Hunter had needed some reassurance that yes, I was actually offering the opportunity to learn runes, but then he threw himself into the project. He quickly became far better than I was, and learned to use the actual engraving tools. He couldn’t activate the runes themselves – that requires carefully feeding either mana or Energy into the runes – so I did that, learning about the different effects of different mana types or Energy vs mana while I did so and improving my Energy Manipulation by a level.

Since becoming a Pathwalker, though, she hasn’t needed my help at all and has rapidly advanced onto combining two runes together in a basic enchantment, reaching beyond the knowledge stored in the beginner’s book. She has had difficulty getting three runes to work together – and has had more than a few explosions – but I’m sure she’ll figure it out.

I earned two new Skills out of my own efforts, but with the number of other things on my plate, I decided to give the enchanting over to Hunter as soon as she was able to do the whole process by herself. Rune carving and enchanting is something I’ll probably want to take up again later, but not now. Besides, Hunter doesn’t actually need my aid now.

Like Happy, she pulled in a couple of other Unevolved to be assistants, setting them to learn how to carve the rune properly to begin with – perfection really does matter when it comes to runes, it seems – and then giving them more important tasks. As I walk towards her, I see that she has her two original assistants helping to carve runes in the wooden parts of the handles and hafts while she uses an acidic substance to etch them into the metal blades. Just off to the side are two more Unevolved who appear to be learning the basics of rune carving – by drawing in the dust, just like we did when we started.

“How’s it going?” I ask her, greeting her assistants with a nod and wave – I don’t have a tail with which to display their usual greeting. They lift their chins in polite response. “Are you and your team going to be done before the end of the day?”

Yes, as long as Smith completes the final pieces that she is supposed to, Hunter answers easily, not taking her eyes off the rune she’s currently etching.

“What are we giving them anyway?” As the leader of the village, that’s probably something I should already know, but I decided to leave choosing gifts for samuran Pathwalkers up to samurans.

Some short blades enchanted with sharpness and durability. Here she lifts her head and points her muzzle towards my hip. Your own blade was a great inspiration. We anticipate giving each village about six blades between them. In addition, we will give each village one spear each, its head is also enchanted with sharpness and durability, and its haft enchanted with durability. I am still experimenting with a rune combination which will enhance the grip of the Warrior, but it’s not currently ready. Amusement comes through the Bond between us, tinged with a hint of chagrin. At the moment it sticks to the hand of whoever holds it until I deactivate the runes.

I smirk at the image – a Warrior trying to throw a spear only for it not to leave his hand.

“Well, a permanent sticking enchantment is useful,” I tell her warmly, “but perhaps not for a spear, no. Still, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Anything else we’re giving as gifts?”

Many things, but only one other requires my work: wooden bowls made by Wood-shaper which slowly heat the contents. As you know, we don’t eat cooked food like you do, but we thought that perhaps some of our fellows might find the bowls useful. And if not useful, at least interesting. She shrugs with her tail. Even if they find no use for it, the ability to create a magical item which operates even when far from us will send the reputation of our village soaring to new heights.

“I’m sure,” I agree, privately wondering whether introducing runes to the samurans might be even more impactful in the long term than introducing smithing. “Will the bowls continue working indefinitely, or do they have an expiry date?”

Hunter sighs, annoyed regret coming through the Bond.

They will stop working after some time. I have not yet managed to power the active runes with environmental Energy. Or not reliably, at least. It sometimes works for a short time, but then explodes – often damaging the item itself – or it doesn’t work at all. She seems rather down about it; I sense her beating herself up inside at not managing to solve the puzzle in time.

“Hey, it’s fine,” I reassure her. “You’ve learned a huge amount in a short space of time. You’re doing great.” She looks up at me, hopeful turquoise rippling through her spikes.

You think so?

“I know so,” I tell her warmly. “Seriously, this is a whole new area of magic I’ve introduced to you, and you’re doing far better than I am with it.”

You’d do better if you actually spent some time doing it, she reminds me, the familiar gripe making a smile play at the corner of my mouth. Where’s all that curiosity you had at the beginning? she teases.

“Why do I need to do it when I have you to do it for me?” I ask innocently. Hunter opens her mouth in a mock-threat.

And what if I decide not to help you one day? Where will you be then? she asks, mock-chiding in her voice. I give her my best puppy dog eyes.

“You wouldn’t do that to me, would you?”

Hunter holds out for a long moment, then sighs as if giving in against her better knowledge.

No, of course I wouldn’t. Actually, in all seriousness, I think I have a solution to the problem you brought to me. Look at this.

Leaning over to borrow a stick from one of those practising in the dirt, she quickly and efficiently draws three runes. I frown and tilt my head, trying to see what she’s getting at.

You recognise this one, right? she asks, tapping at the one in the middle.

“I do,” I say slowly. “The binding rune, right? But I thought we’d already tried and discounted that as being useful outside of a rune combination.” The binding rune was one of the first we looked at when I first started trying to solve this issue: that without me, all the Bonds we’ve built will probably fall apart. I can’t see them sticking around when I’m going to another world. In fact, I’m planning on releasing all the Bonds I have except for those coming with me when the time comes.

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This means that all of my current Bound who have found that they prefer working with the village in some way will be left adrift. Without the ability to communicate with the samurans, they will probably return to the forest in the best case scenario, or come into conflict with them in the worst case.

The problem that we found is that the binding rune only works when it is connecting two other runes. Unlike, for example, the two runes Hunter has been etching into the metal blades: sharpness and durability. Separate, they will still work because neither interferes with the other and even if one is lost, the other continues to work.

With a binding rune connecting the two, the effect is combined. This has the advantage of requiring the whole rune combination to be significantly damaged to nullify both effects – and with ‘durability’ as one of the runes, that’s made harder than normal. However, it does mean that if the whole rune combination is damaged, both effects are lost. But then, if both runes are defaced even without the binding rune, both effects will be lost, so it’s not a big deal.

The issue we’ve been having is that we need to somehow create a partnership between two different beings, which is a big step away from enchanting a single item. But I have faith in Hunter’s ingenuity.

We did. But what if it is in a rune combination – in two parts.

I run her words through my head a few times, then shake it.

“Sorry, I don’t follow.”

Fortunately, she is far more patient than I am, and is used to needing to slow down for me.

We take a single piece of material, so saying, she takes a bit of wood that’s lying discarded from a previous experiment, and we break it in half. She demonstrates. Then, we draw the rune combination…over the break. We put a transfer rune directly connected to the binding rune, and an anchor rune on the separate piece. The anchor piece goes to the beast; the transfer and binding runes are held by the villager. She looks up at me expectantly.

My eyebrows almost reach my hairline in my surprise.

“And this works? Even if the pieces are separated? The enchantment doesn’t break?”

She flicks her tail in assent.

It does as long as the piece of material was already in two parts when the engraving began. And as long as the intention when engraving and activating it was that the runes should work as a whole. It is an odd thing, but a useful discovery I made.

“Useful indeed,” I murmur, my thoughts racing as I consider all the ways in which a rune combination which can be split into two could be helpful. Could it cause automatic recall of arrows fired, for example? Or allow tracking of others if one piece is held by two people? Or allow for remote activation of another enchantment? Could I be potentially introducing the magical equivalent of dynamite to the samurans?

After a moment, I shake my head, more to rid myself of the thoughts than in negation. There is a time to consider those, but it is not right now.

“A transfer rune…what exactly does it transfer?”

Communication, ideally. Thoughts or intentions. Like with our Bond.

“But if it’s only on one piece, it won’t allow for two-way communication, right?” I ask a little doubtfully.

No, it only works to transfer thoughts or intentions from the one holding that piece of the rune trio. I’ve been trying to find a way to have thoughts going both ways, but so far I have failed.

I eye the combination thoughtfully.

“What if you give each pair two sets of runes? So each one has an anchor and each one has a binding and transfer rune?”

Hunter stopped still for a moment.

That…might work. I will have to try it.

“And there’s no control in this combination either. The one holding the transfer and binding rune half has to just hope that the other being will do what they say?”

Again, I haven’t managed to combine the control rune with the rest of it. But now you have mentioned possibly giving multiple rune combinations to a single pair….

“What are the limits of this transfer of thoughts or intentions? Have you tested the combination?”

I have, Hunter answers. On prey beasts I borrowed from the Grower’s group, and on my assistants.

I raise an eyebrow.

“With their permission, I hope.”

Hunter gapes her mouth open in the samuran equivalent of a glare.

Of course. I am not one to do experiments on those who cannot consent. Unlike some other Pathwalkers I could mention.

I’d take offence except for the fact that I know she’s not talking about me. Though Hunter wasn’t one of those affected by Tarra’s growth potions, she’s quite close with Happy who was. I’m not surprised that they’ve talked about the reason for why Happy was unable to Evolve for so long.

“Alright, fine. What did you discover, then?” I ask hurriedly.

The transfer of thoughts and intentions depends on the strength with which they’re communicated – and the receptability of the receiver. My assistants were both harder and easier to communicate with than the beasts – if they wanted to hear it, it was easier; if they didn’t it was harder. However, even among the unintelligent prey beasts of Grower’s, there was a difference – the cyran leader was harder to communicate with than the lesha leader, for example.

It doesn’t surprise me that the leader of the herd of cyrans – the same species as Trinity – was harder headed than the leader of the killer chickens. Though they’re vicious and smart when it comes to being able to ambush prey, the killer chickens are still bird brains. The cyrans are far more ornery and I know Sticks has had to collaborate with Hunter and Flower to create fences which stop them from just barging through whenever they like.

Other than that, though, the farming seems to be going well enough. Tarra managed to get her potions working on both plants and animals. She did encounter a problem where the creatures that grew quickly held very little Energy which made them not particularly nutritious, but by using Energy Heart fragments in the potions, she overcame that issue. I’m still trying to decide whether or not to let her experiment with Pure Energy in potions – though I’ve worked out how to crystallise new Energy Hearts, they are so much in demand that it’s still a struggle to keep up.

We currently have three types of creatures being ‘farmed’, though it’s somewhat different from what I was used to on Earth. I remind myself to go and check out the farming area again – make sure everything is fine for us to be away for a good while.

Still, Hunter’s discoveries are very interesting. I am relieved that they’re not the direct equivalent of my Dominate, though – I would be nervous about leaving something as powerful as that behind when I go. We’ll have to see what happens if she starts using a control rune, though.

Tamer, do you have some time to discuss a matter about certain beings travelling with us to the festival? Shrieks’ voice interrupts my thoughts.

Sure, just give me a moment, I answer him. Where are you?

Upon getting his location, I quickly finish up with Hunter, thanking her for the information, and congratulating her on her discovery. Within a couple of minutes, I push myself to my feet and let her get on with her work.

I wonder why Shrieks needs to discuss the party composition – I thought we’d already sorted that in the last council meeting.