I walk through the samuran village, looking with interest at all the activity. The village is absolutely bustling. Not that I blame them – the biggest event of the year is soon to take place. Tonight there will be a celebration; tomorrow, we'll be heading off to the samuran meet-up with all the Pathwalkers, and most of the Warriors. I bet that the village will feel rather empty once we leave.

It’s been fifty-one days since I completed the quest and the consequences of my choice have been clear. Actually, the consequences of all my choices, frankly. While on first appearances the village is the same as before – still lizard-people walking around a village made of mud and leaf huts – a second look tells a different story.

Almost all the Unevolved are carrying metal weapons, for example. That’s due pretty much entirely to the samuran before me and her group of assistants.

“How’s it going, Happy?” I ask the Pathwalker.

Wait a moment, she tells me briskly, never stopping her blows with the hammer. The ring of iron hitting iron is a familiar sound by this point – it goes practically from dawn to dusk. While I wait, I watch her five assistants work. One is chopping up wood with a metal axe, preparing it for turning into charcoal. A second is doing the hard work of crushing iron ore into dust. A third is operating a furnace to transform the iron oxide into actual iron. The last two are operating bellows – one for the furnace, the other for the forge.

Happy is rather distinctive even when she’s among other samurans. She’s clearly a Pathwalker from her shorter claws and more delicate skull structure, but the rest of her body is surprisingly strong for one of the magic-focussed Pathwalkers. As a consequence, her maximum mana isn’t as much as it could be – and is significantly below River’s – but it seems like keeping some physical force was an important part of the process.

It took a while to heal Happy’s channels, or rather to help him do it for himself. Two multiplied into eight very quickly – having started the process only with the Unevolved Happy and the Warrior Bug, I was surprised when others joined our session.

****Previously****

I look up as I hear more feet approaching me than I was expecting. My eyebrows go up as I see, not just Bug and Happy, but also six others. Given that none of them are already my Bound, they have to be Unevolved.

Honoured Pathwalker, I apologise for asking this, but would you be willing to find out if the others from our hatching have all suffered the same effects? I frown. Bug is being surprisingly stiff and formal. When I look over at Happy I see that he’s just as stiff, his spikes carefully free of colour.

Touching the Bonds between the two samurans and me, I realise something. They’re angry. No, not angry. Furious.

“You spoke to Tarra?” I ask, but it’s not really a question. Bug twitches his tail in a short agreement.

She was reluctant to explain, but after I informed her that you had promised to tell us if she did not, she caved. And so, I beg you to show our brothers the same kindness you have shown us. He hesitates, and I realise that below the fury is a deep grief and sense of betrayal. We have none other who can heal us from what our own healer has done to us.

I understand his grief. I’ve noticed that Tarra is one of those held in the highest regard among the village, especially among the Unevolved. The other Pathwalkers are held in awe; she is held in awe and appreciation. Sticks is also popular as she helps make weapons that keep them alive, but few samurans have been healthy and lucky enough to never need any of Tarra’s potions. Whether in sickness or injury, Tarra has supported the village. To have her be the reason for difficulties in Evolving is clearly a massive blow.

There is only one answer I can give.

“Of course I will help,” I answer, focussing on using Animal Empathy so that everyone present understands me. “But you have to be prepared to be Bound by Dominate at least so I can make sure that the problems you’re experiencing are caused by the same issue that has affected Happy and Bug. I’ll help you find your Core space and then you’ll have to do the majority of the work yourself after that. Is that acceptable to you?”

****Now****

Of course, they all agreed. Having a Bond with me was considered a small price to pay for having the chance to Evolve. In fact, for some it didn’t even appear to be a price but a side benefit. I hadn’t realised at the time but for many Unevolved samurans, to be included among one of my Bound is actually considered an honour.

I only realised that when, after helping two of them to find their Core spaces, I went to release them from the Bond only to have them object and ask to keep it.

****Previously****

“You want to keep it?” I ask, baffled.

Please, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer? Flicks-his-tail – aka Flicks – almost begs.

“Why? Doesn’t it feel like a…chain?”

No? replies the samuran, seemingly just as confused. It feels like a connection between us – and between all the others connected to you.

“And that’s a good thing?” I ask slowly.

Of course, Flicks answers immediately, like it’s obvious. I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose.

“You’re going to have to explain that to me,” I tell him levelly. “Why do you want to keep the connection? He eyes me as if he’s privately wondering why I’m asking such dumb questions, but then looks away, a sense of self-reproval flicking through the Bond. He opens his mouth, but doesn’t seem able to come up with something to say.

Movement at my shoulder reveals Catch coming to plop himself down onto the ground next to me. Pride, as usual, is practically on his heels. Fenrir and Honey come and settle near us too.

“Had a good hunt?” I ask Catch casually.

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Passable, he answers, then flicks it away with his claws. I heard what was going on and thought I’d drop in to help here since there seems to be a miscommunication causing problems.

“That’s a pretty accurate summation, I suppose,” I admit.

The thing is, Honoured Markus, that you are forgetting who you are to us.

“A human?” I guess. Now it’s Catch’s turn to give me the ‘Are you dumb? Why are you asking these questions?’ look. “Oh. The leader of the village?”

Exactly, Catch answers. A Bond with you means a direct connection with the leader of the village. Not only that, but because you’ve Bound all the Warriors and Pathwalkers, it also means a direct connection with all the Evolved. Which, for an Unevolved who is otherwise considered nothing special, is an absolute gift. Plus, your Bound have special access to your den and generally special treatment.

“I restrict access to my den!” I protest. Catch gives me another Look.

Only to the rooms down the corridor, he reminds me. To be fair, he has a point.

“But I don’t give special treatment to my Bound,” I refute firmly.

Honoured Markus, I have run out of Energy Hearts. May I have one, please? he asks, the non-sequitur throwing me for a moment. I’ve already materialised one from my Inventory when I see the look he’s giving me.

“Alright, fine, you’ve made your point,” I grumble, tucking the Energy Heart away – if he’d actually wanted one, he shouldn’t have used it to illustrate his point. “So basically being Bound to me is basically what every Unevolved wants.” I shake my head in disbelief. The difference between the attitudes of the Pathwalkers when I fought them in the ranking fight and the Unevolved now are like night and day.

Not all the Unevolved, Catch qualifies. But the most of them, yes.

****Now****

Of course, I did have to release the Bonds of most of those Bound purely to help them heal – I simply didn’t have enough Willpower to hold everyone in the village. Though, I have found that holding the Bond of a sapient creature who actually wants to be there is far easier than holding the Bond of a non-sapient creature. And that in turn is easier than Binding a sapient creature who doesn’t want to be. Just another reason why convincing creatures to accept my Bond because they see it as a good option is better than just forcing them or threatening them.

They were happy enough when some of them started Evolving and getting the Bonds back anyway. Though, by that point, as Evolved samurans, it was a bit less attractive anyway.

Happy was the first of that group to Evolve, though other Evolutions happened before he succeeded. Much as I’d expected, she was the first Pathwalker in living memory to have Metal-Shaping as a Skill. I’d rather hoped that she might pick up something to do with fire or temperature control as a second, but apparently my help with her Energy channels could only go so far.

Instead, I talked the newest Pathwalker through setting up a primitive forge with the techniques I learned from the knowledge stones I absorbed, the survival stone in particular. She quickly formed a little team of Unevolved samurans to help her so that she could concentrate on the actual metal-shaping.

I asked her once why she continues to use a hammer, but apparently it makes the actual shaping easier if she introduces physical force to the equation. I’ve tried to see what she means a few times, but as of yet haven’t quite managed to resolve what I can observe in the metal into something useful. I’ve been concentrating on other things too which hasn’t left me much time to experiment with metal.

What did you need, Markus? Happy’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She’s returned the item she’s currently working on to the forge with her tongs and her bellow-assistant is working hard to increase the temperature of the forge again.

“I just wanted to find out where you are on the gifts we are going to present to the other samurans.” Although I hadn’t been thinking about it, it wasn’t a surprise to me when I was informed that we’d need to take gifts with us. Apparently it’s a mixture of goodwill and subtle bragging – the better quality and more useful the gift, the higher in their esteem the other villages would hold that village.

That would lead to direct consequences of the Pathwalkers and stronger Warriors being willing to mate with those from that village, and indirect consequences of potential trade alliances. However, it is apparently a bit of a double-edged sword. If a village appears too prosperous and with an insufficient number of defenders, it can also encourage a more warlike and poorer village to come to raid or even absorb them.

It’s no surprise to me that the villages might be as callous and hierarchical to each other as they are within themselves to the Unevolved. Of course, that’s all significantly changed in this village and for the better, in my opinion. Though I’d say most would agree with me – certainly there have been so many Evolutions that the complement of Pathwalkers and Warriors is stronger than ever.

My part of the gift is almost done. I am finishing the last few pieces today. Most of the pieces are now with Enchanter. She indicates with her muzzle the other Pathwalker sitting off to the side.

Enchanter, or as I call her, Hunter as her original name was Hunts-a-bug and I already have one Bug in my ranks, really took to the rune carving kit that I earned as a reward for completing the quest.

After realising that the kit was exactly what I hoped – all the tools and information necessary to learn to carve very basic runes, I took it with me back to the samuran village. At the time, I was more trying to learn how to do it myself. But then, like with Happy, I noticed that a particular Unevolved seemed to be hanging around frequently when I sat down with the kit.

****Previously****

I’m trying to practice a basic rune for ‘protection’ in the dirt when I notice him. The samuran who has consistently come to watch whenever I’ve pulled this kit out. This time, he’s not just watching – I see his claw tracing the same rune into the dirt near his feet. And honestly, he’s done a better job than I have!

“Is this the first time you tried drawing that?” I ask him, surprised. He flinches as if expecting a reprimand. “Hey, I’m not angry. Just curious.” He eyes me carefully, then, perhaps deciding that I sound like I’m being genuine, sways his tail a little to the side, indicating ‘yes’. “Impressive,” I smile at him, careful not to open my mouth in threat. “How about this one? Try drawing it.” I point to the next rune down. This one is for ‘stability’, apparently.

He draws it; even his first attempt is almost perfect. He quickly realises where he’s made a mistake and gives a grunt of frustration. Before I can say anything, he sweeps his hand across the attempt and then tries again. This one is far better. Considering he’s doing it with a claw on the earth, his accuracy is definitely impressive. And far better than my attempts, even after I’ve practised a few times.

Done, he concentrates on the rune, then looks from it to the other. I don’t interrupt – I can practically see his thoughts whirring.

This one…protects, does it not? he asks, pointing at the first. And this one…it stops movement? Then his spikes go bright yellow in fear. My apologies, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer. I did not mean to be impolite and –

“It’s fine,” I tell him, cutting off his apologies. “I prefer more informality anyway. And yes, the first rune is for ‘protection’ and the second is for ‘stability’.” I eye him. “Look, I’m just learning about this myself. Care to learn with me?”