What’s interesting, I immediately note, is that the acidic mana in my Bound’s wounds is…inert. Kind of. At least, it’s not actively fighting me in the way it was. It still isn’t keen on moving, and I have to expend a lot more mana to mend the flesh it’s damaged than I would have if it wasn’t present, but it’s actually possible to heal my Bound which before it wasn’t.

Maybe it’s because the alcaoris is no longer hostile to us, or perhaps it’s because he’s now connected to the network of Bonds, if only tentatively. Either way, I’m thoroughly glad that I can actually fulfil my principle role – what good is a healer who can’t heal, after all?

I suspect that there will still be underlying issues with their Energy channels, especially those like Lee, Shrieks, Louie, and Thorn who had significant damage. I actually had to grow back half of Lee’s arm – that he managed to survive the injury is more than a little impressive.

All but Shrieks out of those four were knocked out by sleeping draughts from Tarra. I understood her reasoning: having them lying around conscious but in pain and helpless wouldn’t have helped with anything. It’s just as well that Joy was able to weave a protection to shelter them all in situ – I’ll have to do something nice for her in thanks.

It takes a lot longer than I would like, and I end up spending a lot of time in Meditation to regenerate my mana between healing sessions. I want to test whether Tarra’s mana potions would work as intended on me too, but don’t think that this is the best place to do it. Finally, though, I heal the last injuries on Bastet who got away from the experience practically unscathed thanks to her agility.

When I finally sit back, sighing, Louie comes over to me. The big, scaly, orangutan-like creature looks and feels uncharacteristically nervous.

“What’s up?” I ask him warily, hoping that it’s not something that’s going to mean that we can’t sleep tonight – I need the rest; we all do after this fight!

Not being Tier two, Louie, unlike his namesake, hasn’t quite learned how to communicate in sufficiently directed thoughts that it comes through as words for me, but he’s getting pretty close.

I frown as I feel his message. It’s somewhat apologetic, and more than a little fearful, but his preference is clear.

“You want to break the Bond?” I check, dismay going through me. It’s not so much the regret at losing this Bound in particular – although I’ve tried to get to know him a bit, he’s certainly not one of my close companions – but more the realisation that my poor leadership skills has meant one of the team actually wants to leave. Not that I blame them when I consider the mess I made of this last battle.

Louie clarifies a little. Regrettably, it’s not to indicate that he still wants to remain part of the group. Instead it’s to say that he knows he doesn’t need my permission to break the Bond, but that he wishes to know if we would kill him if he does separate from us.

“Of course not!” I tell him, chagrined that he might think that that would be our reaction. “You’ve fought with us; you haven’t betrayed us. If you wish to leave, not one of us will harm you.”

With the Bonds I have in place, only Sirocco, Thorn, and Honey would be able to if I don’t want it to happen, and not even them without breaking the Bonds. Which only Sirocco could do at present since Thorn and Honey have time-limited Bonds. Actually, Honey’s Bond is due to be up in three days, thinking about it. I’ll have to talk to her, see if she wants to leave or stay. Though not right now, perhaps, if Louie is anything to judge by.

“So no,” I conclude, tuning back into the conversation with my Bound – currently, at least. “You can leave with peace between us as long as you don’t attack any of us. But are you sure you want to go?” I check. “I might have healed the surface damage, but I think that your Energy channels are probably in a bad state. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a way of healing those too in time.”

The orangutan-like henerm thinks about it for a moment, and then sends a remarkably polite sense of refusal. I sense that he just wants to go but he fears doing so without gaining my approval, assurances or not.

“Alright,” I say sadly. “All the best. So long.”

The henerm hesitates for a moment before breaking the Bond and then scurrying off. Propelling himself across the ground with his elongated forearms, he moves surprisingly quickly, disappearing into the intact trees within just a few short moments.

I gaze after him for a long moment. It’s a shame it happened like this. Sighing, I turn my attention to the rest of the group. They’re watching me with varying expressions on their faces and emotions rippling across the Bonds between us. I can’t help wondering how many of them feel the same as Louie – and how many of them would leave if they could.

“Anyone hungry?” I ask, as brightly as I can to cover my own negative emotions. Without waiting for a response, I pull out carcasses that I tucked into my Inventory from last night’s revels. Was it only last night that we were having a party to celebrate both River and I being accepted as Pathwalkers? And here I am with two dead Warriors at my hands, less than a day later.

I find I can’t sit still and push myself to my feet. I might as well find the corpses of my companions before darkness falls. I should probably eat, but right now I find that I’m not hungry. It’s surprising considering how ravenous I was before. Or perhaps not – grief often robs me of my appetite.

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To my surprise, a figure comes to join me. Then another. And then a third and a fourth. I stop and turn around to give them each a level stare.

“Look, I appreciate the company, but you were all fighting hard back there. You need to eat.”

So do you, points out River.

You fought with us even when you probably shouldn’t have, and then healed us all afterwards. You need to eat as much as any of us, agrees Bastet, nudging at my leg with her head. But if you won’t eat and rest, then we will stay with you until you do.

That’s emotional blackmail, I’m sure about it. I glare at Bastet half-heartedly. She means well, I know that. And...honestly, I have to admit that having them come to join me without a command, without me even expressing any sort of desire for them to do so, is nice. Maybe not all of them are with me because they can’t get out of their Bonds. Certainly Bastet, Lathani, and River could all leave me without even a moment’s notice if they wanted to. That they haven’t is oddly reassuring.

“I need to go find the…the bodies of our companions. They don’t deserve to be forgotten in the forest overnight,” I explain, the lump in my throat a little bit easier to swallow past. Not to mention that doing so would probably mean there won’t be any bodies to do anything with tomorrow: the forest is full of creatures who would quite happily consume them overnight.

I agree, rumbles Shrieks. Which is why I come with you to find my fallen brothers. They were under my care and command too, he reminds me not unkindly.

I find myself unable to argue with that thoroughly logical point.

“So why are you here, then?” I ask, turning to the final figure. Lathani, of course.

Because you’re hurting, she says simply. You helped me when I was hurting; I want to help you, even if that only means walking with you wherever you go.

To my surprise, it’s that which makes my eyes start to water a little. I swipe my hand across them, grateful that my companions probably have no idea what the human reaction means – I don’t think any of them are capable of crying.

“Alright,” I manage to force out gruffly and start moving again. Bastet starts leading me to where her nose is telling her there might be a body. I pause next to Lathani and stroke a hand down her back. “And thanks,” I say quietly, knowing that it’s not just to her, and knowing that my companions realise that too.

*****

By the time we’ve found the six bodies and brought them back to where the rest of the group is, the sun is heading towards the horizon and we probably ought to give serious thought as to where we’re going to spend the night. If we’d defeated the alcaoris, we’d have probably sheltered in the tunnel itself; as it is, I don’t think any of us would be comfortable doing so.

Probably asking Joy to create a mini shelter as she did to protect against the blast of acidic mana is the best option. I’ve got enough food and water in my Inventory to keep us going for a couple of days meaning we don’t necessarily need to go to the river. And this close to where the vine-stranglers used to be – and where there is now only a grey ashfield – I suspect that there aren’t as many animals in the forest as there would usually be. They will come back, but it’s only been a couple of days since it happened. Though we probably ought not to leave bodies around to attract them.

My inclination is to repeat what I did with Spike and bury them, but that will take a lot of time and effort, and we’re all tired. I raise the question with my companions.

Both Murmurs-quietly and Sleeps-peacefully were fascinated by your life-devourer, Joy mentions thoughtfully.

“You think I should cremate them?” I check, sending across an image of what I’m talking about. Both my mother and father were cremated, so the memory sends a jolt of old grief through me.

Perhaps, Joy agrees, maybe not feeling the emotions or just ignoring them. I think about it for a moment, appreciating the distraction.

“That’s probably the most practical idea,” I decide. “But don’t you have any…traditions, words to say, anything like that?” I find myself looking over at Iandee – whenever I asked questions like that in the past, he would happily chime in with a thought. This time, though, he’s silent, avoiding my gaze and looking at the ground. Guilt clenches at my heart. Is he blaming me for his brothers’ deaths? I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

Shaman used to want us to bring back something of any we lost if we could do so safely. We usually brought a tooth or claw, or bone if we could. But we will hold a remembrance ceremony for them when we return – their bodies are not necessary for that. Indeed, it’s usually so much more dangerous to try to bring their bodies back that it’s actively discouraged.

I suppose that makes sense – carrying a bleeding corpse through the forest has got to be attractive to all the predators present. Cremating it is, then.

And since I’m cremating the two samurans, I might as well do the same with Woozle, Wolverine, Marty, and Demon who all met the same fate.

The usual wood of a pyre is, of course, not necessary. Instead, we lay them out carefully in a row and say our final goodbyes. At least, I do, and Shrieks says something quietly to each of the Warriors. He takes their belts and necklaces from them – he already has the weapons we could find – and then steps back, looking at me calmly. He’s probably far more used to this than me.

Then, with a flex of my Will, each of the six bodies goes up in flames one by one. I support the fire with my own mana until it’s caught on their bodies, and then merely add a little bit more mana just to make sure they burn as cleanly as possible.

The flames flicker, sending shadows dancing around the clearing.

One of those shadows is not, in fact, mere blackness, I realise with surprise that makes my heart clench. In the entrance to the tunnel, I see the dark form of the alcaoris standing. I can’t help glaring at him, but redirect my gaze before my animosity causes a reaction which we can’t afford – he could break the Bond and his word whenever he likes.

He waits until the flames are dying away, the bodies now no more than just ash, still mostly in the form of their living shapes. Then he steps out and his eyes reflect the dying light as he gazes towards us.

Come here, he commands imperiously.