At night, the soft passage of wind through the weeds changed. Shadows stretched from the growth, turning the tracts of mud I had cleared, in preparation for roads, into murky cesspools. My energy sonar rendered my awareness of footing sure, but I made a mental note not to introduce civil liability suits to the monstrous wetlands until I had everything up to code.

Won’t I be promogulating the regulations anyway? I mused. My tortoise leg sank slightly in the mud as I moved forward. Yet suddenly the shadows around me seemed to sharpen. I followed my instincts and fixated on a hunched form looming out of the reeds.

I halted my march and kept my attention focused forward, wondering if I would need to get into a fight right outside of the mud field.

The crazed owl of our Kami, Old Anta pivoted and stared at me, its neck twisting grotesquely far so it could examine me squarely. My senses tingled, as I remembered the owl crowing out ‘I’ll kill you!’ in our previous interaction. Somehow, the combination of that intensity of focus, the shadows, and my stress in regards to the Kami meeting-

“Greetings, little Chimera Core,” Old Anta clacked its beak together. It looked at me with glittering eyes, eyes so bright I could almost see the madness in them. Yet its voice was smooth and gentle. “Would you care to join me for the stroll to the Kami’s temple?”

Your Skill (Language) Bestial Comprehension has grown to Level MAX(+4).

Sus. Picious. I couldn’t help but wonder if the owl wanted me to lower my guard so it could eat me. Or perhaps it sensed the Corrupted River Opal? I couldn’t sense any necrotic energies from him, but we did have a mysterious assailant in the area, who spread out necrotic seeds and caused chaos. Wasn’t it possible-?

Or am I just being prejudiced against a schizophrenic owl? His behavior seems controlled today…

“Sure,” I managed to say. My skin crawled a bit, but my Health was full. Besides, what could happen on the short walk to the temple?

Well, for one thing, Old Anta walked very slowly. The ancient owl didn’t appear to have much hip mobility (can monsters develop arthritis?) so he pivoted his whole body for each step, swinging the leg around, planting it, before swinging the other hip forward. He also moved with his wings partially unfurled, so he loomed over me like a feathery umbrella that had seen a half-dozen too many storms. Despite the fact they were smeared with mud as the owl churned forward, I couldn’t help but notice how sharp its talons were.

“So,” Old Anta said, still in that same pleasant voice. “You and your sister are in a spat?”

“What?” Despite my previous tension, the unexpected prod at my emotional insecurity brought me up short.

The owl shuffled around so it was facing me. Its beak clacked slightly. “Oh, I didn’t mean to pry. Just I wondered… I used to have many, many siblings. So I wondered if you would appreciate a bit of wisdom from one who has experienced life’s trials.”

“...no?”

The owl nodded, not offended at all by my sharp response. “Indeed, indeed. Some lessons can only be learned if they are carved into flesh. Forgive an old man if the offer overstepped. And I hope you know that you can be comfortable being vulnerable around Old Anta. If you wish to talk, I am here.”

The owl pivoted away and swung its legs as it walked toward the temple. We, weirdly, spent the rest of the walk in silence.

Maybe not that weird. The unexpected empathy, from such an unstable source, only intensified my suspicions. And then I felt bad that I was so prejudiced against the owl, no matter how schizophrenic he had behaved.

Still. Not going to apologize for not being a fan of someone who has screamed ‘I’ll kill you’...

At least when we walked into the Kami’s temple, I could distract myself from my awkward tension.

Takkle and Pukkle were already present in the front half of the illuminated temple. Takkle offered me a small wave, even as Pukkle bristled, still clearly suspicious about his arrival to find his otter partner surrounded by Chimera Cores and zombie toads. Violala stood a short distance to the side, flashing her serrated foreleg at me in our unfortunately vicious greeting.

Nightshade gave me a grave nod… with all of his heads, which somewhat undercut the solemn solidarity. But I couldn’t fault him for the attempt; despite my lack of reverence toward the land god to which we attached ourselves, standing inside the temple with the map humming with life on the wall and the floor glittering with stars, it was easy to understand the origins of the word ‘awe’.

Old Oak, shrunken teddy bear that he was, stood against the far wall, peering at the living map that described the Kami’s Land. I was interested to see how the edges of the map had crept slowly outward, giving a broader picture of the area. I also couldn’t help but not that there were strange bits of dimness located at points across the central area.

In the same areas where I had spread blight.

Lastly, a ripple of flesh pulled my attention to the shadows against the far wall. Mookt looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, wounds still apparent on its sides. The scabs were ugly and inflamed, giving him the air of a plague patient. I barely managed to bite back a sharp comment about unprotected dalliances with crayfish.

This asshole is going to make yesterday an issue… but since I know it’s coming, better to let his tiny kettle boil over than goad him into a reaction.

My heart fell, somewhat, when I continued to look around and saw that Sage wasn’t present. I felt relief, but the same crack that had appeared in my heart during our fight began to ache more incessantly-

Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 25(+25).

I get it Detection! She’s not here, you useless-

An Interesting Achievement: for increasing another Skill to (+25), +15 Health.

Due to Exalted’s Due, Mana +10.

Your Skill (Earned) Exalted’s Due has grown to Level 13.

Tallum, breathe… remember the joys of construction-

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

But this empty Skill got to (+25) without an evolution opening-!

“Impatient,” The left head of To and Fro the River Wanders tutted as the duck Kami sauntered into the temple.

“Enthusiastic,” The right head retorted, although it didn’t sound entirely sure.

“Irrelevant,” The Central head cut through as it pivoted to regard us all. I could almost feel the difference in the Kami’s energy presence from the last time I had been in its presence. I wondered if that was due to steady developments in the land, or whether my Innate Mana Attunement just gave me a better awareness of its presence.

After observing each of us in turn, the central head spoke again. “Before the horn of our Mission is sounded, an introduction must be made. She had earned sufficient berth to be included in the previous gathering, yet duty kept her otherwise occupied. Gymellicka?”

A large figure executed a short hop into the temple. My pupils dilated; large was a relative descriptor, but she was larger even than Mookt, perhaps standing as tall as a human pre-teen. Even with her legs folded beneath her, a green-skinned humanoid torso sitting atop a toad’s lower half, she stood taller than Old Oak.

Yet the most eye-catching detail-

Your Skill (Earned) Innate Mana Attunement has grown to Level 9.

-was the label sitting above her head. Nightshade instinctively moved to my side, closing ranks in the face of a dense cluster of Mana.

Seven Crowned Toad Lady Lvl 26

“Indeed, Chosen,” The left head sneered at me. “She has the immense honor of being the first being within our influence to pass through the Second Growth Threshold. Despite the… advantages of your race, it cannot replace longevity upon the land.”

“I am very pleased to meet you all,” The Toad Lady Gymellicka nodded her head. Her gaze shifted toward Nightshade and I. “Obviously, I have been aware of the influence of the Chimera Cores… but to my surprise, I have found them to be an immense gift, even if a heavy one. I would like to extend my welcome to you who have washed up on these shores. It is not an easy thing to change fate.”

Despite her strange ending, and the friendliness of her tone, I felt uncomfortable as I looked at the Seven Crowned Toad Lady. Innate Mana Attunement made me very aware of the way she burned with a Mana density I couldn’t hope to rival. Did the Six Horned Toad Broodmother evolve into this partial humanoid? But that matters less than the obvious power she possesses. If the Second Growth Threshold is a similar jump in capability like the First was…

Even working as three… could we defeat her?

Nightshade hummed next to me, having a similar reaction. Perhaps if Sage were present, our jelly resonance would have risen in volume until it became a cacophony of denials. But with just the two of us-

“Such an excellent point, Miss Gymellicka,” Old Oak rumbled. The teddy bear crossed its arms. “But you know, their subversive presence isn’t entirely without precedent. Even if their forms are tainted by Necrotic energies, I recall one instance-”

“The Mission comes first,” The right duck head cut in before Old Oak could begin one of its monologues. “At our previous meeting, all were given objectives to accomplish, to spread the influence of our Domain.”

“And if all worked in concert, if all were victorious in the face of petty resistance, we could near the threshold between Tier III and Tier II Kamis,” The left head added.

The central head nodded. “Our Chosen and its allies went into the depths of the Chitterers’ forest, defeating the weaklings and-”

“That hardly seems like an appropriate summarization,” Old Oak muttered.

“-subjugating its Kami,” The Central Head didn’t even blink an eye. “One of the necessary Mantles was obtained. Takkle and Pukkle proceeded to the Mudfields to the North, clearing a Path to the unclaimed land. I am happy to report that we were able to successfully reawaken the land, earning another Mantle gifted by the bounteous stretch.”

At its word, To and Fro gestured with a wing. A spinning marble of mud manifested in the air next to it. The life energy quivered throughout the temple, sending dangerous ripples through the Mana. Gesturing again, the Kami sent that Mantle floating to the map on the wall. As the ripples intensified, the map expanded even further, including the mud stretches on the North side of the river.

Your Skill (Earned) Innate Mana Attunement has grown to Level 10.

Your Skill (Earned) Mutinous Grit has grown to Level 24.

Ignorant of the ominous Level up timing, the left head picked up the train of thought. “The Ascension to Tier II Kami requires several factors, but the most basic of which is the size and density of our Mantle. With the addition of this third Mantle, we believe we are very close”

The right head fixed its beady eyes on Mookt. “So, Mookt, you who have skulked up and down the river, avoiding the opportunity to report the outcome of your own endeavors for the last several suns. Despite our lack of hope, report.”

“I-” The giant catfish curled in on itself. Its mouth opened and closed. It alternated between glaring at the rest of the room and flinching before the Kami. Its eyes rolled around. The flinching occurred more often, because suddenly the squat Seven Horned Toad Lady also put fear into the bottom-dweller's heart.

Finally, it seemed to arrive at a decision. “More important issues must be addressed. A grave threat to the wetlands persists, even now. The Chimera Cores-”

“The Ritual of our meetings must be kept,” The left head snapped. “We draw grooves in existence for a reason; benefits to power accrue in structure. Your anger and accusations have no place in Mission. Save your petty excuses for the Call. Now, report.”

I barely managed to slap my squirrel hands across my mouth to prevent a laugh; actually, watching left head be rude to someone else was quite pleasurable.

Heaving out a massive breath, Mookt squirmed around a little. “I… I understand. As you suspect… I was unable to obtain the Mantle from the river depths to the South. However, it was a conspiracy against me! I met the Kami, partially awoken and sinister, possessing a Plasm of a poisonous Newt. Despite the differences in our life orders, unlike these twisted cowards-”

Cut to Mookt leering at me and Nightshade.

“-I challenged the Kami to combat.”

“That seems foolish,” Old Oak commented.

Mookt shook its head, a glimmer of slyness in its eyes. “Heh, typically, yes. But, I had already contacted the local riffraff. After experiencing my charisma, they dedicated their lives to my purpose. They assured me that during the climactic fight, they would intervene and assist me. All for the chance to serve me.”

My suspicions were immediately aroused. What sort of mud-guzzlers would encounter Mookt and think the word ‘charisma’...?

“However, they were improperly delayed by some unknown force,” Mookt continued. Its eyes fixated on me. “Based upon the prevailing dangers of the wetlands… I suspect they were attacked by the zombies these foolish Chimera Cores unleashed. As such, they couldn’t assist.”

“So you fled,” Old Oak commented.

Mookt’s head snapped around, sending jiggles through its bulk. “I did not! My power is boundless. Despite the circumstances, the other Kami fell before my unstoppable might. Yet when I investigated the location of the Mantle… it had vanished!”

“Did the Kami hide its Mantle?” Pukkle asked.

Mookt shook its head emphatically. “Impossible! The gecko thralls who pledged to serve me told me that it possesses a vanity skull, devoid of brain.”

“...gecko thralls?” I twitched, thinking of the gecko ‘princess’ we had rescued from the Corrupted Bog Heron and the turd it had left for me. Then I tried to picture an entire people as pointlessly petty as her.

I pivoted and looked at To and Fro. “What could monsters do, if they stole a Kami’s Mantle?”

“Are you implying the geckos tricked me?! Impossible! Did I not explain how they met me and were overwhelmed by my charisma?” Mookt growled.

No one bothered to acknowledge the catfish; educating it was not worth the effort.

“In the short term… little,” The left head sniffed.

The right head seemed less certain. “A half-step could be taken.”

The central head gazed for a long time at the map on the wall. “Ripples is too small a word for the strange developments, Chosen. Indeed… the process is difficult, but to a mundane being, a Mantle could truly change its Fate. And the Fate of a whole land.”