“Thank you, Zathis, this is perfect.”

“I-is that a g-giant?”

“I am pleased to have been of assistance. It is good you are well.”

“Yeah, it was a little scary there for a while, but… long story short, we’ve allied with the Carnine army, and Cerberus and I have decided to win the trial.”

“Are y-you just going to i-ignore the fact that-”

“Cerberus? An odd turn of events, to be sure. How did you convince such a beast to be reasonable?”

“I gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

“This is seriously n-not ok!”

“Most impressive, but I expect no less.”

I smile up at the friendly giant, pleased.

“Listen to me-”

“Chris, oh my god, shut up. This is Zathis, he’s a giant, and a fantastic individual. He will be assisting with your combat training in the future, but for now…” I gesture to the stone ramp with a large, circular boulder lying at the base. “Push that to the top.”

Chris seems momentarily taken aback by the explosion of harsh words and information. “W-what?”

“What was confusing? Friendly giant, good trainer, push the rock up the hill.”

His eyes widen as realization dawns on him, and he frantically looks between Zathis, the boulder, the hill, and me.

“I-I can’t do something like that…”

“You can, and you will.”

“Nobody could do this! It’s impossible! Maybe the g-giant could, but-”

“I can do it. You can do it.”

“I…”

I sigh, rubbing my face in my hands. “Look, this is hard, I won’t lie, and you, as you are, probably can’t do it. But, you have within you the ability to do it anyway. All I’m asking is for you to tap into that. Do something impossible. If you can’t even do that, I can’t teach you.”

“H-how?!”

“Try believing in yourself a bit. Zathis will keep you company. Zathis, make sure he doesn’t hurt himself too badly, if you would.”

“Of course, my friend.”

“You’re too good to me. If you ever think of something you want, let me know. God knows I owe you enough.”

I turn to go, planning on finding a quiet place to resummon Kaythe, and then go find Cerberus. If we’re going to be journeying together, we need to train together.

“There is… perhaps, something I would ask of you.”

“Anything.” I say, turning back to find his face cast in the dancing shadows of the strange firelight.

“Deep within The Barrows, there is a tomb… of an old friend. She once gave me a pendant as a token of friendship, and I… returned it on the day she died, so that she might be buried with it. I find myself in need of a reminder of… what once was. Could you retrieve it for me?”

“Cerberus, Kaythe and I need some practice anyway, might as well do you a favor in the process. How will I know which tomb is hers?”

“She was… important, within the culture of my people. Her tomb will be resplendent, and the deepest of the crypts.”

“Give me a minute to gather some things, and I’ll head in.”

“W-what about me?”

“What? I already told you. Get the rock up to the top. Get to it!”

“Y-yes sir!” The fear in his eyes lingers, even intensifies as he stares down what I know is an impossible task. I’m being rude to him, yes, and I will continue to be so. Where some people need love and compassion to mature, some are too fearful to look inside and find their strength, so… I’m going to strain him. Draw him out like a wire, until he’s just on the breaking point, and see if he coalesces, or snaps.

It’s wrong, horrifying, evil, whatever, but I don’t have time, and neither does he. If he doesn’t do it, I’ll find someone else, and he’ll still be useful even if he snaps. Regardless, I think he’ll succeed. I doubt he made it this far by being weak.

I return to the mouth of the cave to find a great deal of organized labor underway. Marie excitedly orders people around and works to repair defences, and Seth and Samuel train with a collection of about ten new recruits in the valley outside. Some of their number are fitted with the weighted training clothing Tom had managed to create, but the rest wearthe leathers they had come in. Most have new weapons, that might gleam in the sunlight, were there any to reflect.

Frowning slightly at the large increase in activity, I take off running for about a minute; just long enough that I could escape the majority of the noise and bustle, before taking a seat in the still damp grass. Closing my eyes, I enter my Energy view and take stock.

There’s a lot… less. By the peak of my Energy pool, I had a ton of Energy floating around at any given moment, creating a constant flow of dancing lights within me. Now, with Cerberus holding almost half of what I had, it feels empty. Kaythe being… banished, or whatever, gives me access to ten more max Energy, but, even with that, it’s a stark difference. Now I have to give it back and make it even less, and I’m surprised with myself by how little I actually want to do that.

I shake my head. No, Kaythe is far more valuable than a bit of Energy, especially considering how fast he grows. His fierce loyalty warms my heart, I could never keep him inside for long unless it was absolutely necessary.

Aside from the reduced ambient Energy, I find a space around my shoulders that doesn’t line up with my body. Pushing some Light into the space, the situation becomes immediately obvious; this is Kaythe. It’s… adorable that, when he merged with my soul, that he chose that as his resting place.

My instinct is to push Energy into the space, and figure the skill will handle the rest. Once a sizable portion of my Energy rests within, I feel a sudden weight on my shoulders. Smiling preemptively, I open my eyes to find Kaythe enthusiastically wiggling in my face.

“Predator!” The mental connection strains under the weight of the emotion pouring through it.

“Welcome back, Kaythe. Did you sleep well?”

“I was very lonely without you, but the others passed the time with me.”

“The others? Oh, the Carnines?”

“Yes! They seem to be lesser now. Small. I do not know how long they will last.”

“Interesting.” So their Self runes are slowly being won over to my side… interesting. So, as long as I can resist the influences of whatever I steal, I can eventually conquer them and just do it again. I can definitely work with this… just as long as I avoid Eliminating anything that’s too strong. I check my status, and find that the Other value has decreased substantially over the past days. Alright, no going past 25% Other under any circumstances.

“Alright Kaythe, let’s go find Cerberus.

---

I carefully pick my way through the woods, following the vague sense of direction my mental connection gives me. While it’s annoying that the direction is hard to follow, I know it’s likely because our bond is so tenuous. I’m lucky to have this much…

Nothing moves, and no telltale sounds of living beings reach my ears. The wind occasionally caresses the trees, sending shivers through the dark leaves, but nothing more. The cause becomes clear as a nearly silent patrol of Carnines, led by a scarred Lieutenant, passes by, eyeing me warily. They make no move to stop me, so I continue pressing forward. Sound begins to return, but it’s the sound of sameness repeated over and over. The same tenor of yip or light bark, punctuated by gruff voices issuing orders and discussing plans… but everything has an air of discretion. Far too serious for my tastes.

“Cerberus.” I finally approach a small clearing, containing several Lieutenants, the two Werewolves, and Cerberus himself.

Cerberus turns his head slightly, glaring, before continuing to speak in a low rumble. Mmm. I hadn’t meant to interrupt him, but I don’t like that he treated the interruption as a nuisance instead of what it is: the approach of an equal. Though it pains me, I wait for him to finish his meeting. Of those present, only the Werewolf with a tremendous scar on his stomach regards me at all, with the rest remaining intensely focussed on their leader.

The wait drags on as he fields questions, both audible and non, from his subordinates, and it rapidly becomes clear that he is content to leave me waiting.

“Cerberus.”

“What, pest?” He snarls the words, letting his baring his teeth while he says it.

“...Excuse me?” My focus on him intensifies to the point where my vision clouds for everything but him, as a furious adrenaline immediately courses through me.

“Do your ears fail you, human? I said-”

“Dog, I heard your words, but no respect. You will try again, and remember it this time.” The words hold no emotion, but I linger on each syllable, letting the intermittent silence punctuate the statement. I’m vaguely aware of the shifting of several bodies next to him, but I care little, even with Kaythe whispering into my mind about the dangerous postures of several of them.

Cerberus says nothing, but the deep rumbling from his chest says everything.

“Do your lessers prepare to fight out of fear of me? They shouldn’t worry, I will uphold the treaty. I do not mind, however, reducing their number should they fail to do so.”

Several of them stiffen, and my instincts warn me of impending violence and the tension builds, but I don’t take my eyes off Cerberus. A word, beyond my range of hearing, causes the tension to waver. Not Cerberus, but one of the Werewolves: the scarred one. Several scowls, but the offensive postures diminish, even if only slightly.

“Speak, human.”

“You’re coming with me to the tower, so we need to train to fight together. Finish what you must here, and meet me in The Barrows before night falls. You may be leader here, but if you truly wish to deliver on your promise and free them, your place is by my side.” I don’t wait around for a response.