“Do you think everyone’s sorted?” I ask as River and Catches-leaves come up the slope, looking fatigued. The beasts in their train immediately carry what is in their mouths or on their backs into the alcove. Bastet brings up the rear but only briefly greets me with a head-rub before tapping into the alcove to find the cubs.

This is the second group to come back, and some of the first group have already gone to bed. The raptorcat cubs are in a snoozing pile currently watched over by Fenrir. It’s getting to be time for bed, anyway – the sun has just disappeared below the horizon and it’s rapidly getting darker. But before everyone disappears, I still need to do something.

Everyone in the group has eaten, master, River reports, fatigue in his mental voice.

And they should have enough bedding, Catches-leaves continues, indicating the stretcher they’ve just laid down which is piled with vegetation as well as a carcass.

“You caught something?”

We thought that with as many mouths to feed, we’d need more meat, River shrugged. And this beast was unwary enough to get too close. I think that it was attracted by the number of prey beasts in our group.

“That’s a good point,” I muse. “We’ll have to be careful about taking them out into the forest.” I don’t want another Spike to happen, after all. “They’ll need to have protectors every time they do,” I say, more speaking out-loud than to them. I’m definitely going to have to carefully consider my groups.

Master, River hesitates so I raise my eyebrows to prompt him to continue. Are we, I mean, are you going to keep all of these beasts in the pack?

“You can say ‘we’: it’s your pack too,” I point out. “And, honestly, I was planning on just seeing how things fall. I’ve already been wrong about the offensive ability of a creature I thought was purely defensive in nature. Besides, not everyone has to be a warrior: there are lots of things we’re going to need to do in the future, and lots of ways members of the pack could be helpful. Then, of course, there’s the fact that not all of these new Bound are planning on staying, and some will only stay if I succeed in completing their requirements within a specific time period.”

Yet you are willing to accept them even if they have not committed to staying for the long term, Honoured Markus? Catches-leaves asks, speaking up for the first time. I frown a little – is he still not able to just say my name? It doesn’t come up all that much – most of the time, he just doesn’t use any name since it’s obvious he’s speaking to me.

“Just Markus, alright?” I sigh.

But I do honour you for what you have done for me, Catches-leaves objects. Does it offend you if I say it?

“No, it’s just…oh never mind. Call me what you wish,” I respond a little irritably, not having a good way of saying that I feel like I don’t deserve it.

Very well, Honoured Markus, Catches-leaves agrees, a little uncertainly, tilting his chin upwards to reveal his throat for a long moment. Looks like he’s not any easier to convince than River.

Well, at least he’s not calling me ‘master’. Even though I understand better what the term means to River – and presumably Catches-leaves too – I personally still have some instinctive dislike when I hear it.

“Speaking of names, do you mind if I shorten yours a little?” Catches-leaves is less of a mouthful than Runs-with-the-river, but it’s still likely to trip my tongue up a bit.

In what way? the lizard-man in question asks with a questioning tilt of his head.

“Perhaps to ‘Catch’. Is that OK?”

Catch…. This is like how you call Runs-with-the-river simply by ‘river’, yes? A way of showing belonging to the group? I have been informed of how you name everyone in it when they first join.

“Yeah, I guess,” I say, a little taken aback at the meaning he’s ascribing to my desire to make addressing him easier on myself. But in a way, it’s true, isn’t it? I name those without a name, and rename those with one. “I mean, if you don’t like it, then there’s no problem in sticking with your preferred name,” I quickly say, just in case he’s feeling obliged.

No, it is fitting, he muses. New eyes, a new name, a new start. I smile.

“As long as you’re OK with it, Catch. And, of course, you can change your mind. Or request another name, if there’s one you’d prefer."

No, this is good, the newly renamed Catch replies firmly. Bearing the presence of the past, but not bound by it. Well, at least it doesn’t seem that Catch has the same issue with telling me ‘no’ that River does. I suppose that Catch feels less guilt than River: his decision to Bind himself to me permanently was born of his gratitude, not the messy process of a mixture of threats and bargains and guilt that has muddied the waters with River’s Bond.

“Right, well now that’s sorted, can you choose a couple of Bound who you think might be good at protecting me and who are not too tired? I need to go level up.”

Though Catch looks confused, River immediately forces himself to straighten.

Master, I will come. I shake my head sharply.

“You’ve just done two trips into the forest, in addition to the trip we did from the cave. You need to rest.”

But-

“No,” I tell him firmly. “I appreciate your dedication to my protection,” I continue, my voice softer, “but it won’t do either of us any good if you come when you’re practically stumbling from exhaustion. I doubt you got much sleep last night, either,” I accuse him. He looks a little guilty, proving that I’m right. Though I slept well last night, still tired from the night before, I was aware of him only sleeping lightly, keeping guard on our core group with as many newcomers as there were. “I’ll take Hades, Persephone, Fenrir, and three others that you recommend. That should be fine.”

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What is this, Honoured Markus? Catch asks. Of course, he’s never been around for when I levelled up.

“When I level up, I usually expel a whole load of nasty-smelling liquid. I therefore, as much as possible, do it near the river so I can wash off after. But this does sometimes lead to attacks while I’m vulnerable, hence needing a guard.”

The last time it happened, master was attacked by an Evolved nere, River explains to Catch. The second samuran hisses through his teeth.

And yet you are all still here and intact? Impressive.

“Yeah, so that’s why I need your recommendations of creatures who can keep a good watch. Ones with keen senses might be the best options,” I say pensively, thinking about it. Fenrir has his sense of smell and a powerful bite; the kiinas have their air-blades and impressive ability to use both wings and teeth as weapons.

Really, what we need most is advanced warning from sight- or hearing-specialised Bound since Sirocco won’t be particularly useful in the rapidly darkening forest. I should probably wait until tomorrow morning to do this, but tomorrow’s going to be a full day, I suspect, and any delay will just lengthen it.

The woshel? asks Catch, looking at River.

Yes, and the quan, agrees River. Looking at me, he explains. The woshel has a very keen sense of hearing, and vicious claws and teeth, despite her small size. The quan is a prey beast, but a wary one, with the ability to see in all directions at all times, and a particularly strong capacity to spot movement.

Perhaps the krerus too, Catch adds. His bite is venomous and he is fast to strike. He will defend you well if you are attacked.

“Alright, thanks for the recommendations,” I say to them with a smile. “If you could just signal to them to meet me out here, I’ll go get the others. Then you two rest.”

From the feeling over the Bond, they are both happy with that instruction, despite River’s previous protests about accompanying me.

*****

It’s not long before I find myself down by the stream. I light a torch and stick it in the bank of the river, after inspecting the water for any signs of another nere. I even cast an Inspect Environment, but it comes back clear of any creatures, though I do note a few plants which are outlined in red or gold for later. Hopefully, that means I’ll be able to level up in peace.

I’ve been thinking about where to put my points for a bit of time, so know exactly what I’m going to do now. I said to myself before that I would dedicate one level up to each stat, just so I can see exactly what happens to it.

Last time, I put all my points in Wisdom, and that was a very informative experience. This time, I’ve decided to put them all in Willpower. Not only is it the stat which gives me the biggest ‘bang for my buck’ because of the additional twenty-five percent I get from my bonuses, but it’s also the most important to me at the moment.

Part of my conclusion is based on logic; part is based on instinct. The logical aspect comes primarily from when I Inspected the danaris. I would have needed sixty-three points in Willpower to have a reasonable chance of Dominating it. Yes, perhaps I could have Dominated it with a lower Willpower, but from how hard it was to even push the venom through its system, I suspect not.

The danaris was probably fairly high in Tier two, but it didn’t seem all that smart. Smarter than the average Earth creature, perhaps, but not by a huge amount. Not as much as the lizard-folk, that was for sure. Which means that there is a good chance the Pathwalkers and Warriors will require even higher Willpower. And what about other creatures in Tier two? Or Tier three beasts?

If I’m really going to put my Tamer Class to work with either Tame or Dominate, I’m going to need more Willpower. Not to mention that using Flesh-Shaping in battle also either uses Willpower or the amount of mana I can throw at the issue to decide whether I’m successful or not; considering how quickly I seem to go through mana, it’s better not to bank on the expectation that I’ll have enough to do the latter.

The instinct part comes from sensing that I might have a few too many Bound. There’s some sort of sense of…strain right now. Like I’m carrying a heavy weight, or have ropes pulling me in different directions. I don’t sense that it’s at breaking point at the moment – I reckon that I could easily have another few Bonds as matters currently stand, but that there is a limit and I’m rapidly approaching it.

I remember that I felt something vaguely similar a while ago, though far weaker, and it disappeared when my Willpower increased. Evidently, there is some sort of limit on the number of Bonds I can hold, though I don’t know if it’s due solely to the number of Bonds, or is impacted by other factors.

Considering that I’m likely to lose a few of these beasts as their Bonds come to their predetermined end, it may not be an issue for too long; it’s worth monitoring though. Perhaps by levelling up with only Willpower, I’ll be given a clue of where to start looking.

“Alright, I’m going to level up, now,” I tell everyone. “No signs of anything nearby that’s likely to attack?” With the series of ‘no’s or negative feelings across the Bond, I nod and start stripping off.

Stepping away from my clothes, I settle down to the ground, my Bound surrounding me. I might be worried about being so vulnerable in front of my new Tame Bound, especially since two of them are predators who are not obliged not to hurt me. However, I have faith in Fenrir and the two kiinas to keep me safe and alert me if the others suddenly turn on me.

And let’s face it, I’m not so easy to kill, not anymore.

Activating the level up is easy, especially since there are no subcategories to Willpower. Quickly diving into my Core space, I watch the modifications to my system unfold.

Like when I levelled up Wisdom, light gathers in my Core, increasing in intensity until I can barely stand to look at it, before exploding outwards like a star might. The Energy rushes through my mandala, just as it did before, but here’s where I see the difference.

Before, it ricocheted through my inner weave like the golden lines were an inescapable series of tubes. This time, it’s almost like the lines aren’t even there. The Energy passes through the matrix and beyond, into the blackness.

The contradictory luminosity of the darkness in which my inner matrix is situated, like a jewel in its setting, increases by a noticeable amount. At the same time…can that be right? I squint as I try to work out if I really am seeing what I think I’m seeing.

It is! I exclaim to myself in excitement. The Energy, still being sent out from my Core in waves, is actually expanding my Core space, like air being blown into a balloon. Or the tide lapping at a beach.

How interesting, I think to myself. So Wisdom widens and strengthens the channels of my matrix, while also extending the lines which lead out of my Core space entirely. Willpower, however, seems to almost ignore my internal matrix entirely and fills the black space around my matrix, while expanding that too. They’re almost like opposites…

I wonder what the implications of that might be, especially since none of this was in the information I received from Nicholas, not in the letter and not in the stone. Like the other things I’ve discovered about my internal matrix and how it affects and is affected by my stats, I wonder whether it’s just that this is considered advanced information, and not therefore included in a basic information stone, or whether they just don’t know about it.

As before, the waves of Energy lose their impetus, but the same ending happens: the waves pull back toward my Core, then explode in one final powerful punch, blowing the bronze specks out of my body.

Pulling out of my Core space, I quickly scrub off the disgusting liquid that the bronze specks seem to turn into. Only after verifying that there are no more crocodiles – or anything else – waiting for me in the river, of course.