I'm a freaking God. Of course, I don't express my thoughts out loud. The conversation with Bloom and me is going swimmingly, and I don't want to blow it. But that doesn't change the fact that I am so overpowered. I was moving cores with my freaking mind. It doesn't matter that I don't know how I did it. All that matters is that it was done, and with enough stubbornness, it can be done again. You know what they say, 'move some cores today, throw mountains tomorrow…' or something like that. Who cares? I've got freaking mind powers!

All the time before, I haven't done a whole lot with my mind mana. Sure, I nearly strangled myself. Other than that, I created a thought bubble that I floated the river on — which is much less impressive than it sounds. My only remarkable accomplishment with mind mana was making a network of spider minds and disconnecting myself from their web. That and the few occasional mind tethers… all simple tasks that've been done by Nette — except for the thought float and the suffocation bubble. I doubt the spider queen dared to try either of those feats.

I try to replicate my success several times only to meet with the open door of failure. I'm not phased in the slightest. Each failure is a step closer to success. And I'll close every open door of failure until there are no more doors except one labeled, The Doorway to Awesome Mind Powers. Of course, if I can just find the conveniently labeled door, that'll save me a lot of time and hassle.

By the time all the cores are separated, I'm no closer to figuring out the mind-lifting trick. My unbroken dreams of an extra convenient life are put on hold, and we saunter to our next task. We don't really have a next task, so we do the next best thing, which I decide is to supervise Bones' base building operation.

The dungeon boss, his party, and a host of dead minions have been busy since sunup. The community kitchen was one of the first structures built. The massive two-story building is next to the large community center we created yesterday to quickly house all of us for the night. The few houses we built after the community center to fulfill my promise to the Synth Sisters have been torn down. In its place is a building twice the size of a kitchen in width and height.

"Of course, I don't guarantee security. Just like last night, I still have no idea what I'm doing. All I know is that we need to keep ourselves safe. More doors and walls keep people safe." Bones is more flustered than I've seen him, and we've had some fiercely pointless arguments. Fen, Apper, and Fury all equally seem to be flustered as well.

"Creating a wall doesn't make sense when we know some of our enemies can fly directly over them." Fen's narrow eyes are sharp, adding to the intensity of her rebuttal. If we have multiple tall watch towers, they can increase our range support, and my sisters and I can create webbing to cover our open skies."

"She's got a point." Fury's head has been bobbing along to both opinions.

"Wouldn't you just burn through the webbing?"

"I would, but not every flier has my talents." There's no sense of aggrandizement from Fury, just awesome facts that can't be disputed.

"Fine. More towers, less walls, and then more housing." Bones concedes. With a mental command, his earth-lancing minions and Apper begin the tower-building portion of our defense.

Our fortification so far is… something. And that's not nothing. I'm unsure if I feel more secure here or back in my cave. We have a massive wall that boxes us in completely. Since last night, the wall has been thickened and raised. Multiple watch towers have been built along the barrier, and now more are being built in the open grounds.

Three buildings sit in the direct center of our fortress. One is the kitchen, to the right is the larger building, and just south of that is another large square building. Connecting the two large buildings is a thick wall that looks large enough for several people to walk side by side.

Apper is building towers along with the minions under the supervision of Fury and Fen. They all walk off to create another tower leaving a dirt-nudging Bones alone. "Base building everything we thought it would be?" I pull his attention away from the next patch of dirt he's a nudge away from kicking up.

"This was so much easier when we had much less to care about." There is a little bit of a sigh in his voice. He forgoes the dirt nudging and looks up to Bloom and me.

"Is it any different now? Sure, there are more of us, but it's not like we can die. At least not easily."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"How'd ya handle all that dying?" Bones is full grin now; any hint of frustration is gone. Though his smile seems to be lacking in something.

"It's not fun. I might still be a bit cracked from it all."

"I can feel them, T'am. They're just kids, but they have massive feelings. It hurts. They're scared and are already on the verge of breaking. Nette is doing all she can to suppress the worst of their thoughts and fears. However, I'm worried we'll lose them if we can't offer them enough stability and security." It's hard seeing Bones this way. I thought we would crack a few jokes, solve some problems, and celebrate later. Maybe it's not so much that it is hard to see him as more serious; it's just that life has become complicated.

Part of me wants to run off on my own. Bones can manage the dungeon, and Gene can stay to help. I had so much freedom when I was on my own. Heck, that's a good reason why I never cared to search for my memories. Annoyingly, the word 'Live' runs through my mind. I know I'm not going to drift away from our challenges. I chose this path and plan to stick with it. I just wish things were better. Easier.

"It's messed up, these kids don't have their families," I say after considering my words. Bones isn't in his talkative mode, giving me extra time to get my words out. "And I'm not qualified for any of this." A small crack appears in my companion. Not an actual break, but his absolute confidence slips for a moment. I'm more at a loss of words now than ever. "I don't think anyone is qualified for this. How could anyone be?"

"I saw them, T'am. I saw their potential and how it can change under different scenarios." The weight of responsibility flashes in the dull gray glow of Bones' eyes. "They can be absolute wrecking units. No power can stop them. It will only take a year or two. All it would cost is some innocence. As the dungeon boss, I'd break through my ranks. I'd be ruler within a year — a mage with absolute power. You'd also be in a position to rule. We'd only need to look away as nature took its course."

The scenario forces its way into my mind. I see the lycan kids battle through hardships time after time. They die and come back stronger and hungrier. Each time, they grow more vicious. Gone are their playful nature. Gone are their smiles. They are raw power, and they consume every obstacle. I shake my head at the idea, rejecting it.

"Think we can give them what they need?"

"No, not even close. But we’re going to try." Bones is in his usual stoic poise. His posture is stiff, his shoulders are squared, all four arms are tucked behind his back, and his pale eyes scan over the constructed towers. The large dragon wings are missing from his back. His skeletal frame is covered head to toe in black dragon scales, giving him a bulky frame.

My gaze follows his for a moment. Earth towers are being created in a grid-like formation. Inside our fortress wall, the empty space is filled with evenly spaced towers twenty feet apart. The first row spaced twenty feet from the exterior western wall is nearly complete, and the second row spaced another twenty feet away from the first row is already being completed. We should have five rows of towers filling up our grounds when it is completed. It doesn't look good, but maybe it is secure.

"We've got no idea what we are doing." Bones' shoulders slump just a fracture as he voices my same doubts. Even with my fortification raiding experience, I've no confidence that I can assemble a competent defense. The way Gene and I successfully raided each tower has me doubting any fort will be strong enough to repel competent lancers. Maybe holing up in a cave is the best practice.

"No, we don't," is all I can say. "But that's our strong point. We throw stuff 'til it sticks. Make it 'til they have to take it. We fall until we stand." The last expression I say with more confidence. Like our fortress, I'm just spitballing sayings. It seems to work, and Bones' slackness can no longer be seen. "So, how are you holding up?" My attention is back on my companion. He's got a lot to carry, and I want to ensure he's OK.

"Never been better!" I give Bones a questionable look that demands he justifies his cheeriness. "This," — his hand gestures across our fortress — "is what I wanted. I have a chance to lead… I get to grow. It's not going to be easy. I'm in over my head and don't see any light. We'll get knocked down a bunch. But we will get back up and try again. Just as we always do."

Bones directs his attention back to me. Our eyes are locked in, and this becomes slightly uncomfortable. I want to look away, and at the same time, I don't. I decide to stand my ground and continue to look into his hollow eyes. Bones enforces his smile with the missing mirth, and I nearly retreat. This is getting too serious.

"Thank you, T'am. I'm already your minion and always will be, even if you call me boss. I promise I'll always be a loyal companion." My heart stutters. Not because of Bones' words. It's the bond between him and me, the bond in my death core, tightens, sending a jolt of energy into my chest.

Where our bond was once a spot inside my death core reserved for Bones, it's now a more active connection between us. I can't really explain it; the reserve is still there, but it's much less than before, and the bond is tighter. I can perceive his thoughts easily. I can dive into the core and understand what he knows. We've become more one, while at the same time, we are more separate. He's no longer a minion but a bonded companion. I can still summon and dismiss him, but his life is no longer tied to mine.

While our eyes are still locked, I do a quick energy reading on my companion. Bones the Bard, Death Sage, Boss of The Rising Fist, Soul Bound Companion. Indeed, my summoned minion just ranked up. He's no longer a minion but a companion. I wonder if that makes us more or less equal since he's technically my boss but no longer my minion. Did I just get demoted again? Damn, well played, Bones. Well played.

In an attempt to cut through the tension, I bring up the new wedge between us — call it companionship inventory.