Though the young kiinas tire much faster than Hades or Persephone – both size and stamina pools far smaller – they’re able to go faster and longer than the Pathwalkers would have on their own. As a result, we make much better time than the Warrior was expecting.

  We may even make it to the village before darkness falls! he remarks with surprise. Lays-on-leaves – I’ve finally got his name out of him – has got used to the mounted Pathwalkers and actually now seems approving of the idea. I will have to suggest to Pathwalker Beast-tamer that we get mounts for our own Pathwalkers. It makes the journey quicker and, thereby, safer.

  He’s not wrong. Although the encumbered kiinas definitely aren’t as fast as they would be without their burdens, they’re not exactly slow either. The Warriors have to work hard to keep up and we’ve been able to avoid at least one issue just by running away. No one argued with avoiding the ambush of a group of predators which jumped at us – and missed because we were moving too fast. Nor was there any argument about running around the herd of slow-moving herbivores – though they didn’t have horns, they did have nasty-looking tails. And considering their numbers, I for one didn’t want to tangle with them.

  In the end, we only had to fight one pitched battle when we picked up a tail whose speed made it a risky prospect to try outrunning. The horse-sized predator was a leggy and toothy quadruped but it bit off more than it could chew when it followed us closely and snapped at Catch who was bringing up the rear. The Warrior turned around and gave it a mouthful of steel-tipped spear.

  One strike wasn’t enough to completely kill it, but a few more strikes later and it lay dead. Since that happened around midday, its carcass served as lunch, reinvigorating the tired Warriors and kiinas. The Pathwalkers, of course, were largely fresh, not having been running.

  I offered the heart to Catch but he refused it, saying that I needed it more. He did willingly take the Core, though I suspect he might keep it for trading rather than using it from the way he nonchalantly dropped it into his own belt pouch.

  I wonder whether the other village will catch onto that trend – now that fabric is becoming more common between Joy’s increased production and the appearance of tanned hides from the group of Unevolved crafters, almost every one of my villagers has at least one pouch hanging somewhere on their body. I don’t know why it hadn’t caught on sooner – everyone has been finding them so useful.

  No, I do know why – too much reliance on the Pathwalkers to make things due to lack of time or inclination to develop other skills. And just using a leaf to hold small objects worked fine as a temporary measure, but they tend to be one-use transportation devices, not something which samurans would carry around everywhere.

  Maybe I should have brought a whole load of the premade hide pouches and woven belts with me as visiting gifts? Then again, we’re coming in response to them practically begging for aid, so giving gifts is probably not expected. Certainly no one has indicated that they will be.

  True to Lays-on-leaves’ words, we get to the village just before the sun completely disappears behind the horizon. It’s already disappeared from view because of the thickness of the trees around, but I can see some of the effects of the light it’s still sending up into the sky through the forest canopy. I bet it would have been a pretty sunset if I’d been able to see it properly.

  The village almost seems to teleport into view. One moment all I can see is forest; the next moment it’s there. After observing it through narrowed eyes, I realise why this is.

  Although the huts are made in a similar way to the ones in my village – rounded mounds of earth with leaves over the holes in their tops – this one is buried deeply in the forest. Our village only has a couple of trees within the village bounds and there’s a cleared space around the edges of it – that was true even before the vine-stranglers. It’s also got a fence around it with two main entrances which are always guarded.

  This village has none of that. There doesn’t appear to be much difference between the area inside the village and the area around it – the trees are perhaps slightly less dense among the mounds than they are around it, but other than that, it blends in perfectly.

  As we get close, I realise that even if there isn’t a fence, that doesn’t mean the place is unprotected.

  “Lays-on-leaves?” a voice calls just as its source steps out from behind a bush. The samuran’s scales are coloured in a way that make him even harder to see than they generally are. Actually…I wonder, looking more closely, are those paints?

  If so, it can’t be too popular among samurans – I don’t remember seeing any samurans with face paints on. Not a bad idea, though.

  “Basks-in-the-sun, I have returned with the guests the Pathwalker sent for. Are they in the central hut?”

  “They are. You have made better time than we expected. I shall announce you. To our guests, welcome. Please wait here until our Pathwalkers give instructions.”

  With that, he slips off into the bushes. I’m left wondering if the brusque welcome is normal in this situation. I can understand the Warrior’s desire to go fetch the Pathwalkers, but seeing as we were invited, why are we being left at what appears to be the equivalent of this village’s gate?

  I exchange an uncertain look with River – she seems slightly surprised too.

  Windy huffs.

  What rudeness! she complains. My shared look with River turns rueful. Trust Windy to choose the completely tactless route.

  “My deepest apologies, Honoured Enlightened Pathwalker,” Lays-on-leaves says submissively, his chin raised almost to the sky. He’s held the Tier three samuran in deep awe and some fear since he first saw her and realised exactly who – or rather, what – she is. In fact, he’s been looking to her to give all the directions so far in this trip, only looking to me reluctantly when it became clear that even if she’d be willing to do so, none but him would follow it. I get the feeling that he thinks it’s a very odd sort of place where a Tier three isn’t the automatic leader.

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  Still, to give credit where credit’s due, though Windy has been happy to order Lays-on-leaves around a bit, she hasn’t tried to do the same to the rest of the party. Well, apart from attempting to make Dusty give her the tastiest bits of the carcass at lunchtime, that is.

  It doesn’t take very long before Basks-in-the-sun returns to give us the Pathwalkers’ message. In the meantime, I’ve Inspected the area and found out something interesting.

  I should probably have predicted it from the fact that one of the Pathwalkers here is a beast tamer, but the area is thick with various beasts, and not in a natural way. That is to say they’re not exploring, foraging, or sleeping. Instead, they’re just sitting there. Watchful. Waiting. I’d bet everything I have that they’re Bound to the Tamer here and form an invisible part of the defences.

  Maybe that’s why the village has been allowed to be overgrown by trees and bushes – it offers a battleground which the various beasts are very used to. Or maybe there’s another reason.

  “Honoured Pathwalker guests and guards, our Honoured Pathwalkers thought that you might be hungry and tired after such a long trip. They have directed the hunters to make available a carcass for you to refresh yourselves and will summon you forthwith.”

  With that, the two Unevolved following him walk forwards with their heads bowed low, and set the carcass in front of the party. It’s relatively meagre for a gift meal – even I can tell that. The feelings of disapproval and offence drifting across the Bonds from my companions are just more evidence that the instincts I’ve picked up from the Festival haven’t led me wrong.

  “Please accept this poor token of our village,” one of the Unevolved says, his grunts and clicks stuttering. His spikes indicate that blatant fear is the cause. Seeing it there makes me feel more than a little uncomfortable. “We have been unable to hunt in the way we would normally in recent times.”

  Lays-on-leaves looks at us meaningfully even as his spikes flicker with the pink of embarrassment. He was there at lunchtime and can easily see how this beast pales in comparison to that one – and that was just a random predator.

  “The reason why we asked for your help in the first place,” he informs us; I take his meaning. This issue with the Tier three beast is impacting their hunting to what seems like a large extent if this is the best carcass they can give a group of guests, especially one containing a Tier three samuran, much as I hate to toot Windy’s horn.

  On the other hand, maybe I’m being too unfair. I’m used to my own villagers with their cooperative hunting, superior weaponry, and the groups that usually contain at least one Warrior. Catch killed our lunchtime meal easily enough, but he’s a Warrior and was equipped with an enchanted metal weapon. An Unevolved would have struggled a lot more, especially if all he had was a wooden spear or club.

  “This will suffice,” I tell the other village’s samurans. “We are here to help; we know that your situation is not ideal.” I take the Warrior’s lead to not give any specificities, River’s words about how her village had kept the news about Kalanthia away from everyone until it had been dealt with goes through my mind. I’m not sure I approve, but I haven’t come here to mess around with another village’s systems – I’m not looking to take them under my wing too.

  The Unevolved samurans lay the carcass before us with great care, and then back away hurriedly. They linger at the periphery, though, until Basks-in-the-sun sends them a look. They scarper.

  “Lays-on-leaves, the Pathwalkers wish to speak to you,” Basks-in-the-sun next informs his fellow Warrior. The samuran in question was just moving to crouch next to the carcass – I don’t doubt he’s as hungry as the rest of us – but immediately stands up again.

  “Pathwalkers, Warriors, please excuse my rudeness in leaving you so abruptly,” the Warrior says perfunctorily. “I’m sure Basks-in-the-sun will see to whatever needs you may have.” He tips his chin to us briefly before hurrying away too, heading towards a large mound of earth in the centre of the other huts.

  We’re left with the carcass, eyeing each other.

  I take the lead, moving to sit next to the body. There doesn’t seem to be much else we can do unless we want to follow Lay-on-leaves to demand the Pathwalkers come to speak with us.

  One by one, my other Bound follow my lead. Before too long, we’re sharing the carcass, cutting pieces of meat off it and eating it. Or in my case, roasting it first. I miss home where I’ve finally managed to convince my own villagers that rubbing a carcass with aromatic herbs improves the taste. Tarra’s help has meant that the herb rub also often contains some beneficial quality as well as being tasty. Though I have a mix of them in my Inventory which I sprinkle on before cooking, they just don’t have the same taste when they’ve been drained of Energy.

  The conversation out loud is practically non-existent, but even our mental communications are limited – we just don’t have enough information to judge whether this carcass is a deliberate insult, or proof of a village fallen on hard times. I’m not the only one who didn’t like how fearful the Unevolved were who brought the food, but we don’t know if that’s fear of all Pathwalkers, or just strangers. And we still don’t know any more about the issue at hand – this Tier three that’s bothering them. All we know is that Lays-on-leaves blames it for the meagreness of the carcass.

  Bastet is uneasy, though, and that’s enough to set me on guard. Persephone doesn’t like this place either, and is showing some rare maternal instincts by making sure that her almost-adult children stay together and don’t wander off anywhere in search of more food. I help her in these efforts by pulling out some more meat from my Inventory – not ideal for them, but I don’t want to have hungry kiinas around in a new place.

  Our combined desire to know more makes the time feel like it’s passing slowly – by the time we receive the message to meet the Pathwalkers, it feels like half the night has gone past. The position of the moons, however, indicates that only perhaps half an hour has truly gone by.

  When Basks-in-the-sun finally directs us forward, we are led towards a mound which, though larger than most, still appears too small to hold all of us, let alone the local Pathwalkers as well. However, clearly we’re expected to go inside.

  Only the Pathwalkers, however, Basks-in-the-sun says firmly.

  I exchange a look and a brief mental communication with the other Pathwalkers. They’re not too happy about the idea of being separated from their protection, but on the other hand, we have Windy and me on our side. And Bastet, since she refuses to be parted from me, growling ferociously at the Warrior when he even makes the suggestion.

  Things finally settled, we head in through the dark hole into the cavern beyond.

  here!

  here!

  here