight for the ash-field which is all that remains of the once-feared Forest of Death. Finally, we will find out exactly what awaits us in the Pure Energy tunnels. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Six: Very Dangerous The journey back up the valley is rather unremarkable for the most part. The animals which were chased away by the inferno that I used to destroy the vast majority of the vine-stranglers still haven¡¯t returned. Plus, we save time by walking through the ash field again. Although the mouth of the upper cave isn¡¯t actually within the vine-stranglers, it¡¯s certainly quicker to cut through where they were to get to it. All the samurans who haven¡¯t yet already seen the remains of the ¡®Forest of Death¡¯ seem to be suitably impressed. I hear various murmurs among them, quiet clicks and grunts exclaiming about the ¡®life-devourer¡¯ which clearly raged here ¨C and just as clearly was under control by how it left the trees around the area almost untouched. I figure that it can only be to the good if they respect my abilities more ¨C it might mean that they are more interested in trying out the changes that I wish to make. River ¨C since even if she¡¯s changed significantly and got a new Pathwalker name, is still as much my friend as ever she was ¨C approaches me with her equivalent of a frown. Markus, is the Forest of Death truly destroyed? she asks me privately. Why? I ask her silently in return. Because I see something over there, she replies, indicating a distant dark patch against the pale grey of the ash. She has good reason to ask the question. I didn¡¯t destroy all of the trees, I admit. I discovered that the vine-strangler forest was actually a single organism with a certain amount of consciousness. We made a deal. As long as the forest holds to its side of things, I won¡¯t finish what I started. River looks a little troubled. What if it threatens our village again? Then I will destroy it fully, I answer quickly. But since one of the conditions is to reduce its growth speed significantly I hope that that won¡¯t be an issue. Except you¡¯re not always going to be here¡­are you? she asks with a sense of trepidation coming through the link. I pause for a moment, eyeing her, before continuing to walk as the rest of the Bound around me start slowing too. The thing is that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever explicitly talked about this with River. With Kalanthia and Lathani, yes, but River? No. Though maybe I should ¨C I might know now that I should be able to take some of my Bound at least with me, but I don¡¯t know whether my most dedicated Companions would even want to leave the planet of their birth. Especially not one like River who is now a leader among her people. How do you know that? I ask slowly first. River waves her tail in a shrug. Little bits here or there, nothing clear. I only know that you are not here permanently. But I do not know how long you are intending to stay. It¡¯s not so much ¡®intending¡¯, and more conditions imposed by someone else, I say a little ruefully, then continue to explain exactly what happened to bring me to this world. So you see, I conclude, I will need to go in a little over two hundred days with whoever wants to come with me. I pause for a moment and eye her, even as we keep moving forwards quickly. Maybe spend some time thinking about whether you want to come with me or not. I don¡¯t need an answer now ¨C take some time over it and consider all the advantages and disadvantages. I will need to know a bit before the deadline so I know what to prepare to take with me, but there¡¯s still a lot of time before then. River accepts my words silently, not giving any visual indication of the emotional tumult I feel lies beneath the surface. Still, she says a few moments later, that makes me question what will happen when you leave ¨C if the Forest of Death decides to break its agreement with you because you are no longer here, then there is little we can do against that, she points out. Unless you are planning on taking it with you. I grin. Though that would be pretty badass, I think it would probably be a bad idea for several reasons, even assuming that the forest wanted to come and that it were even possible. But the village should never be as vulnerable to it as before ¨C soon, everyone in the village will know how to create a fire. For all I know, one of the next few Pathwalkers may even end up being a Fire-shaper. So if the forest tried to take over like it did before, it would probably end up being destroyed in a fairly short amount of time. Why keep it at all, though? It seems to unnecessarily complicate the situation. I¡¯m momentarily a little taken aback by her frankness ¨C this new River shows very little of the deference that the old one always demonstrated. I wonder whether it¡¯s something inherent to reaching Tier two, or merely because she is far more confident in herself and her place. Perhaps the lack of Dominate Bond compulsions to be obedient and protective are also having an effect. Anyway, I find that I prefer it ¨C just as I know I can trust that Bastet will tell me when I¡¯m being an idiot. If River is honest with me I know I don¡¯t have to worry about her agreeing to do something she doesn¡¯t like just because I asked her to do it. Because of the Pure Energy, I tell her after a moment. Did Bastet or one of the other samurans tell you what we found in the place where we killed the salamander? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. No, she replied curiously. A pool of Pure Energy, I tell her, sending her an image of what I saw when I followed Bastet down to the edge of the tunnel. It shows the tunnel blocked by the oddly moving and sparkling Pure Energy liquid. It wasn¡¯t up at the top of the tunnel, but was about two thirds there. Still, it was a clear indication that something has changed. The whole area had been thick with Energy with my hourly consumption shooting up to over three hundred units. It was enough to push my progress towards my next level up by a few percent, though the call came in from River before we could be there for more than a few hours. High as three hundred units per hour is, it¡¯s not actually as much as I might have expected. Although I don¡¯t remember exactly, I¡¯m pretty sure that my previous Energy consumption when next to the Pure Energy pool had been over seven hundred units. However, that was in a confined cavern ¨C perhaps that¡¯s why. Or perhaps it¡¯s the effect of the trees. After all, that was one of the reasons for keeping the vine-stranglers around ¨C to stop other creatures coming and investigating the source of Energy. The state of the vine-strangler entrance is the reason why we¡¯re currently heading for the tunnel which we used to exit the area. After all, even if I previously survived touching Pure Energy, I highly doubt I¡¯d survive swimming in it. Nor do I think it¡¯s a good idea for anyone else to try, even if they¡¯re tier ones who don¡¯t seem to be as affected by Pure Energy as those with Cores. Which leaves using the other entrance to find exactly why the Pure Energy, which used to be a small and isolated pool on the floor of the cavern full of Energy Hearts, is now filling more than half the tunnel to the surface. It seems like River¡¯s thoughts are moving along the same lines as mine. Do you know why the situation has so changed? she asks. I hesitate and then shake my head. I don¡¯t know. But I remember what we saw in the tunnels, and what I discussed with Kalanthia after we returned. I can only conclude that, for some reason, a creature, probably the same one which tunnelled down to the Pure Energy in the first place, has blocked the flow of the Pure Energy stream, and this is probably the second time it¡¯s done it. The first time created the Energy Hearts and then the other tunnel because of the pressure of the blocked Energy. This time, I guess that the Energy is not under the same sort of pressure, so it¡¯s just slowly moving up the tunnel. Abruptly, I wonder what will happen if the Pure Energy starts spilling over the edge of the tunnel. What if it starts coming into actual contact with the vine-stranglers, with the other creatures of the forest? Could this be the reason for the timer on the quest: that it would cause some irreversible changes if I don¡¯t find a way of rectifying the situation before that happens? Well, that¡¯s why we¡¯re going to investigate. River and I exchange a few more thoughts, wondering what kind of creature might be waiting for us. She thinks that it¡¯s likely the creature itself is blocking the way in order to get stronger by absorbing the Energy directly. Personally, I hope that¡¯s not the case: based on my own experience of how difficult Pure Energy is to deal with, the thought of having to combat a beast which is able to absorb a much larger quantity of the substance fills me with trepidation. I don¡¯t have many better ideas, though, and River¡¯s does make a lot of sense. Fortunately ¨C or perhaps unfortunately, depending ¨C we are making good time. Not needing to fight, or even move with much care through the ashfield certainly helps us. Once we enter the forest again, we have to be a little more cautious. After all, we never know what kind of beasts might decide that they want to attack us. Whether it¡¯s the large group of us moving together, the high proportion of Tier twos, or that the forest still hasn¡¯t gone back to normal, we remain unbothered. As the sun heads for the horizon, the cave mouth where we once fought a pack of lizogs comes into sight. Being a cave, it¡¯s invisible until we round a corner and, suddenly, it comes into sight. I think uncomfortably that it looks even more like a maw than it ever did before. The Bound around me shift uneasily too, their stronger senses picking up on more information than mine are capable of. Bastet moves with her party to investigate the entrance to the tunnel even as the rest of my Bound array themselves around me, their various weapons at the ready. There is danger here, Shrieks says grimly, the other Warriors sending their agreement, their eyes roving unceasingly around the little clearing and the trees beyond it. What danger? I ask urgently. Shrieks flicks his tail. I know not, he admits. It is nothing I have encountered before. But I sense that it is dangerous. Not too helpful, but I suppose that it does tell me one thing: something has definitely been this way ¨C River didn¡¯t react so badly the last time. There are traces of passage, Bastet says, still investigating with her team. It is a large beast, bigger than any of us. And strong, very strong. ¡°Stronger than the danaris?¡± I ask. Yes. Much. Well, that¡¯s not good news. ¡°How do you know?¡± Traces of its presence. I can sense them now after Evolution. I could not before. That¡¯s a good point. Maybe I should ask some of the other Tier twos to investigate too ¨C the more information we have, the better. ¡°Is it anywhere nearby?¡± I check first. Bastet hesitates. I don¡¯t think so. These traces are hours old. But it may return at any time. ¡°Then Joy, Shrieks, anyone who has good senses, can you check them out? See what you can find.¡± The two samurans mentioned, along with Tarra, River and Murmur step forward, cautiously crossing the clearing to meet with Bastet and her team. They spend some time poking around the area, touching different areas with their claws. River and Shrieks even head a little into the tunnel ¨C something that makes my stomach clench in fear. Fortunately, they come out and beckon the rest of us over. I move with my Bound to meet them near the entrance to the cave. ¡°So?¡± I ask impatiently. ¡°Did you find anything out?¡± It¡¯s strong, River replies grimly, Tarra, Joy and the two Warriors flicking their tails and their spikes flashing in grim agreement. Very strong. She hesitates. I suspect it has gone through a second Evolution. The other samurans start muttering. The rest of my Bound have different reactions ¨C Lathani is curious more than anything, with the other Tier ones shifting uneasily but not seeming to have understood too much about the possible danger. Conversely, I feel frozen. A Tier three? Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Seven: Strategy The danaris had been Tier two and it had been difficult to beat. We¡¯d attacked it in almost ideal conditions and it still almost killed several of my Bound one way or another. If this creature is actually Tier three already, it¡¯s going to be a much more difficult opponent. Of course, we have much more firepower on our side this time too. Three Pathwalkers, five Warriors, two other Tier twos in Bastet and Komodo, and a number of other fierce Bound ¨C Honey and Thorn are definitely members I would have appreciated having in the fight against the danaris. However, if the creature is already tucked away down in the depths of the earth, we won¡¯t be able to bring our force to bear. While that might restrict the creature as well, there¡¯s no guarantee that that¡¯s the case. In fact, given the evidence that it might be capable of the same kind of Earth-shaping that Kalanthia can do, facing the creature down in the tunnels might actually give it more of an advantage. My brain races and pieces fall into place. ¡°Right, we need to find out more about the situation. Demon, Marty, Woozle, would you be willing to go and scout down the tunnel?¡± The three take a moment to consider, then assent, scampering off. Marty is a small pine-marten-like creature and Woozle is kind of weasel-like. They¡¯re both on Bastet¡¯s team of scouts and are known for being stealthy. Demon isn¡¯t so used to the scout role, but he¡¯s small and very fast. It¡¯s a bit cold-blooded of me, but if they get found out, I hope that Demon might be fast enough to bring us word where perhaps the others will be too slow. ¡°Sirocco,¡± I start, turning to my only airborne Bound, currently sitting on my shoulder. ¡°Could you please keep an eye on our surroundings. Circle overhead at regular intervals and make sure we¡¯re not surprised. We don¡¯t know if the creature is below or not, after all.¡± She sends a quick assent and then pushes off my shoulder to do her first scouting trip. I turn now to the rest of the group. ¡°Tarra, River, we don¡¯t know what the creature is yet, so can¡¯t make anything specifically for it, but can you make some potions to help us anyway?¡± Healing potions are always useful, Tarra says thoughtfully. And I think we have the ingredients for some stamina reducers, and some good multi-purpose poisons, adds River. ¡°If you need some more ingredients which are likely to be in the local area, we may be able to organise some trips to find them,¡± I suggest. At their agreement, I turn to the rest of my Bound thoughtfully. ¡°Right, Shrieks. I would like you to choose two Warriors to stay here with you to guard, and two to each lead a small group of Bound to collect whatever ingredients the Pathwalkers need.¡± As you command, Honoured Tamer, Shrieks intones. He eyes his Warriors. Murmurs-quietly, and Sleeps Peacefully, you stay with me. Eats-dirt and Leaps-from-fright, you are in charge of the resource parties. Each of you choose three¡­companions to go with you. The Warriors lift their chins in acknowledgement of the order, then the two chosen to go into the forest quickly select their parties. I make the parties more formal by assigning the Manager role to the two samurans. They quickly move over to confer with the Pathwalkers over what they should collect. I turn towards Joy. ¡°I would like to make another net, much like the one which I used to capture your party, though with a much bigger mesh. That means it will use fewer resources but the silk should still be strong enough to hold even against a strong creature. I will create the thread, but I¡¯d like you to actually weave the net ¨C we can share the burden like that.¡± Very well, Tamer, Joy acknowledges. We settle down to do that and I share more details of exactly what I¡¯m envisioning even as the rest start their own activities. ***** By the time the scouts come back, we¡¯ve all made some good progress. Together, Joy and I have woven a large net which should be able to cover the opening of the tunnel. It¡¯s used a lot of mana, of course, but with both of us working on it, less than previously. Just becoming a factory which produces metre after metre of thread is easier than trying to shape it into a strong mesh at the same time. Equally, Joy¡¯s own abilities to grow what she¡¯s weaving mean that I didn¡¯t need to put as much mana in as I would have anyway. By this point, we¡¯re pretty much done and I¡¯m questioning whether to soak it in a poison of some sort. On the one hand, any edge will help. On the other, I don¡¯t want to accidentally cause a friendly fire situation where my own allies are hurt more than the creature we¡¯re trying to deal with. We don¡¯t even know what it looks like, though perhaps the scouts will have some idea. Seeing them approach, I find my gaze going over where River and Tarra are still working. There are multiple containers in front of them ¨C some the wooden vials that they brought with them from the village; some the chitinous or bone containers which I created for River a while ago. They¡¯re focussing, and it looks like Tarra is demonstrating something to River. Good ¨C I¡¯m glad she¡¯s teaching her younger sister. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What did you find?¡± I ask the three scouts as they stop in front of me. Given that none of them look too ruffled, I have to guess that they haven¡¯t been in any sort of fight. Three sets of images are abruptly shoved into my mind and I find myself struggling to make sense of them. ¡°One at a time, please,¡± I request as my brain hurts from the effort. ¡°Marty, you first.¡± She sends through an image again. To my relief, the previous three fade away. The image now in my mind is difficult enough to parse since apparently Marty has quite the different vision in the dark from me. In fact¡­does she have thermal imagery? I inspect the image carefully as much as I can, then release it, asking for Demon to give me his. His image is actually less that and more of an impression of sounds and smells. It¡¯s more like what Bastet sent me all that time ago when she scouted out the tunnel to the salt cave. Finally Woozle delivers her report and I try to use it to fill in the blanks of the others. When I¡¯ve finished, I thank the three of them and turn to the others. Summoning over the Bound who I feel would be the most use in a strategic discussion, I sit down on a large rock nearby and they gather around. ¡°Right,¡± I say to them. ¡°This is what the scouts gave me.¡± I send through the three images one by one to everyone before me ¨C the samurans currently present, Bastet, and Lathani. Fenrir, bless him, isn¡¯t yet ready to actually create strategies, and Sirocco isn¡¯t interested. The rest of my Bound present either aren¡¯t interested or aren¡¯t capable ¨C or both. ¡°What do you get from these?¡± I ask, wondering if their conclusions match mine. They take a little time to explore the memories. Finally, Shrieks is the first to give an opinion. The creature is not there, he rumbles. Agreed, says Murmur. There¡¯s no indication of a heat signature present. That doesn¡¯t necessarily prove anything, points out Tarra. Some creatures can meld with the environment around well enough to be invisible to all but magical means. That¡¯s an interesting point. I wonder whether my own Fade would be capable of that ¨C from its original description, I would guess that it is. Few means of concealment are so absolute, disagrees Shrieks. The scouts each had different ways of revealing their environment. It would be more likely that at least one of them would detect something if the beast was there. This is a beast that is likely past the third Evolution, though, argues Tarra. How often do we come across those? What do we know of what they are capable of? ¡°The question is,¡± I interrupt, ¡°Shrieks, would you be willing to stake your life and the lives of everyone in this party on the supposition that the beast is not there?¡± He hesitates for a moment. I would be willing to stake my life on it, he rumbles after thought, and the lives of my Warriors. However, I would not be willing to stake the lives of my Pathwalkers upon it. I nod slowly. But, he continues, I would not take my Pathwalkers into the lair of such a beast as this unless I had already seen it slain ¨C and any of its kin with it. ¡°I see,¡± I murmur. Which means that he''s pretty certain about his conclusions, but isn¡¯t keen on putting the females of the village at risk. I wonder if, different sex or not, that includes me. I notice something else, River breaks in thoughtfully. We all turn to look at her. I remember that when we travelled through the tunnel, there was a section where it was difficult to continue without falling into the stream below. ¡°Yes, I remember that,¡± I agree slowly, looking for what has caught River¡¯s interest in the scouts¡¯ memories. That was the section where only Bastet was easily able to move, using her wings to help redirect her around the lip of rock that stuck out almost into the Pure Energy stream entirely. Now, in the images it is blocked by something. As River continues to speak, I think I understand her point. Consider what it appears to be blocked by: three objects, surrounded by some substance. Three round objects. Is there any chance they could be ¨C ¡°Eggs,¡± I breathe, meeting eyes with her. ¡°What if this creature isn¡¯t here to benefit itself directly? What if it¡¯s a mother trying to help its eggs in some way?¡± If it¡¯s a mother, we will have to be even more careful, Joy speaks up for the first time in the meeting. Broodmothers are protective enough of the eggs we give into their charge; this creature is likely to be even more so. ¡°Very true,¡± I agree, looking at Lathani. ¡°Consider what happened when you kidnapped a certain nunda cub,¡± I remark pointedly. Tarra and Joy both avoid my eyes. I take a moment to think through the situation. We might be wrong in guessing that these are eggs, but I don¡¯t think so. It would fit ¨C a creature, probably an intelligent one if Kalanthia is anything to go by, has somehow detected a Pure Energy vein beneath the earth. It would make sense that she dug her way down, hoping that being exposed to Pure Energy while in the egg would help her offspring from the start and improve their survivability. She blocked the Pure Energy stream to ensure that her eggs were exposed to as much as possible, though accidentally caused enough pressure to create an explosion which made the tunnel. Though how strong are these eggs if they can withstand that kind of force? Not to mention the Pure Energy itself. Or maybe they¡¯re not eggs after all. Anyway, we now have a choice to make. I suspect that solving the quest will mean dealing with the blockage, perhaps sealing off the Pure Energy entirely. But how should we do it? ¡°So, what do you think? Do we set a trap out here and fight, or go into the tunnel to investigate what these objects really are and try to deal with them before the creature returns?¡± Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Eight: Unknown Risk Once more I head into the belly of the beast, hopefully not literally. With me are River, Joy, Peace, and Iandee of the samurans. Bastet insisted on accompanying me, Honey, Woozle, and Marty from her group joining us too. Lathani and Fenrir fill the last spaces in the party heading down into the tunnels. I did hesitate about bringing the nunda cub with us, but she was determined to come with our party and, honestly, it makes me feel better having her under my supervision. If I''d left her behind, I¡¯d be worrying more about her, I think. Shrieks was not happy with the decision for three Pathwalkers to go into a situation with such an unknown risk. I think that only the fact that Tarra isn¡¯t joining us reassured him enough to have him agree at all. He was even more displeased with the idea that he himself would not be accompanying us, but conceded to my logic in the end. The truth is that he¡¯s a mountain of a samuran, and if we end up fighting in the close confines of the tunnels near the Pure Energy stream, he is likely to be more of a liability than an asset. In fact, we¡¯ve only brought the smallest of the samurans. Joy and River are, of course, small by dint of them being Pathwalkers. As for the Warriors, they both have the lithe scout-type builds rather than the bulky defender-type bodies. It does mean that we¡¯re lacking a bit in terms of defence. Fenrir¡¯s the closest to a tank that we have, but he won¡¯t last very long against a Tier three beast. Fighting the creature to a standstill isn¡¯t the objective, though, so I decided that speed and flexibility were more advantageous to us than slower defence. First of all, we¡¯re hoping that we don¡¯t encounter the beast in the tunnels at all. Ideally, we¡¯ll be able to get in, deal with the blockage, solve the quest, then get the hell out of dodge before mama arrives ¨C if indeed we¡¯re correct with the theory about eggs. Of course, I¡¯m not optimistic enough to think that that¡¯s going to happen, so we¡¯ve come up with a number of contingency plans. That¡¯s the other reason for splitting the party: a good portion of our fighting force are currently guarding the entrance to the tunnel, making sure that nothing is able to sneak up and attack us from the rear. They¡¯re charged with preparing as many traps as they can, and doing their best to delay the beast for as long as necessary. That¡¯s assuming that the creature isn¡¯t already in here with us, admittedly. If we do encounter the beast in the tunnels, we intend to proceed to a fighting retreat, aiming to draw the creature out of the tunnels at best, discover more about it at worst. No, I think, at worst we will be forced to fight a beast which is too strong for us in a confined space which favours it more than us. The prospect is terrifying ¨C in that case we¡¯d have to just hold on until reinforcements arrive. In that case, we¡¯ll have to hope and pray that the beast hasn¡¯t torn its way through said reinforcements to enter the tunnel and find us, otherwise we¡¯ll be completely stuffed. But I try to keep my mind off that. After all, while making contingency plans is necessary, so is believing that we can be successful. As we descend, I check my status sheet from time to time. Curiously, it isn¡¯t changing much. Starting out at a bit over two hundred units per hour, my Energy absorption has only risen to just over three hundred units when the end of the tunnel comes into sight. Considering that last time we were here I was suffering from Energy poisoning for a good portion of it, there¡¯s an obvious difference between the experiences. Since everything I¡¯ve seen about the effects of increased Wisdom indicates that I should be absorbing more Energy rather than less, I guess that it¡¯s just another indication of the disruption to the natural order of things. The reason for the quest¡¯s creation, I would imagine. As the junction between the tunnel above and the Energy channel below approaches, I tense and sense my companions doing the same. For all we know, the beast is fully aware of our approach and is preparing to attack. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t conceal all traces of our passage, even if we¡¯re trying to step carefully. After all, I can¡¯t navigate the tunnel in absolute darkness, nor can several of my Bound. At least, however, we haven¡¯t had to carry a smelly torch made of pitch with us this time. I might not have a battery-powered torch at my disposal, but in a way I have something better: a friendly Fire elemental. Aingeal was, as always, happy as a clam to be asked to do something. It was a little more disgruntled when it realised exactly what I wanted from it: to shine less brightly. Still, after a little coaxing, it begrudgingly reduced its brightness to something that only barely lights our way. Hopefully if the beast has detected us, it¡¯s not because of the light. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Alright everyone, I say. Be as stealthy as possible from here, and be wary of possible attacks from any direction. So saying, I drop into Fade myself. I probably don¡¯t need to warn them to be wary of attacks. Even if they aren¡¯t able to understand exactly what we¡¯re here for, they know that we are potentially going to face a very difficult opponent. Bastet and Lathani become practically invisible ¨C if I didn¡¯t have the Bond to help me identify where they are, I wouldn¡¯t have a clue. The Warrior samurans are almost as good, though the felines put them to shame. Woozle and Marty also fade into the background, though theirs doesn¡¯t seem to be as ¡®magical¡¯ as Bastet¡¯s or my Fade. It leaves Joy, River, Fenrir, and Honey sticking out like sore thumbs. I direct the two Pathwalkers to stand in the middle of the group ¨C it¡¯s the most protected position so with any luck anything that aims for them will hit one of us first instead. Fenrir is tanky enough to hopefully cope with an attack, and Honey, reflecting her namesake, is perfectly willing to give any manner of bird or beast a good go. Creeping towards the hole in the floor seems to take hours. It¡¯s probably only a few minutes in reality, but each second just drags by. Abruptly, the sound of loose rock shifting makes us all look sharply at the source. Instead of a terrifying beast emerging from the shadows, there¡¯s a guilty-looking lizog, stepping carefully away from a couple of stones he accidentally kicked. A sense of annoyance mixed with a hint of relief washes through the network of Bonds. Without discussion or reprimand, we continue moving forwards. Finally reaching the hole in the ground which leads to the actual Pure Energy stream, I frown a little. Is the hole bigger than before? It looks like it. I remember hoisting myself out by putting my hands on both sides and pushing up. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be able to do that now. So, if the hole has grown, what does that mean? That the creature itself has grown? But then, what¡¯s the best indicator of the beast¡¯s size? The tunnel through which we have been walking where the roof is a good bit above my head? Or the Energy tunnel where I had to duck my head to avoid bashing it on the low ceiling? Not able to answer my own question, I focus on the next task: moving the group through the hole. Of course, we don¡¯t do it all at once. Marty, Bastet, and Woozle go first. Much as I hate to put Bastet at the forefront in such an uncertain situation, it¡¯s a fact that her Stealth is the best of any here besides Lathani, her intelligence is high enough to know what to look for, and as a Tier two, her senses are better than almost all present. When they give the all-clear ¨C after a long, nail-biting moment ¨C we continue sending others down. Joy and River are almost last in descending ¨C although leaving them alone and vulnerable in the tunnel above isn¡¯t an option, we don¡¯t want them getting trapped in the tunnel either. Hopefully having them close to the exit should help ensure that that doesn¡¯t happen. Though, honestly, I¡¯d rather that none of us end up trapped and dying in this confined place. The sense of tension and being in a small tunnel with rather too many beings to comfortably fit makes me think back to the horrible journey to the salt cave ¨C and the terrifying creature which lives therein. I forcibly redirect my mind. After all, thinking about how clearly outclassed I was with that creature isn¡¯t going to help my confidence with this one. To try to assuage my own worries, I quickly work out an efficient evacuation order which ensures that everyone gets out ¨C including those who will find it very difficult to climb out of a hole which is about ear-height on me, such as Fenrir. Fortunately, given the lack of attack so far, I think we can safely assume that the beast isn¡¯t here. That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s safe, though. Just because something hasn¡¯t tried to defend its territory doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t any traps or other dangers lurking. Still wary, I move forwards to inspect the blockage, my Bound shifting out of my way as I step through the tunnel. Interestingly, there is no Pure Energy beneath our feet. I warned everyone not to touch it, and had honestly been a little concerned that the other Tier twos might be tempted as I was. However, as I¡¯d already suspected from the scouts¡¯ reports, there¡¯s no sign of the stream. No wonder that the tunnel that exits in the vine-strangler grove is getting more and more backed up! I squint at the pseudo wall before me, but am struggling to see anything in the dim light. Focussing on sending a sense of desire for the light to be bright enough for me to see more details to Aingeal, I feel its happy agreement. A moment later, the radiance increases significantly. Too significantly ¨C the whole area is lit up like the Fire elemental is trying to imitate the noonday sun. After such a long period in almost darkness, it¡¯s completely overwhelming. It probably doesn''t help that my eyesight is sharpened when I¡¯m in Fade and the light level is below a certain point ¨C I don¡¯t think the effect vanishes quickly enough. Even with my eyes tightly closed, the red through my eyelids is painful and I immediately cover them with my hands. From the sounds of discomfort that come from around me and the feelings of annoyance which flicker across the network of Bonds, I¡¯m not the only one suffering. Communicating with Aingeal again, I do my best to ask for it to reduce the radiance to less than half. It seems a bit disappointed, but complies when I send it my sense of pain and discomfort at the bright light. Too slowly, my eyes adapt to the new level of light, but at least they¡¯re not streaming and actively painful. Being half- or fully-blind in an uncertain situation like this is stupidly dangerous, and I curse myself for not being clearer in my initial instructions, sending an apology around to the rest of my disgruntled Bound. Fortunately, nothing has taken advantage of our vulnerability. As my eyes adjust, I look at the wall again, the light now far better for the purpose of inspecting it. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Sixty-Nine: Alarm Gazing at the ¡®wall¡¯, I realise that I can easily identify where the material changes from the stone protrusion which we struggled to climb around, into¡­something else. What fills the circular space between the protruding stone is a solid piece of some dark brown substance. It seems to be bound to the stone in some way, and certainly looks to be fixed solidly in place. Tentatively reaching out to touch it, I am prepared for anything to happen. I even pull out my shield in case it explodes or turns into some slime monster and tries to attack me. More likely is that it will be poisonous on contact, but I have confidence that I will be able to deal with it in that case easily enough. In the end, it¡¯s none of those. Instead, it just¡­does nothing. It seems completely innocuous. After very lightly brushing the surface of the substance, I prod it slightly, then harder when it doesn¡¯t react in any way. It¡¯s cold, so I suspect that it isn¡¯t living, whatever it is. Instead, though it¡¯s quite hard, it¡¯s not like stone. Instead, it¡¯s more like¡­a car tyre. Trying to make the tread of a car tyre yield to the pressure of a finger is difficult, but it doesn¡¯t feel as impossible as when touching stone. That¡¯s what this is like. Though there is no real give to it, it feels like there might be if I could apply enough pressure. Though, since even as much pressure as I can apply with my enhanced strength doesn¡¯t make the smallest dent, I can¡¯t help wondering at the strength of the beast which must have put it here. Otherwise, the surface is pretty smooth, with only a few bumps and bubbles in it which might indicate that it was once liquid or something like that. It¡¯s not immediately poisonous on contact, nor does it seem to be a slime monster ¨C I should be rather relieved at that. I do feel something slippery on my fingers which at first I think is poison. Then, when I see the gleam of it on my fingers, and the way it¡¯s quickly absorbed into my skin, offering me a short-term significantly heightened Energy absorption rate, I know what it is. So this whole substance is saturated with liquid Energy? Or is it weakening and starting to leak Pure Energy? I grow emboldened, moving from touching it tentatively with a finger to brushing more than one finger, and then to running my hand over the substance. As was indicated in the memories from the scouts, there are three large, round shapes embedded within. Touching the shapes in turn, I find my eyebrows drawing together a little. Is it my imagination, or are they slightly¡­warm? The lumps are large, about three times the size of my head. If these are eggs, then surely they indicate that the adult would be very large indeed. On the off-chance, I try to cast an Inspect at them, but it is inconclusive. Using Inspect Environment, I¡¯m curious to see that the three orbs become ringed with gold. Or is that just the substance itself? Certainly, it seems to gleam with the hint of gold all over. Interesting. As if my actions are some sort of cue, I abruptly feel a wave of alarm and urgency crash into me from Shrieks¡¯ side of the Bond. The emotions are intentionally conveyed ¨C it¡¯s a signal. ¡°The others are under attack,¡± I tell my group, though they are probably already aware. ¡°It¡¯s most likely the creature.¡± For a moment, I hesitate. Should we stay or should we go? If we had been still in the initial tunnel, we would have gone to help immediately. If we were already working on the problem and had a solution in front of us, we agreed that we would continue working and the outside group would try to delay the attacker as long as possible so we could finish the quest. However, this is neither of those situations. It will take us a while to reach them even if we set off immediately, and we haven¡¯t even begun to try to find a way of unblocking the Energy stream. In the end, I make up my mind based on what seems the most urgent. The blockage doesn¡¯t seem to be going anywhere, nor does it appear to be unstable in any way. The situation my Bound are in is likely to be far more pressing ¨C Shrieks wouldn¡¯t have sent that much emotion unless he was genuinely alarmed by the opponent. ¡°Come on everyone, we need to get back to the tunnel mouth as quickly as possible,¡± I tell them grimly. There¡¯s no discussion, no argument. Instead, we work together quickly and efficiently to get everyone out and then start making our way back through the tunnel. This time we¡¯re not trying to be stealthy, quiet, or otherwise undetectable. That means we can move a lot faster. Hopefully it will be fast enough. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The journey back seems to both fly by and take forever. My mind is focused on the fight ahead, frustration going through me at the lack of knowledge of what we will be facing; what several of my Bound are already facing. I¡¯m actually slightly glad that it happened now: I can¡¯t imagine choosing to continue working below when I had no idea how many were being hurt or dying above me. So even though it¡¯s annoying to have been disrupted so early into our explorations, I¡¯d rather waste a bit of time than a single life that our intervention could save. As soon as we come into range, I reach out to my Bound to get more of an idea of the situation we¡¯re running towards. Sirocco is the one to answer, and from the images she sends, I can see why: she¡¯s the only one who is not actively involved in the battle. I send her gratitude for her scouting, and reaffirm her decision not to risk herself at this point. The image which she sends to me makes my heart briefly skip a beat. It¡¯s something that wouldn¡¯t look out of place in a fantasy book from Earth. Something which has captivated the imaginations of humans since time immemorial. It¡¯s a dragon. Or at least, that¡¯s what it appears to be. From above, Sirocco sends me a picture of it: a reptilian body with a long neck and tail and bat-like wings. Other pictures of it show it from different angles. It has vicious fangs and long menacing claws on both front and back feet. Its back feet look designed for grabbing and snatching, carrying its prey away. My stomach sinks within me at the thought that it might have already carried one of my Bound into the air with it, though Sirocco quickly reassures me that that¡¯s not the case. Instead, from what she sends me, it appears that my Bound are very sensibly staying hidden under cover of the trees and undergrowth around as much as possible. Unfortunately, its advantages don¡¯t stop only with the physical. It has some sort of breath attack, though not fire as I would have imagined of a dragon. I don¡¯t know whether that¡¯s a good or bad thing ¨C if it had had fire as an attack, potentially I could have turned it back on its wielder. On the other hand, perhaps it could have done that to me if it was more powerful or its mastery of its ability was greater than my mastery of my Skill. Either way, it¡¯s irrelevant as the attack seems to switch between a billowing mist and a stream of liquid which seems to be based on acid or something of the sort. The latter seems particularly powerful too, as can be seen of what happened when Lee and Thorn were unable to avoid it completely and were caught in the barest edge of the jet. Only Tarra¡¯s healing potions were enough to prevent them from dying what looked to be like a very painful death, and even then, apparently they¡¯re out of the fight for now. Two fighters down, when that wasn¡¯t even a full hit with the attack! We¡¯re getting close to the end of the tunnel and already I can start to hear the faintest echoes of noise. This close, more of my Bound start chiming in with what they¡¯ve experienced of the fight so far. They¡¯re scared, willing to fight, yet not wanting to suffer what they saw Lee and Thorn suffer. I do my best to send positive, optimistic feelings down the Bonds to each of them, or the equivalent in words depending on who I¡¯m talking to ¨C if they start breaking and running then this battle will definitely be lost. The only really good thing about the fight so far, from what I can see, is that the main objective of the dragon isn¡¯t to hunt the fighters outside. Instead, it appears to be just desperate to enter the tunnel, and it¡¯s only fighting with my Bound because my Bound are stopping it from doing so. It¡¯s a pattern which has repeated itself several times now. The dragon sends out a nasty breath attack at anyone in sight, which makes everyone scatter and run to hide behind trees and rocks to keep out of the attack¡¯s range. The dragon then banks and lands in front of the cave and starts trying to go in. At which point, knowing that we¡¯re inside the tunnel, my Bound start attacking it both at range and running in to attack at close quarters, clearly offering it more of a threat than it can ignore. The dragon takes off again, and once more sets out to drive away my Bound. The problem is that this situation isn¡¯t tenable. The area is becoming littered with pools of corrosive acid and caustic mist from the dragon¡¯s breath attacks, and the dragon itself is clearly becoming more and more agitated. I¡¯m worried that it may decide to change strategies ¨C that it might decide that the little flies are worth squashing before it attempts to enter the tunnel. Already, its use of teeth, wings, and tail mean that two more of my Bound have come close to death, only Tarra¡¯ healing potions helping them cling to life. With the killing-machine¡¯s sights set on them, I doubt my Bound will hold out for long. Even worse: with the Pure Energy tunnel blocked, our only source of air is from the very area which is becoming more and more impregnated with corrosive mist. I fear that it won¡¯t be long before we start being forced to breathe it in and that won¡¯t do any of us good. On the upside ¨C the only one I can currently see ¨C the dragon hasn¡¯t yet shown any control over the earth, though that¡¯s rather unexpected considering how the tunnel was made. Maybe it just hasn¡¯t yet revealed all the abilities it has. That¡¯s worrisomely likely, considering how powerful it probably is ¨C just something else to keep in mind. My brain races with ideas and I shove my thoughts down the links to the Bound with me who are likely to be able to offer some strategic advice. As we cover the last few metres of tunnel, we brainstorm ideas, thought racing across the network far faster than speech, urgency lending us wings to our heels. Hold on, I tell my beleaguered Bound. We¡¯re coming. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy: Hellscape We run as fast as we can, grimly determined to get out of this tunnel before the battle outside is definitively decided. Not only would that be terrible in terms of the loss of life outside that it would imply, but it would trap us in these close confines with a Tier three beast. As we run, my mind ceaselessly goes over the situation we¡¯re in. The main issue with the dragon at present is that it¡¯s able to fight a three-dimensional battle, where we can only really fight a two-dimensional one. We¡¯ve never fought an airborne enemy before, and now I realise just how difficult it is. Yes, we have several beings capable of ranged attacks, but sticks and stones thrown at a dragon have limited effect, even if they¡¯re sticks hardened and sharpened by a wood-shaper and laced in poison from a herbalist. Only a few attacks have apparently drawn blood, and that only by the Tier two Warriors when on ground level, despite all of my Bound doing their best to be reactive and quick to close in when the dragon stoops and lands. Actually, Komodo seems to have been somewhat successful ¨C too much so: in the last attack he bit its back leg and managed to get his teeth right in. The dragon reacted by launching him across the clearing to slam into a tree. He got up from it ¨C after a couple of healing potions were poured down his throat ¨C but he¡¯ll need more healing for sure. Everyone¡¯s weapons are laced with the strongest poison Tarra was able to make, one which almost rivals the one they used on Kalanthia, though leans more towards the deadly than the incapacitating. Apparently those were stronger in their actual effects because of the time they¡¯d spent brewing before the mission; this time, we didn¡¯t have that luxury. Nor, really, did we know what we were walking into. A dragon, for heavens¡¯ sake! I thought Kalanthia said there weren¡¯t any dragons in this world! The only way we might win this is to change the battleground to one that better suits us. I did consider clearing out of the tunnel and then ordering everyone to let the dragon through ¨C its wings wouldn¡¯t be much use in a tunnel. I decided against it, though, when Peace made a point: trapped in a tunnel, its greater bulk and acid breath would become far harder to avoid. Plus, when our greater numbers are our only real advantage against the much higher-level creature, restricting how many we can bring to bear at any moment is a strategic mistake. Not to mention that once the creature is back down there, getting it out could prove to be pretty impossible, meaning that it¡¯s a card which, once played, changes the whole game permanently. At least it¡¯s a card which should remain possible to play for as long as the dragon is more interested in getting back down the tunnel than killing the rest of us. There¡¯s the same problem with retreat: even a temporary retreat to regroup will give the dragon time to dig itself in and make our job harder. I consider just giving up on the quest and leaving sleeping dragons to lie. It¡¯s tempting and certainly the best way of us getting away from this almost unscathed. The problem is that some instinct is telling me that the consequences of failing the quest might outweigh the danger of battling even a Tier three. Lathani does suggest getting her mother involved, but I am wary to do that for several reasons. Time is the main issue ¨C it would take time to travel back to Kalanthia, and there¡¯s no guarantee she¡¯ll agree to help us anyway, meaning we could be wasting two or three days. Another problem is that I¡¯m not entirely sure how she¡¯s going to react to me taking control of the village in the way that I have ¨C and what she¡¯ll ask as compensation for Lathani¡¯s kidnapping and torture. While I certainly agree that some form of compensation is due ¨C and have already started acting on that with my requirements of Tarra ¨C trying to deal with that at the same time as asking her for help with this dragon doesn¡¯t seem like the best strategy. Not knowing how she will react, I¡¯m reluctant to throw the cat in with the pigeons ¨C or the samurans ¨C with so much at stake. But it¡¯s a back-up plan if the dragon is too much for us to handle. I hope I won¡¯t come to regret deciding to give dealing with the dragon ourselves a good go. So far, no one has actually been killed, even if four Bound have been significantly injured. We see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it¡¯s a hellscape that presents itself instead of salvation. The majority of the breath mist has fortunately settled. Unfortunately, it¡¯s settled into even more patches of acid ready to trap the ground fighters. The dragon itself has just been driven off, my outside Bound aware that we were approaching. It¡¯s roaring above, clearly frustrated at being blocked from entering the tunnel once again. By this point, I¡¯m almost certain that they are indeed eggs below: why else would it be so determined to get past the defenders? Before leaving the tunnel mouth, I make sure that everyone knows what they need to do. After quickly scanning the battlefield before us, we split into two groups. Bastet and her fighters, along with Fenrir and Lathani go off to the right; I run to the left, accompanied by the samurans. Weaver is exhausted, being half-carried by Peace and Iandee on both sides. River and I are a lot better off. Immediately, the plan goes sideways. The dragon spots us and, if the scream of rage it makes is anything to go by, realises that we¡¯ve been investigating its lair. Perhaps it fears we¡¯ve done something to its eggs. Either way, it dives towards us, its mouth opening wide to spew forth acid. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Though the memory was scary, the reality is terrifying. A billowing cloud of vicious green mist billows towards us and I freeze for a moment. One of the samurans shoves me out of the way and I¡¯m knocked out of my frozen state. Quickly pulling a wooden shield out of my Inventory, I hold it to protect our backs from the acid as we take off running. The other samuran ¨C Iandee ¨C is faster than I am, and half-turns towards me, agonised indecision in his eyes. Wordlessly, I urge him to run to the trees, and he does. With fear making my feet pound the ground faster than I thought possible, I¡¯m only caught in the very edge of the breath. My shield protects me from most of it, though I hiss in pain as a touch of the attack slips under my armour and brushes against the seam of flesh between my under-clothes and my boots. Feeling like my skin is a mixture between burning and freezing, I immediately send mana into the area, aiming to heal the wound. It¡¯s not as simple as I hoped, and I end up just focussing on limiting the pain as I run for shelter. As soon as I¡¯m behind a tree, and sure that the dragon isn¡¯t following, I focus more on the wound. Connecting properly with the mana in my limb, I suddenly realise why it¡¯s being so difficult to fight. It¡¯s not just acid damage; there¡¯s actual acid-mana in the wound too. At least, that¡¯s the only explanation I have for the stubbornness with which the injury remains in place. In the end, after sending another look around myself to check that I¡¯m not about to be attacked, I dive into Medium Meditation to try to have a real effect on it. There, I see its influence even on my internal matrix: a malignant-looking greenish energy which coats several strands at the edge of my Core space. Fortunately, after all the healing I did after my last visit to this area, I am far more familiar with dealing with such injuries, though I haven¡¯t had to heal an actively malicious energy before. Still, it proves not to be too hard to combat in this space: I pull mana from my Core to the area which is affected, then essentially use it to¡­scour my channels clear. Perhaps it¡¯s another aspect of the fire-affinity that my mana has apparently taken, but I find that purifying and cleansing the area merely takes focus. Pulling myself out of Meditation, I find that healing the physical damage is now as easy as healing anything else. Interesting. My injury now sorted, I find the bands of tension around my chest loosening a little. I focus on sending a quick message to the rest of my Bound. Do your best not to be hit by the breath attack. Prefer being struck by something else, if injury is unavoidable. Then, more privately to Tarra, Do you have potions for pain-relief? I do, she answers quickly. Then try to stop those hit by a breath attack from feeling the pain too much ¨C hopefully I¡¯ll be able to heal it after the battle, but I can¡¯t do it now. I¡¯m already doing that, she answered, sounding slightly annoyed, perhaps that I felt the need to give the instruction. But I¡¯d rather be clear. My healing potions are having limited effect on the breath weapon, she continues, sounding more worried. I¡¯m not surprised, I answer grimly. Just do your best. We need to get through this battle first. She sends a wordless agreement. How is everyone? I check a little belatedly. Responses come through from the ones who had run out with me ¨C apparently I was the worst affected by the attack. I guess that the others didn¡¯t freeze up, having the knowledge of how to react to an attack embedded in their bones. Only Iandee seems to have been licked by the acid attack like me. Moving over to where Tarra signals she has the majority of the wounded along with the rest of the inside party who have regrouped there, I call for him to join me. As I move cautiously, I dare to try to see what¡¯s going on with the wider battle. The dragon has been deterred from following my small group by the trees. It¡¯s unable to fly through the small gaps and it seems that its breath doesn¡¯t have the same effect on trees as it does on flesh. Instead, it¡¯s making another break for the tunnel, its movements even more urgent than before. On cue, Shrieks and the outside Bound have piled into attacking it, dodging the small puddles of greenish liquid. Their numbers are reduced, and my heart drops into my stomach as I see the dragon lash out with its tail, knocking several of my Bound over. Immediately after, it turns to bite at the downed beasts. Pain flares through the link and I feel one of my Bonds vanish. With everything gone on, I can¡¯t immediately tell which Bond has just disappeared, but I know what it means: we¡¯ve had our first casualty. But it only gets worse. The dragon rears back and, despite my Bound all frantically attacking the points which should be vulnerable, doesn¡¯t seem too bothered by the flies attacking it. Inhaling and expanding its chest far more than any attack it has done so far, I get a bad feeling about this. Run! I shout, just as the dragon exhales. Out of its mouth pours an acid attack like none I¡¯ve seen so far either through memory or reality. Instead of liquid or gas, it almost appears to be an amalgamation of both. Worse, it¡¯s either alive or the dragon is capable of much more control over it than anything before. It rings the dragon like fire, tendrils snapping out to attack anything within range. The smart ones among my Bound are already running; the less smart ones or slower ones are caught. Another Bond snaps, and then a third, pain shuddering across the Bonds as others are hurt, but not to the point of death. Several of them run straight towards me, others towards safety in the trees on the other side of the clearing. The numbers are reduced even further than before. Free of irritating attackers, the dragon heads straight into the tunnel, leaving three dark shapes on the ground behind it. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-One: Do You Have The Net? ¡°Damn!¡± I swear. All that, only to fail¡­. Maybe we should have just given up in the first place. Then the dragon stops moving with its head and shoulders in the tunnel and I find a hope rising within me. Is it stuck? Even better, it appears that the dragon¡¯s attack is time-limited as the flame-like acidic tendrils are already fading away. Either that or the dragon needs to keep focus on it at all times and has lost concentration. However, it¡¯s not all good. I don¡¯t know how long I can hold this, Joy¡¯s voice thrums through the network of Bonds, strain and weariness clear within it. It¡¯s trying to melt my weave away and replacing the broken areas is taking all my mana. Tarra, do you have any more mana potions you can give her? I ask urgently in response. She¡¯s had as many as she can cope with for now. She can¡¯t take another for two clicks or it will have a bad effect on her body, Tarra answers, her voice tense. Then Joy, hold it for as long as you can. Shrieks, do you have the net? We do, he answers shortly. But Murmurs-quietly is dead, and Leaps-from-fright is too injured to help. The knowledge hits me like a punch to the gut, but I push myself through it. We need to deal with the situation: if we let the dragon go now, everything is just going to get harder. Peace? Can you help? I force myself to ask. ¡°I will do what I can,¡± the Warrior answers with determination in his voice. We need at least one more to have a good chance of success, rumbles Shrieks, though I see both of the samurans already moving towards the dragon again. I can¡¯t help but admire their bravery for a moment. I¡¯ll go, River says. My immediate response is to reject it, but I stop myself just in time. If I reject it because of my close bond with her, that¡¯s unfair to everyone else currently putting themselves in danger ¨C and makes a mockery of those who have¡­already died. Fortunately, I don¡¯t need to reject it ¨C Iandee does it for me. No Pathwalker shall go into danger when I am able to take her place, he announces nobly. I will go. He makes it to my side just as I reach the area where the wounded are lying around Tarra. She and River are moving efficiently around the area, showing the long-practice they¡¯ve had in dealing with wounded together, covering injuries in paste, tipping potions down throats, and generally doing what they can. That¡¯s another reason why River shouldn¡¯t be one of those to take the net. But time is of the essence and I see Iandee wincing as he pushes himself upright and the stiffness of his movements as he limps towards the edge of the clearing. ¡°Wait. Show me the injury,¡± I demand, hurrying over to him. As I get to his side, he presents his back to me ¨C a tendril of acid breath clearly struck him like a whip across his shoulders. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I try to heal the injury, though to limited effect. I have to guess that Iandee is suffering the same attack to his internal matrix that I did, but I don¡¯t know how to fix that on someone else. With the urgency of the current situation, I don¡¯t have the time to experiment, either. Instead, I just focus on numbing the area, so that at least he doesn¡¯t need to suffer until I can do a better job. Thank you, Honoured Tamer, Iandee says in gratitude as the pain reduces. ¡°It¡¯s not healed,¡± I warn him. ¡°I can¡¯t do that right now. So be careful of it.¡± I will, he promises as he quickly hurries off, moving a lot more quickly than previously. Not wasting any time myself, I immediately move to start healing my suffering Bound. Wanting to heal them all at once, I unfortunately have to prioritise. Knowing I can¡¯t heal the full acid damage is useful, even as it¡¯s frustrating and worrying. For Lee and Thorn who were heavily injured by acid, there¡¯s little I can do right now. I take a moment to block off their pain receptors. It¡¯s not normally something I would do ¨C feeling pain is actually a good way of stopping us hurting ourselves ¨C but in this case, they already know they can¡¯t move. It¡¯s just cruel to let them keep feeling the agony when I can stop it. Komodo is my next target ¨C he¡¯s one of the most heavily injured still of my Bound, is arguably one of the most useful, and also the majority of his injuries are healable since they come from him impacting a tree. Hard. It takes a fair bit of mana, but by keeping up Light Meditation, I recover some of it even while I¡¯m healing the kalestan. After him, I quickly heal Bastet, Lathani, and Honey, who were all lightly injured, and only a little by the acid. Those areas, I just numb for now. It turns out that the three Bound killed were Murmur, Wolverine, and Demon. I clench my teeth together until they threaten to crack, doubt going through me. Was it right to continue fighting this? Is it right to continue it even now that we¡¯re out of the tunnel? I try to fight the doubt back with my previous reasoning, but in the face of the three losses, I find it¡¯s weaker than I¡¯d like. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. By the time I¡¯m done, the samurans are in position. I steel myself to continuing. There is still a chance that we can achieve what we set out to achieve, and to give up now would be to abandon the efforts made ¨C and lives spent ¨C so far. The dragon is still head and shoulders in the tunnel, though not much further than that. The reason why Joy was so weak when we left the tunnel was because we spent a few minutes on a quick back-up plan ¨C one that¡¯s proven itself to be essential. Using roots in the walls and ceiling, the Pathwalker wove a barrier into place across more than half the tunnel. It took her two of Tarra¡¯ potions ¨C one that increased her mana directly, the other that increased her regeneration significantly ¨C but she managed. Just. She¡¯s struggling to hold it ¨C no doubt the dragon is spitting acid at it to eat the roots away, and attacking it with tooth and claw, but she¡¯s pouring mana into it from a distance to make it resistant and replace parts which have been destroyed. The dragon is held still for a moment: this is our chance to turn the tides in our favour. Looking out between the trees, I see an arc of white go over the dragon¡¯s wings. Triumph chimes through the network of Bonds, and I start running towards the dragon, accompanied by those of my combat Bound who are still in a decent enough condition to fight. With Joy currently focussing on keeping the barrier up in front of the dragon, it¡¯s up to me to do the next task. The only problem: I¡¯m already low on mana. River, I need some of your mana, I say, the stress of the situation making me blunt. Out of the three Pathwalkers, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s not using her mana pool. Take it, she says immediately, apparently not minding. It¡¯s hard to concentrate well enough while I¡¯m running, but my ability to split my focus has increased significantly in recent times, and I manage to pull mana from my Bound. Perhaps it¡¯s helped by her pushing it to me along the Bond as much as she can too. Reaching the dragon, I use the netting currently lying over its back to pull myself up. The dragon bellows and starts backing up ¨C perhaps it¡¯s realised something more serious is happening that it needs to deal with. Even as I pour my recently borrowed mana into the net, I feel the dragon inhaling again, its chest expanding significantly. Run! I yell mentally again ¨C I recognise the signs. So do several of my Bound, particularly the ones who were in that previous battle. Most run, but to my horror, I see Bastet and Lathani lingering for a moment, their eyes on me, agonised. They don¡¯t want to leave me, I realise. Run! I order, forcing their compliance. I hate doing so, especially with them. But it¡¯s too late for me ¨C I¡¯m too slow to get away. I¡¯m just going to have to hope that somehow I can withstand the semi-sentient acid attack. The two felines turn and run like the wind, a moment before the green tendrils form around the dragon once more. They flicker out like tongues, searching for foes, and not finding any. I keep on feeding mana quietly into the net. It¡¯s already fairly full of my mana from earlier; I¡¯m just topping it up a little. For a few moments, it looks like my attempt to stay unremarked is successful. I¡¯m even using Fade to hide from sight, in case that helps. Then the dragon manages to back out completely, and twists its head to see me. It is extremely tempting to use Dominate on it. It¡¯s only the certainty that I will fail it and the ensuing period of vulnerability which stops me. It¡¯s not the right time. On the upside, I manage to confirm my theory that the acidic tendrils are at least partially controlled by the dragon, and that the dragon is definitely able to detect me through my Fade. Of course, the downside of that is that I am immediately attacked. By all of them. Pain sears through me, almost as bad as the Pure Energy had felt. It¡¯s actually remarkably similar, I realise as I immediately use Sensation Management to dull the pain so I can think. Probably because both of them attack the internal matrix. Maybe it was only that the Pure Energy also attacked the soul which made it slightly more agonising. Remembering what worked before, I drop into my Core space and grab mana, sending it flushing through my system like a wave. I know that this leaves my body vulnerable, but if I don¡¯t deal with the acidic mana, I won¡¯t need to worry about being eaten. Recalling how the mana had seemed to burn the invading corrosive energy, I try to focus on repeating the effect, imagining my mana taking on fiery characteristics, even if I don¡¯t dare actually change it into fire mana. I remember well how I once exploded the tip of a finger by doing that; I¡¯m not sure that my new fire affinity is enough to stop that from happening to my whole body if I start flooding my internal matrix with actual fire mana. To my bone-deep relief, it works. And it¡¯s just as well: unlike before where the corrosive energy just ate away at a small part of my matrix, this time it covered at least seventy percent of it. Even with my efforts, I can tell that it¡¯s done some damage, but am confident that I will be able to fix that with time. I keep spamming wave after wave out of my Core to deal with it, trying to recycle as much of my mana as I can: my Core has a limited capacity, of course. Finally, I emerge from my Core space, somewhat surprised that I¡¯m still alive. Even if I managed to fight against the acidic mana, I was rather expecting for the dragon to have bitten off my head. The first thing I realise is that my vision is gone. Again. Since the dragon hasn¡¯t actually killed me yet, I¡¯m going to assume that it thinks I¡¯m dead already, or not a threat, so I start healing myself. I need the mana regeneration so I dip into Medium Meditation ¨C the dragon would have killed me already if it was inclined to do so. My eyes are the first things I restore, using the ¡®blueprint¡¯ in the cells to tell me how to rebuild them. As soon as they and my eyelids are back in place, I look to see where the dragon is. Perhaps it thought that its acidic tendrils were enough to finish me off, because it has returned to the tunnel, its head and shoulders disappearing into the hole, evidently attacking the barrier again. The rest of the acid attack is fading, the tendrils disappearing. I take stock. Physically, I¡¯m actually not as badly off as I would have expected: my armour has done a good job in protecting me. It has paid for its protection, though ¨C more than half the scales have fallen away because the hide below has been eaten by the physical aspect of the attack. Still, I¡¯ve only suffered light to severe acid burns in most places. My head and hands have suffered the worst ¨C I suspect that I resemble Red Skull more than a little at the moment. Thank God for Pain Management, is all I can say. If the acid hadn¡¯t also burned away the blood vessels and cauterised them to some extent, I¡¯d probably be rather at risk of hypovolemic shock. My health has taken a beating, dropping down to a tenth in that one attack, despite my armour. But I¡¯m alive. And that¡¯s more than I can say for three of my Bound. The reminder firms my resolve and pushes away the slightly hysterical mood that hovers over me threateningly. I¡¯m not losing health; I can heal myself more later. Right now, we need to deal with this fucking dragon. Setting my hands ¨C skinned, muscle burned away, bone and cartilage showing in places ¨C on to the net, I focus my Will on it. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Two: How Dare You Do This? Full of my mana, the net responds eagerly to my intentions, expanding and tightening. Interestingly, it was minimally affected by the dragon¡¯s acid attack. I don¡¯t know why ¨C it¡¯s made of almost-spider silk, so surely it wouldn¡¯t have been treated differently from any other organic matter. Then again, the danaris¡¯ pieces of chitin weren¡¯t badly affected either, so maybe it¡¯s something about the danaris. Still, I¡¯m grateful for it ¨C I don¡¯t have to waste too much mana replacing burnt sections at the same time as healing myself, and can instead focus on my task: trapping the dragon. As the net slithers around its body like light snakes, the dragon seems to realise that there¡¯s something wrong and begins backing up again. I work as quickly as I can. Just as the head clears the tunnel and starts to crane itself backwards, I pull the threads tight. The dragon lets out a sound of surprise as the net closes in, pulling its wings in tight to its body. I¡¯ve managed to feed it under the dragon¡¯s body, through the gaps between limbs and the ground. I¡¯ve also woven it around the tops of its legs, so when the threads draw in close, the limbs are half-trapped against it. Its wings were already folded, but the net makes sure they stay that way. It¡¯s not immobilised, far from it, but it¡¯s more constrained than it has been all fight. Unfortunately, its head is still free since there was no way of getting that in the net without tipping it off to what I was doing, and arguably that is the most dangerous part of the dragon¡¯s body. But this is an opportunity for more than one thing. My first action is to send off a quick Inspect as I scramble off its back, getting out of its immediate attack range. The tip of its tail has fortunately been caught by the net since it was curled up next to the dragon¡¯s body when I was expanding the danaris silk.
Alcaoris Tier 3 Beast (enlightened) Special abilities: Acid Jet, Acid Cloud, Intelligent Acid, Unknown, Unknown Health: Unknown Mana: Unknown Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: Unknown Part of a complex society which balances extreme competition with strong family bonds, this beast is one rarely found outside areas of high Energy saturation due to its need for significant Energy to grow. The difficulty this beast has in growing is compensated by unusual power at even the initial stages of each tier.
Close message? Y/N
Not a dragon, then. Not according to the System, anyway. Still, it¡¯s similar enough to one to make no difference to me. It¡¯s not particularly informative, and that makes me hesitate with the next move. The two unknown abilities are particularly disconcerting. However, if there¡¯s a peaceful way of resolving this, that would be good. When I fail this, get me out of the way as quickly as possible, I say to my Bound who are already approaching. Attack while you can. Then, meeting eyes with the dragon, I activate Dominate. True to expectations, the moment the grey world forms around me, I¡¯m already being shoved backwards by the pressure. Immediately, I crouch down and dig my hands and feet into the ground below me. The pressure still pushes me back, especially since, this close to the starting point, it¡¯s stronger than it would be when I¡¯m on the point of being pushed out completely. Surprisingly, the resisting force isn¡¯t actually quite as powerful as Kalanthia¡¯s, though the difference is very slight. Certainly, I don¡¯t expect to win here, but where Kalanthia¡¯s resistance pushed me to the edge and almost over it within a very short space of time, here¡­I¡¯m able to resist. Even not being pushed out of this space is a win: every second I¡¯m here is a second my Bound might be able to land a decisive blow on the frozen dragon ¨C alcaoris. I know that it will fail, and not in the too distant future, but I¡¯ve done what I can for now. Gritting my teeth, I dig my fingers into the ground more firmly and focus on keeping the world intact around us, and not giving a single inch which I don¡¯t have to. Distant from my opponent, I can only see its vague outline. Not expecting to feel anything, I am surprised when I¡¯m hit by a wave of incandescent fury, its force only enhanced by the underlying layer of frantic worry. My surprise makes me lose focus for a moment; by the time I¡¯ve regained it, I¡¯ve slid back a good metre from where I was. I dig my fingers even deeper into the ground, but don¡¯t try to regain the lost distance ¨C releasing even a hand to move it forwards is likely to lose me more than it will gain me. Another wave hits me a moment later, but this time, I¡¯m braced for it and it doesn¡¯t affect me. A third strikes me shortly after, but this time it¡¯s more focussed ¨C an emotion which expresses a thought. How dare you do this! I¡¯m surprised, but maybe I shouldn¡¯t be. If I¡¯m right, this beast is only a little weaker than Kalanthia, or perhaps stronger in some areas and weaker in this particular one, and its description did say ¡®enlightened¡¯. Does that mean that it¡¯s capable of telepathy like her? Or at least something of that sort. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°You can talk?¡± I grunt out, most of my focus still on simply not moving. How dare you stand in my way! it cries again through a lash of outrage and fury. ¡°Because your actions are creating a problem in the local environment,¡± I say. I¡¯ll admit, if only to myself, that that¡¯s only half the reason, and even then only because mentioning the quest would probably be more confusing than anything else. Getting access to the Pure Energy and Energy Hearts is the other main reason. My eggs need the power, and I am too weak to establish a territory in a better area. I created this incubation space; it¡¯s mine! So, it is a parent with eggs, though its presence feels distinctly¡­male? Can a presence feel male or female? Well, thinking about my previous experiences, yes. Kind of, anyway. So this is a male with eggs. Maybe. After the samurans, though, I¡¯m not assuming anything. Either way, it¡¯s not really relevant to the situation at hand. ¡°Yeah, but by blocking off the Energy stream, you¡¯re creating a significant amount of pressure upstream. That¡¯s already created problems and will continue creating more. If the flood of built-up Pure Energy attracts another beast even stronger than you, we¡¯re all going to be in trouble.¡± Searching for an argument which might have an effect on the beast makes me slip another couple of inches back, focus having shifted to my words rather than staying in place. But I can feel the strain from holding this space at all, especially since my opponent is fighting it harder than Kalanthia must have. One way or another, this is going to be over in a very short time. If the draconic alcaoris is willing to talk, maybe we can find another solution to the issue. That¡¯s why I brought the seed of the trap trees, the alcaoris says dismissively. They hide the traces of my incubator. At least, they would have except that they appear to have been destroyed by one of my enemies. An enemy who may have found my eggs. I must check that they are well and that their growth has not been impeded. Get out of my way or I will destroy you! I gape at the creature for a moment. The vine-stranglers were intentionally brought here? Then another thought occurs: should I reveal that it was me who destroyed the trees? On the one hand, it could prove my power. On the other, it might automatically put me in the category of ¡®enemy¡¯ ¨C if I¡¯m not already. For now, I decide not to. If I stay silent now, I can always change my mind later. ¡°I can¡¯t let you continue blocking the Energy stream,¡± I tell the beast. ¡°But do you really need to block it? Can¡¯t you just¡­put them in the Energy stream and let it continue?¡± The stream is too small for that, the alcaoris dismisses. I¡¯m wasting time. Every moment I spend here with you is a moment my enemy could be attacking my eggs! ¡°I¡¯m the one who burned your forest, and I haven¡¯t damaged your eggs,¡± I tell him, deciding to go ahead with revealing it. ¡°Look, make a deal with me and I promise we¡¯ll find a way for your eggs to get what they need without causing so many problems for the area. It doesn¡¯t have to be a Bond,¡± I assure him, fearing that I might be sounding a bit too desperate. But if this could result in me succeeding in the quest and getting access to the area without losing any more of my Bound? Then yes, I am desperate for it to work. The emotional lashes pause for a moment. I find myself more than halfway between my starting point and the point where I will fail the Battle of Wills ¨C this conversation has definitely taken its toll on me. Though I don¡¯t think that will be the end of it: I sense that the strain of holding this world together will overwhelm me in a few more moments. I do not believe you, the alcaoris says finally. I sense your weakness. I do not believe you could have destroyed the trap trees, not with how widespread they had become. Perhaps you are allied with my enemy, distracting me while they attack my eggs. I will destroy you now as I should have done from the first, then rip apart any who have touched my eggs! Wanting to argue with him, I feel the world fracturing around me. I¡¯ve held the space for too long, and it¡¯s ejecting me prematurely. Frustration wells up inside me: I don¡¯t think that the conversation has done anything but make things worse. I could have done that better, I think as the last of the Battle of Wills vanishes like wisps of fog being blown by the wind. I¡¯m hit by the post-failure paralysis, slumping to the ground helplessly. The alcaoris opens his mouth, preparing to obliterate me with his weapon. A moment before the jet of acid hits me, I¡¯m hit by a truck which sends me out of its path. At least, that¡¯s what it feels like. Instead of a truck, it¡¯s Shrieks who has barrelled into me, grabbing my prone body and carrying me out of the path of danger. He dumps me on the ground roughly at the edge of the forest, but I don¡¯t blame him for the heavy landing: I see the pain tightening the lines of his face. When he turns around to defend against any oncoming attack, I see it. He¡¯s been hit by part of the acidic jet, a nasty wound that¡¯s sizzled its way through his scales and into his muscles from his shoulders to his tail tip. His tail is the worst affected, now only half the size it was before. Come closer to me, I order him urgently and he shifts back so that my hand is in contact with one of his feet. Sending mana through his system, I do the little for him that I can. Mostly just numbing the pain. Still, he sends me gratitude which I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve earned: it¡¯s in my defence that he was injured when, so far, he¡¯s managed to escape it. And what has that little stint achieved? The rest of my still-mobile combat Bound ¨C now reduced down to nine figures, of which only four are Tier two ¨C are attacking the alcaoris. The one good thing is that our Battle of Wills must have given them the opportunity to attack its weak points without fear, as the draconic creature is bleeding from several different points. The downside is that even with that advantage, the injuries don¡¯t seem to be enough to make the creature pause in any way. In fact, it¡¯s the reverse. The alcaoris goes still for a moment and then, a moment later, three Bonds go dark. It happened quicker than I could track, faster than my Bound could react. Scythes of green were flicked from the alcaoris¡¯ claws, killing and injuring any they came into contact with. As soon as its attack is done, the alcaoris roars with angry satisfaction and strains against the net binding it. The spider silk holds. For a moment, I dare to hope that it might continue to hold ¨C spider silk on Earth is stronger, relatively speaking, than steel. Then, the first strands start giving way. No longer in contact with the net, and feeling numb from the losses, I¡¯m unable to fix the net, and can only watch as we end up right back at square one. Come back, everyone, I order them numbly. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Three: Like the Hand of a Giant With a powerful beat of its wings, the alcaoris has regained the sky. And this time, he¡¯s mad. Even though the route through to the tunnel is wide open, with my much-reduced group of Bound pelting across the ground as fast as their weary limbs can take them, the draconic creature shows no intention of heading for it. Instead, it seems to be aiming itself directly at my single largest group of Bound. To my increased horror, it¡¯s the group that includes Bastet and Lathani. In desperation, I grasp for a solution. Nothing that we¡¯ve thrown at the creature so far has done more than make it pause for a short time. I can¡¯t even try Dominate on it again ¨C not because I don¡¯t think that I can use it on the same creature twice in a row, but because I still feel overstretched in whatever facet governs its success or failure. The alcaoris inhales and I¡¯m running forwards before I¡¯ve even thought about it. If I can only use my wooden shield to protect them, it¡¯s better than nothing. And it¡¯s better if I¡¯m the one struck ¨C I already know how to heal myself from the deeper effects of the acid attack. I¡¯m the only one with the fire-affinity mana which seems to do so well at purifying its effects. Fire-affinity¡­. A moment before the jet of acid hits, I throw forward my own jet. It travels across the distance and the billowing flames strike the acid attack. The fire doesn¡¯t nullify the alcaoris¡¯ strike, but it does divert it enough that my Bound escape almost unscathed. They bolt past me, entering the edge of the forest. I suddenly realise that I¡¯m the only one still visible in the clearing and my heart quails slightly inside my chest as the alcaoris turns his undivided attention to me. For a moment, we¡¯re both frozen, eyeing each other up. You have stood between my eggs and me for the last time, I hear in the same way we communicated during the Battle of Wills. Why now? Has he decided that he deigns to grace me with his speech? Or is this a holdover from the connection we had in that space? It¡¯s a voice full of menace. We don¡¯t have to be enemies, I try, attempting to project my mental voice back in the direction of the emotion which carried the alcaoris¡¯ message. The offer of a deal is still open. There is no response. Biting my lip, I get a very bad feeling about what¡¯s about to happen. The alcaoris, instead of attacking me, starts flying in ever decreasing circles around the clearing. As he flies, he starts glowing green, wisps of acid flickering over his scales. Those who can, run, I tell them, unease running through me. I don¡¯t like the look of this. I will not run while a Pathwalker remains in danger, swears Shrieks, Iandee in uncharacteristically quiet agreement. That Peace doesn¡¯t say anything surprises me ¨C until I realise that he is one of those struck down in the last fight. You¡¯ll run because you need to protect Joy and River, I tell him bluntly. But what of you? he asks, almost plaintively. I have a better chance of surviving this than any of you, I tell him, hoping that I¡¯m right. He needs a target, and I¡¯m the slowest of all of you. And this was my fight ¨C I brought you into it. It should be me that finishes it. Guilt curdles in my stomach at having done that. At having brought us into this battle. At having kept us in this battle when hindsight says I should have retreated and come back later. At the failure of my battleplans ¨C I¡¯m not a general! Who decided that I should be the one to command fighters? Overhead, the wisps of acid mana which had been flickering over his scales now start gathering between his front claws, a ball of acid mana building up. I figure that it¡¯s either going to create a death beam or bomb of some sort, though it could be something else for all I know. This must be that final ¡®unknown¡¯ ability which I saw with Inspect. Just run would you?! I yell down the Bonds. I don¡¯t want more dying for this doomed fight than have already. Cutting off communication from my Bound, I try to think of a way that I will be able to survive this too. The only thing I can think about using which might possibly work is fire, but I won¡¯t have enough mana to sustain anything powerful for very long ¨C I don¡¯t know how long this attack is likely to go on for. Then a realisation occurs and I look to my side. Sure enough, Aingeal, my little fire elemental is still bobbing serenely over my shoulder, out of my usual field of view. Why hasn¡¯t it attacked the dragon already? It was so eager to fight the samurans during the ranking fights; why isn¡¯t it trying to protect me here? I send a slightly accusing set of feelings to the fire elemental, doing my best to ask that question. Aingeal responds with confusion. It takes me a precious moment to work out the issue, but when I do, I feel like strangling someone ¨C probably myself. Aingeal is incapable of identifying one type of fight from another. That was obvious in the fight with the first samuran Warrior when it tried to kill the samuran. So, when I told it not to attack, it took that to heart, especially when I rejected its help when it offered it again. I didn¡¯t tell it that the rules had changed, and that it should attack this creature¡­so it didn¡¯t. It takes a few more precious moments to communicate that I very much do want it to be part of this fight. Indeed, if it doesn¡¯t help me with this next attack, I don¡¯t know whether any of us are going to survive it: with the amount of build-up the alcaoris is dedicating to this, how can it be anything less than utterly devastating? You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Fortunately, the little elemental is very happy to act on my behalf, now it knows I want it to. Just in time: the alcaoris finally stops circling, hovering in midair, right above me. It releases the ball of acid, now about the size of its own head. The thing falls towards me with a chilling sense of finality. Aingeal rises in the opposite direction to meet it, and I pour mana into the little elemental. It doubles in size, then doubles again with the influx of mana, its heart glowing brighter and brighter. It¡¯s smaller than the ball of acidic mana, but I hope that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s weaker. Aingeal is the heart of the inferno which consumed almost the entirety of the forest of vine-stranglers. It¡¯s the remains of a force of nature far more powerful than a mere Tier three beast ¨C at least, that¡¯s what I hope. I pull the wooden shield over my head and huddle as close to the ground as I can ¨C I have no idea what¡¯s about to happen. Brace! I cry down the network of Bonds. There¡¯s a moment of silence, and then the world explodes with a bright light that sears through my eyes. I close my eyes reflexively against the brightness, but it still hurts even with my eyelids in the way. I¡¯m forced against the ground with crushing power and a wave of heat intense enough to make me feel like I¡¯m breathing fire. A moment later, a loud, deep whoomph deafens me. When the light dies away, I have to blink hard, still barely able to see anything. Automatically, I send mana to my eyes and ears, finding that my eardrums have been ruptured by the change in pressure, and my retinas have been injured. I quickly heal those and sigh in relief as my senses come back. The rest of the damage seems to be deep bruises from being pressed hard against the rough ground, but nothing serious ¨C I think my increased Constitution must be helping with that. I don¡¯t bother healing those ¨C they¡¯ll heal easily enough by themselves and I might need the mana for other things. Cautiously lifting the shield, I¡¯m met with a scene of devastation indeed. The trees closest to the clearing have been blown over completely, knocking into the ones beyond and making them tip precariously or even fall. It¡¯s like pictures I¡¯ve seen of sites where a meteor has hit, though not quite as widespread as those. Plus, there¡¯s no dip in the ground itself. And I don¡¯t think meteor strikes usually cause trees to catch light. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t appear that we¡¯ve accidentally set off a forest fire, but I can still see certain sections of trees smouldering, and the trunks of the worst affected trees are blackened and burned. What happened? Sirocco must pick up on my emotion as she sends me a quick series of images. She was watching from above through the whole thing. The alcaoris dropped the bomb ¨C since that¡¯s the only thing I can liken it to ¨C and Aingeal rose to meet it. When they met, a light bright enough to damage even Sirocco¡¯s eyes was created, and a shockwave of force and fire went out from the meeting point in all directions. Trees were pushed over like with the hand of a giant, but Sirocco didn¡¯t see much of that ¨C even as high in the air as she is currently, she felt the effects in updrafts which threatened to either rip her wings off or send her falling towards the ground. The alcaoris didn¡¯t come off completely unscathed: caught by updrafts, he was sent flying up and then to the side, slammed into the trees himself. Looking sharply to where Sirocco showed him landing, I see that his bulky mass is still there. I start moving in his direction, my body aching. A flicker of light catches my attention ¨C Aingeal drifts down to bob over my shoulder once more. It''s down to a quarter of its usual size, glowing far less brightly than normal, and exuding a mixture of tiredness, satisfaction, and questioning. Like it¡¯s seeking my approval, wanting to know it¡¯s done a good job. I send it my approval indeed ¨C and my admiration for what it managed to achieve. I hate to imagine what would have happened if the acidic bomb had hit without interference. It might not have exploded to the same extent as it did, Aingeal¡¯s influence is clear in that respect. But it would have clearly been powerful anyway: I wasn¡¯t able to put that much mana into the little Fire elemental. Then again, maybe it did use up something that remained of the inferno ¨C my little elemental has definitely been significantly impacted by the blast. Hopefully it¡¯ll recover in time. With a swoop in my stomach, I abruptly wonder whether it could have been killed if it had proved to be less than the ¡®bomb¡¯. I hadn¡¯t even considered that possibility. Maybe I should have. It does surprise me a little that there¡¯s so little evidence of acid in the damage. But perhaps Aingeal managed to burn it off? Well, hopefully, my Bound won¡¯t have accrued more acid damage then. My Bound! A shockwave with that force could have killed them, especially the most injured. I quickly send out a mental message, fearing what I might receive back. Or rather, what I might not receive back. With everything that happened all at once, I don¡¯t know if I would have felt the Bonds break as I did before. I don¡¯t think I have many fewer Bonds than prior to the attack, but it¡¯s hard to tell. At least my strongest Bonds are still intact, which is a relief. We¡¯re all here, Bastet answers, giving me a sense of being within a woven dome. The weaving lizard protected us. None of us are lost. Now that she says it, I realise that there¡¯s an odd dome-shaped object among the fallen trees, one that looks damaged by the shockwave, but still intact. Incredible relief goes through me along with shame. I told them to run, hoping to keep at least some of my Bound alive, preferably my closest connections. Instead of doing that, Joy evidently found a different solution, one which could protect everyone. Thank you, I say fervently to the Pathwalker. She sends me back a sense of exhaustion ¨C it must have been tough on her. By this point, I¡¯m almost at the alcaoris who is starting to stir. It¡¯s a bit of a risk, but I move around to his head and stare into his eyes. Like with the samurans, I create a cloak of fire around myself. This time, I add two wings like his to the demonstration. I can¡¯t hold it long, but hopefully it¡¯s enough to prove my point. I dismiss the fire with a wave of my hand, trying to make it look like it wasn¡¯t just because my mana is almost empty again. ¡°I¡¯m the one who destroyed the ¡®trap trees¡¯,¡± I tell him, doing my best to project my thoughts. I still don¡¯t feel like I could hold a Battle of Wills for long, but hopefully he can hear and understand me. ¡°We can keep fighting, but neither of us will come out of it intact. Make an agreement with me,¡± I offer once more, hoping that he can¡¯t sense my bone-deep tiredness or grief. At this point, though he¡¯s clearly heavily injured, I¡¯m not confident that I could kill him easily. A truce is the best case scenario: I don¡¯t want to lose any more of my Bound and an agreement between us offers the chance to get what I really want. Killing a Tier three was never the intention. Activating a Tame bond, I offer it to him, pouring in my intentions to help him find a different way to give his eggs what they need without causing unknown damage by continuing to block the Energy stream. Taking a deep breath, I send it over to him to respond. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Four: What I Need To Do The draconic alcaoris takes a long time to respond. When he does, it¡¯s not to either accept or reject the Bond. Why should I accept this? he asks. Despite the slightly dismissive edge to his emotions, there¡¯s more respect and wariness present than there was in the recent Battle of Wills. You are¡­not as weak as I thought. Nor is the idea that you were the one to destroy the trees I planted quite as laughable as it was before. Yet if I reject this, what could you do? You have not proven capable of killing me. He seems genuinely curious where before he might have been contemptuous, so I answer him in the same spirit. I don¡¯t know whether he will be able to pick up my thoughts as Kalanthia does, so focus on using Animal Empathy to aid my communications. I¡¯m not nearly as familiar with this creature¡¯s means of communication as I was with the samurans¡¯, so I don¡¯t know if it will help. Still, no harm in trying, right? ¡°The fighters I have present are not my only ones. And there are other possible connections I could draw on. You¡¯re right ¨C I¡¯m not sure I could defeat you today. But I¡¯m far more confident about being able to do it if I had time to prepare. I could probably double my strength; maybe more. Can you say the same?¡± Perhaps it¡¯s a mistake to reveal that much: if he rejects the Bond and starts trying to attack again, then we will have to retreat and he will now be forewarned that we will be back. But I sense that he¡¯s weaker too than before ¨C whatever that last attack was, it seems to have taken a lot out of him. The presence which had always been around him, something which made him seem bigger and more fearsome than he is ¨C not that he needs much help with that ¨C has fallen away. He still looks deadly, but he seems diminished in some way. It puts me in mind of the aura which Kalanthia has used on me before. That one was unmistakable ¨C a feeling of a predator ready to pounce. It had triggered my fight, freeze, or flee instinct, and I¡¯d only managed to control them since I¡¯d been aware of what was happening. This one is more subtle, though ¨C enhancing the alcaoris¡¯ natural attributes and making him seem like a more difficult opponent than a blunt mental attack. Stripped of it, his teeth seem blunter, his scales less impenetrable. The wounds which he took from my Bound¡¯s weapons and teeth seem more serious than before. I start wondering whether we actually could defeat him. He¡¯s grounded ¨C his wings seem damaged from the fall ¨C and his scales look paler than they were before, though whether that¡¯s to do with blood loss, fatigue, or simply his aura being absent, I¡¯m not sure. Still, there¡¯s no guarantee of that and creating an agreement of some sort is probably better in the long run. Especially since I really don¡¯t want to lose more Bound than I already have and, even weakened, the alcaoris would no doubt take as many with him as he could. Then why did you try to fight without your full strength? he asks. It¡¯s a good question, though one I¡¯d rather not answer. I sigh. ¡°Because I underestimated your strength,¡± I admit. He fixes me with a hard look. It¡¯s rather impressive when it comes from an eyeball about five times the size of mine in a head more than three times the size of Shrieks¡¯. How can you ask me to trust that you will find a way to give my eggs what they need without causing the consequences you fear when you have proven to have such poor judgement as to face me in your current state? I wince at his summary of the situation. The problem is, he¡¯s right. If I had realised just how powerful he is, I¡¯d have retreated at the outset: it would have been easier to lay a trap for when he came out, or even to deal with him inside the caves than it¡¯s proven to be when fighting him in the open. But I didn¡¯t realise, and made decisions based on what I thought was right at the time. All I can do is try to be better next time. As for now¡­. ¡°I have always found a way to do what I need to do,¡± I tell him honestly. ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s taken more time than I wanted, but I¡¯ve always succeeded in the end.¡± Since coming to this world, anyway ¨C I can¡¯t say that the same was true back on Earth. The alcaoris looks at me steadily for long moments, then finally I feel him moving on the other side of the Tame offer. I can¡¯t tell exactly what he¡¯s doing; all I can tell is that he hasn¡¯t just rejected it which is a good sign. The ¡®offer¡¯ returns to me, like a trade window has been adjusted on his side, but not fully accepted. Now, his requests and requirements are clearer. He has required me to come up with an alternative solution to the issue in the next three days. In the meantime, neither I nor any under my command may act against him or his eggs in any way. If I do not find a solution for him, I swear not to interfere with his eggs until they are hatched. I think about it for a long moment, then adjust it a little. I agree to not allowing any under my command to interfere with him in the three day truce, but require that he reciprocates. I also add that if I don¡¯t find a solution to ensuring his eggs get what they need while also solving my quest, that he will then help me find a way to deal with whatever the effects are of the blockage continuing. He hesitates for a moment, before accepting on his end. I do the same and the Bond snaps into place. Much like Sirocco''s, this Bond is very much based on the mutual desire of both parties to keep in place. I sense that it¡¯s equally as restricted in terms of what I can do to affect either the Bond or the alcaoris through it; perhaps even more so. But the fact that I''ve managed to make a Bond with a creature I¡¯ve been worried was going to kill us all is a victory in itself. However, as I consider the number of Bound who have died in the last¡­twenty minutes? It seems a rather pyrrhic one. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I am going to check on my eggs, the alcaoris announces. Remove the barrier in the tunnel. ¡°Can¡¯t you take it down quickly enough?¡± I ask tiredly. ¡°The one who created it is exhausted; she won¡¯t fight against you any more, but she probably can¡¯t get rid of it quickly either.¡± The alcaoris sniffs huffily. Considering it was your subordinates who put it in place, I would have thought it should be your responsibility to remove it. It takes far too much mana to eat through plant matter for me to succeed at the moment and I¡¯d rather not wear my claws and teeth further. I sigh. ¡°Fine,¡± I reply, stalking off to the tunnel mouth. I can¡¯t unweave the blockage, but I can burn it. My aches are slowly improving, my natural regeneration healing the superficial damage from the explosion. I move faster towards the tunnel than I¡¯d been able to cross the clearing, and quickly approach the woven barrier. It doesn¡¯t take much fire to catch light to the roots, and only a bit of time to burn the remains of the woven obstacle to ash. The effect of the draconic creature¡¯s teeth and claws are certainly in evidence but, true to his words, there¡¯s not much acid damage, and more to the floor than the roots, in fact. I suppose there¡¯s the proof of my theory that he used acid to create the tunnel rather than Shaping it. Once the barrier is reduced to ash, the alcaoris brushes past me swiftly, disappearing quickly into the darkness. I head back out, eager to check on my Bound now that the danger of attack has passed. Outside, Sirocco checks with me first whether I need to have eyes in the air still. When I confirm that I probably don¡¯t, she soars to land on my shoulder as I move quickly towards where the woven dome was. It¡¯s open on one side now, and my Bound have spilled out from it. They¡¯re in a sorry condition, though I¡¯m relieved to have confirmation with my own eyes that all who were alive before the final attack are still alive now. Unfortunately, we¡¯ve lost six from our group, and we only started with twenty to begin with. Twenty-one if we include Aingeal. Murmur, Demon, and Wolverine were killed earlier. Peace, Woozle, and Marty fell to the scythe attack while the dragon was still tied up in the net. Bastet¡¯s group has been cut in half, as has the small group of Warriors I Dominated not far from Kalanthia¡¯s cave. The knowledge of the losses mean that there is none of the jubilation which might have been expected from surviving a battle with a Tier three ¨C and one who was apparently unusually powerful to boot. But I don¡¯t blame them. A Bond is probably the best outcome, but it¡¯s certainly not as satisfying as succeeding in killing it, and the losses are heavy. At least, that¡¯s how I feel. Shrieks seems to have a different opinion. As I approach, he looks up, relief coming over the Bond. You are unharmed. ¡°I am,¡± I confirm. Out of everyone, I¡¯m probably the least injured. Well, out of the fighters ¨C Joy is exhausted but unharmed. River and Tarra aren¡¯t even that. ¡°But many of us are not.¡± No, he agrees, and a sense of sadness comes across him as he looks back towards the battlefield. The bodies of our companions who were killed are no longer on the field ¨C the explosion must have blown them away with the trees. We¡¯ll have to find them to give them whatever honours are appropriate. But to have come out of a battle with such a powerful beast with only two Warriors dead is far better than can be expected. ¡°We lost six, not just two,¡± I remind him. Somehow, it rubs me up the wrong way to have the other four beings'' efforts discounted. They were Unevolved, Shrieks pointed out. It is more surprising that the casualties among the Unevolved were not greater. Unevolved have no place trying to fight anything above Evolved, and even then they often struggle. That doesn¡¯t actually make me feel any better: it just tells me that I should have barred all the Unevolved from joining the battle at all, but if I had done that, I suspect the casualties among the Warriors would have been higher. And I can¡¯t bear to think that Bastet might have been killed along with them. Just remember to do better next time, I remind myself. Now I¡¯ve actually fought properly against a Tier three beast, I feel exceedingly lucky that Kalanthia has never really intended to kill me. ¡°It just shows how much your mother was holding back even when she was furious at me for the Bond between us,¡± I remark to Lathani, heading to check on the Bound who look to be in the worst condition. Mother is weakened at the moment, anyway, Lathani remarks cheerfully. I freeze, looking at her. ¡°What?¡± She¡¯s told me. Having children is very difficult for our kind, Lathani explains willingly, though more seriously than before. She had to dedicate part of herself to me to help me survive. Until I Evolve, she¡¯s not able to use even half of her abilities, and is magically and spiritually weakened. Or if I die, I suppose. I stare at her wide-eyed, and notice several of my Bound ¨C the samurans in particular ¨C doing the same. Well. I suppose it makes sense. Her mental presence felt stronger than this alcaoris¡¯, but I¡¯ve only seen her use her Earth-Shaping skills where this creature had significantly more than just a single skill. I¡¯d been kind of putting it down to Earth-Shaping being a wider skill than what the alcaoris demonstrated it was capable of, but what if it¡¯s because she can¡¯t use other skills while Lathani is still in Tier one? And what would have happened if the shaman¡¯s plan had gone through as intended? Lathani said that her mother would get her full capabilities back if she died, but what if the shaman¡¯s interference meant that that wasn¡¯t the case? I shiver at the implications. Suddenly, her caginess when talking about her Energy channels makes an awful amount of sense. Another thought occurs and I fix the samurans in my company with a gimlet eye. Even River doesn¡¯t escape my stare ¨C I trust her more than almost anyone else present, but she now has commitments to the village as a Pathwalker. ¡°This is an order,¡± I say firmly, not letting there be any doubt, either in their minds or in the Bond. ¡°Do not discuss what you have just learned about Kalanthia with anyone. Do not even hint about it, or act in a way that might take advantage of the information. Understand?¡± Understood, Honoured Tamer, answer Shrieks and Iandee swiftly. River chimes in next with an ¡®understood, master¡¯ ¨C I¡¯m not sure if that was intentional or not. Joy and Tarra acknowledge my words next with a certain degree of hesitation in Joy¡¯s case, and reluctance in Tarra¡¯s. I understand it ¨C this is valuable information which could help them if Kalanthia attacks them again. But hopefully that won¡¯t come up. Ultimately, she¡¯s my friend. With that baffling information received and settled, I turn to healing my suffering Bound as quickly and efficiently as I can. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Five: Because You’re Hurting What¡¯s interesting, I immediately note, is that the acidic mana in my Bound¡¯s wounds is¡­inert. Kind of. At least, it¡¯s not actively fighting me in the way it was. It still isn¡¯t keen on moving, and I have to expend a lot more mana to mend the flesh it¡¯s damaged than I would have if it wasn¡¯t present, but it¡¯s actually possible to heal my Bound which before it wasn¡¯t. Maybe it¡¯s because the alcaoris is no longer hostile to us, or perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s now connected to the network of Bonds, if only tentatively. Either way, I¡¯m thoroughly glad that I can actually fulfil my principle role ¨C what good is a healer who can¡¯t heal, after all? I suspect that there will still be underlying issues with their Energy channels, especially those like Lee, Shrieks, Louie, and Thorn who had significant damage. I actually had to grow back half of Lee¡¯s arm ¨C that he managed to survive the injury is more than a little impressive. All but Shrieks out of those four were knocked out by sleeping draughts from Tarra. I understood her reasoning: having them lying around conscious but in pain and helpless wouldn¡¯t have helped with anything. It¡¯s just as well that Joy was able to weave a protection to shelter them all in situ ¨C I¡¯ll have to do something nice for her in thanks. It takes a lot longer than I would like, and I end up spending a lot of time in Meditation to regenerate my mana between healing sessions. I want to test whether Tarra¡¯s mana potions would work as intended on me too, but don¡¯t think that this is the best place to do it. Finally, though, I heal the last injuries on Bastet who got away from the experience practically unscathed thanks to her agility. When I finally sit back, sighing, Louie comes over to me. The big, scaly, orangutan-like creature looks and feels uncharacteristically nervous. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I ask him warily, hoping that it¡¯s not something that¡¯s going to mean that we can¡¯t sleep tonight ¨C I need the rest; we all do after this fight! Not being Tier two, Louie, unlike his namesake, hasn¡¯t quite learned how to communicate in sufficiently directed thoughts that it comes through as words for me, but he¡¯s getting pretty close. I frown as I feel his message. It¡¯s somewhat apologetic, and more than a little fearful, but his preference is clear. ¡°You want to break the Bond?¡± I check, dismay going through me. It¡¯s not so much the regret at losing this Bound in particular ¨C although I¡¯ve tried to get to know him a bit, he¡¯s certainly not one of my close companions ¨C but more the realisation that my poor leadership skills has meant one of the team actually wants to leave. Not that I blame them when I consider the mess I made of this last battle. Louie clarifies a little. Regrettably, it¡¯s not to indicate that he still wants to remain part of the group. Instead it¡¯s to say that he knows he doesn¡¯t need my permission to break the Bond, but that he wishes to know if we would kill him if he does separate from us. ¡°Of course not!¡± I tell him, chagrined that he might think that that would be our reaction. ¡°You¡¯ve fought with us; you haven¡¯t betrayed us. If you wish to leave, not one of us will harm you.¡± With the Bonds I have in place, only Sirocco, Thorn, and Honey would be able to if I don¡¯t want it to happen, and not even them without breaking the Bonds. Which only Sirocco could do at present since Thorn and Honey have time-limited Bonds. Actually, Honey¡¯s Bond is due to be up in three days, thinking about it. I¡¯ll have to talk to her, see if she wants to leave or stay. Though not right now, perhaps, if Louie is anything to judge by. ¡°So no,¡± I conclude, tuning back into the conversation with my Bound ¨C currently, at least. ¡°You can leave with peace between us as long as you don¡¯t attack any of us. But are you sure you want to go?¡± I check. ¡°I might have healed the surface damage, but I think that your Energy channels are probably in a bad state. Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to find a way of healing those too in time.¡± The orangutan-like henerm thinks about it for a moment, and then sends a remarkably polite sense of refusal. I sense that he just wants to go but he fears doing so without gaining my approval, assurances or not. ¡°Alright,¡± I say sadly. ¡°All the best. So long.¡± The henerm hesitates for a moment before breaking the Bond and then scurrying off. Propelling himself across the ground with his elongated forearms, he moves surprisingly quickly, disappearing into the intact trees within just a few short moments. I gaze after him for a long moment. It¡¯s a shame it happened like this. Sighing, I turn my attention to the rest of the group. They¡¯re watching me with varying expressions on their faces and emotions rippling across the Bonds between us. I can¡¯t help wondering how many of them feel the same as Louie ¨C and how many of them would leave if they could. ¡°Anyone hungry?¡± I ask, as brightly as I can to cover my own negative emotions. Without waiting for a response, I pull out carcasses that I tucked into my Inventory from last night¡¯s revels. Was it only last night that we were having a party to celebrate both River and I being accepted as Pathwalkers? And here I am with two dead Warriors at my hands, less than a day later. I find I can¡¯t sit still and push myself to my feet. I might as well find the corpses of my companions before darkness falls. I should probably eat, but right now I find that I¡¯m not hungry. It¡¯s surprising considering how ravenous I was before. Or perhaps not ¨C grief often robs me of my appetite. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. To my surprise, a figure comes to join me. Then another. And then a third and a fourth. I stop and turn around to give them each a level stare. ¡°Look, I appreciate the company, but you were all fighting hard back there. You need to eat.¡± So do you, points out River. You fought with us even when you probably shouldn¡¯t have, and then healed us all afterwards. You need to eat as much as any of us, agrees Bastet, nudging at my leg with her head. But if you won¡¯t eat and rest, then we will stay with you until you do. That¡¯s emotional blackmail, I¡¯m sure about it. I glare at Bastet half-heartedly. She means well, I know that. And...honestly, I have to admit that having them come to join me without a command, without me even expressing any sort of desire for them to do so, is nice. Maybe not all of them are with me because they can¡¯t get out of their Bonds. Certainly Bastet, Lathani, and River could all leave me without even a moment¡¯s notice if they wanted to. That they haven¡¯t is oddly reassuring. ¡°I need to go find the¡­the bodies of our companions. They don¡¯t deserve to be forgotten in the forest overnight,¡± I explain, the lump in my throat a little bit easier to swallow past. Not to mention that doing so would probably mean there won¡¯t be any bodies to do anything with tomorrow: the forest is full of creatures who would quite happily consume them overnight. I agree, rumbles Shrieks. Which is why I come with you to find my fallen brothers. They were under my care and command too, he reminds me not unkindly. I find myself unable to argue with that thoroughly logical point. ¡°So why are you here, then?¡± I ask, turning to the final figure. Lathani, of course. Because you¡¯re hurting, she says simply. You helped me when I was hurting; I want to help you, even if that only means walking with you wherever you go. To my surprise, it¡¯s that which makes my eyes start to water a little. I swipe my hand across them, grateful that my companions probably have no idea what the human reaction means ¨C I don¡¯t think any of them are capable of crying. ¡°Alright,¡± I manage to force out gruffly and start moving again. Bastet starts leading me to where her nose is telling her there might be a body. I pause next to Lathani and stroke a hand down her back. ¡°And thanks,¡± I say quietly, knowing that it¡¯s not just to her, and knowing that my companions realise that too. ***** By the time we¡¯ve found the six bodies and brought them back to where the rest of the group is, the sun is heading towards the horizon and we probably ought to give serious thought as to where we¡¯re going to spend the night. If we¡¯d defeated the alcaoris, we¡¯d have probably sheltered in the tunnel itself; as it is, I don¡¯t think any of us would be comfortable doing so. Probably asking Joy to create a mini shelter as she did to protect against the blast of acidic mana is the best option. I¡¯ve got enough food and water in my Inventory to keep us going for a couple of days meaning we don¡¯t necessarily need to go to the river. And this close to where the vine-stranglers used to be ¨C and where there is now only a grey ashfield ¨C I suspect that there aren¡¯t as many animals in the forest as there would usually be. They will come back, but it¡¯s only been a couple of days since it happened. Though we probably ought not to leave bodies around to attract them. My inclination is to repeat what I did with Spike and bury them, but that will take a lot of time and effort, and we¡¯re all tired. I raise the question with my companions. Both Murmurs-quietly and Sleeps-peacefully were fascinated by your life-devourer, Joy mentions thoughtfully. ¡°You think I should cremate them?¡± I check, sending across an image of what I¡¯m talking about. Both my mother and father were cremated, so the memory sends a jolt of old grief through me. Perhaps, Joy agrees, maybe not feeling the emotions or just ignoring them. I think about it for a moment, appreciating the distraction. ¡°That¡¯s probably the most practical idea,¡± I decide. ¡°But don¡¯t you have any¡­traditions, words to say, anything like that?¡± I find myself looking over at Iandee ¨C whenever I asked questions like that in the past, he would happily chime in with a thought. This time, though, he¡¯s silent, avoiding my gaze and looking at the ground. Guilt clenches at my heart. Is he blaming me for his brothers¡¯ deaths? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that were the case. Shaman used to want us to bring back something of any we lost if we could do so safely. We usually brought a tooth or claw, or bone if we could. But we will hold a remembrance ceremony for them when we return ¨C their bodies are not necessary for that. Indeed, it¡¯s usually so much more dangerous to try to bring their bodies back that it¡¯s actively discouraged. I suppose that makes sense ¨C carrying a bleeding corpse through the forest has got to be attractive to all the predators present. Cremating it is, then. And since I¡¯m cremating the two samurans, I might as well do the same with Woozle, Wolverine, Marty, and Demon who all met the same fate. The usual wood of a pyre is, of course, not necessary. Instead, we lay them out carefully in a row and say our final goodbyes. At least, I do, and Shrieks says something quietly to each of the Warriors. He takes their belts and necklaces from them ¨C he already has the weapons we could find ¨C and then steps back, looking at me calmly. He¡¯s probably far more used to this than me. Then, with a flex of my Will, each of the six bodies goes up in flames one by one. I support the fire with my own mana until it¡¯s caught on their bodies, and then merely add a little bit more mana just to make sure they burn as cleanly as possible. The flames flicker, sending shadows dancing around the clearing. One of those shadows is not, in fact, mere blackness, I realise with surprise that makes my heart clench. In the entrance to the tunnel, I see the dark form of the alcaoris standing. I can¡¯t help glaring at him, but redirect my gaze before my animosity causes a reaction which we can¡¯t afford ¨C he could break the Bond and his word whenever he likes. He waits until the flames are dying away, the bodies now no more than just ash, still mostly in the form of their living shapes. Then he steps out and his eyes reflect the dying light as he gazes towards us. Come here, he commands imperiously. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Six: The Whole Picture I eye the alcaoris, irritation at his high-handedness running through me, not to mention resentment of him interrupting this event when he¡¯s the one who actually killed the beings now burning on the pyre. Though I suppose I am just as guilty for bringing them into this place and for deciding to press the attack. Perhaps more. Probably more. I sigh as my anger dies away like the flames which have consumed their bodies. Eyeing the remains of my Bound and seeing that they are fully burned, I decide that there¡¯s no point being obstinate. First checking that my Bound have everything they need, I start walking towards the draconic creature, though try to make it clear that I¡¯m going at my pace, not running to him like an eager puppy. Bastet and Shrieks both check with me separately whether I want company. Well, Shrieks checks, and Bastet just comes. I try to tell the raptorcat to go back, but my heart isn¡¯t in the command and she ignores it with all the aloof regard of a true feline. I have to admit that I feel selfishly grateful to have her along. All I hope is that the alcaoris isn¡¯t planning on betraying our agreement, putting her in danger alongside me. ¡®I sensed your presence near my eggs, you and many others,¡¯ the alcaoris says accusingly. I just cross my arms and stare back at him unflinchingly, even if inside I¡¯m preparing to defend myself against whatever attack is about to come ¨C somehow. ¡®But I also sense that you did no harm to them,¡¯ he continues begrudgingly. ¡®I will forgive you for this infraction as long as you fulfil your word.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s my intention,¡± I confirm. ¡®I suppose you will need to inspect the area in more detail,¡¯ suggests the alcaoris. ¡°That would probably be useful,¡± I agree cautiously. ¡®Then come,¡¯ he commands, turning and heading back into the tunnel. ¡°What, now?¡± I can¡¯t help asking slightly incredulously. ¡®Yes. I wish to sleep. Come now, or do not come at all.¡¯ Exchanging a glance with Bastet, I quickly send a message back to Shrieks and the others warning them of what we¡¯re about to do ¨C and what to do if I do not emerge in a reasonable amount of time. Shrieks, for obvious reasons, is not keen on me going alone, but I convince him to stay. He¡¯s tired and needs to recover, as do they all. So do Bastet and I, but apparently I don¡¯t have much of a choice and Bastet is determined to come with me. Ultimately, the argument which convinces Shrieks is that there are three other Pathwalkers who need him. Since losing three Pathwalkers is far more serious for the village than losing a single one, especially one like me who can¡¯t make eggs, he agrees. Bastet and I hurry down the tunnel after the alcaoris. He moves surprisingly quickly for an airborne creature now under the earth. The journey down into the depths takes only a little more time than our last journey going up did ¨C and we were racing to help our companions against this very creature. Not for the first time, I wonder whether I¡¯m making a big mistake here. But for now the Bond is still intact, and I don¡¯t sense any intention on his end of things to sever it. Whether I would be able to sense it is another question and one that I try not to think about. Squirrely behaviour is probably more likely to cause the draconic creature to see me as prey to hunt than an ally to take heed of, I figure. In its weaker form, Aingeal works perfectly as a torch without me needing to ask it to tone down its brightness ¨C fortunately for all of us. Plus, hopefully this will mean that we won¡¯t repeat the whole blinding episode earlier. The alcaoris is definitely too big to fit into the tunnel below and curls up in a baleful heap around the hole down to the Pure Energy stream below. Or, at least, what should be the Pure Energy stream. ¡°So tell me, what brought you here?¡± The alcaoris eyes me as if wondering how much to tell me. ¡°The more I know, the more likely it is that I¡¯ll be able to find a solution to both of our problems,¡± I remind him. The draconic creature holds his silence for a few moments longer as we engage in something of a staring contest. Then he breathes out, his breath tinged with green acidic mana. Fortunately, it just drifts past us, not eating into our skin at all. I don¡¯t know whether that¡¯s the Bond at work or just his lack of intention to hurt us. Either way, it makes me even more relieved that we managed to find a way to deal with him which didn¡¯t involve being trapped in an underground space full of his mana. I told you before: I wished to find a space to incubate my eggs. ¡°Yes, but why here? In this specific space? And was this area already created or did you create it?¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I made it, the alcaoris answered shortly before going silent for a few moments more. Finally, he sighed again. The dam of my eggs was powerful. I was lucky to have caught her in her mating rise before more powerful males could come along, he admits. I feel briefly gratified to be right about the feeling of his presence. I was even luckier that she agreed to nurture my eggs until they were ready to lay despite my weakness. After that, she left them to my care ¨C how could I do anything less for them than my best? ¡°And your best is to stick them in a Pure Energy stream?¡± I ask, trying not to let any sense of accusation seep into my words. Yes, the alcaoris answered uncaringly. I am too weak to battle for one of the best egg incubation spots. But, because of their dam, my eggs need a high level of Energy if they are to hatch, and to overcome my own weakness. I dared not go too close to the other males: without the power to establish a territory, my eggs would have been consumed the moment I left them to hunt for myself. I was forced to search the upper slopes of the valley for a better place, but the Energy is so weak up here. It seemed like I would be forced to incubate them at the edge of the hatching zone, and take them with me whenever I hunted. Then I sensed something ¨C a feeling of Energy which was too strong for this area, emerging from below. Landing, I found a crack in the rocks which was leaking more Energy than it should. I followed it, digging, digging, digging with my acid, the sense of Energy intensifying all the time. And then I uncovered it: a small pool of Pure Energy, stuck between layers of rock and surrounded with Energy Hearts. I lean against the wall. The alcaoris is surprisingly chatty now he¡¯s got going. The annoyance which has hung around him like a cloud since the end of the battle has lifted. Maybe he¡¯s been lonely or something? Anyway, it doesn¡¯t bother me ¨C the more he talks, the more information I will hopefully accumulate. I couldn¡¯t believe my luck. Even the greatest males of my kin would only be able to place their eggs in a pool of highly diluted Energy. I feared that the Pure Energy would be too strong, but tentative tests proved that my eggs eagerly absorbed the Energy they had access to. So eagerly, that the Energy started disappearing. I had to dig deeper and deeper, finally hitting rock that my acid could not eat through no matter how powerful I made it, how much mana I poured into each drop. I had to use physical force, and the use of a rock that I brought from deeper into the valley to make any impact. All the while, I had to be careful not to touch it for fear of sending myself into a trance I would not emerge from before my eggs died. Once I broke through the immensely strong rock, I found a whole chamber of Pure Energy. Dipping my eggs into it, I left to hunt: by this point, I was starving. Fearful that some of my rivals might catch a scent of the Energy, I brought back a sapling of the trap trees to be a barrier between where I was and others of my kind. I did not want them directly nearby for fear they might sap away the Energy that I wanted for my eggs, but planted them instead a little further into the valley, so they would catch any Energy that drifted that way. My eggs drank eagerly of the Pure Energy, but soon the level went down. When it reduced sufficiently, I found that the Pure Energy stream had been blocked by an Energy Heart until it had somehow found a path past the blockage. It certainly made a tasty treat. It was for this reason, I presume, that the Energy had been forced to escape and attract my attention in the first place. However, with the stream returned back to the way it should have been, my eggs could no longer be submerged the way they needed to be. I therefore blocked the section upstream with a strong and flexible substance, encasing my eggs carefully in it. The stream built up behind them until my eggs were once more submerged. All seemed to go well until something happened. I still do not know exactly what. One moment I was dozing and my eggs were fine. The next, I heard a tremendous roar and one of my eggs abruptly felt¡­wrong. It didn¡¯t feel like it was dead, but that something deep inside it had changed, and not for the better. I quickly pulled them all back, opening up the tunnel to a wave of Pure Energy. Returning to the surface, I was shocked to feel the quantity of Energy in the air. Fearing that one of my rivals might feel it, or something even more powerful, I fled with my eggs, watching from a distance. After some time passed, I was able to observe that no others of my species seemed to have detected anything. Nor had any other potential enemies. The trap trees had done their job: they had contained even such a massive wave of Energy by directing it into their own growth. And, more importantly, my eggs were hungry. I didn¡¯t have enough mana to keep up with their appetite. Returning to my tunnel, I saw that the chamber beyond the place I had put my eggs before had expanded, becoming rather similar in size to the first chamber. It mattered little, except that my eggs would take longer to be covered by the Pure Energy once more. Replacing my eggs, I resumed my wait. And so I have remained, going out to hunt and patrol for rivals from time to time. Until you arrived and tried to keep me from them. His eyes flashed and a low growl rumbled through the air. ¡°It''s fortunate we managed to make an accord, then, isn¡¯t it?¡± I hurriedly say thinking quickly. ¡°Now we can find a different way of doing things without risking the Pure Energy spilling out and alerting others of your kind.¡± Which is only necessary because you burned away the defence I had put in place, the alcaoris replied, not sounding any happier. I feel like arguing that causing an ecological disaster is not a good way of approaching a situation, but people in glass houses shouldn¡¯t throw stones and all that. Though I do make a mental note to make sure that the samurans don¡¯t end up doing exactly that under my guidance. ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± I respond, trying to smooth things over a bit. ¡°Let me think now.¡± Eyeing the hole in the floor, I consider the alcaoris¡¯ story carefully. It explains so much, and yet I still don¡¯t have the whole picture. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Seven: Earth-Aligned Obviously, the alcaoris was only able to tell me what happened from his side of things, but by putting the pieces together, I can make a better picture. I feel like I need to investigate the area again, now I know more. ¡°I¡¯d like to examine the area below,¡± I tell the alcaoris neutrally, trying not to sound like I¡¯m asking for permission, but equally not wanting to accidentally set off his protective instincts. I¡¯ll be watching every move you make, the creature responds warningly. Sure enough, as I drop down into the dry stream bed, Bastet next to me, the draconic beast follows me with his head. Given that the rest of him is definitely too big to make it through the hole, I have to guess that this is how he¡¯s been looking after his eggs. Pushing that out of my mind, I focus on looking around. Not starting with the eggs, I first go to the end of the chamber, where the tunnel abruptly narrows down to something that I doubt I could crawl through, only coming up to mid-calf level. Inspecting that area for a bit, I then look around at the tunnel as a whole, focussing for a while on the hole through which I came, before moving over to look at the eggs. They are much the same as I saw before ¨C vague lumps held within dark material which is itself connected to the stone ring which is part of the tunnel. ¡°Your eggs need to be fully or mostly submerged in the Pure Energy, right?¡± I check with the alcaoris, not bothering to turn around. Mostly submerged. They do not like being fully submerged, he answers. ¡°Then why not make a basin or something which they could sit in? Why block the area completely?¡± Even had I taken the time to carve something out of wood or stone, I would have had to replenish it far too frequently: my eggs were hungry. ¡°No, I mean in the stream bed.¡± I gesture to illustrate my idea. ¡°If you dug a hole then the eggs could absorb what they wanted of the stream, and the overflow would just continue as normal.¡± Were you not listening? the creature asks scornfully. I struggled to even make this hole big enough for my head and neck to fit in because I was limited to physical means alone. How could I have made a basin in the rock below the Pure Energy? Especially when I dare not touch it directly. I feel like pointing out that when his eggs were blocking off the stream would have been a good time to try such things, but that would still have left the issue of exactly how to affect something which didn¡¯t respond to his acidic mana. I suspect that pounding the tunnel floor with a rock would have been less productive than his efforts on its ceiling. That information is certainly intriguing, and I find myself wanting to view things with a different set of eyes. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve never been able to manage to have both normal sight and ¡®mana¡¯ sight running simultaneously, not without making myself far too distracted and earning a severe headache. For this particular situation, I feel like I should probably go even deeper into it than normal, so sit down in the middle of the dry stream bed. Bastet stands next to me, wordlessly reassuring me that she¡¯ll keep watch and warn me if there is any danger. Or perhaps I should say more danger. It¡¯s not necessary ¨C I should be able to see that sort of thing for myself ¨C but I appreciate the thought and lean back against her for a moment. Closing my eyes, I focus on the environment around me. Instead of diving deeply into myself and finding my Core space, I spread myself wide. The moment I start seeing the connections around me, I find that I¡¯m almost blinded with their strength. I have to backpedal mentally a little to dim them down enough that I can actually see. My mental gaze wanders around the area in which I¡¯m sitting, lingering on areas of particular strength. A mixture of curiosity and awe fills me. I didn¡¯t do this before. And even if I had, I doubt I¡¯d have seen as much as I do now. The eggs are bright, the forms inside them vaguely brighter than the shells around them. The material holding them in place is also shining brightly, its connections rippling and moving, looking almost like the lines in the iris of an eye as they hold onto both the eggs and the stone wall. Beyond the material is something that feels like the magical equivalent of staring into the sun; I dare not look at it for more than a moment for fear that there may be damaging consequences. Instead, I move onto looking at the stone surrounding me. There, my eyes catch. I¡¯ve never seen magic in stone before. I¡¯ve tried, oh, I¡¯ve certainly tried. And that¡¯s when I ended up noticing the magic in fire, the connections in the flames. The stone and the earth seemed bare in comparison. But this¡­the magic in the stone around me is impossibly strong. In fact, I¡¯d dare to say that there¡¯s more mana in each square metre of the tunnel than there was in the heart of the inferno while it was still raging. Which is¡­honestly quite humbling. Interestingly, though, it¡¯s not completely consistent. The area of stone in the chamber around me is significantly brighter than what I can see in the smaller tunnel. Or rather, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s brighter, but that it looks more concentrated. Like the colours within have been packed tighter. Interesting. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Surfacing out of my meditative state, I move towards the entrance to the tunnel and hoist myself out. The alcaoris shifts backwards wordlessly to give me space and Bastet jumps out with me, making sure she stays next to me. Instead of going anywhere, though, I just close my eyes again and look around me with my mental gaze. Hmm, that¡¯s also very interesting, I remark to myself as I observe the area around me outside the Pure Energy tunnel. Opening my eyes, I look at the alcaoris. ¡°Can you direct some of your most powerful acid to touch the stone of the tunnel?¡± I ask him. He huffs a little. I can. But I do not see why I should. I eye him with irritation but try to keep it out of my voice and the Bond as I respond. ¡°I¡¯m trying to work out a solution. As I said, the more information I have to work with, the better. I¡¯d like to see why your mana couldn¡¯t make an impact on the tunnel.¡± Fine, the alcaoris responds, with the air of it being a great imposition. I just cross my arms and wait impatiently for him to do it. The moment I see him drip a little acid which practically glows green onto the stone, I close my eyes again and spread my consciousness out among the connections again. With my mental gaze open wide, I see exactly what happens. The acid actually does work on the stone. However, from what I can see, most of its power comes from the mana within it. That¡¯s not too surprising, I suppose: I experienced it myself when healing my own body and the bodies of my Bound from the alcaoris¡¯ attacks. The mana attack made it difficult for my own mana to work, especially considering it came from a being significantly more powerful than me. Its effects on my Energy channels were potentially even more disabling than the physical effects. Here, though, that actually works against it. As it turns out, a Tier three beast¡¯s acidic mana is definitely not powerful enough to overcome either the quantity or the quality of the mana suffusing all the stone around me. In fact, it¡¯s quickly attacked by the dark brown mana and¡­devoured? The poisonous green swiftly vanishes, the only effects left behind are physical ones. And those are barely noticeable. I feel like I have quite a good picture of what happened now. And it starts with the fact that the tunnel around the Pure Energy is unnaturally saturated with mana or whatever I should call the energy which isn¡¯t pure anymore. Perhaps this would be expected ¨C that areas in constant contact with the Pure Energy stream are full of Energy is not a shock. Nor, really, is the fact that it¡¯s not pure anymore, but I would guess has transformed into earth mana ¨C if an explosion could cause the creation of fire-aligned Energy Hearts, it makes sense that Energy seeping into the earth would become earth-aligned. What is surprising is how limited the Energy is. I would expect only the earth closest to the Pure Energy to be full of energy, and then for it to become less dense the further away from the Energy stream it got. However, that isn¡¯t the case. Or at least, it seems to be more complicated than that. It¡¯s like the earth tunnel is something of an¡­artery. Comparing the narrow tunnel with the wide tunnel was rather informative: the diameter of the area saturated with earth mana is actually identical. The difference is that, in the wide tunnel, all that mana has been condensed into a thin ring around the outside of the tunnel, perhaps only a handspan¡¯s width, where the earth around the narrower tunnel is perhaps a metre or more thick on three sides. And then when I look at the area where the alcaoris is sitting, there is barely any earth mana that I can see. I suspect it¡¯s there, but that it just isn¡¯t in such massive quantities that even a novice in earth magic like me is able to see it. There¡¯s a line drawn by the condensed energy which forms a circular tunnel around the space with the Pure Energy, like it¡¯s made of a completely different material. I briefly consider whether this is the case, but dismiss it after a moment. It¡¯s more about the way the earth mana acts which makes the difference; it¡¯s not visible with my normal eyes at all. Pieces fall into place about the series of events. The alcaoris said that there was a mana crystal blocking the way through the tunnel. Why it had formed there, I don¡¯t know. But it must have meant that the Pure Energy started building up pressure in the tunnel. For some reason, instead of immediately cracking the tunnel, the Pure Energy instead somehow expanded the tube. Upwards, that is: the mana that forms the base of the tunnel is already really concentrated. Then, again for a reason I can¡¯t fathom, instead of expanding further, the mana condensed the stone into something hard enough that the mana couldn¡¯t push it any further. But it¡¯s still clearly at least partially vulnerable to physical effects ¨C the stone was cracked by the pressure of the Pure Energy building up and then the alacaoris used physical force to crack his way into the tunnel. The rest I know from his explanation. It seems like the issues in this area have been going on longer than the alcaoris¡¯ interference and I wonder whether I would have been offered a quest even if there had been no eggs. That¡¯s irrelevant, I dismiss a moment later. So, now with a better idea of what happened, I need to work out what to do. After giving it some thought, I still haven¡¯t come up with a better idea than making a basin in the bed of the Pure Energy stream. It just seems to be the most effective solution for keeping the eggs submerged while still allowing any overflow to go past. Of course, another option could be releasing the pressure now and then blocking the opening up again afterwards. If we keep repeating that until the eggs are hatched, the short-term problem, at least, is solved. It might be the simplest, requiring no more resources than we already have access to. But I''ll have to see whether the alcaoris would be open to that idea first. Still, a basin will work well enough: if the flow isn¡¯t sufficient, they¡¯ll still benefit as much as they can from what there is. If the flow is more than sufficient, at least we won¡¯t be causing this pressure to build up again. But the problem is how to form the basin. Book Four: Expansion - Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Situation I suppose that with sufficient time, the acid could make a large basin for the eggs. But considering our time limitations, I doubt we¡¯d succeed within the Quest deadline, not to mention the alcaoris¡¯ far shorter one. It¡¯s possible that Tarra or River might have an idea of a potion which would dissolve stone, and I resolve to ask them. In the meantime, I go back to the alcaoris to see if we can go with the simplest option. ¡°Although I¡¯ve got a few ideas, I figure the easiest way to solve the issue is to release the pressure at regular intervals. What do you think about removing the material blocking the passage, and then replacing it once the stream has gone back to normal?¡± I ask. Before I finish, I can already feel negation coming from the alcaoris¡¯ side of the Bond. The material holding the eggs in place is not easy for me to make. I will only remove it in an emergency, as I did before. Even were I willing to do that, your suggestion means that my eggs will not be able to absorb as much Energy as it will take time for the stream to accumulate behind them again. I sigh. So much for taking the easy way out. ¡°Alright, fine,¡± I reply, trying to keep my irritation at bay. Plan B then. I pull a large chunk of flint out of my Inventory and make my way back to the hole in the floor. The alcaoris hisses and his head bars my way. Where are you going with that? he demands. ¡°I want to see if I can make a basin. You said you used physical strength to get through into the tunnel itself; I thought I¡¯d try this.¡± The alcaoris snorts disdainfully, but pulls his head back, looking slightly relieved. I belatedly wonder whether he thought I was going to try to smash his eggs or something. I doubt you¡¯ll have any impact, he predicts. You do not have the strength; nor does that rock. I shrug: he¡¯s probably right. Still, I need to try. Sure enough, even with my whole strength behind it, the floor of the tunnel proves itself to be far harder than my chunk of flint can affect. In fact, after two blows, my flint falls apart into two pieces: the strength of the rock I¡¯m pounding is enough to crack the flint nodule. If I had metal tools, it might be a different story, but I¡¯d probably need steel. While I¡¯m hoping to be able to make that soon, I suspect that it will take more than three days just to make a decent pickaxe, which means I don¡¯t have the time. Sighing, I have to hope that Tarra or River might have a good alchemical solution for me. Otherwise, the only option I can see is to try to work with the mana currently in the tunnel: if I can pull the mana away from an area, the alcaoris¡¯ acid might then be able to work the way it should. However, since I suspect that that basically means learning Earth-shaping in less than three days, I fear that¡¯s not a good answer either. ¡°Alright, I think I¡¯ve seen enough,¡± I tell the draconic creature as I hoist myself out of the hole once more. Good. I¡¯m going to sleep. Do not disturb me, the alcaoris answers grumpily. ¡°I¡¯ll probably have to disturb you later,¡± I point out. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to run tests on the various solutions I think might work.¡± The alcaoris growls unhappily. Make sure you announce yourself, then. Otherwise I might think you¡¯re an unwanted intruder and kill you, he answers. Well, an intruder, at least. Meaning that I¡¯m unwanted? Charming. I keep my temper ¨C just ¨C by reminding myself that we¡¯re all tired, and that I definitely don¡¯t want to get into a fight with the creature down here. Again. Instead, I just turn around and start making my way back to the surface, Bastet my faithful shadow. ***** By the time we make our way up to the surface, it¡¯s the middle of the night. We head towards where the rest have made camp, a combination of magically woven and physically hauled branches and logs forming a sort of shelter. Honey and Komodo are on watch, and acknowledge our approach with almost uniform disinterest. I get the impression that they¡¯d much prefer to see something they could fight and eat than us. Bastet and I have been sharing ideas as we walked, and she made some good points about what to do with the rest of the Bound while I work on creating the basin. She also made a suggestion about, if changing the floor of the tunnel is so difficult, what about damming it instead so the Energy is forced to increase in depth. It¡¯s a good suggestion, and I think I¡¯ll have to experiment with it. But for now, it¡¯s time to sleep after having a quick snack. Climbing into the shelter, I curl up in the small space between River, Fenrir, and where Bastet lies down herself. River and Fenrir both crack open an eye and then snuggle a little closer, apparently wanting a bit of contact. I can¡¯t say I mind it, considering how close I came to losing at least one of them today. I pull a few chunks of food from my Inventory and then let my heavy eyes close. When I wake, I find that the sun has only just risen, but I¡¯m feeling fully rested. I¡¯m also rather trapped: Fenrir has somehow moved so that his head is resting on my shoulder, and River has shifted to cover one of my legs with her long foot. I don¡¯t mind the foot, but Fenrir¡¯s breath stinks a bit, so I try to distract myself by checking on the notifications I felt come through yesterday after the fight. The first is not entirely surprising, considering how the fight ended.
Congratulations! This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. You have advanced a Class Skill past Initiate. Tame is now Journeyman 1. Due to your uses of this Skill, two new effects have been discovered. Effect 1: You have used this Skill to create an alliance with a powerful party. As a result, you have gained access to an offshoot of this Bond type: Alliance. Effect 2: You have engaged in extensive communication while negotiating a Tame Bond. Henceforth, an automatic means of opening a dialogue will be made available to you, regardless of any previous connection with the being or their ability or inability to communicate otherwise.
Next message? Y/N
Curious about what the new Bond type is, I concentrate on the word, asking for more information. I¡¯m pleased when, a moment later, the screen in front of me dissolves and is replaced by just that.
Alliance Whether an uneasy and temporary coalition for the pursuit of mutual objectives, or an enduring bond which can last generations, an alliance offers many advantages. This Bond type formalises the agreement which both parties come to, notifying the other party of any breaches of the agreement, and offering aspects of a Tame Bond. Note: both parties must enter into this Bond willingly, and it can be broken by either party unless the terms of the alliance state otherwise. Neither party has unilateral control over the Bond, nor can commands be enforced through it (unless otherwise stated by the initial agreement).
Next message? Y/N
Hmm, perhaps not immediately useful, but the way things are going, I¡¯m coming into contact with more and more sapient beings, so I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll use it eventually. It certainly seems a better possible option than trying to use either Tame or Dominate on everyone, and better than just hoping that they¡¯d stick to whatever they said too. Maybe I should even try it on the vine-stranglers? If it notifies of breaches of contract, that would be more useful than what I currently have with the forest¡­. Interestingly, the second new effect of Tame seems to be linked to what happened with the alcaoris too, though I''m glad of it ¨C enabling more communication when trying to offer a Tame Bond has to be a good idea. That has definitely been something I''ve found to be a disadvantage with Tame when compared to Dominate. Going onto the next message, I realise that it''s an update to the Quest. Unsurprising, really.
Congratulations! You have completed one of the required objectives for this quest: you have discovered the reason for the formation of the underground tunnels, and have found evidence to prove it. In the course of your adventures, you explored the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and defeated its guardian. Upon investigating the guardian beast¡¯s lair, you discovered a route down to one of the Ley Lines of the planet, running unusually close to the surface. You have discovered that this is due to two main reasons: an initial blockage by a mana crystal; a subsequent blockage by an alcaoris eager to incubate his eggs in the best environment possible. You have recognised that the continued blockage of the vital Ley Line could cause untold amounts of harm, both for the denizens of the forest around you, and others further down the Line. Finding a way to rectify the situation has become increasingly urgent, and the time frame has become commensurately shorter. Find a solution to the issues presented to you or discover the effects Pure Energy will have on the valley first-hand.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse II Quest type: Regional
Objective: Find evidence to prove (or in the event of the theory being disproven, discover) the reason for the formation of the underground tunnels. (complete) Objective: Rectify the situation with the exposed stream of Pure Energy before it¡¯s too late. (3 days) Objective: Return the area to its previous state. (3 months)
Time to complete quest: 17 days ¡ú 3 days / 3 months
Suggested difficulty: Journeyman Reward: Rare Silver chest (rarity increased due to passing over of previous rewards).
No pressure, I think to myself, staring at the abruptly shorter time allowed. At least, for rectifying the situation with the exposed stream of Pure Energy, that is. From what I can see, that objective has now been split in two and I have more leeway with one, in exchange for having a lot less leeway with the other. Three days¡­. Well, I suppose it¡¯s no different from before, really. I¡¯d had the deadline given to me by the alcaoris of three days. Actually¡­. Could it be that the three day deadline was because of the agreement I made with the draconic creature? Perhaps. From what the alcaoris had said, something happened last time with one of the eggs. I¡¯d thought at the time that the pressure had just got too much and an explosion had happened which was nothing to do with the eggs per se. But what if it was because of the eggs? What if that baby alcaoris had somehow affected the Pure Energy even from within its shell? What if it had caused the explosion? And what if something else similar is due to happen with one of the other eggs if we don¡¯t release the pressure within the next three days? Or perhaps it¡¯s that it will happen before the hatching, but if I don¡¯t find a solution that the alcaoris is satisfied with within that time, then I won¡¯t get another chance, and then the bad thing will occur? Or maybe I¡¯m letting my imagination run too wild, and it¡¯s simply that the growing pressure behind the eggs will cause a wave of Pure Energy to spill across the earth as I¡¯d feared before, causing untold damage. Though it¡¯s interesting that the Quest information made a point of mentioning ¡®others further down the Line¡¯. I hadn¡¯t really thought about what it might mean if the Energy is stopped here for an elongated period of time. Just another reason to get the stream running again as soon as possible, I suppose. I have a quick look at my status screen, seeing little else changed except for my Energy store leaping up to fifty-nine percent. As close to the Pure Energy as I was down in the tunnels, and going into Meditation at the same time, I guess that it¡¯s unsurprising, even if the Energy density isn¡¯t nearly what it would have been with the stream running normally. Dismissing the screen from in front of my eyes, I find myself staring at the woven ceiling above my head. It just reminds me of what I have to lose. I don¡¯t know what will happen if I fail this Quest. Maybe we won¡¯t be affected much at all; maybe the Energy will go through us like a wave and then disappear. Or maybe it will damage us. Or maybe it will be followed by the powerful rivals the alcaoris is so fearful about, beings who will be capable of destroying us without really trying. But I have ideas of what to try and if, in the end, I¡¯m forced to learn how to shape earth just to succeed in the Quest, well, I¡¯m OK with that. With determination in my heart, I shift to get out from under Fenrir and River. They wake with my movement, but that¡¯s fine: time is ticking and we mustn¡¯t waste it. With them, rouses the rest of my Bound, aches and pains obvious in the way they¡¯re moving. My eyes roam over them, taking careful note of everything I need to fix. So much has happened in the last few days ¨C the death of the shaman, River¡¯s Evolution, the ranking fight and being accepted by the village, and most recently, the pyrrhic ¡®victory¡¯ against the alcaoris. I¡¯ve been uncertain of myself so many times. But right now, with the time pressure and promise of disaster sharpening my mind, I can¡¯t afford to be hesitant. A plan comes together in my mind and I nod unconsciously. Our future is uncertain, but we need to act right here and now to get a future we want. "Alright everyone.¡± I start, my gaze shifting over the group, meeting the eyes of each of my Bound one by one. ¡°Here is the situation, and this is what we''re going to do about it." Book Four: Expansion - Interlude Two youthful young men are reclining on cushioned loungers beside an outside pool. It¡¯s hard to tell if the pool is natural or man-made, though its location in the centre of a sprawling mansion seems to indicate the latter. Small fish dart through its waters, their colours glinting in the sun. It¡¯s a beautiful day and promises to be hot. One of the men is a study of contrasts with deep black hair and exceedingly pale skin. His eyes are a stormy grey with odd flecks of red. When he turns his head, the sunlight paints a red sheen onto his otherwise dark hair. He lifts a roll of paper full of some sort of herbal mix to his lips. Raising his other hand, he flicks his index finger slightly. A flame emerges from its tip, and he lights the roll-up. Taking a drag, he flicks his finger again and the flame disappears. Letting out a long breath of smoke, the man sighs in evident satisfaction. Staring up at the blue sky above, he takes a few moments to enjoy his herbal smoke, then turns to his companion. ¡°Do you have anything new for me, Josi?¡± ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t call me that, Layton,¡± grumbles the other man, though it¡¯s clear from his tone that it¡¯s more for the sake of having his complaint known, rather than expecting anything to come of it. His appearance is far less one of contrasts than Layton¡¯s. Although his hair is dark, it¡¯s clear that it is brown rather than black, and his skin is far more olive than pale. He¡¯s also shorter than the other man, stocky where Layton is willowy. With a slightly mischievous smile, Layton looks back up at the sky and just waits. Josi sighs after a moment. ¡°I heard an interesting rumour.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°About the King¡¯s upcoming declaration.¡± This attracts Layton¡¯s interest and he actually turns to regard his companion, offering the man his full focus. ¡°Go on.¡± Josi smiles, just a little smugly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s something to do with the Lost Continent.¡± Layton¡¯s eyebrows go up. ¡°The Lost Continent?¡± he wondered out loud, then focused back on Josi. ¡°How¡­reliable is this rumour?¡± Josi shrugs. ¡°More than some, less than others. But honestly, in this case, despite its seeming improbability, I think that it¡¯s more likely to be accurate than others I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± opines Layton, lying back on his recliner and staring up at the blue sky above. ¡°Do you think he wants us to colonise it? Or just explore? Does he think that a new attempt will change anything?¡± In his position, Layton is unable to see Josi¡¯s shrug, but he knows his companion well enough to hear it in his voice when he speaks. ¡°Given what else I¡¯ve heard, I would suspect the former.¡± ¡°Have you heard who might be involved?¡± Layton asks, his brain already turning. ¡°Well, if we consider who is being invited to hear the declaration¡­all the Houses.¡± Once more, Layton turns to regard his companion with his full attention. ¡°All the Houses?¡± Josi nods slowly. ¡°All of them.¡± ¡°Even the Great Houses?¡± Josi nods again. Horror flashes across Layton¡¯s face, fast enough that only those who know him well would be able to catch it. As it happens, Josi is one of those people, and he smiles grimly in response. Layton shifts back to stare up at the sky, though this time his gaze is far more troubled. He drags on his roll-up with the air of a man desperate for succour. After a moment, Layton speaks, as if to himself. ¡°It¡¯ll be a bloodbath. The five Great Houses have been at loggerheads for generations, held back only by the King and the need to move carefully so as not to destroy their own interests. If they¡¯re given free rein to move against each other, no holds barred¡­¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know that will be the case,¡± Josi reminds him. ¡°All I¡¯ve heard is that the declaration will involve the Lost Continent, and I would hazard a guess that it involves colonisation given everything else going on. But perhaps the King will set limits, conditions.¡± Layton snorts derisively. ¡°As if that will matter once he¡¯s out of sight? Too many ¡®accidents¡¯ and ¡®coincidences¡¯ can happen for that to be any consolation. No, we need to consider how to best orientate our own Houses if this should indeed be the King¡¯s decision. Should we throw our lots in with one of the Great Houses, and if so, which? Or should we do our best to stay out of the way?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°In no world will I align my House with Lady Flameform,¡± warned Josi. ¡°I know she might be your preference, but there is too much bad blood between her family and mine.¡± ¡°Fair,¡± breathes Layton. ¡°And I have no desire for our Houses to be at odds. And I refuse to align with Lord Torrent. Not only does his Class not play well with my family¡¯s, but his House has proved itself honourless in the past and its current lord does not make me feel that they¡¯ve changed in any way.¡± ¡°Good point,¡± admits Josi. ¡°Which leaves only two options.¡± ¡°Three,¡± corrected Layton. Josi gives him a long stare. ¡°House Forestheart has been under the thumb of House Titanbend ever since that whole debacle with the kidnapping and extortion two generations ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯d forgotten about that,¡± sighs Layton. ¡°They don¡¯t always vote together so it had slipped my mind. I see your point: the choice is really between House Titanbend and House Goldmine. Or staying independent.¡± ¡°Which isn¡¯t really a possible option,¡± points out Josi. ¡°If our theories are correct and it¡¯s going to come to a clash between the Great Houses, not choosing a side is equivalent of becoming an enemy to all of them. But I¡¯m not sure that we¡¯ll have much of a choice at all.¡± Layton frowns. ¡°Why is that?¡± ¡°Because House Titanbend still has no heir.¡± Layton¡¯s eyebrows go up in surprise. ¡°Still? I would have thought that the lord would have chosen his cousin or maybe his niece ¨C she has the correct Class, I believe?¡± Josi shrugs again. ¡°All I know is that there is no heir yet declared.¡± Layton leans back and takes another drag on his roll up, staring sightlessly up at the sky once more. ¡°Which means that, if our guesses are at all correct, either Lord Titanbend will have to go himself ¨C a risky prospect ¨C or he¡¯ll have to abstain and take whatever penalties the King will impose.¡± ¡°Or choose an heir,¡± Josi added. ¡°Or that,¡± agrees Layton. ¡°But if he hasn¡¯t chosen one yet, I don¡¯t see him doing so in the short time before the King¡¯s declaration.¡± ¡°Especially since I suspect the King will have warned the Great Houses long before now,¡± comments Josi. Layton makes a vaguely agreeing noise ¨C they both know that the uneasy balance between the power of the monarchy and the Great Houses is only intact because of the allowances and preferential treatment the King gives the Great Houses. Small Houses like Layton¡¯s and Josi¡¯s never receive such advantages. There is a long silence as both young men think over the discussion and its possible consequences. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the declaration actually contains,¡± decides Layton. ¡°It¡¯s only next week, after all. Then we can decide what to do.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking,¡± Josi agrees. ¡°But it¡¯s worth considering what we will do in the various scenarios in case the time frame after the declaration is short.¡± Layton nods slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll try to arrange a meeting with Lady Goldmine, feel her out a bit.¡± ¡°And I will try to do the same with Lord Titanbend,¡± replies Josi. ¡°Even if only to get a sense of whether he¡¯s intending on taking part at all.¡± ¡°He¡¯s your preference?¡± asks Layton with a sharp look in his eyes as he twists his head to look at his companion again. Josi shrugs. ¡°While his Class certainly makes me uneasy, his actions and history are more reassuring than Lady Goldmine¡¯s.¡± ¡°You always know where you are with Lady Goldmine,¡± points out Layton. ¡°Yes. On the losing end of the deal,¡± remarks Josi dryly. Layton points at him. ¡°Exactly!¡± They both chuckle, but without much humour. Instead, the idyllic surroundings seem just a little less perfect as their worries about the future and the way they should steer their Houses. ***** ¡°Are you sure about this, sire?¡± a man dressed in smart, yet sober clothes asks another man dressed in far more obvious finery. They are both showing signs of age, the first man more than the second. Yet the second man seems tired, wearied by something more than just lack of sleep. ¡°No,¡± he sighs in response, shifting position and hearing the clink of his various pieces of jewellery as they collide with each other. An expression of irritation passes briefly over his face before he clears it. ¡°But I don¡¯t see any other choice.¡± ¡°It could inflame tensions even higher,¡± warns the first man. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that, Jasper?¡± demands the second man. ¡°But tensions will be inflamed anyway. Sometimes allowing a forest fire to rage and clear the dead wood is better than suppressing it until the dead wood accumulates sufficiently to light anyway and creates a much bigger blaze.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, your majesty,¡± agrees Jasper, ¡°However, the forest is damaged after the blaze regardless of when it takes place, and vulnerable to other threats.¡± ¡°Which is why I want the forest fire to take place in a different forest,¡± argues the King, then makes an impatient gesture. ¡°The metaphor has fallen apart. The fact is that there are far too many threats facing us at the moment for us to be able to continue with the same kind of divisive politics my father, and his father before him, allowed to run rife.¡± ¡°Over seven hundred years is a lot of deadwood to burn,¡± warns Jasper. ¡°I know!¡± the King snaps, then sighs and leans back in his ornate chair. ¡°I know,¡± he repeats more quietly. ¡°But can you think of any other option which will potentially solve as many problems as this one?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Jasper answers quickly, revealing that this isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s considered the question. ¡°Neither can I,¡± the King admits. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re going forward with it, despite its potential risks.¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± Jasper answers, bowing deeply. At the dismissing flick of the King¡¯s fingers, he turned away and left the room. Behind him, he doesn¡¯t hear the final words of the King, staring at the distant wall from his lonely throne. ¡°Gods will it that the oracle is right.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Prologue I can feel the heat simmering in the substance before me. My hands feel jittery, every small twitch magnified by the distance. Even the smallest movement threatens to send the glowing liquid splattering everywhere. The container I¡¯m so carefully controlling is a large earthen cup at the end of a long piece of bone. I hadn¡¯t thought my hands would shake any more after all the level ups and increases in my physical stats that I¡¯ve had, but this little exercise has proved my assumptions to be a lie. I¡¯m concentrating fiercely, not only on holding the cup of precious liquid steady, but also on making sure that the conditions remain ideal: that it remains at a temperature beyond almost anything else I¡¯ve controlled. Only the inferno I used to destroy the vine-stranglers surpasses my current efforts. Yet the two are barely even comparable. There, I barely held onto control as the fire raged over kilometres through the ready sources of fuel; this time, the only fuel source is my mana and the heat of the inferno is concentrated within a small earthen cup. If I release even the slightest bit of control, I fear greatly what might happen. It feels like all my practice with Fire-Shaping has condensed into this moment: the ability to use the essence of fire without the outward appearance of it. If I haven¡¯t gone up at least a couple of levels in the Skill, I¡¯ll eat my hat. My control wavers slightly. Stupid! Don¡¯t get distracted now! Shuffling across the ground to the mould I¡¯ve prepared, I sense my assistant shifting out of the way. I know he¡¯s probably intensely curious ¨C he¡¯s proven to be that about everything else, so why not this? But I don¡¯t have the ability to answer any of his questions right now. Reaching the right distance from the moulds, I carefully reach out with my mind to reconnect with the mana I¡¯ve soaked into the clay. I check once more that there is no moisture left in them and that they are as reinforced as I can make them. I¡¯ve learned from the explosion of my first attempts at this process. Holding my breath, I tilt the bone-and-stone tool gently. The liquid drips into the cast and fills it quickly, the liquid as thick as syrup, but far more dangerous. I have to be careful not to over-fill it either ¨C it¡¯s not a large object that I¡¯m trying to make. Not yet. That will be next time if this works as I hope it will. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Moving onto the next, I fill moulds until my crucible is empty. It¡¯s only then that I breathe, my lungs burning. I keep a sharp eye on the moulds: the first sign of one starting to bubble like my first attempt did, and I¡¯ll raise a shield to protect us from potential shrapnel. I still feel guilty over accidentally hurting two passing samurans who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. So far, so good ¨C the metal is calm, the magic reinforcing the clay prevents it from being badly affected by the heat in the molten substance. What do we do now, Honoured Markus? my assistant asks. ¡°We wait for it to cool,¡± I answer with a shrug, moving back over to my workstation. Time to prepare another crucible. It¡¯s such a demanding process that I can¡¯t prepare much at a time, but I¡¯m hoping to be able to increase the amount a bit more this time ¨C I think I¡¯m getting the hang of it. And then what do we do after that? ¡°We need to sharpen the heads, then pass them over to Sticks ¨C uh, Wood-Shaper. She¡¯ll make them into spears for the villagers.¡± Hurts-his-foot, or, as I¡¯m calling him ¡®Happy¡¯, cocks his head to one side. ¡®To all the villagers, or just to the Warriors?¡¯ One corner of my mouth pulls upwards. It¡¯s a question that I doubt would have even been asked before recent changes in the village. ¡°To the Unevolved first,¡± I confirm. ¡°The Warriors already have their weapons, and several advantages of their own. Hopefully this way more of the Unevolved will make it out of the forest at the end of each day.¡± Happy flicks his tail quickly in a gesture of fervent agreement. Will you explain what you are doing, Honoured Markus? he asks next, more tentatively. ¡°I can¡¯t talk while doing it, but I can tell you now what I¡¯m doing, and you can try to identify each step when I do the next batch,¡± I offer instead. Thank you, Honoured Markus, he responds eagerly. So interested in everything I''m doing with the metal ¨C I really hope that he will manage to become the village¡¯s first Metal-Shaper. ¡°I¡¯ve told you ¨C just call me Markus,¡± I sigh. ¡°Anyway, I need to recover my mana before starting again. So, what I¡¯m doing is this¡­.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter One: Already Everything It Needs My deadline is almost up. Three days seem to have passed by in a flash. The last time I was on the surface, the sun was already heading towards its zenith, and I¡¯ve been underground for hours. When it touches the horizon, the alliance between the dragon-like alcaoris and me will be over. If I haven¡¯t demonstrated my solution to allowing his eggs to incubate in a perfect environment without causing unknown consequences to the local environment by then, my opportunity will be gone. Not to mention that I¡¯ll fail that objective in my Quest, and who knows what consequences that will cause. But I¡¯m almost there; I¡¯m so close I can feel it. Sitting once more on the floor of the tunnel deep below the ground, I try to connect again with the magic around me. To get Fire-Shaping, I had to learn to both transform my mana into fire magic, and then shape that fire magic. Earth magic is different from fire magic. That¡¯s obvious. But I would imagine that getting Earth-Shaping will require the same things as Fire-Shaping. I have two problems though. First, I have an issue with image. Fire felt more familiar to me and has always been more fascinating than the ground beneath my feet which I¡¯ve rarely even thought about. But I think I¡¯m getting to grips with this one. My second issue is about discovering exactly how to change my mana into earth magic. With fire, I had the advantage of being able to feed my mana to the fire and watch how it was transformed before attempting to do it myself. I can¡¯t do that here. The earth magic in the stone around me is willing to accept my mana, but doesn¡¯t seem to do anything with it. Fire grabs anything it can and eagerly transforms it into flame, using it to grab even more. Earth just¡­sits there. Perhaps this is my Fire affinity working against me here, but I¡¯m really struggling to find a way around it. I sigh in frustration. It would have been so much easier if I could have got Kalanthia¡¯s help with this. I bet I could have bribed her to do the job for me and this would have been done days ago. But the alcaoris was dead set against allowing another beast near his eggs, especially not one as powerful as he realised Kalanthia is. It¡¯s not surprising, thinking about it. And I have no way of assuring him that Kalanthia won¡¯t do something to his eggs ¨C I have no control over her. It¡¯s annoying, though. I did consider going back up to the cave and asking her to demonstrate some Earth-shaping for me, but decided against it. My reasoning was that it would take a good day to get there and then another to get back, limiting my learning time to only one day. That would have been a short time frame at the best of times, and I had no guarantee that her demonstrating Earth-shaping would actually be informative enough for me to learn the Skill in a single day. So instead, I decided to try to do it by myself. At the same time, we haven¡¯t been idle in trying to find other solutions. My various Bound have been working as hard as me on a number of other avenues which seemed possible. River and Tarra have been working on alchemical options to melt stone, but haven¡¯t found any good solutions. Unfortunately, it seems that Tarra¡¯s Transfusion Ability counts as magic, and so when she uses it to enhance the strength of a dissolving potion, the earth magic in the stone resists it. Trying to concentrate the mixtures has had only limited effect ¨C really, from the sounds of it, we either need more powerful ingredients or better processes. Without a pocket laboratory, however, the latter is difficult, and the former is unachievable in our time frame. Bastet¡¯s idea of damming up the tunnel and letting the Energy accumulate behind it was a good one, but tests with the open pool at the centre of the vine-stranglers proved it unworkable. Testing with various items showed that Pure Energy appears to have a tendency to dissolve most materials put into it, given enough time. Stone lasted the longest, though even then normal stones from the surface dissolved within a few hours, but the main issue would be making a wall of stones watertight. Without cement, we¡¯d have to use mud or clay, both of which proved to dissolve very quickly. I did ask the alcaoris whether he could use the same substance which is currently holding the eggs in place to hold the dam together, but he refused. I don¡¯t know why and he wouldn¡¯t explain, frustratingly. It¡¯s still a possibility, though one which would require significantly more hands-on effort than I would like since we¡¯d have to keep replacing the sections which are dissolving. It would also risk whoever was working on it coming into direct contact with the Pure Energy; I can attest personally that this wouldn¡¯t be a good idea. Various other possibilities were suggested and attempted, but nothing has worked so far. Which means I have to get Earth-shaping - it¡¯s the only option left with a reasonable chance of success. Perhaps even if I don¡¯t manage to make a hole in the tunnel floor, I will still be able to make the same kind of rock that makes up the tunnel walls ¨C evidently they aren¡¯t able to be dissolved. Then I can use Bastet¡¯s solution without risk. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Stretching for a moment, I settle back into place and close my eyes. Not even trying to touch the magic around me at this point, I focus on settling my inner self. I might be feeling the pressure of time, and the frustration of my constant failures, but if I let them take over, I will definitely fail. Breathing in and out slowly, I feel the air around me. Caves always have a cool, clammy feel. Even my little alcove at home has it. It almost makes me shiver, the cold seeping through my clothes to my skin, through my skin to my muscles, through my muscles to my bones. Warmth surrounds me and, opening my eyes, I realise that Aingeal has reacted to my discomfort to expand and bathe me in its fiery heat. ¡°Thanks little guy,¡± I tell it gratefully, sending the emotion towards the little fire elemental. ¡°But I need to feel the cold.¡± It sends back a sense of disappointment and longing, making me feel like it¡¯s a puppy who I¡¯ve just stopped from climbing onto my lap. I send it a sense of apology, but firm decision regardless ¨C like that puppy, I don¡¯t want my actual instructions to be undermined by my regret in giving them. Closing my eyes again, I suddenly realise something. Being in a cave makes me feel uncomfortable. I like the sun, the fresh air, the feeling of being free. That realisation would have surprised my previous self from before I came here: when I was on Earth I barely ever spent time outdoors. All my life was spent either in an office, or at home. Or occasionally a shop when I needed to buy something. I didn¡¯t really take the time to go for a walk; I lived in a city so even if I had, I wouldn¡¯t have really had the sun or fresh air, let alone nature. And most of my experiences with being in nature were bad. But here, I¡¯ve come to an appreciation for the outdoors that I¡¯d never have believed that I would one day have. To be in a cave feels¡­like being trapped once more. Even if there¡¯s no hum of a computer, and the damp coolness could never be mistaken for my stuffy office, there are still too many similarities. The office which used to be my refuge would now be my prison. I wonder if this is where my blockage is. With fire, I was wary of the damage it could do, but I like fire. I was interested in what it did, happy to stare at flames for untold minutes, watching their flickering dance. The earth is a different question. Frankly, all the time trying to mentally ¡®stare¡¯ at it has been like watching paint dry. Opening my eyes, I lean against the tunnel wall and gaze sightlessly at the other side. Didn¡¯t Kalanthia say something about how she learned to shape the earth after coming to an appreciation for it? I flick through my memories until I land upon the one that I want. She said to ¡®feel the earth¡¯, but it certainly seemed like she had an appreciation for it, I say to myself. She talked about tearing the earth to shreds to express her frustration and anger, and learning endurance and inevitable action from it. Although I wouldn¡¯t say that was exactly what happened with fire, perhaps that¡¯s the point: fire and earth are different. Maybe I need to stop approaching earth the way I do fire, and try just¡­feeling it. Instead of sitting, I lie down on the floor of the tunnel and relax into it. I let the coolness seep into me without trying to reject it or feeling uncomfortable at the cold. I even ask Aingeal to move a little away when the sensation of heat bobbing close to my skin becomes distracting. It isn¡¯t happy, but does what I ask it to do. There, I push my fears and worries away and do my best to just be. The cold isn¡¯t too bad. Especially not to my more-resistant body. On a hot summer¡¯s day, I would be very grateful for it. And though the tunnel is small, there¡¯s enough space for me to stretch out. I would be very grateful for the roof over my head if it was raining. And it¡¯s peaceful. Soothing. The magic around me is calm, practically unmoving. It¡¯s not like fire ¨C there, nothing is ever still. Fire is in constant motion, and always searching for the next thing to consume. Earth is¡­peaceful. Content. It¡¯s like the earth has no need to move, to consume, because it already has everything it needs. I suddenly find myself yearning for that sense of contentment. For that peace. Everything recently has seemed to be so¡­fraught. The last three days have been a desperate rush to try to find a solution so I can complete the most immediate and urgent objective of the quest. Before that were all the fights to take control of the samuran village. Before that was dealing with the vine-stranglers. And before that was the preparation to do the former two tasks. In fact, it¡¯s been quite a while since I¡¯ve been able to just¡­be. With no pressure, no objectives to fulfil. Even back on Earth there was always the next project, the next deadline. So here and now, with the pressure of the quest time limit pushed as far away as I can, it¡¯s nice to just lie down and feel connected to the earth around me. Slowly, as time passes ¨C and I refuse to allow that to impact my feeling of peace ¨C I realise that the earth is really an undervalued part of, well, everything. Without earth, we would have no solid surface on which to walk. We¡¯d either be a bubble of liquid, or a planet made of gas. We¡¯d have no soil, and without soil we¡¯d have no trees, bushes, or other plants. Without all the flora, none of the beasts would be able to survive either. Fire might be a force for both destruction and creation, but earth really is the bedrock of all life. Is it any surprise that earth is therefore used to form the arteries of the planet which pump its lifeblood around everywhere it¡¯s needed? Earth is steady; it¡¯s reliable. Unlike fire, it is slow to anger. Yet its anger is just as dangerous ¨C and can be just as quick to erupt. Like a landslide, years in the making and then abruptly releasing its fury on anyone around. Or like a volcano, its internal chambers building up pressure over decades until, in a single moment, it explodes. Fire and earth are not so different in that: when their fury is allowed to build up, they both have immense power, and none can stand against them. But where fire burns itself out as soon as it has no more fuel to power its rage, earth doesn¡¯t need any fuel: it¡¯s already everything it needs. Reaching out with my mental sense, feeling almost in a trance with how peaceful my mind and how heavy my body are, I touch the magic around me. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Two: Both Practical and Beautiful At first it feels like the magic before me is ignoring me. It doesn¡¯t react in the slightest as I reach out to it. But no, it¡¯s not ignoring me. It¡¯s just that my touch means nothing to it. Why should it care about my touch? Even if I were doing it damage, it wouldn¡¯t matter: a single area being affected is nothing to the body of Earth. Instead of trying to get a reaction, I instead try to make myself more like the earth. Bringing mana from my core, I bring it beyond my physical fingertips so that it¡¯s almost touching the magic in the earth, but is still held within my Energy channel. And there I pause. My mana doesn¡¯t like that. I hadn¡¯t realised, but it¡¯s eager to move, to act. Much like fire is. Maybe this is the effect of my Fire affinity. Either way, it tugs at my control, wanting to either rush out or rush in, but move in whichever direction. I control it, forcing it to stay still. It resists me, but I am implacable. Like the earth around me, I am patient. I do not move. Nor do I allow it to move. And slowly, the bead of mana calms down, almost like it realises I will not yield to it. Bit by bit, it struggles less against my hold until, finally, it is calm. I feed into it the appreciation for Earth that I have come to, and urge it to connect with the earth magic beside me. Slowly, I sense that something is happening. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but the changes become more and more evident. Like something petrifying and turning to stone, the bead of mana does more than stop moving; it actually changes its nature. From flickering and energetic, it has become placid, almost heavy in my Energy channel. Getting it to move now takes as much of a mental effort as stopping it from moving did before. Like I¡¯m pushing a boulder down a hill, I have to strain against it, but once it¡¯s moving, the little bead of mana picks up a momentum which would be just as difficult to stop. It topples out of my channel and into the earth against which my finger is pressing. It touches the magic within the earth itself. I watch eagerly to see what happens. Immediately, there are differences. Where before my mana was like something completely separate which could coexist alongside the earth magic, but not combine with it, this time the bead of mana is absorbed. Within a moment, I sense that there¡¯s no trace of my mana within the seam of earth magic lying beneath my hand. A smile spreads across my face. First step done. That there is no sense of a notification doesn¡¯t disappoint me ¨C if my experience with fire magic was anything to judge by, I¡¯m only halfway there. The first step to gaining Fire-Shaping was to transform my mana into fire magic; the second was to actually shape fire with it. So that would indicate that my next step is to learn how to shape the earth magic, using my own. I also need to try to avoid forming a bond with the earth ¨C I¡¯m sure there¡¯s an equivalent earth Skill to Fire-Taming and that¡¯s not what I want to aim for. Still, I¡¯ve just made more progress in the last¡­whatever period of time, than in the previous two and a half days, so I¡¯m pleased with that. I don¡¯t spend a lot of time congratulating myself, though ¨C I¡¯m still very aware of the time pressure. Focussing back on the task, I think about how I managed to shape fire finally. My mind brings me back to my recent experience of controlling the inferno. Creating a spark was one thing; controlling and shaping what that spark turned into was a different story. While fire and earth are definitely different, I¡¯ve just done the equivalent of creating a spark ¨C transforming my little bead of mana into earth magic. Or at least something close enough that the magic within the earth accepted it as its own. The latter part of that may be the most important, I think to myself. ¡®As its own¡¯. Maybe I can only shape magic which feels like it¡¯s mine ¨C or rather, in the case of fire, feels that I am its. I think I¡¯m going to need more mana. Taking a larger clump of mana from my Core this time, I feed it down the same Energy channel again. Being larger, it¡¯s harder to control, but my boosted Willpower is up to the task. Once more, I repeat the process of sending in my concepts of and appreciation for the earth. Like before, the large bead, practically a ball, of mana stills and calms, its nature transforming little by little. Making this ball move after it has been transformed is even more difficult than with the little bead, but I force myself to be patient. The earth is patient ¨C a decade is no different from a century to it; five minutes or half an hour is even less of a concern. I might be naturally more like the impatient fire, but I force myself to learn from the placid earth. Stolen story; please report. This time, I keep it moving slowly, not letting it build up too much momentum as it moves through my Energy channel. At the same time, I focus on it transforming from a ball to a long oblong shape so that it doesn¡¯t move all at once. Almost surprisingly, it doesn¡¯t seem to reject that, and after a few moments, I think I know why. Stone isn¡¯t easy to shape, but stone isn¡¯t the only form of earth. Clay is mouldable with even the weak fingers of a human. So is mud. And cement, before it dries. Even stone can be shaped, too, when it is so hot that it becomes lava. That thought almost breaks my concentration ¨C the combination of fire and earth has surely got to be lava. Does that mean I could wield lava one day? I redirect my thoughts forcibly as my excitement threatens to upset my careful control. Step by step. Like the earth itself. I am not fire right now, flickering between one thing and the next. I am earth. Steady, reliable, solid. At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to be. Perhaps I could do with a bit more earth in me, I realise. The end of the oblong tips out of my energy channel and drips into the earth magic below me like clumps of wet mud or cement. I focus on trying to get the earth to move, to make a hollow beneath me. Nothing happens. I feel a hint of frustration, but push it away. Earth doesn¡¯t get frustrated, it just keeps going, grinding away little by little until its objective is achieved. Perhaps I¡¯m doing something wrong here. I halt the movement of the oblong of mana. With as little momentum as I have permitted it, I only lose a couple more clumps of mana from it before it stops. I still have about half of the oblong left and it settles willingly in my channel, seemingly happy not to move. I think back to Kalanthia and everything she¡¯s said about and done with her earth-shaping. One memory comes to mind clearly. The one where she tried to control the earth while she was airborne. And failed. I¡¯ve seen her control the earth from a distance ¨C when Kalanthia created the second cave, she was a good way away from the stone wall she was affecting. But maybe that¡¯s not conclusive evidence against my theory: that there has to be a constant connection to the earth to allow its shaping. After all, I know that her domain is significantly larger than mine, if what I have can be considered a domain at all. Perhaps she¡¯s able to maintain a constant connection through a domain, where I can only do it when I¡¯m physically in contact with the earth. It would make sense. I didn¡¯t need it with fire, but then it is the nature for fire to spread without necessarily touching something. I saw it recently with the inferno ¨C a tree several feet away from the blaze would spontaneously erupt because the conditions were right. Earth isn¡¯t the same. Earth is always connected to itself. A landslide is only significant because a small chunk of earth pushes the rest of a much larger chunk down a hillside. A volcano only erupts because lava is pressing against the cooler earth around it. An earthquake is caused by chunks of earth being forced to slide against each other. There¡¯s always a connection. So, maybe letting the magic drop out of my Energy channels in little clumps isn¡¯t going to help. Maybe I need to find a way to keep it intact. Hmm. Perhaps I need to give it an image? I wonder. So far images have helped. And, actually, maybe it would be logical for earth to need an image. Fire doesn¡¯t really, though I do visualise the effect I want ¨C like a cloak over my shoulders or wings of fire stretching into the sky. But then, fire is ever changing. Who ever heard of a sculpture of fire? Not possible. Not a static one, anyway. Fire always flickers, moves, changes. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so fascinating. But earth¡­earth is the medium that artists have used through the ages to create their artwork. Whether it was coloured mud painted on walls, clay formed into shapes both practical and beautiful ¨C sometimes both at the same time ¨C or stone chipped away into a statue, it forms shapes which endure. Though I¡¯m not an artist, I imagine that they would have to have a clear image of what they wanted their final forms to be before they even started. Perhaps that¡¯s what I¡¯m missing? This time, as I move the patient earth magic through my channel, I focus on it being like clay. A sausage of clay which is going to form part of my artwork. I push away feelings of doubt, my self-questioning probably actively harmful here. The sausage of ¡®clay¡¯ tips out of my channels¡­and stays intact. It lowers, still staying together, and makes contact with the earth magic. There, I pause. The earth magic seems¡­uncertain. I can feel it for the first time. Fire had been open with its sensations, practically throwing them out as it does heat and light. Earth has been the opposite. Very closed, not unwilling so much as¡­quiet. Like with the cold, I had to touch it before it would seep into me. Here, I¡¯ve had to touch the earth magic with earth magic to feel it at all. And now, it seems confused. I think I know why: in this, it is like fire. Fire, too, was confused about the concept of something being part of it, yet separate. I would guess from the evidence that earth is the same. I focus on my appreciation for earth, trying to become as still and patient in spirit as it is in nature. That¡¯s harder than I thought it would be, as is waiting for it to respond ¨C it takes a long time. But I do my best to endure. To wait without complaint. Finally, it pays off. I sense the earth relax and accept me with calm placidity. I don¡¯t think it recognises me as part of it, not the way fire did ¨C with fire it was the other way around, really ¨C but at the same time, I don¡¯t find my own mind is captured like before. Now is the time of truth. Continuing to feed the sausage of my own earth-natured mana into the far greater body of earth magic below my hand, I focus on the stone becoming soft and mouldable like clay. I realise I¡¯m holding my breath and force myself to breathe calmly again, despite my building anxiety. Please let this work! Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Three: Soften The connection trembles, as if the earth is evaluating my request, ruminating over it and considering it. And then¡­I feel it soften beneath my finger tips. Barely able to believe it, I press with my fingers, feeling them sink in. The sensation is familiar from my pottery sessions ¨C clay indeed. Triumph runs through me, a laugh emerging from my lips. A moment later, I feel the earth magic twitch where I¡¯m connected to it through the oblong of earth-nature mana still dangling between my Energy channel and the greater body of earth magic. It doesn¡¯t like the abrupt change in my emotions, I realise, so I do my best to push the excitement away, returning to calm placidity. As much as I can, anyway ¨C pleasure bubbles under the surface despite my best efforts. So, I¡¯ve been able to change the nature of the earth with my magic. That¡¯s a good start. Great, even. But I wonder whether I can push it a bit further. I think that softening stone into a clay-like consistency is enough to count for at least some earth-related Skill. Certainly, I feel the sensation of a notification waiting for me and I¡¯m pretty sure that my internal matrix has been rearranging itself a little, though can¡¯t be sure about that until I go to check it out. But I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s enough for Earth-Shaping exactly. After all, arguably I¡¯m still shaping the earth with my hand rather than the magic itself. With a very clear image in mind, I coax the earth into moving, into forming a bowl-shape beneath my hand. Without putting any pressure on the soft stone with my fingers, I press on it with my mind. It resists, though I don¡¯t get the impression that its resistance is a rejection. It¡¯s more, that its default is to resist anything ¨C wind, water, fire, force, light, anything. I don¡¯t give up ¨C earth is patient and persistent, using time and the accumulation of pressure to make changes. Slowly, the resistance crumbles, like stone developing cracks in a frost. It takes time but finally, just like that stone falling apart once the cracks grow too large for it to remain whole, the resistance gives way. I feel the earth move below my hand, turning my vision into reality. This time, my exhilaration is too great for me to push it away. The sudden wash of emotion sends the earth recoiling, abruptly sensing me as ¡®other¡¯ in the same way the fire did when I refused to let it burn my clothes, all that time ago. The sausage of clay-like earth mana falls from my energy channels and blends into the rest of the earth magic. Its absence leaves that hand feeling oddly lighter. I open my eyes and look at what I¡¯ve done. A shallow bowl made of stone is in front of me. It¡¯s a perfectly smooth shape, very obviously not natural. Just like the caves Kalanthia made, actually. When I close my eyes again and focus on seeing the energy threads, I see that the bowl looks no different from any of the areas around it ¨C the magic is reinforcing it as much as it reinforces the rest of the tunnel. A good sign. I take a moment to bask in my satisfaction. Then, anticipation building, I access my notifications.
Congratulations! You have earned a new Skill: Earth-Shaping
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Yes! I exclaim to myself in elation. Finally!
Earth-Shaping By exploring and coming to an understanding of earth, you have become able to transform mana into earth magic, and have proved yourself capable of controlling and shaping this magic according to your Will. Henceforth, you will now be more easily able to connect with the earth around you at a thought and shape it. However, as you have learned, earth takes time and requires a connection with its wielder, both through mana and trust. Your Fire Affinity is opposed to most aspects of Earth and will therefore make this more difficult in its initial stages.
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While the message is rather reminiscent of the one I received for Fire-Shaping, there are some significant differences. It seems like Willpower is less important with earth than fire, though I would be hesitant to agree. From the experiences I¡¯ve had, I¡¯d say that they are just different. Fire certainly needs firm control to stop it getting out of hand. Earth doesn¡¯t need control, from what I can see; it needs determination. But what is determination but just another form of willpower? I remember the message before talking about being able to ¡®summon fire at a thought¡¯. This one talks about being able to ¡®connect with the earth¡¯ instead, highlighting a major difference here. I suspect that I won¡¯t be able to just create a rock in my hand, though I might be able to form one out of the earth beneath my feet. Or perhaps that¡¯s somewhere I could take the Skill in later rank-ups, even if I can¡¯t do it right now. The message also really highlights how important connection is, though it¡¯s thrown in something that I hadn¡¯t thought of before: trust. Fire also required a certain degree of trust, but that was for Fire-Taming, not Fire-Shaping ¨C if I had kept my agreement with the previous iteration of fire, it would make a new agreement easier to make. Equally, the reverse was true too. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Is there something similar with earth? That the more I work with it, the easier I¡¯ll find to connect to it? Perhaps ¨C certainly Kalanthia didn¡¯t seem to have to concentrate even a fraction as much as I¡¯ve had to just for this one small bowl. However, I am conscious of the last line of the message: that I¡¯m going to have a more difficult job due to my Fire Affinity. Not unexpected, I suppose. Dumping earth on top is usually a pretty good means of putting out fire. And fire transforms earth, like turning sand to glass or melting metal and reforming it. Though maybe that¡¯s what it¡¯s referring to when it mentions ¡®most aspects¡¯ rather than ¡®all aspects¡¯. Perhaps these areas of crossover are where I¡¯ll have more ease. If so, that might be good news for my upcoming attempts to make metal weapons and tools ¨C if I can melt metal without needing to construct a furnace, that would definitely speed things up a bit. Though I guess I¡¯ll need to do it the hard way too for the samurans to know how to do it without me. The sound of a large form moving through the tunnel above meets my ears and recalls me to the present pressures. There¡¯s time enough to think about all that later. Right now, I have a feeling that I¡¯m out of time. He¡¯s coming, Bastet warns, then jumps down to join me in the tunnel below. The sun is touching the horizon on the third day of our truce, the alcaoris tells me tersely. Seeing as how it¡¯s such a temporary Bond, I¡¯ve stopped myself from naming him. Do you have an alternative solution? ¡°I do,¡± I tell him, relief running through me that, somehow, I managed to make the breakthrough just in time. Explain. ¡°It¡¯s the same solution as I¡¯ve spoken to you about before: forming a large bowl in the middle of the tunnel where Pure Energy can collect and surround your eggs. Then the overflow will continue on its way through the tunnel, no pressure building up. A win, win.¡± Then where is this bowl? the alcaoris asks doubtfully, sticking his large head down into the hole and looking around. The one near you there is far too small for my eggs. I have a sudden thought that, if I could get the earth to react quickly enough, I could slice his head off here and now. I doubt even a Tier three could survive that. But I dismiss the thought almost as quickly as it comes. Not only is it unfeasible since I can¡¯t move the earth that quickly, but it¡¯s not something I¡¯d really want to do. Not while I have an alliance and the alcaoris isn¡¯t threatening anything I care about. Not when there are other options. Though I am curious about how much Energy would come from a Tier three¡¯s death. Well, perhaps I¡¯ll find out one day. For now, the dragon-like father just asked a question. ¡°I need you to tell me how big the bowl needs to be and then I¡¯ll make it,¡± I tell him honestly. I was planning on guesstimating based on the shape of the eggs that I can see from this side of things, but if the alcaoris is down here to ask, I might as well get him to tell me. A single egg would need a hole at least four times that depth, the alcaoris says critically. Its width would suffice for a single egg, but not for three of them. And there must be plenty of Pure Energy all the way around each of the eggs. I nod thoughtfully, the description helping me to construct an image of what I should make. I also need to make sure that it¡¯s not an issue if the stream changes position in the middle of the tunnel for some reason. At the moment, there¡¯s a small channel which indicates the path it normally comes, but who knows what might change when we release the Pure Energy? With an image in mind, I settle back down to the floor, my hand outstretched to lie flat on the surface. This time, I use my left hand. I tend to use my right hand for fire magic since I¡¯m right-hand dominant. Perhaps the channels there are more used to fire magic. It will be interesting to see if it makes a difference. ¡°This may take a few minutes,¡± I warn the alcaoris. ¡°Please don¡¯t disturb me until it¡¯s done unless it¡¯s an emergency.¡± As long as it doesn¡¯t take too long, warns the alcaoris in return. My patience is not infinite. Mentally, I roll my eyes ¨C what¡¯s his hurry? I don¡¯t say anything, though ¨C the quicker this is done, the better. Focussing on my image, I patiently repeat the process I followed before to make the first bowl. Immediately, the influence of actually having Earth-Shaping is clear. My mana transforms more easily into earth-aspected mana and the connection with the earth is a little easier. After that, though, coaxing the earth to do what I want it to do takes as much effort and almost as much time as before. Understandably, Earth-Shaping has more effect on my internal processes than the external ones. Still, bit by bit, I make progress, my vision taking shape before my fingers. I think it is a little easier with my left hand, though I will have to test again with my right hand to check that it¡¯s not just the influence of my new Skill. It takes a lot of mana. Mana to make the connection, and mana to feed into the earth to make the changes. By the end, I¡¯m panting and nauseous from mana depletion and I haven¡¯t even quite done everything I wanted. Still, it¡¯s probably enough. I open my eyes to see what I¡¯ve managed to create. Mentally summoning Aingeal to get a better view, the little ball of fire happily zooms closer. I¡¯ve made a big hole in the middle of the tunnel. If I stepped into it, it would come up to just above my knee. It¡¯s about twice that in diameter, though it¡¯s not a perfect hemisphere. Instead, I¡¯ve made the downstream wall much steeper than the upstream one, hoping that it will prevent the eggs from being pushed out accidentally. On either side of the hole, I¡¯ve stretched two v-shape arms stretching back upstream ¨C channels, really. My thoughts are that if the stream doesn¡¯t go straight into the hole for whatever reason, hopefully it will be caught by the arms and then directed into the hole anyway. We¡¯ll find out soon enough if it works or not. ¡°What do you think?¡± I ask the father alcaoris. He tilts his head this way and that, looking with both eyes and then each one independently. It looks big enough, he answers finally, though sounds a bit dubious. Perhaps he wonders, like me, whether it will work as intended. ¡°Alright, good. Let¡¯s release the flow and test it out, then.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Four: Allure Tension fills the air. All three of us are currently huddled together around the hole into the Energy tunnel. There¡¯s no doubt going to be an explosion of Pure Energy, and none of us want to be caught in it at full blast. I haven¡¯t managed to get a straight answer out of the alcaoris in terms of what would happen to him if part of him was submerged in Pure Energy, but just the fact that he¡¯s trying to avoid it indicates that it¡¯s nothing good. Or, at least, for him, the good doesn¡¯t outweigh the bad. I have to admit that my more reckless side is urging me to touch the Pure Energy again. It might have done a significant amount of damage to me, but I was able to fix all that and it did propel me up eight levels in a few minutes. On the other hand, unable to use magic and possibly breaking my Core is probably not what I should be doing right now. Perhaps I could dilute it? Kalanthia talked about the lake at the base of the valley containing diluted Pure Energy. But that¡¯s a later consideration. Now, I need to focus. Lowering his head back through the hole, I hear the alcaoris doing something. Unable to see through his neck and with too much mana confusing my non-physical sight when I close my eyes and focus, I just have to be patient. Abruptly, he starts backing up quickly. As his head emerges from the hole, I see a long, black cord hanging from his teeth. I am about to pull my eggs free, he warns. Bastet and I prepare to flee ¨C we don¡¯t know how violent the Pure Energy is going to be here. Without another word, the alcaoris keeps backing up quickly, tugging at the cord. I see it stretch, then catch. And then, with an odd sucking sound, he¡¯s abruptly moving backwards faster than ever. Under my feet, I feel a slight rumble, and a wall of Pure Energy is visible an instant before it starts flooding through the hole in the floor. Bastet and I turn tail and start running up the tunnel, though we¡¯re blocked by the bulk of the alcaoris. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I scream at him. ¡°Move!¡± He doesn¡¯t. Turning around to fearfully check where the Pure Energy has got to, I suddenly understand why. The hole joining the Energy tunnel with the alcaoris¡¯ melted one is blocked. Apparently the plug holding the alcaoris¡¯ eggs is bigger than the hole is and it¡¯s being held tightly to the hole by the cord that the alcaoris is holding. The Pure Energy which had flooded out before is still there, shimmering and flickering almost as enticingly as before, but no more is coming out. I¡¯m terribly tempted to move forwards and once more touch the rippling Energy, but the memory of the awful pain that went through me when I did that, and the damage which almost killed me several times is enough to prevent my feet from moving. Oddly enough, the memories are clearer with the Pure Energy in front of me than when I recalled them before releasing the plug. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a traumatic trigger, to see and smell the almost acrid scent of the condensed Energy, or if Pure Energy is somehow connected to memories in an incomprehensible way, but I¡¯m abruptly almost trapped back in that moment. A phantom pain envelops my hand, my channels aching inside. I can practically feel my Core crack again. The same pleasure-pain caused by levelling up far too many times in a far too short time wracks my form once more. And then I feel feather fur brushing my leg and I¡¯m jolted back into the present. Bastet¡¯s creeping towards the pool, her movements an odd mixture of reluctant and eager. Her eyes are fixed on the Pure Energy pool, still moving and rippling before us. ¡°Bastet, don¡¯t,¡± I tell her. She pays no attention, doesn¡¯t even seem to have heard me. ¡°Bastet?¡± No response. ¡°Bastet, stop.¡± This time, alarm going through me, I make it an order, enforced by the Bond between us. The raptorcat immediately stops, her body no longer obeying her. There are times when I regret using the Bond against my companions, feeling like a puppet master in how much control I have over them. This isn¡¯t one of those times. Jogged out of my own memories, the Pure Energy has less of an allure. As I hurry forwards, I manage to tear my eyes away from it after only a moment. Crouching down in front of Bastet, I cup my hands around her face, directing her to look straight at me. It¡¯s a bit hard to do at first, but once I manage to arrange myself so I¡¯m blocking her view of the pool, I slowly see awareness coming back into them. The worryingly glassy sheen to them disappears little by little until I see my Bastet staring back at me. Packleader? she asks, sounding confused. I thought¡­I felt¡­. She shakes her head as if to clear it of something grasping at her feather-fur. ¡°You were creeping towards the Pure Energy pool,¡± I tell her, trying not to let the remnants of my worry and my relief come through. Given our emotional connection through the Bond, I doubt I¡¯m doing well with it, but she still seems a bit out of sorts. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I saw my pack. My birth pack. They were waiting for me in the liquid. I felt¡­that everything would be better if I touched it. She shudders. But it wouldn¡¯t have, would it? The longing and pain in her mental voice makes my heart clench within me. I can¡¯t help but lean forward to sit on my knees, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as I do my best to console her. She leans into the touch, sighing deeply, pain splintering through her. I remember seeing my parents in the liquid just before I touched it ¨C apparently tantalising onlookers with visions of the beloved dead is par for the course for Pure Energy. Whether it¡¯s an intentional trap or a side-effect of that much Energy concentrated in one place, I don¡¯t know. All I know is that my friend, my family member, is hurting. We stay there for a few moments. Fortunately, the alcaoris doesn¡¯t seem to care as he doesn¡¯t interrupt us. Finally, Bastet pulls away slightly, so I release my hold. ¡°Are you going to be OK if I stop blocking the Pure Energy from your sight?¡± I ask her intently. Bastet sends a feeling of ambivalence across the Bond. I could already see it from over your shoulder, she points out. Ah, yes. I hadn¡¯t thought of that. I still feel a pull, but it has lost the edge with which it pulled me forwards last time. I think I should be fine. ¡°Alright,¡± I answer, pushing myself slowly to my feet, keeping a sharp eye on Bastet in case she starts walking towards the pool again. She doesn¡¯t, but she does fix me with a somewhat exasperated look. I cock my head questioningly at her. May I move again? she asks with an even stronger sense of exasperation. I flush. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell her, mentally releasing the hold I had on the Bond to keep her in place. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologise a moment afterwards, still embarrassed about forgetting. She nudges my thigh with her head. Forgiven. What now? I look around at the alcaoris, still holding the string tightly, at the dark plug filling the hole, at the pool of Pure Energy sitting above it. ¡°Is there still a lot of Pure Energy rushing through the tunnel below?¡± I ask the alcaoris. I would check for myself, but the density of the earth magic which suffices the stone below my feet rather blocks my vision of anything beyond that. It is beginning to reduce, he answers shortly. I send a brief flick of gratitude his way for responding. ¡°We wait,¡± I tell Bastet in answer to her question. And that¡¯s exactly what we do. After a few minutes, I start walking towards the Pure Energy pool. Packleader? Bastet asks, half in question, half in warning. ¡°It¡¯s OK, I¡¯m aware of my actions,¡± I reassure her. ¡°I just want to test something.¡± Ever since making it back to the cave and managing to heal all of the things the Pure Energy damaged, I¡¯ve been cursing myself for not bringing some with me. Now is my chance. I know that materials dissolve quickly in Pure Energy, but if it¡¯s sitting in my Inventory, any disintegration should be held in stasis. As long as it follows the rules I¡¯ve learned about my extra-dimensional storage space, anyway. It¡¯s worth a shot, I figure. Taking one of my bone-formed bowls out of my Inventory, I dip the far edge of it into the Pure Energy. Immediately, I see the bone starting to blur at the edges. It¡¯s not going to hold its integrity for long, perhaps only a few minutes, but that¡¯s enough for a test. Despite the time pressure, I don¡¯t slop the liquid anywhere, but just tilt the bowl up carefully so that the Pure Energy sits in the bottom of it. It really is an odd sort of liquid. Although it follows the laws of gravity, the liquid continues rolling and shifting even when I¡¯m holding the bowl completely still. Putting it in my Inventory, I pull it out a moment later. To my strong disappointment, the bowl is completely empty. It¡¯s clear that it is the same bowl as before: the melted and pockmarked design makes that evident. I sigh. I suppose that it¡¯s not all that surprising: Pure Energy doesn¡¯t exactly strike me as stable. I¡¯d better feel lucky that Energy Hearts do count as stable ¨C though I don¡¯t know if there will be any left in the other cavern, considering how flooded it has been with Energy. I figure it could have gone both ways: either more Energy Hearts because of the quantity of Pure Energy, or fewer because they¡¯ve dissolved in the Pure Energy liquid. Obviously, I¡¯m hoping for the former but time will tell. ¡°How do you feel about making our home here?¡± I ask Bastet idly. Before she can answer, the alcaoris interrupts. You¡¯re not making your home here, he says strongly, fixing me with a fierce eye. Even if I decide to continue this alliance, I will not tolerate you around my eggs when there is no need for it. The original Tame Bond we had fell away at the end of the three days, but we established another temporary Bond, though this one is without a time limit, just to get us through this time. I don¡¯t know exactly what the alcaoris will want to do at the end of all this, but I¡¯m open to a proper alliance. Although killing him would definitely offer benefits, it¡¯s clear from our previous fight that there would be several casualties on my side too. Besides, Kalanthia has shown that an alliance with a Tier three beast is not a small thing. Frankly, given everything, I would prefer not to have to fight. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about making it here,¡± I tell the alcaoris calmly. ¡°I intended to make it near the other tunnel entrance. The one caused by the explosion.¡± He eyes me suspiciously. That is still too close to my eggs, he insists. You could creep underground to reach them. ¡°True,¡± I admit, ¡°but if we have an alliance that stipulates the protection of your eggs, then you¡¯d have someone guarding both sides. Otherwise, that entrance will be wide open to other threats.¡± Not if I block it off, insists the alcaoris, but he seems thoughtful. Perhaps convincing him to continue the relationship won¡¯t be too hard. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Five: Poisoned by the Energy We wait until the alcaoris indicates that the flood of Pure Energy has begun to subside by slowly moving closer to the hole. The moment the ¡®plug¡¯ lowers enough, the Pure Energy which had pooled above it drains away just like it was in a giant bath. It leaves a glimmer on the surface of the rock which vanishes bit by bit. Closing my eyes and activating my ability to see connections, I am almost blinded by the sheer brilliance of the remaining Pure Energy. Once I get over that, I see that it¡¯s seeping through the brown earth magic suffusing the rock. I think part of it combines with the magic that is already there, but it¡¯s so overwhelming that it¡¯s hard to see either way. Then it goes and joins something that I don¡¯t even dare look at straight-on for fear of it burning out my eyes. My non-physical eyes, anyway. If that¡¯s possible. Opening my eyes again, I see that the glimmering is pretty much gone so I step carefully forwards, ready to leap back if I even get the hint that I¡¯m about to put my foot in an invisible pool of Pure Energy. Apparently it¡¯s all drained away, though, as I make it to the edge of the hole. Seeing that I¡¯ve made it through with no issues, Bastet quickly hurries to my side ¨C she needed to be warier than me as I at least have my boots to offer a barrier between me and any potential remnants of the Pure Energy. She has nothing between her talons and the ground. We peer down into the tunnel below. Aingeal, bobbing over my shoulder as always, doesn¡¯t need my instruction to brighten a bit, just so the Pure Energy starts glittering like a river of liquid diamond. I do ask it to descend a little into the tunnel as otherwise there¡¯s too much left in shadow. I see that the river of Pure Energy hasn¡¯t yet fully abated. It¡¯s reduced from where it must have been before ¨C the weight of the other tunnel¡¯s worth of Pure Energy forcing it to begin flooding here ¨C but it¡¯s still pretty high. I guess that, because the exit tunnel is so small in comparison, it will take a bit of time to drain. The tunnel that I can see looks much the same as before, perhaps the end where it narrows is a little damaged. Closing my eyes and looking with magical sight, I take care not to look directly at the Pure Energy. That little glance confirms that the tunnel has been expanded a little further down: the earth magic in the stone is more compressed than it was the last time I inspected it. Switching back to normal sight, I spot the dark cable which the alcaoris has been clinging onto throughout this time. It leads down into the Pure Energy itself, the ¡®plug¡¯ holding the eggs now just a dark shape beneath the radiant liquid. Since there¡¯s still some time before we can find out whether my solution is helpful, I figure I might as well spend the time planning what to do in the next few weeks. There are lots of things to accomplish before this whole samuran meet and greet event. Ninety days might feel like a long time, but I know from past experience how quickly three months can pass when I¡¯m busy. And busy is definitely going to be the word to describe things. Not only do I have my personal projects such as creating metal weaponry and tools, but I¡¯ve got lots of magical experiments to try. I also want to create a new home down this way ¨C since it¡¯s near the Pure Energy and the village ¨C and I¡¯m hoping that Kalanthia might be willing to join us. Which, if she is, will mean I have to find a way to help her and the samurans coexist peacefully. And maybe the alcaoris if he decides to stick around. That will be fun. I¡¯m going to need to take a trip up to the cave anyway ¨C I need to get the stuff and the Bound I left up there. And the cubs. I bet Bastet¡¯s missing them even more than I am. Then there are all the things I need to do with the village itself: changing the way they run things ¨C hopefully without creating some sort of backlash by changing things too fast. I¡¯m familiar with how change can affect a company; I bet a village isn¡¯t much different. Plus, if I want to impress the samurans at the meet and greet ¨C enough to leave us alone, at least ¨C I need to make sure the villagers I take with me are sold on the changes I¡¯m introducing. That means I have to make sure the changes are having obvious, beneficial consequences on the village. It might be a bit hard to convince them at the moment considering my first action as leader has led to two dead Warriors, but I¡¯ll have to find a way to make it work. But before I can do any of that, I need to finish stabilising the situation in the samuran village by Binding the rest of the Warriors. That would be easier if I have another level or so beneath my belt ¨C fortunately, I have a helpful source of Energy right here. Actually, on that point, I check my status screen ¨C the last time I was this close to raw Energy, I was poisoned by just staying in the area nearby.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 15 Energy to next level: 76% Energy absorption rate: 1106u/hr Energy towards debt: 112% (232)
Intelligence 34+1 (+5%) Mana: 615/615 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 40+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr
Willpower 60+16 (+27%) Health regeneration rate: 76u/hr
Constitution 25 Health: 364/365 (375) (15u/CP)
Strength If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. 20 Stamina: 120/120
Dexterity 21 Stamina regeneration rate: 210u/hr
Special: Fire Affinity (25%)
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 9 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Journeyman 2 * Alliance Fade ¨C Initiate 5 Inspect Fauna ¨C Novice 9 Inspect Flora ¨C Beginner 8 Inspect Environment ¨C Beginner 9 Elemental Bonding - Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Master 1 Stealth ¨C Novice 5 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 5 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 2 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 9 Spearmanship ¨C Novice 4 Archery ¨C Beginner 9 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 1 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 9 Fire-Shaping ¨C Novice 7 Earth-Shaping ¨C Beginner 2
Most of my status screen is much as I expected it to be. The Energy I¡¯m earning per hour is a very healthy figure and has already increased my store by four percent from where it was before the Pure Energy was unplugged. I see that I¡¯m missing a single health point, but as I watch, it ticks up again to full before ticking down again a little while later. I have a feeling I know what¡¯s going on, but flick over to my notifications to check. Sure enough, there are two messages waiting for me.
Warning! You have entered an area of high Energy density. Your level is too low to safely absorb this Energy. Time until Energy poisoning begins: 0:10:00
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Warning! You are in an area of high Energy density. Your level is too low to safely absorb this Energy. Time until Energy poisoning begins: 00:00:00 You are being poisoned. Your health will drop by one unit every 72 seconds until either you leave the area, increase your capacity to absorb Energy safely, or expire.
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Closing my eyes, I quickly work out a bit of mental maths. Finishing my calculation, I marvel at my ability to keep big numbers in my head ¨C that never used to be the case. It must be a reflection of whatever changes were done to me when I increased my Intelligence stat. My suspicions were correct ¨C I am being poisoned, but it¡¯s not having any real effect on me because my health regeneration rate is higher than its rate of poisoning. If I recall, last time I lost more health over the hour, and I didn¡¯t have anywhere near as high a regeneration rate. Not to mention that I couldn¡¯t use my healing Skill at the time because of what the Pure Energy had done to my Core. I¡¯m significantly better off this time. However, I suddenly have a thought and flick over to my Bound page. Finding Bastet¡¯s entry, my stomach drops as I see that she¡¯s already lost a quarter of her health, and it¡¯s continuing to tick steadily downwards. ¡°Bastet, you need to go back to the surface,¡± I tell her urgently. ¡°You¡¯re being poisoned by the Energy.¡± She fixes me with a mulish look. I¡¯m not leaving you alone here. Abruptly, I realise that she knew ¨C of course she knew, who would miss the pain that losing a quarter of your health causes? But she didn¡¯t want to do anything about it because that would mean leaving me here. I sigh. ¡°Alright. But I¡¯m healing you now and you need to tell me whenever your health dips by more than ten percent.¡± She cocks her head in confusion, apparently not understanding my reference. ¡°Uh¡­more than might be caused from a play session with the cubs and Lathani,¡± I tell her instead. That¡¯s probably a bit less than ten percent, but I¡¯d rather keep her topped up. Fine, she agrees and comes towards me. I¡¯m grateful that she has: even if I¡¯ve worked out how to heal from a distance, it¡¯s always harder and less efficient to do it that way. Sinking my magic into her system, I try to search for what needs healing. A frown creeps onto my face as I realise that I can¡¯t feel anything wrong with her body itself. I suppose that makes sense ¨C it¡¯s not a poison which has been injected into the body, attacking the organs, the nerves, or the blood itself. This is Energy poisoning, which probably means that it¡¯s attacking the Energy channels. The problem with that is that I can¡¯t access my Bound¡¯s Energy channels ¨C not yet, anyway. I add that to my mental to-do list ¨C find a way of healing the damage the alcaoris¡¯ acidic mana did to my Bound¡¯s internal matrices. I¡¯ll need to formalise the list on my display¡¯s notepad function later, but now is not the time. However, even if I can¡¯t actually heal the damage which is being done at its source, maybe I can heal its effects. Bastet needs more health as the first priority. I managed to transform my mana into health before when dealing with my soul damage. Perhaps I can do something like that for Bastet? After all, health is just another form of Energy ¨C I worked that out. And mana is another form of Energy too. I¡¯ve managed to convert mana to health without going through Flesh-Shaping for myself; it can¡¯t be too much harder to do it for Bastet. ***** In the end, it¡¯s not too much harder, but it does take me some time to figure it out. Enough time that I¡¯m getting to the point of having to decide whether to send Bastet up to the surface regardless of her preferences by the time I manage to get it working. It turns out that there¡¯s a¡­quirk to the health transformation when I¡¯m doing it to someone else. I guess that makes sense ¨C it¡¯s not like it¡¯s possible to have a blood transfusion with just anyone, and we¡¯re different species from different worlds. If there wasn¡¯t a difference in the form of our health, that would probably be more surprising than the fact that there is. But by sinking my consciousness deep enough into her blood to practically become part of it, I discover a way to transform my mana into something far more similar to her own, to the signature that runs through her veins. And there, I think I also find a way to find the Energy channels. I¡¯m not certain, but the deeper I got into her system, the more I started to sense the glittering, golden lines almost within reach. It¡¯s worth exploration. But not now. The Energy flood has abated, the alcaoris¡¯ voice rumbles in my head. I pull away from Bastet. ¡°Are you sure you want to stay down here with me?¡± I check again. ¡°I might have been able to replenish your health, but it might be doing more damage than we know. I certainly haven¡¯t been able to heal the effect of the poison itself.¡± I¡¯m staying with you, she replies firmly. I send her a mental hug, always appreciative of just how much support she offers me. You care about them; they are not just tools to you, the alcaoris asks, his voice oddly quiet and tone a little strange. I realise when Bastet doesn¡¯t react that it¡¯s a private message ¨C they¡¯re not so easy to identify along a Tame Bond in comparison to a Dominate one. I do, I reply in the same way. Some more than others, I admit, but I take responsibility for all of them. The alcaoris is silent, but moves forward so that the bulk of his body is at the edge of the hole with us. Putting his head down into the hole, I see him using acidic mana to carefully melt away the dark coloured substance around the egg. Slowly, one by one, the blue-green eggs are revealed. Moment of truth. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Six: Alliance The feel of the early morning sunlight against my face is very welcome after the long hours down in the depths of the earth. Even with my new Earth-Shaping Skill and appreciation for the peace and calm of the earth, I feel relief when we finally break out into fresh air. I see a group of my Bound eating from a carcass on the other side of the clearing. Not all of them ¨C I suspect that several are at the other entrance. The alcaoris lingers in the entrance of the tunnel, having accompanied Bastet and me up to the surface. He seems as uncertain as me about how to broach the topic I know we need to discuss. ¡°Wait,¡± I say as he looks like he¡¯s about to turn and disappear back down to his eggs, now tucked neatly away in the ¡®nest¡¯ I made for them. The alcaoris pauses. For what? he asks, almost snappishly, but I suspect that it¡¯s more due to him feeling uncertain than genuine anger. ¡°We need to talk about how our relationship is going to look going forwards,¡± I say firmly, though making sure not to let any hint of a threat come across either in my body language or the Bond. What is there to discuss? You and yours stay out of my way; I shall not harm you, the alcaoris answered offhandedly. ¡°Sure, we could agree to something like that, though I would prefer to keep what we currently have: an agreement to not attack in the absence of provocation, no matter where the person was. Or we could even agree to mutual defence.¡± If any creature goes near my eggs, they will swiftly be destroyed, the alcaoris answers fiercely. I do not need any other to defend me. He sounds slightly insulted at the insinuation. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I try to appease him. I actually wasn¡¯t suggesting anything of the sort ¨C it¡¯s clear he can take care of himself. However, this situation reminds me of a very similar one all those weeks ago. ¡°But you still need to eat and your eggs are left defenceless when you¡¯re gone.¡± Is that a threat? asks the alcaoris with a hiss, his lips lifting to show his jaws full of very sharp teeth, his wings mantling slightly on his back, as much as the tight tunnel allows, anyway. ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± I tell him, outwardly calm, though internally tensing up, ready to react to an attack. ¡°I¡¯ve spent time making sure that your eggs are now bathed in as much Pure Energy as they need; I¡¯m not going to turn around and try to do something nefarious to them now. I¡¯m just suggesting that, if we have an agreement of mutual defence, then you could go hunting without worrying about leaving your eggs defenceless. And if we were having problems with an enemy, then we could call on you to help.¡± I shrug a little. ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡± The alcaoris hesitates, then settles a little, apparently deciding that I¡¯m being honest. Which I am. Not that I would object to having three baby alcaorises as part of my band, but not at the price of intentionally making them orphans to do so. Plus, powerful or not for their stage, I have a lot of Bound at Tier one, a few at Tier two, and a friend at Tier three. Having an alliance with another Tier three beast can only be a good thing; better, perhaps, than Bonds with babies who would need to be nurtured for a long time before they¡¯d become useful. I will not be a weapon against any of your enemies, he says with suspicion. If we agree to this, I will agree only to defending your sleeping place, as you do my eggs. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I agree. Frankly, since I don¡¯t currently have any enemies who I want to melt into nothing with acid, it¡¯s more about having the agreement in place than anything else, making sure that this truce doesn¡¯t just fall away. Maybe if this had been before dealing with the shaman, I would have pushed for a bit more, but the shaman is long gone. Not sure how to activate the Alliance form of my Tame Bond, I focus on my desire to have an alliance with this creature and then say the word aloud. ¡°Alliance.¡± Immediately something like the Tame trade window appears for both of us. The difference is that, instead of putting things in my side of the ¡®trade window¡¯ then passing it over to another, anything I put in my ¡®trade window¡¯ immediately appears in the other side¡¯s window. It¡¯s like an online document where both parties can edit the same text in real time. I suddenly wonder whether I could use this Skill to make an alliance with more than two parties, and whether I could make an alliance between others where I am not one of the allying parties. It¡¯s an interesting question. For now, though, I just put in the two things we¡¯ve agreed on: non-aggression in the absence of provocation, and mutual defence. I sense that I could probably agree on that right here and now, but I get the sense that it¡¯s a little incomplete. After studying it a little, I realise why. It¡¯s practically a revisiting of the initial agreement with Kalanthia. Only, instead of making Oaths, I¡¯m using my Alliance Skill to bind us to our commitments. But perhaps we could make things better this time around. Last time, Kalanthia was able to attack me because she thought I was trying to Tame Lathani. She didn¡¯t do more than give me a significant shock, but it certainly made me feel a bit unsafe for a time. Plus, when she did break the agreement, the event happening soon after I Bound Lathani, I wasn¡¯t even aware of it until I saw that my Energy store was a bit higher than it should have been. Heck, I¡¯m not even sure that it has broken ¨C there¡¯s never been any sort of record that it exists, so checking on it is impossible. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I can see why Oaths aren¡¯t used much in Nicholas¡¯ world. However, maybe I can make this ¡®Alliance¡¯ be a bit more user-friendly. Focussing on the first point, that of non-aggression in the absence of provocation, I specify that ¡®aggression¡¯ is any physical, magical, or verbal action which is either intended to cause harm or to provoke the other party to retaliate in equal or greater measure. I then add a quick modification that mutually agreed sparring doesn¡¯t count. Who thought that working in HR would help in a wilderness? I ask myself wryly. This activity certainly brings back memories of constructing and checking through contracts written by the company¡¯s lawyers. I continue adding in more detail, namely that if the contract does break, then both parties will receive an obvious notification, and that either party can end the contract but must give notice of one day to the other party. I also add that the contract covers all those who are reasonably considered under the authority of the party leader. Getting into the spirit of it all, the alcaoris adds in some qualifications that entering the tunnel without his express permission counts as provocation, and that he would only intervene in a conflict within ten of his lengths of the other tunnel¡¯s entrance. I have a feeling that he¡¯s actually more interested in protecting the other entrance to his eggs¡¯ nesting place, but that doesn¡¯t bother me too much. I¡¯ll still benefit. I make an addendum to his interdiction on any entering his tunnel without his express permission to say that in the event of direct and provable threat to his eggs by something within the tunnel while he¡¯s away, one or more of my party could enter to intervene. He then throws it back at me to say that any damage done to his eggs in that event would be entirely taken out of our hides. I hesitate over that one, but finally add in a qualification that if the threat is far beyond our ability to cope with, we will not be expected to make a suicidal defence against it. He only agrees to that when I point out that, otherwise, I would expect him to do the same. In the end, it takes a lot more time than I was expecting, and the sun is already starting to rise on the horizon before we¡¯ve managed to come to an agreement which we¡¯re both reasonably satisfied with. Not completely, but I¡¯m used to that. A contract where one party is completely happy usually means someone is getting screwed somewhere. A bit of mutual screwing is often the best overall. And that¡¯s a thought I¡¯m not comfortable with having when a dragon is the other party of the mutual screwing. The simple three line contract has turned into several paragraphs ¨C and an actual visible window. I managed to find out how to do that, on my side at least, at the point when I was starting to struggle to keep everything in my head all at the same time. I don¡¯t know how the alcaoris is doing it, but he seems to be managing somehow. Accepting the Alliance turns out to be pretty simple: just focussing on my agreement with the entirety of the contract. Opening up my status screen, I see that there¡¯s now another tab alongside Status screen, Notifications, Bound status, and Notes. Unsurprisingly, it¡¯s called ¡®Alliances¡¯ and there¡¯s currently only one entry.
Alliance type Parties Terms Status
Mutual Alliance ¡®Alcaoris¡¯, Markus Luke Wolfe - Non-aggression pact - Mutual defence Active - notification of changes
I mentally select ¡®terms¡¯ and the screen in front of my eyes fills with the more detailed list of terms which the alcaoris and I came up with together. Dismissing the screen entirely, I¡¯m satisfied with the night¡¯s work. My design for the eggs seems to have worked perfectly, even if I had to deepen it a bit to make sure the eggs were fully covered. And now, I¡¯ve got a slightly more solid alliance with the powerful dragon-like alcaoris. Though seeing the entries in the ¡®Parties¡¯ column does remind me of something else. ¡°Do you have a name? I can¡¯t keep calling you by your species all the time.¡± The draconic creature tilts his head to one side. Not as such¡­though my kin call me Ravenous, for how my magic eats away at anything it touches. ¡°Alright, do you mind if I call you Rav? Or Raven? Ravenous is a bit¡­long.¡± As well as sounding like either one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse or a teenager¡¯s idea of a cool gaming handle. Why do you wish to call me something other than my given name? Fortunately, the alcaoris doesn¡¯t sound annoyed, just confused. ¡°It¡¯s¡­just something I do. Ask any of my companions.¡± Actually, I haven¡¯t done it to Kalanthia or Lathani. Hmm, maybe I should see if either of them would mind a nickname. Then again, I¡¯ve been calling them by their full names for so long that it would probably feel weird. Do as you wish. I care little, the alcaoris dismissed. That tempts the most mischievous part of me to give him some really stupid name, but in the end I decide on Raven. And no, it¡¯s not at all because his dark green scales, scary magic, and aloof attitude remind me of a powerful emo super-heroine I used to enjoy watching in action when I was a teenager. ¡°Alright, well I¡¯m off. Let me know if you need me ¨C the Bond should allow you to send a sense of urgency to me even at some distance.¡± Actually, would it? That was tested with River¡¯s Dominate Bond, not a Tame one, let alone Alliance. ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t, just bellow for me ¨C I¡¯m sure one of us will hear you.¡± The alcaoris, Raven, doesn¡¯t deign to answer, simply twisting sinuously along his length to turn around. His tail is the last of him to disappear, its slim, pointed tip vanishing into the darkness. ¡°Alright,¡± I say again to Bastet, half amused, partly concerned, and just a little offended, though I push both of the last away. ¡°Let¡¯s go gather the rest of the party. I want to see what¡¯s happened at the other end of the tunnel.¡± You need to sleep, the raptorcat tells me severely. ¡°So do you,¡± I point out, amused. I¡¯ll be fine for a few hours yet, she answers dismissively. ¡°And so will I,¡± I tell her. ¡°I¡¯ve gone longer than this without sleep and gone into a fight at the end of it. I want to go and investigate the tunnel before something else beats us to it ¨C or those vine-stranglers decide to push their luck.¡± The trap trees, she sniffs in disgust. I still don¡¯t understand why you decided to leave some of them alive. ¡°Allies can come in mysterious places,¡± I point out to her, sending a picture of Raven down the Bond to support my argument. So can enemies, warns Bastet more than a little ominously. ¡°Then let¡¯s hope for more of the former than the latter,¡± I answer cheerily. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seven: Unstable Approaching the vine-strangler copse again, I find excitement mixed with trepidation filling me. It¡¯s about midday: Bastet and I compromised by resting for a few hours before we set out. Bastet¡¯s still tired, though I feel far more refreshed than before ¨C I wonder whether I actually need less sleep than I think I do. There was a notification waiting for me after I woke up ¨C about the quest. Unfortunately, it seems like I¡¯m not yet due for my reward, though in my opinion I¡¯m well over-due.
Congratulations! You have completed one of the required objectives for this quest: you have released the pressure on the Ley Line and allowed the Pure Energy to continue unimpeded along it. You have thereby saved the area and denizens around you from experiencing consequences of direct contact with Pure Energy. In the course of your adventures, you explored the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and defeated its guardian. Upon investigating the guardian beast¡¯s lair, you discovered a route down to one of the Ley Lines of the planet, running unusually close to the surface. You discovered that this is due to two main reasons: an initial blockage by a mana crystal; a subsequent blockage by an alcaoris eager to incubate his eggs in the best environment possible. You recognised that the continued blockage of the vital Ley Line could cause untold amounts of harm, both for the denizens of the forest around you, and others further down the Line. You have found a way to rectify the situation in the short term, but the area is still out of balance with unusual amounts of Energy leaking into the environment. Return the area to its previous state within a reasonable time period to complete this quest and receive your reward.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse II Quest type: Regional
Objective: Find evidence to prove (or in the event of the theory being disproven, discover) the reason for the formation of the underground tunnels. (complete) Objective: Rectify the situation with the exposed stream of Pure Energy before it¡¯s too late. (complete) Objective: Return the area to its previous state. (3 months)
Time to complete quest: 3 months
Suggested difficulty: Journeyman Reward: Rare Silver chest (rarity increased due to passing over of previous rewards).
It doesn¡¯t really tell me anything more than I already knew except that I need to continue to restore the area. It¡¯s good to know that I¡¯ve managed to avert the major consequences, though. Lathani and River come to join me as we cross the last of the grey wasteland. I cast a look at each of them, seeing the grey ashes coating River up to her knees. Lathani¡¯s even worse off: she¡¯s grey practically up to her chin. It doesn¡¯t help that it¡¯s apparently been raining all night and started drizzling again soon after Bastet and I left the cave. Wet ash is even worse than dry ash for making us mucky, it turns out. Still, at least it should mean that the ash is beginning to be absorbed into the ground. It¡¯ll make this area into very fertile land for a short time ¨C a bit like the rainforests on earth which were cleared for farmland and then abandoned when their fertility was exhausted. I wonder if the samurans have ever thought of farming, I think to myself curiously. Then, realising I have a perfect person next to me to ask, I turn to glance at River. ¡°Has your village ever done farming?¡± I ask. She looks at me, uncertainty coming across the Bond between us. We grow some plants near the huts, but I sense that there is more to this ¡®farming¡¯ that you speak of. ¡°It¡¯s an intentional cultivation of plants either for use of the village directly or to feed livestock who then feed the village one way or another. Where I came from, pretty much everything we ate was grown or managed by farmers. Vegetables from the fields, eggs and milk from livestock, and meat from other animals who were looked after by farmers until they were ready to slaughter.¡± No, we have never done anything like that. Instead of River, it¡¯s Tarra who responds, apparently close enough to hear our conversation. She draws up alongside Lathani who growls at her. I glare at Tarra warningly and she hesitates before moving to the other side of River. Lathani¡¯s hackles are still lifted a little, but when I rub behind her ears and send her soothing feelings down the Bond, she settles a little. Now that Tarra doesn¡¯t need to work on trying to find a way to melt stone saturated with earth-magic anymore, it¡¯s time for her to get working on finding a solution for Lathani. I¡¯d prefer to be present for the first few times they have to work together, though, so I make a mental note to talk to them about it once we¡¯ve checked out the tunnel. ¡°Expand,¡± I say neutrally to the herbalist, still stroking Lathani¡¯s ears ¨C mostly because they¡¯re so soft. Both she and I enjoy it so why not? We have kept beasts in our village from time to time when they have more use to us alive than feeding our villagers, she starts. I fix her with another hard look. ¡°Like you wanted to do with me,¡± I comment flatly. She has the decency to look away for a moment, her tail flicking with discomfort even as it sways with her movement forwards. Yes. They have required food, but we simply find what they need in the forest. I have tested growing certain herbs closer to me so I don¡¯t always have to send someone out to get them, but haven¡¯t had much success. Only a few seem to have taken to the ground near my huts. She makes the samuran version of a shrug. It just doesn¡¯t seem like worth the effort. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I consider the question, rubbing my chin with the hand that I¡¯m not using to pet Lathani. ¡°Maybe I can have a look at what you¡¯ve been doing. I might have some ideas.¡± Not that I¡¯m an expert farmer or gardener, but I do have a little bit of knowledge absorbed from the survival stone. Only the very basics of farming, but perhaps that added to what I¡¯ve learned unintentionally from living in a society where farming is the bedrock of the food industry will be enough to at least get them started. Maybe the few Youtube videos I happened to watch will help too, though I don¡¯t have access to the machinery they showed. When we return to the village, then, Tarra responds to my suggestion. I let the conversation drop: we¡¯re at the vine-stranglers. Eyeing the trees suspiciously, I¡¯m tentatively glad when they shuffle aside to offer us a path through. That will never not be weird, though. The trees almost¡­swim through the dirt. Actually, maybe they¡¯re doing exactly that. As I close my eyes and activate my ability to see connections, I see how the roots below the surface move the dirt almost like the legs of a centipede or millipede moving forwards: each doesn¡¯t move much, but the sheer number of them mean that the tree itself moves a lot. I blink my eyes open, releasing my non-physical sight when the combination of the two starts giving me a migraine. Thanks, I say to the trees down the Bond I have with them. The organism on the other side sends me a begrudging kind of acknowledgement ¨C like it doesn¡¯t want to appreciate my thanks but kind of does anyway. But, so far, the creature hasn¡¯t caused any problems ¨C I¡¯ve had Bound coming and going between here and the spot outside the other tunnel throughout the last couple of days and none of them have reported any attacks. That could be just because it¡¯s biding its time for me to come back ¨C I¡¯ve been staying at the other cave while trying to learn how to do Earth-Shaping ¨C or it could actually be trying to stay on my good side. Or maybe it¡¯s just had far more Pure Energy than even it can cope with to absorb. Certainly, it¡¯s grown noticeably in the last few days which is treading close to breaking our agreement on that one. Remember not to grow any faster than the trees in the forest around, I remind the vine-strangler consciousness. I doubt they could grow two whole trees in such a short time, let alone expand their edges by two trees all the way around. But that¡¯s so restrictive! complains the vine-strangler mastermind. Look at how much space there is around me. Expanding by the depth of two trees is barely even noticeable! Until it becomes four trees, then eight, then the whole area is covered again, I point out to it as we walk through the passageway the trees opened for us. I keep a wary eye out just in case its indignation makes it send a spear at us again. You¡¯ve put on enough growth for now. No more than one more tree length¡¯s worth of expansion before the shortest day, I tell it severely. Dismay and anger mingle across the Bond between us. That¡¯s not enough! Do you want me to burn you back to where you were three days ago? I snap at it, stopping to cross my arms and glare at the closest tree. Or burn you away completely? The vine-strangler takes a long moment to respond. No, it answers finally, sounding very much like a sulky child. Then stick to the agreement, I grind out mentally, my teeth pressing together as a muscle in my jaw leaps. It doesn¡¯t respond, but it doesn¡¯t attack, so I resume walking. My Bound, who all paused with a mixture of expressions ranging from curiosity to fear, continue walking too. It¡¯s not a long time, and fortunately uneventful, before we get to the clearing in the middle. Though the clearing is smaller than it used to be with the salamander burning away the trees as they encroached on its space, I¡¯m glad to see that the vine-strangler has at least been honouring the area I told it to leave bare. I wanted to make sure that in the worst-case scenario even the vine-strangler¡¯s spears wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the area at the centre, and it appears that that¡¯s still the case. Unless its spears can grow longer as its power increase which¡­is probably possible, thinking about it. Damn it. A thought for later. For now, I¡¯m so eager to see what¡¯s happening that I barely even delay to greet the Bound who have been camping out here. Lee, Thorn, Honey, Fenrir, and Iandee have been almost permanent fixtures: I¡¯ve been hoping that staying near the Pure Energy might help with the damage they suffered due to the alcaoris¡¯ ¨C Raven¡¯s ¨C attacks. So far the results are inconclusive ¨C only Iandee and Lee are Tier two, but they don¡¯t have a very good understanding of their Energy channels and can¡¯t tell me what the damage is to begin with, let alone if it¡¯s improved in the three days they¡¯ve camped out here. Or at least, that¡¯s what River¡¯s reported ¨C she and Tarra along with their ever-present guard in Shrieks have been commuting back and forth most days, sometimes twice or three times. Considering that the distance between the two is only about an hour when run at a good pace, that¡¯s definitely been feasible. Standing at the edge of the tunnel, I stare down into its depths. The last time I was here before running to the village to rescue River, Pure Energy filled a good two-thirds of its length, its scintillating, glittering liquid promising everything if I took the plunge down into it. River reported that by the end of the three days, the level of the Pure Energy was within arm¡¯s length of the top: she¡¯d had to head down into the tunnel ¨C carefully ¨C to do her initial tests, but by the end of it all she needed to do was lean over the edge. Now, all of that is gone. The tunnel looks like it once did, the first time we came along here. Closing my eyes, I investigate with my other sight. Well, that¡¯s interesting, I say to myself as I stare at the walls of the tunnel. Down underground, the tunnel walls had been full of magic, but it had been earth magic, and all very calm and solid. This is quite different. There¡¯s magic here, for sure, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not all earth magic, and it¡¯s certainly not stable. Instead, I see different types of magic writhing and even conflicting within the bare rock. The greatest amount of conflict and shifting energy is at the surface. As I look deeper into the earth, I see that there¡¯s the faintest hint of brown earth magic. I probably wouldn¡¯t have even noticed it except I think I¡¯ve tuned into earth magic after all that time spent staring at it while trying to learn Earth-Shaping. Now I¡¯ve spotted it, I realise something else: it¡¯s absorbing the writhing, fighting multicoloured energies in the stone. Not fast, but it¡¯s happening. Within a few days, maybe a couple of weeks, I bet that this energy won¡¯t be present any more. I don¡¯t remember seeing this in Raven¡¯s tunnel, but maybe there was just so much earth magic there that it was absorbed much more quickly. Or maybe I just couldn¡¯t see it against the brightness of the Pure Energy itself. Either way, I take my time to carefully test my footing before committing to standing on the odd energy. I see some of it try to burrow into my boots, but only small wisps actually manage. It does make me wonder how my Bound will fare with their bare feet, though. Then I realise that River, Lathani, Tarra, and Shrieks have already passed me, apparently even more eager than me to find out what lies below, and Bastet is standing near me, impatience coming across the Bond. I open my mouth to tell them not to move, but then close it as I see that barely more of the energy is going into their feet than is going into mine. Quickly checking my Core space, I don¡¯t see any harm being done. Opening my eyes again, I shrug. Looks like we¡¯re going to explore. ¡°Hey guys, wait for me!¡± I call with exasperation mixed with fondness. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eight: Aspected I¡¯m very tempted to turn the descent into a race, and I think Bastet and Lathani would be happy to join me, but my more sensible side stops me at the last moment. Even forgetting about mundane dangers of accidentally tripping over something and falling face-first down the rest of the tunnel, who knows what¡¯s waiting at the bottom for us? I do scramble down with more haste than grace, more than a little envious of Bastet who not only is far more balanced on four legs than I am on two, but also has her wings to help her keep or regain her balance. Fortunately, the samurans have more difficulty even than me. Well, the two Pathwalkers do ¨C Shrieks, despite his massive size, is far more agile on his feet than I might have assumed. Then again, I¡¯ve learned not to underestimate the burly samuran because of his size. Still, I manage to catch up to them before they make the bottom of the tunnel. ¡°Lathani, wait!¡± I tell her ¨C the nunda juvenile, of course, is the fastest of all of us and looks to be about to start the exploration all by herself. Fortunately, she listens to me even though I don¡¯t use the Bond to compel her. She¡¯s definitely matured a bit as, despite the obvious impatience in her ears and tail, she stays put until we join her. You¡¯re all so slow, she complains as we get down onto the flatter section. ¡°Not our fault you¡¯ve got far too many natural advantages,¡± I say mock-indignantly, nudging her shoulder with my hip. She¡¯s grown again, I realise abruptly. Distracted from her curiosity, she licks at the back of her paw and strokes at her ear. I am perfect, she ¡®admits¡¯. I¡¯m not going to stand for that and tweak her ear so she jumps with a short yelp-like sound, batting at me with her paw and overextending so she almost topples over. ¡°Perfect, huh?¡± I tease her. She snarls at me and looks about to jump me and start wrestling. Are we going to investigate this cave or not? The sound of Bastet¡¯s ¡®matriarch¡¯ mental tone stops both of us in our tracks. We look over as one to see the other four looking at us with a mixture of impatience and amusement. I cough with a hint of embarrassment and step forwards. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I say to the group, my ears still slightly warm. A head nudges my hand as I stride forwards and I can¡¯t help but rub at those super-soft ears. Pleasure and what I can only identify as love comes over the Bond from Lathani. Without questioning myself too much, I send back my own feelings to her. And if there¡¯s more than a little bit of familial love there too, who¡¯s going to know? Apart from Lathani, that is. Focussing my mind back onto business, I look around at the cave which seared itself into my memory the first time I came here. It¡¯s different. That¡¯s the first thing I notice. Fortunately, not in the way that matters most. Shrieks and Tarra both draw in identical breaths of shock as they see the sheer number of Energy Hearts coating the walls, ceiling and even floor of the chamber. The chamber itself is even bigger than before, as if the Pure Energy has continued eating away at the stone even while it coats it in condensed Energy. Maybe it has ¨C not all of the Energy Hearts are fixed to the walls; some are where they might have fallen if the material to which they were clinging was eaten away. Either way, there are definitely even more than there were the last time I visited, which is what I was most worried about. Here¡¯s a way to help more of the Unevolved to become Evolved. If River¡¯s quick development when he was given practically unfettered access to these Energy Hearts before was anything to judge by, there ought to be at least a few more Tier twos among the village before we go down to the samurans¡¯ meet-up in three months or so. How can there be so many? asks Tarra, finally enough past her shock to speak, though not enough to move. River, after pausing for a moment in surprise at just how many of the things she can see, has already started collecting the loose Hearts to pile near the entrance. Shrieks, getting over his own surprise, starts helping her without a word. ¡°It¡¯s a good question,¡± I respond, carefully starting to walk across the Energy Hearts covering the floor ¨C not missing the almost convulsive movement the herbalist makes, as if to stop me. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Kalanthia thought that the Energy Hearts before were created by the pressure prior to the explosion last time, but there was no pressure this time. Unless the weight of the rest of the Pure Energy counts,¡± I muse more to myself than to my companions. Explosion? the herbalist asks, sounding baffled. Oh yes, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever discussed this in detail with her. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°River, can you explain?¡± I ask. My Companion easily agrees, and I hear them talking to each other as I step further into the cave. Like Tarra, I was worried at first that I might break the Hearts by standing on them, but they¡¯re surprisingly sturdy. Probably because of how it¡¯s less individual hearts, and more like patches of them all merging together. A bit like how cookies grow to touch each other in the oven. In fact, I might even need a pickaxe to get them all out of here. Stopping about midway into the cave, I look around slowly. It¡¯s definitely bigger. Is that why the Energy tunnels are thick with earth magic? Does that stop the Pure Energy from eating away at them? Or perhaps it¡¯s caused by the Energy eating away at the stone: there was that crack which alerted Raven to the presence of the Pure Energy to begin with. It would be good to know why exactly there are so many more Energy Hearts this time: if they¡¯re caused by pressure, it¡¯s a bit dangerous to try to manufacture them. If they¡¯re caused by unmoving Pure Energy, however, and if Pure Energy can¡¯t eat through stone which is sufficiently saturated with earth magic¡­. Maybe plants and animals aren¡¯t the only things I need to try farming. Though that¡¯s for later: for now, we have plenty of Energy Hearts here. Curious as to what they look like through my non-physical sight ¨C I might as well just start calling it ¡®magic sight¡¯ by this point ¨C I close my eyes and activate it. Immediately, I feel a migraine looming. The Energy Hearts are so bright. Not quite as bright as the Pure Energy was ¨C actually, significantly dimmer, really ¨C but it¡¯s the difference between looking at the sun and looking straight into a bright light. Both are painful even if one is far more permanently damaging than the other. The difference here is that the Pure Energy had been contained only in one area; the Energy Hearts are everywhere. Before I have to turn my sight off, I do notice something interesting, though. Switching off my magic sight, I rub at my eyes for a moment before opening them. Looking around thoughtfully, I crouch down to the ground. ¡°Aingeal, can you come closer please?¡± I ask, sending the little fire elemental an image and desire for what I want him to do. It happily shifts forwards and bobs close to the Energy Heart at my feet. Moving slowly forward, I get the fire elemental to shift with me. Interesting. The Energy Hearts are different colours, to both my magical and physical sights. The ones before were shades of red, mostly deep crimson. These ones are red, and yellow, and green, and brown, and purple, and white, and- I¡¯m not in a musical, I think to myself with a bit of amusement, stopping that train of thought in its tracks. Anyway, they¡¯re different colours, and from what I see in my magic sight, each is different there too. I¡¯ve used my mana sight to look at both Energy Hearts and Cores before, and have never seen huge differences. Both have the Energy contained in a sort of¡­ball. Even when the object itself isn¡¯t spherical. It¡¯s like my own Core. The Energy is held inside by Energy; there¡¯s no physical structure to it at all. Just like I could have repaired my Core before with the Energy held within my Core ¨C if it hadn¡¯t broken my Core more to get the Energy out than it healed ¨C these Hearts are made up of Energy as much as they contain it. However, each of the energies within are slightly different. Two, I recognise well. It doesn¡¯t surprise me in the least that they¡¯re the red and brown ones. The magic in the red Heart shifts around inside restlessly, whirling one way and then the other, though somehow each movement reinforces the shape of the Heart even as it battles it. The brown Heart is almost the opposite. The magic within it is calm, quiet, still. If they¡¯re not fire-aspected and earth-aspected Hearts, I¡¯ll eat my hat. And I don¡¯t even have a hat to eat. The implications send my mind racing. Last time, all the Hearts I harvested were fire-aspected. That¡¯s why I suspect that both Bastet and River have received fire-related Abilities. That River also received a poison-related Ability after having absorbed so much of the danaris¡¯ poison-aspected Core is just more evidence that the aspect of the Cores is important for the being¡¯s Evolution. But the fact remains that last time the Hearts were all fairly uniform where this time they¡¯re not. I don¡¯t know why; all I can do is make a guess based on what Kalanthia has said and what I¡¯ve observed myself. What if last time the explosion is what gave the Hearts their fire-aspect? And without that, they are more ¡®natural¡¯ this time. What if Pure Energy is a combination of all the other different types of energy? Magic energy, at least? Like white light is a mixture of all other waves of light. It would explain the odd combination of colours I noticed in the stone of the tunnel down, and the sheer variation of colours I see here. An interesting thought. Standing up carefully, I step further into the cavern. By this point, Tarra has joined River and Shrieks in collecting Energy Hearts, though she seems to be inclined to tuck them into the pouches she has hanging from her belt. I¡¯ll definitely need to talk to them about how things are going to go from here on out. Though I need to think for myself how to do it now that it¡¯s not just my little group involved. There are lots of plans to make, that¡¯s for sure. And I probably shouldn¡¯t do it all unilaterally ¨C that seems like a good way to put my foot in it. Getting deeper into the cave, I see the shimmer of Pure Energy up ahead. Idly feeding Aingeal some fire mana, I head towards it. The little fire elemental loves fire mana, though it¡¯s happy enough with my personal mana too. I tried feeding it a little earth mana on the way here and it rejected it with enough force and bewildered hurt to make me decide never to try it again. The Pure Energy isn¡¯t in a pool this time. Instead, the shimmering is reflecting up from the stream running through the tunnel below. Once more I feel a mixture of being drawn to the liquid at the same time as being repulsed by it. For now, I creep away. We have Energy Hearts to harvest, conversations to have, and plans to make. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Nine: Misunderstanding We¡¯re next to the river. It¡¯s a bit of a detour to where I want to go, but necessary for what I need right now, though I¡¯m going to have to figure out a way to get water closer to the cave. Even with Earth-Shaping I think it would take too long ¨C the river is pretty far away from the Energy Hearts¡¯ cavern. Hmm, maybe Kalanthia would be open to a trade¡­. For later consideration. For now, I quickly cast another Inspect Environment, my third in the last few minutes. I¡¯m just very wary of what might be lying in wait in the river. All my Bound currently present are watching carefully too. This is probably one of the safest level ups I¡¯ve done recently, but we are further down in the valley than most times I¡¯ve done it. It¡¯s following pretty quickly on the heels of my previous level up, but that¡¯s what spending a large quantity of time near Pure Energy does. With no sign of anything about to attack, I quickly strip off my clothes and armour, leaving them in a neat pile on the river bank ¨C even if I can clean my spider silk undergarments and my hide and chitin armour with magic after they¡¯re covered in gunk, it¡¯s better not to need to. Heading into the river, I go in up to my waist to the point where the current starts tugging at me slightly, then close my eyes and focus. Once more, I¡¯ve decided that I need to invest some more points in Willpower. We¡¯re about to return to the village which means it¡¯s time to Bind the rest of the Warriors ¨C having more Willpower will ease the slight strain I can already feel from the number of Dominate Bonds I hold. Of course, the possibility remains that I use Tame instead of Dominate, or even Alliance, but I still don¡¯t know whether I trust the samurans enough for that. Although I was grateful for them not attacking River when she ¨C he, at the time ¨C entered the village with an intention to stop the shaman, the fact that they did step aside proves that even the loyalty of the Warriors has its limits. Or rather, it¡¯s loyalty to the village generally rather than the leader of the village specifically. Which means that if one of them decides he doesn¡¯t agree with what I¡¯m doing, I could find a spear planted in my back. Obviously the easy solution to that is to not make myself unpopular, but I can¡¯t guarantee that. Hopefully everything I¡¯ve got planned will be obviously for the benefit of the village, but it¡¯s true that for the Unevolved to benefit more, the Warriors will benefit less. Having lingering resentment over that could be problematic. That¡¯s another advantage of the Dominate Bond ¨C even aside from its guarantee of my safety, it gives me an insight into what my Bound are feeling, allowing me to discover that resentment before it turns into hatred. Tame doesn¡¯t necessarily help me with that. So, for now, I¡¯m definitely going to make sure all the Tier twos in the village are Bound to me with Dominate. Which means I need more Willpower. However, that¡¯s not all I need. This time, I decide to add a single point each to all of my physical stats. I¡¯m determined to put a full level up into both Intelligence and Wisdom, but since I need the Willpower this time, I¡¯ll do that on my next two level ups. Which means I need to shore up the gap a bit between my physical stats and my mental and soul ones. I¡¯ve already experienced what happens if they get too out of balance, and my soul stat is a bit of a monster already. I¡¯ll probably need to dedicate a level up to each of my physical stats too, but I¡¯ll do that after Intelligence and Wisdom: those are more urgent since I use so much mana on a daily basis. Triggering my level up, I assign three points to Willpower, one to Constitution, one to Dexterity (Flexibility), and one to Strength (Endurance). I pick Flexibility because I have a theory that it¡¯s not only talking about physical flexibility. If it can make me more adaptable and able to think of ideas outside the box, that can only help. I dedicated the Strength one to Endurance because I want the stamina. I don¡¯t use Power a huge amount these days, but I do run out of stamina from time to time. As I watch the symphony erupt in my Core space, I notice how it clashes a bit. Not in a way that seems like it¡¯s detrimental, more in a discordancy which is somehow harmonious if you listen to it carefully. It¡¯s fascinating to watch ¨C as interesting as watching a single stat be increased, but in a different way. The wave of Energy erupts from my Core as usual, but after that it is far less unanimous. Some of it goes to expand my Core space ¨C the points towards Willpower. Other bits flow into my body and do something there. Strength, I would guess. Or maybe Dexterity. My mental presence frowns as I try to follow it. At the same time, something impacts my channels themselves. Again, there is too much confusion with clashing energies to see exactly what¡¯s happening there, but I can tell that at least one of them is affecting my Energy channels. I didn¡¯t expect that: I know it¡¯s not Willpower which means that one of my physical stats has an impact on my channels. Something I do notice which concerns me a little is that some of my Energy channels look a little¡­brittle. Almost¡­corroded. They¡¯re the channels furthest away from my Core, the ones which emerge from my Core space to absorb Energy from my environment. I¡¯m troubled by what I saw as I watch the final act of the level up, the way the Energy all rushes back to my Core and then explodes outwards, taking the motes of bronze impurities with it. I remain troubled as I wash off the disgusting mess that covers my skin with soap and cold water. Why would the ends of my Energy channels be corroded? And it isn¡¯t because of Raven¡¯s acidic mana attacks: I¡¯ve already dealt with those issues. So this is something else that¡¯s happened since. Could it be to do with Earth-Shaping? I don¡¯t see why it would be that, but I can¡¯t really think of anything else it might be either. I¡¯ll need to investigate the problem in more detail, but not now. As soon as I¡¯m clean, I walk back towards my clothes. My Bound are still being reassuringly attentive, especially since I¡¯ve been far deeper in my thoughts than I probably should be in the middle of the forest. After getting dressed, we all set off again. Sirocco¡¯s gone ahead to check on the village, making sure that everything is well with them. She¡¯s been a bit bored over the last five days ¨C three of them with me stuck underground learning Earth-Shaping; the other day and a half also spent underground harvesting Energy Hearts. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. We¡¯ve had all hands on deck ¨C well, paws, mostly ¨C to collect as many of them as possible. Not that anyone complained about needing to be in contact with crystallised Energy. In fact, I rather had to practically order them away to eat, drink and rest in between shifts. In fact, I¡¯ve noticed that all of my present Tier one Bound have gone up significantly in progress towards the next tier. The most amount of progress was made by Lathani who is already at eighty percent towards Tier two. Fenrir has also made good progress and is right on the cusp of Evolution. In fact, Bastet had to recommend that he be barred from the team working on Energy Hearts ¨C apparently he should use an actual beast Core for the final push to Evolution. He¡¯s therefore been absorbing the danaris¡¯ Core, but hasn¡¯t quite triggered his change yet. Sirocco is another who¡¯s close to Evolution at ninety-five percent. She hasn¡¯t been involved much in the excavation of Energy Hearts, though, not liking the small spaces underground. Apparently she¡¯s been close enough to the Pure Energy to gain six percent at least. My avian companion would have made the slowest progress of all of the Bound who came with me ¨C and survived ¨C except for the surprisingly little progress made by Honey. The honey badger-like woshel¡¯s Bond came to an end a couple of days ago, but apparently she likes being with us enough to want to extend it. Much like Sirocco, she didn¡¯t want to be too tightly bound, but she did want to be part of the group. Bastet was happy to not lose another member of her little scouting band, so Honey now has a relatively permanent Tame Bond, unless one of us decides to break it. She only managed to gain three percent progress to the next tier, which I have to guess is because of the significant damage she sustained from Raven¡¯s acid mana attacks. Actually, maybe that¡¯s why Fenrir hasn¡¯t made it to the next tier? Working on finding a way to heal the damage made to the Energy channels of my Bound is definitely high on my priority list ¨C and it¡¯s even more urgent if the damage is affecting the progress they make to the next tier. Only stabilising the samuran village is higher. As we approach the village, the huts becoming visible through the trees, I notice Iandee tense up even more than he has been recently. The normally garrulous young samuran Warrior has been worryingly quiet over the last five days. I can tell that Shrieks and Lee are concerned about him too. I¡¯ve been giving him space; I don¡¯t know what the other samurans have been doing. Guilt goes through me again as I conclude that it¡¯s probably the deaths of two of his brothers which has caused the change. What¡¯s wrong? I find myself asking him. At least I manage to keep it as a private message, even if I probably shouldn¡¯t have sent it at all. For a long moment, during which the huts and fence of the village come properly into view, I think that he¡¯s not going to respond. And then he does. I shouldn¡¯t be here, he says with a hint of despair in his mental voice. Why not? I ask, surprised. It certainly wasn¡¯t what I was expecting to hear. Murmurs-quietly should be here, not me, he replies, as if desperate to say it, as if he¡¯s been holding it in for too long. And now I recognise what I¡¯m feeling from his side of things. It¡¯s so similar to my own emotions that I couldn¡¯t identify it. Sometimes we¡¯re blind to what is right in front of us. He feels guilty. Terribly, horribly guilty. Why do you feel that way? I ask gently. He pushed me out of the way; took the attack which was meant for me. The attack which killed him. Ah. Survivor¡¯s guilt. Hello darkness, my old friend. Iandee, I start, then I check myself. I change direction, moving over to where he is and stopping next to him, my hand on his shoulder holding him in place despite the lack of force I put into it. The rest of the group looks at us curiously. ¡°Everyone else keep going,¡± I tell them firmly. ¡°We¡¯ll catch up.¡± This close to the village, I doubt there are many threats that we won¡¯t be able to handle, especially not with everyone else in shouting distance. We must enter with the leader, rumbles Shrieks. We will not be welcome if we do not, he points out. Traditions, right. ¡°Alright then, just¡­give us a bit of space, OK?¡± Even if we are communicating mentally, I feel like it¡¯s right to ask for that. Especially since the samurans find it difficult not to let their emotions spill into their spikes even when not actually speaking aloud. I know they can stop it, but it takes a lot of effort and practice. When the rest of the party has withdrawn a little, I turn to face Iandee, both hands on his shoulders, my head almost close enough to his extended jaw to bump into it. Eats-dirt, I say, the use of his full name apparently startling him. Listen to me, OK? I¡¯ve been there. I¡¯ve felt that it should have been me who died rather than a family member. And I¡¯ll ask you what my¡­friend asked me. Do you think that Murmurs-quietly would want you to be consumed by guilt and be unable to live after his death? No, but it was my fault- It wasn¡¯t, I refute firmly. If anything, it¡¯s my fault that you were all in that situation to begin with. I let that sink in, the surprise flaring through his spikes and the Bond telling me that he hadn¡¯t considered that. I could have made a different choice. We could have retreated, or not investigated the tunnel at all. Perhaps we would all be alive now, or perhaps we would all die later from the consequence of those choices. But it¡¯s not your fault that you were in that position. But if I¡¯d fought better¡­ he trails off, guilt flaring again. Then perhaps he would have died later, or you¡¯d have died when he wasn¡¯t able to save you, or perhaps neither of you would have died. We don¡¯t know. We can¡¯t know. All we can do is move forward from here. And I ask you again, do you think that Murmurs-quietly died wanting you to be consumed in guilt? Or wanting you to live? I think I¡¯m getting through to him. Thoughtfulness creeps through the guilt and self-condemnation which had been roiling together inside him until now. I should have spoken to him sooner, but I honestly thought he blamed me for the attack, not himself. I was trying to let his brothers help him. Maybe that was a mistake. He would want me to live, Iandee concludes finally. Then live, I say simply. Don¡¯t forget his sacrifice, but be grateful for it rather than guilty. It¡¯s easier said than done; I know that better than most. But I wish him better luck than I¡¯ve had with actually putting those words into practice. Patting his shoulders, I turn and start making my way back to the rest of the group. A moment later, a scaled and clawed hand lands on the opposite shoulder to where Aingeal is bobbing up and down. I pause and turn back to Iandee. I¡¯m not worried about an attack: all I feel through the Bond is gratitude. Thank you, he says simply, then steps forward to rub his cheek against mine. I¡¯m frozen for a moment, enough for him to step back again. Then, sending another pulse of gratitude down the Bond to me, he looks at me expectantly, sending glances towards the rest of the group. Oh. OK. I start moving towards the rest of my Bound, still feeling a bit off-balance. Was that a samuran version of a hug or something? I hope I¡¯m not misunderstanding flirting gestures again! Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Ten: Plenty To Catch Up On Approaching the gates, I walk at the front of the group, flanked by River and Tarra, Shrieks, Lee, and Iandee immediately behind. The rest of my Bound are further back behind us. Apparently that¡¯s the traditional way of returning from a trip. I don¡¯t care too much about traditions, but the rest of the samurans do so I figure I might as well play along for now at least. ¡°Welcome back, Honoured Tamer, Honoured Herbalist, Honoured Reducer. Welcome, my brothers,¡± the Warrior on the right says with dignity. His eyes are searching and I can tell that he¡¯s already spotted the two who aren¡¯t with us. But he doesn¡¯t say anything about it. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s called Bites-a-leaf, but I check with Shrieks before I answer. ¡°Thank you, Bites-a-leaf,¡± I reply after Shrieks has confirmed that I was right. The samuran next to him is called Jumps-over-a-rock and is one of the scouts I faced in the ranking fight. I remember he was pretty fast but he went down quickly. ¡°Have there been any changes since we¡¯ve been gone?¡± I ask him cautiously. ¡°Nothing significant,¡± Bites-a-leaf answers. ¡°Honoured Wind-whisperer and Honoured Wood-shaper have barely been seen since the ranking fights. Honoured Grower has given the instructions to bring the village back to normal. It is¡­odd to not have the hatchlings around,¡± he says, a mixture of discomfort, sadness, and confusion flashing through his spikes. He quickly moves on, though. ¡°The Unevolved have said that they¡¯re glad to be able to search for resources without worrying about the Forest of Death. They report fewer beasts to hunt, though.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± I murmur. ¡°The beasts should come back in time, though.¡± ¡°That is what happened the last time a life-devourer ripped through the region,¡± Bites-a-leaf agrees. ¡°Is there aught else you would like, Honoured Tamer?¡± I think about it but then shake my head. ¡°No. I will be calling for a meeting with all of the Warriors, but we¡¯ll probably do that one at a time. So just wait for someone to contact you about that.¡± ¡°Yes Honoured Pathwalker,¡± acknowledged both Bites-a-leaf and Jumps-over-a-rock, standing aside so we can go in. Quickly striding through, I look for the Bound I left behind here. Immediately, I see Trinity ¨C her massive bulk is a bit hard to miss. She¡¯s currently sleeping, a veritable hill of flesh. Spine is pressed against her though his venomous plates are currently flattened against his side so he¡¯s not hurting her. Theia and Shakira are both munching slowly at a pile of vegetation which has been provided for them. They look happy. Catch, Pride, and the Pathwalkers are the only ones I don¡¯t immediately spot, though I get a sense of their vague direction. Catch and Pride are much further away than the three Pathwalkers, though, so I wonder whether they might have gone out hunting. Good for them if they have. ¡°Alright everyone,¡± I say, turning back to my group. ¡°Lee and Iandee, you¡¯re back under Shrieks¡¯ command. Shrieks, you¡¯re released from the party. I do want to see all the non-Bound Warriors to bring them into the group. Up to you if it would be better to do it one by one, or have them all present. I can only do one Bonding at a time.¡± The same kind of Bond we have? Shrieks checked, indicating his brothers. ¡°Yes,¡± I agree shortly, not giving him my reasons. Pairs is probably the best option, he muses. I shall organise it. ¡°Thanks.¡± Turning away from them, I face the Pathwalkers. ¡°River, Tarra, what do you need to do?¡± They exchange glances. I no doubt have plenty to catch up on thanks to my absence for the last three days, Tarra answers with a hint of accusation. I give her a hard look until she avoids my eyes. I would appreciate Reducer¡¯s help, she answers, a little more subdued. I¡¯m happy to give it, River answers briskly, but I need to make sure that my new hut is in good condition. I¡¯ll help you with that, offers Tarra, if you then come and help me with my tasks. Agreed, answers River easily. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s settled,¡± I say. ¡°Tarra, don¡¯t forget that I want you working on Lathani¡¯s Energy channels as soon as possible,¡± I remind her. I have not forgotten, answers Tarra with a quick look at the nunda juvenile currently sprawled over the dirt ground, enjoying the last of the sun before it dips down below the level of the trees. ¡°OK, then I¡¯ll see you later,¡± I say in dismissal, though smile at River when she sends a flicker of warm feeling down our Bond. I¡¯ll miss her if she doesn¡¯t come to sleep with the group later ¨C I¡¯ve already missed a couple of nights with her when she bedded down in the clearing surrounded by vine-stranglers. I¡¯d forgotten that each of the Pathwalkers get to have their own hut. Actually, that¡¯s a thought ¨C aren¡¯t I supposed to have a hut myself? I¡¯ll need to talk to someone about that. Maybe Flower would have a good idea. ¡°Right, the rest of you are welcome to relax, eat, go hunting, do what you want,¡± I say to those remaining: Thorn, Fenrir, Lathani, Komodo, Sirocco, and Bastet. I would like to hunt, says Bastet, clawing at the dirt with her talons. I have been underground a lot recently doing very little. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I tell her, feeling a little guilty. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to stay with me all that time.¡± I wanted to, she tells me firmly. But now I want to hunt if you are safe. ¡°Fair enough. And yes, I should be safe enough,¡± I reassure her. I can¡¯t help grinning a little and moving forward to scratch at her neck ¨C her favourite place to be rubbed. She¡¯s so bossy but when I scratch at the skin of her neck, she melts against me. ¡°Would any of you like to go hunting too?¡± I ask the rest. I¡¯d like to, says Lathani eagerly. I eye her, considering it. Given what Tarra said she needed to do, I doubt that she¡¯ll want to work on Lathani¡¯s Energy channels today, so the nunda juvenile might as well go out. ¡°Alright. Anyone else?¡± Thorn and Komodo both indicate that they would like to go out, which reassures me a little bit: with all four of them working together, there shouldn¡¯t be too much which could really offer a threat to them. Fenrir takes a moment to think about it, but Bastet nudges him both physically and mentally. It would be good for you ¨C you might evolve if you kill a bit, I hear her encouraging him. A moment later, Fenrir also says that he wants to go out. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go too, Sirocco?¡± I check with her, currently sitting on the opposite shoulder from Aingeal. She sends back a sense of negation, and the impression of her wings being tired. I suppose it¡¯s not surprising ¨C she¡¯s been doing a lot of flying between the two tunnel entrances just to check that everything is fine. Even in the last couple of days, she¡¯s been flying back and forth to check on the village. I haven¡¯t asked her to do it; she took it on herself, but I¡¯m grateful nonetheless. ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯ll see you all later, then. Happy hunting!¡± Lathani bounds over to rub her head against my hip ¨C gone are the days when she only used to reach my knee ¨C and then, with a final scratch to Bastet¡¯s neck, the hunting party leave. My hand now free, I reach up to rub at Sirocco. ¡°We haven¡¯t spent much time together recently, have we?¡± I ask her almost wistfully. I miss Kalanthia¡¯s cave sometimes. It was starting to sort of feel like home, somewhere safe to come back to. Here, I feel like I always have to be on my guard. Hopefully that will ease a little when all the Warriors are Bound to me. Reaching into my Inventory, I pull out a handful of samova beans, feeding one to Sirocco while popping the rest in my mouth. My harvest was better than I was expecting, especially considering how massacred the beans had been during my last visit down here. But as it turned out, the destruction of the original shoots actually helped produce more beans: when they grew back, they grew back far more bushy than they had been. The beans matured enough for me to harvest not long before I needed to leave, so I took half the harvest with me and planted the rest again. Hopefully my Bound who stayed back there are remembering to water them when they need it. Not that they¡¯ve probably needed it recently ¨C it¡¯s rained three days out of five, and only let up today as we got to the river. Five samova beans planted gave me over a hundred in harvest. While that¡¯s not going to get me far when they¡¯re only about the size of kidney beans, their speed of development means that there might be another harvest waiting for me by the time I get back. Obviously, that depends on how long it takes me to get things organised here, but it kind of gives me a deadline too ¨C I don¡¯t want to lose this next harvest. ¡°What do you think, Sirocco? Nice?¡± Sirocco indicates that she likes the bean and prods me mentally until I laugh and pull out another one. Since Shrieks knows I want to meet with the Warriors and where I am, I decide not to go anywhere else and just hang around the area, spending time with Sirocco. I¡¯m a bit peckish, so I pull out some meat and cooked ¡®potato¡¯ to munch on. With salt and a bit of seasoning on both of them, it¡¯s not half-bad. Perhaps Tarra will have a better idea of what other things can be eaten, though their digestive systems aren¡¯t the same as mine so I can¡¯t assume that we will be able to eat the same things. Resting on the ground, my back propped up against a convenient rock, Sirocco sitting on my shoulder, we discuss the last few days. Well, I talk; Sirocco gives her point of view on what¡¯s happened. It¡¯s interesting to see the burning of the vine-stranglers through her eyes, to see the way the fire moved in two directions and then in only one, chasing the vine-stranglers all the way across their territory. She was also watching most of the ranking fights ¨C I hadn¡¯t realised that. It¡¯s fascinating to see things from a literal bird¡¯s eye view and I see several things that I could have done better. At my prompting, she shows me the fight with the alcaoris too, and I feel a flicker of guilt again as I think about things I could have done differently, there too. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have lost so many as a result. I can¡¯t change the past, but I can change the future. Maybe this is something I need to do more ¨C ask Sirocco to give me her view of things. Her literal view, but perhaps also her opinion. We need to do more sparring, that¡¯s for sure. So many things to do. And as I see two Warriors approach me, nervousness playing through their spikes, I prepare to get on with my first task. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eleven: Involve the Unevolved Binding the rest of the Warriors turns out to be easy enough. Apparently the combination of having beaten each of them in battle, as well as having been recognised as the leader of the Pathwalkers means that they don¡¯t put up much resistance. I had a couple of interesting conversations with some of them, though ¨C the Battle of Wills setting encourages honest discussion. They gave me more ideas about what to raise in the discussion I need to have next. Now with fourteen Warriors Bound to me with Dominate instead of the five I had before ¨C three after the recent casualties ¨C I can feel a little soul strain again. The four effective points I gained from my level up have most definitely helped ¨C I doubt I¡¯d have been able to Bind that many without it ¨C but apparently Binding so many creatures all at once is still a bit of a strain. It¡¯s probably also to do with their sapience if previous experiences are any indication. I resolve to do some work in my soulspace to hopefully ease the strain a bit. It¡¯s not too bad as is, and I could probably even do a few more Dominates if really necessary, but I¡¯d rather not feel the slight ache all the time. And I don¡¯t know what long term effects it could have if I don¡¯t deal with it. As the last Warrior pair walks away from me, new Bonds in place, I see that the space around us has filled up a bit. The sun has pretty much disappeared below the horizon, only a little bit of light from it still illuminating the sky. One of the moons has appeared and the other is on the horizon. They¡¯re full tonight, so even once the sun vanishes completely, it¡¯ll still be fairly light. And I have Aingeal anyway who¡¯s always happy to be my lamp, especially when it earns him a bit of extra fire mana. The Unevolved samurans appear to have returned from the forest, and the fruit of their labours is stacked all around. They seem to have assumed that where I am is where the Pathwalkers will eat, as there¡¯s a pile of carcasses and a smaller pile of berries not far from my feet. The other Pathwalkers appear to have gone along with it as they are all sitting around it, though they¡¯ve left a space for me. The Warriors are all sitting around another pile of carcasses, this one a fair bit larger. The two Warriors I most recently Bound have gone directly for that and are already tearing hungrily at the meat. They have their own pile of berries which I see them dipping into. Finally, there are three other piles, each smaller than the last. Around them are varying numbers of Unevolved. Oddly enough, the smallest pile has the greatest number of Unevolved. Apparently my demonstration a few days ago didn¡¯t make the impact I wanted it to. Worse, making my stomach twist uncomfortably, there¡¯s a large group of Unevolved crouching with no pile in front of them at all. I don¡¯t have to be Bound to them to know that they are hungry: the way they stare at the food is enough evidence of that. Pushing myself to my feet, I move over to the Pathwalkers¡¯ pile. ¡°Take as much as you think you will eat,¡± I instruct them firmly. The group look at me questioningly but I just stare back at them silently until they comply. Each Pathwalker takes one carcass except those who chose a small beast and who take two. It still leaves about seven carcasses left. Leaning down, I pick them up. Or try to, anyway. It¡¯s not an issue with strength, though the dead weight of the bodies is heavy enough. It¡¯s more that it¡¯s very awkward to carry bloody, floppy bodies which try to slip out of my hands. I¡¯ll help you, Markus, River says, quickly pushing herself to her feet. Silently Joy joins her, using her power to create a woven mat of roots underneath the pile of carcasses. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say gratefully as I grab one side of the weave. River and Joy grab two other sides and I lead the way over to the group of hungry Unevolved. Joy hesitates as our destination becomes obvious, but she doesn¡¯t say anything, only continues walking. River doesn¡¯t hesitate. We lay the food down in front of the samurans. I do a quick head count ¨C there¡¯s just under fifty of them here. Seven carcasses aren¡¯t going to be nearly enough. Looking around, I see that everyone¡¯s watching what¡¯s happening. Let them watch. Perhaps this time it will stick. Especially when I put into place my other intentions. Going over to the Warriors¡¯ pile, I tell them to do the same as the Pathwalkers. This time they obviously realise what¡¯s going on. Several of them exchange glances as if to question whether they should play a part in this and a quiet murmur of grunts and clicks meets my ears. I just wait. I could force the issue with the Bonds I have with them, but I¡¯d rather not. Do it, Shrieks says, taking three carcasses from the pile. Lee and Iandee have already taken two each. The other Warriors, seeing their example, start slowly doing the same. There are fewer carcasses left over from this pile: the Warriors apparently need more food than the Pathwalkers. That¡¯s understandable considering they¡¯re bigger. Or maybe they¡¯re being greedier. I guess I¡¯ll see what¡¯s left over at the end of dinner. Still, Joy, River, and I take the five carcasses left over to join the seven already near the Unevolved. The bodies are untouched. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± I ask them, concentrating on being understood: only one of the samurans here is Bound to me. Yells-a-curse, I think his name is. ¡°Are we allowed to eat Honoured Pathwalker Tamer?¡± one of the unknown samurans asks tentatively. A quick Inspect reveals that he¡¯s called Rolls-a-stone. ¡°Of course!¡± I answer, more angry at what the question implies than surprised that he feels the need to ask. I wouldn¡¯t be so cruel as to put food in front of hungry people and expect them not to eat, but perhaps the shaman did. ¡°Just make sure to share it with everyone,¡± I add, fearing that it might turn into a free for all considering how famished they all look. ¡°I know it¡¯s not a lot,¡± I add apologetically, ¡°but you can also have whatever¡¯s left over from the other piles after.¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. While I would like to share it all out evenly, I know that food control is something significant among the village. I will be changing things, but not everything this second. What I¡¯m planning will be more than enough change for tonight ¨C I¡¯d better not set the Evolved samurans against me from the start. ¡°Thank you Honoured Pathwalker,¡± Rolls-a-stone says, more gratitude in his spikes than I¡¯m comfortable with. ¡°No problem,¡± I say, then take a few steps back as the Unevolved start tearing into the carcasses with fervour. As I watch, though, I see that they are sharing with each other, each carcass being put in the middle of four or five samurans and quickly torn to bits. Aware of everyone looking at me ¨C overtly or covertly ¨C I hesitate for a moment. Should I sit with this group of Unevolved? They look so focussed on their meal ¨C it probably wouldn¡¯t help much with my overall objectives. Perhaps the other Unevolved? It could be a good way of letting the ¡®lower class¡¯ samurans get to know me a bit and send a message to the rest of the group that I don¡¯t see them as secondary citizens. Maybe not tonight, I decide in the end for the same reason as I decided not to share the food exactly equally. I have a feeling that the Pathwalkers would be a bit offended if I did that straight after taking ¡®their¡¯ food away, and we still need to be able to have a productive discussion. So, with River and Joy still flanking me, I head back to where I started, sitting down in the space left for me. Obviously, there are no carcasses for me to consume, but that¡¯s not a problem: I have food in my Inventory. Pulling out a baked ¡®potato¡¯ and some chunks of meat, I remind myself to do some cooking soon. I¡¯ve run out of stew, let alone anything nicer. I do help myself to a few of the berries, though ¨C after making sure with Inspect Flora that they¡¯re safe to eat, of course. ¡°Mm, these are nice,¡± I say, surprised at the sweet yet tangy flavour of them. Why did you do that? asks Windy, ignoring my comment in favour of leaning forward, anger flickering through her spikes. They hadn¡¯t earned food today. You¡¯ve rewarded their incompetence or laziness. For the majority of them, it¡¯s not incompetence or laziness which prevents them from reaching their resource quota, replies River before I can respond, anger in her own spikes. Then what is it? snorts Windy. For many of them it¡¯s bad luck: they haven¡¯t found what they were searching for, or not enough to meet the minimum to gain a food token. Some are injured and are weaker as a result. Some are simply weak from hunger. Has it been so long since you were an Unevolved that you have forgotten what it was like? River challenges. Windy harrumphs. The Unevolved are lazy, needing motivation. We all know that. Giving them food even when they haven¡¯t contributed sufficiently to the village will just end up with them sitting around the village doing nothing. ¡°What¡¯s your evidence for that?¡± I ask, interrupting River in what is sure to be a scathing rebuttal. I send her an apologetic look, amused when she actually flashes a quick glare at me before looking away. I like these changes in her. But her getting into a fight with Windy won¡¯t help achieve what I want to tonight, even if I¡¯m grateful for her supporting me. I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better way to start this evening¡¯s discussion. Wind-whisperer has a point that often when an Unevolved meets their quota and gains the token, they don¡¯t seem motivated to go and do more to earn a better token, Tarra points out. ¡°But have you considered that that might be because earning a better token isn¡¯t worth the risk of going back out into the forest?¡± I ask. There¡¯s a moment of silence. ¡°Perhaps this is a good moment to have a discussion which is desperately needed,¡± I comment, seizing the moment. ¡°I¡¯m going to invite some of the Warriors over.¡± This makes several of the Pathwalkers turn to me with confusion or rejection in their spikes and in the Bond. What, bring the Warriors over? Why? What do we need to discuss with the Warriors? The voices overlap, only River and Joy staying silent. I¡¯d like to think it¡¯s because they see where I¡¯m going with this. I¡¯ll take it if they¡¯re quiet because they trust me, though, which I figure is more likely. Shrieks, I say mentally, please choose five other Warriors and come to join us here for an important discussion. Bring your food with you. Yes, Tamer, he answers in his usual mental rumble. I see them having a quick discussion over in their circle, and then Shrieks stands up, his chosen Warriors with him. Lee is one of them, which makes sense since he came out fourth from the top in the ranking fight. Iandee is also with them which makes less sense since, although he apparently advanced a rank in the recent fights, that still leaves him in the bottom five. The other three are those who took second, third, and fifth place after Shrieks ¨C I¡¯m not really counting myself in the Warrior hierarchy as I chose to be considered a Pathwalker. If I remember their names correctly after all the Bonds I formed this afternoon, I think that¡¯s Bites-a-leaf, Plays-with-poison, and Runs-into-a-tree. Plays-with-poison is easy enough to remember since he was the one who used poisoned daggers and a choking cloud of dust to fight me ¨C flammable dust. I haven¡¯t yet come up with nicknames for them ¨C Leaf, Poison, and Tree are probably the easiest to remember. They move over to the circle and I shift to make space for them. Joy, Tarra, and River all do the same. After a moment, Flower does too. Sticks is the next to follow, though she does so rather slowly. For a long moment it looks like Windy is going to be the holdout ¨C predictably ¨C but after I glare at her, she moves. Begrudgingly, of course With enough space to sit down, the Warriors take their places as part of the circle. Due to Sticks, Flower, and Windy all moving to sit in pretty much the same part of the circle, Poison, Leaf, and Iandee are all together. Shrieks comes and sits next to me, dwarfing me beside his bulk ¨C even sitting he¡¯s still a mountain. Tree and Lee sit together between Tarra and Joy. It¡¯s good enough. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, looking around the circle, doing my best to meet everyone¡¯s eyes briefly. ¡°I wanted to have you all here because there are going to be some changes in this village and I would like to have your help in deciding how best to implement them. I thought it would be best to have equal numbers of Pathwalkers and Warriors for this first discussion as you reflect two sides of the leadership. However, we are still missing a voice.¡± They exchange glances, mostly of confusion, but I notice Windy looking mutinous. I think she¡¯s worked out what I¡¯m intending. From the sudden wave of understanding from River, accompanied with approval, I realise that she knows too. You wish to involve the Unevolved, Shrieks rumbles. Understanding ripples around the circle, accompanied by no small amount of disbelief. ¡°I do,¡± I agree. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twelve: Significant Counsel The disbelief increases, and there¡¯s even a hint of anger. Why do you wish to bring them in? asks Leaf incredulously. They are too young, too weak to be part of any sort of decisions. They haven¡¯t yet proven that they have the ability to offer significant counsel, agrees Poison. Windy doesn¡¯t say anything, but I can tell she¡¯s in complete agreement. Sticks and Flower seem rather against the idea too. But then, I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be popular. ¡°Tell me, how many Pathwalkers are there?¡± I ask. Several of them look at me as if I¡¯m mad. Understandable: I could just count them, couldn¡¯t I? ¡°Humour me.¡± There are seven Pathwalkers, River answers calmly after a moment. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I agree, ¡°though since I¡¯m an outsider, don¡¯t count me.¡± Six, then. Myself, Herbalist, Weaver, Wind-whisperer, Grower, and Wood-shaper. ¡°And how many Warriors are there?¡± Fourteen, Shrieks answers promptly. If we do not count you. That is a far smaller number than there should be, however. Especially since you¡¯ve lost two more of them since ripping through our village like a wind-storm, accused Windy. About to speak in my own defence, I¡¯m beaten to the draw, barely able to take a breath before River starts speaking. You¡¯ve heard our story of what we faced, she tells Windy angrily. She has? That¡¯s news to me, but I suppose River and Tarra would have had to be doing something while I was Binding the Warriors. How long before a beast like that would have attacked our village, probably causing far more casualties. She has a point, Tarra backed up. It had Evolved for a second time ¨C you know what the death rate is normally for facing a beast like that. You found that out first-hand, she says pointedly. It takes me a moment to realise that they¡¯re talking about the attack on Kalanthia. I hadn¡¯t realised that Windy was the one to kidnap Lathani. The reminder of an old anger takes a moment for me to beat back. Lathani isn¡¯t itching to kill her any more; how can you? I ask myself. I can wait until Kalanthia decides what retribution she requires. For now, though, the responses from River and Tarra appear to have been enough to quell Windy¡¯s desire to attack me, so I just continue the conversation. Take advantage of small mercies and all that. ¡°How many Warriors would you expect to have normally?¡± I ask Shrieks, actually quite interested in the answer. Between thirty and forty. So it¡¯s a ratio of one Pathwalker to five Warriors, or thereabouts. ¡°And how many Unevolved adults are there?¡± I¡¯m not going to speak of hatchlings, of course. Since they¡¯ve all been sacrificed, there are none to worry about right now. This question apparently requires a bit more thought to answer. We don¡¯t keep track of them all, volunteers Sticks hesitantly. They die too frequently. That¡¯s depressing. Well, hopefully the changes I¡¯m going to make will reduce the death rate. ¡°Give me an estimate.¡± Perhaps¡­two hundred? ventures Tarra. I suppose she¡¯d have a better idea than most: she deals with injuries and illnesses, so is probably aware of when large numbers of Unevolved have died recently, or when they haven¡¯t. ¡°Do you see what I¡¯m getting at here?¡± I ask, leaning forwards. The incomprehension I can see gives me my answer. ¡°The problem is that the Unevolved are the biggest group by far, yet they have no voice in the decisions made about the village.¡± But why should they? asks Flower. I was expecting it to be Windy, honestly, but maybe she realised that her sister would object and so stayed quiet this time. ¡°Well, why shouldn¡¯t they?¡± I turn the question back to her. They haven¡¯t proved themselves, answers Sticks instead. We¡¯ve all worked hard and advanced. We¡¯ve survived for years and gained useful knowledge and understanding during that time. An Unevolved only needs to survive a single year as a hatchling. Why should we listen to them? It¡¯s an interesting point, using age and experience as an indicator of wisdom. The problem is that while there is a correlation between the two, age doesn¡¯t necessarily mean wisdom, nor does youth mean stupidity. For me, the recent situation with the samurans is a case in point. ¡°I understand your point,¡± I reply calmly. ¡°But I fundamentally disagree that the group which is more than ten times bigger than either of your groups has no representation. What I suggest is that, just as I¡¯ve invited over six of the Warriors, that we invite over six of the Unevolved.¡± That gives them equal weight in the discussion to each of our groups! objects Windy, as appalled as I was expecting her to be. ¡°Be glad that I¡¯m not suggesting proportional representation,¡± I respond, fixing her with a hard look. ¡°Since that would give you only one representative, the Warriors two, and the Unevolved around twenty.¡± She subsides, but glares at me nonetheless. I look around the group. ¡°Do any of you have any reasonable objections to this idea which haven¡¯t yet been discussed?¡± Several look as if they¡¯d like to argue, but they subside as my eyes flick over them. ¡°Alright. Tarra, Shrieks, please go and invite them to suggest six representatives to come over.¡± They agree and the rest of us wait with varying degrees of patience for the Unevolved to be chosen and come over to us. The Unevolved seem to be as disbelieving at first as the rest were at the suggestion, though I notice that there¡¯s none of the anger with which my proposition was met among the Tier twos. Instead, I see something that looks like excitement, and maybe even hope. Is this true? asks Yells-a-curse using our Tame Bond to contact me. After having been the one to discover the shaman¡¯s insane actions, he seems to have lost a lot of the fear and awe he had for Pathwalkers. Or maybe it¡¯s just with me. Are we really being invited to be part of the decision-making? It is, I tell him. So pick your representatives well. By the time the moon has moved noticeably and some of the Tier twos are shifting impatiently, the six Unevolved representatives have been picked and move over to join the circle. Not wanting to have a repeat of the awkward shuffling, I get everyone to make space for them before they make it over. Apparently not wanting to have them sit among the Tier twos, Flower and Iandee shift apart to make enough space for all six of them to sit down there. It¡¯s a bit cosy when they do so ¨C the space isn¡¯t quite big enough ¨C but they¡¯re here. That¡¯s the most important part. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Welcome,¡± I say to the newcomers, smiling at them to try to put them at ease ¨C they look understandably nervous. I say a few words to explain why I wanted to bring them in, and to summarise for both them and the Warriors the question which we were discussing before they joined us. The Unevolved still look a little shell-shocked at even being present for the discussion; when I start asking them questions about whether they think that their brethren would be willing to do as much even if they weren¡¯t being motivated by food, they seem hesitant to give a definitive answer, shooting nervous glances at the Tier twos. I decide to go easier on them. It¡¯s going to take time to encourage them to talk freely. ¡°It¡¯s my belief,¡± I start, ¡°from my experience and knowledge of systems of motivation back where I¡¯m from that using access to food is actively detrimental. I understand that if an Unevolved eats without permission, even if he does it outside the village, there are serious consequences?¡± I check. Banishment at the least, answers Tarra calmly. Usually significant physical chastisement first. ¡°In short, you beat them up and then toss them out of the village,¡± I summarise, pushing my anger at the injustice deep down inside me. She hesitates. I¡­suppose it could be put that way. I shake my head involuntarily. ¡°Where I come from, there were multiple studies done on humans ¨C my kind. Even if our diets aren¡¯t identical and our ways of having and raising our children aren¡¯t the same, I suspect there will be similarities between our psychologies given that we¡¯re both clearly social creatures.¡± I see that most of them look a bit lost so I decide to move on rather than going into the question of what psychology is and the differences between us. ¡°Anyway, what was discovered was that there are basic needs within us for food, shelter, warmth, and social belonging. If these needs are not fulfilled, it becomes very difficult to focus on anything else. What I¡¯m saying is that I suspect that one reason why so few adults become Evolved is because the basic needs are not in place.¡± This, predictably, sends a flurry of grunts and clicks around the circle, confusion mixing with hope combining with disbelief. Do you have any reason to believe that this might be the case, apart from your experiences among your own kind? Shrieks¡¯ voice cuts through the murmur of the gathering, turning all the attention back to me. ¡°River,¡± I say simply. They all turn to look at her. The Pathwalker in question sends a quick panicked look at me, apparently not completely comfortable with all the attention suddenly being on her. What do you mean by that? asks Tarra warily. I noticed Reducer¡¯s talent while she was still a young adult ¨C you cannot use her as proof that all Unevolved are capable of becoming a Pathwalker. ¡°No, but how long did you expect it to be before she would achieve Evolved status?¡± I ask pointedly. Tarra hesitates. Perhaps another three more years. At the minimum. ¡°And that is my point,¡± I say strongly, leaning forwards and once more looking from one to another. ¡°I¡¯m not denying that River is talented. But what I am saying is that the current system actively discourages your Unevolved from making any steps forwards. They are so focussed on resource gathering that they can¡¯t work on their own progress. They don¡¯t have access to Cores. And they¡¯re in danger which means that the longer they take to make progress, the more likely it is that they will be killed before they can actually Evolve. Or if they want to try to evolve quickly, they have to put themselves frequently in situations of high danger, increasing the chances that they will die before succeeding. Or am I wrong?¡± You¡¯re not wrong, agrees Tarra, her tone neutral though with a hint of discomfort in the Bond. No one else pipes up to gainsay either of us. ¡°Then what if we eliminate food as a method of motivation and replace it with something else which also will offer the Unevolved more chance of Evolving?¡± You¡¯re suggesting we give them Energy Hearts? Grower inquires, connecting the dots. She sounds vaguely disturbed, but also slightly thoughtful. Though there is a small minority who are clearly against the suggestion, most seem to be more thoughtful than immediately against the idea. Some of the Warriors are looking intrigued even though others seem uncomfortable with the idea. The Unevolved look excited and hopeful, unsurprisingly. ¡°I am.¡± There¡¯s a low susurrus among the group. We need them for our work and progression, objects Sticks. If we give them to the Unevolved, we won¡¯t have enough, and they might die anyway. It¡¯s a very cold view on things, but I can kind of see her point. Not that I agree with it. But then I do have an advantage now. ¡°First of all, as I mentioned, giving them to the Unevolved increases the chance that they will become Evolved, which increases the power of the village.¡± There are a few murmurs in response to that ¨C some in agreement, others not. ¡°Second of all, quantity isn¡¯t going to be a problem.¡± Pulling one of the Energy Hearts my group harvested from the cavern, I show it to the group. Several of them breathe in sharply enough to be audible and I see greed glitter in several pairs of eyes and across multiple Bonds. Everyone apparently uses this. It¡¯s not surprising. I spoke at length with Tarra and Joy on this subject on our way back to the village. I didn¡¯t reveal what I¡¯m planning on doing, but I got quite a lot of useful information from them ¨C as well as forbidding them from telling anyone where I got the Energy Hearts from. I think I¡¯ll keep that underwraps for a bit longer. Cores are more integral to the village than River had realised, not having experienced life as a Pathwalker. First of all, both Pathwalkers and Warriors use them to make progress to Tier three, though Tarra admitted that none of the village had reached that level in living memory. There seem to be bottlenecks which they¡¯re not entirely sure how to get past. Given that Bastet has been sitting at ten percent progress for the last while despite all the hunting she¡¯s done and the Energy she¡¯s had access to, I suspect she might be at one of those. I plan to speak to Kalanthia about it when I next see her. From what Tarra said, they tend to try to get through these bottlenecks by simply absorbing enough Energy to force it. There has to be a better way, though, especially as that doesn¡¯t appear to help them actually reach the next Evolution. That use of the Cores consumes the vast majority of them, and there are never enough. Pathwalkers also often use the Cores in their work. Tarra, for example uses them in some of her potions: used correctly they can enhance the power of a concoction rather significantly. But she is limited by how many Cores she can get her claws on ¨C especially since she doesn¡¯t want to impact her own attempts to reach the next tier. ¡°I have a large store of these.¡± I do ¨C the cavern was very fruitful and if I can work out how to crystallise some of the Pure Energy, I will hopefully have an ongoing supply of them. ¡°And I potentially have a method to help the Evolved make progress without them.¡± This gains even more of a reaction than the appearance of the Energy Heart did. The thing is that, even though Bastet hasn¡¯t made much progress, the other Tier twos I brought along with me have. Only one or two percent each, but they¡¯ve still made progress which indicates that being in an area full of Energy has to be helpful even to Tier twos. So it¡¯s a bit of a guess, but one that I feel has evidence to support it. But if the Unevolved spend all their time absorbing Energy Hearts, we will run out of food and other resources, objects Tree, just beating Windy by the looks of it. You can¡¯t be expecting us to go and gather all of that? ¡°Well, why shouldn¡¯t you?¡± I challenge. Warriors and Pathwalkers are responsible for tasks which the Unevolved are incapable of, points out Lee quietly. ¡°And as long as the division of labour is being done according to capability, that¡¯s fine,¡± I agree. ¡°But if it¡¯s done just because the Warriors or Pathwalkers don¡¯t want to do it, then that¡¯s not. Anyway, at present, I¡¯m suggesting using Energy Hearts as rewards for the completion of the tasks necessary to keep the village running ¨C whether the tasks are done by the Unevolved or Evolved. In the longer term, I have an idea about how to improve resource gathering, though it¡¯s going to take some time to set up. If everything works out the way I hope it will, you will have to labour for fewer hours, giving you more time to focus on your own progress. How does that sound?¡± If the hopeful and interested looks that statement garners me are anything to go by, I might finally be getting through to them. Of course, it¡¯s going to take time to prove whether I¡¯m right or not, but hopefully we¡¯ll be able to have some easy wins to motivate the rest of them. Either way, as the discussion continues, the Unevolved finally starting to speak up from time to time, very hesitant at first, I¡¯m pleased with the progress we¡¯re already making. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirteen: Walking Nuclear Fission Reactors Sighing in frustration, I feel the sense of a notification nagging at me. I dearly hope that this is something that¡¯s going to help me since I haven¡¯t been making nearly as much progress as I¡¯d like. If my attempts don¡¯t bear fruit soon, I¡¯m going to have to do this the long way regardless of my intentions. I¡¯m outside ¡®my¡¯ hut with every samuran who passes by taking a few extra moments to watch what I¡¯m doing. They don¡¯t stop, though: it seems like offering fragments of Energy Hearts as rewards for completing tasks is just as good as food for motivating people to work. Maybe better, though it¡¯s early days yet. It did take a lot of debate, but I¡¯m glad the council went forward with the idea. After all, if I just give everyone Energy Hearts, they probably won¡¯t appreciate them as much as if they earned them. It was different in my small group, because everyone was working for the benefit of the team. With over two hundred villagers, it¡¯s a different story here. Like the difference between a small start-up and a medium-sized company. Next step, corporate ¨C apparently it took going to another world for me to be promoted, I can¡¯t help saying to myself in amusement. The incentive has been met by excitement from everyone. The resource requirements are higher to gain an Energy Heart fragment than they used to be to gain a food token, but that hasn¡¯t deterred anyone. On River¡¯s suggestion, we¡¯ve also instituted a system where each samuran signs up for a task and has to return to the task-givers ¨C the brood-mothers ¨C to switch it to someone else. Apparently, stronger samurans taking resources from the weak ones used to happen from time to time. Hopefully this system will at least reduce the frequency of that. The brood-mothers, who otherwise are without a role, are also keeping track of who has submitted which resource and how much of it. They¡¯ll be earning an Energy Heart from time to time as a ¡®salary¡¯ for doing the job ¨C it was feared that giving them as bonuses for more resources gathered among each of their charges could lead to ¡®cheating¡¯ being encouraged. I have a feeling that we¡¯re going to have to stress-test the system a bit, and that crafty individuals are going to find multiple loopholes as we go along which we will have to resolve. That¡¯s what would happen with humans anyway. For now, though, being able to delegate a whole load of resource collection to the samurans has left me with the opportunity to do two things I need to do: try to heal my Bounds¡¯ Energy channels, and try to create metal items. I¡¯m having more success with the latter than the former, though both are hard-going. I¡¯m eager to give myself ¨C and the samurans ¨C metal tools and weaponry. I think it will be a game-changer for us all, though it¡¯s going to take time to adapt to. But first, I need to actually make the metal. Opening my notifications, a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. This should help.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Earth-Shaping is now Novice 1. By spending time examining different elements of the earth, you have become able to identify its components and affect them individually.
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Getting from Beginner one to Novice in six days might seem to be quick progress, but when I consider just how much time I¡¯ve dedicated to trying to get all this to work, I consider my speed of progress to be barely acceptable, really. My first objective is, of course, to separate the metal from its impurities. Considering where I got the iron ore from, there are far more of the latter than the former. If I used a non-magical process, I¡¯d have to crush all the ore into powder, then heat it within a furnace for a long time, before even being able to begin processing the actual iron. And I¡¯d have to do that every time I want to process metal. Like a machine-builder, I¡¯m rather hoping that by spending the time on Earth-Shaping, I might find a much quicker way of doing all that which I¡¯ll also be able to use in the future. Considering how much better using Flesh-Shaping works to make clothes than the non-magical process of transforming skins, I have hope that it will work. I started by trying to notice what was different within the metal ore in comparison to the earth beneath my feet. When that didn¡¯t initially show any results, I diverted onto making my equipment. After all, I will still need a furnace even if I do manage to use magic to extract the metal from the ore itself. I will need to melt it so I can cast it into hammers, axe heads, arrowheads and spear heads, and maybe even knives and swords. Maybe not the last, actually ¨C I¡¯m no blacksmith so forging a decent sword is probably beyond me unless I dedicate the time to it, which I¡¯m not inclined to do. Cast swords are probably brittle in comparison. No, arrow and spear heads are probably the best options. Plus, they won¡¯t use nearly as much iron, and since I don¡¯t have an unlimited supply of the stuff, it¡¯s probably better for me to be careful with how much I use. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Forming the furnace and moulds out of the clay-like soil near my feet, I¡¯ve managed to both increase my level in the Skill steadily and to start to recognise some of the more obvious different elements in the earth. Like the roots, and the sand particles, and the remnants of dead leaves. The higher my Skill got, the clearer those became to my mental eyes, until the notification of the rank up came through. Abruptly, it¡¯s like a film has been removed from my eyes. Now, when I hold up a chunk of metal ore before my eyes, I see the different elements within them. Not elements as I might have thought of them, remembering the periodic table, but the different concentrations of things within. It¡¯s not like the Skill tells me what things are, either ¨C it just enables me to see what is different. I¡¯m going to have to use deduction and my spotty knowledge of just what is probably in whatever I¡¯m examining to try to work out exactly what things are, just as I¡¯ve had to do so far. Unfortunately, none of my Inspect Skills are much use for this job since it¡¯s neither fauna nor flora, and I already know that there are useful things in the chunks of reddish rock. Holding up a lump of iron ore before my eyes, I close my eyelids so I can focus with my magic sight. In this state, the deposits of iron ore are clear within it as small areas where a single element is present. It¡¯s rather like spots of watercolours on a page, or droplets of dye in frozen water. The centre of the colour is fairly pure; the edges are very much mixed with the rest of the elements. I spot some sand there too, recognisable from when I was forming the furnace out of the clay beneath my feet. There are other elements, but I see them as colours and can¡¯t identify exactly what they are. But my focus is on the metal anyway. Now, the notification said that I should be able to affect the elements individually. How do I do that? Sending my own earth-aligned mana into the lump of ore through the hand holding it, I note how the elements within the ore react to it. Interestingly, they each react slightly differently. Some react faster, others react more eagerly. Some don¡¯t react at all. Funnily enough, the iron is one of those. Does that mean I¡¯m not going to be able to control the metal in the way I can, say, sand? That would be annoying, but not the end of the world. After all, I can just as easily remove the impurities from the metal as I can remove the metal from the impurities. As long as the impurities aren¡¯t other metals, of course. To that end, I try to pull out the elements which react most eagerly to my magic. They seem to be happy to cooperate with my magic, acting almost like iron filings near a lodestone. Within a moment, I have a small handful of dark brown dust which has pulled away from the rock, though the chunk of iron ore doesn¡¯t really look changed. Not surprising at this point. Methodically, I pull one element out at a time, putting each of them in a separate container ¨C who knows, I might find a use for them at some point. By the time the eagerly responding elements have been removed, the iron ore is starting to look a bit craggy and fragile. I suspect that pounding it to dust would be easy enough at this point, but that¡¯s not what I want to do right now. Placing the iron ore itself into a bowl in case it falls apart in my hands, I start trying to coax the less cooperative elements out of the ore. I find that I¡¯m able to do it with a mixture of more mana and patience. The earth doesn¡¯t like being rushed, and these elements particularly dislike it, apparently. Finally, though, I¡¯m left only with the pure iron ore. Well, pure except for a few small, trace elements. I have a feeling that they might also be metals of some sort since they¡¯re just as indifferent to my earth mana as the iron ore is itself. There¡¯s still a lot of red to the iron; it must be iron oxide rather than pure iron. It makes sense that I wouldn¡¯t be able to separate the oxygen from the iron, though it does make me wonder whether there are people who can literally play with the building-blocks of the world like walking nuclear fission reactors. For me, though, I can only hope that smelting it with charcoal will burn off the oxygen enough to give me the iron I need. The iron oxide is fairly powdery from where everything else has been removed from it, though there are small sections where it¡¯s clumped together still. A few sections are even just holding together, forming a little structure above the surface of the bowl. I poke them and they fall apart. Satisfaction runs through me. Step one complete. I keep working on removing all the impurities from the iron ore lumps that my Bound and I collected near Bastet¡¯s old cave. While I do it, I consider exactly why the iron is so unresponsive to my mana. In the end I can only conclude that it¡¯s just not the right kind of mana. Fire and earth both have different kinds of mana which affect them; metal must as well. Unfortunately, even further observation of this ore doesn¡¯t help: the mana already within it is faint enough to be pretty much invisible to my eyes. Without having a clue where to start, it would be a process of trial and error. By the time everyone returns for the evening meal, I have processed more than half the lumps. Thanks to that, Inspect Environment has finally ranked up to Novice, and my Earth-Shaping has gone up by three levels. By this point, it¡¯s not far off my Fire-Shaping, though I¡¯m going to work on that Skill next: to smelt iron, I need carbon. To add carbon, I need to make charcoal. To make charcoal, I¡¯m going to have to carefully burn wood so that everything but the carbon disappears. Collecting wood for my project is something two of the Unevolved samurans have been tasked with, and they seem to be happy with the job. Whether it¡¯s that they like collecting wood, that they¡¯re keen to help the newest leader, or that they like the fact that every time they bring back a load of branches, they get to watch what I¡¯m working on for a bit, I don¡¯t know. Either way, by using woven vines to help carry more firewood, they collect more in half a day than I could have done in a week. But I¡¯m going to need all that they¡¯ve collected in the three days and maybe more. But that¡¯s for tomorrow. My other Bound have been out in the forest working on their various tasks too. Now, with them all back, it¡¯s a good opportunity for me to work on my other frustrating objective: healing them. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fourteen: Fenrir. Finally. So far, I¡¯ve had the most luck with Bastet out of all my Bound. Though nothing I¡¯ve tried has fully worked and I haven¡¯t managed to see her Energy channels yet, I get the feeling that I¡¯m on the cusp of doing so. I tried so hard last night that I gave myself a migraine ¨C one that I couldn¡¯t even fully heal with Flesh-Shaping. But it gave me information that I hope will lead to a breakthrough tonight. Bastet¡¯s not back, though. She went out with Honey, Thorn, and Sirocco. Apparently she wanted to kill some powerful beast in the local area. I have to admit that I wasn¡¯t paying as much attention as I probably should have been, my mind consumed with thoughts about getting the iron out of the ore. It turns out that having a much better memory doesn¡¯t help much when I wasn¡¯t paying enough attention to develop the memory in the first place. I take a moment to look at the rank up of Inspect Environment.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Inspect Environment is now Novice 1. Due to focussing on specific elements you know are present while using this Skill, you are now able to attempt to find something you are not sure is present in your environment. Chances of discovering what you are searching for depends both on your proximity to the target in question (range expanded with the level of this Skill and Wisdom) and how strong your intentions are.
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I¡¯m feeling rather pleased with myself: that makes it two Skills ranking up to Novice in one day. In this case, it was purely by accident. I got a bit bored of repeating the same actions with Earth-Shaping and the lumps of iron ore and decided to experiment a bit. Apparently trying to find iron in the lumps with Inspect Environment was just what it needed to be pushed into the next rank since it was at Beginner level nine to begin with. The new aspects of it sound pretty interesting, to be honest. Before, it just highlighted useful, safe, and dangerous; now it highlights something that I want. I¡¯ve tested it since ranking up, of course. When focussing on iron ore, all the flecks of iron in the lumps of earth gleamed gold in the area immediately around me. It didn¡¯t reach very far, though, perhaps only a metre or so in all directions. But it isn¡¯t just iron ore that I could detect. I tested it by dropping a couple of arrowheads on the ground with my eyes closed. Doing a few turns on the spot, I focussed on my arrowheads and cast Inspect Environment. When I opened them again, my arrowheads were gleaming gold ¨C and the iron ore wasn¡¯t. If nothing else, it should make finding my arrows after a battle that much easier. I know that range is determined by the level of the Skill and Wisdom, but the last word in the description ¡®intention¡¯ makes me wonder whether Willpower is a less explicit factor in the Skill¡¯s success. Closing my screen, I notice that Fenrir has just arrived back, accompanying Catch and Pride. Spotting where I¡¯m sitting, they come over to me, pulling over a carcass with them. It¡¯s rather large, and if the feeling through Pride¡¯s Bond is anything to go by, he¡¯s currently rather well-named. ¡°Good kill,¡± I say nodding at the carcass which has rather nasty-looking claws and teeth. A llyrol, if Inspect Fauna is to be believed. ¡°Do you need any healing?¡± I ask a moment later. I am well, thank you, Honoured Markus, Catch says politely. He started trying to call me ¡®Honoured Tamer¡¯ when I returned back to the village after the whole thing with the alcaoris, but after I made my preferences known, he returned to the slightly better option. He still won¡¯t drop the ¡®honoured¡¯ though. I think he likes using my name, even with the prefix ¨C it sets him a little apart from the rest of the samurans; shows his connection to the new leader. Pride indicates that he has a small wound on his shoulder where a lucky blow must have caught him, but that¡¯s quickly fixed. He sends me an image of the downed beast, looking much more dangerous while alive and attacking him. A moment later, he shows it on the ground with its throat ripped out, accompanying the image with smugness. Apparently it was his kill. Fenrir nudges at my knee, sending a plaintive request for aid to me. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I send mana into him. Immediately, I realise that he¡¯s probably the most injured of the group. In fact, the level of damage he¡¯s suffering surprises me a little ¨C it¡¯s all internal with very little obvious externally. ¡°Did the beast fall on you or something?¡± I ask absently even as I get to work healing the internal bleeding and bruised organs. That¡¯s exactly what happened, Catch replied ruefully. I hum curiously, most of my attention on healing Fenrir. It¡¯s going quickly: his body is very happy to work with my healing mana, accepting it faster than any of my Bound apart from Bastet. Or maybe Lathani. Pride didn¡¯t realise Fenrir was in the way when he let the carcass fall. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I open my eyes briefly to send Pride a reproachful look. The large sail-backed scalla stares back at me, sending a feeling over the Bond that I interpret as him saying ¡®if he¡¯d got out of the way, he wouldn¡¯t have been hurt¡¯. Perhaps Catch has the same impression since I overhear him also reproaching Pride. If we¡¯re hunting with others, we must be aware of them at all times. Would you have been happy if he¡¯d bitten your leg rather than the llyrol¡¯s because he didn¡¯t realise you were there? Pride responds with feelings of sulky negation ¨C I¡¯d guess that he just doesn¡¯t want to admit that he was wrong. I leave it up to them ¨C Pride seems to be getting along pretty well with Catch. His Bond still has a month¡¯s timer on it, but I wonder if by the end of that, he''ll be more interested in being with Catch than me. If so, it¡¯s not a problem: I doubt Catch will want to break our Bond any time soon, so if Pride sticks with him, it¡¯s almost as good as a direct Bond with the prideful predator. Fenrir healed, I¡¯m glad when he doesn¡¯t move away immediately, instead choosing to slump against me, his head sitting on top of my knee. Although he¡¯s not furry, it¡¯s still pleasant to stroke his dry, scaly skin. Using the pleasure flowing down the Bond as an indication, I scratch him under the chin and between the eyes: those apparently are particularly nice spots for him. If he¡¯d been a dog, I bet his tail would be beating the ground by now; as it is, he simply relaxes more into me with a sigh. Around us settle more samurans, each around a carcass. The division of the Pathwalkers, Warriors, and Unevolved is slowly being eaten away now that there are no ¡®tokens¡¯ indicating which of the piles of carcasses a samuran is allowed to eat at. Instead, there are a few caracasses which have been left by the designated hunters in the shady hut to the side of the village central area ¨C a hut which previously would have housed hatchlings and is now being repurposed as a temporary larder. Samurans arriving either have a carcass with them like Catch, Pride, and Fenrir did, or go to grab one. The Pathwalkers still seem to prefer sitting together, but I¡¯ve noticed a few of the younger Warriors going to sit with other Unevolved ¨C perhaps their yearmates from before they Evolved. Time will tell whether the rest of the divisions will disappear, though I suspect they will. Personally, I¡¯ve spent one evening each with the Pathwalkers and Warriors, and then the last two evening meals have been with my Bound. I want to spend one with a group of Unevolved, but they looked too nervous last night when I approached them. Perhaps tomorrow night. For now, though, Fenrir and I bask in each other¡¯s company, finally being able to spend a bit of time together without anything else particularly pressing to get to. Much like being back in my alcove in Kalanthia¡¯s cave while waiting for food to cook. On that front, I¡¯m hungry. ¡°Pass me a chunk of that meat, would you?¡± I ask Catch. Of course, Honoured Markus, the samuran answers quickly and hands me several chunks. Taking my hand away from Fenrir earns me the Bond equivalent of puppy-dog eyes, but when I hand him a chunk of meat, his displeasure vanishes as he hurriedly scarfs it down. Pulling a piece of bone out of my Inventory, I concentrate on filling it with mana, then lengthen and sharpen it until it looks like a kebab stick. Stabbing it into the chunks of meat Catch gave me, I ask Aingeal for some help. Sure, I could do it myself, but the little fire elemental just loves burning things. Sometimes too much ¨C I¡¯ve had to be a little patient with trying to explain that the point isn¡¯t to burn my meat to a crisp. It¡¯s starting to get the hang of the idea by this point, though, and circles around my kebab stick, dipping to grab the dripping fat and blood drops when they fall, then circling above the stick. Who needs a rotating grill when you can have a rotating fire instead? Here, Catch says, handing me the Core of the beast. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to keep it?¡± I ask him. That¡¯s another new change. With the Energy Hearts available, it¡¯s not necessary to collect all the Cores for the use of the Tier twos. We are trying to keep track of who has received what, though ¨C too many of either kind of Energy source can be a bad thing if Kalanthia is to be believed. Which she is. Plus, I don¡¯t want some bully trying to grab all the Cores for himself even if he didn¡¯t earn them. This way, there¡¯s a bit more accountability. Catch flicks his tail, negation coming over the link between us. I think Fenrir ought to have it. He was more injured than he should have been. Pride makes a disgruntled noise, but the samuran sends him a Look and he subsides. ¡°Alright,¡± I respond with concealed amusement. ¡°I¡¯m sure Fenrir will appreciate it.¡± Especially since he is right on the cusp of Evolving. I¡¯m surprised that he hasn¡¯t done it already ¨C he¡¯s been hovering at ninety-nine percent for several days now. I¡¯ve been worrying that his blockage is the fact that his Energy channels are still damaged. He receives the Core happily and abandons his meat in favour of licking at it. I return to my meat, sprinkling it with salt and some herbs I¡¯ve found which are quite tasty ¨C and edible, obviously. Aingeal keeps cooking it, and slowly a delicious scent starts filling the air. Once it¡¯s ready, I thank the little fire elemental and give it a gift of fire mana. The bobbing flame expands briefly, sending feelings of happiness down the Bond to me before returning to my shoulder. Light fills the vision on my right side and I turn to ask Aingeal to reduce its brightness level only to see something else is the source. Fenrir. Finally. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifteen: I Know You Can I see the normal sparks emerging from the lizog, their colour the bright red of fresh blood. But as I look at them, I immediately realise that something is wrong. The sparks are not as numerous and they¡¯re not whirling around him as River¡¯s did, or Bastet¡¯s before him. Instead, it¡¯s like they¡¯re spitting weakly from his body, without even the power to whirl around him. I watch, biting my lip, a nasty feeling growing inside me even as curious samurans start to gather round. Apparently, even though it¡¯s not an Evolution of one of their own, it¡¯s still a spectacle they want to see. Joy and Tarra join my side, the feeling over the Bond one of hesitance and concern. Not concern for Fenrir himself, per se ¨C this is more the concern someone in a bus might have when watching a stranger face-plant into the road with a car approaching. ¡°There¡¯s something wrong, isn¡¯t there?¡± I ask them quietly, hoping that saying it won¡¯t make it more true than I already fear it is. I¡¯ve seen this before with others, Tarra replies, her own clicks and grunts equally discreet. The odd villager who becomes frustrated with his progress and tries to force through an Evolution before he is ready. It¡­never ends well. I don¡¯t need to ask for clarification. I know that the best result to expect is that Fenrir is alive, but never able to advance to a higher Tier. Other possibilities are that he advances to Tier two, but with a flawed Evolution which cripples him, or that he simply dies. That¡¯s apparently the most likely consequence. ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± I fret, the growing sense of panic from Fenrir¡¯s side of the Bond making me start to fidget ¨C he¡¯s realised that something has gone wrong. No, answers Joy shortly. It¡¯s the answer I expected, but that doesn¡¯t make it hurt less. A feathery head presses against one hip even as a furry body leans against my thigh. My hands drop down to stroke both of their heads. When did Bastet and Lathani get back? We returned from the hunt and saw the commotion over here, Lathani explains, apparently sensing my unspoken question. This is not good, Bastet says slightly anxiously. His inner channels are still damaged. He should not have forced through the Evolution. ¡°That¡¯s the reason for this?¡± I confirm my suspicion with the raptorcat, giving her my full attention. She sends across the feeling of a shrug. I think it is most likely. I remember what it felt like for me. Instead of explaining further, she sends me a memory of her sensations at the time. I feel a great pressure both inside and out, like water is blasting through every vein in my body, and it¡¯s only not forcing its way out completely because the pressure on my skin is just as strong. I feel like every vein ¨C no, not vein, Energy channel ¨C in my body is being scoured clean, and new ones are being developed following my vision of myself and the patterns I have already established in my body. Like a crack which is forced open and develops a hundred more in the same style. Her suggestion makes complete sense. If there was a damaged part of her body, a leaky channel, then how could the process continue as it should? All the pressure would simply blast that area wide open, and not in the right way. But how does this knowledge help me except to know with even more certainty that Fenrir is not going to get through this intact? Bastet is looking at me. You can help him. I know you can. Her faith-filled statement cuts me to the bone. How can she have that much belief in me when all I¡¯m able to do is stand here like a lemon? ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I hiss at her, my tone almost pleading. Begging her to understand, to forgive my weakness. My lack of knowledge. ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡± You came close with me yesterday, I felt it, Bastet insists. But instead of going into my inner space, you went into your own. You can do it. I bite my lip again, this time tasting blood and feeling a small sting of pain as my teeth break skin. Do I dare try? What if trying messes things up further? Then again, Fenrir is clearly doomed if I don¡¯t intervene. How much worse can I make it? Hesitating for one moment longer, I decide to take the plunge. Refusing to let myself second-guess my decision any longer now I¡¯ve made it, I step forwards and through the weakly spitting sparks. From the shock I hear rise from the samurans around me, I wasn¡¯t supposed to do that. I don¡¯t care. My focus is on Fenrir. He¡¯s suffering. As I touch him and open our Bond wide, I feel it. The pressure that Bastet experienced is even worse for him because he isn¡¯t balanced. The pressure inside is weaker than the pressure outside; I can even see bones being shifted painfully under his skin as the process forces changes which should never have happened. Bastet said that I was almost there yesterday, only I diverted into my own Core space instead. So, I start in the same way as yesterday: sending my mind down the Bond between us, my hand on his head making it easier to do so. Last night, I attempted to Meditate while my consciousness was in Bastet, but ended up just returning to my own body as I fell into Medium Meditation. Maybe that¡¯s the issue. Maybe the Skill can¡¯t work when I¡¯m trying to look at someone else¡¯s Core space? But if so, I¡¯m not sure how to turn the Skill off ¨C I¡¯ve spent so much time recently with it permanently on. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. This time, as I try to sink into meditation, I try not to actually use Meditation. Instead, I try to sink my awareness into Fenrir¡¯s body, into the centre of his body, into the space which isn¡¯t physical but some other realm entirely. I feel the pull of Meditation, of my own Core space, but aware of it, I notice that it pulls me to the side. It pulls me away. I don¡¯t want to go away ¨C this is exactly where I want to be, just deeper. And then, like blinking only to find my reality has changed, I¡¯m there. In Fenrir¡¯s Core space. My immediate impression is that it isn¡¯t really a Core space, not yet ¨C it¡¯s a solar system with no sun. And his channels are completely different from mine. His are far more similar to what Lathani showed me hers were like, thick veins which all converge on a single point. I guess that¡¯s where Fenrir¡¯s Core is supposed to be eventually. Each of the veins branches off into smaller channels, the ends almost feathery in appearance. Except on one branch. On that branch, I see that the smaller channels have been corroded away, the end of that vein looking very unhealthy indeed. The next thing I notice is the Energy that¡¯s rushing back and forth along the veins. It looks like it¡¯s supposed to be pushing towards the centre, creating that Core that he needs. But it can¡¯t, because every time it starts building up pressure, it leaks out of the corroded channels. Right. That¡¯s where I need to start, then. To heal my own channels, I needed to pull mana from my core and feed it along the golden lines. Can I do the same here? Trying to pull my own mana into Fenrir¡¯s Core space ends up being worse than a failure: it ends up being actively detrimental. As soon as my mana touches the closest Energy vein to my physical contact with the lizog¡¯s body, it starts damaging the channel, blackening and eating it. Actually¡­is it burning the golden vein? Is this my fire affinity at work? Not wanting to cause more damage than I have already, I quickly pull my mana back. Clearly, that¡¯s not going to work. I hope that there¡¯s the same kind of time dilation between Fenrir¡¯s Core space and reality that there is with my Core space, otherwise we are already almost out of time. I think there must be, though: the waves of Energy rushing through Fenrir¡¯s veins have started reducing in speed, but not significantly. I suspect that if I don¡¯t do anything, Fenrir will simply fail to gain a Core. What other effects or long-term consequences he might suffer, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t care to find out either. Focussing on the movement, I wrack my brains to try to find something else I could do to help Fenrir which doesn¡¯t involve my own mana. Gazing at the flowing Energy gives me an idea. When I repaired my Core, I wasn¡¯t able to use my own mana since accessing it just caused the Core damage to worsen. Instead, I used the Energy that entered my Energy channels. Can I do that here? It¡¯s not my Energy, but if Fenrir works with me¡­. It¡¯s worth a shot, I decide. Trying to grasp the Energy rushing through Fenrir¡¯s veins is hard. Harder even than grasping my own Energy the first time. But it¡¯s true that practice makes perfect and, by this point, I¡¯ve had lots of practice. The waves of Energy have slowed a bit more since I started my attempt, but finally I manage to grasp some of the flowing golden light. Moving with the waves helps my movement, and I manage to get it to the channels which are corroded and damaged. Healing them is also hard. My own fire affinity must have significantly helped me in the battle with the alcaoris, or my own Energy channels are so much more responsive to my actions than Fenrir¡¯s. Maybe a mix of both. Either way, it takes longer than I was hoping to fix the Energy channels, even once I¡¯ve got the Energy there. By the time I¡¯m done, the waves of Energy have slowed by an easily noticeable amount, though, newly confined, they don¡¯t slow any further. I suddenly fear that there won¡¯t be enough of them to condense the Core. In that case, what will happen to the built-up Energy? I think about tales of beasts dying in the attempt to Evolve ¨C have I just made things worse? What if I give Fenrir some of my own Energy? Mana clearly doesn¡¯t work, but what about Energy which hasn¡¯t been converted to something personal? Again, it¡¯s worth a try ¨C I still don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done enough to actually improve the situation. Reaching into my own Core space while in the space of another is a new experience, and one that makes me feel inordinately vulnerable: I sense that if Fenrir attacked me right now, I would just shatter. But I manage to connect to my Core and pull Energy out of it. There isn¡¯t a lot in there ¨C just what I¡¯ve collected since my last level up. But I draw on what I have, and tentatively feed it into Fenrir¡¯s internal matrix. I brace for some negative effect as I add a couple of small drops ¨C hoping that it¡¯s not going to explode him or something. After a few moments, it¡¯s clear that nothing bad is going to immediately happen so I gradually add a bit more. As Energy drips into Fenrir¡¯s Energy channels, the golden waves start to brighten again, picking up pace. I drain my own Energy dry and mentally cross my fingers, hoping that it will be enough. Go on Fenrir, you can do it, I encourage. His presence has been hovering around me like a cloud for the whole of the time, half-aware of me, half not. I¡¯ve felt his panic turn into bewilderment, his automatic resistance to my efforts becoming submission, and now, his fear turning into hope. I feel him concentrate. It takes me a few moments to realise exactly what he¡¯s concentrating on: himself. Not in a selfish way, but in the sense that he¡¯s trying to focus on exactly what he is ¨C and what he wants to be. He¡¯s focussing on size, strength, and durability. He¡¯s recognised his role as the tank of the group, and clearly wants to emphasise that. Though not wanting to distract him, I can¡¯t help but give him a little nudge to consider health and health regeneration. That¡¯s how I¡¯ve survived this long: by being able to replace my health almost quicker than my enemies have been able to bring it down. He encompasses the nudge seamlessly into his concentration. The waves of Energy build up speed, the pulses of golden light becoming almost invisible with how quickly it moves from the centre of his Core space to the ends of his channels and then back again. Suddenly, it reaches critical mass. All the light drains from the Energy channels and condenses in the centre. It becomes white hot, burning even my mental presence here. Unfortunately, without eyes, I can¡¯t close them or look away. Time pauses for a moment of eternity. And then it erupts, all the Energy rushing through his veins and out. Behind, a fragile-looking, dim crystal is left in the centre at the nexus of all his thickest veins. I sense that the process isn''t finished, but that my presence is no longer necessary. May, in fact, be detrimental. Carefully, I withdraw, trying not to affect anything as I do so. Returning to my body, I open my eyes to find myself surrounded by bright red sparks. Lifting my hand from Fenrir¡¯s head, I push myself to my feet, almost stumbling with the weakness that threatens to overcome me. The moment I step out of the cocoon that now surrounds Fenrir, Bastet, Lathani, Catch, and River are all there to support me. I feel exhausted, and weak, and more than a little nauseous. It¡¯s not because of mana exhaustion, though ¨C that bar is close to full. It must be something else that I¡¯ve overstretched. Looking around, I see the eyes of every samuran present fixed on me, shock mingled with hope within their gazes. ¡°What?¡± I croak, my throat as dry as desert sand. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixteen: A Better Result You fixed its Evolution, breathed Tarra, her eyes as wide as anyone else¡¯s. I take a few steps forward, aided by my Bound, then move to sit on the ground as soon as I¡¯m far enough away from Fenrir¡¯s Evolution process to not risk falling back into it. Catch and River help lower me carefully to the ground ¨C I¡¯d probably have just thumped onto the dirt without their aid. Not that I would have cared much. Lathani sits behind me and I lean back gratefully against her ¨C she makes an excellent backrest. Reaching into my Inventory, I pull out a pot of water and drink greedily from it. One advantage of being the leader of the samuran village is that I don¡¯t have to collect my own water all the time now ¨C I can set it as a task for someone else to do. I feel a bit guilty about it, but remind myself that I¡¯m doing things that no one else in the village can do; anyone can collect water from the river. Once I¡¯m feeling a little more hydrated, I grab some of my backup cooked meat and tear into it hungrily. The nausea and exhaustion abating a little, I look up at the samurans who are still alternating between staring at Fenrir and staring at me. ¡°I hope I fixed it, but we¡¯ll find out when Fenrir comes out,¡± I say, remembering this time to make an effort for everyone to understand me. ¡°Why do you all look so shocked?¡± I ask with my eyebrows drawing together a little in confusion. Tarra eyes me then lets out a hiss that I can tell is her equivalent of a sigh of exasperation. She comes to sit down in front of me. Joy moves forward too, though doesn¡¯t sit. Behind them, I see the other Pathwalkers and several Warriors, Shrieks included. He looks and feels thoughtful; Sticks is flabbergasted. Like I¡¯ve turned the world on its head. Windy, unsurprisingly, is angry, though that¡¯s just her default around me. Underneath the anger is more than a little shock too. Flower has a similar expression to Shrieks ¨C thoughtful, with hints of calculation rippling through the Bond. Just because you¡¯ve done something impossible, Tarra answers my question with exasperation and the slightest amount of awe. To my knowledge, no one has ever interfered in an Evolution. Not with a better result, anyway. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that this will be a better result,¡± I point out. ¡°He could end up deformed or crippled at the end of it.¡± Tarra flicks her tail impatiently. Then that will not be because of your efforts, she says plainly. Believe me, out of all the Pathwalkers, I am the one who knows the most about Evolutions. I¡¯m the one who has tried to heal so many of those whose Evolutions have failed. I¡¯m the one young Unevolved come to for advice about Evolution. I¡¯m the one who, in my younger years, tried to find ways of improving the chances of Evolution with herbal draughts. None of it worked. The most I was able to do was to reduce chances of successful Evolution. Yet here you are, she continues sounding almost aggrieved, though the emotions coming over the Bond are far more positive than her tone indicates, doing what I thought was impossible. What I had resigned myself to never being able to do. The lizog was about to fail to even condense a Core, dooming itself to being trapped as an Unevolved. Tell me ¨C do you know if it has a Core now? ¡°Well, yes, he does,¡± I answer almost reflexively, reeling a little from what she¡¯s revealing about the chances of me having done what I just did. I¡¯m rather glad that I didn¡¯t know all that before trying ¨C it would have discouraged me, perhaps to the point where I didn¡¯t succeed. My answer is received by the wider samuran group with quiet clicks and grunts of, from what I can tell, elation and shock. And that is precisely what I mean. I have never heard of anyone managing to help someone else gain a Core when they would otherwise have failed. Yet the evidence is before my eyes. It is now down to the beast and its ability to conceive of and believe in what it wishes to become. You have given it an opportunity which so many would be willing to give almost anything to achieve. And which many have lost their lives or their potential futures in trying to attain. Now I understand, and I feel slightly embarrassed that, despite my Intelligence and Wisdom stats, it has still taken me so long to grasp why it¡¯s such a big deal for them. I know that, for the samurans, becoming a Tier two all too often feels like an unachievable dream. Between the difficulty of gathering enough Energy, perhaps the right kind of Energy, and the dangers of Evolution itself, many don¡¯t even try until they¡¯re almost certain that it will work out. But if I can help fix problems with the Evolution process, then perhaps they can become a Tier two after all. At least, that¡¯s what I figure they¡¯re thinking. ¡°It may have worked here,¡± I say, making sure that I¡¯m understandable by everyone. I don¡¯t want to be misunderstood, or to give false hope. ¡°Though I¡¯m not even fully certain that it has worked in this case. But that doesn¡¯t mean it would work for anyone else. I will have to do more testing to find out exactly who I can affect in this way. In addition, it has taken a lot from me, including resources which I would otherwise put towards my own growth,¡± I warn them. After all, just because I was willing to pour Energy into Fenrir doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d be willing to do it to a samuran who only decided to Evolve because he thought he had a safety net in me. My words don¡¯t seem to do much to reduce the hope in the samurans around me; I just hope it will make them think more about jumping into an Evolution tonight. You used your own resources? River asks, concern leaking through the Bond. ¡°Nothing I won¡¯t get back,¡± I tell her quietly, not making an effort for anyone other than my Bound to understand me. ¡°But yes, I¡¯ve used the Energy I was gathering for my next level up.¡± I don¡¯t need to check my status screen to know that my words are true. She knows about level ups ¨C we¡¯ve discussed them before in trying to compare the rest of this world and me. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. You must be careful with this, she says, the concern deepening. Bastet reflects the same emotion. I fear that you could easily do damage to yourself in trying to help others, she warns. ¡°I agree with you,¡± I sigh. I remember the feeling of fragility I felt when drawing from my own Energy to feed into Fenrir¡¯s, and my continued weakness. I might worry that I¡¯ve permanently done something to myself, but my strength is returning bit by bit. ¡°I will be careful, but I¡¯m still going to fix the damage the alcaoris did,¡± I tell them firmly. Besides, I don¡¯t think that that will be nearly as taxing ¨C controlling Fenrir¡¯s own Energy was hard, but not draining in the same way as my later efforts. As long as you¡¯re careful, agrees Bastet in her maternal way. We stay silent after that, watching as the cocoon of red sparks is slowly reabsorbed. Bit by bit, Fenrir is revealed. He¡¯s bigger, and his scales look harder, some of them almost like the armour that I wear. As the last sparks are absorbed, he pushes himself to his feet. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I ask him. Good, he answers, eagerness and relief pouring across the Bond between us. Thanks. You help! At those words, he steps quickly towards me and butts his head right into my chest. Hard. A huff of air is forced out of my lungs at his unintentional blow and I hear Bastet scolding him soundly over our network. I¡¯m just happy that he¡¯s alright after everything that happened earlier. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I gasp, still not quite managing to take in a full breath. Lifting my hands, I start scratching him under the chin. Apparently, he still enjoys it even if his scales are tougher. Continuing to scratch with one hand, I run the other along his body, feeling the differences. His head is definitely more armoured ¨C my chest can attest to that. The back of his neck is more protected, though underneath still seems a bit vulnerable. Maybe he didn¡¯t focus on that because he still stands quite near to the ground ¨C under his chin is less likely to be attacked than his spine. Peeking in his mouth, I see that there¡¯s a greenish tinge to his saliva. Venom, I¡¯d guess. His back and sides have received even more armour than his head, almost starting to resemble something like a tortoise. Not quite, though ¨C the scales are hard, but they still flex with movement and each scale is only about the size of my thumbprint. That¡¯s bigger than they used to be, but not by as much as double. His legs are thicker and more armoured, his claws are longer even if they¡¯re not sharper. I have to guess that they¡¯re more for stability than attack. I know that he started off the process thinking about speed, but nothing I¡¯ve seen so far indicates he could have got faster. If anything, it looks like he¡¯s traded speed for defence. Which is not a bad thing as a tank, though might have an impact if we need to cover ground fast. The only new offensive thing that I see is a spike that he¡¯s grown on either side of his tail. It¡¯s not a bad idea, really ¨C he offers his body as a target and then swipes the attacker in the side with his tail. ¡°Looking good,¡± I praise and he waves his tail back and forth in pleasure. I eye the spikes with trepidation ¨C getting hit by those would probably not be a fun time. Especially since a slight hint of green to their tips indicates that they might be the equivalent of a snake¡¯s envenomed fangs. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t wave your tail around, alright?¡± I suggest, putting one hand on its upper part to still it. The Evolved lizog sends me a hint of plaintive pleading ¨C the mental equivalent to puppy dog eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be stabbed,¡± I try to defend myself. Fenrir gives a quiet, sad hiss but obediently stops waving his new weapon around. ¡°I¡¯m going to Inspect you, OK?¡± I ask him. I could just check my Bound screen too, but I¡¯m curious about the changes in that information. Sure! he answers a moment later, tilting his head on one side. A lizard head full of sharp, venomous teeth shouldn¡¯t be cute, but it is. ¡°Inspect Fauna.¡±
Lizog: Fenrir Tier 2 Beast (evolved) Special abilities: Burst of Speed Health: 2070u Mana: 0u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 64 Bound (Dominate) of Markus Luke Wolfe. A venomous Beast with high defences and high strength for its size, this creature relies on its packmates to overcome the enemies which it can withstand but not defeat. Social Beast with strong capacity to form bonds.
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The description of Fenrir matches what I observed of his body ¨C is it showing up in the Inspect because of what I observed? Or would it have said that before? I have to guess that it¡¯s a bit of both ¨C I¡¯ve proven before that observation adds to what appears in the Inspect boxes. Fenrir¡¯s changes are slightly underwhelming compared to Bastet¡¯s, though the fact that he¡¯s managed to Evolve at all is more than would have happened without my intervention. Bastet¡¯s health pool doubled, her mana pool tripled, and even her stamina increased a little. Although Fenrir¡¯s health pool is now massive, even higher than Shrieks¡¯, it has only doubled ¨C it has always been high. In exchange, he seems to have completely lost even the small amount of mana he had. He won¡¯t be able to cast any of the shared pool of spells, that¡¯s for sure. His special ability, therefore, can¡¯t depend on mana or it would be immediately useless. I have to guess, based on its name, that it will use stamina instead. Checking my Bound tab, I see that his stamina has increased from three hundred and eighty to five hundred. That¡¯s an increase of less than a third ¨C hopefully it will prove to be enough. After all, if he has slowed down, being able to use a sudden burst of speed could prove essential both in fights and in travelling. I wonder suddenly whether my Bound will be able to share that ability just as they can Airblade or Firebreath. Or, thinking about it, surely all the other abilities of the Pathwalkers and Warriors I¡¯ve Bound. We¡¯re definitely going to have to make some time for testing ¨C and sparring. But that¡¯s for later. For now, I dismiss the box and relate the changes to Fenrir and the rest of my Bound listening. By this point, most of the samurans have disappeared. With the show over, they¡¯ve returned to their evening meals. Some have even started making their way into huts to sleep. Others are sitting around the bonfire that someone has lit in the middle ¨C a ¡®tame¡¯ version of the ¡®life-devourer¡¯ is endlessly fascinating to the samurans, though some are still too scared of it to go anywhere close. My firestarter has seen a lot of use recently, though not from me. River has been teaching as many as she can how to start a fire and, thankfully, how to not to accidentally set things on fire which shouldn¡¯t be. I¡¯m tired, but my apparent success with Fenrir has fired me up. Now that the weakness I felt after helping the lizog has disappeared, I¡¯m eager to use my new knowledge to help others ¨C without them being in a dire situation first. ¡°Alright Bastet, ready?¡± I check, then dive straight in at her agreement. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventeen: A Good Balance ¡°Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, we have need of your presence to verify several tasks, if you have the time.¡± The samuran speaking to me looks more than a little nervous, his crest lowered submissively, his tail held low to the ground. I recognise him ¨C he¡¯s one of the oldest Unevolved, the scales around his eyes and nose starting to look a little fragile and discoloured. He¡¯s also one of the ¡®brood-mothers¡¯ ¨C the ones who look after the eggs and hatchlings of the Pathwalkers. From what I gather, even the Pathwalkers don¡¯t know which hatchlings are their own offspring as the eggs are distributed evenly among the brood-mothers. It¡¯s very different from anything I¡¯m used to, but I guess that it fosters more commitment to the community than to individual families within the village. At the moment, of course, there are no hatchlings, so the brood-mothers have taken a major role in keeping track of the tasks to be done, the tasks completed or failed, and the Energy-Hearts to be given out. Apparently, the brood-mothers are trustworthy. Certainly, the chances of them Evolving are very slim or nil ¨C they are all those who have failed to Evolve before and survived the attempt ¨C so they have little reason to keep the Hearts for themselves. They also already have the highest status among the Unevolved and are given everything they need in exchange for their services so there¡¯s less temptation for corruption. And perhaps I¡¯m just being a suspicious human about this, and one used to the cutthroat corporate world at that. I resolve to keep an eye on the expenditure from time to time nonetheless. ¡°Sure, just give me a few minutes to finish this,¡± I respond, focussing on the load of wood I¡¯m currently turning into charcoal. ¡°Would you like me to come to a particular hut when I¡¯m ready?¡± ¡°The green hatchling hut, if you would, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± the samuran says with a hint of relief in his spikes. ¡°That¡¯s the one next to the big hatchling hut, isn¡¯t it?¡± I check, furrowing my brow. Their naming conventions are not the easiest for an outsider to understand, but I suppose that that¡¯s kind of the point. ¡°No, Honoured Pathwalker. It is the one next to the new hatchling hut,¡± the samuran answers. ¡°OK, I¡¯ll come when I¡¯m done with this,¡± I say, giving up on pinpointing exactly which hut he¡¯s talking about. ¡°If I look like I¡¯m walking towards the wrong one, wave at me, please.¡± ¡°As you wish, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± the brood-mother answers, tipping his chin towards the sky for a long moment. Then, realising that I need to focus, he says nothing more but turns and hurries away. I keep an eye on his direction ¨C that might help me when I need to retrace his footsteps. As he moves out of sight, I return my attention fully to my task. I made the first lot of charcoal practically without magic, covering the wood with earth and burning it slowly. I did use Earth-Shaping in making the structure, and Fire-Shaping to light the fire, but mostly my aim was to observe exactly what was happening with the fire and wood to transform it into charcoal. Once I¡¯d observed the process to my satisfaction, I tried to replicate it without needing to spend as much time over the task. My first attempts were failures ¨C the greedy flame consumed too much oxygen despite my efforts to control it, and the pieces of wood were turned to ash instead of charcoal. Undeterred, I tried different things, finally settling on a method which seems to be a good balance of mana-efficient and time-saving. Though I did manage in the end to control the flame sufficiently to transform a stick into a long piece of charcoal even in the open air, the amount of concentration necessary for the task made it infeasible to do for them all. Instead, I found a good balance: using Earth-Shaping to form a small cavern around a load of wood, and then controlling the flame to speed up the process of transforming wood into charcoal. By using earth to limit the amount of oxygen available to the fire, I lessened the burden on my concentration, meaning that I could spread it more widely. By this point, I¡¯ve probably got more than three-quarters of the amount of charcoal I¡¯ll probably need to smelt the iron oxide I¡¯ve managed to extract from all the lumps of iron ore I found near Bastet¡¯s cave ¨C not bad for only two days of work. Not only have I made some of the physical products I will need, but all my work with the two Skills has had another gratifying outcome: Earth-Shaping has increased by two levels and Fire-Shaping has even ranked up! Now at Initiate one, its newest effect is rather curious. In my rank up from Beginner, I gained more control over large fires ¨C the larger, the better. That was a direct effect from my work with the Inferno that catapulted me up several levels and into the next rank. This time, I seem to have gained greater control over all flames, regardless of the size of the fire. It also seems that I¡¯ve managed to balance the Skill a little more as it referred to creation as well as destruction ¨C I guess because charcoal is transformed rather than destroyed wood, and is itself used for further creative aims.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Skill past Novice: Fire-Shaping is now Initiate 1. You have improved your control over small flames, using them in forms of creation in contrast to your previous destructive aims. Your ability to wield any size of fire is limited now only by your Will.
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The final sentence of the rank up message is one I¡¯ve since been musing over whenever I¡¯ve been able to spare the concentration: Your ability to wield any size of fire is limited now only by your Will. Does that mean that it¡¯s one more Skill which relies on my Willpower to reach the heights? Either way, the increased control should help with my attempts to smelt the iron oxide into usable iron ¨C maybe even rudimentary steel if I can get the carbon content right. I¡¯m hoping to actually start smelting this afternoon, but maybe I should set it as tomorrow¡¯s task. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. If I try to do it today, I may end up eating a bit into my evening work, which I don¡¯t want to do. My Bound deserve to be as healed as I can make them now that I¡¯ve figured out how to do it. All courtesy of Fenrir jumping the gun out of youthful impatience and almost dooming himself to Tier one forever in the process. Bastet was, of course, my first ¡®test subject¡¯ that evening two days ago. It was a different experience than with Fenrir, that¡¯s for sure. Her internal matrix is far more established than his at the time of my intervention. Fenrir¡¯s has probably changed since then, either in his Evolution or afterwards. Like him, Bastet¡¯s internal matrix had a sort of structure similar to veins and arteries, but there had also been the sort of shape of her body outlined in golden lines. The arteries had gone into each of her legs, her wings, her head, and her tail, thinner channels branching out and forming the outline of her body. Within the golden lines, I could see the faintest hints of something else I¡¯ve also seen in my own body: the influence of fire. It¡¯s more instinctive knowledge than something that I could find in a textbook ¨C if there are such things for this. But with my own fire affinity, I can tell that there is a similarity, even if Bastet herself doesn¡¯t have a fire affinity per se. Fixing the damage I saw to her internal matrix was not dissimilar from fixing Fenrir¡¯s. If anything, it was a little easier ¨C Bastet was clearly more aware of her Energy channels than Fenrir was, and she actually worked with me to remedy the damage sustained, controlling her own mana once I showed her what to do. Even though the damage she had sustained was more extensive than that of Fenrir, we were done sooner, and with far less effect on me. Not no effect, though, which proves that it wasn¡¯t only giving Fenrir all the Energy I had stored which wiped me out, but I was able to do two more Bound that evening. With two more Bound fixed yesterday evening too, there are only four left with damage: Lee, Thorn, Honey, and Lathani. But they are not going to be easy fixes. I wanted to help Lathani straight after Bastet, but when I managed to get into her internal matrix ¨C not Core space, since she doesn¡¯t have a Core ¨C I found that it was such a mess that I couldn¡¯t honestly tell what was damaged and what was supposed to be like that. I¡¯m hesitant to do anything before speaking with Kalanthia about it ¨C I¡¯m very aware that Lathani is a completely different creature from any of my other Bound; from a different world entirely. Using Bastet, for example, as a template could do more harm than good. Working on the rest of my Bound just reinforced that decision: all of them had similarities to each other that just weren¡¯t present in Lathani. Or that were present, but artificially so. I¡¯m hoping to return to Kalanthia within the next few days, so I figure that I¡¯d best leave well alone for now. Lathani was disappointed, but understood. I¡¯ve forbidden her from consuming any Cores or Energy Hearts which she sulked over, but there¡¯s no way she should be considering Evolving right now, and possibly even adding much more Energy into her system than comes from a kill is a bad idea. As for Honey and Thorn, it¡¯s a different problem. Trying to heal Honey proved something: I can only enter the Core space of one of my Dominate or Companion Bound. I thought I was doing something wrong ¨C I tried to help her last night after dealing with Shrieks, and just couldn¡¯t get anywhere within her. When I moved onto Iandee, the same actions had the same result as with my previously healed Bound, proving that it wasn¡¯t the process that was the issue. That left the type of Bond as the suspected reason; attempting to see Thorn¡¯s, Sirocco¡¯s and then Pride¡¯s internal matrices and failing proved that it was indeed the case. I suppose it makes sense. To heal my companions, I have to control their own mana, affect their own internal matrixes. If I had bad intentions, I could do them a lot of damage, and I doubt they¡¯d be able to do much to stop me. Dominate gives me the power to do what I want with my Bound; Companion Bond trusts that I will only do what is necessary and beneficial. Tame is a whole different beast ¨C it¡¯s logical that I would not be able to affect them in the same way. It¡¯s unfortunate in this case, though, especially since Honey and Thorn were two of those most hurt by the alcaoris¡¯ acidic mana. I¡¯m still trying to work out whether there¡¯s a way around the limitations I¡¯ve discovered. Unless I do, I doubt that several of my Bound will be making it to Tier two. Thorn in particular was so badly affected that I think the chance of him Evolving is slim to none. Lee is the only one I¡¯m actually hoping to be able to help tonight. I didn¡¯t want to leave him until last due to the sheer amount of damage he sustained, like Thorn, but in the end that has been the reason I¡¯ve left him to tonight. Multiple sections of his internal matrix are just gone. I didn¡¯t want to start reconstructing those until I had a better idea of what I¡¯m doing. I also need to be able to dedicate a good chunk of time to him ¨C the internal injuries are not going to be as easy or quick to heal as his physical ones. Realising that my flame has finished transforming the current batch of wood into charcoal, I open up the earthen shell and extinguish the fire. I let the black chunks of pure carbon cool in the earth, the bit of ash created at the edges of the fire blowing away in the breeze. Heading towards the centre of the village, I go to see what the samuran brood-mother wanted. The hut next to the new hatchling hut¡­. I repeat to myself, narrowing my eyes as I look from one large hut to the next. The hatchling huts are some of the largest, and are fairly distinct due to the slopes that extend from the entrance down to the floor below ¨C the hatchlings can¡¯t climb out of the normal hut entrances in the way that the adults can. But it¡¯s a bit hard to see which huts have slopes and which don¡¯t without going and checking each one, and that¡¯s a bit awkward. For me, if not anyone else. Fortunately, the brood-mother who came over to speak to me approaches me again before I spend too long looking for it. ¡°This way, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, if you please,¡± he invites, dipping his tail down. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me all that, you know,¡± I sigh as I follow him to a hut. I know it¡¯s probably useless ¨C I haven¡¯t succeeded in getting anyone to call me ¡®Markus¡¯ or even ¡®Tamer¡¯. Apparently such informality is reserved only for those of the same rank or lower. I still give it a try. ¡°Tamer is sufficient.¡± ¡°As you wish, Honoured Tamer,¡± the brood-mother agrees. I hold back another sigh as we crawl backwards through the entrance. It¡¯s such an awkward way of getting inside, but the samurans are used to it. I suppose that the half-underground construction is the most logical for temperature control, even if I wonder what happens if it ever floods. We¡¯ve been lucky not to have rain during daylight in the last few days, but there has been plenty of it at night. I¡¯ve been rather glad for the hut I¡¯ve been given ¨C it¡¯s remarkably dry. And with my new Earth-Shaping Skill, I¡¯ve been able to ensure that my charcoal and iron oxide dust hasn¡¯t got wet either, and that all my Bound have been able to join me in the hut. From the slope that leads into it, I suspect that it¡¯s normally a hatchling hut. Given the range of Bound that I have, I¡¯m grateful for the alternative entrance. ¡°So, what do you need me for?¡± I ask once we¡¯re inside, Aingeal¡¯s bobbing form lighting up the area around us and gleaming in the eyes of six different Unevolved samurans inside. I might worry that it¡¯s a trap if not for the complete lack of aggression in their body language. ¡°We have retrieved the plants you asked for, Honoured Tamer,¡± answers one of the six. Realisation dawns on me. Of course. Those plants. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighteen: Testing Delegation is a great thing. It¡¯s time to see whether delegating finding farm-suitable plants has had any actionable results. ¡°So each of you has brought an example of a plant you think would be good for our purposes?¡± I ask the group of eager samurans, feeling some excitement myself. A chorus of clicks and grunts of agreement meet my ears. ¡°Then can each of you explain what you¡¯ve chosen and why you¡¯ve chosen it, please?¡± The young samurans ¨C and I¡¯m pretty sure they are mostly young from their demeanour and the softness of their scales ¨C look at each other and then the one who had first spoken steps forwards holding a plant between his claws. It looks a bit like a leek, though its leaves are less stiff and flop to either side of its main stem. Planted, I guess that it would come up to mid-thigh level on me. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s your name, and what do you have?¡± I ask him. ¡°Trips-over-a-stick, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer. This is a plant which the grunt-grunt-flash-of-green love eating. Whenever a herd of them goes through, they eat this plant down to the ground before moving on. It regrows from its roots despite this and spreads new plants sideways quickly. The dung of the grunt-grunt-flash-of-green seems to help it to grow as I have often come to a patch only a moon or so after the herd has seemed to destroy it, only to find that the patch has doubled in size.¡± ¡°Interesting,¡± I respond to him, then focus Inspect Flora on the plant.
Uncommon plant: Ostrya Cassine Edible: Yes (leaves, bulb) Alchemical uses: Unknown Medical uses: Unknown This plant is a particular favourite of the asper herds and they will consume it whenever they have the opportunity to do so. In exchange, their dung offers this plant nutrients it needs to expand its root structure and grow new bulbs. This plant grows all year round, offering a meal for many different types of herbivores.
Close message
It only gives a bit more information than Trips-over-a-stick did, though it probably wouldn¡¯t have given the whole description if I hadn¡¯t asked the samuran. I do have a name for the creatures he was talking about, which is both good and interesting. Good, because I don¡¯t think trying to imitate samuran speech without the help of Animal Empathy will end remotely well for me; interesting, because I hadn¡¯t realised that one Inspect Skill would offer information usually communicated by a different Inspect, especially when the object isn¡¯t even present. Inspect Fauna, in this case. Either way, this plant looks like a good option. Not only is it eaten by ¡®asper¡¯ herds, but it¡¯s apparently a meal for many other herbivores, and edible by me too It also seems to have potential alchemical and medical uses too which maybe Tarra knows about. ¡°Are aspers a good choice for hunters?¡± I ask. After all, the whole point of this is to find a way to make the samurans¡¯ hunting more sustainable if my changes make the village grow faster than it would normally. ¡°We do hunt the aspers, Honoured Tamer,¡± the brood-mother answers. ¡°Though they can be difficult to hunt as they will attack predators. They are large, though, and a single carcass can feed at least two Warriors, three Pathwalkers, or multiple hatchlings.¡± Hmm, sounds pretty good to me. Working out how to start the process of domestication is another question, but I hope that at least one of my Skills will come in useful for that. ¡°Good choice, Trips-over-a-stick,¡± I praise, then pull a small fragment of an Energy Heart from my Inventory. After discussion with the council, we decided not to give full Energy Hearts except for the most dangerous and complex tasks. While neither I nor the group of Unevolved had at first been in favour of the idea, we had been reluctantly brought around by logical arguments from Flower and Plays-with-poison. Obviously of the same mind, they had argued that giving the same level of reward would motivate samurans to choose the easiest and shortest jobs, meaning that the more dangerous and complex ones wouldn¡¯t get done. Plays-with-poison had added that a full Energy Heart would take several days to absorb, and would therefore demotivate the samuran who had gained it to do anything in the meantime. Fragments given instead would still offer a reward which the samurans would be keen to gain, but would be quickly absorbed and leave them hungry for more. Awarding more fragments or a larger fragment for a more difficult job would be motivation for samurans to accept it despite the risks, especially if most of the easier jobs were already taken. So far, it seems to be working out well enough, and I have to admit that even if I have a lot of Energy Hearts currently in my Inventory, we¡¯d be going through them quickly if I were handing one out to every Unevolved samuran every day. As it is, I¡¯m still going to have to try to crystallise new ones for a future supply, but that¡¯s not immediately pressing. Giving the samuran in front of me the fragment, I see his spikes light up with eager anticipation. Thinking of it, this might be the first one he¡¯s received ¨C finding the plant might have taken most of the few days since the new changes were instituted. ¡°Thank you Honoured Pathwalker Tamer,¡± he says hurriedly, lifting his chin towards the roof and then hurrying away to and through the entrance, his claws carefully caging the glittering fragment so that it doesn¡¯t slip free. ¡°Alright, who¡¯s next?¡± I ask. The next samuran steps forward and introduces himself, his own spikes and body language full of hopeful anticipation. ***** By the time the last samuran seeker leaves the hut, I have four plants which seem to be good options for growing for farming purposes, and one which might be useful for Tarra to grow for her herbal concoctions. Those five all walked away with fragments. The sixth left empty-clawed. He couldn¡¯t explain why he had chosen the plant, and my Inspect Flora didn¡¯t indicate that it was anything special. I¡¯ll check with River and Tarra just in case ¨C I can always give him a fragment later if it turns out to be something good ¨C but I have a feeling that he just picked something at random, hoping to be given an Energy Heart fragment for it. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°How are you finding the change?¡± I ask the brood-mother. I figure I might as well check in with him while we¡¯re in the same room. ¡°And sorry ¨C I never got your name either.¡± The other samuran tilts his head to one side. ¡°I am Elder Twig,¡± he answers. Perhaps he sees my confusion as he explains a little. ¡°While we are not like the Honoured Pathwalkers, gaining a name upon our Evolution to better reflect our new abilities and leaving our Unevolved lives behind, we do shorten our names upon becoming an elder. I believe that the intention is to show our commitment to the village ¨C we are no longer complete individuals, but an important part of the village society. I was once Breaks-a-twig, but became Elder Twig when I failed my Evolution and decided to commit myself to this village¡¯s hatchlings instead of seeking power through combat.¡± ¡°Thank you for explaining, Elder Twig,¡± I answer. ¡°Now, how are you finding the change?¡± I repeat, not wanting to hurry him along, but also aware of time passing ¨C I have more work to do today. ¡°It is¡­a change,¡± Elder Twig answers slowly. ¡°I mean no offence, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer,¡± he quickly adds. ¡°I do not mean to question the wisdom of the Pathwalkers." ¡°None taken,¡± I tell him. ¡°I want your honest opinion, that¡¯s all. And you¡¯re perfectly at liberty to question the wisdom of the Pathwalkers ¨C recent events have proven that it¡¯s not always as wise as it should be.¡± ¡°Then¡­I can say only that I need more time to see how the changes might affect our village ¨C for better or for worse. I will be glad, though, when I have eggs to care for again. I feel¡­lost without the hatchlings around.¡± My heart goes out to the Elder ¨C his body language reflects his words, drooping and despondent. ¡°We will have hatchlings again soon,¡± I tell him, doing my best to be soothing. ¡°Until then, we value your help with guiding the group of samurans under your care to the right kind of tasks for them. Your help may mean that we have even more Pathwalkers to take down to the meeting with us, which, to my understanding, should mean more eggs.¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± Elder Twig answers, still looking a little doubtful ¨C but a bit less despondent. I¡¯ll take it. I excuse myself and head out of the hut after checking that he still has sufficient supply of Energy Heart fragments for now. We¡¯re not giving many to the brood-mothers ¨C or perhaps I should say ¡®Elders¡¯ ¨C so as not to offer too much temptation to other samurans, but we have given each of them a few just to ensure that they don¡¯t need to come to me every time someone completes a task. Touching my network of Bonds, I find the one I¡¯m looking for and close my eyes to get an idea of her direction. Sensing it, I start walking towards her. Even better, my target is actually talking to the one I was going to speak to next. ¡°Flower, Tarra, just the samurans I need,¡± I say brightly, walking quickly to their sides. Tamer, they answer practically simultaneously. What can we do for you? continues Flower politely, Tarra just sending a sense of impatient question down the Bond and rippling in her spikes. ¡°I¡¯d like you to tell me what you know about these plants,¡± I say to them, laying the six plants down on the ground. Crouching over them, the two Pathwalkers share their knowledge. It¡¯s not a lot more than was already covered by a combination of the explanations from the samuran seekers and Inspect Flora. Tarra does add in a few facts that I didn¡¯t know, filling in the alchemical and healing uses for two of the plants. As it turns out, the ostrya cassine that I first examined is useful as a neutralising agent between many other reagents, preserving the strength of the reagents while allowing them to actually work together instead of causing problems. It¡¯s also good as a salve when pulped and placed over a wound caused by a sting or venomous bite. If the poison hasn¡¯t gone very far into the body, it can draw it out and make the wound easier to heal. The other plant, a type of bush, has mild intoxicating and healing effects ¨C one reason, apparently, why the creatures like eating it. Using Tarra¡¯s Healing Infusion, she can enhance the healing effects; by crushing it and squeezing out the juice within, she can extract its intoxicating effects. The plant which I figured was a dud turns out to be that exactly ¨C no diamond in the rough here. Apparently it can be made into a mild poison with Tarra¡¯s Transmutation, but it¡¯s such a poor poison that there really isn¡¯t any call for it ¨C Tarra can make far better poisons from other, more common ingredients. ¡°Do you think that these plants,¡± I indicate the five which have been identified as being worthy finds, ¡°could work well as food for captive herds of creatures?¡± Grower tilts her head to one side. This is your idea of¡­keeping animals, yes? To use them for food instead of hunting? ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± I answer. ¡°Farming.¡± And you think this will work? she asks doubtfully. Will we not eat through them too quickly? ¡°Well, that¡¯s kind of my question here,¡± I admit. ¡°Where I come from, animal farming is done as efficiently as possible. Food is grown for the sake of feeding animals for slaughter, and the food chosen is often types which will make the animals grow as quickly as possible.¡± I don¡¯t mention chemical pesticides or growth hormones or any of those other things ¨C it¡¯s not like it¡¯s relevant here. Though¡­there are herbal infusions here¡­. ¡°Samurans eat more meat than my people generally do ¨C most of our diet consists of non-meat products, though we do eat plenty of things which are from animals without killing them.¡± Mental note: send someone out looking for killer chickens, I think to myself. I¡¯m sure the samurans would be happy to eat eggs and I¡¯d enjoy being able to expand my recipe list a little. ¡°On my world, we were limited by the amount of space we had, the plants that we could grow and their speed in growing, and thereby how many animals we could support from birth to slaughter. Here, I¡¯m hoping that you might be able to help with at least one of those limitations,¡± I say directly to Flower. ¡°How does your Growth ability work?¡± I can definitely help speed up the growth of plants, Flower answers thoughtfully. Though by how much, I don¡¯t know. I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it over a massive space either. ¡°What about animals?¡± I don¡¯t know, she says bluntly. I¡¯ve never tried. But I would be willing to do so. ¡°And Tarra, do you think there¡¯s anything you could make with herbs which might increase the growth speed, or nutrition value of plants? Or perhaps increase the growth speed of animals?¡± I ask next, turning to the other Pathwalker. I¡¯d be interested to do some testing, she answers looking intrigued. ¡°Alright. Here¡¯s what I¡¯d like you two to do,¡± I say, quickly getting my thoughts straight before continuing. ¡°Flower, I¡¯d like you to organise groups of Unevolved going out to find a number of each of these plants, and then planting them in different sections of the ash field near the upper side of the village. I¡¯d like you to test what you can do with your ability. Also test what the ideal conditions of the plants are ¨C some like more or less water, others more or less sun.¡± I know there are also nutritional requirements for different plants, but I don¡¯t even know where to start there ¨C I have to just hope that the ash will offer a good start for the baby plants. ¡°At the same time, please experiment with your ability on animals ¨C see whether you can do anything.¡± ¡°Tarra-¡± She interrupts me. You want me to do similar ¨C to recruit one or more assistants to help me test different concoctions on the plants and animals. ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± I say, pleased I don¡¯t need to repeat myself. ¡°And don¡¯t forget that boiling, or baking, or burning plants with the use of fire might change their properties. I don¡¯t know how, but it might be worth exploring a bit.¡± She looks rather taken-aback, as if she hadn¡¯t thought of that possibility. ¡°Is everything clear? Any questions?¡± Tarra and Flower exchange a look. Let¡¯s go and find some assistants, sister, Tarra said with more than a little excitement visible in her spikes. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Nineteen: Choice to Merge Beside my hut and alone once more, I take a moment to navigate to my notifications ¨C I¡¯m pretty sure that I received one on the sixth time I cast Inspect Flora. Sure enough, when I check it, I find not just one message waiting for me, but two.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Beginner. Inspect Flora is now Novice 1. You are now capable of discovering more information about the plant in question and possible uses of it for the members of your network.
Next message / Close messages
It¡¯s quite a short message. Vague too. What does ¡®possible uses of it for the members of your network¡¯ mean? Is it going to tell me whether others can eat something as well as me? Or whether whatever alchemical benefit it offers applies to more than just me? I guess I¡¯ll have to find out. Before then, though, I decide to check out the other message ¨C I¡¯m too curious not to.
Congratulations! You have three Inspect Skills which you have practised sufficiently to attain the rank of Novice in each. You now have the choice to merge the Skills into one, or retain the individual Skills. Choosing to keep the Skills separate will result in no change to the current situation. The Skills will advance individually and develop their own functions relative to your use of them. Merging in the future may be possible if all Skills are in the same rank; the further the Skills are developed, however, the more difficult it is to preserve all functionalities. Merging the Skills at present will maintain all functionalities which do not directly conflict with each other. More functionalities may be discovered in the merging. Note: the more complex the Skill, the more practice and understanding is required to advance it.
Merge Skills / Retain individual Skills
Interesting, I think to myself. My brain works busily to try to process the content and implications of the notification. I¡¯m immediately drawn towards combining the Skills, especially since it indicates that all the current functionalities should be preserved. At least, as long as they don¡¯t ¡®directly conflict¡¯. Running through the various functions of each Skill, I don¡¯t think they do. Inspect Fauna gives me information about animals ¨C about their health, their mana, their basic fighting strategies, how much Willpower I need to Dominate them at that moment, whether they¡¯re open for a Bond, and sometimes a hint of how to get them to be more open to a Bond. It also gives me the option to gain less information, but for my probe to be less intrusive in order to not alert my target. Inspect Environment highlights resources in the area around me which can be useful in one way or another with a golden colour. It also indicates threats in red, and allies in blue. It gives me a sort of x-ray vision to an extent, allowing me to see through thin plant cover to plants or animals beyond. Its recent rank-up now means that I can search for something particular in my environment ¨C either something I can visualise, or all items which fulfil a particular function, like I did with trying to find the iron oxide in the iron ore. Inspect Flora is arguably the weakest of my Skills, probably because I haven¡¯t used it in many contexts. It gives me a little information about plants, telling me about whether the plant is edible or not, whether it has alchemical uses or not, and usually some sort of comment about its growth or how it should be treated. Now, apparently it should give me more information and links somehow to my Bound. Though, whether ¡®more information¡¯ means that it will tell me other facets ¨C if it tells me how to plant the flora for the purposes of farming, that would be pretty useful ¨C or it just gives me more detail of what it already says, I don¡¯t know. Either way, it would be useful ¨C maybe there will be fewer ¡®unknown¡¯s relating to alchemical uses. Considered like that, I don¡¯t see any ¡®conflicting¡¯ functionalities. Each Skill seems to cover a different area in a different way. Which means that I shouldn¡¯t need to worry about losing any of those aspects. And what if the functionalities can actually combine? I could send out a ¡®quieter¡¯ pulse to discover information about everything in the area around me without accidentally alerting a higher tier beast hiding in the bushes. Or I could check if a beast is edible or not. Or perhaps search for a plant with a particular characteristic. So many combinations might be possible. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. As long as it doesn¡¯t mean it does everything all the time, of course. But I don¡¯t think that that¡¯s likely. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m forced to use all functionalities of a single Skill all the time with anything else. Why would it suddenly be the case with this Skill? The warning at the end does give me a little pause ¨C the one about merged Skills taking more practice and understanding to advance. It might mean that passing the bottleneck between Journeyman and Master might be nigh on impossible. But considering the number of other Skills I have at that bottleneck ¨C with two even past it ¨C I figure that I don¡¯t need to rush my Inspection Skills to the top. Having a single multi-functional Skill which saves time and might warn me of things I wasn¡¯t even aware of would be more useful. Decided, I select the Merge Skill option and then quickly dive into my Core space. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be interesting to watch. Before my mental eyes, I see my Core space beginning to vibrate, a hum that is more felt than heard buzzing through me. Moving closer to where the three Inspect Skills are situated close together, I watch as they begin to shift. It¡¯s similar to when I¡¯ve seen Skills evolve and change in the past, yet different too. The Skills almost come to life, their lines and patterns reaching out to embrace each other, dancing together like flames in a fire. The weave that forms them becomes ever more complex, lines from Inspect Fauna interweaving with lines from Inspect Flora, which themselves have become entangled with Inspect Environment. It¡¯s like a ball of yarn that a kitten has been playing with, yet there is clear organisation too. As the lines begin to settle, I see flashes of patterns I recognised from the individual Skills, but they are so interwoven with the patterns from the other two Skills that I couldn¡¯t hope to separate them again. I see now why it would become more difficult to merge the Skills at higher ranks. Each time a Skill ranks up, it gains more complexity, the pattern in my mandala reflecting that. With how the three Skills have now interwoven, their task mesmerising enough, adding further complexities would have risked the lines being unable to find the right space to feed into while keeping the pattern the same. Right now, the combined Skill rivals my Journeymen Skills for complexity, though there is something missing. Some¡­depth to the Skill, or to the lines which form its pattern. I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it, but I can tell when I look at Tame that it is a higher rank than either Dominate or this new Inspect Skill, even though it is not more complex. And I can tell that Dominate is higher than this new Skill, even though it is less complex. Its patterns are¡­brighter. Clearer. More definite. Since the process seems to have ended, I pull out of my Core space and go to check the notification waiting for me.
You have merged three Skills: Inspect Fauna, Inspect Flora, and Inspect Environment. You have created a new Skill: Inspect. Your Skill level of Inspect has been reduced to the level of the lowest of the three combined to make it.
Close messages
I look at the last line in dismay ¨C the lowest of the three was Inspect Flora which has only just got to Novice one. Is this the effect of the greater practice and understanding which the pre-merge message warned about? Well, too late now. I focus on the new Skill name, calling up its description.
Inspect Use this Skill to discover information about living and non-living beings in and aspects of the environment around you. Choose to limit the amount of information available to you in exchange for maintaining secrecy. If you have a particular item, being, or feature in mind, use this Skill to search for it around you. Limitations may depend on your line of sight or your strength of will, according to the type of information you seek.
Close messages
It¡¯s very vague ¨C I¡¯d have liked a detailed list of exactly what it can and can¡¯t do. Then again, I suppose that the vague Skills have proven to be the most flexible ones. Look at Fire-Shaping or Earth-Shaping, for example. Their lack of definition was because of their lack of limitations. Perhaps Inspect will be the same. Closing the message, I decide to test it out. First not trying to focus on anything in particular, I invoke the Skill with its name. Inspect It feels like a wash of mana goes out in a pulse around me. I see a chunk of actual mana disappear from my bar ¨C it seems it¡¯s more resource-heavy than my other Inspect Skills used to be. I hadn¡¯t considered that when I was deciding whether to merge it or not. Well, too late now. Focussing on the results of my Inspect, I see that the mana has lingered in several areas. It¡¯s lighting up the iron oxide which I¡¯ve powdered and the charcoal I¡¯ve recently made. Those two are highlighted in bright gold, as are the spear I leant against the wall of my hut, and the axe which I¡¯ve been using to chop up branches which are too long. The firewood waiting to go into the charcoal oven is also glimmering slightly gold, but not as brightly as the previous bits. The stone which I¡¯ve separated from the iron oxide glimmers too, as does the charcoal oven itself. Beyond my immediate circle, I become aware of the presence of samurans. Walking past, inside the huts near me, sitting against a wall¡­I apparently don¡¯t need line of sight to know where they are and that they are not a threat to me. Information filters as well into my mind about the composition of the earth beneath my feet, the materials lying around me, and the hut behind me. And this is only a small area which has very few items lying around. The pulse seems to have reduced in strength the further it went, most of the information coming from the area directly around me, but it¡¯s still a lot of details. I¡¯m abruptly both excited and nervous about the idea of trying this out in the forest. I¡¯d better make sure that the first time I try it out, we¡¯re in a safe place and I¡¯ve got several fighters with me to help protect me if I end up reeling from information overload. Hopefully that doesn¡¯t happen ¨C it won¡¯t be much use if so. Though perhaps it¡¯s just because I didn¡¯t focus on something in particular. It seems like more experimentation is needed. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty: Glowing Chunk of Metal The sun dawns once more on a new day. Well, I think it has ¨C it¡¯s currently hiding behind thick clouds which have spent most of the night dumping rain on us. Thank goodness for the ceiling above our heads! I spent quite a long time experimenting with my new Skill yesterday afternoon, learning different ways of using it. I didn¡¯t end up going into the forest, but I feel more confident that when I do, I¡¯ll be able to moderate the amount of information I received. The Skill is as flexible as the vagueness of its description promised it would be, and I''m more and more glad that I chose to merge the three Inspects together. It does use more mana than each of those Skills did individually, but the amount of mana varies depending on the range and the complexity of the task I want to achieve. Trying to spot all enemies and allies within about ten metres around me is possible, but it requires almost a hundred units of mana, and a whole lot of concentration. Doing the same thing with only a metre¡¯s radius requires a fraction of the cost. Equally, finding detailed information about a single being or plant doesn¡¯t cost too much, but trying to discover that about a group both requires way too much mana and also gives me a splitting headache as I receive the information. It¡¯s possible to still have the information appear in a box in front of my eyes ¨C when focussing on a single plant or animal ¨C but it doesn¡¯t happen automatically. Instead, the default is that I absorb the information directly. I think I¡¯m going to have to dedicate some points to Intelligence as the Skill increases in rank or I¡¯ll probably find that I become incapable of absorbing or processing all the information it offers. With what was left of the afternoon yesterday, I started preparing my work area for my task this morning. I¡¯m hoping that tomorrow we¡¯ll be able to head up to visit Kalanthia ¨C I¡¯m itching to find out how everyone I left back there is doing. No doubt she feels the same way about Lathani, if not worse. After all, I know that they weren¡¯t intending on getting into any sort of dangerous situation; Kalanthia has no such confidence. Stepping past the number of Bound who are still sleeping ¨C lazy things, I think fondly ¨C I hoist myself out of the hut. Pulling some water out of my Inventory, I take a moment to eye the sky carefully as I refresh myself ¨C I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about to pour again, but it wouldn¡¯t be the first time I was wrong in predicting the weather. I haven¡¯t done anything particularly interesting with food recently ¨C I¡¯ve had other projects ¨C but at least I have a tasty stew which includes a few herbs and vegetables recommended to me by Tarra. I did Inspect them first to make sure that they are edible for humans as well as samurans, and all but one turned out to be fine for me. Trusting in my ability to heal myself if they react badly together, I bravely tried my own cooking last night. Since I¡¯m still feeling fine, and Flesh-Shaping indicates that there¡¯s been no damage, I figure I can eat it this morning too. And probably tonight as well ¨C I made more than enough for that. After satisfying my needs and going just into the edge of the forest to relieve myself, I return to the work area I built yesterday. Without Earth-Shaping, I¡¯d have needed far more time to create the structure, but with it, I was able to accomplish my task in less than half a day. Now that I¡¯ve powdered my iron oxide and created enough charcoal to be getting on with, I need to do the actual smelting. To this end, I¡¯ve formed a furnace out of thick clay. Several samurans helped me out yesterday by gathering lots of the substance from the local river, and Earth-Shaping helped me speed up the process of transforming it into the furnace faster than I would have thought possible. Magic helped me remove the stones, shape it into a large structure with even walls all around, get rid of air bubbles, and then remove the water content. It¡¯s a squat, ugly structure, wider at the base than it is at the top, with a small hole at the bottom and a larger hole at the top. Fortunately, I also built a shelter around it so it¡¯s not completely sodden now, undoing my good work. It¡¯s now ready for the next step: lighting the fire. Taking a few handfuls of charcoal ¨C which was fortunately also under shelter ¨C I drop them through the top of the furnace and into its belly. Igniting the fire is as simple as dragging mana to my fingertips and transforming it into fire magic, then letting it drip down onto the charcoal beneath. With careful control, I encourage the flames to catch on the charcoal. Without magic, I¡¯d have had to use kindling and branches to get the fire established enough to start burning the charcoal, but with Fire-Shaping, it¡¯s far simpler. Reaching down, I grab another double handful of charcoal and drop it down. Once the coals are glowing, I start pouring in the iron oxide powder on top of the charcoal. Bit by bit, I add more of the powdered metallic substance, focussing on keeping the fire burning hot in the furnace below. My brow furrows as I observe the changes happening to the fire. It¡¯s being starved of oxygen. Although there¡¯s a small hole down at the base of the furnace, it¡¯s not enough to keep the fire going. Not with the powdered iron oxide filling the flue and smothering it. I could give it more mana instead, but I¡¯ve got another idea. Pulling a piece of hide out of my Inventory and two bones, I focus on pouring mana into the items. It¡¯s not a thick hide or special in any sort of way, and Light Meditation helps me fill my mana pool almost as quickly as the hide absorbs it. I¡¯m able to keep an eye on the fire too, keeping it going despite my distraction. Once the hide and bones are fully saturated with my magic, I get going into shaping them. Fortunately, thanks to the knowledge I absorbed months ago when I first arrived here, I have an idea as to how to construct a basic pair of bellows. The key points are to have a sealed construction except for two holes, and to have valves on these two holes to make sure that the air only moves one way. The bones form the handles of my bellows and I thicken the hide around one of the holes to lengthen it into a nozzle. Doing a couple of test pumps, I pull the bone handles apart, then push them together. I¡¯m a little too enthusiastic the first time I yank the bone handles apart and have to put a bit of mana into repairing the rips I accidentally cause. After that, though, I only have to make a few small adjustments before air is rushing into the hole in the side of the bellows, and exiting through the nozzle. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Sticking the hide nozzle into the hole at the base of the furnace, I pump the bellows with enthusiasm. The fire immediately responds, consuming the oxygen hungrily, increasing in temperature. I pump harder, encouraging the fire to burn even brighter, sending its tendrils into the powder piled on top of it. Though I can¡¯t see the magic within the metal itself, I¡¯m fascinated as I watch the interaction between it and the fire. The fire isn¡¯t just melting it; it¡¯s transforming it. Good. Though the knowledge I gained from Nicholas¡¯ supplies doesn¡¯t go into the chemical changes iron undergoes when it¡¯s smelted, my secondary school knowledge of chemistry is enough to indicate that iron oxide needs to lose the oxide bit of it somehow ¨C the oxygen. And then, ideally, it will be replaced with a bit of carbon from the charcoal. I have no idea what the ideal ratio of iron to carbon is to make good steel, though; I might have to do some experimentation when I can find the time. For now, if I can smelt some spearheads to leave with the samurans when I go up-valley to visit Kalanthia, that will be enough. Dumping more iron oxide powder into the furnace as I see the previous handfuls being melted within the heat of the fire, I continue pumping the bellows and controlling the fire. By the time I have a good chunk of metal in there, I¡¯m sweating buckets. The furnace is sending out heat even through the thick clay walls, and the surrounding area is sweltering. The samurans have even started giving me a wide berth, clearly uncomfortable. All but one. An Unevolved. He¡¯s been watching me for the last while. He¡¯s actually one of my Tames, one of those who came with the hunting party. I¡¯m embarrassed to realise that I¡¯ve forgotten his name. A quick Inspect rectifies that. Since he¡¯s Tier one, I doubt he¡¯ll notice it. He certainly doesn¡¯t react. My Inspect tells me several things ¨C his health, which isn¡¯t full, his mana, which is, his name, Hurts-his-foot, and that he¡¯s injured his shoulder recently. A new benefit to my Inspect appears to be highlighting injuries with wisps of red. The wisps are more obvious on my Bound, but they appear even on non-bound. I¡¯m curious to see whether they will indicate injuries on enemies too ¨C that could be invaluable. But for now ¡°Hey, come here,¡± I tell him, standing up straight and beckoning him over. He moves close to me cautiously, looking more concerned at approaching me than the furnace. In fact, he seems fascinated with the furnace itself. ¡°You¡¯re injured?¡± I ask. It is nothing, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, he answers deferentially. ¡°Call me Markus,¡± I tell him with a hint of exasperation. ¡°What happened? And would you like me to heal it?¡± My fingers are itching to do it but I probably shouldn¡¯t just go ahead without his consent. I was hunting in the forest and my prey struck me before I could kill it, he answers indifferently. I would not ask you to waste your time on one such as me, he continues. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not asking,¡± I point out. ¡°I am. Unless you are against it, I¡¯d rather heal you.¡± The Unevolved looks rather startled at the question, then thoughtful, blue flickering through his spikes. Honoured Pathwalker Reducer said that you were unusually concerned for the health of the Unevolved, he comments. Catches-leaves said the same. I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s to everyone¡¯s benefit that the people collecting the resources are in good health,¡± I point out. ¡°For my part, though, when I have the ability to heal others, I¡¯d rather not leave them in unnecessary pain. Not my allies, anyway.¡± If only I¡¯d had this power back on Earth. I could have been spared a lot of heart-break. My father¡­my mother. The feelings twinge inside me, though not as badly as they used to. I suddenly realise that I haven¡¯t thought about my parents for a while. Or Lucy. Not sure how I feel about that ¨C or how I should feel ¨C I push the thoughts to the side. Then if you are willing to spare the time, I would gladly accept, Hurts-his-foot answers, unaware of my sudden internal turmoil. I quickly heal the damage ¨C not much more than deeply bruised muscles, to be fair. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯ve been watching me?¡± I ask curiously. The samuran, flickers of yellow fear going through his spikes, raises his chin towards the sky. If I have offended the Honoured Pathwalker, I apologise deeply. ¡°You haven¡¯t offended me,¡± I tell him, trying to keep my exasperation hidden. ¡°I was just wondering.¡± It''s¡­I was wondering what the Honoured Pathwalker was doing? he asked tentatively. ¡°I¡¯m trying to smelt iron,¡± I answer honestly, though the confusion that flickers through his spikes and in our Bond makes it clear that he has no idea what that means. ¡°Tell you what, you can watch what I¡¯m doing, if you like. If you have better things to do, you don¡¯t have to stay, but I don¡¯t have a problem with you observing as long as you don¡¯t get in my way.¡± I¡­I would appreciate that, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, Hurts-his-foot answers tentatively, but with an undercurrent of eagerness that intrigues me. ¡°Right, well, I¡¯m about to retrieve the hot metal from inside the furnace. Without magic, it would be much harder, but with magic, we save a lot of effort.¡± So saying, I reach out to the magic suffusing the clay furnace and connect with it again. Shaping a hole in the side of the furnace is difficult: the clay is hard and dry, as much from the intense heat it¡¯s been subjected to as my own efforts. In the end, I make do with creating a crack around a large chunk of the furnace¡¯s belly, and then using my control over the ground to make it move to the side. Moving the ground is easier: I treat it like a conveyor belt, the surface shifting towards me as the space it used to occupy is replaced by new soil. The red hot chunk of metal shifts with the section of the furnace, the charcoal which had been used to heat it almost burned away completely. I have to reinforce my hide armour to stop it cracking or bursting into flame from the heat; the bare skin revealed to the dimly glowing chunk of metal burns and I need to keep healing it. It¡¯s fortunate I¡¯ve had so much practice at multitasking with magic recently or I¡¯d be struggling now. I was hoping to have made the iron molten, but apparently I haven¡¯t managed to get the fire hot enough, despite my best efforts. Maybe next time. For now, I need a hammer ¨C any forging I do will need one, so I might as well attempt to make one now. Using Earth-shaping, I manipulate the earth to cut a chunk off the hunk of glowing metal and move it closer to me. Withdrawing a reinforced wooden mallet I got Sticks to make for me yesterday, I hope that this will work. Raising the mallet above my head, I bring it thumping down onto the glowing lump of metal. The first strike of many, and it feels good. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-One: A Good Way Of Increasing My Level In Fire-Shaping Metal-working seems to be a good way of increasing my level in Fire-Shaping, I muse as I receive a notification of it ranking up. It¡¯s nice to have something positive among all the frustration. I need to improve my process of creating metal weapons and tools since the first method I¡¯ve tried ¨C the basic one ¨C is rather slow. And requires skills I don¡¯t yet have in order to do it well. I¡¯ve sped up the process significantly, but all I¡¯ve been doing is the same thing I would have needed to do if I hadn¡¯t had magic available, only with less labour and less time needed. After cutting off the section of glowing metal, I used my wooden mallet to pound it into a rough hammer shape. Fortunately, though it¡¯s become a little blackened, the heavy wood of the mallet is far less immediately flammable than the vine-stranglers were. Fire-Shaping jumped a couple of levels when, deciding that waiting for it to cool naturally took too long, I worked out how to withdraw heat from the metal. That took a bit of exploration to discover, but in the end was relatively simple. The heat in the metal was caused by the fire magic suffusing it; withdrawing the fire magic caused it to cool rapidly. Testing proved that it didn¡¯t become more fragile as a result, fortunately. Fixing a handle onto the piece of metal simply required pulling out a bone and forming it around the middle of the rough chunk of metal. I did reinforce the handle significantly, not wanting it to be the weakest point of the tool. In the end, I created a metal hammer in a fraction of the time it took me to create a flint axe. Magic is wonderful. Using the hammer, I¡¯ve been able to beat another chunk of the glowing metal into a rough spearhead shape. But there I¡¯ve encountered problems. Namely, that I¡¯m far from an expert blacksmith. A proper blacksmith would know how much force to apply to form the shape he wants. I don¡¯t. I can make the rough shape, like I did with the hammer, but it¡¯s going to take a lot more practice before I¡¯ll be able to create something like a spear blade which doesn¡¯t have unforgivable weaknesses mid-blade because the metal is too thin, or is too chunky on one side. It¡¯s just as well I don¡¯t want to try making swords given how much difficulty I¡¯m having with something as simple as a spear blade. I had wanted to create some arrowheads for myself as well, but I think I need to find a better process since they have to be even more carefully balanced than a spear head. I have one advantage over the traditional blacksmith, though ¨C my Fire-Shaping. I¡¯ve just made a breakthrough on being able to adjust the heat in the blade directly, without needing the intermediary of the fire. And that, I think, is what¡¯s caused the rank up. Seeing as the spearhead I¡¯m working on is a failure anyway, I put my hammer to the side and look at my messages.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Novice. Fire-Shaping is now Journeyman 1. You have developed your understanding of the magic which underlies all fires. You have come to realise that heat and fire are irrevocably linked, but that one does not necessarily require the other with enough mana to make up the difference. You have also realised that cold is merely the absence of heat. You have therefore gained a greater awareness of the temperature in objects and beings in your surroundings, and a greater ability to manipulate it with fire magic.
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Dismissing the screen, I stare sightlessly in front of me. In some ways, that rank up was mostly descriptive ¨C explaining what I¡¯ve already discovered rather than giving me anything new. The greater awareness of the temperature in objects and beings in my surroundings could be invaluable, though, if it means what I think it might. Could I have developed a sense more like a snake¡¯s heat vision, or something? If I ever encounter something which can hide from my Inspect, they might not have been able to hide their heat signature. Well, even if it doesn¡¯t mean that exactly, the fact that it explicitly states that I can exchange mana for heat without having to necessarily have a fire involved will definitely make my crafting here easier. Already, being able to keep the heat in the metal while pounding it with my hammer has been useful and something a traditional blacksmith wouldn¡¯t have. In fact, it might even mean that I can try a different crafting method, one which would have been nigh on impossible for me previously with the tools and materials I have to hand, but now¡­. Honoured Markus? What is wrong? Happy asks inquiringly from where he is standing patiently, observing my every move. I managed to convince him to at least leave off the ¡®Pathwalker Tamer¡¯ bit every other sentence, but just like Catch, he doesn¡¯t seem willing to call me by my bare name. Fortunately, the more I¡¯ve been willing to answer his questions, the more questions he¡¯s felt confident asking. It¡¯s actually been good for me too ¨C I¡¯ve been able to work through some issues just by explaining them to him, and then spotting the answer partway through my explanation. He¡¯s also been able to offer a couple of surprisingly insightful comments. I¡¯m becoming more and more convinced that he has an instinctual understanding of metal that rivals what I remember from school and what I¡¯ve received through absorbed knowledge. It¡¯s not that he¡¯s somehow become a blacksmith or scientist on this world, but he¡¯s been able to recognise when the metal is soft and pure enough to mould. And that¡¯s without any experience or actual magic. I¡¯ll have to talk to Tarra and find out whether River showed any inclination towards herbalism when younger ¨C and if that¡¯s the reason she decided to invite the Unevolved to become her assistant. As for why I¡¯ve decided to call him ¡®Happy¡¯, it¡¯s a slightly convoluted thought process which essentially links the ¡®foot¡¯ in his name to a dancing penguin movie I saw a few years back. And I¡¯d rather not call him ¡®hurts¡¯ or ¡®foot¡¯, as is my usual habit when picking nicknames. I checked with him whether the nickname was acceptable, but he seemed rather pleased to be given it. Maybe he didn¡¯t like his name or something. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± I belatedly answer Happy¡¯s question. ¡°My Fire-Shaping Skill has just ranked up which should help us do something a little more experimental.¡± More experimental? he asks, sounding slightly startled. I haven¡¯t hidden the fact from him that this is my first time actually doing this sort of thing. ¡°Yes. Up until this point, I¡¯ve been using a method that, technically, anyone could do with the right material. But now, I want to try something which is only possible with magic. Here, at least. Where I come from, there are processes which do it all the time, but we don¡¯t have the resources or experience they do.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Can I help in any way? he asks. I consider it, then shake my head. ¡°Just watch what I''m doing.¡± An idea occurs, a question which might be interesting to have answered. ¡°See if you can spot any differences between what I¡¯m doing now and what I did earlier.¡± Pulling some more clay from my Inventory, I make a large cup shape, then push the still-glowing hunk of metal from the ground into it with the help of my hammer. Moving the earth beneath the cup and the section of furnace I previously removed like a conveyer belt again, the cup is shut inside. There is no charcoal this time and nerves send butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I think through what I¡¯m about to try. The furnace is still quite hot: even if I haven¡¯t been stoking the fire within, the heat has thoroughly sunk into its clay walls. Closing my eyes, I focus with my magic vision, observing the earth and fire magic intertwining in the clay walls, the fire magic filling the space within the furnace. Looking deeper inside, at the metal within the cup, I see the fire magic interacting with¡­something. But I cannot see what it is interacting with. Like being able to hear half of a phone conversation. Logically, I can guess what it is: just like there is fire magic in fire, and earth magic in earth, there must be metal magic or something in metal. I¡¯d love to learn how to be a Metal-Shaper too, but there is time enough for learning that later. I don¡¯t want to spend three days focussing on the nature of metal. Or more. Not right now, anyway. I realise that I indeed have a greater awareness of the heat, of how much the fire magic is affecting its surroundings. And that there is heat even in places where fire magic is not so evident, like in the soil and air around the furnace, or the hut walls which are in the sun. I¡¯ll definitely need to explore that later too. But for now, I focus on the metal inside the cup. I can connect easily to the fire magic within it: it was heated by a fire that I controlled, and I have been trying to keep its temperature high even after removing it from the furnace. This time, I want to try something different, though. I don¡¯t merely want to maintain a temperature; I want to increase it. And increase it massively. To that end, I drop as deeply into Meditation as I dare. Not quite into Medium Meditation, but the very limits between it and Light Meditation. I become less aware of my surroundings, though not completely unconscious of them. Instead, my whole focus is on the glowing chunk of fire and metal magic hidden from my physical eyes by the furnace. Into that, I start trickling mana, focussing on wanting it to go directly to heat. I don¡¯t want flame; I don¡¯t want ash. I want heat. I feel my mana obey me happily: it is part of me; it wants what I want. A trickle becomes a stream, but there I stop it from growing further. It would like to ¨C mana seems to want to be used, in as much as it can ¡®want¡¯ anything. It eagerly flows out of me, but if I let it all go at once, it will be a flood rather than a stream. I suspect that, just like if I poured a flood of water on the metal before me, I wouldn¡¯t get the result I wanted. Instead, I feed the metal with my fire-aligned mana, focussing on more and more heat. My new temperature awareness informs me that I¡¯m having an effect. It doesn¡¯t give me any indications of Celsius or Fahrenheit, or any sort of objective measurement, but it informs me that the metal in the furnace before me is now hotter than anything I¡¯ve encountered, save the inferno which I controlled to cut a swathe through the vine-stranglers. But I want it hotter still. The cup inside the furnace changes slowly with the increased heat, the earth magic starting to become agitated. I break briefly from my focus on the metal inside it to calm the earth magic, reinforcing it further. Something tells me that agitating earth magic like that is not a good idea unless I want to hurt someone. Once it¡¯s more under control, I return my focus to the metal, picking up where I left off. It has reduced slightly in temperature since I broke away, but I quickly make up that ground again and continue feeding it with heat-focussed fire magic. Slowly, I see the metal change. Its shape softens, fills the cup fully instead of holding itself apart. It starts to affect the clay cup itself, and I suddenly realise that I can see more than I could before. Working with the fire magic, I became aware of it. Interacting with the fire and earth magic, I start to be able to see its shape and movements. Something tantalises the edge of my awareness, the thought of where earth and fire magic might become one¡­. The magic wobbles and threatens to go out of control, so I quickly concentrate back on the task at hand. I still can¡¯t see the metal magic itself, but I become confident that if I studied this for a while, I might be able to start gleaning useful understanding from it which would enable me to do so. But my mana is starting to run dry. Even my increased regeneration isn¡¯t enough to keep up with what I am spending, and I¡¯m getting to my last hundred units. The metal has softened and liquified; that is enough. More than enough, really. Breaking away my focus once more, I quickly form three casts out of clay, cursing myself for not doing it before starting this experiment. Once more cracking the furnace side and using a conveyor belt to pull the crucible out of its interior, I find I have to back away, Happy moving with me as the sheer heat radiating off the molten metal beats at our faces. ¡°Pass me that bone,¡± I order Happy, not taking my eyes off the metal in front of me. The metal now open to the far-cooler air, I¡¯m having to work hard to keep it from reducing in temperature all too quickly. I need it to stay molten. A bone meets my hand, fortunately the one I wanted. It¡¯s already full of my magic, so all I need to do is keep it from charring under the influence of the blisteringly hot metal and crucible while I reform it to be a grip around the clay cup. I redirect the heat from the bone and from the cup itself back into the molten metal to aid my efforts to keep it liquid. ¡°Keep out the way,¡± I warn Happy. He¡¯s staring at the crucible, fascinated. I don¡¯t blame him ¨C I¡¯m rather interested in the glowing liquid myself ¨C but I don¡¯t want to accidentally bump into him, or have him jar me in any way. Lifting the crucible by the very end of the bone handle, I shift it very carefully towards the clay casts I¡¯ve just formed. So far clay has worked well to withstand the massive temperatures we¡¯re dealing with here; I hope that will continue to be the case. Controlling the crucible takes almost as much concentration as keeping the temperatures within it as high as they need to be. I shuffle slowly, each twitch of my fingers threatening to send molten metal everywhere. Finally getting the cup to the right place, I tip it gently, filling the first cast. The syrupy glowing liquid quickly fills the holes and levels out ¨C just what I was hoping would be the case. No worries about accidental hammer strikes making the metal too thin when it¡¯s a pre-made mould. I¡¯m about to start filling the second cast when I realise that there¡¯s a problem with the first. Physically, I see that the surface is starting to bubble, bits of metal spitting out of the cast entirely. With my magical sight, I realise that the situation is worse than I thought. The earth magic surrounding the metal is more agitated than the clay cup had been inside the furnace. I try to connect to it, but my attempts are too little, too late. ¡°Watch out!¡± I cry, dropping the crucible and diving to the ground as the mould abruptly explodes. Nothing lands on me, but I hear two cries of pain ring through the air. Looking up, I see two samurans passing by have been struck by molten metal. Running towards them, I spare a glance for Happy. He¡¯s fine, fortunately. Indeed, even as I reach the first of the hurt samurans and start apologising even as I push healing magic into them, I see that he¡¯s moved to stare at the molten metal spread across the ground from where I dropped the crucible, his head cocked to one side in interest. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Two: Is It Time? Is it time? Bastet asks as I sit up. ¡°Yes,¡± I answer. Finally! exclaims Lathani, leaping to her feet, almost vibrating with energy. The rest of my Bound aren¡¯t quite so enthusiastic, but they stir with more or less grumbling. It¡¯s early; the sun isn¡¯t even up yet. Aingeal happily lights the area for us, brightening a bit so that we can all see where everyone else¡¯s limbs are. I sometimes feel guilty at asking him to be a glorified torch when he¡¯s a living, thinking being ¨C well, for a definition of ¡®living¡¯ and ¡®thinking¡¯, anyway. He seems to like it well enough, though ¨C he just seems to want to do things. I send him his daily dose of fire-aligned mana which he happily accepts. I take a moment to go through my Inventory, making sure that everything is present that should be ¨C and that none of the things that shouldn¡¯t be are there. After all my work yesterday with the smelting and casting of spear heads, and then spending time sharpening them with Happy¡¯s help, I would hate to accidentally walk away with them ¨C I want them to be used by the samurans, not be rusting away in my Inventory. Not that they¡¯d actually rust in it, given the stasis effect. Last night I spent some time making a few different meals with the meat and plants the Unevolved had collected during the day. I now have more variety in my Inventory again, which makes me happy. I pull out a ¡®breakfast wrap¡¯ which I made with a couple of eggs the hunters found and some pseudo flour ground from some nuts and held together with an edible leaf around the outside. Taking a bite, I hum in surprised pleasure. The leaf actually isn¡¯t all that bad. A bit like tough lettuce. And the nut flour is, as expected, nutty, a flavour which goes surprisingly well with the strong-tasting eggs. We¡¯re going to try to make it all the way back to Kalanthia¡¯s cave in one day. Our success is going to depend on how much we¡¯re attacked. Given how fast everyone can move these days, it should be possible, but if we¡¯re caught in more than a couple of fights, we may find ourselves needing to decide whether to keep running through the darkness or not. That¡¯s why we¡¯re getting up so early ¨C we want to leave before the sun is properly over the horizon to maximise our daylight hours. Especially since the day and night are now almost equal in length, the day slightly shorter than the night. It does mean I¡¯ve had to double the layer of my spider-silk for sleeping ¨C the mornings in particular are quite chilly. After my last triple-check of our resources, I follow my Bound out of the hut. Lathani and Bastet gravitate to me. River too ¨C the last couple of nights she¡¯s come to join the rest of us in ¡®my¡¯ hut. I have to admit that I¡¯ve appreciated having her back with us. Fenrir seems to have enjoyed it too ¨C he¡¯s now big enough to flop over both of us when he sleeps. Honey has been joining us as well, inching closer every night. She still hasn¡¯t come to a decision over whether or not to switch her Bond to Dominate or Companion Bond so I can fix her Energy channels. I¡¯m not rushing her ¨C according to her status screen, she still has a good way to go until she¡¯ll be able to Evolve. Though I suspect that it¡¯s better to fix it sooner rather than later: building Energy channels around damage has got to be setting up problems for later Evolutions. At least, that¡¯s my guess. A weight landing on my shoulder informs me of another member of our band coming to join us. Sirocco doesn¡¯t like joining us in the hut, so has been perched on the roof. Spine, Shakira, and Trinity are all too big to get inside, so they¡¯ve been sleeping just beyond the front door. They¡¯re ready to go as much as we are. Pride has joined them the last few nights ¨C he finds getting in and out of the hut difficult too with his prominent dorsal ridge. Komodo and Thorn are still rather stand-offish, but have, like Honey, slowly been getting closer to us. A part of that is probably due to how wet the nights have been recently. Their shapes allow them to get in and out of the hut reasonably well, especially after I added a slope on the inside ¨C my visit to the hatchlings¡¯ hut inspired me. I also created a sheltered area outside for those who couldn¡¯t make it inside the hut properly. Thorn is another one I hope will Bind himself closer to me at some point ¨C I¡¯ve healed his physical wounds, but he was hit with Raven¡¯s jet of acid, so I¡¯m sure there¡¯s damage to his internal channels. Unlike Honey, so far he¡¯s been rather decisive in his refusal, though. Seeing as we¡¯re all here, I signal the group to start heading towards the up-valley gateway. As we pass two Unevolved sleeping huts, I spot a figure hesitating in the shadows. Narrowing my eyes at it, I realise as we get closer that it¡¯s Catch. Seeing that I¡¯ve spotted him, he sidles over to me looking more than a bit uncertain. Honoured Markus, I was unsure¡­do you wish me to join you? The question makes me hesitate a moment. Honestly, I¡¯d been assuming that he wouldn¡¯t want to. Now that his sight is fixed, he seems to be doing very well as a hunter in the village. From what I can tell, he¡¯s been earning Energy Heart fragments at a rate practically unmatched among the other villagers. ¡°Do you want to?¡± I ask him carefully. I don¡¯t want him to feel obliged in any sort of way. I don¡¯t want to be in the way, he answers carefully, but the hint of longing in his spikes is overshadowed by the wave which comes over from his side of the Bond. I take a moment to phrase my words carefully, sensing that this is an important moment. ¡°If you want to come with me, with us, you are welcome to do so,¡± I say deliberately, pushing sincerity down the Bond between us. ¡°But I¡¯ve seen how hard you¡¯ve been working for the good of the village. If you would like to stay here and continue that, you are welcome to do that too.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Catch looks away for a moment, a sudden feeling of anguish shooting through the Bond like a spear to my heart. I¡­I did not do it for the village, he replies quietly. I puzzle over that for a moment. If he didn¡¯t do it for the village, who did he do it for? And then it strikes me. The unspoken words which should follow: I did it for you. ¡°Why¡­?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, even as I realise it was a mistake when he physically recoils from me, shame rippling both through his spikes and across our Bond. It¡¯s so strong that I actually step towards him, my hand raised to¡­I don¡¯t know what. I lay it on his shoulder, glad that he doesn¡¯t flinch back from me ¨C I seem to be misstepping a little this morning. Hopefully it¡¯s not setting the tone for the day or the meeting with Kalanthia that will follow. I was not strong enough to come with you before, he explains in almost a whisper, the shame intensifying within his Bond. I mentally signal my Bound to keep moving slowly towards the gateway ¨C I suspect that Catch would rather have less of an audience. ¡°Six of my Bound died in that battle,¡± I say to him heavily. ¡°And two of them were Warriors. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t bring you with me, because I know that you would have been at my side¡­and I wouldn¡¯t have wanted you to pay that price for your loyalty.¡± But if I had been stronger, if I had been able to fight- ¡°The outcome would have been the same,¡± I interrupt, ¡°except that perhaps you would have been among the dead. We had no chance of beating our opponent except with perhaps another ten Warriors and more combat-capable Pathwalkers. And preferably an advantage in knowledge or preparation time. He was just too powerful.¡± He is silent for a long moment, but I sense that my words have done something to soothe him. ¡°Is that why you have been working so hard? I thought that you wanted to help your village?¡± I ask a bit awkwardly. He gives his version of a shrug. I wish to get stronger to be of more use to you, and earning Energy Heart pieces and hunting is the only way to do that. Chagrin goes through me and I sigh, rubbing a hand across my face. ¡°Catch¡­I¡¯m sorry. Really sorry,¡± I apologise fervently. ¡°I¡¯ve neglected you and hadn¡¯t even realised it. I honestly thought that you had fitted back into the village, that you and Pride were having fun hunting together. That¡­you weren¡¯t interested in building a closer bond with the rest of our group. I made assumptions ¨C and an ass out of myself. I should have at least spoken to you about it. ¡°Listen, if you want Energy Hearts to advance, you can have them. As long as you use them carefully so that they don¡¯t harm your advancement, however they do that, then you can have as many as you need. You are part of a small group of beings who have dedicated themselves willingly to me and I should have remembered that. My Companions will receive everything they need as long as I am capable of giving it,¡± I tell him earnestly, feeling awful inside. I¡¯d barely thought about Catch, and when I had considered him, I¡¯d made assumptions based on his actions rather than talking to him. I should have realised that I would have to be the one to approach him ¨C culturally, he was taught not to ask anything of a Pathwalker; when I became the leader of the village, it could only have made things more difficult for him. He looks rather surprised at the depths of my apology ¨C or perhaps that I was giving him one at all. Clearly, he thinks that the problem is from his side, because of his ¡®weakness¡¯. Does that mean I can come? he asks, sounding a little confused. ¡°It means that I¡¯d like you to come,¡± I correct. Flickers of blue go through his spikes and he straightens up with hope drifting across the Bond. Thank you, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, he answers, tilting his chin to the sky. I point at him, narrowing my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®Markus¡¯ to you ¨C or Honoured Markus if you don¡¯t want to use that.¡± Relief combines with the hints of hope. Thank you¡­Honoured Markus, he answers whole-heartedly. ¡°Alright,¡± I tell him, glancing at where my Bound are almost at the gateway. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. Have you got everything you need? Do you have a weapon to use?¡± We walk quickly towards the gateway and the farewell party waiting there, even while I do my best to ensure that my previous neglect isn¡¯t continued any longer. Reaching the gateway, almost at the same time as the rest of my Bound, I see Shrieks accompanied by his four top Warriors, along with the five other Pathwalkers. River, of course, is coming with us ¨C even though I suggested she continue with her experiments here, she wouldn¡¯t hear of it. I¡¯m not exactly sure why she was so determind to accompany us ¨C I didn¡¯t think that she and Kalanthia got along so well¡­. Maybe she left something at the alcove which she wants to retrieve. Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, we wish you all the best on your mission, Shrieks rumbles. I haven¡¯t told them exactly what I¡¯m doing, only that I¡¯m going to be away for a few days but no longer than a week. I would feel more reassured about your and Honoured Pathwalker Reducer¡¯s safety if you would take with you Plays-with-poison, Bites-a-leaf, and Jumps-over-a-rock. ¡°Are you sure you can spare them from the defence of the village?¡± I ask, not surprised ¨C he¡¯s been trying to suggest Warriors ever since he heard that I was leaving. ¡°We have plenty of protection with all of my Bound.¡± He lifts his chin slightly in respectful acknowledgement, but the feeling I get over the Bond is implacable determination. Our village is well-defended. We are not travelling through dangerous forest terrain, he answers. For your benefit, and that of the village, I implore you to take them with you. They will guard you and Pathwalker River well. I eye the three samurans. I remember them from the ranking fights. Plays-with-poison was the scout-type who used an alchemical powder to hide his position and threw poisoned daggers at me. Bites-a-leaf was the one with a bola which took me a little by surprise. Jumps-over-a-rock is another scout-type Warrior whose speed ¨C enhanced by his special ability ¨C would have been more problematic if not for Bastet. They¡¯re good choices, actually. Especially since we have powerful defenders in Trinity, Komodo, and Fenrir. ¡°Alright, fine. As long as you¡¯re confident that you have enough Warriors to defend everyone else, we¡¯ll accept them.¡± I already have a Bond with each of them so that won¡¯t be an issue. Shrieks lifts his chin again as the three come to join our party. After a few more words of farewell and good luck ¨C and a couple of resentful glares from Windy ¨C we¡¯re off. ¡°Come on everyone, let¡¯s try to be there by dusk.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Three: The Disaster You Court We make it, just. The sun has already disappeared below the horizon by the time the familiar landmarks start hoving into view. I find I need to drop into Fade so that I can benefit from my more accurate night vision before we make it to the foot of the hill. Aingeal lights our passage up the slope itself, its brightness carefully dimmed to the point where it won¡¯t disrupt our dark-adjusted eyes. While we should be safe in this area, I¡¯ve learned that it¡¯s better not to make assumptions about that. I rather hope that the welcome back this time is less dramatic than the last two times. Lathani is practically vibrating by my side, running forwards a few steps and then waiting impatiently for the rest of us to catch up with her. ¡°Just go on ahead,¡± I tell her with a hint of amusement. She doesn¡¯t need to be told twice, disappearing up the slope like a streak of lightning. Bastet eyes me hopefully. ¡°Go on,¡± I sigh, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. Using her wings to help her, the raptorcat also rapidly vanishes. The rest of us continue at a more sedate pace ¨C after the gruelling trek we¡¯ve had up the mountain side to get here, we¡¯re all feeling in need of a good rest. Fortunately, we¡¯ve only had a couple of fights, and with the number of fighters all travelling together, they were over quickly. Having seven Tier twos is rather overkill for the enemies we usually face up-mountain of the village ¨C and that¡¯s without counting me. I suspect that it will be a different story when we travel down-mountain to the samuran meet-up. But hopefully by that point we¡¯ll have a few more Tier twos in our ranks. Maybe even a Tier three or two¡­. But those are later concerns. For now, I feel a sense of nervousness mixed with excitement as we approach the plateau at the top of the slope. As we do so, I feel pleasure pouring down the Bonds from Lathani and Bastet. As soon as the plateau comes into view, I see why. Bastet is surrounded by three fluffy raptorcat cubs ¨C well, juveniles. In fact, they¡¯re looking far more like adolescents than cubs now. Though they still have some down among their feather-fur, most of it looks like Bastet¡¯s coat. They¡¯re still only half her size, but half her size is significantly bigger than the tiny cubs they used to be. Heck, I reckon that they¡¯ve grown just in the time we¡¯ve been away! They¡¯re all crowded so closely together that it¡¯s hard to tell where one raptorcat begins and the other ends. Lathani is pressed tightly against her mother too, almost buried in the massive nunda¡¯s fur. The young nunda¡¯s increase in size is obvious from how she is still visible, even pressed as firmly against Kalanthia as she is. As I pause at the top of the slope, satisfaction filling me at the sight, Kalanthia lifts her head and opens her golden eyes. Welcome back, Markus Wolfe, she says calmly. You have brought my cub back to me, and I thank you for it. Relief fills me ¨C I was half-expecting her to immediately tear into me about the damage to Lathani¡¯s Energy channels. However, as she continues speaking, it becomes obvious that I might have relaxed too soon. However, I can see that she has been in some serious battles ¨C and has taken serious wounds. I hope that you have a solution in mind for the further damage that she¡¯s received in your service, she warns, her eyes becoming far more intent and predatory. I swallow dryly, my pleasure at seeing her well overshadowed by fear. But I try to push past that ¨C I do have a solution in mind. Kind of. Walking towards her, I indicate to the rest of my Bound to go and get themselves settled and to have a break. I also make a quick detour to dump a few carcasses on the ground for the carnivores to consume ¨C the herbivores have been snatching food en route. I take a moment to send a brief message of greeting to all the Bound nearby who I¡¯d left here. Then I¡¯m only a body length away from Kalanthia and need to focus my attention on her. ¡°We did have a rather difficult fight,¡± I admit. ¡°It was with a Tier three with an attack which damaged the Energy channels of any who came into contact with it.¡± And you took my cub into such a fight? Kalanthia asks, deceptively calmly, though I see the way her claws scythe out of her paws and dig into the earth below. I almost wince at the sight of those sword-like weapons only a foot away from me. ¡°As I took all those I thought would be good fighters,¡± I answer levelly. ¡°I will admit that I underestimated the opponent that we would face. But I have managed to heal the injuries of almost all those who joined us in the fight and survived ¨C both physical wounds and those to their Energy channels. That some have not yet been healed is either because of the type of Bond we have in Thorn¡¯s and Honey¡¯s case, or the fact that I don¡¯t want to risk making Lathani¡¯s existing damage worse in her case. I wanted to get whatever guidance I could from you before risking causing Lathani further injury.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Kalanthia eyes me for a long moment, but I just meet her gaze levelly. I was pretty sure she would challenge me on this, and actually she¡¯s been far more reasonable so far than I was expecting. Are you telling me that you are somehow able to affect the Energy channels of others? Even those not directly connected to you? Her tone is unreadable. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m able to help others become aware of their Energy channels and heal them,¡± I confirm. ¡°But they must be connected to me through Dominate or a variation of that Bond. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t help Honey or Thorn ¨C they have Tame Bonds,¡± I explain. Hm, Kalanthia rumbles, looking down and stroking her cheek against her cub. How long are you staying here this time, Markus Wolfe? ¡°About that¡­¡± I say hesitantly. I¡¯ve thought about how to phrase the invitation several times since departing from the samuran village. ¡°How do you feel about leaving this place and making a new home further down into the valley?¡± The massive nunda eyes me carefully. I would need more information to give any sort of answer, she responds warily. ¡°Well, as Lathani will probably tell you, I succeeded in gaining leadership over the village. I will say now that I do not intend to Bind every single member of it to me directly, but I have Bound the Tier twos, who make up its leadership, and beat all of them in single combat, making me the top ¡®villager¡¯. I am now in a position to pretty much guarantee Lathani¡¯s safety and to bring the resources of the village to bear to help her. I¡¯ve already got their herbalist working on ways to help her.¡± Among other tasks. Then you are in a position to discuss reparations that they owe my cub for the damage they did? Kalanthia asks pointedly. And to give me her principal torturers. ¡°Yes to the reparations, if you feel them necessary,¡± I agree carefully, ¡°but the instigator of the conflict in the first place ¨C the shaman ¨C is now dead. She¡¯s the one who conceived of the plan to kidnap Lathani in the first place, and then ordered the party to come here.¡± You have robbed me of my chance for revenge then, Kalanthia growls slightly, narrowing her eyes. Lathani makes a few disgruntled noises into her mother¡¯s chest and the massive nunda calms a little. I sense that I need to be very careful here and take a couple of moments to marshal my thoughts. ¡°I spoke to Lathani after the shaman¡¯s death to find out how she felt about it coming at the hand of someone else. She was conflicted at the time, but ultimately concluded that the shaman being dead was the most important thing. She requested that, if any of the others were to be killed, that she might be allowed to do the deed, but she left it up to me to choose. As it happens, I was able to convince everyone else to submit to a Bond instead of death.¡± Kalanthia snorts softly, though I can¡¯t tell whether it¡¯s contempt for them making such a choice, disagreement that this is sufficient retribution to what they did, or allowed to be done, to Lathani, or something else. ¡°I know you wanted to rip through the samuran village in revenge for what they put Lathani through, but in my world there is a saying: the best revenge is a life lived well. Is it not better that they ¨C we ¨C help Lathani become fully healed and advance with a powerful Evolution than that you bathe in blood?¡± I wait, barely daring to breathe as she considers my words. Although I was angry too at how Lathani had been treated by the samurans, and had been willing to kill anyone connected to the event¡­my feelings have changed. In learning more about the samurans, about their society and their motivations, after facing each of the Pathwalkers in a Battle of Wills¡­ I have a different perspective than I used to on the situation. They were wrong to kidnap Lathani, and wrong to essentially torture her into becoming a spirit guardian. But, as I said to Kalanthia, the main instigator for both those events is gone, and they¡¯ve suffered as a village with the loss of their hatchlings. While I am totally in agreement with the idea of the village pulling together to offer Lathani resources and aid which will help her in compensation for the pain and anguish they put her through, even if I can heal her fully, I don¡¯t want Kalanthia claiming a tithe of blood. However, she¡¯s Lathani¡¯s mother so is no doubt infinitely more outraged at her cub¡¯s treatment than I was. I will consider it, she answers noncommittally after a moment of thought. Well, at least it wasn¡¯t an immediate ¡®no¡¯, nor has she become furious at my words which, frankly, is far more reasonable than I was expecting. Is this the only reason for your invitation? ¡°Oh, no,¡± I quickly answer, realising that I¡¯ve forgotten to talk about the thing which I had intended to make my primary point. ¡°Right, you remember we talked about Pure Energy after the last time I came back?¡± Of course. The fact that you were able to heal your own Energy channels afterwards is no doubt the only reason you have been able to do the same with your Bound. ¡°Pretty much,¡± I agree, before moving back to my point. ¡°How would you feel about making a den near a Pure Energy stream, benefiting from the heightened Energy in the air around it?¡± Kalanthia goes very still, her eyes even more intent than they had been before. Are you being completely serious here, Markus Wolfe? Do you have ongoing, unchallenged access to the same undiluted Pure Energy which you encountered last time? I smile a little smugly. ¡°Completely, and yes, I do.¡± Then you do not know the disaster you court, she warns, her eyes larger and more alarmed than I¡¯ve ever seen them. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Four: A Careful Eye ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask, alarmed myself at her wariness. Do you recall what I spoke of when we discussed why I have created my den here? ¡°Yes, you moved away from the samurans because they were trying to attack you, and you thought that they wouldn¡¯t follow you into an area with less Energy density.¡± That is true, but it was also because I did not want to take Lathani too far into the valley. I do not want to go too far into the valley: there are beasts at its base which are far, far more powerful than I am. They spend all their time soaking in the Energy that is to be found in the lake which covers the feet of the mountains. But should they discover a different source of Energy, one that is far stronger than the diluted Energy they soak in all day¡­? ¡°You think they would come to claim the area?¡± I ask, feeling fear creep up upon me and seize my heart with its icy claws. I do not think it. I know it. To Beasts who have undergone four Evolutions, there is nothing more important than undergoing the fifth. They are only peaceful because it is far less beneficial to them to fight than to merely absorb and process the Energy of the lakewater. But if one threatens to impinge on their territory, they will defend it with the might of a mountain. They, of all of us, are the only ones who could absorb Pure Energy as if it were merely the Energy in the air around us ¨C an open stream of it would be attractive beyond measure. And in the process of obtaining it, they would obliterate any who sought to guard it from them ¨C or even remained in the vicinity. I shake my head, not in negation, but in confusion. ¡°But why don¡¯t they just find a Pure Energy stream of their own, then? Raven is only a Tier three and he managed ¨C if these are Tier fives, then they should be well-able to do it too.¡± Raven? Kalanthia asks blankly. I realise that I haven¡¯t actually told her anything about what happened beyond the fight with a powerful beast, so quickly rectify that. ¡°So yeah, if Raven could get into the Pure Energy stream with acid and a rock, and I could make a small basin with a beginner¡¯s level of Earth-Shaping, then how couldn¡¯t someone like you easily get at it yourself?¡± Then I add another question which had occurred to me earlier. ¡°And how, if only Tier fives are able to absorb Pure Energy without an issue, are Raven¡¯s eggs able to absorb it? They can¡¯t be Tier five, surely?¡± If I am completely honest with you, Markus Wolfe, I do not know the answers to your questions, Kalanthia admits. All I know is that I have never been able to sense one of these streams myself and that if the beasts from the valley below could access undiluted Pure Energy, they would do so. Which indicates to me that either they cannot do as you suggest, or they do not, for whatever reason. If it is the latter, I am not any more reassured about the wisdom of making a den anywhere near an open Pure Energy stream. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I frown, not following her logic. Because, answers the nunda grimly, if those beasts have made an agreement not to access the Pure Energy stream directly for some reason, I highly doubt that they would permit anyone else to do so either. I abruptly see what she means. ¡°And if someone else does it, they would all descend on that person like a pile of bricks,¡± I conclude. Precisely. I sigh and sit down, leaning back on my hands to stare at the dark sky above. If not for Aingeal still lighting my immediate area, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see anything ¨C neither of the moons has risen yet. ¡°Nothing seems to have come to investigate,¡± I say hopefully. ¡°Raven indicated that he kept a careful eye after the explosion to see if anything had been alerted, but it all remained quiet.¡± If the more stealth-inclined high-tier Beasts wished to remain hidden, even an Enlightened Beast such as the one you refer to wouldn¡¯t realise they were present. They could have come to investigate and then returned to make plans with the other Beasts in the lake. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s likely?¡± I ask, more than a little concerned by the possibility. Kalanthia hesitates. No, not really, she admits. There are not many Beasts who succeed in four Evolutions and they are all highly combat-capable. They also do not think in time spans as even I do, let alone a human with your fleeting lives. I suspect that if such a Beast had come, it would have most likely attacked immediately to gain control of the area and kill the instigator ¨C which would have resulted in this ¡®Raven¡¯ dying, leading to an immensely powerful Beast taking up residence in the tunnels. If it instead decided to return to the foot of the valley to discuss with the others of its level, they will probably still be locked in deliberations for another few years. What is time when their lifespan is measured in millennia? If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. That¡­I hadn¡¯t considered that a creature could live for so long. From what I gathered from the System knowledge stone I received all that time ago, a high level human¡¯s life can be extended to a few hundred years, but certainly nothing over a thousand, let alone multiple millennia. But in a way, that¡¯s irrelevant to the matter at hand. ¡°So, essentially, it¡¯s possible that a Tier five might have noticed the Energy, but it doesn¡¯t seem likely since there hasn¡¯t been any sort of action. Or the action hasn¡¯t been taken yet, but probably won¡¯t be for a while. So we should be fine to make that area a den, right?¡± Even if they haven¡¯t yet discovered the open Pure energy stream, that means nothing: they may discover it at any time. Pure Energy has a signature to it that even your Raven was able to sense while flying above the crack. Perhaps the signature simply hasn¡¯t drifted far down enough into the valley for the powerful monarchs to notice it ¨C yet. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what Raven was using the vine-stranglers for. And one reason I¡¯m allowing some of them to live,¡± I tell her logically. Such a small group of vine-stranglers will not be able to hide such an amount of Pure Energy, Kalanthia warns. ¡°Then we¡¯ll find another way of hiding it,¡± I tell her with as much patience as I can. We need to find a way of returning the area to how it was previously, anyway for the quest. I can understand Kalanthia¡¯s reticence, but at the same time, I really want to do this. I was alarmed at her suggestion that a Tier five might suddenly attack us ¨C considering how much difficulty we had with a mere Tier three, I¡¯m certain a Tier five would be able to swat us like flies. But since it seems likely that the Tier fives either haven¡¯t noticed what¡¯s happened, or haven¡¯t yet got around to dealing with it if they have, I figure that I might as well try to take advantage of this massive opportunity for growth ¨C both mine and the samurans¡¯. ¡°Look,¡± I start again. ¡°Do you have any reason to think that this is a bad idea other than possibilities? Any instincts telling you ¡®no¡¯? Any reasons why you wouldn¡¯t want to be near Pure Energy for your own benefit?¡± She hesitates. No, the nunda admits finally. Being able to absorb the Energy near a Pure Energy source, along with hunting and careful internal work¡­. I might even be able to break through to the next stage by the time Lathani reaches adulthood. ¡°Then let¡¯s see what we can do together to make it as safe as possible, while still giving us all lots of opportunities for growth,¡± I persuade her. ¡°Think about how much more quickly Lathani might be able to increase in power too,¡± I wheedle, going for the soft spots. If the glare she fixes on me is any indication, she knows exactly what I¡¯m doing. Lathani definitely does not need an overload of Pure Energy at this point ¨C her channels are in enough of a mess, I hope I do not need to remind you, she warns, but the tone is half-hearted. I grin cheekily at her, daring to edge close enough to start rubbing behind her ear and at her jawline. She rumbles with pleasure at my touch, pushing into my hands almost hard enough to send me falling over. The conversation pauses for a moment as we just enjoy a little bit of physical contact. Lathani approves, if the feelings across the Bond are any indication, though she does express disgruntlement over the fact that she¡¯s not being stroked as well. I shift around so that I can reach her head as well, and start stroking two different nundas with a hand for each. My stomach gurgles, reminding me that I haven¡¯t eaten since our last pause at midday or so, and that I¡¯ve done a lot of exercise since then. My body seems able to go longer on less nutrition these days, but I still need to eat. ¡°So, will you come down with us?¡± I ask, pulling away from both nundas. Please, mother? Lathani enters the conversation, projecting her mental voice to Kalanthia, but an echo comes down our Bond too. It would be good to have you closer to us. To me. I sense more than see the softening of Kalanthia¡¯s resolve. I will come to see the area for myself, she allows. If there is a way to disguise the Pure Energy signature and there are no indications that any powerful Beast has discovered it, I will consider remaining. ¡°Good,¡± I say, not trying to hide my pleasure at her decision. I hadn¡¯t realised just how much I¡¯d missed her until I saw her again. ¡°But if you do come down, we¡¯ll need to discuss the samurans in more detail so neither of you start trying to attack each other.¡± We can discuss it tomorrow, Kalanthia decides. I presume you are not intending on going back down there immediately. ¡°No, definitely not tomorrow. We all need to rest a little from the march up. But I expect us to travel down the day after tomorrow, unless something has come up with my Bound that I¡¯m not aware about. Speaking of that, is there anything you think I need to know?¡± The nunda huffs, shifting her head nonchalantly. Not especially. Your Bound have been coming and going, hunting frequently. The two Evolved Beasts have been keeping the group organised, though the female has remained in your alcove for the last few days ¨C she laid her eggs and has been guarding them since, giving orders to her mate from inside. Your herbivores have been joining the hunting groups, though I know not whether they¡¯ve actually been going on hunts or just eating under the guard of your carnivores. The cubs have grown significantly, though I suspect that you have seen that. Otherwise, it¡¯s been quiet without you here. The last is said with a wry sense of humour which makes a slight smile come to my face in response. ¡°Alright, thanks,¡± I say to her. ¡°I¡¯ll go chat with them all now.¡± I¡¯d advise not disrupting the female in your alcove ¨C she has been increasingly grumpy recently, Kalanthia warns. ¡°Thanks,¡± I sigh. Well, I guess I¡¯ll be sleeping in the other cave tonight, then. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Five: How Things Have Gone Walking away from Kalanthia, I see that some of the Bound I came up with are still eating. Bastet is one of them, with Ninja, Stormcloud, and Trouble pressed almost too tightly against her to let her eat. Fenrir has finished eating, but is lying down and watching the environment around us attentively. Since his Evolution, he¡¯s definitely seemed to take being a guardian to heart, and has set himself in a good position to watch what¡¯s going on every time we¡¯ve stopped. In the village, he went out hunting, but since we¡¯ve left, he hasn¡¯t gone more than a few metres away from me at all times. Catch has also remained outside the cave, sitting on the ground with Pride serving as a backrest. His clawed hands are gently scratching at the scalla¡¯s head and around the top of his sail. I¡¯m a little surprised at how close the two of them have got ¨C Pride is called that because of his prickly, prideful nature. But I don¡¯t feel jealous at their closeness; if anything, I¡¯m glad. Especially given what Catch told me this morning ¨C he has chosen to put me and our group ahead of the village in his priorities. If he can build a special bond with one of the group, that¡¯s even better. Actually, I have to wonder whether I could do something to facilitate the Bond further. I¡¯m not sure whether Tame or Dominate could do anything to build Bonds between two other beings, but what about Alliance? Something to try later when I have time. Are you doing OK? I send privately to Catch. He flashes a look over at me, the lines of his body speaking of some fatigue, but not exhaustion. I am well, thank you for asking Honoured Markus, he replies. Do you need anything? I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to sleep in the alcove as normal ¨C Persephone apparently has her clutch in there and is rather grumpy at the moment. Amusement drifts over the Bond from him. The brood-mothers always get very protective over their clutches before they hatch, he tells me. It is normal. That, I believe ¨C human parents get just as protective over their babies. Well, most parents, anyway. Looking around, I frown as I don¡¯t see someone I was expecting. Where¡¯s River? She¡¯s already gone inside to sleep, Catch tells me. She was too exhausted after the journey to stay awake later. I frown. Is she OK? I check with him, a little anxious. Touching the Bond carefully between the other Pathwalker and me, I feel that she¡¯s tired but nothing worse. Catch¡¯s next words confirm my thoughts . She is fine. A Pathwalker¡¯s body is not suited to heavy physical pursuits: the power of the Evolution goes into their magic and their capacity to form eggs. She should have told me, I grumble. I suspect she didn¡¯t want to ask you to slow down: she knew how important it was that we make it here before full dark. That¡¯s true, I allow, but she could have ridden Trinity or something. The cyran has loads of stamina, and could have easily taken on her weight when she got tired. Catch pauses. I do not believe the possibility occurred to any of us. I sigh. That¡¯s understandable, I suppose. Mounts are not something within the experience of samurans at all. Well, I¡¯ll need to remember it for the journey down ¨C we will try to make as good a time on the way back as we did on the way here. Where did River go to sleep? And the other Warriors who came with us ¨C did they go to sleep too? After realising that there was a grumpy Persephone in the alcove guarding her clutch of eggs, amusement drifts over our Bond as I realise that I hadn¡¯t needed to give him the warning in the first place, River realised that she would need to sleep in the other cave. The Warriors quickly ate to replenish themselves and then went inside to help guard her as she slumbers. He hesitates for a moment. I think they were rather glad to be out of sight of the Great Predator. That¡¯s something I hadn¡¯t considered, and really should have. I know that most of the samurans had believed Kalanthia to have been killed by their party of Warriors and Pathwalker. I¡¯ve been assuring them of the contrary ever since my arrival ¨C and River even before me ¨C but perhaps they hadn¡¯t completely internalised it. Kalanthia didn¡¯t mention them, perhaps because they are Bound to me, and therefore part of the greater negotiations which we¡¯re going to do tomorrow. Given that they¡¯ve been travelling with us for the last day, she can hardly be concerned about Lathani¡¯s safety around them. Thanks for telling me, I reply to Catch after a short delay. Make sure you get a good rest too, OK? Will you be coming to sleep soon? he answers my question with another question. Shortly, I answer. I want to speak to Bastet first. The hatchlings will be happy to see you, he remarks. I half-smile as I look over at them, my gaze soft. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Well, I¡¯m happy to see them too. Pushing myself to my feet, I say a quick goodnight to Catch and Pride in case they turn in before I¡¯m done, then walk quickly over to the raptorcats. Seeing me, the three manage to detach themselves from Bastet long enough to almost send me head over heels as they butt against my knees and twine around my legs. Instead of falling, I crumple gracelessly into a small heap, doing my best to avoid actually landing on any of them. Bigger or not, I still suspect that I''d accidentally break their bones by doing that. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you too,¡± I laugh as they swarm over me, chirping sounds of pleasure. They rub their bodies all over me, as if to make sure that I regain their scent; the smell of their pack. Bastet sends me a grateful feeling ¨C with them swarming me, she¡¯s got some space to actually eat. I reach out to rub each of the cubs, scratching heads and wing roots wherever I can. They probably see it as me spreading my scent on them; I¡¯m just enjoying being able to reconnect with them. Eventually, I manage to push myself to an upright sitting position. Storm practically climbs into my lap as Trouble and Ninja alternate between pressing against Bastet and against me. ¡°Have you all been good?¡± I ask them fondly. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly put on some growth!¡± Although I have no Bond with the juveniles, and they aren¡¯t capable of telepathy like Lathani or Kalanthia are, I can¡¯t help but feel that they understand me. Partially, at least. And I get the feeling that they are well; that they¡¯ve been growing and learning. That they¡¯ve appreciated the opportunity to expand their horizons, but that they are happy to see us nonetheless. That they¡¯ve missed us, their pack. When Bastet translates a moment later, I find that I had actually understood almost everything they were trying to tell me, except for the fact that ¡®pack¡¯ includes Fenrir, Sirocco, River, and Lathani as well as Bastet and me. They are also apparently a little wary of how many new creatures have come with me, but trust that they will be safe: we¡¯re here. Their trust warms me and I can¡¯t help but dedicate extra effort into stroking their downy feather-fur and scratching at the places they love most. Eventually, I have to pull away. It¡¯s late and we¡¯ve been up a long time. The exhilaration of being¡­well, not really home, but with the beings I¡¯ve grown close to again has kept me going this long, but I¡¯m starting to feel the call of my bed. Bastet has managed to eat a decent dinner with me distracting the juveniles so we turn in together. Kalanthia and Lathani have already gone to their cave ¨C I don¡¯t expect Lathani to want to sleep with us for a while yet. Fenrir, Catch, and Pride follow us into the secondary cave, and we all find a place to bed down together. No one is on watch, but I doubt that we¡¯re likely to be surprised by enemies, not here with Kalanthia keeping watch with her earth-sense. It¡¯s very dark inside the cave, but Aingeal obligingly raises the light level just enough that we don¡¯t risk accidentally stepping on someone while not raising it high enough to disturb anyone¡¯s sleep. I cast a cursory glance around the cave, noting all my Bound present. River is indeed surrounded by the three Warriors, making sure that she won¡¯t be approached by any threat without waking them up first. She looks dead to the world; her guards not so much. The glinting of Poison¡¯s eyes vanishes when he closes them again ¨C I guess he realised that I¡¯m not a threat to her. Or not one that he can protect against, anyway. Hades isn¡¯t anywhere to be seen ¨C I suspect he¡¯s with his mate, either inside the alcove or just outside it, guarding her and their eggs. Otherwise, everyone else I¡¯m expecting to be there is present, which is something of a miracle, everything considered. Even the three danaris hatchlings are there, still corralled by the wall of bone I created before I went away, lined on the inside with woven branches in case their mandibles are capable of eating through bone. It¡¯s just as well that we have come back now ¨C the hatchlings have grown alarmingly quickly and are already getting a bit squashed in the space I made for them. Clearly, my Bound have been feeding them well. Sleep, Bastet tells me pointedly. She¡¯s already made herself comfortable on a pile of dry plant matter, brought in as bedding. Fenrir looks up at me expectantly: they¡¯ve left a space between the two of them in a clear hint. I grin in amusement and then obligingly settle down in the open area. Closing my eyes, I find sleep comes quickly to carry me on wings towards the morning. ***** The first thing I do in the morning, once I¡¯ve eaten and relieved myself in several ways, is to go find Hades. I left him and Persephone in charge, so I figure that they should be the ones to tell me about how things have gone. Hades is in the first place I look: the obvious one. He¡¯s guarding the entrance to the alcove ¨C what used to be my bedroom, and is now a safe place for Persephone and her eggs. He eyes me carefully as I step closer, cautious pleasure at seeing me drifting over the Bond between us. As if he¡¯s happy to see me, but concerned about what I might do. Paranoid, really ¨C I thought I¡¯d been very clear that I didn¡¯t intend anything bad to happen to the eggs. Then again, I suppose having paranoia would make a good guardian. ¡°Good morning Hades and Persephone,¡± I say, looking first towards the male and then at the shadowy form of the kiina I can see in the alcove beyond him. ¡°Congratulations on your eggs. How are you and they doing?¡± As well as could be hoped, Persephone answers even as her mate makes a disgruntled sound. I¡¯m not incapable of having a conversation! she snaps at him, her muffled intentions translating to words courtesy of our Bond. The male kiina makes further grumbling noises, but subsides after a moment. My mate is exhausted by keeping our eggs healthy, Hades answers after a moment. This environment is difficult for her and them. My eyebrows rise in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? Is there anything I can do?¡± It¡¯s nothing you can do, Persephone snaps, then I sense her doing her best to rein in her irritability. We are accustomed to more Energy. Our eggs are starving for it. I am doing my best to supply them with it, but I am limited with what help I can offer, she explains, sounding even more exhausted at just that brief explanation. ¡°Would an Energy Heart help?¡± I ask pulling one out of my Inventory. I see both kiina¡¯s eyes snap to it. It would, Persephone answers, even her mental voice sounding hoarse. Hades looks like he¡¯s holding himself back from snatching at the glimmering blue Energy Heart in my hand. ¡°Then here,¡± I say, holding it out to Hades. I¡¯d give it to Persephone directly, but I suspect that her mate wouldn¡¯t be comfortable with me getting that close. The male kiina takes the Heart with his mouth, his movements surprisingly delicate given the amount of tension I see restrained in his body. He immediately passes the chunk of crystalised Energy to Persephone. Instead of licking it as I¡¯ve seen them doing to Energy Hearts in the past, she actually bites off a chunk of it, swallowing the fragment. Immediately, I notice a difference. She relaxes a little, the drawn tension visible even in her silhouette vanishing. A moment after, I sense a change in the air around. Quickly checking my status screen, I verify my suspicions: my rate of Energy absorption per hour has increased slightly. Somehow, Persephone is able to transform the Energy Heart into a cloud of Energy in the room. The effect doesn¡¯t last long: either the Energy dissipates or is absorbed by the eggs. Once my Energy absorption is back to what it was before all this, Persephone repeats her actions. It¡¯s clear that this is both inefficient and unsustainable. Fortunately, I have a much better solution to offer the two of them. ¡°How would you feel if I tell you that I¡¯m intending on moving everyone to a place with a higher Energy density? One higher even than the place from which you were pushed out by the vine-stranglers?¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Six: Work Ethic It goes without saying that Hades and Persephone are both very interested in taking their eggs down to a higher density area. Of course, they¡¯re also concerned about how the eggs could be transported safely, but I figure that I can make a type of palanquin which could be carried by Trinity. Or even by Hades and Persephone between them if they don¡¯t want to let someone else carry their precious offspring. Maybe we could transport the ¡®bee¡¯ hive that way too ¨C if they are willing to accompany us into a completely different area. If I make it out of a bone structure and hide, with lots of layers inside to hold and protect the eggs rather than the usual open space, it could work quite well. Heck an egg box design might be the best. After we discussed the matter of the kiina¡¯s eggs, we talked about how things had gone. At least, Hades and I did ¨C Persephone was mostly occupied with giving her eggs as much Energy as she could. Apparently nothing major has happened, which is good to know. They haven¡¯t tried to do anything particularly unusual either, which is probably a good part of the reason for no major issues. They¡¯ve been going out into the forest in groups, mixing hunting with resource gathering for the herbivorous creatures. Scooter, the tempin who looks quite similar to a tortoise, has proven to be very good at sniffing out tasty and Energy-rich plants, according to Hades. Whether they grow above or below the soil, he¡¯s got a nose which can find them, and strong feet which can dig them out. He sounds like a Bound I might need to assign to the ¡®farming team¡¯ back at the village. Cery and Neian, the two lizard-deer-like stios haven¡¯t distinguished themselves in any particular way. They¡¯ve happily benefited from the protection of the rest of the group in order to fill their faces every time they¡¯ve gone out, but they haven¡¯t really contributed much to the group. I may have to let them go if I can¡¯t think of anything they can do ¨C burdens on the rest of the group aren¡¯t welcome to stay. Rooter, the insectivorous tidis who reminds me of Spike the porcupig, has apparently kept to himself for the most part. He¡¯s helped Scooter dig out roots which were too deeply buried, but he hasn¡¯t made an effort to benefit the group otherwise. It puts him a step above the stios in my book, but not higher than that. Kanga and Sailor have been more beneficial to the group. Kanga¡¯s ability to look in all directions at once has made her an excellent sentry, and several times her warnings have allowed the group she¡¯s with to prepare for an ambush. Sailor, though a herbivore, has been an active part of the defence of the group, his bulky body and large sail scaring off a few attackers before they even struck, and his tail and teeth chasing off many more. The two carnivores I left with the kiina, Artemis and Barry, have apparently been invaluable. Hades expressed dissatisfaction that they were the only real predators I¡¯d left with the group, but he had no complaints with either their work ethic or willingness to obey. Not in those words, of course. Since Artemis had as a condition of her Bond that we encourage the rest of her pack to join, I guess I have another objective to fulfil in the near future, otherwise we¡¯ll lose her. If I can find the time ¨C it seems that I never have the time to do everything I want to. Something more urgent always comes up. It seems like we will be losing one of our number tomorrow anyway. After speaking to Hades, I took a bit of time just to check in with each of the Bound he¡¯d talked about, finding out how things have gone from their perspectives. Out of all of them, Rooter is the only one who is less than satisfied with how things have worked out. He¡¯s informed me ¨C with a complicated series of emotions that took me a while to work out ¨C that he intends to leave as soon as our Bond breaks tomorrow. I decided not to try to dissuade him, given Hades¡¯ words. I did try to ask him why, but got back the sense that he¡¯s uncomfortable with such a large group, and that he¡¯d prefer more independence with less obligation. I can understand that ¨C not everyone is cut out to be social animals. In comparison, the stios were very happy with how things had gone ¨C as well they should be. After all, they¡¯ve basically been able to do nothing but eat in relative peace. It¡¯s been practically a holiday for them in a place where such a concept doesn¡¯t exist. They didn¡¯t seem aware that they should be contributing to the group in some way, nor did they appear concerned at my suggestion that they find a way. If they resist me when I actually think of a way in which they could help, then that will be the final nail in the coffin, as far as I¡¯m concerned. They¡¯re Bound with Tame, so technically I have no way of forcing them to do anything ¨C but then I don¡¯t want Bound around who I have to force to help the group. I quickly visit the hive to check that everything is going well there ¨C it is ¨C and to find out if they want to go down with us. It¡¯s a little difficult to communicate with the insects ¨C they definitely aren¡¯t verbal and their messages are very grounded in present concerns. Ultimately, I think I managed to get through with the idea that either they come with us to a new place and we can continue protecting them in return for some of their honey, or they stay here and our deal falls through. They choose the former which pleases me ¨C having a spot of honey in my herbal tea is always more enjoyable than not. Finally through with checking up on everyone, I send a summoning message to gather all my Bound. Fortunately, I got started early so no one has gone to the forest yet. It¡¯s not long before I have a large group standing or sitting before me. Even Hades is willing to temporarily emerge from where he¡¯s been on guarding duty, though he hovers around the entrance to the cave still. Kalanthia and Lathani are sunning themselves outside and, though the young nunda doesn¡¯t come to join the rest of the group, she does poke her head out from her mother¡¯s fur to at least watch what¡¯s going on. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The Warriors, Poison, Leaf, and Rocky ¨C I couldn¡¯t resist given that his name is Jumps-over-a-rock ¨C form up near River, watching everyone suspiciously. I remind myself I need to talk to the Pathwalker about her experience yesterday. Catch, someone else I need to chat to, sits just a little nearer me than the other samurans. The rest of the Bound are sitting or lying in a rough circle around us. ¡°Alright,¡± I say to everyone. ¡°As some of you know, we¡¯re moving further down into the valley. It will be an area of greater Energy density, though there are more dangerous creatures around too. Working as a group, though, we should be able to keep everyone safe. Does anyone have any questions or queries at this moment about that?¡± I wait for a long moment. Artemis sends a question, touching on the issue she raised with me earlier about her pack. She expresses uncertainty as to whether we¡¯ll be able to find them if we go deeper into the valley. ¡°I know about that, Artemis,¡± I tell her. ¡°Once we¡¯re a little more settled, I¡¯m going to make an expedition to see if we can find them. Perhaps we should try to get you to Evolve first, though ¨C that way they can see how much benefit they could get by joining us,¡± I suggest. She sends across a sense of thoughtfulness and cautious acceptance. I wait a little longer, but no one else raises any questions or concerns. ¡°OK, good. Then we need to prepare. First of all, I¡¯d like Scooter and Rooter to find as many useful and Energy-rich plants in the area as you can.¡± I look over at the group of samurans standing to the side. ¡°River, would you be happy to go with them?¡± I ask. Her knowledge of herbs could be essential. Of course, Markus, she answers. ¡°Great. Poison and Leaf, please go with her. Oh, and Sirocco. I¡¯ll give you some bags to take with you to put the plants in. Try to retrieve the whole plant and as undamaged as possible, please ¨C we¡¯re going to try to replant them nearer the village.¡± Yes, Honoured Tamer, they both answer. Rocky looks a bit disgruntled ¨C I¡¯m sure he¡¯d prefer to go with them. However, I¡¯ve got another intention in mind for him. ¡°Rocky, you¡¯ll be coming with me. Catch and Pride too, please.¡± I consider the group carefully. ¡°Honey, you as well.¡± I have several reasons behind that, but one of them is that her claws aren¡¯t half-bad at digging. ¡°We¡¯ll be going to collect another resource.¡± Turning to talk to the rest of the group, I continue. ¡°For those I haven¡¯t yet mentioned, we need carcasses for the carnivores and plants for the herbivores on the journey ¨C the less time we spend looking for food on the way down, the better it will be. So, please spend some time collecting food for everyone, and bringing it back here. Other than that, rest and spar in preparation for a hard day of travel tomorrow. Any questions?¡± Rooter is the only one and I think he¡¯s pointing out that he¡¯s leaving tomorrow, and questioning why he needs to help gather things for a journey he¡¯s not travelling on. I point out that he¡¯s still part of the group today and therefore needs to work towards the benefit of the group. However, to sweeten the pot slightly, I promise him a fragment from an Energy Heart if he works well with the group and they come back with lots of useful plants. That seems to satisfy him enough for now. My Bound disperse. Hades disappears back into the cave; Lathani cuddles back into her mother. I suspect that she¡¯ll be emerging sooner rather than later since she¡¯s usually pretty active, but I purposefully didn¡¯t give her a task to do. She deserves some cuddle time. When do you wish to depart, Honoured Tamer? asks Rocky, Catch standing a few paces away with Pride next to him. Honey is on the floor, inspecting her belly for something ¨C perhaps an insect ¨C completely unconcerned with the rest of us around her. To my surprise, Bastet is also standing there, looking at me expectantly, the three cubs imitating her perfectly. ¡°I need to speak to Kalanthia about your village first,¡± I tell them, ¡°but hopefully we will be able to come to an agreement quickly. I¡¯ll let you know when we need to go ¨C for now just relax.¡± They acknowledge my words but I¡¯m more focussed on the raptorcat. ¡°You don¡¯t need to come with me, Bastet,¡± I say to her with surprise. ¡°Just like I¡¯m not asking Lathani to come with me so she can spend time with her mother, you should spend time with your cubs.¡± I come, the raptorcat matriarch replies firmly. Our pack¡¯s cubs come too. Time to spend with pack, not alone. And apparently that¡¯s that. ¡°Alright,¡± I agree with a hint of amusement. ¡°Far be it for me to argue. Perhaps you¡¯d like to come help me with Kalanthia too?¡± I ask more than half-joking. Apparently Bastet doesn¡¯t realise that as she actually joins me when I start walking towards the large nunda. What? she asks me when I look down inquiringly at her. River is pack; other lizard-kin are new pack. I help pack and pack leader, she answers as if it should be obvious. And perhaps to her it is. ¡°Fine,¡± I say in the end. ¡°But don¡¯t promise anything without checking with me first,¡± I warn her. Not a cub, she answers a little scornfully. And I know I¡¯m not pack leader. Am top hunter. Will just watch and support. If needed. Huh. That¡¯s an interesting distinction, perhaps worth exploration later. But right now I need to get my head into the game for dealing with Kalanthia ¨C and how to negotiate a peace between her and a race who have done great amounts of harm to each other in the past. Especially when her cub still hasn¡¯t recovered from the damage they caused in recent events. ¡°Kalanthia, are you open to discussing the samuran village now?¡± I ask politely, stopping near her great head. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Seven: Don’t Bite We should broach the subject, I suppose, she allows, yawning widely. Inside her cavernous mouth, I notice something odd. It''s a flash of white in deeper red, but not in a place which should house one of her teeth. ¡°Have you got something trapped in your mouth?¡± I ask curiously. It is nothing. A bone got stuck in the wrong place, she dismisses. It will work its way out in time. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt, though?¡± I ask, a little concerned. ¡°And won¡¯t it become infected?¡± If this was Earth, I¡¯d be more worried about that, but this is a world of fantasy healing ¨C perhaps Kalanthia¡¯s body is strong enough not to be taken down by a mere mouth infection. Kalanthia gives her version of a shrug. It has happened before. It was unpleasant, but I survived it. I fix her with an exasperated look. ¡°Kalanthia, you could just ask me for help. Healer here, you remember?¡± She eyes me with an intent gaze, though I sense that there¡¯s a little uncertainty behind it. Your healing is not dependent on the Bond between you and your subject? I hesitate. Honestly, she has a little bit of a point there. ¡°It helps, sure ¨C something about the Bond allows my magic to work the way I want it to, where without the Bond the body I¡¯m trying to help often resists me. With you being significantly more powerful than me, it¡¯s true that I¡¯m not sure how much actual healing I could do without a Bond between us.¡± I quickly continue before she accuses me of angling for Bond with her or something. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t try. And even if I can¡¯t do any proper healing, I could at least pull out the bone that¡¯s stuck in there and put healing salve on the injury to help get rid of any infection.¡± Testing has proved that I can put most potions and healing-infused salves in my Inventory without them losing effectiveness. I still haven¡¯t worked out the pattern among those which did lose their efficacy ¨C I¡¯ll need more tests to try to work that out. I also tested a number of the potions the samurans use to see which work on me. My fears that not all of them would have turned out to be true, though it¡¯s not as bad as it could have been. Most do still work without bad side effects which means that I have a good ten each now of healing, stamina-boosting, and magic-replenishing potions for emergencies. Since I don¡¯t know if Kalanthia would react any better than I do to the potions, I wouldn¡¯t give her one. The salves, however, have proven to react the same to me as to the physiology of the samurans, so I suspect that they would work well enough on world-hopping nunda too. If she agrees, of course. Kalanthia eyes me for a long moment, her gaze searching and not entirely friendly. I will not chain myself to you in any way, she says firmly. I suspect her will at the moment is as immovable as the stone that she controls. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I put up my hands in an automatic gesture of surrender. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to. It will probably limit how much I can help you, unless you can actively control your body¡¯s resistance to my magic, but I will do what I can.¡± You don¡¯t have to help me at all, she points out, her tone still very guarded. Given the little I know of her history, I¡¯m not entirely surprised. ¡°I want to help you,¡± I say honestly, trying to relax my own mind and project my feelings of sincerity at her. ¡°You¡¯re my friend, and I don¡¯t like knowing that you¡¯re in pain when I can do something about it.¡± Ever since I became able to heal, I¡¯ve found that I¡¯ve gained more and more appreciation for the Skill. I¡¯ve come within a hair¡¯s breadth of losing those I care about several times, but Lay-on-hands, and then later, Flesh-Shaping has meant that I¡¯ve actually lost very few of my Bound. My heart ¨C and the place where the Bonds were ¨C still aches at the deaths which occurred in the fight with Raven, but I¡¯m guiltily grateful that my closest companions were not among them. Fine, Kalanthia responds, jogging me out of my renewed sense of grief. You may try to help me, she permits. I might be offended at how she makes it sound like a concession to me rather than help for her, but I sense the poorly-hidden fear behind her words. I don¡¯t know everything about Kalanthia¡¯s history, but I know she¡¯s had a bad experience with Tamers. Heck, I wonder whether she might even have been Tamed in some way and broken free, or perhaps she got away before the Bond was instituted. Either way, allowing me in so close has got to be nerve-wracking even for her. ¡°Alright,¡± I say gently instead. ¡°Please open your mouth as wide as you can.¡± Who knew I¡¯d retrain as a dentist at this stage in my career? I ask myself with amusement. The massive nunda hesitates for a moment more, then opens her cavernous mouth almost as widely as she did earlier when she yawned. I see the problem spot ¨C it¡¯s indeed a bone which has been driven right into her gum at the back. It must be pretty painful, despite her stoicism. To reach it, I have to lean far into her mouth, maybe even half-climb inside. Shifting as close to the area as possible, I lean against her teeth. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m going to lean into your mouth now,¡± I warn her. ¡°I will try to minimise the pain as I deal with the injury, but make sure you don¡¯t bite down, OK?¡± I¡¯m prepared, Kalanthia replies, her mental tone falling slightly short of an attempt at emotionless ¨C she¡¯s nervous. More than me, I think, despite the situation. It should make me feel scared to literally lean into a massive predator¡¯s mouth which stinks of meat and a hint of rot. She needs to put far more effort into not biting me than she would into chopping me in half. But there are two reasons I¡¯m only slightly nervous. One, I genuinely don¡¯t fear that Kalanthia wants to kill me. She¡¯s had ample opportunity to do so ¨C she doesn¡¯t need me literally putting myself in her mouth to be able to do so. Two, even if she did separate me from my legs, I¡¯m almost certain that I would be able to regenerate them with Flesh-Shaping. I don¡¯t know how well I¡¯d fare if my heart, lungs, or brain were destroyed, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be able to regenerate my limbs with enough mana. It would be a bit of a pain, though ¨C literally. Focussing on the injury and doing my best to ignore the stench, I gently place my hand on her tongue for support. It twitches beneath my touch but then stills again. I wordlessly ask Aingeal to come forward and light things up a bit for me ¨C dentists and surgeons would love having their own fire elementals, I¡¯m sure. The bone is embedded deeply in the gum. I gently touch the flesh around it and feel Kalanthia flinch in pain. The gum beneath my fingers is hot and already becoming infected ¨C apparently it is something that even Tier three beasts have to deal with. Or whatever Kalanthia¡¯s rank is. ¡°OK, I¡¯m going to try to numb the area a bit with my magic,¡± I warn Kalanthia. ¡°Try to let my magic work, please, or I won¡¯t be able to affect it.¡± She makes a grumbling rumble which sounds surprisingly like Lathani¡¯s plaintive yowls, only much deeper and stronger. Sending my Flesh-magic into the local area, I focus on temporarily deadening the nerve endings. There is a significant amount of resistance to my efforts, but not, I suspect, as much as if I was trying to do this without Kalanthia¡¯s permission and cooperation. It¡¯s fortunate that I¡¯m not trying to do any more than I am, though ¨C I really suspect my abilities to actually do any healing are going to be significantly limited. But if I can get the bone out, clear out the infected tissue, and then slather salve on, it should help Kalanthia¡¯s body heal the rest of it by itself. The slight relaxation of Kalanthia¡¯s tongue and jaw muscles indicates to me that I¡¯m having an effect here. I still check with her. ¡°Is that better? Has the pain gone?¡± It has, thank you Markus Wolfe. Her tone sounds so relieved I find it hard to understand how she could operate normally with such a painful wound in her mouth. But perhaps it¡¯s just practice and self-discipline. ¡°OK, I¡¯m going to pull the bone out now.¡± The problem is that the bone is so deeply embedded into the gum that there¡¯s very little sticking out for me to grab. Then I feel like slapping myself as I realise that I¡¯m once again forgetting about magic. Touching the top of the bone, I focus on sending my mana into it, saturating it. My attempt takes time, but the investment is worth it: I not only manage to saturate the bone itself, but also the bone fragments which have splintered off into the gum. Pulling the bulk of the bone out would have just left the splinters to fester. By using mana, I¡¯m able to meld the splinters with the bone they came from and make sure that I pull everything out at once. Removing the bone is as simple as lengthening it at the same time as narrowing it. A handle forms and I pull the long piece of bone free like I¡¯m drawing a sword from a sheath. I wrinkle my nose at the rotting smell coming from the wound and fluids on the piece of bone itself. Looking at the offending piece of bone, I see that even before my changes, it had to have been at least as long as my forearm when it went in. A nasty injury even for her. ¡°I¡¯ve got the bone out now,¡± I update Kalanthia. ¡°I¡¯m going to try to remove the infected tissue from the wound. Can you feel any pain?¡± I check while dropping the bone out of her mouth. No, she answers swiftly. Nodding in satisfaction, I once more dive into the wound with my magic. Removing the infected tissue is actually easier than deadening her nerve endings was. Though I can¡¯t know if my guess is correct, I would say that the body knows that the infection isn¡¯t part of it, or shouldn¡¯t be part of it, and so has started to reject the areas affected. Either way, it¡¯s easy enough for me to sweep the area clear, dumping the stinky fragments of meat out of Kalanthia¡¯s mouth with a grimace. Finally, I pull an all-purpose healing salve out of my Inventory and start spreading it over the area. I don¡¯t let it go into the hole itself ¨C I¡¯m too concerned that the bacteria on my hands might introduce a new infection, and I can¡¯t control the healing salve with magic. But I spread it over the gum and around the hole. Kalanthia¡¯s magic will have to do the rest. ¡°I¡¯m going to reactivate your nerve endings,¡± I warn Kalanthia. ¡°It will hurt, I¡¯m sure, so don¡¯t bite down in surprise, OK?¡± I will not, she promises. Nonetheless, as I reverse the effects of my magic, she jerks suddenly. Fortunately, she has enough self¨Ccontrol not to actually bite me. I would have done this from a distance except that I¡¯m having a hard enough job controlling it even from this close. It¡¯s not as simple as just removing the effects of my magic ¨C I actually have to put as much effort into reactivating her nerves as I did into deactivating them. Maybe even more, particularly as her body starts resisting the pain I¡¯m causing her. But finally I¡¯m done and I withdraw from her mouth with gratitude ¨C even if I was fairly confident of my safety, it was not a comfortable position. Nor a particularly fragrant one. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I check with her, concerned by the pained look in her eyes. ¡°I can deaden the nerves again, if you want, while it heals a bit more. I didn¡¯t want to because I¡¯m worried that the nerves might heal incorrectly by themselves, but-¡± No, Markus Wolfe, she interrupts me. The pain is significantly better than it was. No longer does my jaw feel wrong, but only that it needs time to heal. I am¡­I am simply grateful for your efforts. And now I understand the look in her eyes. It¡¯s not pain, it¡¯s painful gratitude. It¡¯s the feeling when someone helped in a way that was completely unexpected, when they noticed something you didn¡¯t want revealed, but that you¡¯re grateful they saw nonetheless. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say to her a little briskly. I know how raw I felt the few times it happened to me. Gentleness wasn¡¯t what I wanted then. I suspect it might not be what Kalanthia wants now. ¡°I can¡¯t let Lathani¡¯s mother stay in unnecessary pain. Nor my friend,¡± I tell her, attempting a tone that brooks no defiance. ¡°Now, we were talking about the samurans.¡± She looks at me in complete exasperation and lets out a disbelieving huff. Had I not been certain that there was no way you could have known of my injury before this morning, I would have suspected you of setting up this scenario. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask, completely confused. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Eight: Don’t Tell Her How can I ask you for compensation from the people you have adopted as your own when you have just offered me your aid without setting any sort of price on it? Though I would have recovered from the injury myself over time, it would have caused a whole lot more pain than it will now. And yet, you asked for nothing in return. It would be churlish for me to demand sacrifices from the people you lead now. She sounds more than a little aggrieved, but also slightly grudgingly impressed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention,¡± is all I can say, still a bit taken aback. I know, sighs Kalanthia. Which is partly why it is so frustrating. She goes silent for a moment, but I can tell she is deep in thought. I will waive any compensation for my own injuries from the lizard-folk, she decides. For Lathani, I want her injuries to be healed. Either to return her to where she was, or to give her a different, even more powerful foundation. How that happens, I do not care any more. My bloodlust for those who stole Lathani away has been soothed by the knowledge that they are all now chained to you and that you will make sure they do not do it again. And that they are now part of your following means that any actions I demand against them will impact you which, as I said, is rather churlish after the services you have rendered me. ¡°Well, I would be happy with those terms,¡± I say after a moment of thinking them over. Frankly, they are nothing that I wouldn¡¯t be doing anyway, so it¡¯s a win-win scenario for me. ¡°If Lathani¡¯s ¡®foundation¡¯ ¨C her Energy channel pattern, I have to guess ¨C is changed, will that cause any problems for you?¡± Her eyes narrow. Why would you think it might? I hesitate, looking down at Lathani who twists to fix me with a pleading glance. Don¡¯t tell her, pack-leader, please! she begs. I wasn¡¯t supposed to talk about it. Kalanthia¡¯s eyes narrow further, becoming nothing more than the barest slits through which the golden colour of her irises peek through. Markus Wolfe, did my cub say something that made you consider that our channels might be linked somehow? I send Lathani an apologetic look. I¡¯m sorry, I send to her privately. It¡¯s probably best that she knows her secret isn¡¯t so secret anyway. Lathani lets out an audible moan. She¡¯s going to kill me, she mutters accusingly to me, burying her face back into Kalanthia¡¯s fur. I send her a sense of sympathy, though fear that I might have accidentally conveyed a bit of my amusement too. She¡¯s just like a teenager who knows that her parent is going to be mad at her. ¡°Lathani mentioned something about how you weakened yourself by dedicating¡­something to her, that you would only regain once she Evolves.¡± Did she now? Kalanthia asks, her tone dangerous, her tail lashing behind her. She dips her head and twists her neck fluidly so she can look at the juvenile nunda half-buried in her fur. Lathani? Anything to add? Sorry, mother? Lathani tries. I forgot it was a secret. Kalanthia growls, but it sounds more frustrated than anything else. And maybe a little anxious. I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s familiarity with her, increased Wisdom, all the practice in Animal Empathy I¡¯ve had recently, or something else, but I¡¯m finding that I can interpret her body language and mental tones more easily. Who else knows? she demands furiously. Maybe even fearfully. ¡°A few of my Bound,¡± I say, a little reluctantly. ¡°But I¡¯ve forbidden them from speaking about it with anyone else. But maybe now you can see why I¡¯m asking the question about how you¡¯ll be affected by the way Lathani heals.¡± Kalanthia growls again, but it trails away into a huff. It is more than I wished you to know, she says frankly, but I wasn¡¯t expecting Lathani¡¯s foundation to be as damaged as it is, nor that you would be in a position to heal it if it was. ¡°Sorry?¡± I respond tentatively, a little bemused at her aggrieved tone. I wish I could blame you, but it¡¯s the lizard-kin¡¯s fault first, Lathani¡¯s second, and only yours in small measure. I will speak with you about it, but too many already know more than I would wish them to. I will direct my words only to you; I ask you to do the same. I hesitate. ¡°I know how to do that through a Bond, but I don¡¯t know how to do it without one,¡± I admit. Block your thoughts from travelling down your Bonds, instructs Kalanthia, and direct them at me. I will collect them from the outer reaches of your mind. That gives me a disturbing view of Kalanthia like a massive cat catching fish that rise to the top of the water for some reason, but I push it away. If it works, great. I take a moment to block off the other Bonds as she says ¨C not enough that they couldn¡¯t contact me if they need to, but enough that I won¡¯t accidentally send my own thoughts to them. Is this working? I ask uncertainly, doing my best to push my thoughts to Kalanthia. Without a conduit between us, I try thinking about her as I speak in my mind. It works well enough, she thankfully verifies. Now that we are as private as possible, I will do my best to explain what you will need to know to help my cub. My kind¡¯s cubs are born very vulnerable. Unlike other species, it takes us a long time to start developing our foundations. Taking a long time over developing the foundation is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does delay the first Evolution significantly and therefore lengthens the time during which our cubs are vulnerable to attack since they don¡¯t fully develop their magic until after their first Evolution. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Can you explain what you mean by ¡®foundations¡¯? I ask. Is it their Energy channels? Yes, ¡®foundations¡¯ refers to Energy channels, but also the setting up for saturation of Energy in the body. The foundation set by these before and after the first Evolution are essential in determining how far the Beast will go in their life¡¯s advancement. You can thus see that it is very important to set ones that will offer the best chances for future advancements. Beasts have been blocked from advancing to further stages because they have poor foundations. Abruptly, I wonder about Fenrir. He rushed his Evolution when he was still damaged. We fixed it while he was Evolving, but I don¡¯t know whether his foundations could be considered ¡®good¡¯. Can foundations be fixed after the first Evolution? It¡¯s possible, Kalanthia admits. But harder. In your human terms, it¡¯s like building a house. If the foundations of the first Tier are correct, the house will be sturdy. At the same time, even while building upon the foundations, it¡¯s possible to put supports in place to ensure that the house can develop differently than originally intended. But the foundations of the house will still be a limiting factor. That makes sense, I agree, quietly noting how she knows so much about houses for a beast. So is that what causes blockages in Tier two? Needing to put supports in because the house design has changed? That is, perhaps, taking the metaphor a little too far, Kalanthia replies. From my own experiences, blockages are usually caused because we do not know how we want to proceed, or we wish to proceed in a way which doesn¡¯t fit with what we have already done. Prior to the first Evolution, developments are made mostly or entirely unconsciously. The first Evolution is the time when Beasts become aware of their Energy channels and begin consciously affecting them. Energy channels must be drawn and redrawn until the entire foundation is complete. After the second Evolution, the structure of the foundation is fixed. Do you understand? Mostly, I agree, thinking about my own experience with repairing my Energy channels. I haven¡¯t actually tried changing them actively ¨C I¡¯ve seen them adjust as I¡¯ve added Skills and stats, but I haven¡¯t redrawn the lines of my mandala in any significant way. When I repaired my internal matrix before, I only retraced what had originally been there. So what happens in Tier three, then? Is it something to do with the soul? Kalanthia eyes me in surprise. No, she replies slowly. I am told that that is the domain dealt with after the third Evolution. So Tier four, by my standards then. The next stage is all about modifying the body to make it more durable. But that is not relevant to the topic at hand. Perhaps we could return to Lathani, she suggests in a way that isn¡¯t a suggestion. Of course, I answer hurriedly. Good. As you can no doubt conclude, rushing ahead with foundations prior to the first Evolution can often lead to problematic development after. As a result, my mother ¨C and possibly her mother before her, but I was never able to ask ¨C had a way to impress on her offspring her own foundations as a sort of guidance. In return for sacrificing her own strength and power for a time, the cub, I, was able to much more quickly advance to my first Evolution. What this method sacrifices in individuality, it makes up for by offering the basics of a structure which works well to help the cub progress at later stages. A thought occurs to me: is this what the Tamer Class stone did to me? Impressed on me a previously determined structure? So what you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯ve kind of lent a bit of your own internal matrix to Lathani so that she can build her own foundation more quickly? In essence, yes, though she is not building directly on my own internal patterns, but is merely using them for guidance. A bit like tracing paper, I muse, then return my attention to Kalanthia. So back to my original question: if you¡¯ve lent your internal matrix to her as a guidance system, will you be affected by the changes she makes to the design? Not directly, Kalanthia answers. Meaning that they will affect you indirectly, I guess, narrowing my eyes at her. An astute observation, she acknowledges, then huffs heavily. Yes. My mother told me that if the cub reaches Evolution, the mother gains back the power she temporarily sacrificed, and more besides. The universe is balanced: short term sacrifice leads to long term gain ¨C if the being survives the period of sacrifice. And equally, demands for power in the short term lead to significant consequences in the long term. But that is more philosophical than we should be at the moment. The fact is that I don¡¯t know exactly how Lathani¡¯s Evolution will affect me. I should receive my power back regardless of how successful her Evolution is. However, I believe that the amount of extra power I receive along with it will depend on how successful her Evolution is. And if she never Evolves? I ask, feeling it¡¯s important to know. Then we will both be weakened for as long as she is still alive, Kalanthia replies heavily. I eye her carefully. It seems like a heavy price to pay, I remark. It is a significant change that this makes: offering the nunda cub the chance to Evolve in five to ten years rather than fifty, she answers pointedly. My eyebrows rise on my forehead. How old is Lathani? Four and a half years old, by your count, Kalanthia replies promptly. And she still looked like a fluffy cub until she got kidnapped by the samurans? I ask incredulously. She should have remained looking that way until she reached her first Evolution, Kalantia responds, her tone angry. That she has changed so much physically even before her Evolution is just another indication of the damage the lizard-folk wrought on her system. They must have poured the Energy they stole from her channels into her body, forcing her to grow unnaturally, even as they reformed her channels into brute tools of force. As she is right now, she cannot Evolve. Her potential for Evolution has been stolen to make her stronger in the present ¨C at the expense of her future. And now I have far more understanding of why Kalanthia has been so angry at the lizard-folk ¨C and still is, even if she¡¯s not now actively seeking retribution. It flabbergasts me that she has been willing to essentially forgive what they have done. But then, I suppose, the main instigator is dead, the other instigators are Bound to me, and she knows that I already intend on doing everything I can to help Lathani. Apart from gaining satisfaction by killing everyone associated with those who hurt her cub ¨C which, as she realises, would harm me ¨C there isn¡¯t much else she can ask for. Then what do we need to do to get her to a state where she can Evolve? I ask, determined to do just that. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gold Rush The conversation with Kalanthia ends up taking quite a while, and Bastet goes back to play with the cubs when it becomes clear that her presence isn¡¯t necessary. We discuss Kalathia¡¯s original plans for dealing with the damage to Lathani¡¯s Energy channels. At the same time, I take advantage of the opportunity to discuss more about the obstacles that can come up at Tier two and what lies ahead in Tier three ¨C with a view to helping my Bound with them. Now that I have some Bound in Tier two ¨C and awareness of Kalanthia¡¯s own situation ¨C she¡¯s been more willing to share information than she was before. The sun has already passed its zenith before I manage to set out with my little group. It¡¯s a bigger group than I was intending on taking, but that¡¯s probably not a bad thing ¨C everyone who¡¯s coming is able to defend him or herself. All included, there are nine of us: Rocky, Catch, Pride, Honey, Bastet, and the raptorcat juveniles. I lead the way into the forest. We make good progress towards my intended destination. I¡¯ve been training my new Inspect Skill by sending out pulses every so often with the focussed intention of seeing any enemies or potentially useful resources. It does mean I have to ignore a whole lot of gold-haloed plants and rocks. Or, not ignore exactly, but mentally dismiss any which I already recognise as things we don¡¯t need. It¡¯s not long into our journey that Bastet realises where we¡¯re going. Are we journeying back to the cave? she asks, her tone troubled. Yes, I answer. Is that a problem? She¡¯s silent for a long few moments. No, she answers finally. I will show the cubs where their pack used to live, she decides If you think that that¡¯s a good idea, I reply neutrally and the conversation ends there. We slow as we approach the clearing around the cave where the battle with the snilapede took place a while ago. I keep sending out pulses of Inspect, watching carefully for any signs of enemies. Fortunately, it seems like nothing else has moved into the area since the last battle. ¡°Alright everyone,¡± I say to them after both observation and Inspect indicate that the area is empty of anything bigger than small lizards. ¡°This is what I would like you to look for,¡± I tell them, picking up one of the chunks of iron ore still lying around. We harvested a lot during our last visit but time meant that we weren¡¯t able to get all of it. ¡°There seems to be some buried under the surface ¨C that¡¯s where you come in, Honey. There¡¯s also some in the trees around. Try to find as much as you can and bring it to the cave mouth, please,¡± I instruct them. ¡°Look for this slight reddish colour to the chunks of rock. Any questions?¡± Is this what you¡¯re searching for? Catch checked, holding a reddish-looking lump of earth. ¡°Probably,¡± I agree. ¡°I¡¯ll look through them properly later. Just gather anything you think might be right, and pile it up, OK?¡± A chorus of agreement, verbal or otherwise meets my mental ears. Without any more discussion, they all set to looking for chunks of what I hope is iron ore. Heading towards the cave in question, I pause for a moment, eyeing the group thoughtfully. Pride, can you stand guard, please. Warn us if any enemy approaches. He quickly agrees to my request ¨C I have a feeling he¡¯s rather grateful not to have to grub around in the dirt. Honestly, he¡¯s not really suited to it, hence why I thought about assigning him a different role. Neither his small fore-limbs nor his big back-limbs are adapted to digging, and his long toothy maw would probably find it difficult to grip the chunks of ore. But as a sentry, he¡¯s ideal since he stands almost as tall as I do and taller than the two samurans with us. Speaking of them, I should probably give them a tool ¨C they can dig with their clawed hands, but it would be better if they have something else to break the ground. Pulling two long pieces of bone out of my Inventory, I concentrate as I feed them with mana. Once they¡¯re full of my Flesh-Shaping magic, I reshape them into something which vaguely resembles a spade. I didn¡¯t want to risk them breaking immediately, so the head of the spade isn¡¯t much wider than the bone handle itself, and it doesn¡¯t narrow down much either. They wouldn¡¯t be much good for digging a hole as they probably wouldn¡¯t carry much earth each time, but they should be better than nothing for this task. Calling the two over, I hand Catch and Rocky their new tools, explaining what they¡¯re for. Rocky looks a bit awkward; Catch looks curious. I leave them to it ¨C I have my own objectives. Last time I came here, I wasn¡¯t able to get hold of the copper in the walls because my mining tool ¨C my flint axe ¨C really wasn¡¯t suitable for knocking it out of the rocks. With my new Earth-Shaping Skill, I have to hope that it¡¯s going to be a different story today. Most people would expect low-tech mining to involve battering at the wall with a pickaxe. But they¡¯re not using magic. Instead, I sit down near the wall where I see the glinting metallic traces of the copper vein. Closing my eyes, I reach out with my hands to touch the wall, and then reach with my mind and magic inside the wall. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! With my mental sight engaged, the earth magic in the wall before me becomes clear. It¡¯s actually rather fascinating. I can see different shades of brown magical connections. They indicate different types of rock, I guess. I know that rock is made up of different concentrations of elements formed in different ways; I wonder if I could eventually get it to the point where I could break the rock down into those elements. Probably, I¡¯d guess, but I might need more scientific knowledge than I currently have ¨C if only I had Google at my fingertips still¡­. I also see where there isn¡¯t any earth magic. That, in fact, is more useful in a way: I want the metal which apparently doesn¡¯t identify as earth according to my magic. Knowing where there is solid matter but limited earth magic is a good indication of the metal itself. Working slowly, I start to shift the rock to bring the metal towards me, and then drop it at my feet. I have to move slowly: earth doesn¡¯t like shifting quickly. Though I can produce rapid movements, the mana required for them increases exponentially. No, it¡¯s better to just shift the rock wall slowly and steadily. I find a good rate of movement at which my mana regenerates as quickly as it depletes, meaning that I can theoretically keep going indefinitely. Theoretically, because it¡¯s still mentally tiring, and I will need to eat and drink from time to time, but at least I¡¯m not running out of mana. The magic within the earth is amenable to my requests as long as I don¡¯t require it to move abruptly. I find my attention being gently guided deeper into the rock, towards another seam of nothingness. It¡¯s almost like the magic has its own consciousness to an extent and is trying to help me find what I¡¯ve shown it I¡¯m looking for. I¡¯d previously thought of the earth as uncaring for the little insects which walk on its surface, but this experience is starting to make me rethink it. Maybe it¡¯s that the earth only cares for those who manage to catch its attention. I continue encouraging the earth to shift towards me, like lava flowing through the tube of a volcano, depositing the blank areas in front of me before returning to take the place of the spaces opened up further into the rock. If a geologist came along after me, I reckon that they would be rather puzzled as to the history of the region ¨C I don¡¯t doubt that I¡¯m completely messing up the layers of the rock. But considering how unlikely that is, I don¡¯t care. As I work, I come across a new type of deposit. Whatever these are, they¡¯re definitely not metal. Instead, it feels like the earth magic is extra-concentrated in them. They¡¯re also relatively distinct lumps in the midst of the surrounding rock. Actually, many of them are within the metal itself, offering an island of earth magic within the blackness. Curious, I open my eyes to look at one of the objects once my conveyer belt of rock has delivered the first to me. It¡¯s surrounded by a bluish metal ¨C a form of copper, if I¡¯m correct. Breaking apart the lump of ore with an application of Strength fueling my fingers, my eyebrows go up as I see what¡¯s revealed. ¡°Turquoise?¡± I question. I¡¯m not a geologist, neither by trade nor interest, but I¡¯m familiar with a few precious and semi-precious stones ¨C anyone who buys jewellery for a female partner has to be, in my opinion. At least successfully buys jewellery that she likes, anyway. I learned my lesson on Lucy¡¯s birthday when I got a bracelet for her. I proudly announced that I knew her birthstone was sapphire, so I¡¯d got her a silver bracelet with a sapphire set in it. Small, of course ¨C I was earning good money at the time, but not that good. I¡¯d got it for a very good deal ¨C or so I¡¯d thought when I bought it. She¡¯d accepted it with appreciation for my thoughtfulness, but there was a wry twist to her mouth that I didn¡¯t understand at the time. It was only when I overheard her speaking with a friend that I realised I¡¯d instead accidentally got a bracelet with blue quartz instead. She still wore the bracelet and it suited her, but I learned from that mistake. The next time I got her jewellery, I made sure to get it from somewhere which actually offered a certificate for precious gems, and did my own homework ahead of time so I knew what I was looking for. That homework is what indicates to me that I¡¯m holding turquoise, a semi-precious stone on Earth, and apparently something that has a much higher concentration of earth magic than what surrounds it. I briefly wonder what Lucy would think of what I''m doing here, then dismiss the fantasy, shoving it back into its box. While I have my eyes open, I pick up the chunks of mixed metal and rock which I¡¯ve managed to harvest so far. The coppery and blue coloured lumps are what I was expecting to find ¨C different forms of copper. I was expecting slightly greener lumps, honestly, since I know that copper roofs go green over time as the metal oxidises, but the blue I see here isn¡¯t too unexpected either. I remember chemistry labs and the blue colour of a type of acid that uses copper. Copper sulfite? Sulphate? Something like that. What I¡¯m not expecting are some of the other lumps I see. Picking one up, I turn it this way and that, the light from the cave entrance and Aingeal¡¯s illumination making it glitter. I¡¯ll need to inspect it in proper daylight, but I can¡¯t help suspecting that its silvery appearance isn¡¯t just because of the light here. Another lump I pick up has a more buttery colour than the reddish shade of some of the copper lumps. It¡¯s heavier too. Can it be¡­? My hand shakes a little as hope mingles with my sense of probability. I¡¯ll need to see it in the light to be more confident. Then a thought pours water on my excitement. Even if it is gold, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in the middle of the Gold Rush or something. Things are only as valuable as what others are willing to pay to get them ¨C I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s a market for gold among the samurans. Or any market at all, actually. Though, I suppose that even if there isn¡¯t the opportunity to trade it among samurans, I¡¯m not going to be here forever. Perhaps I should keep it for when I go to Nicholas¡¯ world and hope that they are more interested in the malleable metal there. If it even is gold, and not iron pyrite or something. Though I¡¯ve seen iron pyrite before, and this doesn¡¯t look like it. I drop the lump among all the others. I wonder whether my Inventory will sort the metals apart automatically ¨C it would be interesting if it did. For now, I concentrate on trying to harvest as much of this bounty as I can before we need to head back. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty: Do You Wish To Be Burned The trip back down the valley to the place which will be my den goes even more quickly than the journey up, and is smoother as well. By the time we approach the burnt wasteland where the vine-stranglers used to be, the sun is heading towards the horizon, but hasn¡¯t got close to touching it yet. I¡¯ve got everyone with me. Well, not Rooter who left as soon as our Bond broke, but everyone else. Kalanthia¡¯s presence is in fact probably the main reason for the absence of attacks ¨C on our way up, we dealt with a couple of groups of enemies; on our way down we weren¡¯t harassed at all. I guess not many creatures want to take on a Tier three. Given my own experiences with one, I don¡¯t blame them. We take a brief break by the river to let everyone have a good drink ¨C travelling through the wasteland is thirsty work. I take advantage of the time to fill my various containers with water too. It seems like my idea for how to transport the kiinas¡¯ eggs has worked out well. The two kiinas watched very attentively as I made the hide structure, and then carefully lifted each egg into its own little egg-cup, cradled with spider-silk and supported by tough hide. By using thick lengths of bone as struts, I created something that would stand up to most dangers. Sure, if Trinity decided to lie on it, I wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee that the bone would stay intact, but the cyran was strongly warned not to go anywhere near it and was instead charged with carrying the ¡®bee¡¯ hive. In the end, Hades and Persephone wanted to be in charge of their eggs, so I jury-rigged a harness which they could use to carry it on their backs. As a result, they have been slower and have tired more easily than they would normally, but that just brought them down to the pace which several others of my Bound are restricted to anyway. This time, I also made sure that River rode with the bees on Trinity when she started to tire ¨C she¡¯s clearly not as exhausted now as she was when we journeyed up the mountainside. I did it a couple of times myself ¨C my stamina still isn¡¯t the equal of most of my Bound. It just meant that we could keep moving for longer and faster than otherwise. I have to admit that I was rather impressed by how well the raptorcat juveniles have kept up. They did hop on Trinity¡¯s back a couple of times, but considering that we¡¯ve been moving fast and for at least ten hours, if not more, that¡¯s not bad at all. Once everyone has refreshed themselves, we¡¯re off again, making our way through the last section of forest before hitting the grey wasteland. By this point, there¡¯s been a bit of rain during the recent nights, so the ash has reduced significantly, washed into the soil and down further into the valley. What it¡¯s left behind is even more desolate, though ¨C blackened ground with the remnants of roots or carbonised branches which crack under foot. However, despite all the blackness, here or there I spot a small shoot of green ¨C the vegetation isn¡¯t taking long to reclaim the area. We make a good pace across the wasteland, and thus it¡¯s not all that long before the small clump of vine-stranglers comes into view. As we get closer, I eye the trees suspiciously. Have they spread out a bit more or is that just my paranoia speaking? Either way, it firms up my decision to take advantage of my new type of Tame Bond. Still, I make sure that everyone gets to the centre first ¨C there¡¯s no point in making them wait outside the ring of trees when they could be benefiting from the increased Energy density found within it. I can already feel the pleasure and relief emanating from the two kiinas ¨C as expected, they are significantly happier with the Energy density in this area than back at the cave. Then, eyeing the trees, I reach out along the Bond I have with the consciousness which governs them. I¡¯m going to send you a new type of Bond. I want you to accept it. You wish to renegotiate the alliance between us? The vine-strangler consciousness asks with more than a touch of eagerness even as it tries to make it seem like it cared little. Good ¨C you have come to see reason. I must expand beyond these pitiful limits you have set for me. I roll my eyes at its one-track thinking, then connect to it with Alliance, sending across the contract I constructed in my head as we ran here. It¡¯s obvious when the vine-strangler understands the contents of the contract as an immediate outcry of denial rings from it. This is madness! You wish to restrict my growth further? No, no no! Then do you wish to be burned instead? I ask with my arms crossed and a glare fixed on the closest tree to me. Of course not, but how do you expect me to take advantage of the bounty which my roots and leaves drink from if I cannot expand beyond a few trees every cycle? Grow bigger trees, or stronger trees, or more magical trees,¡¯ I tell it. ¡®Heck, I don¡¯t know ¨C maybe you could even learn to do magic. But you¡¯re not going to take over this whole area again, not on my watch. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I sense the resentment within the other party ¨C even if I¡¯ve offered an Alliance, the consciousness is still connected to me through a Tame Bond and is apparently not good at keeping its emotions from me. But I refuse to give any concessions on growth. Not until the natural forest has been able to retake a whole lot more space. And I warn you, I continue, I will know if you contravene any of these requirements, and will come to burn you to the ground. I know you know I can do it. The forest consciousness burns with frustrated anger. You will burn me if I do not agree; you will burn me if I agree and then accidentally break one of these rules- There will be no ¡®accidental¡¯ about it, I interrupt. All of the restrictions in this contract are things that you would have to actively intend to contravene. And then, yes, I will burn you for it. The forest goes on as if I hadn¡¯t spoken. What is the point of continuing to exist if I cannot grow? it asks, rather melodramatically, to my mind. But I recognise that what I¡¯m asking might seem like a big deal to a creature whose main objective is to expand as much as possible. As I said, maybe you can find a different way of increasing in power,¡¯ I suggest. ¡®Be different from all the others of your species who have to grow in size. Maybe you can become something this world has never seen before. Honestly, I feel like I¡¯m talking out of my arse here, but, of all people, I understand the importance of hope. The vine-strangler consciousness is silent for a few moments while it turns that over in whatever it has that passes for a mind. Perhaps you have an interesting idea there,¡¯ it allows slowly. ¡®Yes. That is what I will do. I will find a way to be different ¨C and better ¨C than all others! It sounds abruptly more cheerful and excitable. A moment later, it agrees to the Alliance contract with absent-mindedness ¨C as if the restrictions on its growth and actions are now of secondary importance to its mission of finding a way to be unique among vine-stranglers. I hope I haven¡¯t created a monster here, I think to myself with a mixture of amusement and trepidation. Well, time will tell. At least for now I have a bit more confidence that it will actually stick within my stated limits ¨C if only because it now knows that I will be able to identify for sure when it doesn¡¯t. Heading towards the centre of the vine-stranglers, I see that all my Bound have disappeared down into the tunnel, even individuals like Trinity who would surely have found climbing down that steep slope to be quite a difficult endeavour. Perhaps the lure of what is below was enough to motivate her to overcome the challenge. Climbing down myself, I see the group of them spread out around the room. With the massive bodies of Trinity and Kalanthia filling the space, it abruptly looks much smaller than last time. I watch as the nunda sniffs around the cavern, then heads towards the opening which leads down to the Pure Energy stream. She inspects a few more things then walks over to me, the rest of my Bound moving respectfully out of her way. It is a promising venue, she admits. The Energy in the air will even help me make some advancement towards my next Evolution. It is not much good for those prior to their first Evolution as most of it will wash into their bodies and then be lost, but once they have Evolved the first time, this is a perfect place to work on establishing their Energy channels fully. You may find it easier to repair Lathani¡¯s foundations here too. ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered that,¡± I reply thoughtfully. I probably should have ¨C even if it doesn¡¯t actually help Lathani, it will increase my Energy gain, which, if I need to use it on her channels the way I needed to with Fenrir, could be useful. Then again, I only needed to use Energy because Fenrir was in the middle of an Evolution; Lathani isn¡¯t. Have you considered how you wish to transform this into a den? I assume you do not intend on leaving it like this. Kalanthia¡¯s question draws my attention back from thinking about Lathani¡¯s Energy channels ¨C another subject I¡¯ve thought a lot on over the last few hours ¨C and back to the present. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got a few ideas,¡± I tell her, leaning against one of the walls. ¡°But as you may have been able to tell, they¡¯re complicated a bit by the fact that it seems like any stone which has been in direct contact with Pure Energy is harder to change.¡± It¡¯s not as bad as the casing around the Pure Energy stream, but tests have proven that it takes significantly more effort and focus to convince the earth magic in the stone of the cavern than the average rock. I used a lot of Earth-Shaping yesterday to pull out all the different metals, crystals, and special rocks from the raptorcats¡¯ cave wall, forced to leave more by the disappearing sun than running out of metal to harvest. I may have to go back there again one day. For now, though, I have other concerns. But the point is that the same amount of mana it took me to mine for hours would only allow me to make a small hole the equivalent of Raven¡¯s eggs¡¯ basin in the wall of the cavern. Yes, I sense that, Kalanthia agrees. It will take a while to reform this cavern to a comfortable den. ¡°I know, which is why I was hoping to run some things by you,¡± I request. Oh? I¡¯m about to launch into discussing my ideas, ones which take into account the fact that I want this to be a home as well as a place where my Bound or other samurans can come to absorb Energy, but I¡¯m interrupted. There¡¯s the sound of wings beating in the air outside the cavern ¨C familiar wings. Come out and explain yourself, intruder! Raven¡¯s voice calls in my mind as I hear a furious bellow echo into the cavern. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-One: Announce My Presence Uh oh. If the ¡®intruder¡¯ Raven is referring to is me ¨C which I more than half-suspect it is ¨C it¡¯s not a good sign of how he¡¯s feeling right now. I wrack my brains trying to work out what I¡¯ve done, but nothing comes immediately to mind. Trepidation sending butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I head back towards the entrance. Bastet starts towards me but I stop her with a look ¨C if Raven is mad, which it sounds like he is, I don¡¯t want to risk anyone else being exposed to his ire. I¡¯m the most likely of my immediate group to survive long enough to get under cover and with Kalanthia inside the cavern, we might stand a better chance of ambushing him inside if necessary. Kalanthia. Actually, maybe I know why Raven sounds so livid. Bringing another Tier three into his area without warning him probably wasn¡¯t the best of ideas. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± I say as calmly as I can when I¡¯m out of the cavern. I start to climb the slope though I¡¯m not able to see the alcaoris until I reach about halfway up. I¡¯m tempted to send calmness down the link between us but I refrain ¨C I suspect he would sense it and be even more angry at me trying to influence him. How dare you bring another Enlightened Beast into my territory without my permission! Raven bellows at me, acidic mana already swirling threateningly around his head. His wings are mantled above his head, making him look more than twice as bulky as normal even as his tail lashes angrily behind him. Unfortunately, I was right ¨C I really should have predicted this. Especially since I had already considered how the alcaoris wouldn¡¯t take Kalanthia coming into his territory well, and had originally planned to bring her down after the eggs had hatched. I can¡¯t remember when exactly I forgot that. It just¡­slipped my mind, replaced by thoughts of Bastet and how I missed the rest of our pack, particularly the kiinas and the raptorcat cubs. It¡¯s a bit of an oversight, though, and one that I need to rectify now. If I can, that is. Because the thing is that Raven isn¡¯t guarding his side of the Bond well enough to keep all his emotions from me, and I can tell that at the base of his anger is something else: fear. Fear for his eggs, I suspect. No matter of talking will do anything if I can¡¯t reassure him that his eggs are safe. ¡°Listen, Raven, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I start in as conciliatory a way as possible. The fact is I recognise that, although I haven¡¯t actually done anything against the alliance between us, so to speak, that¡¯s only because we didn¡¯t consider bringing in guests as part of our alliance negotiations. I should have at least notified him that I was bringing another Tier three into the same area, and I didn¡¯t. ¡°I promise that as far as I know, my guest has no intentions of damaging your eggs.¡± As I say it, I¡¯m suddenly hit by a wave of doubt myself. I haven¡¯t actually checked with Kalanthia whether she would be interested in eating the eggs of an alcaoris ¨C for all I know, that¡¯s just the thing she needs to make more progress of her own to the next tier. Perhaps he senses my doubt or he has enough of his own, but my words don¡¯t seem to make much of a dent in his fury. Useless words do not interest me! Your ¡®guest¡¯ must leave immediately or our alliance is through. I will kill any of you and yours who I see within fifty body lengths of my eggs ¨C of either entrance to the tunnel, he threatens. I think quickly. While I do feel a lot more confident at taking Raven on now that I¡¯ve got more of his measure and more of my Bound with me, especially if Kalanthia aided me, I suspect that there would still be casualties. If there¡¯s another half-way reasonable option, I¡¯d rather take it. ¡°What if I could facilitate an alliance between you and my guest?¡± I suggest. ¡°One where she promises not to harm your eggs? You would know if she tried to break it, that way.¡± What good would a notification do if my eggs are already broken? The alcaoris scoffs, but I take it as a good sign that he¡¯s even considering it. ¡°Then perhaps we could negotiate that she doesn¡¯t go within a reasonable distance either magically or physically,¡± I suggest. ¡°That way you would have some warning.¡± Or she could leave my territory entirely, returned Raven, but he sounds like he¡¯s calmed down a little. His body language seems to indicate that too. I take the signs as an invitation for further discussion. ¡°I¡¯ll ask her to come up to talk with you,¡± I answer figuring that I can¡¯t make any promises on Kalanthia¡¯s behalf ¨C and I doubt she¡¯d appreciate me trying. Kalanthia, can you come up here? I request, trying to direct my thoughts to her, hoping that she¡¯ll be able to pick them up from this distance. Is this the Beast of which you spoke? she asks. I hear her question but her mental words are slightly fainter than normal ¨C like she¡¯s talking from another room, but still ¡®audible¡¯. She sounds wary, understandably. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Yes, it is. He¡¯s a bit angry at the moment ¨C I probably should have warned him that we were coming but¡­it slipped my mind. I sigh. That would have been more diplomatic, she comments, of all things sounding slightly amused. Yeah. He¡¯s strong, but hopefully not an enemy, I tell her. As long as we can reassure him that you mean no harm to his eggs. You don¡¯t, do you? If she attacks me, I will not hold anything back, Raven warns, unaware of the conversation I¡¯m having with the nunda at the same time. No, Kalanthia answers my question to her with a mental voice that sounds clearer than before. A moment later, I see movement at the base of the tunnel. She emerges, her large paws easily covering the ground between the cavern and where I¡¯m standing near the lip of the tunnel. I¡¯ve intentionally not climbed out entirely so I could use the tunnel walls as slight shelter if Raven decides to attack. As it is, I¡¯m still hoping that I will be able to negotiate a peaceful agreement between them. Raven steps back warily and his wings mantle again as he spots the massive leopard. He looks to be only a few moments away from taking flight. I don¡¯t blame him: he¡¯s big, but Kalanthia is bigger. Down on the ground, he looks to be easy prey ¨C a bird to Kalanthia¡¯s cat. Kalanthia looks outwardly relaxed, but I know her well enough to see the caution in her body language, the very deliberate movements which belie her apparent relaxation. Of course, I don¡¯t know how well Kalanthia would deal with Raven¡¯s acidic mana, which by this point is writhing around his head, practically hissing and spitting with defensiveness. Then again, I don¡¯t know how well he¡¯d deal with her ability to control the earth either. If she bound him down to the ground, she wouldn¡¯t even need to get close to him to kill him. But those sorts of thoughts are probably what are going through the two Tier three beasts¡¯ minds as they size each other up ¨C I need to focus on more peaceful possibilities. Focussing on trying to activate Alliance, I feel a sense of achievement as a connection forms between me and the two Tier threes. More importantly, I also sense the connection form between them. That¡¯s a point in favour of the theory that Alliance doesn¡¯t only need to be used for alliances involving me directly, though it appears that I have to be connected to them in some way. Both beasts flinch a little in surprise as the connections form, though I sense that they have to agree to the connection happening at all. Kalanthia accepts with only a brief sense of hesitation; Raven takes a little longer, but accepts eventually. ¡°Right,¡± I say once they¡¯ve both entered the ¡®bubble¡¯. ¡°Kalanthia doesn¡¯t want to harm your eggs in any way, Raven. She¡¯s here to be with her cub and to benefit from the Pure Energy. That¡¯s all.¡± She is intruding on my territory, the alcaoris states imperiously. She owes me a gift before we even begin the discussion. Directing my thoughts to Kalanthia only, I silently inquire as to the veracity of his words. Beasts of our level do tend to present a gift to the local territory Guardian if we do not intend on conflict, she answers and I sense it is directed only to me. Then I sense her speaking more ¡®widely¡¯ to both of us. I did not sense any indications that this was your established territory. I am here, I hear Raven answer, though I suspect that he¡¯s not directing his words to me exactly ¨C it appears that I am party to any conversation that goes through the Alliance connections, perhaps because I was the one to instigate it. That should be sufficient. You must have felt my presence. I felt it, barely, Kalanthia allows, similarly speaking directly to Raven with me as a silent observer. But I saw no indications of your presence on the trees or rocks, I smelt no marking anywhere nearby, and your domain is muted as if you are in hiding. What among that demands that I announce my presence, let alone bring you a gift? Raven hesitates for a moment before snapping back at the nunda, his body language shifting to become even more defensive. You should have known because of the¡­our¡­the being who has brought us together, he answers, his strong start weakening as he seems to have difficulty mentally conceiving of exactly what role I fill. He is not one of us, Kalanthia answers, her tone contemptuous enough that I might take offence if it wasn¡¯t so obviously directed at the alcaoris. The dragon-like creature rears back, startled at her tone. Why assume that he would know anything of the proper etiquette? OK, now I feel a little offended, though I remind myself that it is probably accurate ¨C this whole conversation seems to be revealing a culture I didn¡¯t even know existed. Frankly, although I¡¯m wary that Kalanthia might offend Raven enough to have him trying to kill her, it¡¯s probably better to let her manage it. I¡¯ll have to trust that she realises that Lathani, as my Bound, will be caught in the crossfire if Raven declares war on us. You have not announced your presence in any way that matters; you have not claimed this territory as yours, continues the nunda, speaking as deliberately as she moved earlier, every mental word practically slicing into my mind like shards of glass. Indeed, I am tempted to claim this area as my own territory, she suggests almost lightly. The alcaoris rears back, clearly alarmed. You wouldn¡¯t! He answers, his tone half threat, half horrified realisation. Kalanthia yawns and flexes her paws. I feel her domain spread out beyond me, this time more of a watchful predator than one ready to pounce. It¡¯s no less threatening for all its apparent relaxation: there¡¯s no doubt that the predator could attack in the blink of an eye. Could you stop me? Kalanthia challenges. Abruptly, I wonder how this got so far out of control ¨C I wasn¡¯t intending on this happening! Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Two: Battle Of Domains Raven rears back and I think that he¡¯s about to breathe acid mana at us. I almost dive to one side to avoid it, but then I notice he doesn¡¯t have his mouth open. Instead, he spreads out his wings widely and presses his own domain against us. His claws and teeth come into sharper focus and he seems to grow even bigger. Suddenly, I can¡¯t take my eyes off him and it feels like everything else should be forgotten in light of this revealed predator before me. At least, that¡¯s the way it would feel if Kalanthia wasn¡¯t next to me. Instead, his threat suddenly feels so much more like bluster than a real threat. And it¡¯s not because he isn¡¯t a threat ¨C I¡¯ve had personal experience in how much of one he can be. It¡¯s because the threat I feel from Kalanthia feels significantly more impactful. Where Raven is like a colourful bird darting about and flashing his feathers ¨C not that he has any of those exactly ¨C Kalanthia is the tiger lurking in the grass, waiting for your back to be turned before she pounces. Between the two, my newly-sharpened instincts know exactly which to be most wary of. Interestingly, I can sense some sort of battle of wills going on around me. Or perhaps, battle of domains. It¡¯s probably something I wouldn¡¯t have even been able to detect before I managed to increase my Wisdom level, but now I can sense that at one moment I¡¯m being more affected by Raven¡¯s domain, and then the next by Kalanthia¡¯s. The two Tier threes focus on each other without releasing eye contact. Neither of them reaches out to attack physically ¨C I wonder if needing to do so would be an automatic loss in this contest. I¡¯m relieved ¨C I know what Raven can do and some of what Kalanthia is capable of; between the two of them, there would be a significant amount of damage to the area and probably to my Bound in the cavern below as well. Hopefully that won¡¯t be the next step after the domain fight. I was hoping to avoid a fight by offering them an Alliance. Then again, perhaps it¡¯s necessary for them to figure out who¡¯s higher in the pecking order before they can actually start to negotiate. Maybe this is what Tier threes always do when they come into contact with each other. I¡¯ll have to see if Kalanthia¡¯s open to talking about it later. I sense the area around me becoming more saturated with Kalanthia¡¯s domain, the flickers of feeling that Raven should be my main focus becoming less and less frequent. A few moments later, it seems like he keeps reducing and increasing again in size and importance. And then his times of seeming particularly big and important become less and less frequent until finally, it¡¯s like he was at the end of our fight when he¡¯d crashed to the ground, spent. He¡¯s still big and imposing, but that¡¯s just his natural form, not the extra that¡¯s given to him by his domain. Frustration leaks down the link between him and me, his lips drawing further back from his teeth. For a moment it seems like he¡¯s considering turning this into a physical fight. And then he subsides. His wings come down to fold onto his back; his head lowers from its reared-back position. He¡¯s not submitting to Kalanthia, not exactly, but he seems to be recognising that she is stronger than him. I was here first; I will protect this area for my eggs, he says finally, grudgingly. Kalanthia¡¯s aura presses even harder against me for a moment, and then withdraws. The sense of a watchful, opportunistic predator doesn¡¯t exactly vanish, but it becomes less all-encompassing. Then you will not object to any actions we take which do not negatively impact your eggs in any way, states Kalanthia. They don¡¯t return to the original discussion ¨C I guess that the battle of the domains was sufficient to answer Kalanthia¡¯s question without actually needing to explicitly respond to it. Any reduction of Energy in the stream will poorly affect them, responds Raven. I do not believe that there is any intention to do that, Kalanthia replies. Abruptly, I realise they¡¯re both looking at me. I quickly review what they¡¯ve just said. Oh, yes. ¡°Not until the eggs hatch,¡± I answer briskly. ¡°Until then, we want to use the natural Energy which is currently produced by Energy¡­evaporating off the stream and seeping into the area above it.¡± I don¡¯t know if ¡®evaporating¡¯ is a good term when heat isn¡¯t involved, but it¡¯s the only one I think suits considering how the stream mostly behaves like water and the less concentrated stuff more like gas. I do want to work on crystallising Energy Hearts, but I¡¯ve already realised that trying to do it ahead of the eggs hatching probably isn¡¯t feasible. Then there should be no issue with our presence, Kalanthia follows up with a sense of finality. I have no interest in your eggs and agree not to move within a body¡¯s length of them in physical or intentional magical presence. It looks like Raven wants to demand greater certainty, but seeing Kalanthia¡¯s feline stare, he subsides without saying anything. Hammering out the rest of the alliance only takes a few minutes after that. Raven has stopped trying to demand that Kalanthia leaves the area, and has had to be satisfied with Kalanthia¡¯s promises. He¡¯s not best-pleased about it, but apparently he¡¯s not going to argue about it either. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Once the Alliance snaps into place, Raven quickly departs without a farewell. It seems like he¡¯s either eager to get back to his eggs or away from Kalanthia ¨C or a combination of both. ¡°So,¡± I ask casually, looking at Kalanthia, ¡°there¡¯s normally some sort of procedure when meeting another Tier three?¡± She eyes me warily for a moment then gives a quiet huff of air. Fine. Since you have a few Bound now already past their first Evolution, I suppose you should know at least a little about this. The second Evolution is considered to be the first true step on the Path as it is the first to be made intentionally. ¡°Why is that?¡± I can¡¯t help interrupting, though her chiding grumble makes me quickly apologise. ¡°Sorry, but it seems like the samurans very much intend to reach Tier two ¨C when they can.¡± Those who begin with sufficient knowledge and intelligence may intentionally seek the first Evolution, but most do not start in that position. Though, I will grant you that it¡¯s an advantage. The first Evolution can happen merely by killing sufficient numbers of creatures, or surviving long enough. It is not a guarantee by any means, but it does not have to be intentionally sought. But to pass the second Evolution is very much an intentional undertaking. ¡°I see,¡± I respond thoughtfully ¨C it makes sense based on what she¡¯s revealed before about needing to have a clear idea of where to go in order to make it past the blockages. ¡°So how does this relate to the whole thing between you and Raven?¡± I was getting there, huffs Kalanthia. The requirement of intentionality gives all Beasts past it a level of enlightenment ¨C the ability to think at a deeper level than previously. Attacking other creatures of our own level or higher is full of danger, and we understand the implications of that more than we might have previously. As a result, most enlightened Beasts develop a way of identifying the threat level of opponents based on their auras. It is the same on my home world as it is here. Over time, it became customary for a Beast to extend an aura when encountering a Beast of similar level. Courtesy ¨C and the first sally in the battle. A defeat of the aura is not a guaranteed defeat in a full fight, but it is often followed by one. On defeat of their aura, the loser will generally try to withdraw ¨C if the victor allows them to do so. ¡°Huh,¡± I respond with fascination. ¡°Does an aura defeat cause damage?¡± Not usually, Kalanthia answers, though I believe there have been cases if one has an aura far more powerful than the other. Most of the time it is sufficiently obvious by other indications as to whether two are so mis-matched and the weaker quickly withdraws. I nod slowly. That makes sense, I suppose. Kalanthia is obviously stronger than any of my Tier two Bound, as is Raven. I have to wonder how Bastet or the samurans might change at Tier three, though. Would they become massive in size too? Or just obviously more dangerous? ¡°So what was that about territories?¡± I ask. ¡°Do you respect the territories of other Tier threes or something?¡± It is more that to enter the marked territory of another enlightened Beast and not to visit the Guardian to present gifts is considered an outright challenge. The Guardian will see the intruder as a threat and attack them without warning. Unless, of course, the intruder is far more powerful; in that case, the Guardian does their best to go unnoticed as the intruder passes through, hoping that the intruder has not come to take their territory from them. In this situation, there were no clear indications of the other Beast¡¯s presence ¨C he had not claimed the territory officially. Thus, he had no right to demand a gift in exchange for peaceful discourse. ¡°I see.¡± Again, that all makes sense. I suppose I¡¯m more surprised that they might have a way of peacefully talking to each other. If it is peaceful, that is. ¡°If the intruder brings a gift, will the Guardian not attack? And what kind of things make a ¡®gift¡¯?¡± I suspect it¡¯s not the kind of thing that would typically lie under the Christmas tree back on Earth. Guardians might attack despite the presence of a gift, but they would find themselves shunned and possibly attacked by others when word spread that they had done it, especially if it was unjustified or repeated. It is usually more effective to accept the gift, hear the intruder out, and then chase them away if their message is unwelcome. As for a gift, Cores are the usual one, either in quantity or quality. Specific Guardians may appreciate other specific resources but Cores or other Energy-rich items are never undesired. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll try to remember your words if I ever come across another Guardian. Considering everything that has happened so far, I have to guess that it will happen eventually,¡± I say wryly. Heck, considering I¡¯m going deeper into the forest in a couple of months¡¯ time for the samuran meet-and-greet, I have to guess that it will be sooner rather than later. ¡°On the note of claiming territories, have you decided whether to stay here or not? And if so, will you claim this area as your territory?¡± Kalanthia looks thoughtful ¨C I know her well enough to be able to identify the look on her. I have seen no indications of the presence of any Beast stronger than your Ally, she says cautiously. That is no guarantee that one has not been here ¨C if they are far stronger than I am or stealth-focussed, they would be capable of hiding their traces from me. I have never ventured close enough to the crevice at the base of the valley to know what the specialisms of the Beasts that rule there are. ¡°So¡­?¡± I ask leadingly as she hasn¡¯t actually answered my question. She¡¯s silent for a long moment. I have decided that it is worth the risk, the nunda says finally. I doubt that you are going to leave this area without evidence that it is dangerous, and you will keep Lathani with you. I would prefer to stay where my senses can help detect any threat to her than to go elsewhere. The fact that I can finally start making some progress towards my own Evolution again is another important part of my decision. ¡°Excellent,¡± I tell her, not trying to hide my pleasure ¨C she¡¯d probably be able to sense it anyway. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about some specifics about our new den.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Three: Work With The Earth You see, slow movements which build up speed are far more effective and efficient than trying to start with a fast movement, Kalanthia tells me as she carves the last of the large basin. ¡°Yes, I see,¡± I say thoughtfully as I use my magic sight to observe her control. It¡¯s amazing to see the differences between her deft and practised actions and my own ham-handed fumbling. I¡¯d thought that I¡¯d been starting to get to grips with Earth-Shaping, but Kalanthia¡¯s expertise shows me just how far I have to go. She uses a fraction of mana for a far faster and more finished result. She seems to work with the earth in a way that demonstrates her sheer understanding of the material ¨C and the deep relationship she has built with it. When I want to shape the earth, I have to first feed it with my own earth-aligned mana until I feel that it is moldable. I then have to continue feeding it with mana to actually effectuate the change, and the faster or greater the change, the more mana it requires. Kalanthia seems to be able to skip that first step entirely. I suspect it¡¯s something to do with her domain or simply her familiarity with the earth, but when she reaches out with her focus, the earth immediately responds, almost eager to act according to her desires. It¡¯s not the same as fire but there are similarities. Fire leaps in eagerness to act because it constantly desires to grow and consume, but attempts to quell it are met with significant reluctance. The earth doesn¡¯t wish to consume or to grow, but it moves to meet Kalanthia¡¯s intentions with the willingness of a precariously poised boulder hearing the call of gravity when given a strong nudge. And like that same boulder, the movement of one leads to the movement of many ¨C which is the core of the lesson she¡¯s just been teaching me. While the earth does move significantly more easily for Kalanthia, it¡¯s clear that there are foundational rules which remain the same no matter the Skill level. One of these is that getting the earth to move fast requires either a lot of mana, or a lot of preparation. It¡¯s been amazing to be able to watch a master at work, though. I¡¯ve already got up to Initiate four in Earth-Shaping, ranking up partway through the morning of the day after enabling the alliance between Kalanthia and Raven. The rank up didn¡¯t offer me anything new, instead just indicating that my relationship with the earth has improved and shaping it is therefore easier. My work with pulling out the metal ores and gems from the raptorcats¡¯ cave seems to have influenced my rank up too as the message indicated that my ability to identify and isolate components of the earth has improved too. My increasing skill in Earth-Shaping has meant that we¡¯ve been able to move faster than I anticipated, but it¡¯s Kalanthia¡¯s help which has really cut down the time we¡¯ve needed to turn this rough cavern into a proper home. Or ¡®den¡¯ as seems the most suitable appellation considering everything. Instead of the week I was estimating that it would take, it¡¯s been a little less than two days of actual work, though it¡¯s taken place on three days in total. The fact that we didn¡¯t really do much actual earth-shaping on the day we arrived before needing to sleep meant that we¡¯ve had a third sunrise, but we¡¯re pretty much done now. Just one thing left to do. ¡°You¡¯re sure that we can pull that underground spring to the surface?¡± I worry again, earning a light cuff from a padded paw. Kalanthia pulls the blow, but it¡¯s still strong enough to make me stagger. Yes, she tells me with a strong sense of exasperation. To be fair, this is probably the fifth time I¡¯ve asked her something similar. Today. It¡¯s just that she hasn¡¯t properly explained exactly how we ¨C or rather she ¨C would be doing it, and I know that trying to make water run uphill is complicated. Watch and learn, she tells me, so I do. The large nunda extends her influence into the earth. I can¡¯t see her domain, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the cause ¨C I can see that she¡¯s not putting any mana into the earth itself but it¡¯s rippling in response to her presence nonetheless. Like wind ¨C it¡¯s possible to feel the wind, and to see the effects of it, but not to see the wind itself. I follow the ripples of earth magic as it reacts to Kalanthia¡¯s focus, further and further into the earth. The action, when it does take place, is really at the edges of my magic sight ¨C a point where I can more sense than see what¡¯s going on, and barely at that. There is something in the earth. It¡¯s different from anything else I¡¯ve seen in this area. It¡¯s not any type of stone, or even one of the crystalline structures which I¡¯ve occasionally found ¨C this section isn¡¯t as full of them as the area around the copper vein was, but there were a couple here or there. It¡¯s not the bones which I¡¯ve found from long dead creatures, or the odd flecks of metal which we¡¯ve come across. It¡¯s not even the extra Energy Hearts we¡¯ve found from where the Pure Energy forced its way into cracks in the rock and then crystalised in place ¨C those have invariably been Earth-focussed Energy Hearts. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. No, this is water. And as Kalanthia starts making her changes, impressing me with just how delicately she can work even at such a range, I see why she had no need to worry about whether we¡¯d be able to bring the water to where we are. Although the slopes in this area are not as steep as in many other places around us, we are still on a mountain here. The water is found somewhere uphill from where we are, meaning that getting it here is a simple matter of providing it with a route down to us. Well, simple for Kalanthia, that is. I doubt I¡¯d have even been able to find the groundwater, let alone create the required channels so deep in the earth. My original plan had been to divert a bit of river through our area and then return it downstream, but that would have required a huge amount of work due to the distances involved. I watch with awe as Kalanthia brings the water down to us in underground stone channels ¨C rudimentary pipes, really. As she gets into the slope just above the remoulded entrance to the underground caverns, she skillfully splits the stream into two different channels. The upper one moves into the massive basin we have formed just downhill of the entrance to the cavern where it starts to fill what will eventually be a pond for drinking. The overflow of that mini-lake will go into a smaller basin which I will use for dirtier jobs. There is a channel from that dip which directs the water towards where we¡¯re likely going to need it for irrigation purposes in the ash fields down below. I¡¯ll need to do more work on it later when we actually know what kind of irrigation channels we¡¯ll need, but I wanted to take advantage of the deal I cut with Kalanthia ¨C that in exchange for her being able to stay in the area and benefit from the Energy in the environment, she would help actually create the den area. The best deal I ever made, in my opinion. The other channel goes further underground, into a bathroom of its own. There, it goes into another basin, this one about the size of a jacuzzi. My new bath ¨C and I have to say that I¡¯m rather looking forward to not having to watch out for crocodiles when I do my ablutions. The overflow of that runs through an open channel and then back underground. This one goes into the ash fields too, but not as a complete channel. Instead, it rises near the surface and then separates into multiple channels which then end in a sort of sandy earth pit only about half a metre from the surface in the middle of the vine-strangler copse. Since I¡¯m planning on using that open channel as my low-tech toilet, I hope that the trees will enjoy the new source of fertiliser. When Kalanthia finishes, she looks rather exhausted. ¡°Are you OK?¡± I ask with concern. I¡¯ve seen her enact massive structural changes without looking more than briefly puffed, so it¡¯s a little surprising to see how fatigued she looks now. Merely a little tired, she answers, sounding it. Working at range and with such finesse is mentally demanding, even if it does not require much mana. I will be well after a short pause. ¡°Alright,¡± I tell her and sit next to her for a while, watching the biggest basin start to fill. The water that trickles in is crystal clear and I can¡¯t wait until it fills the basin enough for me to reach it. Due to our building methods being magic, there¡¯s no dust or dirt left in the basin after all the work, meaning that the water goes in clear and stays that way. Movement exiting the encircling vine-stranglers catches my eye and I see Bastet returning with her little hunting party. Since the death of three of her party members in the fight with the alcaoris, she¡¯s had to replace her numbers. Thorn and Honey have both stayed with her, but they¡¯ve been joined by Artemis the wolf-like deri and Lathani. ¡°Good hunt?¡± I ask them as they come closer. Lathani bounds over to me to rub her head against my hip and then goes on to rub against her mother. Good enough, Bastet answers in satisfaction, licking her lips demonstratively and then coming over to greet me like Lathani. The rest of the group send greetings to me along the Bonds but don¡¯t come over to physically rub against me. We met up with Pride, Catch, and Hades ¨C they are bringing all the kills back. I make a mental note to work out a way that my less dextrous Bound can bring their kills back more easily. Or maybe a collaboration with Tier one samurans from the village to essentially become beasts of burden. Hmm. ¡°Good to hear,¡± I respond. Mother says you¡¯re finished making the den, Lathani pipes up. I was aware of them talking but didn¡¯t make any effort to listen in. Can we see now? Perhaps it is stupid, but I didn¡¯t want anyone to see our new home until it was done. Maybe it¡¯s a sense of pride, or of nervousness, but the result is that only Kalanthia and I know where everything is. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, butterflies flapping around in my stomach ¨C what if they don¡¯t like it? ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the others to come back and I¡¯ll give you the tour.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Four: Everyone Ready? In the end, the group includes Bastet, Lathani, Fenrir, Catch, Pride, Hades, and Persephone ¨C who is willing to be dragged away from her eggs to inspect her new home. The others either aren¡¯t really interested enough or have gone back to the samuran village. River is one of those: she went straight back to the village with the other samurans who joined us on our trip and has been there ever since. I¡¯ve missed her and sense through the Bond that she¡¯s missed me too, but I agreed with her that she would do most good working with Tarra on exploring her Fire-Herbalism and carving out a place for herself in the local community. I¡¯ll have to give her the tour later. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± I ask with excitement and nerves mingling. What are they going to think of our efforts? ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± I continue after receiving various positive responses. We move to the entrance. Once just a large hole in the ground, it has been moved further down the slope and is now a more even hole with a less-steep slope. As we go inside, more differences are immediately obvious. ¡°Kalanthia and I thought that a straight route forwards to the heart of the group wasn¡¯t a good idea, so we¡¯ve included a few switchbacks,¡± I tell them, pointing out the changes as we walk through. ¡°These various bends should offer our forces more cover in order to attack an intruder and slow them down.¡± I did suggest putting in a few hidden passages, but Kalanthia pointed out that passages could be used against me ¨C there¡¯s no guarantee that my forces will always be smaller than the enemy. In the end, I¡¯ve hidden a few ¡®surprises¡¯ in pockets of the stone ¨C poison, extra-sticky spider-silk, sharp bits of flint, and bone caltraps. In the event of an enemy coming, either I can trigger them to fall on the creature¡¯s head, or my Bound can use force to crack the thin stone keeping the trap substances hidden, releasing them on the floor. I¡¯ll have to check them from time to time just to make sure that they¡¯re not degrading, but hopefully this will help give us the edge even in the event of another Tier three trying to attack us. If a Tier four or five attacks us, we¡¯ll probably have to use the emergency exit instead. ¡°And here we are in the first room,¡± I say as we get to the end of the passageway. ¡°This is the area with the least Energy density, and as you can see, it¡¯s pretty big.¡± It¡¯s bigger than the original cavern, but not quite as big as the space that had been revealed after I¡¯d succeeded in fulfilling the terms of the deal with Raven. It¡¯s also a lot more intentionally shaped and almost a perfect oval. I have a feeling that that isn¡¯t going to be the most useful shape, but since I didn¡¯t know what would be most useful, I decided to just use Kalanthia¡¯s help to build the basic structure. Later down the line, either I can do some more shaping with magic, or others can build walls with clay. What will this room be used for? Persephone asks. I hope it is not where you intend me to guard my eggs ¨C it is far too open. ¡°No, I¡¯ve got another place in mind for that,¡± I assure her. I¡¯ve got a special area at the end of a passage leading off from the main room for that. ¡°I figure that this is basically the living quarters of anyone who can deal with the Energy levels. Actually, are any of you suffering from Energy poisoning right now? If you¡¯re not sure, I can check.¡± There¡¯s a pause as each of them seems to take stock of themselves. Bastet, Pride, Persephone, and Hades all indicate that they¡¯re fine. Catch seems uncertain, as do Lathani and Fenrir. I check them out. Catch is fine, as expected ¨C he¡¯s a Tier 1 and none of my Bound suffered ill-effects last time we came through. Lathani, oddly enough, is suffering from something, despite also being Tier 1. It¡¯s not affecting her health, but it is affecting her mana and stamina. I¡¯ll need to dig more into it after the tour to find out why. For now, though, I assess that she¡¯d better stay on the surface level with her mother. Of course, she doesn¡¯t like that idea. Why does everyone else get to stay and not me? she whines sulkily, the closest to outright rebellion that she¡¯s come in a while. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous for you,¡± I tell her again, exasperated. ¡°I don¡¯t know why and I don¡¯t know how, but it¡¯s clearly badly affecting you in some way.¡± But you said it¡¯s not causing my health any damage, she argues. ¡°No, but having your mana and stamina drained can¡¯t be healthy,¡± I say, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes at her. ¡°Until I know why it¡¯s happening, I don¡¯t want you down here.¡± But why is no one else having any difficulties? she demands. I sigh and shrug, moving over to check on Fenrir. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But they aren¡¯t, so you¡¯ll have to just recognise that you each have differences and go back to the surface.¡± Then, as I touch Fenrir, I frown. ¡°Actually, you¡¯ll have a companion.¡± Oh? Lathani perks up. Who? ¡°Sorry Fenrir,¡± I say to the lizog. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re more sensitive to Energy since your Evolution. Your health is going down bit by bit. It¡¯s not a lot at this point, but this is the lowest Energy density. You¡¯ll have to go up with Lathani.¡± It¡¯s fine, Fenrir says, not displaying any of the annoyance that Lathani is. Keep Lathani company. He evidently broadcasted that to more than just me as Lathani instantly melts. Thanks Fenrir, she replies, moving over to rub against him. Once significantly larger than him, the size gap has narrowed and she doesn¡¯t even come close to pushing him over. Now that she¡¯s not going up alone, Lathani willingly leaves the cavern, accompanied by the lizog. Looking at them leave, I¡¯m reminded that I should probably see if Fenrir would rather have a Companion Bond ¨C at this point, there¡¯s no justification for keeping him Bound with Dominate. But first, the tour. ¡°OK, so this cavern isn¡¯t much to look at right now, but I¡¯ve got plans as to how to develop it further. I¡¯ll talk them through with all of you later ¨C please feel free to contribute ideas. Anyway, let¡¯s continue.¡± I lead them to the tunnel which goes into the next part of the place ¨C a series of several smaller rooms along a wide corridor. This is what took the majority of Kalanthia¡¯s time and mana. I¡¯ve been thinking about the samurans and decided that I wanted to create ways of rewarding the Tier twos. I know that Energy Hearts help, but so does a higher Energy density. But at the same time, I don¡¯t want them gaining direct access to the Pure Energy, or even knowing for sure that it exists. As a result, we created these rooms. Each, including the cavern itself, has a network of ¡®air ducts¡¯ which lead to the Pure Energy stream, but are small enough not to really be noticeable. The closest to the cavern have the narrowest ducts with the ones further away from the cavern gaining increasingly more and wider ducts. Experimentation with Kalanthia proved that Energy will build up in a closed room to a certain level. Once it reaches that level, it starts being absorbed into the wall enclosing it at a steadily increasing rate until the rate of Energy entering the room and the rate of it being absorbed is the same. The more Energy that enters the room ¨C through a duct of a greater width ¨C the longer it takes to reach that equilibrium and the faster the Energy density replenishes. It¡¯s not a big difference, but I was able to get an idea by using my hourly Energy absorption rate as an indicator. Outside the cavern, the Energy density has dropped significantly ¨C our interior works have stopped the majority of it leaking into the environment. As a result, I¡¯m now only getting about ninety-five units per hour, which is only about ten units more than I¡¯d get in the samuran village. That¡¯s without Meditation playing any part which, honestly, it almost always does since I keep the lowest level active pretty much all the time. Inside the cavern, I get around a hundred and fifty units ¨C closer to the ducts, it¡¯s more. Near the entrance it¡¯s less. The first set of rooms when they¡¯re fully saturated give me a little more than two hundred units per hour. The second set gives me around two hundred and seventy. The third pair of rooms give me over three hundred units per hour, and the fourth set of rooms over four hundred units per hour when fully saturated. One of these also holds my fire-heated bath. I figure, why not work on my progress to the next level while having a soak? Between all of these, I figure that I have some good incentive for the Evolved samurans working towards the good of the village. It¡¯s there that the corridor appears to stop. But what I don¡¯t even show my Bound ¨C though I am planning on showing some of them later ¨C is that the wall is false. Well, kind of false. It is actually a wall, but it¡¯s not the thick rock it appears to be. Instead, it¡¯s only about five centimetres thick. Beyond it, there¡¯s another room ¨C and the entrance to the Pure Energy stream which also serves as one of the emergency escape routes now that it¡¯s unblocked. There, the Energy density is much higher, going as high as almost eight hundred units an hour. Great, except for the fact that apparently that¡¯s still too much for me to tolerate for an elongated period of time. When I tested out the area, I got the same warning about poisoning that I had before, though with a slower rate. While I¡¯m not nearly as worried about the effects of it on my actual health as before, I¡¯m more concerned about what about the Energy might be causing my health to drop. Like if someone starts coughing up blood ¨C they¡¯re usually less concerned about the blood itself and more concerned about why it¡¯s happening. I want to use that little room as my personal Energy chamber. Well, probably shared with my Companions too. But first I need to figure out whether it¡¯s actually dangerous to be poisoned by the Energy. Which sounds ridiculous even in my thoughts, but that¡¯s my life now. Tour over, we head back up to the surface. I know Persephone¡¯s going to want to move her eggs in straight away, so I show her where to find her special room, also accompanied with a couple of Energy ducts ¨C she thoroughly approves of the Energy density in the space, fortunately. I also show my Bound how to operate the doors of the Energy chambers. Not having access to a DIY shop, I had to improvise. By using a system of pulleys and weights, I¡¯ve made a stone door that can be relatively easily opened and closed. I¡¯ve got the doors opening outwards since it makes them slightly safer for the occupant ¨C if the pulley system stops working for whatever reason, they can force their way out by pushing the door open, and someone trying to break in from the outside will have a harder job. I¡¯m relieved when Bastet manages to operate the system with her jaws and I get my other Bound to test it too. Only Pride ends up having a bit of difficulty, but he understands the idea when he sees the others do it. Right. Time to see if I can spot why Lathani¡¯s having issues even with the relatively low Energy density of the cavern ¨C especially when it¡¯s barely higher than the exterior density. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Five: How Does This Help Us? ¡°Well, I think I have an idea about why the Energy density is so badly affecting Lathani,¡± I announce to my audience. Kalanthia and Lathani are the most interested, for obvious reasons, but Bastet is curious too, as is, surprisingly, Fenrir. Or maybe it shouldn¡¯t be so surprising ¨C he had the same issue as Lathani, though not for the same reason. It¡¯s been quite useful having him here as I¡¯ve been able to see what the Energy density does to him as well as to me. It¡¯s been informative. The rest of my Bound are either taking advantage of the Energy density to make some progress to their next Tier or have gone hunting. With Kalanthia here now, there¡¯s no fear that any carcasses will go to waste. Catch and Pride are the exceptions ¨C I asked them to go back to the village and invite the Evolved to join me here. I told him that he should suggest they split themselves into two parties and take it in turns to come: all the Evolved samurans leaving at the same time was probably not the best of ideas. While we wait, I¡¯ve been working on Lathani¡¯s issue, hoping to find a solution. While I haven¡¯t found that, I¡¯ve at least got more clues about where to start. ¡°We know that Pure Energy has a negative effect if absorbed by creatures too low level for it, right?¡± I ask rhetorically. I have personal experience of how it tries to consume everything. Although it only consumed my Energy channels and soul when I touched it before, I have a feeling that that¡¯s only because it didn¡¯t have enough time to do more. Certainly, experiments since have shown that it¡¯s happy to consume even stone. A more recent test has proven that it can also consume flesh, but there I found something interesting. I tested with a chunk of meat from my Inventory compared to a chunk from a recently killed creature. The chunk from my Inventory started being dissolved immediately; the chunk from the recently killed creature took a bit of time to show any signs of damage. Combining that with my own experience, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that Pure Energy first feeds on Energy and Energy channels, and then on physical matter. Why, is still not conclusively established, but just knowing that bit of information is potentially useful. ¡°It seems that this isn¡¯t only an effect of Pure Energy,¡± I continue, ¡°and I theorise that it¡¯s the nature of all Energy ¨C to consume or be consumed; to use or be used. Up here, we are all using and consuming the Energy in the air around; the closer to the Pure Energy we go, the more the balance tips towards the other direction.¡± How does this help us, Markus Wolfe? Kalanthia rumbles, more impatience than curiosity in her voice. It is the nature of the world to be predator or prey; conqueror or conquered. ¡°It is, but at the moment, Lathani is, according to your analogy, the prey in this equation. And we¡¯d like to change that. Which requires us having a bit more in depth knowledge about what Pure Energy is, exactly.¡± The giant leopard gracefully flicks her tail in silent concession. ¡°So, the next question is why Lathani is more affected than she should be. Last time we came through this space, she didn''t suffer poisoning; only I did. So, what has changed between then and now? And why is she alone out of all the Tier ones suffering effects?¡± Do you actually have any answers? Lathani asks. Unlike her calm mother, she¡¯s the very picture of impatience, her tail flicking this way and that, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Some, I think,¡± I tell her with fondness. ¡°But, as I said, it¡¯s important to set the scene of what we do and don¡¯t know. Now, after examining the Energy channels of Lathani, Fenrir, Bastet, Catch, and myself I¡¯ve come to the conclusions that the key factors here are the size, length, and strength of the being¡¯s Energy channels. ¡°Catch has significantly smaller and fewer channels than any of the rest of us. Fenrir and Bastet¡¯s channels are at least double the size of Catch¡¯s and more numerous, Bastet¡¯s more than Fenrir¡¯s. Having experienced some of an Evolution from Fenrir¡¯s perspective, I have to guess that the channels are blasted open during the process.¡± They are, both Bastet and Kalanthia confirm simultaneously. Exchanging a look, Kalanthia continues. In fact, the channels failing to be opened enough ¨C or indeed, being opened too much ¨C are reasons for the failure of an Evolution, or the creation of a weak Evolved beast. I nod in acceptance of her point, storing it away for future reference. ¡°Larger channels which lead to the outside of the network mean more consumption of Energy. Larger channels within the internal matrix itself mean that Energy and mana are more easily carried around the body.¡± This observation is something which has given me an idea for my own development. ¡°Consumption of Energy is also affected by the length of the channels which extend from the body.¡± This was something I¡¯ve been aware of for a good while. ¡°Lathani¡¯s channels are even wider than Bastet and Fenrir¡¯s. If Catch is any indication, that is unusual but in and of itself, not a bad thing. From what I understand, the more Energy a being can absorb and use, the faster they can make progress?¡± I end that with a questioning lilt, looking to Kalanthia for confirmation. That is true, though it takes more than just that to progress to become Enlightened. ¡°OK, but it¡¯s a factor. So having more Energy available is good. The main issue is to do with the strength of Lathani¡¯s channels. I have to guess that on Evolution, the channels are strengthened as much as they are widened?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Once more I receive confirmation from Bastet and Kalanthia. ¡°The issue is that Lathani has the channel width of a Tier two ¨C or wider ¨C but not the strength or density of one. From what I can tell, the Pure Energy density which she is absorbing into her channels becomes detrimental to her very quickly and starts eating away at her channels. The same thing happens to Fenrir when he enters the cavern below: the density of the Energy there is too much.¡± And the same thing happens to me when I¡¯m closer to the Pure Energy ¨C I¡¯ve found out the reason for the corrosion I¡¯d noticed in my Energy channels. ¡°The reason for Lathani¡¯s poisoning now established, I have to wonder how it happened. And why it affects her mana and stamina rather than her health. I would guess that the whole thing is a consequence of what the shaman did; what I don¡¯t understand is why it¡¯s only affecting her now. I would have noticed if her health or stamina had dropped like this last time we came through.¡± I might not have noticed about her mana since she wasn¡¯t using it, but if it had dropped to zero, there would have been indications of that ¨C nausea, exhaustion, dizziness. Here I notice an odd expression on Kalanthia¡¯s face. When she speaks, I realise that it¡¯s either embarrassment¡­or guilt. That may be partly my fault, she admits. My eyebrows go up in surprise. Not what I was expecting, admittedly. ¡°How is that?¡± I did not consider that strengthening her channels would be necessary. I have been encouraging her to retrace her original foundation, incorporating her new and wider channels within the design. It has required her to¡­extend her channels further, and to build new channels which lead to the exterior. ¡°Ah,¡± is all I allow myself to say to that, concentrating on not letting my instinctive thoughts emerge enough to be picked up by the telepathic leopard. Since it¡¯s hard not to think of something, I focus on thinking of other things instead ¨C like the fact that I have made my own stupid mistakes, and with far less of a justification than not fully understanding what I was doing. Nor am I really an expert here, I remind myself. I still don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s only her mana and stamina which are being affected. ¡°I can see why that might have exacerbated the problem,¡± is all I say, doing my best to be diplomatic. ¡°So, that¡¯s the situation. I would say that the priority for Lathani now is to strengthen the channels she currently has and only work on retracing her foundation once she is able to tolerate higher levels of Energy around her.¡± Lathani doesn¡¯t look very enthused by the possibility. Does that mean I can¡¯t go into the den with everyone else? she asks rather dolefully. ¡°Not for now,¡± I tell her firmly, though with a hint of sympathy. ¡°But it¡¯s not all bad,¡± I tell her, leaning over to stroke her head and scratch behind her ears. ¡°From what I understand, and your mum can say whether I¡¯m right or not, once we get your channels sorted, you¡¯ll probably be even stronger than you would have if everything had gone right.¡± I look up at Kalanthia meaningfully. As long as you can make it through Evolution, she says. Then, perhaps at the pointed exasperation she can feel emerging from me, she continues. Which I have full confidence that you will be able to do. Yes, your potential will be even higher than I was expecting. Lathani doesn¡¯t look entirely satisfied, but she¡¯s less disgruntled than she was. At least she won¡¯t be alone in sleeping outside ¨C Fenrir can¡¯t join us underground yet and Sirocco doesn¡¯t want to. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you have some Energy Hearts to help you keep up with everyone else,¡± I promise. I do not think that Energy Hearts will help, Kalanthia says reproachfully. Have you not just been saying that too much Energy does her damage? ¡°Pure Energy does, but I¡¯m not convinced that what is in the Energy Hearts is Pure Energy any more. It¡¯s worth a test, I think,¡± I say. That then leads to another round of testing to see whether different Energy hearts have different effects. I feel gratified when it turns out that they do, though less pleased when some actually cause more damage to Lathani¡¯s channels. We¡¯ve only just discovered that an odd dark purplish type of Energy Heart is the most beneficial to her with the brown earth-aligned Hearts as the second preferred option when the first group of Evolved samurans arrive, led by my favourite Pathwalker. I leave Lathani with one of the purple Energy Hearts and go to greet the samurans. Upon exiting the vine-stranglers, the group takes an almost collective step backwards. The cause is obvious: Kalanthia. It¡¯s the first time some of them have seen her, perhaps ever. And those who have seen her before no doubt hold strong memories of the animosity between them. River, of course, doesn¡¯t have an issue. She overcame the problems between her and Kalanthia long ago. Iandee also looks relatively unfazed ¨C he isn¡¯t nearly as comfortable as River is with Kalanthia, but he has seen her a few times. That¡¯s a few times more than most of the other samurans. The group of lizard-folk are tense and getting tenser. Kalanthia¡¯s not entirely relaxed either. She¡¯s giving a good impression of being so, but I know her well enough to see the way she¡¯s prepared to leap if necessary. ¡°Alright everyone, enough of that,¡± I say, striding into the space between the two parties. ¡°Kalanthia, the Great Predator, won¡¯t attack you unless you attack her first. And you¡¯re not going to attack her, are you?¡± I ask, pinning each of the most fidgety samurans with a hard gaze. There¡¯s a rumble of discontent conveyed both audibly and through the Bond. I cross my arms, about to lay down the law, then sigh and forcibly uncross them. ¡°Look, I know that you have had issues with Kalanthia. And she¡¯s had issues with you. You invaded her territory. She killed members of your village. Your shaman ordered her cub to be kidnapped and changed in ways that are still causing problems for her. She has agreed not to retaliate because I am the leader of the village. This is your opportunity to clear the slate,¡± I tell them, though throw a pointed glance over my shoulder to make it clear that I¡¯m including Kalanthia in this too. ¡°But if you can¡¯t deal with the fact that Kalanthia lives here, then you don¡¯t have to come here again.¡± Several of the Warriors and Sticks look hopeful. Flower, however, looks like she¡¯s waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tamer, why would we want to come here at all? she asks cautiously. I grin ¨C could I have asked for a more perfect cue? ¡°Come this way and I¡¯ll show you.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Six: Did Something Go Wrong? I¡¯m almost finished with my second tour when a blast of emotion sends me stumbling into a wall. It¡¯s overwhelming, its sheer intensity stripping the wave of any specifics. For a moment, I have to use a hand on the rock just to make sure I stay upright. I close my eyes and battle to clear my mind instead of being taken along by the tidal wave. Working out that the emotion is coming from one of my Bonds, I fumble mentally to turn it off, to block everything for a moment. When I succeed, the sudden lack of intense sensation sets me off-balance again, a splitting headache left in the tidal wave¡¯s wake. As I¡¯m still trying to work out what just happened, I feel a touch to my shoulder. Tamer, are you well? I open my eyes and turn my head to see who it is, wincing as the movement makes my headache worse. Shrieks. He¡¯s unsurprisingly concerned. ¡°Just give me a moment, please,¡± I request, sending magic to my head to try to deal with the headache. Unfortunately, it appears that there isn¡¯t anything physically wrong ¨C the pain must be from another cause. I close my eyes to block the sight of the samurans looking around at each other, enabling me to focus on what just happened. Diving briefly into my Core space, I go to the area of the mandala where my Class Skills are. First touching the connections from my Dominate Skill, I quickly determine that the issue isn¡¯t with any of them. Moving over to my Tame Skill, it doesn¡¯t take much longer to feel that none of them are the source of the emotion either. A little puzzled, I gaze at the area thoughtfully. If it¡¯s not from a Dominate Bond, and not from a Tame Bond, where did the emotion come from? Suddenly a brainwave is sparked. What if it was one of the Bonds connected to the sub-Skills of Tame or Dominate? Reaching out, I feel those. Within a short space of time, I have my answer. When I touch my Alliance Bond with Raven, I feel echoes of the emotions which poured through me. As echos, they¡¯re easier to determine. Frustration, fury¡­and a deep sense of loss and grief. Clearly, something has happened. Carefully reopening the Bond, I brace for another flood of intense emotion. Perhaps Raven has got himself more under control, or perhaps because I¡¯m more prepared for it; the emotion that does come through doesn¡¯t threaten to overwhelm me in the same way. But that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s not feeling the emotions just as intensely ¨C apparently, he is. It¡¯s¡­concerning. Opening my eyes, I sense a mixture of concern and curiosity coming from the samurans around me. My guard immediately rises ¨C I might have won the ranking fights but there are very few of them I would be comfortable revealing any level of vulnerability to. Not considering some still probably consider me a ¡®prey-beast¡¯ deep down. What I have inadvertently allowed them to see is already far more than I should have. ¡°Alright everyone, tour¡¯s over,¡± I say, straightening from where I¡¯m still holding myself up with a hand on the wall. ¡°As I said, keep working for the good of the village and you¡¯ll be able to come and meditate in the main chamber for a few hours. Discover or work on something new which will benefit the village and that meditation time can happen in one of the smaller chambers with its better Energy density. Really impress me with something, and you¡¯ll get to be in one of the chambers with the best Energy density. Sound good?¡± I wait only for a couple of tails to swish sideways in agreement, and then continue ¨C I don¡¯t have the time. I need to find out what¡¯s got Raven so riled. And whether it¡¯s going to mean trouble for us. ¡°Great. Take some time to think about it all. If you have more questions, let me know later. Right, everyone back to the main chamber ¨C you can spend a bit of time meditating there before going back to the village.¡± One of the Warriors ¨C Finds-a-bug, at least, that¡¯s what his name translates as apparently ¨C and Windy look as if they want to say something. I shake my head and hold up my hand. ¡°Think about it. Talk together. Maybe you¡¯ll answer whatever questions or concerns you have. If you still want to ask something, you can do so when I come to tell you that your meditating session is done.¡± After that, I turn and start fiddling with one of the pulley systems which operate the doors which block off the various parts of my new underground den. Most of the samurans have already started moving back to the large chamber, eager to benefit from it and those who are still lingering get the message and move off. Except, of course, for Windy. Sometimes I regret giving her a chance after our battle ¨C she¡¯s still a pain in my arse, even if she¡¯s not actually actively fighting against me now. Tamer, I must insist that I have full access to this cave. I am near a breakthrough and can feel¨C ¡°Be useful to me and the village, and you will get access,¡± I interrupt her, trying to be patient even as I itch to find out what¡¯s happened with Raven. ¡°I¡¯ve already said that several times.¡± Yes, but I am so close to making progress that¨C ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± I say, louder and sharper than I¡¯d intended it to be. She takes a step backwards, her spikes a mixture between affronted and fearful. ¡°Look, Windy,¡± I say, quieter but more intense. ¡°Your individual progress only matters if you¡¯re using it for the good of the village. So until you¡¯ve proven that you¡¯re actually useful for more than complaining and criticising, you¡¯re not getting access to this area. This is my home, and it¡¯s my decision on who gets to come in here and when. Clear?¡± She holds my gaze for a couple of seconds, then looks away. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Clear, she responds begrudgingly. ¡°Then go back to the main chamber and take advantage of the time I¡¯m giving you to work on your ¡®breakthrough¡¯. I will be calling a council meeting soon to talk about responsibilities and projects. I suggest you consider things you can suggest during said council which will prove how useful you can be to the village.¡± The Pathwalker eyes me for a long moment, then turns without a word. I can tell by her spikes and the Bond that she¡¯s a mixture between affronted and cowed. Probably not the best combination, but I can¡¯t just kill or banish her out of hand and right now I¡¯m too impatient to deal with her properly. Hopefully the motivation of access to the greater Energy density will be enough of a carrot that I won¡¯t need to work out what kind of stick to use to get her into line. Away from their watchful gazes, I lean against the wall again. Raven? I call down the Bond between us. What¡¯s the problem? I cross my fingers, hoping that he¡¯s near the Pure Energy stream. If he is, he should be within range for me to contact. If he¡¯s not¡­. My eggs have hatched, I hear him say. That he¡¯s coherent enough to communicate with me is a relief. Isn¡¯t that a good thing? I ask carefully. Certainly the emotions washing around him are not what I would have expected on the occasion. It should have been, he answers, grief and anger once more intermingling. This time, I can tell that there is a familiarity to the anger, but I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it. Did something go wrong? I venture, feeling my way through the minefield I suspect is waiting for me to make one wrong move. There is silence on the other side of the Bond. I can only guess that the answer is yes. Can I help in any way? The silence continues for long enough that I start fidgeting. I¡¯m aware that my Alliance with Raven hinges on mutual benefit. My protection of this side of the Pure Energy stream means that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about it but that¡¯s only useful while the eggs are there. If the eggs have hatched and maybe died or something, then that could lead to an angry dragon dad who doesn¡¯t care about anything. Or worse, who wants to take his anger out on everyone around. At least he shouldn¡¯t be able to get at us in my base here: I will admit to considering how to defend against various creatures when working with Kalanthia to build it, Raven in particular. Still, it¡¯s a relief when the alcaoris responds finally. Your creatures. The ones I struck with my mana attacks. Are they well? he asks. It seems like a non-sequitur, so I¡¯m a little confused as I respond. Yes, I healed them up, I answer honestly. Most of them, anyway. Then perhaps you can help, he answers. Come to me. I¡¯d prefer if he¡¯d been a bit more polite, but my curiosity and concern are too great to resist on principle. Not that it would be a good idea to test his patience with him in this mood anyway. Alright, I say. I¡¯m coming. Reaching out to Bastet, Fenrir, Lathani, and Catch, I tell them where I¡¯m going. Let me join you, Catch strongly requests. If the beast¡¯s emotions overwhelm him again, you may be in danger. Bastet says much the same thing at the same time, although hers is less of a request and more of an inarguable announcement that she¡¯s coming. What about the cubs? I ask her. Lathani will stay with them. They need to practise some hunting techniques anyway. She can be a good teacher and target. Despite my worries, I can¡¯t help smiling at the thought. It reminds me to check in with Tarra later over her progress in finding something that might help Lathani¡¯s recovery. I¡¯ve been trying to help her retrace her old mana pathways, but it¡¯s hard going and all too often the progress we make one day is erased by the next. I¡¯m hoping that Tarra will either come up with an answer for why the pathways don¡¯t always stay where they should, or a way to make them stick. Kalanthia is inconveniently baffled at the issue and her suggestions so far haven¡¯t shown any more fruit than my own attempts. Alright, I say to both Bastet and Catch. You two can come along. But you must promise to be careful, and if we have to run, you run with me. Don¡¯t stay behind and sacrifice yourself or something like that. They both agree, but I¡¯m not entirely convinced that they¡¯re being fully honest. Are you going to come up? Bastet asks. No, come down. We¡¯ll go via the underground stream. Out of all my Bound, these two are among the small group I don¡¯t mind knowing about the access point hiding behind rock. As soon as they enter the passageway from the large chamber, weaving through meditating samurans, I close the stone door between us and everyone else by pulling it shut by its rope handle. Walking past Catch and Bastet to the rock wall at the other end of the passageway, I place my hand on the wall and feed earth mana into the rock. It still takes more time to shape earth than I would like, but I have to admit that the process has sped up noticeably since my work with Kalanthia on the den. It probably helps too that this rock has received my mana before; unlike fire, earth seems to remember what it¡¯s done previously and be more willing to do it again later. An opening forms in the wall, releasing a wave of Energy. Climbing through the hole, I seal it up behind me. Bastet and Catch are already ahead of me, the raptorcat jumping down the hole in the floor to land to the side of the Energy stream; the samuran lowering himself down to land on the other side. Time to see what¡¯s got Raven so riled up about the hatching of his eggs. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Only Way The underground journey between our two tunnels is a lot shorter than the overground route. Part of that is because of the shape of the mountain but mostly it¡¯s due to the long and winding shape of Raven¡¯s tunnel. That wasn¡¯t intentional on his part, it was more due to the way the Pure Energy had fed itself through cracks in the ground rock to escape ¨C it hadn¡¯t exactly moved in a straight line. Skipping that tunnel definitely saves us a lot of time. No matter how short it actually is, though, this journey feels long, far longer than it should due to my apprehension about what we¡¯ll find on the other side. Approaching where the blockage used to be, we carefully navigate the stone that sticks out from the walls, threatening to land us in the Pure Energy. Tempted as I might be to touch it again, I know that it¡¯s not a good idea, especially not right now. I¡¯m relieved that Bastet doesn¡¯t seem to be attracted in the same way as before either, though I do notice her sending a few longing glances at the stream as we walk. Past the most difficult bit, it¡¯s not long before we reach the shapes in the tunnel floor which were the very first things I made with Earth-Shaping. The hollow which used to contain the eggs is noticeably empty. Raven? I ask warily. Where are you? Even as I ask the question, I hear movement coming from above us. I look up just as a massive head comes through the hole that leads to Raven¡¯s tunnel. I can¡¯t help but tense in reaction to his sudden appearance. But he only says one thing before withdrawing it again. Come. I exchange apprehensive glances with Bastet and Catch, then move forwards, leading them to the hole. Getting out of it isn¡¯t easy, but we¡¯re used to it ¨C we all had to climb in and out of this tunnel multiple times in the first three days of our acquaintance with Raven. That was when I worked on Earth-Shaping and others came to report to me failures of other efforts. In the larger area above the tunnel, Aingeal¡¯s constant light shines on Raven, his wing protectively covering something. The hatchlings, I assume. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± I ask the alcaoris quietly. He hesitates, then withdraws his wing. I suck in a breath as the hatchlings are revealed. Similar shock echoes down the Bond from my two companions. I¡¯m¡­pretty sure they¡¯re not meant to look like that. One hatchling¡¯s wings look too small for its body, one side of its body visibly larger and more developed than the other. Another¡¯s legs are mismatched, the hatchling limping as it shifts position. The third is worryingly still, odd growths all over its form. ¡°Raven?¡± I ask again, not sure how to feel. I don¡¯t want to assume that something¡¯s gone wrong, but from the look of things¡­. I ruined them, he says plaintively, nudging at one of the hatchlings gently with his nose. I thought I was helping them, but I ruined them. Abrupt sympathy explodes from Bastet. I suppose if anyone would understand making decisions for the good of her young which might end in disaster, it¡¯s her. I send her a hint of reassurance down the Bond and she accepts it gratefully, then my attention is drawn back to the babies. The hatchling with the mismatched wings makes a quiet squeaking sound, then sneezes, a curl of flame coming out of its nose. Odd shapes or not, I can¡¯t help almost cooing at it ¨C baby dragons, even if they¡¯re deformed, are adorable. But I quickly sober as I look up at the agonised body language of their father. ¡°How?¡± I ask. ¡°And how can I help?¡± He¡¯s silent for a long moment. I thought that more Energy would help them, and they drank it up so eagerly. But yet¡­. It suddenly becomes clear. I know that Raven had been concerned about whatever had caused the explosion which created the area where my den now is. But he had seemed confident about the other two eggs which hadn¡¯t seemed affected. Now, though, it appears that damage was happening even if he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°And you would like me to take a look at them?¡± I guess. It is most likely a vain hope, but yes. If you are capable of helping them in any way, I would be most grateful. ¡°Alright. Would you like me to start with any one in particular?¡± Raven nudges forwards the hatchling which had shot a flame out of its nose. This one is least damaged from what I can see. She is the most likely to survive. He sounds completely desolate at the thought. Unsurprisingly so, considering how fiercely he guarded them, and how he brought them here to give them a better chance at life. After I exchange a quick glance with Bastet and Catch, they move automatically to guard my back. If Raven does anything untoward while I¡¯m focussing on the hatchling, they¡¯ll prod me mentally until I respond. I then kneel down next to the hatchling who noses at me curiously. A pale shade of pink, she¡¯s about the size of a large dog already ¨C she must have really been packed tightly in that egg. Her build is more of a greyhound¡¯s than a rottweiler¡¯s ¨C probably because she¡¯s supposed to be able to fly. With her wings as they are, however, I suspect that that won¡¯t happen without my intervention. This close, I can see that her face is deformed too ¨C instead of the streamlined ridges of her father, one side of her face looks like it¡¯s been moulded against something flat where the other looks too bulbous. By how her bone ridges are being pressed into one of her eye sockets and are half-covering the other, I suspect that her vision is impacted ¨C if her eyes are working correctly anyway. With her father chirping at her, perhaps in reassurance, I gently stroke my hands along her body feeling for things which don¡¯t seem right. I¡¯ve never touched an alcaoris hatchling before, of course, but I¡¯ve seen her father in many different positions both during our fight and since. I feel kinks in the bones, and joints which aren¡¯t the same on both sides. If this is the least damaged, I¡¯m even more apprehensive about what I¡¯ll find on the most damaged. Oddly enough, though, when I cast an Inspect on her, it doesn¡¯t show anything highlighted in wispy red ¨C the usual indication of an injury. Considering everything, that¡¯s not a good sign. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The Inspect indicates that the alcaoris is a Tier one beast, with the burgeoning ability to breathe fire. Her health is very low, barely more than mine when I first arrived in this world ¨C considering how powerful her father is, I was expecting far more. It¡¯s a similar story with her mana. However, one oddity is that she practically shines with golden light under the influence of Inspect. After I¡¯ve observed as much with my eyes and hands as I can, I close my eyes and try to inspect her with my magical senses. Immediately, I withdraw my hand and open my eyes, blinking as I try to recover my vision. What¡¯s wrong? Bastet asks urgently. She¡¯s¡­she¡¯s just full of Energy, I tell the raptorcat disbelievingly. Not even an Energy Heart was as full as this little alcaoris. Or rather, I realise as I carefully inspect her again, it¡¯s not that she contains more Energy than an Energy Heart, but that it¡¯s far more active. An Energy Heart is remarkably calm. I venture to say that the Energy within the Heart acts like the crystal it appears to be. Perhaps that¡¯s the reason it looks like a crystal in the first place: the Energy behaves in a calm, settled, crystalline fashion, and so the Heart appears as such. The Energy within this alcaoris is not at all calm. Instead, it seems to act more like in the Pure Energy stream ¨C constantly shifting. I don¡¯t feel the same draw to it that I do when I¡¯m near the stream, but it¡¯s certainly reminiscent. The Energy is so in-your-face that I¡¯m actually unable to inspect the hatchling¡¯s body with my magical senses ¨C I¡¯m blinded and desensitised as soon as I try. The other two hatchling¡¯s bodies reveal much the same when it comes to an exterior examination of their physical problems, though even worse. However, the third, most damaged hatchling, is the opposite when it comes to Energy. I¡¯m able to see inside that one¡¯s body with no difficulty at all. In fact, there isn¡¯t even a trace of any Energy there which suddenly feels rather weird. I wonder whether I¡¯ve perhaps just got used to there being so much Energy in the other two hatchlings¡¯ bodies that it¡¯s like walking into a dark room with sun-blinded eyes ¨C I can¡¯t see the light that¡¯s already there because I¡¯ve got used to a much-higher level of light. To test that, I check Bastet¡¯s and Catch¡¯s bodies, looking for Energy. It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve ever tried to see, but now with a comparison of the hatchling, I see that there is a lightness, a presence which I¡¯ve never paid attention to. Like my luminous blackness which I only saw when a deeper blackness was set in contrast. Except, I feel it when I practise Flesh-Shaping, I remind myself. The pressure which surrounds my mental presence. It¡¯s the reason I couldn¡¯t do more than the most basic healing on Kalanthia when she had the tooth issue, and why I had to Bind Lathani when she was severely injured ¨C without the Bond, their internal pressure pushed me out. That doesn¡¯t seem to exist in the third hatchling, though it does in the first two. Is that linked to Energy somehow? Too many questions, not enough answers. I sigh as I shift away from the hatchlings. Looking up at the adult alcaoris, I tell him what I¡¯ve been able to observe. Do you think you can help? he asks after I finish. ¡°Not the two less damaged hatchlings, not while they have that amount of Energy in their system,¡± I answer. ¡°But the other one¡­I¡¯ll give it a go. Can you send me what a healthy hatchling should look like, please? Ideally, what it should feel like as well. Basically, any information you can give me would be helpful.¡± Raven silently sends me as much as he can. I turn to the third hatchling, the dark-coloured one who has barely even moved since I¡¯ve been here, even when I was running my hands along his body. Armed with Raven¡¯s images of a healthy alcaoris hatchling, I start trying to work on his tail. It¡¯s badly kinked where it should be straight, and the arrow-shaped end is more of a ball of bone. It¡¯s certainly not the biggest of the hatchling¡¯s issues, but in the absence of a life-threatening injury, I¡¯d rather experiment on an aspect of his body which isn¡¯t as essential as everything else. Focussing on the first bone kink, I try to heal it, but my magic does nothing. After a moment of thought, I understand why. It¡¯s the same reason why my Inspect came back without highlighting any injuries: the body doesn¡¯t think it is injured. This deformation is normal according to the blueprint which determines the body¡¯s shape and growth. I¡¯m undeterred. After all, I traded my Lay-on-Hands Skill in for Flesh-Shaping long ago. A pure healing Skill might not be able to do anything, but I¡¯ve been using my magic to make weapons and tools out of the body parts of creatures for a while now. I pour in mana, focussing on transforming the deformed section of tail into a straight and streamlined section. A few moments later, I release my focus and look up at Raven. ¡°Well, the answer is that yes, I can potentially help at least this hatchling.¡± I sense a hesitation, the alcaoris observes suspiciously. ¡°Just unkinking one small section of his tail took more than half my mana supply. Dealing with the myriad of other issues he has will be a long and drawn out process if that trend continues, and it might even be dangerous if I run out of mana halfway through repairing his heart, for example.¡± Then you are saying that it¡¯s not possible? Raven growls, though I sense that it¡¯s that familiar anger again. Not directed at me ¨C this time, I recognise it for the guilty, frustrated anger which is far more damaging to the person feeling it than anyone else. I can¡¯t help but sympathise ¨C I¡¯ve felt the same fury eat me up from inside. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s impossible, but I suspect that you won¡¯t like the only way I can see this working,¡± I tell him, bracing myself. Which is? ¡°You and I are connected through one of my Skills, through a Bond which is formed by our agreement. In this, neither party is dominant. However, I have another Skill which gives me a lot more control over those I Bind to me with it. I suspect that I would be more easily able to help your hatchlings with one of those Bonds. However, even then it¡¯s not guaranteed.¡± What is the disadvantage of this? What are you not telling me? he demands suspiciously. ¡°Only I can release the Bond without causing significant soul damage. And even if I do release the Bond willingly, the longer the Bond is in place, the more damage its release can cause. You would have to trust that I will release your hatchlings at the end of all this. And that they would wish to go,¡± I warn him then wait for his decision. Without doing this, you cannot help my hatchlings? Raven checks, giving no clue either in body language or through the Bond as to what he¡¯s thinking. I hesitate, but ultimately shake my head. ¡°No.¡± The thing is that technically, yes, I could maybe help the most damaged hatchling a bit. But I have far more things to be doing with my mana for my own people that I just can¡¯t dedicate the time and energy it will take to heal him. Not if he¡¯s not one of my Bound. And without it, I can¡¯t even see what¡¯s going on with the other two hatchlings¡¯ internal matrices. I would bet my hat that those are damaged in some way too. And if Raven¡¯s question about whether I had healed my Bound damaged by his Acid Attack is any judge, he thinks so too. What would be your price if I agree to this? Raven asks, his tone measured. Interesting. He hasn¡¯t rejected it outright. Instead, it seems like he¡¯s actually considering going through with it. And it¡¯s a good question: what would be my price? If I put in the effort, I¡¯ll want to see something out of it. I take a few moments to think through the options before I speak. ¡°First, I would like three favours from you that I can call in at a time of my choosing. This is whether I end up being able to heal them or not ¨C I¡¯m going to be putting in a lot of time and effort to help them, with no guarantee that it will actually have any significant effect. Second, when they are healed, I would like the hatchlings to be given the opportunity to stay with me and my group. If at least one of them does, I shall consider the debt paid in full. If not, I would like another three favours from you. Do you accept the price?¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Eight: Some Progress We¡¯re heading back towards the village with the last light of the day shining on us. I¡¯d like to stay at the den for another night but the fact is that I haven¡¯t been to the village since before leaving to bring Kalanthia down. I probably need to show my face, even if I turn around and come back here tomorrow. But I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to do that ¨C I¡¯ve set lots of balls rolling and need to check on where they¡¯re going. Raven needed a bit more time to think about what I suggested to him, so I¡¯m giving him the space to do so. I think he wants to find out what happens in the next few days. I suspect he¡¯s hoping that exposure to the Energy-dense environment might help the hatchlings to heal. Personally, I doubt that there will be much improvement, if any. Too much Energy got them into this situation; why would more of it get them out of it? I mean, ¡®the hair of the dog¡¯ is a traditional remedy, but I¡¯ve never known it to work. But unless Raven agrees to my price, the hatchlings aren¡¯t really my concern. It has, however, made me reconsider putting the danaris hatchlings as close to the Pure Energy stream as I can. If too much Pure Energy has done so much damage to alcaoris hatchlings, creatures who, according to my Inspect during our battle, take more Energy to Evolve and are more powerful for their Tier in comparison to others, are my danaris hatchlings going to be any better off? Of course, I¡¯m not going to be dumping my grubs into the Pure Energy directly, but it does warn me to be cautious and look at how the Energy density is affecting them. I¡¯ll probably end up just leaving them to Penelope and Hades to keep an eye on. They¡¯ve already been doing that while guarding their eggs at both the old den and here ¨C maybe I just need to formalise that a little. With them needing to look after their own eggs, at least one of them has been home at all times which makes them perfect for the role. As long as the hatchlings have enough food to eat, they don¡¯t start trying to wander off anyway ¨C if they aren¡¯t eating, they¡¯re sleeping. As we travel, I take advantage of Tarra being part of the group to get started on checking up on her progress. How is the research going? I ask her though our Bond. We¡¯re travelling in different parts of the group so that¡¯s the most efficient way. And the most private ¨C no chance of anyone over-hearing when it¡¯s a private line between us. Which research? The research for the growth of plants, the growth of animals, or the healing for the Great Predator¡¯s cub. Hints of nervousness come through with the last. All of them, I answer. I don¡¯t blame Tarra for her continued caution around Kalanthia. Despite her saying that she¡¯d consider the slate cleared, I¡¯ve been a little apprehensive that Kalanthia might negatively react to Tarra¡¯s presence ¨C with the shaman gone, Tarra is the only one of Lathani¡¯s main tormentors still living. Though the big cat did narrow her eyes and growl threateningly at the herbalist as she walked into the clearing, she didn¡¯t attack. As always, I¡¯m impressed at her self-control. I don¡¯t think that I could have been able to be as disciplined in her place. At least we managed to get through the tour without bloodshed, which is the best I can hope for. It would be helpful if Tarra has made some progress to help Lathani, though, as I¡¯d be able to present that to Kalanthia as a preemptive reason not to change her mind. I have made some progress, Tarra answers, then pauses, uncharacteristically hesitant. That¡¯s good, I say when the silence continues beyond a normal pause for thought. What progress? It¡­occurred to me that I have previously increased the growth of a creature, she ventures, then hesitates again. It takes me a long moment to understand what she¡¯s getting at. Are you talking about what happened to Lathani? We¡¯re not doing that to anything else ¨C do you know how much damage it¡¯s done to her? I actually stop and stare at her across the other side of the group. My pause makes the others around me have to pull up sharply so they don¡¯t accidentally knock into me. I send an apologetic glance around, accompanied by the appropriate feeling across the Bond, and then start moving again. You¡¯re not suggesting doing the same thing to other creatures as you did to Lathani, are you? I ask Tarra again warningly. Most of what happened to the Great Predator¡¯s cub was not due to my concoctions, Tarra says, not answering my question. I have a nasty feeling that it¡¯s because the answer isn¡¯t what I want to hear. Then what was it due to? I ask, willing to hear her out for now, though wary of her attempts to convince me. A combination of everything. My concoctions were part of it, I do not deny that. But Shaman¡¯s rituals and magic were significantly more impactful, I believe. You believe, I repeat, sceptically. Tamer, one of my concoctions was designed to direct the Energy she had in her system and the Energy she absorbed into her growth and maturity. The other was designed to help her absorb more Energy so that more could be directed into her growth or, when Shaman did her rituals, into her work. Neither of them were designed to impact the Energy system in her body. Uh huh, I answer, continuing to be cautious, though it does sound like the shaman was the main reason for Lathani¡¯s issues. And why do you think any of that might help us with our farming objectives? Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I have been thinking about your words a few cycles ago. From what you said, part of our concern should be about the resources the beasts we cage will need while they grow. I think the first concoction might help grow animals more quickly, reducing the resources they would need to reach maturity. The concoction might be able to affect plants too if I can adjust it sufficiently. Are you sure that will not cause damage? I ask a little anxiously. It sounds good ¨C indeed, that¡¯s the whole reasoning behind growth hormones: maximising output for the input. But the risk of damage is something I¡¯m very concerned about, especially since having to repair the internal matrices of all my Bound touched by Raven¡¯s acidic mana, and trying to repair the damage done to Lathani. I have tested it on multiple samurans. It was to try to reduce the number of casualties among the hatchlings. I thought that if they grew more quickly, they might survive longer. And? I ask, interested in the results. They struggled to adapt to so quickly increasing size. It caused them to make errors in the forest, many of which proved¡­fatal. Among those who survived, only one has so far made it to Evolved, though it was relatively late for his hatching. Finds-a-bug. He is eleven cycles old now, and has been a Warrior for two great cycles. Your Unevolved assistant with the glowing rocks is another of that hatching. Her rendition is brisk, but I sense the hurt and guilt beneath it. Presumably for causing more deaths among the hatchlings when her intention was to save them. It¡¯s interesting that Happy is one of the group experimented on. Do you think that the concoction you gave them for increased growth caused the delay in Evolution? Is it stopping others like Happy from advancing? I ask her warily. She avoids my gaze. It seems likely that it¡¯s causing the delay. Whether it¡¯s limiting their advancement, I don¡¯t have any way of telling, Tarra replies without looking at me, then turns her head to meet my eyes. But perhaps you can. Me? I ask in surprised reflex, but my brain quickly catches up with her train of thought. Because I intervened in Fenrir¡¯s Evolution? Or because I repaired the internal matrices of most of my Bound? Both, she says briskly. No one I¡¯ve ever known has been able to look at someone else¡¯s Energy system. Few enough manage to really look at their own. I have never been able to help anyone with their Evolution despite my efforts. You have. Perhaps you could look at the Energy systems of the samurans who survived that hatching and see if there is a reason for why they have not been able to Evolve. I¡¯d have to Dominate them to do that, though, I point out. You know ¨C that space where we spoke after our fight and then you accepted my Bond. Tarra sends across a feeling of nonchalance. For the chance to Evolve, I doubt that there is any Unevolved samuran in this village who would deny you. And if they do Evolve, you will force them to accept your Bond anyway, won¡¯t you? She¡­has a point. Perhaps it¡¯s worth taking a look at. It would reassure me if I know that the concoctions aren¡¯t actually causing any permanent damage. Then again, we¡¯re talking about raising creatures for the slaughter anyway. Are they going to live long enough for damage to cause a problem? It¡¯s something I haven¡¯t thought about. Farming as a concept is just something that happens. Farmers raise chickens or pigs or cows or sheep and then their meat ends up in supermarkets where I buy it. Bringing it to the samurans seemed a good way of helping them support what is likely to be an explosive population growth ¨C more hatchlings surviving means more adults, more adults means more demand on the forest resources. Therefore, supplying at least some of those resources through farming which can be done more intensively than relying on hunting animals is a good idea. But that doesn¡¯t take into account the fact that in this new world, every creature has at least the potential of becoming as sapient as Kalanthia, Raven, Bastet, the samurans, or me. Heck, every creature that makes it to Tier two seems to be able to start communicating mentally in a direct fashion, even Fenrir who only does it in short bursts. It adds a moral dilemma which I wasn¡¯t expecting. Chickens on Earth can never become more than what they are ¨C relatively dumb birds which eat, sleep, lay eggs, and shit everywhere. And get transfixed by a straight line drawn on the ground. They can¡¯t become sapient in the way that the killer chickens here probably can, even if they are probably just as murderous. Then again, didn¡¯t those animal rights activists on Earth complain about just this? That pigs in particular have an intelligence level not that much different from children at a certain level of development and that most farming practices even on Earth were cruel? I¡¯d never paid such things much attention ¨C I liked my steak and my sausages and my KFC. I didn¡¯t much care whether the eggs I bought were from caged or free-range hens. Maybe I should have. But regardless, the fact is that the samurans are primarily carnivorous. They¡¯re not like humans who can go vegetarian, or even vegan and, as long as they get the right balance of different foods, can be healthy. The samurans only get about twenty percent of their nutrition from non-animal sources, and even then they can go without vegetation for a prolonged time without suffering significant effects. Which means that cultivating plants is only half the story. Of course, I could choose not to interfere with the samurans at all. I could leave them with their death rate that sees only a handful of hatchlings survive to become adults in every hatching. It¡¯s worked for them. On the other hand, it¡¯s also meant that the Unevolved have been treated like second-class citizens, and left to starve unless they are good hunters or gatherers, or have been lucky enough to catch the eye of a Pathwalker and become an assistant. Who knows how many advancements their civilisation would have made if they were less focussed on just getting enough to eat. Maybe¡­maybe a herd of beasts would be willing to have some of their children taken away as long as they have shelter, food, and safety? It wouldn¡¯t be much different from normal life, but there would be less uncertainty for them¡­. I shake myself out of my musing. Something to consider later when the samurans have been able to round up some of the species which might be appropriate. And that can only happen when we¡¯ve figured out a way to feed them. I¡¯ll think about it, I say to Tarra realising that I¡¯ve left her hanging for far too long while buried in my thoughts. Maybe she realised that as she doesn¡¯t seem annoyed. What progress have you made on treatments for Lathani, then? Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Thirty-Nine: Blockages Reaching the village, I go straight for my work and experimental area, eager to see whether Happy has managed to make any progress without my presence. My discussion with Tarra ended up being both fruitful and frustrating. The herbalist hasn¡¯t made as much progress as I¡¯d like on a treatment for Lathani, but that was partly because she didn¡¯t really understand where the root of the nunda¡¯s issues lies. I thought she would have had more knowledge than she did since she was part of the whole thing with the shaman. It appears, however, that her role was strictly limited to those two draughts. Since she was one of those party to Lathani¡¯s indiscretion over Kalanthia¡¯s weakness, I was able to fill in more of the pertinent details which I¡¯ve discovered over the last few days. She¡¯s promised to see if there are any ways of incorporating purple Energy Hearts into a treatment. At the same time, I¡¯m going to help Lathani work on strengthening and retracing her Energy channels ¨C hopefully tonight if I have time. We need to find a way that sticks properly and not only a quarter of the time. It¡¯s always frustrating to have to redo work, doubly so if I have to redo it multiple times. Outside my hut I find Happy pounding a chunk of glowing metal with the rough hammer I created in my early work with metal. My eyebrows move up my head in surprise. That¡¯s more proactive than I¡¯d thought he¡¯d be. It¡¯s good, I¡¯m glad about it, but surprised nonetheless. ¡°How did you get the fire hot enough?¡± I ask him as he brings his hammer down again. Evidently he hadn¡¯t realised I was there as he jumps, his hammer swing going wide. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologise though with a hint of juvenile amusement at startling someone. It is no problem, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer,¡± he says. ¡°I told you ¨C call me Markus. How did you get the fire hot enough? And what are you doing?¡± I¡­I hope the Honoured Pathwalker does not mind me working while he was gone, Happy ventures tentatively. I gesture impatiently, like I¡¯m swatting a fly. ¡°I mind more that you¡¯re going back to being very formal around me,¡± I tell him with more than a hint of exasperation. ¡°No, I told you I didn¡¯t mind you experimenting while I was gone, so why would I be annoyed that you have?¡± At the question, he looks away from me politely as if he doesn¡¯t want to answer it because he suspects I won¡¯t like the answer. I don¡¯t push ¨C it¡¯s probably tied up with his reason for being all formal again. ¡°Anyway, I just want to know what you¡¯ve been doing.¡± Finally Happy looks at me properly, a hint of blue returning to his spikes. I suddenly wonder if another samuran said something to him ¨C he was less hesitant around me when I was last here. It¡¯s been a few days since then, but that shouldn¡¯t have made him this tentative, should it? I was unable to render the glowing rocks into the ¡®metal¡¯ liquid as you did, but by pumping hard with the¡­bellows? He waits for my agreement before continuing. I was able to make it glow enough for me to change its shape with this tool. I have been trying to make the same shapes as you did with the liquid metal. It was difficult at first, but I think I have been getting better. He sounds very tentative, the feelings he¡¯s unconsciously pushing along the Bond telling me that he¡¯s worried his efforts won¡¯t be good enough for me in some way. Without answering, since I don¡¯t want to give him a glib response, I walk over closer to look at his attempts. The first pieces which he almost reflexively moves to cover are definitely not great by any stretch of the imagination. Misshapen messes, really. However, the next attempts get steadily better and better. In fact, the most recent one, apart from the one he¡¯s working on, looks like a proper spear-blade. There are a few places I can see immediately that he¡¯s struck too hard, but it¡¯s better than what I tried to forge before experimenting with the molten metal. Frankly, coming from someone who only learned about the possibility of metal weapons a week or so ago, his progress is impressive. ¡°Well done,¡± I tell him, letting my pride show through. ¡°You¡¯re really making good progress.¡± You¡­you think so? he asks, sounding almost disbelieving. ¡°I do,¡± I affirm, pushing my sincerity down the Bond. Huh. He doesn¡¯t seem to know how to deal with that. I feel a sudden wave of sympathy for him ¨C what has this village been doing to their Unevolved? ¡°Show me how you¡¯ve been doing this,¡± I tell him. I sense that the piece of metal he was working on is starting to cool, so it needs to be put back into the fire. After all my experiments with different types and temperatures of fire, my ability to sense the relative temperatures of things around me has definitely improved. I¡¯ve also got a better idea of approximately what temperature this metal needs to be to work it either as a solid or a liquid. And right now, this particular chunk definitely isn¡¯t hot enough. Tilting his chin up briefly, he returns to his task. I watch with approval as he realises his chunk of metal is no longer hot enough and places it back in the furnace among the burning charcoal. He then moves to the bellows, pumping them furiously. Tarra said that Happy was one of the hatchlings she experimented on, attempting to increase their survival rates by bringing them to adulthood more quickly. I can¡¯t say I approve of using untested potions on beings who are the equivalent of children. I do, however, recognise that it¡¯s hard to find any other sort of test subjects in this place. Other creatures might not have the same reactions or chances of reaching Tier two to begin with. Plus, the fact that samurans are sapient from when they¡¯re young is a difference from most other creatures here, from what I can tell. Though, she could have at least asked for permission. Again, it¡¯s a bit uncomfortable thinking about this. I blithely benefitted from the advances in medicine and medical techniques without giving a thought to how they had been developed. How many have been killed or permanently hurt in the pursuit of advancement? And not only humans ¨C animal rights activists have been protesting the use of animals in testing of medicine and beauty products for years. Just like those protesting against intensive farming techniques, they¡¯d have far more grounds to protest if all the creatures had the possibility of becoming sapient like they do here. But all of those musings are rather beside the point. This isn¡¯t Earth and a lot of what I used to think and do on Earth is no longer appropriate or relevant. The point now is that Happy is apparently eleven years old, and at the age when more than the single samuran in his hatching who became Evolved should have reached that point. I¡¯d like to see if there¡¯s a reason for it. Seeing that Happy is still busy getting the temperature right, I decide to indulge my curiosity. I open my status screen and allow it to fill my vision. Flicking over to the tab on which I can find the information about my Bound, I focus on pulling up the information about Happy specifically, otherwise I¡¯ll be overwhelmed by the whole list. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Name Species Bond Type Max health Max mana Max stamina Progress to next level Life- span Special abilities
Hurts-his-foot (Happy) Unevolved Samuran Dominate 750 80 370 99% 15 None
Interesting, I say to myself. Two things immediately jump out at me: his progress and his life-span. It looks like he¡¯s only a step away from being able to Evolve, but I remember Fenrir taking a while to actually Evolve after he reached ninety-nine percent. Actually, if I remember correctly, so did Bastet. Not as long as Fenrir, but it still took longer than I expected for her to achieve that final percent. I guess this is what Kalanthia¡¯s been talking about ¨C at Tier two there are certain blockages which can stop Evolution. In this case, perhaps it¡¯s a result of the potion Tarra fed him as a hatchling. It could also be intentional, consciously or unconsciously. His life-span is equally as interesting. When River first came to me, his life-span was thirty-four years, and he was three years old, making his natural life-span about thirty-seven years. Happy is eleven years old according to Tarra, meaning that he should have about twenty-six years left. Instead he has fifteen. Is that because of a variation among samurans? It¡¯s hard to know without knowing my other samurans¡¯ current ages as well their life-span, but it¡¯s something that¡¯s caught my attention nonetheless. Because variation would make sense ¨C there are some humans who manage to reach more than a hundred years old while others die long before then. Presumably the life-span in my status screen is related to natural body conditions rather than catching a disease or being killed. However, what if it¡¯s another symptom of the concoction Tarra used? Kalanthia talked about borrowing future potential for growth in the present when I first brought Lathani back. Is this what she was referring to? Somehow using future years to become more mature now? And, even if my thoughts are right, is it something that is a problem for the use we intend of it? If the samurans are going to kill and eat the creatures they¡¯re raising to adulthood as soon as they reach it, does it matter if their natural lives have been cut short by a potion? I make a note on my ¨C ever-expanding ¨C list to find out the ages of the other Tier one samurans currently Bound to me so I can compare. By this point, Happy has managed to get his metal hot enough to start to work on it again. He pulls it out with a couple of long, rough pieces of metal which he obviously made while I was out. I¡¯m impressed once more that he¡¯s thought of using a basic pair of tongs when he doesn¡¯t even know what they are. He catches me looking at him, or perhaps senses the surprise down the Bond. I did not wish to burn my claws and nothing else seemed to work. ¡°No, it¡¯s great what you¡¯ve done. I¡¯m just surprised that you thought of it,¡± I admit. ¡°Though not wanting to burn your claws is a good motivation, I suppose.¡± He swishes his tail in the equivalent of a nod and then turns back to the piece of metal. It¡¯s curious ¨C his focus has shifted almost entirely to the piece of glowing metal. The more his focus grows, the less self-conscious or aware of ¡®manners¡¯ he is. I¡¯ve noticed it before, though not to this extent. Watching, I see how he pounds the piece of metal with the rough hammer, sparks flying as he does so. Closing my eyes, I focus with my magic sight. I still can¡¯t really see the magic within the metal, not to the extent I can see the magic in fire or earth, but I can sense something there. And more ¨C I sense that something responding to Happy. It¡¯s hard to detect, but it¡¯s like an echo. A fraction of a second after the hammer comes slamming down on the metal, a¡­pulse returns out of it. It reminds me of¡­.something. I open my eyes frowning, returning to watching Happy. He pounds the metal in three strong blows, then lifts the hammer to his lipless mouth, tapping it against his jawbone thoughtfully before aiming his hammer onto another section of the metal. Suddenly I remember what the sensation reminded me of. I remember putting a piece of metal in my mouth ¨C I can¡¯t remember what kind of metal ¨C and feeling like it almost exploded on my tongue, a pulse of sensation expanding from the point of contact. That¡¯s what these pulses feel like ¨C a much, much lesser version of that. Curious indeed. When he finishes, he places the blade onto the floor. From where I¡¯m standing, it looks like the best yet. When I left this on the tree stump, it set light to the stump, he confesses, looking up at me. I nod slowly. ¡°That¡¯s expected. Normally, we should quench the blade in a liquid, either water or oil.¡± I frown, digging at the knowledge I received from one of the stones back at the beginning of all of this. ¡°I think that water makes the blade harder, but more brittle. But I¡¯m not sure whether animal fat will work well enough, and we don¡¯t have the time and resources to make vegetable oil.¡± Looking back up, I meet Happy¡¯s eyes. We can try them both, can we not? he asks, sounding hopeful. I grin at him. ¡°Sure, why not. I¡¯ll add collecting fatty parts of animals and a container of water to the list of tasks for some of your friends to collect. Now, I have a question for you, and please don¡¯t take offence at this or think that I¡¯m accusing you of anything.¡± I pause until he¡¯s swished his tail slowly to one side and then the other, his spikes showing more caution than I¡¯d prefer. ¡°Do you know why you haven¡¯t Evolved yet?¡± He steps back, his spikes flashing with surprise and then shame. I immediately feel guilty for asking the question, but still think that it was necessary. I¡­not everyone in the village is capable of Evolving. The shame intensifies within his spikes. Perhaps I am not meant to¡­.be more than I am. I bite my lip as I feel the shamed despair come from his side of the Bond. I hope I can help him. I really do. And if I can¡¯t help him, then I will change the attitudes of the village to the Unevolved. No one should feel that ashamed of something they cannot change. ¡°According to the information I receive through our Bond, you are right on the cusp of being able to Evolve,¡± I tell him honestly. His eyes widen in surprise, one of the few pieces of body language that our two species share. ¡°I would like to take a look at your Energy channels to see whether I can find any reason for why you haven¡¯t yet been able to take that final step.¡± His eyes widen further, and then he tilts his chin up almost as far as it will go. Honoured Pathwalker¡­. If you can make me Evolve¡­. I will owe you everything that I am. I chuckle awkwardly, no more comfortable with this declaration than I was with Catch¡¯s all that time ago. And that¡¯s a point ¨C I still need to make some time to go through all the samurans in the village to check for defects like his. Realising that I¡¯ve allowed my thoughts to stray out of discomfort, I quickly return my focus to the present ¨C anything else would be insulting to Happy. ¡°I can¡¯t promise to be able to help you,¡± I say to my assistant as I did to Catch then. ¡°I will try, but it¡¯s possible that the reason is something beyond my capabilities.¡± It is more hope than I have had for so many cycles, Happy answers fervently. What do you wish me to do, Honoured Pathwalker? No, Honoured Markus, he corrects himself while shooting a nervous glance at me. Obviously he¡¯s trying to please me while fearing that he¡¯s doing the opposite. I shoot him a sense of reassurance down the Bond. ¡°Right now, just take a seat. I¡¯ll have a look at your channels and try to find out if there¡¯s anything I can help you with immediately.¡± He obeys immediately and I kneel down next to him. Using my tried and tested method of diving into my Bound¡¯s internal channels, I immediately notice something. Interesting. Many similarities to Lathani¡¯s channels. I wonder if this will prove to be a pattern¡­. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty: Expanding My Knowledge Base Unfortunately, I can¡¯t only spend time with Happy. I also have to do rounds of the brood-mothers and find out how they¡¯re doing with the various tasks assigned to them. I don¡¯t need to know about the everyday tasks just to keep the village running, but I¡¯ve set a few more specific tasks of my own and I need to know whether they¡¯ve been accomplished. In the course of this, I find out that two of my more important tasks have been fulfilled: an Unevolved has found a new area with iron ore if the rock he¡¯s brought back is anything to go by, and another has found an area where killer chickens are nesting. Apparently they make nests on the ground in a clump, setting guards to watch out for threats. I immediately act on the first one, rewarding the samuran in question with a bigger chunk of Energy Heart than normal, and then setting him a new task. After all, just knowing where the iron ore isn¡¯t much use ¨C I need him and his friends to bring it back here. ¡°I¡¯ll pay in Energy Heart fragments according to the amount you bring per day,¡± I promise him. Hisses-in-anger seems happy enough with that, his demeanour rather contrary to his name. I have to admit that I¡¯m rather dubious about the samurans¡¯ strategy of assigning hatchlings names according to an action they take within the first hour of their naming day, a day which is apparently about halfway through their first year of life. By that point, usually two thirds of those who are going to die have already done so. While sad, I kind of see why it¡¯s set then. But still, they could come up with a better way of giving names, I¡¯m sure. Not that my own name-giving is much better, though. As soon as Hisses-in-anger moves away, I see him going straight towards another small clump of Tier one samurans ¨C I guess he¡¯ll be organising a group to go and collect the iron ore sooner rather than later in order to earn those promised Energy Hearts. We¡¯re not ready to try to keep killer chickens yet, though I imagine that their nutritional needs shouldn¡¯t be too hard to fulfil if they¡¯re as carnivorous as they¡¯ve appeared so far. Still, I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve found one of their nests for later. Even better, the samuran managed to sneak one of their eggs from an unwatched nest off to the side and I¡¯m able to confirm that they strongly resemble chicken eggs apart from being about three times the size. I¡¯ll do a taste-test later, but so far the eggs I¡¯ve tried have tasted fairly similar both to each other and according to my expectations ¨C a stronger flavour, but not that different. I reward the samuran who brought me the news and then ask him to go by every so often just to make sure they¡¯re still there. I promise that he¡¯ll be rewarded again with a small Energy fragment when we actually make the capture if he does it. He agrees eagerly and then hurries off to start absorbing the fragment. He¡¯s a scrawny thing, his skin drawn close to his skull, his tail thin. I have to wonder how much he got to eat before I instituted the change. Or maybe there¡¯s another reason behind it. Could he be sick? Taking advantage of the fact that it¡¯s not quite dinner time, I walk over to him. He looks up, his gaze wary. Does he think I¡¯m about to take it back or something? ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t get your name,¡± I start, trying to emanate calming and reassuring vibes. I¡¯ve definitely got unpractised at doing this without a Bond between us, I realise. ¡°Breaks-his-toe, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer,¡± the samuran answers carefully, his chin tilted upwards. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you know Catches-Leaves? He¡¯s one of my Bound.¡± ¡°I know him,¡± Breaks-his-toe answers, the colours of emerald envy and turquoise longing rippling through his spikes. Why is he envious? ¡°Well, he had a serious problem with his eyes which I was able to heal, allowing him to see in a way that he¡¯d never been able to. I¡¯d like to check all of the samurans of this village, little by little, just to make sure there aren¡¯t any of those problems hiding. Would you be open to it?¡± ¡°You¡­I do not understand, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± Breaks-his-toe answers carefully. I have a feeling that he does understand it but is playing dumb for some reason. ¡°Will you allow me to check your body for any problems caused by injuries or present since birth?¡± I ask him patiently. If he says ¡®no¡¯ then I won¡¯t argue ¨C it¡¯s his choice. But I want to be sure he¡¯s saying ¡®no¡¯ because he doesn¡¯t want it, not because he doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m offering. ¡°I¡­if you wish to waste your time on one such as me, then I would be honoured.¡± Is that his issue? That he thought a Pathwalker shouldn¡¯t ¡®stoop¡¯ to something like that? Or that he was unimportant? Fuck. That. If it¡¯s the only thing I achieve in my time leading this village, it will be to teach them that everyone in the village is worth respect, worth concern. ¡°I will need to offer you a Bond, though.¡± It will take too much unnecessary Energy, if not. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Will¡­¡± he hesitates, then backpedals. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Honoured Pathwalker. Please offer me a Bond.¡± ¡°What were you about to say?¡± I encourage. He hesitates then clicks his teeth together in a decisive way as if to encourage himself to speak. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet Evolved,¡± he starts, shame flooding into his spikes. ¡°Would you¡­you were able to help your lizog to Evolve when we could all see he would have failed without your intervention. Would you¡­see if there is a reason for why I have not been able to?¡± I hesitate, surprised by the question. I should have expected it, really. The samurans are less concerned with their current physical state than their ability to become more. I understand it to a certain extent, especially when the lives of the Unevolved and Evolved are so different. But I don¡¯t know whether I can help him. I saw some curious similarities between Happy¡¯s Energy channels and Lathani¡¯s ¨C I want to compare them to Find-a-bug¡¯s channels later. He has Evolved, but I wonder if the hallmarks are still present. But my work with Fenrir was mostly to heal the damage Raven¡¯s acidic mana did to his Energy channels and then to add more fuel to the actual Evolution. I¡¯m not sure that qualifies me to fix just anyone¡¯s channels or work out why they¡¯re unable to advance. It¡¯s what I was fearing might happen after managing to help Fenrir ¨C that all the Unevolved samurans who had failed to Evolve, or hadn¡¯t even got that far would see me as the saviour of their prayers ¨C or whatever samurans do. I¡¯m not an expert in this sort of thing; far from it. Then again¡­if I can help some samurans find a way to Evolve when they would otherwise be unable to do so¡­. Even if it was only ten percent of the current Unevolved who I could help, that would still mean twenty or so new Pathwalkers or Warriors. Add in the samurans who are approaching the age of being able to Evolve normally and we could be in a much better place to face the other villages in two and a half months¡¯ time. ¡°If you want me to look at your Energy channels, I can,¡± I answer slowly, ¡°but the Bond required for that is far more intrusive than the one I¡¯ll offer if I¡¯m just checking your physical body for injuries or problems. To gain access to your Energy channels, I will need to use a Bond which allows me to control everything about you,¡± I warn. He doesn¡¯t look put off. If anything, he looks more resolute. ¡°If you can help me Evolve, I will do anything you wish me to regardless,¡± I consider pointing out that I could use the Dominate Bond to force him to walk into the nest of killer chickens he found and be a meal for them ¨C something I doubt he¡¯d be willing to do without it, but I don¡¯t. Ultimately, I¡¯m not planning on using the Bond to force him to go counter to his desires; quite the reverse, really. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, immediately bringing us into the Battle of Wills. He doesn¡¯t fight against me so it¡¯s over very quickly. I see him startle slightly as he is immediately brought into the network of Bonds and becomes aware of multiple Evolved samurans paying attention to him, if only briefly. I don¡¯t know what he does after that as I dive into his body first, scanning it for issues and fixing the ones I find. He is definitely way underweight for a samuran. I¡¯d suspected it, but it was possible that he was just naturally scrawny. The signs in his body of extended periods of starvation prove to me that I wasn¡¯t mistaken, however. Otherwise, he seems pretty healthy in his body ¨C his thinness is due to not eating enough, not some other illness or parasite, fortunately. I quickly move on to checking his Energy channels. After a bit of exploration, I pull out, a thoughtful expression probably on my face. ¡°Did you¡­did you find anything, Honoured Pathwalker?¡± Breaks-his-toe asks nervously. I sense that he¡¯s fearful that I will tell him that there¡¯s nothing to be done, that he will have to remain an Unevolved for the rest of his life. ¡°I found evidence of starvation which has made your bones more fragile than they should be and put your organs under strain. I¡¯ve healed what I can, and time and better food will have to do the rest.¡± Of course, that¡¯s not what he wants to know about. ¡°As for your Energy channels, I need to look at a few more samurans¡¯ ¨C Evolved and Unevolved ¨C to get more of a sense of what is normal before I can see what might be abnormal.¡± He slumps a little, disappointment flowing over the Bond from his sides of things. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I can¡¯t do anything,¡± I say more gently. ¡°I¡¯m saying that at this moment in time, I don¡¯t know what the problem might be or how to fix it. But we¡¯ll leave the Bond in place, if you are willing, and when I do know, I¡¯ll have another look. Is that fine?¡± ¡°As you wish, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± he answers politely but I sense the slight hope he¡¯s feeling. It means that I don¡¯t feel like he¡¯s only agreeing to what I¡¯m suggesting because I want it. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll contact you again when I feel more confident about knowing what to try.¡± With that, I take my leave and he returns to absorbing his Energy Heart fragment. Whether that will help him or not, I don¡¯t know ¨C looking at his information in my status screen, I see that he¡¯s also at ninety-nine percent so the issue isn¡¯t as simple as not having made enough progress. Looking at the other Unevolved in my status screen, I see that about a third of them are also sitting at the ninety-nine percent mark so it¡¯s obviously a common problem. The other two thirds clearly have more Energy to collect before they can think of Evolving. Spotting two of the Evolved Warriors guarding the entrance to the village, I decide that there¡¯s no time like the present to get started in expanding my knowledge base. Starting by looking at those who have succeeded might help me identify what those who haven¡¯t succeeded yet need to do to move forward. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-One: To Be Useful So you see that while I should be able to increase the size of the plants and animals, I have no way of making them grow faster. And I fear that if they grow too big, the resources they will need will have a poor effect on the surrounding area, Flower concludes, nerves tiptoeing across the Bond as if she¡¯s fearful that I might be angry about it. And it is very much about my reaction ¨C she¡¯s looking directly at me, as are most of the council members. We¡¯re sitting in the same circle as before, the three groups once more represented in equal numbers. Around us sit a number of other samurans, listening with interest. Even the Unevolved are engaged ¨C I guess because now that they¡¯re represented properly, they might actually be able to affect the discussion, if only through an intermediary. We¡¯ve already listened to Sticks¡¯ and Joy¡¯s reports. Sticks has been working with a number of her own assistants to create hafts for the metal spear and knife blades and fence pieces for the fields that are expected to be used for growing plants. The fences will be to either keep animals in or out, depending on the field. We¡¯re going to have to experiment a little with all of that too ¨C I have no idea what kind of fences we¡¯re going to need, but at least knowing the limits of possibilities and creating some pieces to start with should help. Living fences ¨C hedges ¨C are also an idea as long as they¡¯re maintained.. Joy has been working with Sticks on the fence issue, working out what kind of bindings might be possible to create a strong structure, testing different materials too. She¡¯s also been working on creating fabric ¨C even if the samurans don¡¯t really need it for themselves, I figure that the animals might need some shelter in the winter. Even if it doesn¡¯t get that cold here, it does get rainy. That I can already see happening ¨C every day recently there¡¯s been some rain. Most of the time it''s either in the evening or after dark, but sometimes we¡¯ve had a shower in other parts of the day. One good thing about having an underground den ¨C even heavy rain won¡¯t bother us. Not since I¡¯ve built in anti-flooding properties, anyway. Flower is just finishing up her own report. The earlier part of it was that initial experiments with the plants the other samurans have been bringing her have gone well. She said that it seems like she is able to have a significant effect on the size of the plant, or the size of certain parts of the plant, but not its maturity. ¡°Your concerns are valid,¡± I start by saying, ¡°but I think that Tarra has a good solution.¡± For some reason, Tarra looks quite nervous about being called upon, faintly orange yellow flickering through her spikes. I silently prompt her to talk about the maturing draught and after a moment of hesitation, she does. I do note that she leaves out any mention of her testing it on hatchlings or her real motivations for creating it. Is she ashamed of it? Perhaps, or perhaps she doesn¡¯t want to admit that it didn¡¯t work for the intended purpose. Hopefully it will work better for growing food for the samurans. Of course, in the long term, the process we¡¯re attempting to build will rely on the village always having a herbalist and growth-enhancer, something I understand isn¡¯t at all guaranteed. But I am curious about whether each Pathwalker having a group of assistants might increase the chances of at least one gaining the same or similar abilities to their mentor. Time will tell on that one, but hopefully not too much time ¨C I¡¯ve got less than a year here and I want to leave them in a good place to be independent of me and my Skills. Either way, she gets the most important information across, so we next move onto River, the segue a natural one after talking about Tarra¡¯s herbalism. River has mostly been working with Tarra on the experiments and on getting to grips with her own new abilities. She¡¯s discovered that her Poison-Claw ability can reproduce any animal venoms she¡¯s been injected with, though not always at the same potency. She¡¯s now trying to work out why some venoms end up being more potent than others, and whether she can get plant poisons to work too. Initial results are mixed on the latter front and the plant poisons appear to be among the least potent when reproduced. I have also been experimenting with my second special ability: Fire-Herbalism, she says, sounding rather like her mentor in her almost clinical briskness. I have determined a few limitations and that I can do more than just burn things to ash with it, but investigation is ongoing on what exactly. What are your limitations? Tarra asks, clearly interested and just as clearly in the dark. I had the same question so I¡¯m glad she asked. While I can burn both plants and flesh, I cannot burn living matter. Well, that¡¯s a relief, I hear Sticks say. I don¡¯t blame her ¨C it¡¯s nice to know that if we have another ranking fight, I won¡¯t have to be worried about whether River will burn me to ash where I stand. Theoretically, anyway ¨C unless I seriously piss her off, I doubt River will want to do that to me. ¡°Alright, thanks River. Windy, do you have anything to report?¡± I ask the most annoying samuran levelly. Out of all of the Evolved, she¡¯s the one I haven¡¯t thought of anything specific for her to do. I therefore told her to practise with her Wind-Shaping and see if she can find any special uses for it. Apparently she hasn¡¯t had much of a role in the village since she Evolved. She has been useful for the occasional difficult hunt, but being a female is enough to guarantee her a cushy life purely down to her ability to produce eggs. She can apparently also sometimes identify things on the wind like the movement of herds or the approach of a bad storm. She knew about the inferno I created before anyone else ¨C it seems that her knowledge of just how big it was combined with her automatic prejudice against anything non-samuran is one reason for her inability to grasp the fact that I was controlling it. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Nothing I wish to share with the¡­council now, she answers with a slightly begrudging look around the circle, her eyes lingering on the Unevovled members. Apparently her prejudice is still alive and kicking. ¡°I see,¡± I answer slowly. Among all the other reports of new discoveries and experiments, her refusal sticks out like a sore thumb. ¡°Just be aware that access to my den is contingent on you finding some way to help the village beyond just being a female Pathwalker,¡± I tell her firmly. She indicated to me in our Battle of Wills that she desired power. My den is the best option for that, but she¡¯ll have to earn it. I can¡¯t help needling her a little, petty and immature of me as it might be. ¡°It occurs to me that of everyone in the circle, you are the one who contributes the least to the village. Perhaps your complaints about the Unevolved being lazy without the motivation of food were more speaking from your own experience.¡± I raise my eyebrows meaningfully at her, and feel a ripple of amusement come from several others around the circle. The light blue of the emotion shows in several spikes, though is quickly withdrawn as Windy glares around. I am quite capable of motivating myself, she tells me primly though with an undercurrent of anger and embarrassment. ¡°Then prove it to me ¨C and the village,¡± I tell her. ¡°Find some way for you to be useful to the village.¡± She says no more; just glares at me and then looks away, obviously intentionally not meeting anyone¡¯s gaze or lifting or lowering her head to show any sign of submission. I drop it for now, turning to the leader of the Warriors. ¡°Shrieks, have you managed to implement the classes as I asked you to?¡± Shrieks is already fairly busy with his usual responsibilities of patrolling and guarding the village, but I did ask him to do one more thing: to start training the Unevolved in combat. He was a bit resistant to the idea at first ¨C I think he saw it as a waste of time. And I understand that to a point: why train someone who was more likely than not to die or fail to reach Evolved? However, as I said to him at the time, training the Unevolved might help them to live longer, and if they do end up being Warriors, he¡¯ll have fewer bad habits to train out of them. He agreed, reluctantly. I have succeeded in organising a few sessions, the big samuran rumbles. Mostly, I have been asking each of my Warriors to give a demonstration with their preferred weapon. The Unevolved have come to sessions if they are in the village and if the weapon interests them. Not many have come. We have not really started actively teaching, though. ¡°That¡¯s understandable,¡± I agree. Delegation was a good idea. Having different samurans offering lessons on their weapons of choice is probably the best way to help all the Unevolved decide what suits them best and then improve. ¡°It¡¯s early days yet. But I hope that actual teaching will be able to happen soon. Are you giving them any sort of reward?¡± Shrieks sways his tail in a shrug. The Warriors earn fragments of Energy Hearts for each session they lead. ¡°Well, from now on, teaching can earn them meditation time in my den ¨C I think that will probably be more useful to them than Energy Hearts and would also leave those for the Unevolved who can¡¯t gain much benefit from the Energy levels in my den. Do you offer the attendees anything?¡± Shrieks looks at me incredulously. Why should they earn anything? They are already being given access to techniques which will help them survive. That should be motivation enough! ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± I agree, though privately I decide I¡¯ll have to see what the attendance rate is like. Besides, rewarding them in Energy Heart fragments will potentially help them advance anyway, which is a net gain for the village. ¡°When are you holding the sessions? I would be interested in taking part myself.¡± I¡¯m being completely honest here ¨C our ranking fight just proved to me beyond a doubt that my combat style is barely worthy of the name and only just gets me by because I have magic to help me. If I¡¯m out of mana or don¡¯t want to use it for whatever reason, I¡¯ll be in trouble against an opponent who knows even vaguely what they¡¯re doing. But considering I was a soft office worker less than three months ago, I figure that that¡¯s understandable. Continuing to be like that when I have the opportunity to get better will be my own fault, though. Every day when the sun is at its zenith, Shrieks answers promptly. I frown. Are the Unevolved around at that time? I thought that is when they are usually busy fulfilling tasks like searching for resources in the forest. Shrieks gives another tail-shrug. It is when we usually practise. Learning to operate in too-bright conditions is good for Warriors. ¡°Sure, for Warriors,¡± I agree, ¡°but perhaps hold the sessions when more samurans are available? Maybe either just before or just after dinner? I gesture around. Lots of people are here at the moment ¨C it would be a good time to hold a session if we didn¡¯t have a meeting.¡± Perhaps, Shrieks agrees noncommittally, but I sense that he¡¯s thinking about it. We continue onto the rest of the Warriors ¨C who have little to say ¨C and then the Unevolved. These have a few fairly minor issues to bring up with the council, mostly related to the system of assigning tasks and awarding Energy Hearts. I need to work out a better way of storing them, for example ¨C they ran out of Energy Heart fragments while I was away and have had to be rewarding samurans with ¡®credit¡¯ notes. Have I instigated paper money? I ask myself with more than a little amusement. Not that it¡¯s paper money, of course ¨C they¡¯re carefully carved wooden discs instead; Sticks¡¯ work. I need to make sure they get replaced with Energy Heart fragments. Overall, however, the Unevolved appear to be very happy with the changes, which was rather expected. The Warriors and Pathwalkers don¡¯t appear too upset though, despite being displaced as top dogs ¨C or top lizards. I think knowing they will be able to earn special access to my den helps with that, as does the fact that they¡¯ve been given new responsibilities. Apart from Windy, everyone else is more or less enthusiastic about the new changes I¡¯m bringing to the village. Sticks is fairly cautious as are a couple of the Warriors, but by and large, the village is behind me and my changes. Good. After a final couple of discussions, the council breaks up. ¡°Happy, Lathani, and Finds-a-bug, can you come here, please?¡± Time to find out whether the pattern I noticed extends past Happy and Lathani. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Two: Similarities Withdrawing from Lathani¡¯s Core-space for the third time, I find a frown has unconsciously formed on my face. What have you found? asks Bastet. She¡¯s been lying next to me and relaxing while I dove into the others¡¯ Core-spaces. We¡¯ve withdrawn to near my hut ¨C I figured that this didn¡¯t have to be a public display. From what Kalanthia indicated when we first spoke on this matter, internal matrices are personal business. It¡¯s bad enough that all three here are having to share information about their internal matrices with each other. ¡°Interesting similarities,¡± I say both to her and the three I¡¯ve been examining. Happy looks particularly anxious, though Bug ¨C my obvious new nickname for the Warrior Finds-a-bug ¨C is almost as nervous. I guess he may be worried at the thought that something might be wrong which would prevent him from advancing. Unfortunately, it appears he¡¯s probably right. What similarities, Honoured Pathwalker? Happy asks. By this point he¡¯s confident enough to ask questions ¨C more so even than the Warrior. ¡°Each of you has unusually weak channels even if the pattern of channels is the same.¡± There¡¯s silence for a short time. What does that mean? asks Bug tentatively. Is that linked to why I can¡¯t go inside the den? Lathani questions curiously. ¡°Yes, Lathani,¡± I answer her first and then turn to Bug. ¡°As far as I can tell, the first Evolution requires you to build up a pressure of Energy within your Energy channels. This condenses and forms a Core as well as a number of other channels. Failing to form a Core means failing to Evolve. It may not even be possible to trigger an Evolution without that build up. I suspect that weak channels mean that it¡¯s difficult to build the pressure to Evolve as the Energy just leaks out.¡± But I have Evolved¡­ argues Bug, though his tone is more confused than combative. ¡°You have,¡± I agree. ¡°Can you tell me about the conditions for your Evolution?¡± Well¡­I was part of a great hunt at the time. We were gathering the meat needed for the hatching and were fortunate enough to come across a large group of click-grunt-flash of red-grunt. As usual, the name of a new creature means nothing to me, but he accompanies it with a flash of memory. The creature looks¡­tough. I wonder whether it¡¯s a cousin to or Evolved type of a porcupig because of the spines covering its back half and the horn on its nose. But if the porcupigs are like cute baby pigs, this is a wild boar. The horn which the porcupigs use for digging is clearly a weapon here ¨C sharp and about three times the length. The spines are longer too, and the whole creature is far bigger. Spike only came up to my knee with some of his spines reaching a little higher. This one reaches well over hip-height on Bug who isn¡¯t a particularly small samuran. He¡¯s a few centimetres taller than me even. Though I suppose he was Unevolved at the time. Apart from that, the scaly skin I can see looks thick and leathery ¨C probably difficult to get through. They are dangerous prey, Bug continues saying, but they are tasty and very good for the first meals of hatchlings. The better prey they eat in the first double clawful of days, the sooner they can leave the hatching hut and start hunting themselves. It seems like their maturing is linked to Energy. We worked as a team of Evolved and Unevolved and we killed many with remarkably few losses in our own ranks. We were fortunate to have Shrieks-loudly as our leader. Partway through the fight, I felt a sense of pressure starting to build, and by the time it was over, I knew I was ready. I was so excited that I chose to trigger the Evolution as soon as the scouts said that the prey beasts were all dead. ¡°And then?¡± I ask, my gaze on him intent. ¡°How easy was the Evolution?¡± Not easy, he admitted. But is such change ever easy? Mine was fairly easy, Bastet told him. I needed to keep focus on who I was and what I wanted to become, but other than that, I did not have to do much for the process. The Energy within me worked to form my Core and reform my channels. Oh, Bugs answers, seeming a little dismayed. Then no, my Evolution was not easy. I constantly felt that Energy was disappearing like water through my claws. I don¡¯t know how I did it, but somehow I managed to keep it contained long enough ¨C like when I need to hold waste material inside me during a hunt. It left me with little focus to think about who I was and what I wanted to become. My Core came together, and I finished my Evolution. He paused for a moment. It has been my greatest shame among my brothers that my Evolution was one of the weakest successful ones in living memory. Practically no sparks were created after I formed my Core, he admitted. I feel the shame he spoke of rolling across the Bond between us. But not just that ¨C there was hope too. Hope that maybe it wasn¡¯t all his fault? Or that I might be able to fix it? ¡°Well, if what I¡¯ve been able to see in your channels and conclude about Evolutions in general is correct, the fact that you were able to Evolve at all was a miracle ¨C or rather the product of a lot of Energy entering you at the same time. Even a bucket with holes in its base will fill up with water if a lot is poured in fast enough.¡± A what? Bug asks, confused. It takes me a moment to realise that he probably doesn¡¯t know what a bucket is. ¡°A container for carrying water. That¡¯s not important. The point is that I don¡¯t think you should be ashamed of your weak Evolution ¨C you should be proud that you succeeded at all despite your leaky channels.¡± Bug doesn¡¯t look entirely convinced, but he does appear a bit more cheerful. Happy, on the other hand, is the absolute opposite of the moniker I¡¯ve given him. Does this mean I will never be able to Evolve? he cries in dismay. Apologies for my outburst, Honoured Pathwalker, he quickly follows up his exclamation with. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No need to apologise,¡± I quickly reassure him. ¡°And that¡¯s hopefully not the case. We already have one demonstration that it is possible in Fenrir.¡± Then I have to go and hunt many dangerous beasts if I want the chance? he asks, sounding less than enthused. I wonder whether he was one of those who preferred to collect resources than go hunting. Of course, he must have done some hunting ¨C he¡¯s at ninety-nine percent progress towards his Evolution, after all. But perhaps he took it carefully and went for beasts he knew he could kill. ¡°That¡¯s a proven method,¡± I agree, ¡°but not the one I¡¯d like to try. The point is that your channels are weak, and I suspect that if it¡¯s not fixed they will impede your progress later on too. If we can strengthen your channels so you can build up more pressure within them, I hope that the Evolution will basically take care of itself.¡± Happy certainly resembles his nickname a lot more when I finish. Do you think you¡¯ll be able to help me? Bug asks anxiously. I am already past my Evolution. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± I answer with a shrug. ¡°If this method works at all it should work with both Unevolved and Evolved Energy channels. You''ll have more to work on since your channels are more extensive, but it should be the same strategy.¡± What I don¡¯t say is that if he doesn¡¯t fix his internal channels, I highly doubt that he¡¯ll make it to Tier three. Even after a couple of years of being Evolved, he still hasn¡¯t made any progress towards the next tier. Then what does this method consist of, Honoured Pathwalker? Happy asks, clearly eager to get started. I don¡¯t blame him at all. ¡°Well, first we need to find out if certain Energy Hearts are more compatible with you than others. When we tested it with Lathani here, we found out that certain Energy Hearts were actually detrimental to her progress. Then I need to help you find your Core space since I can¡¯t help all of you at the same time. Once you¡¯ve done that, you should be able to use the Energy from the Energy Hearts to strengthen your channels. Bug,¡± I say, turning to the samuran in question. ¡°Once you¡¯ve found your Core space, you can test whether the Energy from the den is better or worse for you than the Energy Hearts.¡± They all agree quickly, clearly eager to get started. ¡°Then, once we have a method that works, I¡¯ll try to help the others from your¡­hatching. If they¡¯re willing to make a Bond with me too, of course.¡± Bug and Happy both look at me sharply. Why them specifically? Bug asks perceptively. I hesitate, shooting a glance towards the central area where Tarra may still be. She obviously didn¡¯t want it becoming public¡­. On the other hand, these are the ones she¡¯s hurt. They deserve an explanation. In the end, I decide to put the problem squarely back in Tarra¡¯s lap. She caused it and I¡¯m already trying to clear up her mess. ¡°Go ask your herbalist about it. If she refuses to answer, though, ask me again.¡± Happy and Bug exchange a glance, Evolved and Unevolved in unusual accord. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started with checking Energy Heart compatibility.¡± ***** It doesn¡¯t take too long before we manage to find some Energy Hearts which are more or less compatible with the samurans. Happy is comfortable with both Earth and Fire Energy Hearts which is particularly obliging of him since those are the ones I have in greatest quantity. Bug, however, seems more happy with a yellowish Energy Heart. I hope that he will find that the Energy in my den works well, though, since I don¡¯t have too many of the yellow Energy Hearts. I spend the rest of the evening trying to help Bug and Happy to find their Core spaces while also helping to guide Lathani on how to strengthen her channels. She, of course, had been shown her Core space long ago by her mother, probably soon after we came back from the village the first time. Bug doesn¡¯t take very long to find his Core space ¨C the process of Evolution, even if it didn¡¯t go as it should probably helped him find where it was. For Happy, it takes me actually starting the process of strengthening his internal channels for him to find the space. Perhaps it¡¯s like how we only realise we have certain muscles when we over-work them and feel pain. Either way, by the time we needed to turn in for the night, everyone has found their Core spaces and has got started on strengthening their channels. I¡¯m going to need to keep an eye on the samurans¡¯ progress from time to time, and Lathani¡¯s going to need more help as her issue isn¡¯t quite as simple as the samurans¡¯ appears to be. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll offer the other surviving samurans from their hatching a Bond. If all of them have the same issue, hopefully we¡¯ll see a few more Evolutions in the near future, I think to myself. I¡¯m just dropping off to sleep when something jerks me awake. It takes a few moments for my disorientated brain to work out what¡¯s going on. No one else seems to be alarmed except by my sudden movement. There are no enemies around; we¡¯re safe in my hut in the samuran village. Then it comes again. An authoritative summoning from one of my Bonds. It doesn¡¯t take much longer to realise which Bond it is ¨C I remember the feeling from when he almost made me fall over with his emotions before. Raven is calling me. Has someone tried to attack him? I wonder. Who would be stupid enough to do that? I send a questioning feel down the Bond, but we¡¯re too far away for any words to pass between us and instead he just repeats the same demanding summons. I send the closest approximation to ¡®now?¡¯ that I can with emotions. It¡¯s the middle of the night for goodness sake. Raven replies with a third summons, this one even more demanding than the first two. I sigh. Our Alliance does allow for either of us being able to call on the other in need; if Raven is being attacked and I don¡¯t come, then our Alliance will be broken. That¡¯s definitely not something I want. Nudging Bastet, I wake her. Problem? she asks, awake immediately. Maybe, I answer mentally so as not to disturb anyone we don¡¯t have to. Raven is summoning me. Now? She seems as incredulous as I am. Apparently it¡¯s urgent, as far as I can tell. Perhaps a battle, then, she concludes just as I did. Who are we taking with us? I think on the question for a moment. Lathani for sure. Fenrir too. Catch and Pride. We might as well take everyone who came to the village with us, I decide, moving around to wake them all up. Most of my Bound stayed at the cave ¨C even if the Tier ones can¡¯t benefit as much from the higher Energy density of the den as the higher Tiers can, it helps them more than being in a lower density area. We¡¯ll go via the den. It¡¯s a shorter distance and hopefully I¡¯ll be able to ask Raven if he needs the back up of my other Bound. Agreed, Bastet says. I fill the others in on the issue and we quickly leave. Honoured Tamer? Rocky asks. He¡¯s with Tree at the gates, clearly the designated guards for this shift. ¡°We need to return to our den urgently,¡± I tell him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure when we will return, but please inform the other Pathwalkers that that¡¯s where we have gone.¡± Of course, Honoured Pathwalker, the Warrior answers politely. Do you need any additional support? ¡°No, it should be fine,¡± I say quickly. If Raven really is being attacked, the sooner we go, the better; I have reinforcements waiting for me anyway. Then may your route be smooth and easy and your prey beasts fall before you. ¡°Thank you. May the spirits guard you and the village,¡± I respond with the phrases which I learned the last time we left in an official party. Hurrying out we head towards the den, Aingeal¡¯s constant presence lighting our way through the dark forest. Hopefully nothing too dangerous is hunting in the wastelands. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Three: Your Price Watch out! Bastet¡¯s warning is all that alerts me. I automatically dodge sideways. That movement may have saved my life as massive talons slice right through my armour to bury themselves in my shoulder. I shout in pain as they clench like a vice and tug. I shout again in alarm as I feel my feet actually leave the ground. Another set of teeth bury themselves in my ankle and I automatically activate Sensation Management to deal with the pain. Looking down, I see Bastet clinging onto me, her face twisted in a snarl. Catch grabs onto my legs a moment later as Bastet is lifted too. The addition of a samuran is enough to prevent the flying creature from carrying us away. It¡¯s a relief which allows me to get my panicked thoughts under control and actually start to plan. Agony sends fire through my veins as the flying creature¡¯s unsuccessful attempts to lift me off the ground start tearing even bigger holes in my shoulder. I dial Sensation Management up just enough to be able to feel if it gets worse, but not to prevent me from moving. I get to work. Marshalling my magic, I send it to the wounds, using part of my consciousness to direct its efforts to stopping the blood flow ¨C bleeding out will weaken me and my ability to fight. At the same time, I grab onto the creature¡¯s legs to ease the pressure a little. It means that I start feeling like I¡¯m being stretched on a rack, but at least the claws aren¡¯t being forcibly torn out of me. I need to bring it down to the ground. At the moment, it¡¯s too high in the air for any of my Bound to attack. Flesh-Shaping might work, but that¡¯ll take time¡­.fire! Focussing on the fire elemental who is casually bobbing around and lighting up the area, I send it the request to burn the creature¡¯s wings. It takes a couple of tries, but as soon as it understands, it responds in eagerness, as happy to burn a creature alive as it is to burn sticks of dry wood. I feed it extra fire mana to help it out and Aingeal glows brighter as it ascends. For the first time, I have a decent view of the creature which has attacked me. Almost exactly what I would have expected of a pterodactyl, only with a feathered body and wings, it screeches angrily as the ball of fire goes past its toothed beak. I feel it release its claws from my shoulder ¨C perhaps it has decided that I am too dangerous prey. It should have realised that before it attacked: I¡¯m not letting it go now. Gripping its legs tighter even as I increase the magic I¡¯m sending to my shoulder, it¡¯s now the pterodactyl which is caught. The pterodactyl screeches again, this time in pain. Aingeal has set light to one of its wings. It redoubles its attempt to escape, its wings flapping strongly enough to lift even Catch from the ground. He grips onto my legs almost as strongly as I¡¯m holding onto the pterodactyl. A moment later, Catch cries out in pain. I look down to see that Pride has mimicked Bastet and bitten into his leg to hold him down. ¡°I¡¯ll heal it after,¡± I force out, my own muscles starting to protest the length of time under such strain. The pterodactyl screeches again, and then a fourth time, its sounds full of pain and fear now. I didn¡¯t think it possible, but it manages to summon up even more strength, lifting us further off the ground and even succeeding in dragging Pride forwards a little. But with his added burden, the flying creature isn¡¯t going anywhere. Within moments we are set heavily on the ground as it collapses out of the air. Its wings are ragged and on fire ¨C in a short time, I suspect that it will be unable to fly at all. But it¡¯s not completely out of the fight. On fire and maddened by pain, it struggles to its feet. I let go as we landed so it is now free, but still grounded. Bastet releases her bite and I quickly send some magic to that area too, just to slow the blood flow. I¡¯ll deal with both injuries properly after the fight. The pterodactyl lunges for Pride. Big mistake. Pride dodges its attack and bites back, getting a mouthful of bloody feathers. ¡°Don¡¯t kill it!¡± I shout as I lunge forward, meeting its eyes. Dominate. Entering the Battle of Wills, I find that it¡¯s not hard to push forwards. Either it¡¯s not particularly strong-willed or its mental state has been affected significantly by the fight. It would have been helpful to cast an Inspect, but I¡¯ve been rather mentally occupied elsewhere. Stop! I hear shouted at me as I reach halfway between the creature and my starting point. What are you doing? I ignore it, pushing forwards further. It repeats itself several times, adding in some pleading as I¡¯m almost in arm¡¯s reach. And then I¡¯m there ¨C right before the creature. ¡°You attacked me,¡± I said. I was hungry! it replied ¨C she replied. ¡°And I was merely crossing the area to come to the aid of an ally. We both have reasons to be there, but the point is that you attacked me, and lost. Now, you can either accept the Bond you can no doubt feel around you, or my friends will kill you when we exit this space.¡± Have I become too comfortable with threatening creatures with my Bond or death? I didn''t like doing it to the samurans, but I had a good reason there ¨C they were too dangerous to let go. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. But then is that not the case here too? This creature was strong enough to lift me off the ground. She even managed to lift me, Bastet, and Catch when she was riled. That means she could take any samuran and almost any of my Bound. She clearly hunts at nighttime, but what if she hunts during daylight too? The route between my den and the village is going to be frequently travelled. I can¡¯t have a creature picking us off one by one. Sure, I could get her to move away, potentially. I might even be able to create an Alliance Bond just to make sure I¡¯d know if she had broken its word or not. But then if she does? All she would need to do is be more sneaky about her hunts and we¡¯d have a major problem. On the other hand, if I can convert her to a Bound, I could actually have a solution to this problem in the future. Put like that, my resolve is strengthened. Letting her go will only create problems. Keeping her will solve them. And ultimately, she attacked me ¨C and lost. Normally, the consequences of that would be her life, but I offer a different option. I will still be able to fly the skies, mate, and hatch eggs? she asks forlornly, clearly sensing my resolve. ¡°Of course,¡± I answer. ¡°Two of my Bound are currently guarding their eggs.¡± Then I will accept the Bond, she sighs, lowering her head. That¡¯s fortunate as, standing, she¡¯s almost twice my height, though a good portion of that is her neck. Reaching up, I manage to touch her beak and the space dissolves around us. ***** Healing the creature, newly named Ptera, takes some time, but we travel while we¡¯re doing it, so it¡¯s not a complete waste. The whole thing has delayed me a bit, though, especially since Catch and I could only limp until I fixed my ankle and Catch¡¯s leg. Fortunately, neither Pride nor Bastet are venomous ¨C I was rather glad that Fenrir didn¡¯t decide to join in on the fun. He probably would have while I was in the Battle of Wills space, but my warning just before it stopped him. Much as I¡¯d expected, Ptera is Tier two and has one main ability: Lighten. It seems that she¡¯s able to lighten herself and her load to an extent, explaining why she was able to lift so many of us. She doesn¡¯t have any other abilities, but in the end she doesn¡¯t really need them ¨C with her claws and teeth and air advantage, she¡¯s easily a match for most ground-bound Tier twos. And now she has access to a single daily attack borrowed from one of my other Bound if she needs it. Ptera is still hungry, so once her wings are healed and I¡¯ve managed to regenerate her feathers ¨C one more benefit of Flesh-Shaping over Lay-on-hands ¨C she takes off to look for some food. I offered her a carcass from my Inventory, but she turned her beak up at it because of the lack of Energy. I shrugged and warned her off hunting any samurans or any other Bound. She agreed a little sulkily and took off. We arrive at the den not long after. Raven? Can you hear me? I ask as we enter the den. I wait for a response. If he¡¯s down near the Pure Energy, he should be able to hear my words. If he¡¯s somewhere else, he might not. I can. Are you finally almost here? he asks impatiently. I was down in the village, I defend, and was attacked on my way here. Are you OK? Are you under attack? I¡¯m fine. Why would I call you for an attack? If I can¡¯t win against the opponent, neither will you prevail. I gape at the open air, stopping in the middle of the central area. A moment later, I facepalm. Why had I expected anything else from the arrogant draconic creature? ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to need back up,¡± I say absently to Bastet as I continue heading towards the Pure Energy stream. That will definitely be a shortcut to Raven considering he seems to be within his lair. She checks if I¡¯m sure, then, when I say I am, she curls up with the juveniles who came to greet her at our entry. We almost beat you, remember, I remind Raven then shake my head to focus on the topic at hand. What was so urgent that you needed to call me in the middle of the night? I have an answer to your question. And it couldn¡¯t have waited until morning? I ask incredulously. No. I stop dead again, raise my eyes towards the ceiling and ask for strength from the heavens ¨C or the rocky earth above me. Sighing, I get moving again. I¡¯m already awake; I might as well deal with it. Alright. I¡¯m coming. A bit of Earth-Shaping gives me entrance to the Pure Energy stream. I close it up again behind me ¨C I don¡¯t want any curious raptorcat juveniles, for example, finding an open door and falling into the stream. Because they would totally do that, cough Trouble cough. It¡¯s not long before I¡¯m hoisting myself out of the Pure Energy tunnel on Raven¡¯s side of things. ¡°So? What¡¯s your response?¡± Raven shuffles slightly, his eyes fixed on the three hatchlings curled up near his feet. They¡­don¡¯t look comfortable. Their deformed shapes prevent them from curling up in the sinuous shape that their father takes, and their sleep seems restless. They are not improving. I have done everything I can to help them since we spoke, and they are not improving. If anything¡­they seem to be deteriorating. ¡°The Pure Energy¡­.¡± I say meaningfully to him. What? My eyes flick up to meet Raven¡¯s gaze. ¡°They have been poorly affected by the Pure Energy. Being this close to the stream cannot be healthy for them.¡± Raven makes a sound of frustration. Yet anywhere else I take them will be more dangerous. I can¡¯t help chuckling. Raven feels my amusement and affront rolls across the Bond from his direction. ¡°Sorry,¡± I apologise. ¡°I know it¡¯s not a funny situation. But I was just thinking that that is really the least of the issues here. I can easily cover the hole with rock. I¡¯ve done the same on my side, anyway. I have to build in holes to allow some of the Energy to leak into different spaces.¡± Then I would ask you to do that here, Raven answers quickly. ¡°Even if it means you lose your nice Energy density?¡± I care for my children¡¯s wellbeing more, he responds firmly. I can¡¯t help a pang of sorrow going through me at his words. If only all parents were like Kalanthia or Raven in their attitude. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do that as soon as I leave. Now, you said you had an answer for me?¡± I do. He hesitates for a moment, closing his eyes, then opens them again. I see the sincerity within them ¨C and the pain. I know his answer before he gives it. I accept your price. Please help my children however you can. I will owe you three favours regardless of the outcome, and I will accept my children¡¯s decision of whether they wish to stay when they are healed. If none choose to stay, I will owe you three more favours. I take a deep breath. Alright then. Let¡¯s do this. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Four: Quest Is Now Complete I feel the notification come in as soon as I close the ¡®door¡¯ to Raven¡¯s access to the Pure Energy stream, but I don¡¯t immediately check it. Although the actual poisoning aspect of the Pure Energy is manageable with my health regeneration, I now know that it¡¯s the reason for the corrosion of my channels. I¡¯m already dog-tired from being woken up in the middle of the night, running four Battle of Wills, emptying my mana in healing the alcaoris hatchlings, and then shaping stone over the hole to the Pure Energy stream when my mana had regenerated enough. I don¡¯t want to give myself more to do than necessary. So instead I hurry through the tunnel, hoping to get back before the corrosion has enough time to really affect me. It takes a few minutes to start anyway. The stone I used to separate the tunnel from Raven¡¯s lair should work well enough. It¡¯s even thicker than the one I¡¯ve used to separate my own den from the stream. Although there is some Energy leakage with that, it¡¯s really minimal. And since it¡¯s not the Energy-reinforced stone of the tunnel itself, Raven can always use his acid to dissolve it if he needs to get access to the stream again. An idle thought occurs ¨C will the stone I created eventually turn into the same as the tunnel stone once it¡¯s had time to absorb enough Energy, or is the stone a different type entirely? The Energy within it resists my attempts to answer that question. For now, the alcaoris hatchlings are staying with their father. I¡¯ll come and visit them at least once every couple of days to continue the healing process. I¡¯d like to do it more often than that, but it will depend on everything else. Frankly, I feel rather stretched thin at the moment. I need to delegate more, but at the moment I¡¯m the only one who can do a number of the things I¡¯m doing, and I don¡¯t see that changing any time soon. But it is stopping me from working on some aspects of myself that I¡¯d like to improve. There are so many things I want to explore, like trying to understand more about the internal matrix and the blackness surrounding it. Or working out how stamina relates to the other types of Energy. Or the soul challenges I can undergo. I¡¯m also neglecting some of my Bound, I know ¨C I¡¯ve barely spent any time with several members recently and now I have four more all in a night¡¯s work. I definitely need to increase my Willpower ¨C I¡¯m holding so many Dominate Bonds now that I think I would struggle to gain another. I¡¯m fortunate that the alcaoris hatchlings are young enough that their nascent wills don¡¯t put much of a strain on my own Willpower. Otherwise, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to complete my promise to Raven immediately. And with their Bonds come another set of responsibilities ¨C trying to find a way to heal the alcaoris hatchlings. Frankly, the issues they have going on put Lathani to shame. Not only are they deformed in body, but their internal matrices are a mess. The most damaged alcaoris hatchling doesn¡¯t even appear to have one. I thought that might be normal for just-hatched babies, but the other two proved that to be false. They do have internal matrices, but they are just as deformed as their bodies. It¡¯s like a cat has been let in to play with a carefully-constructed design made of thread. There¡¯s still a hint of the original design, but it¡¯s mostly just a messy tangle. And all of it is absolutely saturated with Pure Energy. I actually managed to go up a few percent to the next level just by absorbing some of the Energy they have in a reverse of what I did with Fenrir. It¡¯s going to be a challenge, that¡¯s for sure. I just hope I¡¯ll be able to properly help them and not just make things worse. Then again, I¡¯m not sure how much worse it could get. As soon as I¡¯m back in my area of the tunnel, I hoist myself through the hole in the ceiling, then quickly exit the Energy room via a hole I form for myself in my own rock ¡®door¡¯. Joining the others in the main den area, I lie down on a pile of plant bedding which one of my Bound has considerately put out for me. About to open my status screen, I fall asleep before I can. ***** The first thing I do when I wake up is to check my notifications. Well, actually, it¡¯s to blink blearily at the ceiling and let my waking mind catch up with what happened overnight. Then I remember about the notification and open my status screen.
Congratulations! You have made progress on your quest! In the course of your adventures, you explored the centre of the Vine-Strangler Copse and defeated its guardian. Upon investigating the guardian beast¡¯s lair, you discovered a route down to one of the Ley Lines of the planet, running unusually close to the surface. You determined the reason for the unusual amount of Energy in the environment and found evidence to prove it. You discovered that the issue was due to two main reasons: an initial blockage by a mana crystal; a subsequent blockage by an alcaoris eager to incubate his eggs in the best environment possible. You recognised that the continued blockage of the vital Ley Line could cause untold amounts of harm, both for the denizens of the forest around you, and others further down the Line. You have found a way to rectify the situation and return the area to its previous state. You have done this by: releasing the pressure on the Ley Line and allowing the Pure Energy to flow unimpeded; mending the broken areas of the physical aspects of the Ley Line and reducing the Energy leakage to a reasonable level.
Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse II Quest type: Regional
Objective: Find evidence to prove (or in the event of the theory being disproven, discover) the reason for the formation of the underground tunnels. (complete) Objective: Rectify the situation with the exposed stream of Pure Energy before it¡¯s too late. (complete) Objective: Return the area to its previous state. (complete)
Time to complete quest: completeLove this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Suggested difficulty: Journeyman Reward: Rare Silver chest (rarity increased due to passing over of previous rewards).
Relief goes through me as I see that all objectives of the quest are now complete. I also notice that there¡¯s another notification waiting for me. With trepidation going through me, I open it. If this offers me another quest in the chain, I¡¯m refusing it immediately. Well, maybe not. I have a feeling that the issues with Raven blocking the Pure Energy would have happened regardless of whether I¡¯d accepted the quest or not, and then we¡¯d probably have just suffered the consequences without even knowing the cause. Fortunately, I don¡¯t have to make that choice.
Congratulations! You have completed all objectives on your Quest: The Vine-Strangler Copse II. This quest and quest chain is now complete. Would you like to receive your reward now or later? Reward: Rare Silver chest.
Accept reward now / Accept reward later
Accept reward now, I tell it firmly. It¡¯s been long enough as it is, though I suppose that¡¯s mostly Raven¡¯s fault ¨C until I could close his part of the tunnel, it couldn¡¯t be completed. A silver light fills the cavern, attracting the attention of everyone still inside. That¡¯s not too many, fortunately, since most of my Bound are either samurans in the village or out hunting. The silver light becomes bright enough that I have to look away. When it fades, I see that there is an old-fashioned box chest in front of me. It looks like it¡¯s made of silver, filigree designs etched into it. I frown as I look at them. It feels like I can almost make sense of the shapes. Like they are some language which I learned long ago and have almost forgotten. Or like they are pictures from an old and well-loved book that I left behind when I was a child. It¡¯s more than a little disconcerting, so I close my eyes and shake my head a little. When I open them again, the chest looks almost normal. Almost. Reaching forwards, I try to open it. And fail. A box flashes up in front of my eyes before I can get too annoyed.
Rare Silver chest. Make your choice of which reward you wish to have. You may choose one (1) option: - Weapon - Armour - Tools
Weapon / Armour / Tools
It¡¯s a difficult question. I bet a system-given weapon would be pretty awesome, as would its armour. And they would be doubtless things I wouldn¡¯t be able to create on my own. Heaven knows I need an upgrade to both of them. The thing is, though, that my current armour and weapons are serviceable. My armour didn¡¯t offer much protection last night, but it¡¯s usually pretty good, and the fact that I can regrow it with magic both in and out of a fight is very useful. If my system-armour is broken in a single fight, there¡¯s no guarantee I¡¯ll be able to repair it. And I can¡¯t be sure it comes with an auto-repair function, though I know such things exist. I can also reshape my current armour to whatever will be most useful. I can change its thickness and how much of me it covers ¨C to a certain extent ¨C depending on the battle in question. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to do that with a system-given set of armour. The weapon option is more attractive with that taken into account, but even there the same problems apply. Unless it¡¯s a self-repairing weapon which also grows with me and can change to what I need it to be, it won¡¯t be useful for too long. Tools, though not immediately attractive, actually seem to be the best option. With more advanced tools, we might be able to create more advanced gear, or weapons. And then it might actually help everyone rather than just me. Of course, it does depend on the tools offered ¨C if it¡¯s a crochet kit or tools for repairing a computer motherboard, it¡¯s not going to be much use. But then in a way, the same applies for the other options. If I¡¯m offered a butterknife or massive broadsword which I can¡¯t even lift for weapons, or a complete suit of armour like a mediaeval knight for armour, those wouldn¡¯t be much use either. It¡¯s a gamble no matter what I choose. Decided, I pick the third option. A new box appears.
Rare Silver chest. You have chosen Tools. Make your choice of which reward you wish to have. You may choose one (1) option: - Blacksmithing tools (rare quality) - Alchemy distillation tools (rare quality) - Beginner rune engraving tools (rare quality)
Blacksmithing / Alchemy / Rune
My excitement rises as I read the first two options, then turns into confusion as I read the third. What are runes? Even as I ask the question to myself, I suddenly realise I know what they are, memories from the knowledge stone I absorbed right at the beginning coming to my aid. Pulling my knife out, I run my fingers over the slight indentations I can just about feel but can barely see. I¡¯ve noticed the indentations before without realising what they were. Probably etched into the blade to increase its durability and maintain its sharpness, these are examples of what runes can be used for. Runes are a sort of physical representation of magic, as far as I can tell. Enchanters use them to imbue an object with a specific magical function. In my memories I see lots of enchanted items ¨C anything from a wand which can spit a fireball and only that, to a pot that boils water when it¡¯s filled, to a tile which explodes as soon as anyone steps on it. Those all used a fire-related enchantment, and the enchantment was anchored with runes. The thing is that I don¡¯t know any runes, per se. Nor, I suspect, do the samurans. If I choose it and the rune tool kit comes without an instruction manual, it will be a waste of a reward. Even a suit of armour which was too heavy but could be melted down to its base metals would be more helpful than that. And it¡¯s not as if the other options are bad. If anything, they would both be perfect for our needs. Better blacksmithing tools would allow us to make better weapons and, potentially, armour as well. Although I don¡¯t know alchemical distillation particularly, I¡¯d imagine it¡¯s not all that dissimilar from the distillation of alcohol. Equipment that could do that sort of thing could potentially expand Tarra and River¡¯s capabilities significantly. But despite myself, I keep getting drawn back to the rune engraving tools. After a moment of thought, I realise why I¡¯m drawn to it. The reason why enchanting was included in the system knowledge stone at all was because it¡¯s considered to be the great equaliser. To cast a spell or activate an enchantment, someone who is able to use magic is required. However, engraving the runes doesn¡¯t use magic, and once the object is activated, anyone can use it. Which would both give the Unevolved something to do, and things they could use. And the uses of runes are pretty much limitless. In fact, one memory which comes to mind indicates that some people think everything that can be done by a magic-user can be replicated by an enchanter using runes. Others disagree, but the fact is that no one can argue that the applications of runes are vast. All three rewards would be awesome and would help the village, assuming that the rune engraving tools come with an instruction manual. That¡¯s not guaranteed, but the fact that it¡¯s a ¡®beginner¡¯s¡¯ rune engraving kit gives me hope. In the end, I choose the rune engraving kit. I might regret the gamble, but ultimately this quest hasn¡¯t made me do anything I wouldn¡¯t have done already, and I¡¯ve benefited significantly just by doing it. This reward is the cherry on the top so if it turns out to be a cherry I can¡¯t eat, I won¡¯t be too upset. But perhaps that¡¯s taking the metaphor too far. When a book full of simple runes appears along with the styluses and chisels, my smile almost reaches both ears. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Five: Fifty-One Days I walk through the samuran village, looking with interest at all the activity. The village is absolutely bustling. Not that I blame them ¨C the biggest event of the year is soon to take place. Tonight there will be a celebration; tomorrow, we''ll be heading off to the samuran meet-up with all the Pathwalkers, and most of the Warriors. I bet that the village will feel rather empty once we leave. It¡¯s been fifty-one days since I completed the quest and the consequences of my choice have been clear. Actually, the consequences of all my choices, frankly. While on first appearances the village is the same as before ¨C still lizard-people walking around a village made of mud and leaf huts ¨C a second look tells a different story. Almost all the Unevolved are carrying metal weapons, for example. That¡¯s due pretty much entirely to the samuran before me and her group of assistants. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Happy?¡± I ask the Pathwalker. Wait a moment, she tells me briskly, never stopping her blows with the hammer. The ring of iron hitting iron is a familiar sound by this point ¨C it goes practically from dawn to dusk. While I wait, I watch her five assistants work. One is chopping up wood with a metal axe, preparing it for turning into charcoal. A second is doing the hard work of crushing iron ore into dust. A third is operating a furnace to transform the iron oxide into actual iron. The last two are operating bellows ¨C one for the furnace, the other for the forge. Happy is rather distinctive even when she¡¯s among other samurans. She¡¯s clearly a Pathwalker from her shorter claws and more delicate skull structure, but the rest of her body is surprisingly strong for one of the magic-focussed Pathwalkers. As a consequence, her maximum mana isn¡¯t as much as it could be ¨C and is significantly below River¡¯s ¨C but it seems like keeping some physical force was an important part of the process. It took a while to heal Happy¡¯s channels, or rather to help him do it for himself. Two multiplied into eight very quickly ¨C having started the process only with the Unevolved Happy and the Warrior Bug, I was surprised when others joined our session. ****Previously**** I look up as I hear more feet approaching me than I was expecting. My eyebrows go up as I see, not just Bug and Happy, but also six others. Given that none of them are already my Bound, they have to be Unevolved. Honoured Pathwalker, I apologise for asking this, but would you be willing to find out if the others from our hatching have all suffered the same effects? I frown. Bug is being surprisingly stiff and formal. When I look over at Happy I see that he¡¯s just as stiff, his spikes carefully free of colour. Touching the Bonds between the two samurans and me, I realise something. They¡¯re angry. No, not angry. Furious. ¡°You spoke to Tarra?¡± I ask, but it¡¯s not really a question. Bug twitches his tail in a short agreement. She was reluctant to explain, but after I informed her that you had promised to tell us if she did not, she caved. And so, I beg you to show our brothers the same kindness you have shown us. He hesitates, and I realise that below the fury is a deep grief and sense of betrayal. We have none other who can heal us from what our own healer has done to us. I understand his grief. I¡¯ve noticed that Tarra is one of those held in the highest regard among the village, especially among the Unevolved. The other Pathwalkers are held in awe; she is held in awe and appreciation. Sticks is also popular as she helps make weapons that keep them alive, but few samurans have been healthy and lucky enough to never need any of Tarra¡¯s potions. Whether in sickness or injury, Tarra has supported the village. To have her be the reason for difficulties in Evolving is clearly a massive blow. There is only one answer I can give. ¡°Of course I will help,¡± I answer, focussing on using Animal Empathy so that everyone present understands me. ¡°But you have to be prepared to be Bound by Dominate at least so I can make sure that the problems you¡¯re experiencing are caused by the same issue that has affected Happy and Bug. I¡¯ll help you find your Core space and then you¡¯ll have to do the majority of the work yourself after that. Is that acceptable to you?¡± ****Now**** Of course, they all agreed. Having a Bond with me was considered a small price to pay for having the chance to Evolve. In fact, for some it didn¡¯t even appear to be a price but a side benefit. I hadn¡¯t realised at the time but for many Unevolved samurans, to be included among one of my Bound is actually considered an honour. I only realised that when, after helping two of them to find their Core spaces, I went to release them from the Bond only to have them object and ask to keep it. ****Previously**** ¡°You want to keep it?¡± I ask, baffled. Please, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer? Flicks-his-tail ¨C aka Flicks ¨C almost begs. ¡°Why? Doesn¡¯t it feel like a¡­chain?¡± No? replies the samuran, seemingly just as confused. It feels like a connection between us ¨C and between all the others connected to you. ¡°And that¡¯s a good thing?¡± I ask slowly. Of course, Flicks answers immediately, like it¡¯s obvious. I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to explain that to me,¡± I tell him levelly. ¡°Why do you want to keep the connection? He eyes me as if he¡¯s privately wondering why I¡¯m asking such dumb questions, but then looks away, a sense of self-reproval flicking through the Bond. He opens his mouth, but doesn¡¯t seem able to come up with something to say. Movement at my shoulder reveals Catch coming to plop himself down onto the ground next to me. Pride, as usual, is practically on his heels. Fenrir and Honey come and settle near us too. ¡°Had a good hunt?¡± I ask Catch casually. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Passable, he answers, then flicks it away with his claws. I heard what was going on and thought I¡¯d drop in to help here since there seems to be a miscommunication causing problems. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty accurate summation, I suppose,¡± I admit. The thing is, Honoured Markus, that you are forgetting who you are to us. ¡°A human?¡± I guess. Now it¡¯s Catch¡¯s turn to give me the ¡®Are you dumb? Why are you asking these questions?¡¯ look. ¡°Oh. The leader of the village?¡± Exactly, Catch answers. A Bond with you means a direct connection with the leader of the village. Not only that, but because you¡¯ve Bound all the Warriors and Pathwalkers, it also means a direct connection with all the Evolved. Which, for an Unevolved who is otherwise considered nothing special, is an absolute gift. Plus, your Bound have special access to your den and generally special treatment. ¡°I restrict access to my den!¡± I protest. Catch gives me another Look. Only to the rooms down the corridor, he reminds me. To be fair, he has a point. ¡°But I don¡¯t give special treatment to my Bound,¡± I refute firmly. Honoured Markus, I have run out of Energy Hearts. May I have one, please? he asks, the non-sequitur throwing me for a moment. I¡¯ve already materialised one from my Inventory when I see the look he¡¯s giving me. ¡°Alright, fine, you¡¯ve made your point,¡± I grumble, tucking the Energy Heart away ¨C if he¡¯d actually wanted one, he shouldn¡¯t have used it to illustrate his point. ¡°So basically being Bound to me is basically what every Unevolved wants.¡± I shake my head in disbelief. The difference between the attitudes of the Pathwalkers when I fought them in the ranking fight and the Unevolved now are like night and day. Not all the Unevolved, Catch qualifies. But the most of them, yes. ****Now**** Of course, I did have to release the Bonds of most of those Bound purely to help them heal ¨C I simply didn¡¯t have enough Willpower to hold everyone in the village. Though, I have found that holding the Bond of a sapient creature who actually wants to be there is far easier than holding the Bond of a non-sapient creature. And that in turn is easier than Binding a sapient creature who doesn¡¯t want to be. Just another reason why convincing creatures to accept my Bond because they see it as a good option is better than just forcing them or threatening them. They were happy enough when some of them started Evolving and getting the Bonds back anyway. Though, by that point, as Evolved samurans, it was a bit less attractive anyway. Happy was the first of that group to Evolve, though other Evolutions happened before he succeeded. Much as I¡¯d expected, she was the first Pathwalker in living memory to have Metal-Shaping as a Skill. I¡¯d rather hoped that she might pick up something to do with fire or temperature control as a second, but apparently my help with her Energy channels could only go so far. Instead, I talked the newest Pathwalker through setting up a primitive forge with the techniques I learned from the knowledge stones I absorbed, the survival stone in particular. She quickly formed a little team of Unevolved samurans to help her so that she could concentrate on the actual metal-shaping. I asked her once why she continues to use a hammer, but apparently it makes the actual shaping easier if she introduces physical force to the equation. I¡¯ve tried to see what she means a few times, but as of yet haven¡¯t quite managed to resolve what I can observe in the metal into something useful. I¡¯ve been concentrating on other things too which hasn¡¯t left me much time to experiment with metal. What did you need, Markus? Happy¡¯s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She¡¯s returned the item she¡¯s currently working on to the forge with her tongs and her bellow-assistant is working hard to increase the temperature of the forge again. ¡°I just wanted to find out where you are on the gifts we are going to present to the other samurans.¡± Although I hadn¡¯t been thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t a surprise to me when I was informed that we¡¯d need to take gifts with us. Apparently it¡¯s a mixture of goodwill and subtle bragging ¨C the better quality and more useful the gift, the higher in their esteem the other villages would hold that village. That would lead to direct consequences of the Pathwalkers and stronger Warriors being willing to mate with those from that village, and indirect consequences of potential trade alliances. However, it is apparently a bit of a double-edged sword. If a village appears too prosperous and with an insufficient number of defenders, it can also encourage a more warlike and poorer village to come to raid or even absorb them. It¡¯s no surprise to me that the villages might be as callous and hierarchical to each other as they are within themselves to the Unevolved. Of course, that¡¯s all significantly changed in this village and for the better, in my opinion. Though I¡¯d say most would agree with me ¨C certainly there have been so many Evolutions that the complement of Pathwalkers and Warriors is stronger than ever. My part of the gift is almost done. I am finishing the last few pieces today. Most of the pieces are now with Enchanter. She indicates with her muzzle the other Pathwalker sitting off to the side. Enchanter, or as I call her, Hunter as her original name was Hunts-a-bug and I already have one Bug in my ranks, really took to the rune carving kit that I earned as a reward for completing the quest. After realising that the kit was exactly what I hoped ¨C all the tools and information necessary to learn to carve very basic runes, I took it with me back to the samuran village. At the time, I was more trying to learn how to do it myself. But then, like with Happy, I noticed that a particular Unevolved seemed to be hanging around frequently when I sat down with the kit. ****Previously**** I¡¯m trying to practice a basic rune for ¡®protection¡¯ in the dirt when I notice him. The samuran who has consistently come to watch whenever I¡¯ve pulled this kit out. This time, he¡¯s not just watching ¨C I see his claw tracing the same rune into the dirt near his feet. And honestly, he¡¯s done a better job than I have! ¡°Is this the first time you tried drawing that?¡± I ask him, surprised. He flinches as if expecting a reprimand. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not angry. Just curious.¡± He eyes me carefully, then, perhaps deciding that I sound like I¡¯m being genuine, sways his tail a little to the side, indicating ¡®yes¡¯. ¡°Impressive,¡± I smile at him, careful not to open my mouth in threat. ¡°How about this one? Try drawing it.¡± I point to the next rune down. This one is for ¡®stability¡¯, apparently. He draws it; even his first attempt is almost perfect. He quickly realises where he¡¯s made a mistake and gives a grunt of frustration. Before I can say anything, he sweeps his hand across the attempt and then tries again. This one is far better. Considering he¡¯s doing it with a claw on the earth, his accuracy is definitely impressive. And far better than my attempts, even after I¡¯ve practised a few times. Done, he concentrates on the rune, then looks from it to the other. I don¡¯t interrupt ¨C I can practically see his thoughts whirring. This one¡­protects, does it not? he asks, pointing at the first. And this one¡­it stops movement? Then his spikes go bright yellow in fear. My apologies, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer. I did not mean to be impolite and ¨C ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I tell him, cutting off his apologies. ¡°I prefer more informality anyway. And yes, the first rune is for ¡®protection¡¯ and the second is for ¡®stability¡¯.¡± I eye him. ¡°Look, I¡¯m just learning about this myself. Care to learn with me?¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Six: A Partnership Hunter had needed some reassurance that yes, I was actually offering the opportunity to learn runes, but then he threw himself into the project. He quickly became far better than I was, and learned to use the actual engraving tools. He couldn¡¯t activate the runes themselves ¨C that requires carefully feeding either mana or Energy into the runes ¨C so I did that, learning about the different effects of different mana types or Energy vs mana while I did so and improving my Energy Manipulation by a level. Since becoming a Pathwalker, though, she hasn¡¯t needed my help at all and has rapidly advanced onto combining two runes together in a basic enchantment, reaching beyond the knowledge stored in the beginner¡¯s book. She has had difficulty getting three runes to work together ¨C and has had more than a few explosions ¨C but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll figure it out. I earned two new Skills out of my own efforts, but with the number of other things on my plate, I decided to give the enchanting over to Hunter as soon as she was able to do the whole process by herself. Rune carving and enchanting is something I¡¯ll probably want to take up again later, but not now. Besides, Hunter doesn¡¯t actually need my aid now. Like Happy, she pulled in a couple of other Unevolved to be assistants, setting them to learn how to carve the rune properly to begin with ¨C perfection really does matter when it comes to runes, it seems ¨C and then giving them more important tasks. As I walk towards her, I see that she has her two original assistants helping to carve runes in the wooden parts of the handles and hafts while she uses an acidic substance to etch them into the metal blades. Just off to the side are two more Unevolved who appear to be learning the basics of rune carving ¨C by drawing in the dust, just like we did when we started. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± I ask her, greeting her assistants with a nod and wave ¨C I don¡¯t have a tail with which to display their usual greeting. They lift their chins in polite response. ¡°Are you and your team going to be done before the end of the day?¡± Yes, as long as Smith completes the final pieces that she is supposed to, Hunter answers easily, not taking her eyes off the rune she¡¯s currently etching. ¡°What are we giving them anyway?¡± As the leader of the village, that¡¯s probably something I should already know, but I decided to leave choosing gifts for samuran Pathwalkers up to samurans. Some short blades enchanted with sharpness and durability. Here she lifts her head and points her muzzle towards my hip. Your own blade was a great inspiration. We anticipate giving each village about six blades between them. In addition, we will give each village one spear each, its head is also enchanted with sharpness and durability, and its haft enchanted with durability. I am still experimenting with a rune combination which will enhance the grip of the Warrior, but it¡¯s not currently ready. Amusement comes through the Bond between us, tinged with a hint of chagrin. At the moment it sticks to the hand of whoever holds it until I deactivate the runes. I smirk at the image ¨C a Warrior trying to throw a spear only for it not to leave his hand. ¡°Well, a permanent sticking enchantment is useful,¡± I tell her warmly, ¡°but perhaps not for a spear, no. Still, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out. Anything else we¡¯re giving as gifts?¡± Many things, but only one other requires my work: wooden bowls made by Wood-shaper which slowly heat the contents. As you know, we don¡¯t eat cooked food like you do, but we thought that perhaps some of our fellows might find the bowls useful. And if not useful, at least interesting. She shrugs with her tail. Even if they find no use for it, the ability to create a magical item which operates even when far from us will send the reputation of our village soaring to new heights. ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I agree, privately wondering whether introducing runes to the samurans might be even more impactful in the long term than introducing smithing. ¡°Will the bowls continue working indefinitely, or do they have an expiry date?¡± Hunter sighs, annoyed regret coming through the Bond. They will stop working after some time. I have not yet managed to power the active runes with environmental Energy. Or not reliably, at least. It sometimes works for a short time, but then explodes ¨C often damaging the item itself ¨C or it doesn¡¯t work at all. She seems rather down about it; I sense her beating herself up inside at not managing to solve the puzzle in time. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine,¡± I reassure her. ¡°You¡¯ve learned a huge amount in a short space of time. You¡¯re doing great.¡± She looks up at me, hopeful turquoise rippling through her spikes. You think so? ¡°I know so,¡± I tell her warmly. ¡°Seriously, this is a whole new area of magic I¡¯ve introduced to you, and you¡¯re doing far better than I am with it.¡± You¡¯d do better if you actually spent some time doing it, she reminds me, the familiar gripe making a smile play at the corner of my mouth. Where¡¯s all that curiosity you had at the beginning? she teases. ¡°Why do I need to do it when I have you to do it for me?¡± I ask innocently. Hunter opens her mouth in a mock-threat. And what if I decide not to help you one day? Where will you be then? she asks, mock-chiding in her voice. I give her my best puppy dog eyes. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do that to me, would you?¡± Hunter holds out for a long moment, then sighs as if giving in against her better knowledge. No, of course I wouldn¡¯t. Actually, in all seriousness, I think I have a solution to the problem you brought to me. Look at this. Leaning over to borrow a stick from one of those practising in the dirt, she quickly and efficiently draws three runes. I frown and tilt my head, trying to see what she¡¯s getting at. You recognise this one, right? she asks, tapping at the one in the middle. ¡°I do,¡± I say slowly. ¡°The binding rune, right? But I thought we¡¯d already tried and discounted that as being useful outside of a rune combination.¡± The binding rune was one of the first we looked at when I first started trying to solve this issue: that without me, all the Bonds we¡¯ve built will probably fall apart. I can¡¯t see them sticking around when I¡¯m going to another world. In fact, I¡¯m planning on releasing all the Bonds I have except for those coming with me when the time comes. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. This means that all of my current Bound who have found that they prefer working with the village in some way will be left adrift. Without the ability to communicate with the samurans, they will probably return to the forest in the best case scenario, or come into conflict with them in the worst case. The problem that we found is that the binding rune only works when it is connecting two other runes. Unlike, for example, the two runes Hunter has been etching into the metal blades: sharpness and durability. Separate, they will still work because neither interferes with the other and even if one is lost, the other continues to work. With a binding rune connecting the two, the effect is combined. This has the advantage of requiring the whole rune combination to be significantly damaged to nullify both effects ¨C and with ¡®durability¡¯ as one of the runes, that¡¯s made harder than normal. However, it does mean that if the whole rune combination is damaged, both effects are lost. But then, if both runes are defaced even without the binding rune, both effects will be lost, so it¡¯s not a big deal. The issue we¡¯ve been having is that we need to somehow create a partnership between two different beings, which is a big step away from enchanting a single item. But I have faith in Hunter¡¯s ingenuity. We did. But what if it is in a rune combination ¨C in two parts. I run her words through my head a few times, then shake it. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t follow.¡± Fortunately, she is far more patient than I am, and is used to needing to slow down for me. We take a single piece of material, so saying, she takes a bit of wood that¡¯s lying discarded from a previous experiment, and we break it in half. She demonstrates. Then, we draw the rune combination¡­over the break. We put a transfer rune directly connected to the binding rune, and an anchor rune on the separate piece. The anchor piece goes to the beast; the transfer and binding runes are held by the villager. She looks up at me expectantly. My eyebrows almost reach my hairline in my surprise. ¡°And this works? Even if the pieces are separated? The enchantment doesn¡¯t break?¡± She flicks her tail in assent. It does as long as the piece of material was already in two parts when the engraving began. And as long as the intention when engraving and activating it was that the runes should work as a whole. It is an odd thing, but a useful discovery I made. ¡°Useful indeed,¡± I murmur, my thoughts racing as I consider all the ways in which a rune combination which can be split into two could be helpful. Could it cause automatic recall of arrows fired, for example? Or allow tracking of others if one piece is held by two people? Or allow for remote activation of another enchantment? Could I be potentially introducing the magical equivalent of dynamite to the samurans? After a moment, I shake my head, more to rid myself of the thoughts than in negation. There is a time to consider those, but it is not right now. ¡°A transfer rune¡­what exactly does it transfer?¡± Communication, ideally. Thoughts or intentions. Like with our Bond. ¡°But if it¡¯s only on one piece, it won¡¯t allow for two-way communication, right?¡± I ask a little doubtfully. No, it only works to transfer thoughts or intentions from the one holding that piece of the rune trio. I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to have thoughts going both ways, but so far I have failed. I eye the combination thoughtfully. ¡°What if you give each pair two sets of runes? So each one has an anchor and each one has a binding and transfer rune?¡± Hunter stopped still for a moment. That¡­might work. I will have to try it. ¡°And there¡¯s no control in this combination either. The one holding the transfer and binding rune half has to just hope that the other being will do what they say?¡± Again, I haven¡¯t managed to combine the control rune with the rest of it. But now you have mentioned possibly giving multiple rune combinations to a single pair¡­. ¡°What are the limits of this transfer of thoughts or intentions? Have you tested the combination?¡± I have, Hunter answers. On prey beasts I borrowed from the Grower¡¯s group, and on my assistants. I raise an eyebrow. ¡°With their permission, I hope.¡± Hunter gapes her mouth open in the samuran equivalent of a glare. Of course. I am not one to do experiments on those who cannot consent. Unlike some other Pathwalkers I could mention. I¡¯d take offence except for the fact that I know she¡¯s not talking about me. Though Hunter wasn¡¯t one of those affected by Tarra¡¯s growth potions, she¡¯s quite close with Happy, who was. I¡¯m not surprised that they¡¯ve talked about the reason for why Happy was unable to Evolve for so long. ¡°Alright, fine. What did you discover, then?¡± I ask hurriedly. The transfer of thoughts and intentions depends on the strength with which they¡¯re communicated ¨C and the receptability of the receiver. My assistants were both harder and easier to communicate with than the beasts ¨C if they wanted to hear it, it was easier; if they didn¡¯t it was harder. However, even among the unintelligent prey beasts of Grower¡¯s, there was a difference ¨C the cyran leader was harder to communicate with than the lesha leader, for example. It doesn¡¯t surprise me that the leader of the herd of cyrans ¨C the same species as Trinity ¨C was harder headed than the leader of the killer chickens. Though they¡¯re vicious and smart when it comes to being able to ambush prey, the killer chickens are still bird brains. The cyrans are far more ornery and I know Sticks has had to collaborate with Hunter and Flower to create fences which stop them from just barging through whenever they like. Other than that, though, the farming seems to be going well enough. Tarra managed to get her potions working on both plants and animals. She did encounter a problem where the creatures that grew quickly held very little Energy which made them not particularly nutritious, but by using Energy Heart fragments in the potions, she overcame that issue. I¡¯m still trying to decide whether or not to let her experiment with Pure Energy in potions ¨C though I¡¯ve worked out how to crystallise new Energy Hearts, they are so much in demand that it¡¯s still a struggle to keep up. We currently have three types of creatures being ¡®farmed¡¯, though it¡¯s somewhat different from what I was used to on Earth. I remind myself to go and check out the farming area again ¨C make sure everything is fine for us to be away for a good while. Still, Hunter¡¯s discoveries are very interesting. I am relieved that they¡¯re not the direct equivalent of my Dominate, though ¨C I would be nervous about leaving something as powerful as that behind when I go. We¡¯ll have to see what happens if she starts using a control rune, though. Tamer, do you have some time to discuss a matter about certain beings travelling with us to the festival? Shrieks¡¯ voice interrupts my thoughts. Sure, just give me a moment, I answer him. Where are you? Upon getting his location, I quickly finish up with Hunter, thanking her for the information, and congratulating her on her discovery. Within a couple of minutes, I push myself to my feet and let her get on with her work. I wonder why Shrieks needs to discuss the party composition ¨C I thought we¡¯d already sorted that in the last council meeting. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Seven: A Good Number Of Improvements On the way to meeting Shrieks, I open my status screen, focussing on seeing the changes over the last three months just to remind myself of how far I¡¯ve come. In the samuran village, I don¡¯t worry about being attacked and there isn¡¯t much to trip over ¨C I might guiltily take advantage of the fact that people tend to clear out of my way to be sure of that.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 16 -> 19 Energy to next level: 34% Energy absorption rate: 70u/hr Energy towards debt: 112% (178)
Intelligence 40+2 (+5%) Mana: 630/630 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 44+2 (+5%) Mana regeneration rate: 1150u/hr
Willpower 67+18 (+27%) Health regeneration rate: 85u/hr
Constitution 32 Health: 470/470 (480) (15u/CP)
Strength 21 Stamina: 130/130
Dexterity 28 Stamina regeneration rate: 280u/hr
Special: Fire Affinity (25%)
Class skills Dominate ¨C Initiate 9 -> Journeyman 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Journeyman 2 -> 7 * Alliance Fade ¨C Initiate 5 -> Journeyman 1 * Darkvision Inspect ¨C Novice 1 -> 5 Elemental Bonding - Beginner 1 -> 2 Management ¨C Novice 3 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Master 1 -> 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 5 -> 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 5 -> 7 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 3 -> 5 Sensation Management ¨C Beginner 9 -> Novice 3 Spearmanship ¨C Novice 4 -> Initiate 5 Archery ¨C Beginner 9 -> Novice 9 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Novice 1 -> Initiate 5 Short Blades ¨C Beginner 9 -> Novice 7 Fire-Shaping ¨C Novice 9 -> Initiate 5 Earth-Shaping ¨C Initiate 4 -> Journeyman 5 Energy Crystallisation ¨C Beginner 5 Teaching ¨C Beginner 7 Rune-Carving ¨C Beginner 4 Enchanting ¨C Beginner 8
A good number of improvements, though admittedly my speed of gaining and levelling up Skills has reduced a bit since I¡¯ve been working with the samurans and not concentrating on many of them. I¡¯ve only earned three new Skills, but I¡¯m not unhappy about that ¨C I have enough to be getting on with as it is. Teaching and Management both seem to be focussing on soft skills, which is not all that surprising considering how much I¡¯ve been doing of that. Management is a Skill which amplifies the effects of Wisdom and Willpower by small amounts per level, essentially increasing my ability to convince, encourage, negotiate with, and intimidate others. Its rank up to Novice increased the amplification and spread some of the effect to my Bound when they¡¯re explicitly working on my behalf. Teaching, on the other hand, seems to be about identifying my student¡¯s starting point and then going from there to transmit a new idea. I can imagine it synergising pretty well with Management when convincing others, though. Energy Crystallisation is a different matter ¨C I earned that by working out how to use the Pure Energy stream to crystallise new Energy Hearts. Its main benefit is that it gives me a five percent chance per level of being able to choose the element-affinity of the crystallised Heart, useful considering what I learned about how certain Energy Hearts can actually damage the internal matrix of my people. Still, my continued practice of Fire-Shaping and Earth-Shaping has seen them go up quite a few levels, Earth-Shaping showing just how much I¡¯ve used it recently by managing to rank up to Journeyman. The changes there weren¡¯t major, mostly just improving on what I was already able to do. There was a bit of a warning that I need to slow down with that a bit, though ¨C apparently I need to develop my relationship better with the ¡®Earth¡¯ if I want to advance further. I have a feeling progress there is going to be slow. Fade also jumped up to Journeyman and gave me a great upgrade ¨C I can now use the dark-vision without needing to use the stealth aspects of Fade. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. A few experiments with Sensation Management on what exactly it can affect has helped with that one too. Inspect definitely levels more slowly than the individual Skills would have ¨C I¡¯ve been using it regularly but haven¡¯t seen it even manage to rank up to Initiate. I¡¯m quite proud of the two levels I¡¯ve got in Energy Manipulation, though. The first was due to my work with Energy channels of others, but the second was when I worked out how to extend my own Energy channels¡­.and give myself points in Wisdom. *****Previously***** Inside my Core space, I tug at the Energy within my channels. It wants to move, to flow towards the shining light of my Core, or the other way, out of my internal matrix completely. But I don¡¯t let it. I remember back to when I increased my Wisdom on a level up ¨C and only that. How the Energy flowed through my internal matrix, going all the way to the ends of my channels and then rebounding to hit my Core, before rebounding again, like a trapped wave. How small parts drifted into the black space in which my internal matrix is situated, binding with something inside me. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll manage to do that bit, but if I can control my Energy to move like a wave, extending my channels a little each time, that ought to do something, oughtn¡¯t it? At first it¡¯s hard, near to impossible. The Energy doesn¡¯t want to heed me, doesn¡¯t want to do what I want it to do ¨C only follow its natural inclinations. I try preventing it from exiting my channels, pushing it back towards my Core, and then stopping it from entering there either, causing a rebound. It seems to work for a time, but the Energy just slows over that time, finally settling into my Energy channels with complacency, all of its movement gone. Maybe I need to use more Energy? Maybe it didn¡¯t have enough volume to it? I try just that, pulling a whole chunk of Energy from my store. This time, even preventing the Energy from escaping my system is almost more than I can manage. Pushing it back towards my Core is like trying to move a mountain with my bare hands. But I refuse to let it escape. Setting my will against that of the Energy, I stubbornly refuse to give ground. And my mulish stubbornness works. The Energy reverses course; returns to my Core. There, I do the same, preventing it from entering my Core. This time is very slightly easier. I keep repeating the same actions, finding, interestingly enough, that momentum doesn¡¯t work the same way in this space as in reality. Speed doesn¡¯t give the Energy any more force; if anything, it¡¯s the reverse. As if the mass of Energy is getting with the programme, I start needing to use less and less force to have it reverse direction. I start letting it extend just a little beyond my Energy channels, hope kindling in my heart. And my hope proves fruitful ¨C the Energy which extends past my channels actually leaves a little of itself behind. By the time the Energy starts losing its speed again, my channels are noticeably longer. I pull out of my Core space with satisfaction rushing through me. That satisfaction is joined by exhilaration when I see the small change to my status screen ¨C I¡¯ve gained a point in Wisdom! This changes everything. Then I see just how much Energy I lost. Well. Maybe not everything. Twenty-five percent of my Energy store is a bit much to spend on a single point. Even if I take into account the fact that I used a bit in my first attempt, that probably still means at least twenty percent per point. Since I get six points per level-up, that means artificially giving myself Wisdom points is currently less efficient than just gathering enough Energy to level up. I still want to explore it a bit, maybe learn how to do it with the other stats. Maybe with practice the Energy required will go down. Or maybe at higher levels when each percent takes a lot more to earn, this method will become more efficient. *****Now***** On the other hand, at least working with the samurans has helped me increase my more Class-relevant Skills like Dominate, Tame, and Animal Empathy. And, of course, my weapons Skills. Even Shrieks has been forced to admit that running weapons lessons and sparring sessions for more than just the Warriors has been a good idea. Even some of the Pathwalkers have joined. River, of course ¨C she¡¯s been with me for long enough to be convinced that relying on magic alone is not a good idea. Flower was the next to come, surprisingly, and then Joy. Tarra has joined for a few sessions, but not regularly. Once they Evolved, Happy, Dusty, and Hunter all continued the regular attendance they had had as Unevolved. Only Windy and Sticks have passed up the opportunity. Of my non-village Bound, Bastet and Lathani have been the only regular attendees, bringing the cubs with them more often than not. Not that they¡¯re really cubs anymore ¨C and Trouble¡¯s tendency to cause mayhem has only grown with him. In fact, I have a feeling that Bastet is itching to kick him out now and I wouldn¡¯t blame her. It might be time to give the young raptorcats the choice of a Bond but I¡¯d best check with her first. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± I ask Shrieks as I find him at the main gate on the down-valley side of the village. ¡°I thought we¡¯d already made all the necessary decisions on this matter.¡± I recently visited your den to meditate, he starts briskly. When I emerged¡­ he grimaces, his spikes touched with an uncharacteristic hint of yellow, the Great Predator took pains to inform me that she would be coming with us. I can¡¯t help it: I gape at Shrieks. ¡°Kalanthia is intending on travelling with us¡­to a festival of samurans?¡± Apparently so. I¡­did not feel able to argue with her. Perhaps you could try to make her see reason? he requests politely. Honestly, I¡¯m a bit sad to have missed it. Shrieks always gives off this feeling of being impossible to intimidate; seeing him try to keep his cool even while Kalanthia is crouching over him must have been a sight. That said, I don¡¯t blame him for not wanting to argue. ¡°I will talk to her, but I don¡¯t promise to succeed in talking her out of it,¡± I tell him cautiously. ¡°She¡¯s a friend, not one of my Bound. I don¡¯t actually have any control over her.¡± Unless I threatened to cut off her access to the higher Energy density. But considering that she¡¯s far better than I am at Earth-shaping, all she¡¯d need to do would be to create her own access point. I understand, Shrieks answers, but I fear that if the Great Predator travels with our party, we will arrive at the festival too shaken to give a good impression. And it cannot be good for the eggs when we return either. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to her,¡± I reiterate. ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to talk about? Is everything going well with the preparations to leave?¡± It is all well and we will be ready for tomorrow. Fortunately, we have enough Warriors now for me to feel comfortable with both the strength we can bring with us and what we leave behind. He sways his tail gently from side to side in amazement. If you had asked me when you first arrived in this village if I thought we could more than double our Warrior numbers within three moon cycles, I would have thought you had been drinking too much tarash. If you then said that you would add four more Pathwalkers to our numbers, in addition to Pathwalker River, I would have thought you completely addled even without the help of tarash. As it is, though¡­. He sways his tail again in wonder. We exchange a few things before I take my leave ¨C I¡¯d better see Kalanthia sooner rather than later. He¡¯s right that the village is in a much better position than it was when I first arrived; I can¡¯t deny that my own efforts have been a major part of that. After I finish the conversation with Shrieks and start jogging in the direction of my den, I find myself considering it. To be fair, when I started healing the samurans, I didn¡¯t realise just how much I would be able to help them. Although I¡¯ve managed to correct most of their physical problems ¨C remnants of injuries, for the most part ¨C when it came to their Energy channels, Happy was just the tip of the iceberg. As it turned out, the main reason for samurans reaching ninety-nine percent progress towards Tier two, and then never actually Evolving, was an issue with their Energy channels ¨C Happy¡¯s issue. The second biggest reason was due to a mismatch between their Energy channels and body in some way ¨C Fenrir¡¯s issue. After Happy Evolved, I found I was inundated with requests from other samurans for help. They had seen me interfere in Fenrir¡¯s Evolution and correct it, and had then seen me enable the Evolution of one of their own. It makes me uncomfortable whenever I hear it, but there have been whispered questions of whether I am one of the Great Spirits, come down to earth to bless the village after the betrayal and death of their shaman. I haven¡¯t been able to help everyone. Some are at the point of Evolution, yet I can¡¯t see what¡¯s holding them back. Others aren¡¯t yet on the point of Evolution. Some I haven¡¯t got to yet ¨C healing Energy channels is a painstaking and slow process. But I have been able to help twenty-three samurans to become Warriors, and Happy, Hunter, Dusty, and Yells to become Pathwalkers. Yells, aka Reflection, was a bit of a surprise. Once the Unevolved who first informed River what was going on in the village with the samuran, she is now the village¡¯s most recent Pathwalker. In fact, she only Evolved a few days ago so is still getting her feet under herself. Her magic is rather odd, though. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Eight: Troublesome *****Previously***** ¡°May I use Inspect on you?¡± I ask as the newest Pathwalker finishes her Evolution. I¡¯ve been itching to find out ever since the sparks started to dim, but I¡¯ve managed not to ask until she¡¯s had a bit of time to reaccustomed herself to her new body. She¡¯s very slim, even by Pathwalker standards, and short too. If experience indicates anything, she should have a lot of mana to spend. Of course, she answers, her clicks and grunts noticeably lighter. I cast Inspect, closing my eyes as the results filter back in. Making them appear before me, I interpret them for the new Pathwalker and the others standing around us, as eager to know as I am. ¡°Well, you have a lot of mana,¡± I tell her thoughtfully, my guess confirmed. ¡°More than River, even.¡± That¡¯s a surprise as River previously had the largest mana pool among the Pathwalkers, not knocked off that pedestal even by Happy and Hunter¡¯s Evolutions. ¡°But you¡¯ve got practically no stamina and your health pool is very small too.¡± I look at her in concern. ¡°You need to be careful.¡± She has less health even than me ¨C only three hundred units of it. For a Tier two with no healing abilities, that¡¯s worrying. ¡°As for your special Abilities¡­¡± I frown, pulling up the information I received from Inspect. ¡°You have one called Reflect, and another called Enhance.¡± That seems accurate, comments Yells thoughtfully. Then she looks up at me. Throw something at me, she requests. I frown in confusion. ¡°What? Like a rock?¡± She sways her tail back and forth in their version of a shrug. That will do well enough. I eye her carefully. I suppose that if I don¡¯t throw it hard, it shouldn¡¯t do any damage that I can¡¯t heal. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, picking up a rock from the ground. I toss it gently towards her, aiming to tap her shoulder. She lifts her hand and the rock bounces off, returning back to me with more force than I would have expected it to considering it hit flesh. Again, she says. I comply and the rock bounces off her palm again. This time, the rock almost makes it halfway between us. Again, but this time put some force behind it, please, Yells asks. I hesitate, but then remind myself that I can heal her afterwards if necessary. I don¡¯t use full force, but I do put enough behind it to cause a heavy bruise. This time when the rock bounces back, I¡¯m barely fast enough to avoid it. In my surprise, my eyebrows almost disappear into my hairline ¨C finally regrown after the Red Skull incident due to Raven¡¯s acidic mana. A shout of pain does ring out, but from behind me, not from Yells. My apologies, Yells calls to the injured samuran, wincing. After quickly healing the damage caused by the rock ¨C which somehow managed to embed itself into the unprepared Unevolved¡¯s shoulder ¨C I look up at Yells. ¡°What was that?¡± *****Now***** As it turns out, Yells¡¯ new abilities are both very powerful, and very restricted. She¡¯s almost solely good at combat but she has the potential to be very, very good. I, along with most of the other Pathwalkers, managed to beat her in a fight, but I suspect that as she becomes better with her abilities, that will become more and more difficult. In essence, her ability to reflect is just that. It¡¯s like she can hold a mirror up which rebounds any attack on her, both physical and magical. The stronger the attack, the more of her mana it takes to reflect it. Apparently she can choose not to reflect the whole attack, but then she risks getting hit by some of it. Enhance is also very simple: she can choose to dedicate more mana into the reflection and actually multiply its damage. It makes her a very difficult opponent to land a blow on ¨C for a time. It¡¯s good for her that she has a high mana pool as she needs it to have a chance of outlasting her opponent. It means she will have to become a very strategic and agile fighter, aware of which attacks she wants to avoid, reflect, and enhance. She also needs to be very aware of her environment as her Reflection doesn¡¯t do anything to undirected environmental effects. Joy managed to trip her up and pin her down by baiting her to move onto a prepared mat which the older samuran then wove around her. Flower was able to do something similar. Windy and Tarra also managed to win against her, the former creating a tornado around her and pulling the air from around her head. Since it wasn¡¯t a direct attack, Yells wasn¡¯t able to do anything about it and suffocated. Similarly, Tarra threw enough capsules containing poisonous gas that Yells was overcome. Sticks lost, though ¨C her trick of throwing a bunch of roots to grow definitely backfired on her. Literally. She got wrapped up in her own roots which, though she was able to cancel the effect making them grow, was enough distraction to let Yells get in close and knock her out. Of the newer Pathwalkers, River didn¡¯t succeed against her, nor did Happy ¨C their own type of magic is almost entirely offensive. Plus, their physical attacks couldn''t get through and were instead reflected straight back at them. Hunter managed to get her with a rune combination which stuck her feet to the ground ¨C it was considered enough for a win on Hunter¡¯s side. Dusty did similar to Windy, wrapping her head in a bubble of water until she half-drowned. I dropped her into a pit which I closed up around her, then surrounded her with fire until she fell unconscious from oxygen loss. Poison probably would have worked if I¡¯d managed to get it in her. Working out ways to avoid being trapped in a position where she will be suffocated is definitely something she needs to prioritise. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Not having anything in terms of offensive magic is another disadvantage, but she¡¯s already finding ways around that. I¡¯ve seen her experimenting with multiple ranged weapons: throwing them at herself and then shooting them away with Reflect and Enhance. Combined with poison, it might work quite well. That was the most recent mini-ranking fight, sorely needed for the samurans who love to know exactly where they are in the hierarchy. Instead of going the whole hog like they did with me, they decided that as long as no new Pathwalker defeated me or new Warrior defeated Shrieks, they would just test the newcomer rather than have the additional battle of the top Warrior against the top Pathalker or Pathwalkers. I didn¡¯t mind the fighting too much. I got a chance to practise using Earth-Shaping in combat, something that will stand me in good stead for later. I¡¯ve also been sparring a lot with the Warriors ¨C mostly how to properly use the weapons I¡¯ve been trying to wield. That¡¯s one reason I¡¯ve gained so much in terms of combat levels. The fights helped me solidify my mixed style a little more too. On my way through the village, my attention is suddenly attracted by a loud noise rapidly followed by the hisses of angry samurans. Sighing, I change direction. What¡¯s happened now? Kalanthia will have to wait. Going somewhere? The mental voice, accompanied by a couple of clicks and a quick grunt, draws my attention to the side. ¡°River,¡± I say happily, my irritation at needing to investigate whatever¡¯s happening immediately disappearing at the sight of my favourite samuran. I may have made friends with several other samurans, but River was my first samuran friend. I¡¯m looking forward to the journey if only to be able to spend a few days with less to distract us all from just having a good time. ¡°Tarra finally released you from prison, eh?¡± River hisses with amusement. She can be a bit of a prey-driver, that¡¯s true, she admits, coming closer. But we¡¯ve finished the last of our concoctions. Between you and me, she leans close enough that her muzzle almost reaches my ear, I think she¡¯s rather looking forward to being able to show the other herbalists up at the festival. I raise my eyebrows, tilting my head so I can see both her eyes at the same time. ¡°There are other herbalists? Are there many duplicated abilities?¡± River steps a little away and sways her tail in a shrug. Not exactly, but certain themes are common. Shaping wood, shaping earth, shaping water, controlling the wind, being able to make healing or enhancing concoctions¡­.all of those tend to be represented at least once at the festival, and often more than once. At least, that¡¯s what Herbalist says. Apparently there are currently five Pathwalkers, including her, who have some sort of potion-making ability, though they aren¡¯t necessarily the same as Herbalist¡¯s ability. ¡°Huh,¡± I say, not having really discussed details like that yet. We¡¯ve talked about the fights for the other villages and how to travel down to the location, but not a huge amount about what to expect when there. I figured we could use the twenty or so days it will take us to travel to do that. What are you doing? she inquires next, reminding me. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the ruckus going on from over there?¡± I wave vaguely in the direction I was going. ¡°I thought I¡¯d better go and check it out. Then, apparently, I need to go and try to dissuade Kalanthia from joining us on the trip.¡± I grimace. Looking at River, I see that she realises, probably better than me even, what complications that could bring, even though there are also benefits to it. Having a Tier three along would probably make the journey a little safer if our trip from Kalanthia¡¯s cave to the den was anything to go by. Well. She doesn¡¯t seem to know what to say. I can only wish you luck in that. Great Kalanthia doesn¡¯t seem the kind of being who is easily dissuaded, though I know you¡¯ve managed in the past ¨C fortunately for myself and my village, she adds. Oddly enough, her words are slightly heartening. Because it¡¯s true ¨C I have managed to change her mind from time to time. But first¡­ ¡°I¡¯d welcome the company,¡± I admit. Then I wink. ¡°Especially yours.¡± She hisses in amusement again as we start walking. Charmer. It¡¯s a shame you are not a Warrior or I¡¯d definitely choose you to fertilise my eggs, Markus. This isn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s made a similar comment. Though I was rather disturbed the first time I heard it, now I find myself more amused than anything else at the idea. I don¡¯t doubt that there¡¯s truth to her words, but it¡¯s difficult to see how anything more than our platonic friendship could ever happen between us. We¡¯re just too different. Sure, Flesh-Shaping could potentially change me enough to take the ¡®Warrior¡¯ position, but even with as much practice as I¡¯ve got with my Skill, I¡¯m reticent to even attempt such innate changes for fear that I¡¯d mess something up and not be able to return it to the way it was. I don¡¯t want anyone messing with my bits ¨C not even myself. Besides, it¡¯s not just a physical problem; it¡¯s a mental one too. River and I have different ideas about what makes a relationship and I probably have a better relationship with her now as a friend than I would as a ¡®Warrior to fertilise her eggs¡¯. That aside, there¡¯s the big factor that although I like, really like River as a person,and I¡¯m definitely pent up from months here with nothing but my hand¡­I¡¯m not into crocodiles. And no, the samurans aren¡¯t crocodiles, but with their crocodilian heads, claws, scales, and tails, they look like a more upright cross between a T-Rex and a humanoid crocodile. And yes, I could change River to look like my ideal woman, but I don''t want to for the same reasons that I don¡¯t want to mess with my own bits. Plus, I don¡¯t think it would help our relationship if I require my partner to change so much ¨C I¡¯ve seen how that worked out with Lucy, and there I was only expecting her to accept that my job came ahead of her most of the time. Expecting her to have changed her body in any way would have seen her leave much earlier, I¡¯m sure. No, I¡¯d rather keep what I already have ¨C a relationship which, when we see what¡¯s caused the outburst of hisses and grunts, has us reacting almost identically. ¡°Trouble,¡± we sigh together. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Forty-Nine: Not So Forgiving While I sigh in frustration, River sends more than a hint of amusement down the Bond. I send her a side eye. ¡°You don¡¯t have to deal with him,¡± I grumble at her. She just sends me more amusement for my pains. Striding forwards, I grab the offending raptorcat by the roots of his stubby wings and lift him up to eye level. He looks a little remorseful, but I have a strong feeling that it¡¯s more to do with being caught red-pawed, rather than any second thoughts about having committed the crime in the first place. And it truly is red-pawed ¨C he¡¯s managed to overturn the container of red berries the samurans have been collecting. Normally that¡¯s not something they¡¯d bring down since they would rot too quickly, but since I¡¯ll be using my Inventory to transport anything I can, they are able to do it this year. Fortunately, even without Energy they¡¯re still very tasty. Of course, other things are not so forgiving when it comes to having or not having Energy ¨C dried plants for use in potions or tanned hides, for example. Tanning is another technique I¡¯ve taught the samurans and that a group of Unevolved have taken to with gusto ¨C I wonder if I¡¯ll see my first magical tanner before the year is out. To deal with all the goods which need to be transported in a more traditional way, we¡¯ve had to come up with another means of moving them. And this one is once more something that existed on Earth and also exists on Nicholas¡¯ world if my ¡®memories¡¯ are anything to go by. And that¡¯s something else Trouble¡¯s actions have interfered with. The cyrans who are being fitted for harnesses to pull the large cart are pawing the ground, keen to attack the young raptorcat who dares to get so close to them. The samurans who were in the process of trying to fit them with the woven cords back off, wary about the large herbivores¡¯ horns. If I don¡¯t pacify them in the near future, they¡¯ll be breaking out ¨C and probably breaking the cart in the meantime. Even with Wood-Shaping on our side, that¡¯s the last thing we need right now. Glaring at Trouble, I flick reassurance and a request for calmness down the Tame Bonds between the cyrans and me and remind them that they¡¯ll receive an Energy Heart fragment if they comply with the samurans. They quickly settle down, though keep sending threatening looks to match my own at the raptorcat in my grip. I suppose that I should be relieved at least that Trouble didn¡¯t manage to tip over the clay pots that a group of Unevolved have been making ¨C they¡¯re getting pretty good at the pottery process by now. I hear that the last batch to be fired had barely any cracking during the process, and I notice that there are even fancy designs carved into the outside of the ones to go down to the festival. Breaking them now, the day before we leave, would not have gone down well with anyone. Which reminds me. I move away and drop Trouble on the ground, crossing my arms and glaring at him. ¡°What have I told you about getting into the supplies?¡± The raptorcat looks an odd mixture between apologetic and defiant. Using Animal Empathy, I can tell that he¡¯s apologetic for having incurred my anger, but plans to get back into the food as soon as my back is turned. I sigh. He¡¯s just not getting it and we don¡¯t have a Bond for me to be able to communicate properly with him. I don¡¯t know if Animal Empathy is failing me because he doesn¡¯t have a communication system much more sophisticated than feelings at the moment or whether he¡¯s intentionally misunderstanding me. Honestly, I think it could go either way. However, the fact of the matter is that I¡¯ve had enough of this. I don¡¯t have time to watch over him every minute of the day, but the number of scrapes he¡¯s getting into just seems to be increasing. ¡°Right. We¡¯re going to see Bastet,¡± I decide. It¡¯s fortunate that she¡¯s in the same place as Kalanthia is, meaning I can kill two birds with one stone. Though, to be fair, that¡¯s probably why Trouble is being so troublesome ¨C when she¡¯s around, she keeps him in line. But after having only just recently making it past the blockage holding her at ten percent progress towards Tier three, she wanted to make the most of the den¡¯s Energy density before we leave. Understandably so. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare try to sneak off behind my back,¡± I warn Trouble ¨C I can tell he¡¯s considering it. ¡°I will put a collar around your neck and drag you along if I have to. You know I will,¡± I warn him. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Perhaps he remembers the humiliation and discomfort he felt the last time he annoyed me enough to tie him up ¨C and the way his sisters teased him without him being able to react. Either way, I see him abandon the idea. ¡°Where are your sisters, anyway?¡± I ask. Because if it¡¯s time to offer the raptorcats Bonds, then I probably ought to do all three at once. Trouble points with his nose towards the upper part of the village. Good ¨C that¡¯s on our route. Yeah, I don¡¯t think the issues are due to him not understanding my words ¨C not when he¡¯s able to respond appropriately to a question like that. Whether he understands the idea or not is another question. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Do you want to come or stay here?¡± I ask River. She considers for a moment, then answers. I might as well come. I¡¯d like to meditate a bit before we leave. ¡°Alright.¡± With an apology to the samurans now having to refill the container ¨C and remove the berries squashed by the troublesome raptorcat cub ¨C we set off to collect Trouble¡¯s sisters. ***** Heading out of the village with three raptorcats and a Pathwalker, we see Artemis and her little pack on their usual patrol around the farming area. Doing OK? I ask her through our Tame Bond as we¡¯re a bit too far for my voice to carry. Yes. No enemies, she answers, never taking five words to say what she could in two. I see her pack raise their heads to take note of us, and then return to their guarding duties. After Artemis evolved, going from a wolfish-looking creature about the height of mid-thigh on me to a sleeker and larger creature who almost reaches midway up my chest, she came to break our Bond. I was disappointed at the time ¨C although she¡¯d certainly pulled her weight by defending those I¡¯d left behind at Kalanthia¡¯s cave while I was away, she had developed into a dangerous-looking creature and excellent hunter who I was sad to lose. But I understood ¨C she¡¯d always wanted me to go and convert more of her pack. That had been her condition for staying from the get go. But with my responsibilities with the samurans, it just wasn¡¯t going to happen any time soon. So I let her go with regret but no rancour. Surprisingly, though, that wasn¡¯t the last we saw of her, though her return was a more recent development. *****Previously***** Honoured Tamer, there are several beasts sitting outside the down-valley gates, the Warrior tells me, his eyes slightly wide. I believe the biggest is one of yours. I frown. Why wouldn¡¯t the Warrior recognise all the members of the group? My Bound have become familiar sights around the village, especially those who tend to go out hunting. And why would they just sit outside the gates instead of coming in? ¡°Alright, I¡¯m coming,¡± I answer, pushing myself up from where I¡¯ve been trying to examine the differences between two plants. ¡°Sorry Flower, Tarra. I¡¯ll come back when I can. The changes to the plant seem promising, though ¨C there¡¯s little difference between the one grown naturally and the one your potions and magic have worked on. A bit less Energy, perhaps, but the size difference is impressive.¡± Yes, Flower answers, though we would still like to increase the size if we can. Double helps, but is still not enough for what we¡¯re planning. ¡°No,¡± I agree, ¡°but double already means we need half the amount of space to keep the same number of animals. It¡¯s a good start and shows that by adding small fragments of Energy Hearts we can make up for the speed of growth. This was grown in three weeks instead of six, right?¡± In a little less than a moon cycle rather than two, Flower corrects me. I shrug ¨C I don¡¯t see much difference. ¡°Which also impacts how much food we can grow. Do we know if this process works with the animals themselves?¡± They have much less Energy in their meat, even in comparison to the Energy difference between these two plants, Tarra reports. I am still testing if adding more Energy fragments will help with this. Honoured Tamer¡­ the Warrior hesitatingly interrupts, reminding me that I was supposed to be going somewhere. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m coming. Alright Tarra, Flower, keep up the good work. Tarra, keep testing. Flower, try to work out how far we can expand this, and how many cyrans, killer chickens, and stios we can keep at full production.¡± After giving that final instruction, I quickly hurry off with the Warrior, following him to the down-valley gate. Sure enough, as he said there were a group of beasts sitting outside ¨C five in total. And I did recognise one of them. ¡°Artemis?¡± I ask, my eyebrows rising into my hairline at the return of the prodigal¡­wolf. *****Now***** Fortunately, Artemis and I managed to communicate by triggering the negotiation part of a Tame Bond. As it turned out, she had decided that if I wasn¡¯t going to help her find her pack, she would go and find it herself. That much, I had already concluded. The surprise was that she came back with them all. The answer as to why ended up being very simple: power. Having found her pack, and seeing that they hadn¡¯t made much more progress to Tier two than before she had been snatched by the danaris, while she had already Evolved, she decided that I obviously offered a better opportunity for progress. I can¡¯t deny her reasoning ¨C Bastet has indicated that even among a pack with a Tier two leader, the chances of the pack mates having a successful Evolution aren¡¯t much better than with a Tier one leader. Perhaps if I¡¯d actually come to help her convince them myself, they would have become part of ¡®my¡¯ party ¨C like Bastet and Fenrir ¨C instead of coming more for the den. As it is, they are far more attached to the location than me, but I¡¯m not too sad about it. They¡¯re still contributing to the village and, frankly, I have enough members to be getting on with for my personal ¡®party¡¯. In the end, we decided that I would form a Tame Bond with all five of them ¨C four females and a male ¨C but that Artemis would remain the leader of the pack, her position assured as long as she was the strongest and led them well. They quickly found a role as guards for the new farming lands and have been bringing in a good portion of the meat eaten at dinner time. After all, the fields of magically-enhanced, large and reasonably tasty plants are a great draw for the herbivores of the area. Continuing on our run, we see another of my Bound who has taken to being of more use to the village than me personally. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty: Taxi ¡°Alright there, Trinity?¡± I call as we pass the slower Bound. She trumpets loudly, expressing her satisfaction. Trinity, the triceratops-like cyran, has taken on a role of taxi, lumbering back and forth between my den and the village. Her passengers pay for their journey with tasty plants or even fragments of Energy Hearts and in return get a journey where they don¡¯t have to use their own feet. Using conveyance other than their own bodies is a new thing to the samurans, but they seem to be taking to it readily enough. I sometimes even see some of her riders meditating while she trots with an earth-shaking gait. Though how they can meditate when being jostled about like they are, I don¡¯t know. Clearly they¡¯re better at meditation than I am. Though, to be fair, if I went into Medium Meditation or deeper, I probably wouldn¡¯t notice the jostling either. At first, that sort of activity was a bit dangerous as they risked falling off Trinity¡¯s back when not paying attention. It wasn¡¯t long, though, before the Pathwalkers realised that they could make things more comfortable for themselves. Between Joy, Grower, and Sticks, they managed to make a sort of palanquin which carries them far more easily and safely. I did check with Trinity to make sure that it was comfortable for her, but she was actually happy about it ¨C the palanquin distributed the weight of her riders in a better fashion meaning that it makes her job easier. She does need help every evening to take it off and then in the morning to put it back on again, but she has a good strategy for that. All she needs to do is go up to the closest group of samurans ¨C Evolved or not ¨C and nudge them insistently to get any help she requires. By this point, the villagers are all well-trained. As we run, I see how much has changed in the last three months. The wasteland is no longer grey but green once more. The areas where the samurans have worked on their farming are obviously the most developed, but even the areas they haven¡¯t touched have recovered significantly. No trees, but the area is covered with green creepers and pioneer plants. Nothing I recognise from Earth, of course, but the mixture of thin and round leafed plants is not all that dissimilar from what happens to an unattended garden there too. We have tried to dissuade plants which are too thorny from the path between the village and my den, though. In fact, I think to myself with a bit of concern, we probably need to find a way to hide the path. It¡¯s getting a bit obvious. Trinity is probably largely the reason for that ¨C a massive herbivore running back and forth several times a day is bound to make an obvious trail ¨C straight to my den. Maybe I can convince Trinity to vary her route a little? Or suggest that Flower makes an effort to grow things while she¡¯s going to and from the den? As well as the fields, we pass the areas with livestock. It¡¯s hard to think of them that way, but I¡¯ve forced myself to do so, otherwise I¡¯m going to end up entangled by moral concerns again. The fact is that unless I¡¯m willing to be vegan, I have to accept that every creature I eat has the potential to become a sapient being. Heck, perhaps plants are able to gain sapience here too, which would basically mean I¡¯d have to starve or only eat berries or leaves, and that wouldn¡¯t do me any good mentally or physically. And ultimately, if we¡¯re offering a safe and cosy life for the herd, is it so bad if we take a few of their members to eat? The beasts in question don¡¯t seem to think so. In the end, we used Trinity and the two stios Cery and Neian as ambassadors. They helped us find a group of their own kind, and then got the herd to stick around long enough for me to be able to form a temporary Tame Bond with the leader. Eventually, anyway. Through those Bonds, I promised that the herd would be protected and given everything they needed as long as they stayed within a designated area and allowed the samurans to take a number of their offspring. To my surprise, they didn¡¯t have much issue with that. I would have thought that offering up some of their children for sacrifice in exchange for an easy life would have been a harder decision than it actually was, but perhaps I¡¯m humanising them too much. From what I understand, for them, being relieved of the fear that they would be the next prey was a key factor. They were resigned to lose some of their offspring, especially if they hadn¡¯t put too much time into the young ¨C which they don¡¯t because the samurans take the designated eggs soon after they¡¯re laid to a different area to be cared for. As soon as they¡¯re hatched, the farmers start feeding them Tarra¡¯s growth potions so they are ready for eating in a fraction of the time. I guess that the herd beasts being oviparous makes a big difference ¨C no real maternal bonding. Not prior to hatching, anyway. The mothers could be a bit protective of their nests, but as long as the farmers don¡¯t take all the eggs, they¡¯re happy enough with not having to worry about hunters waiting to pounce on them when they come to an area to eat or drink ¨C being able to hatch the rest of their eggs in peace. I dropped the Tame Bond soon after in favour of enabling an Alliance Bond between the leaders and a few key samurans. I figured that it would be good to have more than one samuran as part of the Bond, just in case of a problem. The killer chickens were harder, largely because we didn¡¯t have an ambassador and they wanted to kill and eat us on sight. In the end, though, I managed to capture four of the group of twenty alive and we avoided smashing too many eggs. Using Dominate to Bind the male ¨C obvious because of his much brighter colours and increased aggression ¨C allowed me to get my foot in the door and offer him the same deal. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. It took him a bit longer to accept, but he did in the end. Eventually, we transitioned to an Alliance Bond there too. As long as the keepers feed them first with the leftovers from the previous night¡¯s dinner, they won¡¯t attack when the samurans enter to collect the eggs. So, now we¡¯ve got eggs added to the menu. Not too many for now because the keepers are keen on letting the chickens increase their numbers a bit first, but by the time we come back from the festival, we should all be able to have at least one egg per day. They¡¯re big eggs too ¨C perhaps more like a goose¡¯s or turkey¡¯s in size. Honestly, the farming aspect has gone surprisingly smoothly. Not to say there haven¡¯t been hitches, there have, but most of them have been reasonably easily solved. Maybe it¡¯s partly that I haven¡¯t had to be too involved recently ¨C after needing a fair bit of input at the beginning, the farmers started getting the idea and began solving their own issues without calling on me. Delegation is definitely key. In fact, I think that Flower, Sticks, and Tarra have rather enjoyed the project, and they have each quietly confessed that they have grown magically from the experience. That growth is actually visible in the cases of Flower and Sticks. Their mana pools have each increased, no doubt from use ¨C and they have all made more progress towards Tier three. Perhaps I¡¯ll manage to see a Tier three samuran before I leave this world. That would be fun. We soon leave the farming areas behind and River and I spend the time chatting mentally and catching up ¨C we¡¯ve both been so busy recently that I haven¡¯t had the time to talk much to her. ¡­And that¡¯s when we realised that we¡¯d forgotten the key ingredient, River moans as the entrance to my den comes into sight, its overhanging roof and intentional mound of earth blocking view of the entrance stopping it from being obvious until one is close. That¡¯s a pain, I commiserate. Did you have to start the experiment all over? Yes, but it wasn¡¯t all bad. We discovered that by missing out the Heart¡¯s Blood, we¡¯d actually made something different. It didn¡¯t help with Energy, but it did help with growth. Not very effectively, but it offers another avenue of experimentation. Good to hear, I comment, a smile breaking out as I see what has now become ¡®home¡¯. Pride perks up from where he¡¯s sitting near the entrance, clearly on guard duty. While I¡¯ve enabled an Alliance Bond specifically between the two of them, if they don¡¯t choose to come with me to Nicholas¡¯ world, I don¡¯t know if it will stick around. At that point, if there¡¯s a way of creating a rune bond between a beast and samuran, Pride and Catch will definitely be the first pair to sign up for it. That Pride is here indicates Catch is meditating inside. Since Evolving, neither Catch nor Pride have slowed down at all. Pride is larger than he was, now easily towering over me by at least a head. His dorsal ridge has grown into a small sail, and like Sailor used to, he communicates through colours flashing up into it. He¡¯s capable of mental speech, but tends to disdain it, preferring body language. He fits in with the samurans in that sense and he and Catch seem to manage to communicate almost without a Bond. Most importantly, he now has a special ability which enhances his speed as well as another rather odd ability. *****Previously***** I watch the spar, barely able to follow the movement as Pride uses the first ability he gained from his recent Evolution. Suddenly stopping still, he opens his mouth wide and a long black thing shoots out. The Warrior, trying to take advantage of the fact that the scalla has stopped moving, finds that he has a problem: the black thing ¨C Pride¡¯s tongue, it appears ¨C wraps around him and pins his club to his chest. He fights against the muscle, but his struggles are in vain. The scalla tugs him off his feet and closes his mouth around the Warrior¡¯s head. He doesn¡¯t bite down, but the implication is obvious. Winner, Pride, announces the referee, his usual bored tones sounding surprised. Pride releases the Warrior in his mouth and struts out of the sparring ring with his namesake emotion fairly obvious. ¡°Did you know he could do that?¡± I ask Catch. Sure, the ability was called Extendable Tongue, but this wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. The samuran is heading over to congratulate the winner, but he pauses to throw a cheeky blink at me, cheerful glee carrying over the Bond between us. I shake my head, amused beside myself. ¡°Trolls.¡± *****Now***** ¡°Is Kalanthia inside?¡± I ask the scalla. He flashes his spine with a quick hint of blue. A ¡®yes¡¯ in his language. If it had been no, it would have been red, and uncertainty would have been yellow. Personally, I don¡¯t see why it¡¯s not purple, but I don¡¯t communicate in colour so who am I to ask? ¡°And Bastet¡¯s there too?¡± Another flash of blue. ¡°OK, thanks. Let¡¯s go in then,¡± I say to my little group. River¡¯s already ahead of me, clearly keen to get started with her meditation. The raptorcats and I enter the open door, Trouble slinking at the rear, clearly rather unwilling to face his mother-figure. After walking through the numerous twists and turns of the entrance passageway, we get to the den itself. Inside, I see a couple of Pathwalkers ¨C Sticks, Joy, and Windy are all here. There are also a number of Warriors present ¨C among them is Catch, though he sits a little apart from the rest. When he Evolved, he became a Warrior, one of the rarer ones with a lithe scout build. Unsurprisingly, he gained a stealth ability. More surprisingly, he also gained something a bit like my Inspect ¨C if he stares intently at something for a while, he can gain some information about it. The longer he stares, the more information he can glean. It seems to work best against beasts, but he can get some information about plants too. Nothing about rocks or non-living objects, though. It seems a little odd to me that a being who was born with a significant eye defect would end up with an ability which uses his eyes. Then again, I suppose that eyes are a major part of his life, and his eyesight is now one of his most powerful senses, one of the best in the village since I haven¡¯t chosen to replace anyone else¡¯s eyesight. . Kalanthia is an obvious figure, leaning comfortably against the wall of the cave. Even if the entrance isn¡¯t really big enough for her to get through, she¡¯s perfectly capable of opening a temporary route for herself. Lathani is lying near her, though unusually isn¡¯t actually cuddling up. Next to Lathani is Bastet. Perfect ¨C everyone we need in one place. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-One: To Offer Them A Bond Kalanthia, Bastet, can I speak to you both outside for a moment? I ask politely, doing my best to direct my thoughts to them. Bastet, obviously, is easy to contact at will. Kalanthia has to intentionally pick up the thoughts on her side so I hope she¡¯s not actually asleep. When she opens her big golden eyes a moment later, I dismiss that concern. If this is about my decision to come with you, I am not changing it. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. How did you know that was what I was coming to talk about? It was logical. I knew that once I told the stodgy samuran, he wouldn¡¯t waste any time in telling you. He didn¡¯t dare argue with me, but I could tell he wasn¡¯t pleased. The ¡®stodgy¡¯ samuran? I ask with amusement. You mean you haven¡¯t noticed that he doesn¡¯t have a humorous bone in his body? I can¡¯t help grinning. Maybe, I agree. It¡¯s true that Shrieks is competent, intelligent, an excellent leader, and a great Warrior, but if he has a sense of humour, I haven¡¯t yet found it. Still that isn¡¯t necessary for anything he needs to do and the stoic, humourless top Warrior definitely suits him well. But he has a point. If you come down with us, you¡¯re likely to send multiple samurans into a mental breakdown. You¡¯re not planning on coming to the actual meet-up, right? I never said I wished to come to the lizard-folk event. However, you are taking my cub with you, I presume? I give a slow nod in response ¨C Lathani¡¯s recovery is coming on well, but I¡¯d rather be able to continue working on it than leave her in limbo for more than a month. Then I am coming. I also wish to reconnect with certain Guardians I became familiar with when I first arrived here. That was before Lathani was born and I was required to move somewhere safer. I hesitate. To be fair, my main concern is about her spooking the other samurans. If she doesn¡¯t intend to follow us to the actual event, then I¡¯m less concerned. Certainly, as I considered before, having a Tier three along would automatically make many creatures think twice about attacking us. And if she is willing to fight with us that would make the journey even safer. Will you be travelling with the party or just in the same direction? And if we¡¯re attacked, will you fight with us? Yes, and yes, she answers, yawning again. Keep me supplied with meat and we shall call it even. That isn¡¯t as small a factor as it sounds at first ¨C Kalanthia can eat a lot. On the other hand, if she¡¯s eating every day, she doesn¡¯t eat as much as she used to when only eating every three days. It¡¯ll be an extra burden for the hunters, but having a Tier three along should more than make up for that. Alright, you¡¯ve convinced me, I smile at her. I know Shrieks won¡¯t be happy to hear it, but I¡¯ll tell him that you¡¯re confirmed as joining the travel group. Good. Then if that is all, I wish to continue to bathe in this Energy, she answers, clearly wanting to finish the conversation. I don¡¯t bother her any longer, instead just leading Bastet outside ¨C I don¡¯t really want the following conversation to distract anyone else either. Before I even need to say anything, the observant raptorcat matriarch has drawn some accurate conclusions. She stalks over to Trouble and cuffs him over the head sharply with a scaled paw, growling and hissing at him wordlessly. The raptorcat grumbles at the chastisement, once more that mixture of apologetic and defiant. ¡°This is the third time in two days that he¡¯s caused an issue,¡± I remind her with a sigh. ¡°And each time it¡¯s something that he knows he¡¯s not supposed to do. It¡¯s not like this is sudden, either: he¡¯s been causing problems more and more frequently for the last month. I think it¡¯s time to offer him a Bond ¨C maybe that will calm him down, or at least enable me to control him.¡± Bastet turns and comes to rub her head against my hip. I drop my hand automatically to stroke and rub behind her ears, the feather-fur soft as always. I do not think that that will work, she confesses. It is not that he has a lack of direction, it is that he¡¯s growing up. ¡°Except that Storm and Ninja aren¡¯t going around doing these things,¡± I argue. ¡°The worst they¡¯ve done is snuck out to go hunting on their own. They don¡¯t seem to have an incorrigible desire to get their talons and noses into everything ¨C particularly the things that they¡¯re not allowed to access.¡± They are female, Bastet answers simply, as if that should answer everything. And maybe it does. If I try to recall, I remember a conversation long ago with Bastet where she said that male raptorcats either left the pack of their own accord when they reached maturity, or they were kicked out because they were causing too many problems. Is that what¡¯s happening here? I sigh. ¡°I¡¯d still like to try, if I have your agreement,¡± I tell her earnestly. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to lose Trouble. He¡¯s got big and the problems he¡¯s causing have grown with him, but to my mind he¡¯s still the cute little gangly cub who I first met. An orphan of the pack of which he, his sisters, and Bastet were the only surviving members. He might not be cute any more, but I still remember carrying him and his sisters against my chest through hours of travel as we came down to rescue Lathani. I don¡¯t want to just give up without even trying to convince him to stay. Bastet hesitates. They are old enough, she agrees slowly. You intend to offer a Bond to all of them, not just Trouble, correct? ¡°I do,¡± I answer, looking over at the other two. Stormcloud and Ninja have changed significantly too. They now resemble Bastet a lot more. The Bastet before her Evolution, of course. They stand mid-thigh on me and their coats have almost completely lost the fluffiness they had as babies. Their limbs no longer look long and gangly for their bodies, nor their heads too big for them. I truly can¡¯t call them anything other than adults now, even if they still clearly have a little bit of growing left to do. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Unlike Trouble, though, they¡¯ve clearly matured, no longer engaging in the cub-like behaviour of playing but instead doing serious hunting. They¡¯re sleek huntresses and have been going out with Bastet and Lathani frequently, Fenrir, Thorn, or Honey joining them from time to time too. It¡¯s been a slow transition and it¡¯s only now I¡¯m looking back that I realise how much they have changed. I agree that it is time, Bastet answers with equanimity, and I no longer hold any fear that they will be mistreated in your care. Instead, I know that those who choose to remain will progress far faster than they would be able to alone. It¡¯s a vote of confidence that I¡¯m warmed to receive. Bastet hasn¡¯t made any secret of how she is happy to be with me, and her faith in me has sometimes been exactly what I needed to push through obstacles I didn¡¯t believe that I could overcome. But it¡¯s still nice to hear, especially here where it concerns cubs who might as well have been her own biological children for all the care and dedication she¡¯s given them. ¡°Thank you, my friend,¡± I say to her warmly. Then I look at the three raptorcats and wonder which to offer the Bond to first. Ninja is out ¨C she tends to follow her sister in decisions, so she would have trouble making a decision if Storm hadn¡¯t yet made hers. So Trouble or Storm¡­. Looking between them, I see Storm¡¯s steady gaze and Trouble¡¯s furtive one and make my choice. Stepping forwards, I crouch down in front of Storm. ¡°Will you Bond with me and join our pack fully?¡± I ask her, using Animal Empathy to make my words easier to understand. While doing that, I send her the request for a Tame Bond. I don¡¯t see the need for Dominate. It was necessary between Bastet and I at first because she was a hostile predator who had already tried to kill me once. Storm, however, has never known me as anything other than a family member and raptorcat families don¡¯t tend to try to kill each other. Neither has she caused the same issues Trouble has so she doesn¡¯t need the controlling aspects. Ideally, I¡¯m hoping that she will become a Companion like Bastet, but we have to have a Bond first. Storm accepts the request to open the ¡®trade window¡¯. The communication aspect which was part of one of the upgrades allows us to exchange emotions, but it ends up not being necessary anyway. In her usual decisive fashion, Storm simply puts in her desire to be a pack just like her matriarch and then ¡®closes¡¯ her side of things. I take a little longer to just explore her side of the ¡®window¡¯. Pack to her means caring for each other, hunting together, agreeing to follow the hierarchy when necessary, and generally supporting each other. Honestly, I couldn¡¯t have asked for more if I¡¯d tried. It¡¯s not a vow of obedience because from what I understand, raptorcat packs don¡¯t work like that ¨C though Bastet is the matriarch, that¡¯s more because of her age and experience meaning she offers good suggestions rather than because she¡¯s the strongest. Although in our Battle of Wills it was important for me to prove myself as strong, the most important was proving that I had something to offer her and her cubs. But proving that I was able to make good decisions on behalf of the pack earned me Bastet¡¯s loyalty, and now Storm¡¯s. I sense the Bond settle into my being, feeling more like a Companion Bond than a Tame, even though I know it cannot be that yet. Briefly looking at my internal matrix, I see the cord emerging from my Tame Skill but passing through Companion Bond on the way. If it doesn¡¯t become a proper Companion Bond soon enough, I¡¯ll eat my helmet. ¡°Welcome to the pack fully,¡± I say to Storm with a smile. She rumbles in her chest, pleasure coming across the Bond as she moves to butt her head against my cheek. She then goes over to rub against Bastet, the older raptorcat rumbling in pleasure too. Shifting within my crouched position, I turn to Ninja and offer her the Bond next. She hesitates more than Storm did, being the more nervous and indecisive of the two. But following her sister¡¯s example doesn¡¯t take long, and soon I greet another member of the pack. Next, it¡¯s Trouble¡¯s turn. I feel a little more nervous over this one and once more hesitate over which kind of Bond to use. My head tells me that I should be egalitarian and offer him a Tame Bond, but my heart tells me that he needs something different. Biting my lip as the indecision wracks me, I decide to, this time, go with my heart. My instincts have been proving themselves more and more effective ever since I came to this world ¨C maybe it¡¯s time to follow them without questioning too much. ¡°Dominate,¡± I say quietly as soon as I manage to catch Trouble¡¯s gaze. Immediately, we both freeze and the grey space forms around us. There is a surprising amount of resistance between us. Nothing I can¡¯t handle, of course ¨C my effective Willpower of eighty-five isn¡¯t just for show. But more than I was expecting considering how familiar we are with each other. Pushing through, I reach the point where I can normally start to communicate with the creature I am trying to Bond with. And then I pass the point, the raptorcat on the other side of the space still silent. ¡°Trouble?¡± I ask, confused as to why he hasn¡¯t yet reached out. Is that all I am to you? he asks, his tone surprisingly resentful. I¡¯m slightly surprised at how verbal he is, even in this space. Bastet wasn¡¯t like that; would the girls have been if I¡¯d used Dominate on them? ¡°Well, you have to admit that you cause a fair bit of it,¡± I try to joke through the awkwardness, but it falls flat. I sigh. ¡°No, of course not. You¡¯re part of my pack, a cub I¡¯ve helped raise from babyhood. I¡¯ve carried you against my chest, played with you, scolded you, fed you, surprised you, almost strangled you a few times, and saved you from death even more frequently. You¡¯re trouble, but you¡¯re my trouble¡­as long as you want to be, that is.¡± He¡¯s silent so I slowly close the distance, taking my time to give him the chance to think rather than because I can¡¯t move faster. Why can¡¯t I do anything right? he moans. You and mother are angry at me all the time. I just want to explore. ¡°And to test boundaries, right?¡± I ask, giving him a pointed look. I don¡¯t see any other reason for why he would choose to explore the exact hut that I had just told him not to go into. Or investigate the cart which he knows he¡¯s not allowed to go near. He doesn¡¯t answer and I have a feeling that if he could move, he¡¯d be trying to avoid my gaze. As it is, the look in his eyes is more than sufficient admission. Well, why would you tell me not to go somewhere or do something unless it was somewhere I wanted to go or something I wanted to do? he protests. Which¡­I can get it. But that¡¯s a child¡¯s reasoning. He¡¯s supposed to be becoming an adult. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you to do it?¡± I point out. ¡°Because it¡¯s dangerous, or will cause problems, or someone else took a long time to collect something or make something and I don¡¯t want it broken?¡± He¡¯s silent again for a long moment. Are you going to Bind me? I can sense that you could at any moment. I feel it waiting for you to decide, he asks in a small voice. By this point I¡¯m right in front of him and I wish I could stroke his head as I would in the physical world. But I worry that if I do so, the Bond will snap into place immediately, reacting to my desire to not have to say goodbye to this grown-up cub. ¡°I¡¯m not going to force it,¡± I reassure him. ¡°I will only Bind you if you want the Bond. Do you?¡± He hesitates. I¡­I love my pack. My sisters. My mother. My brothers. You. But I also wish to be free. I¡­there is something which calls to me. From somewhere else in the valley. I don¡¯t know where it is, but I know that I want to go. And trying to find ways to distract myself from its pull just means you and mother get angry at me. Is this the reason he¡¯s been so problematic recently? Because there¡¯s some sort of biological imperative causing him to want to leave when he also wants to stay? ¡°You know,¡± I say slowly, ¡°leaving doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t come back later. And having a Bond doesn¡¯t stop you from leaving, if that¡¯s what you want. It just allows us to know that you¡¯re still alive, and maybe communicate with you a little.¡± I crouch down to look him in the eyes at his level. ¡°If something is calling you, follow that call. Find out what it is. And then come back and tell us. OK?¡± I know that¡¯s not the way raptorcat packs usually work, but if I can change the way the samurans live, surely I can do the same to the raptorcats. The samurans seem to be better off now, anyway. Trouble is silent for a long moment before he responds. When he does, it¡¯s not verbal, only a slight dip of his head. Smiling, my heart rejoicing inside me, I reach for his forehead. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Two: Well-timed With the raptorcats sorted, we take a moment to discuss tomorrow¡¯s plans. In the end, Trouble decided to travel with us for some of the journey since whatever calls him is also further into the valley. He promised me that he would do his best to not get in the way of any more of the preparations ¨C I think that his sisters plan to keep him out of trouble by taking him hunting for most of the time. That sorted satisfactorily, I walk with Bastet back into the den. There are some others I need to check up on. The first is Lathani. I greet her with the rub under the chin that she loves and then sit next to her, dipping into her Core space to see how things are going. What meets my eyes is significantly different from what it used to be like. There are still the thick Energy channels which lead from where her Core will be to her extremities, but there is now a filigree of thinner golden lines which fills the space around. It¡¯s a more intricate design than almost any I¡¯ve seen ¨C only my own beats it for intricacy. It¡¯s very different, though: where my lines almost all return to the centre eventually, looking almost like an extremely complicated 3D celtic knot, Lathani¡¯s Energy channels start either from the centre or one of the thick channels and interweave but remain separate from each other and end at the edges of her Core space. It does change the way her Energy flows: it¡¯s a lot easier to unbalance the weave since Energy flowing into one area doesn¡¯t necessarily have a connection to Energy in another area. On the other hand, I have to wonder whether it might be possible for Lathani to empower certain sections of her body later. Also, I suspect that damage to one section might not be as detrimental to the whole as it was for me. On the other, other hand, when my internal matrix was damaged by the Pure Energy or Raven¡¯s acidic mana, it was relatively easy to regrow the different sections and heal myself because I could approach the damage from all sides; that wouldn¡¯t be the case for Lathani. There are probably reasons for why different beings have different designs, but I don¡¯t know enough about it all to be able to identify what those reasons might be. Either way, the mess of spaghetti which makes up Lathani¡¯s internal matrix seems to work for her. The first thing we did together was to help strengthen her existing channels so that she could come into the den without getting poisoned. After that, though, we¡¯ve been working on retracing the blueprint Kalanthia lent her. At first I had to do a lot of the work, but with practice, Lathani has got pretty good at doing it for herself; now I just have to check in every so often. Once she¡¯s finished retracing the blueprint, she¡¯ll have to go back and strengthen her main channels more as they¡¯re still a bit weak. As for why we didn¡¯t just fully strengthen her main channels at the beginning, it was because we didn¡¯t want her to accidentally Evolve too soon. If the main channels were strong enough, she would be able to Evolve and probably condense a Core at their intersection. However, without all the other channels in place, this would lead to a poor foundation. Instead, we¡¯re taking time to lay the foundation properly before letting her trigger her Evolution. Of course, Lathani didn¡¯t really like the idea, impatient to Evolve and gain some magic finally; watching others Evolve hasn¡¯t helped her impatience. But both Kalanthia and I were firm on this point and she¡¯s mature enough by now to understand our reasons. At least, she¡¯s managed to hold off so far. Looking good, I tell her, pulling out of her Core space. Keep going like this and maybe you¡¯ll be able to Evolve before we return here in a month¡¯s time. Pleasure spills over the link between us, though tinged with that same impatience. I think that the latter will be there until I tell her that she¡¯s ready to Evolve. I don¡¯t blame her ¨C I found not being able to level up while I was fixing the damage to my Core space to be pretty frustrating too. I can¡¯t wait! she tells me fervently. Well, keep working as you have been and soon you won¡¯t have to, I encourage her. She seems to take my words to heart as she immediately closes her eyes, getting back to the task. Carefully stepping around the various beings meditating, I go to a tunnel which leads off the side of the main room, something I developed at the request of a certain kiina. As I go around a corner, the chirps and growls I¡¯d been hearing increase in volume. A third twist leads me to a much more open space, one that even has something of a sky light, though not one that lets in much light because of the stone roof that extends above it. ¡°Persephone, how are things going?¡± I ask. She¡¯s lying at the front of the room, her body creating a barrier to stop the creatures inside from escaping. Her eggs hatched a month ago and already the little kiinas are more than three times the size they started. Most of the raptorcats¡¯ hunts have gone towards feeding these little hungry mouths, as have Hades¡¯. Now I understand why there had been two males in the pack ¨C if anything, I question why there weren¡¯t more. The hatchlings really have a ravenous appetite, and there are a lot of them ¨C twenty-six. I can¡¯t tell which are male and which are female, but there¡¯s apparently only about seven females and therefore nineteen males. Well, she answers, her tone still a bit tired, but far better than it was before we moved here and I gave her this space. This environment is good for them. They will be ready to leave the nest in the next few days. While that¡¯s good ¨C great, even, considering how I¡¯ll be taking quite a few of their usual food-suppliers with me ¨C it¡¯s not as well-timed as it could be. I¡¯d like to take both Persephone and Hades down to the festival, but with the hatchlings not being quite ready to go, that won¡¯t be possible. I also have to admit that, having missed the actual hatching, I¡¯d have liked to see them be released to live their own lives. I¡¯ve had some fun playing with the hatchlings in the times Persephone and Hades have herded them outside for some experience beyond their nest, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve built any strong bonds with any of them. Not like with the raptorcats. In the end, I just have to shrug. The timing of the samuran Festival can¡¯t be changed so there¡¯s not much I can do about it. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°And how are the danaris hatchlings doing?¡± The kiina sends across a feeling of nonchalance. No change since the last time you checked. See for yourself. With that permission, I carefully step over her and make my way slowly through the moving carpet of kiina hatchlings. They don¡¯t take any notice of me, tussling with each other over a bone, or trying to climb over each other, or just sleeping in little piles on the floor. Set into the wall is a large trough. Previously, the danaris hatchlings had crawled around the relatively small area, finding and eating whatever meat was inside. And growing. Lots of that. By the end, they had multiplied in size from something that had originally fit in the palm of my hand to something which was longer than my arm. Their legs had become longer and sharper, and their exteriors had hardened. I¡¯d also been worried that they might start crawling up the walls of the trough, but their legs had proven poor at climbing sheer walls. Then, a few days ago, I found that they¡¯d decided it was time to move onto the next stage. Like a silkworm might, they had produced thread and built it around themselves in a cocoon. They didn¡¯t hang themselves anywhere, so there are three large, long parcels lying at the bottom of the trough, but I¡¯m interested to see what might emerge ¨C mini adult danarises? Or an in-between stage?. How long it will take, however, is another question. ¡°You¡¯ll keep an eye on the cocoons, right? Even after your hatchlings have gone?¡± I check with Persephone. If you wish, she answers indifferently. ¡°I do,¡± I confirm. Then I will. Suddenly thinking about what might happen if the danaris hatchlings come out of their cocoons and are abruptly more mobile than before, I assign Persephone as the leader of their party. That way, she¡¯ll be able to control them in my absence. With parting words of luck, I leave Persephone there and go to my last important stop of the day. As soon as I emerge through the earth cap covering the Pure Energy stream on Raven¡¯s side of things, I¡¯m dog-piled. Or perhaps I should say dragon-piled. ¡°Hey,¡± I laugh, ¡°Let me up, guys. Daphne, I¡¯ve told you before ¨C I need to breathe and sitting on my ribs makes that hard. Ivor, my armour isn¡¯t a chew toy.¡± Despite my chiding, I still give them each a good scratch on the necks behind their heads, just as they like it. When they finally give me some space, I sit up, then grin at the third hatchling. ¡°Come on Noir, give me a hug.¡± He steps forwards carefully and with dignity, extending his head over my shoulder to give his version of a hug. I wrap my arms around him just as carefully, aware of his brittle bones. He steps back quickly as always, not wanting to extend the contact. But I can feel the pleasure at my greeting spill through the Bond nonetheless. When he steps back, the other two crowd in again, begging wordlessly for scratches. I immediately comply, automatically using the contact and part of my conscious mind to direct mana to correct the deformation of their bodies ¨C an ongoing endeavour. I have Dominate Bonds with all three hatchlings ¨C there was no other way of me being able to work on their internal issues without it. And boy have there been a lot of issues. Despite Raven¡¯s good intentions, by putting his eggs directly in the Pure Energy, he¡¯s caused so many problems for them. Noir is the one worst affected, named for the darkness of his scales. Due to the lack of Energy within his body, I¡¯ve been able to correct most of his deformation, but that¡¯s been my limit so far. He has no internal matrix to speak of. None. I was barely able to access his Core space, only succeeding because I¡¯d had enough practice with my other Bound to know where to look. It was there, but it was completely empty. Not even traces were left to show where an internal matrix used to be. Zilch. He has no mana, and his health is permanently low. He doesn¡¯t heal as fast as his siblings either, though this actually worked in his favour when I was reforming his body as there was no fight to return it to the way it should have been. Now, he¡¯s a healthy-looking alcaoris hatchling on the outside, only probably permanently stuck as a sub-Tier one and far more fragile than either of his siblings. The other two, Daphne ¨C named for a flower and because of the faint pink blush to her scales ¨C and Ivor ¨C also named for the ivory colour of his scales ¨C are better off in the sense that they have the beginnings of an internal matrix. Their first issue was that they were completely full of Energy and before I could do anything to them, I had to drain all the excess out of them ¨C which did help me level up once. After that, it was just a long and difficult process of healing the deformation which still isn¡¯t finished, partly because of how often I have to do the same process several times before it stays healed the right way. Needless to say, I¡¯m still working on all three of them, though I''m not sure how much more I can do for Noir. Looking up, I see their father behind them, an ever-watchful presence, though by this point he¡¯s seen me help his hatchlings for long enough that he doesn¡¯t feel the need to hover over my shoulder all the time now. ¡°Hello Raven, are you well?¡± Well enough. You are leaving tomorrow? ¡°I am. I need to find out your final answer now. I have made some preparations but there are more to make if you agree.¡± The large dragon-like alcaoris shifts uneasily. I do not like letting them leave my sight. ¡°They will be protected,¡± I assure him for the umpteenth time. ¡°If they don¡¯t come, I won¡¯t be able to help them any more until I¡¯m back,¡± I point out again. I¡¯ve been trying to get him to agree to letting them come with me down into the valley. They should be safe enough considering how many Warriors and other fighters we¡¯re going to travel with, and I¡¯m concerned about how much they might backtrack if they have more than a month without my work. I still sometimes come back to find that their bodies have reversed a healing overnight, even when it had been stable for a time. He hesitates for a long moment. Then, he appears to have made up his mind. I will come with you, he announces. ¡°Kalanthia¡¯s already coming,¡± I tell him, and watch him stiffen. He snorts, a faint cloud of green emerging from his nostrils and then being sucked back in a moment later. Then I shall certainly come. It is decided, he finishes imperiously, his tone not brooking any rebuttal. I groan as I draw a hand across my face. Daphne nudges it a moment later when I don¡¯t immediately go back to scratching her neck. Then I find a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. I wonder what Shrieks¡¯ face will look like when I tell him that not only is Kalanthia coming, but so is Raven¡­. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Three: Unstoppable Shrieks¡¯ face had indeed been a picture when I told him the news. His mouth had gaped open a little in surprise, his spikes had rippled with multiple colours, and the Bond between us had gone silent for one frozen moment. After that moment, though, it had practically exploded in emotion as the samuran clearly considered all the implications of two Tier threes coming with us. Are they intending on attending the actual events? he had asked delicately. I¡¯d have phrased it as ¡®are they coming to crash the party¡¯, but maybe that¡¯s just me. I reassured him on that point ¨C explaining that both were coming to ensure the safety of their respective offspring. I didn¡¯t tell him that Kalanthia might be intending on greeting the Tier threes whose territory we might happen to pass through, figuring that it wasn¡¯t too relevant. I¡¯m regretting that now as we face a creature who can only be another Tier three on our second day travelling. So far, it¡¯s been very easy. We haven¡¯t been attacked at all. I¡¯d assumed that that was because of our combined numbers and the average tier of the travellers, but I¡¯m now starting to wonder whether it¡¯s actually because of Kalanthia and Raven. More the former than the latter ¨C Raven hasn¡¯t actually been travelling with the group much, only coming by to check on his hatchlings a couple of times a day. Apparently one of his objectives today was to meet the local Guardian beast since, as the mammoth Tier three approaches us, its hooves almost making the ground shake, Raven walks by its side. They don¡¯t even pay attention to the rest of us, their eyes fixed on Kalanthia. As they are approaching from the front and she¡¯s bringing up the rear, they have to pass the whole party to reach her. The samurans part to let them through like the Red Sea did for Moses. The creature is truly massive, bigger even than Kalanthia and frankly dwarfing Raven. It appears to be a more powerful version of the cyrans currently pulling the cart and as it passes them, its gaze lingers. The samurans directly next to them who have been leading them back away rapidly ¨C even Warriors don¡¯t appear confident when faced with this creature. Not that I blame them ¨C regular cyrans are tough at Tier one. I¡¯d hate to know how tough and powerful this one is. Hopefully it won¡¯t come down to a battle. Kalanthia taps on the earth and it parts beneath her paw. In the area now revealed, I see a collection of Cores, all of them bright with power. I recognise a few as Energy Hearts I¡¯ve given her in exchange for various favours; others are clearly Cores from beasts which she¡¯s hunted. Curious, I wonder how she¡¯s storing them in the earth. Is it like a pocket of treasures which she brings with her through the earth, or at her level is there some way of creating a pocket which she can access from anywhere? Either way, it answers a question I didn¡¯t even realise I should ask about where she keeps her precious things. I make a mental note to talk to her at a good moment ¨C even if I have my Inventory, storing items in the earth like that might be better for some things or useful for someone else. The beast stops in front of her. For a moment, the whole scene is frozen. Kalanthia stares intently at the Enlightened cyran and the Guardian stares just as intently back at her. They must be communicating mentally, I say to myself. Either that, or it¡¯s the world¡¯s most intense staring contest. I cast Inspect at the beast, focussing on not alerting it. As the seconds tick by without anyone daring to move, information filters back to me. It¡¯s not very detailed ¨C it can¡¯t be without risking alerting the Guardian, which is the last thing I want to do. I wouldn¡¯t have dared even try if I hadn¡¯t known that, as long as my intention is to keep the probe undetectable, it will be. It will just limit the information it gives. Experiments have shown that even if the target is aware that I am sending a probe, they won¡¯t detect it, but then the information is very limited. Here, it¡¯s enough information to tell me that I do not want to fight this beast. Unsurprisingly considering its size and species ¨C a Tier three cyran, as I guessed ¨C it is extremely strong and has a high health pool even for a Tier three. I know that because I¡¯ve tested my Inspect against both Kalanthia and Raven ¨C unbeknownst to them. While this kind of secretive probe doesn¡¯t give me any sort of numbers, it does give me a sense in comparison to my own pool. Raven¡¯s health pool feels like a pond in comparison to my puddle. Kalanthia¡¯s health pool is an even bigger pond. This cyran¡¯s, however, feels more like a lake. And a lake that is being fed by a wide and fast-moving river ¨C its regeneration. It doesn¡¯t have a lot of mana in comparison, by far the smallest between the three Tier threes present, but I guess it doesn¡¯t need it. Its special abilities all feel like things that affect its physical form, and anyone who manages to get through its thick hide to actually injure it will then have to deal with its regeneration. As I proved when facing Raven, a being who can regenerate injuries quickly can be even more dangerous than one with a larger health pool. Finally the staring contest ends, but that apparently only opens the field for a new kind of contest. A domain sweeps over me, the sense of indomitable force, of unstoppable movement. In the old paradox of an unstoppable force coming up against an immovable object, this is definitely the first ¨C and I do not think that any of us qualify as an immovable object. I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. And then a more familiar feeling sweeps through me, replacing the sense of unopposable force with that of a watchful predator. Kalanthia¡¯s domain is no weaker than the other¡¯s, piercing me with the feeling of being eyed up as prey, my life dependent on whether the predator decides that I¡¯m worth making a meal of. I see the domains¡¯ effects on those around me. The same fear which clutches at my belly and bids me to run away before this beast decides to sweep me out of its path or before the dangerous predator decides it might as well kill me clearly has a hold on those around me. I see several samurans jerk as if to run, only to be grabbed by one near who has more sense. Many of the non-samurans who are part of our party quail, either crouching down to the ground in fear, or turning to run. Through the Bonds I have with everyone present, I send feelings of calm and reassurance, urging everyone to stay where they are. The Warriors and Pathwalkers who have kept their heads soon join with me in sending out instructions to stay still and slowly the group calms down. Those who broke and ran come back, though linger as far from the three higher Tiers as possible. The battle continues to be fought ¨C both the battle of domains between Kalanthia and the Enlightened cyran, and the battle among my network of Bonds to keep order and stop anyone from running again in blind panic. Fortunately, the Tier twos don¡¯t seem as badly affected as the Tier ones and almost all of the party are Evolved. Finally, both domains withdraw. It¡¯s not like what happened between Raven and Kalanthia where the nunda completely suppressed the alcaoris, stripping him of his domain. Instead, it¡¯s like both beasts have acknowledged each other as worthy opponents and have decided not to push the battle to an outright conclusion. The cyran stomps forwards, the ground reverberating once more beneath its feet. I can¡¯t help holding my breath ¨C is this where they test their strength against each other in other areas too? Fortunately for us, the innocent bystanders who would be injured or killed in a battle between Tier threes, it doesn¡¯t appear so. Instead, the cyran just leans forwards to sniff at the Cores. It grunts, then licks them up, apparently content with the gift. I let out my breath silently ¨C if I remember what Kalanthia said, this should mean that the Guardian will let us through without harm. Sure enough, after it has taken all the Cores, the Tier three just huffs, snorts, and then turns around, stomping away without a backwards glance. The silence and stillness in our party continues until it has pushed through enough of the forest growth for its form to practically disappear. As soon as the spell is broken, the whole party erupts in chatter, colours flashing all over spikes, clicks and grunts filling the air. I eye Kalanthia. ¡°The negotiations went well, I take it?¡± I know Unstoppable well, she says casually, stepping closer to me and nudging me for chin scratches. Not one to be left out, Lathani also pushes close to me so I sacrifice my other hand to rubbing at her ears too. In fact, if you had chosen to go to another Guardian instead of staying at my den that first day we met, it would have been to him that I sent you. ¡°To that Guardian?¡± I ask incredulously. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he have just killed me immediately?¡± Not if I sent you with gifts, she answers. Which I would have considering the service you rendered to me. He is rather difficult to enrage, however, you do so at your peril as he is equally difficult to placate afterwards. I was lucky enough to be able to help him with a matter small to me and big to him soon after my arrival. He and I are allies of a sort, though since I moved further up the mountain, our connection has lapsed a little. I was glad to reconnect with him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve had the opportunity, then,¡± is all I can say. Glad that I didn¡¯t decide to go with the option of seeking out another home, I am reminded by Tarra from her place in the cart that we ought to get moving ¨C Tier threes are not the only threats in these woods. As we start moving ¨C both Kalanthia and Lathani displeased when I am forced to stop stroking them ¨C Shrieks comes to jog next to me. Perhaps I was wrong in asking you to dissuade the Great Predator from joining us, he says thoughtfully. Oh? I send back to him mentally. We have to move through the Great Charger¡¯s territory every year. This is the first year we have done so with no casualties. My eyebrows rise on my forehead. I had kind of assumed that the Tier three would just ignore the party of samurans. Apparently I was wrong. What normally happens, then? A small group of Warriors volunteer to hold its attention while the rest of us run past as quickly as they can. Those who survive join us later. It¡¯s never more than three out of five who rejoin us; some years, none of the party who remained behind make it through. Meeting Kalanthia¡¯s eyes, the nundu trotting at a relaxed pace near me, the samuran lifts his chin while still running. Great Predator, I thank you for the lives you have saved today. Kalanthia eyes the samuran for a long moment ¨C long enough that I fear they might accidentally run into something while they aren¡¯t looking at where their feet are going. Then she dips her head slightly. Your thanks are received, but unnecessary. I did not do it for you, she dismisses. Shrieks isn¡¯t offended. I offer you thanks for your actions, regardless of your motivation. Kalanthia meets his eyes again, and I see a glint of respect there. When she looks away again, Shrieks turns his attention back to me. With your permission, Honoured Tamer, I will check on everyone to make sure no one has been adversely affected by the experience we have just undergone. Yes, go ahead, I tell him, belatedly realise that I should probably do the same. You start on the left of the group, I¡¯ll start on the right? Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Four: A Veritable Horde ¡°Shrieks, take your group right. Tree, your group left. Poison, take your scouts and encircle them from the back to sow chaos within the group. Bastet, take your group to attack the front. Sirocco, give me a view from the air. Pathwalkers, Catch, Pride, with me.¡± My orders are swiftly followed, our group splitting up into our predetermined battle groups: this isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve been attacked. It is the biggest group of attackers by far, though. We¡¯re facing a veritable horde of what looks like bigger versions of the velociraptors which attacked me long ago and which are called ranars. They aren¡¯t Evolved versions, though ¨C not according to the Inspects which I managed to get off. As far as I can tell, they are all Tier ones unless Evolving to Tier two doesn¡¯t cause any physical differences. I don¡¯t have enough time to check each one individually, and my general Inspect indicates that they are all a similar threat to me. They are vicious with long teeth and long claws, but they don¡¯t show any signs of having ranged strategies like the other velociraptors had. It should make this battle easily feasible for us, despite their numbers. A good way to add to our Energy and food stores without having to waste too much time. That¡¯s just as well ¨C this is the second time we¡¯ve been attacked today and we¡¯re all already tired. With the few Pathwalkers who had been running with us at the time, I make a strategic retreat to the cart with the other Pathwalkers and one of the alcaoris hatchlings ¨C Noir. Climbing up on top of the wagon, I eye the battle with a calculating gaze, using the Bond to tap into Sirocco¡¯s eyes too. She flies from perch to perch, sending me quick snapshots of what the battle looks like from that perspective even when I¡¯m not actively looking through her eyes. The sound of irritable cyrans and a shuddering through the cart draws my attention to closer action. ¡°Flower, keep them calm,¡± I order the Pathwalker briskly and she tilts her chin slightly before moving to obey. Thanks to her time working with the animals to determine the best ways of increasing their growth speed, she¡¯s developed a mental presence which helps others to feel calm and serene around her and non-sapient creatures to be more docile. I¡¯ve been wondering whether she¡¯ll actually develop a special ability for it, but she hasn¡¯t as of yet. On this journey, she¡¯s been key in keeping the cyrans calm and compliant, saving me from having to create a Dominate Bond with each of them and being able to settle for Tame ones instead for communication purposes. With the cyrans now more relaxed, I can turn my attention back to the main battle, once more switching between my eyes and Sirocco¡¯s. Taking out my bow and arrows, I start shooting even as I oversee the battle. The ranars are starting to clump together as they meet the resistance of Bastet¡¯s group at the front. Fighting with her are Fenrir, Lathani, Thorn, Honey, Komodo, Daphne, and Ivor. The ranars stand almost twice as tall as Bastet, which makes them easy enough targets for my bigger Bound, but more difficult for ones like Honey. Noir is being kept back because he¡¯s smaller than his siblings and is far more fragile. He¡¯s not happy with having to stay in the cart, but I¡¯m not willing to risk his life in a fight like this. Of course, Honey doesn¡¯t let her size stand in her way ¨C she just goes straight for the enemies¡¯ legs, savaging them with her own sharp claws and teeth. Shrieks¡¯ and Tree¡¯s groups of Warriors are causing the ranars to clump together at the sides too. Now we¡¯re just waiting for Poison¡¯s group of scouts to block off their retreat. ¡°Joy, Sticks, ensnare their feet,¡± I order the two Pathwalkers. They immediately comply, the roots within the ground below the ranars¡¯ feet growing and weaving around their legs. The difference is noticeable ¨C the rate at which the ranars are being killed increases significantly once they are no longer able to dance out of the way of strikes. But numbers are still an advantage of their own. My eyes narrow in thought and an idea soon comes to me. ¡°Tarra, Windy, River work together and try to get some disabling or lethal gas or something in the middle of the pack. Ease up the pressure of the numbers.¡± The three Pathwalkers look at each other, then shift together to work out how to put my idea into practice. Unusually for Windy, there¡¯s no argument from her side of things ¨C perhaps she¡¯s more alarmed at the battle than I thought. I can¡¯t think of how the other Pathwalkers could help at the moment, unless¡­. Eyeing the battle, I notice how the scouts have reached the back and are starting to press the ranars from that point. The creatures are now in a fairly huddled group which they clearly don¡¯t like if their irritable snaps and hisses at each other are anything to go by. But they can¡¯t make it through the encircling cordon. At the same time, their irritability might start pushing them to force their way out. Joy and Sticks are doing a good job with snaring their feet, but they can¡¯t cover everyone all at once and the ranars appear to be pushing harder and harder. My assessment is confirmed a moment later. Tamer, we are being pressured hard, Shrieks warns me. As are we, agrees Tree. My group are tiring ¨C there are too many of them to manage. We are doing fine for now, Bastet chimes in, but too much more and we will start having difficulty. The attention is away from us, Poison adds his own report. But if that changes, we will struggle ¨C my scouts do not have the strength to push back the same numbers the other groups are dealing with. My thoughts race as I try to find a way of dealing with the situation, asking Sirocco to fly around the battle again so I can see exactly what¡¯s happening. If we hadn¡¯t already had a tough battle this morning where almost everyone had needed to use their daily ability to borrow another Bond¡¯s ability, this would be a perfect time to do so. But the few who haven¡¯t already used it are unlikely to make much difference. Still, I instruct those who can to send what they have the mana for into the mass. Airblades and Enhanced Blows thin the numbers a little, but not enough.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Greenish gas erupting in the middle of the group indicates that River, Tarra, and Windy have managed to work out a system. Fortunately for those at the edges, it doesn¡¯t diffuse outwards much. On the upside, that should reduce the numbers in the long term. On the downside, I see it increasing the pressure on everyone around ¨C the ranars are now not just attempting to move away from their too-close confines in the middle, but are actively trying to avoid something dangerous. I need to stop them moving. Joy¡¯s and Sticks¡¯ efforts are good but not enough and I don¡¯t have any sticky danaris silk to trap them in the centre. Suddenly, I have an idea. ¡°Sticks, Joy, focus on the ranars around the edges ¨C the ones directly in contact with our groups. Try to reduce the pressure they¡¯re dealing with ¨C we don¡¯t want any losses. Dusty, with me.¡± So saying, I climb down from the cart. Catch moves towards me, Pride following. ¡°No, stay here,¡± I tell him, answering his unspoken question. ¡°Guard the Pathwalkers.¡± He tilts his chin upwards in wordless acknowledgement, returning to his previous patrolling, watching out for anything that might approach the Pathwalkers. Dusty and I head at a run towards the front lines of the battle. ¡°Bastet,¡± I say, knowing she¡¯ll hear me through the Bond even if she can¡¯t hear my words over the din of battle. ¡°We need to cast some magic. Protect us, please.¡± Too much pressure to pull back, she warns. ¡°I have a solution for that,¡± I grin, focussing on communicating with the little fire elemental who, as always, is bobbing over my shoulder. Aingeal is, as expected, overjoyed to do something, and happily zips forwards. While it does that, I sink my awareness into the earth and spread it as quickly as I can through the ground on which the ranars stand. ¡°Right,¡± I say, my mind rapidly adjusting my plan based on what I feel. ¡°Pull back.¡± Bastet¡¯s team immediately disengages, though Honey does so with a distinct air of reluctance. Aingeal fills the gap that they left before the ranars can and flares itself brightly. It requests fire mana in its wordless way of communicating and I just about manage to feed some to it without losing my connection with the earth. With the extra mana, the fire elemental flares even brighter ¨C it¡¯s enough to put the fear of forest fire in the ranars. Those at the front turn and flee, trying to bodily force themselves into the ranars behind them. It rather reminds me of the London underground at rush hour, everyone so pressed together that it becomes almost impossible to move. Perfect. I focus fully on the ground, now doing more than just connecting with the magic in the earth. Instead, I send mana through my boots and into the network of connections. From there, I use the inherent connectedness of earth to send my mana further away, something I¡¯ve learned from Kalanthia. It¡¯s hard, and the further I push my mana, the harder it is to control, feeling much like when I try to Flesh-Shape one of my Bound at a distance. But practice makes perfect and I¡¯ve definitely been trying to practise ever since I gained the Skill. Not wanting to move closer to the ranars themselves while so vulnerable, I¡¯m forced to reach further than I ever have before. In comparison to Kalanthia, it¡¯s not far ¨C only to the centre of the velociraptor horde ¨C but considering that up until now, I¡¯ve only been able to affect the area within a few metres directly in front of me, it¡¯s a significant distance ¡°Alright,¡± I say through gritted teeth, barely able to focus on anything but holding the mana ready at a distance. ¡°Dusty, pull water from the air and sink it into the ground in the centre of the ranars.¡± With a far more traditionally samuran ability than Happy, Yells, or Hunter, Draws-in-the-dust ¨C Dusty to me ¨C developed the power to shape water after her Evolution. It¡¯s something I want to learn too, but for now working together should be good enough. The Pathwalker wordlessly focusses and grunts in effort as she does as I asked. The water vapour in the air condenses and drips downwards, the surface starting to glint as if after a recent rainfall. She also works on grabbing water from some puddles nearby which remain after the real rain last night. While I can¡¯t affect the water itself like Dusty can, I urge the earth to accept it and to soften as a result. A quick dip into Sirocco¡¯s vision shows that I¡¯ve had the effect I want: the whole middle section of ranars has sunk in the new mud up to their heels. Like on the samurans, these are a good way off the ground meaning that the ranars¡¯ mobility is significantly impeded. With my own grunt of effort, I ask the earth to harden once more, and to harden even beyond what it had been before. The earth obliges, though slowly. If not for the other groups harrying the sides and rear of the creatures, I¡¯m sure we¡¯d have lost a large number of them. As it is, they succeed in stopping the attempt to flee, and even send the ranars back to the trap. Dusty pulls at some of the water that is forced out of the hardened earth and uses it to kill some of the creatures, the water running up their bodies to wrap around their heads and suffocate them. She can¡¯t do more than three or four at once, but every little helps. With the central ranars trapped, it doesn¡¯t take long for the battle to reach its inevitable conclusion. The fight turns more into a clean-up, samurans and my other Bound moving forwards with more tiredness than enthusiasm to kill all the creatures. I take part in some of the clean-up but when my tiredness from almost overusing my mana and mental focus causes me to be injured as I¡¯m unable to dodge an incoming blow from a still-fighting ranar, I take it as a sign to leave the job to others. Retreating back to the cart, I take a seat on it and close my eyes for a bit. Honoured Tamer? I open my eyes what feels like a minute later, but is probably more like fifteen or twenty from how much my mana has regenerated. In front of me is Tree, also looking rather exhausted. ¡°Yes?¡± Would you be willing to undo what you did to the earth? It is hard for us to retrieve the carcasses or to be sure that they are all dead with them trapped as they are. I sigh, then push myself to my feet with a groan. I might not have done much physical fighting, but using mana the way I did still leaves aches in my body. ¡°Alright,¡± I tell him with another sigh. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± Undoing the trap is easier than creating it had been, partly because I can stand far closer to it than before, and partly because I¡¯ve already worked with this patch of earth before, meaning I have more of a bond with it than other places. Fortunately, I don¡¯t have to do anything more than that ¨C other samurans come in to efficiently deal with the carcasses so I just return to the cart to rest. As I approach it, Tarra and River leave it, presumably going to help the wounded. I probably should be doing that too, but I¡¯m just feeling so wrung out right now that I can¡¯t face it. I do send a message to River to let me know if anyone is injured enough to need my Flesh-Shaping. Of course, she replies. But for now, rest. I can sense how fatigued you are. The Pathwalkers who remain murmur quietly around me, but I don¡¯t pay attention to what they¡¯re saying, instead drifting in something which is not quite Meditation, but is not all that dissimilar either. I¡¯m sure someone will come to interrupt me soon enough ¨C I might as well take my rest while I can. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Five: Outclassed Some time later, Sirocco comes to join me, landing next to me with a thump. I open my eyes to see her, then raise my hand to stroke her feathers. ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± I murmur to her. ¡°I know you really focussed on giving me a good view of everything going on around.¡± Of course, she answers with an almost insulted tone. How else would you gain a picture of the whole without my help? I just grin at her and close my eyes again, rubbing her head and chest in the way I know she likes. She soon nestles into me, laying her head on my stomach and tucking her wings away. Past her first Evolution, Sirocco at Tier two is not hugely different in appearance from her form at Tier one. She¡¯s a little bigger, but her wingspan is only about ten centimetres larger ¨C in her base form. She took her time to get to her Evolution, but seems to have been rewarded for her patience by gaining two special abilities: Change Size and Fire Wing. They both do pretty much what it says on the tin. Change Size lets her get a little bigger or a little smaller. When she first got it, she could only change her body by about five centimetres each way, which didn¡¯t make much difference. However, it seems that practice and increasing her familiarity with the ability allows her to make bigger and bigger changes. In her recent demonstration to me, she showed herself able to make adjustments of up to about ten centimetres each way. I asked her whether she knew why she had got that ability since it didn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with the Cores or Energy Hearts she had been consuming. She¡¯d replied that she wanted the strength and endurance which bigger wings would give her, but at the same time still wanted to be able to access more confined spaces such as being able to fly in the forest without colliding with trees¡­and go into our den. I hadn¡¯t realised that she was so keen on the idea of joining us underground, but it seems that part of what had held her back was the fact that she didn¡¯t feel confident in being able to fly around the area and easily leave by herself if she wanted to. The first day she was able to access the den was a special one for her and it was immediately after that that she asked to become a Companion like Bastet, Fenrir, and River. I hadn¡¯t realised that it was the fact she couldn¡¯t always come with us that stopped her committing fully. Since becoming a Companion, she has lost any of the inhibitions which prevented her from emotionally connecting with us. It¡¯s a common sight now to see her nestling with one or more of my close Bound, and if she¡¯s not flying or sleeping during the day, she often comes to sit on my shoulder. And when she flies I¡¯ve been using her eyes more and more to get a view of what¡¯s happening. At first difficult and disorientating, not to mention a bit uncomfortable for us both, perseverance and effort on both our parts has meant that the change is almost seamless these days. And just as in the most recent battle, it¡¯s a key advantage to be able to see from different vantage points without moving myself. In the village, too, it¡¯s been useful in many ways, enough that I¡¯m still trying to work out how I could leave the samurans with something similar. So far I haven¡¯t come up with anything, but perhaps Hunter¡¯s recent discoveries might help with something similar. Shrieks is the one to disturb us shortly after. Honoured Tamer, I am ready to give my report. Do you wish to hear it? A bit of time to drift has eased the tension I was feeling mentally and physically. I¡¯m not fully rested, but I could go into another battle now with little difficulty. I do hope that large-scale earth movements become easier with practice as at the moment they are rather debilitating. I have to wonder whether my Fire Affinity is part of the reason for my fatigue ¨C although I¡¯ve learned to shape the earth, and improve both skill and endurance with practice, I have to admit that it doesn¡¯t come as easily as using fire does. I also wonder whether it¡¯s possible to develop an Earth Affinity at the same time as a Fire one or whether they would just cancel out. Though, considering the circumstances of developing that Fire Affinity, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d have to do to develop it. Be buried alive? ¡°Yes, please,¡± I answer Shrieks, belatedly realising that I hadn¡¯t responded to his question. The ranar are now all dead. There were a hundred and twenty-three beasts in the group. ¡°So many?¡± I exclaim in surprise. It had definitely felt like a horde, but I hadn¡¯t expected the number to actually cross the century mark. ¡°How come there were such numbers? Do you know?¡± The young ranars always do this around the time of the Festival. They travel across the valley, seeking something. I know not what they seek, but we have observed that those who have hatched in the great cycle preceeding seem to combine together and travel, always in the same direction. After the longest night, when the temperatures begin to rise again, they return in small groups or individually. And far fewer of them than departed. Some sort of seasonal migration, I have to conclude. ¡°And it¡¯s only the young ones?¡± I ask curiously. Shrieks shrugs. That is my guess. They are never Evolved, and always bear signs of having hatched a little before the longest day. ¡°Huh.¡± It was unfortunate that we were surprised by them, Shrieks continues, and that they came at a time when the Great Predator is not here. I suspect her aura would have warned the ranars off before they attacked. ¡°How do you deal with them on your usual trip, then?¡± I ask. After all, they would have been making this journey even if I hadn¡¯t been here. Normally Wind-whisperer is able to give us more warning, and we hide from them to let them pass. It is unfortunate that they came from downwind and she didn¡¯t notice until they were close. As you have seen, their numbers are formidable and we usually have less strength to stand against them. I suppose that makes sense. In fact, if I hadn¡¯t come along and helped a good number of samurans to Evolve, they would have only had six Pathwalkers ¨C including the shaman ¨C and thirteen Warriors in total. Shrieks has confessed to me that they would not have been able to leave the village completely bereft of defences, so they would have been forced to leave a really minimal skeleton guard of perhaps five of their Warriors. That would have meant a party of only six Pathwalkers and eight Warriors would have travelled to the meet-up ¨C definitely not enough to face the journey. The only other alternatives at that point would have been breaking tradition either by bringing some Unevolved with them to help defend the Pathwalkers, or by not going at all. But that latter wouldn¡¯t have been much of a solution, especially with all the hatchlings of this year dead. The shaman¡¯s short-sightedness still makes me shake my head sometimes in disgust. As it is, thanks largely to my efforts in healing or helping several Unevolved samurans to heal their own Energy channels, the village now sports eleven Pathwalkers, and thirty-two Warriors. Although that still doesn¡¯t bring them up to full strength ¨C with the normal ratios, eleven Pathwalkers should mean over forty Warriors ¨C it¡¯s still a reasonable number of Warriors. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Even better in Shrieks¡¯ eyes is the fact that because I have been able to leave some of my Bound like Artemis and her pack, Komodo, the two kiinas, and Ptera, he hasn¡¯t had to leave as many Warriors behind while still being confident in the village¡¯s safety. As a result, we only left five of the youngest Warriors behind with one of the more experienced ones. That leaves us with twenty-six Warriors to accompany the group ¨C and to take part in the festival. Of course, that¡¯s assuming that we didn¡¯t lose anyone in this most recent fight. I quickly put that question to Shrieks. We had some significant injuries, but no losses, the lead Warrior answers promptly. Herbalist and Reducer have been able to heal most of the injuries, but there are a few I think you should take a look at. He looks uncharacteristically disgruntled. Herbalist disagrees. Taciturn as usual but I sense a story behind that short sentence. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll come and have a look,¡± I say, carefully dislodging Sirocco. She chirps in wordless annoyance, but hops to sit on my shoulder when I sit up. Walking next to Shrieks, we head towards where I see Tarra and River have set up their healing station. ¡°I take it we won¡¯t have to worry about food for a while,¡± I say wryly to the big samuran. No, though perhaps you could store a number of the carcasses for later. The Warriors are doing their best to dress and prepare the carcasses to last for longer, but they will still not survive indefinitely. That, I learned, was another duty of the Water-Shaper when there was one ¨C food storage. Working with another Shaper ¨C in this case Sticks ¨C to create containers, Dusty is able to create something like a tin which contains no air. It doesn¡¯t last forever, and apparently some materials are better than others, but it¡¯s better than nothing. I would guess that the spoiling within a certain amount of time is due to the porous nature of wood. Happy will probably be able to create excellent containers if she has enough of the right metal to work with. I have to guess that Dusty instinctively knows how to adjust the water so it helps to slow the spread of bacteria. It¡¯s a shame that most samurans don¡¯t seem to like cooked meat as that would definitely improve how long they can store food. They¡¯re not keen on dried meat either, though prefer that over cooked. Perhaps pickling? Though with Energy thrown into the mix, I don¡¯t know whether that would be preferred over just going and hunting something even if they do like the taste. Something to consider later. Shrieks continues his report, finishing with a suggestion. Almost everyone is tired and we have a lot of meat to process. Perhaps we should make camp for the night. I eye the bloodied earth and sniff pointedly at the scent of a charnel house. ¡°Not here, presumably,¡± I respond dubiously. If you are able to turn over the earth to bury the viscera and bloodied soil, Wind-whisperer should be able to blow away the scent of it. Water-shaper could help wash the area clean too, he suggests. It would allow some Warriors to start working on setting up the shelter while the others continue processing the carcasses. He¡­has a point. ¡°Well, it depends on whether Tarra and River need my help with healing,¡± I respond more thoughtfully. Of course. However, with your permission, I¡¯ll start having some Warriors clear a patch for the shelter to be constructed. ¡°Sure,¡± I answer, then watch as he tips his chin up slightly before striding away. I know that by the time I have finished whatever Flesh-Shaping I need to do, he¡¯ll have an area cleared, several samurans already digging in the dirt, and more cutting and positioning the log sand branches for the roof of the temporary travel hut. Apparently on our way back we¡¯ll do our best to come back this way so we can use them again. Still, they¡¯re pretty efficient ¨C the night¡¯s shelter is fairly sturdy and only takes about an hour or two to construct with as many hands as are set to the task. This one will probably take longer as not all of the Warriors will be helping with it, but I already see Joy and Sticks heading over to help. Hunter follows soon after ¨C her runes have helped make the constructions even safer. This is the seventh day of our journey and we¡¯re apparently approaching halfway through. According to the conversations I¡¯ve had with the Pathwalkers who have done this trip before, all the samurans from this side of the valley gather together at a relatively central point. They don¡¯t know if there are samurans on the other side of the river that runs right at the bottom of the valley ¨C it¡¯s too dangerous to cross over to see. As a result, we haven¡¯t gone very deeply into the valley itself ¨C most of the journey seems to be along the width of the valley. Only the last day or so will be spent going down the mountainside. That way we will avoid most of the more dangerous beasts. Though, as this encounter proves, that doesn¡¯t mean that the trip is without danger at all. Today has been particularly difficult, largely because without Kalanthia here, we¡¯ve been able to see what the journey would have been like without her domain warning off local beasts. It wasn¡¯t long after Kalanthia went off to pay her respects to the local Guardian beast that we were attacked for the first time. That one was by beasts who were fewer in number but far more powerful. They were Tier twos as well, so not only did we have to contend with higher health pools, but also mana abilities which caused the forest to practically come alive around us. Though appearing nothing like the danaris, I¡¯d say that their threat level had been not that far off and there had been five of them. Numbers were definitely still on our side and we were able to get through without losing anyone, but it came close a few times and forced us to pull out everything we could to defeat them. And now this ¨C Kalanthia still absent, we were forced to fight. It¡¯s not a completely bad thing, though, since it has helped the newer Warriors and Pathwalkers learn to work together and to use their abilities in combat. As long as none of them die. Tarra looks up at me as I step closer. I thought I told Shrieks-loudly that we didn¡¯t need help, she grumbles, clearly displeased. Why, I don¡¯t know ¨C she¡¯s been a bit irritable about my healing after today''s fights. I share a glance with River. Do you need me? I ask her privately. Need, no, she answers, though I am not like Herbalist ¨C I would welcome your help as it will mean I have to replenish fewer of my stocks afterwards. ¡°Well,¡± I answer Tarra casually, ¡°I can just sit here and watch you pour away your concoctions without helping if you¡¯d prefer.¡± The older samuran makes another wordless grunting grumble. Fine, you can help, she gives in with bad grace as if she¡¯s granting me a great favour. Start with those over there, she orders, waving at several samurans who have been treated with poultices, but not much else. What¡¯s making her so grumpy? I ask River quietly as I move over to follow her instructions. River hesitates for a moment before answering. I think she¡¯s feeling a little unnecessary, my Companion answers on the private channel. Your healing is faster, uses fewer resources, and sometimes leaves the recipient in better condition than they were when you started. She¡¯s always been the healer of our village, and now¡­. She feels outclassed, I conclude. Ah. That could be a problem. Tarra has always had the best interests of the village at heart. But if she starts feeling that she¡¯s not valued¡­. I thank River and then put my head down, concentrating on the healing. After a while, I hit on an idea. ¡°You know, Tarra,¡± I start casually. ¡°I¡¯m amazed at how many new potions you¡¯ve come up with recently, especially since learning about fire. The ones which we¡¯ve been feeding to the animals and plants for increased growth and increased Energy absorption are particularly important for the village¡¯s future. I doubt I or anyone else would be able to do the same. You¡¯re very innovative,¡± I praise. The samuran looks at me with a searching gaze, and then grunts and turns back to her task. Still, despite her seeming nonchalance, I see the flicker of pride going through her spikes and she appears just a little more relaxed than she was before. Perhaps my new Management Skill helped with my not-so-subtle approach. Either way, Mission accomplished. Book 5: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Six: What Else Is Wrong? Come on, you stupid thing, I murmur to myself, frustration mounting. I¡¯m currently sitting in the cart with several of the Pathwalkers, working on something that has eluded me for a while: my stamina. I¡¯m determined both to discover how to transform Energy and other resource pools into it, and to attempt to gain the third Masochist achievement that must exist ¨C I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible and the first will be the key to the second. But, unlike both my health and mana, stamina is a slippery resource which I can¡¯t quite put my finger on. Sighing, I open my eyes and look up at the sky. Fully settled in my body again, I feel the movements of the cart beneath me. As would be expected when being pulled on a vehicle with no suspension, it¡¯s an uncomfortable ride. There¡¯s a reason the Pathwalkers only sit here when they¡¯re tired or want to meditate ¨C in meditation, the physical pains of the body slip away to become unimportant. Like the mind has a power over the body which makes what actually happens to it almost irrelevant. The mind has a power over the body¡­. My mind snags on that thought. Could that be my issue? Am I looking in the wrong place for stamina? I¡¯ve been looking purely in the body for it, reasoning that it¡¯s a resource which determines how far I can run and how long I can fight. The fact that it¡¯s primarily affected by Dexterity and Strength, to my mind, gives further credence to that idea. Dexterity seems to act on my body, giving my physical structure the flexibility, speed, and fineness of reactions to be able to do anything from dodge attacks at a moment¡¯s notice to carve intricate details on a piece of wood. Strength gives the muscular power to do the same actions. It all seems very physical. But what if it¡¯s not only physical? What if it¡¯s also mental? In order to dodge, I also have to perceive the attack coming and react mentally fast enough to command my body to move. To create an intricate carving, I also have to be able to conceive of the design I wish to etch and how one part of it relates to another. What if stamina isn¡¯t only about my muscles, but also my mental capabilities? Mental fatigue is a thing too ¨C I¡¯ve never checked to see whether it affects stamina as much as physical fatigue does. What if Dexterity is a mental flexibility as well as a physical one? Mental strength is already covered through Willpower, so I don¡¯t think that that stat has any relevance here. But Dexterity¡­. If my thoughts are true, then I¡¯ve definitely done myself a disservice by focussing on increasing Intelligence and not increasing Dexterity alongside it. It would also explain what I saw when I levelled up recently to level nineteen and chose Dexterity as the focus: when the Energy didn¡¯t just soak into the luminous blackness around my Energy channels, but also affected my channels themselves. At the time, I couldn¡¯t work out what it was doing. I could see it wasn¡¯t lengthening the channels, or strengthening them. It wasn¡¯t even creating more channels as Intelligence and Wisdom (Depth) both do. But it was still affecting them somehow. Now I wonder whether perhaps it was making them more flexible. Certainly, the main difference I¡¯ve seen since that level up is that it¡¯s been easier to move my mana through my channels in large clumps, my channels seemingly able to take more at a time than before. Which is all well and good as a theory. The problem, of course, will be trying to test it. My health is stored in my body. To access my health pool actively, I have to reach into the luminous blackness and pull it out of the space. Pulling out of one area has consequences, weakening and damaging that area. Pulling it out of the blackness as a whole spreads those consequences over my body. It naturally replenishes itself from Energy that seeps through my Energy channels and is transformed into health, or I can actively replenish it by transforming mana to health manually. I¡¯ve also discovered through experimentation that having health energy in my body has beneficial general effects. I don¡¯t feel the cold or heat as much, and injuries are less painful,even without Sensation Management playing a part. My senses are improved, but are also more controllable. My organs work more efficiently, transforming less into more ¨C I need to eat and sleep less. However, even if I overeat, very little of the excess is transformed into fat. Instead, an amount of excess food is broken down and used to reinforce my body further. The excess fat that I saw with Flesh-Shaping that did develop was quickly eaten away after I stopped overeating. It¡¯s like my body knows what shape I should be in to remain healthy and does its best to maintain that. My mana, on the other hand, is stored in my Core. Actually, my mana is my Core. It took me a while to realise that ¨C I had assumed that the outside of my Core was something different, I suppose because whenever I hold a Core, it always feels like solid crystal. It was only after I worked out how to form Energy Hearts by using the Pure Energy stream ¨C and earning a Skill for my pains ¨C that I made my mental breakthrough. As it turns out, crystallising Pure Energy is very simple: just stop it moving. And by that, I mean completely stop it. It took plenty of attempts, but I found out that if I form a hole in the Pure Energy tunnel, let the Pure Energy go in, and then block more Energy from entering, within a few days, that pool would become a massive Energy Heart. It hadn¡¯t happened with the basin I made for Raven¡¯s eggs because that was always moving, the Pure Energy entering and then the extra overflowing and continuing its journey. Once I realised that static Energy becomes crystalline, realising that the apparent crystalline surface of my Core was in fact static Energy ¨C or rather, for me, static mana ¨C was an easy mental step to make. When I grow my mana pool, I grow the size of my Core. When I use my mana, I pull my mana from the inner layers of my Core first, and then steadily make my way outwards towards its surface as I drain my pool. Now I understand why the first Masochist achievement warned about me having put myself in danger. The nausea and aching I get when I empty my pool is because my Core outside becomes very thin. In fact, I suspect that I could draw more mana even when my pool is at zero ¨C but at a cost. I don¡¯t know what would happen if I started accessing the most crystalline mana of the outer layer of my Core, but I suspect it would be nothing good. Perhaps I could even break my Core completely. When Energy goes into my Core, it is stored inside and is transformed into mana if my Core is not full at the time. Mana is the product of Energy being transformed by my soul. When I go into the Challenge space that my Dominiate Skill offers, I can even see the process, the fog that surrounds me being transformed into a faint sparkling in the air directly around me. And if I push my aura, my ¡®domain¡¯, further away from me, I can see it even more clearly. As for stamina, though¡­.where else is there for it to be stored? Perhaps if I can see it replenish, it will help. Hopping out of the cart, I start jogging alongside it, activating both Fade and Stealth in an attempt to use some of my pool. It¡¯s harder work than it should be to start using my stamina ¨C we¡¯re not travelling fast enough for me to consume it very quickly, and Fade and Stealth aren¡¯t massive drains. However, they are still drains so it¡¯s not too long before I¡¯ve dropped by twenty points or so. Coming out of Stealth and Fade, I apparently surprise the samurans running around me ¨C evidently they had forgotten I was there. Although my Bound using stealth abilities doesn¡¯t affect me, I can still affect them. ¡°Sorry, just testing something,¡± I apologise. It is of no concern, Honoured Tamer, the samurans murmur in response, both of them Warriors I don¡¯t know very well ¨C I vaguely recall sharing a few conversations with them, but nothing that sticks too well even in my improved memory. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Hopping back into the cart, I quickly go back into my Core space, wanting to watch my stamina replenishing itself. At first, I don¡¯t see anything. Well, nothing beyond the normal movement of Energy towards my Core as I build up more towards my next level. Unless¡­. I zoom in on something I noticed. It¡¯s very faint and I wouldn¡¯t have seen it if I hadn¡¯t been looking for it. In fact, I almost mistook it for just normal movement of Energy into my body to become health energy. But the Energy I see seeping into the walls of my channels isn¡¯t going anywhere ¨C it¡¯s becoming part of my channels. Focussing even closer, I see that my channel walls look very slightly thinner than they usually are ¨C but that that is rapidly changing. I watch until my channel walls return to normal, the Energy stopping its seeping into them and instead going directly to my Core. Is it stamina which actually makes up the structure of my Energy channels? Like mana makes up my Core and health makes up my body? I have a good feeling about this. Reaching out with my mental touch, I attempt to pull at the very substance making up my Energy channels. It resists strongly. More strongly even than health. Yet I am persistent and it pays off. A chunk of my Energy channel comes free and moves towards my Core, Energy immediately rushing to start filling in the gap. Pulling out of my Core space, I check my status screen, a feeling of success going through me as I see that my stamina has dropped by a single point. Time to experiment some more. ***** I keep experimenting throughout the day ¨C which fortunately is uneventful ¨C and into the night. Finally, when my companions have already almost all gone to bed, tired after the day of travel, I get the notification I was hoping for. And more.
Achievement awarded: Masochist III You have proven yourself a true masochist, tearing at all three aspects of your body without mercy. If you are as ruthless with your enemies as you are with yourself, Tyrant is likely the least of your titles. Idiot, Foolhardy, and Suicidal are also appropriate as only those who truly have no care for their lives and wellbeing even attempt to attain all three Masochist achievements. As a result of ripping away and replacing your stamina in such quick succession, your Internal matrix has now become more able to hold stamina energy. Each point in Dexterity now offers 15 units of stamina.
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I can barely contain the elation running through my body, though it¡¯s tempered by a wry agreement with the achievement¡¯s words. Honestly, now that I know why pushing each of the resource pools so far is dangerous, I can see its point. It¡¯s only because of the fact that I¡¯m capable of healing my own body and Energy channels actively that the pursuit has been a bit less dangerous for me. Although Tarra is able to create potions which help heal, none of those I¡¯ve yet encountered have been capable of healing like I can, and only those I¡¯ve shown have been able to work on healing their Energy channels like I do. Perhaps Nicholas¡¯ world is different, but if not, then perhaps this is why so many die. As it is, I¡¯m just glad that I have the advantages I do. There¡¯s another message waiting.
Achievement awarded: Tri-pool Manipulator You have discovered how to access and transform each of your resource pools into the other. This has had a strengthening effect on your system as a whole. You have begun to understand the connections each pool holds with the others and with your mind, body, and soul. 10% to Intelligence, Constitution, and Dexterity5% to Willpower, Strength, and Wisdom
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That¡­is big. And even bigger is a realisation I¡¯ve come to while doing my experiments. The last line seems to confirm it. My resource pools are not merely linked to one of my stats, though of course one is more important. Stamina is connected to my body, yes, but it¡¯s also connected to my mind, and my willpower ¨C even when my stamina is low, I can force myself to continue if I have the strength of will. Mind and body are connected. My mana isn¡¯t only connected to Intelligence; it¡¯s also connected to Wisdom. And it is transformed by my soul. Mind and soul are connected. And my health¡­it¡¯s connected to Constitution, but it also dictates my strength, and thereby is connected to my stat Strength. And yet, it isn¡¯t just body. I saw that from the effects of the Pure Energy on me: when I had no soul in my arm, it was weaker and the effects of level ups were unable to affect that limb. Body and soul connected. I just know that when I look at my status screen, my Energy Manipulation Skill will have gone up. Opening it up, I see all the changes but there¡¯s one thing I frown at. Dexterity and Strength. According to my status screen, It¡¯s not Dexterity which is linked to my stamina pool ¨C it¡¯s Strength. But with what I¡¯ve learned, that makes no sense! I flick back to the Masochist achievement and my frown deepens. The achievement says ¡®Each point in Dexterity now offers 5 more units of stamina.¡¯ But shouldn¡¯t it be stamina regeneration? Or is my status screen just plain wrong? Or¡­not wrong, perhaps, but not necessarily the best representation. I remember studying Chemistry at school. My teacher showed us a picture of the atom with its nucleus in the centre and the electrons whizzing around it. He then told us that it was wrong, and demonstrated how electrons weren¡¯t little balls that moved around a bigger ball, but in fact areas of probability that looked more like balloons emerging from it. And then he said that if we went on to study Chemistry at university, the professors there would tell us that this model was wrong too. The experience impressed on me that we often try to create models which represent reality but which are not themselves real. Is this the case here? That the people of Nicholas¡¯ world have misidentified Dexterity and Strength? Because to me, it now makes far more sense that Strength with its subcategories of Power and Endurance are linked to stamina regeneration, and Dexterity, which is clearly linked to what I¡¯ve just been doing to my Energy channels, is linked to my actual stamina pool. As if responding to my certainty despite the evidence of my eyes, the text in the status screen shimmers and changes.
Level: 19 Energy to next level: 34% Energy absorption rate: 91u/hr Energy towards debt: 116% (169)
Intelligence 40+6 (+15%) Mana: 690/690 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 44+4 (+10%) Mana regeneration rate: 1200u/hr
Willpower 67+21 (+32%) Health regeneration rate: 88u/hr
Constitution 32+3 (+10%) Health: 515/515 (525) (15u/CP)
Strength 21+1 (+5%) Stamina regeneration rate: 130u/hr
Dexterity 28+2 (+10%) Stamina: 112/450 (15u/DP)
Special: Fire Affinity (25%)
Class skills Dominate ¨C Journeyman 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Journeyman 7 * Alliance Fade ¨C Journeyman 1 * Darkvision Inspect ¨C Novice 5 Elemental Bonding - Beginner 2 Management ¨C Novice 3 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Master 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 7 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 5 Sensation Management ¨C Novice 3 Spearmanship ¨C Initiate 5 Archery ¨C Beginner 9 - Novice 9 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Initiate 5 Short Blades ¨C Novice 7 Fire-Shaping ¨C Initiate 5 Earth-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 1 Energy Crystallisation ¨C Beginner 5 Teaching ¨C Beginner 7 Rune-Carving ¨C Beginner 4 Enchanting ¨C Beginner 8
While the switch between Dexterity and Strength for my stamina pool and stamina regeneration feels right, it opens up a worrying thought. If that was wrong, and appeared to be right all the way up until now¡­what else might I ¡®know¡¯ that is also wrong? Book 5: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Seven: Considered Fortuitous Enemies coming, Sirocco warns, but she doesn¡¯t sound entirely sure. I frown and flick a quick thought to Shrieks to stop. It doesn¡¯t take long for him to halt the whole group ¨C everyone by this point is well-trained to obey his cues at a moment¡¯s notice. Sixteen days of travelling together through increasingly dangerous forest does that to a party. Not needing to move, I close my eyes and dip into my Bond with Sirocco. She willingly makes space for me and I blink as her vision comes into focus for me. The first second is always disorientating. It requires switching from my normal vision to her highly acute one as well as adjusting to the way her eyes work like a pair of binoculars to focus in on something. But by this point I¡¯ve had enough practice with it to be able to concentrate after that first second. When I see the ¡®enemies¡¯ I take in a quick breath, slightly surprised even though, thinking about it, I shouldn¡¯t be. Thanks, I say to Sirocco, pulling out of her mind. She accepts my word of gratitude with an aloof air as if it¡¯s nothing more than she is due. ¡°There are samurans not far ahead of us,¡± I announce and a ripple of excitement goes through the villagers. How far? asks Shrieks, a hint of eagerness in his voice. Looking around, I see that all of the samurans are fully focussed on me. Maybe not the best idea in this forest ¨C at least my non-samuran Bound are being more sensible. To answer the question, I check in with Sirocco again, trying to get a sense of distance. ¡°Not far,¡± I answer. ¡°If we continue walking, we¡¯ll start hearing them within a few minutes, I think.¡± Then with your permission, Tamer, we will continue, Shrieks asks politely, but I can sense he¡¯s raring to go, as is everyone else. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go,¡± I answer, feeling a mixture of nerves and contagious excitement. We start moving again, and this time I don¡¯t think I¡¯m imagining that we¡¯re moving faster than we were before. The Warriors and Pathwalkers who have been on this journey previously seem to be the most excited, perhaps because they know what to expect. The new Evolved are excited too, but I also sense hints of trepidation among them. Perhaps it¡¯s the fear of the unknown. I have to admit that I have reasons of my own to be nervous. I¡¯m not a samuran, after all, yet I¡¯m the leader of this village. I don¡¯t want to get in a fight with the other villages, or cause them to declare war on my village, but at the same time, if they try to kill and eat me or decide that I¡¯m less than them because I¡¯m a different species, I¡¯m determined to show them differently. ¡°Is this usual?¡± I ask the closest Evolved ¨C Flower. She turns her head to look at me briefly. Is what usual? ¡°Meeting a group of samurans before actually making it to the Festival? I thought we weren¡¯t due to arrive there until tomorrow at the earliest. Or have we made even better time than we thought?¡± A journey that would normally take twenty or so days has been done in seventeen, largely because of the fewer fights which have happened to slow us down thanks to Kalanthia being present some of the time. I have to admit that I¡¯m glad she¡¯s not present right now, though, which is why we were concerned about enemies. I don¡¯t know how the other samuran party would react to her presence. Flower shrugs with her tail, the movement difficult to see among the natural swaying of it as she walks. It is not abnormal, she answers. It doesn¡¯t happen every great cycle, but there are other villages around who are all coming for the same occasion. Arrivals are usually a little staggered ¨C we are going to arrive earlier than normal for us as we¡¯re often one of the later parties. To encounter another party is considered fortuitous since it allows us to start making connections with another group even before the Festival begins. Unless we encounter a village we are actively in conflict with. ¡°Are there any of those I should be aware about?¡± I ask warily, wondering why it¡¯s only now that I¡¯m being informed about this. Flower hesitates. Not¡­exactly. I actually slow down and glare at her for her hesitance, though quickly get moving again when I almost cause a collision with the samurans running behind me. ¡°What do you mean ¡®not exactly.¡± We are not currently at war with any village, Flower explains, but¡­there is another village whose leaders seem to delight in the fact that we are small and relatively weak. Our increased strength might be taken as an insult. And there are additional villages who are not as¡­friendly as they might be. I groan. Great. So I¡¯m going to at least have to deal with trying to avoid a war breaking out between my village and this other one, and probably putting out metaphorical fires in other places too. After all, even if I¡¯m going to be leaving in half a year, the villagers won¡¯t be. ¡°I think we need to sit down tonight and discuss all of this,¡± I tell her. I don¡¯t want to go into this situation blind. ¡°For now, when we meet these other samurans, make sure to tell me what the village¡¯s relationship is with them.¡± I will, she promises. Her promise comes due shortly afterwards as we first hear the sounds of samurans moving through the forest, and then actually see them. The first samurans we see are clearly scouts. As they come into view, I feel all the samurans around me tensing slightly, wondering whether this group is one they¡¯re friendly with or not. The approaching samurans seem just as tense, obviously having spotted us and probably wondering the same. Then I see Shrieks and several of the Warriors relax a little. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Climbs-a-tree! Fallen out of any branches recently? Poison calls jovially, warm welcome flashing through his spines as he strides forwards. He clasps the other Warrior by the arm and leans in to rub his muzzle briefly against the other¡¯s. They are too far away for me to hear the other samuran¡¯s response clearly, but evidently this is a group of friendlies. I feel the rest of the samurans relax, and I do the same along with them. I flash a look at Iandee, standing next to me. ¡°Obviously Poison knows that one ¨C do you?¡± He shrugs casually in response. Vaguely, he answers. There are so many Warriors at the Festival that I don¡¯t know too many. Poison knows far more than me because he¡¯s been seven times. This is only my second time. ¡°Well you¡¯ll know more than me,¡± I comment wryly. At that he turns and looks at me properly, his eyes searching. I look away, feeling that he¡¯s seeing more than I¡¯d like him to. Don¡¯t worry, he tells me quietly. We won¡¯t let any harm come to you. You¡¯re one of our Pathwalkers, fertile or not, and our leader. ¡°I can take care of myself,¡± I say defensively. I don¡¯t like feeling vulnerable with beings I know are only friendly to me because of the Bonds I have with them. And what I can do for them, I suppose. I know you can, Iandee answers pacifyingly. But you don¡¯t have to. Not all the time, anyway. He gives me a gentle nudge. You helped me when I was in a bad place. Let me help you now. I eye him carefully, his metaphorical hand outstretched. Then I tilt my head slightly towards him. ¡°Alright. Thanks, I suppose.¡± He doesn¡¯t seem put off by my luke-warm acceptance. Further conversation is disrupted a moment later. Tamer, we need you to come to meet the other village¡¯s Pathwalkers, Tree says, almost knocking Iandee out of the way as he barges into the space between us. Oh, sorry Eats-Dirt, he apologises though doesn¡¯t sound particularly sincere about it. Iandee glares at him but holds his tongue. I exchange another look with Iandee, then follow Tree as he leads the way through the group. Just remember that I am here for you if you want me to be, Iandee sends mentally, clearly determined to finish our conversation. Thanks, I reply back to him simply. I can appreciate the offer of support even if it comes to nothing in the end. The other Pathwalkers join us one by one as we make our way through the group and then past it and then through the space between us and the other samuran villagers. Tree stops at the edge of our group, leaving us to continue alone. In the time I was talking to Iandee, the majority of the other group has come into view. Poison is still the only one speaking to a Warrior on the other side ¨C perhaps that¡¯s a part of tradition which I don¡¯t know when meeting another group of samurans. Certainly what is about to happen is clearly traditional: there are nine Pathwalkers on the other side arrayed in a sort of V shape. One is at the front of the formation; the leader, I guess. Like us, they are unaccompanied by Warriors. A show of trust? Or confidence? I send out a gentle probe of Inspect, focussing on keeping it subtle. It returns with a range of information ¨C some of the Pathwalkers are clearly unobservant as the probe practically gives me all the information I could want. Others are more observant, the leader unsurprisingly the most alert, and so I only get some basic information about them. Still, it¡¯s enough to tell me that they have a variety of abilities much like us, but that their abilities seem more ¡®traditional¡¯. Water, wood and earth shapers ¨C two of the latter two, interestingly. They have their own weaver and grower, though I sense that the abilities are not identical to Joy¡¯s and Flower¡¯s. Then there are some more unusual ones ¨C one seems able to talk to plants, controlling them in a different way to a wood-shaper or grower. The last, the leader, is capable of telekinesis ¨C much like the Pathwalker I killed when escaping from the village all that time ago. Given how combat-suitable that ability is, I¡¯m not surprised she¡¯s the leader. As we finish walking towards the group, I sense the Pathwalkers following me also arranging themselves in a V shape according to their rankings. What am I supposed to do or say? I ask the Pathwalkers mentally, trying not to let any of my abrupt panic show. We really should have prepared for this, but we weren¡¯t expecting it to be today. At least, I wasn¡¯t. Calm, Tarra rumbles at me. I will guide you. I stop at Tarra¡¯s word, a few steps away from the leader. Following her instructions, I stay silent and let the other group speak first. Apparently, that¡¯s the way to announce that I believe our party to be the stronger one. The other Pathwalkers eye us with a mixture of surprise, shock, and, for some, disgust. ¡°Greetings from the blue tribe of the third upper mountain,¡± the other leader starts after a long pause elapses, her spikes flashing with caution and a hint of uncertainty. ¡°Greetings from the green tribe of the seventh upper mountain,¡± I reply with as much confidence as I can, leaning into Animal Empathy to be understood. The other Pathwalkers break out into a hushed chorus of surprise, clearly not having really expected me to either understand or be able to respond. The leader is no less surprised, but she continues with what I have to guess is a ritualistic way for two tribes to meet. ¡°You appear to have travelled far. Is the Festival of the Tribes your destination?¡± she asks as if she doesn¡¯t already know. But then that¡¯s ritual, isn¡¯t it? Like when we ask people ¡®how are you¡¯, and the expected response is always a variation of ¡®fine¡¯ or ¡®good¡¯ no matter if you¡¯re actually completely broken inside. Ritual is all about the form; not the substance. ¡°We have indeed travelled far, but we would travel even further to meet with our brethren at the Festival of the Tribes,¡± I answer at Tarra¡¯s prompting. I¡¯m grateful that she is the one who offered ¨C I at least know that she wouldn¡¯t want her own village to look bad by feeding me the wrong responses. If Windy had been the one to offer, I wouldn¡¯t have felt the same certainty. ¡°Then, as we have the same destination, would you like to share a carcass and then continue together, beginning the Festival of Tribes before we even arrive?¡± There is only one response I can politely give, apparently. ¡°We would be honoured to travel together. Let us offer the carcass from which we will take the strength to continue our journey.¡± ¡°My people and I thank you for your gracious offer.¡± The leader answers, tilting her chin just the slightest upwards, curiosity flickering through her spikes. Now we must provide a carcass of suitable strength, Tarra tells me mentally, and sit around it with our cousins to feast. Be careful with your words ¨C they will be trying to find out if we truly are stronger than them or not. What have I just got myself into? Book 5: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Eight: You Might Just Get It Fortunately, the hunting we¡¯ve done recently has been yielding more and more Tier two beasts, especially as we¡¯ve started diving deeper into the valley itself. That has itself created more conflicts, especially in times when Kalanthia has been absent to greet a local Tier three. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m glad or disappointed that in our first contact with another samuran village, she isn¡¯t present. On the one hand, it would be an awesome intimidation factor to present the new samurans with: a friendly Tier three, even if she¡¯s of a different species. On the other hand, she¡¯s not under my control, and if one of the newcomers offended her, she could easily turn around and kill them. That probably wouldn¡¯t end well. We settle around one of the most recently hunted beasts, something that looks like Pride does since his Evolution, though it was called a pasis rather than a scalla. It has a large sail on its back and, when alive, stood a couple of heads taller than me with wicked teeth and claws. Against our numbers, though, it died before it even managed to make it into melee combat. I do wonder whether Pride will one day gain its ability to mesmerise opponents by flashing colours through its sail, though. That could be quite a good addition to our arsenal even if it did appear limited to the weaker of our numbers. Shrieks, Tarra, River, and I were practically unaffected. The other Pathwalkers appear impressed, though on the part of the leader, grudgingly so. ¡°This is a fine meal,¡± the leader says politely, though without a huge amount of enthusiasm. ¡°Thank you,¡± I respond automatically, though a quick reprimanding message from Tarra makes me continue. ¡°Of course, this is but the least of what we would wish to offer you. We must excuse ourselves by saying that the hunting has been poor. Hopefully we will be able to offer you a better meal before we arrive at the Festival of Tribes.¡± ¡°We shall supply the next carcass,¡± the Pathwalker promises. ¡°May the forest offer us the opportunity to find a carcass at least the equal of what you have presented to us.¡± With prompting from Tarra, I reach down to cut a slice of meat from the carcass. Though I could probably grow a claw from my finger by using my flesh-shaping to extend and sharpen my top finger bone, I decide to instead use my knife. The fact is that I am not a samuran, and am not pretending to be one. But showing that I am capable of everything they are ¨C and more besides ¨C can only be to the good. I slice through the pasis¡¯s hide with some effort ¨C my knife is sharp but the hide is thick. The flesh is easier to cut through and I take out a chunk of meat. I¡¯m glad to see the other Pathwalker struggling more than I did to get through the hide, though I hide my reaction as best I can, maintaining a polite expression. Not that they can probably interpret things such as smiles anyway. The other Pathwalker eats the slice of raw meat that she manages to pull out, her expression and the colours rippling through her spikes indicating that she is mildly impressed. Her eyes go wide as I make my next move, though. Again, I am not a samuran and don¡¯t intend to be. So I don¡¯t even pretend that I like raw meat. Instead, I pull off a trick which I once used with Tarra, only this time I¡¯ve improved it with practice. Holding the chunk of meat between my forefinger and my thumb, I focus. Fire flickers around my hand, its heat and flames concentrated entirely on the meat and not on my own flesh. Last time, I badly burnt my fingers by doing this; this time I have enough control over the flames to barely do more than warm them. The hottest part is when heated juices run over my fingers. The lead Pathwalker is not the only one with wide eyes before I finish grilling the meat to my tastes ¨C the rest of her retinue have followed suit, most even less composed than she is. My own group, of course, takes no notice. They help themselves one by one to the carcass, prompting the other Pathwalkers to do the same. Once my food is ready, I take a bite. Mm, higher Energy density definitely makes this meat tastier, I say to myself. ¡°I am Pathwalker Tamer,¡± I tell the other group, probably more casually than I should strictly be. ¡°These are Pathwalkers Herbalist, Reducer, Grower, Wind-whisperer, Weaver, Wood-shaper, Smith, Enchanter, Reflector, and Water-shaper,¡± I continue, introducing everyone by rank order ¨C according to what Tarra tells me, this is always the way. Given that it¡¯s also the order by which they¡¯ve helped themselves to the carcass too, I have to assume she¡¯s right. ¡°Greetings to you Pathwalker Tamer, and to your sisters,¡± the lead Pathwalker says, regaining her composure and tilting her chin upwards slightly. ¡°I am Pathwalker Mind-Mover, and these are my sister Pathwalkers: Water-controller, Plant-whisperer, Wood-former, Earth-whisperer, Fabric-maker, Plant-grower and Stone-speaker.¡± ¡°Greetings to you Pathwalker Mind-Mover and to your sisters,¡± I repeat her greeting, though don¡¯t add the chin-tilt. Apparently that¡¯s only a requirement for the weaker party and that she¡¯s offered it is a good sign that she indeed considers us to be the stronger group. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Hearing the names of her Pathwalkers makes me wonder whether they have a different naming tradition in their village, or whether a ¡®Wood-former¡¯ is indeed different from a ¡®Wood-shaper¡¯. Perhaps I¡¯ll find out in time. We continue exchanging small talk, the other Pathwalkers becoming involved one by one. They seem to do so in a very structured way ¨C Tarra being the next to join the conversation, then River, and then the others going according to their place in the internal hierarchy. Conversation focusses mostly on the recent journey, the individual abilities of each Pathwalker, and the strength of the Warriors accompanying them. I get it, I do. It¡¯s all about subtle and not so subtle bragging, jockeying for position to decide which group has the advantage. Not at any point do they challenge my position here as a non-samuran. I¡¯d be happy for that if the lack of challenge truly indicated that there was no question about it, but I¡¯m sensitive enough now to the undercurrents of a discussion to tell that it¡¯s actually the query uppermost in all of their minds. But apparently, it¡¯s not suitable conversation material. Not yet, at least. I let the other Pathwalkers do most of the talking, too concerned about accidentally putting my foot in my mouth. Instead, I just listen, trying to absorb the way they talk to each other for later use. I¡¯m already exhausted at the thought of having to repeat this again, multiple times probably. It¡¯s worse than when I was invited around to a friend¡¯s house after school ¨C those times were also made uncomfortable by an unspoken question that no one dared to ask. Lucy¡¯s parents never made me feel like they were wondering about where my mother was; that was one of the reasons I felt comfortable with them. More comfortable sometimes with them than I was at home with my dad. But all that is long gone, now, and was before I even came to this world. Eventually, the tortuous experience is over. The other Pathwalkers return to their own group, and we continue on the route together, but not right next to each other. ¡°You know those guys, then?¡± I ask Tarra now that she¡¯s not having to concentrate both on her own conversation and mine whenever I opened my mouth. ¡°What kind of terms are the two villages on? It seemed rather¡­stiff,¡± I judge. Tarra sways her tail in a shrug. We are on fairly neutral terms. They are a small village, much like ours. We have much in common, but do not dare to be seen as too friendly with each other. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± I ask curiously. They are blues, we are greens. The larger villages of our tribes don¡¯t like to see the smaller ones of different tribes getting too close, Tarra answers darkly. The last time three small villages of different tribes became too friendly, one of them was attacked and taken over by a large one not too far away. None were left to tell the story of exactly what had happened. But we all know why. ¡°Samurans do that to each other?¡± I asked, surprised. Although I¡¯d had the sense that inter-village politics weren¡¯t always completely peaceful, I hadn¡¯t thought they were quite as warlike as Tarra¡¯s words indicate. I wonder if it¡¯s a tool of punishment from a larger authority rather than inter-fighting between tribes. ¡°In the same way as there¡¯s a lead Pathwalker among the other Pathwalkers, is there a lead village among the other villages of a tribe? And maybe a lead village overall?¡± There is no ranking tournament to decide a leader, Tarra answers hesitantly. But villages are judged in strength according to their Evolved, particularly Pathwalkers. The village with the greatest strength of Evolved ¨C which is not always the same as numbers, but is usually closely linked ¨C is considered the leader in the Tribe. Among the Tribe leaders, one is usually judged to be the strongest overall, though that position means little in practical terms. The biggest village last year had over seventy-five Evolved, and there were almost twenty Pathwalkers among them. Even if it only brought half its number to bear, it could overrun most small villages. Therefore, its leader is given respect and obedience, whether we are of its tribe or not, because none of us wish to be that village. ¡°Wait,¡± I say thoughtfully. ¡°Almost twenty Pathwalkers, meaning at most nineteen. We¡¯ve got eleven already, and thirty-four Warriors. That¡¯s forty-five Evolved already, which is more than half what this biggest village had. We must be doing pretty well in the implicit rankings, then.¡± Tarra shrugs again. We are certainly better placed than we feared we would be. It is why the village of the blue tribe acknowledged us as more powerful: they only had eight Pathwalkers and fewer Warriors accompanying them. But we are still not strong enough to be able to fend off the biggest three tribes if they decided to come to obliterate us. So, please, be polite. I wonder whether she¡¯d say the same if she knew that Raven still owes me at least three favours, I think to myself. Better not to reveal that card right now, though. I suppose I¡¯d better play their game until I can''t for whatever reason. Which means¡­. ¡°Does that mean more small talk over carcasses?¡± I ask out loud with a hint of a whine to my voice. Tarra looks at me flatly as if to say ¡®suck it up¡¯. Yes. Part of the Festival is doing the rounds to visit each village and share a carcass. Our Warriors will be busy during the day times to find suitable kills for us as their own ability to mate with other Pathwalkers will depend on how successful we are in convincing the other village of our power. I groan, though doing my best to keep it quiet. After everything I¡¯ve experienced with the samurans, I was expecting this more to be like a tournament, not a tea-party. ¡°So there¡¯s no fighting?¡± I ask, resigned. It¡¯s not like I like fighting, exactly, but between that and what I¡¯ve just experienced, I¡¯d choose the former every time. Did I say that? Tarra asks innocently. I have a feeling she knows exactly what she¡¯s doing. At any time, our Warriors may be challenged by other Warriors, and we may be challenged by other Pathwalkers to display our skills and talents. Challenges between leaders are particularly common. Fights are not to the death, but a loss can have serious consequences for the village if the expectation is that the samuran should win. And honestly, she continues even as I absorb that, considering that you¡¯re not actually a samuran in body, I suspect that you will receive challenges more than anyone else. They do say to be careful what you wish for ¨C because you might just get it. Book 5: Diplomacy - Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Other Party ¡°Mind-mover,¡± said one of her sisters, green wonder rippling through her spikes. ¡°Have you seen what they have with them?¡± Mind-mover looks over at her sister, Wood-former, and then beyond her to where she¡¯s staring. Unsurprisingly, it¡¯s at the other party of People that they encountered by chance on the route to the Festival. Encountering another party is not an unusual occurrence, but it¡¯s been a while since they last encountered members from the green tribe of the seventh upper mountain. As far as Mind-mover understands it, they are usually later arriving than they have proven to be this time. They must have had an easier time during the journey than usual. Or perhaps it is the contraption which has gained Wood-former¡¯s attention that is to thank for their rapid progress. Mind-mover has to admit to a little bit of envy. Walking surrounded by her Warriors rather pales in comparison to being carried along in a wooden contraption, pulled by two massive ilaropes. How did they even manage to convince the ilaropes to be so docile? she asks herself. Perhaps they have raised a beast-whisperer among them. This new ¡®Tamer¡¯? Either way, it¡¯s a clear demonstration of the new progress they had made and no doubt enabled them to travel faster, not needing to account for the Pathwalkers¡¯ usual lack of stamina. Since the two groups are travelling together, however, the other group has probably reduced their pace to match the blue tribe¡¯s. Mind-mover doesn¡¯t like the feeling of being an unintentional delaying factor. ¡°I have seen it,¡± Mind-mover finally responds to her sister. ¡°If we were able to catch and tame two ilaropes in the same way, do you think you could create something similar?¡± she asks curiously. Wood-former is silent for a long moment, consideration flickering in multi-colours through her spikes. ¡°Perhaps,¡± she answers finally, non-committal. ¡°I would have to take a closer look at how they make the round discs to the side able to turn. But then¡­quite likely, especially if Plant-whisperer or Plant-grower helps me grow trees in the correct shapes. But we¡¯re avoiding the carcass in the bush here. The contraption isn¡¯t the only unusual thing they have with them,¡± she says pointedly. Mind-mover abruptly wonders whether perhaps the moving wooden object wasn¡¯t actually what she was referring to. ¡°You speak of their new ¡®leader¡¯?¡± she asks, unable to help a hint of vivid orange scorn from entering her spikes. ¡°It is odd,¡± agrees Fabric-maker, sidling up to join the conversation. Mind-mover looks at her in barely covered irritation. She should have known that this particular sister would appear as soon as she sensed the hint of gossip. ¡°Do you think they have fallen so far that they would accept a prey-beast as leader?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a prey-beast,¡± warns Earth-whisperer, also joining the conversation. ¡°What could she be?¡± demands Fabric-maker. ¡°She looks weak even though she¡¯s slightly bigger than us ¨C her skin looks soft, she has no claws and her teeth are blunt. She didn¡¯t even eat meat straight from the carcass!¡± ¡°But she did eat meat,¡± Wood-former reminds her sister. ¡°Which means she¡¯s not as much of a prey-beast as her lack of claws and teeth might indicate. And she was wearing hides over her skin, hides with scales large enough to be from some dangerous beast further into the valley. And, like it or not, she has been recognised as the leader of the other village, which either means their Pathwalkers have become pitifully weak, or that this outsider is stronger than we think.¡± ¡°I would bet my bones on the latter,¡± Earth-whisperer confides. ¡°I sense that she has a connection to the earth, as I do.¡± Mind-mover looks at her sharply. ¡°A connection to the earth? As well as a connection to what looked like the life-devourer? And what is that thing which hovers over her all the time? It sheds light, yet it doesn¡¯t appear to be a plant.¡± ¡°It is not a plant,¡± Plant-whisperer confirms quietly from the side. Earth-whisperer sways her tail in a shrug. ¡°I cannot tell anything about the life-devourer; only about how I feel the earth whisperering to her as she takes each step. The whispers are faint; she¡¯s not as practised as I am, but that will only take a little time.¡± ¡°It certainly smelled like the life-devourer,¡± murmurs Wood-former quietly, her colours subdued and troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever forget that smell ¨C when we emerged from the shelter, only to see the carcasses of our villagers lying steaming in the blackened and barren grounds around. The scent of burnt flesh¡­it was the same as what came from the piece of flesh this Tamer held between her claws. ¡± ¡°Not claws,¡± Fabric-maker corrects. ¡°And if she wields the life-devourer as well as being able to whisper to the earth, she has no need of claws,¡± points out Earth-whisperer. ¡°Perhaps she is one of the People, but her Evolution gave her so much magic that she lost all of our defences.¡± That suggestion is met by scoffs all around. ¡°Her head is the wrong shape entirely, she has no tail, her legs are stocky and short, she has fur on her head, and no spikes to speak of,¡± Stone-speaker lists, clearly having been listening into the conversation. ¡°Even an Evolution that gave her access to two disparate magics would not result in that. Not to mention that she is taller than any of us. No, she is some other kind entirely.¡± ¡°Pathwalkers, danger,¡± their lead Warrior snaps, immediately gaining their attention and pulling them out of their discussion. The Warriors around them have stiffened and start moving into a defensive formation. Looking up sharply, Mind-mover sees something approaching the other party. Something big. ¡°Do you think they haven¡¯t seen it?¡± Fabric-maker murmurs quietly from where they are now tense, encircled by defensive Warriors. If the creature steps towards them, they are now ready to meet it with magic and weapons. ¡°Do you think we should warn them?¡± asks Earth-former warily. Certainly, the other tribe of People seem completely unaware of the danger. They are still travelling with the same slightly-wary relaxation which they have been the whole time Mind-mover¡¯s group has been with them. ¡°No,¡± Mind-mover decides. ¡°Let¡¯s see what they do. If they need our help and it is not suicide to offer it, we will step in. Perhaps a favour owed will come in useful later. But for now, let¡¯s see what this ¡®leader¡¯ offers her village ¨C and whether they truly are the stronger group.¡± She felt some of her sisters shift beside her, not entirely happy with her pronouncement, but not disagreeing enough to outright argue with her. The other party seems to have realised that something is amiss ¨C perhaps it is the way Mind-mover¡¯s own party have tensed and moved into a highly defensive formation which has warned them. They start shifting into their own defensive formation, the Warriors clustering around the wooden contraption bearing the majority of their Pathwalkers. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. The leader jumps onto the contraption from where she had been walking among the Warriors ¨C an odd choice considering almost all the other Pathwalkers are in the wooden contraption. Why walk when she could ride? Yet, despite their attempts to move into a more defensible position, they are too late. The creature is already too close. Mind-mover hears several sharp intakes of breath and hisses of fear. ¡°A powerful Earth-Shaper,¡± Earth-former says, her spikes flashing with anxious colour. ¡°Far beyond my strength.¡± ¡°Maybe we should go to reinforce them,¡± suggests Stone-shaper nervously. ¡°If they fall, the beast may turn to attack us next. I don¡¯t think that even our combined efforts will be able to keep this creature at bay ¨C it looks to be one of the Great beasts, though I do not remember one claiming this area as its territory last great cycle.¡± There are several more fearful intakes of breath at that. Mind-mover¡¯s thoughts race, weighing up what would be most beneficial for their party. ¡°We will reinforce them,¡± she decides, casting her lot in with the other party. Even if their leader turns out to be nothing special, they have more Warriors with them than Mind-mover¡¯s own group. Together, they should be numerous enough to fend off even a Great beast. And with the other party¡¯s Pathwalkers adding their strength, they should manage to make it out without too many casualties. Running might work too, but its success would most likely depend on whether the beast wished to pursue or not: from its shape, it seems like one who could pursue them easily if it chose. No, better to fight together. But by the time they¡¯ve covered halfway across the distance between their two groups, Mind-mover can¡¯t help but ask a question: ¡°What are they doing?¡± The other party has dropped all defensive manoeuvres. They¡¯re¡­relaxing. As if there isn¡¯t a Great beast with strong powers over the earth approaching them. Do they even realise it¡¯s there? They must! she says to herself. Some of them are looking at the beast. Then a nasty thought comes to her mind. Does it have power to beguile or befuddle as well as over the earth? It would be unusual for a beast to have two such vastly different abilities, but not completely unknown, though usually beasts who are able to create illusions or affect the minds of others develop or already have a command over air, not earth. It almost makes her draw her party back: if the beast can befuddle the other party, they would just be walking into its mouth by moving closer. But there¡¯s one incongruity that draws her attention and stops her from giving the order: the beast itself shows no sign of aggression or intention to attack. Perhaps that¡¯s part of the act, she wonders. It pretends to be friendly up until the moment it opens its mouth to snatch prey? But if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s very picky about its prey: it has reached the outer edges of the Warriors who part before it ¨C another oddity ¨C without taking a mouthful yet. And why would beguiled Warriors move away with what looks like wary respect if their spikes are anything to judge by? Beguiled prey should either not move at all, or move towards their beguiler. Perhaps it seeks more magic-heavy prey? she asks herself as the beast heads straight towards the wooden contraption ¨C and the Pathwalkers within. But if so, that¡¯s the first beast Mind-mover has ever heard of who is so particular about its food. Then again, Great beasts can do some very odd things sometimes. Apparently, anyway ¨C Mind-mover is happy not to have had close and personal contact with many of them since that usually requires several of the party to die to escape. Given all the surprises so far, it is a tired sort of astonishment that occurs when she sees the other leader jump down off the wooden contraption and walk casually over to the Great beast. It¡¯s impossible to tell how she is feeling ¨C she has no spikes to announce it ¨C but her very gait is relaxed and¡­welcoming. More hisses ring out among their group as every one of Mind-mover¡¯s sisters ¨C and brothers, when it comes down to it ¨C watches the action. ¡°She wants to be eaten?!¡± exclaims one of Mind-mover¡¯s sisters. Not wanting to look away from what¡¯s happening, Mind-mover isn¡¯t entirely sure who it was. But being eaten doesn¡¯t appear to be the consequence. Instead, they all watch in astonishment as the other leader reaches up and¡­strokes the massive beast under the chin. The Great beast ¨C can it be a Great beast considering what they are seeing? ¨C half closes its eyes, clearly enjoying the caresses. Another beast, with the same spotted, furry coat as the massive one, though significantly smaller in size, nudges the other leader¡¯s spare hand. Those clawless digits rub behind the ears of the smaller one even as they dig into the fur beneath the chin of the large one. None of Mind-mover¡¯s group can believe their eyes. ¡°Pathwalker Mind-mover,¡± the leader of her village¡¯s Warriors starts, his voice uncertain. ¡°What should we do?¡± The Pathwalker doesn¡¯t blame him for being at a loss ¨C frankly, so is she. They have paused a little over halfway towards the other party, but whether they should close the distance or not is another question. On the one claw, moving closer would be towards the beast who might have beguiled the whole other group¡­just to be scratched under the chin. But moving away might show unacceptable weakness. ¡°We¡¯ll go closer,¡± she said, ¡°but be aware of your thoughts. If any of you start desiring to¡­stroke the beast, or do anything which you wouldn¡¯t normally do, tell us immediately and we will back off,¡± she warns. Perhaps if they are aware of the possibility, they will be more able to identify it happening. If it happens. Mind-mover has reminded herself of the other leader¡¯s Pathwalker name again: Tamer. It¡¯s curious that her obvious use of what looked like the life-devourer, and what Earth-whisperer says is her ability to communicate with the earth are not reflected in her Pathwalker name. Which means that either she has intentionally chosen ¨C or was offered ¨C a name which does not accurately reflect her actual abilities¡­or ¡®Tamer¡¯ is actually her biggest role. Which seems implausible since that would imply that she has three special skills, but seems more likely than one of the Great beasts just deciding all of a sudden to come for strokes under the chin. Moving forwards warily with her group, Mind-mover prepares to act at a moment¡¯s notice even as they come within range of the other group. The eyes of the other People are clear, no signs of befuddlement. The Warriors bar their way ¨C normal for the approach of another neutral tribe, but it feels very odd considering the situation. Mind-mover finds it rather surreal that they seem more wary about the approach of another tribe than what appears to be a Great beast! ¡°We have come to assist you with¡­.¡± she finds it hard to complete the sentence, not even knowing now what they are offering to assist with. In the Warrior¡¯s spikes, she sees a mixture of understanding and amusement. She appreciates the first; the latter not so much. ¡°Just give me a moment,¡± the Warrior says politely, clearing his spikes of all traces of mirth. ¡°I will check with Pathwalker Tamer as to what he wishes to happen.¡± And then the Warrior stands still. Mind-mover exchanges a confused glance with her sisters. ¡°Are you not going to check with your leader?¡± she prompts, feeling more uncertainty than she wishes to admit. ¡°I just did,¡± the Warrior replies incomprehensibly. ¡°Pathwalker Tamer says that the Pathwalkers can approach, as long as you swear not to attack anyone. And he means anyone.¡± ¡°The Great beast included?¡± Water-controller asks out of turn, but Mind-mover doesn¡¯t blame her. The whole situation is just completely outside their expectations. And is it the Great beast giving orders? The Warrior said ¡®he¡¯. ¡°The Great Predator included, yes,¡± the Warrior replying, answering two questions and raising a myriad more. Almost feeling like she¡¯s walking in a daze, Mind-mover advances forwards with her sisters towards the other leader¡­and the Great beast. The Great Predator, apparently. As they get within attack range, the Great beast¡¯s eyes snap fully open, a bright golden gaze boring into the Pathwalkers. Abruptly, Mind-mover knows exactly why this beast is called the Great Predator: a sensation of being nothing more than prey cowering under the freezing gaze of a far more powerful predator sweeps over her and stops her in her tracks. She senses all her sisters stopping in the same moment, the same sensation no doubt sweeping over them too. And then it¡¯s gone, though the beast seems far more dangerous afterwards than it had before. Mind-mover steps forwards only because there are too many People around her to allow her to run ¨C both on a reputation front and because there are bodies literally blocking her way. ¡°Pathwalker Mind-mover, greetings to you,¡± Pathwalker Tamer says, her tone casual. ¡°Please meet Kalanthia, my friend.¡± Mind-mover had no idea what to say, her mind going completely blank. Book 5: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty: Settling In We have finally made it to the Festival grounds. Eighteen days have elapsed since we left the village and I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m raring to get going with our reason for travelling or dreading it. After all, from what Tarra and the other Pathwalkers who have been here before have said, it sounds like it¡¯s going to be a series of tea-parties from hell and fighting for the reputation of my village. Though, I have to admit that the way the other samuran party reacted to Kalanthia a couple of days ago was rather funny ¨C I wonder what kind of rumours they''ll spread as a result. I sometimes forget how the samurans of my village used to view the huge nunda; seeing how warily the other village¡¯s representatives approached our group reminded me. That particular group has been very careful not to offend us in any way ever since, and has in fact offered us plenty of carcasses on the route which, according to Tarra, means that they fully acknowledge us as the stronger party. Unfortunately, that¡¯s also meant we¡¯ve had to share those carcasses which hasn¡¯t stopped being a painful experience. A useful one, though ¨C I¡¯m starting to get to grips with how to talk to other Pathwalkers, not needing Tarra¡¯s mental messages quite so often to avoid offending them. I said goodbye to both Kalanthia and Raven a few hours ago ¨C neither will be entering into the actual festival grounds, which I¡¯m slightly disappointed about, although I know It¡¯s for the best. They won¡¯t be going too far away, though. Kalanthia has said that she¡¯s going to continue greeting a few more Guardian beasts around the place, and Raven is probably going to meet up with others of his kind in some special place of theirs ¨C lots of those around here, it seems. He seems a bit nervous about it, probably because he¡¯s taking his hatchlings with him. Though I¡¯ve been able to use the last eighteen days of travel to make progress with all three of the hatchlings ¨C as well as Lathani and my own projects ¨C they are still far from healed. Still, he¡¯s a very protective father, so they¡¯re probably safer with him than coming with me. We both agreed that it¡¯s the best option. After all, it¡¯s unlikely that I¡¯m going to get much time to heal them over the next few days given what everyone has been telling me, and I wouldn¡¯t want a samuran from another village getting the wrong ideas about them. Either wanting to kill and eat them, or if there is another tamer around, try to take them from me. Lathani is another question. I discussed the same thing with her and Kalanthia, but the little nunda was adamant about coming with me. She disdained the idea that she might be ¡®stolen¡¯ away and announced that if anyone tried to eat her, she¡¯d eat them first. Kalanthia seemed to agree with her that it was unlikely with the kind of Bond that we have that any other tamer would be able to snatch her away from me. Our Bond, after all, is fully consensual which means it¡¯s stronger than one which is unwilling on one side. She did have a quiet word with me afterwards about watching out for Lathani, but she seemed to be aware that I would be doing so anyway. I think she did the same with Bastet too, so Lathani has at least two pairs of eyes watching out for her. Four, actually, since I think Bastet enlisted Storm and Ninja to take care of their ¡®sister¡¯. Trouble is long gone ¨C he travelled down with us in the first part, but at some point our route seemed to deviate from where he instinctively knew he needed to go so he left our group. I hope he¡¯s OK. The Bond between us is quiet, the distance too far to even let emotions through. But it¡¯s still there; if he dies, I know that I will feel it snap. ¡°Alright everyone?¡± I ask quietly, but know that my whole party can hear me. A series of affirmations comes through either in grunt or mental message. Taking a deep breath, I step forward at the head of our group. Directly behind me is Shrieks as the top Warrior, and then the other Pathwalkers. The Warriors follow ¨C as ever, in ranking order. Behind all the samurans come the rest of my Bound. Pride, Lathani, Bastet, Storm, Ninja, Fenrir, Thorn, Honey, and Komodo. Sirocco hops from branch to branch overhead and the two nameless cyrans bring up the rear with the cart, their guide the only samuran not with the rest of the group. There¡¯s a wall of vegetation in front of us and I wonder for a moment how we¡¯re supposed to get past it. And then Shrieks steps forwards and uses his spear to push it aside, revealing that it¡¯s some sort of creeper hanging down from the branches above. Do not touch the leaves with your hands, he warns. They secrete a dangerous poison. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, eyeing it carefully. ¡°Is there any reason why we shouldn¡¯t just burn our way through?¡± Aingeal floats forwards, bobbing in the air eagerly, always happy to join in pyromania. No! exclaim several voices. I look back at them in question. It is intentionally grown to protect our sacred spot, explains Shrieks. Two Warriors will hold it aside for everyone to pass. So saying, he beckons two of the Warriors forward and they break ranks to do just that, using their metal-tipped spears to part the curtain of small-leafed vines. I shrug and move forwards, leading the rest of the party. I¡¯m very tempted to test how strong the poison is, but hold myself back for now. If it ends up being something I struggle to heal, I risk not making a very good first impression on the rest of the samurans. Past the curtain, I can¡¯t help but pause to take in the sight, drawing in a breath of amazement. It¡¯s certainly not what I was expecting. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. We haven¡¯t really talked about the physical nature of the Festival; we¡¯ve been more concentrating on the internal politics. If I thought about it, I was either expecting it to take place in the forest itself, or within a clearing. Well, this is definitely a clearing, and one so big that the other side is invisible through the mist. But it¡¯s the hot springs which really draw my attention. Or at least, that¡¯s what it appears to be: water bubbling and steaming in a massive central pool and then spilling into other pools lower down the mountainside. ¡°What is this place?¡± I breathe, awed by the beauty ¨C the hot springs are ringed with all sorts of different flowers and low-growing plants, and the water itself is clear and fresh. The mist gives the whole clearing a mysterious quality, though it¡¯s thickest in the centre. It is our Festival grounds, our sacred place, replies Tarra, her mental tone a mixture of smug and appreciative. It¡¯s beautiful, says River, echoing my own thoughts. Her voice has the same quiet awe which I feel. Looking at the other new Pathwalkers and Warriors, I see that they all feel the same way. Clearly, it¡¯s something of a rite of passage to experience the Festival grounds for the first time, and none of the elders wished to spoil it by telling them what to expect. The moment passes and Tarra nudges me towards the left-hand side of the massive central pool. The green Tribe always sets up camp over there, she says, pointing towards a section of ground which seems like every other section of ground around the pool. When we get closer, though, I note that it¡¯s surrounded by boulders and that there are dips in the earth which could easily have been from the travel shelters they usually construct. The Warriors get to work. I help out with my Earth-Shaping ¨C it¡¯s good practice and by this point I¡¯m very familiar with the way they construct their temporary shelters. This one is slightly different though. We won¡¯t use tree branches to cover the shelters, Poison explains as he outlines what we¡¯re doing. We¡¯ll build a roof of earth and then only cover the hole at the top of the roof with leaves which we can scavenge from some of the plants around here. The sacred place must remain sacred ¨C bringing in trees from outside is forbidden. Well, far be it for me to argue with tradition ¨C unless the tradition is actively detrimental, of course. Also unlike the travel shelters, we will be making four of them this time. We need more space, Poison continues to explain. Normally it would only be three: one for the Warriors, one for the Pathwalkers, and one for mating, but this time we also need one for your companions. The non-samuran ones, I guess he means. Once I know more of the actual dimensions ¨C smaller than I¡¯ve been helping them make, of course ¨C I get to work, sinking my magic and consciousness into the earth and causing the earth to flow like water. What I remove to make the hole, I use to make the walls and ceiling. Familiar with the construction of the huts from the samuran village, I am able to finish two of them before the Warriors have completed the other two. Seeing as they¡¯re almost done, I decide to let them finish up by themselves. The Pathwalkers haven¡¯t been idle while we¡¯ve been working, either ¨C the cart has been unloaded and carcasses set out for the hungry workers to help themselves. The various items intended to be gifted to other villages are being organised by several of the Pathwalkers. They¡¯ve also set out a number of hides in the area between the four huts. Though the samurans haven¡¯t yet taken up tanning, I think I¡¯m winning them over to the benefits of it since they seem to prefer sitting on the hides I¡¯ve prepared instead of the cold, hard ground. Personally, I¡¯m much more comfortable sleeping now on the sort of mattress I¡¯ve managed to create for myself. Made out of spider-silk, filled with feathers from the killer chickens, and just over the length and width of my body, it¡¯s heaven in comparison to the mess of clothes I was using as bedding before. I keep it in my Inventory so it is always available to me ¨C and doesn¡¯t risk getting destroyed or taken. Yes, I could make another one, but it took long enough to make this one. Plus, I don¡¯t have enough feathers with me at the moment so I would need to get some more. Still, the samurans find it too comfortable, if River is anything to judge by. I suspect they might move to sleeping on hides soon, though. With our camp set up, I go over to Flower to find out what we should do next. Normally we aren¡¯t here this early, she explains. This time I can only see about four or five other villages present. Normally, there are at least fifteen by the time we arrive. ¡°How many villages are there in total?¡± I ask curiously, realising I¡¯ve never actually questioned that. In total there are about twenty-three villages in four tribes, but usually only nineteen or twenty make it to the Festival. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t some come?¡± I ask, confused. ¡°Because of the danger of the journey?¡± Flower shrugs. That is often the reason. Sometimes if there are not enough Warriors to guard the Pathwalkers, it¡¯s deemed too dangerous. We would have been in that position if you hadn¡¯t been able to raise several Unevolved to Evolved. However, sometimes the village is already numerous enough and so they make the choice not to have any more hatchlings ¨C there is a limit to what the local area can support and there is no point having hatchlings if they will just starve before reaching adulthood. I hadn¡¯t considered the issue of over-population. I suppose that with the ratio of Evolved to Unevolved that I¡¯ve noticed within my village, it could be an issue for the bigger villages. We should probably visit the other camps soon, but right now there is something else very important that we must do as part of settling in, Flower continues. Her spikes are flickering with green amusement, so I have a feeling she¡¯s not being entirely serious. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± I ask her, going along with it. Bathing in the pools, of course! she exclaims. Several others around her let out a clicking grunt which doesn¡¯t translate, but which I¡¯ve noticed denotes excitement. Something like a whoop might from humans. Looking around, I can see that everyone is on board with the idea ¨C and all of them are looking at me. May we? one of the Warriors asks, doing his best impression of a puppy dog¡¯s eyes. Which never stops looking weird when coming from a humanoid crocodile. In this case, though, I just grin, their excitement catching. ¡°Last one in¡¯s a rotten egg,¡± I can¡¯t help but dare them, turning and running towards the pool, the rest following me with more of those excited sounds. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-One: Fire-Mage As it turns out, I¡¯m the rotten egg, but there¡¯s a good reason for that: the hot springs are, well, hot. The samurans, probably because of their reptilian natures, seem to cope better than I do ¨C they just go straight in and start letting out hisses of contentment at its heat. I dip one foot in and then let out a hiss of my own ¨C mine not so content. I¡¯m stuck hovering at the edge of the pool as all of my samurans relax in the waters. Fenrir tests the water with a paw, then huffs quietly, a sense of joy coming down the Bond between us, and jumps straight in. Several samurans exclaim in annoyance as their peaceful soak is interrupted by the over-exuberant lizog. Pack-leader, come in! he urges me, bouncing slightly and sending more ripples through the pool. ¡°It¡¯s too hot,¡± I tell him with frustration. Pride also wades in with a happy snort, though he chooses to stay next to Catch. As for the felines, Storm is true to the stereotype in avoiding the water. Bastet does walk in enough to coat her talons, letting out a sighing huff of content, but doesn¡¯t go deeply enough for even the ripples to touch her feather-fur. Lathani stays next to me, eyeing the water with disdain. Interestingly, though, Ninja seems willing to paddle a little, soaking her taloned feet up to just above where the feathers start. Sirocco comes to land on my shoulder, her weight reducing as she makes herself smaller to fit more comfortably on me. As she does so, I see Komodo waddling into the water too ¨C unsurprisingly, he finds it as much of a joy as the rest of the reptilians. Honey relaxes on the bank near us, lying on her back with her eyes closed as if she has no concerns ¨C though she normally likes the water and regularly swims in any river we come across, I think this is a bit warm for her. Post Evolution, she¡¯s about twice the size and she¡¯s developed some distinct markings: ironically enough, honey-coloured jagged lines decorate her back and her thick, furry tail. Unsurprisingly, her Tier two skill makes her better at completely overwhelming her opponent ¨C the flurry of enhanced blows she¡¯s able to embrace has made her an excellent shock troop member in several of the fights we¡¯ve had. Right now, though, she appears to be sleeping. I redirect my attention to the water, leaning down to brush my fingers through it again, some hopeful part of me wondering whether maybe I thought it was warmer than it really is. My fingers tell that part of me to shut up. Mourn not, Sirocco tells me in tones which I¡¯m pretty sure are meant to be sympathetic, but come off more patronising. Water is not fun to be in anyway. ¡°Not for those with feathers or fur,¡± I comment, eyeing her, Lathani, and Storm, ¡°but I actually like it.¡± Then go in, she urges as if I haven¡¯t thought about it. I roll my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s too hot.¡± Then make it less hot, she answers like it¡¯s obvious. I send her an incredulous look. ¡°Make this massive pool of water less hot? That¡¯s probably way beyond my capabilities, if I even knew where to start.¡± She has a point, Bastet comments thoughtfully. Storm looks at her as quizzically as I am; Ninja appears enraptured by the ripples her claws are making in the water. ¡°What do you mean? I can¡¯t change the temperature of this massive pool,¡± I object. Perhaps not, but you can change your own body. I have seen you do it many times before. She¡­does actually have a point. Immediately, I can think of several options ranging from making my skin more heat resistant to cooling my internal temperatures. Not that they¡¯re all necessarily good ideas. But it does remind me that magic is possible. Hmm, I wonder, I say to myself thoughtfully. Closing my eyes, I look at the pool with my magic sight. I hadn''t really taken notice of it before but there is no scent of sulphur near this pool. To my knowledge, hot springs on Earth usually smell of it because of the way that they are heated. With my magic sight activated, I can see that there is a very different reason here. The water is thick with fire magic as well as something else, a kind of magic which I can barely see and which slips away from my mental touch any time I come near. The two types of magic do not interact; if anything, they act more like repelling magnets, moving away from each other as soon as they come anywhere near each other. It¡¯s a wonder that each is so relatively evenly spread in the water. The greatest concentration of fire magic is in the centre of the pool, and I can sense it coming from somewhere down below. Opening my eyes again, I touch the Bond I have with Dusty, our Water-Shaper. What do you sense here? I ask her curiously. Lots of water, obviously, she answers immediately, then hesitates. But¡­there is something else. I see no reason why water should be so hot. I am not complaining, though! Suspicion confirmed: the two opposing elements are indeed water and fire and, not having any magical knowledge of fire, Dusty is unable to sense the fire magic just as I find it difficult to identify the water magic present. But it¡¯s interesting to also confirm that the heat of the water is purely due to the fire magic within the water. Now, how can I use this? Reaching down to almost touch the water, I once more close my eyes and then reach out with my mind to make contact with the fire magic within. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. It¡¯s immediately curious, sparks flocking to me. Perhaps it¡¯s partly because it is being repelled by all the water around but not by me that it is so eager to come; perhaps it¡¯s also because I offer it something different that it might burn. It tries to burn my flesh, but I stop that quickly enough. I don¡¯t have control over the magic in the same way as I do my own transformed mana, but¡­it¡¯s not all that dissimilar. It takes a bit of a twist of thinking, and a reminder that all fire is of Fire and therefore if I can control my own fire magic, there is no reason why I cannot control this, but I succeed in taking control of the fire magic near me. And from there, my control spreads in a circle around me. I sense that the circle extends about twice as far as I can reach with my hands. This time, when I put my bare foot into the water, the fire magic does not burn me, making it feel like I¡¯ve stepped into a boiling hot bath. Instead, this time it feels cold. I wonder why for a moment before realising that, in removing the effect of the fire magic, I now feel the temperature of the water as it would be without it. Though I don¡¯t mind a cold bath from time to time, I was rather looking forward to the ¡®hot¡¯ aspect of hot springs ¨C as long as I don¡¯t cook like a lobster. It takes a bit more time and experimentation to find the right level of allowing the fire magic to affect me without risking becoming overheated. In the end, I find that the best strategy is actually to allow the fire magic to do its thing, but just to lessen its concentration in the water around me. And how do I do that? Well, by feeding it to my friendly fire elemental, of course! Aingeal is very happy to receive a flow of fire magic from the water around me, joy and contentment conveyed across the link between us. Actually¡­. Is it bigger? I ask myself, eyeing the little ball of fire. Although it isn¡¯t back to the size and intensity it was before the fight with Raven where it detonated to defeat the Tier three¡¯s final attack, it is definitely growing and intensifying again. Hmm, I wonder how much it needs to grow before it is able to Evolve? I ask myself. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have that information about the elemental in my Bound tab of my status screen. I push the question to the side for now, taking off my clothes and stepping deeper into the water. Sighing with contentment at the feeling of the blissful heat sinking into my muscles, I move deep enough that I can float on my back without touching the ground. No one speaks for a while: everyone is just happy to bask in the experience. Then I find my curiosity becoming too much for me to contain. Does anyone know what created this place? I ask idly. Out of everyone, I¡¯m surprised when it¡¯s Windy who answers. The samuran is still a pain in my arse sometimes, but she has definitely calmed down a bit. I think that it helps that she has started seeing the benefits of helping the village more. These days, she often goes out with a larger hunting party ¨C always taking at least two Warriors with her, of course ¨C and helps them track prey to kill. I¡¯ve also seen her working with Happy to help get the furnace to higher temperatures, and she¡¯s warned us about a bad storm coming twice over the last month. In return, she¡¯s earned some good time in my den and has made some good progress to the next tier. Of all my Bound, she¡¯s actually the closest to Tier three at eighty-nine percent, though she still has a way to go. Her increased helpfulness doesn¡¯t stop her from being abrasive, rude, and irritating, but at least I don¡¯t feel like she¡¯s just a waste of resources anymore. Still, I¡¯m surprised when she¡¯s the one to respond to me, and relatively politely for her. Everyone knows the legend, she answers snidely. Everyone who Evolved the normal way, that is. I sense that River, Happy, Yells, Dusty, and Hunter all disagree with that: perhaps it¡¯s something they only learn on this first trip to the Festival. Once there was a village of People here. One of our largest villages. Some stories say that it was filled with fifty Pathwalkers; others with five hundred. Yet everyone agrees that it was populous. Perhaps too much so. It is said that they turned away from the ancestors ¨C they believed that they were populous enough not to need the knowledge and wisdom of their forebearers any more. And that led to their doom. An immense rock fell from the heavens. It smashed into the village and obliterated it, destroying every trace that it ever existed. The impact was strong enough to flatten the forest for days around. I know from experience that ¡®days¡¯ is not meant to imply time, but distance ¨C a day¡¯s walk. Over time, Windy continues, her usual scorn gone from her tone as she gets into the swing of the story, the destruction healed itself. The forest returned to where it had once been; the creatures followed. The rest of the People came to see what had become of the village, the strongest of them all. Where the village had stood, there was nothing but a deep hole. A hole which had filled up with clear, pure water. Water that was hot for no reason that any Water-Shaper, or Water-former, or Water-whisperer has ever been able to fully understand. It has become our sacred place. A place for the tribes to meet and for mating. And it is a reminder that we must always cleave to the ancestors and that, however big we might get, we are never invulnerable. There is silence after her telling. I find myself mulling over the story; I suspect everyone else who has heard it for the first time is doing the same. Maybe even those who have heard it before, as well. A meteor. That makes sense. That it seemed to aim directly for the largest samuran village of the time seems supicious, though that might be an erroneous attribution: a meteor landing directly on a village was more likely just to be bad luck in the probability game than anything else. Then again, this is a world of magic. Who¡¯s to say that another village didn¡¯t secretly want the strongest village destroyed and somehow managed to affect the aim of the meteor? Or perhaps there¡¯s even something to Windy¡¯s belief in the ancestors, though I¡¯m even more doubtful about that possibility than the previous. It doesn¡¯t explain the heat, of course, but possibly there¡¯s some sort of chemical reaction happening in the centre of the meteor, or maybe it holds some super Energy Heart from outer space which enables it to feed fire magic into the surrounding water. And continue doing so for what I have to guess is a very long time given Windy¡¯s implications in the story. As I think about a burning ball of rock hurtling down from space, another thought occurs to me. I can create a furnace hot enough to melt iron. I can create a cape of fire to drape over my shoulders. I can encircle creatures in a curtain of fire. I can cook food between my fingers without burning myself. Heck, I even once condensed the power of an inferno into a tiny ball which became Aingeal. But I can¡¯t throw a fireball. That¡¯s the most basic attack which any fire mage learns at level one. But somehow, I¡¯ve got to Initiate five ¨C checking my status screen, I correct myself ¨C Initiate six in Fire-Shaping without even trying to create a fireball. And Aingeal doesn¡¯t count even though it basically is just fire in a ball shape. This is a problem. How can I even dare to call myself a fire-mage if I can¡¯t even throw the tiniest fireball? Soaking quietly in the hot spring turns into the perfect opportunity for me to work out this attack ¨C without risking lighting something on fire which I really don¡¯t want to burn. By the time we get out, I vow, I will be a true fire-mage! Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Two: Unquestionable By the time I get out, my skin is only not looking like a wrinkled prune because my Flesh-Shaping has been able to deal with that symptom of staying submerged for too long. I¡¯ve also had to reduce the amount that the fire magic is affecting me several times to the point where the ¡®bath¡¯ is only tepid now ¨C I was starting to get a bit over-heated. But I have succeeded! I let out a whoop as I manage to send my first fireball splashing harmlessly into the water a few metres away. The second goes further. The third even further. I seem to hit a wall at approximately thirty metres: the ball disintegrates into mid-air. But that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve done it! It turned out to be relatively simple, but the trick took a while to figure out. The main issue was that all the other Fire-Shaping I¡¯ve done has been connected to me. Even Aingeal is, though its connection is through a Bond rather than a line of fire magic. The problem with that and trying to make a fireball was that if I keep a fireball attached to me, it is more of a flail than a fireball ¨C able to move to a certain distance away from me, but no further. I had to work out how to disconnect the fireball from me, but yet maintain it in existence despite its lack of fuel. Throwing a ball of something it could have fed off would probably have worked, but that wouldn¡¯t have been a proper fireball; it would have just been a flaming ball of whatever. A version of a molotov cocktail. My breakthrough happened when I considered how Energy Hearts and Cores work. What seems to work is for me to create a tighter weave of fire magic around a core of fire. The interior fire burns away at the weave around it, but as long as it hits the target before that weave is all used up, it seems to work well enough as a fireball. I suspect that that¡¯s why it won¡¯t go further than thirty metres ¨C I¡¯d probably have to make a thicker or denser weave of magic to make it go further. Which, of course, will take more time and mana to form, so it¡¯s not ideal. Still, I¡¯ve created a fireball! Or at least a sort of fire grenade. Which is close enough. Stepping out with a grin on my face, I get dressed. Running magic through my silk undersuit and my hide armour, I give them a little clean before I put them back on. I love magic. By this point, almost all the samurans have returned to the camp, as have most of the others. Bastet is still here, Storm and Ninja cuddled up to her sides and to all appearances asleep. Fenrir¡¯s off to the side, also apparently sleeping. Catch and River are both there, Pride, unusually, is nowhere to be seen. Lathani is next to them, but she¡¯s not asleep; instead she¡¯s looking at the pool thoughtfully. I¡¯m amused to see that River is scratching gently at her head. ¡°Waiting for me?¡± I ask cheerfully. Well, you seemed to be having so much fun playing with your fire that we didn¡¯t want to interrupt, River tells me teasingly. We didn¡¯t want to leave you alone, Catch answers more seriously. Until you¡¯re fully accepted by all the villages, you shouldn¡¯t move around the area unguarded. ¡°I can take care of myself,¡± I point out. I would have thought that my demonstration in the tournament would have been enough proof of that. Of course, he answers, as if that was never in question. But as our leader, your actions and the way you are treated reflect on the village. It¡¯s better that it¡¯s never in question. Then he eyes me, a sense of wryness coming through the Bond. If you wish to fight, from what the others have been telling me, I think you¡¯ll have your fill of challenges. Now, if you¡¯re ready, Herbalist has been itching to start visiting the other villages. ***** Four days later, I think back to Catch¡¯s words with a hint of bitterness. The distraction costs me ¨C an orb of water impacts me in the chest and knocks the breath out of me. It then reforms, shifting upwards towards my head. Marshalling my own magic, I drop the top layer of my armour, ridding myself of the invading water. I then quickly jog to the side so it can¡¯t just climb right onto my boots again or stick my feet to the floor. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve dealt with that kind of attack. I¡¯m just grateful that the Water-Shaper failed to take control of my own body¡¯s fluids: I felt her try at the beginning of the fight, but my Flesh-Shaping was stronger than her Water-Shaping and I was able to fight it off. Another ball of water comes for me; I react by sending the fireball I was preparing at it. They meet within my area of influence, so I¡¯m easily able to force my fire to overcome the water, the orb turning into steam. Using the steam as cover, I run straight through it, my spear bared. I take some superficial burns but it¡¯s worth it: the surprised samuran takes my weapon straight in her shoulder. I didn¡¯t aim for her chest since I know that the consequences of accidentally killing the other Pathwalker would probably be worse than losing the fight. Pulling back, I stab again, at the same time taking control of the poison in both wounds. Dancing backwards, I avoid the samuran¡¯s attempts to hit me with a water orb ¨C harder at such close range. She gapes her mouth in frustrated threat and starts throwing orbs of water everywhere. But I¡¯ve already seen this tactic in a previous fight and just retreat backwards. As long as I can avoid being trapped by the water as she¡¯s attempting, I will win this. The poison is inside her already and barely needs my influence to do its work. The other Pathwalker seems to know this as her attempts to control the water around her intensify. The water around me forms hands and reaches for me, rolling over the ground like a sapient flood. I dart this way and that, avoiding it sometimes by only a hair¡¯s breadth, at all times keeping an eye on the samuran. To distract her, I send a fireball flying at her chest. She backpedals, tripping over her own feet to avoid it, the water going still for a moment as she loses focus. And then it¡¯s all over. My poison has weakened her enough that she cannot climb back to her feet. Though I cannot control the second poison which lowers her mana regeneration, it¡¯s also done its work ¨C making the water chase me as it did probably takes quite a lot of mana when she¡¯s on land. ¡°Winner, Pathwalker Tamer from the green tribe of the seventh upper mountain,¡± announces the referee, a leader from a village of the yellow tribe. Apparently there are four tribes in total ¨C the Pathwalker who challenged me was from the red tribe and we travelled to the festival with a group from the blue tribe. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I walk carefully over to the prone Pathwalker, wary in case she decides to attack me despite the fight being called. It would be ¡®dishonourable¡¯ of her, and reflect badly on the village, but she wouldn¡¯t be the first to try to attack me while my back was turned. Placing my hand over the wound on her shoulder, I summon my venom back. I can¡¯t do anything about the poison which Tarra made for me which works on her mana regeneration, but that¡¯s not likely to kill her. My paralysing venom, however, if it reaches her heart and lungs, quite possibly could. Some of the Pathwalkers from my opponent¡¯s village come rushing in to check on their sister, several sending me dirty looks, their jaws slightly gaped in threat. ¡°What have you done to her?¡± one of them demands. I don¡¯t bother sending out an Inspect ¨C I did lots of that at the beginning, but by this point I¡¯ve completely lost track of who I¡¯ve Inspected and who I haven¡¯t. Besides, since most Pathwalkers and Warriors seem to be within certain ranges of resource pools, and repeat Abilities among themselves, there¡¯s not much point in it. Inspect has only gone up two levels since I¡¯ve been here, and both of those were in the first two days ¨C I think I¡¯ll need to Inspect different creatures to make it go up any more. ¡°Nothing she didn¡¯t ask for by challenging me,¡± I tell the Pathwalker shortly. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine with some rest.¡± Sure enough, by the time I step back to my own party, the opponent Pathwalker ¨C probably Water-something by the way the samurans give names ¨C is back on her feet, though not looking particularly stable there. ¡°The red tribe of the lower second mountain acknowledges the green tribe of the seventh mountain¡¯s supremacy,¡± she says weakly. ¡°We thank you for showing us your strength under the gaze of the ancestors and humbly beg you to give us the honour of sharing a carcass with us.¡± It¡¯s all about wordy ritual and tradition here, I¡¯ve come to realise. Fortunately, by this point I¡¯m pretty used to giving the response, much as I might not want to. At least I¡¯ve won the match this time unlike my last fight against a Water-Shaper. ¡°We accept your thanks and your offer to share a carcass in the presence of the ancestors.¡± We follow the other group of Pathwalkers back to their camp. The unfamiliar samurans seem to have calmed their hostility towards me since their Pathwalker was obviously able to stand and walk ¨C albeit with some support ¨C but some of it still remains. Seeing as practically all the samurans treat me with wariness at best, and outright hostility from some of the elders at worst, I¡¯m pretty sure due to the fact that I¡¯m not a samuran. I¡¯ve seen a few other challenges between Pathwalkers, even between leaders. They¡¯ve all been far more amiable afterwards. Still, I suppose the fact that there hasn¡¯t yet been an attempt to hunt and eat me is enough of a victory, though I was more concerned about that possibility in the first two days after we arrived, before the rumour had spread around all the villages about my presence. Now they just look at me warily instead of with hunger. All the Pathwalkers from my own village have accompanied us to the other village along with a group of four Warriors. According to Tarra, the latter are more about flexing than anything else ¨C if any Pathwalker attacks another around a carcass, there would be severe consequences. It would be better for that village to pack up and go straight home, and not even dare attend any future Festival for at least a decade than to stick around, from what I can tell. Of course, the protection might be waived in my case, but not for my Pathwalkers so they¡¯re a good shield for me. We sit down around the carcass and make the usual small talk. Happy, and Hunter have each brought a couple of small gifts to offer to the losing party ¨C another part of the tradition. The leader accepts the gifts with measured thanks, but I can tell from her spikes that she¡¯s actually pretty impressed. The spear with a metal head and small dagger are probably enough to wow them, but when Hunter presents a bowl which slowly collects water from the air around and another which heats up the contents to the boiling point of water, I sense that impressed has turned into awe. The Pathwalker looks at me, her eyes round, her spikes flashing multi colours in her excitement. ¡°We are not worthy of these gifts,¡± she says, though I notice how she grips onto the water bowl as if she fears I might take them away. ¡°The gift is of the giver, not of the receiver,¡± I answer. I thought it was a pretty pompous way of responding, but apparently it¡¯s just as much the right thing to say this time as it has been the last ten times this has happened. Not that we¡¯ve been the winning party every time ¨C I¡¯ve lost three matches in total including my last with a Water-shaper. That¡¯s how I knew to look out for the trap this time ¨C I lost because I was caught and then swarmed and drowned by the water. I did learn that I can now survive a lot longer underwater before losing consciousness than before, though. There have also been stronger tribes we¡¯ve visited to present our gifts to, but that was in the context of them being the stronger party. Then, the gifts were more numerous and more humbly given. We continue sharing the carcass, the kind of small-talk now far more familiar to me even if I still don¡¯t enjoy it. I¡¯ve never liked that self-aggrandising rubbish, preferring actions to speak louder than words, but apparently that¡¯s how the game is played here. After it¡¯s all done, we return to our camp. I have to say that I¡¯ve noticed an attitude change in the samurans we pass even if they aren¡¯t exactly friendly. I suspect only the fact that either Catch or another Warrior stuck like glue to me any time I was out of our camp area in the first couple of days prevented some samurans from trying to get in a sneaky blow. After all, if they could pretend that they didn¡¯t realise I was a Pathwalker, they might have been able to get away with it. Now, though, I¡¯ve beaten the Pathwalkers of ten different villages, fought with three others, and gained the recognition of a further five. I¡¯ve proven that I¡¯m not just an oddity, nor that my village is weaker for having me as a leader. In fact, it¡¯s the reverse ¨C apparently the shaman lost against three of the Pathwalkers I defeated and, because of how I¡¯ve helped more samurans Evolve, they¡¯re actually in a better place numbers-wise than last time, if only for Pathwalkers. Just three more to go and then we¡¯ll have finished the obligatory social rounds. After that, I won¡¯t be needed any more ¨C the other Pathwalkers will be able to take it from there. Watch out, Tree warns. A hostile village approaches. We all turn to see a party of twelve Pathwalkers coming nearer, their spikes and body language expressing aggression and challenge. I groan internally ¨C I¡¯ve already done three challenges today. And this one doesn¡¯t look like a push-over. Not good, Tarra tells me, her mental voice nervous. This is the red tribe of the twelfth lower mountain. Shaman had a big argument with their leader last time, and managed to beat her in the ensuing battle. They lost influence because of it. She¡¯ll be looking to get revenge. And they are only just below the lead village of their tribe in ranking. Great. I stand up as the other party approaches, the other Pathwalkers of my village standing with me. ¡°We are the red tribe of the twelfth mountain,¡± the leader announces before I can speak. ¡°We challenge you, green tribe of the seventh upper mountain.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I say tiredly. ¡°Let¡¯s clear some space and get to it.¡± ¡°Ah, you think I speak of a mere battle between leaders?¡± the other Pathwalker says, a nasty combination of colours flickering through her scales, dominated by the orange of scorn. ¡°I think not. You aren¡¯t even one of the People; you¡¯re a jumped-up prey-beast. I won¡¯t sully my claws on you. No. Under the gaze of the ancestors in this sacred place, I challenge you to a Hunt.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Three: Trap Well, this might be the most blatantly my species has been brought up, but it¡¯s certainly not the first time. Heck, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been so hamstrung during my fights: while a normal Beast-tamer or Beast-whisperer or whatever would be expected to bring their companions into the fight with them, I haven¡¯t been able to. Not because I wasn¡¯t ¡®allowed¡¯ ¨C technically ¨C but more because winning with the help of others would have only ¡®proven¡¯ my ¡®weaker nature¡¯. At least Tarra seemed slightly embarrassed when she told me that. When Flower and Sticks agreed with her, I was forced to concede the point. Apparently those who use beasts to fight for them struggle at the best of times to truly prove themselves in the culture of samurans who hold individual strength as the highest goal. Relying on beasts means being vulnerable if they die or flee. The shaman¡¯s control over spirits was considered slightly more worthy since the spirits could not be killed and it was also an indication that she had been blessed by the ancestors. However, the fact that she did rely on spirits meant that the reputation of the village wasn¡¯t as high as it might have been with a different Pathwalker in charge. Given my different species and the fact that I have access to multiple different magics, all my Pathwalkers and Warriors who have been here before highly advised me to lean into my non-taming strengths. Prove that you are strong and can win even without access to your main skill and you will gain more reputation for yourself ¨C and for us, had been Shrieks¡¯ advice, and since all of the others agreed with him, I decided to take it. Apparently even the losses I had, which I could probably have won if I¡¯d brought even Bastet in to help me, were good for my reputation ¨C and therefore the village¡¯s. That was because I put up a better fight than anyone was expecting and even almost won against one of the strongest Pathwalkers of the gathering. Now, faced with a rival with an axe to grind, seizing on any opportunity to take down her opponent, I can¡¯t help but feel that my time of intentionally reducing my capabilities has come to an end. ¡°The Hunt,¡± I repeat flatly, playing for time. What is the ¡®hunt¡¯? I ask my samuran Bound hurriedly over the link. It¡¯s a different kind of challenge, Sticks quickly answers. One that does not put the two challengers head to head in a battle, but which sets their capabilities against each other in pursuit of a goal. ¡°You do know what the Hunt is, don¡¯t you?¡± the other leader asks, her tone patronising. ¡°Any true member of the People knows of it,¡± she continues challengingly. I glare back at her. ¡°Of course I do,¡¯ I respond firmly, even as my own Pathwalkers continue to explain what the Hunt is to me ¨C mental communication really is a bit of cheat. ¡°What form of Hunt do you propose? Single, Pathwalker, or Warband?¡± I ask. The shock that flashes through her spikes at the revelation that I actually do know what she¡¯s talking about is very gratifying. Take that, I say privately to myself. You¡¯ve tangled with the wrong ¡®prey-beast¡¯. Unfortunately, she gathers herself together too quickly for my tastes. ¡°Both Warband and Pathwalker versions would allow you to hide behind the strength of true People,¡± she sneers, her mouth gaped open in threat. ¡°A single challenge will prove that you are nothing in comparison to a true member of the People,¡± she answers. I shrug, not bothered by her insults: I care nothing for her opinion. And honestly, if the information I¡¯ve been told is anything to go by, perhaps this actually works in my favour since I have so many new Evolved as part of my ranks. A Pathwalker challenge would have applied to all Pathwalkers of both villages, and a Warband challenge would require at least half the Warriors we brought with us to join as well. A Single challenge only applies to the challenged and challenger and whatever resources they can individually command. A shame for her that, these days, I¡¯m never truly alone. The thought sends a waterfall of warmth through me and enables me to meet her eyes completely unafraid. ¡°Fine,¡± I agree. ¡°A Single Hunt. Then, as the challenged, I will set the terms for the abilities used.¡± I eye her, letting the tension mount ¨C and for my subtle Inspect to do its work. From what the other Pathwalkers say, technically I could deny any use of magic at all. That would make her job rather hard as a ¨C hmm, interesting, another telekineses user ¨C Pathwalker who specialises in magic. Far more difficult than my own task as a mixed magical and physical fighter. On the other hand, it would stop me from using healing magic and also wouldn¡¯t be well-received by the rest of the samurans. From what my Pathwalkers have told me, if it had been a Warrior challenge, it would be expected. As a Pathwalker challenge, though, it would be questionable to the point of perhaps casting doubt on my capabilities as a Pathwalker. I hate politics, I complain mentally. ¡°No restrictions on abilities used,¡± I decide. ¡°Anything your abilities grant you is permitted to be used. As for physical resources, you can use any you personally have directed to be made, or collected, or which have been directed to be made, or collected as a result of your personal abilities, magical or otherwise.¡± The other leader seems incredulous, but not in a bad way. Instead, it¡¯s like all her Christmasses and Birthdays have come all at once. Or whatever their equivalents are. I keep a straight face ¨C it¡¯s easier to hide my emotions when I don¡¯t have spikes which reveal them to the world. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°And you think that your ability to do¡­whatever you do is enough by itself? That you have no need for healing potions or resources which you have not personally made?¡± she asks incredulously as if I don¡¯t know what I just said. ¡°Or have been made as a direct result of the use of one of my abilities, yes, I understand.¡± I agree easily. ¡°And the same for you.¡± Trying to stay casual, I notice a Pathwalker standing with the other leader looking troubled. She leans forwards, perhaps to warn the other leader of something ¨C she may have paid more attention than most to my Pathwalker name. Most appear to think that it relates to my use of fire or poison ¨C perhaps she knows better. She fails, though. The other leader is too eager to, as she probably sees it, close the trap of my own making, and waves off her sister¡¯s attempts to communicate. ¡°I accept!¡± she exclaims, not bothering to hide her triumph. I notice the Pathwalker who was presumably trying to warn her displaying both fear and frustration. ¡°I call on the lead village of the red tribe to set our task and be the judges.¡± ¡°I object to the choice,¡± I immediately interject after a quick flurry of mental communication from my Pathwalkers. ¡°On the grounds of bias. I call on the lead villages of the yellow and blue tribes to set our task,¡± I say instead. According to my Pathwalkers, there is no way for her to contest that since the villages I¡¯m calling upon have no relation to ours. And by her clear frustration, the other Pathwalker wasn¡¯t expecting me to know that fact and take advantage of it. It doesn¡¯t take too much time for someone to run and fetch the leaders of each of the top villages for the blue and yellow tribes. The leader and I both stand where we are, having something of a staring contest while we wait. Of course, I¡¯m being more productive than the other leader probably is: while I¡¯m staring at her, I can also keep the mental conversation going with the rest of my group. I doubt she¡¯s able to do that. And apparently, since I¡¯m not obviously communicating with my group, she doesn¡¯t feel able to do so either, once more waving off any who try to converse with her. Including the Pathwalker who might have seen through my trap. Finally the representatives arrive. I recognise the leader of the yellow tribe as being the one who defeated me in our fight. I didn¡¯t fight the leader of the blue tribe: they were one of the villages we visited to offer tribute to. Both of them eye me and the other Pathwalker with no small amount of interest. ¡°We have been informed that a Single Hunt has been called and that we are to be the ones setting the task,¡± clicks Pathwalker Water-caller of the yellow tribe. ¡°Pathwalker Flying-blade, leader of the red tribe of the twelfth lower mountain, Pathwalker Tamer of the green tribe of the seventh upper mountain. Is this true?¡± asks Pathwalker Air-shaper of the blue tribe. ¡°It is, Honoured tribe leaders,¡± we both answer, using their titles as the lead Pathwalkers of the strongest villages in their tribes. ¡°What are the conditions?¡± As the challenged, I fill them in on what I have set. There is a long moment where the two tribe leaders put their heads together, their muzzles almost touching the other¡¯s ears. I see more than a couple of glances sent my way, some mostly hidden mirth flashing across their spikes. A knot forms in my stomach. Of all samurans at this festival, I suspect that they would be the most likely to know the extent of my abilities ¨C and thereby the gaping loophole I¡¯ve left in my conditions. Apparently coming to a decision, Pathwalker Water-caller steps forwards. ¡°We approve of the conditions set,¡± she says first. The knot loosens in my stomach as relief goes through me. ¡°No aid is to be rendered to either challenger from any member of the People unless the challenger has a natural ability which entitles her to it.¡± She looks at both of us intently. ¡°This is your last chance to back out of the challenge. After this point, you and your village will be Shamed as long as you are the leader if you choose to back out later. Do either of you wish to withdraw your participation?¡± It¡¯s odd, but I get the feeling that Water-caller is actually rooting for me. Her question seems more addressed to the other Pathwalker than to me ¨C and her emphasis on the ¡®unless¡¯ in her conditions seems like a warning to Flying-blade about the loophole I¡¯ve left. Unfortunately for the other Pathwalker, she doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed what I have, almost immediately reaffirming her participation. ¡°I wish to continue with the challenge,¡± I agree too when Water-caller looks at me a moment later, the brief appearance of exasperation the only indication that my previous thoughts might have been right. ¡°Then here is the task. On the longest night, we must always sacrifice something of great importance to revive the Bond between us and our ancestors. Your task is to find an object which exceeds in power the one we have already prepared. The object which is used in the ritual will win. If neither of your objects at least match the one we have already prepared, you will both be considered to have lost, and your villages will lose favour with all villages currently present.¡± ¡°Are we allowed to see the object you have prepared?¡± Flying-blade asks with less confidence than she¡¯d had before. ¡°No,¡± Pathwalker Air-shaper denies. ¡°We do not wish you to limit your search to something which only barely surpasses what we already have. We wish you both to show us what you are capable of. Any other questions?¡¯ I have one. ¡°What is our time limit?¡± I ask. Obviously there is one: if they want to use the object for whatever this celebration is, we will have to return before then. But how long before the ceremony will they need us back? The two Pathwalkers exchange glances. ¡°By the time the sun dips to touch the horizon on the day before the longest night, we must have the object within our claws.¡± That¡¯s a bit more than four days, then. I can work with that. Seeing that there are no more questions, the two tribe leaders return to their own groups. The samurans who have gathered around us mostly disperse: the show is apparently over. I pull back to my own group: there¡¯s a lot we need to discuss and decide before I get going. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Four: To Win This Competition ¡°I presume you can give me some idea of what kind of object I need to collect to win this challenge,¡± I say tersely to my group as we return to our campsite. Some idea, yes, Tarra answers. Enough of one that you should be able to exceed normal expectations, adds Poison, surprisingly supportive. What? he asks in confusion as I look at him. You have more than exceeded expectations for what you¡¯ve been able to accomplish in our village. I see no reason why this should be any different. I send him a warm feeling. Although I hadn¡¯t realised he felt that strongly about it, it¡¯s nice to be appreciated. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say to them all, the group of samurans who once saw me only as a prey-beast to use, and now are some of my strongest supporters. Well, with a few notable exceptions. But even those are coming around. ¡°So, what can you tell me?¡± The object varies, but it is always something of power. Either a Core of a strong beast, or a fruit of a powerful tree, or an object from the earth that contains its might. Most of the time it is a Core of a powerful beast, usually close to or past its second Evolution. ¡°And I need to get it back here for the longest night, which means I have four days?¡± Four and a half, Flower answers. You do not need to submit the object until nightfall. I lean back against the mounded earth which is made into a sort of chair for me, thinking. In order to win this competition, I need to not only beat the object that the other leader, Flying-blade, brings back, but I also need to bring back something better than what they already have. Which means that I have to assume that the object they have is at least the level of a Tier three beast. It might, in fact, not quite be that high, but without being allowed to inspect what they¡¯ve collected, I won¡¯t know until too late. I consider the possibility of bringing back some object of power other than a Core. The problem with that is my lack of knowledge both about these objects and about where to find them. My Earth-Shaping might be able to find or make one of these things from the earth, and perhaps one of my Bound might know of a tree powerful enough to produce the kind of objects I need. But I don¡¯t know enough about either of those. Checking with the samurans and my other Bound around me, my suspicions are confirmed ¨C none of them know where I might find such objects. If we knew, why would we tell you? demands Windy. We¡¯d have just brought it ourselves as part of our tribute and raised the village¡¯s reputation. It was a fair point, if a little rudely put. I eye her warningly until she looks away, my non-verbal reprimand for her tone enough. I¡¯ve come to understand that ¡®abrasive¡¯ is just her default position ¨C she¡¯s like that with everyone except those whose favour she wants to curry. I dismiss her from my mind ¨C she¡¯s less than important at the moment. It looks like I¡¯m going to have to take on a Tier three beast which doesn¡¯t fill me with great joy considering what happened the last time I fought one of them. Then again, we¡¯ve all advanced in power since then. Besides, the same Tier three beast we fought owes me more than one favour. Maybe it¡¯s time to collect on one of those. As I consider the idea, I like it more and more. And I know just the beast to target. A way of striking two birds with one stone, as the saying goes. Though I¡¯ll need to make sure that it¡¯s even possible before I commit to it. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, opening my eyes and looking around. A quiet murmur of conversation has sprung up while I¡¯ve been thinking, my different Bound discussing possibilities for winning this challenge. As I speak, though, all eyes turn to me and it goes quiet ¨C perhaps they hear the decision in my voice. ¡°I¡¯ve got a plan. I¡¯m going to assume that I will need to defeat a Tier three beast to get its Core to win this, and I have a beast in mind for it. But just in case, I¡¯ll check with Kalanthia and Raven to find out if they have any better ideas. ¡°Fortunately, the rules of the challenge leave some wriggle room for me. At least, that¡¯s how I tried to make them ¨C that I can use the help of any who are Bound to me through my Tamer Class Skills. Would you all agree with that interpretation?¡± The Pathwalkers look around at each other. That¡¯s our interpretation too, Tarra answers cautiously. We are Bound to you as¡­beasts would be to a Beast-tamer, she says slowly, discomfort flashing through her spikes. Windy looks away with a samuran equivalent of a scowl and several other Pathwalkers avoid my gaze. Only Catch, River and the most recently-Evolved samurans are willing to meet my eyes with no shame or discomfort present. Our aid should be counted as directed under your abilities.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Alright, good. That¡¯s what I was hoping. Anyway, I¡¯m not going to take all of you with me. Most of you will be more use to the village staying here and continuing to talk with other villages ¨C and mate.¡± I grimace a little at the last bit, an uncomfortable memory returning about that. From the quickly hidden amusement I see flashing through several of the samurans¡¯ spikes, they remember it too. ¡°Besides,¡± I say, moving swiftly on, ¡°if I do go ahead with the beast I have in mind, having too many around will be problematic.¡± I look around at everyone, trying to decide who might be the best to take with me. Any Tier three is likely to have a high health pool, and the one I¡¯m considering probably even more so. We¡¯ll need fighters to whittle it down, as well as stop it from moving around too much. ¡°River, Joy, Dusty, I¡¯d like to take you with me,¡± I decide. ¡°And Yells,¡± I add, making a snap decision. Thus far, she¡¯s mostly used her reflecting and enhancing skills to defend herself, which would be useful in this fight too, but I have an instinct which tells me that her capabilities might extend beyond that. I would like to take Tarra with me too ¨C potions are always useful ¨C but I¡¯m wary about bringing too many Pathwalkers with me. I can¡¯t forget that this challenge is very much a distraction from the main purpose of being here. ¡°Do you¡­¡± I grimace again at needing to ask the question. ¡°Do you think that you have already¡­mated enough?¡± River, wretch that she is, just sends amusement over our Bond at my discomfort. Thankfully, she answers without teasing me further. ¡°I sense that I have mated enough to fertilise my eggs,¡± she says frankly. ¡°Ideally, I would like to mate a bit more to increase the chances that my eggs will all be fertilised by strong Warriors, but I can do that during the longest night if we do not return sooner. Is it the same with you, sisters?¡± The other Pathwalkers all agree with River, saving me from having to talk about the subject any more. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m a prude, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to invade their privacy any more than I have to. I shudder to think of the reaction of the average woman on Earth if I asked whether she feels as though she¡¯s had enough sex. ¡°Alright, good,¡± I say, trying to move swiftly on again. The good thing is that all but Joy of the four Pathwalkers I¡¯ve talked about are here for the first time so they don¡¯t have much influence. The downside is that by taking them away, they will have less time to talk with others of their level in other villages. However, being part of the winning party in this challenge should help make up for that. If I understand samuran dynamics correctly, of course. ¡°Bastet, you¡¯ll of course be coming with me. Storm, Ninja, would you like to join us? It will be dangerous, especially since you haven¡¯t yet Evolved,¡± I warn. Storm immediately disdains that. I get the sense that she¡¯d agree with the statement ¡®I laugh in the face of danger¡¯. Ninja is a little more cautious, but she¡¯s just as firm in her desire to come. For her, it¡¯s the fact that the ¡®pack¡¯ are all going that makes the biggest difference. ¡®I will support the pack¡¯, I can imagine her saying. ¡°OK, fine. Fenrir, I¡¯ll need you,¡± I say next. Help pack leader! Fenrir chirps happily, waving his tail from side to side. The two samurans near him rapidly push themselves away, warily eyeing the poisoned tips to the spikes on his tail. ¡°Lathani,¡± I start and then sigh. ¡°You also haven¡¯t yet Evolved, which makes it dangerous to take you into this fight,¡± I say frankly. ¡°But I¡¯m also wary of leaving you here.¡± I want to come, she says stubbornly. You are letting my sisters come. I want to come too. I sigh again, eyeing all three of them. The fact is that if they are part of a fight against a Tier three, they are likely to receive lots of Energy into their systems which would help with their progress. Lathani especially would benefit ¨C she¡¯s almost completed her Energy channel repairs. The Energy from the death of a Tier three could even be enough to push her close to Evolution. ¡°Alright,¡± I agree. ¡°But I want all of you to be very careful, and to stay mostly at the sidelines unless you can see that there¡¯s a reasonably safe opening. OK?¡± I wait until all three felines give their agreement, grudging or otherwise, and then look away. ¡°Sirocco goes without saying, we¡¯ll need your aerial view, whatever we actually end up doing,¡± I tell her. The bird is sitting on top of an earthen mound but she hops to my shoulder and nuzzles against my cheek. As if I¡¯d let you go off without me, she huffs, biting my ear lightly. I grin and rub at her chest feathers. ¡°Other than that, I¡¯d like to take Catch, though I think Pride had better stay here.¡± I look at the practically-inseparable pair. ¡°Is that alright for you? If you don¡¯t want to be separated, I understand.¡± The two exchange a glance. Why can¡¯t Pride come? Catch asks on their behalf. ¡°Frankly, he¡¯s too big,¡± I sigh. ¡°If we go for the beast I have in mind, we will have rather limited space. It¡¯s the same reason that I only want to take Poison and maybe another scout-type Warrior,¡± I say. Take me, another samuran speaks up. We all look at him. Iandee hesitates a little as he sees all eyes on him, but then rallies. Take me, Honoured Tamer. Please. Let me help you win this. I eye him carefully. He looks determined. ¡°You know that we intend to face a Tier three beast, right?¡± I ask. ¡°The same level of beast who killed Peace and Murmur.¡± Grief splashes across Iandee¡¯s spikes, but it doesn¡¯t seem to soften his determination. I know. And I have been training ever since to become better so that this time I won¡¯t have to watch one of my brothers or sisters die in front of me. I continue considering him carefully. It¡¯s true that he¡¯s been training like a man ¨C samuran ¨C possessed. There have been quite a few ranking fights among the Warriors, more than among the Pathwalkers as there were more samurans who Evolved to become a male fighter than a female magic-user. During those, Iandee has steadily risen in the ranks. He hasn¡¯t broken the top five Warriors, but he¡¯s made it to number seven. Honestly, from that alone he¡¯s a decent choice, and he does have a lithe scout build. And besides that, how can I deny his desire to face his own fears? ¡°Fine. That¡¯s a big enough party, I think. If we can¡¯t kill a Tier three beast with this number of good fighters, we don¡¯t deserve to win,¡± I tell them half-jokingly. ¡°Does anyone have any questions or concerns?¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Five: To Dishearten Although there are a few questions, none of them cause me to make any changes to the plan, the first step of which is to meet up with Kalanthia and Raven. Tarra¡¯s questions about which potions we wish to take with us do delay us a little, though, as it turns out that she doesn¡¯t have all the potions I¡¯d like to accompany us in stock. She does have the majority of the ingredients at least, so she and River get going with making those. While they do that, I take a moment to go through the bodies and Energy channels of the various Bound who are coming with me, checking that none of them have any hidden issues which might mean they shouldn¡¯t join us. Inspect is very good for highlighting injuries, even small ones, but it¡¯s not always so good at detecting other problems. I find that Catch seems to be suffering from some sort of viral infection and it takes me a little bit to work out how to heal him from it. I¡¯d probably have found it easier to do if I still had Lay-on-hands but Flesh-Shaping just doesn¡¯t work the same way. Still, I¡¯m experienced enough with my Skill now that it also doesn¡¯t take me an age to sort it out. Much like with poison, it turns out that the best way for me to deal with the viral infection is to boost Catch¡¯s natural defences against it, ease the symptoms of that, and heal the damage caused both by virus and defences. The benefit of this method is that I suspect his body will be stronger against this same virus now where perhaps if I¡¯d just used Flesh-Shaping to take over the cells of the virus and cause them to attack each other ¨C which would have both been possible and another way of dealing with it ¨C wouldn¡¯t have been the result. I also discover that Dusty has picked up a parasite from somewhere. Probably from the mating, if its place in her womb is anything to go by. It appears to be feeding on her embryonic eggs ¨C both parasite and eggs probably are the size of a pinhead, but both will grow. She¡¯s obviously alarmed when I tell her, and relieved when I use Flesh-Shaping to force it out. On the ground, the parasite is barely visible to the naked eye, only my enhanced vision allowing me to see any detail on it at all. It¡¯s like a wiggly worm, and I know from ¡®seeing¡¯ it inside the womb that it had a leech-like mouth that stuck itself to the side of an egg and started sucking. Tarra is even more alarmed when she sees it. I have never seen one so small, she says, prodding it with a stick to watch it wiggle. But I recognise it from when sisters laid a much-reduced brood of eggs. She prods it again. I shall have to warn the other villages about it, she continues. Looking up, gratitude comes through the link. Thank you. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I reply. ¡°The benefits of having a Flesh-Shaper around. But how does the parasite get inside? Mating?¡± I don¡¯t know, Tarra answers slowly. If it is through mating, then perhaps one of the Warriors has been infested with these parasites. ¡°That was my concern,¡± I agree grimly. ¡°While you finish up here, I¡¯ll check all the Pathwalkers over ¨C see if anyone else has it. If they do, we can see whether any of them have mated with the same Warrior or Warriors.¡± She agrees and turns back to her potions after I check her over. Tarra is free, as is River and Yells. Windy, Joy, Flower, and Sticks, however, all have the same parasite and are all horrified to realise it. Windy, interestingly enough, is even more shaken than the others. I realise why when Joy makes a comment about that explaining her reduced brood the previous year. If she¡¯s already experienced the effects, I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t want it happening again. I set them to discussing with Dusty to work out if they have any Warriors in common. After checking all the Pathwalkers, I quickly go over the Warriors just in case one of them has picked it up from somewhere. Fortunately, they¡¯re all clear. Finally, I eye the other possible explanation of where the five Pathwalkers picked up the parasite: the mating hut. It¡¯s certainly seen a lot of use, and I¡¯m as hesitant to go in as I probably should have been my own bedroom when I was a horny ¨C and untidy ¨C teenager. I went into the hut once when it had just been built, and then not since. Not for lack of trying from the various Warriors around, of course. The first proposition happened on the third day when, apparently, public opinion coalesced to decide that I was enough of a Pathwalker to surely be open to mating¡­. ¡°Pathwalker Tamer?¡± a Warrior says coming up from behind me. I warily turn, my hand tightening around my spear and my mind prepared to lash out with magic if necessary. Catch and Poison by my side also turn, their expressions and spikes indicating their readiness to defend me. ¡°Yes?¡± I respond shortly. ¡°I was¡­I am from the yellow tribe of the ninth mountain. I was wondering if you would¡­like to visit my village¡¯s mating hut with me?¡± He sounds very unsure and I suddenly wonder just how long he¡¯s been Evolved. I shoot a quelling look at Catch when I see his posture relax and amusement come through the link at him. For a moment, I¡¯m lost for words, a shiver going down my spine at the thought. I still have no idea about what samuran genitals are like from the outside and I have no intention of finding out. At the same time, I could cause offence to his village if I reject him as violently as I would like to. Plus, I remember being a teenage boy at school and trying to ask a girl out on a date. I¡¯m getting distinct vibes that this is almost as bad for the Warrior asking. ¡°Thank you for your offer,¡± I start, figuring that that couldn¡¯t go wrong. Except it seems to as the samuran perks up. Stop sniggering in your head, I growl down the Bond at Catch and Poison. Traitors, both of them. ¡°But I¡¯m not female. I¡¯m male.¡± He looks very confused. ¡°But you are a Pathwalker? You have clearly proven this.¡± ¡°I am not the same species as you,¡± I point out. ¡°But you are a Pathwalker,¡± he reemphasises, as if that should be all that matters. I sigh, giving up. ¡°I¡¯m sterile,¡± I say finally figuring that that is the best explanation which he might actually accept. Besides, I definitely am sterile for whatever mating samurans do even if I was interested in trying. The Warrior draws back, horror all over his face. ¡°My deepest commiserations,¡± the Warrior tells me, stumbling backwards as if I¡¯ve got something contagious. ¡°May the ancestors have mercy upon you.¡± With that, he turns tail and practically runs away from me. Neither Catch nor Poison try to hide their amusement and I growl at them loudly. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the end of it all. Despite rumours of my ¡®sterility¡¯ going around the festival area, it didn¡¯t stop a few samurans from trying. In fact, some tried to convince me that even if I was sterile, mating was still so pleasurable that I should do it anyway. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Nope. No thanks. Not my thing. And now, it seems like I¡¯m going into a mating hut anyway, though fortunately not accompanied by anyone. Inside, even my relatively-dull nose is filled with a musky scent which my instinct can recognise despite never having smelt it before. I grimace and focus on using Inspect with my desire to find the parasite. Nothing shows up, nor does a visual search with the help of Aingeal¡¯s light show any sort of wriggling worms on the earthen floor of the hut. Clearly, if there are parasites here, they¡¯re well-hidden. I leave the hut and breathe in the fresh air with relief. Outside, I find that everyone is now ready. The previously-infected Pathwalkers have identified a short list of names of Warriors they all mated with, and the potions are ready. I move over to load them into my Inventory, the best way of carrying supplies which won¡¯t lose their Energy. Thank you again for discovering the egg-eater, Tarra tells me earnestly. And it is good that you extracted them alive ¨C like this I will be able to prove to the other villages that we are not mistaken. ¡°Good,¡± I nod to her and then turn to the group waiting for me. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s go win this challenge!¡± I tell the group and am met with resolve and excitement underscored by more than a little fear. This whole group knows that Tier threes aren¡¯t to be messed with. We head out of the campsite and towards where I know Kalanthia has made her base. I figure I¡¯ll check with her first and then Raven after since she¡¯s probably explored more of the area recently than Raven has. Just before we reach the curtain of vines which makes up the wall of this clearing, a loud grunt and click cracks through the air. ¡°I do hope you¡¯re not planning on accepting aid from any of those People with you, challenger,¡± I turn to see that Flying-blade hasn¡¯t left yet either. She¡¯s clearly been strategising with her group as well as I see her Pathwalkers clustered around in a circle just behind her. ¡°I am, actually,¡± I say casually in response. ¡°This is my party who are going to help me beat this challenge.¡± The other Pathwalker seems lost for words for a moment. Among her group, I see reactions ranging from confusion to the same glee that spreads across Flying-blade¡¯s spikes when my words register. Only the one Pathwalker I noticed before who seemed to realise what was going on looks like she understands, the dull colour of defeat creeping into her expression. ¡°Healer, Speedy, go fetch the judges,¡± I hear Flying-blade murmur to the Pathwalkers just behind her. The samurans push themselves quickly to their feet and then dash off quickly towards two other campsites, one noticeably faster than the other. I wait patiently with my party around me. We could just go, suggests Bastet, clearly not quite so patient. ¡°We could,¡± I agree. ¡°But it would be better to make this clear now. We¡¯re operating within the rules that she agreed to. That¡¯s on her.¡± It might also help to dishearten her, River assesses, her eyes narrowed in disdain as she looks at the other Pathwalker. If she knows that she has opened herself to a challenge where she has to beat practically a whole warband and is only allowed herself to operate alone¡­. And it will badly impact her reputation that she was ignorant enough not to realise what Hunt she agreed to, Poison adds. She will have to work extra hard to impress others with whatever she brings back to make up for it, even if she is unlikely to actually win. ¡°You don¡¯t think that it will reflect badly on us that we are taking a whole group when she is forced to be alone?¡± I check with him, hit by a sudden doubt. Not that I¡¯m going to change my mind now, but it would be good to know how our actions will be taken so that we can try to act accordingly. No, Poison replies firmly. There may be the odd one who says such things, but a challenge like this is different from a battle between Pathwalkers or between Warriors. There, it is personal strength and skill against personal strength and skill. A Hunt, however, even when between two challengers is about using all possible ways to win: the end is far more important than the means. A challenger who sneaks past a sleeping beast to retrieve a treasure is just as worthy as one who battles the beast to gain it. As long as the rules of the challenge are met, anything goes. The minutes go by and I start getting a little impatient. Four days is little enough time as it is and the sun is already past its zenith. We¡¯re wasting time here. While we wait, other samurans gather to once more watch the action ¨C we¡¯re daytime TV here. Then the two Pathwalkers appear, the ones who adjudicated the original challenge. They don¡¯t look very pleased to have been called. ¡°What is all this about breaking the terms of the Hunt?¡± Air-shaper asks as soon as she¡¯s in range. ¡°Can you not see?¡± Flying-blade leapt to answer. ¡°The jumped up prey-beast is bringing with it so many of its village! And has admitted that it intends to use their aid to win the challenge! This is against the rules.¡± Water-caller and Air-shaper exchange glances, exasperation spilling into their spikes. ¡°For all around us to witness, Pathwalker Tamer, could you please explain your actions,¡± Water-caller asks me with the darkening of irritation in her spikes. ¡°The rules stated that we are unable to ask for aid from others of the People,¡± I start, watching the satisfaction grow on my opponent¡¯s face and looking forward to seeing her reaction to my next words, ¡°unless we have a natural ability which entitles us to it. I am merely exercising that exception.¡± ¡°What?¡± Flying-blade¡¯s expression is replaced with uncertain confusion, especially when neither of the adjudicating Pathwalkers leap in to castigate or refute me. ¡°But¡­you use the life-devourer, some sort of body-changing ability, and have some influence over the earth. I watched every battle you have had! How can you have some sort of ability to entitle you to aid from others?¡± ¡°Did you not ever question why I¡¯m called Pathwalker Tamer?¡± I demand, more exasperated than anything else myself. Why would she think that someone was sure to reveal all their cards if they don¡¯t have to? And how come no one has yet enlightened her? ¡°I can use fire, yes, and shape flesh, yes, and shape the earth, yes. But none of those are my key ability. My key ability is more like your beast-tamers than anything else.¡± That sets the samurans around to murmuring. Most of those I can hear enough to decipher seem to be more gleeful over Flying-blade¡¯s misjudgement than critical of me. ¡°And just to clarify for everyone, you have¡­tamed all of those around you? Including the Pathwalkers and Warriors?¡± Air-shaper asks, disapproval in her expression. ¡°I have,¡± I answer simply. The murmuring gets louder, both curious and uneasy. I have a feeling I know why ¨C as far as I know, the other beast-tamers are only that: tamers of beasts. I don¡¯t know whether any of them were able to do what I¡¯ve done with other samurans. ¡°I beat every single one of the Warriors and Pathwalkers in the village in a ranking challenge when I came, and tamed each of them,¡± I explain, sensing that they needed a little more information. Certainly, the general tone of the murmurings around me improve slightly ¨C as I¡¯ve already experienced, samurans very much believe in might makes right, so the idea that I proved my might first apparently makes the whole situation more palatable to them. Nonetheless, I note a few dark looks from some of the older Pathwalkers around, those with cracks starting to appear in their scales. Unease is still there too; understandably so. ¡°Then we find that no rule has been broken. The Hunt continues,¡± answers Air-shaper without any of that unease found in some of her sisters. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to be disadvantaged,¡± Water-caller snaps at Flying-blade as she looks as if she¡¯s about to protest, panic and fear both playing through her spikes, ¡°you should have more thoroughly done your research before proposing the Hunt. You had your opportunity to withdraw; now you must either complete the challenge or Shame your village.¡± With that, the two Pathwalkers strode off back to their own campsites. I look around at my Bound. ¡°We¡¯ve wasted enough time. Let¡¯s go.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Six: Favour An hour later, I¡¯m still satisfied at how that whole confrontation turned out. I¡¯m also drawing close to where Kalanthia has made her temporary den. Being an accomplished Earth-Shaper, making a home away from home is the work of only minutes for her. This time I can see that she¡¯s made an effort to conceal her presence ¨C I¡¯m only able to find the den because I¡¯ve already visited her here once before. Most of it is underground, only a small mound above the earth indicating where the entrance is for those who know. The entrance itself is a small hole concealed by another mound of earth ¨C Kalanthia must make it bigger when she wants to pass through it as it¡¯s barely big enough for me to crawl through; definitely not her size. She¡¯s also done something to conceal the whole area from magical senses. I noticed it last time too, and want to ask her to teach me when we have more time. Somehow, even though I know that there is a large, hollow space below the ground, I can¡¯t feel it there, not even with earth-magic. Every attempt I make just indicates that it¡¯s solid under there. ¡°Kalanthia?¡± I call, wondering where she is. I am here, Markus Wolfe, her mental voice tells me. Of course, mental voices don¡¯t offer the same sort of directionality that a physical voice does, but that¡¯s solved a moment later when she drops a little package of images into my mind. I follow the trail of image breadcrumbs past the mound and then to the right. Pushing through the thick undergrowth would be harder than it is if I didn¡¯t have my strength or my protective hide armour ¨C several of the bushes around are spiky. And I suspect that at least one is capable of moving in ways plants from Earth are not if the way I see some of the tendrils twitch and slither away from me is any indication. At least the plant is smart enough not to attack our party. Emerging from the mess of bushes, I¡¯m struck with a sight which makes my eyebrows rise into my regrown shaggy hairline. Raven and Kalanthia are¡­together? And not biting each other¡¯s heads off either verbally or literally? ¡°Well, this is new,¡± I remark to the two of them when I¡¯m both able to speak and continue walking forwards. The rest of my party breaks through the last of the undergrowth and into the small clearing, evidently recently made. Probably for Raven to be able to take flight easily. Lathani runs towards her mother to greet her. Bastet, Storm, Ninja, and I follow to do the same, though at a more sedate pace. The three alcaoris hatchlings dash over to me as quickly as they can too and wait impatiently for me to finish greeting Kalanthia. I rub their scales in their favourite places ¨C each of them prefers a different spot. Sending a quick pulse of magic through them, I determine that they¡¯re not any worse than when I last saw them two days ago. In fact, Daphne and Ivor¡¯s crazy mish-mashes of internal channels seem slightly more logical. They also haven¡¯t gone backwards with their physical forms, fortunately. Noir, of course, is unchanged, though perhaps a little bigger. ¡°When did you two get all friendly?¡± I ask curiously when the greetings are all done, the rest of my party just showing more or less fearful respect towards the two Tier threes. The thing is that while Raven and Kalanthia haven¡¯t tried to fight since I helped them form an Alliance, they¡¯ve still been very far from buddy-buddy. There¡¯s been a spoken and unspoken understanding to avoid each other¡¯s indicated territory and to try to ignore the other as much as possible. Even when we were travelling together, they mostly greeted the Guardians individually and didn¡¯t speak on the rare occasion they were both with our caravan at once. I hadn¡¯t considered what they might do while the rest of us were at the Festival, but if I had, I would probably have said that they would try to stay apart as much as possible, continuing the standoffish truce. The evidence in front of my eyes, however, indicates differently. We realised that we have some things in common, Kalanthia explained. We are both Enlightened beasts away from our families. We both have young who have been badly hurt. And we are both here because of you. Well, as a summary, that¡¯s pretty accurate, I have to admit. ¡°And this has allowed you to build, what, a friendship?¡± I wouldn¡¯t go that far, replies Raven coolly, though his body language towards Kalanthia tells me differently. He¡¯s relaxed in a way I¡¯ve only seen him with his hatchlings, when he forgets to be wary of me. But I have¡­appreciated the company. ¡°Your own brothers are still giving you trouble?¡± I ask sympathetically. Raven sighs, a gust of slightly-warm breath huffing through his nostrils. Yes, he admits. They still will not allow me access to the hatchling grounds. According to him, alcaorises aren¡¯t social in the sense that samurans are. They don¡¯t live together the majority of the time. They don¡¯t come together in big groups to face threats. They don¡¯t even hunt together much, and if so, only in parties of two or three at the most and that usually only at Tier one. But when it comes to raising their offspring, there is this period of time every mating cycle ¨C which from the indications he¡¯s given is probably about a decade long ¨C when the fathers who have successfully hatched their eggs bring their hatchlings to the ancestral hatching grounds. Apparently the hatching grounds are where the alcaoris fathers bring their new hatchlings to meet each other and to interact, learning to fight, to play, and to be with others of their kind. It also gives the fathers a bit of a break as they take it in turns to fetch food for everyone, and social contact which Raven won¡¯t admit that he misses. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The problem is that, due to the problems the young alcaorises are still suffering from, too many of the other alcaoris fathers are not willing to accept that it has been a successful hatching. They see Noir, Daphne, and Ivar as being deformed and disabled, doomed to die young ¨C not true alcaorises. And they have barred Raven from the hatching grounds as a result. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say to him honestly. He turns his head away from my sympathy ¨C the prideful beast has difficulty admitting any sort of vulnerability. That apparently he¡¯s been able to get over himself enough to build something of a friendship with Kalanthia is amazing. Why are you here, Markus Wolfe? Kalanthia asks, perhaps to distract the attention from Raven and his continuing issues with his kind. I willingly go with it ¨C I don¡¯t have unlimited time, after all. Explaining the Hunt and my task, I soon have both Tier threes¡¯ eyes on me. At some point, I sit down, the three dragonlings pressing in close to me as I speak. Apparently Ivar, Noir, and Daphne have missed me. Treasures, Raven muses as I finish. They seek some treasure to empower their group. ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s about?¡± I ask, glancing at Joy and Poison who are most likely to know the answer to my question. The ritual of the long-dark does empower us in some way, Joy admits. It is hard to explain it, but those who make it to the Festival are often healthier and stronger than those who do not. It is why we must make sure not to leave the same Warriors behind every time ¨C and another reason for why we bring all our Pathwalkers, even the newest, despite the danger of the journey. ¡°I see,¡± I say thoughtfully. ¡°And does it make a difference to the ritual what kind of object is brought back?¡± Logically, I would have thought it did ¨C different Energy Hearts have proven to have different effects on Energy channels, after all. On the other hand, if it¡¯s just being used as a power source, to amplify something else that the Pathwalkers do¡­. I do not know, Joy admits, Poison flicking his tail in uncertain negation as I look at him next. ¡°Alright,¡± I say to them, then turn my attention back to Raven and Kalanthia. ¡°Do either of you know of a treasure nearby which we could aim for that would suit the requirements?¡± They are both silent for a long moment as they consider the matter. I do not know of any treasure that is not already claimed, Raven replies first. If I did, I would have already claimed it for myself or my hatchlings. ¡°Then you know of some treasures which are already claimed?¡± I check. I do, he answers, though since the treasures I know of are ones that I would not dare claim for myself because of their Guardians, I suspect that you will not want to try for them either. ¡°Well, that depends,¡± I say non-committedly. ¡°What about you, Kalanthia?¡± She huffs and comes closer to me, presenting her chin for me to scratch. When I start doing so, she rumbles in pleasure. Not one to be left out, Lathani comes over to receive her due, shoving Ivar out of the way to get through to me. The alcaoris hatchlings hiss and snap at her for her invasion and I¡¯m distracted as I am forced to deal with the issue or risk World War III breaking out on my lap. ¡°Stop it all of you,¡± I reprimand them sharply. ¡°Lathani, you pushed Ivar out of the way ¨C he¡¯s understandably upset by that. Come sit here where there¡¯s space. I¡¯ll stroke all of you in turn, OK?¡± They all grumble about that but settle as I start fulfilling my promise. Kalanthia grumbles even more loudly when I withdraw my hand from her chin to stroke Lathani. I fix her with a mock-glare. ¡°Like I said to your daughter, everyone gets a turn,¡± I tell her teasingly. She grumbles again wordlessly, but then sighs and finally gets around to answering my previous question. I am afraid I cannot offer much good advice to you on this matter. Similar to Ravenous, the treasures I know of around here are powerful enough to meet ¨C or exceed ¨C your requirements, but they are guarded by beasts more powerful than I would expect you to be able to overcome. The deeper into the valley, the more powerful the beast must be to maintain their territory. Most of the beasts around here are at least as strong as Ravenous. Even at full strength, I sense that she begins speaking privately only to me, I would have to be careful with quite a number of them too. Your party is not stealthy enough to be able to steal the treasure and avoid being tracked by its enraged Guardian either. ¡°Alright,¡± I say slowly, my mind turning over the information. Looks like I¡¯ll be going with Plan B after all. ¡°Then Raven, I would like to call in one of the three favours you owe me. I would like you to help me with this Hunt.¡± The alcaoris looks at me, startled and a little uncharacteristically nervous. I am not certain we could win against most of the beasts around here even if we fight alongside each other, he warns me. Several of the treasures I know of are guarded by other, stronger members of my kind. ¡°But do you think we could kill a Tier three if we work together?¡± I ask him with my eyes narrowed. ¡°Not one guarding a treasure.¡± Raven eyes me for a moment. Yes, he says a moment later, more thoughtfully. If we targeted one who was not of my kind, one who would be vulnerable to my attacks, perhaps. My kind is generally more powerful than another of the same stage so if we attacked another at the beginning of Tier three, we would probably win. Especially if it is not a Guardian with a treasure. There could easily be casualties among your numbers, however ¨C a clash between Enlightened beasts often has an impact on the environment around. I know that he doesn¡¯t care about those in my party, so this concern is rather uncharacteristic of him. He¡¯s nervous, I realise, looking at him and feeling the muted sensations he¡¯s projecting over the Bond. ¡°If you¡¯re hurt, I¡¯ll heal you to the best of my abilities,¡± I promise him, wondering if that¡¯s what he¡¯s concerned about. I would hope so, Raven snaps, sounding more like himself for a moment. Then he hesitates. If I am killed, you will take good care of my hatchlings, yes? Ah. Right. Father. Perhaps becoming a parent has made him more cautious, especially when considering the disastrous consequences of his decision to submerge his eggs in Pure Energy. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell him. ¡°But I doubt you¡¯ll be dying. Not with the target I have in mind.¡± And what is that? he asks curiously. I sense that the attention of everyone else with me sharpens too ¨C he¡¯s not the only one who wants to know. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Seven: Two Birds With One Stone ¡°Before I answer that, can you just tell me something? How fast could you fly back to our den area?¡± At full speed? Raven asked thoughtfully. If I left now, I would probably return to my lair before the first moon has reached its zenith. I nod slowly. That makes it perhaps four or five hours. Not bad. We travelled faster than anticipated to get here from the samuran village, making the journey in sixteen days rather than twenty, which makes Raven¡¯s estimate very impressive on the face of it. Of course, we were limited in the speed we made on foot because of the cyrans and the cart, and the fact that we couldn¡¯t travel in a straight line as we were forced to avoid certain topographical hazards. We were also limited in the number of hours we could travel due to the longer nights and the need to build a shelter every time we stopped. Then there were the occasional fights which delayed things further. If I had travelled with a small party, especially if I¡¯d had a mount for when my stamina ran out, I would have probably covered the distance in half the time, even with the same topographical features and the occasional fight. When all that is taken into account, the idea that Raven, who would be able to fly in a straight line with no obstacles and ¨C hopefully ¨C no fights might be able to make the same distance in a fraction of the time is slightly more plausible. He must still be able to fly bloody fast, though. ¡°Alright. And what if you were carrying passengers?¡± Passengers. Me. His deadpan tone reveals exactly what he thinks about the idea. ¡°As part of that favour to me ¨C this would count as you helping with the Hunt,¡± I remind him. He eyes me with his massive bronze orb, then sighs, visibly giving into the idea. How many passengers? he asks in long-suffering tones, his head turning to eye everyone present. If you are proposing that I carry all of you, I am not sure I could fly at all. ¡°How many could you take at maximum, then? With your current capabilities?¡± If I use my ability to enhance my flight and spend my mana without holding any in reserve to defend myself, I could probably take most of you. Not that one or that one, he says, pointing his nose at Fenrir and Catch who are probably the heaviest members of the party, but the rest. However, that would then mean I would not be able to benefit from the ability¡¯s increased speed. ¡°How would that affect the journey time?¡± I check. It would at least double the time, but I would have to take several breaks to rest or I would kill myself before the end. I nod slowly. It¡¯s a pity that none of us have any Skills over air. Then I feel like face-palming. ¡°What if we had someone with us who was able to direct the wind to aid your flight?¡± I ask, half-dreading the answer. It would certainly help, Raven replies. How much so, I cannot say. Not without testing. ¡°Right,¡± I sigh. We¡¯re too far away from the Festival for me to speak to any of the samurans still there, but I can still send a rough impression of a summons down the Bond. I proceed to do that, focussing on Windy¡¯s Bond and sending a firm order for her to meet us just outside the vine plants. I then try to work out the logistics. It took us an hour to get here, and it¡¯s probably not a good idea for me to ask Windy to try to meet us here on her own. The problem is that it would take a couple of hours for an escort to meet her there and bring her back. Then again, I suppose we do have other preparations to make. ¡°Catch, Iandee, Fenrir, please go and meet Windy at the same place where we left the clearing and bring her back here. If you encounter any difficulties, let me know down the Bond and we¡¯ll come to help.¡± Yes, Honoured Tamer, Iandee answers at the same time as Catch says much the same. As you wish, Honoured Markus. Fenrir just sends me an excited feeling, keen to be moving. The three set off into the forest, moving fast. Will you tell us your idea yet, Tamer? asks Dusty, clearly a bit impatient as I follow their disappearing forms with my gaze. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I say apologetically. ¡°I got a bit distracted. My intention is to use this Hunt to kill two birds with one stone. It¡¯s a bit risky, mostly because of timing, but as long as we can get this to work with Raven, I¡¯d like to do it. Not far from where Kalanthia¡¯s den used to be is a cave. Inside the cave is lots of salt ¨C guarded by a massive water creature. I¡¯m pretty sure that the beast there is at least Tier three which would make it suitable for the Hunt. And by getting rid of it, we can ensure that the samuran village has access to salt which has multiple uses.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. You speak of the white crystals you like to use on your food? River asks thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± It would be good to have some more of that to experiment with, she agrees. You gave us a small amount to test in our concoctions and it had some promising results in extending the length of time that concoction stayed useful for. ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me,¡± I agree. ¡°People from my world have used salt to preserve food for millennia. So, that¡¯s what my plan is.¡± It is risky, rumbles Poison. I agree, Joy answers worriedly. That is a long way away from where we are now ¨C if something happens with our mode of transportation, we will be stuck far away from the Festival ¨C and will lose the Hunt by default when we do not return with an object to offer. After the humiliation we served to Flying-blade and the way we left with so many of us ¨C even according to the agreed on rules ¨C she won¡¯t be the only one glad to see us fall. ¡°I doubt it will come to that,¡± I reassure them, ¡°but if it does, then I can call for Ptera to come. She can definitely carry me, and between us we should be able to make the journey back in time. It¡¯s not an ideal solution since the rest of you would be left behind, but to win the Hunt, only I need to return, technically, right?¡± That¡¯s true, Joy agrees thoughtfully. ¡°And actually,¡± I think out loud, turning back to Raven. ¡°If you¡¯re able to use the once a day Skill borrowing that the rest of my group is able to, you could borrow Ptera¡¯s Lighten ability ¨C that might make at least some of the journey faster and easier.¡± Perhaps, he answers non-committedly. But I question why you wish to go so far afield. I will admit that most of the Guardians around this area are stronger than I would wish to battle, but there are a number of others of the same stage as me ¨C I would be more hopeful about our chance of succeeding against them. ¡°Well, like I said, two birds, one stone. But it¡¯s also because I think that we have a decent chance with this one. We have Dusty, a Water-Shaper who will be able to turn its environment against it. At the same time, it¡¯s in a cave, which I will be able to affect. If Joy can control its movements and stop it from using its tentacles against us, and we can get some poison into its system, I think we can probably win without casualties. Since we¡¯d be able to attack it from above, you wouldn¡¯t even need to come within reach, Raven. You could just pour your acid through the ceiling onto it. As long as the time frame works for getting there and getting back, I¡¯d say that this is a better target than most. But if any of you can see any major flaws, please point them out.¡± There is thoughtful silence as they all consider my words and the strategy I¡¯ve just outlined. I can¡¯t deny that there¡¯s also a part of me which wants to just get rid of the creature ¨C I still occasionally have bad dreams where I¡¯m being chased from a black tentacle which gets ever-closer to me no matter how fast I run or climb. I always wake up before it quite reaches me, but it¡¯s unpleasant nonetheless. Very well, we can try it, Raven agrees. I look around the rest of the group to see that no one has decided to object further. The only last caution comes from Joy once more. I can see that you have the benefit of the village in mind here. However, overreaching benefits no one. If we try this and we fail, we will struggle to try another option because of the time constraints. Kalanthia yawns loudly and then stretches. There is a Guardian who has been far too disrespectful to me recently. She has been impeding my efforts with some of the other Guardians too. I intend to kill her anyway. If you fail in your endeavours, I will cede her Core to you. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, Kalanthia,¡± I say with a bit of suspicion. ¡°But what would you want in return?¡± She gives me an enigmatic look. Let us call it a favour owed, shall we? I consider the matter for a few moments, then shrug. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± I trust Kalanthia not to ask for anything too outrageous. If she wants me to help kill an enemy or something, I might be able to call in a second favour from Raven If necessary. I¡¯m not keen on doing that, though ¨C the favours are good trump cards. ¡°If we don¡¯t need the Core, what will you do with it?¡± Kalanthia shifts her head nonchalantly. Consume it as I intended on doing anyway. Fair enough. There is only one problem. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m able to accept help from others who aren¡¯t Bound to me, though,¡± I say, looking at Joy. She hesitates. Technically the restriction only applies to help from others of the People, she replies slowly. There was no question over you bringing the raptorcats, for example, she says. However, were you to not even be present at the kill¡­. She grimaces. I do not know how the Pathwalkers would rule on that one. She doesn¡¯t need to say that while pushing the rules to their limits is acceptable, outright breaking them would make our village a pariah until I stepped down as leader. There¡¯s a simple solution to the problem, but I hesitate to raise it with Kalanthia. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, alright?¡± I start slowly, making sure to return to scratching Kalanthia under her chin in her favourite spot. ¡°Remember that I¡¯m the only one who can scratch you like this.¡± She rumbles, the sound a mixture between contented and cautious. ¡°I could offer you a temporary Tame Bond.¡± She pulls away to glare at me. I start speaking more quickly, wanting to finish it before she decides to rip my head off for even suggesting Binding her. ¡°One that disappears automatically after four days when this whole Hunt will be over regardless. It wouldn¡¯t force you to do anything ¨C it¡¯s literally just there so that I can honestly say that you were one of my Bound at the time if we have to use the back up plan!¡± I force myself to stop, knowing that I¡¯m beginning to babble. Looking at her anxiously, I¡¯m relieved to note that she doesn¡¯t look as if she¡¯s about to pounce or throw up earthen spikes to impale me. Instead, she looks¡­hesitant. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Eight: Preparing For The Journey This Bond¡­you swear that it would be temporary? she asks, her voice sounding like it¡¯s supposed to be demanding, but ending up more plaintive. Very unusual for Kalanthia, I think this is the first time I¡¯ve heard it. I almost regret raising the possibility at all ¨C I know that she¡¯s had bad experiences with Bonds in the past. I¡¯m probably bringing up all the bad memories here, and once more for the sake of the same people. ¡°I swear,¡± trying to project my utter sincerity. ¡°Anyway, as a Tame Bond, you can put in what you require and reject the Bond entirely if I ask for something you don¡¯t want to give. Although the temporary Bonds I¡¯ve had in the past have not allowed either participant to leave during the term, we might be able to put that in at the beginning ¨C allowing you to leave whenever you want.¡± And what damage does this¡­.Bond do when it breaks? Kalanthia asks and I sense that she forcibly directed her thoughts along the lines of Bond when they would have automatically moved towards ¡®chain¡¯ instead. ¡°None, as far as I know,¡± I tell her honestly. ¡°Neither Catch nor Honey showed or told me about any signs of damage to any part of them when they changed from Tame Bonds to Companion ones.¡± Kalanthia is silent for a long few moments. I dare to push myself to my feet and move closer slowly, reaching out to continue rubbing her under her chin. She growls a little, but I don¡¯t hear any threat in it. You are trying to gain an unfair advantage here, she complains petulantly, sounding very much like her cub. I will think on it, she answers finally. I will give you an answer before you must depart. ¡°No problem,¡± I tell her honestly. The Bond should be quick enough to do at the last minute. ¡°Take whatever time you need. And Kalanthia?¡± She turns her head slightly to fix me with one golden eye. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want the Bond, thank you for offering this at all. I appreciate it. And even if we don¡¯t need the Core in the end, I¡¯ll still be willing to do you a favour, just for being willing to help me out.¡± She rumbles again, this time sounding a little happier, and presses her chin more firmly against my scratching fingers for as much time as I can spare her. Which, due to our need to prepare for the journey, is less than I would prefer. Getting everything ready takes a good portion of the time we spend waiting for Windy and her escorts to return. Part of that is making sure that everyone ¨C particularly Raven ¨C has eaten and drunk sufficiently and that I have enough carcasses in my Inventory for later. We don¡¯t want to delay things by needing to make a hunting trip later even if the meat stored in my extra-dimensional space isn¡¯t ideal. The rest of the preparation time is spent creating a means of Raven carrying us all. After all, he might be big even in comparison to Kalanthia but we can¡¯t all fit on his back. We discuss a few options, but decide that the best solution is to create a capsule which Raven will carry in his claws where some of the party can sit during the flight. That would require fewer needing to perch on his back. I¡¯ve done my best to make the capsule as lightweight as possible, pouring magic into spidersilk to form the exterior walls with Joy¡¯s help, and creating hollow bones to form the structure itself. It¡¯s not robust at all and those inside will be at risk if anything attacks us, but it should stand up to the rigours of the journey itself. ¡°We¡¯re not likely to be attacked enroute are we?¡± I ask anxiously, suddenly wondering whether I should have asked that before. I realise that I had assumed that the skies were relatively empty of predators, but that¡¯s probably a wrong assumption to make. I¡¯ve already been attacked four times by creatures from the air which, while far less frequent than the ground-attacks have been, is still an indication that there are threats in the skies. Not as long as we head up the mountainside first as quickly as possible, Raven reassures me. Going deeper in would be asking for trouble, but at this height from the valley floor, few would dare attack a full-grown and Enlightened beast of my kind. That¡¯s good to know, though I don¡¯t rule it out as a possibility. As a result, I make a plan for what we should do if we are attacked and the capsule containing everyone risks being struck or getting in the way of Raven¡¯s offence. I don¡¯t want to have to heal everyone¡¯s Energy channels from his acidic mana again, after all. After the capsule is made, it¡¯s time to test and tweak it. We test it with small numbers and short flights, then expand the tests to larger numbers and slightly higher flights. We even test my Plan B a few times ¨C without anyone in the capsule until I¡¯m confident that it¡¯s working in principle, then with others added one at a time, my stomach tying itself in knots every time we run a test. My claws are starting to feel cramped, complains Raven as he lands, carefully setting the capsule down on the ground before landing himself. And if I take any more than that last flight, I won¡¯t be able to fly for very long before needing to rest. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I say. ¡°You¡¯ve managed to take everyone currently here. Hopefully Windy¡¯s help will enable you to carry the three additional samurans and Fenrir. As for your claws hurting, I¡¯m sure Joy and I can weave the cord around your legs so you don¡¯t have to grip the weight. Does the rest of it feel fine?¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. It is well enough, Raven agrees slightly begrudgingly. Though I suspect that my top speed won¡¯t be anything like what it would normally be. I don¡¯t say anything for a moment, taking a step back from the situation. Should we really be doing this? The creature in the caves is a good target except for its distance. I am putting all my eggs in one basket here ¨C almost literally if we consider the capsule as a basket and my Bound as the eggs in it. I¡¯ve made a Plan B ¨C and Plan C if we consider Kalanthia¡¯s offer as part of my planning ¨C but anything can happen. None of my present Bound apart from Sirocco and Raven can fly, so if anything goes wrong¡­. But then things could go wrong at any time, I tell myself. Targeting a local Guardian and walking through the forest to get to it could go wrong. And there are no good targets nearby, nor do I have the first-hand experience with them that I do with this other creature. Plus, based on what Kalanthia said when I asked her in the past, the tentacle monster is at least her level of power, meaning that its Core would almost certainly be the outright winner. Because that is the additional issue that the Pathwalkers have put in ¨C hedging my bets and choosing a less powerful creature to attack might backfire on me if it turns out that the current ¡®treasure¡¯ of the lead samurans is of better quality. Based on what I¡¯ve learned about samuran thinking, I suspect that it would be more forgivable if I went after the creature alone ¨C as long as my treasure is better than Flying-blade¡¯s. But since everyone now knows I¡¯ve taken a party along with me, I really need to blow the others out of the water. Which all means that this creature ¨C powerful, known, and probably trappable ¨C is the best bet, even if it does mean needing to fly all the way there and back. ¡°We will deal with whatever problems happen,¡± I say to Raven, belatedly responding to his comment. The fact is that with him being one of my Bound, even if only with a Tame-origin Bond, there are options. Even if he can¡¯t borrow Ptera¡¯s Lighten ability, I can probably help heal the strain his flight causes during the journey and I may be able to feed him stamina ¨C I¡¯ve worked out how to do that with Dominate-origin Bonds. Even though Raven is an Ally, as a beneficial, non-invasive effect, I hope that it will work with Raven¡¯s Bond, despite it not being one originating in Dominate. We spend the rest of the time resting. At least, the others do. I can¡¯t stop myself from fidgeting with the capsule, trying to make it a little more solid, a little more safe without increasing the weight any more. Mostly, that involves shoving in more mana, focussing on making the bone and silk more robust, more protective, less penetrable. I do seem to make some progress ¨C when filled with enough mana, the bone seems to take on a different lustre, looking like it¡¯s become metallic, even though it doesn¡¯t increase in weight. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve reached a tipping point in it ¨C so much mana forced in and not allowed out instead transforms it into something else. The section of silk directly under my hand, too, takes on a faint rainbow-like sheen. That effect actually alarms me ¨C glittering rainbows in the sky is just asking for trouble. Really, we want it to be able to pass unremarked. However, just as I think that, the section of silk loses its rainbow-like qualities and becomes just slightly harder to see. ¡°Have¡­. Have I just made camo-fabric?¡± I wonder with bemusement. Several of my Bound look up at my voice, but don¡¯t comment. Reenergised, I work on doing the same thing to as much of the capsule as I can, not hesitating to borrow mana from my Bound when my own starts getting low ¨C this task is very mana-heavy. Markus, we are almost there, Catch tells me needlessly ¨C just the fact that he¡¯s able to contact me verbally through the Bond is sufficient to know that they¡¯re close by. I push myself to my feet and clap my hands. ¡°Alright everyone. The others are only a few minutes away. Let¡¯s get moving ¨C the sooner we¡¯re ready, the sooner we can get into the air.¡± The clearing soon looks like a kicked anthill as everyone immediately tidies up what they were doing and starts gathering close to Raven. I look at the capsule in slight disappointment. I was able to transform most of the fabric on the sides to ¡®camo-fabric¡¯ ¨C one hand at a time ¨C but I ran out of time to do the top and bottom. Hopefully that won¡¯t be important. Markus¡­. Kalanthia approaches me looking very serious. ¡°You¡¯ve made a decision?¡± I ask, almost sure that that¡¯s the reason. She dips her head for a moment. I will accept a temporary Bond with you as long as there are no constraints on me, it is sure to fall away after this short period, and you are not given access to any of my thoughts or memories. ¡°No problem,¡± I say honestly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on doing any of that anyway. But please, put in all the guarantees you feel are necessary for you. The process is a bit like that Alliance Bond we created with Raven.¡± I offer the Bond to Kalanthia. She¡¯s tense and stiff as she quickly adds her requirements into her side of things. It¡¯s like she¡¯s waiting for the other shoe to drop as she accepts and passes it over to me. I don¡¯t need to spend more than a few moments checking through exactly what she¡¯s added before I accept ¨C there¡¯s nothing in there which will cause problems. Not for such a short-term Bond that¡¯s only there for the excuse to be able to call her my Bound in case we need to take advantage of the back up plan. That¡¯s it? Kalanthia asks with surprise in her voice as the Bond slips into place. It¡¯s a gossamer-like thing, barely even present. I sense nothing from it, and it adds very little weight to my soul. ¡°It is,¡± I answer out loud ¨C I don¡¯t even have the ability to communicate with her mentally as she didn¡¯t want to risk me getting access to her mind. Which is fine by me since we¡¯re not going into battle together. I smile at her, projecting my fondness for her as I see the party we¡¯ve been waiting for entering the clearing. ¡°Look after yourself and we¡¯ll see you when we come back.¡± She seems uncharacteristically rattled, pulling backwards and becoming almost unnoticeable, half-hidden in the trees. At least that¡¯s one thing the Bond gives us ¨C I know where she is even when she wants to hide. But because I know she wants to disappear, I ignore her and turn my attention to my new and returning party members. Unsurprisingly, Windy looks like she¡¯s in an awful mood. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Sixty-Nine: High In The Air What was so important that you required me to come immediately? she hissed, striding up to me with her jaws gaping open and spikes flaring a deep red. The Warriors refused to explain. And she probably didn¡¯t even think about asking Fenrir. Though, bless him, that probably wouldn¡¯t have helped anyway since I¡¯m not sure he fully grasped everything that was going on in the discussion earlier. ¡°We need to make a long flight and having you directing the wind around and under his wings would help Raven to carry more of us and go faster,¡± I tell her with no preamble. For a moment, she¡¯s silenced. I see her thoughts racing, the angry red in her spikes being replaced by flickers of other colours. And why should I help you? she asks less angrily. ¡°Apart from the fact that the only reason we¡¯re doing this at all is to help your village gain precedence? And that there are already four, technically five of your fellow Pathwalkers aiding without argument or needing any further incentive? And that being part of killing a Tier three is probably going to be a good thing for each of us individually? And the fact that I, as your leader and Bond-holder, am asking you?¡± I shrug. ¡°No reason, really.¡± Windy eyes me with glittering eyes, then looks around at the rest of the group. They are all staring at her with a variety of expressions ranging from disinterest ¨C the raptorcat cubs ¨C to active dislike ¨C River. Then she turns back to me. Fine. How strong do you need the wind to be? Letting out a slow, silent sigh in relief that she¡¯s not going to be difficult about it, I gesture towards Raven. ¡°He¡¯ll direct you. Right everyone, positions please. Iandee, Catch, Fenrir please join the group moving into the mini-tent over there. River, Yells, Dusty, Joy, Sirocco, Bastet, take your places on Raven¡¯s back.¡± I wait, watching to make sure that the eleven needing to travel in the capsule are settled in it. To reduce the size and thereby weight, it¡¯s very low, only as tall as it needs to be to allow the two Warriors to kneel or crouch upright. That means they have to crawl in. The two younger raptorcats, Lathani, and Fenrir are fine as, even though Fenrir got bigger in his Evolution, he can still walk in without crouching. The three alcaoris hatchlings are much the same ¨C they¡¯re a bit bigger than Lathani, but that doesn¡¯t give them any trouble getting inside. Out of everyone they would have been the best to leave behind but Raven wouldn¡¯t hear of it. I don¡¯t really blame him for his mistrust when it comes to his children¡¯s wellbeing. Once they¡¯re inside, I tie up the flap, passing the cord through to Catch inside so that in the event of an emergency, he can pull it and easily get out. ¡°Remember,¡± I say to them quietly. ¡°The green cord is if Raven has to let go of you midair or you are somehow knocked out of his claws. The white cord is to open the flaps in a normal situation. The red cord is to cause the capsule to fall apart into several sections if you have to get out immediately.¡± We know, Markus, Catch reassures me. We¡¯ve practised everything at least once. ¡°I know, but in the heat of the moment¡­¡± We will remember it, Honoured Tamer, Poison speaks up next. This is not our first time going into a risky situation. ¡°No, I know,¡± I say, trying to feel reassured by that. The problem is that I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever been in this kind of risky situation. Up in the air, carried in a friendly alcaoris¡¯ claws¡­. But saying that probably won¡¯t help anything. ¡°Alright, have a good flight, and if you get sick, try to direct it out of the capsule, alright?¡± I try to joke, suddenly wondering if samurans can feel air-sickness. Heading back to Raven, I ensure that those on his back are tied down correctly in a position that isn¡¯t too uncomfortable and keeps them flat on Raven¡¯s back ¨C the less air-resistance we offer, the better. Creating the harness to hold us on without restricting Raven¡¯s movements also took some time. I then climb on myself, heading to the front where I tie myself down next to Windy on Raven¡¯s shoulders. I guess that someone showed her how to secure herself since there aren¡¯t any changes I can see to make to her straps. ¡°Alright Raven,¡± I say once I¡¯ve fixed my own straps. ¡°Try to borrow the Lighten ability from Ptera.¡± How do I do that? he asks. I¡¯m momentarily stuck for words since, honestly, I don¡¯t know. Fortunately, Bastet quickly chimes in to provide instructions. I feel a nagging notification appear and quickly check it.
Your ally has asked to access one of the special abilities belonging to one of your Dominate Bound. Ally: Ravenous ¡®Raven¡¯. Do you wish to grant him temporary access?
Yes / NoThe narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Interesting, I say to myself, quickly agreeing to the request. Since he¡¯s an ally, he can gain access, but it needs to be with my permission¡­. A moment later, I feel Raven shift a little, staggering slightly as if someone had just lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s working?¡± I check. Yes, he says with bemusement. It feels as if half of you have got off, but I can still feel you on my back. ¡°Alright, good. Let¡¯s take off, then.¡± Carefully standing, Raven grabs the capsule containing my other Bound with his front claws and then leaps off the ground with his back feet. Just as we reach the apex of his jump, his mighty wings come down to propel us further into the air. My stomach feels like I¡¯m on a rollercoaster as we bob up and down. The first few beats are laboured, but they even out as soon as Raven clears the tree tops. We rise higher than in any of our tests and I stare in wonder as I see an ocean of trees of all shades of green ¨C and some which aren¡¯t green at all ¨C spread out in all directions. Before us looms one of the immense mountains which makes up the edge of this valley, its summit lost in the clouds above. Its slopes are remarkably gentle until it reaches the steep peak which juts out almost vertically. The next mountain feels impossibly far away, though I know that in the course of our journey here, we covered about four mountains in sixteen days. How did we do that? I now wonder as the distance seems incredibly far. Even as high in the air as we are, I can barely see the mountains on the other side of the valley, and I can¡¯t even start to see where the valley begins and ends. Of course, the haze of moisture in the air doesn¡¯t help with visibility. I sense Windy and Raven speaking to each other ¨C I could probably tune into the conversation if I wished, but I don¡¯t try. A moment later, I feel it as the wind around us changes direction, now starting to blow my over-long hair into my eyes as it comes from behind me. The next moment, Raven glows a subtle green colour and then we shoot forwards, faster than ever before. We¡¯re off. The first part of the journey passes in a blur of green trees below and grey sky above. We fly high enough that it would be difficult to make out individual trees even if we weren¡¯t going fast enough to make them a blur, but not so high that we have to worry about clouds unless they¡¯re particularly low. We do, however, have to worry about something else: rain. Can you do something about this? I ask Dusty as I grit my teeth against the stinging, cold droplets showering down on me. Pouring mana into the hide of my armour, I make it grow inch by inch until it¡¯s made a sort of hood around my head and protective covers over my fingers. That does improve things, but only for me. Glancing around from where I¡¯m lying flat against Raven¡¯s shoulders, I see that the rest of my Bound with me here are looking miserable. I don¡¯t blame them ¨C the air up here is colder than they¡¯re used to and we¡¯ve definitely been flying for hours. Raven¡¯s speed has slowed down considerably since his access to Ptera¡¯s Lighten ability expired ¨C apparently it¡¯s limited to an hour¡¯s duration even if the user has the mana to keep it going. Since then, it¡¯s only been Windy¡¯s constant effort with the air currents which have kept us in the air at all. We¡¯re still going far faster than we would have been if we were running through the jungle below, but it¡¯s a noticeable difference from when we set out. If we¡¯d managed to keep the same speed throughout the whole journey, it might have taken us only six hours. Right now, I estimate that it will take double that. And more if we have to stop and rest which I think we will ¨C if only to make sure that my more reptilian Bound don¡¯t half-freeze up here. But that should be fine ¨C we still have time. And at least those of us pressed against Raven get to benefit a little from his body heat. Though I suppose that those in the capsule are more sheltered from the rain and the wind. Six of one and half a dozen of the other. The rain stops hitting me and I look up to see that the rainfall is being diverted to either side of Raven, missing him entirely. Thanks, I say gratefully to the Water-Shaper, my gratitude echoed by several others in the group. Even the Warriors sitting in the capsule below are thankful ¨C apparently the container isn¡¯t completely water-tight and they¡¯ve been having leaks. Hopefully Dusty will be able to keep it up until the end of the rainfall. Anyway, it should be good practice for her. How are you doing? I turn my attention to Windy next. My mana is getting low, she answers with the feeling of gritted teeth accompanying it. She¡¯s not enjoying the experience, but has been surprisingly silent despite that. Maybe she¡¯s just needed to concentrate too much to spare the attention for jibes and complaints. Here, I say, handing her a mana-regeneration potion from my Inventory and then focussing on sending a trickle of my own down the Bond between us. What I¡¯ve learned from painful experience ¨C painful for my Bound ¨C is that if I just send my ¡®naked¡¯ mana, it carries with it elements of my fire affinity with it. For those who are already connected with fire like River and Bastet, that doesn¡¯t cause any problems. However, for those who are not connected at all, or who are diametrically opposed to it ¨C like Dusty ¨C it can cause damage to their channels. So, before I send my mana through to Windy, I carefully work on it to remove the traces of fire. I¡¯ve also been using the journey to try to observe what Windy¡¯s been doing with the air to create the effects. When I send the mana to her, I try to build in some of my observations to hopefully make the mana more compatible for her. And also because secretly I would love to become a full elemental mage, capable of using all four elements. Or is it five since metal appears to be different from earth? I still haven¡¯t had success in getting Metal- or Water-Shaping, despite my attempts since Happy and Dusty Evolved and developed them. Water eludes my grasp, probably because it¡¯s even more opposed to fire than earth, and I¡¯m missing something key with Metal. But Air seems like it might be easier for me to develop ¨C from what I can tell while watching Windy work, it¡¯s quite similar to Fire in some ways. Both of them seek freedom, movement, and change. But where Fire seeks to constantly consume, Air wants to play and tease. Most of Windy¡¯s efforts seem to be focussed around keeping the wind moving in the direction we want to go and not turn into eddies that go around in circles, or spread out in other directions. It definitely seems to be like herding cats and I can understand why her side of the Bond is starting to feel fatigued. Even more than the mana drain, the mental exhaustion must be significant. I had thought that she was being a drama queen whenever she loudly announced that she needed to rest every time she did something even remotely strenuous with her magic. And she probably was ¨C even if she was tired, she didn¡¯t need to be that loud about it. But it seems like it wasn¡¯t all pretence. I redouble my efforts in learning how to understand how air-magic functions ¨C now it¡¯s not only that I¡¯d like to complete the set which motivates me; it¡¯s also that I fear Windy won¡¯t be able to complete the whole journey on her own. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy: Break I need a break, Windy tells us all, her mental voice exhausted. I¡¯m not surprised. The wind current has been slowly weakening for the last while and Raven has begun labouring to keep us in the air at all. If the supporting wind dies completely, I will not be able to continue flying, Raven warns us. Alright, let¡¯s take a break then, I agree, slightly unhappy that we haven¡¯t yet made it halfway according to my map, but left with no real choice. Unfortunately, my Flesh-Shaping doesn¡¯t make much difference to Windy¡¯s mental fatigue ¨C I¡¯ve tried. See if you can find a good place to set us down, Raven. He doesn¡¯t respond but angles downwards, gliding as much as he can to save energy. I suppose we¡¯re not too far from halfway, I tell myself. We¡¯ve been flying for at least five hours and we¡¯re probably still another seven or eight hours out. Taking a break now isn¡¯t too bad as long as it doesn¡¯t take too long for Windy to recuperate. As we approach the canopy of trees, I see where he¡¯s aiming us towards ¨C a relatively bare patch on the mountainside which has few trees. The reason is because it¡¯s rather rocky and much steeper than most of the other areas. I hope that we¡¯ll be able to land well enough on it ¨C landing with the capsule attached is a different story from him just landing by himself. Joy, can you unweave the cords holding the capsule to Raven¡¯s legs, please, I ask her, making sure Raven can hear too so he doesn¡¯t accidentally drop it prematurely. The cords are there to stop Raven¡¯s clawed paws from taking too much strain due to needing to hold onto something heavy for an elongated period of time, but they will complicate the landing. Joy sends me an acknowledgement and presumably gets on with the job. I¡¯d help, but my mana is pretty low after helping support Windy for the last few hours. We¡¯ve come low enough that the capsule is almost at risk of skimming the top of the trees. We¡¯re preparing to set down into the space just ahead of us when suddenly Raven jerks abruptly to the side. I hear a number of surprised and discontented hisses from the samurans both on top of Raven¡¯s back and below, but as far as I can tell we¡¯re all still where we should be ¨C the hide straps holding us to Raven¡¯s back have proven to be invaluable. Then he jerks again, this time to the other side. What¡¯s happening? I demand, but just as I do, I see it. We¡¯re being attacked from below! Guardian, Raven says shortly. Attacking me. Can¡¯t move fast enough. Must lose some weight. No! I say immediately. Wait! But it¡¯s too late. Raven swoops into the clearing, and lets go of the capsule. We immediately feel the difference ¨C where before he had been labouring just to remain airborne, now he is able to shoot upwards with a single flap of his wings. My stomach would be going on a rollercoaster ride again if it wasn¡¯t already in my mouth from fear for my Bound. I barely notice Sirocco letting go of her perch and flapping into the air. Raven twists in the air, dodging a strike and our assailant comes briefly into view. The sight is awfully familiar. Bastet? I ask, briefly diverted from my fear for my Bound in the capsule. Yes, it is, she answers immediately, her tone both convinced and full of awe. Because our assailant is indeed what I thought it might be: a Tier three raptorcat. Looking as natural in the air as Raven does ¨C which is to say incredibly natural for a creature which I didn¡¯t know even existed until coming to this world ¨C the raptorcat twists and follows Raven¡¯s movements, aiming to strike at his vulnerable belly. Raven twists and turns, green acidic mana emerging from his jaws even as the raptorcat claps its wings and sends a blade of air at us ¨C the same ability that Hades and Persephone has, only this one is far bigger and obviously more powerful. Our ride dives to avoid the flying blade, giving me a momentary view of the capsule before he twists again to get into position to attack the raptorcat. The sight fills me with relief ¨C Catch or one of the other Warriors obviously deployed the parachute which was Plan B. The only problem is that it seems to have got caught in a tree, holding the capsule off the ground. I also manage to spot Sirocco perching nearby. Good ¨C hopefully she¡¯ll help guide the group. A moment later, I get another view of the capsule and this time I see that they¡¯re managing to climb out with the use of another cord from somewhere. Knowing now that that group is as safe as possible in the current risky situation, I turn my attention back to the ongoing fight. Now with my focus on the conflict, I see that there are a couple of oddities which immediately make me question what¡¯s going on here. The raptorcat doesn¡¯t seem to be seriously trying to attack Raven for one thing. It¡¯s instead only attacking him when he comes close to it, which happens any time he heads towards the clearing. Another thing is that it only appears to be using a couple of attacks ¨C that wind-blade one, and another which is similar but more like a flurry of weaker blades which are harder to avoid. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Even if they¡¯re weaker, they¡¯re still dangerous, though. That point is brought thoroughly home when I hear an alarmed series of clicks come from behind me. Turning, I see only a flurry of movement where Yells used to be, and then she¡¯s gone. The hide straps which had been holding her in place are now flapping in the breeze, several small gashes cut into Raven¡¯s scales. ¡°Yells!¡± I shout urgently. Raven jerks downwards rapidly and then rises again. I have her, he tells me curtly just as she also speaks. He caught me in his claws, she tells me, fearful relief pouring through the Bond. The straps holding me in place broke when the air-blades struck near me. Are you hurt? I ask quickly even as my mind races ¨C this situation isn¡¯t tenable. None of us apart from Raven are used to fighting in the air, which means that we¡¯re at an automatic disadvantage. And the one who would be most adapted to this kind of fighting is currently too tired from hours of sustained effort to do much. Worse, as Raven twists again in the air, I get another quick glimpse of my group of Bound on the forest floor ¨C they¡¯re surrounded by very familiar figures. Only a little, Yells answers which at least takes that weight off my mind. Good, I quickly acknowledge. Bastet, can you help mediate? I think we¡¯ve accidentally stepped into a raptorcat den. I can try, Bastet answers, though her tone is full of uncertainty. Their matriarch might see me as a sister¡­or a threat. Well, they already see us as a threat, I say grimly. I doubt you could make things worse. Then I will try, my raptorcat friend says with determination. After a quick mental discussion with everyone, Raven backs off a little, using his domain to project a desire to communicate. Sort of. When it flows over me, I still feel the always-present elements of him projecting his sense of superiority, that he¡¯s bigger and stronger than anyone around so they might as well give up now. And the desire to talk comes across more as him deigning to pause his unstoppable attack to allow the lesser life forms to perhaps appease his wrath. Which doesn¡¯t seem very conciliatory to me. The raptorcat reacts by releasing her own domain. This one is full of a wild desire to protect. It¡¯s a sense that she will do whatever she must to make sure that those in her care remain safe, to the point of risking her own life. I guess that that makes sense ¨C I¡¯ve come to understand that a domain is about core beliefs and values being projected outwards. Kalanthia sees herself as an apex predator, so that¡¯s what her domain comes across as. Raven sees himself as being above others ¨C in all senses of the word ¨C so his domain takes on his belief in his own superiority. This raptorcat evidently is convinced that she is her pack¡¯s main protector and takes that very seriously. Either way, they have broken off actual attacks in lieu of allowing their domains to clash and struggle against each other. As they fight, I send mana through the network of straps holding us all against Raven¡¯s back, searching for the ones holding Bastet in place. Reaching them, I reform the hide sufficiently for her to pull herself free. Those of my Bound with hands are able to do their own straps ¨C another reason why only Bastet and Sirocco were on Raven¡¯s back to begin with of my non-samuran Bound. And they were only there because Sirocco can fly and Bastet could reduce the speed of her fall with her own wings in an emergency ¨C I thought it would be better to have them free to use their wings instead of trapped inside the capsule. Once free, Bastet carefully climbs up Raven¡¯s back ¨C he¡¯s currently gliding around in a circle, the raptorcat keeping pace on the other side as their domains still struggle against each other. From what I can feel, they are fairly matched in strength ¨C I guess that that¡¯s a good thing. If Raven was weaker than the raptorcat, she¡¯d probably just attack. If he was significantly stronger, she might attack anyway, in a suicidal attempt to keep her pack safe. Practically walking on Windy ¨C who glares angrily at her ¨C Bastet perches on Raven¡¯s shoulder, her talons digging into his scales, though only barely piercing them due to their thickness. I feel her project her own awareness outwards towards the other raptorcat. Bastet doesn¡¯t have a domain. Well, she didn¡¯t the last time I checked. But this is definitely the beginning of one. I sense wisps of determination, and a protectiveness that matches the other matriarch¡¯s. Though instead of being filled with wildness, Bastet¡¯s gives me the impression of a¡­shield? At my back? It¡¯s not clear yet, but that¡¯s understandable considering that Bastet isn¡¯t even getting close to Tier three yet. At least, I don¡¯t think she is. My curiosity getting the better of me, I quickly access her information on my Bound tab.
Bastet Raptorcat Companion T2 1500 HP 220 MP 510 SP 34% ~89y Firebreath
Well, she has made more progress towards her next Evolution than the last time I checked, even if it¡¯s still not anywhere near Tier three. Her progress is currently sitting at thirty-four percent instead of the twenty-nine she was at a month or so ago. She¡¯s also added a little more to her mana, health, and stamina, though I know she¡¯s been working on all of those since crossing the first blockage at ten percent. Closing the screen, I tune back into what¡¯s happening. The raptorcat seems to have recognised Bastet but I can¡¯t tell whether it¡¯s a good or bad thing. I sink my awareness more heavily into Bastet¡¯s Bond, trying to use it to understand what¡¯s happening in the same way I did with River right back at the beginning of my relationship with him. Only this time I¡¯m much more practised with Bonds in general and Bastet in particular, so I¡¯m far better at it. The other raptorcat matriarch is wary about the presence of a foreign raptorcat matriarch, but because Bastet is obviously weaker than she is, she¡¯s more curious than threatened. Hope rises in my heart when the other raptorcat uses her domain to extend a line of communication to Bastet. Maybe we can end this without bloodshed? Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-One: Intention My companion latches onto the offer of communication and sends a mix of emotions and impressions down the link. Eavesdropping through the Bond which connects me to Bastet, I access the messages which are passing down her connection with the Tier three raptorcat matriarch. Parsing through the impressions I sense that Bastet is apologising ¨C without actually apologising ¨C for our intrusion on her pack grounds, and is explaining that we are passing through. She¡¯s also promising that no harm will come to the other matriarch¡¯s pack as long as they don¡¯t attempt to cause harm to Bastet¡¯s own pack. Bastet skillfully weaves in an impression of threat to the last, attaching the sense that we have faced more powerful opponents and come out victorious. I¡¯m not sure whether that¡¯s actually true ¨C technically, we did come out alright from the confrontation with Raven, but we lost some of our number and it wasn¡¯t exactly a decided ¡®victory¡¯. Then again, I suppose that survival is a victory in and of itself when facing a more powerful opponent without taking all the precautions necessary. Plus, we¡¯ve all grown stronger since then. Maybe it¡¯s better that I let Bastet get on with it without risking my own concerns coming through to her. After all, the fact that she knows her own kind best is exactly why she¡¯s our lead negotiator right now. The other matriarch sends back a questioning feel over why we are flying at all, and why Bastet¡¯s pack seems to consist of so many non-raptorcat races. At least, that¡¯s what I interpret the mass of emotions and non-verbal thoughts to indicate. Bastet is pretty honest about it. She sends over a sense of wanting to make into prey an enemy who beat us once and sent us with our tails fluffed in fear, but needing to go on a long journey to reach it. And in response to the question over our diverse pack, she sends an impression of me which almost makes me blush. It paints me as one who stepped in to offer support and healing when life and hope were almost lost, and then continually helped her and the last remaining cubs of her pack to grow and, in her case, Evolve. It¡¯s all technically accurate; the reason why it makes me feel a little embarrassed is more because it all seems to be painting me as this altruistic saviour when, in fact, all my actions were very much selfish in nature. Still, it seems like Bastet is taking the right approach with the other matriarch as I sense a shift in the raptorcat¡¯s regard. From being geared towards keeping us as far from her pack as it can, her protectiveness shifts towards wondering if we might be of use to her. I have a feeling I might know where this is going ¨C I felt the shift start when Bastet sent across her memories of the healing I did. Sure enough, the next communication contains a question that even I can confidently interpret as being whether I would be willing to offer healing in exchange for us being allowed to land peacefully. Tell her that I will see what I can do, I instruct Bastet before she can ask me. I do not promise that I will be able to heal whatever the issue is, but I will do my best. My Companion immediately transforms my message into the emotional impressions with which the whole conversation has been carried out and then waits for the raptorcat matriarch¡¯s response. It comes back after a moment of hesitation. Cautious agreement, with the understanding that if any of our pack hurts or looks as if we¡¯re about to hurt a single one of her pack, she will rain down a protective fury. Do you agree to this, Raven? I ask, belatedly checking with both the most powerful of our group and our ride. I wish to rest, he says frankly. And eat. If I can do both of those without a fight, I will be satisfied. We¡¯ll get you something to eat, I promise, though it might not be very tasty. Unless I add some of my mana into the meat, that is. I had probably better keep my mana for whatever healing I¡¯m going to be faced with, though. We land relatively slowly, even Raven not wanting to risk restarting hostilities by moving too quickly. As soon as we touch down, I slide off Raven¡¯s back, letting the Pathwalkers sort themselves out. My legs almost buckle as my feet hit the ground ¨C my whole body is stiff and aching. But a quick pulse of Flesh-Shaping directing my heart to beat a little faster for a few beats and making sure that all my muscles receive the oxygen and nutrients they need is enough to clear that up quickly, even the sensation of pins and needles barely bothering me after everything I¡¯ve endured. After only a brief pause, I¡¯m able to stride over to where Bastet has also descended from Raven¡¯s back, flapping her wings to slow her fall a little. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I see the group of my Bound who were in the capsule have all descended from the structure. They¡¯re clumped together ¨C Catch, Iandee, and Poison all have weapons at the ready, and the rest all look prepared to leap at a moment¡¯s notice. Even the alcaoris hatchlings are bristling with their wings mantled and their jaws gaping wide. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t have been so panicky when Raven let the capsule go earlier ¨C I¡¯d forgotten that his children were in it. He wouldn¡¯t have acted in a way that put them at undue risk. Storm and Ninja look curious to see other raptorcats. Storm has her eyes narrowed and seems to be regarding the other pack in more than a little suspicion where Ninja seems a lot more interested. The other pack is divided in two ¨C five facing us, seven facing my other group of Bound. The matriarch stands before her pack, only a short distance away from where Bastet and I are standing. I hear the Pathwalkers slide off Raven¡¯s back and walk over cautiously to join us. I don¡¯t dare spare the attention to look at them, though. Now on the ground, I can see the matriarch more clearly. Her colouring isn¡¯t that different from Bastet¡¯s, though it has some bright green highlights which remind me of tiger¡¯s stripes on her face, flanks, and wings. She¡¯s about double the size of Bastet, which is quite small in comparison to Raven. That still means she stands almost as tall as me, though. And I wouldn¡¯t dare to think that her size is an automatic disadvantage ¨C sometimes small but powerful is a potent package. I use the time to let my subtle Inspect seep into her and then return with information. Immediately, I¡¯m glad that we didn¡¯t press the attack ¨C my previous thoughts were more on the mark than I thought. She¡¯s not necessarily more powerful than Raven, but that she¡¯s close to matching him is an indication that she¡¯s probably at least halfway through Tier three as Raven¡¯s species is unusually powerful for their Tier. Her specialities seem to be in wind-control and, interestingly, lightning. Was that why she didn¡¯t show off everything she could do in her fight with Raven? She was wary of collateral damage down below? The standoff continues, no one seeming to want to be the first to make a move. Not wanting to lose even more time than we already have to, I decide that starting with a gift probably wouldn¡¯t go amiss. Reaching into my Inventory, I pull out three Energy Hearts. One of them is a faint, light blue which causes Windy to accidentally project desire over the Bond. The others are the brown of earth-magic. My thoughts are that I don¡¯t have any lightning-focussed Energy Hearts. Nor do I have many air-focussed ones, to be fair ¨C it turns out that to determine the affinity of an Energy Heart, it needs to be exposed to that type of magic during its crystallisation process and I haven¡¯t wanted to let Windy near the Pure Energy to do that. However, what is lightning if not a connection between the air and the earth? From something I remember reading on Earth, lightning doesn¡¯t even require water in the form of clouds to happen ¨C it can happen without any clouds at all, or in clouds of other substances. But it always has a point in the air and it often has a point on the Earth too. So I figure that an earth-focussed Energy Heart might do as well as an air one. ¡°Gifts for you in thanks for being willing to hear us out,¡± I say to the raptorcat matriarch with Animal Empathy active, slowly moving to lay them in front of her. The large feline looks at me for a long moment, then dips her head to nose at the Hearts. Letting out a chirp of satisfaction, a long, sandpapery tongue emerges from her mouth and licks up one of the earth ones. There¡¯s a crunching sound as she chews it, and then it¡¯s gone. Tasty, she says to me directly, clearly demonstrating that she¡¯s capable of focussing her thoughts well enough to communicate in mental words, even if she didn¡¯t do so in her discussion with Bastet. You have clearly been well-taught the manners expected to speak with one of my power. Now, you are able to heal, correct? ¡°I can heal many things, but not everything,¡± I tell her cautiously. Good. I wish you to heal two of my pack who are not well. ¡°Yes, so I understood. Where are they?¡± I ask. In the den. But I warn you, if you even look at the cubs present, my pack-mates will rip out your throat ¨C and that¡¯s only if they can do it faster than I can. She growls threateningly, revealing her teeth. I hold up my hands in an instinctive gesture of pacification. ¡°I have no intention of doing anything to your pack¡¯s cubs,¡± I promise sincerely. ¡°As long as you do nothing to hurt any of my pack either,¡± I add. Then my pack-mate will show you where to go, she tells me with a final warning look. Another raptorcat, this one still Tier one, steps forward and cocks her head in a way that reminds me of Bastet when she wants attention. Then she turns around and I step forward to follow her. Bastet joins me, her posture bristling with determination even as I look down at her in slight askance ¨C will the matriarch permit Bastet to accompany me? Casting a glance over her shoulder, Bastet pauses. I do the same, half-turning to eye the matriarch. I sense the two of them having a short discussion, one which apparently Bastet wins as she soon follows me with a slight bounce in her step. It¡¯s more than fine with me as long as the matriarch isn¡¯t about to bite my head off. Alright everyone, I tell the rest of the group as the two of us follow the other raptorcat to a hole in the rocky slope. Take some time to rest. Don¡¯t do anything to start hostilities, but be prepared if they do. We¡¯ll be back in the sky as soon as possible. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Two: Help In the surprisingly large cave hidden behind the rockface, watched by the suspicious eyes of unfamiliar raptorcats, having my own at my back is a great comfort. It¡¯s not that I feel threatened by the mostly Tier one raptorcats ¨C I¡¯ve come a long way from when Bastet¡¯s group chased me through the forest ¨C but I know that I become vulnerable when I go too deeply into healing. And no matter how big my health pool is now, I can¡¯t forget that certain injuries can make it empty too quickly even for me to be able to overcome the drain. But with Bastet guarding my back, I know that I will at least have some warning if one of the raptorcats takes umbrage at something I¡¯m doing and attacks. Of course, their Tier three guardian is a different story; even Bastet won¡¯t be able to help me much if the matriarch takes offence at my actions. Moving slowly as I enter, I see three adult raptorcats on the left side of the cave with cubs of different ages around them. They growl softly as they see me, clearly warning me not to take a single step towards them that I don¡¯t have to, but they don¡¯t attack. The matriarch must have communicated why I¡¯m here. On the right side of the cave are my patients. I let my Inspect go out to examine them. It¡¯s two raptorcats, one Tier one, one Tier two. They seem to be too weak to notice my approach. Neither appear injured at first glance which makes me frown ¨C instead of certain areas being highlighted in red, there¡¯s a slight green tinge to the red glow around them. A disease? Or something which is wreaking havoc on their internal systems like a parasite or internal injury? Crouching next to the first ¨C the Tier one ¨C I offer her a Tame Bond, putting in no requirements other than allowing me access to her body to heal her, and promising to drop it as soon as I can afterwards. She looks at me with weak, half-glazed eyes, panting shallowly, but does nothing else. I offer her the Bond again, urging her mentally to accept it: I am here to help. After long enough that I¡¯m wondering if I¡¯ll need to use Dominate ¨C I really don¡¯t have enough mana to waste it on making this healing harder on myself ¨C the raptorcat finally accepts the Bond. Immediately, I send a wave of reassurance through our new Bond, accompanying it with my sincerity to try to find a way to help her. Even if she isn¡¯t one of my own, I¡¯ve still become enough of a healer to find an appreciation in making what was once broken and hurt into something healthy again. Assuming they¡¯re not trying to kill me, of course. Laying hands on her flank, I send my magic into her. My Inspect told me that the other raptorcat is also badly off, but still has more health than this one, which is why I started with her first. Looking through her body, I start to get a better picture of what is wrong. Much of her system is inflamed, her internal temperature too high. I can also see that there is a much higher proportion than normal] of various white blood cells and other similar defences in her blood. Though I¡¯m still not a doctor, despite my experience with healing magic, I can recognise the signs: these raptorcats are fighting off a serious illness. I lean back on my heels and sigh, staring sightlessly in front of myself for a moment. The thing is that a virus is the hardest kind of damage for me to heal. An injury is easy now, even a severe one. Poison is almost as easy, though that depends on how wide-spread it is. A malfunctioning organ is harder, but still manageable. Even a bad infection is generally fine to heal, though it can be a time-consuming task to hunt down all the bits of infection in the bloodstream. Viruses and bacteria are a different question. Sure, I can take over the viral or bacterial cells themselves ¨C they both count as flesh and don¡¯t have even the beginnings of a will with which to resist my domination. But there are just so many of them, and I have to infuse them with my mana a few at a time ¨C trying to do large swathes of them tends to cause issues for the host. The only time I can do that sort of thing is when healing an injury and sterilising the area which was open to infection. My other option, and my generally preferred one on the occasions this has come up, is to do what medicine on Earth does ¨C manage the host¡¯s symptoms and help boost their own immune response. Which kind of just makes me a combination-drug rather than someone really able to intervene. Using healing potions tends to help as well. Of course, although I have health potions with me, I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll work on raptorcats ¨C that¡¯s not something I¡¯ve needed to do so far. River, I send through the Bond. The healing potions you and Tarra made, are they safe for raptorcats to have? Of course, she answers sounding almost insulted. I wouldn¡¯t make potions to bring with us which might negatively impact any of your companions. I scratch my head, a little embarrassment going through me. That¡¯s a good point. Though, to be fair, I¡¯d rather check than risk using something on this raptorcat which will make her worse. Alright, thanks, I tell River, then pull a few general healing potions out of my Inventory. I have ones in there which are designed more for quick healing of wounds, and others which will help our stamina, mana, and health regenerations in our fight with the tentacled beasts. But right now, the general healing potion is probably the best choice. Drink this, it will help you, I tell the raptorcat, lifting the wooden vial to her mouth and trickling the liquid in. I know from taste testing it that it¡¯s not particularly nice, but the raptorcat doesn¡¯t seem to notice that. I watch carefully as the potion takes effect on her system. Her natural immune response goes into overdrive, cells for fighting off the invaders multiplying at a previously unseen rate and then flocking to the areas in contention. At the same time, the potion¡¯s magic strengthens the body, protecting it from its own reactions to the invaders. Though the raptorcat¡¯s temperature continues to increase, I¡¯m not afraid that she¡¯s about to cook her own brain ¨C the magic from the healing potion stops that. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It¡¯s a shame that the healing potions do nothing for Energy channels, and they only work on problems that the body recognises as being foreign like cuts, infections, and illnesses. Otherwise I¡¯d have found healing Lathani and the alcaoris hatchlings to be an easier task. Still, at least being able to use them here is helping me save a bit of mana. When the speed at which the body is fighting the viral infection starts to slow down again, I take a second vial and again trickle it into the raptorcat¡¯s mouth. Three of them in quick succession is probably the most I can safely offer a Tier one, however. Some potions like the regeneration actually contain ingredients which can build up a toxicity. The healing potion doesn¡¯t, but it does use the body¡¯s natural resources to function. Though I can help replenish some of those resources, others can only be regenerated by sleep, food, and drink. But in the end, it turns out not to be necessary for this one. By the time the third vial¡¯s magic is starting to fade, her body has almost completely conquered the virus. I feed a bit of mana into her system to help her mop up the last of the dregs ¨C with so few active viral cells remaining, infusing them and then destroying them is possible. She slips into a sleep, finally managing to find some proper rest. Her temperature should reduce now, and with some food and sleep, she¡¯ll be fine. I do a final check of her body just to make sure that I haven¡¯t missed anything, then release the Tame Bond and move onto the Tier two. ***** ¡°Your two raptorcats are fine,¡± I announce to the matriarch tiredly, coming out of the cave. The area is lit by moonlight, nightfall having happened while I was working inside. The Tier three raptorcat stands and clicks past me into the cave I¡¯ve just left. A few moments later, she reappears. You speak truly, she says thoughtfully. I can no longer smell the approach of death for them. ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve both overcome the sickness they were suffering from.¡± I hesitate. ¡°This type of sickness often spreads easily. Do you have any others who are starting to show the same sort of symptoms which they did?¡± The raptorcat matriarch eyes me carefully. There are a few others who have started ailing, she admits. I did not realise it was connected, but now that you say it, the two you have healed began with eyes that itched and many sneezes. Now there are three others who are doing the same. ¡°The mothers,¡± I guess, remembering that I heard several sounds which reminded me of sneezes when I was healing the two inside the cave. Yes. And one other who has brought most of their food and groomed them. I nod slowly. ¡°That makes sense. The more contact with the infected being, the more likely it is for a virus to pass.¡± I make a sudden decision. ¡°Look,¡± I say, pulling four more general healing potions out of my Inventory. ¡°Tell the mothers that I¡¯m going to feed each of them one of these, and get the other one showing symptoms to come over. If we catch the issue now, it will be easier to heal and they won¡¯t risk getting as sick as the two I¡¯ve just healed. I¡¯ll leave this fourth potion with you for if another one starts showing symptoms. Any symptoms at all, mind.¡± Ideally, I should probably check each of them with my Flesh-Shaping, but I can¡¯t afford the time it will take to inspect everyone with the attention to detail that would be required to catch an incubating virus. The matriarch eyes me with an unreadable gaze. I will accompany you, she announces ¨C to tell her pack what¡¯s happening, or to keep an eye on me? Nevertheless, we head back into the cave and after the matriarch confirms that she¡¯s told the mothers what¡¯s happening, I approach them carefully. They watch warily as I step closer and I¡¯m careful not to go near their cubs. Well, I try to be, but when one disobeys its mother¡¯s obvious instruction and comes over to sniff at my boots, I have to carefully shoo it away. Probably a male, considering what Trouble used to be like as a cub. Interestingly, the gentleness with which I move that one cub seems to reassure all the raptorcats a little and the mothers willingly open their mouths for my potions. This close, I can see that their eyes are indeed irritated, and that their noses are running slightly ¨C obvious signs of illness. I even pull another potion out of my Inventory and, with the permission of the matriarch and mothers, pour a little bit into each of the cub¡¯s mouths ¨C only a fraction of the dose I¡¯d give the mothers, but hopefully enough to boost their infantile immune systems just in case they¡¯re in the process of catching what their mothers had. After leaving the cave and doing the same with the raptorcat the matriarch calls over to me, I actually take a moment to inspect the other raptorcats too, looking to see if any others have any signs of irritation to their eyes or runny noses. Bastet is my unneeded bodyguard as the raptorcats relax more and more around me. I guess that the longer I¡¯m here without attacking them, indeed, helping them, the more they trust that I¡¯m not going to turn around and do something. When I¡¯m finally finished checking over the pack of fifteen adult raptorcats and five juveniles, I turn to see the matriarch looking at me with that thoughtful gaze. ¡°What?¡± I ask warily, not sure if that gaze is a ¡®how can you do this¡¯ look or a ¡®why are you so odd¡¯ look or even a ¡®what do you taste like¡¯ look. Hopefully not the last. I can see why my little sister trusts you, the matriarch answers finally. ¡°Oh,¡± I say eloquently. Pride washes over me from the raptorcat standing next to me, gazing at the other matriarch with her own fierce expression. Pride and a deep, unshakable trust which both heartens me for its strength and shames me because I don¡¯t feel I am worthy of it. ¡°Your raptorcats are healthy now,¡± I say, trying to change the subject. ¡°And my group have had enough time to rest.¡± That was another reason I didn¡¯t feel too bad about spending time on checking out the rest of the raptorcats on a cursory basis ¨C Windy said that she needed a little more time to recover and Raven was still eating. ¡°If any of the others show the illness in the future, minimise interaction with that member until a few days after their recovery. Hopefully then no one else will catch it.¡± You have done more than I asked for, the matriarch tells me. You have not only healed the two who were close to death, but you have helped ensure that others did not sicken after your departure. In return, I will do more than I promised. Not only will I give you safe passage out of here, but I will accompany you for the first part of it, offering you wind to your wings. Now that¡¯s a nice surprise. If the matriarch is able to do something like Windy was, which appears to be what she was indicating, it will mean that Windy can save her mental strength for later, maybe even enabling us to finish the journey without needing to stop again. It looks like sometimes altruism is unexpectedly rewarded. There¡¯s only one thing I can say to that. ¡°Thank you, we¡¯d be glad to have your help.¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Three: Not Until We’re Ready I stand at the edge of a crevice, staring down into the still, black pool beneath, my stomach churning with butterflies. We¡¯re here. It¡¯s still night but dawn isn¡¯t too far away. In total, I think it¡¯s taken about sixteen hours to reach our destination. We had the pause with the raptorcats and then a shorter pause a couple of hours ago, so in total the actual flight was probably around thirteen hours long. Not bad considering everything. And at least we weren¡¯t attacked again. The help the matriarch gave us definitely shaved at least an hour off our journey. She didn¡¯t travel with us for long, but her wind current doubled Raven¡¯s flight speed while she accompanied us. And even after she stopped, she was able to send her wind with us for a little longer before Windy needed to take over. I have to admit that the irritating Pathwalker impressed me a little on our journey. She set to her task with a determination that I¡¯ve never seen in her. Well, apart from her determination to be a pain in my backside. No, that¡¯s a little unfair ¨C she hasn¡¯t been that bad in the recent months. But she also hasn¡¯t shown the kind of skill, perseverance, and willingness to help either me or the village that she has on this flight. Right now both she and Raven are recuperating while the rest of us start setting up the battle ground. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t touch the water whatever you do,¡± I remind the group. ¡°Don¡¯t even disrupt it with a rock falling. Not until we¡¯re ready.¡± I really don¡¯t want to reenact Lord of the Rings. They all send me tired or exasperated words or impressions of agreement ¨C but I¡¯d rather repeat myself ten times than risk all of this kicking off too early. For a Tier three, we need to be as prepared as possible. Bastet comes to join me at the edge, crouching to look downwards. I never wanted to come back here, she admits. It was terrifying. The cubs, the monster, then not knowing whether you were alive or dead. ¡°It was touch and go for a while,¡± I admit in return. ¡°And I was just as afraid for you and the cubs. But after today, we won¡¯t have to consider this creature ever again.¡± She doesn¡¯t respond, her eyes fixed on the mirror-like surface of the water below. Speaking of the cubs, Stormcloud and Ninja approach the edge too. Storm gives off the impression of thoughtful wariness where Ninja reacts with real fear, backing away from the crevice shortly after. I guess that they remember something about this place after all. I look back. Raven is resting curled up nose to tail, his head on the ground and eyes closed. Within the circle made by his head and tail are his hatchlings, though they look far less sleepy than he is. Leaning against him in the position she landed after dismounting is Windy, who conked out almost before she could undo her straps. I don¡¯t begrudge her the rest. Not far away are the rest of my Bound, crouching around the fire that I made as soon as we arrived. The warmth is nice ¨C it¡¯s even colder now than it was when I left the crevice and I was cold enough then on the exposed mountainside. River is currently using the time to make a few more potions. Working with Tarra has apparently allowed her to learn some tricks which compensate for not having the same Skills as her mentor. Her potions aren¡¯t quite as good as Tarra¡¯s but they¡¯re definitely getting better. Plus, she¡¯s learning a few tricks of her own ¨C I see her burning some of the ingredients before adding them to the brew. Interestingly, they aren¡¯t necessarily blackened by the experience ¨C sometimes new colours are revealed instead. Fire Herbalism at work, I have to guess. ¡°Dusty, I¡¯ll need you to join me soon, so rest now and make sure you¡¯re full on mana. Joy, you know what to do. Sirocco, rest. Catch, Poison, Iandee, can you take it in turns to keep watch? Otherwise, the rest of you eat if you¡¯re still hungry, and rest. We¡¯ll aim to start the battle at dawn, but be prepared for it to start sooner if, despite our best efforts, we accidentally disturb the creature.¡± I receive a series of agreements so turn back to the crevice. ¡°First, I¡¯m going to make this bigger so be careful where you put your feet,¡± I tell the Bound around me. The raptorcats have apparently decided to be an audience despite my suggestion that they rest. Kneeling down, I press both palms to the ground. I don¡¯t technically need to do this, but considering the difficulty of the task ahead, any mana I save is mana I can use later. Feeding my earth-aligned mana into the ground beneath my palms, I focus on connecting with the earth-magic already present. It happens faster than it used to and I¡¯m a little surprised to realise that this earth is almost as willing to connect with me as the earth near the village or my den. Then again, I say to myself, isn¡¯t that the point? That all the Earth is connected in the same way that all Fire is connected? Either way, I¡¯ll happily accept that this is going to be easier than it might be. My magic acts almost like a dye in water ¨C the earth-magic it touches becomes more open to my influence and in turn touches more earth-magic. At the same time, the further my awareness reaches, the more stretched I feel, like that dye is weakening even as it colours more water. When my influence covers the area I want to affect, I stop attempting to spread it any further. I did that once with my den ¨C over-reached myself. It felt a bit like I remember feeling as a child on a climbing frame when I attempted to do something I wasn¡¯t big enough to do. I remember overextending myself on the monkey bars, getting into a position where I couldn¡¯t move forward because it was too hard, but I couldn¡¯t go back because if I moved a single limb, I would fall. Fortunately, Kalanthia was there and showed me how to carefully withdraw my influence little by little so that I wasn¡¯t overstretched any more. That takes time I¡¯d rather not spend, though, so I¡¯m careful not to reach that point here.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Slowly, working methodically ¨C something the earth is happy to do anyway ¨C I open the crevice. Pulling back the edges, I expand the space at the same time as strengthening the edges ¨C I don¡¯t want any of my Bound accidentally falling through the earth during the battle. As a result, I make sure that the new edges are well-supported, feeding more mana in than necessary. It had a good effect on the spider silk and bone structure of the carrying capsule ¨C I don¡¯t see why it wouldn¡¯t have a positive effect here too. By the time the edges are done, I¡¯ve created a hole about ten metres long and with a width varying between three and five metres. Instead of pulling in my influence completely again, I shift it downwards. Still moving carefully to ensure that the earth shifts like wet clay instead of dry dirt ¨C I don¡¯t want to risk rocks dropping off ¨C I carve out lots of hand and foot-holds in the walls. I don¡¯t want one of my Bound falling and then not being able to get out. Then I consider the raptorcats carefully ¨C I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d be able to get out easily even with the handholds. A bit more time and mana later, and I¡¯ve carved a steeply sloped walkway in one of the walls. It¡¯s more vulnerable than the hand and foot-holds because it sticks out more, but I¡¯ve tried to carve it mostly in areas that are hopefully not going to be as under-fire as the rest of it. Since they¡¯ve decided to watch, I send Storm and Bastet to test the slope ¨C Ninja still seems too afraid of the cave to want to get anywhere close. Joy has been making some ropes with raw silk strands that I pulled out of my Inventory for her. Together, we ensure that they are securely sunk into the rocks ¨C either a backup way to save one of our own or another trap we can use against the tentacle monster. Using one of the ropes, I climb down into the cavern below. It¡¯s a bit dark so I ask Aingeal to slowly increase its brightness. It happily complies, increasing its glow bit by bit until I ask it to stop. It waits expectantly until I grin and send a load of fire-mana through to it. Sometimes Aingeal really reminds me of a dog doing a trick and then expecting a treat. Now able to see everything, I¡¯m able to observe just how much hasn¡¯t changed. There are still the two connected caverns, one filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and salt, and the other almost entirely covered by a pool of dark mirror-like water. The damage caused by the creature¡¯s rampage is still there, the broken edges barely blunted. I shiver slightly at the memory, then remind myself that much has changed since that time. I¡¯ve changed and it won¡¯t find me so easy a target this time. Alright, Dusty, come on down, I say to her mentally, not wanting to risk my voice alerting the creature in any way. Waiting for her to arrive, I send out my Inspect, prioritising secrecy and thoroughness over speed or depth of information. I want to know about anything in the environment which could be a threat or a benefit; I just as much want to ensure that my opponent knows nothing of my presence. The pulse I sent out takes a while to go and to return, understandably so. While I wait for it, I send more earth-magic into the ground below my feet, exploring the shape of the tunnel even though I cannot see it. Dusty manages to climb down awkwardly, choosing to use a combination of rope and rock climbing ¨C lowering herself with her hands as she digs her feet into the prepared holes. Well, that¡¯s another option, I guess. Do you wish me to test the water now, Tamer? she asks, keeping her grunts and clicks hushed. Yes, but be careful. Don¡¯t risk being discovered, I warn. I won¡¯t, she promises, then goes still, staring at the water. I sense a faint ripple of energy coming out of her, the very magic reminding me of the water it is connected to. Meanwhile, my Inspect returns and I close my eyes as I try to process what it and my earth-magic are telling me. My enemy is not within visible or detectable range, but I suspect that it will return quickly if we disturb this water. However, with my Inspect and my earth-magic, I¡¯m able to get a better picture of what this area looks like. It seems to be part of a network of massive tunnels which open up into a much larger space below. I push my magical senses as far as I can, a shiver going through me as even at the furthest extent of them I¡¯ve found no end to the underground water source. And underground lake or sea, I can¡¯t tell; all I know is that it is absolutely vast. Still, ultimately, the massive body of water so far below us isn¡¯t so important at the moment ¨C the key point is that I¡¯ve been able to determine that my vague plan should work. As long as we have the time for me to put it into place, that is. With that in mind, I start working on the other cavern as well, trying to turn it into a defensible position rather than the easily-attacked space it currently is. I even remove the boulders blocking the other tunnel just in case we need another exit route. The last of my Inspect returns to me whispering of possible treasures both above and below the water. The salt, of course, but also other items down below at the edge of its range. I¡¯m intrigued by the impression my Inspect gives me, but I remind myself that we need to win the battle first. Dusty is still standing fixated at the edge of the pool, her gaze in a place far away. With nothing else I can think of doing right now, I decide to consider potential strategies based both on what I know of the creature and its environment. The water down below where the beast probably is now is very cold, and almost certainly pitch black, both of which give me ideas. It might not have eyes which would make it difficult to blind, but I highly doubt that the creature will be resistant to fire, and heat may make things difficult for it too. Of course, as a Tier three, it¡¯s likely to have plenty of advantages too. Most likely something to do with water, considering its environment, but possibly some other abilities. How many is a different question. Raven has five different abilities ¨C that I know from my first Inspect when we were fighting. Unfortunately, it seems like Alliance doesn¡¯t let me access as much information about a creature as a normal Tame Bond. By happy accident, however, I¡¯ve finally been able to see Kalanthia¡¯s details ¨C though I¡¯m not sure whether she intended for me to be given access to them. She has fewer abilities than Raven ¨C only four. But that doesn¡¯t seem to make her any weaker. Her weakness mostly comes from how she¡¯s sacrificed her own strength for Lathani¡¯s benefit.
Kalanthia nunda Tame T3 6420 HP (10230) 2890 MP (7555) 880 SP (1150) 56% ~563y Earth-Shaping (-50%), Increased Cognition (-30%), Mana Sponge (-90%), Enhanced Stealth
Ultimately, the fewer abilities a creature has, the more practised they¡¯re likely to be with each of them. More abilities, however, indicate a greater versatility. I¡¯ll have to hope that my Inspect, higher level now and more comprehensive than when I faced Raven, will be able to tell us which our target favours. And as Dusty comes out of her trance and tells me what she¡¯s discovered, I acknowledge with another flutter of butterflies in my stomach that it won¡¯t be long until we find out. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Four: Fellapodil Drop them, I say over the Bond, tension winds my guts into an almost painful knot. From my protected vantage point, I see the stone fall and splash into the water in front of me. Hopefully dropping stones will be enough to gain the creature¡¯s attention. As the seconds pass by, Iandee drops another stone, and then another. He staggers them so they don¡¯t fall all at once, but also doesn¡¯t drop them at regular intervals so that it appears deliberate ¨C we can¡¯t forget that we¡¯re probably dealing with something as intelligent as the other Tier threes we¡¯ve come into contact with. The knot of tension in my stomach draws tighter for every second there is no sign of the creature. I really don¡¯t want one of my Bound to have to step into the water themselves. It shouldn¡¯t be necessary, not considering that all it took before was a single splash from a raptorcat cub¡¯s paw. But yet the creature hasn¡¯t appeared yet. Is it not paying attention? After five minutes have gone past with no sign of the creature, I¡¯m on the verge of asking Sirocco to go and hop around in the shallows ¨C since she¡¯s able to fly, she should be able to flee its tentacles before it even realises how she¡¯s escaping. Then Dusty clutches at my arm, her claws digging into my hide armour. It¡¯s coming, is all she says, her eyes intent on the water. Trusting her water sense despite not being able to see any sign of it myself, with either physical eyes or magical sight, I warn the rest of my Bound. Battle stations, everyone. They are already prepared, so all my warning does is puts them all back on high alert ¨C some of them had lost the edge as the minutes began dragging on. And then it¡¯s here. The first questing tentacle breaking the surface of the water. A shiver goes down my spine as I see it, my instincts screaming at me even more now than they did last time. My memories threaten to drag me back into that traumatic experience ¨C the downside of improved memory storage and recollection, I suppose. I force my thoughts fully into the present. Time to find out what we¡¯re dealing with. Go, Dusty, I tell the samuran next to me. At the same time, I send Inspect at the creature, not bothering to even try to be subtle about it. The creature obviously feels my probe as it expands its domain. A great sense of pressure that makes it feel difficult to breathe descends on us. The feeling is as if there is a massive rock pushing down on my chest, and at the same time the air has become thicker, more like water. To my alarm, the domain feels even stronger than Kalanthia¡¯s, who¡¯s had the strongest domain of any Tier three that I¡¯ve yet felt. I feel that most of my Bound near the entrance to the cave have taken a few inadvertent steps back to lessen the sense of pressure. The ones who are best off among them are Raven, of course, Windy, and Poison. I hear choking beside me and see that Dusty is feeling it even more strongly than I am, the sensation interrupting her efforts. Applying my Willpower to the pressure against me, I push it off enough that I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m about to choke at any moment. That¡¯s not sustainable, though ¨C I won¡¯t be able to do anything if all my attention is on just breathing; nor will anyone else. Gritting my teeth I open my eyes to observe the situation. Flowing through the domain like a current through water, I feel a sense of anger, outrage. This emotion is reflected in the creature¡¯s tentacles ¨C no longer is there only the one. At least ten of them are flailing around, searching for the one who sent the probe. They need a target. Sirocco, fly in and use your Fire Wing. Get its attention. Be careful, I order her, my final words more of a plea. She might be Tier two now, but she¡¯s still one of my most fragile Bound simply because of her body structure. She doesn¡¯t seem afraid, more determined to play her part, undaunted by the effects of the domain that have hit the rest of us so badly. In her largest size, she swoops in through the hole in the ceiling and scythes her wings towards one of the tentacles. A bright flash of flame illuminates their edges just before she pulls them back and releases the attack. A copy of her wings in flame flashes forwards and strikes the creature¡¯s tentacle. It has very little obvious effect on the massive water beast, but it certainly gains its attention. I gasp in a full breath and hear my Bound around me doing the same as the pressure lets up on us. Sirocco is another question. Now the focus of the beast, I see her flying falter for a moment, her wings a beat too late to catch her. A moment later she rallies ¨C just in time. It shoots another of its tentacles towards Sirocco, but they are far slower than my Companion and she jinks out of the way, just about avoiding it. The beast is not to be deterred, however, and sends a third and a fourth tentacle towards her. My heart is in my mouth as I watch the events, but my bird-like Bound is more agile than I give her credit for. Sirocco every tentacle that comes her way, starting to fly and weave through the flexible black limbs. More appear from the surface of the water in pursuit of the bird. She reacts by reducing her size a little so she¡¯s more able to avoid them and then continues taunting them, sending out another Fire Wing when it looks like the beast might be tiring of the game. Meanwhile, I sigh in relief as the pressure on me lifts as the beast focusses its attention fully on the flying beast. I see her flying falter and become laboured, but even so, she¡¯s well ahead of the flailing limbs.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Forcing the information I received into a visible form, I quickly look through the creature¡¯s details. Or rather, the ¡®fellapodil¡¯.
Fellapodil Tier 3 Beast (enlightened) Special abilities: Gas Attack, Caustic Jet, Salty Sweat, Tentacle Flurry, Water Jet, Unknown, Unknown Health: 20,560u Mana: 9,080u Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 156 A beast from the deep, this fellapodil is trapped far from the place its brethren call home. It has adapted to its environment and forced its environment to adapt to itself as well, increasing the salinity of the originally fresh water of this underground pocket. It is a solitary beast by nature and circumstance, and a fierce defender of anything that it considers its own. It is weak to fire, heat, and dehydration.
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That¡¯s some seriously high health, I say to myself grimly, quickly passing on the information to the rest of the party. It¡¯s good to note that my previous guesses have indeed been borne out ¨C and that we have several among us who are able to strike at its weaknesses. I¡¯m grateful that the Inspect has revealed so much information ¨C I remember how little it managed to show me in our fight with Raven before it combined. It¡¯s also very clear that I can¡¯t even hope to try to Dominate this beast, not that that was my aim ¨C the minimum level is almost double my current Willpower. Sirocco is still managing to keep the fellapodil¡¯s attention ¨C and avoid its attacks. The tentacles¡¯ movements almost seem¡­lazy. Like it¡¯s not taking this entirely seriously. That gives me time to gather all the information I can, at least. Got anything, Dusty? I ask the samuran next to me even as I send my own awareness through the rock before me. It only seems to be using its tentacles to touch the walls, I tell her as I struggle to identify more of the creature than that ¨C its anchoring tentacles are near the surface of the water so it doesn¡¯t give me any idea of what the creature is like below that ¨C or how large it is. Here, Dusty tells me, a sense of strain even in her mental voice. An impression washes over me. Prior to having Fire- or Earth-Shaping, I would have really struggled to interpret it. Now, however, though it¡¯s still hard, it¡¯s not impossible. Water is more fluid than Earth and more solid than Fire, but by combining my understanding of both, I am able to decipher it a little. In the flow and movement of the water, I feel an immense, bulbous shape. The tentacles are only the tip of the creature itself ¨C below the surface lies something that almost fills the large tunnel. It is propelled almost like a jellyfish, its lower sections rippling in the water and creating their own currents. The only reason it¡¯s not bobbing up and down is because of the tentacles which brace against the tunnel walls. It descends into the tunnel as far as one of its tentacles could extend above it, which probably makes it the biggest Tier three I¡¯ve yet encountered. But it¡¯s not so big that its lowest regions are out of my Earth-Shaping range, something I had been concerned about. Keep it from noticing anything happening and I¡¯ll do my part, I tell Dusty, my voice tense. I am tiring, warns Sirocco just before I dive back into the earth. Pull out, then, I tell her immediately ¨C in the forest of tentacles which has become her battleground, the slightest delay from tiredness could spell her end. Poison, Iandee, River, start throwing some of the ammunition. Try to test what will get through its skin or otherwise affect it. Windy, help them. I wait to hear their acknowledgement before I focus in on my own task again. Feeding mana into the earth, I drag it through the connections in the earth until it gets where I need it to be. Deep, deep in the earth I draw the mana, down to where Dusty¡¯s water sense indicated that the fellapodil¡¯s body ended. There, I begin to create my trap. While I would love it to be as fast as springing an actual trap, the reality is that I was unable to set up anything, not knowing enough about the creature, its size and its shape. So that¡¯s what I do now. Moving as slowly as I dare in order to conserve mana, I encourage the earth to grow from one side of the tunnel to the other. At first, I try to grow the granite that forms the tunnel, but it takes so much mana that I fear I won¡¯t be able to complete the task before my pool is empty. Then, taking inspiration from my environment, I try something else. I don¡¯t have unlimited time ¨C only as long as my Bound can hold the creature¡¯s interest. But if this will make it possible to do what we need, it will be a good investment of the time I do have. Granite is a strong rock, stronger than most. But it¡¯s not the only type. And another type of rock is guarding where I am right now in the form of stalactites and stalagmites. Limestone. Given how easy it was to shape the area where Dusty and I are hiding, it should be far more doable to use limestone than granite. Even better, I realise as I begin trying, I can save some effort by drawing calcium carbonate out of the water itself ¨C for the granite I needed to actually create more stone myself which just intensified the mana draw. Not long after, I¡¯m relieved when the first pillar comes into place faster than even half of the granite pillar had. The limestone finger stretches all the way across the tunnel, dividing it in half. But that¡¯s only the beginning. A single pillar isn¡¯t going to be enough to stop the beast escaping, especially not weak calcium carbonate. Doubling down on my effort, I grow more and more pillars, each one stretching across another part of the tunnel, creating a trapdoor made of bone-like fingers. It¡¯s a pity it doesn¡¯t count as actual bone, though, despite the amount of calcium in bones ¨C my Flesh-Shaping could have made the job easier. I down my first mana regeneration potion not long after creating the third pillar; I down my second after creating the fifteenth. The increased regeneration gets me through the final one and gives me just enough time to grow more rock to seal up all the holes between the pillars. I lean back and sigh, feeling worn out already. But it¡¯s done. The beast is trapped in the cavern with us. Though with that health and mana pool, are we trapped with it? Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Five: Deprived I take a moment to check on the current situation. The fellapodil hasn¡¯t realised that it¡¯s trapped yet ¨C Dusty¡¯s been keeping the water currents moving as they would if there was no barrier in the way between it and the rest of its underground lake. My guess that it doesn¡¯t use eyes to see is borne out. It probably would notice anyway except for the distraction offered by my Bound at the moment. The fellapodil¡¯s lack of eyes doesn¡¯t seem to stop it from being able to target those attacking it. Tentacles flail through the air, writhing around the walls of the cavern like snakes as they attempt to strike and grab at those attacking it. My Bound are being sensible, though, not trying to take the tentacles head-on. Instead, they¡¯re attacking from a distance and then moving around the rim of the pit to avoid the counter-attacks. So far, it looks like none of them have sustained even minor injuries as the creature seems to be relying purely on its physical might. The only problem with this is that it doesn¡¯t appear that my Bound have managed to cause it any damage, either. I check in with my companions. Its defences are strong, Catch says tersely as he throws a large, sharp rock at it and then hurries to the side to avoid its return strike. Spears, even metal-tipped ones, just bounce off its thick hide. Crushing force from rocks seems to do more damage, but even that is very limited, grumbles Iandee. We don¡¯t know yet whether it is susceptible to poison ¨C if we can¡¯t get it inside the creature¡¯s body, we can¡¯t affect it, adds Poison with a note of frustration. Only two of my topical poisons are working, contributes River, her voice more even than the Warriors¡¯. Both used my Fire Herbalism and operate upon a principle of burning. The other concoctions I attempted seemed to be rinsed off by a material it secretes from its skin. But even the ones that worked have had little effect. Right, I acknowledge. It¡¯s little that I hadn¡¯t suspected, though I agree with the Warriors¡¯ frustration ¨C I was hoping that by upgrading our weapons to metal we¡¯d be able to bridge the gap a little. Apparently not enough. And the creature hasn¡¯t even begun to use any of the abilities it apparently has which suggests that it doesn¡¯t see us as a threat ¨C yet. Dusty, pull the water from around it. Raven, as soon as you can strike its body with your acidic mana attacks, please do. They both agree, Dusty more readily than Raven ¨C I suspect the proud alcaoris doesn¡¯t like taking orders, but since this is part of the favour he agreed to, he doesn¡¯t argue. Next to me, the samuran concentrates so much that her body goes completely still. While she works on expanding her control over the water around the beast, I continue feeding in mana to reinforce the barrier I¡¯ve built ¨C it¡¯s about to be put under pressure. Hopefully the dome-like structure I¡¯ve used will offer it some structural reinforcement ¨C it¡¯s too big for me to saturate it in mana as I did the capsule materials to bring my Bound here. Are you OK? I check with Dusty cautiously as the minutes tick by. My Bound can¡¯t avoid its tentacles forever, and the longer we take to move onto the next step, the more time the fellapodil has to change its mind and give up on this prey or to start using its attacks properly. Hard, she tells me shortly, her mental tone the equivalent of gritting her teeth. Creature has some control. As if that was the signal for all hell to break loose, the fellapodil¡¯s tentacles start going wild. My guess that it hadn¡¯t taken us seriously before is borne out ¨C their speed doubles and their patterns become volatile. Perhaps Dusty¡¯s attempt to wrest control over the water away from it has provoked it. I grit my teeth and pour more magic into my trapdoor ¨C perhaps it¡¯s that the fellapodil has realised it¡¯s trapped and is by no means happy about the idea. Every tentacle that isn¡¯t attacking my Bound or bracing it in place is redirected to striking at my limestone construction. Cracks rapidly develop almost as quickly as I can fill them in. Meanwhile, I hear Sirocco shriek in surprise as her wing is clipped by a tentacle; though seemingly not intentional, the fellapodil clearly realises it¡¯s caused an injury. I open my eyes to see five more tentacles shooting towards her quicker than the fatigued and injured bird can avoid them. My heart in my mouth, my mind races as I try to think of a way to help her. Abruptly, the matter is taken out of my hands as a dark-coloured blur snatches her out of the air. Fear makes my stomach sink, but a moment later it¡¯s replaced with relief. It wasn¡¯t another tentacle: Bastet had leapt and knocked Sirocco out of the way before the tentacles could strike her. They¡¯ve both landed safely on the other side, though Sirocco feels utterly exhausted over the Bond. I see River hurrying towards her, a potion vial in her hand. And it¡¯s not over yet. Deprived of its prey, the fellapodil creeps its tentacles up the wall, its snake-like movement sending shivers down my spine just watching. It even stops pounding the trapdoor to concentrate on seeking its prey. I take advantage of its distraction to reinforce the limestone further and warn my Bound to pull back from the edge. They didn¡¯t need the warning, already trying to escape the black serpentine limbs. My Bound have backed away far enough from the edge that the tentacles can¡¯t reach them, but that means they can¡¯t attack the main body either. And attacking the tentacles is risky as Daphne finds out. The brave little alcaoris rushes forwards to bite one of the tentacles. It rips itself free and bludgeons her with another of its limbs. She makes a horrible plaintive sound, one that rips at my heart ¨C and more at her father¡¯s. Raven rushes forwards in a rage to attack the fellapodil¡¯s tentacles, snapping at them with his teeth and acidic mana without a care. Leaving Sirocco¡¯s side, River rushes towards the baby alcaoris to feed her a healing potion even as the fellapodil concentrates its attentions on the other Tier three. I¡¯m sure that attacking the tentacles isn¡¯t the way to kill it, but with the beast so distracted, this gives us an opportunity. Joy, the ropes! I have an idea. I share the sense of my idea with my Bound and feel Joy¡¯s acknowledgement. She immediately takes control of several of the ropes hanging down the wall of the cave, weaving them in between the tentacles to do her best to tie them into a knot. Tamer, I can help you, Yells offers, determination in her mental voice. With what? She doesn¡¯t answer verbally, but sends me her intentions as a whole like I did when sharing my plan. You¡¯re sure it will work? I ask her tersely, aware of Raven gaining more and more injuries as the tentacles stab and rip at his skin, his movements always only a few moments away from getting snared. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Yes. Mostly. I hesitate. Experiments at this moment could be very dangerous. But if it works¡­ OK, fine. Yells get down here. Bastet, help her. But Tamer! The tentacles! Yells objects even as Bastet grimly agrees. It¡¯s distracted. Move fast, I order. The young Pathwalker seems to grit her teeth but doesn¡¯t argue any further. A few moments later, Bastet skids to a stop near my protected area, Yells on her back. Quickly shaping a hole in the wall around me just about big enough for me to squeeze myself through, I leave Dusty alone. She should be fine in the reinforced area hidden against the cavern wall ¨C I used my previous experience of hiding behind stalactites while the tentacled beast flailed around looking for me as inspiration. Hopefully our actions will give her the chance to take full control over the water around the fellapodil. A pained bellow from Raven hurries my movements ¨C the two Tier threes are going at it hammer and tongs, but my Ally is coming off worse. I cross my fingers in hope that this will work. Ready? I check with Bastet and Yells. Ready, they both answer. Vulnerable to heat and fire? Here we come. My first action is to fill Aingeal with as much fire magic as it can hold without exploding. The little elemental glows brighter and brighter, its movements increasing in speed as it zips around my head. I send it a sense of patience, of timing. It replies with impatience but willingness to play along ¨C for now. My next action is to create the biggest fireball I can. Are you sure you can handle this? I ask Yells, wanting to be sure. Fear flickers through her spikes, but she waves her tail in wordless assent. Alright, I say to her grimly. Here it comes. Throwing the fireball directly at her, I feel a swoop in my stomach as I fear that even more than half her mana pool remaining won¡¯t be enough to reflect the fireball. Especially since she¡¯s not just planning on reflecting it. Thankfully, it turns out that her estimation of her own abilities is more accurate than my own. The fireball reflects off her shield, growing more than twice its size as a result. Instead of flying back at me, Yells manages to redirect it towards the beast. I reach out mentally to it, hoping that I can take control of it again. Since it¡¯s still made out of my fire, even if it now also contains Yells¡¯ enhancement magic, it responds to me. Closing my physical eyes, I focus on enhancing it still further. The fireball impacts the water just above where I know the fellapodil¡¯s body to be. A gout of steam flies up in the air at the impact and fills our vision. The creature and its tentacles seem to vanish in the thick, white, superheated water vapour. Normally, the fireball would quickly use up its stores as it transfers heat into the water around it, transforming the liquid into gas. I don¡¯t let that happen. Through my direct contact with it, I pour in more and more mana. I pour in my own until I start feeling a mana-loss headache. Then, reaching for River¡¯s store, I pull mana out from her and pour that in too. When I¡¯m running out again, I reach for Joy who has finished her task, and then for what little remains to Yells after her own efforts. Meanwhile, Aingeal adds its own attacks into the mix. As my fireball is finally quenched, Aingeal flies into the billowing steam to continue the attack. Bastet looks at me questioningly. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s happened, first, I tell her tiredly, nauseous at the feeling of incredibly low mana. Trudging over to Yells, I pull out a mana regeneration potion. I can¡¯t take another yet according to the warnings River gave me earlier, but Yells should take one. She¡¯s drooping a little but perks up when the mana regeneration starts to take effect. We stare into the mist, looking for any sign of the creature. Nothing. I really want to know what¡¯s going on, but anyone going near that steam is likely to be burned. A bright point of light zips out towards us: Aingeal has returned, significantly smaller, and sending a feeling of satisfaction down our link. The steam starts to clear, the last of the heat having stopped its work. Watch out! warns Dusty sharply. I don¡¯t question it; I grab Yells and dive to the side, Bastet running in the opposite direction. We¡¯re almost in time. A jet of something shoots straight at us. When it touches my hide and skin, it sizzles, burning like my fireball is consuming my flesh instead of the fellapodil¡¯s. I barely have enough time to realise that it¡¯s probably the Caustic Jet my Inspect warned me about when the next attack strikes. Tentacles come flying at us, moving quicker than I¡¯ve ever seen them before. They attack five, ten at a time. It¡¯s only the fact that the fellapodil doesn¡¯t know exactly where we are that saves us in the first seconds of the strike, but as soon as one of the tentacles hits us, we¡¯ll lose that advantage. Tentacle Flurry? And then salvation comes from above. Green acidic mana shoots in a jet of Raven¡¯s own, striking the massive black form revealed by the clearing steam. I back away to the protected area, half-dragging Yells with me. Bastet gets there ahead of us and we all slip in through the hole in the side which I created earlier. I should block it up again, but I don¡¯t have the mana yet to do so. Besides, if it sends another of those caustic jets our way, we won¡¯t want to be trapped here. Then again, maybe Yells could reflect it¡­. An idea for later. Temporarily safe, I inspect the results of our previous strike. Enough water was burned off in our fire attack that the top part of the creature is now revealed. And that¡¯s even with it pressed down as far as it can against the barrier I¡¯ve created, I realise as I extend my awareness back into the earth. That¡¯s one advantage to Earth-Shaping over Fire-Shaping ¨C once I¡¯ve done something, I can leave it and then come back to it later. I don¡¯t have to start again at square one like with fire. The creature¡¯s bulk is pressed hard against the barrier, but so far the dome-like structure and extra reinforcement I¡¯ve given it is holding now that it¡¯s not hammering down with its tentacles. Once I have the mana, I¡¯ll try to grow some stalagmites from its surface ¨C cause the fellapodil to hurt itself as it tries to escape. The effect of the fire on the exposed part of the fellapodil is easy enough to see ¨C the first real signs of damage that we¡¯ve caused during the whole fight so far. No wonder it used two of its attacks against us in retaliation. Raven¡¯s acidic mana doesn¡¯t seem to be as effective as I¡¯d expected, interestingly enough. Maybe that¡¯s why he was on the losing side of their encounter. Nevertheless, a Tier three¡¯s magic is not something easy to shrug off, not even for another Tier three. I see it sink into the fellapodil¡¯s flesh, causing it to burn and melt away, though not with nearly the same kind of speed as it did my own or my Bound¡¯s when we fought him. The fellapodil is distracted, its tentacles trying both to protect it from the jets which shoot at it and then trying to find Raven when he has to take a moment to let his attack recharge. As he backs away, I see that my Ally is bleeding from myriad wounds and limping because of significant injuries to two of his limbs. He takes a moment to drink a health potion, one of the flagons made specifically for him. The fellapodil is more careful this time, searching for him by slowly feeling around the edge with its tentacles. It¡¯s clearly feeling more uncertain as it pulls a few tentacles back to cover the most badly-burned bits of its bulbous body. Through my Earth-Shaping, I also feel it starting to probe the trapdoor again, perhaps hoping to find a crack it can exploit. We need to distract it and take advantage of this opportunity. River, throw whatever you can at the creature which is either acidic, or fire-aspected. Iandee, Poison, Catch try to throw poisoned weapons at the damaged parts of the fellapodil. Dusty, do you have control over the water now? I do, she answers, though if it turns its attention to fighting me for it, I will struggle to maintain control. Then work with Windy ¨C get as much of it out of there as you can. Either feed it through the tunnel behind us or evaporate it. Bastet, Sirocco, send your own strikes where you can. Fenrir, Lathani, Storm, Ninja, work together to take opportunities to strike at injured limbs if you can, but don¡¯t take risks. Beware of friendly fire as well as the fellapodil¡¯s attacks. Joy, see if you can help them by impeding the movement of the fellapodil¡¯s tentacles even more by extending those ropes. We can do this, everyone ¨C we just need to whittle its health pool down and keep it distracted so it can¡¯t work out how to escape. Any questions? There were none, so I refocus us all on the situation at hand. Then attack! Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Six: Poisonous Gas My own mana pool is still low but my increased regeneration is rapidly replenishing it. I don¡¯t dare to dip into Medium Meditation, but I push Light Meditation as far as I can. At the same time, I pull my bow and quiver of arrows from my Inventory. My best fighting tool is definitely my magic, but I¡¯d rather let my stores replenish themselves a bit. Maybe then I¡¯ll be able to unleash something even more powerful than the fireball from before, especially if Yells helps again. In the meantime, I¡¯ll do what I can. I choose my bone-headed arrows, not only because I don¡¯t want to risk wasting my metal-tipped ones, but also for another reason ¨C they¡¯re hollow. I take a few moments to imbue the arrowheads and poison within with my magic ¨C each only takes a few units due to the small quantity of liquid held inside so the expense is well worth it. This is a careful mix of the mimic¡¯s destructive venom and the black blob¡¯s stamina-inhibiting poison ¨C it probably won¡¯t have a great effect on the Tier three fellapodil, but any damage is better than none and any inhibitions we can apply to it are good. Stepping out of the cage of stalactites and stalagmites, I still half hide behind its protection as I start shooting arrows at the fellapodil. The arrows¡¯ ability to pierce the fellapodil¡¯s hide are hit and miss, and usually only sink into an area which is already damaged. However, full of my magic, I¡¯m able to worm each arrow that pierces even the top layer further into the fellapodil¡¯s body, employing a technique I saw in a video about bee stings. It takes longer, but it¡¯s more worthwhile than just peppering the beast with arrows that barely sink in, if at all. At the same time, the others follow my instructions and throw everything they can at the creature. Back to a decent condition thanks to potions, Sirocco divebombs it and shoots off Fire Wings; Bastet breathes fire at its body and agilely dodges its tentacles. The little party of Tier ones strike at every bit of its body that they can reach. Even the hatchlings do their best to rip apart any tentacle that comes near. The fellapodil fights back fiercely. Even as my Bound up above send things down to attack it, it harries them in return, its tentacles attempting to grab anyone it can, and shooting out caustic jets of liquid when they back away out of its reach. River ends up far more involved in giving healing potions and applying healing poultices to injuries caused by the corrosive substance than actually fighting, but when I touch her side of the Bond, I don¡¯t get the impression that she¡¯s upset by it. My vantage point from down in the cavern isn¡¯t great, but I can still see my Bound when they¡¯re close to the edge. Poison and Catch are caught unawares by a jet of caustic liquid. They dodge out of the way, but I can see their injuries are bad. River rushes forwards to treat their injuries, not noticing the tentacle snaking up the cliff side. ¡°River!¡± I shout in warning, but it¡¯s too late. It wraps around her ankle even as she turns to run. I start shooting arrows at the tentacle in question, my fear badly impacting my accuracy. Catch, the one she had been healing, starts trying fruitlessly to bash through the tentacle with his club, but the powerful limb shows little impact from the efforts of a Tier two. It pulls River¡¯s feet from under her. A moment later, she¡¯s dangling vulnerably in the air. Panic sweeps my insides. I don¡¯t know what to do! She¡¯s high above the cavern, facing straight down. Even if I can induce the tentacle to let her go, she could die from the impact with the unforgiving stone. But River isn¡¯t paralysed by the situation as I am. With a strength which her slim frame belies, she pulls herself up so her tail is hanging down but her head is level with her ankle. Abruptly, the tentacle releases her, rearing back. It looks more than a little burned. She falls. I throw magic into the area below her, the only thing I can think of doing ¨C to transform the hard granite and limestone into softer sand. All the mana I have regenerated goes into doing my best to save River. She never lands on it. A massive gust of wind slows her fall just enough that a massive pair of jaws can clamp themselves around her. Raven rapidly pulls his head back, just as a pair of tentacles shoot for him. He bellows in anger as another manages to wrap itself around his long neck. Green magic sparks along his scales and the tentacle flinches back as it¡¯s burnt by his acidic mana. He withdraws his head beyond where I can see. I¡¯m fine! River exclaims in the mental network. I release a sigh of relief, and feel a similar emotion from several others including Bastet. Thanks Raven, thanks Windy, I say gratefully. Tamer! It¡¯s got through to the water below! Dusty¡¯s voice pulls my attention away. I can¡¯t connect to that ¨C it¡¯s blocking me! I¡¯m trying to stop the water coming in, but it¡¯s fighting me and trying to make more holes! I hurry back to the protective cage, tucking my bow away, and then sink my awareness into the earth. Dusty¡¯s right. The fellapodil has made a hole in the trapdoor and is doing its best to rapidly widen it. Even as I pour magic into trying to fix it, I have to wonder: was its stunt with River an intentional attempt to divert our attention, or was it just an unfortunate coincidence? Creating the trapdoor when the fellapodil wasn¡¯t aware of my actions was one thing; trying to fix it when it¡¯s actively trying to combat me is completely different. I try to grow the limestone in spikes to deter it from trying to rip at the other pieces, but it just slips its tentacles through the hole it¡¯s already created and uses that as leverage. I try to pierce its body by shooting spikes from the tunnel walls, but its thick, rubbery skin defies my limestone weapons. Worse, its bulbous body easily reforms itself under the pressure of the spike ¨C much like a slug¡¯s might. Granite is just too slow to grow and uses too much mana. This isn¡¯t working! Desperately searching for an answer to how we don¡¯t lose our prey and let it escape back into an area where we¡¯ll never be able to find it, an idea comes to me. One which will hopefully do much more damage to the fellapodil than limestone spikes.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. It¡¯s a long shot, something I¡¯ve attempted a few times, but never managed to make work. But sometimes desperation is the mother of invention, and I can¡¯t think of anything else. I need mana! And Yells, I need your help! I exclaim. Joy, Dusty, and Windy are all currently using theirs, but River readily feeds me as much mana as she can. I shove a mana regeneration potion into Yells¡¯ hands. Drink that, I order her. She does so and then I reconnect to her mana pool, taking her mana slowly but steadily. I try to match her regeneration rate for now, essentially doubling my own. Trying to start with fire didn¡¯t work before; maybe starting with earth will? It will have to ¨C I need to affect the trapdoor, not the area immediately in front of me. The earth is as reluctant to accept the fire as the fire is to enter the earth. It¡¯s like the fire realises that earth normally smothers it and it does not want to die. The earth, on the other hand, is not fearful that the fire will consume it, but instead it does not recognise the magic which I¡¯m trying to integrate into it. Doesn¡¯t recognise¡­I gained both Shaping skills by understanding what the elements were individually. Maybe here, I need to visualise what they can be together. Aware constantly of the time pressure, I urge the earth to consider how the outside of Happy¡¯s furnace emanates heat ¨C not flame, but heat. And how the earth warms under the sun¡¯s gaze, holding the heat for hours afterwards sometimes. And how it¡¯s possible to cook by placing a rock in the fire and then withdrawing it and using it as a hot surface. It feels like both Earth and Fire are paying attention to me, a sense of a small fraction of some ancient awareness touching on me with curiosity. Earth softens its refusal; Fire flickers curiously. I feed the fire magic into the earth, and it enters, yet it is not the same. The flickering, dancing nature of Fire has given way to an enduring heat; the hard, resistant nature of Earth has yielded to something softer and more flexible. Barely held within my control is something new and yet still with so many hallmarks of the old. I have no time to marvel at what I¡¯ve created, the ease at which it slips through the earth. The fellapodil¡¯s hole is bigger than ever, Dusty practically sweating blood at the strain it¡¯s taking to resist the water it¡¯s trying to bring through. When the beast unleashes its domain again, we lose even more ground. Beset by the fear of suffocating, Dusty loses control over her blockage and water comes streaming through the hole the fellapodil created. The creature redoubles its efforts, the water now aiding it from the other side. I force away the effects of the creature¡¯s domain, burying my consciousness into the earth so I¡¯m only peripherally aware of my bodily sensations. The combination of Fire and Earth that I¡¯ve created isn¡¯t fast and it is very mana-hungry. Wherever it goes it seems to leave parts of itself behind to work on the rock around it. I start needing more than just the regenerated mana from Yells, beginning to dig a little into her mana pool itself. She feeds me the mana willingly, and somehow does something else. Instead of it just being me taking from her, she¡¯s reaching back along the link to offer something else. Slightly wary despite my trust in her, the situation is too urgent to ask questions; I accept the offer. Together, we touch the new type of magic and abruptly I feel it grow in intensity and strength. It moves more easily, and what it leaves behind takes less of its entirety than before. I resolve to talk to her about it later when we¡¯re not in the middle of a battle. By the time I send the new magic into the water above my barrier, choosing a spot near the hole within it, I have come to an awareness of what this is: lava magic. The combination of heat and rock. When it emerges into the water, a new gout of steam bubbles to the surface. I barely manage to warn my Bound in time for it to emerge. The little party of Tier ones and Fenrir, taking my words to heart about being careful about friendly fire, back off quickly and no one is hurt. The fellapodil isn¡¯t so lucky. The superheated rock sends immensely hot steam that sears into the lower regions of the beast. Gratified, I send the lava magic as quickly as I can into the water where it solidifies to become rock, transferring its heat into the water around it and practically boiling the Tier three alive. It lets out a cry in a range which I can barely hear, but which shudders painfully through my ears nonetheless. My Bound are not so lucky ¨C every one of them has a better hearing range than I do, which is a downside in this situation. All attacks abruptly cut off as they recoil back from the aural attack. That turns out to be a mistake. Intended or not, the fellapodil takes advantage of their momentary incapacitation. In the next moment, it unleashes several attacks. Caustic jets shoot from its tentacles, striking several of my Bound in the area above the cavern. At the same time, I hear a cry from Dusty next to me. It¡¯s taken back full control of the water! she tells me with distress. The warning comes too late. A wave of hot, caustic water rises out of the pit in which the fellapodil is trapped and drives us all against the walls. Then it retreats back into the pit. I cough as I bring my awareness fully back into my body. Ten seconds later, it comes again. Dusty, Yells, and I are burnt, scalded, and in pain, but the reinforced stalagmites in front of us keep us from being dragged along with the wave. Fenrir, Bastet, and the little party of Tier ones are not so lucky. My heart leaps in my chest as I see them struggling against the waves which just keep coming. Especially when I see a noxious greenish-yellow gas starting to emerge from the pit. It looks almost like dry ice in the way it stays close to the floor and spreads out, but the hint of a smell that I catch makes my stomach drop to the floor. Chlorine. A poisonous gas which can kill in minutes if the concentration is high enough. Which, if the look of the cloud is anything to go by, this is. Dusty, Yells, get out of here! I order them tersely, using my magic to melt a bigger hole in the defences which will be our death if we stay trapped. Lathani, Ninja, Storm, Fenrir, Bastet, get out of the pit! Don¡¯t go near the yellow-green gas! Sibling is in the gas already! Lathani tells me, her voice frightened. What? Where? I demand urgently. She doesn¡¯t bother with words, instead sending a quick memory of what happened. Storm was dragged by one of the waves to the edge of the pit just before the gas started bubbling out. She hasn¡¯t come out yet. Bastet and I both run towards where the juvenile disappeared into the fog. Help the others, I tell her sharply. I¡¯ll get Storm. She hesitates. They need you! Go! I don¡¯t use the Bond, but she skids to a halt and changes direction anyway, sending me a sense of urgent plea ¨C and trust. If I hadn¡¯t already been utterly determined to save Storm, I would be now. Storm! I shout down her Bond even as I enter the cloud myself. The gas is immediately irritating to my eyes and nose and I start coughing. Cursing myself for not thinking about it, I pull a bit of clothing out of my Inventory and soak it with my canteen then hold it to my mouth. Staggering forwards into the dense cloud, I use my Flesh-magic to clear chlorine out of my eyes by over-activating my tear-ducts. The trails of tears going down my cheeks are an easy price to pay for being able to see. Storm! Respond now! Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Seven: Increasing Acidity There¡¯s a flicker at the end of the Tame Bond, a feeling of being barely able to breathe, unable to move, and completely terrified. I hone into the location the feeling came from, running over to it as quickly as I can. A moment later, I¡¯m on my stomach on the floor, gasping. My back feels like a rebar just slammed into it, all air slammed out of my lungs. Swearing, I send magic into the injury. My armour did its job to protect me, but the blow was hard enough that several vertebrae have been injured anyway. But my spinal cord is fine ¨C that¡¯s all that matters right now. I push myself painfully to my feet, then throw myself back to the ground in a move that sends agony up my spine as the damaged vertebrae grind against each other. A tentacle snaps over my head, ripping out several of my hairs with the speed of its passage. Someone distract the beast while I get Storm! I demand. No one responds verbally, but the tentacle doesn¡¯t strike at me again, so I guess that they did something. Feeling my way forwards, a huddled shape comes into view. A moment later, my foot steps into midair. I throw myself back onto solid ground just barely before I accidentally topple into the pit with the fellapodil ¨C suicide, even for me. Crawling forwards to avoid making the same mistake, I lay my hands on Storm, lifting her onto my shoulders. We need to get out of here, but even as we move, I send my magic into her. I feel the way the chlorine gas has attacked the insides of her lungs, causing them to fill with fluid ¨C drowning her from the inside. Working hard on healing the damage, I focus on moving towards my Bound ¨C my only indication of what is where. Tentacles flail past me, but they don¡¯t seem to know where I am, and I¡¯m lucky enough that they don¡¯t hit us accidentally. The gas fads in strength and I start being able to see more things. I avoid a tentacle which comes a bit too close by dropping to the ground, then leap above another which sweeps down low, gasping ragged breaths as the exertion costs my already over-burdened system. The chlorine has filled the whole of the bottom of the cavern, though at the edges I can stand tall enough to keep my head mostly above it. Grab the rope! Catch says urgently. I look up to find him at the top, holding one of the woven silk cords which Joy and I created earlier. Immediately taking his meaning, I grab onto the rope with one hand, holding the still-limp form of Storm with the other. The rope is pulled upwards and I walk up the cavern wall with its help. Though my strength is easily enough to climb the rope without aid, it would be significantly harder while holding Storm so I¡¯m grateful for the aid. At the top, I back away enough that hopefully I¡¯m out of range of the fellapodil¡¯s tentacles, then focus on stabilising Storm¡¯s health and my own. As soon as I¡¯ve cleared enough of her lungs that she can breathe properly and rid myself of the chlorine in my own system, I check in with the rest of my Bound. Any injuries that need dealing with immediately? I ask. No one immediately steps forwards. Reducer has been keeping us in fighting condition with healing potions, Poison offers after a moment. We were able to get out of the cavern before the gas spread too far, Bastet contributes. We are hurt, but not seriously. I breathe a sigh of relief at the news. Reminded of the potions, I pull one out of my Inventory and down it, then pull another out and gently tip it into Storm¡¯s mouth to help continue the healing. Then, gently laying her on the ground for Bastet and Ninja to come and inspect to reassure themselves, I push myself to my feet, wincing as the vertebrae grind a little. Sending more magic into my back, I direct the healing magic from the potion to more effectively heal the damage the tentacle caused. Walking to the edge of the pit, I look down into a sea of green. The fellapodil is probably still below, but I¡¯m far enough away from the barrier I made that I cannot be sure it¡¯s still there. Not without creating a new channel to it from here which will take a bit of time. Once more, we¡¯re hitting the difference between a Tier two and a Tier three. The only way this is better than the fight with Raven is that even if there have been plenty of injuries, none of us have died. So far, anyway. ¡°Any ideas on what to do next?¡± I ask with a sigh. No one leaps to say anything, so I sigh again and run through options mentally. I have no idea how injured the fellapodil actually is, though I know we¡¯ve had an impact. I suspect, though, that the longer we delay, the more health it will regenerate. It has such a huge health pool that it probably has a health regeneration to match. Delaying isn¡¯t in our favour. But neither is rushing ahead half-cocked. ¡°How¡¯s everyone¡¯s mana?¡± I could probably check on my Bound tab, but it¡¯s easier just to ask. The responses I get back are varied. Raven is doing fine ¨C he isn¡¯t willing to specify, but I suspect his pool is big enough that only his biggest attacks drain it significantly. And I¡¯m not keen on asking him to use that bomb attack of his ¨C we need the Core and if he blows the fellapodil to pieces, who knows what could happen? River has a fair bit thanks to her enhanced mana regeneration as a result of taking the potion. Yells and my own are quite low but climbing ¨C I check with River and knock back another mana regeneration potion when she says it¡¯s fine. Dusty¡¯s was low but is getting better, and Windy¡¯s is much the same as her. Sirocco¡¯s is climbing too. Bastet indicates that she is running a bit low ¨C her pool was never massive to begin with and her fire attack takes quite a bit of juice. I sense increasing acidity below, Raven says suddenly, interrupting my thought process. ¡°What?¡± I ask, moving to the edge to look down. The creature is barely visible ¨C only the flicker of a tentacle occasionally appearing through the thick cloud of chlorine gas. It¡¯s enough to tell me that it hasn¡¯t disappeared completely, but not much more. At least the gas seems to be reducing a little, either being drawn back into the creature¡¯s body or being absorbed into the water.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Then I freeze as a little fact comes back to mind, my improved memory highlighting something I barely remember. The memory of a colleague complaining about how much effort it took to maintain his pool. Chlorine, when it combines with water, makes the pH more acidic. And, if the marble statues affected by acid rain are anything to go by, calcium-based stone ¨C of which limestone is an example ¨C dissolves in an acidic environment. Which means that time is even more pressing than I thought ¨C one hole was bad enough, but if the whole structure of the limestone is compromised, we may have to give up completely on this particular beast. Pieces fall into place. ¡°OK everyone, those who use mana and who can still take mana regeneration potions, take one now ¨C we need to hit this creature fast and hard. Windy,¡± I continue, turning to the Pathwalker in question, she looks at me with a neutral expression. ¡°Can you create a tornado of air to pull that chlorine gas away?¡± Yes, she answers, certainty in her voice. ¡°Then do that,¡± I command her. Where should I funnel the gas? she asks reasonably. I consider the question for a moment. Chlorine could be good to have, but how to store it is the problem. ¡°Dusty, if the fellapodil is distracted, do you think you could take control of the water again?¡± If it is fully distracted, yes, probably, but I will need to be closer to it again, the samuran says fearfully. ¡°If the gas isn¡¯t there, that becomes possible,¡± I remind her. ¡°Alright. Windy, you pull the gas away and try to keep it contained for a bit. In the meantime, Dusty, you take control of the water again and pull it away from the cavern entirely. If you can combine it with the chlorine gas, great. If not, Windy, just make sure that the gas is thoroughly diffused in the air and as far away from us as possible. Raven, how intelligent do you think this Tier three is?¡± I¡¯m checking because that will impact our ability to distract it. Not very intelligent, he says, unruffled by the fight so far. Its will is reasonably strong and I cannot suppress its domain completely, but though it has shown some cunning, there is little thought behind it, nor has it responded to my attempts to communicate. ¡°OK, that¡¯s good,¡± I murmur, my thoughts racing. This creature has to be intelligent enough to have reached Tier three, but maybe isn¡¯t at the level of Kalanthia or Raven himself. Fortunately. Once I have my plan in mind, I outline it for everyone and check for questions or suggestions ¨C I¡¯ve learned that the old adage of ¡®fail to plan, plan to fail¡¯ is absolutely right, and also that I¡¯m not as good at planning as I thought I was. Arrogance in my own intelligence will just get my companions killed. On that note, I¡¯ve forbidden the Tier ones from getting closer again ¨C it¡¯s too dangerous. Storm and Lathani aren¡¯t best pleased to be relegated to staying with the alcaoris hatchlings who Raven barred from moving far from him in the first place. Ninja, however, seems rather relieved and quickly presses against Noir¡¯s side, the alcaoris wrapping his wing over her protectively. It seems like Storm hasn¡¯t been at all frightened by her recent brush with death. Everything prepared as much as possible, potions taken, poisoned weapons prepared, muscles tensed for movement, we launch into what I hope is the finale of this fight. With an intensely focussed look on her face, Windy reaches into the air above the cavern and pulls. The wind actually becomes visible, a distortion forming in front of our eyes. Air currents rip at my hair and clothing, but it feels more like an accidental byproduct than intentional. The distortion moves into the cavern and the gas immediately reacts. Where before it had been rippling with the unseen movement of tentacles, now it is drawn into a vortex of air. The currents scour the edges of the cavern first and gather the chlorine gas into the centre, like a reaching hand. Then, the pillar of air sucks the yellowish-green gas upwards. There¡¯s a pulse of outrage from the fellapodil below as its covering is unceremoniously ripped away. ¡°Now, Raven,¡± I tell him quietly. The alcaoris doesn''t respond verbally. Instead, he mantles his wings, his back feet digging deeply into the earth and rock even as his tail presses against the ground to keep his balance. He beats his wings forwards and into the pit,The same acidic mana which once burned my flesh until the bone was exposed jabs forwards, accompanied by an acidic jet which explodes from his mouth. The downside of his Intelligent Acid is that he has to have a decent portion of his body in relatively close contact with his target for it to work. To do that, he leans into the cavern with both head and wings; most of my remaining Bound pile on his tail to help him stay on the cavern edge instead of toppling into it. ¡°Dusty, go,¡± I say, but realise that it¡¯s not needed ¨C she¡¯s already hurrying down the slope, Yells with her. I jog to catch up with them, seeing their spikes rippling with the bronze of determination. We head down the slope and back into the cavern. It¡¯s damaged by the attacks of the fellapodil, but not destroyed. Our little reinforced area is a lot more fragmented ¨C the fellapodil must have thought that we were still hiding there as it has broken most of the protective stalagmites. But there¡¯s no time to fix that. Instead, we tuck ourselves a little around the corner and into the adjoining cavern. It¡¯s not much protection ¨C I¡¯ve seen first-hand how easily the fellapodil¡¯s tentacles can invade this space ¨C but it¡¯s better than nothing. Closing my eyes, I send my awareness down into the earth and to the barrier to find out its condition. What I discover is much as I was fearing ¨C the combination of the acidic water caused by the chlorine and the efforts of the fellapodil to break through it are having a distressing effect. The barrier is getting thinner and thinner, and has broken in several spots, once more giving the fellapodil access to the greater body of water below even if it can¡¯t actually escape yet. Knowing that Dusty will only be able to do her job and fully reveal the fellapodil if the barrier is watertight, I draw mana from Yells and send it through to the barrier directly. She does the same thing as before, her efforts enhancing the effects of the mana and allowing a small amount to go much further and act more quickly. Though the limestone isn¡¯t the best material, it¡¯s done a good enough job so far and it¡¯s only a temporary patch anyway. I¡¯ll still use it as the aim here is to quickly give Dusty the watertight area she needs. First, though, I create a bit of lava again to scare the fellapodil away from its attempts to get through. The heat makes it pull as far away as it can go, its efforts to pierce the limestone trapdoor thoroughly stymied. It¡¯s not long before I¡¯m able to patch the holes with a mixture of lava and limestone growths. I¡¯ve got control over the water, Dusty announces a moment later, her voice sounding exhuasted from the effort. Then get it and yourself out of here, I remind her. She sends a wordless, fatigued acknowledgement. I take a moment to check in with the rest of my party. I cannot maintain my Intelligent Acid any longer, Raven tells me in response, also sounding fatigued. Then pull it back and just switch to Acid Jets, I tell him. Try to cover Dusty¡¯s retreat if you can. Catch, Iandee, Poison, River, work with him and send your poisoned weapons to the spots where his acid has already burned through the fellapodil¡¯s outer layers, I remind them. Joy- Get control over its tentacles, I know, she interrupts. I remember. Good, I tell her, recognising her irritation as fatigue and fear. It¡¯s done, Dusty interrupts, sounding even more exhausted than before. Abruptly, a wave of darkness washes over my senses as another pulse of drowned anger and pressured outrage hits me like a mental blow. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Eight: Time To End This Exclamations come over the Bond. I can¡¯t see! I can¡¯t hear! What¡¯s going on? Stop! I mentally shout and the voices go quiet. Who is affected, and which senses do you have which are still working? I follow my own instructions, testing each of my senses. My eyesight is completely gone. My physical eyes can¡¯t see anything but darkness. I speak aloud and can¡¯t hear my own voice. Touch is significantly muted ¨C it¡¯s like my arm has gone dead as I reach out for the rock wall beside me. I use the little I can feel to carefully lower myself to my knees on the ground ¨C no point accidentally losing my balance and hurting myself. I smell nothing either ¨C the lingering scent of chlorine has completely vanished. That¡¯s not good ¨C if the fellapodil releases another pulse of chlorine gas, I could die before I realise that it¡¯s affecting me. My Bound start chiming in, seconding the fact that their physical senses are gone. It¡¯s only affecting us actually in the cavern and those within a few steps of the edge of the pit ¨C those beyond it just see a dome of blackness sitting over the hole. Abruptly, cries of surprised pain ring out through our Bond. What happened? I demand urgently. We were struck by something ¨C a tentacle, I think, or water jet, Poison answers tersely. We¡¯re backing up to try to get out of the dome. Be careful not to fall over the edge of the pit, I warn. Pain flashes through me as Dusty and Yells also cry out. It¡¯s the strangest sensation ¨C the Flesh-Shaping magic that constantly suffuses my body is screaming at me, but my nerves barely warn me of anything worse than a training blow. Nonetheless, I can tell that several of my ribs were cracked and, from the renewed injuries to my back, I must have been thrown into something. I can barely even tell which way¡¯s up, let alone where I should protect myself from. Groping around me, I can¡¯t even feel the floor except when a small flash of pain indicates I¡¯ve cut myself. I could be a centimetre or a metre away from my companions and not know it. Sending healing magic through my body, my mind races as I try to work out a way to get past this shroud. My lungs are burning and my magic indicates they¡¯re being damaged¨C chlorine again? Resisting the urge to cough, I cycle Flesh-Shaping through my lungs to clear them. Yells, Dusty, anyone else on the cavern floor, take a healing potion now! I think it¡¯s used the gas attack again! I close my eyes and activate my magic sight ¨C I probably didn¡¯t need to close them, but it''s a habit. I can see nothing in front of me, no connections, no magic, but when I send my mind into the earth, my awareness there is unaffected. Abruptly, the earth rights itself. I can tell where I am ¨C pressed against the cavern wall a bit beyond where I had been before. I can feel Yells and Dusty¡¯s presence ¨C not far from me. Immediately, I reach out to them and start channeling Flesh-magic into them. I can even still detect where the fellapodil is pressing against the walls of the tunnel and the barrier at the bottom, its weight now unsupported by water. It can¡¯t affect our senses in our own magic. Everyone just keep clear of the cavern until we can see what¡¯s going on again. Those capable of magic, keep doing what you can. Windy, clear out the air in the cavern ¨C we need to get rid of the chlorine gas. I cannot maintain two vortexes at the same time, she tells me. Then release the gas you¡¯re currently controlling in the way I said. This is more important. I do not wish to catch you in my Acid Jets, Raven rumbles next. It¡¯s fine, I tell him. We¡¯re out of the line of fire, so just keep shooting them at where you remember the pit is. The fellapodil is still in the bottom of the pit and most likely doesn''t have the strength to get out of it. I¡¯m sure it can¡¯t keep this up forever ¨C when you can see again, give it all you¡¯ve got. The two Pathwalkers with me more than half-healed from the double-whammy of tentacles and chlorine, I switch tactics. Connecting with Yells again ¨C the feeling across the Bond one of fear but also trust ¨C I pull at her mana. Time to end this before the fellapodil comes out with something else. Transforming my mana into what is most definitely lava magic is far easier this time, almost guaranteeing what the notification will say when I have a chance to consult it. With Yells¡¯ enhancement it grows even larger, and I draw it through the earth towards the barrier. The fellapodil is hard at work, the cover of darkness evidently intended to hide its attempts to escape. After the last attack, its tentacles have evidently been withdrawn into the pit to hammer at the barrier, trying to worm their way into any crack or crevice they can. It¡¯s also sending jets of liquid all over the barrier, presumably in an attempt to melt it away, not very successfully. When I recall what Inspect told me about its abilities, I figure I know why ¨C it¡¯s either using its Water Jet or Caustic jet. Water would have an effect eventually, but it would take time and if ¡®caustic¡¯ refers to ¡®caustic soda¡¯ then the substance is alkali and therefore has limited effect on limestone. It would probably be better off by using Water Jet and then its chlorine Gas Attack again, but it clearly hasn¡¯t realised that. Or maybe it¡¯s trying, but Windy is pulling off the chlorine as soon as it is produced. Either way, it¡¯s a relief ¨C the barrier will give way eventually under the strain, but we have a chance to kill it before then. Identifying the weakest areas of the barrier, I feed my lava mana out of the rock near those spots. This second time around, I realise that I can actually choose to increase or decrease the concentration of¡­something. If I had a better geological knowledge, I might know what it is. But all I can tell is that it affects both the speed of the lava flow and the amount of mana I have to dedicate into creating it ¨C the more of this element I use, the faster the lava moves and the less mana I need for it. Considering that this new magic has already proven to be a real mana hog, and that speed is definitely an objective here, I pour magic into increasing the proportion of this element. Once created, I direct the lava to spread across the surface of my limestone barrier. The fellapodil flinches away from the molten rock, pressing itself to the opposite side to the one I¡¯m working on. Its tentacles take on an even greater urgency, hammering desperately at the rock around it. I spread the lava further, adding more heat into the liquid to make it flow faster. I reduce the temperature a moment later, though ¨C I sense that the limestone below the lava is beginning to get a little fragile. Old memories from school remind me that at a certain temperature limestone burns to become quicklime, a much more fragile substance. Since I don¡¯t want the barrier accidentally disintegrating, I pause for a moment to both reform that section of limestone, and reinforce it a little with earth-mana. Moving more slowly and carefully, I realise that as long as I don¡¯t raise the temperature too high, I can balance the lava with the burning point of the limestone. The temperature absorption nature of the water pressing underneath it also helps. The fellapodil becomes more and more frantic as my molten lava gets closer and closer. It shoots liquid from its tentacles which cool the surface of the lava, but a little extra heat melts away the crust that forms enough for the lava to continue creeping forwards. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then I sense that its efforts might be about to show fruit ¨C one of the sections of limestone is about to collapse. I draw more mana from Yells and cause lava to erupt from that very location. Another shriek batters my ears, loud and painful enough for me to hear it even as disconnected from my body as I am now. At the same time, Yells warns me wordlessly that she¡¯s getting very low on mana. Disconnecting from her, I rely on my own mana pool, almost entirely full thanks to my natural and enhanced mana regeneration. It¡¯s enough to send lava spilling across the full span of the barrier, leaving no space for the fellapodil to escape its heat. In a last-ditch effort to take us with it, the fellapodil drops its dark shroud and frees our senses. The sudden onslaught of sound, light, smell, and touch after having had none of those for too long is more than a little disorientating. The fellapodil further shrieks and makes my vision white out as pain explodes from my ear drums. Cries from my Bound ring out, felt more through the Bonds than heard. Suddenly, burning, scalding pain washes over me. My vision returns ¨C though my hearing doesn¡¯t ¨C only for me to see a black tentacle swinging towards me. I just about manage to roll out of the way, but it continues on ¨C to slam straight into Yells. I see her fly into the air like a ragdoll and hit the wall of the cavern. I feel the blood drain out of my face ¨C Yells has an even lower health pool than I have and she wasn¡¯t full to begin with. Using the last of my mana, I throw up a barrier between the two caverns, then, reeling with the ill-effects of using far too much mana in a short space of time ¨C fatigued, nauseous, and so dizzy that I can barely stand ¨C I crawl over to Yells. She¡¯s still alive ¨C that I know from the Bond. But barely so. She needs me now. It doesn¡¯t help that my eardrums keep getting battered with painful, barely audible shrieks. Reaching her, I pour in the magic, going straight for the most dangerous wounds ¨C the two ribs which have punctured her lung, the pressure on her heart, the cracked skull and bleeding in her brain. I¡¯m vaguely aware of Dusty hauling herself over and pouring a healing potion down Yells¡¯ throat, and immediately take control of the healing magic which enters her system to direct it to the most urgent areas. By the time I¡¯ve got her health regenerating rather than trickling away, the fight is pretty much over and I¡¯m completely done. I couldn¡¯t magic my way out of a paper bag right now and I have the worst migraine ever. I was feeling pity the fellapodil, and maybe a hint of guilt ¨C being cooked alive is a bad way to go for anyone, and technically we started this fight, unless we count the first time I encountered it as the initial salvo. But now, after pulling my companion back from the brink of death while still covered in chemical burns myself, I¡¯m just grateful that it¡¯s too weak to try that again. The shrieks are almost inaudible now and have completely lost their ear-piercing quality. My own hearing partially restored, I can hear the sound of my Bound fighting. Unable to get up physically, I borrow Sirocco¡¯s vision. She¡¯s soaring around, guiding the Warriors and River in throwing their poisoned darts and javelins into the spots which Raven has eaten away with his acid. At the same time, I see that half of the creature¡¯s tentacles have been successfully tied up with the ropes of spider silk ¨C it probably couldn¡¯t have attacked us again even if it had succeeded in getting through the barrier. Then I see something that makes me immediately demand answers. Why are the Tier ones in the fight? I told them to stay back! The creature is almost dead, Bastet tells me. We thought it would be good for them to take part in the kill. And you agreed to this, Raven? I ask incredulously since his three hatchlings are also down there, attacking the tied-up tentacles with great enthusiasm. What if it has one last trick to pull out which kills them? I doubt it has, Raven replies confidently. The chance to benefit from a Tier three¡¯s death is worth the risk. I sigh. I suppose that they would all know better than I in this particular context. And ultimately, though I don¡¯t want the alcaoris hatchlings to die, Raven is even more dedicated to their survival than I am. If he thinks it¡¯s worth the risk, so be it. Alright, fine, but keep an eye on them. I will, Sirocco assures me briskly. You need to rest and recover, Bastet adds. Well, she¡¯s not wrong. Once I regenerate the mana and recover a bit, I¡¯ll have a lot of injuries to heal on all three of us down here, Yells particularly. And ultimately, I¡¯ve probably done enough in this fight ¨C my Bound can take it from here. And so I watch the final ten minutes or so of the fellapodil¡¯s life through Sirocco¡¯s eyes. I see as Bastet breathes fire onto the creature, Windy uncharacteristically helpful in sending a gust of wind to help it flare even bigger and engulf more of the sorry-looking tentacle monster. The fellapodil doesn¡¯t look so black and indomitable any more ¨C the flames and acid have eaten away at and burnt so much of its skin. Down below, where it¡¯s made contact with the lava, it¡¯s even worse off ¨C several tentacles have lost sections of their length to its heat. And yet it still lives, a testament to the health pool of a Tier three. In the end, I don¡¯t know what kills it ¨C the heat or the poison which the samuran Warriors and River have been relentlessly peppering it with. The poison is evident in the blackened flesh around where the darts or javelins have landed, veins of green and black disappearing into the healthier flesh. Finally, though, I feel a sudden rush of Energy enter me. Sensing the moment that my Core starts straining under the influx of Energy, I redirect it into the ¡®debt¡¯ ¨C though more levels would be good, I might as well use the Energy that would otherwise be wasted to increase the time the portal will stay open. Pushing myself to my feet, I stretch carefully, making sure that I haven¡¯t accidentally missed any injuries. I inspect Yells too with a critical eye and her spikes ripple with blue satisfaction as she is able to stand on her own two feet. Though she¡¯s not fully healed, she¡¯s significantly better after all my efforts. Dusty is fully healed ¨C her injuries were less, but still not exactly insignificant. Not needing to exchange words, I grin tiredly at them, then lead the way back to the main cavern. There¡¯s a strong, burnt smell of calamari with a hint of fish and a large dash of noxious fumes ¨C from the lava, I realise as I get closer. The molten rock isn¡¯t molten any longer, but it¡¯s probably still very hot. The fellapodil looks deflated in death, most of its muscles relaxed though some of its tentacles still twitch in post-mortem spasms. We know it¡¯s dead, though, from the influx of Energy. Looking around I see relief, joy, and elation. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go up top for now ¨C we¡¯ll get the Core out once we¡¯ve had a moment to rest,¡± I tell the group. I¡¯d also like to look at my notifications ¨C and level up if I get a chance. Pack leader, Pack leader, Lathani says excitedly, practically dancing next to me as we head out via the slope. I think I can Evolve! ¡°What?¡± I ask in surprise. ¡°Are you sure? Safely?¡± Yes, I¡¯m sure! I¡¯ve finished working on my internal matrix! And I sense that if I Evolve now, with this Energy, I will have a really good Evolution! ¡°That sounds fantastic, Lathani,¡± I tell her frankly, ¡°but let me just quickly look at you when we get to the top, alright?¡± She dances on the spot again, though this time I sense it¡¯s more impatience than excitement. Fine, she allows sulkily. But don¡¯t take too long! ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I promise. True to my word I go over her internal matrix as quickly as I can though still paying attention to detail, not wanting to miss something that could turn her Evolution very wrong. ¡°Well,¡± I say as I pull my awareness out of her internal matrix. Lathani is waiting with bated breath, clearly praying to anyone who will listen that my evaluation is positive. Around us, almost everyone is gathered, watching in interest. The only exceptions are Dusty, who is still focussing on a massive bubble of yellowish water, and Windy who appears to be meditating. ¡°I don¡¯t see any reason why you shouldn¡¯t have a good Evolution.¡± Lathani practically jumps for joy. Then can I Evolve? Can I? Can I?! ¡°Keep your mother¡¯s and Bastet¡¯s advice in mind,¡± I warn her sternly, then flash her a smile. ¡°But sure, go ahead.¡± Not needing any more than that, Lathani closes her eyes, focusses, and then what seems like a tsunami of purplish sparks erupts from her and begins orbiting her form, completely masking it. Sharing a glance with Bastet and River, I feel their excitement like it¡¯s my own. Fenrir paces forwards and lies down almost touching the wall of sparks ¨C clearly he wants to be one of the first to see her after her Evolution. The other samurans murmur quietly amongst themselves as Ninja and Storm slink forwards to sit on either side of Fenrir, Lathani¡¯s honour-guard. Though I¡¯d love to watch every second of the Evolution like those around me, Dusty is waiting for me to tell her what to do with the chlorine-laced water she¡¯s holding together with her magic. As I walk over to speak to her, something else abruptly draws my attention. A second shower of sparks erupts ¨C from Windy. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Seventy-Nine: Skill Choice My first thought: I¡¯m finally going to discover what a Tier three samuran is like. My second thought: But it¡¯s Windy, the only Pathwalker who¡¯s never fully come around to my leadership. Even as I instruct Dusty to feed her chlorine-imbued water into some containers I pull out of my Inventory, I continue considering the matter. I suppose it¡¯s not terribly surprising, thinking about it. She¡¯s the oldest of the surviving samurans and her progress was already at eighty-nine percent before coming here. But I¡¯d be lying if I said that I¡¯d even considered the possibility of her actually Evolving. Not when it¡¯s taken three months for Bastet to make just over twenty-four percent. Then again, Bastet hasn¡¯t exactly been consistent with her progress. Sometimes she¡¯s been stuck at a certain percentage for a while and then she makes three or four percent progress all at once. Something to do with making mental breakthroughs about herself and what she wants to be, apparently. So perhaps that¡¯s what¡¯s happened here. Windy made a small leap of progress after she got access to the den area and the Energy density within, but since then she hasn¡¯t moved forwards at all. Maybe this situation was just what she needed to conceptualise herself in a way that catapulted her into being capable of Evolution. Either way, this could be a problem. Assuming she succeeds in her Evolution, of course ¨C I don¡¯t know what second Evolutions are like but the first is certainly not guaranteed to work. On the one hand, it would be great to have a Tier three samuran as part of our village, especially since no other village has one. On the other hand, this is Windy we¡¯re talking about. The only thing holding her back from challenging me for leadership is the fact that I beat her in the first ranking fight and have held her Bond since then. If she becomes a Tier three, she¡¯s almost guaranteed to be able to beat me in a one-on-one fight. As for the Bond, I remember from somewhere that the bigger the strength disparity is between me and the Bound, the more likely it is that they can break free ¨C if they want to. That latter is one reason why I¡¯ve been focussing on building the emotional bond between me and those Bound to me, not just the Bond created by my Skill. The more they see being connected to me as being beneficial, the less resistance they will give to my Bond, even if they surpass me in strength. I hadn¡¯t thought it would be put to the test so quickly, though, and with Windy of all people. I sigh and look around. The other samurans have joined me in gathering around Windy, thoroughly distracted from their interest in Lathani by seeing one of their own kind attempting to reach the lauded second Evolution. Most of them are fully focussed on the shower of off-white sparks which envelop Windy and block her almost entirely from view. There are plenty of them ¨C clearly she¡¯s not going to have the same issues Fenrir did with not having enough Energy to do whatever the second Evolution requires. Over our Bond, I feel nothing but intense concentration. For a moment, I consider interrupting it ¨C that could lead to a less-powerful Evolution and give me more chance of retaining control. I dismiss the thought the next instant, ashamed of myself. It wouldn¡¯t even necessarily have beneficial effects anyway. It wouldn¡¯t be guaranteed to interrupt her concentration enough to negatively affect her Evolution, and the attempt would just earn me even more ire than she already bears towards me. And even if it did succeed, how would damaging Windy¡¯s Evolution actually help in the long run? It might mean that she continued to be under my control, but to what end? To be a weak Tier three? No, it¡¯s unfortunate that she¡¯s the first to Evolve, but I¡¯ll just have to create some contingency plans. As I look around at the samurans, both River and Catch turn their heads to acknowledge my attention. Markus, what happens if Wind-whisperer emerges and is powerful enough to forcibly break the Bond? River asks in a message which is limited to the three of us, cutting to the heart of the matter. I was just wondering the same thing, I confirm grimly. What would the reaction be from the Warriors and other Pathwalkers? I ask in reply. They both send me uncertain wordless emotional responses. Pathwalker Wind-whisperer would probably call for a ranking fight, or at least challenge you, Catch ventures. If she beat you, that would be grounds enough to call for a full ranking fight. I think that Catch is right, seconds River with more certainty. And I think that that is likely to happen sooner rather than later. I nod, having concluded as much myself. However¡­. In the original fight, I hamstrung myself by agreeing to only have one other Bound in the fight with me. But this time, what if I pulled in others? Do you mean non-People, or People? Catch questions me. Because if you intend to bring in other Pathwalkers or Warriors to face her¡­. Yes? I encourage. They exchange glances and I sense an undercurrent of conversation going on between them which I don¡¯t make the effort to listen in to. It would be put to a vote, River says finally. They might agree to it, considering everything you¡¯ve done for the village. Part of the reason for why Wind-whisperer has been disgruntled lately is because she¡¯s been finding fewer and fewer of our sisters willing to listen to her grumbling. Our other sisters might vote on something that all but guarantees your victory, simply because they do not want Wind-whisperer to be in charge, Tier three or not. It¡¯s an interesting point, and one that I hadn¡¯t considered. I was thinking that I¡¯d have to essentially brute-force the whole thing since I¡¯m not willing to have everything I¡¯ve worked for be taken away by a grumpy Pathwalker who just hasn¡¯t fully accepted the new way of life. But perhaps I¡¯ve made more allies than I think. It would probably not be a good idea to involve Warriors, suggests Catch. To do so, even if very much within your right, would seem a little desperate. But if the other Pathwalkers stand with you, I suspect that even Windy will think twice about the challenge. Alright, good to know, thanks, I tell them both, feeling a little more settled. Ideally, I¡¯ll be able to maintain the Bond which will prevent Windy from attacking me at all, if I don¡¯t let her. But at least we have several contingency plans in place for if it doesn¡¯t work that way. Right now there¡¯s also something else I can do: level up. When choosing the stat points to level up, there¡¯s only one real option. I¡¯m most concerned about losing control of the Bond and there¡¯s only one stat which will help me with that: Willpower. Fortunately, these days when I level up, I don¡¯t produce any of that putrid stuff any more. I do sweat a bit, but that¡¯s easy enough to clean out of my clothes with Flesh-Shaping. Besides, with all the fighting, there have been far worse things soaking into my clothes than just a bit of sweat. Levelling up to twenty also brings something else: my next Skill choice. I glance at Windy and Lathani, and see both of them still fully involved in their Evolution. Deciding that I have enough time to check the Skills out, I call up the screen.
Stun (1) Release your remaining mana in a single, directed blast from your hands to render your opponent unmoving for between one and ten seconds. Note: the effects of the blast depend on both the amount of mana remaining, and distance from the epicentre of the discharge. The disparity between your Willpower and that of your opponent will also partially determine the length of time the target is stunned. Maximum effect can be achieved at full mana and when touching the target.
Track (1) Notice and be able to follow marks which show the passage of your target. This Skill scales with Intelligence.
Bond Eyes (4) See through the visual senses of one of your Bound at any time. At lower levels, this sight replaces your own; at higher levels, and with practice, it is possible to view through both sets of visual senses. This Skill becomes easier the greater the disparity between your Willpower and that of your Bound. It may also be easier or harder depending on the Bond you have. It is easier to view through a tightly-controlled Bond or a Bond with a deep sense of trust. The distance limits of this Skill are determined by Wisdom/Willpower and the strength of the Bond.
Bond Ears (4) Hear through the auditory senses of one of your Bound at any time. At lower levels, this hearing replaces your own; at higher levels, and with practice, it is possible to hear through both sets of auditory senses. This Skill becomes easier the greater the disparity between your Willpower and that of your Bound. It may also be easier or harder depending on the Bond you have. It is easier to hear through a tightly-controlled Bond or a Bond with a deep sense of trust. The distance limits of this Skill are determined by Wisdom/Willpower and the strength of the Bond.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Bond Puppet (4) Send your consciousness into the body of one of your Bound and control their limbs as you would your own. Any damage sustained to your physical form will not affect your own body. Mental or soul attacks, however, may still damage your true mind or soul. This Skill becomes easier the greater the disparity between your Willpower and that of your Bound. It may also be easier or harder depending on the Bond you have. It is easier to puppet a Bound through a tightly-controlled Bond or a Bond with a deep sense of trust. The distance limits of this Skill are determined by Wisdom/Willpower and the strength of the Bond.
Sympathetic Bond (8) Build a sympathetic Bond with one of your Bound (Tame or Dominate). When they use a special ability, you are able to use it too. As the Bond deepens, they may become able to use some or all of your Skills too, however this depends on both their access to resources and their intellectual capacity.
Parasitic Bond (8) Take an ability or a physical characteristic from your Bound (Dominate only) for a time determined by the level of the Bond. You will be able to use this ability or physical characteristic as if it is your own for that duration. While you use the ability or physical characteristic, however, your Bound will not have access to it.
Transformation (8) Use the Bond to learn how to transform a part of your body into an equivalent of the physical characteristics possessed by your Bound (Tame or Dominate). This Skill synergises with any Shaping Skill or similar that you already possess (e.g. Earth-Shaping combined with a Bound with claws will enable you to use this Skill to create claws shaped of an earth-type substance which act like true claws).
You have 8 Skill points available. Either choose a Skill to use your Skill point now, or say ¡®Bank¡¯ to store the points for later and close the Skill selection menu.
The Skills from my first ever choice are still there, and their benefits are even less advantageous now than they were. With my far-greater mana pool, either I¡¯d end up vaporising my opponent or messing up the Skill if I took Stun. I¡¯m slightly tempted to choose that, just to see what would happen, but dismiss the thought ¨C there are far better options there. Track not being one of them, of course ¨C my reasons for not choosing that one originally have just become more compelling as I¡¯ve got more experienced and Bound more creatures. Why have a tracking Skill when I can just lean on Sirocco¡¯s eyes or Fenrir¡¯s nose to find what I¡¯m searching for? And that¡¯s disregarding Inspect which is like Track on steroids. Bond Eyes and Bond Ears remain useful, but a waste of Skill points ¨C I¡¯ve worked out how to do it already for myself. Bond Puppet also remains interesting, but not with my style of managing Bound ¨C each of them playing their individual parts works far better than me trying to become a puppet master. And I¡¯m not interested in pulling back more from the front lines than I already have. Which leaves the three new choices as my best options for this particular round. And a thought-provoking choice it is. All three have their advantages and disadvantages. I need to work out which is most valuable for me and my general style of strategy. Sympathetic Bond is valid for both Tame and Dominate Bonds ¨C an advantage. It primarily allows me to use my Bound¡¯s special Abilities like Bastet¡¯s Fire Breath or Sirocco¡¯s Change Size. I wonder whether it would work on the Pathwalkers¡¯ Abilities too ¨C it seems likely. The downside is that it¡¯s only, it seems, when they are also using the Ability. And though it¡¯s possible that they could use mine in time, it doesn¡¯t start with that benefit. Plus, the indication of use being contingent on resources and intellectual capacity indicates that this is no cheat Skill. However, I can see it being pretty powerful if I had one or two powerful companions who attacked an enemy with me ¨C we¡¯d be able to enhance and multiply each other¡¯s attacks. Imagine if both Yells and I could enhance an attack from, say Dusty. It¡¯s certainly a strong and enticing option; whether it¡¯s a good Skill for me, however, is another question. Just the name of Parasitic Bond makes me inclined to reject it. I easily recall the parasites I pulled out of several Pathwalkers ¨C I have no intention of becoming like one of those. However, I look at the description anyway, and find myself more tempted than I thought I would be. The advantage of this one is that it applies to both special abilities and physical characteristics. I have to guess that this might be like Bastet¡¯s or Sirocco¡¯s wings, or Fenrir¡¯s venomous teeth. However, there are two major disadvantages to it. First, that it only applies to Dominate Bound; second, that by using the physical characteristic of one of my Bound, they are robbed of it. Does that mean that if I grew Bastet¡¯s wings or Fenrir¡¯s teeth that they would lose the characteristics entirely, or just be unable to use them somehow? And what if I took their ability to breathe? Or to eat? Or to see? Even just taking their teeth or claws would risk them not being able to protect themselves in a fight. I can definitely see why these two Skills are named the way they are ¨C in many ways, they¡¯re opposites. One is about working in partnership; the other is about selfish benefit. The third is quite different. Transformation only applies to physical characteristics, but is a mimicking rather than a borrowing, unlike Parasitic Bond. The thing that makes me more than a little excited about this one is that it ¡®synergises¡¯ with any other transformation magic I already possess. While it gives the example of Earth-Shaping, it¡¯s more the question of how it synergises with Flesh-Shaping that interests me. Although I¡¯ve played around a bit with the ways Flesh-Shaping can affect my body and potentially give me advantages, I¡¯ve never done anything too extreme, worried about what might happen if I get it wrong and then can¡¯t turn it back to the way it was. But if I have an actual Skill showing me the way¡­.? I hesitate for another moment between Symbiotic Bond and Transformation. Then, deciding to trust my gut feel, I pick the latter. My Bound already benefit from each others¡¯ special abilities with the daily perk from Tame. This time, I want to see if I can benefit myself a little. Opening my notifications, I¡¯m reminded of something else exciting when I see the message waiting for me.
Congratulations! You have earned a new Skill: Lava-Shaping. Would you like to see the Skill description?
See Skill description / Close messages
Lava-Shaping You have combined Fire magic with Earth magic and shaped the result. As a consequence, you have become capable of creating and shaping different types of lava. Beware: lava contains both the ever-devouring nature of Fire and the inexorable determination of Earth. Fail to respect it at your peril. Your 25% Fire Affinity translates to a 12.5% Lava Affinity: creating and shaping lava is slightly easier and slightly less mana-consumptive.
Close messages
I can¡¯t help it ¨C as I close the message, I pump my fist into the air with excitement. Lava magic? How cool is that?! And my Fire Affinity actually helps with it a bit too! Though, considering how much I was struggling with mana-consumption if the affinity reduces the mana required, exactly how heavy is this ability normally? I pull up my status screen just to see how it¡¯s all looking post-level up.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 20 Energy to next level: 0% Energy absorption rate: 91u/hr Energy towards debt: 121% (153)
Intelligence 40+6 (+15%) Mana: 690/690 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 44+4 (+10%) Mana regeneration rate: 1200u/hr
Willpower 73+23 (+32%) Health regeneration rate: 96u/hr
Constitution 32+3 (+10%) Health: 515/515 (525) (15u/CP)
Strength 21+1 (+5%) Stamina regeneration rate: 130u/hr
Dexterity 28+2 (+10%) Stamina: 112/450 (15u/DP)
Special: Fire Affinity (25%)
Class skills Dominate ¨C Journeyman 5 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Journeyman 7 * Alliance Fade ¨C Journeyman 1 * Darkvision Inspect ¨C Novice 6 Elemental Bonding ¨C Beginner 2 Management ¨C Novice 3 Transformation ¨C Beginner 1 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Master 2 Stealth ¨C Novice 9 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 7 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 6 Sensation Management ¨C Novice 4 Spearmanship ¨C Initiate 7 Archery ¨C Novice 9 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Initiate 5 Short Blades ¨C Novice 7 Fire-Shaping ¨C Initiate 5 Earth-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 1 Energy Crystallisation ¨C Beginner 5 Teaching ¨C Beginner 7 Rune-Carving ¨C Beginner 4 Enchanting ¨C Beginner 8 Lava-Shaping ¨C Beginner 1
The two new Skills are there, and I¡¯ve made some progress in some of my other Skills, most notably Fire-Shaping which is now halfway through the Initiate ranks. I also note that the Energy for my debt has gone up by three percent ¨C a profitable kill for sure. Most importantly, my Willpower is close to reaching three digits, thanks to my recent level up and the bonuses to it I get. As I close my screen and eye the ball of off-white sparks whirling around Windy, I can only grimly hope that it will be enough. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighty: Evolution Although time is ticking away, I don¡¯t dare send any of my Bound away to start investigating the carcass of the fellapodil ¨C those who would be most apt at finding and extracting its Core are exactly those I would want around me if the situation with Windy goes downhill. Which, honestly, seems to be the only way it can go, really. As it turns out, though, Lathani is the first to finish her Evolution. Natural, I suppose, since she started it first. The purple sparks are slowly sucked into her body, revealing a massive, dark shape. She¡¯s grown, is my first thought. It feels like an understatement as she uncurls, showing that she¡¯s grown even more than I had thought. Standing up on four paws, I see that she¡¯s more than doubled her previous size. Before, her shoulders had reached mid-thigh on me; now, they reach my own shoulder-height. Her head used to be a little smaller than mine; now she could probably bite it off if she opens her jaws wide. With her new height, she¡¯s also far longer ¨C she used to be about a metre and a half; now she¡¯s probably over three metres long. She still has a way to go to reach her mother¡¯s immense proportions, but she¡¯s certainly making inroads on catching up! There are more obvious changes. Her colouring for one. She used to be the typical sandy colour of a leopard with black spots. Now, she looks far more like a black leopard, her spots barely visible against the dark brown of her coat. Her eye colour has changed too, transforming to the bright gold of her mother¡¯s gaze; the darkness of her coat just makes her eyes shine even more obviously against it. Then I realise Lathani is looking a little anxiously at me and I rush to reassure her. ¡°You look amazing,¡± I tell her honestly. She and Kalanthia together will be a sight. And that reminds me that Kalanthia should be up to full strength. ¡°Let me see what¡¯s changed internally.¡± I pull up both Kalanthia and Lathani¡¯s entries to see the changes even as Lathani starts talking excitedly, that aspect of her clearly unchanged. Pack leader, I¡¯m so much bigger now! Did you see? And I feel so much stronger too! And I think I could run for days. And I¡¯ve got magic now, can you see?! ¡°I do, I see all of that,¡± I tell her, more than a little distracted by the information before my eyes.
Kalanthia nunda Tame T3 12300 HP 9135 MP 1460 SP 67% ~859y Earth-Shaping, Increased Cognition, Mana Sponge, Enhanced Stealth
Lathani nunda Companion T2 3820 HP 1830 MP 720 SP 0% ~1061y Shadow-Hop, Earth-Sense, Shadow-Shaping
Both nundas have made massive steps forward. Lathani has more than doubled her previous health points ¨C originally a thousand, seven hundred. She¡¯s also doubled her stamina points, going from three hundred and sixty to seven hundred and twenty. But it¡¯s her mana which has seriously increased ¨C going from two hundred and fifty, already reasonable for a Tier one, to a bit below two thousand. She¡¯s got almost three times as much as I do, and she rivals the Pathwalkers with the biggest mana pools. Which is insane since her health points beat out even Shrieks¡¯ and he¡¯s the one with the biggest health pool in the village. She¡¯s a beast, in all senses of the word. It¡¯s very clear that even if nundas aren¡¯t dragons, they¡¯re still a favoured species. That doesn¡¯t even take into account the fact that she has three abilities. Earth-Sense I¡¯m reasonably familiar with when it¡¯s part of Earth-Shaping, but she hasn¡¯t got Earth-Shaping at all. Instead she has Shadow-Shaping, something which I¡¯m going to have to ask her about since I have multiple ideas of what that could involve, but no real certainty. I guess I now know what that odd purplish Energy Heart that her system was so happy to absorb was aligned to. Maybe this is why she¡¯s so good at sneaking around too? However, it¡¯s the changes to Kalanthia¡¯s own values which really grab my attention. I shake my head in wonder as I contemplate how she¡¯s not only regained what she had temporarily given up, but she¡¯s also gained more. In fact¡­she¡¯s gained what Lathani has, I realise. Fortunately, my improved memory allows me to recall what her values were like before, and it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s increased her own health, mana, and stamina pools by the exact amount that Lathani has. In addition to that, she¡¯s naturally lost the reductions to her abilities which she¡¯d been suffering, and she¡¯s also managed to make some progress towards the next Tier ¨C more than I would have expected in the short time since I last looked at her details. Closing the screen, I look at Lathani again. She¡¯s currently basking in the approval of everyone around, even the samurans are offering heart-felt congratulations. Storm and Ninja are the most effusive, though I feel a hint of jealousy coming across the Bond from Storm. When she moves away from Lathani, I shift over to her and rub behind her ears in the way all the raptorcats seem to like. You¡¯ll get there too, in time, I tell her consolingly. She sends across a sense of helpless frustration, as if she¡¯s asking me ¡®when¡¯ or saying ¡®it¡¯s taking too long¡¯. I just send her a feeling of wry amusement. You were born less than a year ago. Lathani is already more than four years old. Patience.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She doesn¡¯t like that, grumbling at me wordlessly over the link. She doesn¡¯t pull away, though, so I keep stroking her. A moment later, a nudge to my other hand reveals that their matriarch wants her own due of caresses. I wait patiently for Lathani to finish receiving her felicitations ¨C then we can work out what all these new abilities are. Just as Poison, as the last of the group, finishes solemnly congratulating Lathani, I start walking towards her, mentally apologising to the two disgruntled raptorcats. Before I get to Lathani, however, the rapidly decreasing cloud of sparks around Windy diverts my attention. I tense, and notice several others doing the same. Clearly, I¡¯m not the only one dreading this confrontation as well as excited by the first Tier three samuran in living memory being transformed before our eyes. The off-white sparks disappear bit by bit, revealing the form beneath. As if watching a flower unfolding its petals, or mist being dissolved by the sun, our eyes are transfixed by the sight. With the sparks all but gone, we can see Windy¡¯s physical form. Her previously slim and delicate body has filled out a little, and she¡¯s grown by more than a head ¨C now she appears to be the same height as I am instead of considerably shorter. Most striking is that her scales are now covered with a softly-glowing pattern that enraptures those watching. Swirling lines cover the whole of her body, including twisting across her face and curving around her muzzle. Even as I watch, they start to fade, but they never fully disappear. As if she doesn¡¯t even realise that she has an audience, Windy holds her paws out in front of herself. Her claws are still short, but they look much harder and sharper than before ¨C like real weapons rather than the remnants of tools they had been as a Pathwalker. I know I should be checking if the Bond between us is intact, but I can¡¯t bring myself to break this moment. Like my other Bound, I¡¯m barely breathing as Windy stares into her cupped claws. And then, I see it. Between her paws, Windy is cupping a barely-visible distortion of air. The distortion increases, shown as a mini-tornado. The tornado grows until I start feeling the breeze tugging at my clothes. With a look of exaltation on her face, a pure white that I¡¯ve never seen before flashing through her spikes, Windy raises her hands above her head. The tornado grows more and more and more. No longer is it a small hand-sized cyclone ¨C it¡¯s rapidly approaching a real-sized tornado. Its funnel stretches up into the sky and is actually beginning to form real clouds above it. The clouds darken, and abruptly I see flashes of light created within the cloud above the tornado. I should have done this already, but I belatedly call up Windy¡¯s information.
Wind-whisperer (runs-over-a-branch, Windy) Samuran Dominate? T3 2150 HP 10030 MP 620 SP 0% ~287y Wind-Shaping, Storm-Control, Lighting-Generation, Temperature-Sensing
My eyes go wide at the new abilities Windy has gained. She¡¯s become a proper Storm-mage, not just a Wind-Shaper any more. Each of her new abilities is powerful, and her mana pool is almost as much as Kalanthia¡¯s, giving her a massive amount of mana to play with. Even her health pool, while small in comparison to the nunda¡¯s, is even bigger than Shrieks¡¯. I seriously hope that she either decides not to test my control over her or that the Bond holds ¨C I don¡¯t want to get into a proper fight with the new Windy. Though that question-mark next to Dominate in her information isn¡¯t heartening. By this point, the tornado has expanded to encircle our whole party in its eye. My clothes are only being gently tugged by the wind inside the storm¡¯s funnel, but anything outside its walls is impossible to see. Debris start being picked up by the wind ¨C grass, small pebbles, leaves, small detritus from our battle with the fellapodil. Meanwhile, the lightning flashes have been increasing in frequency, and are getting worrisomely close. I don¡¯t need to look around to see the concern on my companions¡¯ faces ¨C I can feel their growing fear over the Bond. Sister, starts Joy tentatively. Please stop? River is not so reticent. Wind-whisperer! You are endangering us. Stop! Yet Windy seems to be lost in her own magic, the sheer joy and triumph in her face is both beautiful and scary to be seen. Her eyes are open, but appear as unseeing as her ears are unhearing. ¡°Windy,¡± I say steadily, forcing my fears and concerns about what her next move will be out of my voice and my immediate thoughts. River is right; Windy¡¯s actions are beginning to endanger us. The wind might not be getting worse, but I see Yells and Dusty flinch as they¡¯re pelted with small pebbles, hard enough to dig into their scales a bit. The lightning, too, is getting ever closer, the flashes not only happening in the cloud above us, but beginning to strike the ground within the walls of the tornado. Raven is already crouching over his hatchlings to protect them from the flying objects, his wings pressed against his back to stop them from being ripped away by the wind. The rest of my Bound are either backing away or doing their best to make themselves smaller targets. She doesn¡¯t respond. ¡°Windy,¡± I say again, more urgently. ¡°Stop.¡± Throwing caution to the wind ¨C literally ¨C I reach out with the Bond and grip her firmly, echoing my order down it. I force away the creeping doubts that I might lose this battle of wills ¨C I know from experience that entering one with doubts eroding my confidence is a sure-fire way of guaranteeing my failure, whether a formal Battle of Wills or not. The wind hesitates for a moment, the storm losing its force for a moment. And then it surges back with renewed fury. Lightning strikes boom loudly enough to deafen us; the wind howls like a wild animal. I grip the Bond more firmly but my heart skips a beat when I feel my grasp slide off it like it¡¯s a greased pig twisting out of my grasp. My attempt seems to enrage the storm even more, the wind starting to rip at us as the eye narrows, the lightning barely leaving any gap between strikes as it turns our world into one of strobe lighting. All of my Bound are now cowering on the ground ¨C being so close to lightning is clearly an absolutely terrifying experience. I have to admit that I¡¯d probably be more scared if I took a moment to think about it. I don¡¯t dare to, though ¨C I¡¯m the leader here; if I lose my head, all is lost. I pull strongly on Meditation to keep myself calm and keep my mind working. We need cover. But there¡¯s nothing up here but bare earth and we¡¯re not close enough to the cavern for everyone to hide in there ¨C they¡¯d get ripped apart by the walls of the cyclone if they tried. But I have magic. Sinking my awareness into the ground, I pull hard on the mana pools of the Tier two Pathwalkers to make sure that I can do this as quickly as I need to. I send a quick sense of apology for not asking first, but speed is of the essence, and I need all my focus for my task. Digging a hole straight through the rock, I create a tunnel down to the cavern ¨C they¡¯ll be safe there. Taking inspiration from my actions, Raven chivvies his hatchlings towards the slope leading down into the cavern, backing up to tuck most of his own body over the edge too. I see him jerk as he¡¯s hit by one lightning bolt and then another, but they¡¯re clearly not enough to stop him as he keeps moving, a sense of pain coming over the Bond between us. I can¡¯t pay attention to him right now, though. Go through! I tell everyone speaking mentally to avoid my words being stolen by the howling, raging wind. Most don¡¯t stop to question me and run into the tunnel I¡¯ve made for them. Bastet does, of course, as do River and Catch. It¡¯s not safe out here, River says worriedly. I¡¯ll be fine, I answer her, though don¡¯t argue with her point. Go ¨C you¡¯ll only be a target here. So will you, Catch says with concern, the other two sending firm agreement. You need someone to keep you safe too. The best way to keep me safe is to get into the tunnel and then jump out to back me up if it¡¯s a good moment to do so, I tell him, admitting that I might need help later. We¡¯ll be watching, Bastet promises us. Stay alive, she warns me firmly. I¡¯ll do my best, I reply wryly. With that, the three tuck themselves into the earth, though they don¡¯t go far, watching me carefully even as they hunker down to avoid being pulled by the wind. I crouch myself, practically crawling as I move towards Windy ¨C the wind is strong enough to force me off-balance if I stay standing upright, even with my massively increased strength. Setting my eyes on the Pathwalker, I grit my teeth. I have too much riding on this. I refuse to allow Windy to slip my Bond. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighty-One: Untamed My Bound now all sheltering from the growing storm, I need only be worried about my own safety. The lightning is of particular concern, the air already becoming filled with static. Focussing on the earth, I grow a spike of rock to act as a lightning rod. Interestingly, I find myself able to pull on my lava magic and generate a spike of granite far more easily than I would have when I only had earth magic at my disposal. I make a mental note to explore this further when I¡¯m not in the middle of a tornado full of lightning. As the spike grows past my waist, I decide to make it even more attractive to lightning ¨C I dump a large chunk of iron onto its top, then grow it to about three metres. It¡¯s quite thin at the top ¨C I don¡¯t have a huge amount of mana at my disposal right now, and I¡¯m prioritising speed over quality, though I do add what I can of my mana into strengthening the existing rock. Hopefully it will stop me from becoming a steaming corpse. Still staying down close to the ground, I wince as my lightning rod already starts attracting strikes, the aura of static the lightning gives off setting all my hair on end. Oddly enough, as I look at Windy, it seems like she¡¯s still completely unaware of everything going on. The wind howls, the lightning rages, the clouds are as dark as night, yet the expression on her face hasn¡¯t changed from the pure joy it was at the beginning. That¡¯s more than a little worrying ¨C can¡¯t she control her new powers without losing herself in them? Close to her now, I carefully reach out to touch one of her clawed paws, flinching as lightning strikes again ¨C drawn to my lightning rod. ¡°Windy!¡± I call, having to shout at the top of my lungs to even possibly be heard over the sound of the storm. ¡°Wind-whisperer! Pay attention to what you¡¯re doing!¡± It¡¯s worth a try. But apparently she doesn¡¯t hear me. Or if she hears me, she doesn¡¯t care. The wind continues to circle us at faster and faster speeds, the eye continues to shrink, and the lightning continues to strike. Not even my tentative touch seems to bring her back to awareness. Shaking my head, I focus again on the Bond between us, trying to grasp it with a firm hand. Once more, my mental grip slides away like I¡¯m trying to grab something smooth and covered in oil. I close my eyes and try again, putting my full force of Willpower behind my attempt. I manage to grip the Bond for a moment, then it slips out of my grasp again. This isn¡¯t working. Even being closer to her isn¡¯t helping. Maybe what I had been concerned about is coming true ¨C that having passed into the next tier, Windy¡¯s Willpower far out-strips my own. Fear crawls through me, worst-case scenarios spooling through my mind, unbidden. I push them away. The situation is not lost. Not yet. But if I give up, it will be. There has to be a way to succeed here. Windy isn¡¯t even paying attention! I run the description of Dominate and everything else I¡¯ve learned about the Skill through my mind, searching desperately for something that might help me. And then, like a drowning man, my mind latches onto one little aspect, something I haven¡¯t had to use in a long time. A way to bring a creature¡¯s effective Willpower down artificially: a trap. Barely has the plan formed in my head than I¡¯m putting it into practice. Once more tugging at my other Bonds, I pull the mana that they willingly cede to me, then immediately press it into the ground. I¡¯ve worked enough with this area of earth that my connection to it is already improving; the pit I dig beneath Windy¡¯s feet takes far less mana now than it would have at the start of all of this. It means that as soon as I¡¯ve dropped the Pathwalker into the pit, I¡¯m able to close it a moment later, trapping her physically inside with only her head above the earth. That makes her pay attention. Her eyes snap to focus on me; her mouth gapes open in angry threat. More of an actual concern is how the storm only gains more fury. Even pressed against the ground as I am, the wind threatens to lift me from the earth ¨C or rip the armour off my back at least. The lightning falls with a speed that even my lightning rod is struggling to cope with ¨C I sense that the rock is starting to warm; too much of this and even that will melt. The iron at the top has already melted and now coats the top section of granite like candle wax. I actually have to use Darkvision to be able to see ¨C despite being full day, it¡¯s become as dark as night inside the cyclone. Even large rocks are being whirled around the cyclone now, and I really hope that she isn¡¯t able to direct them to fall on me. Forcing myself forwards, I pull several wooden vials out of my Inventory. I don¡¯t need to check the symbols carved on their tops ¨C I know what they are. Mana inhibitors, both to prevent regeneration and to poison the current supply. From Windy¡¯s widening gaze, she does too. She clamps her jaws shut and twists her head as far away from me as she can. I just crawl closer. Give in to me and my Bond and I won¡¯t have to do this! I tell her over the Bond, preferring to save my breath ¨C the wind is whipping it away enough as it is. I am stronger than you! she responds, the first words she¡¯s said since her Evolution. Her mental voice is stronger, more resonant. But I can still hear Windy in there. I¡¯m going to have to make her submit. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Close enough now, I reach for her jaws. She twists her head to face me. Snapping at me. I ignore the attempt to bite me and instead grasp her bottom jaw in a way that keeps my fingers clear but gives me a decent hand-hold. She grunts angrily, and I see something forming in the back of her throat. Another cyclone? I duck as the attack fires at me, its passage ripping hairs from my head and scoring cuts along my scalp. More worryingly, the far more massive cyclone around us...wobbles. The wind takes on new ferocity, but also a sense of¡­wildness. Previously, it had a leash on it; now, it¡¯s untamed. That last attack must have been a step too far for Windy¡¯s control over her own creation, and she seems to realise it too ¨C fear starts to overtake the joy in her spikes. There¡¯s no choice now. Through my hand holding Windy¡¯s jaw, I send a bolt of Flesh-Shaping. Her flesh resists me far more than it should be able to with a Dominate Bond still in place, but less than if there was nothing. I¡¯m not trying to do anything complex, so I manage to brute-force it. Her jaw is now locked open and if she moves her neck, she¡¯ll cause herself damage. The wave of fury that crashes through the Bond reveals that she knows it. Freed to move both hands, I keep myself out of range of another wind attack if she tries one. However, even as I pick up the vials, she stays in place ¨C perhaps she can¡¯t produce another attack so soon; perhaps she realises that this is the only way forward. The storm around us is completely out of control ¨C boulders crash down near us; gusts of wind rip at both of us, feeling like knives in their strength. I grab two vials, thumbing off their tops, then tip them down Windy¡¯s throat. Not pausing, I drop the empty containers and grab the next two, repeating my actions. The wind falters. I look up carefully, then have to quickly roll to the side as a boulder lands just where my legs used to be. I then roll to the side again as another boulder the size of my head attempts to take its place. Curling up, I squish myself between the rocks, using them as shelter as much as I can. I soften the ground beneath myself, making a little more space. The lightning isn¡¯t striking as frequently, I notice next. There are still rumbles and thuds, but these sound more like the sound of heavy boulders hitting the ground. Abruptly, I realise that Windy might actually be at risk here. While tempted to let her be crushed by a boulder of her own making, I decide against it ¨C I still have hopes that she doesn¡¯t have to be an enemy and her sisters would definitely be angry with me if I let her die without good reason. Reaching out with my Earth-Shaping, I form a roof of protection over her head, angled to deflect the rocks away from her. Slowly, the wind dies down, light beginning to filter into the cracks between the rocks around. The lightning becomes less and less frequent and then eventually stops, the cloud which had been generating it now gone. I release Darkvision as the light is bright enough not to need its help anymore. Carefully unfolding myself, I move to stand up. Around me is a scene of devastation. Rocks litter the area around us, the surface scoured of any greenery. The destruction extends for about twenty metres, and includes the edge of the cavern beneath ¨C thinner sections of roof have simply been ripped away and dumped near us. Raven¡¯s wings are battered and beaten, blood spilling in many places from where he was struck while protecting his offspring, hopefully successfully. And yet, there is no sign in the sky above that the cyclone ever existed. No clouds, just blue sky and a bright sun approaching its zenith. I shake my head again in wonder. Turning my attention to the architect of all of this, I carefully ease the protecting roof back from above her head, making sure that she¡¯s not accidentally killed by a dislodged boulder after all of this. Windy glares at me from her trapped position in the earth. Release me! she sends angrily along the Bond, her emotions rippling through her spikes. ¡°Do you submit to me?¡± I ask her levelly. Of course not! she tells me angrily. I have Evolved. I am now Enlightened, worthy of being a Guardian in my own right. I am far stronger than you are. ¡°Perhaps,¡± I acknowledge. ¡°But do you really think you¡¯d do a better job leading the village than I have?¡± She looks like she¡¯s about to give an angry rejoinder, so I just continue relentlessly. ¡°How many more Pathwalkers would there be if you had taken leadership of the village before? How many more Warriors? Would the food situation of the village have improved or just continued with the old methods of hunting? Would you have shared metal-shaping and rune-carving with the village and made it the envy of so many others at the Festival? And I¡¯m not done yet bringing innovation.¡± Windy doesn¡¯t reply for a moment. I am still stronger, she tells me mulishly. I sigh mentally at her obstinance, then close my eyes and reach for the Bond. Instincts stemming from the Skill in question are insisting that this is what I must now do; I¡¯ve resolved to follow my instincts better these days. Trapped physically and with her magical capabilities restricted by the mana and mana regeneration inhibiting potions I gave her, she¡¯s helpless and she knows it. Tier three or not, that has a massive impact on my ability to Dominate her. With the Bond already in place, the endeavour is made even less difficult. My grip does not slide away this time. Instead, I¡¯m able to grasp the Bond between us firmly. Following an innate sense of what to do, I actually send some of my mana into the Bond itself. I didn¡¯t even realise that was possible before. Using the mana, I impress on the Bond the need to hold, to limit, to control, to Bind. It accepts the commands willingly: they are, after all, the basis of the Dominate-type Bond itself. The Bond between us solidifies in a way I have never experienced before. Somehow I know that even once I release her from her physical confinement, she won¡¯t be able to pull her way free of the soul Bond. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve replaced a cord leash with one woven with steel. If the gap between our Willpowers increases significantly again, she might be able to gain the strength to pull free again, but that¡¯s likely to be a way off. Opening my eyes, I meet her frustrated gaze ¨C she knows what I have done and she feels its strength even as I do. ¡°When I let you up, are you going to challenge me for leadership?¡± I ask her levelly. She glares at me, her spikes roiling with frustrated anger. No. I just look at her steadily. No, village leader, she grinds out. It¡¯s certainly not what I wanted to happen, and I don¡¯t fool myself to think that everything is well now. But the other options seem worse. I just hope that this doesn¡¯t blow up in my face later. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighty-Two: Worth The Journey When we swoop into the clearing, Kalanthia is waiting for us. Not unexpected ¨C she must be impatient to see how Lathani has progressed. The young nunda is so excited that she doesn¡¯t even wait for Raven to set the capsule down; instead, she jumps out as the alcaoris circles slowly down towards the ground. Our journey has been far quicker this way down than going ¨C the sun has only just dipped below the horizon on the same day we killed the fellapodil. Having a Tier three¡¯s strength and mana pool to strengthen the wind current beneath Raven¡¯s wings has made it a far easier task for him to carry us. He did borrow Ptera¡¯s Lighten ability for the first hour of the journey, but Windy¡¯s contribution meant that even after that faded, we didn¡¯t lose much more time. Of course, that was only after we had all healed up from Windy¡¯s accidental attack. Most of the wounds were minor ¨C getting my Bound into the cavern was a key factor as they were able to avoid both the lightning strikes and the boulders. Raven was the worst injured ¨C not only had he been hit by several lightning strikes, but also by a number of the boulders which had fallen when Windy¡¯s cyclone failed. Although his large health pool had kept him out of danger, even he couldn¡¯t just shrug off a cracked wing. He hadn¡¯t been too keen to let my healing magic into his body but gave in when he realised that without it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fly for at least a couple of days, and that was only if I splinted it and he didn¡¯t put it under strain. When he discovered that he had to actively give permission for me to be able to intervene in his body, and that by withdrawing his permission he made it practically impossible for me to operate, he was heartened. Fortunately, due to his stalwart defence of them, the hatchlings were the least injured of the group. I left Windy until last ¨C she¡¯d caused the problems; she deserved to live with the consequences until everyone else was comfortable. I didn¡¯t even let her out of the earthen-trap until then, wanting to make a point. Only after her emotions settled to something more like resignation than rancour did I let her up and clear her system of the mana-inhibitors. I glance over at the samuran in question. She¡¯s been quite subdued ever since I released her. I¡¯ve continued keeping a close eye on her emotional state, wary about her starting something once everything has had a chance to sink in. Hours on, though, I¡¯m fairly sure that she¡¯s not going to cause trouble ¨C yet. Her emotions have been filled with frustration, resentment, and more than a few flickers of guilt, especially when she saw small injuries on her sisters caused by the uncontrolled wind and debris. Either way, there hasn¡¯t been any sense of scheming or an obvious mismatch between her exterior emotions and her internal ones. I know I¡¯ll need to keep my eye on her, but hopefully if I can find a way to give her more responsibility or a more important role in the village to suit her desires for influence and recognition, that will be enough to keep the lid on things until it¡¯s time for me to leave. Though I do worry about what might happen once I¡¯m gone ¨C I¡¯d rather not add her to the list of those coming with me. Still, the struggle with Windy has had at least one positive consequence which I will be taking with me. I can¡¯t remember how many times I¡¯ve looked at this notification, but I pull it up again, pleasure running through me once more.
Congratulations! You have advanced a Class Skill past Journeyman. Dominate is Master 1. You have achieved this feat by succeeding in Dominating a sapient being of a stage significantly above your level. You seized control of the very material of the Bond and strengthened it so that even a being with significantly greater Willpower than your own was unable to break free. Effect 1: Your Dominate Bonds are strengthened significantly; you are henceforth able to forcibly Bind those with a Willpower 20% higher than yours or less. You are also henceforth able to have a far greater effect on the nature of the Bonds between you and your Dominate Bound, and a limited effect on the Bonds between you and your Tame Bound. Effect 2: Due to your frequent tendency to voluntarily choose not to pursue a Battle of Wills to its end, you are now no longer subject to the penalty of paralysis if you have voluntarily left the Battle of Wills space. Exploration may enable you to affect the connections between you and those who are not Bound to you at all. However, your understanding is still limited and you must research and explore further to potentially unlock other effects of your new discoveries. The path to Sage is long and hard; do you have the will and inspiration to stay the course?
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My third Master Skill¡­and this one is a fundamental Class Skill. I have to spend time exploring these new effects, but they have the potential to be hugely important. I¡¯ve spent a good portion of this trip thinking over the implications of this new Skill and feeling the differences between how I connect to the Bonds between me and my various Bound, and yet I still feel like I¡¯ve only touched the surface. Right now, though, I need to redirect my thoughts to my next moves. We land with a small thump, Raven struggling as always to land without stepping on the capsule. I untie myself, and slide down his neck, thanking him on the way down and checking on his recent injuries with a concerned eye. They do not hurt, he reassures me, then he continues. It was a more productive trip than I thought it would be, he admits as my Bound all spill out of the capsule or slide down Raven¡¯s side themselves. The Cores you gave me were worth the journey, if nothing else. While I have the fellapodil¡¯s Core tucked safely in my Inventory ¨C Raven judged it as a reasonably powerful Tier three¡¯s Core, despite its lack of intelligence ¨C we managed to retrieve a little treasure trove with Dusty¡¯s help. Something, probably the fellapodil itself, had stored a small collection of Cores down in a small cave at the bottom of the tunnel, where it fed into the massive lake of water beneath. Most of them weren¡¯t particularly high quality ¨C almost all of them water-focussed, and all but three were Tier two. But two of the three higher-Tier ones were more interesting for my Tier three ally. One was poison-focussed, and the other was acid-aligned. For Raven, that made them even better for him than most of the Guardians around here would have yielded. Stolen story; please report. I¡¯ve handed out the other Cores to those in my party who wanted them. Dusty, of course, was very happy to have any water-focussed Cores, but only Sirocco and Bastet actively refused the Cores on offer. I guess because their paths are too different from the paths the beasts were taking, or something like that. There were two Cores left over which my Bound insisted I take. I¡¯m happy to do so ¨C maybe they can help me learn Water-Shaping. Heading over to greet Kalanthia, I see Lathani eagerly demonstrating her new abilities. And when I do this, I can do¡­this! Lathani exclaimed, dropping through the shadow of a tree to pop out of Kalanthia¡¯s own shadow with Shadow Hop. And I can even control it a bit, she adds, focussing hard on the shadow of Kalanthia¡¯s head. The shadow shifts a little, making Kalanthia grimace. That feels very odd, my cub, she says levelly. I know. I can¡¯t do much with it yet, and it¡¯s tiring, but everyone always says it feels funny, Lathani admits. That¡¯s true enough ¨C when she practised it on me, it felt like a mixture between a tingle and an ache. She also can¡¯t seem to do more than make the shadows twitch a bit ¨C at the moment. I have no doubt that with practice she will be able to show far more capabilities. That is always the case when you first gain your Shaping ability, Kalanthia consoles her. Continue practising and you will soon learn what it is capable of. Shadow-Shaping is a powerful ability, and it does not surprise me that my powerful cub has earned it. That you have gained two other complimentary abilities is an even greater advantage. She looks up and meets my eyes, moving over to meet me and rub her head against the top of mine. I reach up to stroke and scratch at her chin and she rumbles happily. You have given my cub the opportunity to grow and develop past what I could have, she tells me directly, almost emanating pleasure and approval. And in doing so, have allowed me to earn a significant benefit. ¡°I know,¡± I admit, eyeing her cautiously. She turns her head to fix me with a golden gaze, silently prompting me to say more. Why does it feel like I¡¯m standing in front of the headteacher of my school again? I shuffle my feet slightly. ¡°Since we have the temporary Tame Bond, I got access to the details of your health, mana, and stamina pools, and I saw both your abilities and how giving Lathani her¡­blueprint, affected you.¡± Kalanthia goes still, her previously approving aura transforming into something a lot more displeased. ¡°I brought you a gift to say sorry,¡± I hurriedly continue, pulling the Core from my Inventory that I saved for her. This was the third of the most powerful Cores in the fellapodil¡¯s collection and is earth-focussed ¨C seeing it I know that it would be a perfect way of admitting to invading Kalanthia¡¯s privacy and hopefully appeasing her. The massive nunda leans forwards and sniffs at the Core, then licks at it with a rough tongue. It is a suitable gift, she allows, then fixes me with her golden gaze again. However, next time, just ask. And if I choose not to answer, I expect you to respect that. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t put myself or any of my Bound at risk, I will,¡± I promise. This couldn¡¯t be argued as having such philanthropic aims ¨C I looked because I was curious more than for any real reason. Then I will forgive you this time, she announces, taking the Core delicately from my hand. She tucks it into the earth, into the little hidden pocket that she apparently moves along with her wherever she goes on this little trip. I get the impression that normally she leaves it at her den, but that at the moment she¡¯s keeping it close at hand. Certainly, her concealment is good enough that I can¡¯t sense its presence even when I sink my awareness into the earth. It might be something I do later too, but my Inventory works pretty well for most things. I take it your trip was a success, she states, projecting her words to anyone present. ¡°It was,¡± I answer on everyone¡¯s behalf. ¡°A bit tricky at times,¡± I admit, ¡°but we succeeded with everyone¡¯s help. Even the smallest of us,¡± I continue with a smile, looking at the raptorcat cubs and the alcaoris hatchlings. Daphne and Ivor have both grown noticeably as a result of the Energy they earned at the fellapodil¡¯s death. Storm and Ninja haven¡¯t, but I can see that their progress towards Tier two has jumped by the same as that of the alcaoris hatchlings ¨C around fifteen percent for each of them. Noir, without the internal matrix of his siblings, unfortunately seems to have missed out on all that ¨C his progress remains at a stubborn zero percent. He¡¯s the only one of the whole group not to have made any gains. Though some members obviously jumped further than others, everyone made at least a little progress towards their next tier. I see that you have also gained a more powerful member of your group, Kalanthia continues a little warily, and I sense that this is directed to me personally. I respond in kind. Yes. Though I¡¯ll admit that I have concerns over that one, I sigh, sending across the memory of what happened directly after Windy Evolved. Kalanthia considers the memory carefully. Abilities fresh after an Evolution are always hard to control, Kalanthia warns, and I know from first-hand experience that storm-related abilities are harder than most. They are easy to generate and grow, but much harder to control in detail. Creating a lightning strike is easy; directing where it will strike and how many strikes will happen is far harder. Like fire, I realise. Eager to spark and consume, but hard to prevent from consuming everything. ¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± I say finally. ¡°How did your own hunting go?¡± Kalanthia looks very smug. Very well. I do not even need your aid anymore with the Guardian ¨C she has chosen to seek opportunities elsewhere. I eye the nunda, then decide not to ask for more details ¨C I¡¯m not sure I want to know. ¡°That¡¯s good, then,¡± I say instead, relieved that she doesn¡¯t need the help ¨C after dealing with the fellapodil, I¡¯m not eager to face another Tier three for a while. We all survived the fight, but it was close and that was even in a situation where we could set a trap and control most of the battle to some extent. It just shows me how much further we all still have to go ¨C training will be in all of our futures, I think. I look around at my group. Everyone is now on the ground, the harness has been taken off Raven, and the Warriors are beginning to take the capsule apart ¨C Catch checked with me just before we began to land if that was what I wanted them to do. I do want to experiment with the materials a bit, but I can¡¯t put the whole thing into my Inventory as it is. ¡°I guess we¡¯d better be off.¡± We¡¯re way ahead of the deadline ¨C it¡¯s actually been just over a day since the challenge was issued ¨C but I suspect that the sooner we get back, the better. ¡°Lathani, do you want to stay with your mother, or come with me?¡± Come with you, Lathani answers after a moment of hesitation. She quickly goes to press herself against her mother and rub heads with the massive nunda, then bounds over to me. I note with amusement how she¡¯s actually able to butt heads with Kalanthia without her mother needing to lean down much now ¨C it¡¯s amazing how quickly they change. And I was right ¨C the contrast between the black leopard and sandy-coloured leopard is beautiful. ¡°Thanks again, Raven,¡± I tell him, rubbing the alcaoris hatchlings¡¯ heads in silent goodbye. Noir in particular presses himself against me and whines plaintively, clearly not wanting me to go again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry little buddy,¡± I tell him apologetically. ¡°It¡¯s best for you to stay with your dad, OK? I¡¯ll try to come and visit tomorrow.¡± Then I look around at the party ¨C now including a Tier three samuran. ¡°Everyone ready to show off our wicked gains?¡± Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighty-Three: Enlightened One ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Water-caller asks warily as she sees her sister and rival approach her camp, accompanied by two each of her strongest Pathwalkers and guards. With such few numbers, it¡¯s a casual visit. ¡°My Warriors returned from a hunt to tell me that they saw the leader of the green village of the twelfth mountain heading towards the Festival grounds. I suspect she¡¯ll return within a few clicks,¡± answers Air-shaper neutrally, though her spikes flicker with murky troubled browns. ¡°Already?¡± Water-caller replies in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s been less than two cycles since she left! Flying-blade is still scouting for something that she dares to attack or steal. Do you think Tamer could have failed and be coming to regroup?¡± Air-shaper scoffs at the suggestion. ¡°Do you think that that is likely considering how many People she took with her?¡± ¡°Mostly newly Evolved, and Wind-whisperer has never been known as a particularly competent fighter,¡± Water-caller points out, though she has to admit that her sister has a point. After all, although she won the battle against Tamer, that was without the other Pathwalker drawing on what seems to be her most powerful skill, if her name is anything to judge by. That said, beast-tamers are only as powerful as their beasts are ¨C the main reason why their strength is not considered highly by the People in general. But if she¡¯s capable of commanding People and not just beasts¡­. Still, facing a too-dangerous enemy without enough preparation could still be very costly. ¡°Did their numbers look much reduced?¡± Air-shaper sways her tail back and forth non-committedly. ¡°My Warriors couldn¡¯t say. But,¡± and here she looks beyond Water-caller, ¡°we¡¯ll soon find out.¡± Water-caller turns to look in the same direction, immediately seeing what her sister was getting at. Two Warriors are holding the curtain of poisonous vines to one side as Tamer leads her group in through the resulting gap. The first thing the Pathwalker notices is that the group doesn''t look significantly reduced. She¡¯d have to count them to be sure, but as her eyes dance over the People, she doesn¡¯t see any notable gaps. And then her eyes settle on something which grips and holds her gaze like a milakar¡¯s sticky sap. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± she clicks weakly. ¡°It¡­it looks like it is¡­¡± answers Air-shaper, clearly enraptured by the same thing that Water-caller is. Quiet grunts and clicks whisper out around them as more see the same thing they have. Air-shaper and Water-caller both walk towards Tamer¡¯s party, almost in a dream. Water-caller is vaguely aware of all her present Pathwalkers joining her in a delegation, almost all the Warriors joining too. She suspects it¡¯s less about ensuring her safety, and more about satisfying their own curiosity. After all, it¡¯s not every day that an Enlightened Pathwalker appears. The closer they get, the more Water-caller is convinced that they are right. Her eyes hungrily trace over the lines that mark the other Pathwalkers¡¯ scales, shining an off-white which must be her mana colour. The meaning of the designs has been lost to time ¨C it is such a long time since there were enough Enlightened Pathwalkers or Warriors around to make such things important. That the designs are always there, however, has been remembered. The Enlightened is big too, bigger than practically any of the Pathwalkers Water-caller knows of. Though, there is that oddity among Tamer¡¯s numbers ¨C the Pathwalker who looks far more like a Warrior than what she actually is. Smith, or something? It¡¯s an odd name for an odd Pathwalker ¨C well-worthy of being part of the village which is led by a Pathwalker who isn¡¯t even truly one of the People. Yet it seems that it¡¯s the village which had been the main topic of conversation during this Festival. And now it has proven to be this village which has been given the honour of bringing forth the first Enlightened samuran in living memory. And, oddly, it appears to still be led by the unusual Pathwalker, considering she stands in front of even the Enlightened. It seems inconceivable that one Water-caller herself defeated might be capable of in turn causing an Enlightened to submit. Unless the Enlightened graciously agreed to defer her challenge until later, that is. In which case, there might even be a ranking battle before the end of the Festival ¨C Water-caller finds herself rather anticipating the prospect. It might even give her some insights into why exactly her sister was able to Evolve where none others have in the last hundred great cycles. Water-caller is hit by a sudden wave of longing. She¡¯s felt stuck at a blockage for great cycles. Recently, she¡¯s felt her life trickling away like water through her claws, has felt fragility starting to take hold in her scales. Her decline is not far in the future. Yet if she could become Enlightened¡­. Taking another step forwards, she darts a look over at her friend and rival. Air-shaper, too, seems gripped by the same dream, the expression on her face and in her spikes one of hunger and desire. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it And then they are close enough to the other party that they must stop or risk invading their sisters¡¯ personal space without invitation. Water-caller looks over at Air-shaper and sees her still lost in her dream. Irritation sparks through her as Water-caller realises that she will have to lead the discussion since her sister clearly isn¡¯t fit to do so. ¡°The ancestors smile on your return, sisters,¡± Water-caller gives the traditional phrase, doing her best to smother her impatience ¨C she wants to speak with the Enlightened, find out if there are any secrets she can give which might help her sisters Evolve a second time too. ¡°The ancestors be in our meeting,¡± Tamer answers levelly. As always, it¡¯s hard to determine exactly what she¡¯s thinking ¨C without spikes or a tail, more than half of the indications are wiped away. Yet something tells Water-caller that she¡¯s pleased. Her expedition was a success? Or she is pleased because she has brought an Enlightened back with her? If that is the case, arguably, she might still be able to win it. Having an Enlightened to direct the Long Night celebrations would actually give as much of a boost to the ritual as a more powerful treasure might. It depends, of course, on what Flying-blade brings back ¨C assuming she returns at all ¨C but the other village is already a strong contender, just with the Enlightened in their ranks. ¡°We see that one of our sisters has breached the canopy and stepped into the sun of the Enlightened,¡± Air-shaper says, snapping out of her dream. ¡°Please, Honoured one, would you share a carcass with our village and relate your story to us?¡± Water-caller wasn¡¯t the only one looking in askance at the errant Pathwalker. Being the leader of the most powerful village in her tribe was the only reason no one was putting their thoughts into words ¨C Air-caller¡¯s greed had obviously got the best of her manners. She should be grateful the Enlightened Pathwalker didn¡¯t seem offended by her rudeness! ¡°What my sister means to say, Pathwalker Tamer,¡± Water-caller continues with a warning tone in her voice, her eyes on Air-shaper, ¡°is that we invite your party to join with both our villages to share a carcass to assuage your hunger and rest your bodies.¡± Air-shaper has the grace to look a little abashed at the implied rebuke. ¡°Fine,¡± Tamer replies casually with an odd movement of her shoulders. Then, as if remembering her own manners, she rephrases a moment later. ¡°We would accept your offer in gratitude, and offer the story of our hunt in return for your hospitality.¡± ¡°Then let us adjourn to our camp as it is the closest,¡± Water-caller suggests, hearing a hiss of dissatisfaction from her sister. She can¡¯t help feeling a moment of satisfaction at that. If Air-shaper hadn¡¯t let her greed get the better of her, it could have been her camp that the Enlightened would visit first. But as it is¡­. They start moving, Water-caller angling herself to walk next to Tamer. That that brought her close to the Enlightened was just happenstance. Air-shaper clearly didn¡¯t believe that it was accidental, though, from the grumbling Water-caller caught at the edge of her hearing. But with the rest of Tamer¡¯s party closing up ranks there was no space for her to come and join too. ¡°I must ask,¡± Water-caller starts seriously, doing her best to keep her eyes on Tamer¡¯s muzzle-less face, rather than hungrily tracing the lines over the Enlightened¡¯s scales, ¡°is the Honoured one¡¯s participation in the ritual of the Long Night your submission for the Hunt?¡± Water-caller¡¯s ability to recognise Tamer¡¯s emotions is limited, but even so she has a feeling that the odd Pathwalker is surprised and confused. Then the emotion vanishes, only to be replaced by a flurry of other facial twitches, the odd Pathwalker¡¯s face far more mobile than any of the People. The moment of silence elongates beyond what is comfortable. Water-caller is about to ask the question in a different way when Tamer finally responds. ¡°Windy ¨C Wind-whisperer,¡± she corrects herself, ¡°is willing to lead the ritual of the Long Night, but that is not our true submission for the Hunt. Instead, we have sought another item which we will present with Flying-blade¡¯s submission. Has she returned?¡± Water-caller is surprised enough that the participation of an Enlightened is not considered to be the biggest prize of their journey that she actually answers. ¡°She has been scouting for a suitable prize. I do not believe that she has yet found one, though she appears to be narrowing down the possibilities.¡± She clicks her jaws together with a snap ¨C that could technically be considered inside information. Then again, the other party appears to have finished her Hunt so it¡¯s probably excusable. At least she has an answer of her own. ¡°Wind-whisperer,¡± she murmurs thoughtfully, eyeing the Enlightened. Now that Tamer mentions it, she sees some similarities, even in her much-changed form. The Honoured one¡¯s eyes rise to meet hers, flashing imperiously. Water-caller feels a moment of connection to the other. And in that moment of connection, Wind-caller feels something else. The fury of the storm: the ripping, howling wind and the flashes of ancestors¡¯ wrath. A sense of an angry tempest presses against Water-caller, stealing the breath from her lungs and pinning her in place for a moment. Flashes of ancestors¡¯ wrath flash in her eyes and their cries of fury rumble loudly in her ears. And then the moment passes and Water-caller is left rooted in place as the rest of the party passes her by. With a sinking feeling, she suspects that prying for secrets of Evolution might be harder than she was hoping. Then again, Water-caller already feels a sense of inspiration, snatched from the jaws of the beast which briefly threatened her with its power. That brief moment of contact spoke of wind pushed to the limits; of boundaries tested, stretched, and broken. Of abilities examined, questioned, and transformed. Whatever happened, Water-caller just knows that it demanded Wind-whisperer re-examine everything that she is and that she is capable of ¨C and find far more beneath the surface than she had ever anticipated. And now, Water-caller is eager to do the same. Perhaps she should go with her sisters to challenge a Great beast of their own after this Festival is over¡­. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighty-Four: The Long Night It¡¯s the final day of the Festival. Tomorrow we¡¯ll be leaving to travel back to our village. I¡¯m definitely ready to go. This has been an interesting time, for sure. I¡¯ve had more experience with politics than I ever thought I would ¨C and I¡¯ve found that I definitely don¡¯t enjoy the careful double-speak or use of correct traditional phrases which it involves. I¡¯ve got better at it, though ¨C I¡¯ve had fewer foot-in-mouth moments in the last three days for sure. I¡¯m starting to perhaps understand why I never got higher in my department than I did ¨C only now looking back at it, I suspect that there was just as much politics there as here, and I didn¡¯t even realise it then. Besides, since her Evolution, all the villages we¡¯ve visited have been far more interested in Windy than in me. That¡¯s had two positive consequences: I¡¯ve been able to become more of an observer than a participant; and Windy has felt as important as she likes to be. The acclaim she¡¯s received from the other samurans ¨C of our village or not ¨C has done a lot to assuage her bruised feelings about the events immediately following her Evolution and the fact that I maintain leadership of the village ¨C to the bafflement of the other villages. I feel like we¡¯ve told the story of our Hunt a hundred times, but it¡¯s probably not that many ¨C there aren¡¯t enough villages at the festival to justify it. Then again, it¡¯s not only been at ¡®official¡¯ village meetings ¨C I¡¯ve come across Dusty animating the story of how she seized control of the water from the fellapodil, surrounded by a group of spell-bound Warriors, Yells explaining how she helped me make the earth move and melt beneath the fellapodil¡¯s feet to another newly-Evolved Earth-Shaper, and even River demonstrating with Catch¡¯s aid how they used poison to help take it down to a group of herbalists. Personally, I¡¯ve stayed out of most of it. I¡¯ve spent quite a lot of time outside the Festival grounds with my core non-samuran Bound, actually. I wanted to help Daphne and Ivor turn their gains from the fellapodil¡¯s death into healing for their internal matrices, with good results. It was interesting, too, joining Kalanthia in watching Lathani experiment with her new abilities. I¡¯ve also done my best to use the time wisely on my own behalf. I feel like I¡¯m almost there with Wind-Shaping, though I suspect Water-Shaping will take a while longer to grasp. Windy has been surprisingly obliging in demonstrating for me to observe ¨C I think it¡¯s mostly the opportunity to show-off which she¡¯s enjoyed. Maybe once I¡¯ve got Air-Shaping, I might be able to explore lightning magic¡­. Out of my weapons Skills, I¡¯ve managed to get Blunt Weapons up a level due to a few spars with Warriors I was able to convince to work with me. I¡¯ve also been testing my new Skills a bit ¨C Lava-Shaping is already up to Beginner three and Transformation is up by a single level to Beginner two. I¡¯m going to have to do a lot more work with both of those, though. Lava-Shaping is just so mana intensive that I can¡¯t do much with it before I run out with mana ¨C Yells¡¯ help with enhancing the effect of my mana and offering me hers really made all the difference in the battle with the fellapodil. Perhaps seeking too many new types of magic isn¡¯t such a good idea ¨C I won¡¯t get any of them up to higher levels if I¡¯m spread too thinly. On the other hand, I only got Lava-Shaping because I already had Fire- and Earth-Shaping. Who knows what else might be waiting as combinations? My experiments with Transformation have proven that it¡¯s definitely promising. All I¡¯ve managed to do with it so far is to transform the tips of my fingers into talons like on Bastet¡¯s feet, but that¡¯s already proven to be far easier to do with the Skill than without it. Best of all, I¡¯m correct that the Skill helps me keep a ¡®memory¡¯ of my true body, easing the transition back. Of all my Skills, this is the one I¡¯m most eager to explore more of. But even if all that could be done wherever I am¡­I miss home. I miss my den with its higher Energy density ¨C I¡¯ve only managed to make two percent progress to the next level in the last three days. I miss the rest of my Bound, Hades and Persephone in particular ¨C I¡¯m looking forward to hunting more with them again. I can¡¯t wait to see how the farming is getting on ¨C with Tarra and Flower both here at the Festival, those back at the village are charged with testing different techniques and trying different non-magical solutions. As a result, I greet the descent of the sun on the shortest day with relief, an emotion which I only seem to share with my non-samuran companions. The samurans are filled with a mixture of longing, disappointment, sadness, and excitement. As the sun slips towards the horizon, we all head down to the pools fed by the overflow of the crater-lake. Bastet and Lathani join me out of curiosity but the rest of my non-samuran Bound remain at the campsite, either wanting to guard it ¨C Fenrir ¨C or wanting to rest before tomorrow¡¯s journey ¨C everyone else. The occasion is a solemn one. Not a word is spoken, not even when we join other village groups. We end up surrounding the pools below the crater lake, looking up at the four Tribe leaders who are the only ones standing in the water. They¡¯re knee-deep in the main stream which runs out of the lake to feed the pools next to which we are standing. As usual, I realise that positioning is key as I see which villages are closest to the leaders, and which are furthest away. There¡¯s no squabbling over position ¨C all of that has already been worked out over the Festival. Our village ends up being about three-quarters of the way up, higher than I was expecting ¨C I have to guess that that is due to a combination of factors, but Windy¡¯s Evolution is probably a big one. I hope it¡¯s not arrogant to think that the superior gifts we¡¯ve offered other villages might play a part too. The eerie silence continues even as we are bathed in the blood-red light of the setting sun. Once in place, we turn to watch it go down over the other side of the valley, the position we¡¯re in with a good view of it setting in the v-shape between two mountains, due to disappear in the saddle between their peaks. Already, its lowest edge touches the earth. Little by little, it slips further down, its speed of descent deceptive. Almost, it seems not to move at all, but then I look away and return my gaze to see that another sliver has vanished. The orb is cut in half, and then into a quarter. A sliver rests above the earth, and then even that is gone, the last glimmering light of day vanishing below the mountains. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°The Great Egg has been eaten,¡± says one of the tribe leaders and we all turn to look at her. ¡°May the ancestors will it that it will be laid once more by the Long Night.¡± ¡°May the ancestors will it,¡± intones everyone around. ¡°We come together to celebrate the Long Night,¡± she continues. ¡°As individuals, as villages, as Pathwalkers and Warriors, as leaders¡­as a People. We have mated and made merry, shared carcasses and conversations, challenged and been challenged. As the Great Egg is laid once more by the Long Night, we ask the ancestors for their blessing on our own eggs, that many strong hatchlings may be born to our villages to support us and, perhaps, one day, to join our numbers.¡± ¡°May the ancestors will it,¡¯ rumbles around me again. ¡°To invoke their favour, we sacrifice an object of power which we have gathered in the great cycles preceding. Yet this Festival, we have also had a Hunt. Pathwalker Tamer, Pathwalker Flying-blade, you were challenged to each outdo the other in finding an object of power, but also to find something greater even than the one we had previously prepared for this ritual. Pathwalkers, bring forth your offerings.¡± That¡¯s obviously my cue. I head up through the mass of other samurans. On the other side of the pools, I can see movement as Flying-blade does the same. I¡¯ve been warned not to step into the water itself, even if that would be the quicker and easier route. In the end, we get there at much the same time. Flying-blade eyes me with resentment from across the separating stream. She strongly suspects that she¡¯s failed, that the blood and pain she¡¯s very obviously undergone have all been for nothing. Her face when she first saw Windy upon her return earlier today was a picture. Perhaps it¡¯s unsporting of me, but I wish I¡¯d had a camera which worked at the time. We each hand our object over to our closest Pathwalker. Mine is obviously the bright blue Core from the fellapodil; Flying-blade¡¯s appears to be a Core too, but it¡¯s smaller and its brown shade is darker. Flying-blade glares even more strongly, her teeth gaping open in threat. She¡¯s not happy at being so obviously out-classed. Though it still remains to be seen whether what we¡¯re offering is better than what the strongest villages had gathered previous to the Festival. The four Pathwalkers don¡¯t spend very long contemplating the Cores. That the leader of the red tribe looks disgruntled when they reach a decision is more evidence that Flying-blade¡¯s offering is deemed the ultimate loser. But since the blue and yellow tribe leaders are the true judges, her view is probably irrelevant. ¡°We have examined the three offerings,¡¯ announces Air-shaper. ¡®The offering of Flying-blade is impressive for the fact that this was a Single Hunt, yet it is the weakest of the three. Her village therefore bears the stain of this loss and loses reputation with all other villages. You are hereby required to move to the bottom-most pool.¡± The judgement is expected; the consequences and following outcry from her village are not. I half expect the other Pathwalker to leap across the gap between us or throw something at me as she snarls angrily across the water. She does not, instead pushing her way angrily through the crowd to go and join her village, who are now being forced to trickle down the slope by the samurans pushing upwards. Clearly, the consequences are worse than I thought they were for a loss. I wait, suddenly a little nervous about how our Core stacks up against the one gathered by the leaders. ¡°The offering of Tamer is significantly more powerful than that of Flying-blade¡¯s. It is also slightly more powerful than the object we had gathered to fuel this Long Night ritual,¡± she continues, and I relax in relief. I made the right decision to go for the fellapodil. ¡°We thereby proclaim Pathwalker Tamer as the winner of the Single Hunt. That said,¡± she continues contemplatively and my heart skips a beat, ¡°during your fight for this object of power, one of your village managed to break through the barrier and become Enlightened. We humbly ask that she might lend her power to the ritual to strengthen it. It would bring honour to your village if she does.¡± I don¡¯t even need to check with Windy ¨C the excitement and vindication which I feel go through her at the invitation is enough to know her response. Anyway, even without being asked she was going to offer to lead the ritual ¨C it¡¯s evidently a position of honour which she now feels she merits. A current of wind sweeps through the mass of samurans as Windy makes large bounds through the air to join us, the current of wind she¡¯s controlling giving her buoyancy and allowing her to travel further with each leap than she otherwise would have been capable of. It¡¯s also extremely flashy. I suspect she¡¯d have liked to fly, but hasn¡¯t had enough time to work that out yet. ¡°I offer my power to lead the ritual to seek the blessing of the ancestors,¡± Windy answers slightly pompously. The lead Pathwalkers look at each other, then tip their chins slightly to Windy. ¡°Enlightened one, we welcome your power and thank both you and the leader of your village for your offerings this night. Your village has gained significantly in reputation and are hereby invited to join our villages at the top pool.¡± I feel the excitement and pleasure spill from all of my samuran Bound as they quickly make their way up to the top pool. Bastet and Lathani join them, both now practically invisible in the darkness. I do notice the leader of the green tribe sending them a sharp look, but she evidently decides not to raise it. Why is this such a good thing? I ask my Pathwalkers silently as they get closer. The closer to the ritual, the more benefits we get, explains Joy, the first to respond. Flying-blade¡¯s village probably won¡¯t get anything, down at the bottom pool as they are. I want to ask what the benefits are, but my attention is drawn back to the events as Windy wades into the water to join the lead Pathwalkers. She takes the fellapodil¡¯s Core from Water-caller and stands in front of the four leaders, excitement and joy dancing through her spikes. Brothers, sisters, we celebrate the Long Night, she says, her voice practically shaking in excitement. We bring our offering to give to the ancestors and ask for their favour. All step into the water with us. Take your foot-coverings off, advises Tarra as she follows the instruction. Or you will not absorb the benefits. Following her advice, I pull my boots off and then step into the edge of the pool, wincing at its heat. I¡¯m tempted to control the fire-magic within the water as I did before, but not knowing what¡¯s about to happen, I decide not to risk it. Instead, I just send flesh-magic down to my feet and ankles to keep healing the scalded flesh, using Sensation Management to dull the pain. Hopefully I won¡¯t have to stay here too long before the start of whatever is supposed to happen. Book Five: Diplomacy - Chapter Eighty-Five: Free There are no more words. Instead, I see Windy close her eyes and concentrate, lifting the fellapodil¡¯s Core into the sky. The cerulean crystal begins to glow. As the seconds tick by, its brightness only intensifies. The other lead Pathwalkers move forwards one by one to lay their own hands on the glowing orb, its luminosity increasing until it becomes impossible to look at directly. The brightness starts to pulse, each pulse extending a finger of bright sky-blue glow into the sky. Squinting at the developing pillar, I notice that wispy shapes from around are starting to drift towards it, pulled into the lengthening finger and helping it grow further. As the pillar grows longer, its attractive pull seems to increase as the nebulous shapes join it in greater numbers, faster every moment that passes. The finger reaches higher and higher, seeming to aim for the clouds themselves. The brightness from the Core is ever more intense; for a moment, the area around us is once more lit as if it were still day. I hear quiet clicks and grunts murmur around me, samurans exclaiming at how high the pillar is reaching this year ¨C apparently it is unusual. I look at the Pathwalkers ¨C all but Windy are starting to show significant strain. Water-caller¡¯s teeth are clenched tightly, her eyes squeezed shut. Air-shaper is beginning to look a little grey. Earth-mover, the leader of the red tribe, and Tree-whisperer, the leader of the green tribe are not much better off. The growth of the pillar slows and then stops. This close to the leaders, I can hear their quiet grunts of exertion. By this point, even Windy is starting to look a little drawn and I can sense the immense concentration she¡¯s applying to this task. Her arms start to shake. The pulsing of the pillar abruptly reverses. Instead of pushing higher, it now descends. Quicker and quicker, the sky-high finger compresses into the Core, the brightness of the blue crystal only increasing impossibly further. Windy¡¯s arms begin to fail; the other Pathwalkers are forced to help hold the Core up with her or risk her dropping it. But the pillar is almost entirely absorbed back into the Core, leaving an odd sort of reverse image. Where it was appears now to be a pillar of intense darkness, like every mote of light in the air has been stripped away. I frown as I see that it¡¯s remarkably similar to what part of my Core space once looked like, after my mishap with Pure Energy. As the last of the impossibly-bright light sinks into the Core, the five Pathwalkers move as one, thrusting the Core into the water. A tidal wave of light explodes from the Core and flows through the pool around them. The wave continues, lighting up every foot submerged in this pool and then continuing down with the flow of the water to the next pool and then the next. I immediately know why Flying-blade¡¯s village was so disappointed to be relegated to the bottom pool ¨C this wave of light isn¡¯t infinite and every samuran it touches absorbs a little of its power. The light creeps up my legs, its touch light and warm. I eye it with a hint of wariness ¨C I don¡¯t even know what this is. Then I look around at those who have been through this before. Joy, Tarra, Sticks, Flower, and Windy all look to be in a state of rapture, their heads tilted towards the sky, nothing but pleasure and excitement flowing down the links from them. I shrug as the light reaches my belly. Well, too late to be worried now. Instead, I turn my head to look at the sky too, the light creeping up in a warm wave to cover my chest, then my neck, and then finally my head. When my eyes are filled with nothing but brightness, I¡¯m swept away into a dream. I¡¯m back in my house, the house that I lived in when I was a child. We moved out when I was twelve ¨C I never knew why. I look around at the kitchen, an odd feeling of unfamiliar familiarity going through me. I still remember where everything is, yet there¡¯s also a sense that I don¡¯t belong here. Not anymore. I look down at myself, finding my body to be that of a child once more. I¡¯d half-expected it ¨C everything looks the size I remember it to be. I slowly walk around the kitchen, opening the cupboards to check their contents. Inside is the same china I remember us having. The cup that broke when I dropped it as I was drying up. The plate that my father never liked. The ugly glasses that my parents were given as a wedding present by my grandparents and that they never dared get rid of. Not until we moved house and they were ¡®accidentally¡¯ smashed. The wobbly little bowl that I made at school and was so proud of, still in its place of honour designated by my mother. I wonder what I¡¯m supposed to do here. I¡¯m fully aware that it¡¯s not real. But even dreams usually have things happening. And then I hear the creak of a door. I turn to look at the door and my breath catches in my throat. My mother is there, smiling widely at me. I take a moment to just drink in her features. Pictures and my memories really do not do her justice. Her smile is so much more beautiful when it¡¯s in motion, the way her lips pull back from her slightly-crooked teeth ¨C years on from orthodontist treatment which never fully set properly ¨C the twinkle in her eyes that shifts and glistens in the light. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Markus, my son,¡± she says quietly, yet the words resound in my head like a bell. I¡¯m moving before I realise it, my muscles shifting of their own accord to propel me around the table and into my mother¡¯s embrace. I breathe deeply. She even smells like my mother. I hadn¡¯t realised how much I ached to smell her scent until now. Her arms encircle me in a hold that¡¯s just on the wrong side of too-tight, yet after having lost her, they can never be tight enough. ¡°Mum,¡± I croak, tears rising in my own eyes. I bury my head into her shoulder to hide them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I hadn¡¯t realised what I was going to say until I said it. But I won¡¯t take the words back when I mean them so strongly. Despite all the therapy, despite all the times I told myself I wasn¡¯t at fault, it seems that at my heart, I still felt that I was. I¡¯ve been aching for thirteen years to say them and even if this is just a dream, it feels far more real than any other dream I¡¯ve had. ¡°I killed you. I¡¯m sorry!¡± Mum makes a small sound I instantly recognise as disapproval and I pull back, afraid that she¡¯s going to push me away and wanting to avoid that. Certainly when I¡¯ve confessed in dreams before, she¡¯s got angry with me at this point, or blamed me, or disavowed me as her son. This time, she just clings onto me tighter. I resist the pull for a long moment, and then give into it. If she¡¯s not going to push me away, I have no reason to want to escape this embrace ¨C I¡¯ve been yearning for it for too long. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill me,¡± she tells me sternly. ¡°No,¡± she says as I immediately try to interject. ¡°Listen to me now.¡± I subside ¨C instincts are hard-lost it appears. ¡°You were a child. You made a child¡¯s choices. The cause of my death was that drunk driver. No more, no less. And I want you to finally realise that,¡± she instructs me firmly. ¡°You have been sabotaging yourself and your relationships for years, never letting anyone too close for fear that they will leave you or that you will fail them as you believed you failed me. No more. Promise me, my son,¡± she commands. I pull away slightly so I can look up at her face. She¡¯s not angry, but she¡¯s definitely determined ¨C I recognise that expression. Even dad knew not to argue with her when she looked like that. ¡°I know that I should have made more of an effort with dad. And Lucy¡­I ran away from her emotionally,¡± I admit. And the reasons are probably exactly as mum is saying. ¡°But I¡¯ve been trying to get past that,¡± I add, recalling my relationships with Bastet, River, Lathani, Kalanthia, Sirocco, Fenrir, Catch, and the others. ¡°You have,¡± she agrees, ¡°and I¡¯m proud of you for that. I¡¯m proud too for how you are shaping yourself, and not only letting the world shape you. But I want you to put down the burden of my death, and your father¡¯s death ¨C you were not to blame for that either ¨C and finally start to live life to its fullest.¡± I gaze at her thoughtfully, my eyes tracing restlessly over every line on her face. She isn¡¯t exhausted ¨C that¡¯s a difference. I don¡¯t remember her ever not being exhausted. It makes her all the more beautiful. ¡°Mum, is this¡­real?¡± I dare to ask. Her face takes on an amused and mysterious air. ¡°Real¡­loses its meaning after a certain event. Everything is real which conversely means that nothing is.¡± I send her a look which makes her break out into laughter. I hadn¡¯t realised how much I¡¯d missed hearing her laugh either until now. It¡¯s not a beautiful sound, but it¡¯s one that immediately reminds me of evenings playing board games together, or a comedy on the television, or going out to the theatre and just having a good time together as a family. ¡°It¡¯s as real as you make it,¡± she says finally as her chuckles slow down. ¡°Internalise my words and it becomes real. Dismiss them and it is but a dream.¡± I close my eyes as I contemplate that. It makes sense, I realise. Even more in the world of magic which I now inhabit. Now I can form fire, move earth, battle souls, transform my body, and build Bonds just with my mind, thoughts becoming reality is far more realistic than I might have thought it on Earth. Maybe it¡¯s time to put down this burden once and for all. Opening my eyes, I find that I¡¯m now towering above my mother, at least a head taller than she is. I never saw her from this viewpoint ¨C she was long dead by the time I gained my full height. But now, having acknowledged her words, having accepted them, I find that I have a new viewpoint on¡­everything. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell her, heartfelt. She looks up and unhesitantly gives me another almost-too-hard hug. ¡°You¡¯ll make me proud,¡± she tells me. ¡°You already have.¡± ¡°I love you,¡± I tell her as the dream falls apart. Her smile is the last thing to disappear. I don¡¯t wake up immediately. Instead, I seem to drift in a sea of glowing whiteness. I¡¯m not alarmed ¨C something tells me that this is expected, and that I will wake up soon. A voice resonates through me, feeling like it emerges from the mists themselves, its rumble that of an earthquake, its sound that of thunder. ¡°For releasing a long-held burden which chained your mind and shackled your willpower, you have received the following bonuses: six points in Wisdom and five points in Willpower. Beware: a burden once laid down can be picked up again, accidentally or intentionally.¡± I wake up. Although I know I still have so much responsibility ¨C the leader of a village, the controller of so many Bonds, and that I¡¯ve only made it halfway through this year of survival, with unknown expectations waiting for me in the next world¡­.for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel free. Book Five: Diplomacy - Interlude the Fifth ¡°Great Lord Titanbend, my deepest appreciation for your time,¡± Josiah says as he bows deeply. ¡°Lord Softrain. Welcome. Please take a seat.¡± The cold tone belies the words of welcome. Still, Josiah wasn¡¯t expecting anything else ¨C his House has never been at odds with Titanbend, but they haven¡¯t been allies either. Standing upright, he is momentarily transfixed by the gaze that snares his own. Dark purple, almost black eyes stare emotionlessly into him as if debating whether binding his soul is worth the effort. Shaken, Josiah drops his gaze, breaking eye contact. He¡¯d discounted the rumours that Lord Titanbend was capable of enslaving men with his eyes, but he suddenly gives them a little more credit. He abruptly doubts why he¡¯s here ¨C do they really want to ally with one such as House Titanbend, however honourable its lord is said to be? Lord Titanbend clears his throat, almost making Josiah jump. He looks up briefly, then colours as he sees the other lord gesture to the seat opposite him across the immense desk. Calling up the beginnings of his family¡¯s hallmark Skill, Josiah allows the calmness that always comes with drawing upon water to suffuse him. He doesn¡¯t actually make the rain manifest itself ¨C experience has taught him that most people don¡¯t like him calling a rainstorm inside, even when it¡¯s light, soft rain. But just touching it is enough to refresh his mind and settle his nerves. He steps forward and seats himself in the chair. It¡¯s less ornate than he thought it might be ¨C the whole mansion is. Not in a poverty-stricken way; if anything, the reverse ¨C Josiah has seen a couple of Houses low on coppers choosing to fill their mansions with ornate and lavish items just to conceal the true state of their financial affairs. Lord Titanbend¡¯s furniture and equipment are all well-made and serviceable, the kind of items which one with a less-keen eye might see as being mundane and dull. But Josiah can see the faint twists of runes in the bold carvings of the desk in front of him, and even in the arms of his own chair. He¡¯s no rune-smith, so can¡¯t tell what they would do, but he would guess that they¡¯re for durability and reinforcement. They¡¯re certainly not for comfort; Josiah has to fight the urge to shift on the hard chair. ¡°What brings you here, Lord Softrain?¡± Lord Titanbend asks, bringing Josiah¡¯s wandering mind back to the topic at hand. He guilty drags his gaze back to look at the other lord, though he doesn¡¯t quite dare make contact with those unsettling eyes again. Instead, he uses a trick his mother taught him ¨C look at the bridge of the person¡¯s nose and no one can tell that you¡¯re not looking in their eyes. Well, Lord Titanbend probably can if he feels the lack of connection which Josiah does, but the young lord hopes that he won¡¯t hold it against Josiah. With his peripheral vision, he takes a quick observation of the lord, never having actually met the man in person. He has dark brown hair and tanned skin, the features quite unlike most of the kingdom lords who tend towards being fair-skinned and pale-haired. Josiah immediately feels a hint of connection as his own family is a bit of an outlier there too. He wonders if Lord Titanbend has had to deal with the whispers of more gossipy lords and ladies twittering that Lord Titanbend appears more like the labourers in the fields than one of the lords who owns them. Though, the fineness of the Great Lord¡¯s features, those purple eyes, and the slight pointedness of his ears spoke of a far more exotic heritage than Josiah¡¯s own. The Great Lord clears his throat again meaningfully. Josiah feels a wave of colour rise in his cheeks at getting caught staring. ¡°My apologies, Great Lord,¡± he says quickly. ¡°I was distracted by my thoughts.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the lord answers, his tone announcing its disapproval with its sheer neutrality. Josiah feels the flush in his cheeks intensifying and he half-calls his Soft-Rain Skill once more just to cool the heat. ¡°It was an interesting announcement from the king yesterday, was it not?¡± the young lord starts, doing his best to be conversational. He wilts slightly as he receives no response other than a level stare. He clears his throat again, regretting that Layton had taken Lady Goldmine. That Great Lady is unsettling in that one always feels like one is being valued like an object, but at least she engages in the normal routine of conversation. Seeing as Lord Titanbend doesn¡¯t seem to want to be conversational, Josiah decides to throw the careful approach off the ramparts and just go for it. ¡°I was wondering what your intentions are for the King¡¯s challenge?¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The other lord doesn¡¯t reply for a long moment, his eyes seeming to pin Josiah down in place. Many of the rumours talk about eye-contact, but is this lord able to see souls even without it? The young lord struggles not to shift in his seat and he reabsorbs the beads of sweat which emerge from his brow before they can catch the light and betray his nerves. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± inquires Lord Titanbend finally, the neutral rumble of his voice a relief after the excruciating wait. Not that his response was much of a relief in itself. Josiah carefully considered his words before speaking ¨C appearing too eager was a problem, but not appearing interested enough might mean that he left empty-handed. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, my House is far smaller and meaner than your own illustrious heritage. I was hoping that you could¡­guide us a little by explaining your own intentions.¡± There. That should be sufficient hint that they would perhaps be interested in an alliance without coming out and saying it outright. The lord stares silently at Josiah for another long, agonising moment. ¡°House Titanbend will take our proper place in the challenge,¡± Lord Titanbend answers with a note of finality in his voice. Josiah fights not to react to the confirmation that, despite the lack of heir, the House would truly not be abstaining. ¡°More may be revealed to trusted friends and allies in the proper time.¡± ¡°And might you be interested in expanding your circle of trusted friends and allies?¡± inquires Josiah carefully. ¡°Friends and allies can come from curious places,¡± Lord Titanbend answers offhandedly. ¡°From all walks of life, of all ages. We bind ourselves together with mutual benefit and mutual obligation, do we not?¡± he asks as if it¡¯s merely a throw-away comment, but Josiah knows far better than to take it as one. ¡°Indeed, friends and allies support and help each other, and benefit together as a result,¡± he agrees cautiously. ¡°Yet sometimes it¡¯s hard to know how each can help, especially when they come from such different walks of life,¡± he comments. ¡°Indeed,¡± Lord Titanbend answers, and then smiles. Josiah watches as his face practically transforms with the expression, no longer the forbidding, stern mien of before. ¡°But that is what makes life interesting, is it not?¡± They exchange a few more carefully couched words and then Josiah takes his leave politely. As he is guided by a servant from the room and to where his horse is waiting for him outside the front doors, his mind whirls. House Titanbend is not only going to take part, but is actively looking for allies, and doesn¡¯t much care if they are powerful or not. And in return, Lord Nicholas is willing to seek mutual benefit, not merely his own House¡¯s advantage. That¡¯s more than most Great Lords would offer ¨C the protection of being part of an alliance with a Great House is considered to be the greatest advantage to joining one. Layton needs to hear of this! ***** A lady dressed in ornately-embroidered clothing stands at the window, watching as Minor Lord Layton Heatwave rides off in his carriage. ¡°A mewling pup,¡± speaks a voice from the doorway disdainfully. The lady remains watching the carriage until it disappears around the corner of the massive wall around her estate. ¡°I do not tell you how to control water, Lord Torrent,¡± she tells him languidly, but with a hint of steel which makes no mistake that she means her words. ¡°Do not try to tell me how to value a potential product.¡± ¡°I thought I asked you to call me Roland, Clarissa.¡± At that she does turn to fix him with a look that makes him take a step back. ¡°We are allies only insofar as Titanbend is concerned, Lord Torrent,¡± she replies with emphasis. ¡°I would thank you to not claim more familiarity than I have allowed.¡± ¡°Fine, Lady Goldmine,¡± the lord answers with irritation replacing his previous friendliness. ¡°I have come for an update. Have your products found any information on whether Titanbend is intending on choosing an heir or going himself? We need to make plans for both. I was expecting him to just abstain and take the consequences for doing so ¨C isn¡¯t it just like him to throw the glabas among the chickens?¡± It was Lady Goldmine¡¯s turn to look disdainfully at her companion. ¡°If you had paid attention to my missives and our opponent¡¯s character, you would have realised that Titanbend choosing to take part in the competition was more likely than for him to abstain, however much we might have prodded things towards that outcome.¡± ¡°But he loses more if he goes himself and gets killed,¡± protests Lord Torrent. ¡°That will rip his House apart!¡± ¡°Which means he¡¯s unlikely to do that,¡± Lady Goldmine tells him with concealed irritation. ¡°I don¡¯t need information from my products to come to that conclusion. No,¡± she says, turning towards the window. ¡°The question is more about who he¡¯s going to select as heir ¨C and whether we can turn them to our interests first.¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter One: Economy Tamer, there¡¯s a messenger from another village, Rolls-a-stone tells me over the Bond. He must be on gate duty. Which entrance? I ask. The lower gate. Alright, I¡¯ll come shortly, I say, then return my attention to the hatchlings in front of me. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go now, but remember the rules.¡± ¡°If my stones are either side of his stones, I ¡®capture¡¯ his stones,¡± chirps one of the hatchlings. ¡°And if I capture all of his stones, I win,¡± chirps the other. ¡°That¡¯s right, well done,¡± I praise them. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to continue until one of you has captured all of the stones of the other; just until the box we¡¯ve drawn on the ground is filled in. Then whoever has the most stones present in the box wins.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± they chime. ¡°Thank you Tamer Markus,¡± one of them says, the other following belatedly behind. ¡°No problem,¡± I smile. ¡°I look forward to hearing which one of you wins most often.¡± I actually do ¨C Othello might be relatively simple as a game to learn, but it takes a bit of strategy to master. Go would probably be better for training strategy, but I¡¯ve never learned to play it. As I walk through the village, I notice a few other groups huddling around games ¨C other ones I¡¯ve introduced like Home You Go and chess, though some of the games of the latter are being played at a level beyond me now. Sticks has been willing to create game pieces for Energy Heart fragments ¨C I seem to have accidentally created something of an economy. Inevitable, I suppose, when most samurans are earning a steady supply of the things through their farming, hunting, resource-gathering, or crafting. Even the Unevolved samurans are learning to craft things like utensils and weapons ¨C less durable and finished than what the Pathwalkers can create with magic, but ¡®cheaper¡¯ for the Unevolved. They can then be sold to other Unevolved for Energy Heart fragments. I see a trade happening right now ¨C Joy has discovered an artistic side of herself and her recent creations are more and more beautiful. The majority of the everyday weaving has been taken up by a number of Unevolved who no longer need to be hunters because of the increasing supply of meat from the farming efforts. As a result, Joy has more time to experiment and has begun weaving tapestries to beautify the village. Since Hunter found a combination of runes which, when engraved on a Core, offer a steady, self-replenishing, activatable and deactivatable light, more and more samurans have become keen on having the tapestries inside the huts too. Next to her side I see two of the danaris hatchlings. The danaris hatchlings came out of their cocoons not that long ago, and gave me a bit of a fright when one just started trying to climb up my legs out of the blue. They¡¯re fortunate that the baby samurans have already tried to do that a couple of times, so my automatic reaction wasn¡¯t just to start swinging. I did jump when I saw that instead of a cute baby samuran, it was an eight-legged horror, its six eyes glinting balefully at me. Not that it was actually trying to threaten me ¨C the impression I got from it over the Bond was that it was more innocently curious than anything else. A bit of questioning revealed that it had followed the sense of our Bond when it had hatched which explained why it was climbing up my leg. That one, named Courage when it became clear that she has lots of it, was the only one brave enough out of her sister and brother to approach me ¨C the other two hung back until they saw that I wasn¡¯t about to kill them. Clearly recently hatched, they looked like football-sized versions of their mother except with much softer shells. By this point their shells have hardened significantly, but are still nowhere near the thick, armoured chitin of the danaris I killed. They¡¯ve also grown a bit, about half again the size they started. Since their chitin hardened, though, they¡¯ve stopped growing. I wonder whether they will moult their shells in the way most creatures with carapaces seem to. They haven¡¯t yet, anyway. The two females have the venomous stinger of their mother; the male doesn¡¯t, though they can all three spin sticky webbing. Only the two females can spin non-sticky webbing, though ¨C I have to guess that the male isn¡¯t supposed to take any part in building the ¡®larder¡¯ for his offspring. Once Joy realised that they could spin the same kind of thread which I can ¨C but had been refusing to just for tapestries ¨C she immediately leaped on the opportunity to get on the danaris females¡¯ good sides. Bribing them with choice meats and beast Cores which she traded for with tapestries, she soon had them literally eating out of her hand and willing to produce as much silk as she wanted. The male hasn¡¯t been completely left out, though. His sticky web is greatly valued by Shrieks for the defence of the village ¨C everyone now knows to come into the village by the gates due to the sticky web that weaves in between each of the wooden stakes. It has to be replaced frequently as the stickiness reduces with time. The male, named Defender, doesn¡¯t seem to mind that, though. As long as he¡¯s kept happy with plenty of food and some Cores from time to time, he¡¯s willing to spend his waking hours recycling the old webbing to create the new sticky strands again. I have to admit that I watched the development with interest ¨C it seems like multiple partnerships have sprung up ¨C Catch and Pride, Joy with the females danarises, Thorn and one of the hunters, and the male danaris with Shrieks. Not to mention the more casual relationships like between Trinity and the village as a whole and Komodo with Tarra and River ¨C due to his ever-changing venom, they find him a very useful source of different poisons. Thorn still hasn¡¯t Evolved, and has chosen to refuse a deeper Bond with me even for the purpose of helping him with his damaged Energy channels. I find it a bit of a pity, but ultimately it¡¯s his choice. He seems happy enough going out with Bites-his-claws to hunt. The two apparently work well together as a team ¨C the samuran leads or drives their prey towards where Thorn is lying concealed in preparation for an ambush. I feel that in the last three months the village has leaped ahead in multiple ways. I don¡¯t know whether it has anything to do with the blessing from the end of the Festival or is simply that the Evolved, feeling that my different ways have been validated by the acceptance and admiration of their peers, have been more willing to open their minds to new ideas. Certainly, I¡¯ve felt the difference ¨C my suggestions in the regular councils have been met with less scepticism and some of the others have even started suggesting changes, something which had been rare before.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. I was very happy when the Unevolved members of the council started taking a more involved role not long after, and by now the division of the Tiers is barely felt in the council at all even if it¡¯s still evident in every day life. I know that that¡¯s mostly due to my influence and maybe it will go back to the way it used to be after I leave. I hope that they¡¯ve seen enough benefit that it won¡¯t, though. Another positive change is that the village seems to have leaped ahead in culture ¨C the relief of the constant pressure to hunt and resulting exhaustion has allowed an explosion in creativity. I would never have imagined that they would be capable of everything I now see, but I¡¯m glad that they are. It seems that samurans, when not regularly on the edge of starvation, are indeed artists at heart. Instituting a ¡®rest day¡¯ was a good idea, too. The council resisted it at first ¨C they were worried that it might lead to trouble as bored samurans with nothing else to do might just start challenging their superiors. And yes, there was a bit of that, but the majority of the time the challenges ended up turning into educational sparring with no hard feelings remaining ¨C intentionally steered that way, of course. As they got used to the idea of having one day in ten free of obligations, the samurans found other things to do with their time. Of course, not everyone is able to rest even on a rest day. The guards still have to patrol around the village and watch over the gates; the broodmothers still have to care for the hatchlings. They were ecstatic when each of the Pathwalkers laid a clutch of eggs not long after we got back from the festival. In total, there were a hundred and thirty-two eggs laid and all but seventeen of those hatched. And due to the fact that I¡¯m determined to do things differently for this clutch and have forbidden them from going out into the forest until they¡¯re big enough to fight properly ¨C and then only after they¡¯ve trained and are accompanied by older samurans ¨C we¡¯ve only lost three more. So now, three months on, there are over a hundred half-grown baby samurans running around the place and getting in everyone¡¯s way. I have to dodge a small gaggle of five who run obliviously across my path with an air of mischief. There are too many for me to recognise them by sight, and they haven¡¯t yet got to their naming day so I¡¯ve got no chance of stopping them unless I want to chase after them and physically grab them. Since I¡¯ve got someone waiting for me at the gates, I decide not to do that. Instead, I send a message over the Bond to Elder Twig, warning him of the potential trouble-makers. Although I was unable to help him to Evolve because I can¡¯t figure out what the issue is with his channels, I decided that maintaining a Bond with one of the broodmothers would be a good idea. He promises to investigate what the hatchlings are up to with a faintly accusing air ¨C though the Elders are overall happy that fewer of their charges are dying in their infancy, they haven¡¯t been as pleased with how the changes have dramatically increased their workloads. I might have to find a way to keep the hatchlings occupied other than just with board games ¨C otherwise the mortality might creep up again as a result of the broodmothers strangling their charges. Walking through the village, I pull up my status screen, looking once more at the differences between where I was three months ago after I killed the fellapodil and re-Bound Windy after she Evolved.
Name: Markus Wolfe Race: Human Class: Tamer
Level: 20 -> 25 Energy to next level: 3% Energy absorption rate: 89u/hr Energy towards debt: 135% (61)
Intelligence 56+8 (+15%) Mana: 960/960 (15u/IP)
Wisdom 50+5 (+10%) Mana regeneration rate: 1375u/hr
Willpower 92+29 (+32%) Health regeneration rate: 121u/hr
Constitution 40+4 (+10%) Health: 650/650 (650) (15u/CP)
Strength 24+1 (+5%) Stamina regeneration rate: 140u/hr
Dexterity 32+3 (+10%) Stamina: 525/525 (15u/DP)
Special: Fire Affinity (25%)
Class skills Dominate ¨C Master 1 *Companion Bond Tame ¨C Journeyman 7 -> 9 * Alliance Fade ¨C Journeyman 1 -> Journeyman 5 * Darkvision Inspect ¨C Novice 6 -> Initiate 2 Elemental Bonding ¨C Beginner 2 -> 3 Management ¨C Novice 3 -> Initiate 6 Transformation ¨C Beginner 2 -> Beginner 9 Non-Class skills Flesh-Shaping ¨C Master 2 -> 3 Stealth ¨C Novice 9 -> Initiate 6 Animal Empathy ¨C Journeyman 7 -> 9 Meditation ¨C Journeyman 9 Energy Manipulation ¨C Master 6 Sensation Management ¨C Novice 4 -> Novice 8 Spearmanship ¨C Initiate 7 -> 9 Archery ¨C Novice 9 -> Initiate 5 Blunt Weaponry ¨C Initiate 5 -> 9 Short Blades ¨C Novice 5 -> Initiate 1 Fire-Shaping ¨C Initiate 9 -> Journeyman 4 Earth-Shaping ¨C Journeyman 2-> 6 Energy Crystallisation ¨C Beginner 5 -> Novice 9 Teaching ¨C Beginner 9 -> Novice 6 Rune-Carving ¨C Beginner 4 -> 6 Enchanting ¨C Beginner 8 -> 9 Lava-Shaping ¨C Beginner 3 -> 7 Alchemy ¨C Beginner 5 Metal-Shaping ¨C Beginner 7 Air-Shaping ¨C Beginner 4 Water-Shaping ¨C Beginner 2
The last few months haven¡¯t just been a period of growth for the village but for me as well. I¡¯ve managed to go up five levels which, honestly, is quite an achievement considering just how much Energy I need per percentage point now. I¡¯ve worked out that at level twenty-five, I need about one and a half thousand units of Energy per percentage. From what I remember, that¡¯s about the same amount per point as it took me to increase by a whole level from zero to one! And I thought that that was hard to achieve at the time. The fact is, though, that I¡¯m in a far better position now than I was when I arrived. I don¡¯t have to go hunting for my food ¨C in fact quite a few things are done for me now ¨C and magic helps me speed up other things that I still have to do for myself. Of course, those mundane tasks have been replaced by a number of others linked to running the village, but I¡¯ve managed to set aside a good few hours most days actively meditating in one of the high-density chambers in my den. I¡¯d love to do more than that, but even aside from my work load, I¡¯ve noticed that too much time spent in Meditation in that area starts corroding my internal matrix, starting with my exterior channels and moving inwards if I let it. Sure, I can heal the areas and I do if they corrode, but it seems like the healing takes some time to fully settle as corrosion happens more quickly if I return immediately to the area after I¡¯ve healed myself. It ends up better for me to withdraw from the high-density area after a period of time and avoid the corrosion at all. Besides, it¡¯s not as if I don¡¯t have enough to do. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Two: Gift The village mostly manages itself these days but I do need to touch base with the leaders from time to time, especially after I¡¯ve implemented something new. I have sparring with my Bound and weapons¡¯ practice, though I grimace as I see from my status screen that I haven¡¯t spent as much time doing those as I intended ¨C obvious when I see that even Archery, which has improved the most, only went from Novice nine to Initiate five. Considering that those Skills are still quite low level, they really should have increased more. Still, they¡¯ve increased enough for me to feel the difference when I go out with the hunters or spar with someone I haven¡¯t fought with in a while. Or when a new Pathwalker joins our ranks and we have a battle to establish their rank. And it does seem that my Skill improvement rate in the more combat-oriented Skills does slow down when I¡¯m not actively fighting. That¡¯s one reason I¡¯ve also tried to make time to go out into the forest with a group of my Bound. That, and the fear that if I don¡¯t experience life or death situations every so often, I¡¯ll lose my edge ¨C and the willingness to put myself in danger. I fear it would be all too easy to slip back into the civilised Markus whose greatest moment of danger was crossing the road ¨C or getting in a car. The two largest portions of my time over the last few months have been spent on stat-point acquisition and learning new Skills, Shaping ones, primarily. I now know how to increase all of my stats manually. It took quite a lot of exploration and experimentation, but eventually I worked out how to give myself my physical stat points as well as my mental and soul stats. The inspiration for my physical stats actually came from an unlikely source ¨C examining Warriors with physical enhancement Skills while they used their Skills. And that was purely by accident. I¡¯ve been trying to work on improving my distance healing, something I still haven¡¯t fully got a grip on, but have started being able to do with my Dominated Bound at least. Healing at a distance involves sending my flesh-magic through the Bonds instead of through my fingers, and then controlling it like I¡¯m using a mechanical hand rather than my own to solve a puzzle. I asked my Bound to fight together to simulate combat, trying to improve my ability to help them in that situation. While I was doing it with two Warriors, they started using their skills against each other so as to actually make use of the training session for themselves. Since my magic was inside the one who had a body enhancement, I was able to get a front-row seat to seeing exactly how Enhanced Speed works. That gave me the inspiration of how to enhance my own Dexterity, and it wasn¡¯t a big leap from there to actually managing to permanently increase my Dexterity stat. Learning how to increase Strength and then Constitution weren¡¯t far behind ¨C Enhanced Strength gave me inspiration for the former, and Constitution came from a new Warrior with Enhanced Vitality, a skill where he can essentially flood his body with Energy to increase his health pool for a short time. As was the case when I was just starting out, the lower the stat is to start with, the less Energy it takes to increase. My most recent point in my Constitution, bringing it up to forty points, cost me a little more than a sixth of my progress towards my next level ¨C which made it finally become more expensive than just levelling up. Dexterity, however, only costs me about twelve percent to raise it by another point, and Strength is even cheaper than that, seven percent last time. I¡¯ve been concentrating on Constitution, since as a health pool it¡¯s still pretty small in comparison to most of my Bound, but now that it¡¯s more expensive to increase that manually than with levelling up, I¡¯ll have to stop and choose another stat to focus on. With my attention these days on using magic, increasing my Strength really hasn¡¯t been top of my priority list. Dexterity is another matter ¨C my revelations on the way to the Festival about how stamina works indicated that Dexterity affects more than just my physical movement, so that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been working on since increasing my Constitution by eight points. I want to get Dexterity up to the same level, but so far have only been able to add four points in total. I don¡¯t want to forget entirely about Strength, though, so have been putting the odd point in that, three in total. I only recently learned how to enhance my Endurance rather than simply Power ¨C that was a lucky find in a Warrior who had an Endurance related skill. My stamina pool has only gone up slightly as a result. As for my level up points, I¡¯ve been focussing purely on my mental and soul stats, primarily Willpower and Intelligence. Willpower because it¡¯s my most useful stat for my Class; Intelligence because it increases my mana pool which is an essential part of pretty much everything I¡¯m doing these days. I¡¯ve watched it enough times during level-ups that I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll know how to increase that manually now, though it would no doubt use a lot of Energy to do so. Next level up I¡¯ll put some points into Wisdom now that Intelligence has surpassed it. Again, there¡¯s not much point in doing that manually as it uses more Energy than it would take to level up and get six points for my troubles. But I¡¯ll only focus on that when I¡¯ve got Strength up to thirty, I think. I don¡¯t want that falling too far behind. I would have done another Willpower Challenge, but when I tried to take it, I wasn¡¯t allowed to do so. I¡¯ve tried a couple of times since then, but have had been met with the same refusal. Evidently, there¡¯s some sort of limitation to it. Whether it¡¯s time or some other event, I don¡¯t know; I¡¯ll have to just keep trying. In addition to my points, I¡¯ve also learned a few more Skills. Watching and helping River and Tarra has given me Alchemy ¨C the ability to infuse Energy or mana into an ingredient or concoction, and to control the Energy already within it. I¡¯m still very much a beginner and both River and Tarra could knock the socks off me without even trying, but at least I have an idea of where I could start if both of them decide to stay here when I leave this world. River¡¯s Fire Herbalism is fascinating to watch, especially with my magic sight ¨C her fire-affinity mana twines with whatever she¡¯s working with and carefully burns away everything that won¡¯t be useful for her intentions, allowing her to create incredibly pure potions, poisons, and various other alchemical products. Of course, that also requires an incredibly fine sense of control, and I¡¯ve seen her fully burn far too many things, destroying the desirable with the undesirable. But she¡¯s getting there. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll ever be able to infuse mana into substances like Tarra, except fire-aspected ones, perhaps, but she¡¯s likely to surpass her teacher in the power of her brews as long as she has access to good quality ingredients. More immediately useful for me is that I¡¯ve finally completed the set of elemental Skills that I wanted. Happy helped me gain Metal-Shaping, Dusty taught me about Water-Shaping, and Windy, reluctantly, helped me with Air-Shaping. I¡¯m pretty sure that once they¡¯re all at the same rank, I¡¯ll be offered a combined Skill much as with Inspect, but that¡¯s likely to take a while since Earth-Shaping is already at Journeyman. Still, something to aim towards. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My feet have continued walking even through my musings. Finally reaching the gates, I see the representative standing outside. It¡¯s a Warrior ¨C predictably. I think my village is probably the only one where Pathwalkers regularly go out with the hunting parties ¨C since reaching Tier three, Windy has been keen on using her new abilities to literally rain down destruction. Hunting has therefore been right up her street even if the forest has been a little worse for wear a few times. I¡¯ve actually been called out twice to deal with the forest fire she provoked with her indiscriminate lightning. Several of the others have also been keen on working on their combat capabilities in practice as well as theory and have been using the hunting trips to do that. It¡¯s amazing what happens when groups of Warriors or mixed Warriors and Unevolved are the ones to go out hunting. They¡¯re far more efficient and productive, not to mention safer than the Unevolved doing it before. Being able to trust each other and go out in groups is a major factor in that ¨C gone are the days when grouping up meant more chance of betrayal or needing to share the food tokens they received. Of course, they do have to share the Energy Heart fragments, but those are less necessary than food. ¡°Hi Stony, Rocky,¡± I say as I step into the gateway and glance at the two guards. Who do we have here? I continue over the Bond. We actually have proper gates now ¨C a project Joy, Sticks, and Flower worked on together. They¡¯re open for now, but they add an extra level of security. We¡¯ve improved the fence too ¨C hands willing to work for Energy Heart fragments can make a significant difference when directed in the right way. The strange Warrior seems to be rather startled at the improvements if his wide, roving eyes are anything to go by. I don¡¯t recognise him, Rolls-a-stone answers immediately ¨C unsurprising since he Evolved a month ago so didn¡¯t come with us to the festival. However, Rocky does. I don¡¯t look at the samuran in question, but I do the mental equivalent ¨C by this point, I¡¯m almost as comfortable communicating mentally as I am out loud. The samurans who have been part of my network for the longest are the same, often managing to keep their emotions out of their spikes, even. Something which the strange Warrior clearly isn¡¯t capable of ¨C his spikes are roiling with nervousness and tension. Does he think we¡¯ll attack him? He is Stabs-a-stone from the red tribe of the sixth mountain, Rocky tells me, his mental voice a deep rumble that matches his speaking tone. They didn¡¯t make it to the Festival this year. The red tribe? Is he from the same village who lost the Hunt at the festival? I ask, immediately wary. I send out a pulse of Inspect, looking for any other samurans in the local area. There are two more, hiding in the bushes, but I can¡¯t feel any more than that. It doesn¡¯t help that, even if my Inspect has increased in rank to Initiate two, its range still isn¡¯t quite big enough to cover the whole of the village. Not unless I want to use my whole mana pool, anyway. When I don¡¯t know if this is going to come to a fight, I¡¯d rather not do that. Instead, I decide to use other resources I have available. Samuran ones. Sorry to interrupt your rest day, I project to all my Bound ¨C it¡¯s easier to do that than to pick and choose when I want to send the message to a large number, but I need some patrols organised to investigate the area around the village for hidden threats. We have a visitor from the red tribe and at least two hidden observers. Heard and understood, Tamer, Shrieks answers grimly. I leave the matter in his capable claws. Rocky has patiently been waiting for me to finish my message before answering the question I¡¯d asked him. This is a different village from the same tribe, he tells me. It is one of our closest neighbours ¨C a village only about two days away. Less if we travel fast. They are small. I was not surprised to see them absent from the Festival. That reassures me a little, but not entirely. From what I¡¯ve come to understand, though the tribes do have plenty of in-fighting, they tend to pull together against an outsider, and I¡¯m definitely recognised as that. It¡¯s been peaceful in the three months since we returned, but I have a nagging feeling that it has been the calm before a storm. Maybe I¡¯m just being paranoid. I step forward cautiously towards the samuran waiting nervously outside our open gates. My Inspect didn¡¯t pick up any ranged weapons, but a rock thrown through the air is as good a weapon as any. I¡¯m not wearing my full armour ¨C I wasn¡¯t expecting to need it. So, instead of a helmet, I clumsily pull together a whirling disc of air. I won¡¯t be able to keep it contained for long, but hopefully long enough to determine if it¡¯s safe or if I need more protection than my disc of air can give me. The Warrior, seeing my approach, lifts his chin high into the air. Oddly enough, he doesn¡¯t seem too surprised at my presence. Did the Warriors have a conversation before I arrived? Did Rocky talk about me? He must have, I decide, a moment later when the new Warrior addresses me by name. ¡°Pathwalker Tamer, greetings from the village of the red tribe of the sixth mountain,¡± he says quickly. ¡°May the ancestors smile on our meeting.¡± ¡°May the ancestors be pleased at our meeting,¡± I return. ¡°And may our actions be in keeping with their values,¡± I finish. It¡¯s a warning, and the samuran knows it. He lowers his chin slowly, his spikes flashing with increased wariness. I don¡¯t invite him in to share a carcass either, which technically should be the next step. He will know from that he¡¯s not an honoured or even recognised guest ¨C and that should his words be displeasing, we could attack him without breaking any customs. ¡°My village is grateful that you would hear us out,¡± the Warrior continues formally. ¡°We have a boon to beg from our brethren and bring these gifts to offer you, in hopes that you will aid us.¡± So saying, he turns towards the forest and grunts wordlessly. The two samurans who had been hiding in the forest now stand up and walk forwards. They are Unevolved and one is leading two beasts by woven vine leashes. Both beasts walk forwards without struggle, obviously tamed in some way. They are the same as each other and look vaguely similar to Artemis¡¯ pack of wolf-like deris. Their legs are long and their bodies are slim ¨C built for running. Their heads are most similar to a canine¡¯s with long muzzles filled with sharp teeth. However, these ones have a set of wings like Bastet and something on the tips of their long whip-like tails ¨C I can¡¯t tell exactly what it is since it¡¯s been wrapped in vine bindings. The Warrior sees me looking. ¡°Venomous stingers,¡± he tells me casually, my reaction apparently having pleased him. ¡°We keep them wrapped unless they are being milked as they contain deadly venom. Deadly venom which I¡¯m sure your Herbalist could transform into either poison or healing potion if she has sufficient supply. If you will hear our request and consider it with due seriousness, we will give you both these beasts and their Unevolved handler. Though he is Unevolved, our beast tamer has been employing him as an assistant and deems him likely to Evolve. The other is also a gift for you, one of our best hunters.¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Three: Of The Direst Importance I¡¯m caught by his implication, staring at him incredulously. ¡°You¡¯re giving our village some of your Unevolved? Your people? And what do they think about this?¡± I ask, glancing at the samurans in question. They are stone-faced, clearly doing their best to mute the emotions flicking through their spikes. But what I do manage to see isn¡¯t positive. ¡°Our request is of the direst importance, Pathwalker Tamer,¡± the Warrior answers seriously. ¡°Our gift is great because such is our need.¡± I feel like that¡¯s rather missing the point I was making ¨C that trading their own people to another village seems to be reaching a new low, even for the ruthless samurans. Then again, given that the previous leader of my village, the shaman, actually sacrificed all the hatchlings from that year in a ritual and was about to do the same to the Unevolved, I have to guess that trading away some of her villagers wouldn''t have been past her either. My own Evolved have slowly been changing their opinions ¨C the more they work with my non-samuran Bound, the less they can justify the idea that samurans are the only beings capable of thought or feelings ¨C and that even the Tier ones of their own species aren¡¯t much better. Some refuse to adjust their ideas, of course, but by and large, things have changed significantly in that area. Apart from generally feeling disgusted about the whole principle of the thing ¨C and tempted to just send them away immediately ¨C the actual ¡®gift¡¯ could be useful if the Unevolved with the beasts develops into a beast tamer. That would actually quite nicely fill the hole I will leave in less than three months time. And a good hunter is always welcome ¨C probably why he was chosen. But only if they are willing to be a full part of the village. Though if their village is willing to essentially throw them away just for the chance to have an audience with me, I have a feeling they will have a better life with us. ¡°I will hear you out,¡± I announce abruptly. ¡°Rocky, please go and retrieve a carcass for me to share with our guest here.¡± I purposefully make it that everyone around can understand my words. The visitor¡¯s spikes flash in satisfaction. Although I didn¡¯t offer him a carcass directly, the implication that we will eat together is sufficient to engage guest protocols. He is guaranteed that I will at least hear him out without attacking him. ¡°On behalf of my village, I thank you for your attention, Pathwalker Tamer,¡± the Warrior says, raising his chin briefly. ¡°Hmm,¡± I respond non-committedly, discreetly releasing the disc of air I¡¯ve been maintaining throughout the conversation so far. I doubt they¡¯re here to kill me now. ¡°Please step inside the gates and wait for me there. When my Warrior returns, we will speak on the matter you came here to tell me about.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± the Warrior answers, walking past me to stand on the opposite side of the gate from Stony. ¡°Not you,¡± I tell the two Unevolved as they turn to follow as well. I see fear intermingled with resignation flash through their spikes. The clawed hand of one of them tightens into a fist; the other just remains still as if he¡¯s carven in stone, but the way the beast he¡¯s controlling shifts, it¡¯s able to pick up on the tension radiating from him as well as I can. Before I can speak, I see a patrol come around the edge of the village. It¡¯s a mixed party with three Warriors, Storm, Lathani, and Fenrir all travelling together. Fenrir¡¯s nose along with Storm¡¯s eyes and Lathani¡¯s Earth-sense are a powerful combination for detecting intruders. ¡°One moment, please,¡± I say to the Unevolved politely. They exchange flickers of a glance, but I only see the movement in my peripheral vision as I look towards the patrol. Lathani shifts as she sees me, probably eager to bound over for a scratch behind the ears. But she controls herself, sticking with the party until they come over to join us. Then Lathani comes to press herself against me, demanding scratches. Now almost as tall as I am, her weight threatens to push me over. At least, she would if I hadn¡¯t increased my Strength to the point that it is now. I reach up to give her the desired caresses, reaching down to greet both Fenrir and Storm who are less effusive but no less eager for their own petting. The leader of the party ¨C Iandee ¨C glances at the two Unevolved standing before me with a hint of uncertainty. Then, evidently deciding that without knowing the situation, it¡¯s better to keep things quiet, he gives his report through the Bond. We have inspected almost an entire circle around the village. There is just this small section to check. We have found no traces of other People. Good, I say, not entirely surprised now that the hidden samurans have been revealed to be ¡®gifts¡¯. I need to speak with these two. Keep a watch over me and an eye on the other Warrior? Of course, Iandee answers. He probably would have guarded me anyway, but it¡¯s always best to be clear, in my experience. Which is exactly what I want to do with the strange Unevolved too. I hesitate before turning to speak with them.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Is it¡­normal to send Unevolved as¡­gifts to another village? I ask Iandee, opening the question to Bug and Leaf who make up the other two Warriors in the party. It¡¯s not normal, Leaf ventures, but it¡¯s not entirely unheard of either. Unevolved are considered as resources of the village, but important ones as they are the potential Evolved of the future. If these two are being given to our village, I would guess the other village¡¯s need to be great and that they fear you would not agree without a big enough gift. I see, I respond thoughtfully. Thanks. I will speak to them now. Lathani complains as I stop petting her, nudging at my shoulder, I send her a quelling glance and she grumbles but subsides. I turn back to the two Unevolved. One seems a little wide-eyed, glancing between the various beasts and the samurans incredulously. The other seems even more grimly resigned than before. It is he who I meet eyes with first. I no longer need to intone ¡®Dominate¡¯ audibly to activate the Skill ¨C it is a mere flex of my will. Heck, I probably don¡¯t even need to meet his gaze, though I sense that it makes things easier. The world around me fades into its usual grey. With my Willpower now significantly over a hundred and able to keep an Enlightened samuran under control, the pressure from an Unevolved one is barely noticeable. I stroll casually towards the samuran, stopping a little over an arm¡¯s length away from him. Close enough that he can¡¯t deny the fact that I could Bind him at any moment, but far enough away that it¡¯s clear I don¡¯t intend to ¨C yet. The same grim resignation is in his eyes and pressing in around me, even if his spikes are unable to change. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I ask. Bares-claws, Honoured Pathwalker. ¡°And why are you here?¡± I could have done this without using Dominate, but this way I can feel his emotions and can easily identify if he¡¯s lying or telling the truth. He answers my question readily enough. I am here because my leader ordered me to accompany Warrior Stabs-a-stone, Honoured Pathwalker. My eyes narrow. He was honest, but there¡¯s more to it. ¡°I¡¯d recommend you be as honest and informative as you can,¡± I comment almost idly. The flash of fear that I feel coming from around me indicates that he¡¯s taken it as a threat. I¡­thought I was here to hopefully Evolve and become your beast tamer ¨C I or my companion. ¡°You thought,¡± I repeat. ¡°Meaning that you do not think so now?¡± That same grim resignation strengthens around me. Your village appears to already be amply populated with tamed beasts, he says simply. I get it. He was expecting to be received as someone¡­valuable. Someone who might become a useful member of the community if he was able to Evolve. That someone would probably be taken in as an assistant to a Pathwalker, the way that he obviously had been before. With evidence before him of already-tamed beasts, he¡¯s obviously drawn the conclusion that we already have everything we need on that side of things. As a result, he probably suspects that he will just be relegated to becoming another of the Unevolved, nothing special. If his village is anything like this one used to be, that would return him to having to scramble for resources or carcasses in the dangerous forest just to be allowed to eat. I don¡¯t blame him for viewing that prospect with a grim sense of finality. ¡°We can always use more,¡± I tell him simply. I don¡¯t want to tell him too much before I know whether we¡¯ll be letting either of them stay, but equally I don¡¯t want to leave him more fearful about his future with us than he needs to be. ¡°Now, tell me ¨C why is your village so desperate that they¡¯re willing to lose a promising potential beast tamer and a good hunter?¡± Uncertainty creeps into the aura around him. There is a threat to our village, he answers slowly, but none of the Unevolved have been told what it is, to my knowledge. I asked my master but she refused to answer. All we have been told is that we must not go into an area in the forest. He seems to be honest and I don¡¯t think he¡¯s hiding anything. Not intentionally, anyway. Clearly the other village is playing things close to their chests. ¡°Thank you for being honest,¡± I tell him. From the startlement I feel from him, he wasn¡¯t expecting politeness. ¡°Now, about what to do with you.¡± I feel him tense, his emotions becoming almost sharp-edged. Fear roils in the background ¨C I get the sense that he¡¯s suddenly realised that things could actually be worse than what he was fearing before. I practically feel him wonder whether I might just choose to reject him completely, leaving him to wander the wilds, unwanted by anyone. Honoured Pathwalker, I promise, I will serve your village in whatever capacity you desire. I ¨C I have other skills too! I can¨C I cut him off by holding up a hand. He might not understand my body language, but he can surely feel my intentions. ¡°As long as you are willing to give the same level of commitment to this village as you did to your birth one, you will receive the same benefits and privileges as any who were born here,¡± I tell him. Faintly disbelieving relief comes from the samuran in front of me. ¡°However,¡± I continue, cutting through that relief, ¡°I¡¯m sure you feel that Bond hovering around you.¡± I do, he answers warily. I sense that he¡¯s more than passingly familiar with the concept ¨C he¡¯s probably been exposed to something similar from the beast tamer in his village. ¡°I would like you to accept it willingly. You are a newcomer and the Bond will give me more guarantee that you won¡¯t act against me or my village.¡± I sense him hesitating for a long moment. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, it is a choice,¡± I tell him, ¡°but if you don¡¯t, you will have to remain under guard until I can trust you fully. If you Evolve, you will be Bound in any case ¨C all of the Evolved are in this village.¡± I see, he says slowly and, more than most, I sense that he does indeed understand. Then I will accept the Bond and thank you for giving me the choice. There¡¯s a hint of bitterness to the last words ¨C it¡¯s not much of a choice and I realise that. But I won¡¯t let someone I don¡¯t trust just wander freely around our village. Stepping forwards a final time, I touch him on the forehead, on the section of bone between his eyes. The Bond snaps into place and the world fades back around us. ¡°Alright,¡± I say, looking at my newest Bound. ¡°Hold on a moment while I speak to your friend as well. Is there anything I need to know about him before I start?¡± Bares-claws considers it for a moment, but then sends a feeling of negation down the Bond. He seems to take to it better than any other I¡¯ve Bound. And I think I might know why ¨C in my Bond with him, I haven¡¯t only got a sense of him; I can feel the beasts he has on either side of him like faint echoes at the edge of my consciousness. Somehow, he has a Bond with each of them too. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Four: A Great Threat Though I¡¯m curious about Bares-claws¡¯ bonds ¨C or Bonds ¨C I have two other samurans waiting for me, one impatiently next to the carcass that Rocky has brought for us, the other almost vibrating next to me. I ignore the Warrior for a moment, though ¨C the other Unevolved samuran he¡¯s ¡®gifted¡¯ our village needs attention first. The impression I get from our Battle of Wills is that this one is significantly younger than Bares-claws. Called Kills-a-deer ¨C at least, that¡¯s the translation I get ¨C I get the distinct feeling that he¡¯s been a rather single-minded hunter since he was very young ¨C from what I can tell, he may have only just reached adulthood with the recent hatching the first since his own. I would also venture to guess that he hasn¡¯t experienced much of the negative side of samuran village life due to his success with bringing back carcasses. He¡¯s innocently excited about discovering a new village, though there¡¯s a distinct amount of apprehension too ¨C he has lived long enough to realise that not all changes are good. I do my best to reassure him and he accepts my Bond without much discussion. ¡°Welcome to the village,¡± I tell both of them, not smiling since I suspect that would be more likely taken as a threat, samuran body language being what it is. ¡°Iandee, can you take them into the main part of the village and get them settled, please.¡± Sure, no problem, Markus, he replies casually, though you will keep Finds-a-bug and Bites-a-leaf with you, won¡¯t you? Perhaps this other Warrior is on the level, but he¡¯s from the red tribe. I smile at him ¨C I know he won¡¯t misinterpret my gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll keep them for protection, sure. Lathani, Fenrir, and Storm will stay with me too.¡± He seems satisfied, turning to the two newcomers. Come on then, he tells them, his tone more brusque with them than it had been with me, but not unkind. Bares-claws darts a look at me. Honoured Pathwalker, he says politely, lifting his chin into the air. He doesn¡¯t continue or drop his chin until I speak. ¡°Yes?¡± I invite. Hopefully he¡¯ll lose the formality fast. I¡¯ve only just got my own villagers to drop the ¡®manners¡¯ ¨C and even then, the Unevolved tend to still default to politer forms until I remind them. Habit, I guess. And the older Pathwalkers still like their respectful addresses, particularly Windy. What should I do with my beasts? They are not normally allowed into the village proper. Good question. ¡°Are you able to ensure their good behaviour, or do they present a risk to the beings they come into contact with?¡± Bares-claws looks down at them thoughtfully, as if he¡¯s never been asked the question before. My master is able to control their actions entirely, but I do not have the strength that she does. He looks back up at me. I cannot guarantee that they are not a danger, he admits reluctantly. ¡°Thank you for being honest.¡± I tell him. ¡°In which case, Iandee, you¡¯d better swing by the farm area first and get the beasts settled in an enclosure. Then take the two samurans into the village and get them something to eat.¡± Sure, Iandee acknowledges, then departs with the two samurans trailing behind. I walk towards the Warrior whose impatience is flickering through his spikes. The other five members of the patrol follow behind as my honour guard. The rapidity of the colour movement in the Warrior¡¯s spikes has increased in the last few minutes, showing his mounting frustration. I ignore it, though, sitting down on the opposite side of the carcass from him, proclaiming that I don¡¯t consider myself to be his ally ¨C yet. The ¡®gifts¡¯ have earned him this audience and no more. He eyes me and my escort, the colours slowing down again as he probably realises that impatience isn¡¯t going to get him anywhere. Flickers of apprehension and slight fear also creep into his spikes as he eyes Lathani, and Fenrir. He can probably recognise an Evolved beast when he sees one and Lathani is pretty intimidating with her new size, dark fur, and piercing intelligent eyes. Fenrir, built like a venomous tank, is not someone to take lightly either. The raptorcat and the two Warriors should just confirm that he would have no chance in a battle against my group. He¡¯s protected by the customs of hospitality as long as he doesn¡¯t breach them egregiously. But he will only be covered as long as the audience lasts and he surely knows it. He will have to be careful. Determined to show him that I¡¯m no pushover either, I use my Transformation Skill to copy Lathani¡¯s claws and combine them with Flesh-Shaping, my finger bones on one hand extending and sharpening. Using them to carve into the meat, I then hold the piece between my thumb and ring-finger claws, using Fire-Shaping to cook the meat. Aingeal would normally fly to catch the drops of fat that fall but it¡¯s currently absent ¨C helping Happy with an experiment by heating her furnace. The two of them have become good friends and have even developed a system of communication between themselves. It just means that I have to hold the piece of cooking meat over the dirt so that the hot fat doesn¡¯t land on my clothes. As soon as it¡¯s cooked, I slip the chunk of flesh into my mouth. A little too fast ¨C it¡¯s still hot enough to burn me. But Flesh-Shaping takes care of that too. I love magic. I look up at the Warrior questioningly even as I reach out for another piece of meat. He looks as shocked as any I¡¯ve done this little display with ¨C clearly he wasn¡¯t prepared sufficiently for it. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a reason to be here?¡± I prompt brusquely. The Warrior seems to shake himself out of his shocked stupor. ¡°I did, Honoured Pathwalker. I do. My village is facing a great threat.¡± By this point, he seems to have fully shaken off the shock and his own claws reach down to rip off a piece of meat and throw it in his mouth. It seems to be more out of desire to follow tradition than need, though, as he doesn¡¯t take any more after that. ¡°A Great beast has taken up residence near us and we have already lost several Unevolved to its predations. Your village proved itself to be accomplished at killing Great beasts with the Hunt during the last Festival of Tribes. And you currently have the only Enlightened Pathwalker among the Tribes. We were hoping to ask for your aid in freeing us from the fear of this beast.¡± I look at him with narrowed eyes for a long moment. ¡°A Great beast is a powerful threat, that¡¯s true, but surely you have the Warriors and Pathwalkers to drive it off yourself.¡± Something is nagging at me. The Warrior looks down at the carcass and busies himself by carefully selecting just the right cut of meat to take next. When he finally looks up again, his spikes are clear of emotion and he¡¯s schooled the slight facial changes which even samuran muzzles can express. ¡°We are a small village,¡± he tells me. ¡°Losing even one of our Pathwalkers would be a massive blow. And if we lost even a handful of Warriors, we would no longer be able to protect ourselves fully. It would be better for us to lose Unevolved who might never Evolve than suffer such reductions to our numbers.¡± Anger curdles inside me as I realise what he¡¯s saying. ¡°Meaning that you¡¯d much rather we lose Warriors or Pathwalkers than you do,¡± I accuse him. The Warrior looks away again, fiddling with the carcass before him. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°You have an Enlightened Pathwalker,¡± he points out, ¡°and were able to bring back the Energy Heart of a Great beast without suffering any losses to your party. Our Pathwalkers hope that you will be able to repeat the feat.¡± I find it hard to argue with that. I still think that it¡¯s a bit rich for another village to come and basically say that they¡¯re not willing to risk their own lives, but that they¡¯d like us to risk ours. But it is true that the showing we gave during the Hunt might give them the impression that killing Tier threes is effortless for us. If they¡¯d actually seen the battle, they might think differently but we did succeed in killing the fellapodil without losing anyone, something that isn¡¯t common according to Shrieks. However, we had the advantage of preparation and knowing the terrain at least a little in addition to numbers including another Tier three. The fellapodil was also not the most intelligent of creatures ¨C although it was physically pretty powerful, it didn¡¯t have the intelligent strategy to properly use all of its Skills, for some reason. Facing Raven the dragon-like alcaoris was harder and there we did lose people. Though, thinking about it, would we actually have to kill this Tier three? ¡°Your problem is that the Great beast has come too close to your village and is starting to take some of your villagers, right?¡± I check. ¡°Yes, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± the Warrior replies respectfully, still avoiding my gaze, probably in shame. ¡°So as long as the Great beast stops hunting you, it should be fine, right?¡± The Warrior looks up at me in slight confusion. ¡°Of course, which is why we need to kill it. Or rather, would very much appreciate it if you could use your superior power to kill it,¡± he corrects, apparently deciding that flattery might get him further. I tap my jaw thoughtfully, then am reminded that I¡¯ve transformed my right hand into clawed fingers when I accidentally pierce my own skin. Trying not to show my embarrassment, I pull my hand away, using Flesh-Shaping to heal the small puncture mark and reabsorb the drop of blood which had emerged. The thing is that perhaps killing is not necessary here. I¡¯ve managed to broker a peace between Kalanthia and this village ¨C and that¡¯s despite her having hunted their village for a much longer time and them kidnapping and torturing her cub. Surely creating a mutual agreement to ignore each other will be easier between a village and Tier three without so much history? Though, to be fair, it only worked between Kalanthia and the village because she likes and trusts me and therefore is willing to tolerate the village as long as they leave her alone. If I agree to help this other village, I¡¯ll have to see it through, even if, in the end, I¡¯m unable to make an alliance. Which could mean a battle which puts my companions at risk. I decide to get some thoughts from the other Pathwalkers. Connecting with all the Pathwalkers and then adding Shrieks, Poison, and Catch in as the most powerful of the Warriors, I explain the situation. So, do you think that they are being honest here? The red tribe of the sixth mountain is indeed a small village, Tarra agrees thoughtfully. I believe they only have four or five Pathwalkers, and perhaps twenty Warriors. They managed to make it to the Festival last great cycle though they lost one of their Pathwalkers and a handful of Warriors while doing it. They probably know how vulnerable they are ¨C if they lose any more Pathwalker and none of their current Unevolved are able to replace the losses, they will need to join another village just to survive. If they are too weak to solve their own problems without deaths and too cowardly to risk that, I say to let them suffer the consequences, Windy responds in her usual abrasive manner. And what if Markus had let our village suffer the consequences of being unable to deal with the Forest of Death? River demands. Shaman had a plan, Windy replies stubbornly. If you hadn¡¯t disrupted it, it might have worked. At what cost? demands Tarra. Can we stop chewing on old bones? groaned Flower, expressing exactly what I feel. It is impossible to argue that Shaman¡¯s solution would have been better than Markus¡¯. In fact, it would probably have been significantly worse. Reducer is right that his intervention here in this village has helped us immensely. How can we then deny that help to others? We risked our own lives for it, argues Catch. I am not against helping, but to risk losses to our own numbers when the other village is unwilling to do so does not sit right to me. I agree with Catches-leaves, replies Yells. I was not there for the fight with the Great Pride, but two of our Warriors didn¡¯t come back from it, nor did four others of the group I had travelled and fought with. I am not against danger, and testing our abilities against a more powerful opponent seems to be a good way to advance ¨C look at how Wind-whisperer was finally able to break through to Evolve for a second time after fighting the Great Many-armed. However, I do not like the idea that we will fight for people who will not fight for themselves. They continue speaking over the matter, but nothing new is brought up. I call an end to the discussion when my decision crystallises and explain my intentions. Most of them seem happy enough with my plan so I focus back on the conversation. The Warrior obviously thought that I was deep in thought ¨C which I suppose is technically true ¨C and has been busying himself by consuming his side of the carcass bit by bit ¨C evidently, he¡¯s hungry. ¡°Here is what I propose,¡± I start. Apparently it was unexpected as the Warrior flinches slightly. ¡°We will visit your village. We will go to speak with the Great beast. If we can resolve the situation peacefully, we will do so. If we cannot, we will fight on one condition.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± the Warrior asks with some apprehension. ¡°That your Warriors and Pathwalkers will fight with us.¡± The Warrior eyes me carefully. ¡°I¡­am not sure my Pathwalkwers will agree to this.¡± ¡°Then you can go to another village for help,¡± I say simply. The Warrior deflates ¨C he knows that that¡¯s not an option. Almost all the other villages are much further away so, if this is as time-sensitive as it seems, he will risk more of his village being consumed while he travels ¨C without gifts ¨C to visit another village. And that village might refuse him too, making it a waste of time. ¡°I¡­If the Honoured Pathwalker speaks to my leaders, I¡¯m sure that you can convince them,¡± he ventures, dodging the responsibility slightly. Though, to be fair to him, he probably can¡¯t make that decision. Really, the other village should have sent a Pathwalker with him to negotiate. ¡°We will come,¡± I agree. ¡°But we will not help for free, and if your Pathwalkers decide to turn us away because they aren¡¯t willing to put their own skin in the game, we will expect compensation for our time.¡± The Warrior eyes me, then grunts in his equivalent of a sigh. Resignation flashes through his spikes. It¡¯s the best deal he can hope for and he knows it. ¡°Then Pathwalker Tamer, the red tribe of the sixth mountain thanks you for your willingness to help. If I may ask, when can we leave?¡± I consider the matter. It shouldn¡¯t take too long to prepare, but I would like to make sure everyone is outfitted in as good armour and equipment as possible. ¡°Two days. Until then, you can either remain as a guest, or return to your village.¡± The Warrior seems to consider it. ¡°I thank the Honoured Pathwalker for your offer, but I do not wish to impose on your welcome. If you would permit me to make a camp nearby, and inform your Warriors of my presence so they do not attack, I would be grateful. I can then lead you to our village in two days¡¯ time, ensuring that you do not become lost. It¡¯s a fair compromise and honestly one I¡¯d prefer over him joining us in the village itself. I only offered out of politeness; perhaps he realises that, or perhaps he¡¯s as uneasy with me as I am with him. ¡°That works,¡± I agree casually, then return to the traditional formal goodbye. ¡°May the ancestors watch over you until we meet again.¡± ¡°Thank you Honoured Pathwalker,¡± he answers, raising his chin into the air briefly. ¡°May the ancestors smile on our next meeting.¡± With that, he heads into the forest without a backwards glance. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Five: Different Bares-claws walks further into the village, trailing silently behind the one the Pathwalker had called ¡®Iandee¡¯. It¡¯s a strange name for a Warrior, but he does his best to reserve judgement for now ¨C this is a new village and might easily have new rules. He doesn¡¯t want to run afoul of them on the first day ¨C now he doesn¡¯t have the protection of his master, he doesn¡¯t want to find out the consequences of that. He does feel rather vulnerable without his beasts at his heels ¨C ever since his master gave them to him they have been his shadows when outside his home village. And this is most certainly not his home. Kills-a-deer doesn¡¯t seem to be as nervous as Bares-claws is. He¡¯s staring around at everything with wide eyes, advertising the fact that he¡¯s a newcomer as well as if his spikes started talking and shouted it for all to hear. But what can be expected of one barely more than a hatchling? Bares-claws doesn¡¯t blame him for his curiosity, though he¡¯s personally trying to be a bit discreet about it ¨C everyone will already know he¡¯s new; he doesn¡¯t need to make it as obvious as the other Unevolved is. It¡¯s just so¡­different from what they¡¯re used to. This village is bigger for one thing, probably about double the number of huts around. Bares-claws¡¯ village used to be more populous ¨C the remains of huts proves that if nothing else. But at some point it reduced in size and the unused huts were not maintained, soon collapsing in on themselves and leaving only holes in the ground as a remnant of their presence. But it¡¯s not the size of the village which catches his attention. It¡¯s not even the number of People just sitting around and chatting with each other ¨C though that is surprising enough. Instead, it¡¯s the colour. Every hut seems to have at least one woven mat decorating its outside wall. Some have woven mats which depict creatures from the forest or other members of the People; others are just repeating patterns with bold colours. And then there are all the People sitting and talking. Most of them are doing something at the same time. Bares-claws sees some People using an oddly coloured knife to carve into wood. He seems to be making a bowl ¨C an Unevolved is making something! He¡¯s not just finding the resources for the Pathwalkers to make the object, paying in tokens for it. It seems to be a much slower process: Bares-claws has seen a Pathwalker make the same item within a few breaths where this Unevolved has to shave the wood away bit by bit. That he has the time to do such a thing is probably the most surprising thing. There¡¯s another, also using a knife on wood, who seems to be creating¡­shapes? Bares-claws sees something that looks rather like the big beast which had accompanied the Warrior leading them and then stayed behind with the Pathwalker. What purpose does that have? Is it controlling the beast somehow? Bares-claws wonders. But if so, does that make this Unevolved the Pathwalker¡¯s assistant or something? The number of hatchlings running around is surprising too. Given the number of Pathwalkers he knows that this village boasts, he supposes their actual number isn¡¯t surprising. That they¡¯re all running around the village, however, is. Either running or settling down together around shaped pieces of wood that seem to capture their concentration. It reminds Bares-claws of the game of tossing bones which he¡¯s occasionally joined in on. But those games were always held in shadowy corners, out of fear that if the Pathwalkers saw them wasting time playing, they would be given more tasks to complete. And most of the time he had been too tired to engage in it anyway, especially once his master had taken him as an assistant. They come to a stop. Bares-claws barely manages to catch himself before he runs straight into the Warrior. Kills-a-deer doesn¡¯t and walks right into the Warrior¡¯s back. Bares-claws winces as Kills-a-deer takes a hurried step back. Some Warriors would accept it as an accident. Others¡­. ¡°Warrior Iandee, I apologise,¡± Kills-a-deer says hurriedly. Young as he might be, he¡¯s learnt to be wary of upsetting the most physically powerful among them. ¡°I should have been looking where I was going. Is there anything I can do for you to make up for it?¡± Sometimes even the Warriors who wouldn¡¯t tolerate such disrespect would be willing to give a task instead of a physical punishment. As a hunter, Kills-a-deer must be particularly keen to avoid physical damage which might prevent him from hunting for days, in turn stopping him from earning his food tokens. Then again, Bares-claws thinks bitterly to himself, I¡¯m probably back to being in the same situation now. The Pathwalker promised to find a role for him, but it isn¡¯t likely to be as protected a role as he has been enjoying for the last three great cycles. Fortunately, Warrior Iandee appears to be the forgiving type. ¡°It¡¯s fine ¨C accidents happen,¡± he says, waving it off with a flick of his tail. His spikes don¡¯t show any anger, merely a hint of amusement. Bares-claws lets out a silent breath in relief ¨C Kills-a-deer might annoy him with his persistent optimism and innocent naivety, but that doesn¡¯t mean Bares-claws wishes him any harm. Indeed, as the only two here from their hatching-village, they must be allies of a sort. ¡°And my name is actually Eats-dirt,¡± the Warrior continues speaking. ¡°Use that ¨C and drop the ¡®Warrior¡¯ if you like.¡± That was an odd request ¨C and Bares-claws finds himself completely confused. This is a Warrior, not a Pathwalker ¨C why does he have two names? Though the one he gave at least sounds more normal, even if he must have annoyed his broodmother to be given a name like that. Or perhaps eating dirt was just something he regularly did as a hatchling. The Warrior must see his confusion as he grunts in amusement ¡°It¡¯s the boss ¨C he gives names to everyone. ¡®Nicknames¡¯ he calls them.¡± Iandee ¨C Eats-dirt ¨C tells them. ¡°We don¡¯t mind ¨C it¡¯s a mark of his favour. Get close enough to him and he¡¯ll give you another name. It¡¯s just one of his oddities ¨C you get used to them after a while.¡± Bares-claws exchanges a look with Kills-a-deer. He¡¯s glad to see that the other Unevolved is just as uncertain as he is over the situation. Seeing as the Warrior appears to be more friendly than most, the older Unevolved dares to push for a little more information. ¡°The ¡®boss¡¯?¡± ¡°The being you just met ¨C and who you now have a Bond with,¡± Warrior Eats-dirt tells him knowingly. ¡®Being¡¯ is right ¨C the hairy creature is clearly not one of the People, though the scaled hide that covers most of his body is relatively similar. But Bares-claws remembers how it felt to be in that odd space, unable to move, watching him come closer and closer, pushing through Bares-claws¡¯ strongest resistance like it was nothing. It reminded him of what his master was able to do to beasts on the occasion she¡¯d allowed him to observe, even if he¡¯d felt oddly disconnected from the world around him in a way he wasn¡¯t familiar with. And then, inexplicably, the being hadn¡¯t forced the Bond on him ¨C he¡¯d given Bares-claws a choice. The Bond had snapped into place, feeling similar yet different to when Bares-claws was given the Bond to his beasts by his master. Rather than feeling a heady sense of control, he was instead almost overcome by the strong urge to protect the being in front of him ¨C and to obey. The force of the feelings faded only a few minutes later, but Bares-claws knows that they haven¡¯t gone. He could probably cause harm to or disobey the holder of his Bond, but it would be difficult. Is this how his beasts feel?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Hey, listen,¡± Warrior Eats-dirt continues and Bares-claws snaps his attention back on the Evolved, cursing himself silently for getting distracted. ¡°This village is very different from what you¡¯re used to. Why don¡¯t we grab a carcass and I¡¯ll give you the organs of it all.¡± Bares-claws exchanges another look with Kills-a-deer, the only other one who seems to think that this situation is odd. No one is looking at them or seems to be talking about the fact that there are two Unevolved chatting with a Warrior. And when Eats-dirt goes to grab a carcass from inside a hut and dumps it in front of them, crouching beside it, only the two new Unevolved seem to think that it¡¯s odd. ¡°We don¡¯t have any food tokens,¡± Kills-a-deer ventures. Bares-claws had been debating whether to say anything or just enjoy the food and then deal with the consequences later ¨C he¡¯s hungry and the beast in front of him looks tasty. ¡°We don¡¯t use them,¡± the Warrior says nonchalantly, as if such a thing is completely normal rather than the earth-shattering idea that it is. No food tokens? How does this village work then? Is that why so many People are just sitting around? But then where does the food come from? How do the Pathwalkers get the resources they need? Far from being good news, the thought almost sends Bares-claws into a panic ¨C he doesn¡¯t want to starve or be kicked out to the forest when the food inevitably becomes scarce. The Warrior sees his panic and clicks calmingly. ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything. Just sit down and have something to eat. It¡¯s fine, I promise.¡± Not feeling much choice, Bares-claws hesitantly crouches next to the carcass and, upon urging from the Warrior, uses his claws to slice off a piece. Putting it in his mouth, he practically feels his spikes explode. It tastes so good! Before he knows it, he¡¯s stuffing his mouth with meat. Once the first edge of hunger is sated, he realises what he¡¯s doing and looks up cautiously, worried that the Warrior hadn¡¯t meant him to eat quite as voraciously as he was. But Eats-dirt seems calm, his spikes rippling with blue and green so Bares-claws just continues. Kills-a-deer is still filling his face, clearly enjoying the meat too. As he does so, Eats-dirt starts talking. Much of what he says is incomprehensible. People in this village are given fragments of Energy Hearts for just doing everyday things? Food is available to everyone, at any time? Everyone is required to take a day of rest every double-clawful? And today is apparently that rest day for most ¨C those who aren¡¯t getting it today will get it tomorrow instead. Hatchlings don¡¯t have to go out at all? Much of the rest of his words go over Bares-claws¡¯ head ¨C what¡¯s been revealed is just so difficult to comprehend. He mentions something about farming ¨C whatever that is ¨C something else about healing Energy channels, and a check-up which apparently everyone in the village has had and which the two of them will need to undergo with the leader. The leader, this ¡®boss¡¯ who is the odd-looking creature from the gates. In one way it now makes so much more sense that Warrior Stabs-a-stone had given the two of them to this ¡®boss¡¯. In another, it really doesn¡¯t ¨C apparently the ¡®boss¡¯, visibly not one of the People, incapable of bearing or sireing eggs, is capable of using multiple different types of magic, healing and destroying in equal measure. How he became the leader of the village Bares-claws has no idea and doesn¡¯t dare to ask. A Pathwalker comes by as Warrior Eats-dirt is talking. Inexplicably, she crouches down next to them and starts eating from the same carcass. A Pathwalker, sharing a carcass with lowly Unevolved? Even with all the other surprises Bares-claws has experienced so far this morning, this is enough to make him stare. When she meets his eyes, he quickly tips his chin up to the sky, hoping that she will not take offence at him staring at her. ¡°Honoured Pathwalker,¡± he greets respectfully. ¡°No need for all that,¡± she replies casually. ¡°You can look at me.¡± Bares-claws dares to lower his chin slowly until he¡¯s able to see her fully. Her scales are very pretty, darker ones making interesting patterns across her hide. ¡°Like what you see?¡± she asks with amusement. Bares-claws feels his spikes go pink at getting caught. ¡°My apologies, Honoured Pathwalker,¡± he stammers, lifting his chin again. He hears a grunting sound of exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± she assures him. ¡°Look at me, it¡¯s fine.¡± Slowly lowering his chin, Bares-claws dares to look at her, though keeps his gaze fixed on her muzzle and the sharp teeth it contains instead of letting it wander anywhere else. ¡°Eats-dirt, have you talked them through the formality ¨C or lack of it ¨C yet?¡± ¡°Not yet, Reducer,¡± Warrior Eats-dirt tells her. He makes a sound of amusement. ¡°You know, it¡¯s only now I¡¯m explaining everything to People from another village that I realise just how much has changed.¡± ¡°For the better,¡± Pathwalker Reducer says firmly. ¡°Of course, for the better,¡± Eats-dirt agrees. ¡°No one wants to go back to how things were.¡± They share a quick look. ¡°Well, almost no one. And even Wind-whisperer wouldn¡¯t want to go back to being a mere Evolved.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± the Pathwalker says with visible satisfaction before Bares-claws feels her focus return to him. ¡°Now, regarding formality, you¡¯ll notice that we don¡¯t use a lot of it. Markus ¨C our leader, and also known as Pathwalker Tamer ¨C prefers everyone to use his name. However, he realises that this is difficult for most of us who are used to being more formal with the leader of the village, especially one who can do and has done as much as he has. He¡¯ll accept ¡®Honoured Markus¡¯, ¡®Tamer¡¯, or ¡®Pathwalker Tamer¡¯, but he gets annoyed if too many ¡®Honoured¡¯s are thrown around and try not to combine those. I¡¯m happy to be referred to as Reducer or Pathwalker Reducer, and Markus calls me River.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already talked to them about his habit with nicknames,¡± Warrior Eats-dirt interrupts. ¡°He does have a tendency to give them,¡± the Pathwalker agrees. ¡°However, just to warn you, Pathwalkers Wind-whisperer, Wood-shaper, and Grower would prefer higher levels of formality ¨C what you¡¯d consider to be normal ¨C as would Warriors Runs-into-a-tree and Chews-a-bone.¡± It¡¯s the oddest sensation. As the Pathwalker speaks, images of the People in question enter Bares-claws¡¯ mind. From the way Kills-a-deer flinches, it¡¯s probably happening to him too. Reducer looks at them knowingly. ¡°The mental connection. It does take some getting used to, but it¡¯s invaluable once you have.¡± She looks up. ¡°Markus is coming over. He probably wants to talk to you.¡± Bares-claws twists his head, seeing the odd creature who had met them indeed walking towards them. With narrowed eyes, he watches the way this ¡®Markus¡¯ interacts with those around and once more he is left with nothing but questions. The other People ¨C bar the hatchlings ¨C seem to treat his passage with respect, but not fear. Those standing in the way move out of it unless they have something to ask. Markus is waylaid a few times by another villager, but never seems to get angry over it. At least, Bares-claws doesn¡¯t think he does ¨C without spikes it¡¯s hard to tell. Even with the delay, the odd creature joins them soon enough, exchanging friendly greetings with the two Evolved Pathwalkers. Bares-claws shuffles to the side to give space to this ¡®Markus¡¯. He feels exceedingly awkward, with no idea of how to behave. The Pathwalker said that he doesn¡¯t like too much formality, but Bares-claws doesn¡¯t want him to feel disrespected either. He tries to compromise. Raising his chin into the air, Bares-claws greets the apparent leader of the village. ¡°Greetings Pathwalker Tamer,¡± he offers, feeling like he¡¯s making a mistake in not adding the ¡®Honoured¡¯ onto the beginning. Kills-a-deer shoots him a glance and then echoes him, apparently throwing his lot in with his fellow Unevolved. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re both eating,¡± the leader says casually. His speech is¡­odd. What emerges from his mouth sounds nothing like the clicks and grunts it should be, yet Bares-claws understands it nonetheless. He lets out a silent breath. The strange Pathwalker doesn¡¯t seem angry. In fact¡­next to where he feels his two Bound beasts, Bares-claws feels something else. An odd, foreign sort of emotion. He easily identifies it: curiosity. The leader¡¯s emotion? The leader turns his head to look directly at Bares-claws. ¡°I was wondering about the Bonds I felt you had with the beasts. Can you tell me a bit about them?¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Six: Beast Tamer The samuran looks back at me thoughtfully. I sense over the Bond that he¡¯s feeling a little numb ¨C I know that our village takes a bit of getting used to. More than half a year since I took over as leader, it¡¯s practically unrecognisable from what it was. And the vast majority seem happier with it now than its original form. Even Windy has stopped complaining as much, though the relaxing of formality that has followed my lead seems to irritate her as much as it relieves me. She might be comfortable being treated almost as a god among mortals, but I¡¯m not. I would guess that Bares-claws has just been informed of this, based on his greeting ¨C though more formal than I would like, it¡¯s still less than would normally be required of an Unevolved to the lead Pathwalker of their village. It doesn¡¯t escape my notice that Kills-a-deer looks to him for guidance in this new situation for them both. What do you wish to know? Bares-claws responds after a pause. I sense more than hear him biting off the ¡®Honoured Pathwalker¡¯ at the end or something similar. ¡°Well, how did you form them?¡± I ask, figuring that starting at the beginning was best. We captured the two beasts in the forest, one first and then the other when it came looking for the first. They are a mated pair, Bares-claws informs me, speaking readily. My master wanted to know whether I was able to develop a Bond with them on my own so I was in charge of caring for the beasts. Feeding them, cleaning their cages, getting them used to my presence, to my voice. And after a while, to my touch. ¡°And?¡± I prompt with interest. That sounds very much non-magical taming to me. Yet there¡¯s clearly a magical component too. ¡°Did that cause you to develop the Bonds I now feel in you?¡± No, the samuran admits with an air of reluctance. My master was disappointed. But she was able to test something else. She created the Bond between herself and the two beasts and then attempted to pass the connections to me ¨C with success. She said that that wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ever been able to do before. She theorised that it was my care of the beasts beforehand which had allowed the Bond to connect with me. ¡°Or perhaps the beasts needed to accept the transference and, due to the trust that you¡¯d developed, they did so with you in a way previous beasts hadn¡¯t done with others,¡± I muse. As the Pathwalker says, Bares-claws answers deferently. I ask him a few more questions both about the Bonds and about what he had observed of his previous master ¨C the beast tamer. He was hesitant about a few of the questions, sometimes not knowing the answer, sometimes not knowing whether he should respond. In the latter case, though, most of the time he did finally give me a complete sentence. Perhaps he realises that being part of this village and not that one means his allegiance needs to shift. Or perhaps it¡¯s the influence of the Dominate Bond. Either way, by the end of the conversation, I feel that I have a better idea of what beast tamers are like among samurans. The Bonds themselves sound like a hybrid between my Tame and Dominate ¨C he doesn¡¯t have the control that I do over my Dominate Bound, but he didn¡¯t need to do the same kind of negotiation that I do with Tame. It seems that the process he followed of taming the beasts in the non-magical way first wasn¡¯t necessary for his erstwhile master to do, but it apparently improves the chances of a Bond forming. Otherwise, from what he¡¯s observed, the tamer has to attempt to brute force it ¨C a bit like Dominate. Though it doesn¡¯t seem that the Pathwalker he assisted ever spoke to him about a space like the Battle of Wills. It¡¯s interesting to compare with my own Class ¨C though there are certainly similarities, we¡¯re certainly not the same. Of course, Bares-claws isn¡¯t a beast tamer himself and his answers may not be completely reliable. However, he has been the other Pathwalker¡¯s assistant for over two years so he must have gained a decent idea of how she does things. As long as I can be certain of his loyalty, he could solve a few potential problems for the village which have been worrying me. He could be even more beneficial if I can get him to Evolve into a beast tamer himself. But magic isn¡¯t necessary to accomplish what humans managed to do for millennia so if he never Evolves it¡¯s not the end of the world. The main thing that magic offers is the ability to communicate in a way that no non-magical solution allows. Hunter has been doing well with her runes, but she¡¯s got stuck at four-rune combinations ¨C experimentation is not a perfect replacement for instruction and we only have that one beginner¡¯s book available to us. She¡¯s been able to connect samuran and beast together, but only one at a time, and the connection doesn¡¯t offer the kind of benefits that my Bonds do. Although I can create Alliances, I don¡¯t know whether they will last if I¡¯m not even on this world. Having a beast tamer who can create and transfer Bonds once I¡¯m gone would definitely help with the farming. We¡¯ve also been experimenting a bit with mounted samurans ¨C each of them having a proper Bond with their mount might help. A grin creeps on my face at the thought ¨C perhaps this trip could be the first proper outing for our mounted cavalry. ¡°Alright, thanks for that information,¡± I say to Bares-claws. ¡°Now, both of you. What do you know about a Great beast moving into the area near your previous village?¡± The two samurans exchange confused looks. A Great beast? My master didn¡¯t say anything about that, Bares-claws answers uncertainly. There have been more deaths recently than usual, Kills-a-deer offers just as hesitantly. I haven¡¯t heard anyone say that it¡¯s because of a Great beast, though.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I frown. Is it just that they weren¡¯t told? I know that the Unevolved are traditionally kept in the dark about many things ¨C previous to my changes, the Pathwalkers would decide pretty much everything within their little group, perhaps giving some decision-making power over to the lead Warrior. But about a Great beast? Wouldn¡¯t they have at least been warned to keep out of certain part of the forest? Perhaps the Pathwalkers wanted to avoid panic, suggests River, correctly interpreting my confusion. I remember that it took a while for the Pathwalkers to tell us about Kalanthia¡¯s presence. In fact, they only told us when the Warriors went off to hunt her in her lair. I look at her sharply. ¡°When they came to kidnap Lathani? But I had the impression that you¡¯d known of her before that.¡± No, not then. Earlier than that. I knew of her because I came across the remains of a group of Unevolved who had been caught by her when I was barely more than a hatchling. When I told Herbalist about them, she ordered me to keep silent about it. It wasn¡¯t long after that that the Pathwalkers announced that a group of Warriors would be going to kill the Great beast which threatened us. I joined the pieces together. ¡°But¡­they didn¡¯t kill her,¡± I say slowly. ¡°They¡­drove her away?¡± Am I getting the timeline straight? Not even that, Poison answers, pausing as he passes by. We went to hunt the Great Predator in a great number, yet found her lair empty. We waited to try to ambush her when she returned, but she never did. We returned three days later, glad that we were alive yet fearful that she had merely found a different location to launch her attacks from. But no attacks came. She had gone. With that, he twitches his tail and then continues walking to wherever he was going before he was distracted by our conversation. I nod slowly. ¡°OK, I understand.¡± From what Kalanthia said, there had previously been various strikes made on the side of the samurans, but their war-party aiming straight for her den had been what made her give up on the area completely. Instead of risking her life ¨C and with it, Lathani¡¯s ¨C she had migrated further up the mountain-side. After a little more conversation with the four of them, the two new Unevolved start to relax the longer we speak without me snapping at them. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t spend all day chatting so I make my excuses and move on. If we¡¯re going to travel out in two days¡¯ time, we have some preparations to make. The first task is, of course, to decide who¡¯s going ¨C and who¡¯s staying. I don¡¯t want to leave the village defenceless in my absence after all. Fortunately, with the additions to our numbers, having enough in each party is easier than it would have been previously. I¡¯ve been continuing with my efforts to help Unevolved samurans to Evolve with good effect. In the last three months since the Festival, I¡¯ve managed to help nine more Warriors to break through the barriers which had been holding them back ¨C usually something that had gone wrong with the formation of the channels. Sometimes their channels were too narrow, sometimes too wide. Sometimes their design had a sense of incompleteness to it. Other times their internal matrix was just a hodgepodge of different styles ¨C something that can apparently happen if they consume too many Cores from vastly different creatures. This latter has proven to be the hardest to fix and I still haven¡¯t found a good method. Many of those haven¡¯t even got close to Evolution yet, but the process of trying to help them has taught me a lot. In addition to those nine Warriors, we have two new Pathwalkers ¨C and both seem to have been significantly influenced by the Energy Heart fragments I¡¯ve been giving out. Jumpy has become Earth-shaper. Flicks, interestingly, has become Fire-whisperer ¨C the first in living memory. Flicks doesn¡¯t do exactly what I do, and I should know ¨C I¡¯ve been working extensively with her. She can¡¯t just create fire from nothing. But once it¡¯s created, she can shape it, mould it, convince it to do what she wants, leading her to spend plenty of time with Happy near the forge. I would have called her Fire Tamer, but she chose not to take my suggestion. I don¡¯t blame her ¨C Fire-whisperer is pretty badass. And there¡¯s that whole prejudice against tamers which she was probably trying to avoid. Those two are definitely candidates for staying here. Though combining abilities can lead to more impressive effects, we haven¡¯t practised enough together to be able to meld magic in combat. Doubling up, therefore, on Skills I already possess isn¡¯t very logical. Having them back here to help the village in my absence makes far more sense. River will be coming with me; of that, I¡¯m sure. Similarly, Bastet, Lathani, Fenrir, Storm, Ninja, Catch, and Pride are definites. As much as I¡¯d rather not put up with her presence ¨C since becoming Tier three, she¡¯s been practically insufferably arrogant ¨C Windy¡¯s firepower will be needed if this comes down to a fight. I may have learned Air-Shaping two months ago, but she¡¯s far better at it than I am and she is a storm mage too. I wonder about whether to take Yells or not ¨C we¡¯ve been experimenting a lot with her reflecting and enhancing abilities. Not only useful for combat, she¡¯s become something of a multi-purpose tool, able to enhance any sort of magic. Tarra has made some incredibly powerful healing potions and poisons with her help, Happy has made her best pieces of armour and weapons with Yells there, and Hunter has created amazingly strong and durable runes with Yells present at their activation. I actually look forward to seeing how the equipment the last three have made together will hold up in combat ¨C maybe this Tier three will give us that opportunity. If Yells comes with us, she won¡¯t be able to help those I leave behind and I doubt that I¡¯ll take any of the more support-role Pathwalkers with me. Then again, it shouldn¡¯t be for that long. Happy and Hunter can do without her for a while ¨C it would be good to have Yells¡¯ enhancing magic available in a fight. Not to mention that she¡¯s discovered ways of using her opponents'' attacks against them ¨C with excellent results in our last ranking battle. Even I had to be a little careful with my fire attacks. I¡¯ll also take Dusty ¨C that way between us we¡¯ll cover all four elements since my Water-Shaping is still not particularly good. And Windy also covers lightning even if she¡¯s still not able to direct it particularly well. With a good complement of Warriors, that should be enough. Hades and Persephone will be able to join us this time without the hatchlings to look after. Honey and Komodo will probably be interested in joining us ¨C they¡¯re both usually happy for a fight. Thorn probably shouldn¡¯t ¨C he seems to have made fast friends with a group of Unevolved who he hunts with almost exclusively. I won¡¯t use a second favour from Raven ¨C I reckon that we should be able to take on a Tier three with that line-up, especially if we add some Warriors into the mix. I¡¯ll have to speak to Shrieks about that ¨C though I¡¯ve got some preferences, his input will definitely be valuable. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Seven: Primitive Vibe I said it would take two days, and I¡¯m true to my word. We assemble on the morning of the second day at first light so as to maximise our daylight hours. The days are lengthening again but the nights are still significantly longer than the days so we need to get moving as soon as possible. I¡¯m glad that the rainy season has mostly passed, though ¨C the weeks between the Festival and the hatching of the eggs were pretty miserable. As Kalanthia had predicted, there was a huge amount of rain, and it was cold besides. I was very grateful for my spider-silk leotard underclothes and even doubled its thickness and added in a layer of feathers to keep me warm enough. These days, I¡¯m considering taking off the leotard entirely as I¡¯m beginning to get a little hot. Thank heavens for magic which makes such adjustments so easy! At this time of the morning, though, I¡¯m still grateful for it which makes choosing when to take off the extra insulation a little difficult. I¡¯m also wearing my snazzy new armour ¨C as are my party members. In addition to River, Yells, Dusty, and Windy, Shrieks has assigned me a complement of seven Warriors, including Catch. He would have given me more but I insisted that he should keep the rest to guard those we¡¯ll be leaving behind. I pointed out that I would be taking most of my combat Bound with me too, which would both add firepower to my party and remove fighters from Shrieks¡¯ command. He didn¡¯t like it but subsided when he heard my logical arguments. Most of the last two days were spent preparing for the journey and the potential fight ahead. Fortunately, we¡¯ve been making preparations for an eventual battle for far longer than two days. The samuran members of my party are now outfitted in their own forms of armour and it stands as a testament to what our village is now capable of when we work together. Each samuran is covered from neck to knees with a tabard-like piece of armour which serves to protect their torso and the top of their legs, just like my own does. They refused to have trousers or boots of any sort, but they do each have greaves which protect their shins and their calves. Arms are unarmoured to allow for movement, but we managed to make a sort of helmet which protects the top of their heads and the backs of their necks. Letting their spikes through the helmet was a requirement to get any samuran to wear it, and it¡¯s only a piece of boiled and shaped leather, so it¡¯s not as protective as my own bone helmet, but it¡¯s better than nothing. We haven¡¯t been able to outfit everyone yet, but half of the Pathwalkers and a third of the Warriors have at least some armour ¨C those on guard duty get priority to the armour in the communal pool. The Unevolved either have nothing or just simple boiled leather, but we¡¯ll get to them soon enough. The hunting parties have obviously been prioritised and most of them have at least boiled leather tabards and helmets. The Warriors have metal plates made by Happy attached to the hide; the Pathwalkers only have light chitin or bone plates that were partly made by me, partly by other samurans the old fashioned way. The difference is because otherwise the Pathwalkers wouldn¡¯t be able to carry the weight for long with their minimal strength. The actual defence value of both types of armour is significantly more than the raw materials would permit: Hunter¡¯s work. Durability is obviously one of the main runes she used, but she¡¯s managed to create a combination which helps impacts to be diffused across the whole of the armour rather than just in that one spot ¨C it works with both crushing and piercing force though better with the first. For piercing force, it just serves to blunt the attack a bit, which usually stops the attack from getting through to the skin, but may leave a nasty bruise or crack a bone nonetheless. For the Pathwalkers, she¡¯s been experimenting with a rune array which is supposed to draw in Energy more quickly to increase mana regeneration. As far as I know, it¡¯s been somewhat successful ¨C mana regeneration is increased, but not very significantly. She¡¯s been more successful with incorporating a Core into the design to store the wearer¡¯s mana ¨C the limitations are that the Core must be touching the user¡¯s skin, and if it¡¯s cracked in any way, it tends to explode when mana is fed into it. Violently explodes. As a result, each Pathwalker has a modified Core as a bracelet on their off-hand which they know to tear off and throw away if it becomes cracked. Even if they don¡¯t manage to do that, the worst that will happen is that they lose a hand. With Flesh-Shaping, I can heal that later easily enough. I have one of them too ¨C so far they¡¯ve worked pretty well in hunts, able to hold about half my mana pool again. Looking at the group of eleven samurans arrayed before me, I can¡¯t help but whistle quietly in admiration. It all still has a very primitive vibe to it, but when I consider what my first set of armour looked like, this is practically professional in comparison. And the samurans aren¡¯t the only ones armoured. The raptorcats and Lathani don¡¯t like being encumbered and require flexibility, but they still have spider-silk protection over their backs and around their bellies and chests. The silk is also enhanced by the runes that Hunter used on the Pathwalkers¡¯ armour ¨C I had to carefully copy her design into the silk as a kind of embroidery. Hunter checked my work, told me to correct a few things, and then poured in magic and activated the runes when she was satisfied. It was difficult to get the runes as perfect as they needed to be, but far easier to magic them into being than try to sew them. It¡¯s a pity that Hunter hasn¡¯t been able to learn any Shaping Skill ¨C it would probably save her a lot of time. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Fenrir, Pride, Hades, and Persephone are also armoured and more heavily than the felines. Pride was too difficult because of the large sail projecting from his back which he refused to have pierced in any way. In the end, Collects-stones ¨C the lead tanner ¨C just used boiled leather to give him some head and neck protection and left the rest of him as nature intended it. The other three are another question, their backs, heads, necks, and chests all now armoured with boiled leather and bone plates in the most appropriate places. We¡¯re an impressive looking group and the Warrior envoy¡¯s reaction when he sees us walking towards the main gate is gratifying. He actually takes a couple of steps back and tightens his hand around his club handle. ¡°Ancestors smile on our meeting. This is your warband, Pathwalker Tamer?¡± the Warrior asks politely after the briefest of greetings. I¡¯ll forgive him for it ¨C I¡¯m sure it¡¯s out of surprise or amazement and not disrespect. ¡°Ancestors smile,¡± I respond, just as briefly. I see his moment of affront before he remembers that he was just as curt and looks slightly shame-faced instead. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± The Warrior doesn¡¯t seem to know what to say. His spikes flicker with a range of colours before he manages to think of his next words. ¡°Then, shall we start the journey?¡± he asks. I¡¯m slightly disappointed ¨C I was hoping for something a little more interesting than that. But I suppose it¡¯s a valid question. ¡°One moment,¡± I tell him, then look at the Pathwalkers. ¡°Better call them now.¡± Three of them tip their chins up briefly and pull out a token from the pouches attached just inside the flap of their armour. Windy just stands still, looking into the far distance in that pose I¡¯ve come to hate. She thinks it makes her look like she¡¯s contemplating matters far beyond the ken of mortals. I think it just makes her look like her head is empty of any thought at all. ¡°Not going to ride, Windy?¡± I ask with my eyebrow raised. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would prefer to walk.¡± I intend to fly. As an Enlightened samuran, I am capable of such feats, Windy answers with such pomposity that I almost rethink bringing her along. She¡¯s useful, don¡¯t get me wrong, and damn powerful. But she¡¯s only become a bigger pain-in-my-arse as time has gone on ¨C her new powers really have gone to her head. The way so many of the village look at her as a god among mortals doesn¡¯t help either. Her ego definitely didn¡¯t need any more feeding. ¡°Sure,¡± I tell her a little caustically. ¡°You can fly. You can also walk when you run out of mana after a short journey. You¡¯re not riding anyone else¡¯s mount if you choose not to bring yours.¡± She contemplates this for a moment, then makes an irritated sound and pulls out a similar token to that used by the other three Pathwalkers, looking much put out. In the meantime, Hades comes up to stand next to me and I lean against him, scratching him just behind his wings ¨C he¡¯s told me before that it¡¯s a place which constantly itches and which he can never scratch to satisfaction. In response, he rubs the bottom of his jaw against the top of my head ¨C fortunately, I don¡¯t currently have my helmet on. Persephone has gone up to River and is nudging her for similar treatment. River grunts in amusement and starts scratching her under her jaw ¨C Persephone¡¯s preferred spot. I should have the Evolved mount, Windy mutters mutinously, sending fulminating glares River¡¯s way ¨C fortunately not literally. I sigh gustily. ¡°And we¡¯ve discussed this multiple times. Persephone likes River. Get your own mount to Tier two and you will have an Evolved mount. Keep neglecting to give her Cores or Energy Hearts as you have been and you¡¯ll be stuck with a Tier one mount forever.¡± I don¡¯t even need a mount ¨C I can fly. Windy argues. I shake my head and ignore her. It¡¯s the only way I keep my sanity sometimes. Dusty and Yells are already on their own mounts. The creatures are smaller and weaker than Hades and Persephone are but are otherwise very similar. For good reason ¨C they¡¯re from the kiinas¡¯ brood. Two months after being turned out of the den, half of the baby kiinas came back. Bigger than they were when they left, and wiser. Wise enough to know that they¡¯d had a good thing going and keen to regain it. Hades and Persephone would have driven them away ¨C they had no desire to be looking after their children any longer ¨C but I stepped in and offered them another option. They could become mounts for the Pathwalkers in the village and be rewarded by their chosen Pathwalker in Cores and Energy Hearts or they could take up another role as beasts of burden. Several chose to become mounts. In fact, Windy¡¯s went straight for her and warned off any of her siblings who dared to come close. I wonder whether the kiina is regretting it now ¨C Windy hasn¡¯t even given her a name. And where Dusty¡¯s and Yells¡¯ mounts are both bigger and stronger than they were when they arrived. Windy¡¯s seems a little¡­small. I make a mental note to check in with the kiina later ¨C I won¡¯t put up with abuse. For now, though, it¡¯s definitely time to go. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± I tell the messenger Warrior ¨C speaking of names, I should get his already. He goggles at us, apparently never having seen a samuran using a beast as a mount, and then turns to lead the way. Such is his distraction that he almost stumbles. Embarrassment flashes briefly through his spikes and he smartens up. I don¡¯t have a Bond with him, but I have to guess that he realised that he needed to get his head back in the game and proceeded to do so. I exchange an amused look with River and Catch, and then we¡¯re off at a cracking pace. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Eight: Welcome Though the young kiinas tire much faster than Hades or Persephone ¨C both size and stamina pools far lower ¨C they¡¯re able to go faster and longer than the Pathwalkers would have on their own. As a result, we make much better time than the Warrior was expecting. We may even make it to the village before darkness falls! he remarks with surprise. Lays-on-leaves ¨C I¡¯ve finally got his name out of him ¨C has got used to the mounted Pathwalkers and actually now seems approving of the idea. I will have to suggest to Pathwalker Beast-tamer that we get mounts for our own Pathwalkers. It makes the journey quicker and, thereby, safer. He¡¯s not wrong. Although the encumbered kiinas definitely aren¡¯t as fast as they would be without their burdens, they¡¯re not exactly slow either. The Warriors have to work hard to keep up and we¡¯ve been able to avoid at least one issue just by running away. No one argued with avoiding the ambush of a group of predators which jumped at us ¨C and missed because we were moving too fast. Nor was there any argument about running around the herd of slow-moving herbivores ¨C though they didn¡¯t have horns, they did have nasty-looking tails. And considering their numbers, I for one didn¡¯t want to tangle with them. In the end, we only had to fight one pitched battle when we picked up a tail whose speed made it a risky prospect to try outrunning. The horse-sized predator was a leggy and toothy quadruped but it bit off more than it could chew when it followed us closely and snapped at Catch who was bringing up the rear. The Warrior turned around and gave it a mouthful of steel-tipped spear. One strike wasn¡¯t enough to completely kill it, but a few more strikes later and it lay dead. Since that happened around midday, its carcass served as lunch, reinvigorating the tired Warriors and kiinas. The Pathwalkers, of course, were largely fresh, not having been running. I offered the heart to Catch but he refused it, saying that I needed it more. He did willingly take the Core, though I suspect he might keep it for trading rather than using it from the way he nonchalantly dropped it into his own belt pouch. I wonder whether the other village will catch onto that trend ¨C now that fabric is becoming more common between Joy¡¯s increased production and the appearance of tanned hides from the group of Unevolved crafters, almost every one of my villagers has at least one pouch hanging somewhere on their body. I don¡¯t know why it hadn¡¯t caught on sooner ¨C everyone has been finding them so useful. No, I do know why ¨C too much reliance on the Pathwalkers to make things due to lack of time or inclination to develop other skills. And just using a leaf to hold small objects worked fine as a temporary measure, but they tend to be one-use transportation devices, not something which samurans would carry around everywhere. Maybe I should have brought a whole load of the premade hide pouches and woven belts with me as visiting gifts? Then again, we¡¯re coming in response to them practically begging for aid, so giving gifts is probably not expected. Certainly no one has indicated that they will be. True to Lays-on-leaves¡¯ words, we get to the village just before the sun completely disappears behind the horizon. It¡¯s already disappeared from view because of the thickness of the trees around, but I can see some of the effects of the light it¡¯s still sending up into the sky through the forest canopy. I bet it would have been a pretty sunset if I¡¯d been able to see it properly. The village almost seems to teleport into view. One moment all I can see is forest; the next moment it¡¯s there. After observing it through narrowed eyes, I realise why this is. Although the huts are made in a similar way to the ones in my village ¨C rounded mounds of earth with leaves over the holes in their tops ¨C this one is buried deeply in the forest. Our village only has a couple of trees within the village bounds and there¡¯s a cleared space around the edges of it ¨C that was true even before the vine-stranglers. It¡¯s also got a fence around it with two main entrances which are always guarded. This village has none of that. There doesn¡¯t appear to be much difference between the area inside the village and the area around it ¨C the trees are perhaps slightly less dense among the mounds than they are around it, but other than that, it blends in perfectly. As we get close, I realise that even if there isn¡¯t a fence, that doesn¡¯t mean the place is unprotected. ¡°Lays-on-leaves?¡± a voice calls just as its source steps out from behind a bush. The samuran¡¯s scales are coloured in a way that make him even harder to see than they generally are. Actually¡­I wonder, looking more closely, are those paints? If so, it can¡¯t be too popular among samurans ¨C I don¡¯t remember seeing any samurans with face paints on. Not a bad idea, though. ¡°Basks-in-the-sun, I have returned with the guests the Pathwalker sent for. Are they in the central hut?¡± ¡°They are. You have made better time than we expected. I shall announce you. To our guests, welcome. Please wait here until our Pathwalkers give instructions.¡± With that, he slips off into the bushes. I¡¯m left wondering if the brusque welcome is normal in this situation. I can understand the Warrior¡¯s desire to go fetch the Pathwalkers, but seeing as we were invited, why are we being left at what appears to be the equivalent of this village¡¯s gate? I exchange an uncertain look with River ¨C she seems slightly surprised too. Windy huffs. What rudeness! she complains. My shared look with River turns rueful. Trust Windy to choose the completely tactless route. ¡°My deepest apologies, Honoured Enlightened Pathwalker,¡± Lays-on-leaves says submissively, his chin raised almost to the sky. He¡¯s held the Tier three samuran in deep awe and some fear since he first saw her and realised exactly who ¨C or rather, what ¨C she is. In fact, he¡¯s been looking to her to give all the directions so far in this trip, only looking to me reluctantly when it became clear that even if she¡¯d be willing to do so, none but him would follow it. I get the feeling that he thinks it¡¯s a very odd sort of place where a Tier three isn¡¯t the automatic leader. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Still, to give credit where credit¡¯s due, though Windy has been happy to order Lays-on-leaves around a bit, she hasn¡¯t tried to do the same to the rest of the party. Well, apart from attempting to make Dusty give her the tastiest bits of the carcass at lunchtime, that is. It doesn¡¯t take very long before Basks-in-the-sun returns to give us the Pathwalkers¡¯ message. In the meantime, I¡¯ve Inspected the area and found out something interesting. I should probably have predicted it from the fact that one of the Pathwalkers here is a beast tamer, but the area is thick with various beasts, and not in a natural way. That is to say they¡¯re not exploring, foraging, or sleeping. Instead, they¡¯re just sitting there. Watchful. Waiting. I¡¯d bet everything I have that they¡¯re Bound to the Tamer here and form an invisible part of the defences. Maybe that¡¯s why the village has been allowed to be overgrown by trees and bushes ¨C it offers a battleground which the various beasts are very used to. Or maybe there¡¯s another reason. ¡°Honoured Pathwalker guests and guards, our Honoured Pathwalkers thought that you might be hungry and tired after such a long trip. They have directed the hunters to make available a carcass for you to refresh yourselves and will summon you forthwith.¡± With that, the two Unevolved following him walk forwards with their heads bowed low, and set the carcass in front of the party. It¡¯s relatively meagre for a gift meal ¨C even I can tell that. The feelings of disapproval and offence drifting across the Bonds from my companions are just more evidence that the instincts I¡¯ve picked up from the Festival haven¡¯t led me wrong. ¡°Please accept this poor token of our village,¡± one of the Unevolved says, his grunts and clicks stuttering. His spikes indicate that blatant fear is the cause. Seeing it there makes me feel more than a little uncomfortable. ¡°We have been unable to hunt in the way we would normally in recent times.¡± Lays-on-leaves looks at us meaningfully even as his spikes flicker with the pink of embarrassment. He was there at lunchtime and can easily see how this beast pales in comparison to that one ¨C and that was just a random predator. ¡°The reason why we asked for your help in the first place,¡± he informs us; I take his meaning. This issue with the Tier three beast is impacting their hunting to what seems like a large extent if this is the best carcass they can give a group of guests, especially one containing a Tier three samuran, much as I hate to toot Windy¡¯s horn. On the other hand, maybe I¡¯m being too unfair. I¡¯m used to my own villagers with their cooperative hunting, superior weaponry, and the groups that usually contain at least one Warrior. Catch killed our lunchtime meal easily enough, but he¡¯s a Warrior and was equipped with an enchanted metal weapon. An Unevolved would have struggled a lot more, especially if all he had was a wooden spear or club. ¡°This will suffice,¡± I tell the other village¡¯s samurans. ¡°We are here to help; we know that your situation is not ideal.¡± I take the Warrior¡¯s lead to not give any specificities, River¡¯s words about how her village had kept the news about Kalanthia away from everyone until it had been dealt with goes through my mind. I¡¯m not sure I approve, but I haven¡¯t come here to mess around with another village¡¯s systems ¨C I¡¯m not looking to take them under my wing too. The Unevolved samurans lay the carcass before us with great care, and then back away hurriedly. They linger at the periphery, though, until Basks-in-the-sun sends them a look. They scarper. ¡°Lays-on-leaves, the Pathwalkers wish to speak to you,¡± Basks-in-the-sun next informs his fellow Warrior. The samuran in question was just moving to crouch next to the carcass ¨C I don¡¯t doubt he¡¯s as hungry as the rest of us ¨C but immediately stands up again. ¡°Pathwalkers, Warriors, please excuse my rudeness in leaving you so abruptly,¡± the Warrior says perfunctorily. ¡°I¡¯m sure Basks-in-the-sun will see to whatever needs you may have.¡± He tips his chin to us briefly before hurrying away too, heading towards a large mound of earth in the centre of the other huts. We¡¯re left with the carcass, eyeing each other. I take the lead, moving to sit next to the body. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much else we can do unless we want to follow Lay-on-leaves to demand the Pathwalkers come to speak with us. One by one, my other Bound follow my lead. Before too long, we¡¯re sharing the carcass, cutting pieces of meat off it and eating it. Or in my case, roasting it first. I miss home where I¡¯ve finally managed to convince my own villagers that rubbing a carcass with aromatic herbs improves the taste. Tarra¡¯s help has meant that the herb rub also often contains some beneficial quality as well as being tasty. Though I have a mix of them in my Inventory which I sprinkle on before cooking, they just don¡¯t have the same taste when they¡¯ve been drained of Energy. The conversation out loud is practically non-existent, but even our mental communications are limited ¨C we just don¡¯t have enough information to judge whether this carcass is a deliberate insult, or proof of a village fallen on hard times. I¡¯m not the only one who didn¡¯t like how fearful the Unevolved were who brought the food, but we don¡¯t know if that¡¯s fear of all Pathwalkers, or just strangers. And we still don¡¯t know any more about the issue at hand ¨C this Tier three that¡¯s bothering them. All we know is that Lays-on-leaves blames it for the meagreness of the carcass. Bastet is uneasy, though, and that¡¯s enough to set me on guard. Persephone doesn¡¯t like this place either, and is showing some rare maternal instincts by making sure that her almost-adult children stay together and don¡¯t wander off anywhere in search of more food. I help her in these efforts by pulling out some more meat from my Inventory ¨C not ideal for them, but I don¡¯t want to have hungry kiinas around in a new place. Our combined desire to know more makes the time feel like it¡¯s passing slowly ¨C by the time we receive the message to meet the Pathwalkers, it feels like half the night has gone past. The position of the moons, however, indicates that only perhaps half an hour has truly gone by. When Basks-in-the-sun finally directs us forward, we are led towards a mound which, though larger than most, still appears too small to hold all of us, let alone the local Pathwalkers as well. However, clearly we¡¯re expected to go inside. Only the Pathwalkers, however, Basks-in-the-sun says firmly. I exchange a look and a brief mental communication with the other Pathwalkers. They¡¯re not too happy about the idea of being separated from their protection, but on the other hand, we have Windy and me on our side. And Bastet, since she refuses to be parted from me, growling ferociously at the Warrior when he even makes the suggestion. Things finally settled, we head in through the dark hole into the cavern beyond. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Nine: Local Pathwalkers Grateful that a rank up in Fade gave me Darkvision which could be used independently of the original Skill, and enhanced it besides, I¡¯m not nearly as badly off as I would have been otherwise. The light inside is dim ¨C of course, they don¡¯t have Hunter¡¯s light sources here so it¡¯s only the little light from the entrance and the leaf-covered skylight which enters the half-underground space. It¡¯s bigger than I was expecting, much bigger. I have to wonder if all the huts have spaces underground like this one. The mound above the ground offers a vaulted ceiling over the space. The underground area is dug at a slope leading away from the entrance. It means that though the wide hole through which I entered only comes up to waist height on me, by the time the space reaches the edge of the dome of earth above it, there¡¯s just enough height between the floor and the surface to allow a Pathwalker to stand upright without brushing her head. The local Pathwalkers are already arrayed in the space beyond the dome, facing us. Were I not using my dark vision, all I would probably see of them would be the faint gleam of scales when they shifted, out of the moonlight as they are. We, on the other hand, sit in the area with the best of light in this dim place. We must be pretty clear to local Pathwalkers¡¯ eyes which are accustomed to this dimness, while we can see little of them. It¡¯s not an auspicious beginning. Fortunately for me, and something the Pathwalkers haven''t been able to take into account, is the fact that I have dark vision which nullifies the advantage the Pathwalkers have. Though I wouldn¡¯t say I could see them as well as I would in daylight, I can see them well enough to read their emotions in their spikes and small shifts of body language. And I can share all of those with my companions who could otherwise see more than my natural vision, but less than my Darkvision. As my other Pathwalkers come in to join me, I spend my time casting a quiet Inspect. There are only four local Pathwalkers which seems indeed to be a meagre number. No wonder that this was considered to be a small village. Even my own village at its lowest had had more than that. After River had killed the shaman it had still had five Pathwalkers. If the ratio between Pathwalkers and Warriors holds true in this Village there must only be around twenty Warriors in total. I can understand why they would hesitate to take on a Tier three with such low numbers, but at the same time I still refuse to put my own people at risk without any help from the people who the Tier three affects. My Inspect tells me that they have fairly typical samaran abilities. The furthest to the left is a telekinetic object-mover with an interesting stealth skill which appears to make her fade mostly from view ¨C probably a useful combination with her ability to move objects without touching them. The Pathwalker next to her is capable of shaping the Earth ¨C she could easily be the reason for the interesting construction of this cavern. The third Pathwalker is the one that interests me most: she''s the beast tamer. Finally, there''s another who seems to be similar to Tarra ¨C a type of herbalist, though her skills are slightly different; more healing-related than Tara''s alchemical type skills ¡°Welcome Honoured Pathwalkers, I am Pathwalker Earth-former. To my left is Pathwalker Ghost, and to my right are Pathwalkers Beast-tamer and Healer. We thank the ancestors for this meeting.¡± Thank the ancestors? What about thanking us? I think a little uncharitably since she¡¯s just following tradition. She could have followed up with something more appreciative of our presence, though. Giving us two Unevolved clearly signals that they want us here; their hints of rudeness since our arrival are at odds with that. I dismiss my thoughts ¨C I need to remember that my village has changed a lot since I arrived. And nothing says that every village has to be the same, either ¨C I certainly met with a whole range of reactions at the Festival a few months ago even if most were tentatively accepting, especially once I proved myself. The samarans¡¯ characteristic method of introduction indicates exactly who the leader is of the village and the rank of the other Pathwalkers according to the most recent ranking battle which is quite helpful. I have to admit to a little surprise that the beast tamer isn''t higher in the rankings than she is but I suppose that the usual restrictions of only having a single other beast with her would have disadvantaged her. And perhaps the beast tamer isn''t as strong in physical combat as I am. In fact, knowing samurans and the way Pathwalkers often disdain physical violence, I have to admit this is a strong possibility. ¡°We indeed thank the ancestors for this meeting and for our safe arrival at our sister village,¡± I reply politely. ¡°I am Pathwalker Tamer. To my right I wish to introduce Enlightened Pathwalker Wind-whisperer, and beyond her Pathwalker Water-shaper. To my left are Pathwalkers Reducer and Reflector. We have heard your tale of woe and we have come to offer what assistance we may. I trust that your messenger has communicated to you the conditions of our aid?¡± ¡°Warrior Lays-on-leaves has indeed spoken of your discussion, however I fear he must have misunderstood it: he seemed to think that you had refused to combat the Beast unless we fight with you,¡± the Pathwalker says with an air of disbelief. ¡°What I said to your messenger was that I''m willing to pursue a course of non-violence as far as possible to see if we can solve your issues through words alone. However if it does come to violence, yes, I do expect at least some of you and your Warriors to join us in the fight,¡± I tell them bluntly. They look uneasy at the thought. ¡°But Pathwalker Tamer,¡± objected the leader of the village with an ugly flash of yellow in her spikes, ¡°we are such a small village that the loss of even one of us would have a severe impact on our village and its ability to regain its numbers in the future.¡± ¡°And does that mean that we should put our own village''s future at risk just to protect yours?¡± I demand. ¡°I believe you didn''t even attend the Festival this year. While I can understand that being difficult for you in your present condition, I don''t think I need to tell you that no new hatchlings means that your numbers will not increase. Your choice has put your village¡¯s future more at risk than my condition ever would.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°We judged it to be too dangerous to take on the journey to the Festival,¡± bemoaned the samuran. ¡°And now this new crisis comes to threaten us, as if the ancestors have taken offence at our not attending it. But no handful of hatchlings would ever outweigh a single Pathwalker on the scale of the village¡¯s prosperity. Can you not see that we can''t afford to lose even a single one of our Evolved to this beast? You have strong Pathwalkers at your side; even the Honoured Enlightened Pathwalker Wind-whisperer! You cannot say that your village will be put at the same risk as ours if we go to face the beast alone.¡± ¡° I''m not asking you to go alone,¡± I argue with exasperation. ¡°You came to ask for our help? Well we''re here. But we refuse to take on the full risk without at least some of you working towards your own benefit. Your village is under threat; you need to be part of the solution to saving it. if we cannot agree to that now, we will leave by the morning''s light and you can find a different way of saving your village.¡± I''m unwilling to compromise on this point: if they¡¯re too cowardly to face the possibility of dying then there¡¯s no hope for the village. I do feel for the people they¡¯re supposed to be protecting, but I''d rather spread the message that any Unevolved who wish to come and join our own village will be welcome and then leave it at that. The Pathwalker looks plaintively at Windy. ¡°Do you agree with these harsh words sister?¡± she asks soulfully. ¡°Merely because we don''t want to put our village''s future at risk by fighting ourselves?¡± She''s looking in the wrong direction if she wants any sympathy. Wind-whisperer snaps back at her, ¡°If you¡¯re too weak to look after yourselves and your village then you shouldn''t be the leaders. You should take your village to another of your tribe¡¯s and seek their protection. Strength is the way of the forest ¨C you should know that.¡± Earth-former flinches back at her words and then her gaze scans across the rest of the Pathwalkers by my side, clearly hoping for a hint of sympathy. She finds none. We might have softened a bit as a village and become more cooperative but cooperation is different from becoming someone else''s tool, and taking all the risk on their behalf. ¡°You are cruel,¡± condemns the lead Pathwalker, ¡°but it seems like we have little choice. If it comes to violence I will send Pathwalker Ghost with you along with four or five of our Warriors.¡± ¡°Earth-former!¡± exclaims the Pathwalker in question. ¡°You can¡¯t send me!¡± ¡°Apart from myself, you are the strongest in combat,¡± Earth-former says. ¡°You can''t suggest sending Healer, surely?¡± They both turn to look at the samuran on the far right who looks petrified at the idea. ¡°I suppose not,¡± admits Ghost. ¡°But what about Beast-tamer?¡± ¡°You know she''s too involved in the defence of the village to go anywhere,¡± dismisses the lead Pathwalker. ¡° I wouldn''t mind going,¡± pipes up Beast-tamer, unexpectedly. ¡° it would be interesting to see another Tamer in action,¡± she explains. The three Pathwalkers exchange glances and then the leader looks at me. ¡°It seems as though we have come to an agreement that if it comes to combat, that one of our Pathwalkers will join you with a group of Warriors. Does that suffice?¡± ¡°Just,¡± I answer grimly. ¡°Now, tell me about this Beast, what you know of it. What are its powers? What does it look like? Is it alone or company with others?¡± ¡°We have few accounts,¡± the samuran tells me. ¡°Unfortunately, most who saw it have fallen prey to it. We have forbidden everyone from going to the area where it can be found, in hopes of reducing our losses. What we know of it has caused it to earn the name the Great Leader as it has brought its pack with it. The beasts terrorise the forest, but only the Great Leader strikes terror into the hearts of all who see it.¡± Which seems to be poetic language to describe a Tier three with a pack of lower tier beasts. At least, I hope it¡¯s only Tier three. I''m reminded of the pack of raptorcats which we encountered on the way to the hunt: they were similar to what this sounds like it is. ¡°Beast-tamer will tell you what she can,¡± Earth-former continues. ¡°Her scouts have seen more of the beast and its followers than most.¡± The named samuran looks at me with oddly gleaming, greedy eyes. I feel discomfort at being the object of their gaze. ¡°Alright,¡± I agree reluctantly ¨C it¡¯s logical that the Beast-tamer would have sent some beasts to scout out this new threat, and that the beasts might be able to escape more easily than the samurans, especially if they were small and stealthy. ¡°Let us go outside,¡± Beast-tamer suggests. ¡°Inside it is so small and stuffy, do you not agree?¡± ¡°If you prefer,¡± I say with nonchalance, though honestly I would prefer to be out of this room. Just not in the company of Beast-tamer. ¡°Excellent,¡± Earth-former breaks in. ¡°Some of the Unevolved should be preparing a hut for your use this night. I presume you¡¯ll set off in the morning?¡± ¡°At first light,¡± I confirm, then push myself to my feet. My fellow Pathwalkers copy me, and our hosts do the same on the other side of the room. ¡°Ancestors smile on you,¡± I tell them perfunctorily. Earth-former replies in kind and then we climb back out, looking forward to being in the fresh air again. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Ten: Unease ¡°This way, if you please Honoured Pathwalkers,¡± an Unevolved prompts us shortly after we have exited and rejoined our party of Warriors and my other Bound. He leads us through the moonlit village to a hut off to the side. ¡°Do you think your sister Pathwalker will mind me making some changes?¡± I ask Beast-tamer who joined us in our departure. ¡°If they are easily reversible by her, I would imagine not,¡± Beast-tamer answers with a shrug of her tail. ¡°If they are reversed before she is even aware of them, I expect that she won¡¯t even complain about it.¡± I nod unconsciously. Good ¨C this hut might be suitable for samurans, but won¡¯t be comfortable for most of my Bound. The raptorcats would be fine, but Fenrir struggles with any sort of jump, and the entrance is too small for Lathani or the kiinas. Pride is a bit big too, especially with that sail on his back, though he can lower it if he chooses. Sinking my magic into the earth, I¡¯m surprised when there¡¯s more resistance than usual. I wasn''t expecting to have the same reaction as I do at home since I haven''t built a relationship with this area. Nonetheless it''s even more difficult than when I start a new area. I have to put it down to the fact that there is another Earth-Shaper here who has already built a relationship with the earth. It''s interesting that I didn''t experience that even where Kalanthia had connected with the earth, though. Perhaps it''s because of the better relationship between me and Kalanthia. I don''t know this Earth-Shaper and, honestly, I didn''t take to her in the discussion. Even if there is more resistance than I expected, I still manage to reshape the hut easily enough. I''ve barely used my magic all day so I''ve got plenty of mana reserves. I make a slope into the hut itself to help those of my Bound like Fenrir and then make the entrance far larger to allow the bigger creatures to enter. I make the hut itself far more extensive too because between the seven Warriors, five Pathwalkers, five kiinas, and the rest of our assorted force, the original size was far too small to be comfortable. Beast-tamer watches me in undeniable interest. When I finish my task, she wastes no time in asking me questions. ¡°Is that an ability of one of your beasts that you''re borrowing?¡± she asks. ¡°No,¡± I answer shortly. Curiosity obliges me to ask a follow-up question to her own. ¡°Can you borrow abilities from your Bound?¡± ¡°Within limits,¡± she admits. ¡°Though, I''ve never been able to copy a magical ability such as Earth-Shaping.¡± Which implies that she might be capable of something similar to what I can do with Transformation. I wonder if she could give me any tips. She seems to be thinking the same. ¡°Is it true what I''ve heard that you''re capable of taming even members of the People?¡± I don''t like the look in her eyes. The same greedy gleam that I had seen in them in the Pathwalker meeting hut has reappeared. ¡°It''s true,¡± I admit. I don''t see any reason why not to. It''s well known among those who went to the Festival that the reason I was able to take such a large party with me was because they were all Bound to me. Though, I do wonder how Beast-tamer knows about this as she wasn''t present at the Festival. And, thinking about it, how did they know we had killed a Tier 3 before? Perhaps samuran gossip chains are better than I thought they were. Are there inter-village trading routes? ¡°Would you be willing to teach me?¡± the samuran asks avariciously. ¡°I can''t,¡± I answer her truthfully. I don''t add that even if I could I wouldn''t: I have no desire for that particular ability to be used more widely. She looks disappointed. ¡°Perhaps if you show me how you do it I could learn,¡± she suggests. ¡°I doubt it,¡± I answer shortly. ¡°You may have noticed that I''m not a typical samuran.¡± She lets out a few grunting chuckles which almost make me reluctantly like her ¨C just a little, though. I finish the transformation of the hut and prompt my Bound to go inside. Windy, of course, takes the lead as she always insists on doing. The other samurans follow her and then are followed in my turn by my Bound. At that I hear an odd noise from Beast-tamer next to me. ¡°You let your beasts sleep inside with you?¡± she asks with incredulity in her voice. ¡°And with the other Pathwalkers? Like they are as good as one of us?¡± The questions are not terribly surprising given what I know about samuran culture, but at the same time they completely negate any hint of amicable feeling that I¡¯d felt blooming towards her. ¡°They''re my family,¡± I answer brusquely, ¡°and in my eyes they are as good as any of the samurans.¡± I want to say, but refrain from adding: in some cases better. Certainly I would take Bastet over ten of Windy. She might not have the same power as the Tier three samuran but she''s a good sight more reliable. And frankly if I''ve learned nothing else it''s that having someone at your side who you can rely on is far better than having someone powerful at your side who you can''t. Beast-tamer looks rather dubious so I don''t pursue that line of conversation any further. ¡°I believe your assistant was sent with the messenger to join us in our Village,¡± I say, segueing into a new topic. ¡°I hope his loss won''t tax you too much.¡± ¡°Bares-claws?¡± she responds, ¡°He was a good assistant and I will miss him but I can find another easily enough. Honestly I was considering replacing him anyway,¡± she continues, a little callously I have to think when I know what that would have meant for the samuran in question. ¡°I had high hopes for him but ultimately he was a little too soft with his beasts for my tastes.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask, frowning. ¡°He coddled the creatures a bit too much. I''m sure you would agree that a firm hand is needed to control beasts with different agendas and different desires than your own. The two beasts he brought with him? I gave him the chance to try to create a Bond with them himself. It was a bit of a test, you see. Even for an Unevolved with no magic of their own, it''s possible to create a nascent Bond with a beast who is handled correctly. The ability to do so is a good indicator that upon reaching Pathwalker status, that person may themselves become a Beast-tamer.¡± ¡°From what I saw, he succeeded,¡± I comment, choosing not to let on that I know that that isn¡¯t exactly true. The Pathwalker grunts briefly in amusement. No. His soft-handed handling failed to create any Bond more magical than anyone else could create. I had to create the Bond myself.¡± She looks up at the moon for a moment, scratching at her throat scales before she lowers her chin and looks at me again. That said, she continues thoughtfully, I was able to transfer the Bond to him which isn¡¯t something I¡¯ve ever succeeded in before. Have you ever transferred a Bond before? ¡°I haven¡¯t tried,¡± I admit. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it would work.¡± Beast-tamer grunts again. Well, you¡¯re welcome to try on my erstwhile assistant. He might be good for that if nothing else. She shrugs with her tail. Anyway, his failings meant that when Earth-former asked for volunteers to give up an assistant to offer as a gift for your village, I was willing to give up mine. There are no lack of Unevolved who wish to become a Pathwalker''s assistant after all.¡± I don''t like the implications of what Beast-tamer is saying and honestly, I think that Bares-claws has had a lucky escape. He will do far better in our village than he obviously would have in this one. ¡°Let us turn our attention to the threat facing your village,¡± I say, changing the topic again. ¡°Earth-former indicated that you would have a better idea of the Beast then she did.¡± ¡°My scouts have indicated that it is much like three of the creatures you have tamed.¡± I frown. ¡°Three of the creatures I have tamed? What? The beasts we rode in on?¡± ¡°No, not them. The beasts with wings and four taloned feet,¡± she describes. My eyebrows shoot up. ¡°Like Bastet?¡± I ask with incredulity. ¡°I know not what you call them,¡± she answers, ¡°and why you honour them with names I do not understand, but you have one Evolved of the species and two Unevolved from what I have seen. Similarly the pack which threatens us seems to consist of multiple Unevolved, a few Evolved, and the one Great beast.¡± It sounds more and more like this is a pack of raptorcats. I can''t help thinking about the raptorcat matriarch that we encountered four months ago. But that was at least one other mountain away. What would have brought her this close? Abruptly, I wonder if her pack has once more started suffering from some type of illness and that they are searching for me ¨C but perhaps that is a little egocentric. More likely this is not her at all and the pack is here for some completely unconnected business. Well, if it is raptor cats then we may find them easier to deal with than if it had been some completely unfamiliar beast. At least, the matriarch we encountered was easy enough to negotiate with when we realised that each of us had something the other wanted. Honestly, if we can resolve this issue without conflict I would prefer it. I feel great desire to be out of this place and back in our Village. ¡°Will you be joining us tomorrow when we go to scout?¡± I ask the other Pathwalker. ¡°Not precisely,¡± Beast-tamer answers. ¡°My sisters are correct in saying that I am necessary for the defence of my village. However, I will send a few of my beasts with you to keep an eye on things. In need, you can call to them for assistance. But I wouldn¡¯t suggest getting too close ¨C everything I have observed of this creature and its pack indicate that it¡¯s highly dangerous. Best to kill it quickly and from as far away as possible.¡± ¡°I see,¡± I answer dubiously. Frankly, I don''t mind the initial exploration being done without the presence of any of the local samurans. In fact, I¡¯d be happy to not even have her beasts along. I can''t shake off this sense that something is wrong and I would rather not have them where they could create trouble for me. I don''t know why they would choose to do so of course ¨C if they hadn''t wanted my help they wouldn''t have sent a messenger to ask for it. But all the same I''ll be glad not to have them there unless their presence really is necessary. I''m even second-guessing my resolution to have a party of their samurans take part in the fight, if it comes to that. But I decide not to borrow trouble. Tomorrow will tell us whether conflict is an inevitability or not. Because not matter what Beast-tamer says, I¡¯m not going to just attack first, ask questions later. After a few more words and a polite farewell, the other Pathwalker and I part company. I head into the hut and sit next to the small fire that one of my companions has created. It fills the hut with a welcome warmth and flickering light. ¡°What do you think about our illustrious hosts?¡± I ask my companions. They shift and look at each other as if none of them wishes to speak first. I''ve known Ghost for many great cycles, though I do not know her well, offers Windy after a long pause and without her usual pomposity. Instead she seemed more thoughtful than anything else. She appeared¡­uneasy. As if something was bothering her. They all did, adds Dusty quietly. ¡°Their village is faced with a threat,¡± I point out, playing Devil''s Advocate. ¡°Perhaps it is that which is bothering them.¡± Perhaps, agreed Dusty doubtfully. I don''t blame her. Although everything on the surface seems correct, it appears I''m not the only one with instincts which are screaming at me. Perhaps we can speak to the Warriors tomorrow, suggests Catch. Maybe they would know more about what could be the reason for the Pathwalkers¡¯ unease besides the obvious threat. ¡°It''s a good idea,¡± I agree. ¡°We don''t need to take everyone on the scouting mission anyway. I could take a smaller group with me ¨C most of the non-samuran Bound ¨C and the rest of you could investigate and find out what you can from our hosts. Pathwalkers, you can try to get the other Pathwalkers individually and try to squeeze them for information. Warriors, you try to talk to the other Warriors and any Unevolved who might be willing to communicate with you. They may know more than they should from overhearing or seeing something.¡± After a little more conversation in which the Warriors express their dissatisfaction with me going practically on my own into a dangerous situation, accompanied only by non-samuran Bound, we settle on our plan. I will take Catch and Poison with me of the samurans and the Pathwalkers and other Warriors will stay here. Plans made, it''s time for us to sleep. But whether it¡¯s the discussion or the unfamiliar surroundings, I find it takes me a long time to drop off. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Eleven: What Are You Doing Here? I travel through the forest with what feels like a party which could conquer the world. With Sirocco providing air cover, Komodo and Fenrir as our venomous tanks, quick damage dealers with Bastet, Lathani, Storm, and Ninja, Catch and Poison providing melee power, and magic from yours truly as well as windblades from Hades and Persephone, it feels like we could at least stand up to any threat below a Tier three which attacks us. And I¡¯d give us good odds at being able to at least escape from a Tier three too. I hesitate to say we could kill one since my experience has taught me how dangerous they are, but I reckon that we¡¯re a far more powerful group than the one I led against Raven. Perhaps we¡¯d stand a chance against a weak Tier three. I''m uneasily aware of the two creatures which are following us. One travels on the ground and is a sort of weasel much like Marty used to be, and the other swings through the trees similar to the reptilian monkey-like creatures I once killed on my way down to find Lathani. If they had been waiting to attack us, that would have been one thing. As it is, it''s clear that they¡¯re following us and I''m sure I know the reason why. I will have to be careful about what abilities I show and what I say out loud. Although, to be fair, it''s unlikely that either of them ¨C or, rather, the intelligence behind their eyes ¨C will understand what I''m saying. She might understand my samuran Bound if they speak aloud, however. We''ve recently entered the area of the forest which has been forbidden to the Unevolved, and we¡¯re now searching for any sign of the Beast or its pack. Sirocco is, of course, scouting ahead and the rest of my Bound are split between staying near me and fanning out to search for tracks. Catch and Poison refuse to leave my side, but the others continually move away and return to check in every few minutes. I found something, Fenrir tells me with eagerness in his voice. A scent like sister Bastet¡¯s. Everyone, converge on Fenrir, I command the group. We¡¯ll follow this together. On reflection, it seems inevitable that the other Tamer will realise that we have some sort of mental communication, but maybe she has that with her Bound as well. I don¡¯t intend to handicap myself just to conceal that one of my abilities. Not when dealing with a Tier three. It¡¯s not long before we are all following the trail, though we don¡¯t do so all as a big group. Obviously, Fenrir is leading us, but Sirocco is ranging ahead in whatever direction the scent takes, Pride and Komodo are travelling on the peripheries and the kiinas are travelling further behind. Lathani is staying as hidden as possible which, with Shadow Hop and Shadow Shaping, means that I barely catch sight of her ¨C and I actually know where she is thanks to our Bond. I decided to split us up like that because if we walk into an ambush or trap, hopefully those outside the group targeted might be able to turn it to our advantage. As we walk, moving slowly so as not to either spook our targets or run into a trap which we could have otherwise avoided, I start seeing small signs on the trees around. The scuffs and scratches are highlighted with the low-level Inspect I¡¯m keeping active. The Inspect doesn¡¯t do much, which means it doesn¡¯t use much mana ¨C in fact, I regenerate as much as I lose. What it does do is enhance my powers of observation in an area about ten metres in diameter. In this case, small scratches which I might otherwise have missed are now highlighted with a faint golden light. Equally, our two followers are far more easily observed as they are highlighted in a purplish colour ¨C I would guess my Inspect is unable to definitively identify them as either foe or friend. That¡¯s probably because I¡¯m not certain in my own mind whether they¡¯re there to signal that we need help, or to spy on us. Or it could be that the Skill itself knows better than I do that their presence offers a mixed blessing. The same low level of Inspect warns me when we approach a small group of beings, hidden in the trees around us. I see their forms outlined in faint reddish purple. The colour interests me ¨C I would have expected it to be purely red considering that this is our first contact with them and the hostility they¡¯ve apparently shown. Presuming these are linked to theTier three we¡¯re searching for, that is. The scent is very strong, Fenrir tells me earnestly. They are close. Thanks, Fenrir, I tell him as those of my Bound who have not yet detected the presence of the potential enemies stiffen. At the same time, I¡¯m now convinced that this is a group of raptorcats. Although the highlighting doesn¡¯t show me the form of the creature completely perfectly, there¡¯s enough hinting there to indicate the six limbs which I would expect from a raptorcat. Additionally, this particular ambush formation is probably exactly the same one Bastet¡¯s pack used on me when we first met ¨C and before they sent me running for my life through the forest. Switching to a slightly more mana-heavy Inspect, I send out a probe at the hidden beasts, still prioritising stealth over detail. I nod unconsciously as the information comes back. Raptorcats indeed ¨C three Tier ones with two Tier twos. Not an easy target if it comes to a fight, but as long as we¡¯re not stupid about it, we should all make it out alive. Alright, Bastet, Storm, Ninja, you¡¯re up, I say mentally to them. They send back an acknowledgement and then step forwards carefully. Shall I scout around a bit? Lathani asks. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Sure, good idea, I tell her even as my eyes are focussed on my three raptorcats, alert to any movement from the potentially hostile raptorcats around. Bastet starts making a clicking sort of call, her bearing relaxed and easy. For a long moment, nothing happens. I find myself holding my breath and force myself to release it. And then, there¡¯s movement. I tense and feel the rest of my Bound tense around me. But the other raptorcats don¡¯t suddenly converge on my three vulnerable companions. Instead, I see one of the Tier twos carefully step out of the undergrowth around. For another long moment, the two raptorcats stand facing each other, communicating in the nonverbal way that they do. Tapping into Bastet¡¯s Bond doesn¡¯t tell me much more than my eyes do ¨C it¡¯s a language of tiny movements, of eyes and wings, and tail rather than the more fluent communication Bastet had had with the Tier three raptorcat matriarch. Bastet is calming, reassuring, and curious. The other raptorcat is wary, agitated, but also curious. And there is a sense of familiarity between them that surprises me. A thought which I had pushed away as unlikely to the point of impossibility rises once more within me. Of course, the familiarity could be that they both recognised each other as raptorcats, or perhaps it was that their packs had encountered each other in the past. But my instincts tell me that it isn¡¯t as simple as that. But if this is the pack we encountered on our way to the cave where we killed the fellapodil, why are they here, so far from home? I¡¯m sure they were on the mountain next to us, not this one. Bastet¡¯s conversation with the other raptorcat seems to be going well ¨C one by one, the other raptorcats all step out from the bushes too. Almost all ¨C one still remains behind, perhaps attempting to be an unseen watcher. It would work too, if not for my Inspect. Bastet? Care to update me? I ask, keeping even my mental voice quiet so it doesn¡¯t interrupt her too much if she¡¯s concentrating hard. She doesn¡¯t respond immediately, so I wait with as much patience as I can muster. Which, while more than it used to be, is far from limitless. Eventually, she responds. They are upset. They are missing members of the pack. Their matriarch is searching while they hunt for food. You seem to know them, I remark, my off-handedness concealing a keen curiosity. So do you, she tells me with surprise. Do you not recognise them by their scent? No, I tell her with amusement. My nose isn¡¯t as good as yours or Fenrir¡¯s. So this is the pack we encountered during our flight with Raven? It is, she confirms. I shake my head in disbelief. What are the chances? But then Bastet said something about them missing members of the pack. She didn¡¯t say they¡¯d died, though. Something tells me that there¡¯s more to this than first meets the eye. Can this group take us to see the matriarch? I ask Bastet. She doesn¡¯t answer immediately, but I see and feel her communicating with the other raptorcat. She will take us if we will promise to help, Bastet translates. Tell her that I promise to consider helping, but not to actually help necessarily. There¡¯s a pause as Bastet communicates with the raptorcat. She says that that¡¯s acceptable. She will lead us, Bastet informs me a moment later. Alright, good. Everyone, stay in formation ¨C this shouldn¡¯t be a trap, but you never know, I tell them. Anyway, even if it isn¡¯t a trap designed by the raptorcats, that¡¯s no guarantee that we won¡¯t accidentally run into trouble. Because something¡¯s telling me this is a trap for someone. With that, we take off through the forest, moving significantly quicker than previously. The raptorcats don¡¯t seem to be bothered by the idea of potentially running into an attack; they¡¯re apparently more concerned with covering as much ground as quickly as they can. But their apparent nonchalance isn¡¯t as unfounded as it seems at first ¨C it¡¯s not long before I realise that they¡¯re sending packmates one at a time to scout the path ahead, much like Bastet has done with me countless times even when I don¡¯t ask her to. I now see where she¡¯s got the strategy. I start to tire, my stamina bar entering its final quarter. Fortunately, we¡¯re at our destination as the raptorcats leading us abruptly slow down. I quickly check that all my Bound are together and in the positions they should be, and then look ahead into a small clearing that appears no different from any other we¡¯ve run through or around. A scouting Inspect reveals that this innocent-looking clearing is ringed by several raptorcats, all ready to pounce on us the moment we take a step into it. Needless to say, we wait for our guides to announce us. The small party of raptorcats we¡¯ve been following step into the centre of the clearing and begin making a similar kind of chirping noise to what Bastet first used. Animal Empathy tells me that it¡¯s a friendly greeting. Concentrating on the Tier two¡¯s body language and using Animal Empathy to filter what I see, I get the gist of what she¡¯s saying. Predictably, she¡¯s telling her other packmates the basics of why she brought a group of others here. Looking through the clearing with a sharper eye, I see evidence of where they¡¯ve made their beds in broken bushes and flattened ground-plants. I also see bones littering a certain area ¨C where they eat, I guess. This is obviously their base camp, temporarily, at least. Reassured, the raptorcats crouching around the clearing on guard emerge one by one to greet the pack members who have returned, empty-handed as they are ¨C or should that be empty-mouthed? Finally, another raptorcat emerges, and this one makes me flinch slightly in shock. Not because her appearance is so surprising, but because my Inspect didn¡¯t detect any trace of her presence. This one even I would recognise, and that¡¯s before she briefly releases her domain and a sensation of wildness washes over me. It¡¯s only released for a short time, feeling more like an identifying greeting than an attack. ¡°Hello again,¡± I say to the Tier three raptorcat matriarch, mistress of winds. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twelve: The Tendency To Annoy Tier Threes Healer-of-ills, we meet again, the matriarch answers, her gaze intent. Her demeanour, while not entirely friendly, is also not immediately aggressive. She raises her head and sniffs at me, her body shifting slightly to become even warier. You bring with you those we have been hunting. Did you take my pack members? It¡¯s not an accusation, exactly, but it¡¯s certainly a warning. I¡¯m very aware of the raptorcats arrayed before us. And, with a quick look backwards, I see that some have moved to surround us too. Fortunately, we¡¯re innocent. Hopefully they¡¯ll believe that. ¡°I did not take your pack members,¡± I declare, looking her in the eyes with a steady expression and willing her to be convinced. ¡°Neither did any of my Bound.¡± The matriarch looks at me for a long moment, and I feel her domain shifting around us, the hint of wildness caressing my senses. Very well, she accepts and everyone collectively relaxes a touch. Not entirely ¨C we¡¯re not allies, after all. Just because we haven¡¯t taken their packmates doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re safe from attack. And they have the same concern about us. ¡°What made you think that we had?¡± I ask curiously. And why do I feel a sense of foreboding as I ask the question? We tracked our packmates to a place where there had been a battle. There we found traces of creatures such as yours, even as our packmates¡¯ tracks disappeared, the matriarch answers, using her wing to indicate the two samurans with me. They tense; so do I. No wonder I¡¯ve been feeling uneasy about this whole thing ¨C it¡¯s the whole Kalanthia situation all over again. What is it with samuran villages and the tendency to annoy Tier threes by taking those precious to them? And I have a feeling I know just who is to blame. Who would benefit more than the beast tamer from catching multiple raptorcats? That she''s capable of trapping and taming such dangerous creatures is obvious from the ones she sent with her assistant to our village. What really annoys me is the fact that they didn''t tell me the real reason for this Tier three''s anger. If this wasn''t the matriarch who we had already established a good relationship with in the past, I could have brought my Bound into a situation where we were forced to fight for our lives against a creature who was just trying to get her family back. If I had known that Beast-tamer or one of the other samurans had captured the packmates of this matriarch, then I would have brought them with me and this could have been solved immediately. But then, perhaps that wasn''t what they wanted. Perhaps they were hoping that I would get into a battle with the Tier three and kill it. Our efforts during the hunt made it clear that we were capable of killing Tier three''s and that would have solved all of their problems very nicely. We would have borne the brunt of any losses and they would have got away with two powerful raptorcat guards for the village. No wonder they weren¡¯t keen on sending any of their Evolved into battle with us. My teeth grind and my fists clench at the thought. ¡°How many packmates are you missing?¡± I ask. As many as you have of my kind, she answers promptly. Three, then. I think quickly. I could go back to the village with my Bound and force the samurans to hand over the raptorcats. Or¡­. I grin at the thought. This will serve them right. ¡°Would you care to come with us to the village?¡± I ask with schadenfreude at the thought of the samurans¡¯ upcoming panic. ¡°If you promise not to attack any of the samurans as long as they do not attack you, then I will promise to fight with you if they do attack.¡± The matriarch considers the matter carefully. I will come with you, she answers finally. However, my pack will stay here. as will your three of my kind. If you betray me then they will become part of my pack. Several sounds of outrage and disagreement emerge from those around me ¨C I¡¯m not the only one who has come to love our raptorcat teammates. Lathani even crouches and starts growling as if to say that any attempt to take them will have to go through her first. Actually, the Bond tells me that¡¯s exactly what she¡¯s saying. I have to agree that I don''t like the idea of Bastet, Storm, and Ninja being held as hostages but at the same time I recognize that it''s difficult for the matriarch to trust me. I wouldn''t have blamed her if she had wanted to come with her whole pack in force. But perhaps because her focus is the protection of her pack, to bring them with her and put them in danger is against her nature. My guess is that she trusts in her own strength and if her pack is not nearby she will not feel any hesitation in unleashing her most powerful attacks. If they are anything like Raven¡¯s, they will be powerful indeed. Bastet, Ninja, Storm? I check with my three companions over the Bond. Is this okay with you? I have no intention of betraying the matriarch, so as long as she is willing to let you go afterwards, there should be no problem. Even if she wants to keep us in her pack, responds Bastet, we trust in you to come and bring us back to our family if we cannot escape ourselves. But I doubt that she will try to hold us against our will. If anything, she may be trying to protect us as well as bring three new hunters into her pack. If you betray her, she will do her best to see you dead. With your loss, she most likely recognises that we would have lost our greatest protector and would become vulnerable. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It¡¯s odd seeing it from that perspective, like the matriarch is actually being protective even of my own companions, simply because they¡¯re more of her kind. But I trust Bastet¡¯s interpretation, and it would certainly align with the protective nature of the matriarch. The fact that Bastet is already a Tier two and an experienced hunter probably makes the matriarch even more keen to keep her as part of her pack. Bastet hesitates for a long moment. I do not like the fact that you will be without my protection, she confesses. I don''t like the idea of being away from you either, I agree. But this seems to be the best option for solving the issue with minimal bloodshed. We said all along that if we could solve this issue without needing to fight, that would be the best solution. And we will protect our leader, adds in Catch. We will make sure that Markus survives this to come back to you, he promises. It seems like everyone is, if not happy about the idea, at least not completely against it. I agree with Bastet¡¯s assessment that it¡¯s doubtful the matriarch will forcibly keep my raptor cats as long as I¡¯m alive ¨C that''s against her whole nature of wildness. At the same time I believe that she is unlikely to betray me either, since her main objective is to retrieve her three raptorcats. Though that does raise a point ¨C I hope that she is not keen on getting revenge in the same way that Kalanthia was. ¡°Once you have your raptorcats back, what are your intentions after that?¡± I ask her. I wish to return to my territory with my pack. I do not want another predator moving in, she answers promptly. ¡°You do not want revenge on those who took your pack mates?" I ask bluntly. I wish to be sure that this will not happen again, but I will ensure that by patrolling my territory more frequently. Any of the same kind who enter my territory will meet their death at my jaws, she says firmly. Well, that''s a bit of a different approach than Kalanthia took but then perhaps this matriarch is younger than Kalanthia and less jaded. Or perhaps she is simply of a different mindset. Kalanthia clearly believed that the threat would not disappear until all the villagers were dead or Bound to me, who had vested interest in keeping Lathani safe. This matriarch seems forgiving in comparison. It makes me want to find a better solution to avoid this situation repeating itself. Because I know that the samurans will not necessarily stop when they have something they want. They are very like humans in that way. That said, they don¡¯t have the numbers and had to call on another village for help when the consequences of Beast-tamer¡¯s actions came home to roost. Perhaps they¡¯ve learned their lesson ¨C hope springs eternal. Anyway, the risk will be too high for them to repeat this situation exactly now that the matriarch is aware and on guard against their intrusion. I make a note to tell my village not to pass through the matriarch¡¯s territory in the future ¨C clearly she¡¯s going to be killing first and maybe asking questions later. ¡°We are agreed,¡± I tell the matriarch, returning to the matter at hand. Focusing on the Tier three, I reach out with a tendril of Alliance. I feel her surprise as we are connected but, like with the others I have done this with, she immediately grasps the idea. We quickly outline the terms of this short Alliance and then both agree to it. I feel the Alliance Bond snap into place, a faint awareness of the raptorcat matriarch settling into my mind. It''s time to go. I give Bastet a cuddle and a rub behind the ears in farewell. She has been my constant companion for so long that it feels wrong to leave her behind like this. But while she is also sad to leave me, I get the sense that she''s actually quite happy to spend some time with others of her kind. I suppose that Storm and Ninja are not proper replacements since they are so much younger than she is. When I move away, Lathani moves in close with an unhappy sound and crouches down to give all three of them a feline embrace by rubbing her jaw so firmly against each of them that even Bastet almost falls over. She¡¯s so much bigger than them now that it should look ridiculous. It doesn¡¯t; right now, it just looks sad. ¡°You swear they will be safe?¡± I check with the matriarch anxiously. While they are with my pack, they are my pack, the matriarch answers reassuringly. I guess I have to take it at that. "Let''s get going then,¡± I say to the group. The matriarch joins us as Bastet, Ninja, and Storm walk over to join the other raptorcats who receive them with a surprising amount of affection. It¡¯s not just me who¡¯s surprised ¨C Bastet is a little taken aback, but returns it with eagerness. Over the Bond, I feel the welcome from her own kind filling in a hole I didn¡¯t realise was there. With a final look back at them, I turn and lead the way into the forest. My first move upon leaving the clearing is to ask Windy to catch the two scouts following us. They have been watching the whole thing but I don''t know how much they have understood of it or been able to transmit back to their bond-holder. They try to run away, but Windy¡¯s magical grasp is inescapable. The two small creatures dangle in the air in front of me. They¡¯re scared, that''s clear, but at the same time there is an alien intelligence behind their eyes. ¡°Beast-tamer, I know you''re listening,¡± I say firmly. ¡°If you don''t want my Bound and I, along with the matriarch, to tear through the village upon our return, then you will make sure that the three missing raptorcats are outside and waiting for us.¡± The intelligence wavers and then disappears. I think she''s got my message. Now we''ll have to see what their response is. When I let the scouts go again, they immediately draw back to what they evidently consider to be a safe distance. I resign myself to them knowing exactly where we are. Hopefully that will ensure Beast-tamer has the raptorcats out when we arrive. We travel through the forest, keeping an eye out for potential dangers but not really expecting them ¨C travelling with a Tier three generally means that we are left unbothered. The journey passes quickly though there is little conversation between us as we move. We are all consumed by the need to close the distance between us and the village and I suspect that I''m not the only one considering what might happen on our arrival. Will the village do what I have instructed them to and surrender the raptorcats? Or will they decide to take a stand against us? And what if my guess is incorrect? What if it wasn''t Beast-tamer who took the raptorcats? Although we are the only two villages in this area, there are other villages not far from the matriarch''s territory. Perhaps it was one of them? Then again, if that had been the case then why would the matriarch and her pack have come over here, so far from their own territory? I hope I''ll soon find out the answers to my questions ¨C the village is just ahead of us now. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Thirteen: Traitor The raptorcats are not outside the village. Instead, there is a welcoming party of all four Pathwalkers accompanied by twelve Warriors. It''s a sizeable force. Of course, it could just be them showing their respect, but they didn¡¯t do so last night and I doubt that the presence of the raptorcat matriarch would be sufficient prompting to do so now. I have to wonder if they''re intending on resisting. Everyone get ready, I say in the Bond network. Since the matriarch is now part of an alliance with me, she is also included in the silent message. Both sides practically bristling, we approach each other slowly. Do you sense any trace of your packmates? I ask the matriarch. She sniffs at the air and then I feel her domain expand. The samurans facing us flinch and one of the Warriors even takes a step back. They are here, answers the matriarch grimly. I can sense them. They are changed ¨C they do not react to me in the way they should and they refuse to hear my call. I have a nasty feeling I know what that means. I step forward to face the samurans. They look at me with anger in their eyes and spikes. "Earth-former, did you receive my message? Or did Beast-tamer just tell you to come with your Warriors to meet us?" I ask. I want to know if this is just Beast-tamer''s idea or if they are all on it. Traitor, spits the Pathwalker. You said you were here to help us but you have turned against us and joined our enemy! "I haven''t turned against you in the slightest," I reply angrily. "I said that I would do my best to resolve the situation peacefully and I have. It is not my fault that your colleague decided that she wanted to have a few powerful tames and went and poked a hornets nest!" What are you talking about? snaps the Pathwalker. Perhaps she is not aware, or perhaps this is just a good front that she''s putting up. "So, Beast-tamer didn''t tell you about what she did then? About how she enraged this Great beast by taking some of her pack from her?" I know nothing of which you speak, declares the Pathwalker. Although I have no Bond with her, I get the sudden sensation that she''s lying. Perhaps this is my Wisdom or my Management Skill kicking in, but I know I''m being fed BS. And thinking about it, how would Beast-tamer have succeeded all by herself? The villagers here didn''t even come to the Festival because they were worried about travelling through the forest with so few numbers. How could Beast-tamer have snuck off to the matriarch''s territory with enough Warriors to capture the three raptorcats without losing anyone and without being noticed by the other Pathwalkers? No, the only explanation was that all of the Pathwalkers worked together. Which means they''re all trying to cover this up. That¡¯s exasperating and makes me more than a little angry. Was this whole thing just a way of trying to pit another village against one of their enemies? I regret getting involved, given the amount of deceit I realise I¡¯ve been subjected to. But I¡¯m here now and have a promise to the matriarch to fulfil. And then I¡¯m washing my hands of this matter. "Don''t bother lying," I tell them. "I know they''re here. Bring them out now, or we will go and get them." And you''ll kill us if we stand in the way will you? the Pathwalker asks with deep red flashing through her spikes to join the mustard yellow colour of fear. "I never talked about killing you," I say with more than a little exasperation. "All you have to do is bring out the three raptorcats, get Beast-tamer to release their Bonds, and then to let them go with a promise to never walk on the matriarch''s territory again. That''s it. Your village is safe. The Tier three is gone. And we''ll be happy to leave! Though I do expect some sort of gesture of apology for all the lies. But if you resist, if you refuse to bring the raptorcats out, then yes we will go through you to find them." The Pathwalkers look between each other with uncertainty in their spikes. But despite that, none of them steps forward. Instead, it''s one of the Warriors who takes a step forward, looking me firmly in the eye. Do you promise? That if we give you what you want, you will leave without extracting any further reparations from this situation or any linked to it, as long as we offer you a gesture of apology? About to agree, I hesitate. Some instinct, or perhaps Skill, is telling me that there is still something wrong. And considering how accurate it was when I felt it last night, I''m not inclined to ignore it. Scanning the crowd of samurans in front of me carefully, I see more signs to be cautious. The red of anger is fading a little but I can still see quite a lot of fear there. Among the fear is the deep blue of desperate hope. While those emotions are not necessarily inappropriate for the situation, I find their deep tones to be suspicious. This whole situation is odd. If they are so scared of the matriarch, why are they putting up such a fight about returning her packmates to her, when she is standing in front of them? But if they''re not scared of the matriarch, what are they scared about? I think through the words the Warrior used. He wasn''t just talking about this situation, I realise. He mentioned situations linked to it. Which means there''s more to this than I thought. And I''m determined to find out what. "I promise that there will be no further repercussions on your village from the matriarch as long as you bring out her packmates now and do not invade her territory again." And from you? asks the Warrior shrewdly. "I promise that as long as the raptorcats are restored to the matriarch in good condition and with no Bond remaining, I will not help her to seek revenge against you." And revenge for yourself? pursues the Warrior. My eyes narrow. "I want a gesture of apology due to having been lured here under false pretences, but otherwise I have no reason to pursue revenge for myself. Or do you think that I do?" I throw the ball back into his court. I see the Warrior wanting to say something but he doesn''t dare. My alarm bells are now ringing very strongly. This conversation is so strange, an air of desperation to it that doesn¡¯t match the measured tones the words are being spoken with. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I''m suddenly possessed of the desire to leave this village as quickly as I can. I don''t know what''s coming, but I am almost certain that something is. "You have until I count to ten to bring the raptorcats out," I order the villagers. I can''t forget that I have promised the matriarch to retrieve her packmates for her. If I don''t, then I will potentially lose Bastet, Storm, and Ninja ¨C or at least earn the enmity of a powerful Tier three since I know that my companions will do all they can to return to me. I start counting slowlu. My Bound and the matriarch tense and crouch, ready to act. A flurry of clicks and grunts emerge from the group of samurans ahead of us. They''re too quiet for me to be able to understand everything they''re saying, but I understand enough to know that they are arguing over whether they should continue to ''carry out the plan'' or not. Tension coils in my stomach. I don''t like the sound of that. What plan are they talking about? I keep counting. As I get down to two, sudden movement from the village catches my attention. The matriarch tenses even further and growls in outrage as her three packmates approach. I can see in their body language that they are miserable. They are aware of who she is and who they are. But they are unable to go to her. I see the stiff, puppet-like movements of their limbs as they are pulled inexorably towards Beast-tamer. I am abruptly glad that I never took the puppet Skill that I was offered. I would never want any of my Bound to look like this. The three raptorcats, Tier ones all, stop right in front of Beast-tamer. They face us, their lips drawn back to reveal their bared teeth. They are ready to attack us. But I see in their eyes that they want nothing less. Let''s have a competition, suggests Beast-tamer. One tamer to another. If you can wrest my beasts away from me, then you can have them. I eye her warily. I stopped my counting when I saw the raptorcats coming towards us as I demanded. But I have a feeling that this is not going to be as simple as she wants me to believe it. "What''s the catch?" I ask her. No catch, she replies, then gapes her jaws open to reveal her teeth. But if you''re not quick enough then at least one of you will die. She hasn''t even finished speaking when the three raptorcats leap forward, their teeth ready to bite, their wings ready to buffet, and their talons ready to rend. I sigh. Of course. My own preparations for the fight have fortunately put me into a decent position to counter this move. While I wasn''t expecting exactly this, I was expecting something. I''ve therefore already been spending the last few minutes of conversation sending magic into the ground to prepare it for my commands. Though I sense that I can¡¯t push my influence much closer to the village due to Earth-former¡¯s presence already settled there, the couple of metres between me and the other Pathwalkers is fair game. The earth sinks underneath the raptorcats¡¯ feet. Robbed of their momentum they slow, their wings beating frantically forwards to help them keep their balance. Their pace reduced so significantly, they sink further. Soon, they are encased up to the top of their leg joints in thick, clinging soil. I don''t know how to ''wrest control of the beasts'', but I do know how to establish a Bond. I can only hope that one Bond replaces the other. I strongly suspect that if Beast-tamer is only capable of Binding Tier ones, or perhaps the odd Tier two, her powers will not be strong enough to resist my own which is capable of holding a Tier three. Ultimately I have to try. I''m savagely pleased by the disappointment in Beast-tamer''s spikes at the fact that I''m not having to fend off the raptorcats at the same time as trying to Bond with them. By this point, the claylike soil has wound its way further up each of their bodies and is now starting to impede their wings from moving too. After all, I don''t want them to be hurt by this. Watch my back, I ask my Bound. They agree willingly, all of them either outraged, disturbed, or a mixture of the two. Meeting the eyes of the raptorcat to the furthest right I invoke Dominate. I fall into the grey space as usual. However the differences are immediately obvious. The pressure against me is almost nil from the raptorcat itself. However there is a different kind of pressure. One which I recognise from the battles I had with my own Pathwalkers. It''s odd to think that species have a certain type of mental pressure, but they do. With the samurans there is a certain kind of sense of superiority, particularly among the Evolved. It''s a different sense of superiority than that I felt from Pride, for example, or the kiinas. One which perhaps stems from their sense of self or from their position in the community. Either way it''s very clear that the pressure I feel is not from the raptorcat but from the samuran who holds it bound. The Bond itself is actually visible, like chains that wrap around the raptorcat''s limbs, throat, wings, and head. They glow with a faintly ghostly light and are not entirely opaque. I push forwards, each step propelling me further towards the raptorcat. The pressure against me is stronger than my most recent battles with samurans, but it is far from the strongest. In fact, I would tentatively say that it is one of the weakest pressures I have felt from an Evolved samuran. I wonder how much of that is the Pathwalker herself and how much is because she''s working through a medium. I also idly wonder why this is the first time someone has challenged me. I hadn''t known that this was possible, but it surprises me that no one decided to challenge me for one of my Bound at the Festival. I dismiss the thought a moment later ¨C it''s irrelevant for now. Reaching the raptorcat doesn''t take very long, but when I''m within arms length of it, I wonder what exactly I''m supposed to do here. The only thing I can think of is to treat the chains like literal chains. I reach out and pull at the bindings. The raptorcat, who has been remarkably quiet with its emotions up until now, radiates both misery and hope. Unfortunately, it''s difficult to grasp the chains at all. My fingers slip right through them as if they do not exist. Then I remember. We are in some sort of soul space, so it''s logical that perhaps I can affect something which exists only in the soul when I am here. But maybe I have to treat it slightly differently from just reaching out for it. Remembering what I do when I am in my Challenge space, extending my soul outwards and increasing my willpower, I stop reaching out with my hands and instead reach out with my mind. Or perhaps mind is not the correct word to use. Perhaps it is indeed my soul. It''s hard, like using a muscle in a different way for the first time. But my practice in my Challenge space serves me well. This time, the chain reacts. I grip it with my will, and I pull. The chain is brittle. Not only is Beast-tamer not as strong as I am, but I sense that the raptorcat is working with me to destroy its bindings. It''s not long before I have burst through the chain around its neck and then even less time than that before the raptorcat is standing before me with no chains at all. With the release of the chains its emotions are released too. Her emotions. She is relieved, thankful, and ashamed. I send her a wordless feeling of comfort and of promise that she will rejoin her pack. The experience has not left her unscathed. Aside from the emotional damage, there are wounds on her representation here, something I suspect is her soul or a projection of it. Cuts and bruises where the chains have dug in, broken feathers on her wings. However, none of the injuries cripple her in any sort of way, not when the chains were so loose around her, perhaps because of the newness of the Bond. I think that that is the best we can hope for, and I hope that she will recover in time. I sense that I can establish a Bond here and now, but I don''t. Instead, I step backwards and let myself fall out of the Dominate space. The raptorcat has stopped fighting to free herself in the real world. I carefully pull the earth back from her and release her. She steps slowly out of the hole I have made for her and pads towards her matriarch. They reunite, the joy I can feel from the matriarch side of the Alliance Bond probably no less than the joy the evolved raptorcat displayed earlier. I''m grateful for the fact that in my upgrade to Master in Dominate, I was relieved of the paralysis penalty when failing a Battle of Wills ¨C when I do so willingly, that is. It allows me to immediately get started on getting the second raptorcat out of her entrapment. Within a relatively short space of time, the three raptorcats are once more with the matriarch. I look at the samurans of the other village who wisely didn¡¯t try anything while I was occupied even if their tension just seems to have increased. Beast-tamer looks a little put out but not nearly as much as I was expecting considering that I have just essentially stolen three of her Bound from her. Once more, I''m hit by an uneasy feeling. And as if in answer, alarm suddenly rings out from most of the Warriors who stayed behind in my home village. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Fourteen: Cornered Rat We¡¯re far enough away from our village that the emotions are blurred and there¡¯s no chance of me being able to actually communicate verbally with any of my Bound there. But something has clearly gone wrong ¨C and dramatically so. I can only determine one reason for that: that they have been attacked. Suddenly, I¡¯m seized by suspicion. The timing of this¡­and the odd behaviour of the Pathwalkers here. I glare at the Pathwalkers, meeting Earth-former¡¯s eyes. ¡°What is happening back at my village?¡± I demand. If I¡¯m wrong, I¡¯ll look a little foolish. But if I¡¯m right¡­. The samuran puts on a good front ¨C outrage flickers through her spikes even as she draws herself up to her full height. ¡°How should I know?¡± she questions angrily, then visibly tries to clear her emotions away from her spikes. ¡°We thank you for your service. Will you come and discuss with us what might constitute an appropriate apology gift?¡± I see through her attempt to change the topic. Despite her best efforts to hide her feelings, there¡¯s that hint of mustard yellow at the base of her spikes. She has good control of her emotional expression, but she¡¯s not perfect. Arguably, she could just be uneasy due to fearing that I will let the matriarch take out her anger on the village, but that seems unlikely. Her packmates restored to her, the matriarch is already turning to leave the area, appearing to pay not the slightest bit of attention to the samurans. In reality, I can feel that she¡¯s controlling the air around her ¨C no attack will get even close without her being aware of it. Either way, she¡¯s not being in the least aggressive. Which means that the unease comes from somewhere else. I stalk forwards, staring Earth-former in the eyes. ¡°What. Is. Happening. To. My village?¡± I demand once more when I am looming over the Pathwalker, less than a hand¡¯s width away. ¡°I¡­I¡­.¡± The Pathwalker stutters, her eyes wide, her spikes bright yellow in terror. She obviously feels completely cornered. And like a cornered rat, she bites back. I feel the earth move beneath my feet, the Pathwalker trying to drop me into it just as I did to the raptorcats. I reach into the earth myself, contesting her grip on it. She¡¯s a strong Earth-Former, but she¡¯s not an Earth-Shaper, and the differences have never been so obvious. The earth moves under her mental grip like it¡¯s putty in her hands, but by pouring in magic and thickening it, her putty becomes thick clay, and then immovable stone. My feet remain on top of the ground, and not within it as she would have liked. For a moment, she stares up at me, even more terrified than before. And then all hell breaks loose. Behind you! Catch shouts at me and I duck, a beast much like a reptilian squirrel flies through the space where my head had previously occupied. I jump back as another creature scurries forwards and swipes at my legs. More eyes appear in the forest and I hear the cracking of branches as bigger beasts move in. At the same time, I see the Warriors leap in, their weapons bared, aiming straight for me. I quickly retreat, dodging rocks and blades that fly at me. I¡¯m a key target here ¨C I need to return to the ranks of my Bound. My companions don¡¯t need my guidance to attack, though Catch and Poison hesitate to attack the Pathwalkers directly. That¡¯s fine ¨C they¡¯re more needed in the fight against the Warriors. We also need our full numbers ¨C twelve Warriors is too much to take on all at once if we¡¯re not actually aiming to kill, and who knows if the Unevolved in the village will come to help too. Everyone come here, we need you! We¡¯re fighting! I call to the Pathwalkers and Warriors who I left behind in the village. We¡¯re coming back as quickly as we can, answers River grimly. Coming back? I ask as I hurriedly deflect a wooden stake currently being controlled by Ghost, feverishly working to reinforce the soil into stone before Earth-former can challenge my control and upset the footing for all of us. Where did you go? Two Warriors said they had something to show us in the forest. Our four Warriors came with us to protect us, she answers quickly. I curse at the realisation ¨C this was planned. Hades, Persephone, shield me, I snap at them. Heavy bodies and wide, powerful wings instantly move to shield my body from the hail of telekinetic attacks from Ghost. I double down on my efforts. All my magic is focused into the earth beneath us, coating the impromptu arena with resilient stone. I¡¯m not only protecting myself now ¨C I¡¯m protecting all of my Bound who need reliable ground beneath their feet to fight. Slowly, I feel Earth-former yield, sensing her tiring. As the battle eases, I find I have a moment of breathing space. Immediately, I dive into Sirocco¡¯s viewpoint to see the battle. A sharp, mental sting makes me realise that she too is fighting ¨C a creature has snuck up on her where she was perched in the tree and wrapped around her. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Feeling like my blood is boiling at the attack, I pour my magic into her. She cries out in pain at the sensation, but fire explodes from her body, her Fire Wing extending far further than it ever has before. The serpent-like creature hisses and rears back, its nasty mandibles clicking along with its insect-like front legs. I see it battle with itself as it is driven forwards by the commands of its Binder, even as it seeks to retreat from the painful fire. It¡¯s enough leeway for Sirocco to leap off the branch and escape its clutches. She soars over the battlefield and I see what a mess it has become. Lathani is the biggest presence, using her Shadow Hop to excellent effect as she leaps out of samurans¡¯ shadows to rip at their bodies. Hades and Persephone are positioned defensively near me, as are Catch and Poison. Our main tanks, Fenrir and Komodo, are our first line of defence, their armoured bodies proving to be resistant to the Warriors¡¯ weapons. As for the matriarch, she has disappeared with her three packmates ¨C no help from that quarter, apparently. I don¡¯t have time to be disappointed ¨C the situation is too desperate. We are definitely outnumbered. I count seventeen Warriors here now ¨C it must be all of their contingent except for the ones with my own samurans who will hopefully be here soon. In addition, there are the four Pathwalkers. Though Healer is clearly a non-combatant, crouched next to one of the the three Warriors already down, Earth-former, Ghost, and Beast-tamer are doing their best to make up for that. Beast-tamer is off to the side, her frustration visible. I can¡¯t quite get a count on the number of beasts she¡¯s throwing at me and my Bound, but I can see that, apart from two exceptions, they¡¯re mostly creatures weaker in combat than my own companions ¨C fortunately. And she¡¯s clearly having to force them to fight, the effort clear in her drawn expression. The two exceptions ¨C beasts similar to the two Bares-claws brought with him to my village ¨C seem more willing to fight but I¡¯m not worried. The two Evolved kiinas and two Warriors are very happy to take out their anger at this attack on anything that comes close enough to snap. I don¡¯t fear for my own safety. Earth-former is also off to the side having evidently given up the contest for my created stone platform. Now, she¡¯s trying to pull soil in from beyond it to snare my Bound¡¯s legs. Meanwhile, Ghost seems to have disappeared. I send out an Inspect to find her and she flickers into view, her attention fixed on Lathani, clearly about to throw something at the nunda¡¯s head. Lathani! Shadow Hop now! I shout mentally and she immediately obeys. The blade glinting with some sort of poison slams into a Warrior instead. He hisses in pain and then collapses. I think quickly. It¡¯s clearly time to take the kid-gloves off ¨C if they¡¯re trying so hard to kill us, we need to do the same for them. Lathani, go for Ghost. Take her out. I send her a feeling of where the samuran is since the nunda can¡¯t see her and smelling her is too inexact. Lathani agrees, diving into the closest shadow and emerging from another near Ghost¡¯s. The samuran tries to dive away, but Lathani uses her own shadow to grip the Pathwalker¡¯s, limiting her movement. Then, like a cat playing with a mouse, she starts to have a little fun. I¡¯d tell her off for playing but I have my own concerns. My small honour-guard and I rush towards the battle, a stampede of bulk and magic as I direct my companions forward to help Fenrir and Komodo. They have big health pools and their venomous teeth ¨C and in Fenrir¡¯s case, tail ¨C are harrying the Warriors. But although they have already downed two more and another two are looking rather ill, my Bound are looking worse for wear too. That opens me up to attack from Beast-tamer¡¯s own beasts. Pulling my mace and shield out of my Inventory, I fix my eyes on Beast-tamer herself, using my weapon to clear my way through to her. I know from experience that the Tamer is more important to subdue than her beasts ¨C I highly doubt that they will continue to fight if she¡¯s dead. Not that many of them are able to fight well with the broken ribs and broken legs I leave them with. Her eyes filled with fear, Beast-tamer backs away, but a sudden scream and burst of fire from behind her makes her jump forwards instinctively. My mace clouts her in her side, sending her tumbling in a broken mess to the ground. Despite clearly broken ribs, she wriggles away from me as I stalk towards her, her eyes wide in terror. ¡°I yield! I yield!¡± she yells as I prepare to bring my mace down on her head. I hesitate for a moment, then twist quickly to intercept one of the exceptions ¨C a lithe killing machine. Its teeth attempt to tear out my throat. I roar, set both hands on either side of the beast¡¯s neck, and send a vicious pulse of flesh-magic into it, piercing its spinal cord at the base of its skull. It goes limp, not dead, but not long for the living world as its lungs and internal organs stop working. I glare at Beast-tamer as she claws her way backwards. She fetches up against the base of one of the huts and there she¡¯s trapped, her limbs gone unresponsive with pain and fear. I storm towards her, my anger at her duplicity adding to the fury I¡¯d previously been feeling. Just as I¡¯m about to crush her skull, a body flings itself before my feet, almost tripping me. I raise my mace to kill whatever creature decided to attack me, only to stop when I see that it¡¯s Earth-former, lying on her back, her arms outstretched in a desperate plea for me to stop. We yield! We yield! she cries, perhaps unconsciously copying her sister¡¯s plea. I snarl ¨C I¡¯ve already heard that once. Please! You¡¯ve already killed one of us! Please don¡¯t kill the rest! she continues. We surrender! Do what you like with us and our village! Just¡­let us live! Wary of this being another trick, I don¡¯t lower my mace, but send quick glances around the battle. Everyone is frozen, some in mid-strike. I might imagine that one of the Pathwalkers has revealed a previously unknown talent for freezing time, except for the fact that I can see everyone breathing, their heads turned towards me and Earth-former, their spikes flickering with mixed emotions. Even my own Bound have paused and I see why Earth-former had said that one of them had died. She wasn¡¯t talking about the Warriors, but one of the Pathwalkers ¨C Ghost¡¯s head is currently rolling on the disturbed earth. Lathani looks remarkably smug, I notice. Glancing back at Beast-tamer, I see something in her eyes and spikes that wasn¡¯t there the first time around ¨C resignation. This time, I can believe the surrender is real. ¡°If you want to live, put all your weapons down and sit on the ground. Slowly,¡± I growl angrily at the infuriating pack of samurans. Tempted as I am to just dash off now to go to the rescue of my village, I decide that perhaps getting more information would be a better option. ¡°If a single of them looks like they¡¯re about to attack, take them down immediately,¡± I instruct my Bound, purposefully making it so that everyone can understand me. The Warriors and remaining Pathwalkers are just following my instructions when I see movement through the trees. I tense and my people with me, only to relax a moment later. Running towards us are the rest of my group, trailed by three of the local Warriors and clearly prepared for battle. They slow as they get close, eyeing the scene. Are we too late? asks Yells, sounding disappointed of all things. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Fifteen: The Clean-up ¡°You¡¯ve missed the fighting, but you¡¯re just in time for the clean-up,¡± I direct at Yells, but my gaze is fixed warningly on the Pathwalkers and Warriors who have frozen temporarily at the arrival of others. I suspect that at least some of them are wondering if they can use the distraction to make a run for it. Honestly, if I was in their position, that¡¯s what I¡¯d be thinking. ¡°Keep moving slowly and putting your weapons down,¡± I instruct them, making sure that they realise I haven¡¯t in the least forgotten about what they should be doing. ¡°You too,¡± I instruct, my eyes flicking to the three local Warriors trailing behind my Pathwalkers. They look like they were debating between attacking and retreating, but my instruction and the hard looks my Pathwalkers give them are enough to send them shuffling forwards. A gust of wind slams into their backs and makes them double their speed to avoid being knocked down. As they get to the edge of their comrades, that same gust intensifies around their hands, ripping their weapons away, and then yanking them to the ground to join their fellow villagers. With Windy¡¯s intervention, I see the last of hope leave my prisoners¡¯ hearts, their spikes flickering with defeat and their shoulders slumping. If they couldn¡¯t beat my party as it was before, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to beat my party and an Enlightened samuran. Meanwhile, I quickly catch the Pathwalkers up to speed and share my suspicions. I feel fear and even the hints of panic begin among my samurans ¨C the village is their family, and their duty is to protect it. Knowing that something is happening without them being there to prevent it is hard on them. The problem is that we don¡¯t know what. But I know how to find out. ¡°Earth-former, look at me,¡± I tell her. She keeps her eyes trained on the ground, fear rushing through her spikes. Does she know what¡¯s going to come? It doesn¡¯t matter; that she¡¯s refusing my command just proves that this is even more necessary. I crouch down suddenly, trusting my Bound to watch my back, grab her muzzle with both hands and force her to look up at me. As soon as our eyes meet, I trigger Dominate, the command no longer needing to be vocalised since its rank up to Master. I¡¯ve been wondering whether I could remove the requirement to make eye contact too, but I haven¡¯t had much success in my few experiments. I don¡¯t waste much time striding through the grey space. The pressure I feel against me is almost laughable, not even as much as I felt when trying to free the raptorcats. Then again, I suppose that this is a different situation. Earth-former has been defeated, her will half-broken already. I hesitate for a moment and pause at arm¡¯s length away from the representation of the samuran. Should I speak to her now? If not, this will be the first time since Spike that I haven¡¯t communicated in some way before Binding a creature. But what does extensive conversation do except waste time? I¡¯m going to Bind her ¨C I need the information. And ultimately, they attacked me. And given that Beast-tamer asked about whether it was true that I had Bound samurans, they clearly know at least vaguely what I¡¯m capable of. Though how they know that is another question since they weren¡¯t at the Festival. The point is that the members of this village decided to attack me for no apparent reason but groundless fear after they lured us here under false pretences. There have to be consequences for that. And if it turns out that whatever is happening to my village right now is also their fault, then those consequences will only get worse: I can¡¯t have a village so close to mine which is willing to act against us like that. Asking for Earth-former¡¯s ¡®permission¡¯ to do Bind her isn¡¯t being reasonable or kind; it¡¯s being indecisive. It¡¯s not wanting to make the hard decisions myself. So I don¡¯t ask her permission. But I do speak to her briefly. ¡°You brought this upon yourself,¡± I say sternly. ¡°Cooperate, give me the information I want, and perhaps you will be released ¨C after a period of penance, of course. Depending on what you tell me of your crimes against me and my village, of course.¡± I feel the dismay emanating from her, overlying the terror which has been there since I entered the space. Reaching forwards, I touch the space between her eyes. The Bond snaps into place, though this definitely feels slightly different from the other Bonds I¡¯ve made. Was I wrong in not seeking her understanding and acceptance? Well, if I was, I will have to live with the consequences. For now, there are more important things to consider. Standing up from my crouched position, I see that little has changed around me. Not that I was expecting it to ¨C the Battle of Wills didn¡¯t take very long. ¡°Stand up,¡± I order my newest Bound with a hard note in my voice. She obeys slowly even without me needing to use the Bond. Her head is hanging low and she appears unwilling to make eye contact with any others from her village. ¡°Why did you just attack us? Tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.¡± If it works in a court of law, it should work here. Especially when I can use the Bond to back up my command. We had to, she answers mournfully. And we hoped that in your reduced numbers we would be able to stop you.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Why did you have to?¡± I demand, crossing my arms. You took far less time than you should have. You arrived here in half the time it should have taken you, and then on your first outing into the forest, you both found the Great beast and somehow managed to have discourse with it. And then, somehow, you discovered of the trouble back at your village. If we let you go now, it would all have been lost. ¡°What would have been lost?¡± It¡¯s hard to keep my patience but I hold onto it through a sheer force of will. This will take far longer than it should if I allow my temper free rein. The plan. ¡°Explain the plan. What was it? Who made it? Who was involved?¡± Here Earth-former hesitates, fighting against the Bond which urges her to answer. I narrow my eyes and press a little more of my Willpower against her, forcing her to talk. Hisses of protest rise from several of the samurans sitting on the ground, but reprimanding grunts ringing out from my own Pathwalkers put a stop to audible forms of protest quickly enough. It was another village of our tribe, she says finally, her tone exhausted and completely defeated. Maybe she¡¯s realised that she lost all ability to make a choice when she chose to fight us and lost. ¡°Which one?¡± Of the twelfth lower mountain. I nod slowly. That figures. I had wondered if we hadn¡¯t seen the last of them. Backed by two Pathwalkers from the lead village of our tribe. That makes my eyebrows rise slightly. Sympathetic Pathwalkers acting of their own accord, or an attempt of the lead village to damage an up-and-coming village of another tribe? Such tactics aren¡¯t exactly unknown to me ¨C the corporate world can be cutthroat at times. ¡°Continue explaining about the plan,¡± I command. We were to be the distraction, one way or another, Earth-former tells me. We needed to lure you down here for a valid reason. Given your performance in the Hunt that our tribe-members described to us, we decided that a Great beast might be the best option to attract your attention. So that was how they¡¯d known information which had been revealed at the Festival despite not being there themselves ¨C these other samurans had told them. Beast-tamer suggested kidnapping the pack members of a Great beast whose protective nature is well known. This worked as intended. ¡°And the members of your own village who died? Were those as intended? Or was that a lie too?¡± I ask, cold fury settling into my stomach. I feel a hint of remorse coming across the Bond from Earth-former¡¯s side. Necessary sacrifices to make sure that you were fully convinced. By this point, it¡¯s easy to see who was aware of the plan and who wasn¡¯t; the admission that the Pathwalkers are ultimately at fault for the deaths which apparently were real has several Warriors staring at their lead Pathwalker with horror. Not all of them are surprised, though, and all of the Pathwalkers were clearly aware. The Unevolved, however, who have started gathering discreetly among the trees around us and between the huts, set up a susurration of discontentment. They clearly don¡¯t like the idea that they¡¯ve been fed to a meat-grinder as part of some big plot by those who are supposed to lead and protect them. I don¡¯t blame them, though I wonder about why exactly it always comes down to the sacrificial play among the Evolved samurans. First the shaman of my village sacrificing the hatchlings and planning to sacrifice the Unevolved; now this one who considers the inevitable deaths of luring an angry Tier three into their area of the forest to be ¡®necessary sacrifices¡¯. Is there an actual cultural reason, or is it just that they consider the non-Evolved to be so replaceable that they don¡¯t care? I have a nasty feeling it¡¯s more likely to be the latter than the former. You were never supposed to know! Earth-former says frantically, clearly aware of the disapproval being directed her way. None of you were supposed to know! That¡¯s why we did our best to convince you, even sending you two of our own to prove our desperation for your help. You were supposed to come, deal with the Great beast, and then leave, none the wiser. But you were too fast, too suspicious. You forced our hand! ¡°Sucks to be you,¡± I growl. ¡°And now we¡¯re back onto the topic, why exactly did you need to lure me down here in the first place? And why did the length of time I stay here matter?¡± I don¡¯t know, she answers. Narrowing my eyes at her, I touch the Bond between us, then huff in annoyance. She¡¯s telling the truth. She doesn¡¯t know. But¡­ ¡°You have suspicions, though, don¡¯t you?¡± Earth-former hesitates, once more trying to resist the Bond which urges her to speak. This time, though, I don¡¯t have to apply any additional pressure before she gives in. Pathwalker Flying-blade was angry, she confesses. Very angry. She said that you had cheated in the Hunt and that the rest of the leaders supported you because they wanted the red tribe to fail. I think that a simple attack to sow destruction but cause little permanent damage would be too tame for her. She wants you to hurt and she wants to destroy the threat of your village for a long time to come, without attracting the wrath of the other villages by killing too many Pathwalkers. She had some sort of object with her. I don¡¯t know what it was, but she wouldn¡¯t let it out of her sight. I¡­she hesitates again. I think that her plan centres around that object. I consider the information, but not for very long. It¡¯s clearer than ever that my village is under threat and that we need to get back there as soon as we can to stop whatever dastardly plan Flying-blade intends to perpetrate in revenge for losing the Hunt fair and square. Please, she pleads with me, interrupting my thoughts. We had to do this. Flying-blade refused to hear any argument. She¡­she threatened that if we didn¡¯t go along with her¡­she¡¯d show us what she was going to do to your village firsthand. I want to say so much to that but I force my tongue to stillness. Perhaps the glare I send at the Pathwalker says enough ¨C Earth-former takes one look and then shuts her jaws with a snap, averting her gaze from mine. I sigh. We¡¯re on the clock here but we can¡¯t leave a mess of vipers behind us like this or we¡¯ll pay for it later. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Sixteen: Solution The solution to the nest of vipers is unfortunately obvious, though I¡¯m not entirely comfortable with it. Nonetheless, I champ at the bit to get going ¨C our people need us! Perhaps I can multitask here. After all, the quicker we can get back home, the more likely it is that we¡¯ll be able to impact whatever it is Flying-blade is doing. ¡°Windy, Hades, Persephone, Earth-former stay with me and make sure not a single one of these samurans sets a foot out of line.¡± I look at Earth-former with a hard look in my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s in your best interest to make sure that they don¡¯t because any sign of resistance and we¡¯ll kill them.¡± I¡¯m not cruel enough to make her do the distasteful task herself, but I¡¯m being completely honest here and she feels it. I hear, Pathwalker Tamer. My village will be calm and obedient, I promise you that, she replies with a shudder. "See that they are," I tell her, turning to Sirocco. "I need you to fly ahead as quickly as possible. Borrow Ptera''s Lighten ability to make yourself go faster. Be careful not to be seen by anyone who may be in our village. I will need your report as soon as I come within range." The bird quickly takes to the air, a fierce agreement flowing down the Bond between us. Next, I turn to the rest of my Bound. "I need you to fetch materials that we could use to make this." I send them a package of images of what I''m imagining will be possible to make. It''s a pity that we didn''t bring Joy with us as she could have quite easily finished the job for us without my input, but unfortunately that''s not the case. Still, we can at least get the materials collection started, which will speed up the process when I''ve finished doling out judgement to these samurans who set themselves against me and mine. My party members quickly stride off, none of them having the remotest desire to linger longer than necessary. They have just as much motivation to return to the village as quickly as possible as I do. Just as I am turning to the samurans we have captured, I hear the sound of something approaching very quickly from behind me. I turned to see a gratifying sight meet my eyes. "Bastet, Storm, Ninja! You''re back." They are just as happy to see me as I am to see them, coming to greet me enthusiastically, though Bastet immediately expresses remorse that she was not with me for the recent battle. I sent her wordless forgiveness, not that I think it¡¯s needed as it wasn''t her fault that she wasn''t present. "You''ll be able to help keep these samurans in line while I work on making sure that they won''t do us any further harm." With the raptorcats joining us, I feel less concerned about some of the samurans potentially taking advantage of my divided attention to try to escape or to kill me. "Right," I say, turning to the samurans on the ground with my arms crossed. "Some of you probably know what I am capable of," I venture levelly. "The last time a village of samurans crossed me, I took over. I''m going to do the same to you. From this point on, thanks to your leaders¡¯ decision to plot against me, your village no longer exists as a separate entity. I''m going to Bind each Evolved, and absorb the Unevolved under the wing of my village." The reactions to my words range between the horrified and the relieved. I suspect that some were expecting me to kill at least a portion of the village while others were hoping that they would get away practically scot-free. It''s going to be a difficult transition, I think. Especially since everyone will know that these samurans are part of the reason for whatever is happening in my village. But I don''t want to kill them, and I equally don''t want to leave them as a threat so close to my people. "You can''t do that," shouts one of the Warriors who looks the most horrified. "We-we are a different Tribe, a different village. We''ve always lived here. You can''t just...absorb us." "Well, there is an alternative," I inform him casually. He looks vaguely hopeful for a moment, though others around him, I think, suspect what my ''other option'' is going to be. "The Unevolved don¡¯t have to join if there¡¯s another village they¡¯d rather go to for shelter ¨C I doubt they had any part in the decision-making so I¡¯m not going to punish them directly for it. But for you who did have choices, I¡¯m not letting you remain a threat. Either you take my Bond or you can join your friends.¡± I look pointedly at the three Warriors lying dead on the ground to make it clear what I mean. The objecting Warrior pales and looks down. However, it seems like there are a few actually seriously considering that option. And ultimately, I find myself unable to feel too much sympathy for them if they do. They are the ones who made the choice to come into conflict with me and my village, so if they wish to die as a consequence of their choice, that''s up to them. "I will accept your Bond," says a quiet voice from the side. I look over to see Healer speaking. "I don''t want to die. I didn''t agree with it to begin with, but I will accept the consequences of not putting up enough of a fight." "I''m glad to see that someone has sense," I say with grim satisfaction. Moving over to her, it''s not long before I''ve added someone else to my Bond network. Healer''s choice sparks a number of others offering themselves up to be the next to take the Bond. Some then try to fight back when we are in the Battle of Wills space, as if they are hoping that by defeating me here, they will hurt me in the real world. Their resistance doesn''t even approach what is necessary to overcome my Willpower, however, and it ends with them Bound to me nonetheless.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Once I have finished Binding those who volunteer for it, I move onto those who do not. Each time, I give them a choice: submit to my Bond or die. The one who puts up the most fight is, predictably, Beast-tamer. Her own willpower is nothing to sniff at. It''s not surprising, as out of all the samurans here, she probably has the most occasion to use it. And as I have experienced myself, use is quickly followed by growth. It''s quite interesting to experience a Battle of Wills with another Tamer. Not only is it a question of her own Willpower, but I sense that it''s also affected by her Bonds. In this case, she is disadvantaged. I feel that the unwilling Bonds she holds actually sap some of her Willpower from her. I have few truly unwilling Bonds now, in fact only the most recent ones can be classed that way, and even among them not all of them unconsciously put up a constant fight. Beast-tamer clearly has quite a different approach to Taming. It gets to the point where I sense her making the choice between maintaining the Bonds and handicapping herself, and releasing the Bonds to free up the Willpower involved. Perhaps in the sense of mutually assured destruction, she abruptly releases all of the Bonds at once. This frees a significant chunk of her willpower to then attack me. I fight through it and force the Bond on her not long after, but when we emerge from the Battle of Wills, I realise that it''s had another consequence. Namely, that there are suddenly a whole group of beasts running free and desperate to escape from the place that has been their prison for who knows how long. Fortunately by this point, I have thirteen Warriors, and all three of the local Pathwalkers Bound to me. Doing damage control is therefore quite simple, though I call Beast-tamer back, when it appears that her presence is an active negative. Either the beasts turn to attack her, or they become even more frenzied in their attempts to escape. Once the beasts have been dealt with, Healer proves herself helpful, quickly going to those injured to mend their wounds. She prioritises the Warriors, but I¡¯m pleased when she also moves to heal the Unevolved caught in the crossfire without being asked. By the time I Bind the last of the living Warriors to me, even my much higher Willpower is starting to feel the strain. I still sense that I could add another ten or so if necessary, but I doubt much more than that. Without knowing what''s going on in my village, I don''t know whether that will be sufficient. At least my companions have been making good progress with collecting the materials I asked them to. Once I''ve finished bringing the rest of the local samurans under control ¨C only one chose death over a Bond, in the end ¨C I send them off to corral their Unevolved and prepare them to make the journey up to my village. I deputise three of my Warriors to stay behind as party leaders since I can¡¯t afford the time to travel with a whole village of slow-moving samurans. I¡¯m tempted to leave Poison behind but decide against it in the end ¨C I know he¡¯s very sensible and practical, but since I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening back in my village, I want to take everyone I can with me. While they¡¯re getting organised, I take a piece of spider silk out of my Inventory and start feeding my magic into it. Using Flesh-magic to extend the piece of silk, I create a cord which will hopefully hold my contraption together. I also pull out the lengths of camo-spider silk fabric which I created months ago when we flew with Raven to kill the fellapodil. Fortunately, the mana infusion which made the mana fabric able to change colours seems to have become part of the fabric ¨C storing it in my Inventory doesn¡¯t suck the mana out of it. With the materials all collected, it doesn''t take me too long to complete my task. I really wish that I had both Sticks and Joy here, but if wishes were fishes, there''d be no such thing as hunger. It''s not pretty, but I hope that the hot air balloon will be sufficient for the task. After all, past experience has shown that flying in the air is far faster than running on the ground. A hot air balloon is not exactly the best device for quick motion, but we have one big advantage: Windy. If the wind works in our favour, then we will be able to go far faster than we would normally. I would prefer to make some sort of zeppelin, for aerodynamic properties, but I simply don''t have enough fabric. Making more cloth from spider silk will take too much time for me to consider it for more than a few moments. I¡¯ll just have to manage with what I have. The balloon part of my contraption is rather small; I hope that it will be big enough ¨C and that its lift will be enough to carry as many with us as I want. I consider who the priorities are to take with me if the balloon can¡¯t carry everyone. My Pathwalkers are obviously essential, and in terms of weight they are not too heavy. I intend to take Healer with me too as having another being capable of healing may be a great boon. I also definitely want to take Poison and the other two Warriors who aren¡¯t staying behind to organise the village here as they will be instrumental in helping to defend the village if it comes to a fight. The juvenile kiinas are obvious choices to leave behind. Although their combat potential is significant, it''s not enough to make up for their relatively large weight. Hades and Persephone too. Upon being told that, River goes over to Persephone and starts making much of her ¨C and warning Beast-tamer that if there¡¯s even a single scratch on the kiina when they meet again, she¡¯ll take it out of the other Pathwalker¡¯s hide. Bastet and the raptorcats are shoo-ins for coming with us. Not only are they good fighters, but they are remarkably light for their size. Lathani is one I struggle with deciding one way or the other. She''s big and heavy, but at the same time if I leave her behind and she''s hurt, I''ll have hell to pay from her mother. I decide to see how the weight allowance is going before making a decision. Fenrir may unfortunately be one of those left behind. He''s just so big and heavy. I¡¯d rather have him with me if I can, though ¨C he¡¯s an essential part of my party. If so, I¡¯ll need to wrap something around his tail so he doesn¡¯t accidentally poison us during the journey. Komodo is probably a bit too large and heavy to take with us, though. Eventually, I finish constructing both the balloon, and the basket that will dangle beneath. It would have been much easier with Sticks around, but I''ve managed to use bone to create the majority of the basic structure and link in the branches which my Bound brought to me. The advantage of using bone is that I''m able to hollow it as much as possible to reduce the weight of the basket itself ¨C I couldn¡¯t have done that with wood. Hopefully Windy will be able to get us there in good time with her Tier three abilities. My own Wind-Shaping is still at a very low level, but I will offer what aid I can as well, though I suspect that I will be limited to heating and controlling the air within the balloon itself. To that end, I ask Windy to direct air into the balloon, filling it quickly. Once it''s full, I start raising the temperature of the air with an application of my fire-magic. I decided it wasn''t necessary to have a fire when I could just heat it up myself. The balloon rises in the air, and I have to quickly tie the basket down with a spare rope to avoid it being lifted into the air prematurely. "Right everyone, first test. Get into the basket one by one starting with the Pathwalkers from my village, then Healer, and then we can see who else is able to fit." Putting action to my words, I step into the basket myself to prove that it''s safe. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Seventeen: Destruction We sail through the air, an airship blown on the wind. Tension tightens in my belly both from what I fear might be happening back home and from my struggle to keep the rickety structure around us together ¨C the only thing stopping us from plunging to the forest floor tens of metres below our feet. Magic, more than physics, is holding it together. Thankfully, nothing has seen us as a juicy target to attack as I doubt it would take much to overwhelm our pitiful defences. The basket is overcrowded, our surprising ability to carry more than expected meaning that I¡¯ve brought almost everyone with me who I took down to the village in the first place, bar the kiinas, Komodo, and three of the Warriors. Nonetheless it¡¯s been a quiet, subdued journey, everyone as anxious as I am to see what¡¯s become of our friends. I¡¯ve had to get involved a few times to calm the discussion when it got too heated or fearful, but since there¡¯s little I can say to reassure them or deal with the root symptoms of their anxiety, the conversation lapsed into silence each time. The village isn¡¯t quite in sight. I know where it is ¨C the wasteland where the vine-stranglers used to have their demesne is rather obvious from the air, even now that it¡¯s covered in green instead of grey. The developed areas for my village¡¯s farming are just as easy to see by how different they are from the rest of the wasteland. The only reason I can¡¯t see the village itself is because at our angle it¡¯s concealed by the canopy. A dot soars towards me; my Bond tells me exactly who it is. What did you see? I send to Sirocco, figuring that since we''re in visual range, we should be able to communicate too. Instead of responding verbally, she sends me a series of images. My fist clenches involuntarily and my teeth grit together as I see what¡¯s been done to my village. It¡¯s a battleground even if there are no living beings immediately in view. It looks more like the ground after the battle of the Somme than the village I remember it being, massive gouges made in the earth and hills where once it was smooth. The huts have been destroyed, not a single one left intact. Roots spike through the remnants I see, as if they were torn apart from below. Worse than the destruction to the huts are the bodies I see lying scattered around them. My gorge rises and my blood boils as I see people, villagers I recognise just lying abandoned there among the bodies of even more that I don¡¯t. Dead. The basket beneath my feet shudders and we start drifting downwards as I lose focus. I force myself to push away the revulsion I feel and refocus on keeping us in the air. Using Meditation to give myself a cooler head, I review the images Sirocco sent me again, this time trying to avoid getting caught up in the deaths of the samurans. Ones I recognise, ones I¡¯ve fought for ¨C I pull back again. Come on, Markus. The more we can work out now, the more time we can save later. And maybe that means we¡¯ll be able to help more of those who are still¡­alive. To try to keep my cool, I start narrating what I see in a monotone, hoping that my companions might be able to help me think through what we might be walking into. Dusty and River both exclaim at the news, distress pouring through the Bonds I have with them. Yells is silent but I feel the same from her side of the Bond. Windy also doesn¡¯t say anything but I feel the wind propelling us strengthen even further as our speed increases. The rest of my Bound are more removed, but even they are horrified about what¡¯s happened to those they¡¯ve come to know and work with, the same as I. I sense panic beginning to claw at them. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± I tell them, my tone unintentionally harsh. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I repeat, doing my best to soften my voice. ¡°The only way we can help is to save as many as we can. So please. Help me work out what we¡¯re facing here,¡± I practically plead. I need them. Emotionally and probably in the fight too. If they lose themselves to fear and panic, it will be all the harder for me to resist my own negative spiral. Determination comes through the Bond even as River tilts her chin up slightly in apology. Please continue, Markus, she said apologetically. Speak on and we will help where we can. I nod in thanks and continue my grim recital. Are the bodies mostly Unevolved or Evolved? Yells breaks in, her spikes flickering with upset. It¡¯s a good question. I review the images. ¡°Of those I recognise, they¡¯re mostly Unevolved with a few¡­hatchlings.¡± I swallow thickly. ¡°I see a few Warriors I recognise scattered around the central area, but the greatest number are mostly towards the top end of the village. They¡¯re surrounded with others new to me.¡± My brief flame of satisfaction at my people selling their lives dearly is quickly extinguished as I see another body wearing armour. I swallow dryly. ¡°And there¡¯s one¡­one Pathwalker.¡± Who? rips out of several throats, the grunts harsh. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to tell, but I think it¡¯s Flicks ¨C Fire-whisperer,¡± I say, feeling sick. Ancestor¡¯s have mercy, Dusty murmurs miserably. She only just Evolved a few cycles ago, adds River, horror flickering through her spikes. I nod, swallowing again. ¡°She fought hard, three Warriors and at least five Unevolved of our village lie dead next to her. They¡¯re surrounded by at least that number of dead Warriors who all bear the signs of flame and weapon attacks, a testament to our people¡¯s willingness to fight to the death,¡± I tell my companions with grim pride for my people. ¡°Warriors who aren¡¯t wearing armour and who I don¡¯t recognise. And they¡¯re not only there ¨C wherever there is a concentration of our people¡¯s bodies there are bodies of strange Warriors lying around them.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. It truly was an attack, then, breathes Windy, the first words she¡¯s spoken in a while. And it¡¯s your fault! she accuses me wildly, her eyes lighting with rage as the wind around us starts becoming unpredictable. You picked a fight with Flying-blade ¨C Shaman knew to be careful of her and never went as far as you did. And now she¡¯s come to punish us all for your actions! ¡°Control yourself!¡± I order her sharply. ¡°Or do you want to be responsible for the deaths of all of us?¡± She clicks her teeth and then gapes her jaws in threat but does as I bade her without arguing. Perhaps even she sees the point in getting us to the ground safely. It¡¯s only when our flight has steadied that I respond, my voice forcibly calm even as my insides churn with emotions. ¡°Flying-blade is the one who started things at the Hunt. You had no complaints about my strategy there!¡± You should have known that she wouldn¡¯t have left it at that! argues Windy. She was humiliated, but not defeated. You should have known she would pursue it further! And now she¡¯s attacked our village and killed our sister! I feel the words like daggers to the heart. I find it hard to argue with her. I saw how humiliated Flying-blade was, and should have guessed that she wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with her defeat. That¡¯s unfair, Wind-whisperer! River exclaims, her eyes flashing with heat. Who could have predicted that she would have chosen to attack our village? It¡¯s shameful the way she has chosen to act! It¡¯s only shameful if she fails, Yells interrupts, her quiet voice somehow drawing everyone¡¯s attention. If she succeeds, her actions are validated. But succeeds with what? What is her aim? Dusty frets. Is she aiming for destruction or is this a full takeover bid? Her people have already killed one of our honoured Pathwalkers, Catch contributes angrily. Those are the actions of destruction, nothing else. Yet only one Pathwalker has fallen, Poison reminds him. Where are the others? And where were our brothers? Why were there only three Warriors defending Fire-whisperer? ¡°I recognise eleven Warriors lying among the fallen,¡± I offer heavily, continuing to review Sirocco¡¯s images even as the argument took place. ¡°As for Warriors I don¡¯t recognise¡­there are at least twenty-seven,¡± I say with grim satisfaction. ¡°There¡¯s another big group dead near the mountainside gate ¨C laying alongside the biggest group of our Warriors. The others are clumped together around other fighters ¨C mostly Unevolved samurans.¡± Unevolved took down Warriors? demands Poison sharply. Incredulity spikes through the Bond between us. I shrug. ¡°So it appears. I¡¯m only telling you what I can see. You¡¯ll see it for yourself soon enough.¡± Disbelief comes from several of the samurans around me including the quiet addition of Healer from the other village who apparently doesn¡¯t realise that her emotions are no longer private; that keeping quiet is no longer a way of hiding. We land shortly afterwards, the rickety balloon collapsing into pieces as soon as I release my mental hold over it. I hope we won¡¯t need it for a quick getaway. I doubt it, though ¨C Sirocco has been monitoring the area and hasn¡¯t seen any sign of movement nearby. River, Healer, and I go out to inspect the bodies, looking for anyone who might still be alive. I feel my jaw tensing as I see the devastation up close. The village which I left not that long ago is now practically unrecognisable. So many of those I¡¯ve come to know, if only by sight, are lying around me, the stench of death thick in the air. Even the gentle breeze stroking the battlefield isn¡¯t enough to rid it of the nauseating odor of blood and body parts exposed which should be kept hidden. Samurans are no different from any other creature in death. Insects have come and are buzzing around the fallen, though no scavengers appear to have appeared yet. Though I don¡¯t know why they have been reluctant to approach, I¡¯m grateful. Not only do I not wish to see my people¡¯s bodies desecrated, but it gives me a better view of the battlefield. The damage is worst in the central area of the village, though it seems that almost every hut has been targeted by one attack or another. The most intact still has its roof caved in. As I saw from the air, the bodies are thickest towards the mountainside gate, which is where most of my Warriors fell. Even after walking around the whole village, I have found only the one Pathwalker body. Not that I wished to find more Pathwalker bodies, but where are the rest? Happy¡¯s forge is deserted, though I can still feel a hint of residual heat in it. Hunter¡¯s work area is destroyed, her tools scattered everywhere, two of her Unevolved assistants lying dead not far from it. My frown deepens. What does it mean? Markus! Come over here! River shouts urgently, disrupting my thoughts. I run over to where she¡¯s crouched next to the body of an Unevolved ¨C one of the lucky ones with hide armour. She¡¯s tipping a vial into his mouth. A healing potion, I guess, since her actions make it very clear that he¡¯s still alive. Dropping to my knees next to him, I stare into his eyes and quickly drop us into a Battle of Wills. Practically running across the space between my starting point and the flickering representation of the Unevolved, I slam the Bond into place then immediately start pouring in healing magic. He¡¯s hurt badly, multiple stab wounds perforating his torso. The only reason why he¡¯s still alive is because, though they managed to pierce his gut through the hide armour, they somehow avoided hitting any arteries or any other major organs and the stab wound was cushioned slightly by his layer of protection. He shows some hint of healing ¨C perhaps he¡¯d had a healing potion which managed to partially close his worst wounds. But he¡¯s still been lying here for hours with his digestive juices and contamination leaking into the rest of his body and giving him a slow, excruciatingly painful, lingering death. Not on my watch. I close up the holes in his gut and then draw the contamination out of the wounds in his skin. Healer arrives shortly after and pours her own magic into the samuran¡¯s body. I feel her jerk in surprise next to me when I grab her magic and co-opt it, directing it into my tasks ¨C it was too undirected for my preference, going to heal the non-lethal cuts in his skin as much as the far more serious wounds to his internal flesh. Only once I¡¯ve dealt with the gut wound fully and have made some inroads on some of the other deeper stab wounds do I pull out and let Healer work alone. The samuran by this point is awake and looking at me wonderingly. I vaguely recognise him from seeing him walk around ¨C I probably checked out his body and Energy channels at some point, but without making an effort to retrieve the memory, I can¡¯t recall it. You saved me! he says somewhat deliriously. I might have healed the wounds, but he¡¯s still lost a lot of blood and will need time to recover. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Ask anything and I will give it, he promises, sounding almost high. He probably is ¨C on the chemicals his body¡¯s generating due to his sudden relief from recent lethal injury. ¡°What can you tell me about the recent attack?¡± I ask him briskly, at the same time instructing River and Healer to continue searching the bodies around us for any more survivors. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Eighteen: No Warning There was no warning, the Unevolved samuran tells me. Stung-by-a-bug, if our Bond is anything to go by. Fortunately it clarified for me ¨C I would have called him Throws-a-bone. Our patrols were silent, our guards gave no warning. The earth shuddered beneath our feet, a wave of water following and knocking those of us still standing off our feet. The wave started freezing the water remaining on us, the cold sinking into our limbs and making us feel sleepy and wooden. And then they were there, already pouring through the gates. I saw our guards laid on the ground, still. Their armour did not protect them from objects sticking out of their eyes. Seven foreign Pathwalkers and many times that number in Warriors invading our village. In disarray, we fought back fiercely, besieged by blades of water and of ice, by objects that flew from unexpected directions and the earth that moved beneath our feet. We defended the huts and those within. Our Warriors were easily the match of the enemy Warriors, their armour protecting them from so many blows that the invaders were not expecting to be turned. The four of our Honoured Pathwalkers present fought fiercely too. Honoured Weaver turned the roots at their feet against them, Honoured Fire-whisperer blew great gouts of flame towards any who dared to approach her hut, Honoured Enchanter threw things at them which exploded on contact, and Honoured Smith wielded a large, red-hot metal hammer with the power of any Warrior. With every swing, its head sizzled flesh and crushed bone. But then they turned our shelters against us. One of the invading Pathwalkers had control over plants ¨C as she moved under guard, she destroyed the huts, killing hatchlings and forcing out all those sheltering within. Honoured Weaver did not seem able to combat roots under the ground. Our Honoured Pathwalkers were left without shelter and were quickly surrounded by Warriors. We did our best to break them free of the encirclement but we could only wrest three of them free. I was struck by a blow which ripped my stomach apart, their spear piercing my extra skin layer as if it wasn¡¯t there. One of my companions pushed me off to the side, out of risk of being trampled by the ongoing battle. Perhaps he knew that I had traded for a healing potion from Honoured Herbalist and wished to give me the opportunity to use it. His mental feel is bitter. It was not enough to allow me to join the battle again, though my vantage point was excellent ¨C for a while. I watched as a large group of our Warriors surrounded Honoured Enchanter and Smith and retreated with them. Honoured Fire-whisperer and Weaver, however, were too surrounded by the enemies. As they saw that the other Pathwalkers were pulling out of their grip the enemy Warriors fought even more fiercely than before. I saw as their defenders fell one by one. Honoured Weaver was the first to fall. The Unevolved is full of grief. The focus of three of the enemy Pathwalkers as well as a large number of Warriors, she was overwhelmed. I heard her cry out, and then saw her body being dragged away. Honoured Fire-whisperer was next. Her flames countered by ice and water, they ran out far too soon. But she didn¡¯t give up. Here, his tones shift to clear admiration despite his grief. I feel the knot in my throat swell even bigger. I couldn¡¯t speak now even if I wanted to. Even though it was clear she could no longer fight with magic, she refused to go down without taking more of them with her. Using her bladed staff, she attacked the Warriors with all her might. She fought more fiercely than any of us and took down several Warriors before she fell. He lowers his head, shame coming across the Bond. But it was for naught. Though invasions usually aim to capture Pathwalkers, or leave them alone if seeking only destruction, they killed Honoured Fire-whisperer. Perhaps it was by accident; perhaps they feared her power too much. Her dying scream was the signal for those remaining to retreat after our living Honoured Pathwalkers. The village was lost. I watched as my brothers disappeared towards the mountainside gate. Perhaps they thought I was dead; perhaps they couldn¡¯t spare the time to take me with them. His voice is mournful. I do not know what happened to them after that. As the attention turned towards the mountainside gate, I saw the broodmothers make a break for it, driving their charges ahead of them, vanishing into the forest. I feel a hint of relief at his words ¨C at least some of the hatchlings survived the collapse of the huts. Stung-by-a-bug looks both fearful and full of grief. I don¡¯t know any more than that, only pain and a seemingly endless age of waiting to die. I¡¯m sorry, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer. We failed you. I rest my hand on his shoulder. ¡°Frankly, I think you did far more than anyone expected,¡± I tell him bluntly even as grief about the loss of Flicks and Joy rips at my insides and makes my eyes prickle with tears. ¡°From the sounds of it, everyone here was a hero, who put the safety of the Pathwalkers above their own, and succeeded in delaying the attackers so much that Happy and Hunter got away and so did as many hatchlings as possible. And looking at this battlefield, I see far more Warriors dead than anyone would expect considering how so few Warriors were here to defend all of you.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Probably-Stung-by-a-bug looks up at me with gratitude coming through our link. I thank you, Honoured Pathwalker. I only wish we could have done more. I¡¯m prevented from answering when River and Healer both shout aloud, indicating that they¡¯ve each found someone else still alive. I pat the prone samuran on the shoulder again. ¡°Rest. Recover your strength. And then when we¡¯ve made sure that any still living here stay living, we¡¯ll go and make sure that these invaders realise how stupid they were to mess with us.¡± The expression that he gives me is very much a crocodile grin, sharp teeth gleaming in the daylight. We spend the next hour doing as much triage as possible. Finding survivors spread across the battlefield, samurans holding onto life by the barest thread. But the barest thread is all I need to pull them back from the edge. I¡¯m no necromancer ¨C I can¡¯t bring people back from the dead. But I can heal them from almost-dead. In the meantime, I send out scouts to work out exactly where the Pathwalkers and Warriors went, followed by the invaders. Sirocco, of course, and Ptera who is grumpy at being disturbed during the daytime, but isn¡¯t given much choice about the matter. I also send Catch and Poison ¨C they¡¯re both scout-types and fast when they want to be. Plus, Poison in particular is experienced and knowledgeable ¨C he should be able to identify who the Pathwalkers are exactly and therefore what they¡¯re capable of doing. While searching for those still alive, we carefully move the bodies to the central area ¨C three of the samurans who were still alive were underneath those who were dead. When we move a pile of dead Warriors ¨C invaders ¨C a cry rings out into the air. It¡¯s only when I feel my throat tearing that I realise it came from me. Her fur so bloody that its original colours are almost impossible to determine, Honey lies still. The Warriors around her show that her passing was not made easy for those seeking her death ¨C I always knew she was a fighter, and this proves it ¨C five Warriors fell before she did. It¡¯s with shaking hands that I reach down to pick her up. I¡¯ve been doing my best to hold things together, to be the strong pillar that my companions can cling to as they see their village devastated, their brothers and sisters murdered. Yet this, the death of one of my Companions, someone who trusted me so much that she transitioned to a Companion Bond¡­. It¡¯s too much. Another cry of devastation tears itself from my throat as I clutch at Honey, my tears flowing easily down my cheeks. And then, I feel a heartbeat. At first, I think that it¡¯s my imagination, but then I feel it again. Could it be¡­? I push my healing magic into the body held between my hands, feeling Honey¡¯s body soak it up like a sponge. She¡¯s alive! Knocking back a mana potion, I don¡¯t hesitate to pour what I need to into Honey to heal the wounds that should have killed her. Would have killed her if she hadn¡¯t been such a fighter that she refused to give into death¡¯s clutches until the last drop of blood stopped circulating in her body. And just like her, I won¡¯t give up until she¡¯s whole. It takes my mana pool and then more despite all the advantages ¨C our Bond, my familiarity with her body, the fact that I helped her heal her Energy channels ¨C but when I see her push herself to her feet whole once more, it¡¯s all worth it. ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± I breathe, only daring to say it when she¡¯s standing before me, the light of life in her eyes replacing the glassiness of death. She steps forwards and touches her nose to mine, exchanging breaths with me. I don¡¯t even care that her breath stinks of rotten meat. I won¡¯t die that easily, she tells me, the rare words from her like music to my mental ears. I embrace her, relief tearing into me almost as savagely as my grief had before. And there I stay until I¡¯m summoned to the side of another almost-dead villager. Sirocco comes back as I¡¯m finishing up with the fifth and last samuran ¨C the others have all sadly been identified as dead, their corpses moved to the destroyed central area between the ruins of the huts. I¡¯m pleased by the amount of care everyone has given to all the bodies of our own, including those of the Unevolved. Even Windy, her face and spikes an emotionless mask that only covers the tumultuous emotion within. I sense that she¡¯s on the edge of her control. I hope she can calm down before we go into battle or she¡¯ll be more of a liability than an asset. Everyone is angry, though. I am too, my fury matching my grief. To see the ruins of everything we¡¯ve built, the torn bodies of those we¡¯ve nurtured¡­it¡¯s heartbreaking. Toys, scattered all over and so covered in detritus that they will have to be burned or buried with the bodies. Huts so ripped apart by roots that they will have to be completely rebuilt. Joy¡¯s tapestries, woven with creative inspiration, ripped and dipped in the blood of those they were meant to amaze. We never found her body, but several of the survivors report seeing her limp form taken away by the invaders. There¡¯s actually some hope in that ¨C she may have been captured rather than killed. And worse, the confirmed deaths of seventeen hatchlings, fifty-three Unevolved, twelve Warriors, and one Pathwalker of our village whose corpses lie broken on the floor. It would have been fifty-seven Unevolved and thirteen Warriors if we had taken any longer to get here. They sold their lives dearly ¨C twenty-nine enemy Warriors are dead, their bodies carelessly tossed together into a single pile. I¡¯m determined not to lose any more and sense the same resolve among my people. ¡°What did you find out?¡± I ask Sirocco, standing up from my patient. Instead of answering with words, she sends me a series of images. My mouth sets into a grim line as I review them. ¡°Everyone strong enough to fight, come with me. We need to get moving.¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Nineteen: Inter-Tribal Conflict I¡¯m unsurprised when no one chooses to stay, even my newly healed patients electing to join us. I don¡¯t argue ¨C they might not be fully healed, but I can keep feeding magic into them as we travel as long as they stay close by. Honey, of course, is keen on joining the fight, her usual eagerness enhanced by her close call with death. Curiously enough, since healing her, more jagged honey-coloured lines have appeared in her fur, almost like scars. Or perhaps they¡¯re badges of achievement in her eyes. Certainly her Flurry ability had a good effect on her enemies ¨C attacks with her claws and teeth ripped open their legs and then their throats when they fell to the earth in pain. Still being quite low to the ground, despite Honey¡¯s increase in size during Evolution, the samurans may not have even realised she was there until they were being attacked. The number of different people in our party, some of them not entirely healed, does mean that we¡¯re a little slow-going. I keep my new Bonds with the Unevolved survivors so I can keep feeding them healing magic, but I¡¯ll have to cut those sooner rather than later ¨C unless we kill all of the invaders, I¡¯ll need to Bind them. Since I have limited Dominate capacity, the three survivors who I was forced to Dominate because they weren¡¯t conscious enough to consent to a Tame Bond are currently taking up slots on my soul which I might not be able to afford later. But that assumes that I leave any of the invading force alive, which I¡¯m feeling less and less inclined to do the more destruction I see around me. We don¡¯t even need Sirocco¡¯s guidance to follow the trail of the invaders ¨C they¡¯ve left enough traces of their presence that even a blind man could see them. My people evidently retreated to the den as Sirocco confirms that the trail leads straight to the vine-strangler grove. I¡¯m glad they made that decision ¨C it''s our most defensible area. They couldn¡¯t have known that the invading samurans would be so spitefully destructive to everything enroute. Our enemies, clearly not satisfied with simply killing my people, must have decided to destroy as much of our livelihood as they could. Though they don¡¯t seem to have spent much time on it, I see dead farm animals everywhere, killed while they fled. Holes in their bellies or heads, sometimes still occupied by a spike of rock prove what killed them. The fields of growing plants have been ruined too, what looks like a tidal wave followed by an earthquake having crashed through them. The fences are falling apart, few pieces still fully intact. Even the little huts my people had created close to the farm animals and fields for those in charge of their care have been ripped apart by the same roots that the huts in the village were. Even as my heart aches and my fury mounts at the wanton, malicious destruction that I see before me, another part of me is taking a careful note of the abilities I see being used. Earth-Shaping, Water-Shaping, Plant-Shaping, and Flying-blade¡¯s telekinesis are definites. From the reports of the survivors, Ice-Shaping seems to be in evidence too. Well, they might have been able to quench Flicks¡¯ flames, but I wonder what they¡¯ll think of mine. I moan like a wounded animal when a hulking lump of flesh comes into view. Trinity¡¯s bloodied and ripped body lies to one side of the path. The platform on her back is cracked and damaged and her belly is ripped open, her entrails spread around her. But her bloody and damaged horns, and the dead body at her hooves, tell the tale of just how hard she fought the invaders into the territory she had claimed as her own. I can¡¯t help but hope ¨C Honey had looked almost as bad, but she¡¯d survived. Running forwards, I lay my hands on Trinity¡¯s side, forcing in healing magic. But it¡¯s useless, I know that immediately. My Flesh-Shaping is happy to saturate the flesh, willing to reform and change it regardless of the state of life of the being it belonged to. But a spark is missing. I cannot bring back the dead, and Trinity has been gone for hours. My tears drip from my cheeks as I lower my head, sorrow ripping through me at losing the happy-go-lucky beast who had become beloved of so many of the village. When not transporting Pathwalkers to and from the den, she had become a favourite playmate of the hatchlings, rarely to be seen in the village without at least five of them hanging off her at all times. She hadn¡¯t achieved Evolution ¨C I wonder now whether she might have survived if she had. Her horns show that she fought for her life with the same ferocity I¡¯ve seen in many battles. Regret spools through me, tying its chains around my heart. If only I¡¯d got here sooner¡­if only I hadn¡¯t gone away at all. Despite our hurry, we take a moment to pay our respects to the beast who had embraced her role as conveyance with enthusiasm which never waned, no matter how many times she trod the path between the village and the den. Friend to hatchlings and any who treated her kindly. Our battle-sister. River mirrors my own anguish as she gently touches the bloodied and broken central horn on Trinity¡¯s skull. Rest well with the ancestors, brave one, she says to the downed beast gently. We will avenge you. We continue moving, seeing scavengers already starting to collect at the furthest carcasses, those closest to the forest¡¯s edge. Scavenger birds are circling in the air and have landed in several places, tearing at the bodies. I yearn to chase them all away but I don¡¯t want to spare the time or mana ¨C I have far better uses for both of those precious resources: saving the living and avenging the dead. After all the death I¡¯ve seen so far, encountering Artemis¡¯ bloodied body with her pack ripped apart around her just sends another subdued pang through me, like I¡¯ve been stabbed in a place already numbed to its impact. This time, it¡¯s me who crouches by Artemis¡¯ head, resting my hand on her skull, prepared to say goodbye. How could she be alive with the wounds she¡¯s sustained? Her packmates are clearly already departed from this world, their eyes glassy, their chests completely still. I almost can¡¯t believe it when I feel the faintest flicker of life. My eyes go wide and I stare at her more intently, seeing the almost infinitesimal movement of her chest. Diving straight into her body with my flesh-magic, I grab onto that sense of life, feeling the faintest pulses of her heart as well as the almost-unnoticeable movement of her lungs. While stimulating those further, I open my eyes to practically glare at the healer we brought with us. ¡°Help her!¡± I order firmly. Healer hurries to obey and River brings her own concoctions to help too, her hope joining mine as we fight for Artemis¡¯ life. I know that our enemies are already through the vine-stranglers, crouched around the entrance to my den like the hungry fox waiting for the rabbit to emerge. But I trust in the defences of my den to hold them back for at least a time. Artemis doesn¡¯t have that time and I¡¯m damned if I let the invaders have a single more life than they¡¯ve already forcibly taken. The combination of three of us working on her gets Artemis on her feet more quickly than we managed with anyone else, despite her huge number of critical injuries ¨C right now I¡¯m not sure who has the greatest desire to live between her and Honey. We don¡¯t dare take the time to fully heal her, though, just patching her up enough that she can keep up with us. Her life is worth the time to save, but we can¡¯t afford to spare more of it than absolutely necessary. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She noses at her packmates with a plaintive whine, but she¡¯s smart enough to know that they are beyond saving and quickly moves to join us. While I feel her desire to watch over her packmates¡¯ bodies and keep the scavengers away from them, she is smart enough to know that, alone, she isn¡¯t yet strong enough to defend them and will end up being prey herself if she stays. As we run as fast as we can with the injured in our group, I take the time to look through Sirocco¡¯s eyes to find out what lies ahead of us. The party of seven Pathwalkers and about twenty-five Warriors have cut a path through the vine-stranglers straight to the den. The forest is not at all happy with their actions and has shifted closer to the party, doing its best to strike at them from behind. As I watch through Sirocco¡¯s eyes, the party grows tired of having to watch their backs and evidently decides to destroy the trees before concentrating again on their targets hidden underground. Blades of water spiral out, slicing away spearing roots and cutting their way through to the trunks of the trees themselves. They¡¯re aided by fist-sized rocks that whirl through the air and strike at the trees. At the same time, the earth shifts beneath the trees, trying to knock them over even as ice crackles around the roots themselves. But these are not normal trees ¨C attacks which would have quickly cut back any other forest have limited effect here. The vine-stranglers are clearly not nearly as weak against water as they are against fire and their bark resists the striking water blades. It does less well against rocks, bark flying in all directions at each impact, but most of the trees stabilise themselves quite well against the shifting earth, their roots shifting and replacing themselves. The ice is what causes the most problems here, though ¨C it freezes the ground which roots were about to pull out of and withers vulnerable roots in the air. The trail of toppled trees that mark the path they took through the forest speaks to the inevitability of the trees¡¯ ultimate failure. But every minute that the trees¡¯ attempts gain us is a victory of its own. While they¡¯re focussing on the trees, they¡¯re not digging my people out of their underground burrow with their Earth-Shaping or flooding them out with their Water-Shaping. In my physical body, we¡¯re still a little distance away from the vine-stranglers, far enough that I am still unable to reach out mentally to contact those of my Bound in the den. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m unable to get even more information than Sirocco can already offer me. Catch and Poison slide out of stealth right to me, making several of my companions jump and curse ¨C or growl in Bastet¡¯s case. Lathani doesn¡¯t appear surprised, though ¨C perhaps she¡¯d detected their approach. I¡¯d already known they were there, even their stealth skills not allowing them able to escape my gaze thanks to the Bonds I hold with them. So? I prompt them mentally even as we continue running forwards. I pull back mentally from Sirocco, needing to use my focus for this conversation. It¡¯s Flying-blade for sure, Poison confirms. She¡¯s got four of her own sisters with her ¨C Water-shaper, Earth-shaper, Plant-shaper, and Ice-shaper. As expected. She¡¯s also got two Pathwalkers from another village, he continues, the flickering of dark purple through his spikes an indication of his seriousness. Water-former and Healer ¨C I recognise them as being from the lead village of the red tribe. Healer has Weaver tied up next to her. She¡¯s alive then? I ask him, biting my lip. She is, Poison answers and I sense the relief easing a weight on my Pathwalkers¡¯ shoulders. Mine too. But since she¡¯s not fighting back, I have to guess that she¡¯s either unconscious or that her mana has been inhibited. At least she¡¯s alive, I tell him. Then the rest of what he said registers. This is an official inter-tribal conflict then? I ask him seriously. Thanks to the weeks spent travelling with a group of Evolved samurans, I¡¯ve been able to get a much better picture of how inter-village conflicts tend to work. Their aims, the way they proceed, and their consequences. Starting an inter-Tribe conflict is honestly more serious than I was expecting this to be ¨C I wouldn¡¯t have thought that either Flying-blade or the leader of the red tribe would want to risk the whole of the green tribe attacking them in retribution. But then, perhaps they were counting on there not being anyone who could testify against them ¨C if they killed or captured all the Pathwalkers and Warriors, they would be unable to testify to the presence of Pathwalkers from two villages, one being the lead village of the red Tribe. And, unsurprisingly, none of the Unevolved would be permitted to testify even if they tried. Not necessarily, Windy breaks in, her mental voice as stormy as I sense the magic building around her is. They might argue that Water-former and Healer were here of their own accord ¨C not you, idiot, she snaps at the healer near us as the Pathwalker looks like she¡¯s about to speak. I briefly reflect on the fact that the samuran naming system for Pathwalkers can be a little confusing at times before Healer ¨C the one from the small village ¨C starts speaking with a wounded tone to her mental voice. I didn¡¯t think you were speaking of me. I merely wanted to say that I know Healer ¨C the other one ¨C of old. She is not one to take part in village raids unless instructed. Water-former is another matter, of course. That doesn¡¯t mean Healer wouldn¡¯t do it, or that she wouldn¡¯t say she came of her own accord, I point out cynically. Healer looks a little affronted. We are the People! No self-respecting Pathwalker would lie about such things. Like your people didn¡¯t lie about a Tier three? I question pointedly. Her spikes blush pink. That¡­that was different. We didn¡¯t lie. No, I chuckle humorlessly. Merely played hard and fast with the truth. And why wouldn¡¯t Healer ¨C the one with Flying-blade ¨C do anything differently? Anyway, this is irrelevant ¨C we¡¯re not letting any of them escape. Not considering what they most likely plan to do to my people. After a little more discussion over the known strengths and weaknesses of the identified Pathwalkers, I tune back into Sirocco¡¯s eyesight, the bird circling the clearing in the centre of the vine-stranglers. Ptera is circling around with her, present in case I need air support. The Pathwalkers and Warriors have beaten back the vine-stranglers sufficiently that they no longer have to worry about attacks from behind. They now surround the entrance to the den, clearly having a conversation. Some of the Warriors look rather worse for wear, sporting burns, cuts, and in two cases significant injuries which Healer is looking at. They look rather disgruntled and not too keen to once more brave the tunnel depths. I feel satisfaction at the thought that they might have got caught by some of the traps I left behind. My paranoia seems to be paying off right now. There¡¯s no sign of my own people which I approve of ¨C why leave a defensible area for no reason? I am a little surprised not to see any damage to the tunnel itself considering that one of the Pathwalkers is an Earth-Shaper. I would have thought that that was a perfect strategy ¨C if the tunnel is trapped, make another one. But perhaps that¡¯s what they¡¯re going to try next. In my physical body, we¡¯re quickly approaching the edge of the vine-strangler grove, the reduced distance between me and my Bound currently in the den allowing us to communicate in more than the most obvious of emotions. We¡¯re back, I tell them, projecting my words to everyone in the den. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty: Fires Of My Wrath I¡¯m hit by a tsunami of responses and a tumult of emotions. Relief. Anger. Sorrow. Black fury. Hope. Most of the anger is directed at the invaders, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m imagining the hints of recrimination that I wasn¡¯t here when they needed me. Or perhaps I¡¯m projecting. It takes a while to catch up with the others ¨C telling them a quick summary of our trip down to the village which turned out to be a distraction drawing the most combat-capable away from the village, and hearing about the attack from their perspective. Flying-blade definitely timed the attack well ¨C most of the Pathwalkers were meditating in the den at the time of the attack, as were a good third of our Warriors. I can only think that Flying-blade was intending on sweeping through the village with little resistance, killing or capturing the samurans there and then perhaps ambushing the others when they returned. The accounts shared by my people indicate that she wasn¡¯t expecting as much resistance from the Unevolved as the invaders encountered. Whether she knew of the den or not, I don¡¯t know. She shouldn¡¯t have, but her attack seems to be disturbingly well-timed ¨C observation or inside information? I hate to consider that latter, but when even Kalanthia is apparently missing, what can I think? It¡¯s not unusual for Kalanthia to go on a hunt, but that it¡¯s happening now? Suspicious. Raven also hasn¡¯t shown himself despite the attack on my den ¨C much good our Alliance has proven to be in this case! Though, with all these ¡®coincidences¡¯ I can¡¯t help but fear for the worst. But if Flying-blade was capable of taking out two Tier threes, then we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. The village would already be lost. That this clearly isn¡¯t the case indicates that Flying-blade might not have a hand in Kalanthia and Raven¡¯s absences. Not directly, anyway. It doesn¡¯t stop me worrying. They¡¯re here for a total village takeover, Hunter tells me grimly. Flying-blade told us when she had the four of us trapped ¨C myself, Smith¡­Weaver and Fire-whisperer. Markus¡­she¡¯s¡­they¡¯re¡­. I know, I respond grimly. I saw Flicks¡¯ body. Grief sparks over the Bonds between me and several of the samurans at the thought. She might not have been a Pathwalker long, but she¡¯d been a villager all her life. But Joy is alive, I think. She¡¯s tied up near Healer. From what survivors said in the village, Flicks wouldn¡¯t give up until the last. I think they killed her because they couldn¡¯t stop her any other way. She was always determined, Happy tells me, the feelings pouring over the Bond from her direction the opposite of my nickname for her. She refused to give up. Ever. Nor did so many others, I remind them gently. Flicks might be the most impactful of the deaths, but she certainly wasn¡¯t the only one. We saw how hard the Warriors and Unevolved both resisted the invaders. They did, Hunter agrees soberly. They defended us to the last, never begrudging us their lives as long as we got away. And we did, only to be stuck in this little hole like click-grunt-flash-of-yellow in their burrows. But we know that it¡¯s better to force them to us than to go to them. Her tone is frustrated. You won¡¯t be stuck for long, I vow to them. We¡¯re coming for them ¨C Flying-blade has underestimated us for the last time. Flying-blade thinks that she can run a total takeover in my village? Thinks that she can completely destroy my village by capturing my Pathwalkers, killing my Warriors, and scattering any Unevolved or hatchlings that they don¡¯t kill outright? She thinks that she can remove the threat that my village poses to her own by striking first? She¡¯s going to learn that she¡¯s made a big mistake. Anticipation coils with rage as we cross the final metres and enter the vine-stranglers properly. Already, the forest is picking itself up again, fallen trees being pulled into the earth by roots that break up the still half-frozen ground, their positions replaced by new shoots that practically grow before my eyes. It meets me with a sense of indignation as we come into range. ¡®They attacked me!¡¯ it exclaims as soon as I reach out to make contact. ¡®I know,¡¯ I assure it, sharing my own sense of pure rage. ¡®And we¡¯re going to attack them. Make sure you don¡¯t hurt any of my companions ¡®accidentally¡¯ now,¡¯ I warn it as we choose to walk through the upright trees rather than being obvious on the path which has been blasted apart by the enemy¡¯s attacks. While we travel, I send tendrils of magic through the earth, finally discovering an explanation for why the Earth-Shaper among Flying-blade¡¯s number hasn¡¯t just collapsed the whole thing on my Bound¡¯s heads ¨C even though Kalanthia doesn¡¯t seem to be physically present, she¡¯s left an imprint which a Tier two would find hard to counter, bolstered by the recently-Evolved Earth-Shaper among our number. Though I can feel that her control over the earth is far weaker than the invading Earth-Shaper ¨C Earth is one of those elements where time really is an important factor ¨C her familiarity with the area and Kalanthia¡¯s imprint allow her to protect our people from the most obvious attacks of the invaders. The roots which are probably trying to do the same to the cavern below as they did to the huts in the village are also being stymied by countermeasures from Flower. But Jumpy ¨C since her original name was Jumps-over-a-branch ¨C is young and so her use of mana is less than efficient; she¡¯s tiring quickly. Can you hold on for a few more minutes? I check with Jumpy. Yes, she answers shortly, her mental voice strained. I gave her a mana regeneration potion, Tarra informs me. Good idea, I praise her. I¡¯ll need your help. Have you got your darts ready? Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Ready and waiting, she confirms grimly. I smile humourlessly. The enemy now coming into view, my party spreads apart, everyone slowing down and engaging whatever stealth ¨C or Stealth ¨C abilities we have so our movement doesn¡¯t attract any attention. While River, Yells, Healer, Catch, and Poison stay with me, the others spread out sideways ¨C we don¡¯t want to let a single enemy escape. They might think that they have my Bound trapped, but I¡¯ll show them that the reverse is true. After all, the risk of a takeover goes both ways. The target village can be wiped out and subsumed into the invading force, and usually is. But equally, if the invading force bites off more than they can chew, they can themselves be conquered. Especially when the village they¡¯ve attacked has a Tamer who can Bind even samurans. We are as stealthy as we can be, creeping up on the band of enemies now fully in view. The trees are actually helping us ¨C multiple times I notice the earth shifting in front of my feet, allowing me to step on bare earth rather than a twig or leaf. We¡¯re also fortunate that the samurans seem to be entirely focussed on the den in front of them, and why not? They know that the village they invaded first has been swept clean of defenders, and that any samurans coming in from the forest would be more likely to run and hide rather than pursue the attackers. And they think that I¡¯m long gone, a day¡¯s journey away, hunting for or fighting a Tier three that their allies had lured in close. Those who do look back are watching in case the trees try to attack them from behind again rather than for pursuers. Alright everyone, I say once we¡¯re close enough. On three. One. Two. Three. A crushing wave of water bulldozes into the samurans from one side just as a tempest of wind strikes them from the other. As they¡¯re sent reeling and off balance, I strike myself. Using the tempest of wind from Windy as fuel for my power, I create an inferno of flame. I have to fight briefly for control ¨C the wind came from Windy, the fire from me, and her magic is stronger than mine is. But, a moment of wordless communication later, she gives in to me, quickly whipping up another tempest to terrorise the invaders with. Unimpeded, I direct the immense fireball that the inferno has become into the biggest group of Warriors. I hear their screams and smell the odor of cooking meat as my fire burns through their scales and sears the flesh below. Disgust and satisfaction war for dominance within my belly as I feed ever more magic into the fireball, its centre lightening to a pale yellow as its temperature rises. Tendrils strike out, lighting two of the Pathwalkers on fire too, their decorative necklaces and chest-strings becoming paths for my flames to follow. And then a cry rings out through my mind. Tamer! You¡¯re burning me! Joy. A wave of guilt crashes through me ¨C for a moment I had forgotten that she was present. I¡¯ve got her, Markus, Catch cries, but I sense his pain as my flames lick at his scales. I also become aware of my people underground ¨C they¡¯re feeling weaker and weaker as every moment passes. And I know why ¨C the flames must be drawing oxygen from them too. The fires of my wrath die, the actual flames vanishing too. Destroying my enemies isn¡¯t worth hurting my allies. I need to take another approach. Putting the fear of the life-devourer into the invaders is one thing, but I actually want to end this fight. Fortunately, I have more than one element to play with. Reaching out, I link with Yells. Wordlessly communicating my idea to her, I feel her agreement. Before the singed or outright burnt Warriors can react to the disappearance of the fires which had been consuming them, I pour magic into the earth beneath their feet. Opening up rifts beneath each of the samurans, I drop them into pits just deep enough to trap them up to their necks. I don¡¯t aim to kill them, but I don¡¯t bother taking the time to be really careful with them. Injury is almost definite, deaths of at least a few are probably likely. My Inspect tells me that at least seven of them are already dead, so I leave those as bodies on the ground, not wasting the mana to entomb them. Once the group of fifteen Warriors who were hit by my initial strike are neutralised, I take a moment to see what else has happened on the battlefield. The invaders, taken off-guard, burnt and battered by water and wind have still reacted with almost-admirable speed. The Warriors who I didn¡¯t attack are battling fiercely with my Bound. The samurans who survived the fight in the village, Bastet, Lathani, the other raptorcats, Fenrir, Artemis, Poison, and the third Warrior I brought back with me, they¡¯re stopping the Warriors from attacking the Pathwalkers who are themselves locked in battle with the enemy Pathwalkers. I feel Dusty struggle: the other Water-Shaper is older and more practised in their shared element than she is. Still, she has the edge because she summoned the water in the first place. That advantage is lost a moment later when Water-former joins in on the attack. When Ice-shaper also gangs up on my lone Pathwalker, she becomes hopelessly outmatched. Yells, help her, I order brusquely seeing that Dusty needs the help more than I do. The Pathwalker wordlessly agrees, and I sense her using the Bond network to offer that help even before she physically starts moving towards Dusty. At the same time, I grit my teeth and push through the resistance in the earth caused by the enemy Earth-Shaper to reach the ground beneath the fighting Pathwalkers. It¡¯s far enough away from where I¡¯m standing and there¡¯s enough resistance that I can¡¯t just drop the lot of them into the earth, but I can at least intervene in some way. Seizing the moment, I soften the ground beneath the enemy Water-Shaper¡¯s feet, making her sink in to her ankles. She was moving at the time, so she falls forwards, unable to catch herself. Based on her angle of falling, I force my way through the enemy Earth-Shaper¡¯s magic to extend a spike from the earth with a determined cry. My calculations are perfect. The Pathwalker doesn¡¯t even see the spike before it¡¯s piercing through the roof of her mouth. She jerks several times and then goes still. I bend over and lean on my knees, temporarily mentally spent, even if I still have mana available. When I¡¯ve caught my breath, I push myself back upright. With one of the enemy Pathwalkers down, most likely already dead, and Yells on her team, Dusty is holding her own now. I¡¯m confident that she¡¯ll be fine, at least until the others join the fight. I tiredly look at the other battles that are going on. Although the invaders don¡¯t have any Wind-Shaper to counter Windy, they¡¯re doing their best to counter her in otherways. Plants are rapidly sprouting from the ground to act as a windbreak and their Earth-Shaper has given up on her attempts of actively attacking the den in order to raise walls to deflect the howling gale which threatens to throw them all off balance. It¡¯s a good strategy, though when Windy just changes the angle of attack, her gale becoming more like a tornado which swirls around the windbreak and deflecting walls, it¡¯s proven rather inadequate. No lightning, remember, I warn Windy as I see some ominous flashing at the top of the tornado. She sends me a wordless, and disgruntled acknowledgement and the flashing dies away. Not that I care about flash-frying the invaders but Windy still hasn¡¯t gained pin-point accuracy with her strikes. With so many of our own people around, I don¡¯t want to risk her accidentally hitting one of us. Seeing that the Pathwalkers are at least managing to hold their own even if victory definitely isn¡¯t assured, I continue to focus my attention on the Warriors, finishing the job of dropping them into the earth where they¡¯ll be out of trouble. And if someone accidentally steps on them while they¡¯re trapped, I won¡¯t be too upset. Without Yells¡¯ enhancement, I¡¯m a little slower, but not enough to change things by much. As the numbers of enemy Warriors dwindle, my Bound are able to do more than just prevent them from attacking our Pathwalkers. Sharp blades of air shoot out, knocking the remaining Warriors to the ground where it¡¯s easy for me to drop them into a prison. We work together as a seamless team, the battle seeming increasingly in our favour. And then I see Catch go down, a wooden blade through his eye even as similar ones slice at several more of my Bound, though none create wounds anywhere near as serious as his. I shout in fury, tiredness forgotten as I rush forwards to immediately get my hands on him. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-One: Screwed The Pooch He¡¯s alive. A wave of relief goes through me and weakens my knees. The blade has destroyed his eye and damaged his brain, but his nervous system hasn¡¯t yet shut down. Working furiously and not stinting on mana, I gently pull the blade out, my magic using the blueprint of his body to restore his brain and then his eye to the way it was a moment ago. Only then do I look up, realising that my distraction could have meant dire things for the greater battle at hand. Fortunately for me, I have capable companions. Not only have they continued doing what they had been doing before, weathering the storm of blades with grim endurance, but the perpetrator has been dealt with too. Emerging from the den are my other Pathwalkers and Warriors, magic and weapons already engaged as the Warriors charge those of their counterparts who are still fighting. Metal strands have wrapped around Flying-blade¡¯s feet, tripping her and sending her to the ground. Tarra is currently crouched over her with jaws gaping open, her clawed fingers wrapped around a thin blade dripping with one of her potions and Flying-blade¡¯s blood. As for the rest of the battle, almost all of the invaders are now down. I see darts sticking out of Plant-shaper and Earth-shaper¡¯s necks, their eyes half-closed in exhaustion as they lie sprawled on the ground, metal bonds binding them too. Plant bindings have taken Ice-shaper, and Water-former down, but the first is still fighting. A moment later, I sense a current of air propel three darts to strike at her vulnerable neck, Windy and Tarra working together to take down our enemies. It isn¡¯t long before her control over her ice spears becomes weak as the darts stuck in her neck feed her their poison. The other two are already lying limply on the ground. I see the enemy Healer backing away, her clawed hands raised in the air, only to be surprised from behind as River, her jaws gaping, grips her around the neck, her claws piercing the other Pathwalker¡¯s skin. The Pathwalker soon drops to the ground, whatever River chose to coat her claws with this time quickly overcoming the healer¡¯s resistance. As for the Warriors, it seems that free of needing to counter the invading Earth-Shaper¡¯s powers, Jumpy decided to take up my task in my absence, opening rifts below the battling Warriors and dropping them into it. That frees up those who were fighting them to hem the others in even more. Being far less practised at Earth-Shaping than even I am, she¡¯s only managed to do a few in the time it took me to heal Catch, but even that has taken some of the Warriors out of the battle. The others have either been killed, taken down and bound to the ground with bindings of root, branch, or woven fibre, or have actually surrendered. The last small group of three Warriors, seeing that all their brethren have already been defeated, have chosen to stop fighting. Their weapons thrown to the floor, they¡¯ve sunk to their knees, their clawed paws lifted in front of them with open palms facing the sun. Even as I watch, Joy returns out of the forest, the Warrior who had grabbed her at her side. She¡¯s limping a little, but otherwise looks alright. More of my people pour out of my den, and I sense the relief among them all at both escaping from the small space and seeing that the invaders have been dealt with. It isn¡¯t long before the chances of any of these attacking samurans getting away are practically nil, though several of my fighters remain vigilantly on watch for any signs of renewed resistance. We¡¯ve won, though my heart aches at our losses, a fire still burning in my belly. Even the still-smoking group of charred carcasses isn¡¯t enough to make up for them. Fortunately, Catch isn¡¯t one of our dead, though I castigate myself for not making a plan for Flying-blade specifically ¨C I was hoping that she would be caught off-guard from the waves of wind and water, but evidently she was still able to create some mischief with her telekinesis. Our enemies definitely came out worse from this fight, though. I cast my eyes over the battlefield ¨C three Warriors surrendered, seventeen are trapped in one way or another, six Pathwalkers are alive, and I can make out enough of those I killed with my intense fire attack to see that at least seven Warriors and one Pathwalker were caught in the blast. A number of other Warriors lie bleeding on the ground from battles with my own fighters ¨C not dead yet, they might be able to be healed. From her groggy yet apprehensive look, Flying-blade knows that she really screwed the pooch here. ¡°Tarra, what are they all being affected by?¡± I check. Mana inhibition potion ¨C my extra-powerful one. I didn¡¯t want to take any chances, she tells me succinctly. Her extra-powerful one? That must mean the one she managed to infuse a drop of Pure Energy into after blowing up far too many other trials. ¡°Good call,¡± I confirm, though make a note that I need to clear their bloodstreams if I want any of them to be able to use magic within a week. Though given this unprovoked attack, I¡¯m not at all sure I¡¯ll let them have it. Maybe not ever. And it was unprovoked, no matter what Flying-blade might say ¨C she¡¯s the one who challenged me to a Hunt; she¡¯s the one who lost because she didn¡¯t do her homework properly. ¡°River?¡± A paralytic, she tells me, looking down at Healer at her feet with disdain. She can still use her powers, but will be unable to move for a while. I nod in response, sending her a sense of appreciation which she returns. ¡°Alright, is anyone injured?¡± My question is met by silence for a moment as they all let anyone seriously injured speak first. When no one does, the rest of them chime in with reports of minor injuries ¨C cuts and bruises for the most part, though one Warrior does report a sprained arm. Apparently he deflected an attack from another Warrior badly. All the wounds which they might have suffered previous to this battle seem to have been healed already by Tarra and her potions. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I order Healer ¨C from the small red village ¨C to heal our people and then once she¡¯s done, she may heal the invaders who are close to death. Cuts and bruises among my own people take more precedence over even critical injuries among those who attacked them. Still, I¡¯m merciful enough to ask River and the Warrior closest to her to pick up the invading Healer and drop her next to some of her own Warriors. ¡°Heal your people or not, I don¡¯t care,¡± I tell her callously. ¡°I¡¯m not wasting potions or my own mana on them, not considering what they¡¯ve done to us this day.¡± The situation under control, I eye the group of seventeen Warriors and six Pathwalkers who are still in a decent enough condition, even if more than half of them are currently neck-deep in the ground. And there they will stay until I¡¯m convinced that it¡¯s safe enough to let them up. They, at least, are alive ¨C unlike so many of my own People. The thought gives me an almost irresistible urge to just stomp through the battleground and use my Strength to destroy their skulls in retribution for the pain they¡¯ve caused my village. It would be practically a merciful kill, certainly better than th one poor Flicks suffered. But I do resist it. Not only would that be killing them in cold blood and crossing a line that I have set for myself but¡­that would be too easy. For them. Pain, and then to whatever awaits the soul after death. Nothing more. And nothing for us save a momentary sense of satisfaction. No, I want them to pay for what they¡¯ve done with their lives, though not in the traditional sense. They came to destroy our village? They will be responsible for rebuilding it. I¡¯ve only got two months left in this world. I¡¯m determined that by the end of that, these samurans won¡¯t be a threat to my village ¨C one way or another. But first, I need some information. And I know exactly who I¡¯m going to start with. Striding forwards to the Pathwalker lying bound in roots at Tarra¡¯s feet, I roughly grab her lower jaw and send a sharp prod of flesh-magic into her. Not intended to do anything other than give her a painful jolt to bring her to full awareness, it¡¯s easy enough to do. It doesn¡¯t matter that there¡¯s no Bond between us and our status as enemies no doubt causes her to resist me as thoroughly as she can. With anger still burning in my veins at her attack, even though we¡¯ve been able to repulse it with no further casualties on our side, I easily overcome her resistance for such an undirected and blunt attack. ¡°You!¡± she spits with an angry grunt. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be here!¡± ¡°And it¡¯s no thanks to you that I am,¡± I reply grimly. ¡°Though I suspect that your allies are cursing ever cooperating with you.¡± Her eyes widen. ¡°You killed them?!¡± I grin at her, a toothy, humourless grimace which is very much the threat that samurans take it as. ¡°And if I did, it would have been your fault. You chose them to be sacrifices, don¡¯t deny it! A delaying tactic so that you could invade my village with impunity!¡± I throw the words at her like the knives she threw at Catch. Like the spears that pierced through Trinity. ¡°I did not think that you would kill them!¡± she spits in return. ¡°But perhaps I should have ¨C a monster like you!¡± ¡°As opposed to a monster like you?¡± I demand, my fury flaring again at her sheer hypocrisy. I clench my fists at my side so as not to reach out and strangle her. ¡°You invaded my village, killed some, tried to capture others, and yet you dare call me a monster?! I killed even fewer than you did in that village which tried to stop me coming to my village¡¯s aid. A Pathwalker, and no more. Yet you¡¯ve killed close on a hundred of those who called this village and its surrounding area home!¡± ¡°We did not kill that many!¡± Flying-blade spits. ¡°A single Pathwalker and a handful of Warriors. And those only because they refused to surrender!¡± ¡°Unlike you,¡± I tell her savagely, ¡°I consider all those who live in my village to be people, Evolved or not. Samuran or not. Now tell me, exactly why did you come here to kill my people and destroy my village? And if you dare tell me that it was just because you didn¡¯t like it that we won the Hunt, I swear to God that I will end you right here and now!¡± Flying-blade looks at me with both fear and contempt in her eyes. And then she turns her head away, remaining silent. ¡°Tell me!¡± I roar, gripping her jaw again hard enough to tear the skin between a few of her scales. I wrench her jaw around to face me. ¡°Tell me!¡± The fear flares brighter in her eyes and spikes, but she still remains silent. Realising that I¡¯m practically panting, the speed of my breathing far too high for the situation, I take a moment to breathe in slowly, controlling the release just as much as the inhale. My anger cools a little, making me realise just how close I am to losing control; just how easy it would be to create an inferno inside her, blowing her to pieces ¨C and losing her secrets with her life. There¡¯s more than one way to skin a cat ¨C or get information out of a samuran. But my tried and tested method requires me to be far calmer than I am. I therefore take another long moment just to breathe, imagining the heat of my anger emerging with my breath. I wonder if it¡¯s just my imagination that the air wavers a little before my eyes. ¡°Fine, have it your way,¡± I tell her with a shrug when my anger has cooled sufficiently. Flying-blade even dares to look slightly hopeful, fear leaving her eyes to be replaced by more of that contempt from earlier. Clearly, she doesn¡¯t realise what¡¯s coming. ¡°Dominate.¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Two: Dark Device As soon as the grey space forms around us, I start striding forwards. Much like I did with the Pathwalkers in the small village, I push straight through her resistance, batting away the angry blades of will that fly at me just as her physical blades did. Crossing the halfway line between us, I begin feeling her emotions. In particular, the rage which she uses as a shield against my intrusion, and which I pierce with the hotter blade of my own. And when I do, I make a discovery that puts everything else into context ¨C underneath her anger is a cloying flow of fear, an overpowering vortex that sucks in all other sensations. And somehow, I know that this is at the root of her attack on my village: fear. Pure fear. Whether it¡¯s that I¡¯m close enough to her that my connection allows me some sort of access into her thoughts as well as her emotions, or that her emotions are pointed enough for me to sense her thoughts as well, I understand why she brought all the forces she could convince to attack us. She thought that if we were not stopped now, our village would become too powerful to stop in the future. And I smile. Because that¡¯s exactly what I hope will happen. No! Stay away from me! Flying-blade cries as I bat more of her psychic blades away, each step bringing me nearer to her unmoving form.Abomination! You shall not have my soul! she accuses, her voice tinged with desperation. An odd way of putting it, I think, but disregard the thought a moment later. What do I care about her opinion? A wise person once said to never take criticism from someone who wouldn¡¯t be approached to give advice. After what she has done, Flying-blade is definitely not someone I would go to for counsel! So her words are meaningless. I do feel a frisson of hesitation at the reminder that I¡¯m crossing my own line here ¨C again. Binding someone without even trying to convince them to accept it willingly. But once more, I dismiss my reticence. Flying-blade has already made her choices ¨C she led an attack on my people and killed far too many of them. A Bond is the least of what she deserves! Here and now, I have all the consent I need from the bodies of my murdered people. Now close enough to touch, I do just that. Reaching forwards, I feel Flying-blade''s final desperate attempts to resist me, to escape. She can no doubt feel the Binding hovering around her, ready to wind chains around her body, much like I saw of the captured raptorcats. To no avail. I push through the clinging molasses of those final inches and my fingertips connect with the skull between her eyes. The Bond snaps into place and no matter how much I feel Flying-blade fighting it, I can sense how little chance she has of slipping free. Not when my Bonds are capable of holding a Tier three against her will. Perhaps I should feel guilty, or ashamed. I think that I would have when I first came to this world. But I don¡¯t. Instead, I feel only a grim sense of satisfaction that a threat has been converted to an asset, even if forcibly. The world resolving itself into colour again, I push myself to my feet, looking down at my newest Bound. She¡¯s glaring at me, but the contempt I had seen in her eyes is now replaced with horror. She strains against her bindings and I sense her doing her best to grasp her magic. Both attempts fail. That doesn¡¯t stop her from trying again. ¡°Be still!¡± I snap, wanting, needing to have some answers and without patience for this architect of so much death and destruction. Flying-blade is forced to freeze, the Bond holding her tightly. At my nod, Flower relaxes her grip on the roots binding Flying-blade into place. She¡¯s held tightly enough by my Bond that she no longer needs the physical bindings. And that allows Flower to conserve a little of the mana she needs for maintaining the binds around other targets. ¡°Now,¡± I say, focussing on everyone present being able to understand my words. ¡°Why the hell did you attack us?¡± I demand, unable to stop my fiery fury from rising inside me once again. I grip the Bond between us with my mind, commanding honesty and a full explanation. Flying-blade glares again, furious clicks emerging from her mouth as it is allowed to move in accordance with my wish that she speak. But, now I¡¯m paying attention, I can tell that her anger is still a thin veneer over her bone-deep fear below. I refuse to think about that too much, though ¨C anger, I can deal with. Fear¡­fear is far more likely to make me feel pity and I don¡¯t want to feel anything but rage for this particular samuran. And I do not yet hear answers to my questions, so press my will into the Bond, demanding that she answer me. Clearly, even the resetting of her priorities isn¡¯t enough to remove her mental resistance when she is this set against me. You were so ancestors-damned smug! she exclaims, her eyes and spikes flashing furiously. Suddenly, the words practically pour from her. You were insufferably smug when you walked out of the Festival grounds with half your village with you ¨C somehow able to call on them even for the Single Hunt which should have seen you dead or humiliated ¨C and you were even worse when you won it! You cheated, and yet even my own leader agreed that a tamer is allowed to bring her tames with her to any Hunt, Single, Pathwalker, or Warband. But even if no one else agreed that there was something unnatural about your ability to tame our own kind, I knew that there was! And some even had the audacity to whisper that you might be a new kind of Evolution of our own people? Flying-blade grunts in a way that is almost laughter, her spikes practically solid with a dark, yet still vibrant red. And then I found it. She looks at me triumphantly, as daring me to ask what. I decide to bite. ¡°Fine, what did you find?¡± She eyes me and then looks around pointedly at all of the samurans crowding in around us ¨C my own and the invaders. I notice absently that both healers are working on the injured invading Warriors and that several of them appear to be stable. One appears to have died, though. I can¡¯t bring myself to care much. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Do you wish everyone to know your secret? she asks mockingly. I cross my arms and glare at her stonily. ¡°Since I highly doubt that you have truly discovered my ¡®secret¡¯, go ahead.¡± And frankly, if that artifact Earth-former was talking about was a Tamer Class stone that she¡¯d discovered, I¡¯d actually be pleased ¨C it would certainly solve several problems. On your head be it, she tells me with a hint of vengeful triumph. Then do you deny that this is the source of your warping, corrupting power? On the final word, she shifts to a kneeling position and then pulls free an item from her belt. As she holds it up in a white-knuckled fist, the leaf-covering drops away to reveal exactly what she is brandishing so triumphantly before us. For a wild moment, I wonder whether it is indeed a Class stone ¨C the fist-sized rock glimmers in the same way as I remember the one I held did all that time ago. Then the moment passes and I realise it cannot be the same. This one is faceted, for one thing, and a deep black that almost seems to suck in my gaze. It¡¯s held by a woven cradle of fibres which lead up to a handle gripped in Flying-blade¡¯s claws. At the sight of it, several of my Pathwalkers hiss loudly. Tarra even stumbles back a pace from where she¡¯s standing, clearly not wanting to get anywhere near it. Obvious recognition runs through them. ¡°Drop it!¡± I snap at Flying-blade, alarmed by my Pathwalker¡¯s reactions. Is it a bomb or something? But no ¨C if it was, those who seem to recognise it would surely back away instead of just flinching. It¡¯s clear that it¡¯s not good news, though. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch it!¡± I order, focussing on the Bond to make sure that Flying-blade can¡¯t even get within a hand¡¯s width of it, wary that she might activate it in some way. Whatever it is. I thought those were all destroyed! Tarra grunts, lurid-yellow horror playing through her spikes. I didn¡¯t realise they were even real, adds Flower, the same horrified unease obvious in her too. Meanwhile, several of the Pathwalkers in Flying-blade¡¯s group, those who are still sufficiently aware, seem to be the same mix of horror and confusion ¨C evidently Flying-blade hadn¡¯t shown it to them either. Interestingly, the Warriors in both of our groups seem to be as confused as I am. ¡°Would someone care to let me in on whatever this is?¡± I ask, a little impatient at being out of the loop. Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know! spits Flying-blade. I silence her without even needing to look in her direction. And who could blame me if I take a bit of malicious pleasure in the strangled sound that comes from her direction as her attempts to speak die in her throat? An awful artifact of an older time, Tarra explains without taking her eyes off the object, as if it were a snake that might bite. Flower, clearly sensing that Tarra¡¯s explanation hasn¡¯t the least satisfied me, hesitantly expands. It is a tale which only those of us Pathwalkers who survive more than six great cycles in the sisterhood are told. She hesitates, but then sees my hard gaze on her and feels the impatience in the link. But I¡¯m sure that since one of the control stones has survived what we thought was complete destruction, no one will mind me revealing it to others. ¡°Who else knew of this story before today?¡± I ask first. I did, answers simultaneously three of my Pathwalkers ¨C Tarra, Flower, and Windy. I nod slowly. That makes sense if the Pathwalkers have to survive for six years before they are let in on the secret. And why such a long time? Given what I¡¯ve heard so far ¨C Flying-blade¡¯s accusations, ¡®control stone¡¯, I have to guess that it¡¯s capable of controlling samurans. Perhaps the delay is to discover whether the Pathwalker has any tendency for domination before giving them ideas of what their forebearers did. I wonder whether the shaman knew about it. Probably ¨C I think she was older even than Windy, from what I¡¯ve heard. Is that where she got her idea about controlling spirits and using them to defend the village from? It surprises me that Sticks doesn¡¯t know, but perhaps she hasn¡¯t been a Pathwalker for long enough. I think this was her fifth Festival. Either way, my curiosity has been piqued sufficiently to want to know more. And from the looks of those around me, almost everyone wants Flower to continue too. Whether it¡¯s because they¡¯re genuinely interested, because they are eager to know why this attack happened at all, or they want to buy time to recover, no one objects to Flower relating the tale. ¡°Go ahead,¡± I prompt her. With a final look at her sisters, Flower swallows and then continues speaking. Long, long ago there was apparently a samuran who rose to power. Not much is known about her after her first Evolution, but the tales say that she was particularly weak, and the lowest of all her sisters. Some even say that she was treated barely better than an Unevolved because she was forced to fight as one. But she managed to Evolve a second time, taking everyone by surprise. And her power transformed into something previously unseen ¨C the power to control other samurans by touching their souls. She stops, looking at me with a grim air. And if the tales are anything to go by she was by no means as gentle as you are about it. I look away, Flying-blade¡¯s odd accusation of me wanting to ¡®have her soul¡¯ coming back to mind. Is this why? The tales tell that she took complete control in the cycle after she Evolved, and then she led her village through the forest on a rampage. The once-powerless Pathwalker became a bloodthirsty leader, rivalling one of the Great beasts in both her urge to conquer and her ability to do so. Entering another village, her soul-bound creatures would rip through them and convert their strongest to her, soul-binding them in their turn. There are records of it feeling like a¡­taint spreading across their souls, and focussing the attention of her soul-bound on her needs and desires alone. Records also state that many of her followers apparently dropped dead of no obvious cause, their deaths the result of their souls being eaten, never to go back to the ancestors. The way her soul-bound were able to soul-bind others was due to something she created: these control stones, Flower said, pointing at the item which sits on the earth between Flying-blade and me. The product of her evil power and the Cores of Great beasts. An extension of her power which could ensnare any being it came into physical contact with, forcing them to obey whoever held the braid of roots which wrap the soul-binder in a net. A nasty thought suddenly comes to mind. I pin Flying-blade with a fiery glare. She quails back for a moment before catching herself and meeting my eyes with a furious anger that almost matches my own. ¡°Tell me honestly: was this your plan? To use this dark device to enslave those who you did not kill? Was that your ultimate plan?¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Three: Abomination Flying-blade cannot meet my eyes, though I sense how that fact frustrates her immensely. Only those who refused to surrender to me! And as if you have done no less! she accuses me in a wild attempt to justify her own intentions, her head whipping from one side to another. As if you have not done worse! You have bound so many of my sisters to yourself with evil soul bonds! I can feel one wrapped around me right now! She shivers, her deep fear given a moment to briefly emerge before it¡¯s wrapped in fiery anger and suppressed once more. You have found one of the artifacts, admit it! It must be hidden beneath your false scales even now! I don¡¯t answer immediately, taking a moment to breathe through the wave of horror followed by almost incandescent rage that goes through me at the realisation of what might have happened if I had been delayed any longer. Flying-blade has abruptly taken an equal position with the shaman in my ¡®most hated people¡¯ list. It¡¯s hard to know just what punishment to levy on her ¨C death is too quick, and I¡¯m not going to torture her ¨C that would hurt me more than her. Well, no, probably not, but it¡¯s a line I refuse to cross just for her. Yet can I afford to keep her around to work for the village she tried to enslave when this was her plan? I know that my Bonds are not infallible. Still trying to calm myself, I take a look around me to see how others have taken the accusation Flying-blade has thrown at me. I¡¯m not entirely reassured by the expressions on the faces of the samurans around me, the fear in their spikes. Even some of those who have one of my Bonds are emanating a sense of tentative doubt, though thankfully those closest to me don¡¯t seem to be wavering in the slightest. Several are glaring at Flying-blade and River is actually scoffing. Markus? An evil soul-binder? Her mind has already joined the ancestors ¨C great cycles too early. And I can say for certain that he has no hidden artifact on him. I have seen him without his armour often enough to say that for sure. Out of everyone, she should know best, and it seems that enough people realise that to be reassured. Her immediate defence of me warms me in a different way from rage. I decide not to mention the fact that as a Flesh-Shaper, I could probably easily conceal a number of things within my body, indetectable to anything but x-rays or a healer¡¯s magic. It¡¯s irrelevant to the situation and would just serve to muddy the waters. It¡¯s true, I use no artifact to create my Bonds, I confirm, ostensibly speaking to Flying-blade, judging that it¡¯s a decent time to speak and that I¡¯m finally capable of doing so relatively calmly. The Pathwalker looks briefly uncertain, and then anger clouds her expression once more. Then, even worse, you are a new abomination which must be wiped out before you can reach the next Evolution! Sisters, brothers, I cannot act with this evil binding holding me so tightly, but those of you who can, destroy this thing before it seeks to destroy us all! I tense, outrage going through me, but no one moves. The invaders are the first I look at, but apart from a few members who are under the watchful gaze of some of my closest Bound, they¡¯re still either bound with plant roots, or mostly buried underground. And the Pathwalkers are still under the influence of mana inhibitors. So they aren¡¯t likely to be able to do anything. As for my own people, I notice some shifting uneasily, but no one moves to do anything drastic. My Bonds don¡¯t reveal any build up of intention, and among the Unevolved, those who are technically free to act, I see nothing that might indicate an imminent revolution. I suppose this is a testament to my efforts over the last few months ¨C almost everyone has benefited from something in my new set-up. And that appears to have earned me some loyalty. And hearing that Flying-blade intended on using the artifact on anyone who didn¡¯t bow to her probably helps them reject her call to action too. The almost-complete silence which has followed her demand for action seems to have discomforted Flying-blade, if the increasingly desperate turns of her head are anything to go by. My remaining anger ebbs as my satisfaction at Flying-blade¡¯s failure to drum up support among my people replaces it. Sisters! she beseeches, looking particularly at the older Pathwalkers, the ones she¡¯s probably more familiar with. Do our histories not warn of the dangers of such a power? Can you not feel the taint spreading across your souls, consuming you little by little? And can¡¯t you see that this is the fate which awaits all of the People unless we act now? I stay silent, willing to let my Bound consider the matter freely ¨C now that I¡¯m calmer, it would only play into Flying-blade¡¯s claws if I appear to be trying to shut down reasonable discussion. I hadn¡¯t known about this story before now ¨C in fact, I¡¯m a little surprised that no one has raised it until now. I would have thought Windy would be the first to try to accuse me of being a second-coming of this apparent bogeyman. Then again, she¡¯s always erred on the side of downplaying my capabilities ¨C to her detriment. Perhaps drawing similarities between me and this long-dead Enlightened samuran would have been giving me too much credit in her eyes. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a good thing that this whole story has been brought out into the open in such a¡­dramatic way. Then again, I suppose that this way any concerns will be dealt with and then dismissed openly, not becoming gossip whispered about in dark corners without the opportunity of rebuttal. Especially since there¡¯s no basis to Flying-blade¡¯s accusations. At least, I hope not. I mean, like this long-dead samuran, I am capable of binding sapient beings with Bonds which hold their souls. Does that mean there are any other similarities? I push the doubt away. I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯m not somehow¡­tainting, or consuming their souls as a result. If that had been the case, I reckon that Kalanthia wouldn¡¯t have accepted the Bond I have with Lathani even to the extent that she has. And since she¡¯s personally familiar with human tamers and the effects we have on those we Bind, I have to guess that her knowledge about the long-term consequences of such are more accurate than a story passed through oral tradition might be. My Pathwalkers and Warriors exchange glances with each other. No one seems to want to be the first to break the silence. I do not feel any sort of taint, Yells offers doubtfully, turning her head to one side and then the other, looking carefully at each of her clawed hands as if they would show some sort of sign if a taint was present. Of course not, River scoffs. It is a ridiculous notion. To think that Markus is some sort of¡­soul-eater? I can¡¯t believe that any of you are even considering it. I send her a flicker of gratitude down our link. She responds with a fierce appreciation. You¡¯ve done too much good for our village for me to ever see you like that monster of legend, she tells me forcefully and I sense that she¡¯s projecting the words only to me. It happened once before; it could happen again, responds Tarra to River¡¯s defence, though she seems doubtful. The Warriors appear willing to let the Pathwalkers talk it out amongst themselves ¨C old habits die hard and traditionally the Pathwalkers are the ones to decide the village¡¯s ideological directions. A few months of being part of a council is clearly not enough time to break the habits of a lifetime. Well, I for one do not believe it, Happy states, crossing arms and glaring at the Pathwalker lying at my feet. Especially not coming from a red tribe member who brought her army to invade our village and kill our people! The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The story is true as far as we know it, Flower counsels cautiously. Flying-blade is right to be wary. I¡¯m not debating the truth of the story you have retold, Happy argues. I am disagreeing that Markus could be a second coming of its source. Just look at what he¡¯s done for our village; for us! She gestures at all those who have Evolved since I arrived. Tell me that you would have all become Pathwalkers without his Bond? Yells and Dusty look away from her in shame while River and Hunter hold her gaze boldly. Not to mention that the source of this accusation is a Pathwalker who has admitted that she would herself have used the awful device we know is a threat to our very souls ¨C if we refused to surrender, Hunter breaks in, her voice very matter-of-fact. For all we know, she would have used Weaver as a hostage to force us out of our shelter if our leader had been much longer in coming to our aid. We don¡¯t know that, Sticks ventures hesitantly. Of course we do, River scoffs. She admitted that she intended to use it on us herself! Flying-blade doesn¡¯t have a leg to stand on with her so-called attempt to save us all from one who has brought nothing but good to our village as a whole ¨C no matter how many scales he has disordered in doing so. If you think that her stated motivations are truly the reason for her invasion, you are a fool, Grower. Surprisingly, it¡¯s Windy who speaks next, pulling the discussion back to the previous point. I didn¡¯t say that¨C Flower tries to interject but Windy just keeps talking straight over her. Anyone who isn¡¯t an idiot can see that Flying-blade has come for me! Silence falls abruptly and I notice that I¡¯m not the only one looking askance at Windy for that particular suggestion. I¡¯m almost amused by the fact that Flying-blade is among that number, shocked out of her own rage by the simply ridiculous assertion. Obliviously, the samuran in question continues her explanation. The loss in the Hunt and shame which followed it should have been enough to have sent Flying-blade running with her tail flat behind her. Not only did the village she attempted to shame win, but it was due to her own ignorance in agreeing with terms which advantaged her opponent. That she lost to a ¨C she catches my eye and I sense her modulate what she was about to say ¨C honorary member of the People rather than a true member makes the situation even more humiliating. We shouldn¡¯t have seen spike nor tail tip of her for several Festivals yet ¨C long enough for this shameful defeat to be forgotten. But instead, she has attacked us. And why? Because I managed to turn the fight which netted us the winning prize into an Evolution which sets me far above any other member of the People. It is unsurprising that she felt threatened by my ascension and sought to destroy my home base. Perhaps she even hoped that by capturing my sisters, she would be able to force my surrender as well, netting herself an Enlightened samuran as a secondary member of her village. This story of her trying to ¡®save¡¯ us all from the ¡®evil soul-eater¡¯ is clearly just a cover for her real reason! Silence ensues after this passionate declaration. Wow, I can¡¯t help commenting to River. I never realised that someone could be that self-absorbed. I hate to say it, the Pathwalker replies a moment later, but her theory actually wouldn¡¯t be that unbelievable, if not for how much Flying-blade has focussed only on you ever since the battle ended. I focus again on the situation, more thoughtful than I was before. I hadn¡¯t considered how suddenly having a Tier three samuran as part of my village might attract negative attention as well as the positive it¡¯s had so far. I should have ¨C thinking about it, everything I¡¯ve heard about interactions between samuran villages and tribes indicates that no single village is allowed to get too big for its boots. Even the lead villages are kept in check by each other. Though I agree with River that it¡¯s unlikely Flying-blade¡¯s clear passion-fueled attack is to do with Windy, it¡¯s clear that I¡¯ll need to be aware that the next one might be. Deciding that now is a good time to pull this conversation back on track, I cross my arms and look around the group of my Bound samurans. ¡°So, just to be clear, none of you are worried that I¡¯m actually consuming your souls in any sort of way.¡± There are a few more glances, but no one steps forward to contradict me. ¡°And none of you are worried that I¡¯m about to embark on a journey of slaughter, conquering every village I encounter and forcing them to feed their souls to me?¡± That one makes more than a handful of samurans chuckle, and not just my Bound either ¨C even a couple of the Unevolved who I¡¯ve had more contact with seem to find that idea amusing. Of course not, Hunter answers immediately. No one who knows you would consider you being some sort of¡­conquerer. Well, he conquered our village, Yells points out. And the other one we¡¯ve just visited. So in a way he is a kind of conqueror. He only did that because of what Shaman was doing, River responds heatedly. And he only took over the other village because they had taken part in this attempt to invade us. That¡¯s hardly the same as someone sweeping through the forest and killing or converting every village she encountered. Reducer has a point, Tarra acknowledges briskly. I, for one, have not been displeased with Tamer¡¯s guidance. We are very different from the village we used to be, but we need only look at how many more Warriors and Pathwalkers we have to know that the changes have been positive. Even if we do keep tripping over the hatchlings at all times of the day and night, grumbles Windy, though the fact that she doesn¡¯t say anything more indicates her tacit agreement with Tarra¡¯s words. I agree with my sisters, Flower says, her eyes fixed on mine, her spikes flickering with several different colours, though I see the bronze of determination strongly present. You are not the conqueror of legend, even if there are similarities. Your commands do not consume our souls; your orders are of growing things and healing people, not of conquest. We have expanded our understandings of ourselves and the world and are better for it. I feel for my sister who is so deluded, but hope that by spending time in our village she will be brought to understand reality: that what she feared would never have come to pass. And that because of her fear, she hurt her own brothers and sisters, even killing one of her sisters, snaps Happy, not showing any signs of her namesake right now. Her spikes are flush with the red of anger and the black of grief. I¡¯m not surprised ¨C out of all the Pathwalkers, she was the closest with Flicks. It¡¯s unsurprising given that the samuran who Evolved to become Fire-whisperer had started as one of her assistants in the forge. You can¡¯t honestly expect Markus to allow Flying-blade to live, let alone join us in our village. She¡¯s our sister! argues Flower, anger creeping into her spikes too. She killed our sister! Happy fires back. Everyone, stop, I interrupt firmly as the two Pathwalkers seem likely to come to blows. I will decide what to do with Flying-blade later. For now, any fighting amongst ourselves only plays to her advantage. The two Pathwalkers subside at my reminder and all attention returns to the samurans who have invaded our village. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Four: Penalty ¡°So there you have it, Flying-blade,¡± I tell the Pathwalker still glaring up at me from where my Bond is keeping her pinned in place. ¡°None of those who know me far better than you do are remotely concerned about either the Bond or my future intentions towards your People.¡± My words are not only directed at the lead Pathwalker, but at all those she brought with her too. And they seem to be having an effect. I don¡¯t know what she told this group of samurans who came with her, but they clearly seem to be feeling far more uncertain about it all now. I guess that it¡¯s sobering enough to be defeated in battle and realise that their lives are in my hands; it¡¯s even more so to recognise that the attack might have been based on a lie. Or an overreaction at least. Because, despite what Windy says, I can feel the sincerity with which Flying-blade speaks ¨C she genuinely believes that I pose a threat to her people, even if she¡¯s propelled more by rage and humiliation than rationality. You¡¯re an abomination! she spits, apparently not creative enough to think of anything else to say. ¡°I¡¯m a Tamer,¡± I correct. ¡°As I said before. Just because my Taming Skills happen to be different from those samuran beast tamers generally have access to doesn¡¯t change the fact that my own Skills have the same roots. My Bindings touch the soul, yes, but they do not consume it. And only forcible breaking of a Bond does more than leave a light mark which will only take as long to fade as the longing for the person in question.¡± I¡¯m guessing a little bit here, but I¡¯m fairly sure that I¡¯m right, based on what I¡¯ve seen when I¡¯ve released Bonds with my various Bound. Out of them all, River had the most damage when I released her from her Dominate Bond, which makes sense when Kalanthia¡¯s concerns about leaving the Bond on Lathani are taken into account. Flying-blade doesn¡¯t seem to be convinced. In fact, despite everything we¡¯ve said, I¡¯m pretty sure that she is still at least halfway certain that I¡¯m somehow concealing and using one of these artifacts rather than my own Skills. I decide not to push it. I don¡¯t need to. The fact is that as my anger cools, I¡¯m unable to push away that pity I did my best to avoid earlier. In seeking to destroy me, Flying-blade has instead led to her own downfall. Because sure as anything, I¡¯m not going to be letting her go back to her village and plot behind my back. Instead, even if I decide to let her live, she¡¯ll be here, working for the good of my village to pay for the damage she¡¯s done. And one day, whether or not I¡¯m here to see it, she¡¯ll come to realise how stupid she was to let her fear and anger rule her on this day. In fact, arguably, if I truly was the monster that she thought I was, she has just given me even more power ¨C over twenty more Warriors and six more Pathwalkers for my ranks. Fortunately for her, I¡¯m not a soul-stealing demon, planning on sweeping across the valley in a wave of conquest. But if I had been, her bungled plan would have just given me power. Perhaps she sees something of that in my eyes or feels it in the Bond between us as she¡¯s unable to meet my eyes, no matter how much I feel that she wants to. Deciding that I¡¯ve dug into her motivations as much as I need to, I redirect the interrogation down a different route. ¡°Tell me, what exactly was your plan? Who helped you? And is there anyone else likely to attack us in the near future to your knowledge or best guess? And don¡¯t even think about leaving anything out.¡± After all, time is marching on and my den isn¡¯t the most comfortable of places for a whole village¡¯s worth of people. But before I send anyone back down to the village, I want to be sure that it¡¯s safe to do so. There is no one else, she replies, her tone an odd mixture of angry and mournful. You flaunted what you were at the Festival, daring to claim under tamer privileges a warband party where the Hunt should have been limited to you alone. Yet no one else was able to see that a humble tamer with an oddly-evolved ability was the last thing that you were. Only myself and my tribe¡¯s leader. And, I will admit, only when I showed her what I had found in the Great beast¡¯s lair. I frown and she seems to sense my confusion, flashing me an unreadable look. Yes, the ancestors which had blessed my search and led me to a lair which contained another Great beast¡¯s Core, also led me to a clue which warned me of the threat that you posed to us all. I might not have thought of it myself had my leader not reminded me of that old, almost-forgotten tale ¨C shared upon our sixth Festival and then never spoken of again. But when I realised, I knew I had to prevent you from becoming a threat who could sweep across the valley like the very life-devourer you dare to use. ¡°And so what did you do?¡± I ask sharply, not wanting her to dissolve into pointless insults again or start ranting about me being a monster again. ¡°Who did you tell? Did you show the artifact to anyone else?¡± Flying-blade laughs mirthlessly. Show it to anyone else, and risk them becoming corrupted by it in the way that you have corrupted others? No. Others may have caught a glimpse ¨C that is inevitable ¨C and I did discuss it in general terms with our allies in the village you attacked, but I did not show it to any more than my tribe¡¯s leader. It was advice that was unnecessary for her to give ¨C I already knew the importance of secrecy. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I didn¡¯t attack any village,¡± I remind her icily. ¡°They attacked me on your orders!¡± I remind her. I calm myself. ¡°Continue. What did you do next?¡± She clamps her teeth angrily together and then gives in when the Bond forces her to. I suddenly wonder if her previous jab was an intentional attempt to derail my questioning with anger. If so, I wonder what she¡¯s trying to hide. My leader couldn¡¯t openly attack you ¨C doing so would have caused an inter-tribal war, something that neither of us wanted. It thus fell on me to somehow destroy your power base, discover the source of your corrupting power, and kill you without the outward support of my leader. A frown presses a line between my eyes. The actions of the leader of the red tribe all seem very¡­reasonable. And her desire not to instigate an inter-tribal war makes sense ¨C my Pathwalkers all seemed very wary of that possibility. But I can¡¯t help feeling that the red leader has come up far too many times in this tale so far for comfort. Maybe she truly was just an advisor. But then again, maybe not. Perhaps I need to think on this later when I¡¯ve had some time to rest and get to a better mindset ¨C now that my anger has cooled, I realise just how compromised by rage, grief, and fatigue my judgement has become. I suppose I should just be glad that I didn¡¯t kill Flying-blade as I was very tempted to do earlier. I need to sleep on it before I can make such potentially vital decisions such as whether to risk keeping her alive so she can work to make up for her crimes, or be rid of her and the danger she poses. Flying-blade hasn¡¯t realised that I was distracted and has continued talking, but I tune in quickly enough that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve missed anything important. Despite my efforts I wasn¡¯t able to convince anyone at the Festival to ally with me ¨C the shame your efforts brought on me was too great. She glares at me again. I grin toothily back at her. I had to change my plans and settle for a village too weak to even make it to the Festival, their only advantages being that they were close to your village and weak enough that you might be willing to go to its aid ¨C if they offered enough of a boon on the asking. And despite the fact that you fell for the trap, despite the scouts who watched every move your villagers made for cycles, despite the timing of our attack planned for when your village was at its weakest with almost all of its protectors far from home, despite our perfect slaughter of your scouts so that your village would have no warning¡­still, we were only able to take one hostage, and you reappeared before we could negotiate the rest of them into submission! She looks on the point of exploding to her feet from sheer spite until I twist the Bond wordlessly to keep her on the ground. I think grimly that at least I now know why the alarm wasn¡¯t given ¨C more deaths to add to Flying-blade¡¯s tally. And to my conscience since it¡¯s been very clear that this invasion is in direct response to my choices. But for now, I need to find out as much information as I can. ¡°And in the event of your failure, what were the intentions? Did you leave any of your¡­warband in the forest to take word of the battle to your village? Or to your leader?¡± Flying-blade scoffs. I did not have the numbers for that. There were only a limited number of Warriors I could take from my village without leaving it completely defenceless ¨C especially when I took almost half of my Pathwalkers, and the most combat-capable at that. My leader didn¡¯t dare offer me Warriors either, for fear that they might be used to declare an inter-tribal war, though she allowed me to persuade two of her own Pathwalkers to join me. The red leader again. And looking at Healer, I wonder how much of it truly was persuasion ¨C from Flying-blade¡¯s side at least. ¡°Then there are none waiting to take the word back to anyone about the failure of the battle?¡± No, she answers, her eyes flashing defiantly. Fortunately, the Bond tells me that she¡¯s being honest. ¡°And any backup plans?¡± I check, though I suspect I know her answer ¨C for all the apparent scouting she did ahead of her attack, this seems to be almost as badly thought-out as her attempt to shame my village by calling for a Hunt was. I did not think they were necessary, she tells me, sounding almost proud of the fact. Either we would succeed, or we would die in the attempt. I shake my head, my remaining anger fading to a dull sort of disbelief that so many could have died to such an inconsistent sort of tactician. Had she not even considered the thought that she might be taken prisoner? Considering that she thought I used one of these control stones, she should have been aware of the possibility at the least. Still, I¡¯m glad that we¡¯re not facing an imminent attack. At least, not one of Flying-blade¡¯s making. Something is telling me that this isn¡¯t all over yet, though. Perhaps that¡¯s just my desire not to draw a line under those who died and say that it¡¯s finished, though, as if that would make them truly dead. As if it makes any difference. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get much more out of Flying-blade and I have others to deal with ¨C all my people crowded around the group; all the captured Warriors and Pathwalkers. ¡°Stay there. Don¡¯t move,¡± I order Flying-blade, using the Bond to enforce my order, pressing my intentions into it. If I didn¡¯t do that, I might accidentally stop her from breathing. As it is, she will be able to shift a little bit, especially for necessary movements like breathing, but not stand up or move in the way of anyone else. I¡¯ll figure out what to do with her later. ¡°Pathwalkers,¡± I say to those subdued and on the ground, their mana still inhibited by the poisons they have been injected with. ¡°I will give you the same choice I gave those of your sisters who your leader convinced to aid her in her schemes. You may surrender right now to me, and accept my Bond, swearing to work towards the benefit of the village you attacked.. Or you can die, the penalty your crimes against me and mine deserve.¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Five: Too Dangerous I give them a few moments to think about it and then head straight for the enemy Earth-Shaper ¨C out of everyone here, she¡¯s probably the most dangerous if she somehow gets access to her magic again. After all, it¡¯s the earth that holds the enemy Warriors captive and helpless. ¡°What is your choice?¡± I ask her, my voice cold and merciless. Purposefully so ¨C this is not a time for them to see me as weak. And now, I find that I no longer necessarily want to kill them. Not when doing so won¡¯t bring back my own people. I find that I¡¯m abruptly tired of pointless death. They clearly followed Flying-blade blindly, just as the Pathwalkers of my own village followed the shaman blindly even when it meant sacrificing their own people. If I¡¯d killed them all immediately for what they did to the hatchlings, or let Kalanthia kill them for what they did to Lathani, I wouldn¡¯t have got to know them as they are. And they¡¯d never have been able to change the way they have. That¡¯s not to say that I¡¯m just going to let them get off scot-free. Their choices did kill too many of my people to let it go without any sort of consequence. But surely it¡¯s better for everyone if they are willing to rebuild what they have broken and maybe re-earn the position of respect they have taken for granted. To become true members of the village rather than just prisoners held by my Bonds. It wouldn¡¯t make up for the losses, but it would strengthen my village to a point beyond what it was before the attack. And if Windy¡¯s self-centred assertions are not entirely her usual hot air, I will need to leave the village in as powerful a position as I can when I leave. Considering that we still don¡¯t have a proper replacement for my Bonds, true conversion is far more important than temporary Binding. By the time I leave, everyone who remains in the village needs to be a true member of it, or they need to be removed one way or another. With that in mind, I focus on my task again ¨C setting the foundation in place for what I hope will become a sturdy structure by the time I leave. Earth-Shaper doesn¡¯t take long to decide that she wants to live, nor do the other Pathwalkers when I put the same question to them. Samurans in general have a strong desire to live, no matter what they have to go through to ensure it. Even Flying-blade¡¯s fanaticism wasn¡¯t enough to overcome that primitive urge. When it comes to Water-former, though, I find there¡¯s a complication. ¡°If you kill or chain us, you will have to face the leader of the whole red tribe,¡± threatens Water-former. ¡°We are her sisters and she will defend us.¡± Apparently, this is the second of the Pathwalkers Flying-blade was able to ¡®convince¡¯ to join her party. ¡°Will she, though?¡± I ask her, almost idly. ¡°I got the impression that this was off the books, so to speak.¡± Though I doubt my expression translates directly, Water-former gets the message. ¡°She will never let her sisters languish in the hands of another Pathwalker, especially one who is not even a true member of the People,¡± she spits at me definitely despite her mana-deprived fatigue. ¡°Then she can ransom you back,¡± I tell her, crossing my arms in front of my chest. ¡°If you wish to live past the next few minutes, you must accept my Bond. I can always choose to release you if your leader offers me sufficient for your ransom. Otherwise you¡¯re a liability and I might as well just kill you now.¡± Water-former looks at me in horror as my own Pathwalkers receive my words with a mixture of emotions. Tarra seems approving; Flower seems disturbed. Happy is dissatisfied ¨C I know she''d prefer it if I just killed everyone here. River is supportive as usual. As for the others, they feel less strongly about it, either similar to Tarra or Flower. ¡°Fine.¡± Water-former spits. ¡°I surrender. But if you break a scale on me, my leader will make you and your village pay!¡± ¡°I will treat you exactly as I treat the others who came with you and who have also surrendered,¡± I answer levelly. The Battle of Wills goes quickly, the verbal surrender helping just as much as the yielding of the three Pathwalkers at the other village did. Finding I have the Willpower for four more Bonds after I release the Unevolved I Bound earlier for healing purposes, I get my new Bound to identify the most dangerous and influential among the Warriors and Bind them too. With their Pathwalkers and top Warriors all under my control, the rest of them surrender too, and I get their word that they will obey my commands and those of the Pathwalkers and Warriors originally from my village. I resolve to keep an eye on them ¨C or rather delegate some of my people to do so. I¡¯d better keep them out of positions where they could cause more damage than I would prefer, but thanks to their actions today, there are plenty of things for them to do which don¡¯t require them being around too many of my people. Until I manage to accrue enough Willpower stat points to Bind them properly, of course. That sorted, I decide to send my people back to my village. And since I need enough firepower to deal with the new additions to our ranks, I keep about half of my Warriors with me, sending the rest to go with the Unevolved back to the village. It takes a while as well over a hundred samurans stream past our group to funnel through the gap still present in the vine strangler forest. But finally we¡¯re down to my closest non-samuran Bound, my Pathwalkers, half of my Warriors, and the new Pathwalkers and Warriors. With fewer eyes watching, I decide that we have one more task to do before we can move on. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s see what the big deal is about this crystal.¡± Be careful, warns River. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I intend to be,¡± I reassure her, approaching the black crystal which seems to gleam malevolently from within its weave of rough fibres. Everyone is watching closely, and I sense a mixture of concern and anticipation running through the Bonds. But I¡¯m not intending on putting on a show. Closing my eyes, I look at the crystal with my magic sight. I probably shouldn¡¯t be surprised to see just how brightly it glows there, despite its colour to my physical eyes ¨C it appears even more powerful than a normal Energy Heart. In fact¡­. I frown as I see the complex Energy patterns within it ¨C the last time I saw something like that was when I held the fellapodil¡¯s Core. Could this be formed from a Tier three¡¯s Core? Perhaps. The Core is definitely still powerful, but its patterns appear¡­inactive. That is, until I reach out to grasp the handle of the cords woven around it. The Core shines brighter and the patterns start moving more quickly. Within a few moments, I see little threads of connection extending up from the Core itself, reaching towards my hand. I immediately let it go ¨C unwilling to let those connections touch me. As soon as I release the handle, the threads of connection are pulled back into the Core. I¡¯m glad that touching the handle is the trigger and relinquishing it was enough to stop the threads: I¡¯m getting flashbacks to the Pure Energy stream right now. Opening my eyes, I eye Flying-blade. Maybe there¡¯s a way that she can immediately start paying back the massive debt that she owes all of us. And it¡¯s rather poetic justice that she might be the means by which I learn more about the device that she was intending on using to subdue my allies. ¡°I want to test something,¡± I tell her calmly. ¡°Touch the crystal.¡± What? she asks, immediately horrified. ¡°You heard me,¡± I respond, not giving an inch as I cross my arms. ¡°You were so keen on subjecting my Pathwalkers to it; it¡¯s only fair that you should be the test subject. Touch the crystal. Now.¡± I see her fighting against the order, but my Willpower is far beyond hers and she has no choice. I¡¯d feel bad except that this is the merest fraction of what she owes us. Owes me. We all watch as Flying-blade¡¯s body drags her to the artifact, the Bond forcing her hand to reach towards the crystal, trembling with her effort to prevent herself from moving. I close my eyes to once more engage my magic sight. When the samuran¡¯s clawtips touch the crystal with a faint chink, it¡¯s a little anticlimatic. The crystal is inert, the slow movement of Energy within not changing one iota. Not like when I held the handle. Interesting. ¡°Now hold the handle.¡± I order her, not opening my eyes. I watch as her mana-infused flesh moves, only able to see when she¡¯s actually gripped the handle because the Core brightens and the patterns within it start shifting faster again. The same connections that I saw before start emerging from the Core and twisting their way up the handle. Making contact with Flying-blade¡¯s paw, they enter her body, but don¡¯t seem to do anything more than that. The Core itself, however, starts almost sparking, looking a little like a tesla coil as flickers of connections start lashing out at the air around it. And then the whole thing moves, jerking away from me as alarm spikes through several of my Bonds. I roll backwards over my shoulder and use the motion to get back on my feet, standing fluidly. The movement while using my magical sight rather than my physical eyes makes me feel horribly nauseous. ¡°Stop moving!¡± I order coldly, snapping my eyes open and glaring at the reason for the alarm. The connections and mana that I can see with my magical sight lingers for a moment like an overlay over my normal vision. But when it fades, I see exactly what I had already known had happened. Oddly, it¡¯s not anger but disappointment that spikes through me. Flying-blade is frozen, her body barely even allowing her to breathe. Her arm is extended backwards, the glinting black Core dangling from the handle of woven fibres in her hand ¨C ready to be brought down onto my head like a flail, I have no doubt. What did you want to do? I snarl down the Bond between Flying-blade and myself. Now there¡¯s that furious rage I was expecting. Kill me? Bind me? Destroy my soul? All of the above? You¡­you are a monster, she cries at me, desperation and fear transforming into fury. Any of those options would have been acceptable. I saw my chance and I took it! And I would do it again! Diving into her memories of the moment that¡¯s just happened, I see that it¡¯s exactly what she said. She didn¡¯t even have any real intention when she prepared to swing the Core into my head; she just hoped that I would be hurt by it, preferably destroyed in some way. Pulling out of the Bond, I feel a sense of inevitability settling heavily on my shoulders. I should have known from just how much resistance she¡¯s offered me even after the usual readjusting of priorities which happens when I use Dominate that she was a lost cause. That she would take advantage of any mercy I offered her. But I didn¡¯t realise that she would be capable of actually trying to attack me ¨C that¡¯s more than a little worrying considering that being unable to attack the Binder should be hardwired into Dominate Bonds. Perhaps I should be grateful that I haven¡¯t discovered that the hard way. I must remember that the Bonds are not infallible. Maybe it¡¯s that strong enough emotions can overcome even the anathema with which the Bond curtails thoughts of hurting me? Though to have such hatred towards me seems rather over the top considering it¡¯s from someone who doesn¡¯t even really know me. But it¡¯s reality I have to deal with, not what should be. ¡°Drop the handle,¡± I order, clamping down on my emotions with a force of will. Flying-blade¡¯s nerveless hand obeys. I don¡¯t even know if she tried to fight it this time. ¡°You just tried to kill me. Do you deny it?¡± Why would I deny something I would happily do again? Flying-blade throws back at me. I know it, she knows it, everyone around us knows it. But I just want to make it absolutely clear why I¡¯m doing this. ¡°And if anyone had stood in your way, regardless of who they were, would you have spared them?¡± She makes a wild hiss that¡¯s almost a laugh, almost a scream. I would go through the whole of my village, let alone yours, to ensure that a threat as dangerous as you are is eliminated. From the horrified looks that several of the Pathwalkers and Warriors she brought with her are now giving her, even they didn¡¯t realise just how deeply she felt about this. ¡°I judge you as too dangerous to have near me and too dangerous to send away,¡± I tell her heavily, regretting that I have to do this at all, even if I don¡¯t regret that I have to do this to her. Flying-blade doesn¡¯t seem to understand the implications of my words if the way she glares at me hotly is anything to go by. From the sudden distress which spikes along the Bonds of Ice-shaper and Plant-shaper, however, they do. ¡°May the ancestors have mercy on your soul.¡± What? Flying-blade asks, faltering at last as confusion cuts through her molten hatred. It¡¯s her last word: I send a surge of flesh-magic down the Bond between us. This close to her, it¡¯s easy enough to manipulate. Not wanting to draw it out ¨C for my own mental health more than for her sake ¨C I make her death as painless as I can, sending spikes of bone shooting through her brain to shred the fragile flesh. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Six: What You Have Destroyed We all feel it the moment she dies, the faint sensation of her presence in the network of Bonds vanishing like a light has been turned off. Her body crumples to the ground, even the Bond¡¯s commands failing to keep her frozen in place now that there is no subconscious to control. Her eyes are bloodshot and vacant, but there¡¯s otherwise little indication of what has just happened to end her life. The rest of my Bound are frozen, the newest members of the network unconsciously sending feelings of shock, fear, disbelief, and confusion across the Bond. My villagers aren¡¯t much better, though I do sense hints of satisfaction and relief joining the emotional melting-pot with a flicker of sorrow coming from Flower. I don¡¯t blame them. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve actually killed one of my Bound, let alone in such an¡­intimate way. I have to swallow hard a few times to keep the contents of my stomach where they should be. It¡¯s not that I had any close emotional connection to Flying-blade, but we were connected, soul to soul, and I killed her. I don¡¯t regret it. Or rather, I regret the necessity, but not the actual action. Her attack on my village was enough justification for her death, though I¡¯d hoped she could serve her sentence in a more useful way. Something which offered the opportunity for redemption as well as justice. But in the end¡­she was just too much of a danger. Not just to me, but to everyone else. I¡¯m lucky that she was under the influence of the mana inhibitor and couldn¡¯t use her powers to attack me. Unless I kept her wrapped so tightly in the chains of the Bond that she could barely even breathe without my permission, she would have multiple opportunities to kill me, and clearly her will was strong enough to push past the Bond¡¯s limitations enough to carry it out. And even if she didn¡¯t succeed with that, she had made it clear that she didn¡¯t care who else she would go through to seek my death. What if she put poison in every carcass in the hope that I would eat one of them and die? Or upon getting access to her magic again, what if she exploded into a storm of flying sharp-edged objects which might rip through my people as much as it might slice my own throat? No, she was too dangerous to keep around. But that doesn''t take away the fact that I was deeply in the Bond at the time of her death and felt far too much of it to be good for my mental health. Stepping forward breaks the spell that seems to have been cast over us since Flying-blade¡¯s attempt to kill me. Eyes flash towards me as I approach the fallen samuran, many fearful. I try to ignore that even though it hurts with a dull pang inside my chest. I suppose it¡¯s inevitable. I¡¯ve just demonstrated how easily the combination of the Bond with my healing arts can kill, after all, something that perhaps even my own people hadn¡¯t realised. They¡¯re used to me using my abilities to heal, not hurt. I¡¯m abruptly not interested in exploring the secrets of the black crystal. Not wanting to touch it for now, I use a piece of spider silk fabric I pull out of my Inventory to wrap it up so none of it is touching my skin. Checking with my magic sight, I nod in satisfaction when the crystal remains inert even as I pick it up ¨C apparently the cloth barrier is sufficient. I thought it might be since Flying-blade had been using a leaf wrap to hide it before. Standing up, I look around at the people surrounding me, mostly samurans from four different villages. We¡¯ll have to deal with the samurans from the small village we went to help when they arrive too. It abruptly feels like too much to manage, the weight on my shoulders too heavy to bear. And then someone steps next to me, her claws digging into the dirt. I know who it is before I turn my head to look at her. I smile humorlessly, grateful for her presence despite my sudden black mood. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the village. We have a lot to do before nightfall,¡± I say ostensibly to her, but loudly enough that everyone can hear me. We do, River agrees quietly even as the samurans around me start bustling into motion, perhaps fearing that if they don¡¯t move fast enough, they¡¯ll be the next corpse on the ground, nothing but bloodshot, vacant eyes to show that they¡¯re dead. But our people are safe and free thanks to your actions today Markus, remember that. Flying-blade came to kill our villagers and capture our Pathwalkers. Without you insistence about training the Unevolved, more Warriors would have died. Without your den, there wouldn¡¯t have been a defensible location to retreat to. Without you, the death toll would have been far higher. ¡°Without me, there wouldn¡¯t have been any attack in the first place,¡± I tell her bitterly, though quietly. River clicks in annoyance. There are always reasons to attack. Any village which succeeds in growing faces those who don¡¯t want them to grow too much. If it hadn¡¯t been this reason, it would have been because of Wind-whisperer. Or our greater numbers of Pathwalkers. Flying-blade perhaps believed in her cause, but I doubt that everyone did. Most of them probably saw an opportunity to grow their own village at the expense of another. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right,¡± I admit with a sigh, ¡°I just wish¡­¡± I just wish Flying-blade hadn¡¯t forced my hand. I didn¡¯t want to kill her, I say plaintively, switching to sending the message to River privately. I don¡¯t want anyone else around me hearing my regrets. My weakness. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. River looks at me, compassion flowing across the Bond between us. You already gave her more than she deserved, she answers gently, also privately, her spikes tightly controlled and giving nothing away to any onlookers. Anyone else would have killed Flying-blade to begin with. You tried to give her a chance. It¡¯s not your fault she refused to take it. You are our leader; you acted on our behalf. That¡¯s all that matters. It doesn¡¯t lift the weight off my shoulders completely, but it does lighten it enough. I give River a small smile, sending my gratitude down the Bond to her. Then, focussing my attention, I take control of the situation ¨C as a leader should. We return to the village enmasse, my Pathwalkers and Warriors keeping a careful eye on those who have most recently been our attackers. The newly Bound are less of a concern than those who have merely been obliged to give their word to not attack, but they all appear docile and subdued. The frightened glances sent at me speak volumes as to why. I try to ignore them, focussing on what needs to be done next. River¡¯s right. Flying-blade was offered more mercy than anyone else would have granted her and still she spat in my face. I shouldn¡¯t feel guilty for executing her, yet I do. Judge, jury, and executioner¡­I¡¯ve come a long way from the HR drone who had to pass any serious disciplinary option over to my superiors for approval. Seeing the corpses of too many of my people, samuran and not, is enough to relight the flame of outrage in my chest. I might have appointed myself as executioner, carrying out a sentence which I set, but the samurans now held as prisoners within the encirclement of my people have already proven themselves to be willing to murder those who never offered them any harm or insult. ¡°Your first task will be to return what you have destroyed to good condition,¡± I tell the group of samurans, seeing both fear and defiance in their eyes. ¡°What you can, anyway. Nothing will return the lives we¡¯ve lost.¡± A flicker of regret pulses across a Bond, but it¡¯s too quick for me to be able to identify who it came from. I turn my head to look at my own Pathwalkers and Warriors. ¡°Each of you guide one of them. Make sure they work hard to put right as much as they can. Perhaps then they¡¯ll see the cost of their power-hungry actions.¡± How can we do anything with this poison running through us? demands Water-former spitefully, glaring at me. So sure that I won¡¯t do anything to hurt her because of her village leader, the leader of the whole red tribe, her eyes are free of the fear which flickers through her sisters¡¯. I glare back at her. ¡°Use your hands, your backs. You¡¯re not getting your magic back. Not now. Not for this.¡± Several of the Pathwalkers take a step back in horror. You would deny us our magic? exclaims Plant-shaper in horror. You can¡¯t do that to us! We¡¯re Pathwalkers; your equals! My teeth grind together, fire starting to flicker unbidden between my fingers even as the earth groans softly beneath my feet. The Pathwalkers who are the focus of my intense glare take another couple of steps back. The yellow that flickers through multiple spikes suggest that they might be recalling what so recently happened to the last of their sisters who crossed me. ¡°Until you have earned the right to be treated differently,¡± I say softly, doing my best to maintain control over the magic which yearns to explode forth and destroy those who have hurt my people, ¡°you are lower in the rankings than even the Unevolved who you killed so easily. You will obey any of my village who gives you an order, whether it be Evolved, Unevolved, or non-samuran.¡± Several of the Pathwalkers appear cowed by my anger, the other healer among them. But Water-former still seems to have a sense of invulnerability as she continues to push. Barbaric! Just what we might expect of one not truly of the People, no matter how graciously you¡¯ve been received by my sisters! Even Pathwalkers taken in a raid are treated better than that, given the honour our Evolution has earned us! Not treated like¡­like¡­. ¡°Unevolved?¡± I suggest, the white-hot fire within me abruptly turning into liquid nitrogen. My fingers itch to just rid myself of her ungrateful, murderous presence. But I hold back. She¡¯s done no more than she had when I made my decision to spare her not long ago. She doesn¡¯t deserve death. Not yet. But if she continues pushing me, there are other options. Yes! Exactly! It¡¯s an insult my village leader will not countenance. She¡¯ll bring Warriors and Pathwalkers from all the villages of my tribe and sweep your pitiful village away! I¡¯ve had enough. My glare is replaced by a teeth-filled grin. Though my teeth are blunt, by the way Water-former takes a step back and those around her show a deeper yellow in their spikes, they recognise it as the threat it very much is. I stride forwards, my speed of movement easily covering the ground between us before my target can stumble back more than another pace. Those around her draw back further. Perhaps they sense the ice-cold fury within me which is only held in check by the shreds of my willpower, already sorely tested today. I reach out and grab the Pathwalker by the back of her neck, sliding my fingers between her spikes and gripping tightly enough that I feel the vertebrae groan slightly in protest. Water-former cries out and several of the captured Warriors near us step forwards, their hands going to where weapons would normally be. Right now they¡¯re unarmed, of course, but I don¡¯t feel like getting into a fight right now with those I haven¡¯t been able to Bind. ¡°Stay back or die,¡± I snap at them, flashing them that ghastly, toothy grin. All but one steps back immediately; the last stays in place, but at least he doesn¡¯t step forwards when I start pulling Water-former towards the edge of the trees near the village. What¡­what are you doing? Water-former demands, her mental tone abruptly ringing with uncertainty. Where are you taking me? She tries to resist but her strength is nowhere near a match for mine. On the edge of the trees, I release her, practically throwing her forwards. She stumbles a few steps, catches herself on a tree, and then turns to look back at me, fear finally trickling into the Bond. ¡°You want to be treated better? Fine. Go and find your tribe leader.¡± Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Seven: Without Complaint Water-former gazes at me uncomprehendingly. Though I don¡¯t turn around, I sense the other Pathwalkers and small group of Warriors I¡¯ve Bound all watching intently. Several of them have understood ¨C I feel it in their sorrow and pity for Water-former. I don¡¯t understand, Water-former says almost plaintively. ¡°It should be pretty clear,¡± I tell her scornfully. ¡°You don¡¯t want to play by my rules? Then you get out of my territory. Go back to your village, run somewhere else, I don¡¯t care. Just never come back to my village on pain of death.¡± But¡­but¡­without Warriors¡­I¡¯ll die! Clearly she¡¯s intelligent enough to realise that I¡¯m not offering her any sort of escort. I flash her that toothy smile again. ¡°Quite likely. But if you refuse my mercy, then you¡¯ll face the forest¡¯s judgement. Good luck,¡± I wish her offhandedly, then start walking back to the rest of the group. Wait! Water-former calls before I¡¯m more than five steps away from her. I pause without turning around. Please! I¡¯ll help. Just¡­don¡¯t abandon me to the forest and its beasts. It¡¯s too far to my village¡­I¡¯ll never survive it, she admits, her grunts and clicks becoming almost inaudible. Fortunately, the Bond makes up for that. I half-turn back to her. ¡°You¡¯ll obey any in the village, regardless of what you might think of them or their stations? You¡¯ll work to repair the damage you created without complaint?¡± I¡­. Yes. I will. The Pathwalker¡¯s agreement is more than a little grudging, but I sense that it¡¯s sincere. Finally, she¡¯s been brought to realise that her spoiled attitude isn¡¯t going to be tolerated, and that there are worse fates than having to do the scut work for a bit. Good. I have to deal with Windy¡¯s attitude because she¡¯s smart enough not to push it further than her position justifies, and I¡¯m already changing so much about samuran culture that I don¡¯t want to push at the very bedrock of their society. But I refuse to deal with another arrogant Pathwalker who thinks that just because she Evolved to be able to use magic, she¡¯s worlds better than anyone else around. ¡°Then you may rejoin your sisters,¡± I tell her with a hard look, ¡°and get on with your work. There¡¯s a lot to do before nightfall, thanks to your unprovoked attack.¡± I fix each of the other Pathwalkers with that same hard gaze. ¡°Do any of you want to take the forest¡¯s mercy over mine?¡± There¡¯s a chorus of disagreement, none of the Pathwalkers seeming to entertain the possibility for more than a moment. Is that option open to us? asks one of the Warriors I Bound, the one I think was the leader. His gaze is calculating. I meet his eyes with my own hard gaze, anger still simmering just below the surface, having thawed back into heat. I consider it carefully. A Pathwalker in the forest is one thing; a Warrior is quite another. That said, the whole reason I gave Water-former the choice ¨C and it was a genuine choice even if I was pretty certain of what her response would be before I presented it to her ¨C was because I didn¡¯t want to have to use the Bond to force her. Of course, I could have. I could even have assigned one of my loyal Bound as her party leader, deputising the ability to force her to comply. But all that would do is build resentment which would enable her to fight ever harder against the chains which bind her. Letting her choose her chains, even if the other option is practically unthinkable, gives her the slightest sense of control and may weaken her resistance. What happens after that, only time will tell. The same will be true of these Warriors, and particularly so of those who are only bound by their word to obey. Perhaps giving them a choice isn¡¯t a bad idea. But a choice of my choosing, not theirs. ¡°I want work from you first,¡± I tell them, making sure that even those not Bound to me will understand. ¡°You attacked my village for no good reason, destroying our houses, and killing valuable members of our community. You can never make up for the deaths you¡¯ve caused, but you can at least work to help our community reestablish itself. So, work hard for the next two moon cycles. If by the end of that I feel that you¡¯ve honestly applied yourself and have shown remorse for your attack, I will give you the option to leave. If you choose to take me up on it, you must leave my territory immediately. Any attempts to remain or to hurt my people will be met with lethal reprisal.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Of course, I don¡¯t tell them that I will ensure that they¡¯re out of my part of the forest by having them followed, but if they are true to their word, I will be too. ¡°Any uncooperative behaviour, attempt to escape, or attempt to help others to escape in the meantime will significantly reduce the chances of me releasing you. And if any of my people spot you in the wrong place, believe me that they will be authorised to use lethal force if they need to.¡± I glare at them, making sure that my message has been fully understood. The Warriors accept that, several of them gaining a slight brightness to their gaze which had been missing. Hopefully that will stop any attempts to escape or cause problems ¨C hope is a powerful thing. Perhaps I¡¯m being more merciful to them than I should be ¨C again ¨C but I have another reason for my decision. The fact is, it¡¯s not much more than two moon cycles before I am due to leave. Since I¡¯m not planning on taking the whole village with me, that means I¡¯ll be leaving a mass of samurans behind me who won¡¯t be Bound with Dominate any more. If the Warriors at that point are still determined to attack or leave, it will be much harder to stop them. Better that they¡¯ve had the opportunity to leave ahead of that, I figure. It doesn¡¯t take too much longer before there are work groups spread around the village, rebuilding the huts, unearthing everything buried beneath ¨C and finding more bodies. I watch carefully to make sure that all of the invaders are fully applying themselves. Without their magic, the Pathwalkers aren¡¯t as effective as even the Unevolved, but I don¡¯t care about that ¨C ultimately, that¡¯s not the point here. If I have an objective at all beyond punishing them, it¡¯s to bring home to them exactly what their actions have done, the destruction and deaths they¡¯ve caused. And when the heart-breaking sight of a hatchling¡¯s body mangled by the falling lumps of earth of the hut it was sheltering inside is pulled out from the wreckage of the hut, Sticks and Jumpy ¨C our Earth-Shaper ¨C stabilising its walls, I see that I¡¯m not the only one affected. Flickers of true remorse make their way through the new Bonds I hold with several of the Evolved before me. Not enough. Not enough when who knows how many more are buried under there. I can only hope that some might still be alive ¨C with Tarra and the two healers present, anyone who¡¯s still drawing breath can be saved. But my earth-sense tells me that it¡¯s a vain hope. ¡°Come on,¡± I say to my core group, unable to take just watching the miserable task any longer. Better to go and actually help someone. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find those who escaped into the forest and tell them that it¡¯s safe to return.¡± They agree and I enter the forest surrounded by my closest Bound. Sirocco soars overhead, lending me her eyes when I ask for it, Fenrir sets his powerful senses to the task, the three raptorcats scout around, leaping nimbly through the undergrowth, Lathani jumps from shadow to shadow and uses her Earth Sense to detect any creatures around, and I use Inspect. Catch and River stay by my side, Pride guarding our backs. I probably should have insisted that the two Evolved samurans stayed with our prisoners ¨C at this point, the more of my loyal Bound are keeping them in check, the better. But I don¡¯t ¨C I don¡¯t have the heart to do so. I value their steady support far too much. At least the task forces me to focus, taking my attention away from the warring emotions within me. We move through the forest silently, none of us in the mood to talk. Thanks to all our advantages, it¡¯s not long before we find our first group, the Bond I have with Elder Twig helping more than anything to pinpoint their location. He¡¯s surrounded by a group of hatchlings, sheltering in a large bush. They¡¯re utterly silent, even the normally-rambunctious hatchlings understanding how to be still when a predator draws near. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I tell them, doing my best to project calm. ¡°The village is safe again.¡± ¡°Thank the ancestors!¡± I hear sighed from within the bush. ¡°Come on little ones,¡± he orders gently, and the bush starts to sway. One by one the hatchlings pop out. One, two, three¡­twenty-one. And then Elder Twig himself. He looks at me with a searching gaze. ¡°The village is truly safe again?¡° ¡°It is,¡± I say, looking down at the fearful, yet trusting eyes peering up at me from the baby samurans clustered around their brood-mother. ¡°The attackers are either dead or currently working to put our village back together, so don¡¯t be surprised when you see them there. Come on, let¡¯s escort you back. Then we¡¯ll try to find everyone else.¡± ¡°They will all return eventually,¡± the elder samuran says, eyeing me. ¡°They will not expect our honoured leader to go searching through the forest for them. They will return to check whether it¡¯s safe to reveal themselves. If not, they will find an alternative.¡± ¡°And if they see their attackers still present, putting the village back together? What are the chances that they will just run away again?¡± I ask him gently. He looks away from my gaze which is enough answer. ¡°No, we¡¯re going to do our best to make sure everyone gets back to the village before nightfall.¡± The elder looks at me and then tilts his chin high in the air. ¡°You honour us with your care, Pathwalker Tamer.¡± My heart tugs at his words, the image of the broken hatchling body I saw flashing before my eyes again. If anything, I don¡¯t feel like I care enough. But at least if I can make sure that no more are lost to the forest than have already been lost to the raid, perhaps I¡¯ll be able to sleep tonight. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Eight: We Will Never Forget Their Sacrifice Most of the hatchlings ran away with the brood-mothers, instinctively seeking the adults who had cared most for them in their short lives. Those who didn¡¯t manage to escape with the broodmothers or find them afterwards mostly went to ground, hiding in whatever small hole or protective bush that they could find. Even if they don¡¯t have any experience in the forest themselves, instinct is still strong among them and they knew what to do. A couple of groups even managed to come across Unevolved in the forest, some who had run away from the same attacks as the hatchlings themselves, others who were hunting and had no idea about the events in the village. Unfortunately, not everyone who entered the forest made it out again. We came across several bodies of villagers who had sought refuge among the trees only to find other predators there. The most heart-breaking was when we came across a small pack of vicious-looking creatures all crouched around the corpse of one of the village¡¯s Unevolved, two hatchlings¡¯ bodies already eaten down to the bone. Although the reptilian creatures hadn¡¯t escaped unscathed and more than seven of their number were lying dead in the area too, numbers had clearly overwhelmed the Unevolved who the evidence showed sought only to protect the two hatchlings who had come to him for refuge. We took revenge, none of the large lizards escaping the claws and teeth of my Bound, but that didn¡¯t bring our lost villagers back to life. Finding the bodies of my scouts was another solemn experience. I investigated each of their bodies, finding the same every time ¨C a compound in their blood that River is able to identify as a paralytic, and some other wound which shows how they died. Several of them were already surrounded by scavengers eating the readily available meat ¨C those we either chased away or killed outright, for all that logically I know they were just fulfilling their function in the forest. In some ways I¡¯m glad that the invaders took the time to kill the downed samurans ¨C if they had been alive when the scavengers had descended, their deaths would have been horrific. On the other hand, maybe we could then have saved some of them. When we find bodies of the dead of our village, I put them in my Inventory, taking them back to the village for a final goodbye. As nightfall approaches, we do a last circuit around the village, looking for any traces of hiding samurans who we might have missed. Returning to the village, I gaze at the newly-restored huts, my jaw clenched. It¡¯s good to see ¨C at least my people won¡¯t have to sleep outside, exposed to the elements ¨C but in another way it feels¡­wrong for the damage to have been so quickly erased. That impression is swiftly corrected as I lead my group back into the village itself, our last rescuees following on our heels. The beautiful tapestries which Joy creates have been taken down, the huts sober in their plain earthen designs. The ground of the village still shows evidence of the battle which had happened, the scars in the ground of both magical and mundane weapons present. Intentionally so, I would guess, considering how pristine the huts look. Our own Earth-shaper would have been easily capable of wiping away all the traces even if the invading Earth-shaper is still being affected by the mana inhibitor. My group heads towards the centre of the village, the large area where I was once held in a cage, fought to become leader, developed a council which holds all samurans in the village as equally important, and then returned to find it covered in the blood of my people. Now, it serves as the collection ground for all the bodies of my people, far too many added to the rows since I¡¯ve been away. The extensive rows of corpses and the stench of death in the air are a reminder to everyone of the day¡¯s events as one by one all the samurans assemble, no orders necessary. Everyone is silent, sensing the solemnity of the event as I pull more and more bodies out of my Inventory to add to the rows. In total, I count the bodies of five Warriors, sixty-three Unevolved, and thirty-two hatchlings. Perhaps more bodies lie in the forest, but if so I have not been able to find them. I¡¯m grimly pleased to see that the samurans have collected even the bodies of Artemis¡¯ pack ¨C they, too, were defenders and I¡¯m glad they¡¯ve been recognised as such. I spot Artemis herself lingering at the edges of the crowd still gathering around us. These bodies are in addition to the twelve Warriors and the Pathwalker who I had previously counted. I bite my lip as my eyes linger on the vacant features of Flicks, the village¡¯s first true Fire-Shaper ¨C and my personal student. All at once I have the urge to explode and send a wave of unquenchable fire burning in all directions, and then to fall crumpled upon the ground. Too many of my people. Far too many. Someone has to pay for this. I turn on my heel, fixing my gazes on the perpetrators. They stand apart, none of the samurans from my village willing to even be in arm¡¯s length of them. Not with this obvious display of their actions in front of us. ¡°Do you see what you¡¯ve done here?¡± I demand from them hotly. ¡°Do you see what your senseless quest for power and the baseless fears of your leader have done?¡± My fury is given no excuse to descend on them: they all have the grace to dip their heads, regret and remorse flickering through the Bonds between us. Not one gives me an excuse to attack; even Water-former doesn¡¯t dare to meet my eyes with defiance. With frustration, I turn to face the bodies once more. I abruptly regret giving the Warriors an out earlier today, even though I know that at the time it felt right to do so. And ultimately, they were only following the orders of their Pathwalkers, in particular, their leader. Suddenly, I feel savagely glad that I killed Flying-blade, and almost regretful at how quick it was. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. At the same time, I have to recognise just how much of my anger is directed at myself. For leaving my people so unprotected. For letting another village¡¯s good trump that of my own. For being so predictable that my enemies knew just how to ensure that I wouldn¡¯t be there for my own villagers. For not realising that the issue with Flying-blade wasn¡¯t dealt with and preparing. For not even realising that we were being watched for weeks. Regret turns the heat of my rage to ashes. ¡°Too many of our people were killed today,¡± I intone, my eyes glancing from one still body to the next. ¡°But the majority of them died doing what they felt was right ¨C defending our home. We will never forget their sacrifice. They chose to put the lives of our Pathwalkers above their own, holding the good of the village to be greater than themselves. We will never forget their sacrifice.¡± We will never forget their sacrifice. I glance back to see River standing beside her sisters, the Bond between us flashing with furious sorrow. Her grief calls to my own, pulling up a wellspring of sorrow that almost chokes me. We will never forget their sacrifice. This time it¡¯s not River, it¡¯s Happy, not resembling her nickname in the slightest, her face transformed by the odd shadows cast by the fire elemental bobbing over her shoulder. I¡¯m relieved that she was able to save Aingeal and feel ashamed for not thinking of it earlier. As my acknowledgement, the brightly glowing orb of light flies towards me, emanating such joy at our rejoining that I can barely bear it, as consumed by grief as I am. I send it a greeting, but can do no more than that. Not right now. The refrain echoes around the crowd, more and more of my people taking it up, their eyes fixed on the bodies of the heroes who fought and died this day. ¡°Among this number are those who didn¡¯t choose to fight. Those who couldn¡¯t choose, their lives taken before they had the option to stand and fight or run. The hatchlings who had only just started their lives. Who knows what they might have become? These, too, we will never forget. May the ancestors have mercy on all of their souls.¡± May the ancestors have mercy on all of their souls. I must be becoming more samuran than I thought ¨C it¡¯s only when the crowd behind me repeats my words in a rolling rumble of grunts that I realise what I¡¯d said. Holding out my hand, I concentrate. A moment later, there are several cries from behind me as every single body ignites at the same moment. Perhaps the Pathwalkers and Warriors are finally realising just how merciful I was to them earlier. Maybe they see how much easier it would have been for me to wrap them in a tornado of fire, burning them to ashes for daring to attack my people. The explosion I caused among them was far less than I could have done ¨C if I didn¡¯t have to worry about suffocating those of my village sheltering in the den below. It remains to be seen whether I will regret my mercy. Aingeal flies into the flames that consume the bodies of my people, its simple joy caring little for the source of the fire, only that the flames exist and are intense enough for it to delight in. Though normally I find its simple emotions to be freeing, reminding me that life doesn¡¯t have to be as serious as I usually see it, this time, its enjoyment grates. I do my best to shut the emotions off. Aingeal¡¯s innocently hurt confusion would normally be enough for me to release the barrier I¡¯ve just put up, but not right now. I can¡¯t deal with it at this moment. Instead, I just focus on controlling the inferno consuming the corpses with iron-clad precision. By the time I¡¯m done, nothing but ashes remain, even the bones transformed into dust by the intense heat that I kept contained within each of the bodies. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Sleep well, my people, I can¡¯t help praying even as two solitary tears trace their way down my cheeks. Stepping away from the ashes when the last embers of the fire have gone out, I retrieve from my Inventory the carcasses of the beasts we killed in the forest while searching for those who had run away from the village. There are already a number of bodies present ¨C the beasts we were farming who clearly didn¡¯t run away from the invading samurans fast enough. Fortunately, it¡¯s only the slowest and weakest of our beasts. ¡°Feel free to eat,¡± I mutter to those around. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day.¡± I can¡¯t bear to follow my own advice. Instead, I stride towards the mountainside gate. The barest whisper of fur and talons on the ground reveal that I¡¯m not travelling alone. ¡°You don¡¯t have to come with me,¡± I tell my little band. ¡°You need to rest.¡± We¡¯ve done this dance before, Bastet reproves me, Storm and Ninja padding at her side this time around. Yeah. I told you then and I¡¯ll say it again now ¨C you were there for me when I was hurt. I¡¯m here for you now, agrees Lathani, her tone far more solemn than it was the last time this situation came up. ¡°Even if I¡¯m going to demand answers from your mother if she¡¯s back at the den by now?¡± Even then. She was not here. I want to know why. Her voice is more plaintive than I can bear and I look away from her. ¡°Alright,¡± I agree, unable to say anything else. I look at the two Evolved samurans who have followed me too. ¡°I guess that you two don¡¯t want to stay for the post-funeral wake?¡± Pride and Fenrir decided that their bellies were empty, Catch replies with a shrug. But I would prefer to join you. As would I, agrees River, sending me something down the Bond which I can only name as love. Not an intense romantic love, but a soothing, supportive familial love. Something I¡¯ve sorely missed. I can¡¯t help but give her a small, weak smile in response despite the grief and self-condemnation which still rips at my insides. A familiar lump lands on my shoulder. I¡¯m coming too, Sirocco tells me as if it should be obvious. Once more, I feel gratitude for the friends I¡¯ve made, the family I¡¯ve discovered. Together, we cover the ground between the village and my den as quickly as we can. Even before we reach the vine-stranglers, I sense Kalanthia¡¯s unmistakable presence. She¡¯s back. Book Six: Competition - Chapter Twenty-Nine: Brittle I run through the vine-stranglers, slowing down only as I hit the entrance to the den with its switchbacks and obstacles. I see the evidence of the samurans attempts to gain entry ¨C the traps opened in the ceiling, poison and acid making puddles on the floor, spiky bits of metal and rock providing uncertain footing, and even strands of sticky danaris web shoved to the side from where they had been hanging to block the tunnel. Kalanthia hoves into view, a massive lump of fur and flesh, lying on the floor of the den. Markus Wolfe, she greets me, but I¡¯m in no mood for soft words. ¡°Where were you?¡± I demand with a hard note in my voice. She stiffens a little. I pay no attention to the warning signs. ¡°When my people were dying. When they retreated here for shelter and their enemies followed. Where were you?¡± When we agreed to a mutual defence pact, I did not agree to defend all of your people too, Kalanthia responds coldly. ¡°And I thought we were past all that!¡± I almost yell at her. ¡°After everything, I thought that we had got past an attitude of tit for tat. I thought that while I was away, you would help protect my people. Or do you still hold what they did to Lathani against them? Is that why you vanished?¡± I accuse, my vision becoming slightly blurry. Vaguely, I¡¯m aware of my Bound near me, Bastet urging caution over the Bond, but I¡¯m too angry and full of grief to accept her wisdom. ¡°Are we even allies?¡± I demand, feeling more scalding hot tears roll down my cheeks as I see once more the broken bodies of our most vulnerable members, now nothing but ash. When I blink and clear my sight, I see that Kalanthia has shifted into a crouched position, her lips drawn back slightly from her teeth. She releases her domain and I¡¯m temporarily pinned in place by the certainty that there¡¯s a powerful predator before me, waiting to pounce. You doubt that we are allies? After everything? Kalanthia demands, her mental voice a threatening rumble. Perhaps you are right. If you require me to fight your battles for you, perhaps you are too weak to ally with. The power in her domain increases, its pressure pushing down on me even as its predatory edge makes me feel like no more than a scared rabbit hiding from a lion. And in my grief, in my rage, that is suddenly intolerable. I¡¯ve lost so much today and yet Kalanthia doesn¡¯t even seem apologetic about it. LIke those lives meant nothing; were meaningless. I cross my arms and refuse to back down. Setting my teeth, I glare back at her, the pressure between us almost tangible. It¡¯s oddly reminiscent of a Battle of Wills, if the pressure resisting me was charged with Kalanthia¡¯s domain rather than her emotions. The familiarity is reassuring, a pole to cling onto as the ground moves beneath my feet, and I find myself reacting in the same way as I would do there. Unable to move forwards, I still refuse to step back, leaning into the pressure and pushing against it with my own force of Will. Kalanthia snarls and redoubles her effort. I get the sense that she is trying to either make me cut and run, proving herself the superior predator, or crumple to the ground and declare my inferiority. I refuse to do either, sensing abruptly that it¡¯s not only my pride at stake. But if I had been just about able to stand my ground before, now I¡¯m barely holding on. It reminds me very much of when we returned to Kalanthia after Lathani triggered a Companion Bond and I had to pull her mother into a Battle of Wills just to stop her from tearing me to pieces. Then, I had barely held onto the space with my fingertips. Here, I¡¯m not crouching to the ground, but the sensation is remarkably similar. And if I don¡¯t find a way to counter her pressure, this is going to end up just like that one did. My adrenaline spikes through my system as I sense the danger that I¡¯ve somehow got myself into. Grief and rage are temporarily pushed aside as my survival instinct forces itself to the fore. I have to find another way to resist. And maybe my observations of the similarity between this and the Battles of Wills I¡¯ve engaged in hold the clue of how I can do just that. I¡¯m convinced that my Battles of Wills, just like my Challenges, take place in some sort of soul realm. And if I can touch and use my soul then, why can¡¯t I do it now? The Pure Energy I touched so long ago proved that it could be injured by substances in this real world; why can¡¯t I then use it to defend myself from Kalanthia¡¯s attempt to cow me? Remembering how it felt to grip my soul with my Willpower and push it outwards, the way by which I¡¯ve gained two points to Willpower outside of levelling up, I force it to extend beyond my skin. Not far ¨C even if I have somehow managed to work out how to hold it at all, it¡¯s still far harder to manipulate it than in the Challenge space. But even forcing it to go a few millimetres away from my skin eases the pressure of Kalanthia¡¯s domain significantly. The tone of Kalanthia¡¯s snarl gains a deeper, reverberating edge to it and she takes a step forward, looking precisely like she¡¯s stalking prey in the forest. Her golden eyes are cold and intent, their predatory gleam sending shivers down my spine. I begin wondering if she¡¯s actually going to attack me. Is she treating me like another Tier three? Am I proving weak enough that she¡¯s about to attack me directly? But she knows that my strength is not entirely as an individual, but as a group. Is she going to force a challenge nonetheless? I was a fool to have come here with only a few of my Bound. Without Windy, we have little chance against Kalanthia¡¯s power. Heck, even with Windy, we would probably struggle, especially here, surrounded by Kalanthia¡¯s element. But with enough of us, we might have stood a chance. With only River and me as true magic-users, I don¡¯t see this ending well. I won¡¯t ask Lathani to fight her mother. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. My control over my soul grows brittle as I prepare to transition into a physical fight. I don¡¯t want to go there, and fear that I¡¯ll lose everything by doing so, but with Kalanthia looking like she is, I can only see it as inevitable. As she takes another step forwards, I send a message to my Bound to be ready, already feeding Aingeal with fire-magic. The only way we have a chance is to take Kalanthia by surprise is by going full out at the beginning. Perhaps a sufficient showing of power at the start will be enough to jolt Kalanthia out of this mindset and end the battle before it truly begins. I feel Lathani recoiling mentally at the thought of a fight breaking out between us and her mother. And then that horror turns into resolve. Mother! Stop this! I hear echo through my Bound with Lathani as the shoulder-high black leopard-like nunda steps forward, standing between Kalanthia and me. Unable to see Kalanthia¡¯s eyes, the pressure eases slightly, but her domain doesn¡¯t require eye contact to continue working. Move aside, my cub, Kalanthia tells her harshly. I only hear her words through the Bond with Lathani. This is between Markus and me. Why should it be? They were my friends too! I liked playing with the little hatchlings and now so many of them are gone, dead as a result of an invasion which you could have helped deal with! You¡¯re so powerful mother, why didn¡¯t you intervene? Lathani¡¯s words have the plaintive lilt of a child desperately hoping that there is a better explanation for what they have seen than that their parent is flawed. Abruptly, I feel an aching sort of sympathy with her. I learned that my father was flawed at the same time as I lost my mother, and the experience nearly killed me ¨C emotionally speaking, that is. I could never look at him the same way after he let his grief drive him to accuse me of killing my mother. Not when he knew that I would believe him, idolising him as I did. Lathani¡¯s words make Kalanthia pause in a way that I doubt anything else could have. I don¡¯t move. Not to relax; not to attack. Jolted out of the haze that angry grief and fear had cast over my mind, I recognise just how out of hand it¡¯s all got. Kalanthia and I were only a short distance away from actually attacking each other; I¡¯m certain of that. And I feel abruptly ashamed at letting my emotions get the better of me. I¡¯m no better than my father ¨C blaming someone else for my own failings. Why should I have? It was not my responsibility to care for the lizard-folk. At no time did I agree to that. Kalanthia¡¯s right ¨C there was never any expectation that she¡¯d defend the villagers. The den, yes ¨C if she had been here at the time and not done anything to repulse those who attempted to gain entry, that would have been one thing. But expecting her to¡­I don¡¯t even know what I was expecting her to have done. Not go to the village to defend them there ¨C she never goes to the village. Ultimately I realise what¡¯s happened. In my grief, I sought a scapegoat, so I could avoid the responsibility that lies on my shoulders alone. I left my village without the defences it needed because I wanted to go and help someone else. It doesn¡¯t matter that it was a trap designed for me ¨C even if there hadn¡¯t been a force of samurans waiting for me to leave to invade, it could have been a natural disaster, or another Tier three deciding to take my village as its territory. Unfortunate coincidences happen. I have a responsibility to the most vulnerable members of my people and I failed them. But mother! How could you just let them die? Lathani wails. The pressure of Kalanthia¡¯s domain has all but vanished, our battle interrupted by the only one who could have done so without being harmed. I step forward and put a hand on the young nunda¡¯s shoulder, stroking the fur soothingly. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± I say gently. ¡°It was not her responsibility to take care of them. She didn¡¯t let them die. I did.¡± But¡­you were not there, Lathani says with confusion. ¡°Neither was your mother,¡± I point out. ¡°And she had no obligation to be so, unlike me. I was wrong to point fingers at her.¡± I look at Kalanthia, meeting her gaze and trying to project my sincerity and my regret. ¡°She agreed only to help protect the den, and she did. Even though she wasn¡¯t here, I felt the imprint of her presence in the Earth which aided our Earth-Shaper in preventing the enemy Earth-Shaper from being able to manipulate it. It was I who took the most combat-capable Pathwalkers of the village and didn¡¯t ensure that there were contingency plans in place in case of an emergency. An oversight I¡¯m definitely going to rectify.¡± Patting Lathani¡¯s shoulder with a wordless wave of gratitude through the Bond for her intervention, I step past her, revealing myself fully to Kalanthia. Her gaze is slightly mollified, without the predatory gleam that it had held only minutes ago. Her lips have lowered too, but I can still see that her hackles are up and her body is stiff. ¡°I apologise to you, Kalanthia, known as the Great Predator. I accused you unfairly. You have been an excellent ally and¡­friend.¡± I pull out several Earth-aligned Energy Hearts. ¡°I know that these are poor offerings in comparison to what you already have access to, but hope that the token of my regret will help smooth over any bad feelings which remain.¡± I¡¯ve been given a reprieve here thanks to Lathani¡¯s intervention. My poorly-considered lashing out put a relationship under strain, a relationship which I¡¯ve had in one form or another since my first days in this world. Hopefully Kalanthia will take these as intended ¨C a heartfelt apology. Kalanthia¡¯s gaze is deeply searching for a long moment, feeling like it¡¯s scouring the very depths of my being. And perhaps it is ¨C I haven¡¯t fully released the grip on my soul so maybe it¡¯s easier to see than normal. I accept your apology in the spirit it was made, Kalanthia replies, her hackles finally descending and her body relaxing, as long as it is acknowledged that any further such insult will not be tolerated. ¡°Nor should it be,¡± I agree, relieved. Kalanthia eyes me with a hint of amusement. However, I will say congratulations in developing the beginning of your domain. Maybe one day you¡¯ll be able to give me a proper domain battle. ¡°Maybe,¡± I agree, the thought sending both excitement and fear through me. Maybe I¡¯ll ask her to help me learn how to develop it. But I don¡¯t think right now would be a good idea. ¡°So I don¡¯t accidentally make the same mistake with Raven and offend him too, do you know where he¡¯s got to? After all, I actually do have a defence pact with him that covers the village,¡± I remark wryly.