The dagger was red-hot, the air above it distorting and shimmering because of the heat radiating from it. Cogar had turned the blade in the fire between us until even he was satisfied with the intensity of the color. He gripped the handle with one of the tongs of the golem maker and held the blade between us.

I swallowed nervously.

"I try to translate the old oath, but it will not be as beautiful.“ He said in thought, his tongue moving in his mouth while he tried to arrange the words.

"Just get it over with.“ I was on edge. That blade was hot and it was way too close to my face.

He grinned. And when he spoke again he had a serious air about him. A stage persona, so to speak, the way he spoke when he was in his role as a [Fire Keeper]. He spoke with clear inflection, slow and loud enough. It was a matter of gravitas, he demanded respect and the ears of his audience. There was a captivating cadence to his words, that just danced pleasantly in my ears. I could have, and had over the last weeks, listened to him telling stories for hours.

"We share this fire, shelter in the night, as brothers. Not of blood or clan, but brothers in spirit and heart. When darkness comes, our lights will blaze as one. If death comes, our lives will be taken as one. If love comes, our families will be protected as one. Fires of the clans, keeper of knowledge, receive my words! I am Cogar, Chosen of Bear, and I declare Hannibal Raven brother of spirit, brother of the Bear Clan, brother of mine.“ He looked at me. "Repeat.“

And I spoke the words as he had spoken them to me, with his help. "We share this fire, shelter in the night, as brothers. Not of blood or clan, but brothers in spirit and heart. When darkness comes, our lights will blaze as one. If death comes, our lives will be taken as one. If love comes, our families will be protected as one. Fires of the clans, keeper of knowledge, receive my words! I am Hannibal Raven, Twice-Born of the Wanderer, and I declare Cogar Firehand brother of spirit, brother of my people, brother of mine.“

He took my hand in his claws. And for a moment there was a wild grin on his face, predatory even with his canines and all. Then he pressed one side of the red-hot blade into his palm and pressed my hand on the other side. Flesh sizzled and burnt. Our free hands pressed the hurting hands tighter on the blade, in a fiery handshake. I bit my lip so hard, blood ran down my chin, but I managed to hold the scream in. The heat was so intense, it felt cold to me.

An eternity later Cogar spoke the words, I had been desperate to hear. "[Invoke Fire Law]!“

We let go of the dagger, falling between us on the ground, and dipped our hands in the water we had prepared.

"Shit. Shit. Shit.“ I swore while the cool water soothed my pain.

Cogar just managed to even widen his grin. "The fires have accepted you.“ He said while he showed me his palm. There was a burn mark there, but it did not have the form of a triangular blade. It looked roughly like a stylized flame. I turned my hand in the water and saw the very same mark.

"It will scar massively.“ I said wincing. The flesh on my hand was a mess, raw and red.

"That is very much the point, brother of mine.“ Cogar laughed.

"Is there something else?“ I asked.

"Nothing but a night spent together in agony, to burn the memories in your brain. No healing allowed till the sun rises. Which is never in this spirits-forsaken land, it seems“ He laughed with a bitter undercurrent. Then he looked at me. "Firehand, huh? You didn‘t tell me you would do that.“

"You deserve a warrior name, my friend. No one was there to witness your fight but me. Someone has to tell the others. I figured the fire thing you did would carry the word around.“

"It will. It is now known. Thank you for not saying something stupid, then.“

"I saw the White Beast fling you around like a puppet. You will always be Cogar the helpless, one-handed, Nightmare devouring, unconscious cook to me, no matter how much Wyldlings rally to your banner.“

"I have no banner. That is a human thing to do.“

We shared on last night around a campfire together, unsure what the future would hold for us. The pain of the ritual did not loose in intensity, so no one found sleep, but as the sun rose again somewhere behind that eclipse the pain stopped as if just cut off.

"Two months from now.“ He said. "Two cycles of the moon. We meet here at the edge of the Wyldmarshes, where we rested after the White Beast was slain.“ We grasped forearms.

"I will be here, bearing good news or die trying.“ I vowed.

"Don‘t be dramatic.“

"You have been dramatic all the damn time yesterday and you spoil my farewell?“

"Be safe, Hannibal.“ He smiled.

"You too.“

And that was that. In opposite directions we went.

The last days had been calm. It was good to be on the move again. It was just that part of the Wanderer in me, itching to just set one foot in front of the other. I do not know what the Bear had said to Cogar that night after his victory in the sacred hunt. But Cogar had known a lot about me after that, the Twice-Born thing for one. We had spent the next few days recuperating and planning.

I had a divine bond to the man now, thanks to my intervention in the fight where I granted him a level. We both were uncomfortable about the situation after that, so Cogar came up with the idea of the traditional ritual of the clans, to bond as brothers in spirit. It was sacred to the clans, and us to be fair, but it would be registered by the system as well. The strange asymmetrical relationship, that companionship had forced upon us, would be made into a bond of equals. And that was much better. And not just a ruse to fool the system. We truly had been through a lot. And I genuinely felt that kinship towards him, which I had called out over the burning blade. There was something about spending weeks in gods-awful swamps and fighting creatures of the darkest pits of the earth, nightmares of the Wyld and legendary spirit beasts, saving each other's lives a couple of times on the way, that brought people together. People should try that more often.

The plan we had was simple. We both had our quests. He would go on and try to find the remnants of his clan and others that followed the old ways, protect them outside the influence of the Wyld from the creatures of the deep and bring them here. I would follow the quest of Bear and look for a way to the heart of the Wyld and beyond, with the help of the Wanderer. Easy going after that. Find the way, find the place, get the Wyldlings, and bring them there. While following a coin. Watertight plan.

I had one little trump card. A little sack of seeds, berries, and herbs Cogar had given me before the farewells. I could throw it in a campfire, once. After that I had one sentence to speak and Cogar, now officially the fire keeper of my clan, since he adopted me as brother, would hear me.

And I had received one beautiful notification when we had completed the ritual.

[New Title gained! How enemies became friends!

You have met an enemy of your people on the battlefield and not only saved his life but went on to help him on his quest, which will alter the shape of the continent, gaining mutual respect and friendship on the way. Now his fate and that of his people are intertwined with yours.

It's acts like these the aeons, heavens and hells recognize and reward!

Reward: 150 EP 10 Shards

Skill unlocked: [Brothers in Spirit]

Reward: 150 EP, 10 Shards of Essence]

There were ways through the mud and water of the marshes, away from the deeper parts where my good old friend Thousand Teeth had his stinking throne. I had heard terrible stories about swamps and marshes as a child. I was a mountain man and thus had never seen a landscape such as this before I had come here. I believed to know two things: Swamps can be deceiving. Solid ground may just look like that and swallow you whole, never to let you out again. And the other thing was that, for whatever reason, one should not follow random lights, because they would lead you to dangerous ground. Why, I could not say.

I followed the patches and stretches of solid earth around the puddles and shallow waters in the direction the coin of the Wanderer gave me, as well as I could. It was a frustrating journey because I had to go around certain parts, looking for a way, oftentimes for hours. I was sure that without the coin, I would be lost in no time.

I had been lucky so far. There were reptiles in the deeper waters, strange fishes and insects, often as big as a fist, all around me. But they had not attacked me yet. And the gloomy waters held more dangerous surprises for me, they just had to. There was a reason the Wyldlings did not come here.

The influence of the Wyld grew stronger with every step I made. I felt it crawling underneath my skin, tickling me at the back of my head. And I think I heard whispers every now and again, but my mind may have played tricks on me. I would not have to hunt for a long time, so that would keep the influence at a minimum. My chest was full of smoked crocodile and their hides. They bore the influence of the Wyld, sure, but not as much as the creatures deeper in. I spend the first night among the roots of a lonely tree, Zero standing watch over me.

On the thirteenth day of darkness, the seven-pointed star eclipsing the sun exploded into a million pieces. The sudden appearance of the sun was an enormous relief but worried me at the same time. The Fight of the Emperor was over one way or another. It felt like a time to mourn the dead and those that now would follow. I did not know if the Emperor had been defeated or not, but I could not make myself feel hope. For all I knew, all the Wanderer had told me, my old gods had been slain. By who else but the Snake? Which was now strong enough to devour its peers and rule alone over this continent. Our Emperor of the Sun had been, naturally, a devout follower of the sun god of old, dead gods shall not be named. How could he possibly be strong enough to stand up to what had run over his empire like dried grass, without his patron to call to his aid?

So I mourned for the dying, and those that would follow. Only the White Tower, lording over the beautiful chalk cliffs of the Swan Bay, and the coastal provinces of the north had a chance to still stand with the combined powers of the mages of the White Tower.

It was on this thirteenth day that Lily informed me, that she would have to spend 5 Essence a day, currently, to counteract the physical effects the Wyld would have on me. That would just not do. I had given every Essence I had, and more, to Cogar and the title and quest had not put me ahead by much. I had avoided the dangers of the marshes so far. But the fight with the White Beast, even watching Cogar fight, had shown me one simple fact. To survive, I needed to get stronger. And in the loneliest place of the world, the Wyld where it was strongest, that meant that my only chance to get ahead was to challenge my surroundings. I would not go back for Thousand Teeth. Fuck that noise.

I had not only to travel the Wyld, I had to traverse it. And for that I needed strength. I could move silently and I could hide. I could avoid the traps of the swamp with observation and my improved Core Skills. But now I would take the chance and search for trouble.