“Wersa, don’t kill him.”

    With this last statement Dem buffed Wersa with his best spells, offering Graf nothing. It would be good for Graf to see Dem’s spells in action, to understand what bonding a Tamer might offer him. His spells invigorated Wersa, her complexion becoming redder, her breath coming faster. The spells he used were fairly basic, compared to what Karmis had available, but they were useful. He used spells like Strength Other, Toughen Other, Dexterous Other. Each spell was now at the mid-tier thanks to the grimoire’s changes to him. These spells had a fairly significant effect, but were costly to the power his Path provided. Once he was an Adventurer he would receive a couple of cantrips that would allow him to mark the progress his Path made and the cost of his spells. Only Adventurers had access to such spells, as they were property of the Tower, and generally most laborers wouldn’t need to constantly measure their progress. Workers only needed to advance their Path enough to do their work, and little more. Some like his Da, took it further, but the cost of following a single Path was unappealing to most.

Graf cast at least two spells on himself, Wersa only cast one herself. He would have to ask Wersa about her spells when he got the chance later. He was sure she knew what she was doing, she was older than his parents apparently, but he wanted to know if there was a way to best coordinate their spells. Sometimes spells overlapped and lost effectiveness. With the potential increase to his income, he could buy more spells in the future to supplement both Ina and Wersa. Graf might join them as well, and so he had to take into account having a true defensive Warrior for their party. If he were still following his previous Path, all of this possible cooperation and coordination would have been fantastic for his Path, but the most he could do now was maintain and replenish his previous Path. There was little sense in trying to advance it, without a Class to match it.

Finishing with his spells, Dem moved away from Wersa, letting the fighters begin to circle each other. Ina sat above the fight, acting as a referee and lookout. He spoke nothing to begin the fight, simply evacuating from clearing to the sidelines was enough to start both fighters moving. He could tell the two Warriors were impatient, which wasn’t surprising he supposed. Unlike Class Fighters, who fought out of duty, or for coin, or out of necessity, the Warrior Class was for those enjoyed fighting and battles for their own sake.

Wersa was the first to test a blow. She didn’t put her all into this blow, as she had against the rubber rhino, but it was a strong blow nonetheless. Graf took the blow on the haft of his axe, two handed, his arms only bending slightly while receiving it. The way Graf’s feet sunk into the ground as the blow was received, was a testament to its strength and the strength of the beastman. He doubted Wersa could take a similar attack so effortlessly as the beastman had. The beastman attempted to hook Wersa’s blade with the head of his axe as she pulled away, trying to disarm her, but she was too quick and swung her sword again into a series of attacks chained together. Was she trying to overwhelm or exhaust the beastman? Attacking was generally more tiring that defending. He hoped she was just playing around.

The clearing rang with the strength of Wersa’s attacks. The first five or ten strikes of the duel were all offensive swings from Wersa, probably for the purpose of testing the beastman. As the moments ticked by, her attacks were growing faster with each swing of her sword. She was still slower than Ina or Dice, but more than fast enough to begin to pressure Graf.

    She disengaged for a moment, hopping backwards to the other end of the clearing in a single step. She then casted a spell on herself, while Graf moved forward to re-engage her. Graf was too late, of course, he was slow, needing time to get his bulk up to speed. For Wersa to cast a spell on herself, in the middle of battle, meant it was a spell with a short duration or spell that offered a single powerful attack. Graf stopped his forward momentum, just short of the middle of the clearing, and stood with a broad stance, knees slightly bent, waiting to see what Wersa had in store for him.

    Wersa re-engaged with two quick steps. Suddenly her attacks came in a flurry, blows raining down on the beastman from every angle. Graf couldn’t respond quick enough to block all these attacks, his axe was simply too slow. Inevitably some would get through his defenses, and so he did what any Quill-Boar would do, he hunched over and bent his legs, so that he could cover his head, chest, and arms with his axe. Hunched over Graf’s back would now take a number of Wersa’s strikes, his quill-hair providing good protection.

Dem hadn’t noticed before, but the armour on the beastman was thickest on the arms, legs, and head. Clearly there was a strategy here. The beastman was probably trying to tire the warrior woman out, or at least conserve his own energy. The raw energy of battle might advance a Warrior down their Path, but it did not replenish their stamina. The beastman was likely still tired from his previous battle, and so this strategy would be helpful to him for that reason, if nothing else.

Wersa laughed, as the flurry of blows seemed to wind down. A number had landed on the beastman’s back, but each had glanced off or bounced the sword back towards Wersa.

She spoke, “Fine, you armoured pig, I will try something else.”

With this, she pulled a trinket from her armour and crushed it in her fist. This was a one-time spell trinket, designed to cast a powerful spell quickly, without the need for focus, without the need to even know the spell, but at the cost of destroying the trinket on use. Only a caster who had mastered a particular spell in-depth could create such a trinket.

The spell took hold of Wersa, while the beastman just observed. He didn’t dare leave his defensive stance. The spell caused Wersa’s eyes to go red and bloodshot, her body began to swell, and her skin began to darken, like she had spent too much time in the light. He knew this spell, this was the spell Karmis had used on Wersa both to defeat the rubber rhino and during the fight at the campsite. This was the spell he had assumed was Berserk spell, though he wasn’t really sure. It was another thing he would have to ask Wersa about.

Wersa strode forward, her sword raising for a mighty two-handed blow. The beastman was nervous, shifting his weight and gripping his axe tightly. Wersa stopped just outside the range of the beastman’s axe, and readied her blow. Sweat streamed down her face, her breathing rapid, as she leapt forward, her attack coming down on the beastman from above. Graf had readied an attack of his own, probably hoping to deflect or distract Wersa, but he must have thought better of it at the last moment, because he raised his axe to take Wersa’s strike instead.

As their weapons met, wind exploded out from the clearing in every direction. Branches, leaves, and dirt blew past him, Dem had to raise his arm over his face to protect his eyes. He missed the immediate effect of Wersa’s attack, but did look up quickly to see who had won.

The aftermath was impressive. The clearing had been.. cleared further of anything they hadn’t already removed. He noticed a stone, the size of his head, hadn’t left the ground thankfully, but had moved backward toward him the entire length of his body, leaving a trail in the mud. Wersa and Graf now stood in a crater deep enough that it would come up to Dem’s knees. Graf’s axe had bent along its haft, to the point the weapon was now useless. Dem could tell the haft was made of granite tree, banded in steel. His own spear would be far less tough than the axe’s haft. Graf had taken some of the strike with his left shoulder, his quill-hair providing extra protection. Graf’s quill-hair was clearly bent in such a way Dem could see a depression the shape of Wersa’s sword. Wersa’s chest heaved with the exertion of the blow, but was otherwise fine, she brought her sword back into a guard, and stepped backward out of the crater they had made.

Graf looked strained, and was swaying back and forth, maybe a little dazed. Graf’s legs were buried up to his armoured calfs at the bottom of the crater. After holding steady for a moment, he dropped the remnants of his weapon. He too was breathing heavily, but his gaze was steady. He pulled his buried feet out nad stepped back from the crater as well, to face Wersa on even ground.

Was it over? Would the beastman yield without his weapon? Dem hadn’t thought to stop Wersa from using her spell, or from using such a heavy attack. If it had killed the beastman, all of this would have been a waste of time. He was a little too engrossed in the fight for his own benefit. Should he say something? Call for an end? Tell Wersa to pull her attacks? Normally a Warrior would invariably fight to the death, but she was absolutely loyal, and so he was confident she would listen.

While he considered the merits of intervening, the beastman pull off his heavily plated arm guards, dropping each to the ground with a thud. Graf then did the same with the armoured plates on each his legs. Wersa’s eyes were glued to the beastman, but she made no effort to stop him. The powerful spell from her trinket was still active, and so she was still a significant threat.

Finally finished, the beastman flexed all the muscles in his body slightly, causing a resounding crack. Quill-hair popped up from his arms and legs, forming spiky guards. This new defense was sparse compared to the quill-hair on Graf’s back, and so it would not stop a significant blow. It was clear to Dem these arm and leg quills were for offensive purposes. They were long and thicker than the quill-hair on the beastman’s back, and probably sharper too. What did Graf intend to do? Dem was baffled. Why would the beastman drop his armour

The beastman charged at Wersa now, his speed increased without the heavy armour plates. Was Graf intending to try to get inside Wersa’s guard? Dem could think of no other possibility except for Graf attempting a grapple. Graf risked taking a deadly blow from Wersa’s sword, but at least he would have a chance at getting into range to grab Wersa. His bulk and quill-hair would give him an advantage, if he could just get ahold of her.

Wersa laughed and yelled a challenge when it became obvious what Graf intended to do. She readied another big blow, this was not an overhead strike, but a sweeping one from the side. As Graf reached the ranged of her sword, she swung sideways with the flat of her blade. Graf twisted to take the blow on the shoulder and back. Wersa’s swipe batted Graf away from her, causing him to fly backward into the crater. She laughed again then, at this attempt to engage in close combat. Graf responded simply by charging again and again, only to be met by the flat of Wersa’s sword each time. After four attempts, Wersa put on a more serious expression, signaling she had enough of Graf’s antics. Her change in demeanor likely meant her spells would start to wear off soon. She needed to end the fight. Dem watched her set her jaw, scowl, and square her shoulders.Then she did the unexpected. She dropped her sword.

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“Do you speak the human language?” He tried to sound intimidating, but he wasn’t sure it had the intended effect

The beastman’s eyes left Wersa, and focused on Dem instead.

It spoke, haltingly, “Yess.. I sspeakk…” It burst into a coughing fit, blood splattering from its mouth, unable to finish its sentence. Its voice was deep and its words were a bit slurred, but, after translating Dice’s speech, it wasn’t hard to understand it.

“You fought all of these Beastmen? Why?”

    It moved slightly, not trying to stand, but repositioning itself against the tree trunk it was slouched against. This set Wersa off, she began to ready her blade again, but Dem stopped her with a wave of his hand in her periphery vision. He wanted to hear the beastman’s story.

    After sitting up the boar beastman was able to speak a little better, “A sshadow came.. cycless ago.. during a clann-meet… like night but not night.. the confffusion caused turmoil in the claaans.. brother fought sister.. forrr control.. treachery.. the unclasssed attacked the Classedd.”

    Another coughing fit struck the beastman. While the coughing continued, Dem tried to make sense of what he had heard. A shadow? A meeting? Internal strife? The most interesting part was that the unclassed had apparently risen up against the Classed. Out of jealousy? Or to seize their grimoires? Judging by the beastman’s better armour and weapon, it was likely to be on the side of the Classed, which like meant it was Classed itself. Like a spark cantrip, a light went off in Dem’s head.There was value here. A Classed beastman was useful for selling or bonding. It was true beastmen could have human Classes, but it wasn’t always easy to train them in one. The training process required the adaptation of the Class to the Path the beastman followed, and even then there were issues with compatibility between Class and Path. An already trained Classed beastman was worth gold.

    The beastman continued its monologue, “I killedd these bbetrayers.. It is ggood you ffinished them offf.. I can ddie wwith no regretts..”

    Once again, Dem had no idea what to expect here. He had never met any beastfolk before Ina, and even before that, he had only ever seen them at a distance. This beastman clearly had a sense of honor, and the clan he came from played political games. Political games the beastman had clearly lost. The beastman would be worth gold to the right buyer, if he could heal it. He would have to bond it, to keep it under control in the meantime, though the type of bond he would use would have to be weaker than the mutual bond he and Ina shared. It would be easier to break the bond later if and when he choose to sell it. He had never put any thought into buying and selling beastfolk. Beastfolk, if they were lucky, were sold to Tamers or anyone else wanting to bond such a creature, if they were unlucky, they forced to fight for entertainment, or used as training dummies, or expendable shock troops, and if they were very unlucky, they were used as ingredients. He wasn’t sure he had the heart to sell a beastman into such a potential fate. He could make the decision later though, first he needed ensure the beast would live and would not resist the bond. After a moment more of thought, he decided to experiment.

    He moved closer to the beastman, so that he stood to Wersa’s left shoulder, just behind her.

    He spoke, in his most commanding voice, “Beastman, do you wish to live? I can heal you.”

    His words brought a quick look from Wersa, but he ignored her.

    He continued with his pitch to the beastman, “You must yield to us, to my spells, if you want to live. I am a Beast Tamer. I can heal you, but you must accept the bond.”

    The boar beastman trembled angrily at his words, though it did not try to stand.

    The beastman barked at Dem, “..I.. am a Classed Warrrior, of a great clann.. I.. do not..become the play thingg of a human.. I die.. killing my ennemies… you are weakk!”

    This was not a surprising response, all things considered. Beast Tamers always looked weak, or weaker than they should have relative to their beasts, and yet untamed beasts only respected strength. It was a fundamental problem all Tamers faced. It was a problem with a lot of potential solutions different Tamers had used in the past, but he had something new to try. Now would be the time to try his experiment.

    With no more words, he draw on this Path and focused his influence into his eyes. At least he would get to see what his Gaze did to a beastman. He unleashed the concentrated influence as quickly as he could, while he still had the attention of the beastman, impatient to see the result.

    As the Gaze connected with beastman’s eyes, its pupils dilated wide and it seemed to sag against the tree. The reaction was not quite the mental blow he had seen when he used it against Dice, Karmis, and Wersa, but it had an effect. The beastman would be more suggestable for a while, if he understood the spell correctly, but he still needed a display of power to push the beastman over the edge. His influence was just influence, it was not the same thing as control or intimidation.

    As the beastman tried to recover, he sent over the bond, “Ina show yourself to the beastman, look as frightening as you can, and come to stand next to me.”

    Dem spoke, loudly, barking an order to Wersa, “Wersa, kneel!”

    There was no lag time, no hesitation between his order and Wersa’s follow through. Her knees banged so powerfully against the ground, they left small craters. She stuck the tip her sword into the ground to steady herself. Dem looked at her side profile, looking for any hint of rebellion, but her eyes were still glued to the beastman.

    The beastman’s eyebrows rose at Wersa’s actions, but he made no comment. As the beastman’s attention was on Wersa, Ina’s materialized behind the beastman, her clawed tails found critical points on the beastman to threaten as she walked past it. The beastman startled at the revelation of a many-tailed beastwoman appearing next to him, its hand reaching for his axe, but stopping short due to the prick of a claw at its neck and two more claws appearing near its eyes. The beastman froze with as frightened a look as Dem could imagine on on boar beastman. Its eyes were wide and it trembled slightly with the effort it took to stay still. It seemed to have some instinctual fear of the many-tailed. Perhaps, they had a natural predator-prey relationship?

    “Beastman, Wersa here is a Class Warrior, like you, yet she kneels. The many-tailed, Ina is my companion. I treat my bonded beastfolk well, as you can see. I have no need for a play thing. I need another mighty warrior. Give your word to allow the bond, and I will heal you. You can fight again, as a Warrior” His voice held as much feeling as he could muster, and he burnt the power of his Path into his passive Influence.

    The beastman seemed to stop to think, which didn’t bode well for Dem’s efforts, but nothing was perfect. Immediate agreement would have been the best scenario. Dem had done what he could to convince the beastman. He didn’t want to use his other spells as his control of them was imperfect. Dice had been functionally useful, but a far cry from he needed from a party member. Karmis was even worse, the multiple Domination spells he had used had damaged her permanently. It was likely, had she been any weaker, she would have simply died on the spot as a result. He did not need another brain damaged follower in need of his care.

    “..heal me.. let me fight the Warriorr.. If she winss.. I will doo as you ask.. If I wwin.. I return to mmy clan..”

    The beastman wanted to negotiate? While it was dying no less. He had to admire it, on some level. It took guts to barter while you were dying. This deal could be bad for Dem, if Wersa lost, it might be hard to contend with the beastman. Then again, even with healing, the beastman would be much weaker than it would normally be. Wersa wasn’t just a Warrior, she was a Warrior in the prime of her life with many sequences of experience. He was very confident she could take on this beastman Warrior. Even if Wersa did lose, the beastman would be in no condition to fight him and Ina.

    It was odd the beastman wanted to return to its clan. If it was chased away from its clan, going back would likely only result in its death. They had sent five or six unclassed after it, which was a sizable force. Beastmen were strong fighters, even unclassed. The beastman was asking to die on his own terms, it seemed to Dem.

    Dem turned toward Wersa, seeking her input, but she only nodded her head while keeping her eyes on the beastman.

    “Alright, beastman, you have a deal. You will fight Wersa here, but not to the death. Do you understand? When you lose you will accept the bond. Swear on your clan. In return, I will give you a cycle’s worth of healing and recuperation, and let you go should you win the fight. Know that my many-tailed will kill you should you fail to live up our bargain.” He tried to make his voice sound as grim as he could with his last statement, banking on the boar beastman’s fear of Ina.

    He knew he sounded like a villain, spouting off about the consequences of betrayal to the beastman, but he had to make his position seem strong. Taming a beast could be as much theater as anything else, depending on the method you used.

    “..I agreee.. You maay heal.. mme..”

    Wersa moved forward, sword out, until she reached the beastman’s axe, which she kicked away a good dozen spans. Then she stood over it, sword at the ready, waiting for Dem to begin his healing spells. Ina moved in from the other side, her clawed tails at the ready. Dem moved in, only close enough to touch the beastman to apply the spells. The beastman merely looked at him and sat still, letting the spells take effect. It wasn’t entirely clear the beastman would live even with the spells, but it was worth trying.

***

    Over the next cycle, Dem applied every healing spell had twice to the beastman. He had even given the beastman a healing solution from Karmis’ supply, though only the Wersa said was the cheapest one. He started something of a dialogue with the beastman, as it healed. They had exchanged names and a little more information. The boar beastman was called Graf-pulackt.. the name continued for another dozen syllables. The beastman’s name was nearly unpronounceable and too long, so they had settled on Graf, as a nickname. The beastman was of the Quill-Boar Clan of a place Graf had called Bonepick Mountain. Dem had never heard of a Bonepick Mountain, but he supposed it was a name the local beastfolk clans used for one of the nearby mountains. He had asked about the ‘shadow’ and the clan turmoil, but Graf had gone quiet on him. Graf wasn’t likely to betray the location of his clan or its current strength, and while the information might sell in the settlement, Dem wasn’t particularly interested in being the cause of the destruction of an entire clan, or whatever was left of it. It was possible the settlements already knew about the clan, but the potential profits were projected to be too low. Beastfolk rarely allowed themselves to be captured alive.

    The beastman took to the healing well, and had been hiding some strength. Graf’s wounds had looked worse than they actually were, Wersa had been right to be cautious. Dem would have to rely on her instincts more for situations like this one. Despite the healing, Graf still looked exhausted, in so far as a boar beastman could look exhausted, from the perspective of a human. They searched through the bodies of the fallen beastmen, but had found little. It wouldn’t have made sense for them to bring treasure with them while hunting a political rival or whatever Graf was. They did, however, find a beastcore, in the first beastman Wersa had killed. Beastcores from beastmen were rare, most beastmen would destroy their core before it could be harvested. Even the act of killing a beastman, unaware, would often damage their beastcore. The beastcore they harvested was in pristine shape, it would be worth a gold or more, though he would need Greer to get it evaluated.

    By the latter half of the cycle Graf was able to stand without aide, and by the end of the cycle deadline, Graf was giving his axe a few practice swings, while staring steadily at Wersa. Graf’s stare was intense, and probably directed at finding a weakness in Wersa, Dem surmised. Graf’s axe swings were slow, but powerful. Too slow, in fact. He wasn’t sure if it Graf was putting on an act, or just warming up slowly.

    They had emptied the clearing of bodies and trampled down the dirt down to provide a place to fight. If there were other beasts or humans who had heard or smelled the earlier battle, they hadn’t showed up. Dem’s earlier worry, over interlopers, had been for nothing. He was thankful that this battle between Classed Warriors would go on without interruption. Few beasts or Adventurers would get between two Classed Warriors fighting.

Dem brought Karmis down from up high, she had hardly moved, but he did noticed her health was deteriorating fast. She looked green in the face and she still hadn’t been able to apply her illusion properly. Her body’s injuries had been healed, for the most part, but he couldn’t heal a failing body.  After they finished this battle they would have to leave immediately for the settlement.

  Dem called the two Warriors over, having each one stand at one side of the clearing.

   “This is a battle to submission, not to the death. I healed you so you could live Graf. Swear on your Clan you will honor our agreement.” Dem’s voice was loud in the empty clearing

  Graf spoke quickly, clearly eager for the fight, “I sswear.. on my clann..”

Dem turned to the Warrior woman, “Wersa, don’t kill him.”

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“Let’s go hunting!”

   They had another fifteen cycles before they needed to be back to the settlement. Coming back early would mean, to an outside observer, that they met more than they could deal with, which shouldn’t have been likely considering the strength of their party. The fact Dice had died was already strange, but explainable through an accident or Dice’s inexperience.

    Karmis was strapped to Wersa’s back, little could be done other than to drag her along until they could go back to the settlement. He wanted to make this time productive, not just sitting around watching Karmis decline. He had an idea, he couldn’t just claim Karmis’ gold, but he could hunt with Wersa’s help and bring in a good supply of beastcores and beast parts. The beast parts could be put into the Storage which would keep them fresh. If they were lucky and efficient they could bring in a gold or two worth in materials, that would give him more leverage with Greer.

    The most difficult obstacle was getting Karmis secured and armoured. She hadn’t been particularly helpful during the process. He needed her to live for a while yet, and the spelled armour would ensure her safety against many threats just by itself. He had asked about selling it, but Wersa had said it was made for, and tuned specifically to, Karmis, Karmis’ Path, and Karmis’ Class. Some of the materials could be reused at least, Wersa said. He had gone through Dice’s things, but found little of note. Karmis would sell Dice’s blades for him, but Dice’s leathers were tattered and worthless. All he could feel for Dice was pity.

    They moved further south into areas he had never explored. This portion of the Wilds was sandwiched between a mountain range and areas less densely forested than the Wilds. He didn’t really know what lied this way, the maps were vague. Beyond the mountain range was the True Wilds and eventually the ocean. The other direction, towards the True Human Realm, was forest that eventually gave way to prairies, meadows, and then to the Human Plains. Somewhere along the way was the Human Breakwater, the wall that protected humanity from.. something? He did not know what it protected humanity from, he had only heard there was a large wall there, taller than the tallest trees in the Wilds. Why it would be called ‘Breakwater’, was a mystery to him and to anyone he had asked. There were no large bodies of water anywhere near it.

    It would take, at the very least, a few rotations of heading towards the True Human Realm, to see the Breakwater Wall, so he put the thought of it away for later. Instead, they moved further towards the mountains and the True Wilds.

***

    He heard the sounds of battle before he could smell it, and long before he could see it. He could hear powerful clashes of metal on metal. A battle between fighters with metal weapons was fairly rare in the Wilds. Occasionally, he would hear rumors of Adventurers clashing in the Wilds over a beast kill, or over even more petty reasons, but true conflicts were rare. Banditry was uncommon, as few could survive in the Wilds during night cycles. Either you lived in a settlement, or near one, or not at all.

    Once he could hear the battle, he was at something of an impasse. He could hear well enough to know there were only a few fighters, it was wasn’t a pitched battle, but some sort of skirmish. The blows were heavy, metal rang like the toll of a church bell repeatedly. They were strong, whoever they were. Taking Ina and Wersa, and just turning around and running, would probably seem like the be the safest thing he could do, but the cutthroat nature of the Wilds often turned common sense on its head. People who immediately ran to avoid conflict in the Wilds were often assumed to be weak, very weak in fact, and they would likely to be pursued as a result. It was often safer to maintain a safe distance, even if only to pretend to be interested in taking advantage of the weakened participants of any particular conflict. He would also had to be weary of other observers.

    While he considered his options, waiting a distance away from the battle, he finally got the scent of the fighters. They weren’t humans! They smelled more like beasts to him. They had weapons.. His mind took a moment to put the pieces together. Beastfolk. These were Beastfolk.

    The fact these were beastfolk, armed beastfolk at that, didn’t really change the situation for him. These beastfolk would likely be more dangerous than regular beasts, but not much more. He decided to wait out the results of the battle and then maybe take a look. He had to watch out for the participants, yes, but he also had to watch out for other parties and beasts drawn to the sounds and smells of the conflict. This latter issue was perhaps the greatest danger.

    His little party found a decent high branch to sit on, while they waited. Their hunting had been unremarkable up to this point. Only netting one greater beast, and no beastcores. The greater beast they had found was a long-wulf, a many legged, furred creature, that moved swiftly through the upper branches feeding on birds and small mammals.

It was something like a cross between a wolf, a weasel, and a centipede. It didn’t have the chitinous armour that most large centipedes had in the Wilds, but it had the many legs and the movement of a centipede. Its long body was sleek and furred like a wolf or a weasel, it even had a small muzzled snout. The snouted head of the beast was odd, it actually had six eyes, organized as pairs, set into what seemed like three cranial cavities forming a triangle shape with the snout being the middle of the triangle. The snout’s shape might fool someone not familiar with the beast, but, in fact, its actual mouth was much larger than it appeared. The whole front section of a long-wulf was its real head and mouth, and would peel open into three separate portions to devour prey whole. It ate oddly, less like a wolf or a centipede, and more like a snake, he supposed. It had died easy enough after Ina had dropped down from above and eviscerated it, while Wersa chopped a decent portion of its head off. It was a young greater long-wulf, probably new to its ascension. Its fangs, hidden deep into its mouth and throat, were worth silver, so he had pried those loose. Its lengthy pelt was worth something as well, even with what Ina and Wersa had done to it.

Karmis’ body had healed well enough she could left for a moment, but the movement on Wersa’s back had made her sick. She had slowed them down, but at the very least he had gotten to see how Ina and Wersa could hunt together. He was pleased, with their potential. He just needed to get through the next rotation or so, and he would be free to just hunt and be what he wanted. He could even hide the grimoire away somewhere. He would stagnate, of course. His spell casting would grow difficult, but it wouldn’t really matter because his life would be set. He could put all this behind him.

The scent of blood in the air woke him from his thoughts. There was a quite a bit of blood in the air, the battle had been messy. He called on Wersa to leave Karmis with him, and to move in slow, with Ina overhead as back-up. He moved to the rear of their procession, slowly bringing Karmis with him. He was strong enough carry her short distances. Overall, he was more worried about ambush from uninvolved parties than he was worried about the participants in the conflict in front of him.

As they drew closer, Karmis pull her sword out, to make ready. Ina was the first of them to sight the aftermath of the battle, as she crept closer to a rare clearing on the ground where the battle had taken place.

She sent over the bond, “Dem, at least three are still alive, or at least three have still beating hearts. Two of them are quite weak though.”

“Thank you, Ina.”

He could rely on Ina to position herself around whichever beastfolk was the biggest threat. He did not know what Wersa would, but he would find out. This could be a way of learning more about how Wersa dealt with dangerous situations. He needed to know more about her to make his little party work.

He heard Wersa stop a short distance away from the clearing, just head of him. He left Karmis high in a tree on a thick branch. He stabbed his blade through her robe and into the tree to keep her from leaving, and jumped down. Even in her addled state, her armour would protect her from most attacks. It was spelled defensively and would react automatically to all sorts of threats, or at least that is what Wersa had said. He moved to join Wersa, standing just behind her, peering past her, into the clearing.

What he found that was gruesome. Blood was splattered everywhere, and there were at least a few bodies lying on the ground in various states of dismemberment. What was immediately interesting to him about the bodies was that they were all the same kind of beastfolk. They were all large boar beastmen, each one a mountain of flesh, even dead and in pieces. He could even identify the sub-race they hailed from. These were quill-boar beastmen, each at least half a head taller than Wersa, and three or more times her weight. They had massive tusks jutting from snouted faces. Their eyes were black and beedy, and were quite small compared to their overall size. He could tell the were from a quill-boar bloodline because on each of their backs was a forest of hair-like quills protruding outward. These quill-hair were as tough as steel and more resistant to blows than most armour due to their springy nature. They didn’t so much block blows, as they absorbed them. They were also very sharp, and provided some immediate protection against anyone who would grapple with a Quill-boar beast. Quill-boars, in their natural state, were much smaller than rubber rhinos, but lived usually much longer lives, and were more likely to ascend to a greater beast as a result. They were tough, fast, strong, and moved in packs, unlike the solitary rubber rhino. Few beasts could get through the quill-hair, making them nearly impossible to kill. They literally outlived potential predators.

Each of the boar beastmen had been armed, mostly with spears, but one especially large beastmen had an axe. He was still alive, though bleeding profusely from a hundred small wounds. He was propped up against a tree, breathing harshly. In addition to the axe, he was armoured crudely. Something about the beastman made him weary, weary in the same he was around Adventurers. This beastman likely had a Class.

There were two others still living in the clearing. One was passed out, from what looked like a head wound, the other was splayed out on the ground, its breathing was irregular. The one laying on the ground looked to be on his last legs, one of his arms was missing and there was blood spilling out of him in no small amount. Only the beastman with an axe registered their presence, his head turn toward Dem’s approach.

Wersa turned to look back at him, seeking permission to do.. something. He just nodded his head, mostly out of curiosity, to see what Wersa wanted to do. There wasn’t much to gain from this particular situation, dead beastmen would have little, and so it didn’t hurt much to indulge her. She was more experienced than he was anyway, he could probably learn from her in a few ways at least. She nodded in return at him and then with a few swift steps was standing over the boar beastman who was passed out. Her sword plunged into the neck of the beast with no hesitation, and a moment later the already dying beastman got the same treatment. He didn’t really know what he was expecting her to do, but killing the beastmen still surprised him. He didn’t mourn them, exactly, they were probably already going to die from their wounds, but the casual manner Wersa had dispatched them, had disconcerted him.

Wersa then slowly walked towards the axe-wielder. This time taking her time with her eyes on the beastman every step of the way. The beastman also eyed Wersa as she took careful steps. She had deemed the beastman a threat still, despite its wounds. Ina too had chosen the axe-wielder as the central threat here and was quietly waiting in the tree above its head.

He decided he wanted to know what all this was about before the beastman died or Wersa got another urge to kill.

He spoke to Wersa, “Don’t kill that one, I want to talk to him.”

He presumed it was a male beastman, but he didn’t really know for sure. The sexual characteristics of beastmen.. varied.. greatly.. which only added to the mystique around Beast Tamers. He sighed.

He walked into the center of the clearing, cleared his throat, and spoke to the beastman.

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He stood not far from where Ina and he had spent the last quarter cycle rolling around. Earlier, as things got more heated, he had sent Wersa off to hunt them something to eat, but she had returned with nothing more than a few chunks of splattered beasts. Either, everything was too fast and agile for her to catch, or she couldn’t control her strength well enough to not destroy their potential meal.

“We will rest here for another couple of cycles, to let Karmis heal. Then we will go out hunting. If we return too early it will be suspicious. When we do return, you will take Karmis to the tower. You will do the talking. Ensure that the contract is fulfilled and I am paid officially. Rent a room for a cycle. Inform the Tower of Dice’s death. You will then wait for further instructions.” He could hear the exhaustion in his voice as gave Wersa commands.

    Ina had tired him out, of course, but beyond picking the occasional strand of fur from his person, and from his mouth, he didn’t have much to do except give Wersa nebulous orders. In reality, he didn’t know what to do exactly. He wasn’t in any immediate danger, or was he? What was he supposed to do Karmis? Technically, she was evidence of his Class. Evidence of what happened to the party.. He could guarantee Wersa wouldn’t talk, and Dice was dead, her body ashes. Could he kill Karmis in cold blood? That was the best solution to the problem at hand, he had to admit. If she died though, it be would suspicious. Did she have friends? Allies?

   “Wersa.. what do you suggest I do with Karmis? I can tell you she is permanently damaged. She will not recover. Does she have allies other than you? Who will notice her.. condition? Is there a place we can stash her? Is there a place to retire her? You said she was already dying, right? I think she has even less time now.” His questions were rapid-fire, each one creating a new anxiety in his heart.

He knew, over his left-over link to Karmis’ mind, that her mental state was.. chaotic at best. She had begun to to seize occasionally, her limbs twitching for a few moments before relaxing,and if he had to guess, she was getting worse, despite the healing spells. Her mind was falling apart, regardless of the health of her body.

“Lord, she would not want to live this way. Give me permission and I will end her Path.” Her voice held little hesitation despite the fact that they were discussing the fate of her mother.

    He sucked in a lung full of breath at the blatant way Wersa spoke about Karmis. He needed Karmis to finish the job given to him, and keep everything that had happened out of view of anyone from the settlement, Tower, or Church. Even a curious Class Master could investigate the situation and he would end up dead. A Class Master would either want his spells and grimoire, or simply want to kill a potential and eventual threat. If his Class started this powerful, he wondered what sort of heights he would reach later. On the other hand, was there much point to use it more? He could simply pretend to be a Tamer, and now with Wersa’s help, he would be able to easily hunt beasts in total safety. It would be more than enough to pay for his family’s safety. What more did he need or want?

He let the breath out in a long stream from his nose, as he considered his options, finally he spoke, “Wersa I need Karmis to show herself in the settlement to complete the job. After that I will consider your suggestion. Answer my other questions. Oh, and, again, make sure you never call me ‘Lord’ in the settlement or around other people.”

“Yes, Lord. Karmis has no allies specifically, but she does have people who purchase her services that will note her absence. She also has many enemies. Her clients will assume she was taken out  she disappear. Lord, she does have.. other daughters.”

“Other daughters?” He asked, wondering at the potential complication.

“Yes, I know of at least three. They will seek me out if they believe she has fallen from her Path. They will want a piece of her savings, or her Class Disciple grimoire.”

“Her savings?” Suddenly, he felt a tinge of greed. Despite the fact he was speaking of the belongs of a woman who hadn’t technically died yet, he found himself already coveting her treasures.  

“It is not much, Lord, as far as I know. A few hundred gold, at most. We were low on funds. That was the reason she was willing to chase rumors. It had a big potential pay off, low risk, and it was cheap to live out here compared to a real city in the True Human Realm.”

A few hundred gold!? His parents could live the entire rest of their lives in the settlement with a hundred gold. He could feel greed welling up in his heart, but he quickly quashed it. He had to lie low. Showing off that kind of gold would tip off a lot people in the settlement, especially Greer.

“What will your sister’s claim? Will you get a portion? Will they investigate?”

“No, Lord. They hate her. None of them were up to the standard of being her Class Disciple. She kept me around because I was useful in other ways. They will be happy she is dead, and  for their share of her savings.”

“You said they will want her grimoire, she had one prepared for a Class Disciple?”

“Yes, Lord. It was ready for Dice whenever Karmis decided she was ready or her Path ended. With Dice dead. No one will inherit now. Another Class Master might seek it out, and so it would be best to be rid of it or let the Tower have it.”

“I see. Will the Tower pay gold for it?”

He was disappointed he had no real way of claiming Karmis’ gold without making it obvious something strange had happened. Adventurers did not leave hundred gold tips to guides like himself. It would be difficult to find a cover story for why Wersa was sticking with him. Training? A favor owed? A punishment from Karmis? Perhaps, Wersa would just be continuing their mission but without Karmis. Karmis wasn’t the type to want to spend countless rotations in the Wilds anyway. It made some sense that, after the death of Dice, Karmis would be sick of the place. He had never considered himself a good liar, but he would have to learn to keep himself safe.

“No, Lord. They will give you something better for it. Contribution.” Her voice raised a bit with this last word.

“Contribution.” He spoke out loud. This was a heavy word. This word was the difference between the freelance and mercenary adventurers like Karmis, who rented rooms in the middle of the tower for silver per night, and the adventurers at the top of the tower, who slept in rooms that were worth gold per night for free. Contribution meant you had contributed to humanity in some meaningful way. Usually your contribution was either in the form of fighting humanity’s enemies or by contributing to the overall power of humanity through spellcraft. With Contribution, he could not only be a Full Adventurer in the future, he could be an important one.

“We will have to keep it safe then. Don’t let your sister’s have it. What else does she have?”

“Lord, she has a few trinkets, but they are mostly tuned to her usage. Her tent, some tonics, solutions, and tinctures. Her caster-armour. Her Storage.”

“A Storage? A real Storage?” A Storage, as it’s name suggested, stored items, in a spelled compacted space.

“Yes, Lord, it was one of the reasons we were low on funds, she had just purchased it. It was meant to be a present for her Class Disciple. She wanted her successor to have what she did not when she was first starting out.” Wersa’s voice should have been bitter, a Class Master’s Class Disciple was more important than a Class Master’s child in many ways, but Wersa seemed oddly detached. With Karmis the way she was, had Wersa been freed from an emotional burden? Or was this a result of his spell?

It was disconcerting hearing her speak so formally. Classed Warriors did not speak like that. They were little more than beasts in human form from the stories he had heard. Yet, he could taste the fear from the center of her being. He couldn’t say he enjoyed it, but it felt oddly right. Like it was his due. He didn’t know what it meant. Or how he should feel about it exactly. It was horrifying, but also exciting, new, and different. He had little control over his circumstances or life before the grimoire, and now? He could say he had more options at least, and his parents would be fine. Wasn’t that what mattered?

“Wersa, you speak.. oddly. I don’t mean your fear of me. I mean you’re surprisingly well-spoken.”

“Lord, I was trained in the manner Dice would have been trained. Karmis dealt with powerful people on occasion. She said it would be more impressive if I were polite. A polite Warrior is.. a strange thing, Lord.”

“I see.” He almost felt sorry for the Warrior. He had to remind himself she was older than his parents, and a stone-faced killer.

He changed the subject. “A Storage is amazingly useful. Did she give you the appropriate permissions to take from it?” A Storage was usually spelled against just anyone taking from it. So long as the owner was alive or within a certain range, it was safe from nearly any intrusion. A Storage could take many forms, and their form was usually a matter of secrecy for their owner. He wondered how large it was, but it would be useless to know until he could bind it to himself. It would cost gold and a trip to the Tower to even get the a generic Storage binding spell, as well as the spells required to operate it.

“Lord, I have permission to take everything from it. Or at least, I have permission to take everything I know about in it. If there are things in there she never mentioned I won’t know what they are unless..” The easiest way to bind a Storage that already had a owner, was to kill the owner.

“..unless she dies.”” He finished for her.

He spoke again, “She will die soon Wersa, of her own accord, but in the meantime is there no where we can stash her? I want her out of the settlement, but are there no places for retired or damaged Adventurers?”

Cold blooded murder still bothered him, even with all the potential gain. He was not a bandit. He just wanted to live safely.

“Not for Class Masters, Lord. They are always targets. Even a Class Master gone mad or senile, would be put down by their disciples. They hold too many secrets and are too strong for anything else.”

He opened his mouth, but realized that his next order would be to condemn Karmis to an early death. He closed his mouth. There was no benefit to letting her live much longer than the time it would take for her to make an appearance in the settlement. In fact, there was danger to letting her live. Some part of his mind, after his conversations with Wersa, had already decided her fate. On the scale of his life, what weighed more? His conscience? Or the safety and benefit derived from Karmis’ death? The answer was obvious, but he still couldn’t bring himself to give the order. At least not yet.

A question popped into his mind, “Do you feel anything for Karmis? Did you love her? Hate her?”

He didn’t know the purpose of this question, but he waited the moment it took her to respond.

“Both, Lord. Both.”

Finally, he heard emotion in her voice, though he did not know what emotion.

***

    His next conversation was with a Divinity Damned book, but before he asked any questions he reviewed the details of his latest spell.

    Dominate Soul: Bind the soul of another with this spell. Spell anchors the soul of its target to the soul of the castor, creating a Soulbound. A Soulbound cannot disobey it’s master on pain of quintessence degradation. Depending the strength of the soul of the caster, only a limited number of Soulbound can be maintained simultaneously. Spell will fail if cast without sufficient soul strength to maintain anchor. Spell is cast on another sentient being. Spell has a chance for failure based on the strength of the soul of the target sentient. Spell may damage target sentient’s soul in case of failure. Sentients with strong souls will require more soul strength to anchor. Based on current Soulbound soul strength, Soulbound limit: 2.

    What even was a soul? None of the writings of the Church contained specifics about souls, other than every human had one and every non-human was lacking one. The latter assertion he doubted highly, Church doctrine was hyperbolic at best. What was ‘quintessence degradation’? He knew, from casting the spell, that Wersa felt terrifying pain at his whim, but what did that actually mean? Wersa was his ‘Soulbound’? It wasn’t a term he had ever heard before.

    This spell seemed outrageously powerful to him, a nearly surefire way to convert an enemy to an ally. Unless, of course, they had a strong soul? Someone like Karmis would probably have a strong soul, but Wersa? He interpreted the last clause of the spell to mean he could have two Soulbound with souls as powerful as Wersa’s with his current strength. Would advancing his Path improve his soul? This spell had no interaction with his influence, which was an indicator his influence was purely mental in nature, and this spell effected something else entirely. The spell, at least, explained the burden he felt all the time now. Wersa’s soul was anchored to his own soul, and it had a weight for him to bear.

All of this raised more questions than it answered. He decided to try asking the grimoire a few questions.

    “What is a soul?”

    No answer.

    “What is quintessence degradation?”

    No answer.

    He felt like these sorts of questions might be hard to explain, but they should be within the knowledge offered by the grimoire, and yet, they were not. Either he needed to be stronger to get these answers, or whoever wrote the grimoire wanted him ignorant on some issues. When he got back to the settlement he would have to find some way of doing research, it was clear he needed to know so much more.

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The trees below him trembled with his passing. He flew low, to avoid detection, sweeping just a few dozen spans above the treetops.

His shadow, so lengthy, it blocked out the light long enough to confuse the beasts below him as he passed over. Would they think night was descending early?

The beat of his wings blew many beasts from their high perches, down to the ground, causing a feeding frenzy for the groundling beasts. Would the tree dwellers think him a errant storm? Would the groundlings think him the harbinger of prey falling from the sky? Would they worship him as a meal giver?

When they looked up, to offer their gratified prayers, they would see nothing but a passing darkness. They were unworthy of seeing his true form. He was a fleeting and absent god. His miracles confined to a single gorging meal.

Should he stop for a quick sacrifice in return for his mighty act benevolence? The altar of his hunger craved a succulent offering. Sadly, his pursuers would not stop while he filled his belly with new worshipers. He would keep moving, his hunger would have wait.

He comforted himself with the thought that beast meat tasted terrible. Not like those that pursued him. Their flesh the most tender. He enjoyed the way their fatty tissue melted in his mouth, and the way their bones added a wonderful crunchy texture to their consumption. He couldn’t eat just one, if he had one, he would eat hundreds until he was satisfied. He would gorge himself until he slept, nearly every time.

    More than their taste, he enjoyed their flesh for another reason. He delighted in the feel of their soft bodies beneath him. Their cries of pleasure and pain. Their guttural grunts, their bestial howls, as he took them. He reveled in the feeling of dominating their weak bodies and weaker minds. A different sort of hunger emerged in him as he remembered the endless procession of prey flesh that entered his sanctum, only some leaving alive, usually to bear his children or to bring him more meals.

    His memories turned to a bitter ash, as he remembered that his favorite prey had driven him from his sanctum. They had murdered his spawn, and his many mates. They destroyed the mountain he called home, and razed the surrounding villages that provided the bulk of his food. Only ashes and stone remained of what once was his vast holdings.

    He let out a growl that echoed across the wooded land below him. The sound frightening many of the groundlings from their meals. The thought of prey daring to fight back against him, chasing him from his roost, killing his progeny, and swarming him with their countless numbers drove him to rage. How he hated them. He hated them almost enough that it ruined the thought of their flavor and flesh. He needed revenge now. It was the only thing that would truly sate him.  

He admitted to himself, despite the humiliation, that he could not win against the  multitudes of prey that opposed him with just his singular might. He also could not rely on his own kind coming to aide him either. The truly powerful individuals of his kind were solitary. They did not cooperate the way the prey did. Even if they could find common ground to defeat the prey, his kind would not listen to him or heed his call. They thought him mad. They had called him vile things. It wasn’t that they hadn’t all tried the many pleasures flesh offered, especially those as old as he, but he was a pervert for never seeking a mate of his own kind. For not continuing his long line. For preferring lesser prey to an equal. For what they saw as his endless degeneracy. He cared not for their opinions so long as they left him to his indulgence, but now he had been denied his  favorite pleasures, by very prey he had once ruled over.

    He would have to find a different path to his vengeance. Something subtle, as direct action would only lead to failure. He was old, old enough to know how to play the games the prey played. He would destroy them from within, and sink their pathetic civilization into an ocean of blood. They would destroy themselves, and from their remnants he would once again build a sanctum. No prey left alive would know freedom from his rule. Prey would live, give birth, and die while waiting in the long line of flesh that would serve his needs. They would be happy to accept such a fate, for they would know no other possibility. It would be a fitting punishment for having the audacity to oppose one such as him. He would be their new god, embodied in the flesh and hungering for flesh.

    He had to remind himself that, while it was easy to fall into his dreams of future godhood, he first needed to plant the seed of his retaliation. He flew away from those that chased him. He flew toward the fertile ground he had chosen for the poisonous seed he carried. He flew forward to his retribution.

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Dem basked in the glow his time with Ina had brought, his troubles completely banished from his mind. It had been too long, hadn’t it? He had lost track of whose turn it was some time during their lovemaking. He had at least one turn right? Well, either way, he did owe Ina some time after the cycles spent with Dice. They lounged together, lying on a blanket near the center of the campsite. Ina was fast asleep, lying facing away from him on her side. Her gentle and regular breathing untroubled. The curve of her hip caught his eye and he resisted running a hand along it. He shouldn’t wake her, he thought to himself. Or maybe, she would be interested in another round? Did he have enough left in him? While he weighed this potential decision, he heard Wersa leave her tent.

  He could hear her heavy footfalls as she strode towards him. He sighed, wondering what the woman wanted.

  ”Dem, gaze upon me!”

  He still hadn’t looked at her when he started to respond, “What are you talking about..”

  His eyes had finally glanced upwards, and he stopped dead, his mouthing gaping open.

  What was this visage of beauty he saw before him? Wersa had changed greatly, no longer was she a simple Classed Warrior, but she now had the grace and style of a Temptress. Was Wersa Karmis’ true Class Disciple? She had said there had been other candidates but, he had assumed they were all dead. She hadn’t lied to him, but she had told him a half-truth? Could someone he had dominated do that? Could they lie by omission? His thoughts began to trail off as he took in Wersa’s rapturous beauty.

  She had all the muscles and size from before, of course, but now she had little covering her body but strips of soft looking silk. They covered all the important places, giving a hint of mystery, but they also left much more uncovered. There a few places where hair peaked out from behind the silk strips, but these only added to the allure. He could tell she had put a heavy caking of rouge on her cheeks, as well as some added color to her lips. Her hair was made up into a frizzy hive-shape on top of her head. Her every step towards him was sensuous and only made the ground near him tremble slightly. How could have not understood what a goddess Wersa was before? He must have been blind. He could feel his body ‘rise’ to the occasion.

  As she had finally made her way to him, she spoke, “You may own my soul, but I shall own your body and mind!”

  With this statement she picked him up off the ground, in a mimicry of a bridal carry. His heart began to beat wildly. Was this a spell? A technique? Or was this love? Did he care anymore? He could hear Ina been to awaken, but paid it no heed. His attention was totally on Wersa. She smelled wonderful, like blood, leather, sweat, and raspberries!

  She bent low, her head near his ear, and he strained to hear what sweet nothing she would whisper, but was surprised when, instead, he felt her tongue begin to explore his ear canal in the most tantalizing way. He nearly lost it right then and there, but only through a supreme act of will power did he control himself. He needed to main control of the situation.

  He then had the sudden thought, could he use this situation to his advantage? Could he advance his Path further? He was a powerful Denominator! He needed to Denominate the situation. Wersa would be his lovely numerator, and he would divide her with his divisor until she was nothing more than a fraction of her current self! He swore on the Divine-Mathmanity this would be so! The problem here, though, was this sexy numerator would always be on top! Would they divide evenly, forming a perfect whole number?

  As his mind was lost in both the pleasure of Wersa’s ministrations and in doing the math of their eminent liaison, he heard Ina yawn and walk towards them. A sudden worry struck him, would this situation cause a problem? He couldn’t have these two hairy, wonderful, women fight over him. As he was considering what to do about this new problem, Ina drew near.

  He could see curiosity light her face, but also a dangerous undercurrent of confusion.

  He had to do something. Just then the grimoire spoke into his mind.

  This is the grimoire. You’re in grave danger. Use this new spell, my dude.

A new spell had indeed arrived in his mind, and he instantly began to fill it with power.

  Ina, now stood next to him, her claws beginning to show, as Wersa had also stopped her survey of his ear. Wersa still held him preciously close to her chest.

  As they stared each other down, the spell completed and he unleashed it on both of them. Their heads snapped back, and both staggered, though Wersa still did not drop him.

  He spoke to the grimoire, “What was this spell? How will it save me?”

  The grimoire spoke almost instantly after he asked his question, with none of the lag time it had before when it simply wrote its own answers on it’s paper.

  The spell is called: MC True Harem Ending, and it will save you many times in the future.

With that, it spoke no more.

  He could see the effects of the spell begin to take place, both Wersa and Ina still had heated looks in their faces but they had changed from confrontational to something else.

  Ina spoke first huskily, “He is my mate, and I would like to continue our ritual, but I will share him.”

  Wersa spoke in return, “I will own him body and soul, but.. I will also share him with you.”

  He spoke, “Do I get a say in this? Is this fine? Are you sure you’re alright sharing me Ina? Wersa?”

  As Ina closed in on him, he could see their eyes were full of lust and love. He then noticed Wersa take a look at Ina, her eyes going up and down.

  ”A many-tailed is fine too.”

  Just then, something heavy, and grimoire-shaped, hit him in the back of the head and his world went dark.

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For the second time this cycle, he was utterly astounded. A Divinity-Damned dragon? This was yet another thing of myth from the works he’d read offered by the Church. Suddenly he felt his education had been awful, nearly useless. There was clearly so much he didn’t know

    “What about this.. dragon, would bring you here?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to this question.  

    Wersa answered immediately, “Just the confirmation of where a dragon might be is worth enough gold to never have to work again for most adventurers. A single scale, or even some dragon shit would be enough.”

    He wasn’t really surprised, though why dragon’s should be so sought after, he didn’t know.

    Wersa continued, “We were also here to train Dice. She was going to be Wersa’s Class Disciple.”

    His mouth gaped open, “Dice, a woman who could barely talk, would was to be Karmis’ Class Disciple and inherit her Class? What was Karmis’ Class?”

    “She was a Temptress, but she had made a lot of modifications to her own Class. She was a Class Master.”

    A Class Master? Usually Class Masters were far more powerful than Karmis. At least Caius had described combat Class Masters as virtually unbeatable, except to sheer overwhelming numbers or another Class Master. Why was Karmis so weak?

He left Wersa waiting a moment for his next question while the thought through the series of circumstances that allowed him to defeat a Divinity-Damned Class Master. Karmis was clearly weakened, due to age. She was not a combat Class Masters. She burnt through her reservoir of power, and needed him to advance her Path. Most of all, she had been arrogant.  A Karmis in her prime would probably have beat him, or worse, had been able to charm him and make him her slave. There was a lesson in all of this for him. Stay away from Class Masters? Arrogance will kill you? Never assume a woman’s age?

    He moved on to an obvious question, “Why Dice? How could she become a Temptress?”

    He didn’t really know what a Temptress was exactly, but he could guess. It had to be a Class built around sexual charm, probably for the purpose of collecting information, assassination, or just plain control. Who would have a such a Class? People who sold their bodies clearly, but who else? Spies? Mistresses? Courtesans? Were there gigolos with a similar Class? A Temptor? Was it anything like his own Class? His mind spun with questions as Wersa began to speak.

    “Dice was a very good killer. The modifications Karmis made to her Class required someone to be merciless first, before they learned anything else from the Class. Karmis believed that all the other skills could be taught over time. She once told me that she was from the very same place that we found Dice. She told me she had been just like Dice, but not a killer. She only picked up killing later in life. Karmis wanted her Class Disciple to be a killer first, to save the disciple the grief that Karmis experienced until she found the will to kill. Dice wasn’t her first attempt though, there have been other women, but none were the killer that Dice was.”

She was creating her own version of an Assassin? She was trying to create a better version of herself? One without the flaw of having mercy? This sent a chill spine. What would animate such a woman to live so long, just to pass on a more merciless version of their original Class? He had never asked Dice about where she was from, and he wouldn’t get to now.

    “Should I even ask about the other women? They are dead aren’t they?” His voice was grim.

    Wersa only nodded.

    He changed the topic again, “What was the necklace you were wearing?”

    “Karmis gave it to me. It was meant to prevent being charmed or controlled, so that I could never be turned against her.”

    “Is that a common thing? Are spells that control minds often used?”

This question was purely for himself of course. Perhaps Classes like his weren’t so rare? If there were many Classes like his he would have to be a lot more careful about how he used his spells. What if there was detection built into the entrance of the Tower or the Church? What if there were counter-measures in place?

    “No, mental control is very rare. Classes like Illusionist, Mesmerist, and Karmis’ Temptress are the closest you would find normally. Class Masters will often steal the spells, and even the grimoires, of other Class Masters with similar Classes. Karmis was afraid of other Class Masters with charm spells trying to take her modified spells. I would be a possible weakness for Karmis if I could be controlled..” Her voice trailed off at that last statement, but she didn’t look at him.

    “So I was incredibly unlucky to work for Karmis, was I?” His question more to himself than than to Wersa.

    “Most people are, Lord.”

    He sighed.

***

    He wanted some time to digest what Wersa had told him, and to figure out his next steps. He had ordered Wersa to dig a deeper firepit where they could cremate what was left of Dice. He spent a moment checking on Karmis. Her illusion spell was imperfect, they would have to cover most of her body, but her body transformation spell was fully active again. Wersa had said, because the body transformation spell literally kept Karmis alive, at least in part, most of the spell was built into a number of spell trinkets sewn into her body. He had never heard of such a thing, but it made sense. As long as the person refilled the spells in the trinkets, they wouldn’t have to actively maintain the complex passive spell.

He began to walk slow circles around the campsite, at first surveying the damage, but eventually his mind wandered to his feelings.

    Something about that spell he used at the end, he didn’t even want to say it’s name, was a burden, though he didn’t know exactly why. The usage of the spell had weakened him in some fundamental way. He felt a weight now, on the very center of his being. Would the grimoire have answers for him? It was something of a contradiction, because he had felt his Path advance and he was, at least momentarily, out of danger. He should be feeling good right now. The danger he experienced and the strength of his Class had been a real boon to his Path. He might very well be just as strong now in this new Path as he had ever been in his previous Path, despite how he felt.

He wondered if he could finally use one of the tower’s devices to measure his Path? He didn’t even know what the devices were called, just that they existed. Could he do that without revealing his Class? He could also register as a formal adventurer of the guild now. The backing of another member was perhaps the biggest hurdle for someone like him. Joining the Adventurer’s Tower required connections, beyond the significant fee they charged. Wersa would sponsor him, at least.

What was he going to do with Wersa and Karmis? He hated them, of course, but they were his responsibility now, and if he mismanaged the situation he could easily draw attention to himself. For all the strength of his Class, he was personally still very weak. If anything, he a sense of danger far more distinctly now, after finding the grimoire, than he had before. Thankfully, it seemed like the most immediate danger was over. He could figure a few things out now, maybe. Spend some time with Ina.. and with Greer?

It was such a complex situation, he needed something simple to take his mind off what was going through it. He sent Ina very short and to the point message over their bond.

Ina jumped down from above, lightly landing in front of him.

He sent over their bond, “How are you feeling Ina? Are you still sore?” He caught her eyes with his own.

    Ina spoke, her voice a little curious, “I am healed, Dem, are you well?”

    He leaned toward her, taking a step closer to her, “I am fine Ina, so what do you think of my little proposition?” His eyebrow raised, as he spoke.

    “Mmm, We can Dem, it has been too long. Right here?” Her voice took on the same husky tone as his own, though he could her a slight growl in her voice.

    He gave a quick command to Wersa, “Wersa, go sit over there and turn around.”

   He doubted Ina would care Wersa was looking but he did. Karmis was laid out in her tent, so wasn’t concerned with her

    His arms moved forward to encircle Ina’s shoulders. She tickled him with the her tails, though she did not use the tails that were still healing. They would be sensitive for a number of cycles.

    “This time it’s my turn Ina.” His embrace growing stronger, as he started to buff himself with spells.

    He buried his face into the nape of her of neck, softly nipping the soft flesh he found there. He could hear her softly growl over their bond.

To him, her growl had sounded a lot like, “We will see about that.”

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There was no real struggle in this spell for him. There was no mental battle. It didn’t eat away at Wersa’s Will from the inside out. It didn’t rely on his influence much either. It simply went to the core of her being, where her Path started, where her Will dwelled, where everything Wersa was, or ever would be, came from. The spell then gripped the whole of Wersa, and began to squeeze. This was a spell of pain. Of control. Of domination through pain. Not a physical pain, nor a mental pain. Not a pain of longing, or of regret. It was an existential pain. The sort of pain you felt when you were about to die unwillingly and unjustly. When you knew everything you ever wanted was pointless. When you knew that everything you had loved was now dust. This was the pain of absolute despair. The pain felt at the death of hope. It was the torturer’s pain, that caused even the strongest to beg for release. It demanded obedience. Unending and absolute obedience. If you did not obey, you would feel it. Its crushing pressure, on the whole of who you were, and you would yield. Anyone would yield. Everyone would yield.

    Wersa yielded, as any person would. Her foot gently touched down on the ground, and he crawled away from her leg, looking up at her. Her raged had abated. The redness to her skin, the spell had brought, faded away. Her eyes were still bloodshot, but only from burst blood vessels. Her arms hung limply at her sides, and he noticed tears streaming down her face. She then knelt on the ground, and began to weep while looking at him. Looking for mercy. She didn’t even dare to reach for him.

    He stood up and look down at her, his heart cold as ice, but his mind aflame. He brought back his fist and punched her in the face. Her body barely moved, and he could hear the bones in his hand break, but he ignored it. This woman had killed Dice! Dice was his! Karmis might be dead too! Karmis was his! Cold rage pushed him to bring his hand back from another punch, but Ina wrapped him up with her remaining tails and just held him. He couldn’t break free, though he struggled at first. Her arms came to circle around him as well. Eventually he let the rage go and accepted Ina’s warmth. As the warmth crept inward, Wersa continued to cry softly, still looking at him.

***

    He had healed Ina first, and himself second. Then Karmis, and finally Wersa. He been surprised to find Karmis alive, though she was barely among the living. Wersa would have to carry her for a time. He set her bones and he had found a regeneration tonic in her things, to begin the process of knitting her back together. He cast a few of his own spells for good measure, though they would overlap some. He didn’t know if there would be much point in healing her, but he wasn’t sure he could kill her either. Besides, returning without the party leader might look strange. He would at least need her to check in with the tower, to confirm his payment. Then she could leave town, though after that he didn’t know what to do with her.

    Wersa had eventually stop crying. Her personality, such as it was, had returned some, but she didn’t dare displease him. She was meek as could be when he made a request. As near as he could tell, she was now loyal to him totally. Not because he controlled her thoughts, or because his will had supplanted her own, but because she feared for her very existence. He could snuff her out with a thought, and should he die, so would she. He could feel her very existence tremble when he drew near to her. The consequence of Dominate Soul wasn’t merely death, death would be a mercy. No, the consequence of Dominate Soul, should its caster be displeased, was that chains wrapped around the soul of the victim would tighten, and continue to tighten, forever. So she was loyal, loyal beyond even the threat of death. Dying would be a release compared to what would happen should she not follow his commands. She knew this down to the very center of her being.

   He thought he might have needed to cast another spell on her, to further control her, but he sense no dissension from her. He was now linked to her, as she was linked to him. Karmis, too, despite her damaged mine, was totally loyal to him. The combination of damaging both her mind and her Will, had been enough to make her a mindless slave to him, though he had no use for a castor who couldn’t cast specific spells on demand.

    Ina, was still Ina. Her tails had started to grow back, though he teased her about the hairless nubs. Beasts were naturally good at regenerating, and many-tailed were particularly good at growing back their secondary tails. Right away, as soon as she had let him go, he had cast every healing spell he had on Ina, rested, and then cast more. She would be fine.

Ina was the only thing that seemed to bring him out  of the feelings his Path brought him as he used his Class spells. She was his only shelter in the storm his life had become. Dice had died for him.. He corrected himself. What was left of Dice’s mind, after he destroyed it, had died for him. His life now consisted of murder, of destroying minds, enslaving Wills, and.. gripping the very souls of his foes. He didn’t know what to make of it all. He blamed the grimoire, of course, but on some level he had to thank it for, everything else he had. He would likely be dead several times over without it. He would have died once in the wilds, and certainly on this trip, without it. The dilemma tore at him, but only until Ina moved closer to him, rubbing herself against his arm. He let his feelings for Ina banish his previous thoughts for a while.

***

    He had questions! Lots of questions! For Karmis and for Wersa. For better or worse, they were his now.

    “Wersa, Karmis is your mother? How old is she? Why does she look as though you’re both the same age?” His voice sounded deeper, more hollow than he remembered it.

    Wersa began to shake at his question, “Lord-d, W-we are both older than we look. I-I don’t know for sure, but she is at least two hundred sequences old. I am-m a little over ninety sequences in age.”

   Two hundred sequences? That was one thousand rotations!? He was only a hundred and forty-five rotations old. Most people his age didn’t use sequences as age counters until they hit two hundred rotations. In sequences, he would be twenty-nine, barely into adulthood. His father and mother were only sixty or so sequences old, younger than Wersa

    “How do you look so young? Oh, and don’t call me Lord. Don’t stutter either. When speaking to me, especially if there are other people around, you must do so calmly.”

    Taking a moment to collect herself, “Master, Karmis used a combination of illusion spells and body transformation spells. I just dye my hair, Master. Classed Warriors tend to maintain a youthful body until they reach the end of their life and then they quickly age over the course of a few sequences.”

    “When other people are around, don’t use anything but my name.” His voice still cold. He had trouble accepting this new Wersa.

    He turned toward Karmis, who was sitting on the ground. The drooling wasn’t as bad as had it been, and the babbling had gone away with only a little application his control over her.

Karmis stand up, remove your robe.

She stood and derobed, though he took no pleasure in looking at her.

Karmis, stop maintaining your personal illusion and body transformation.

Karmis scowled slightly, as if in pain, but he tell could she was doing something related to her Path. She looked confused, but was clearly working at something.

    A few moments later, he could see her illusion fall. He was astounded at what he saw. Her skin was wrinkled with age, her hair had gone purely white. It grew thinly from her head in patches. Her jowls hung from a skeletal face. When he looked down, at the rest of her, it was much the same, except the shape of her body hadn’t changed. She that same wrinkled skin all over, but her breasts despite being wrinkled, were still surprising large and high. It was a bizarre and incongruous sight, until the body transformation spell too fell away from her.

    Her back started to curve, hunching her over. He breasts lost their shape, and fell to her knees like empty sacks. She lost height, and he flesh of her legs and hips seemed to dry up. One of the oldest people he have ever encountered stood before him, though it didn’t look like she could hold herself up much longer. Karmis’ breath began to shorten as well. He looked to Wersa, but she didn’t look surprised in the slightest.

    “This is your mother Wersa?”

    Wersa spoke, without the stutters this time, “She said she was my mother when she was raising me, but I have always suspected she was my grandmother or great grandmother.”

    Karmis, re-apply your body transformation and personal illusion.

    Despite the bizarre nature of what he had just seen, this made sense in a lot of ways. Though, it did make a lot his ‘interactions’ with Karmis something he didn’t really want to think about. This woman was old, older than he could really fathom on a personal level. Of course, she had the mental fortitude to fight with him. To live this long, she was must have been one of the most stubborn people alive. Even powerful Class Masters didn’t live much longer than regular people, so far as he knew. What had she done to keep herself alive, and not just alive, but beautiful, was a testament to her abilities. The body transformation spell definitely kept her alive, propping her up, forcing her organs to work, keeping her body the correct shape,  but eventually her organs would fail right?

   
    “Wersa, did she use something to keep herself alive? Did she eat something, or use a spell?”

    “Karmis used a certain spell every time she fucked a man. It would take a little of his life and make it her own. She told me the spell couldn’t take more than the smallest sliver of life from anyone, but that she could sustain herself with these tiny bits of life. She couldn’t do this forever though, she had grown weaker the last dozen or so sequences. Her spells had grown weaker. Her Path, was slowly dying.” Wersa sounded grim.

    He wondered how many men had a piece of their life stolen to afford Karmis such a long life.

    “That is explain why she needed me. For my life, and to advance her Path.” He spoke, mostly to himself. Karmis appeared to be concentrating on her Path again, but nothing was happening. He decided to change the subject away from the elderly life stealer.

    “Wersa, what was the party looking for out here?”

    “Karmis brought us out to the Wilds on a rumor a powerful beast had passed through here.”

    “What sort of beast?”

He was more than a little curious. What sort of beast would have brought these city adventurers this far away from the rest of humanity?

    “A dragon.”

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He touched Wersa on the ankle, with the barest tip of his finger, and launched Dominate Mind. A bright purple light burst out from the necklace around Wersa’s neck as his spell touched her mind, and then.. nothing. No mental battles took place. Nothing. His spell had just fizzled. He began to ready another spell as her eyes burst open. Her whole body moving to a standing position almost immediately. His fingers still touching her ankle, he used his next spell Dominate Will, only to have it too to do nothing. It was like casting his spell into a void. Once again her necklaced burst out with light, and she looked down at him, having fallen to his ass as she leapt up. He looked up frozen,

She spoke in booming tones, “Why are you still alive? Dice? Why is he still alive?”

He spoke quickly, “I-I made-up with Karmis, I was able to do.. what she asked of me. See, she she is over there.” He said pointing behind himself. He had made a critical error though. He had forgotten what Karmis looked like in her present state.

    She peered behind, taking stock of Dice and then of Karmis, before she began to quake.

    “What have you done to my MOTHER!?” She roared at him, but he was already rolling away from her.

Her Divine-Damned mother? How old was Karmis? His mind reeling with the fact he was about to die and with sudden questions about Karmis’s age.

    Dice protect me, Karmis use your spell on Wersa!

    Wersa stepped towards him while drawing her sword, casting a buff on herself as she moved, but as she raised her arm to strike at him, a dozen blades sprouted along the length of her sword arm in quick succession. Wersa screamed in rage and pain, as a spell hit her in the face. This was the same spell Karmis had used on the rubber-rhino. Wersa’s eyes seemed to unfocus and she began blinking rapidly. Her sword swung in every direction but kept her face covered with good arm. He didn’t how long the spell would last.

    Karmis, prepared another spell and use it on her as soon as you are able.

    How was Wersa able to totally negate his spells? The purple light? The purple light burst out at the same time he used his spells, but not when Karmis used hers. The necklace. It was the weirdest piece of gear she wore. Like nothing a Warrior would ware. It was clearly a trinket, spelled in some way. Had it prevented his mental spells in some way? He had nothing to go on, and it was unlikely, even with a four-on-one battle, that he would live through it.

    Dice continue to attack her and protect me!

    “Ina, see if you can get that necklace off her, the one that glowed purple. Wait until she is distracted.”

    As he tossed out his commands, Wersa slowed down her sword sweeps and was starting to focus again.Dice continued to toss more blades at Wersa, but Wersa was blocking her face, thankfully ignoring him. Blades sprout in a number of unprotected spots on Wersa, but none that would do more than slow her down. A Classed Warrior was meant to take punishment and Dice’s blades would mostly just lodge in Wersa’s muscles. Eventually Dice would run out of blades, but for the moment they waited on Karmis’ next spell. He began to buff Ina and himself, able to cast a few quick cantrips before another spell flew from Karmis towards Wersa. This spell had no visual effect, but he could sense its movement. He hoped it would be something good.

***

    The spell hit Wersa, but against all expectation the situation actually became worsed for him. This wasn’t an offensive spell, this was a buff. Wersa began to grow larger slightly, her eyes now totally bloodshot. He looked back at Karmis, his heart sinking, wondering if she had regained consciousness somehow. She had the same drooling look on her face as before. Beastdung, He didn’t know her spells, so couldn’t command her to cast one specifically, and even if he did, she seemed barely able to cast spells on demand anyway.

    Karmis, use anything offensive. Attack Wersa, do something! Protect me! Protect Ina!

    Wersa screamed in rage, the blades stuck in her arm, and everywhere else on her body, popped with significant force, flying in all directions. One blade even sliced his arm as it flew by. This was some sort of Berserk spell, truly powerful, but eventually very damaging to Wersa. It would be impossible to kill Wersa outright now, even if they all attacked together.

   He expected Wersa to go after Dice, but she had the surprising clarity to keep moving towards him. Wersa was slower now, her steps slamming into the ground with an inevitable, hulking force. She did not bother to block Dice’s blades except for the ones to her face. What blades did strike her, barely cut into her before falling away. He was at a loss for what to do. Then another spell from Karmis hit Wersa, this one thankfully not a buff.

   A a very thin, bright bar of fiery light shot from Karmis’ hands towards Wersa. This was a much weaker version of the spell she had used on the mist-fist. The fire burned Wersa’s chest for a moment, but Wersa’s blade began to block it almost immediately. She kept her blade between herself and the fire, making sure it still covered her face. This spell at least stopped her movement for a moment

He smelled burning flesh as Ina used this distraction and fell upon Wersa from above and behind. Ina’s claws even sharper than Dice’s blades, they sliced into Wersa’s unarmored back, though they weren’t making it past her muscled interior. Ina used her clawed tails to dig into her foe to steady herself for more attacks, but the fiery light from Karmis didn’t last nearly as long as when Karmis had last used it. As the spell waned, Wersa turned to delver backward chop toward Ina. The blade was moving fast, faster than even Ina could move, but just as he swore it would have bisected Ina across the middle, one of Dice’s blade stuck into Wersa’s unprotected cheek, just below her left eye. This caused Wersa to falter at the last second. Her blade going lower than she meant it. Ina had anticipated all of this and had begun hopping backward, but she wasn’t entirely out of the way. Two of her tails were sliced cleanly off as she shot backward. One tail flying in an arc, over Wersa’s head, to land near him. His eyes were glued to the action in front him, as his mind spun trying to find something useful to do, but something caught his eye. He could see something shiny wrapped around the claw of the tail that landed near him. It was Wersa’s necklace!

He could use a spell on her now, but he had burnt through his spells earlier. It would take time to refill their templates and even then there was usually some wait time on using the same spells again. So much had happened in this fight Wersa already, but in reality only a few moments had passed. It was not enough to time to recast his first two primary spells. What could he do now? Ina had sacrificed her tails to give him this chance. He needed to use it somehow.

He had one spell left, the last one the grimoire had offered him. He hadn’t thought to use it, but he had starting filling it’s template earlier. He had only read its name, and didn’t know what it did exactly, but it was what he had left. He had no choice now. He began to finish filling the spell-template on his last spell. He would still need to touch her though, and that was virtually impossible without dying.

Wersa didn’t bother chasing Ina, Ina’s backward hop had taken her far away. Wersa turned back towards him.

“YOU DID THIS, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” She screamed at him.

Her rage causing spittle to fly from her frothing mouth, as she took another step toward him. This step was incomparably full of power, and Wersa’s whole body moved in his direction. He noticed that Karmis had move towards him, in her oddly discoordinated walk, and was now nearly between him and Wersa. Wersa stopped her movement short, but still slammed into Karmis. He could only assumed Karmis had no spells left to cast, but was still trying to protect him with her body. She had been weak on power from her Path before this, it was unlikely she had much more to give.  Karmis’ body flew off into the vegetation behind him and landed with a crunching thud. He had heard Karmis’ bones break.

Wersa screamed again, this time he couldn’t understand her. It was just rage. The pure red rage of a Classed Warrior, directed at him. His life was over now, death inevitable, but he still rushed his last spell. Perhaps as he was dying, he could use this spell and Ina could kill Wersa while she dealt with it’s effects, whatever those were.

    The blades from Dice had stopped, clearly she had run out. Ina, had hurt herself in her emergency escape from Wersa, landing roughly, and was just now moving towards him, but she would be too late. A moment later, Wersa was now above him. He could see the whites of her clenched teeth. Her lips drawn back like a beast. Blood trickled down from the blade wound under her blood red eye.

Wersa drew back her arm only to have Dice jump onto her shoulders. Dice’s hands going for those wrathful red eyes that seemed locked on to him. Wersa dropped her blade, and reached up to take hold of Dice. He used this moment to close the gap and wrap himself around Wersa’s leg, holding on as best he could. Just as he got into position, his arms wrapping around Wersa’s thick leg, he felt something like rain begin to fall on his head, but when he looked up a droplet hit him in the eye. His vision had turned red in that eye, blinding it. His other eye though, it went wide as he saw Dice being pulled apart bodily above his head. Her blood flying everywhere in massive wet explosion.  

   With a great heave, Wersa tossed the two parts of Dice in opposite directions. He needed another moment for this overly complex spell to be cast, so he did what he could. He activated his Gaze one last time, draining himself nearly dry, except for what he needed to complete the spell. He was in luck because Wersa had looked away from him, to look up at the remnants of Dice for a split second as she had torn Dice asunder. Looking down, blood dripping down her face, she had to find him visually, looking first at where he had been on the ground, and then down at him wrapped around her leg. This brief extra moment bought him the time he needed to focus his influence, and he unleashed it as soon as their eyes met. Wersa’s head snapped back and she covered her face with her blood-soaked hands.

    His Gaze provided him another vital moment to finish his spell. The spell-template glowed brightly in his mind, his consciousness had finally finished mapping it. It was finally ready by the time Wersa had cleared her vision. She begun drawing her leg back to kick him away, the force of which would splatter him, but he cast his spell just as he was about to be lifted off the ground. He had no words for Wersa as he cast this spell. He didn’t know what it would do exactly, but he knew it would cost them both something precious.

He cast Dominate Soul upon Wersa the Warrior, and someday he would be damned to the Land-Below for it.

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By the time he was in position, just outside the campsite, Ina had already confirmed the steady breathing that came with sleep from the two tents he was looking at. He prepared himself, as best he could, and then spoke across his link to Dice

    Buff me with Quiet Steps.

    Dice had one spell that would be helpful here, but she had little experience casting spells on other people. He was worried she wouldn’t be able to cast anything after he had broken her mind, but as near as he could tell she could still cast her spells. He had to order her to do most things, even relieve herself, as he found out their way here. There wasn’t really a person there any more. Just a puppet capable of some complex commands. She wouldn’t ever learn a new spell again, and she couldn’t adapt to a situation, but with a few attempts she was able to buff him.

    Go into the campsite and sit near Karmis’ tent. Do not wake Karmis and Wersa, and say nothing if they do wake. Protect me if they wake and attack.

    He decided to send in Dice first, to test the waters. He watched her approach the campsite slowly and calmly. Eventually she sat on a log near the smouldering remains of the  fire, close to where Karmis slept. He waited a moment, but Ina said there was no change in their regular breathing.

    Next he would go in, as quietly as he could, but before he would go in he needed to speak to Ina.

    Speaking through their bond. “Ina, if they wake, don’t go in. Just run, I will run too. Don’t worry.”

    “Dem, You don’t have to lie to me. If we need to fight, we can fight, if you are in danger I will take you away.” Her voice in his mind was filled with concern.

    “If we run, they will probably catch us Ina, and if not, they will kill my parents.” He hated the grim sound of his own voice. What he was saying was obvious to him, but it still hurt to say it out loud, as if that made it more real.

    “Then we will fight.” Her voice was determined.

    “We will fight if we need to, but first I will try something else.” He could hear significantly less confidence in his own voice than hers.

    Speaking one last time, “I love you, Ina.”

    “You are a good mate, Dem.”

    Not the response he was hoping for exactly, but probably the closest he would get from Ina.

    He took his first step into the campsite, filling his spell-templates with power.

***

    He had taken it slow, worried that some alarm spell tuned to him, would wake the camp, but who would tune a spell to a man you already thought dead? Karmis was plenty arrogant in his estimation, and he had little choice but to try this approach first, before fighting either Karmis or Wersa.

With Dice’s buff, his steps where muffled, not entirely quiet, but nearly so. The Wilds were a loud place, and so he didn’t really have to be worried the sound of his steps, such as it was, would carry far. He had made it all the way to Dice, without incident. He thanked the Divine Humanity both had decided to sleep off their night cycles. Still it was a bit odd, they slept totally reliant on his spells. It was true this was probably the safest time to do, as beasts were just waking up or going back into sleep. It would be like Karmis to assume Dice would do her job and then come back immediately. Dice knew how to work his alarm spells as well, it was one of the many basic things he had shown her. The circumstances also told him something about how low Karmis’ regard was for him. She hadn’t thought much of him, if she hadn’t even stayed awake to ensure Dice had done her deed.

As he quietly stepped past Dice, he slowly reached for the tent flap. This would be a moment of risk, worse than just entering the site itself. He drew back the tent flap, his terror had grown, and his hand shook, but no alarms sounded. He had gotten lucky, very lucky. Lucky Karmis thought nothing of him, he supposed. Looking into the tent all he saw was an unmoving sleeping form. His next action was simple, or so he thought. He just needed to touch her to begin his first spell, or he could wake her and try with his gaze first. He was suddenly frozen by indecision. If he used Gaze first, there was more of a chance of her waking Wersa, but his later spells would be more effective, if he cast one of his spells first, he would be much less likely to be successful, but Karmis would be busy contending with his attack mentally.

He need to just move, every moment wasted increased their chances of being caught. He readied all his spells, drawing from the power gained from his domination of Dice. He filled the spell-templates in his head to the brim, ready to unleash them as fast as he could cast them. Neither template was of the quick-casting variety. They weren’t meant to be cast over and over in quick succession. He would get a chance with Dominate Mind and a chance with Dominate Will, and his Dominator’s Gaze if she opened her eyes, and then would have to ready them all over again. His best bet was to just hit her in as many ways as possible and hope for a chance to kill her, or at least that is what nerve-racked mind was telling him. He had to just do it, and get it over with.  

So he did. He pushed into the tent, knelt over her form, slammed his hand over her mouth and cast his first spell, Dominate Mind. Faster than even the spell could begin to work, her eyes snapped open, and her hand rocketed towards the hand covering her mouth. As her eyes snapped open, he activated his Gaze as well just as his first spell left his mind, looking directly into her eyes.  

He could feel her nails stab into his hand, it was not painful yet, but he could feel blood begin to pool. In a split second, she had activated some latent personal transformation spell, and buried elongated fingernails into his hand. His gaze though, stopped her from stabbing him again. She was stunned slightly, her pupils dilating almost instantly. He thanked the Divine Humanity, because his Dominate Mind spell took effect at the same time he felt her go limp.

What happened, though, was not what he was expecting. Pain shot through his mind, she had immediately begun to fight back mentally. His Gaze had clearly done little. Unlike with Dice, her attacks slammed into him, like weight of a granite-tree falling. He road the waves of pain from each mental attack, trying to refocus, but every time he got himself together, she slammed against him again. The amount of influence here to help him, was almost nothing. She seemed to have somehow been nearly totally resistant to his passive influence spell. Had he known, he might have tried something else, but now he was committed. He probed through her mind, as each of her attacks seemed to push him further back into his own boy and the outside world. Worse yet he could feel her try to reach out for her own body, no wait, she was reaching for her Path, for her spells. She was going to cast something while fighting him off mentally. How was this possible? He knew it would harder than with Dice, but this was a thousand times harder.

He tried to think through his options. He couldn’t keep this up, and soon she would cast something either at him, or to wake Wersa. His only chance was was Dominate Will, but even as he had prepared it, it required concentration. He could feel her seething anger in each of her attacks. She had seen him, known it was him who was attacking her, and been enraged. He had to do something, even if she managed to reach the portion of her mind that cast spells, there would still be some casting time, so he had to take a risk. He weakened his guard slightly, drawing himself inward, and focused on the spell-template, casting it directly into her mind the moment it was ready. She had misinterpreted his weakness and redoubled her attacks, probably hoping to fight him off completely or damage him in return. In doing so, she left herself nothing to use to reach further for her spells. Her focus had been totally on trying to hurt him. The pain of her renewed attacks was immense, but he felt Dominate Will descend on her mind.

He could feel it begin to corrode whatever she was mental resources she was using against him from the inside out. Where Dominate Mind was a direct battle mind to mind, Dominate Will was a cancer that destroy a person from core of their Will, outward. Her struggles lessened, but still remained painful. She seemed to have no defense against this attack from within. He could sense her despair as she lost the ability to even care about what was happening to her. She made one last attempt to push towards the area of her mind devoted to spell casting, but he slammed his mental-self between her and what she sought, blocking her. Rather than bashing herself into him, and breaking, like Dice had done, she simply recoiled from him. Her last feelings were those of unwillingness and anger, before finally the Dominate Will spells had run its course. In the end, there was nothing really left of her, less than the mess he had made of Dice. A sense of victory washed through him, as well as the elation of advancing down his Path, but he quashed all his emotions, letting a bit of the cold grow once again in his heart.

He drew back, leaving a link to her mind, breathing heavily. He sighed, looking at the body that was formerly Karmis. She was still breathing, her robe had fallen open, but he had no interest in looking. He leaned over to look her in the eye again, but was disgusted at what he saw. Her eyes were unfocused, staring in different directions. Drool crept down her chin. He realized then he could not feel his arm. Looking down, saw that he was still bleeding. He knew he should have clotted now, given his enhanced constitution. The nails must have had a paralytic, or some anti-clotting agent, he thought. He focused on casting a restorative spell on himself, and moved slowly away from Karmis.

Ina was nearly driven mad with the smell of his blood on the air, but she hadn’t intervened. She seemed to be more worried about Wersa waking, which was probably for the best. If he couldn’t handle Karmis, none of this would work. He thought about taking Karmis right now, and just leaving. Would Wersa go after his parents? If he left now, would she even know he was still alive? He wasn’t sure. He also noted the contract had not broken. His spells didn’t’ seem to be covered by the constraints of the contract. He hadn’t killed any members of the party, or broken his end of the deal technically. The fact the contract was still in place would alert Wersa to him being still alive. He had to handle her in some way.

He sent a command to Karmis to exit the tent, but her movements were bizarre and she seemed to be babbling to herself quietly. He knew then that he had really screwed up his spells. Applying them both at the same time had saved him, but damaged Karmis nearly beyond use to him. She had made noise getting out of the tent, and he was on edge, looking in Wersa’s direction, but all he heard from her was a quaking snore. The woman could really sleep.

Answer through our link, Karmis. Can you cast spells?

    What he received back was a jumbled mess, and he heard her babble some more. Drool now covering her chin a thick layer. Still, he could feel her gather power from her Path, and begin to fill a template, so it was clear something was left of her. It would have to be good enough. Though he didn’t have any control of which spell she would cast. Any spell would be helpful against Wersa.

He would have to approach Wersa like he did with Karmis, though it would be far more dangerous. He was pretty confident that Wersa would not fight him in the way Karmis had. Karmis had seemed experienced in mental battles, far beyond anything he would have imagined. She also must have had a powerful mental fortitude. Whatever her Class was, it clearly dealt with manipulating minds, as well as lust. Wersa had no such protections, her Class literally the epitome of a meat-head. Without much influence to draw strength from, it might be hard, but it couldn’t harder than what he had dealt with when he had invaded Karmis’ mind.

He took a moment to check himself. His head hurt, but the pain was slowly dwindling away with the restorative spell he had cast on himself. The rush he had received had advancing on his Path also helped mitigate some the pain he felt. After a few more moments, he could feel his arm again, though it was weak. He hoped it was just a paralytic, or something similar. Karmis didn’t strike him as the poisoner of the group. She didn’t get her hands dirty directly, that was Dice’s job.

He readied his spells again, filled them again with the might of his Path. He focused his Gaze as well, but hoped he wouldn’t need to use it. If Wersa was totally awake, her eyes open, it would be death for him. Ina moved in closer, ready to drop down on Wersa. He commanded Dice to get in a good range for her blades. He even, very slowly, moved Karmis so she could at least cast whatever spells she had readied. Each sound they made felt as loud as thunder, but in reality it was all easily covered up by the sounding Wersa’s snoring.

He bent low, and crept close enough to touch Wersa’s foot. He just needed to touch somewhere on her body, and his spell would target her mind automatically. His spells were ready, and he extended his arm, his fingers reaching.

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