Cal smothered the last embers of their campfire with a handful of dirt, sending up a small plume of smoke that dissipated into the pre-dawn chill. At least that is what he envisioned – there was no day and night here. The crystal luminescence was constant.

Beside him, Temp was analyzing and cross-validating his initial lexicon.

Cal observed silently, but as some patterns remained constant in the dictionary definition, he was able to begin theorizing on his own as well. One thing was for certain – the fire icon, was really a fire icon.

"Curious," Cal muttered, his voice low but clear. "The author barely mentions the organ. What do you make of that, Temp?"

"Insufficient data to hypothesize," Temp responded, his metallic timbre void of speculation. "Perhaps an oversight? Or maybe the deerman are unable to absorb the organ like you are able to. Even when I tried, it was a miniscule improvement – hardly noticeable. We would have to commit genocide to have me gain attributes from them."

"Either way, he hunted these creatures with a fervor. There's something we're missing." Cal stood, brushing his hands together. His blue eyes scanned the horizon, mind ticking over the puzzle pieces.

“It is possible that he was also gaining levels.”

Temp continued, “one consistency that I have noticed suggests that the natural treasures here may be more valuable than the monsters." Temp paused, hesitating, then continued, "one such natural treasure could be valuable to me. In the tempering serum, we saw the mention of several ingredients, but the active ingredient was what the system called sun-burst orchid leaves.”

Cal noticed where Temp was indicating in the journal. The warrior drew what looked like orchids and the translated name seems to correspond to the sun.

“Ok, we can give it a shot. How far are these orchids from the squirrels?”

“They are a couple hours away, but we can route our return to pass by them.”

Before setting off, they concealed their campsite, and covered the entrance to the alcove to prevent any unwanted intruders.

“Temp, do we have any more information on the squirrel species. So far all we know is that they are fast and strong.”

"They could also be considered quite adorable, Cal." Temp said.

"Appearances can deceive," Cal replied. "Their chubby cheeks and whiskers are inconsequential compared to their strength."

They moved with care through the underbrush, watching out for opportunist predators. The forest was quiet save for the occasional chirps and the duo's soft footfalls.

Cal stepped over the deep black root of a nearby tree. "Temp, how was your practice with your oversoul last night?"

“Unfortunately, pretty poor. I have been using a search algorithm to try to perfect my approach, but I cannot get any meaningful data no matter what I change.”

“Hmmmm, that reminds me of what I did when I was a child as well. In Anu’aris, my parents taught me when I was young. Before they did, I would try my oversoul on everything – as you can imagine, that was quite a mess as well.”

“What did they teach you?”

“A kata, I’m not sure it will work on you though Temp, unfortunately. It was a quick and dirty trick to push your state of mind in the right direction. I would have mentioned it earlier, but you can’t move.”

“Cal, could you show me?”

Cal stopped for a moment, considering, “hmmm, I'm out of practice, but sure.” Cal closed his eyes, feeling his concept of self disappear into his environment. Cal had no bloodline to rouse, so he simply used his memory.

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Cal began a dance, in tune with the forest around him. It was a meditative state, a display of combat that resonated with Cal’s soul. Years of experience and training made it muscle memory. A strange calmness flowed through him.

Temp watched by the side, taking in the process. It was not the movements, but the feeling that Temp considered the most important. Cal seemed to resonate with his soul, and his soul was filled with combat. He was in a trance-like state. His body moved gracefully, like a dancer, in perfect harmony with the forest. Rays of sunlight filtering through the trees created a halo around him, emphasizing his focus and concentration. His movements were fluid and precise, honed by years of practice and training.

As Cal ended his kata, Temp noticed the aethereal sparks once more. They were identical to when he fought with the direbeast matriarch. There were only a few here, this time, but Temp would not mistake it. The chair wondered how the instances were connected, and put it out of mind to focus on the matter of oversoul for now.

"Think of your conduit— you are pulling from it. But you have to resonate with what your soul stands for to make use of the power," Cal said, ducking under a low-hanging branch as they continued forward.

“I see. Thank you Cal.”

“You will have to focus on something tangible. Some people have to try many avenues before they understand their bloodline, but you have an expert and descendant of Leonidas with you. Try focusing on your dexterity first. This bloodline is all about adapting and shifting to the situation. Pull from your dexterity and impart it to the rock."

"Shift points to enhance strength or speed as well?" Temp queried, the notion piquing its computational curiosity.

"Let’s just focus on one for now. You won’t hurt yourself if you use your dexterity," Cal nodded. "But it's a balancing act; too much shift could be... taxing."

“Understood, I will try," Temp noted, processing the information. "Caution is advisable."

"Oversoul isn't something to toy with. If you feel something straining or breaking, you should stop. While the soul is extraordinary, your conduit is relatively weak." Cal's tone held a gravity that matched the density of the woodland around them.

They emerged onto the hunting area, a clearing shrouded in a deceptive calm. The air hummed, laden with the scent of damp earth and ozone. In the distance, the chittering of the squirrels resonated, a soft symphony of impending danger.

"There is static in the air, how curious," Cal muttered, recalling the journal's notes, and the notable absence of anything useful.

"You should observe before attempting an attack." Temp observed.

“Temp, I’ll leave you here on this perch so you can keep practicing. I’ll have to collect quite a few of these organs,” Cal whispered, then turned his attention back to the clearing. His hand brushed against the metal vambraces on his forearms. "Stay sharp."

After aligning the chair so it would not fall from its vantage point, Cal moved towards the clearing. With every step, he readied himself for the clash to come, his kata grounding him firmly in the present.

Cal crouched, his senses razor-sharp as the first of the squirrel beasts skittered into view. This area was devoid of the black trees. It was a clearing, so he could not set traps or observe from a vantage.

The creatures, deceptively cherubic with their glossy fur and twitching whiskers, clambered around. "Like a mastiff hounds. Luckily that should still be manageable." Cal thought. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade thoughtfully considering as the skittered around. The spear might not be as useful here, the squirrels were fast and could likely close the distance and overwhelm a spear wielder. He would have to switch back and forth between spear and dagger.

Cal sighed, and realized they are much bigger than the book gave them credit for.

As Cal approached, he could sense the static thicken and then he saw the nearest squirrel lock eyes with him. In a flash of motion, it lunged, revealing wickedly sharp incisors and a surprising mass beneath. Cal moved with fluid grace, his eyes scanning the clearing for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a wave of small, furry creatures appeared from the undergrowth, chattering and gnashing their teeth in an eerie chorus.

“Damnation.”

Without hesitation, Cal sprang into action, his spear poised as he engaged the first wave of squirrel beasts. His movements were swift and precise, each spear strike landing with deadly accuracy. As he kited their attacks around the clearing, he used the terrain to his advantage, leaping over the scattered rocks to avoid their onslaught.

There were 5 that immediately joined in the chase. Cal had overestimated his ability to sneak around or underestimated their detection.

The squirrel beasts were relentless, but Cal proved to be more than a match for them. His agility and adaptability in combat were unparalleled as he countered their lunges.

"Clear so far," Temp replied through the neural link. "But there are more coming."

"Let them come," Cal increased his pace, his strikes becoming more vicious and calculated. As the first group of five closed in and surrounded him, Cal swapped to his dagger.

As each of squirrel beasts descended upon him, Cal remained resolute, his focus unbroken even as exhaustion threatened to set in. Cal’s slashes and stabs started wearing the group down and was finally able to dispatch the first of them. After the first fell, the remaining followed suit quickly afterwards.

As the last of them fell, a new group appeared in the clearing. This one was led by a chunky one. It was almost cute, except for the glowing bolt of electricity surrounding it.