Egosum moved slightly, feeling the touch of cold earth on his skin. The moisture of the soil sucked into his pores like a dry sponge.

He stirred as consciousness fully returned to him. His body ached in dull flashes as he breathed. Each intake of air only worsened the discomfort.

The memories of his last fight resurfaced in his mind. His body startled in the comforting confines of the dirt. His eyes flew open to survey what was happening around him.

The fear of possible death or disfigurement was at the forefront of his mind. The sights that welcomed him were the opposite of what he expected.

The blue forest and hulking body of the monstrous sloth were not what he was welcomed with when he opened his eyes. The only things he could see were the darkness of the roof and tan walls.

He went to get up and groaned out in discomfort as the throbbing sensation of injuries came in full force.

The quiet sounds of talking and laughter in the distance drew his attention away from his pain.

‘What in the world even happened?’

He lifted his body up and searched for the tent's opening when light came streaming in. The rays of the sun filtered around the figure of a lone person as they ducted to get inside.

Egosum’s large eyes quickly adjusted to the light as he flared his back in defense. He finally was able to make out the familiar face.

Morgal’s hunched-over body squinted down at him as she tried to assess what was happening.

“So, you’re awake now? That’s good. Cinera said you would make it, but we were a little worried when you didn’t wake up after the first day.” She crouched down and watched his body deflate as the concern left his body.

“What happened after I passed out? Did they get the meat?” He looked up at her as he dropped back down to his feet. Her old and wrinkled hands touched his back to check his condition.

“They left the body in the woods and rushed you back here. We were able to go back and pick up most of it. We left a bit of the tough sections for the forest to reclaim. Not many animals will go to check out what happened to a ruminating sloth unless they are stupid and brave.” She pulled something from her pocket and lathered a sticky goo onto her fingers.

The old lady massaged the substance into his back, slowly fighting back the shocks of pain as she worked it into his skin. The relief was well welcomed and allowed him to move around without a hint of the pain that had been plaguing him even as he spoke.

“Thanks. That feels much better.” He looked down at the pocket of earth he tried lifting himself out of and looked up to the old beastman to question her.

“It was Cinera's idea to put you in a hole. Said you would feel most comfortable that way. The salve should take the pain away for a few hours or so. Try not to abuse your body so much. The pain is gone but the damage is still there.” She looked at his back before shaking her head slightly.

“Well, it was there. You plug your holes quickly. Still would be best to take it easy until you don’t feel any pain. Your friends are nearby. The loud one is just outside.” She turned and left the tent, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

‘It really was just aches and pains, no tears or obvious open wounds. Even with the genetic alterations, I shouldn’t have already closed all of the wounds. They were too deep for that.’

He walked to the exit and felt his tight muscles begin to loosen. The salve she covered him with worked wonders on negating the effects of the fight.

He poked his head through the flap and looked side to side.

It was still light out with the sun starting to set in the distance. All around the tent, people were huddled around with their kids and family, eating and talking.

The prone figure of Coyotl was sleeping near the side, waiting for him in his time of need.

Egosum walked closer and touched his friend's back, startling him awake.

It took the frog a few seconds to recognize what was happening when he finally realized who had awoken him.

“Mee-” The beginnings of an ear-piercing call began to leak out of his mouth when the toad slammed his hand into his upper mouth, shutting it before the full brunt of the sonic attack could shatter all nearby beastmen’s eardrums.

“Yeah, let’s not do that right now. I am happy to be alive too.” The frog looked ready to explode with noise as he fought to keep his calls contained before letting the joy dissipate and his body relax.

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“Let's look for Cinera.” He hopped towards the crowd.

The village was filled with joy that felt deeper than just one of contentment and fulfillment. The joy he saw when he first brought food back was completely different than what was currently rampant amongst the people.

They seemed happy because they were happy, not because they had a full stomach.

It was a strange sight for him. He never saw that back in the vernal pools, the human village, or the elven kingdom. The smiles were genuine as they nibbled on some food and talked about gossip or their future plans.

In the distance, he caught a glimpse of Thunkar and Cinera looking at the skeleton of the massive beast he had almost lost his life to.

They hopped over the pair, receiving attention and appreciation the entire way.

“Ah, the sloth slayer himself is finally up and moving. Glad to see Cinera was telling the truth. It would have really bummed everyone out if you died, ya know.” Thunkar waved them over as he glanced back at them.

“What are you guys up to?” Egosum asked the pair as they appeared to be working on an item.

“What kind of question is that? At least let us know how you are doing first. I really wasn’t even sure if you were going to make it. I swear I could see your spine when I got a good look. It is already insane that you are able to walk around at all.” He moved away from the skeleton and looked at his back where the wound sat.

“Morgal gave me some kind of ointment to ease the pain. It makes it bearable to walk around.” His response made the boy puker up in an odd way as he kept staring.

“Yeah, I don’t think that would heal you this much. It soothes a bit of pain but not broken bones or massive open wounds.” He went to poke the white patch of scar tissue that had healed in such short time only to pull his finger away as Coyotl lunged for it as he got close.

“Woah. I got it. Don't touch the toad.” He chuckled before turning around and getting back to work.

“Glad you are alive. I had hope.” The salamander glanced back at him before returning to her work.

“How touching. Now, what are you guys doing?” He hopped over to the bones and saw a strange assortment of items.

Metal files, sharpened spoons, saws, and long draw knives were strewn about the ground. They showed various signs of recent use and the pile of white shavings confirmed his thoughts as he got closer.

“We are making you a weapon. Cinera suggested it after the….event recently.” Thunkar brought the file up to one of the sickle-like claws that had gouged his flesh.

“I don't need-” Before he could finish his sentence, a loud call halted his thought.

“Meep!” Egosum flinched as Coyotl stopped him in his tracks.

“What? I am going to be a mage. Why would I need a weapon?” All of the people present stared at him before continuing with their work.

“Okay, I understand. Maybe I am not going to be strictly a mage, but how will a bone weapon really help.”

“Cinera told me you were bragging about metal weapons failing to slice into you but this claw definitely did.” Thunkar shook the dense bone in his hand to show it off. “Just think about the potential. Right now, you are stuck head-butting things to death. While that is pretty awesome, it is definitely inefficient.”

The boy raked the file across its surface one more time before holding it in front of him. The bone still had streaks of pink where blood had stained the bone but hadn't been scraped off in the process of turning it into a weapon.

Egosum took a deep breath before offering his hand out to hold it. The beastman sat it in his grip and watched the toad grab it in between his thick but bony fingers.

“Toads have thumbs?” The question earned him a side eye as the amphibians played with it in his hand. He swished it back and forth, cutting through the air with a loud whistle.

“I guess I don't need to worry about how you are going to use it then. How does it feel?” Egosum felt the point with his other hand, eliciting a drop of blood.

“I guess it is serviceable. Thank you.” Thunkar reached to his side and pulled some straps out of a bag.

“I think you should consider how you are going to carry them now that you have something you will want to keep.” The boy motioned over to another bone Cinera was working on. It shape was much less hook-like and more pointy. One of the massive creature's hand bones was as long as his forearm and made the perfect profile for a strong stabbing device.

“Fine. If you insist.” He leaned onto his back feet and let his front pair rise into the air.

“I do, now let's get you strapped up.” Thunkar was ecstatic as he went to work fitting the weapons holsters in a place the frog could reach. After a few minutes of trial and error, the work was done and they turned to watch the salamander complete the poker.

Vibrant grey splashes of magic fell over the bone, adding a shiny hue that reflected the light with rainbow colors depending on where he looked at it from.

The display of mana caused him to channel his Qi sight and take in the weapons forms under his enhanced vision.

The poker looked like it kept going beyond his vision before he lost sight of it in the distance, but when he looked back at the weapon it was still just a piece of carved bone. The magic imbued had some ethereal effect on its range in some way.

He turned his head to the claw and was equally surprised by the appearance.

The boney hook still had the same blue and red energy that spiraled around the beast's fingers when it was alive and stabbed through his back. It pulsed along the length like it was alive and thirsting for blood.

Egosum looked at the rest of the sloth’s body and saw nothing strange like the weapons carved from its skeleton.

“Cinera what kind of magic did you imbue into these things?”

“Nothing too impressive. I don’t really have any of my own tools after all. The spear has an extending range that increases the harder you thrust with it but it is more prone to flexing if you get a glancing blow. The claw doesn’t have anything special really. Just a durability enhancement. That's why it is a little darker.”

His eyes were drawn back to the claw that left the first scar on his body. It spoke to him in a way the spear was incapable of.

“Maybe I was too quick to judge. I think I might like these weapons.”