“At least you clean up your own messes,” The bear Kami observed while I shifted the bodies of the toads into a pile.

I bit back the urge to deny we were involved in this wanton slaughter; I didn’t like being falsely accused, but it wasn’t like I could offer a plausible alternative to our involvement. Or even one I believed to be true; the whole area screamed ‘evil necrotic spawn goes on murder-spree’. So I ignored the Kami, tried not to get too disgusted as I felt the concentrated necrotic energy pressing against me, and flipped another toad body onto the pile.

“This energy…” Sage looked down at one of her tails. On the edge of her scaled serpent tail, from the location where she had touched the corpse, wafted out hints of the aggressive necrotic energy. Her lip curled in distaste as she flicked her tail back and forth. “It’s quite clingy, is it not?”

“There would be a certain justice in having your bodies eaten away by your own proliferated filth.” The Kami snorted and folded its arms.

Very clearly, it enjoyed its sudden feelings of moral superiority.

And the rest of us were stuck hauling bodies and listening to the Kami.

“The responsibility for this slaughter does not lie with us,” Nightshade growled. I sympathized with my brother’s dissatisfaction even while the Kami gave the Chimera Core, wearing the body parts of its defeated foes, a disbelieving look.

Sage, always ready to take advantage of a logical weakness, smirked at the Kami. “Have you noticed this phenomenon on any of the fae squirrels we killed?”

Oh, that’s a good point.

At that, the Kami could only fall silent. Meanwhile, I activated my First Blessing. It only earned me a single point of proficiency, but I could scoop up drops of the liquid with my squirrel fingers and dribble it across Sage’s tail. As I suspected, the necrotic energy melted away.

“Fascinating,” Violala said. She fluttered closer. “You can truly just produce the holy liquid. As expected of the Kami’s chosen.”

Ignoring the Venom Mantis for now, I sprinkled a little bit of the liquid on the pile of corpses. Much of the pungent necrotic energy dissipated. But the corpses proved to be fertile grounds for the energy; immediately, some of the energy began to return.

From my perspective, I’m sweating gallons of this weird oil. But in reality… the total amount of liquid isn’t so great. Rather than relying on my Blessing, let’s see if science can solve this issue.

Please Note: I’m using science quite liberally.

Finally, I had an inkling of the true purpose of of one of my specialized Skills; around the pile of corpses, I created a Mana Array of the same variety I had given Nigthshade’s Arm.

A Dispersal Array.

Your Skill (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge has grown to Level 18.

Once the barrier was completed, the energy within its area began to be forced out by the little hoops. Not the Necrotic energy itself, which clung to the flesh, but the ambient energy within the space. Like fire deprived of oxygen, the gaseous wisps of necrotic energy began to shrink. It would take some time, but at least we wouldn’t return to the mud beach in a week and find the place transformed into a sea of cursed fire.

Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 25(+22).

Wait, System, are you trying to imply… that actually would have happened if we didn’t wander back this way?!

Mental note: don’t underestimate the spitefulness of a fantasy setting…

“Let’s continue. Perhaps the Kami will know more,” I finally said. Sage didn’t care now that the energy had been cleansed from her precious tails and Nightshade continued to be enthralled by his new head, so I just rolled my snake eyes and led the way.

Only ten minutes later, we reached the temple field. Yet before I could approach, I saw another figure; the hunched owl Old Anta sat at the edge of the clearing, half-hidden by the reeds. When his eyes lifted to me, I raised a squirrel hand in polite greeting. And in response-

“I’ll kill you!” The owl spoke in a vicious voice. His eyes were wide and bloodshot. “You… I’ll kill you!”

I blinked. Violala tapped my armored spine. “Don’t take it personally, Sir Tallum. Old Anta… indeed, it is an ancient creature. Younger than the Matriarch, but not by much. It has good days and bad days. Its grasp on its memories is not always firm. On days like this… it is best to simply avoid it.”

“I’ll kill you!” The owl snapped its beak in the air.

Of course, the one normal-seeming monster is suffering from Alzheimer’s… The more I learned, the more my hopes for creating a working economy for the area crumbled, but I tried to ignore my own negativity. Weren’t these thoughts just my old personality, undermining my new relaxed life? With the owl remaining in the reeds on the far side, we walked straight toward the open doors of the temple.

As I passed the threshold, a notification popped up in front of me.

A Notable Achievement! You have accomplished a Special Quest provided by your Kami, retrieving the Mantle of the Neighboring Kami, the Old Oak Grasps Upward. +2 to all (Species) Skills. +1 to Level.

You have Leveled Up! Health +5, Mana +3, Free Stat +1. Please select which Stat will receive the free point.

For a bit, I stood in the glittering patch of sunlight provided by the window on the far wall. I reveled in my victory.

Just like that, I had returned without wholesale slaughter and reached Level 19 to boot. I clenched my tiny squirrel hands. Definitely, with the three of us Chimera Cores working together, we had gathered the power to sculpt our home into the fabric of this wetland and defend it against all comers.

This new life was ours, for the shaping.

A familiar pulse of life energy surged out of the ground. A bright wave radiated out of the gleaming seed in the core of the map and suddenly To and Fro the River Wanders stood in the middle of the temple. I straightened and walked forward.

The three-headed duck considered our approach calmly. The right head opened its beak and spoke first. “An unusual development.”

“Treachery!” The left head quacked. “A follower undeserving of reward dares approach. The structure of the quest was misconstrued.”

“Yet the spirit was fulfilled,” The right head said. “The Mantle has been secured.”

The teddy bear Kami spat to the side. “You remain as distasteful as always, To and Fro.”

“Eternal Oak,” The central head spoke with dignity fitting its position, both in the middle of its quarrelsome brothers and as the victor of a land deity’s struggle. “You remain as sore a loser as always. How does it feel to be grasped?”

“You…!” The teddy bear clenched its fists, more a demonstration of adorability than a genuine threat. I could feel how the energy moving through its body had settled at an extremely low point.

The central head turned and looked at me. “For retrieving the Mantle, a reward has been earned.”

“And yet…” The right head considered.

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“Treachery!”

The central head hummed. “Your choices create ripples, Chosen Tallum. Never forget that.”

“We cannot see how far these ripples will spread.” The right head admitted.

The left head finally softened its words. “Even treachery shapes a Kami’s domain. In scope and in character.”

At some hidden signal, all three heads straightened.

“A foreign Plasm will not be permitted within our territory.” The right head said.

“Such an independent being… your power would be limited, but the concept of Plasm is an idea that touches the land. Just by being present…” The left head clacked its beak in distaste. “You will begin to influence the direction of growth. That cannot be allowed.”

The teddy bear Kami stood very still. Its teddy bear ears wilted. “...when the Chimera Cores invited me, I understood that the dream they promised me was a false one. Yet I… for those few moments of hope, I allowed myself to be deluded-”

“However,”

“However,”

The left and right heads both spoke up, interrupting the bear Kami before he could begin to monologue. The central head leaned forward. “...there is another way. So long as you willingly surrender your identity as a land god, you may be preserved.”

“What?” Old Oak’s expression darkened. “You would follow in the Corrupted slug’s footsteps-”

“Peace, foolish one,” The left head shook itself. “We will not tinker with your Mantle; because it was brought to us willingly, the shape will remain. Your people’s development will continue without adjustment, once the unification has been achieved.”

“Simply, you must be adjusted,” The right head said. “As a Plasm, you cannot remain.”

The teddy bear folded its arms. “That seems… impossible. I was born from a Kami’s Mantle. How can I be anything but Plasm?”

“You will be forcefully remade, when we select you as Chosen.” The Central head said.

If anything, the teddy bear Kami only seemed more confused by this news. “Surely, you have not freed up so much of your power that you can maintain multiple Chosen at once?! To think, you could have made two such monsters amongst these blightspawn-”

“You misunderstand,” The central head said.

The left head spared a glance for me, “...many have given this one the moniker of Chosen, and it cannot be considered inaccurate. By his whims, we wander from our original purpose. But also, it has not received the empowerment of a Kami to reach its current abilities.”

“Yet while it is our Chosen in spirit,” the right head added, sparing a superior glance for the left head. “There is reciprocity, in its completion of this quest. A success in spirit, while the shape remains vague. Such a hollow shape can be filled.”

“You would empower me as your champion? How could you trust that I would not rampage amongst your lesser minions, causing chaos and strife?”

“You should be well aware of the limits of empowering a Chosen,” The central head spoke. “Although much energy will be poured into the transformation, most of that energy will be utilized shoring up the essence of your existence. To facilitate the change from Plasm… to simply being another monster within our domain. Do not expect to emerge suddenly as an overwhelming power.”

“But even if you do manage to glean the smallest of profound truths by becoming our Chosen,” The left head sneered. “Do you believe our people fear strife? You will simply become another stepping stone, for their powers to advance. Our hunger for conflict remains strong”

The teddy bear Kami fell silent for several seconds. “...even if this method is a possibility… I cannot grasp your intentions, by allowing my consciousness to remain. Even if I am changed, I would retain much, from my long period as a Kami. That understanding would empower me as much as, if not more, than a Choosing. Why would you allow this?”

Although none of the three heads looked at me then, I felt the weight of the three-headed Kami’s attention settle on me. For the first time, I could sense the scope of the investments I made in this life; not only had I taken action, by avoiding the slaughter option of the question, that would keep my heart satisfied with how I lived, but I had also dragged back a talkative headache for the Kami.

We live in the same space, we are connected by relationships. The feeling in my chest was an uncomfortable one. It was claustrophobic, even if it had the slightest whiff of comfort. Perhaps it is not fair to say that I am beholden to the Kamis, but we act within the same spheres. So…

My choices, both serious and leisurely, affect them. I do not exist alone. What’s the famous quote? ‘No man is an island’?

“Because the old ways have barely allowed us to endure in this war against this world, Eternal Oak,” The Central head finally answers. “We persist by groveling behind the biggest monster currently in existence. This… is no victory.”

“May she never wake,” The teddy bear muttered. Its shoulders rose and fell. It raised its head and met the gaze of the other Kami. “And so we make a change.”

Gradually, I began to see the shape of what occurred today. The Kami had gone along with my choices, allowing me to select an unusual method of resolving the issue of invading the nearby lands, but it came with a personal cost: the access to the benefits of being a ‘Chosen’. After explaining the situation, my Kami still hadn’t moved to begin the process.

Because once more, it laid a choice at my feet. Was I sure? Was this the path I wanted to follow, bringing them all along with me?

I looked at the teddy bear Kami in front of me, remembering its meandering speeches, its joy at given the opportunity to repeat its favorite stories, and finally the way its eyes had softened every time it looked at its bloodthirsty chitterers.

I shifted slightly, from one tortoise leg to another. And I considered the muscle-bound fae squirrel Champion.

Even setting aside possible… aesthetic risks of becoming Chosen in that manner. I thought. This is about living with regrets. I want to continue to grow stronger, so I can protect my home and siblings. But do I need to borrow that power from a Kami…?

At least for now, my answer is not yet. I’m improving every day. And for the sake of creating a home that brings me pride, I can give up a little bit of power.

Especially considering the dubious ‘Blessings’ the Kami has offered thus far-

“Grhk?!”

I hopped to the side after a sharp pain emerged in one of my tortoise legs; for a moment, it felt like I had stepped on a caltrop. Yet when I jerked my leg back, nothing was there.

“Comport yourself with dignity, Chosen Tallum,” The left head didn’t bother to hide its amusement.

I tightened my muscles and yelled mentally. You petty duck…! There’s no way I’d let you remake my body with your shitty Chosen ceremony!

The teddy bear looked at the ground, completely missing when all three duck heads nodded at my rejection. So when it looked up, completely missing the abuses of power happening in front of it, and nodded, the deal was made. “Alright, I accept these terms.”

“Pass the Mantle back to the Kami, Chosen Tallum,” The right head said. Despite my simmering annoyance, I did so.

The teddy bear held the nearly pitch-black leaf in its hand. For several seconds, it just stared at the item. I could feel the energy in the temple stirring; connected with the Mantle, suddenly the teddy bear Kami was presented with its own choice. Despite having proceeded to this point, despite reaching the epicenter of To and Fro the River Wander’s power, with the Mantle in its hand, it could change its mind and resist.

My skin prickled. Just to be sure of not being annihilated in a possible clash, I made sure my interstitial flesh covered every inch of my jelly.

The wavering barrier of the Mantle remained around us. It could pull, gathering its focus and condensing a seed of power. Eternal Oak Grasp Upward could fight its way out of the temple, flee the wetlands, and return to its forest. The process would be costly, and we had already proven we Chimera Cores could pierce through its defenses and reach its last bastion, but it could resume the old war.

It stared at the leaf, almost in wonder.

What sort of life do you want to live?

I could see the question I had been asking myself for the past two days working its way across the bear’s face.

In a word, it was a ripple.

“Ha!” In the end, the Eternal Oak Grasps Upward laughed. It raised its hand and offered the leaf to the three-headed duck. “To be sure, much will be surrendered… but I can already smell an intoxicating whiff of freedom. Even for an old soul like myself, I am intrigued by the possibility of a new existence.”

To and Fro the River Wanders stretched out its left wing and took the black leaf. “There are yet horizons to explore and skies to grasp. It seems… the next few years will be very interesting. Kneel as a Plasm, and surrender your claims on touching this land… but also find the fetters of fate loosened from your wrists.”

So the teddy bear knelt. The three-headed duck flicked its wing and the leaf whizzed out like a throwing star and sank into the glittering map of the area. Mana surged and swirled within the temple. The ground began to tremble. I shifted uneasily, as more and more Mana began to pour out of the union between the two mantles.

Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 15.

Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 25(+14).

Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 16.

The essence of the map began to change. In the bottom right corner of the map, where a legend would be located on modern maps, two symbols condensed. First a feather and then a leaf. They stood next to one another, neither larger than the other. And in the space between the two symbols, I sensed the spark of something overwhelming.

Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 17.

From that spark, all the gathering energy erupted.

The wave of life energy crashed against me as the map expanded to include the Old Oak Grasps Upward’s former domain, but it just felt like a warm and invigorating splash.

It was the first feeling of wading out into the ocean on a warm summer day.