Finn stared at the ceiling of his shelter, his mind racing. Another sleepless night. He'd been having a lot of those lately. It had been a week since they'd captured Roran, and things had only gotten weirder since then.

He rolled onto his side, eyeing the makeshift calendar he'd scratched into the wall. fourteen little marks, each one representing a day in this bizarre new world. It felt like a lifetime ago that he'd been flipping burgers and worrying about rent.

"What a week," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

The sound of movement outside caught his attention. The camp was always buzzing with activity, even in the dead of night. His creations didn't need sleep, after all. Sometimes Finn envied them for that.

He sat up with a groan, knowing sleep wasn't coming anytime soon. Might as well check on things.

As he stepped out of his shelter, the cool night air hit him, sending a shiver down his spine. He'd gotten used to being mostly naked by now, but he still missed the comfort of a good pair of jeans.

"My lord," a familiar voice called out. Gloria materialized at his side, as she always did. "Trouble sleeping?"

Finn snorted. "What gave it away? The bags under my eyes or the fact that I'm wandering around at ass o'clock in the morning?"

Gloria's lips twitched in what might have been the ghost of a smile. "Perhaps both, my lord. Would you like an update on recent developments?"

"Hit me," Finn said, falling into step beside her as they began to walk through the camp.

Gloria hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Drew and a few other creations have reported... unusual occurrences," she began, her voice low. "They've been experiencing thoughts and impulses that seem... out of character."

Finn's eyebrows shot up. "Out of character? What, like suddenly developing a taste for modern art or something?"

Gloria shook her head. "Nothing so benign, I'm afraid. They've reported feelings of rage, aggression. Violent impulses."

"Shit," Finn muttered. "That's not good. Have they acted on any of these impulses?"

"No, my lord," Gloria assured him. "They caught themselves quickly and reported it immediately. It's worth noting that it was Drew and the creations who helped restrain Roran that have experienced these... episodes."

Finn's mind raced. "You think it's connected to Roran? To his... what did he call it? Baneskill?"

Gloria nodded. "It seems likely. Perhaps it would be wise to question our prisoner further."

Finn sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go see what our barbarian buddy has to say for himself."

They made their way to the makeshift prison where Roran was being held. As they approached, Finn could hear muffled cursing from inside.

"Sounds like someone's in a chatty mood," Finn muttered. He nodded to the guards, who stepped aside to let him enter.

Roran glared up at him from the corner, his eyes burning with defiance. "Come to gloat some more, demon?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I'm not a demon. Just a guy with really weird luck. Now, let's chat about those baneskills of yours."

Roran's eyes narrowed. "What about them?"

Finn squatted down, meeting Roran's gaze. "I want to know everything. What are they? How do they work? And why the hell are my people suddenly feeling like they want to rip things apart?"

Roran's expression shifted from defiance to surprise. "Your... people? You mean those naked freaks of yours can use baneskills too?"

"Not exactly," Finn said. "But the ones who helped take you down? They've been feeling some pretty intense rage lately. Ring any bells?"

Roran's eyes widened, then narrowed in suspicion. "That's... that's impossible. Unless..."

Finn leaned forward, intrigued. "Unless what?"

Roran shook his head, looking bewildered. "Unless they had absolutely zero access to Calamitas. And even then, the residual energy would have to be insanely strong to unlock even a knack for bane energy. But that's not possible. Everyone is born with at least some connection to all types of the Astral Tapestry."

Finn blinked, trying to process this flood of information. "Okay, slow down. Calamitas? Astral Tapestry? You're gonna have to break this down for me, buddy."

Roran sighed, settling back against the wall. "The Astral Tapestry is the fabric of reality, the source of all power. Calamitas is one of its core principles - the chaotic energy of destruction and change. Baneskills are like... a primitive form of it. Raw, untamed power."

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"And you know all this because...?" Finn prompted.

Roran's face darkened. "Because I'm shit at actually using it. All I've got is this [Bane of Rage], and even that's not great. But I've always been good with information. It's how I've survived this long."

Finn nodded, processing this. "Okay, so what about this residual energy thing?"

"When someone uses a strong baneskill, it leaves traces," Roran explained. "Like an echo. But for it to affect your people the way you're describing... it shouldn't be possible. If they truly had no connection to the Astral Tapestry and were suddenly exposed to that much Calamitas energy, their bodies would turn to mush. We're talking skin peeling off, organs liquefying. It's not pretty."

Finn felt a chill run down his spine. "Well, that's... graphic. But they seem fine. Just a little extra rage-y."

Roran shook his head, looking more confused by the second. "It doesn't make sense. What are these people of yours?"

Finn exchanged a glance with Gloria. "They're... hard to explain. How about I show you instead?"

Before Roran could respond, Finn closed his eyes and concentrated. That familiar rush of power flowed through him, and when he opened his eyes, a new creation stood before them.

Roran's jaw dropped. His eyes darted between Finn and the newly created being, disbelief etched across his face. Then, so quietly Finn almost missed it, Roran muttered something in a language Finn didn't recognize.

Finn raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on the foreign words. "So, that's how my 'people' come to be. Any thoughts?"

Roran just stared, his face a mix of awe and terror. "What... what are you?"

Finn grinned. "Just a guy with some weird powers. Now, about those baneskills. You said everyone has some connection to this Astral Tapestry thing, right? How does that work exactly?"

Roran seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. "It's... it's complicated. The Astral Tapestry has five core principles: Luminance, Umbra, Harmonia, Calamitas, and Anima. Everyone is born with some connection to each, but most people only develop skills in one or two areas."

"And these baneskills," Finn pressed, "they're part of Calamitas?"

Roran nodded. "Yeah, a primitive form of it. But what you just did... that's not Calamitas. That's not any principle I've ever seen before."

Finn filed that information away for later. "Interesting. So, theoretically, could my creations learn to use these principles? These baneskills?"

Roran shrugged, still looking a bit shell-shocked. "I... I don't know. Theoretically, maybe? But they'd need to have a connection to the Astral Tapestry first, and from what I've seen... I'm not sure they do."

Finn nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. "Alright, Roran. Thanks for the chat. You've been... surprisingly helpful."

As they left the makeshift prison, Gloria fell into step beside him. "What are you thinking, my lord?"

Finn's mind was buzzing with new information. "I'm thinking we've got a lot to learn about this world, G. And I'm thinking our barbarian buddy might be more valuable than we realized."

They walked in silence for a moment before Gloria spoke again. "My lord, about the attack on the barbarian camp..."

"Right," Finn said, snapping back to reality. "Almost forgot about that with all this Astral Tapestry business. What's our status?"

As if on cue, Drew appeared, looking as imposing as ever. "My lord," he said, bowing slightly. "Everything is ready. We await your command to begin the assault."

Finn's eyes were drawn to the weapon in Drew's hand - a massive rock affixed to the end of a long handle. It looked brutally effective and incredibly heavy. Now that Finn was paying attention, he noticed that Drew seemed... bigger somehow. More muscular than before, if that was even possible.

"Uh, Drew?" Finn gestured at the improvised war hammer. "That's new. And are you... bigger?"

Drew glanced down at his weapon, then back at Finn, his face impassive. "Yes, my lord. I fashioned this myself. We heated rocks in the fire, then used colder water to crack them into shape. The handle is bound with sinew from the animals we've hunted."

Finn nodded, impressed despite himself. "Nice. But what's with the muscle upgrade? You trying to give The Rock a run for his money?"

"The Rock, my lord?" Drew's brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out. "Ah, a reference from your world. No, my lord. I have simply been pushing myself to become stronger. It is my duty as Chief Strategist and Combat Leader to be the strongest."

There was something almost robotic about the way Drew said it, his face a blank mask. They truly did not have emotion unless asked to.

Finn took a deep breath, suddenly feeling the weight of leadership on his shoulders. This was it. The moment of truth. They were about to launch an attack on a camp full of people who could shoot fireballs or turn into bears for all he knew.

He wanted to talk to Roran more, but alas, this was a perfect time to strike. It was almost night and the night was needed for Drew's plan, and they were all ready for the attack.

"Alright," Finn said, squaring his shoulders. "Let's do this. But Drew? Keep an eye on yourself and the others who helped with Roran. We don't want any incidents."

Drew nodded, a grim smile on his face. "Understood, my lord. We won't let you down."

As Drew walked away to gather the troops, Finn turned to Gloria. "Well, G, looks like we're about to crash a barbarian party. Any last words of wisdom?"

Gloria's expression remained neutral. "I am coming with you, my lord."

Finn was going to reject, but he just nodded. She could probably fight better than him.

There was nervous energy in his stomach, a mix of excitement and dread. He made his way to the front of the gathering army, his creations falling into formation around him. Drew had come up with them, Finn sure as hell didn't know anything about a formation.

The weapons were basic - mostly clubs and crude spears - but in the hands of his superhuman creations, they'd be deadly enough. Finn took a deep breath, trying to project an air of confidence he didn't quite feel.

"Alright, let's move out," he said, his voice carrying over the crowd.

As they began their march through the forest, Finn's mind raced. The conversation with Roran had opened up a whole new world of questions. Baneskills, the Astral Tapestry, Calamitas... and what the hell was that language Roran had muttered, and why after Finn had just created a human?

He glanced at Drew, marching stoically beside him. "You holding up okay? No sudden urges to go on a rampage or anything?"

Drew shook his head. "No, my lord. I feel... normal."

"Good," Finn nodded. "Keep an eye on the others too. If anyone starts looking a little too rage-happy, pull them back."

They continued in silence, the only sounds the rustling of leaves and the soft tread of feet on forest floor. As they neared the edge of the treeline, Finn could make out the glow of campfires in the distance.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "here goes nothing."