The grass jungle suddenly darkened as the last of the red sunlight disappeared. For a moment, I didn't see anything, then my night-vision kicked in, and the dense swaying grass came back into view.

After only a few dozen feet, Casiron crawled out into a small twenty-foot wide open area opening into the hill.

How hadn't we seen that from further away? Looking around, I saw the long grass falling from above, covering the hole like some combover. There was no sigh from Libidi, but I heard something shuffle inside the hole.

Casiron climbed closer and stuck his head inside. Curious, I climbed along his neck, using the spikes as handhelds until I reached the edge of the hole and dragged myself inside. I looked around the fifty-foot cave beyond it as I got up. A sickly sweet scent permeated it, and Libidi was on the far side, rummaging around what looked like a bird's nest made of grass and stone. I moved towards her, my feet sticking to a slimy residue that covered the rocky floor.

"We were lucky," Libidi said as I stepped next to her. She pointed at four leathery sacks the size of my head, and as I looked, I saw the leather sack bulge outward.

"If the young had hatched, we would have had to deal with five of them."

As she spoke, Libidi took a step back and pointed at me. "We can't leave them here because they will track us and hunt us. You need to burn them. If we slice them open, the larva inside will attack us, and they are more dangerous than the thing we just fought."

"More?" I muttered as I took a startled step back.

"They are smaller, faster, and will try to dig inside our bodies to bury towards our stomachs before eating us from the inside," Libidi said.

The hairs on my arms stood on end as I took another step back. I took a deep breath, then began casting Controlled Conflagration. It was worth to risk botching it and igniting random things over putting my ax down.

It took me seven attempts to finally succeed, and I snarled as my fingers cracked painfully when they clicked into the last position. The green flames lit up the entire cavern, but I didn't look around but kept my full focus on the leathery eggs. Willing the green tendrils of flame forward, I wrapped them around the eggs that instantly began bubbling.

A long slit appeared on the left one, and something moved inside. A gleaming streak flashed towards it, and Libidi's dagger sprouted from the face of a tiny version of the Jounber. Its long slit of a mouth opened, revealing multiple rows of long pointy teeth, then it burst open in a gory green display of intestines.

"Hurry," Libidi hissed.

Another egg wobbled as the dark skin bubbled, and I focused on the spell, trying to wrap the fire tighter around the eggs.

Two of the eggs turned to puddles of blackish-green goo a few seconds later, and the last one burst open. Another dagger flashed towards it, stabbing into one of the small yellow eyes. The small monster sagged back into the now melting egg.

I kept the fire going until nothing remained but dried patches of gray muck before releasing the spell. I groaned as my strained fingers finally relaxed.

Libidi moved forward and carefully dug her daggers out from the muck. It cracked like dried mud, and she nodded.

"Now we need to get the big one back here," she said as she looked up.

"Why?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't say what I was afraid she might.

"We need to burn it. It may have more unlaid eggs inside," Libidi said.

I groaned, but the thought of more of those small things finding us as we slept and digging into our bodies made me turn to Casiron. The massive wooden Dracoserp couldn't fit into the opening and had been quietly observing what we did.

"Can you drag that body up here?" I asked as I moved towards him and began removing the large packs tied to his neck.

"Can't you just climb down and do it?" Casiron rumbled in annoyance.

"No," Libidi said before I could answer. "There is something we need from it, and it's best to have it here."

Casiron growled as he gazed at the icy-eyed Isirow. For a moment, the two just stared at each other, then Libidi wiped the daggers on her legging.

"Fine," Casiron said, and he pulled his head back.

As I heard him climb down, I looked around the open cave noting how smooth the surfaces were. "Is this a good place to rest?" I asked, deciding to trust Libidi's knowledge.

"Yes. Although this was just a juvenile Jounber, not a lot of things will have been able to compete with it here," Libidi said.

"This was a juvenile?" I said as I searched for a spot to put the massive bag down that wasn't covered in slime.

"A fully grown one is three times this big. They are used by the Troachir to hunt down renegades."

I decided not to ask what the Troachir were and instead used a small bit of cloth to wipe an area clean before putting my bag on it. Libidi moved towards me, took one look, then sat down on it.

"Jounber shouldn't be here," she said.

"Why not?" I asked as I cleaned another section.

"Because they come from Leralion," Libidi said.

I stopped moving and looked at her in surprise. Her eyes were tinted red by my night vision, and she gazed back at me. After a second, I returned to cleaning, wondering what the hell was going on.

I'd barely finished a spot for myself to sit when a loud racket came from the entrance. Turning, I saw Casiron's head appear in the entrance, and a moment later, the large Jounber body was stuffed through the opening. A thick stench came from his body, and as Casiron shoved it further in, the body flipped over onto its back, exposing its stomach.

Libidi jumped up and ran towards it.

"That's enough," she said as she waved at Casiron.

"Don't wave me away, little one," Casiron said as his long reptilian head moved closer to her. He sniffed, and a whoosh of hot air wafted into the cavern carrying more of the rotten stench.

Libidi started and took a step back, her full attention on Casiron now.

"I won't do so again," she whispered.

Casiron sniffed again and pulled his head back.

"I'll rest atop the hill," he said, amusement thick in his voice, then he pulled his head back and disappeared up.

Keep an eye out, I said as I moved towards the massive body and looked at the stomach.

Libidi stepped beside me and poked softly at the stomach with her dagger. A large dimple appeared in the flesh with a pinprick of green blood below the tip of her dagger. Libidi held it there for a moment, staring intently at the stomach. When nothing happened, she nodded.

"It is fine. It laid its eggs recently, so it hasn't had time to create another."

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I was about to say something when she moved towards the Jounber's abdomen and sliced through the flesh. Black intestines poured out, and the stench that came from them made me gag and step back. Libidi seemed unbothered and stuck her arms in, ripping blubbery bits out and tossing them to the side.

"What are you-"

I fell quiet as she sliced at something I couldn't see, then pulled out a dark green, throbbing orb of flesh.

"Is that its heart?" I asked as the orb slowly turned inert.

Libidi nodded as she looked at it, and for the first time since her brother's passing, she looked me straight in the eyes and smiled coldly.

"Can you make a normal fire?"

The predatory smile on her face made my stomach roil.

"You can't be seriously thinking of eating that?" I said, also thinking of the dangers of eating meat on Kernstalion.

Libidi's smile widened her razor-sharp canines showing below her thin lips.

A few hours later, a small fireplace was crackling close to the entrance, the smoke circling out where it was slowly filtering through the grass. Libidi sat beside the fire, roasting the heart on it, while I tried hard to ignore the smell coming from it. It reminded me of barbeque at Nana's.

Still nothing? I asked Casiron, trying to distract myself.

No, Casiron replied curtly. Stop asking. I'll tell you if there is any movement.

I sighed, and after a moment, I moved towards my bag and retrieved my knife and a hand-sized piece of wood. Looking at the smooth surface, I tried to decide on what to carve. I hadn't improved my craft in a long time, and it was about time I began working towards a new milestone. I'd made a lot of small and large statues and weapons by now, but only a few simple utility items. I decided it was time for some more of those. But what?

Absently I pushed away some hair that had fallen into my face, then blinked. Turning to where Libidi sat, I saw the tangled web of dull black hair, almost falling to the small of her back. Over the months, I'd learned to ignore the fact that my hair kept growing, but did I have to?

Why not, I thought as I cast Soften Wood and tried to recall how scissors worked.

My knife cut through the wood quickly, and as I carved out the rough outlining of the two blades, I slowly lost myself in my work.

I decided to try and make them as good as I could, not because I wanted perfect scissors, but to see if they would improve my Woodcrafting. I was also curious to see if I could make a high-grade piece, perhaps even a masterwork thing. I still didn't know how the different grades worked or what they indicated, but that shouldn't prevent me from attempting my best.

As my knife flashed across the wood, an image of Nana's scissors, the one she had used on me when I was small, appeared in my mind. With a small smile, I began carving the wood into its likeness.

"Are you sure you don't want a bit?"

Libidi's voice started me, and I looked up to see her gaze at me from across the cave. It suddenly dawned on me that my mouth was watering, and the overwhelming smell of roasted meat had replaced the previous foul smell. My stomach rumbled loudly, and I swallowed as more saliva flowed into my mouth.

Libidi blinked and looked at me in surprise, then she smiled. Without asking, she carved a finger-thick slice of the flesh, speared it on the dagger, and carried it towards me.

As she came closer, my stomach rumbled again, and any idea of rejecting the offer vanished from my mind as I saw the crisp golden cover. Without looking, I put what I was working on onto my lap and reached up.

Libidi handed me the dagger and stopped to look at what I was making.

"What are those?" she asked. "Small, oddly curved daggers?"

I wanted to answer, but as I sniffed the flesh, I couldn't hold myself and took a small bite from the edge. It had the texture of bacon on the outside, was slightly softer on the inside, and had an exquisite savor. It was a bit chewy, but as I swallowed the first bite, I knew this was by one of the best things I'd eaten since coming to Kernstalion. A soft ping came from my status window.

"Est?"

I looked up, realizing Libidi was pointing at the unfinished scissors. I reluctantly lowered the slice of meat as I recalled her question.

"No, they are supposed to be attached to form scissors," I said.

Libidi's eyes shot up, and she grabbed the long string of hair that flowed across her shoulder. Looking at it for a moment, she just nodded, then turned and headed back to the fire.

I instantly returned my attention to the meat, taking small bites and relishing each. Even this slow, I finished it all too quickly and automatically looked up. Libidi was gazing back, munching softly on meat while grinning. As I saw her eyes sparkle, I blinked in surprise. She'd been showing far more emotions than I'd ever seen her do. Was that because of her brother, or because she was starting to trust me?

"It's good, isn't it?" she said.

I nodded as I got up and moved towards her. "Can I have some more?" I asked, looking at the large, fist-sized chunk.

Libidi nodded, accepted the dagger back, and sliced off another portion. I sat beside her, and we silently continued eating. I thought about asking how she was doing or if she wanted to talk about her brother, but I couldn't think of a good way to ask, so I kept quiet. Then, as I took another slice she handed me, I remembered what Casiron had said and lowered the meat.

"I need to practice again tonight. Do you want to help by taking some of the pain?"

Libidi looked up, her ice-cold eyes widening slightly. Then she nodded while staring at me intently.

Something about her look made me uncomfortable, and I grimaced.

"Alright. I'll finish the scissors first," I said as I got up and moved back to my unfinished project.

I wasn't sure how long it took, but when I finally placed the two scissor halves together, poked the small wood screw-peg through, and looked at the result, I was weary. I fiddled a bit as I put the smaller pin through to prevent the peg from sliding back out.

My status window pinged, and I nodded. At least I'd gained something from this.

With a weary sigh, I cast Harden Wood until the dark, almost black surface gleamed like metal, and I put my fingers through the finger-rings. A soft swish came as it tested them, and I smiled. Without thinking about it, I took a small string of my hair and cut through.

"That's useful!"

I blinked and looked up to see Libidi crouched nearby, staring at the scissors.

"It is. Don't you have these on Leralion?" I asked.

"I've heard of them, but we use thin daggers normally," she said. "Can I try it?"

With a grin, I handed her the scissors. She carefully examined them before experimenting on her own hair as I had done. As she cut through the dull black strands, a soft ploink came that sounded like someone shorting a metal wire. As soon as she did, her eyes widened, and she looked at me.

"Let me cut your hair!"

I blinked, then shrugged. "Alright, but don't do anything fancy. I just want it short so it doesn't get in the way."

Libidi nodded, but I saw she wasn't really listening. She slid behind me, placed one hand on my neck to crop the hair, and began untangling the web. Soon the snipping of the scissors echoed softly through the room. Long strands of hair fell down my shoulders, and as they did, I hoped I wouldn't get the itch. There was no shower here. Still, as I sat there and had someone fuss over my hair, my breathing calmed as I stared at the slow-burning fire at the entrance of the fire.

"Done!"

Libidi's voice snapped me awake. My eyes felt gritty as I opened them. Somewhere midway, I'd fallen asleep. I raised my hand to see what Libidi had made of it and felt finger-length hair at the top and shorter to the sides as I ran my fingers through my hair. I couldn't be sure without a mirror, but it felt like she had done a good job.

"Now do me," Libidi said as she kneeled to the side, her back towards me.

Eliandra's going to make so much fun of me, I thought as I sighed at the innuendo.

I wiped the hairs from the scissors and looked at Libidi's long, tangled mess of hair. It really needed to be washed and combed before I did this, but I would have to make due.

"How much off?" I asked.

"Just below the shoulders," she said as she pulled her hair down in a straight line.

"I'm not good at this," I said as I grabbed her hair and frowned. The long thin strands felt like thin metal strings, and when I cut some, I had to use a lot of force. The ends of the hairs scratched across my skin, and I whistled.

"Your hair is different," I said.

"It used to be a weapon," she said without looking up. "But Seriona changed me and… She changed me so much that it resembles what you have."

I sighed when I saw her hands clench across her legs when she almost mentioned Didibi.

I didn't say anything more and quietly focused on cutting her hair, trying to do what Eliandra always did, creating layers. When I finally finished, my eyes burned, and my fingers were cramped. I'd switched to each hand twice over. I stepped back and put the scissors in my belt.

"That should do it," I said.

Libidi began groping around her hair, and after a few seconds, she nodded. I had planned to sleep immediately, but just as I put everything down, Libidi came closer.

"Are you going to practice now?"

I groaned, then nodded.

This is going to be a long night, I thought as I sat down, preparing the gestures to expand my mindscape.