Withdrawing from Lathani’s Core-space for the third time, I find a frown has unconsciously formed on my face.

What have you found? asks Bastet. She’s been lying next to me and relaxing while I dove into the others’ Core-spaces. We’ve withdrawn to near my hut – I figured that this didn’t have to be a public display. From what Kalanthia indicated when we first spoke on this matter, internal matrices are personal business. It’s bad enough that all three here are having to share information about their internal matrices with each other.

“Interesting similarities,” I say both to her and the three I’ve been examining. Happy looks particularly anxious, though Bug – my obvious new nickname for the Warrior Finds-a-bug – is almost as nervous. I guess he may be worried at the thought that something might be wrong which would prevent him from advancing. Unfortunately, it appears he’s probably right.

What similarities, Honoured Pathwalker? Happy asks. By this point he’s confident enough to ask questions – more so even than the Warrior.

“Each of you has unusually weak channels even if the pattern of channels is the same.”

There’s silence for a short time.

What does that mean? asks Bug tentatively.

Is that linked to why I can’t go inside the den? Lathani questions curiously.

“Yes, Lathani,” I answer her first and then turn to Bug. “As far as I can tell, the first Evolution requires you to build up a pressure of Energy within your Energy channels. This condenses and forms a Core as well as a number of other channels. Failing to form a Core means failing to Evolve. It may not even be possible to trigger an Evolution without that build up. I suspect that weak channels mean that it’s difficult to build the pressure to Evolve as the Energy just leaks out.”

But I have Evolved… argues Bug, though his tone is more confused than combative.

“You have,” I agree. “Can you tell me about the conditions for your Evolution?”

Well…I was part of a great hunt at the time. We were gathering the meat needed for the hatching and were fortunate enough to come across a large group of click-grunt-flash of red-grunt.

As usual, the name of a new creature means nothing to me, but he accompanies it with a flash of memory. The creature looks…tough. I wonder whether it’s a cousin to or Evolved type of a porcupig because of the spines covering its back half and the horn on its nose. But if the porcupigs are like cute baby pigs, this is a wild boar.

The horn which the porcupigs use for digging is clearly a weapon here – sharp and about three times the length. The spines are longer too, and the whole creature is far bigger. Spike only came up to my knee with some of his spines reaching a little higher. This one reaches well over hip-height on Bug who isn’t a particularly small samuran. He’s a few centimetres taller than me even. Though I suppose he was Unevolved at the time. Apart from that, the scaly skin I can see looks thick and leathery – probably difficult to get through.

They are dangerous prey, Bug continues saying, but they are tasty and very good for the first meals of hatchlings. The better prey they eat in the first double clawful of days, the sooner they can leave the hatching hut and start hunting themselves.

It seems like their maturing is linked to Energy.

We worked as a team of Evolved and Unevolved and we killed many with remarkably few losses in our own ranks. We were fortunate to have Shrieks-loudly as our leader. Partway through the fight, I felt a sense of pressure starting to build, and by the time it was over, I knew I was ready. I was so excited that I chose to trigger the Evolution as soon as the scouts said that the prey beasts were all dead.

“And then?” I ask, my gaze on him intent. “How easy was the Evolution?”

Not easy, he admitted. But is such change ever easy?

Mine was fairly easy, Bastet told him. I needed to keep focus on who I was and what I wanted to become, but other than that, I did not have to do much for the process. The Energy within me worked to form my Core and reform my channels.

Oh, Bugs answers, seeming a little dismayed. Then no, my Evolution was not easy. I constantly felt that Energy was disappearing like water through my claws. I don’t know how I did it, but somehow I managed to keep it contained long enough – like when I need to hold waste material inside me during a hunt. It left me with little focus to think about who I was and what I wanted to become. My Core came together, and I finished my Evolution. He paused for a moment. It has been my greatest shame among my brothers that my Evolution was one of the weakest successful ones in living memory. Practically no sparks were created after I formed my Core, he admitted. I feel the shame he spoke of rolling across the Bond between us. But not just that – there was hope too. Hope that maybe it wasn’t all his fault? Or that I might be able to fix it?

“Well, if what I’ve been able to see in your channels and conclude about Evolutions in general is correct, the fact that you were able to Evolve at all was a miracle – or rather the product of a lot of Energy entering you at the same time. Even a bucket with holes in its base will fill up with water if a lot is poured in fast enough.”

A what? Bug asks, confused. It takes me a moment to realise that he probably doesn’t know what a bucket is.

“A container for carrying water. That’s not important. The point is that I don’t think you should be ashamed of your weak Evolution – you should be proud that you succeeded at all despite your leaky channels.”

Bug doesn’t look entirely convinced, but he does appear a bit more cheerful. Happy, on the other hand, is the absolute opposite of the moniker I’ve given him.

Does this mean I will never be able to Evolve? he cries in dismay. Apologies for my outburst, Honoured Pathwalker, he quickly follows up his exclamation with.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“No need to apologise,” I quickly reassure him. “And that’s hopefully not the case. We already have one demonstration that it is possible in Fenrir.”

Then I have to go and hunt many dangerous beasts if I want the chance? he asks, sounding less than enthused. I wonder whether he was one of those who preferred to collect resources than go hunting. Of course, he must have done some hunting – he’s at ninety-nine percent progress towards his Evolution, after all. But perhaps he took it carefully and went for beasts he knew he could kill.

“That’s a proven method,” I agree, “but not the one I’d like to try. The point is that your channels are weak, and I suspect that if it’s not fixed they will impede your progress later on too. If we can strengthen your channels so you can build up more pressure within them, I hope that the Evolution will basically take care of itself.”

Happy certainly resembles his nickname a lot more when I finish.

Do you think you’ll be able to help me? Bug asks anxiously. I am already past my Evolution.

“I don’t see why not,” I answer with a shrug. “If this method works at all it should work with both Unevolved and Evolved Energy channels. You'll have more to work on since your channels are more extensive, but it should be the same strategy.” What I don’t say is that if he doesn’t fix his internal channels, I highly doubt that he’ll make it to Tier three. Even after a couple of years of being Evolved, he still hasn’t made any progress towards the next tier.

Then what does this method consist of, Honoured Pathwalker? Happy asks, clearly eager to get started. I don’t blame him at all.

“Well, first we need to find out if certain Energy Hearts are more compatible with you than others. When we tested it with Lathani here, we found out that certain Energy Hearts were actually detrimental to her progress. Then I need to help you find your Core space since I can’t help all of you at the same time. Once you’ve done that, you should be able to use the Energy from the Energy Hearts to strengthen your channels. Bug,” I say, turning to the samuran in question. “Once you’ve found your Core space, you can test whether the Energy from the den is better or worse for you than the Energy Hearts.”

They all agree quickly, clearly eager to get started.

“Then, once we have a method that works, I’ll try to help the others from your…hatching. If they’re willing to make a Bond with me too, of course.”

Bug and Happy both look at me sharply.

Why them specifically? Bug asks perceptively. I hesitate, shooting a glance towards the central area where Tarra may still be. She obviously didn’t want it becoming public…. On the other hand, these are the ones she’s hurt. They deserve an explanation.

In the end, I decide to put the problem squarely back in Tarra’s lap. She caused it and I’m already trying to clear up her mess.

“Go ask your herbalist about it. If she refuses to answer, though, ask me again.” Happy and Bug exchange a glance, Evolved and Unevolved in unusual accord. “Alright, let’s get started with checking Energy Heart compatibility.”

*****

It doesn’t take too long before we manage to find some Energy Hearts which are more or less compatible with the samurans. Happy is comfortable with both Earth and Fire Energy Hearts which is particularly obliging of him since those are the ones I have in greatest quantity. Bug, however, seems more happy with a yellowish Energy Heart. I hope that he will find that the Energy in my den works well, though, since I don’t have too many of the yellow Energy Hearts.

I spend the rest of the evening trying to help Bug and Happy to find their Core spaces while also helping to guide Lathani on how to strengthen her channels. She, of course, had been shown her Core space long ago by her mother, probably soon after we came back from the village the first time.

Bug doesn’t take very long to find his Core space – the process of Evolution, even if it didn’t go as it should probably helped him find where it was. For Happy, it takes me actually starting the process of strengthening his internal channels for him to find the space. Perhaps it’s like how we only realise we have certain muscles when we over-work them and feel pain.

Either way, by the time we needed to turn in for the night, everyone has found their Core spaces and has got started on strengthening their channels. I’m going to need to keep an eye on the samurans’ progress from time to time, and Lathani’s going to need more help as her issue isn’t quite as simple as the samurans’ appears to be.

Tomorrow, I’ll offer the other surviving samurans from their hatching a Bond. If all of them have the same issue, hopefully we’ll see a few more Evolutions in the near future, I think to myself.

I’m just dropping off to sleep when something jerks me awake. It takes a few moments for my disorientated brain to work out what’s going on. No one else seems to be alarmed except by my sudden movement. There are no enemies around; we’re safe in my hut in the samuran village.

Then it comes again. An authoritative summoning from one of my Bonds.

It doesn’t take much longer to realise which Bond it is – I remember the feeling from when he almost made me fall over with his emotions before. Raven is calling me.

Has someone tried to attack him? I wonder. Who would be stupid enough to do that? I send a questioning feel down the Bond, but we’re too far away for any words to pass between us and instead he just repeats the same demanding summons. I send the closest approximation to ‘now?’ that I can with emotions. It’s the middle of the night for goodness sake.

Raven replies with a third summons, this one even more demanding than the first two.

I sigh. Our Alliance does allow for either of us being able to call on the other in need; if Raven is being attacked and I don’t come, then our Alliance will be broken. That’s definitely not something I want.

Nudging Bastet, I wake her.

Problem? she asks, awake immediately.

Maybe, I answer mentally so as not to disturb anyone we don’t have to. Raven is summoning me.

Now? She seems as incredulous as I am.

Apparently it’s urgent, as far as I can tell.

Perhaps a battle, then, she concludes just as I did. Who are we taking with us?

I think on the question for a moment.

Lathani for sure. Fenrir too. Catch and Pride. We might as well take everyone who came to the village with us, I decide, moving around to wake them all up. Most of my Bound stayed at the cave – even if the Tier ones can’t benefit as much from the higher Energy density of the den as the higher Tiers can, it helps them more than being in a lower density area. We’ll go via the den. It’s a shorter distance and hopefully I’ll be able to ask Raven if he needs the back up of my other Bound.

Agreed, Bastet says. I fill the others in on the issue and we quickly leave.

Honoured Tamer? Rocky asks. He’s with Tree at the gates, clearly the designated guards for this shift.

“We need to return to our den urgently,” I tell him. “I’m not sure when we will return, but please inform the other Pathwalkers that that’s where we have gone.”

Of course, Honoured Pathwalker, the Warrior answers politely. Do you need any additional support?

“No, it should be fine,” I say quickly. If Raven really is being attacked, the sooner we go, the better; I have reinforcements waiting for me anyway.

Then may your route be smooth and easy and your prey beasts fall before you.

“Thank you. May the spirits guard you and the village,” I respond with the phrases which I learned the last time we left in an official party.

Hurrying out we head towards the den, Aingeal’s constant presence lighting our way through the dark forest. Hopefully nothing too dangerous is hunting in the wastelands.