There was a difference when I transformed into Treeman this time. Something had transformed the overwhelming rage and wildness which had often, in the past, threatened to overwhelm me.

The rage and anger was still there. The rage and anger had been tempered, much like the mugginess after a storm. Or maybe it felt like the relief of a warm spring day after a cold arctic storm had blown though.

It might ’ve also been as if I had found myself surrounded by a natural calmness as if I had discovered a holy calming and soothing peace which kept the feelings of chaos and anger and rage outside of the sanctuary I found myself in.

Or it might ’ve even been that for once I felt all four of the blessings I’ve received—four… Four blessings. Care for the forlorn, a calmness as if a storm had passed, a sharp winter chill, and the untameable and unfathomable wildness of the wind and the waves.

I broke into a laugh, a creaking laugh echoed out of my ill-formed human mouth substitute.

The Three Jobs and Tan-bei were all looking at me. I could also feel the gaze and presence of many other people who were both wary and wanting to give the five m ægen their space, but also wanting to view what should be maybe the most important event within Three Bridge in recent years, or at least since the plague which had spread throughout Three Bridge just before I arrived.

Along the cobbled streets the two and three-story buildings, which showed more scars upon their bodies than they had when the evening had started a couple of hours ago. The deepening darkness of the night hid the majority of the scars. A few light globes, attached to buildings, shone pitifully along the street, seemingly more like stars brought down to earth than true illumination as found in Schoresditch and in certain regions throughout Lundein.

Though the street was free of living people by now, the bodies of the victims of Tan-bei and my rampage still lay where they fell. Some of them had obviously been picked over for valuables, including even their clothes and shoes.

The night air was still warm and filled with the horrid stench of humanity, this time made worse by the copper tang of blood.

I felt the warm breeze brush past me with a gentle and hesitant touch that reminded me of Tan-bei and how she blessed me with her body during our lovemaking.

No longer did I feel the connection with wood. It felt alien to me now, no longer holding the familiar presence it once had. And the body of Treeman was no longer my own, but I sensed that something gifted it to me from the outside rather than from within. It was as if it was a piece of clothing I wore and not part of myself.

One thing which was clearer to me now I was in this state was the sense of the presence of holy blessings. I could feel the four within me as well as a residual trace of one which was providing me with the form of Treeman. I could sense dual blessings on Tan-bei: the primary one from Julkasa, and a smaller one from Saint Evaine. Each of the Three Jobs all had divine artifacts on them and they all had a blessing imposed from the outside. And one, Solider, even had a small bud of a blessing within them which was responding to the imposed blessing.

But from whom that blessing was from, I couldn ’t tell.

‘How dare you stand against your father?’ The loving caress of the wind brought words of anger into my soul. It was not as if I heard the words. It was more like the words the wind brought me were transformed inside me into something I could understand. ‘I was the one who brought you into my family. I was the one who protected you against the other gods. I was the one who gave you purpose.’

The wind which had once lovingly caressed me blew past me, whipping up clothes and small bits of detritus.

Inside my soul, I heard a womanly voice. ‘You are the one who stole my children from me.’

‘I killed you!’

‘Fool, you cannot kill the wind any more than you can kill the depths of the sea. And I. Am. Both . ’

The wind stilled.

I heard no more whisperings inside my soul.

Soldier screamed in pain. I felt the budding blessing within her forcibly grow and enlarge. She fell to her knees. For the longest of time, everything seemed to stop. The world became one with the intense pain and suffering that she was feeling.

Then everything stopped.

The world intruded upon us again.

Seemingly out of her own control, and with hesitant and weak legs, Soldier forced herself back to her feet.

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As suddenly as the sun peering from behind thick storm clouds, the blessing within her glowed with the intensity of the sun, blinding me to her movements. As much as I wanted Tan-bei to deal with her, I knew she wouldn ’t be able to cope.

Which just left me.

‘Tan-bei, you focus on Jester. I will—’

Before I got anymore out, the three of them charged towards us. Tan-bei called forth her two divine blades. The light was a pale glint compared to the blinding sun which came barrelling towards the two of us.

A faint shadow was the only warning I had before a blow struck on the side of my chest. For the first time, I felt pain as Treeman, but the pain was a familiar friend and did nothing to stop me.

I lashed out in retaliation, but I only just felt my knuckles brush against something. Still, I heard a pained gasp.

The bright, blinding sun encroached closer to me.

Without being able to go after the shadow, I was stuck dealing with the bright sun. Combat sense, rather than sight, made me bring up my arm. A blade cut through the rough-grey bark and dug into my flesh. Not deep enough to scrape my bone, but enough for me to feel it.

As the blade was stuck in my arm, I felt, and smelt, burning. It wasn ’t the rancid smell of burning human flesh, but that hissing and popping of burning fresh green wood.

I swept my feet along the rough surface of the cobbles and hit something almost unyielding. The slight give was enough to jolt the burning blade out of my arm. But the jolt disrupted me too, and I stumbled backwards, knocking into a person.

Almost at once, I regained my feet.

Almost was almost not quick enough. The bright, blinding light was rapidly approaching.

For a moment, I hesitated. My overwhelming strength wasn ’t doing me any good. Though I guessed I knew where the Soldier was, I couldn’t tell exactly where they were or what they were doing. And they were fighting in a different pattern than what I expected of someone who could match me strength for strength.

What was more is that she had someway of burning through Treeman ’s thick and previously impenetrable bark armour. Was the bark armour weaker now because I lost a blessing?

I rolled forward and then jumped up and spun around.

Weaker armour or not, that was an issue to I should worry about later.

What I needed to worry about now was how to defeat Soldier. Using an impromptu lunge, I darted off to one side. In this moment, I needed to figure out how best to deal with her.

And for that, I needed a moment to think.

Only twice had I seen her fight. Like Tan-bei, she called forth weapons from nowhere. But for Soldier it was because she was using a magical tool bracelet. Though she was skilled as a fighter, there was nothing outstanding about her. If anything, she was more of a defensive fighter who hung back.

With a lunge forward, I threw a punch towards the rapidly approaching brightness. There was a moment of hesitation as the brightness paused before darting backward slightly.

Yes, though she had the power from Aitan, she was likely still reacting as if she hadn ’t received it. I knew just how difficult it was to learn to fight from scratch. But I was willing and able to put the effort in and had help in relearning. This last was thanks for Osbert.

Soldier was an orthodox swordsperson.

I heard a stifled cry from Tan-bei. Part of me wanted to go over and rescue her.

‘I’m fine.’ She managed to get out of her pained, gasping breath. ‘I’ll cope.’

It hurt hearing her hurt like that. But she was my wife and my partner. I had to trust in her. So I accepted what she said.

Maybe I couldn ’t see what Soldier was up to, but I knew I was up against a swordsperson. Fighting them was easy. After all, I had thought many of them over the years and almost all of them had gone down beneath my fists.

And it wouldn ’t be the first time I fought someone I couldn’t see either. I took a breath in, calming myself, and breathed out. As I did, I remained connected to my breath.

I sensed the entire battlefield. From the cobbled stone road, to the buildings, the dead bodies and other assorted crap lying around. I saw Tan-bei, her gentle and warm glow, darting between two people, holding them both at bay and occasionally throwing her blades to further keep them off balance.

I could tell by the stiffness in her ankle that they had hurt her. Despite that, she was doing her best to remain mobile. Her blessings were working and were slowly healing her ankle, giving her better mobility even as I watched.

Once hidden by the bright sun-like brightness, I could see Soldier. I could sense her panicked breathing and troubled movements.

I stood up tall and rocked my neck from side to side, easing my posture into my comfortable stance.

Finally. It was time for me to hunt.