“After that, Oskar got his second black eye and talked with a lisp for four days,” Erik laughed.

“But I’ll give him some credit. Greg never made fun of Oskar’s scarves again. Sometimes, though, I think he joined the military just to wear scarves again… and it was cheaper than moving somewhere cold.”

Fox was wheezing, and Oskar dramatically pulled at the ragged, faded shemagh he’d worn since his arrival on this world as if he was self-conscious about it.

“It’s not a scarf! Leave me alone!”

Fox and Erik rolled back, both holding their stomachs. Erik almost fell over, and busted his elbow trying to catch himself, cursing at his funny bone through his laughter.

Oskar was grinning as he said, “Serves you right,” and flipped his brother a bird.

They talked into the night, smiling, laughing. Erik loosened up quickly and after “pick on Oskar” time was over, he seemed fascinated by Touwon’s borderline obsessive tinkering. He didn’t interrupt the Kobold, who was switching between projects with no warning and then going back to Oskar’s prosthetic.

I can’t even begin to follow what he’s doing.

Bastet seemed content in the friendly environment, but there was an aura of heaviness about her that Oskar knew better than to address. She’d given them enough of a hint that the gifts she’d imparted had cost her gravely, and though he didn’t know when… her time was up. She’d said as much.

But for now, the room, though warmer than before, was comfortable. The group chose not to address Bastet’s quickly deteriorating state and spent their rare time of safety laughing and resting. Just being present with her during this time. They snacked on dried meat and some fresh cactus fruit Touwon pulled from his bag of tricks. Fox tried to give the fading cat water. She drank a little, but asked her to leave the waterskin. Fox sat the waterskin near her, and the cat laid her head down on the cool waterskin with a heavy sigh and a tired smile.

Penny had gotten up at some point and was showing off her new sleek form, her ever present copper scales shimmering in the cavern’s glow. She didn’t stray far from Bastet, though, and quickly curled back into her warmth and slept again. The nomad life they’d lived together made resting like this rare.

I’m glad she’s getting to rest, and it’s great she’s spending it with Bastet, who I suspect enjoys her presence just as much. We’ve all been through a lot. Well, a lot is an understatement.

Erik was now whispering questions to Touwon, who seemed to be fine with Erik’s questions. While talking with Fox about Penny’s changes and Fox’s evolution, Oskar suddenly felt sleepy. It was subtle; between one blink and the next, it was just a little harder to open his eyes again.

Remembering the same power putting him to sleep in that motel room what felt like a year ago, Oskar recognized what was happening. Oskar was asleep before he could gather his thoughts enough to warn the others or question Bastet.

His sleepy last glance at Bastet showed her face staring back at him, lids low on her beautiful eyes as his own lids closed. He forced his eyes open one last time, and Bastet winked at him. His eyes fell closed again. The last thing he felt was a great rush of power before his world went black.

***

Oskar’s breaths came short and fast, and the magic around him was powerful enough that it acted as if were a flare in the darkness, blinding and disorienting him. He tried to launch into the air to escape, and the gravity increased tenfold, pulling him deeper into the sand instead.

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Power surged in his spirit though, and part of him was free, shooting into the sky above the clouds. Suddenly, he was a part of something larger than himself, something old. Not quite the “one with the world” feeling he’d had when he first arrived and was gifted his Druidic powers.

Now above the world, the sky grew darker. Panic set in as the air became thinner, even though he knew it wasn’t his body that had just entered the stratosphere; some other, more ethereal part of him did.

It took more out of him than it should have to stop hyperventilating. Oskar couldn’t make himself stop breathing the non-air completely, though, worried that his body below might obey him.

High above, he was still acutely aware of his body far below. Though he couldn't feel it above, he knew the heat below was increasing. Oddly, though, he could feel his distant body holding the top-heavy divine weapon in his white knuckled hands. Strangely, though, he sensed his far-off body gripping the top-heavy divine weapon in white knuckled hands.

He reached out to tap into the power he knew was inside him now, but it felt distant and heavy.

Frustratingly, so much of the new power was locked away. Although, despite his frustration, Oskar knew that trying to tame all that Sora, Talau, and Rakiyu was currently far beyond him. Pressure built in his skull as he reached for it anyway, and he forced himself to pull back, warned by the connection that he felt as he’d risen into the sky… but some bled through.

His body, a distant thing, felt hotter than it should, and his focus wavered. The connection he’d felt slipped from his grasp, and vertigo struck as he descended.

***

The temperature in the cavern had risen drastically, and Oskar woke, drenched in sweat. He clenched the wet, warm sand as if it were nightmare-soaked, sweaty bedsheets and then sat up, looking for the weapon he knew he’d been holding in his… dream?

Why’s it so damn hot?

His PUB was doing some sort of rebooting, ellipses blinking at the top of Oskar’s vision.

His eyes took in the dark cavern as best it could, and everyone else was just beginning to stir. Still curled inside the sleeping Bastet, Penny opened her eyes, but did not move as she looked straight at Oskar questioningly. Erik stirred and Oskar looked over to see his brother do the same thing he’d just done… namely wonder why it was so freaking dark, hot, and stuffy.

“Oss, look…” Erik trailed off, and Oskar followed his brother’s strange, glowing gaze.

Curled around Penny was not quite Bastet, but a perfect statue of the cat. Her eyes closed, she lay still upon the flat protrusion she’d lain on most of the night. Oskar’s jaw clenched, and he felt pressure in his eyes, but the seriousness of the situation took root before the grief could set in. Regardless, a guilt stubbornly remained as Oskar realized the power he'd felt in the dream, something he could still feel the tiniest amount of, came from Bastet.

He didn’t know how to honor her for everything she’d done, so he just sat there and stared until he’d gathered his emotions. He saw the waterskin still under her skin, a pillow beneath the soft smile on her stone visage.

Maybe it was the only fitting tribute to the one who carried the Wayspring magic for so long. How else do you honor someone like her?

All the other cats were gone. There had been several, glowing softly and pattering around the cavern the night before. None had interacted or even acknowledged the group other than the calico, however. It had taken Oskar seeing one, an older orange cat, literally walk through one of the short walls before he realized that only Bastet and the Calico were physically present. The others were possibly facets of Bastet’s power, or maybe reflections of cats in another world.

Penny stood and, after nuzzling the statue form of Bastet fondly, started walking around to get pets from everyone as if she hadn’t tripled her weight and doubled her length overnight. Her new, more feline form looked sleek and stronger than ever. Her gentle steps across the glass floor were now surefooted and made her look as if she could pounce like a coiled spring.

Oskar had to admit, as cute as Penny was, she looked dangerous. She also still wanted pets, and Oskar happily obliged her. A throaty purring sound followed her kwinn, similar to Bastet. She wasn’t being needy, though, her intelligent eyes showed concern, and this was her way of checking on everyone.

“You’re the best, girl.”

We’ve got to get the hell out of this glass cave before we cook.

A sudden sobering reminder of his broken prosthetic hit Oskar like a bad clam chowder, and he jerked his gaze over to Touwon, who’d just sat up, and was staring at the stone form of Bastet with a tilted head.