It didn’t take long for Yuriko to catch up to the others, though she did spend more time keeping watch at their rear, in case the barbarians snuck up on them. They would have to leave their camp soon anyway. It was less than a day’s walk from the tunnels to their cave, and there was also the possibility that there were tunnels connected to their cave.

As soon as she appeared behind them, Gwendith and Desire ran up to her and caught her in a fierce hug.

“Master! Master!”

“You’re alright! Oh! Wait, what’s this?” Gwendith muttered as she fingered the holes on Yuriko’s overcoat and shirt. She poked her finger inside and touched a spot of pain on Yuriko's ribs. There was a spot of blood.

“Huh,” Yuriko muttered. She didn’t realise that she’d been wounded. The spear?

Well, what did you expect? You just stood there and took the blow! Foolish girl, if you’re going to act like a behemoth you should thicken your Anima there! Or you could have formed the Adamant Guardian Seal. That would have stopped even a blow from a Domain Stage existence. ‘Course, it would have drained all of your Animus but you’d survive the attack…

Yuriko blinked, both at Damien’s comment and Gwendith and Desire’s fussing.

“It’s nothing.” She brushed off their concern. The freed captives didn’t look all that good though and the cold wasn’t helping. “We should get to camp first.”

“My song cannot keep them strong for much longer.” Desire whispered in Yuriko’s ear, ticklish with the soft wind.

They kept up the pace, grim determination filled the women’s faces even as some winced when they stumbled or when a flurry of snow went down the back of their necks. Perhaps an hour later, they went down the cliffside path and entered the cave that served as their temporary camp.

After a couple of turns, the tunnel opened up into a wider cavern. A brazier glowed merrily with heat, and the scent of ration bar stew, garnished with slivers of meat from a hunt filled the chamber. Lucinda tended the stew and she nodded in greeting.

The women crowded around the heat, murmuring in relief.

“The others?” Yuriko asked Lucinda.

“Pavo’s keeping watch outside. You didn’t see him?” When Yuriko shook her head, she shrugged, “Probably using his technique to bend light around himself. Sheamus and Nathan are scouting to the west. Kalla went out to hunt.”

“I see. Well, let’s wait for the scouts to return. But get things ready to go.” Yuriko followed her words with action and started to put away scattered bedrolls and blankets. The stew would have been enough for the eight of them but not the dozen and a half they now were. She set up another stew pot and filled it with water, dumped a dozen ration bars in it and left it to boil. There weren’t enough utensils and bowls to go around too, so she went back outside with the idea to pick up some wood to whittle.

Desire followed behind her and once they were out of sight of the others. “My Chaos Well is empty, master. Ah, I would like to fill it with your Animus, Master. The other kind,” she grimaced in distaste, “is a bit unpleasant.”

“Eh? Uhm, I’m sorry for forcing that on you then.” Yuriko said, “Erm, you, uh…”

“Oh, I can tolerate it if needed,” Desire smiled beatifically, “but I'd prefer Animus with my Master’s mark.”

“Oh, alright,” Yuriko muttered, but she held out a hand just as Desire stepped up to her.

She’d rather not transfer Animus through her mouth, instead, she drew out a strand of Pure Animus and had it well up in her palm. Desire took her hand and breathed it in. Yuriko squeezed out a quarter of her internal reserves before the other girl was satisfied.

Afterwards, she flared out her Anima to create the conversion and storage runescript weaving to hurriedly refill her core. She kept the flare to a minimum, less than an inch, and tried to dim it as much as she could. Her Anima resisted the change. It was like pushing on a mountain and expecting it to move. Shaking her head, she just kept it as close to her skin as possible and left the cavern.

Back on the plateau, she looked around for Pavo. The man was actually on top of a boulder and she saw him only because he left a depression on the snow. And for some reason, there was a displaced shadow. Huh.

She headed towards one of the trees, looked for a thick branch then cut it down. It would take some work but she should be able to make a few bowls and spoons with this.

She formed blades with her Anima and started to cut, using kinesis to work on half a dozen pieces at once. It was easy work and her mind wandered.

‘Damien? Are you listening?’

Hmmm, what is it, child?

Well, since they had to wait for the scouts anyway, she might as well talk to the old pervert.

‘Do you…remember what happened when I visited the Progenitor?’

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He must know. He could take over control of her body when she fell unconscious. He must have done it twice by now. The first time was during the battle with the Seeker in Shillogu Woods and the second time was during another battle with the Seeker of Delights against the barbarians.

Hmmm. Yes.

‘What happened?’

I talked with an old friend.

‘The Progenitor…you know her?’

Well, of course. Damien’s smug voice echoed in her mind, We were…intimate friends.

‘Really? Oh, I suppose that makes sense. You are my Ancestor after all.’

Ah, yes, of course. Ha ha, er. Anyway, it was a private conversation so I’ll spare you the details.

‘And the fact that you made me unconscious?’

No, that wasn’t me.

‘The Progenitor?’

More likely you couldn’t take the pressure of being in the presence of the Threads of Fate. It’s much more in sync with the world near the Loom. You were too freshly Actualised, and you didn’t have your defences up.

‘Huh.’ Yuriko whittled in silence for a few minutes and she felt Damien start to fall asleep. He’d been like that for a while, ever since she passed the World Trials. She didn’t remember if he had been there, while her incarnations presented their futures. Perhaps he wasn’t at all.

‘Do you remember?’

Hmm?

‘The past. The Shattering. What came before?’

I…I don’t. There are gaping holes in my memories, child. I feel as if there were more holes than memory. I was…huh, a God-King, I think. But what kind, I don’t remember.

‘God-king? God-Monarch… You, you and yours caused the Shattering?’\

Yuriko’s hands froze stiff. She had a God-King in her head? It…it made sense, in a way. The techniques and the paths he’d taught her were those not used today. And he said he didn’t remember the Empire at all, but he knew the Progenitor.

Shattering… it's much more complex than what you think. Damien sighed, but yes, I remember the Shattering. Parts of it. Huh. We’re inside a stable plane, aren’t we? I guess some of the truth would help you now. Do you remember the Pure Lands?

‘Of course, I do.’ Yuriko thought sourly.

Yes. The forbidden names. Katharos and Yabranth. They… were once one being. Or rather, part of an even greater one. A Great Old One. Heh. Amusement coloured Damien’s voice.

‘What happened then?’

Oh, well, I killed it. And those two, and a few others popped out of its corpse. It’s why I didn’t want you to know their names. They’d hear you think it, and come after us.

‘You… You WHAT?!”

Killed them. He gave her a mental shrug. Trust me, you wouldn’t have wanted to see what they were before.

‘So all that was because of you?’

Ehehehe. Well, not just me. Calm down, child. This is all in the past. Sure, it affects you now, but so do a lot of things. And as soon as we reach, well you reach, at least the Domain Stage, then there would be no need to hide.

‘And how long would it take me to reach that stage?’

A century or two, maybe. Could be faster but you’d have to imbibe a lakeful of Ambrosia. But then, your foundations would be shaky, so…

‘Hold up, hold up.’ Yuriko muttered, kneading her temples. ‘This is all going over my head. Let’s uh, are we in any immediate danger?’

Course not. You’ve passed the trials and Actualised. Unless you go back down to the Pure Lands, head over to that Xylarchy place, or dive into the Abyss and challenge those Who Came Before, you’re perfectly safe. From the Primordials anyway. As for mortals and immortals, well…try not to act too arrogant. Ehehe.

‘You’re the arrogant one!’

Oh? And who was it that stood there and told her foes that they weren’t strong enough to hurt her?

Yuriko’s face turned red. ‘Shush you.’

Ohoho, and who was it who seduced and enthralled a Chaos Lord?

‘Damien. Enough.’

Hyohohoho…

Anyway. There are always more secrets. I can’t tell you what I can’t remember though, and I’ve a feeling that as your Anima grows I’ll remember more of my past. So. Keep it up, child and walk the Ancient’s Path and the Road of Exaltation.

With those words, Damien pulled back into the recesses of her mind and went back to sleep. Her Radiant reserves had dipped almost to empty, but the Essence within her drank up the distilled Chaos stored by Fri’Avgi and rapidly made more. The afternoon sun was also quite pleasant to her skin.

She’d finished carving the bowls and spoons, she realised. Yuriko glanced around her but saw nothing of note in the distance. She hiked back into the shelter and found everyone eating. She hurriedly passed out the wooden bowls.

Tummy rumbling, Yuriko spooned some of the gruel into her own bowl and practically inhaled it. She’d forgotten to put spices in the stew, but it had an odd blue tinge. It gave it some flavour and masked the cardboard taste.

Lucinda had passed out some of hers and Kalla’s clothing to the women, so Yuriko got a set of hers back. Gwendith wore the other set and she figured out how to change the colour scheme. So now the overcoat was snow white and sported some fuzzy fur on the collar and hem.

“Thank you,” Gwendith said as she sat down next to Yuriko.

“Hmm, you’re welcome?”

“For helping me free them.”

Yuriko shook her head. “I would have tried to save them even if you didn’t want to try.”

Gwendith smiled and nodded. “So what do we do now? You drove them back, didn’t you? Huh, how’s the wound?”

Yuriko patted her side easily. The small puncture had closed when she circulated the pattern for Recovery. “All gone. And we have to get out of this place and return to Rumiga City.”

“Easiest is to reach the Imperial Camp. It’s just a couple of leagues from the lower entrance of Ouera Bo.” Gwendith leaned against Yuriko and rested her head on her shoulder. “But we can’t use their tunnels. I hope your scouts find a way down from the plateau.”

“Yes, well.” Yuriko coughed and she glanced at the smaller woman. “If we can’t find a safe path then we’ll carve one down.”

“Really?” Gwendith smiled. “you’ve grown that powerful? Heh, look at me, I haven’t even gone beyond Apprentice yet. You’ve become a Knight?’

“Yes and no.”

“Huh? Which is it then?”

“It’s, well, I’ve a different path, and I’m not registered as a Knight in the Empire, but I’ve fought Knights before I advanced.”

“Ah. So that’s how you were able to drive them back. But…I think those chieftains have gone up to Knight-Captain level, at least,” Gwendith said worriedly.

“I’m not going to fight them alone,” Yuriko said firmly, “and that’s not our goal now. I’m sure there will be Knights in the camp. And if not, then sure back in Rumiga City.”

“Yes…but if there were…” Gwendith swallowed. “Why didn’t they come in force here?”

“I don’t know,” Yuriko said slowly. “I…this is the first time I’ve returned ever since I was swept away by the storm. I heard no news in Realmheart either.”

“You’ve been to the Capital plane?” Gwendith’s voice was tinged with excitement. “You must tell me what it’s like there!”

“Later, when we’re at camp,” Yuriko chuckled. “And I think we’re about ready to move now.”

From the tunnel entrance, Sheamus, Nathan, and Kalla walked in.

“There’s a path down,” Sheamus said, but his face was tired and didn’t show any kind of joy.

“There’s a wide river and waterfall,” Kalla continued. “And other than jumping over the edge, there’s no other path through it.”