With one more Bound added to the list, we keep going. Though there are a couple of other tentative attacks on one or more of the vanguard members, the moment the rest of us appear on the scene, the creature disappears as quickly as possible. That’s if it’s successful in evading all of the reinforcements, of course. And assuming it doesn’t get killed by the other members of the vanguard too.

By the end of the day, my Energy to the next level has increased by fourteen percent, bringing me to sixty-five percent progress to level fifteen. That’s from a combination of the various creatures killed and the increasing Energy absorption rate which, by this point, is just shy of a hundred units per hour. It just proves how much my increased Wisdom is affecting Energy absorption. Or perhaps the Pure Energy in the centre is emitting more Energy than before – I have no way of knowing.

As the light is fading, we come into view of the Forest of Death. We’ve made good time, even with the fight with the kalestans, but that’s not the only reason why we’re seeing the vine-stranglers half a day sooner than before: they’ve expanded.

“How close was the line of the carnivorous trees to your village when you left?” I ask Joy, summoning her closer as we pause next to a clear pool of water. It’s an off-shoot from the river, and returns to it later, but in the meantime has created a small pond, complete with glinting silver fish. The Pathwalker moves to my side, also eyeing the trees with worried orange-yellow spikes.

A little closer than when Runs-with-the-river left, but not much. They were not this far up the valley either, though: we passed through this area when searching for his tracks and stopped at this pool. I nod, my suspicions confirmed. I can only hope that the village hasn’t yet been engulfed, though I suppose it would solve some issues if it had. Then again, it would cause others at the same time so it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, really.

Even if the light is fading, it looks like it’s too urgent to leave this to the morning. However, we have been running all day, and have engaged in fighting too. Everyone is tired, including me.

“River, make camp here. Bastet, have your group rest. Theia, Louis, Spine, take first watch. Otherwise, eat and rest for now.” After giving my brisk instructions, I close my eyes, concentrating on reaching out to Sirocco, asking her to return. I wish I could make more detailed contact with her but vague ideas are my limit at the moment considering her range.

Then, following my own advice, I pull out some food and take a seat on a nearby log. I watch as the samurans work efficiently, creating much the same shelter as yesterday. It’s a quickly accomplished task which ends up being half underground, half a sort of teepee above ground. Though it’s the Unevolved who do most of the digging, they all pitch in. The strength-focussed Warriors concentrate on cutting the wooden supports for the teepee and also clearing the area of trees and bushes. Joy’s weaving abilities certainly come in handy with making the shelter as water and wind-proof as possible. Frankly, I’d just get in the way of their smooth process.

There’s a small pile of bodies in the middle of the camp, the carcasses of creatures that we’ve killed throughout the day and then hauled with us. Several of my Bound are tucking into them, with the herbivores instead munching plants and trees around our little campsite. The areas the Warriors cleared are popular feeding spots.

Bastet’s group are among the creatures feeding, looking very fatigued. It’s not surprising: they’ve taken the brunt of the attacks for one thing, and have also used a lot of energy in running backwards and forwards, scouting the area around where the bulk of our group would be travelling.

River is in the centre, making a fire which I’m glad to see – I’m definitely going to want to boil this water. It’s more stagnant than the river normally is, so, even if it looks fairly clear, I don’t want to drink it directly.

Sliding off the log, I fill my wok with water from the pond and place it next to the fire – like old times. It will take a while for the metal to transfer enough heat into the water for it to boil so I settle down next to it, closing my eyes. Trusting my Bound to protect me and themselves for now, I drop into Medium Meditation. It's partly for rest purposes, partly for Energy gain, and partly for something else.

The thing is that I’m feeling rather nervous at this point. I’ve been doing little bits of practice with both Fire-Shaping and Fire-Taming whenever I’ve found a moment. Both of them are now sitting at the cusp of Novice, though they haven’t yet broken through from Beginner nine. But that’s the thing: they’re both still Beginner tier.

I’m about to try to use them to defeat a massive forest of trees which are particularly vulnerable to fire. And that would be far easier if I didn’t want to avoid burning down all other parts of the forest along with the vine-stranglers. Creating a fire is easy enough; controlling it is another question, especially something as powerful as the inferno I’m likely to create here.

Sure, I could burn the trees one by one, make a path through the forest easily enough. But that’s not really feasible: the forest is growing far too fast for such a measure to work. And sure, I could have others set fire to different parts of the forest: Bastet has her Firebreath, as does everyone else with sufficient mana if I get them to use the group perk I earned when Tame ranked up. But as I considered before, starting the fire isn’t the issue – it’s the control.

Plus, there are other concerns here. Creating a fire isn’t only about the fire. More deaths occur due to smoke inhalation than by burning in house fires. I don’t have control over air; neither do any of my Bound. Well, not proper control: again, using the once a day perk, all of my followers could technically cast Airblade once. I did test it yesterday and Bastet was able to do it even though neither of the kiina are with us, proving that it’s not limited by distance in any way.

However, that’s only once per day; not enough to offer proper smoke control. Another option to reduce smoke is to make the fire burn hot enough to fully combust the materials it’s burning. But fire that hot brings other complications with it, namely how close I can stand to the source. As I can see from even my little campfire here, my water is starting to boil despite only actually sitting next to the fire. A fire that’s bigger and hotter than this? I’m not going to be able to be anywhere near.

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Which is a problem because my control range is limited and even practice hasn’t extended it much. That will probably come at higher levels, but again, both my Fire control Skills are only Beginner still.

I find it difficult to maintain Medium Meditation, rising to Light Meditation level and opening my eyes. By this point, I’ve used Light Meditation so much that it’s basically become a passive, enhancing the clarity of my thoughts a little, and my Energy absorption by different percentages depending on how much I’m moving and focussing on something else.

Staring into the fire, I hold my hand out. I feel the fire’s heat; the sight of invisible connections overlaying my vision of physical reality – practice apparently makes perfect when it comes to that. I gaze at the tendrils eagerly seeking my hand.

I know that I could easily make a connection with the fire, taming it. But that’s not exactly what I’m seeking right now. I remember when I was experimenting with fire, I think before I even gained Fire-Taming. Or maybe after Fire-Taming but before Fire-Shaping. It was when I almost lost sense of myself, when I woke up having crawled into the fire.

I’m not aiming to lose control of myself again, quite the opposite. However, in that state, I was the fire, and the fire was me, and the fire could not damage me because it would be like a flame burning another flame. That’s what I want; what I need.

But how?

Sirocco’s arrival jolts me from my thoughts and I flinch back from the fire as my hand ventures just a little too close, the burn a sharp pain that engages my reflexes.

“How was your scouting? What did you see?” I ask the bird. She sends me a sense of discomfort, then her memories of what she saw. Instead of trying to focus on them like that, I switch to looking at my Map. Unfortunately, it doesn’t update automatically with what my Bound can see. Fortunately, it does accept the transferred memories of my Bound as my own memories. As a result, it now reflects Sirocco’s observations.

For a moment, it’s hard for me to work out exactly what I’m seeing, and then I spot the river. My heart thumps suddenly in my chest, the bottom dropping out of my stomach. It’s the Forest of Death. But so much bigger.

There’s no ‘pupil’ in the centre of the ‘eye’ now: clearly without the salamander present, the trees have repopulated the area around the entrance to the Pure Energy cave. Looking northwards, I realise that the trees are almost at the other entrance to that tunnel, the place where we exited; when we left, there hadn’t been any vine-stranglers in sight.

Where before the forest had only stretched out to touch one bend of the river, it has now engulfed that area completely. It has extended out in all directions though not completely evenly.

I actually spot the samuran village – right on the edge of the vine-stranglers. No, not on the edge, but slightly into the forest itself. Confusion runs through me as I focus on that little circular clearing. The trees should have almost consumed the village as the edge has advanced almost past it, but instead there is a ring of normal forest forming a horseshoe of protection. The lizard-folk still have a narrow neck of non-carnivorous trees down-valley, but they must fear being cut off any day now.

Truly, there’s no time to waste. We need to get through to them as soon as possible.

But that doesn’t mean leaping to action right this minute and running around like headless chickens. The situation of the samurans is dire, but it’s not yet hopeless. Though they are probably hard pressed, it’s still a better reality than the one I was fearing when I saw just how much the trees had expanded: that they would be completely gone, the village merely absorbed into the body of the vine-strangler forest.

Closing my eyes, I drop back into Medium Meditation to work on a plan.

When I open my eyes again, the light has almost completely faded, but I have an idea of what to do.

“River, come here, please,” I say quietly. He hears nonetheless and quickly comes to crouch next to me.

Master?

How much do you trust the other samurans in this group? I ask him, sending it as a private message. Confusion comes through the link from him.

I do not understand.

Do you trust them to follow your orders no matter the situation? Not to stab you in the back as soon as they gain any control or support?

He thinks about the situation carefully. I wait as patiently as I can: this is important.

The other samurans have seen wonders. They have seen the power of controlled fire; they have felt the benefits of your Flesh-shaping. The other Unevolved in particular are pleased with having full bellies every day for the first time in their lives and are willing to show their appreciation by doing what I ask.

And the Pathwalker? The Warriors? I knew that the Unevolved should prefer our way of doing things to that of the village; it’s a different question to ask about those who had been benefiting from the system. River pauses for a moment.

Joy is curious. She sees in me one more powerful than I should be considering my Unevolved nature. She sees in your other Bound power she has never experienced before in the village. She wishes to know more of our secrets more than she wishes to return to the way things were, I believe. The Warriors though… He sighs. They are held mostly by the fact that you have beaten them, and that you have appointed me as your representative. Apart from Iandee who I succeeded in defeating in battle, I have not won their respect of my own merit.

Would they betray you? I ask urgently.

I do not know, he admitted. Lee is not the strongest of the Warriors from my village, so if he was ordered by the leader of them to attack me? I do not know what Lee would choose.

Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but not terribly surprising either. I nod slowly.

“Alright. This is what I want you to do.”

Without any further procrastination, I tell him all about the situation and the role I wish him to play.