Prey. I smell it in the air, the scent of pumping blood easy to identify. I lift my nose and scent the breeze. There. Large. Not old. Not young. Healthy. Injured. Good prey. I nudge my packmate. He looks down at me. He has much meat and many smelly plants slung over his back already. I take a few steps in the direction of the prey and release a questioning scent. My packmate does not respond. He is higher in the pack hierarchy than me: alpha has made it clear. He must decide to follow the scent or not. He does not respond. I take another few steps and release more scent. Finally, he moves. He follows me. I release a happy scent: the hunt has been accepted.

I wrench myself back from the connection with what feels like the mental form of a gasp. Was that…? It must have been. I pull myself out of my Core space and rub at my temples, a sudden blossoming headache thumping there.

“Ow,” I whimper quietly to myself. Almost reflexively, I reach for my mana to cast Lay-on-hands, only remembering at the last moment that I will undo some of my hard work if I do so. That is unlikely to help my headache. What was that? I narrow my eyes as I think back to the brief impression.

The most obvious explanation is that I somehow entered one of my Bound’s heads in a much more invasive way than normal, actually detecting events through his senses and thoughts as they occurred. I’d guess that I went into Fenrir’s mind, based on the various cues. It’s a bit invasive, but I can definitely see utility to being able to see through one of my Bound’s eyes in real time… If I can be sure that it won’t cause damage to either of us, of course.

Something to consider later. For now, I know that my Bound are on a hunt once more – I should make sure that I’m ready to redirect the Energy when it arrives.

*****

As darkness starts to fall, I sense that my Bound are returning. Ever since ranking up Dominate, I’ve been able to sense the location of my Bound in relation to me far better than before. Their excursion has already been productive for me, and that’s not including whatever they’ve managed to collect in terms of herbal ingredients or corpses. When I check my status screen, I’m already down to only four percent reduction to my mana pool. The process is going a lot faster than I thought it would. As I check my notifications, I realise why.

Congratulations!

You have advanced a Skill past Beginner. Energy Manipulation is now Novice 1. You have improved your ability to manipulate Energy within your Core space. Tasks involving manipulating Energy within your Core space are now increasingly easier and faster. You have 2% reduction of Energy wastage per level in this Skill past Novice.

Close messages? Y/N

It’s a pretty awesome improvement, helping me threefold – easier, faster, and less Energy wasted are all things I need. I do find it interesting that the description specifically says ‘Core space’. Does that mean that I could potentially expand the Skill to help with Energy manipulation outside the Core space? Or would that have to be a different Skill?

I question it because what if Energy manipulation is the key to my idea of making Lay-on-hands able to heal from a distance? It’s only a gut feeling, an instinct that tells me this might be at all possible. Well, not something for now, anyway. First, I need to fix my Core. Then I need to fix that golden weave. Hmm...Kalanthia mentioned something about ‘channels’. Are these the same as what I have? It would make sense – certainly the golden lines seem to ‘channel’ Energy to my Core. Perhaps she would have some information that could help me when I need to reconstruct the ones damaged by the Pure Energy.

Guessing that my Bound are unlikely to be going off hunting now, I push myself to my feet and move over to where Kalanthia is enjoying the last of the sun. Her eyes are closed, but I sense somehow that she’s not asleep. Still, I don’t know if she’d appreciate being disturbed, so hesitate for a moment.

Ask, Markus Wolfe. I can hear your curiosity from here. I almost jump at her voice suddenly entering my mind, but manage not to. Just. I was half-expecting it, anyway.

“You mentioned channels earlier…. I was wondering if you’d mind giving me some information about them.” Kalanthia cracks one eye open to regard me.

It depends on the question, but go ahead.

“Well,” I start, then pause, not sure how to begin. “What do yours look like?” I ask finally. Perhaps that will give me some indication as to whether mine are the same as hers or not. There’s silence for a few moments, and I turn my head to fully look at the big nunda, wondering if something’s wrong.

I...don’t think I should say. It’s odd to see her hesitant, uncertain. Kalanthia and Bastet are quite similar, in many ways. Both of them decide on a course of action and then do it. Kalanthia is a lot more thoughtful where Bastet is more instinctual, but both are rarely hesitant. To see the giant nunda like this makes me a bit wary.

“Why not?” I have to ask, though a knot of nervous tension begins to form in my stomach.

Energy channels are generally something very...private. Kalanthia says finally.

“Because they’re a vulnerability of some sort?”

Every being’s channels are unique and say something about the being. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. Yes, giving too much information about one’s channels is equivalent to telling them what they need to do to offer a fatal attack. It is generally something only discussed with beings we trust implicitly.

“And you don’t trust me that much,” I conclude, trying to keep my voice level. I’m not sure I manage to completely hide the hurt that spikes through me, though. I mean, I know it’s illogical. We’ve known each other for, what, a month? A month and a half? Perhaps that’s not enough time to build the kind of trust that Kalanthia would need to talk to me about her Energy channels.

Yet she’s so recently said how much she does trust me. Heck, her alternative solution for eliminating the threat of the lizard-folk is for me to take control of them. So I’m getting mixed messages here.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

It’s not that, Kalanthia responds, sounding a little frustrated. I get the feeling it’s not at me though. It’s...I…. She trails off, huffs, then gets to her feet and starts pacing a little. For all her size, her movements remind me uncommonly of a caged wolf I once saw at the zoo. Walking back and forth on a worn path which had clearly seen it do the same movements many, many times before. Walking because its frustration wouldn’t allow it to keep still.

“I’m sorry,” I say to her. “We don’t have to discuss it. I didn’t mean to…” to what? To frustrate her? To make her feel caged? What? “Make you feel uncomfortable,” I finish it off with. Kalanthia comes to an abrupt stop in front of me.

It is nothing you have done, she tells me, seeming to gain more control over her emotions. It is just...I have bad memories. Of humans. Of what they do to us. To me, I hear, even if it is unspoken. I knew she had bad memories; that it involves humans is both surprising and not at the same time. She knows far too much about us to have not truly come into contact with us. And I know my own species well enough to know that we have a bad habit of destroying or using other species we encounter. Heck, other humans as well, far too often.

“I’m sorry,” I say again. “For what you have suffered. I understand why you would not wish to speak to me about something which renders you so vulnerable.” I understand, but I then don’t know why she’d trust me with her cub’s safety. Is it because, however much she wishes to protect Lathani, the cub is still separate from Kalanthia itself. Kalanthia sighs and nudges at me with her great head. I have to put my hands on her fur to stop myself from falling over. She doesn’t seem to mind, in fact pushes into my touch a little.

I know in my head that you are trustworthy, she says quietly. With my hands stroking a little at her fur, it feels very intimate. Like she’s revealing a vulnerability to me right here and now. But my heart is reluctant to trust again. I can understand that. How many of my relationship issues stem right back to my mother’s death and the pain that brought me? The hurt I’d felt earlier vanishes. How can I blame Kalanthia for the same thing I’ve done?

“It’s OK,” I tell her softly. “I understand. I’m sorry for pushing.” She doesn’t reply, but does relax enough to lie down again. I quickly pull my hands away from her head, not wanting to touch her if she’s decided she’s had enough. The nudge and look she gives me immediately after, though, reveals that she was enjoying that, thank you very much, and would like me to continue. Immediately.

Chuckling internally at how very catlike she is, I sit close to her and continue stroking. I dare to even rub behind her ears lightly, my movements becoming a little firmer and more confident as she makes a sound of pleasure and pushes against me again.

We stay like that, just us two, for a time. I couldn’t say how long. Lathani is in the cave somewhere with the cubs and Bastet keeping an eye on them. Though, like all moments, this one has to come to an end sometime. Eventually, Kalanthia pulls away from me, and I don’t try to pursue her, moving away myself.

I do not wish to seem impatient, but have you given any thought to the boon you would like? Kalanthia says, making it clear that the previous conversation is over. I guess I’ll have to figure out my Energy channels myself. Or wait until she feels able to offer information later. Maybe this is the real reason she didn’t want to talk about the next ‘stage’ – perhaps it required too much discussion about Energy channels.

As it is, in fact, I have been thinking, and have settled on something that would both be really useful and really cool. If it’s possible, anyway.

“About the boon.” I hesitate for a moment. “I was wondering if you could teach me...well. You know you have that earth-shaping Skill?” She gives an amused assent. “Do you think you could teach it to me? As the boon?” I wait with bated breath. Is it too big an ask? Or is it something she can’t teach? The silence stretches as Kalanthia seems to consider the question carefully.

Perhaps, she says finally. I let out the breath I’d been holding with a sense of disappointment. Is she refusing it? No, it’s not that I am unwilling, she continues, probably responding to the thoughts I’m emitting unintentionally. It’s more that it’s something I was never taught myself – I do not know if it is something I could teach. Well. That’s that, then, I suppose. However, she continues musingly. It would be interesting to find out. I perk up. Does that mean? I will try, she tells me finally. I may not be able to teach earth-shaping directly, but I can try to teach you to feel the earth. It will be up to you to learn how to manipulate it, though I will offer guidance where I can.

I can’t help myself: I fist-pump the air. Step two on the road to becoming an awesome mage is complete: find a teacher. OK, perhaps I’m celebrating prematurely, but even the possibility of learning to control the earth the way Kalanthia does is better than I had before.

“Obviously, only if I can fix myself enough to be able to cast magic again,” I say. “That’s why I didn’t want to say it earlier – I wasn’t sure how long it would take to deal with my Core. And I’m still not sure that fixing my Core will be enough.”

I would imagine that it is, Kalanthia opinions casually. Although I have never encountered one with a cracked Core like yours, it is a fact that at your stage, the Core is what holds the majority of your Energy while it is transformed into mana by your soul. Since it’s cracked, it makes sense that it would become difficult for you to cast magic.

“Wait, wait.” I hold my hands up in an automatic gesture which Kalanthia is almost sure not to recognise. “Hang on. What was that about my soul? Transforming Energy?” Kalanthia gives off an air of surprise.

You do not know? This is basic knowledge. That just makes me feel bad. Is it something I missed in the System knowledge stone? Or something I lost because of my low Intelligence level when I absorbed it? However, all I can tell her is the truth – in a large part because clearly it’s something I need to know.

“No, I don’t.”

What do you know, then? It’s a good question. I describe both what I learned from the System stone and what I’ve observed myself.

“So I don’t get why you’re saying that the soul is what transforms Energy when it’s Wisdom that governs mana regeneration. From my understanding, Willpower is the stat that’s linked to the soul,” I conclude. Kalanthia is silent for a few moments, clearly considering it.

I do not have these ‘stats’ you are referring to. I do not believe that Beasts do. Perhaps they are unique to humans. Beasts have Energy channels which are created bit by bit. The condensing of a Core is a sign that the principle channels have been created, allowing Energy to reach every part of a Beast’s body. However, this is not the end of the story as the channels must be extended, strengthened, and widened if the Beast wishes to move any further than this first stage.

Energy enters through these channels and is directed to the Core. Channels only extend to the limit of a Beast’s Domain. To begin with, this Domain is restricted only to the Beast’s physical body. It takes effort and Will to extend this Domain outwards. This is the reason I can do this. So saying, she releases a wave of sensation over me.