I slowed in the middle of the still forest, aware that only a dozen meters forward, through the thickets of the trees, waited the ominous mass of Mana of the awakening Kami. Each second meant a little more of its natural power would be freed.

Yet I felt frustration and shock coursing through me. My thoughts scrabbled for purchase.

Our Kami did this on purpose… it knowingly sent me away. My speed dropped further until I simply walked across the darkened ground. In the darkness, I felt isolated and adrift. Are we Chimera Cores being sabotaged? Or tested? Or… does the Kami have another reason for sending us in blind?

But also… My instincts shivered. The machine hummed in contemplation. Isn’t this exactly the opportunity I wanted?

Heh, which is worse? To be misunderstood or to be totally seen?

Violala tapped my side. “Chosen Tallum? The Kami provided sufficient context to me. So long as we-”

“No,” When I spoke up, I surprised even myself with the confidence of my answer. Because I was not alone in the darkness; I felt the hum of my companion’s cores reassuring me. “You do not need to give us an explanation of the process the Kami talked about. We Chimera Cores… will solve this problem on our own.”

“Confronted with true power, petty methods crumble,” Nightshade observed. Sage snorted but remained silent.

I picked my speed back up before I could overthink my decision. A new certainty burned in my heart; today, I would find a new method of building in the present. Not by creating a physical building, but by impressing upon this chaotic monster world a bit of the life philosophy of Tallum Frost.

Yet I wouldn’t have stumbled my way into this without a nudge. Did the Kami leave out the explanation on purpose, to give me this opportunity…?

I surged forward, unwilling to dwell too long on the possibility. But I couldn’t forget the many demonstrations the Kami had given of its ability to read my mind.

Which meant… this opportunity was an extension of trust, albeit a small one from the schizophrenic duck.

Or the offer of a knotted rope, with which I could hang myself, I thought. Then I suppressed the paranoia that was so far from my usual leisurely mood.

Good save, Tallum. So chill.

Besides, I had a future to build.

The group moved around the last of the massive tree trunks and stepped into a faint aura of light. A short distance farther and we walked into a small gully in which towered the Eternal Oak. Violala fell still on my back, gazing upward. Truly, the tree was beyond massive, almost double the size of those surrounding trees that already so dwarfed us. Its bark was thick and rutted, its branches strong and numerous. The color of its leaves seemed to have absorbed the darkness, so they appeared more black than green.

The Eternal Oak rose from a small hill, isolated from the rest of the darkened space by a small creek gurgling through the dip at the base. The creek only circled three-fourths of the tree, creating a natural ‘approach’ to the Eternal Oak. And to my senses, I felt a powerful barrier rising over the stream, reinforced with the ambient natural life energy in the area.

Your Skill (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge has grown to Level 6.

Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+5).

Your Skill (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge has grown to Level 7.

Even through my resolve, I had to pause and admire the way the natural energies had been repurposed to create-

“Is that…” Violala whispered the words. Nightshade just growled in response.

Ah, let’s get to three important facts.

Fact Number One: at the edges of the open area dominated by the Eternal Oak were two trees so riddled with holes that they seemed a single breeze away from structural collapse. And from each of these dark passages, the glowing eyes of Fae Squirrels were visible, observing the invading party.

Yet the marshaling of the squirrels didn’t end there. At the base of two trees sat two magic circles. I could see three Fae Squirrel Shamans of Retribution manning each, preparing to push their Mana through the circle and summon their Protectors. Glittering motes of energy swam in the air around them.

Your Skill (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge has grown to Level 8.

From just a glance at this circle (one so much less complicated than the array animating us Chimera Cores), I felt quite a bit of inspiration about how arrays worked. But that could also wait until later.

Fact Number Two: the soft white-gold illumination underneath the Eternal Oak came from five flowers that grew at the base of the tree. I looked at the flowers for a moment but then turned away; they burned with a weaker but still recognizable life-energy-plus-so-much-more of a Kami. It still had quite some time before it intensified to what I witnessed from To and Fro the River Wanders in the temple, but-

Good thing we came quickly. Even in a partially sealed stay, that energy is overwhelming. A Kami is a land god, after all. In fantasy worlds, the term ‘god’ is not a trifling one.

“You all received the same quest, yes?” For the first time since her frustrated tantrum, Sage spoke. “That… is likely the Plasm of the enemy Kami.”

Fact Number Three: leaning back against the Eternal Oak, its eyes closed and its chest slowly rising and falling, slept a grizzly bear. A grizzly bear cub, sure, but even if we three Chimera Cores stood atop each other and wore a trench coat, this cub would be taller and have half again as much weight as we did.

…at least I finally understand where all the weirdness of the squirrels came from. Perhaps Yogi Bear reincarnated here… and brought along some serious body image issues. Bad break-up, Yogi…?

The bear cub’s bulging trapezius muscle probably made it impossible for it to shrug.

Our group of four examined the clearing. The Shamans eyed us warily, exhausted but clearly unwilling to allow us Chimera Cores to proceed to the Eternal Oak without a fight. On my back, Violala tapped her leg against my side. Again, I felt the weirdest intuitive understanding of her intentions: when the fighting began, she would move and subdue the Shamans in the left circle.

With my energy sonar, I looked at the Eternal Oak, then the flowers, then the muscle cub, and then magic circles to summon Protectors. They crackled with Mana along the sides of the open area. Sage’s tails flicked side to side. Nightshade tightened the muscles of his lithe torso.

Both sides knew this could only end one way.

Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 8.

Your Skill (Earned) Short-Term Prediction has grown to Level 9.

Just as I was about to move and signal the beginning of the attack, I felt a horrible sense of forboding. My body stilled. Perhaps my jelly rippled out my sudden fear because both Sage and Nightshade held back their assault. Trying to remain casual, I pivoted and looked once more at the cub sleeping beneath the tree. Its chest slowly rose and fell, painting the perfect picture of slumber.

My mind raced and my senses tingled. I traced the complex flows of life energy and Mana manifesting before me. Okay, although this is a fantasy world, there are patterns that remain true in all situations. A Kami comes in three parts: a manifestation , a lifespring, and proof. Plasm, Seed, and Mantle. The cub is obviously the Plasm. And considering the flow of life energy… the Seed… is split amongst those flowers…?

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But where the hell is the Mantle? Because that is what I need to find. And based on the explanation, shouldn’t it be the most noticeable? Or the most valuable.

I squinted, scanning the area again. It is a purposefully vicious Quest perfectly in line with the philosophy of this world-

Slaughter the Fae Squirrels and Subdue the Plasm of the Neighboring Kami to retrieve its Mantle.

…but isn’t the last line the only important one? Retrieve the Mantle.

I held up a finger as I began to see the pattern. Inside my head, the machine began to churn. One clank, two clanks, quickly five. I looked and looked, but it was almost impossible to distinguish much with the gushing life energy of the flowers obscuring everything else. They acted like smoke screens, releasing billowing energy that masked every other aspect of the area.

Tsk, I felt sudden annoyance and regret in my heart. I made space in my jelly to carry some of my spare First Blessing Liquid, but perhaps if I had also carried around the Emerald Aspect, I could have absorbed it. With an empowered Mana Core, maybe I’d be able to do this on my own-

That thought gave me pause.

But I don’t need to handle it all myself, do I?

Although in a different manner, perhaps I was falling into the same trap of my past life.

My eyes widened as a thought occurred to me. Suddenly, between the lurking threat, the confusion, and the pain of my companion, I had an idea. With its eighth click, the machine ceased its toil, a path forward discovered. I lowered my hand and flexed my fingers. Violala tapped my armored spine in understanding and fluttered off to the ground.

I reached out to my siblings because I wasn’t alone.

“Sage,” I said.

She looked at me, haughty and vulnerable and most importantly my dear slime sister. She twisted away, clearly flinching at the prospect of her heart being seen. “Obviously, brother, I will handle the first strike.”

“It’s not that.” I looked again at the flowers, then back at Sage. “Right now, we need your expertise beyond all others. Today… the burden of a successful mission rests on your back.”

She followed my gaze. She perked up the smallest bit. “Oh? You wish to steal a flower? Hehe, truly, my speed is without peer. And these would serve as a pretty bauble, I suppose. Yes, since Brother Tallum requires this boon from me-”

“You are the fastest by far,” I said, very purposefully not looking at our light and graceful Venom Mantis companion. “But my request is not that. Others may rival your speed with Stats… but Sagacity Skyrage, you are an individual with incomparable political acumen. In this area… only you can be the one who saves us.”

“Eh?” Sage blushed. “What do you mean?”

“Negotiation, Sage. Your diplomatic experience is exactly what we require.” I said. Then I looked at the open Path to the Eternal Oak. “Did you think that after the ambush failed the first time, this sort of strategy would work?”

Heavy brown eyelashes fluttered, but I had to respect the fact our foe did not hesitate after being called out.

Beneath the tree, the cub opened its eyes. Rather than move, I could see the way that the life energy in the environment shifted, manipulating the physical form. The casual manipulation of the energy filled me with more dread than the relative difference in our sizes.

After staring at each one of the invaders in turn, the Kami spoke. “Any aggressive action on your part would have been enough. I might only be half-awakened… but you are still mundane beings, having not even passed through your Second Growth Threshold. Slaughtering you… heh, it requires nothing but a thought.”

Next to me, Nightshade bristled. His emotions began to bubble dangerously in the face of the dismissal. But simultaneously, I felt all of Sage’s superfluous emotions falling away. She straightened and moved closer to me. From beyond the grave, I felt Mimi regarding me with a smug grin.

“What’s it like being a big sister?”

“A lot like being a little brother, probably. Except… I’m burdened with the knowledge of being right.”

Sage felt lost, earlier. Although she was the most powerful of us three siblings in our new bodies, that wasn’t enough for the former princess. I had my role as the Kami’s chosen, but it wasn’t in her temperament to accept the job of protector that she could have assumed with her power. No, Sage needed a higher purpose. And now that she drew on her past life as a prestigious Skyrage, heading a negotiation with a rival Kami-

She communicated via pulses in her jello, her tail resting against mine to strengthen the connection. Her question was direct. What is our goal?

Your Skill (Language) Bestial Comprehension has grown to Level 10.

Ultimately, we need to discover where and what the Mantle of this Kami is. I laid out my inner thoughts. I don’t have any current clues… except, based on the ways the energy in the area overlaps, it must be nearby. The Kami’s Plasm… it's only being manipulated with energy, it hasn’t yet awakened. Or the Plasm hasn’t fully formed. But I do know a method I believe would allow me to find the Mantle.

And that is?

…allowing me to ‘water’ one of those flowers.

Of all emotions, what I didn’t expect from Sage was disappointment. Ah, Brother Tallum. I had assumed you had come to me because this was a difficult task, yet this… I hesitate to even call it a negotiation. More like a public social execution. Haah… but since you asked so sincerely, it’s your big sister’s responsibility to assist. Witness the influence a Skyrage may casually wield.

I couldn’t help but feel that Sage’s confidence… was quite cute.

Sage rolled forward, flicking a tail in Nightshade’s face to wake him from his bristling aggression. The Shamans in their magic circle straightened as she approached, but she ignored them. She only regarded the muscular cub. “You! Fleshy forest dweller. Capitulate immediately, surrender your land, and take your own life. In exchange, we will only burn half of your forest to the ground as a display of mercy.”

I winced. Ah, Sage. Such a domineering attitude- wait, actually, is the reason I’ve always been bad at negotiation is I open too reasonably?

…even so ‘surrender and we will still burn down half your forest’…

At first, the kami cub laughed. Except when Sage just continued to look calmly at him, and he realized she wasn’t joking, his eyes narrowed. The life energies in the area manipulated the body to push itself up off the ground and glower at her. Those plump muscles quivered. “...you. Do you not value your life at all? You don’t appear to understand your current predicament. A mortal cannot stand before a Kami. And even if you could withstand my presence, a fight? You would undoubtedly end the hour as remnant paste on the ground.”

The Kami waved a paw as he continued. “Yet even if I am mistaken, and you could endure? It matters not. If you managed to wrestle with my Plasm, do you think it is within your power to survive here? My people would obliterate you.”

Sage gave me a complex look. She seemed insulted to discover this would be even easier than she had originally thought.

“Your Champion has been dead for several days, its body devoured by our brother as an amusing diversion. No single part of that body was even impressive enough to be worthy of integration. Then we paved the road to your Eternal Oak with the corpses of your weaker squirrels, within a single day.” Sage tilted her head to the side. “You adjusted the development of your people, creating the Shamans of Retribution to counter our advantages. Yet they were easily overcome-”

“Not easily!” The cub snarled. His rage continued to grow, the more Sage talked about the squirrels we had killed. He took a heavy step away from the Eternal Oak. The life energy surged. “You struggled and suffered-”

Sage looked at the cub with genuine pity. “If you wish to call the short amount of delays on our casual journey here ‘struggling and suffering’ we might as well cease talks here; your perspective is bereft of any grounding in fact. The truth of the matter is that we three siblings have overpowered your people. We stand before the core of your domain, unharmed and frankly bored.”

“Pah. Your verbal tricks will not sway me.” With an effort of will, the Kami regained his self-control. “You have approached the Eternal Oak, yet you dare not take the last step. If you transgress, I will slaughter you. And even if you possess a bit of strength, what of it? You remain little tadpoles, barely beyond the first growth threshold. Strange, unnatural children of blight you may be-”

He really likes to hear himself talk, huh? My squirrel fingers twitched. Despite having fewer mouths, this Kami has so much more to say.

“You harp on trivial details. The point isn’t you, but your vulnerable people,” Sage sniffed. Her tails undulated outward. “Why don’t you tell me what you think would happen if we threatened them?”

The Kami cub roared. Along with the noise came a pressured cloud of life energy that filled the clearing and then spread out a short distance beyond us into the surrounding trees. As the energy gradually dissipated, the cub took another step forward. It flexed its large paws at the small form of Sage. “You are already within my grasp, blightspawn. You made a critical mistake, entering the clearing. Did you feel the scope of my fury?!? With a single bound, I could cover the distance to you and smash your flesh.”

Sage just sighed and shook her head. Her jelly communicated with mine. Brother Tallum, do you see it now? This is why…

Outloud, she said, “Did you truly just reveal the area in which you can move?”

The muscled Kami froze. It took several seconds for the bear to clear its throat. “...no I did not.”

“You are a poor liar,” Sage sighed again.

Meanwhile, my gaze shifted upward. Based on the reach of the Mantle demonstrated there… it is tied to the Eternal Oak. Now, it would be a real headache to drag the entire tree back to the temple… but right before the big energy pulse, there was a smaller one. In the upper foliage…

My eyes flashed. The Mantle of the Kami… should be one of the Eternal Oak’s leaves.

Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 25(+13).