We walk west toward the Deep Woods and the Dark Deep Woods. We are far enough north that our path does not run through Forest Base Camp. Which is kind of a pity. My old home was fixed up real nice, and it would be nice to give it a goodbye. Who knows when I will be back on this side of the mountain. Probably the next time I die.

Only when we cross the river and are confident that there are no goblins and kobolds on our trail do we take a more extended break to sort through our new supplies and gear? Food is sorted from the temporary storage of Gene's bags into my robe's long-term food storage. All the food, regardless of size, is absorbed into the pocket and preserved perfectly. As Gene said, it is a master class piece of rune work.

With the river as a barrier and Gene's shadow as our protection, we feel safe enough to rest and eat. I strike up a small fire while Gene prepares our feast. She goes for the classic beef and potatoes with carrots, bread, and gravy. The steaming food fills the air with pleasant aromas. Two plates are pulled from Gene's bag, and she divides the portions equally.

While we eat, coffee brews over the fire. The rich aroma fills the air. Neither of us disturbs the peaceful aura of the fire. We sit silently long into the night, keeping to our thoughts. I could reach into Gene's mind and glimpse what she is thinking, but I nix the silly idea. If she wanted me to know her thoughts, she'd share them.

Gene retires to bed just as the coffee is ready. The timing is awful, and she politely declines. I've given up on sleep tonight and probably the next few nights. I slept a lot after the destruction of the stronghold. Now I need to make up for the lost time. Besides that, the coffee is running strong through my body. I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to.

While Gene sleeps, I train my mind, body, and spirit. I run through my sword forms as quietly as possible. When that's complete, I practice with the staff and then move on to stretches. I keep my mind centered on my exercises, avoiding the temptation to let my thoughts wander. Only after I've washed off in the river do I let my thoughts go where they want as I work on my meditation.

Meditation is all about focus. Not letting the mind pull in assorted memories or thoughts is the goal. Instead, it is supposed to be directed. My dilemma is I can't decide if letting my focus split three ways is a productive meditation exercise or if I'm corrupting the practice. The optimist I am, I believe I'm tripling my meditation results.

My passive mind focuses on breathing deeply. I am clear and present at the moment. I'm here. Just being. Existing. Relaxing. Breathing.

The second mind reflects on the past, the recent, and the more distant recent happenings. It carefully pulls at the critical details and makes notes of areas of personal improvement. As it is, the second focus is more positive than my primary and refuses to see anything but a past full of sunshine. Which could very well be true. I don't ever recall any rain.

My primary focus is on my fragmented soul. True to Gene's words, every cultivator I've encountered has a singular mana bound to their core. Our differences don't bother me. I'm still excited about the three energies at my command. My only concern is that we have been dealing with the dregs of the horde so far. Besides the dungeon boss, the elites have yet to actually be sent.

The lower-tiered fighters, while numerous, could be stronger. They've been given some techniques and left to fend for themselves. In a way, that makes sense. If death isn't a factor, how much resources do you need to spend on the weak? You can send them resources and hope they develop talent, or you let the talented make their way up the ranks when they've earned it. Without death, there is plenty of opportunity to become strong. They just have to fight for it.

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So far, the fights have been one-sided. As long as the weak are sent, I have complete confidence Gene and I can take them on without much concern. It is when the elites start arriving that we'll have a problem. Hopefully, that'll be a while, and we'll have time to get the dungeon… our home more established.

That brings my thoughts back to my own power. The faster I bind mana, the stronger I will be. However, I have a fear that the power will be empty. I'll have all mana and no technique. Similar to the horde we've encountered so far.

I could expand the mana I already have, then my skills won't be spread too thin. But that goes against my nature. I don't want to be bound to one or a few. I want it all. So how much do I want more power now? Or do I hone my strength and take my time growing?

On cue, my secondary focus brings to my attention the time when I only had one power bound to my soul. Relying on death mana, I learned and developed skills on my own. I made Bones, armor, and swords. I can summon clothing for any occasion and a near-endless supply of rope. So really, only three skills: summons, reanimate, and dissolve and absorb.

My shadow skill set is much less. I have shadow steps and temporary summons. Gene has more to teach for sure, but so far, we have been focusing on perception and rituals, two aspects that were a large part of the shaman's life. If I were to ask for more abilities Gene would be willing to share, my only concern is that perhaps I am limiting myself by learning her skills rather than developing my own.

Mind mana is… well, it seems like I'm barely skimming the surface. This man, more than the other two, I find myself wanting to grow and develop. Not only the mind-reading aspects. That is nice. It is the utility of the power. The more I can get done with my mind, the less I have to do with my body. I can even put the worst task back in my mind and let the lesser focuses handle that. And floating in my thoughts was stupid fun. There's got to be more practical use cases to be discovered.

So maybe the solution is to grow when I feel like growing. Nice. So profound and wise. I abandon meditation after the thoughts seemingly get me nowhere and focus on my shadow mana. If I can create one more skill independently, that will be progression at its finest. Three and free, that's what I always say.

I practice with shadow mana well into the morning, messing around with shadow steps and possible variations. I greet the sun with a couple of sneezes followed by a curse or two. Gene is starting to stir, so I get breakfast going. On the menu is another variation of the morning scramble with the addition of coffee.

"You still in search of a new religion?" Gene asks in between her drink and eating.

"Yeah. I did a bunch of soul-searching last night. Perhaps this spider god can give me guidance," I say a bit jokingly, not sure how much is a joke or the truth.

Gene gives me her skeptical look with no words. She takes another sip of coffee and then takes a healthy bite of scramble. "There is nothing wrong with curiosity. Perhaps some caution as well. I can scout things out after I clean up breakfast." She takes another large helping of potatoes and eggs. Her steak is gone, so I offer her another, which she gladly accepts.

"Don't worry about the cleanup. You go scout, and I'll take care of the mess. Besides, this cast iron has a nice layer of seasoning. I don't want to risk it getting scoured."

The lycan gives another skeptical look, looks at her claws extending out of her fingers, then laughs. "You should have seen how many pots I scoured in my prime."

"You'll never touch this." I hold the pan tighter, knowing I've committed to permanent dish duty. Gene's joke of a threat has her absolved of the obligation. Well played, Gene. Well played.

We finish breakfast, and Gene takes to the sky, flying over the woods once claimed by the spiders. I scrub the pan clean, wash the pot, and practice more with shadow before she returns.

"Li, we might need to change your names for the Deep Dark Wood." Gene keeps the picture of the woods secure in her mind as she lets me pull the thoughts from her.

"No way. This new spider god is incredible! I must go meet her." The Deep Dark Wood is light and full of life. This is an impressive god.