"This is a terrible camp," Bones says as he finally floats down to the ground. I agree with him, but making a good impression is essential.

"The views alone are worth the sacrifices."

"You mean view… and we're surrounded by a forest. This view is no different than all the thousands of trees we've seen." Bones finally turns his gaze toward me. His pale gray eyes are blazing with life. I can sense his strength has grown tremendously without even reaching out my perception. He keeps his eyes locked on mine, and I see him calculating his next counter.

"I'm pretty sure that's an oak," I say, pointing at a thick tree to the side of our encampment. "I think I saw a quaky around here somewhere too. Also, these trees are much livelier than we have seen, so I am sure they would appreciate not being generalized so drastically."

"You can't remember who you are, but you remember the name of the trees… I'm starting to think there are some flaws in your backstory."

"Tree appreciation is no different than animal classifying. I know the difference between a scorpion and a bear, and that never seemed to disturb you."

"I figured you were just making the names up while you were going. Sort of like a game. So, I started doing it as well."

"You didn't make up names. You butchered the names that were already established."

"I created more efficient names. The time I save by addressing people with one syllable will be worth it. Minutes will be used for much more productive activities."

"Like?" Noth jumps into the brawl with no concern for her well-being.

"Like building an actual establishment suitable for five-hundred children."

"I don't know… seems kind of weird and creepy if you ask me," says Apper.

"Yeah, the first thing the skeleton does when he gets back from who knows where is to house a bunch of children? Big red flags," says Cher as she leg bumps one of Apper's legs behind their back.

"Wait… who are the spiders? Nette, do you recognize any of these? I thought there would be more actual spiders and not lesser clones of you."

"They are the only ones that remained loyal that survived their cultivation journey," Annette responds with a hint of sadness. "Along with the demons, there is a spider god that we must be aware of.

"Oh, Cru, yeah, that guy is the real deal! You should meet him, boss; I think you'll like him." It's odd returning to my role as the minion of my minion, but I let myself slip back into it. "Where do you think gods rank in superiority compared to bosses, queens, and kings? My guess is the middle or maybe the top. I guess it depends on the number of worshipers. He's got thousands."

"Thousands plus one," says Noth.

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"Noth, you're a believer?" Fen asks, her eyes large and shining. She has a hint of curiosity and leans towards Noth as if eager to learn more about her new religion. She's slightly disappointed when Noth confirms with the smallest head nod, unnoticeable if you aren't paying attention.

"I thought about joining," says Cher. "The pious life just isn't for me. I want to be free like Nette and rub thor—"

"That's enough spider talk," Nette quickly cuts off Cher before she can say anything more. "Sisters, let's see to the children and ensure all are accounted for and none wander off. Gene, we could use your help."

Gene drops her embrace of the lycan she's hugging. "Yeah, Annette, if you don't mind, I would like to use your abilities to talk to each of the children and help them process their new life."

"Of course. We tried to help them as much as we could before arriving here. There is still much for you to do. I'm glad you are still you. The children need some familiarity," says Annette. The spider queen's posture is open and calm, as if she is ready to hug Gene tightly. It's quite a difference from the queen before she left, who felt much more prickly than compassionate.

"Perfect," says Bones, taking his shot at being able to voice his words in the conversation. "Gene and the arachnoids handle the children except for Apper. Apper, we'll need your help with our base. Sounds like the plan is to settle next to the lake. Any objections?

Nette relays the lake Bones is speaking of into each of our minds; the image is what Fen and I saw during our earlier scouting expedition. No one voices any objection to the location.

"Glad we agree this hillside is a slump. What buildings are a priority?"

"I think you lean into the cult creepiness vibe you're flaring and settle for a compound," Fury says in a deep, scratchy tone. The massive dragonoid has been silent for the most part, so his input catches me off guard."

If Bones sees any insult in Fury's suggestion, he pays it no attention. "Perfect. We can call it an academy. The Rising Fist Academy. Our dungeon will be hidden in plain sight. Perfectly disguised. No one will suspect a school of being a dungeon. We'll build some other essential town buildings afterward. The priority is building the compound.

"Secondly," Bones begins pacing a short two-step distance, turns, takes another two steps, and turns again. He abandons his steps as he continues speaking. "We need to clear out the demons. Obviously… but we also need to recruit for our dungeon. We will need more teachers for the academy and fighters for any actual problem.

"Wait, shouldn't clearing out demons be priority one?" Asks Apper, who keeps looking at her sister spiders she’s leaving behind.

"The demons are only a priority because we need to build the compound. No compound, no need to slay demons," Bones says matter-of-factly with a lift of a single brow.

"We have a recruitment plan," says Gene. Immediately her thoughts are shared with the rest of us.

Replacing his pacing motion, Bones' hands are now stroking his beard. "That's perfect. We use the academy to keep the kids safe and create a dungeon in the shadow lair. If we can convince the demons to gather there, we'll have a natural supply of monsters that we won't have to supply or even bind to the dungeon. This is better than expected. Now we only need the demons to agree to the plan."

"If they only have one choice, it will make the decision much easier," says Fury. "Which ties into our current plan, beating the demons into submission." The dragon cracks his knuckles and loosens his shoulders.

Bones joins Fury in his prefight exercises and gives me a creepy giddy smile. "Li is a terrible name. Should've stuck with T'am. You look paler, by the way." There's no way either of those statements are true. If anything, my skin is darker from my extra beach time. I bow out this round, though.

"Yeah, death is a real prick."

"For now. Death will get its dues eventually. We'll see to it." There's an uncanny sparkle in Bones' mana-filled eyes. Once again, I agree with his words.

With our plan in place, we divide and conquer.