The last fight looms before me, and I can’t wait to get it over with. I’m exhausted, a bone-deep fatigue that no amount of stamina regeneration can remove. I feed mana into my system to relieve the symptoms of pushing past my limits again and again. It helps, but doesn’t do anything about my mental tiredness.

Unfortunately, I suspect that this might be my hardest fight yet. Not only has Runs-with-the-river been making a good showing for herself among the other Pathwalkers – the sigils on her back tell the tale of five battles won with only one loss – but she also is the one who knows both my fighting style and my Skills the best.

There’s also the complication that I actively don’t want to hurt her. Not anymore than a normal sparring session might cause. Yet I don’t see much choice if I want to have the unbroken record which I feel obliged to aim for.

Standing at the edge of the ring, I find myself once more hesitating between which Bound to bring with me. Runs-with-the-river knows Bastet as well as she knows me, and their bond is as close, which might mean that Bastet will hesitate at a vital moment too. On the other hand, Runs-with-the-river might be equally affected by her emotional connection – if she hasn’t disavowed us entirely in favour of fully embracing her new status.

Runs-with-the-river and Catch haven’t fought with each other as much, so are not as familiar with each other’s fighting styles. That said, they both come from the same origins, and were exposed to the same kinds of dangers and training, meaning that their styles are not necessarily different enough to provide an advantage. Catch is younger than Runs-with-the-river, which means less combat time. Certainly, when they sparred together before, River tended to beat Catch more than the other way around, though their record was not wildly disparate.

However, I do have to consider that Catch is now physically stronger than Runs-with-the-river and the weapon she’s most familiar with – the spear – relies heavily on strength to have an effect. Dexterity is important too, but being able to hit the target matters little if the combatant's strength is too weak to cause any damage. Even a badly aimed strike can cause damage as long as it actually hits with strength behind it.

A moment before the Warrior calls for the battle to start, I decide to take Catch with me. While Runs-with-the-river might be hesitant to attack Bastet, I can’t rely on that, and the fact that she knows all of the raptorcat’s moves is a significant downside.

“Begin,” the Warrior calls and the three of us step into the ring.

Immediately Catch runs towards Runs-with-the-river, his poisoned spear at the ready. In reaction, the Pathwalker pulls her own spear from its harness on her back, settling into a ‘guard’ position that makes short work of Catch’s initial attack.

Since Catch wasn’t expecting his first strike to land, he’s prepared to pull it, not leaving himself open for his opponent’s counter-attack. They begin to fence cautiously, strikes made with force and speed, but not as much as they could put into it if they were really trying.

They’re more well-matched than I thought – Runs-with-the-river’s increased familiarity with the weapon in question makes up for her weaker physical stats. Catch is more used to using a cudgel, but unfortunately that doesn’t work so well with my increasing use of poisons. While technically a blunt weapon could deliver poison to the bloodstream, it would take a much more serious wound than a sharp weapon.

If it were just the two of them, I don’t know who would win. Runs-with-the-river doesn’t seem to be using any of her new abilities apart from striking at Catch with her claws every so often – a new addition to her repertoire of attacks. However, it’s not just the two of them, though they seem to have forgotten that.

Seeing that their attentions are entirely fixed on each other, I quietly pull my bow out and fit an arrow to its string.

Arrow, I warn Catch and see his footwork falter just a little. Runs-with-the-river pounces on the error – and leaves herself open for my arrow to her shoulder. I couldn’t quite force myself to shoot at her spine, for all that I know that I could heal it afterwards.

The sudden pain evidently reminds Runs-with-the-river of my presence. I see the same expression on her face and in her spikes that always showed itself when she made a mistake in a spar and was furious with herself for it.

She turns to start moving towards me, but Catch gets in her way. The Pathwalker is forced to deal with the threat in front of her, pained as she is by the arrow sticking out just below her left shoulder blade. In the meantime, I concentrate on the venom which I’ve just sent into her bloodstream.

It’s more of a struggle than usual, I have to admit. Not only am I feeling resistance from the samuran’s body, but I seem to only be having half my normal effect on my poison.

As I battle on, I realise what’s happening. Somehow Runs-with-the-river’s body is absorbing some of my poison. Absorbing without causing any damage to herself. And that’s not the only problem, I realise with dismay.

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Her body is becoming more resistant to the poison entirely. What I’m left with is having less and less effect on her system and the lethargy which had begun creeping through her is being quickly beaten back. Where Catch had started getting the upper hand in their battle, he now is becoming pressed once more.

That must be an effect of Poison-Claw, I think to myself, impressed. If it allows Runs-with-the-river to become immune or at least resistant to the poisons she’s exposed to, that is a pretty awesome ability.

It’s not good news for me in this fight, though. I consider shooting her with a different venom and trying to overwhelm her system: it’s clear that her increasing immunity is taking time. That’s a risky strategy, though – she will either become resistant to all my venoms, or she may accidentally die as her ability is overwhelmed. I don’t want to risk that.

Nor do I want to burn her to cinders, which would be an option with another opponent.

Sighing, I decide that we’re going to have to go old-school. Running towards the fray, I pull a cudgel and a chitin shield out of my Inventory. Runs-with-the-river sees me coming at the last moment and doesn’t have time to react.

I slam into her, shield first, and send her staggering backwards. Unfortunately, she manages to stay on her feet or the fight might have been over then and there. Still, we have a moment’s breathing space which I take full advantage of.

Switch, I order Catch, handing him the cudgel and shield, and taking the spear in return. With both of us now wielding our preferred weapons, we tag-team the Pathwalker.

She’s hard-pressed to keep up with both of us working together, her spear whirling around frantically as she tries to block our strikes. I feel a building sense of triumph as I see her tire, her own strikes rebounding off the shield Catch is holding even as ours get closer and closer.

Then she does something unexpected. Instead of aiming for one of us, she strikes at Catch’s shield – and with her bare claws rather than her spear.

The next moment passes in a blur. Her claws press against the black surface of the shield and an expression of concentration comes over her face. Taking automatic advantage of the opportunity, I strike at her midsection.

I miss, because she lunges forward, her claws going through the shield. It takes me a moment more to realise that the once-solid chitin has now transformed into ash and smoke.

Her claws bury themselves in Catch’s chest and he lets out a hiss of pain.

I’m out of position, but quickly pull myself back, ready to strike again. I aim once more for her midsection. Runs-with-the-river tries to dodge it but she’s tired, even lethargic, and my spear strikes true.

For a moment we are frozen in a tableau, and then the two samurans abruptly collapse.

Catch’s eyes are closed. He’s still breathing, but I don’t like the paleness to his scales. Runs-with-the-river has toppled forwards and caught herself on one hand, her claws on the other going to the gaping and heavily bleeding hole caused by my spear. I’m holding my weapon, a foot of its length now covered in dark red blood.

I drop it, going to my knees next to the two of them. Putting my hand on each, I frantically start trying to heal them.

Catch is being affected by a poison which seems almost as strong as the danaris’, and, since it’s been injected in his chest, is already having bad effects on his lungs and heart. But he’s easy enough to deal with – his body accepts my healing willingly.

Runs-with-the-river is another story. Her body resists my healing with a strength that is greater than any I’ve felt so far except for Lathani’s. And then…it doesn’t.

Not looking a gift-horse in the mouth, I pour my mana into each of them, dropping into the deepest level of Meditation that I feel comfortable with – partially into Medium Meditation.

With the lack of resistance, I’m able to quickly close up the holes which are leaking out blood. Healing the damaged organs takes longer, especially since I’m not as familiar with them as I was with her previous body. I’m done with Catch long before I’m finished with River.

And then I pull out of my healing trance only to realise that she’s still an opponent. The Warrior doesn’t seem to have called an end to the fight if the samurans arrayed around the ring are anything to judge by.

I gaze steadily at Runs-with-the-river. I’ve emptied my mana healing her, and feel the nausea of low mana roil in my belly. I’m kneeling next to her in a position which she could very easily take advantage of to rip out my throat, as she did the shaman, or claw at me and inject her venom.

Instead, though, she tilts up her chin.

“I concede,” she says, her vocalisation loud enough for the watching samurans to hear.

“Winner: Markus,” the Warrior announces, with a hint of something in his voice. Without being able to see his spikes, I can’t tell exactly what it is. But I’m too focussed on Runs-with-the-river to look.

“You could have won,” I say quietly.

“Not if you hadn’t healed me,” she answers just as quietly. “I wouldn’t betray you like that.”

I wonder if it’s just me or whether there’s actual affection there.

“Healing an enemy in the middle of combat doesn’t seem like a particularly good strategy, though,” she comments a little wryly.

“I can’t see you as my enemy, though,” I say softly after a moment. “I couldn’t leave you like that, risk you dying.”

River’s – Runs-with-the-river’s gaze is soft, the muscles of her face relaxed, her spikes flickering with the blue of contentment.

“Offer me a Bond, Markus,” she requests quietly.