Brother, do you know why anger is like tempering steel? Heating or cooling the hardened metal too fast will make it brittle. It’ll shatter at the slight blow. Your anger heats and cools too quickly, do you wish to become stout—oh, stout! Bring us both a Hangman’s Stout—let’s drink, brother! Forget our worries.

~Goibniu, The God of the Forge and Brew

Crow nudged the others awake as soon as the sky lightened. The last few hours of his watch were a bit harrowing, considering how loud some beasts were and the fact they weren’t far from where they slept. He suspected the others barely slept.

Once more, they ate some cold rations while they packed up their gear.

“This place really is beautiful.” Mara stood at the entrance, staring out at the lake.

“The most beautiful flowers in the world are usually the most deadly,” Ryan commented.

“All beauty should be treated respectfully if you cannot handle its sting,” Mara retorted with a chuckle. To this, not even Crow had a response, but his eyes widened as he was staring towards her.

His hand blurred, and an arrow arrived in it as if by magic. The string on his bow came back and released. It all happened before he’d finished exhaling. Mara’s eyes went wide with fear, and she activated her Source to move to the side. Ryan’s mouth fell open, and Lonny turned to see what was happening.

Mara felt time slow as she saw the arrow coming right at her. She wanted to scream, but no words came out. Shaking with fear, she closed her eyes and felt only regret in her heart. One breath followed another, but she felt no pain, so she opened her eyes in a rush. Patting down her body, there was no wound.

“Am I alive?”

It took a minute to register movement behind her, and when she turned around, she saw Lonny chop the head of a cat-like beast. Her eyes caught on the arrow buried deep into its chest.

“He saved your life,” Lonny said by way of explanation.

Mara finally remembered her training and focused on getting her body under control. She cultivated her Source to smooth out her disorderly mind and looked toward Crow as if staring into his soul. He wasn’t that great at understanding people’s expressions, but he knew something had changed that he couldn’t undo.

“Looks like I owe you one,” Mara finally said.

“We can call it even for last night.”

“No, that won’t do.” Mara equipped her weapons, no longer daring to be careless. “I’ve never seen anyone as skilled with a bow as you. That shot was—”

“I wasn’t confident,” Crow said with an embarrassed chuckle and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “It—well, I hoped… I didn’t hit you.”

Ryan started laughing hysterically. A little of it was nerves, but Crow’s ridiculous admission added to it.

“You did… whatever.” Mara pointed at Crow’s sword. “Can I ask why you chose a falcata? Dad says those are tough to master.”

“If I ever need to use it, you’ll know.”

“That’s all you’re going to say?” Mara’s hand reached up to strangle Crow.

“Why the sudden interest?” Crow asked, eyeing her hands. “A bow won’t help me in close quarters, and in a forest with trees packed as tightly as the one we left, it’s not that helpful.”

“There are techniques for close-ranged combat using a bow,” she explained. “It doesn’t take much for a cultivator to use a bow made entirely of metal. Not my call, but regardless of what you said, your skill with a bow is at an unfathomable level, and you are hurting yourself not choosing a technique that can capitalize on it.”

“I chose one. I have a step ability. It helps with both weapons.”

“Crow, I normally won’t get involved in someone’s development because they have elders and others more knowledgeable guiding them, but I agree with her.” It was the most Lonny said consecutively. “Even that shot the other night when you also protected Mara—you owe him two times—the time and placement were nearly perfect.”

“Damn, I guess I do owe you twice,” Mara grinned. “It’s decided, your compensation is that I’m your big sister. That should make us even.”

“What? How is that compensation?” Crow cursed.

“Because if you don’t agree, I’ll beat you up until you do, and then you’ll owe me one for saving you.” Mara’s grin spread even wider, showing her porcelain white teeth, and Crow shivered. “So…?”

“So?” Crow asked and stepped back, only to hit the back of the cave wall.

“Are you going to call me big sister?”

“This…” Crow swallowed hard.

“Call me big sister!” Mara said sweetly, but her eyes and body were telling a different story.

“I’d do it if I were you. She isn’t—”

“I’m not what?”

“Uh, nothing, none of my business.” Lonny took a step back, and Ryan couldn’t stop grinning.

“F-fine, b-big sister, you won’t hurt me, right?”

“Why would I hurt my little brother?” Mara said and hugged crow tightly, and he could feel her full soft breasts pushing against his body and felt a bit uncomfortable. She let go and turned to leave the cave.

“W-what just happened?” Crow whispered to the other two.

“She has a nickname.” Ryan was grinning. “I’d never seen it until now.”

“What nickname?” Crow suddenly felt uneasy.

“Mad Mara. Don’t say it to her face, or she really will beat you up. She really has a crazy side. Worse, anyone that’s ever approached her romantically didn’t leave her place on their own two feet. I hear some guys enjoy that kind of thing,” Ryan walked out, holding his sides while laughing.

“She’s tough as oak and just as rough. A solid ally to have—issues or not.” Lonny clapped Crow sympathetically on his shoulder and chuckled before he too left.

All conversation about his weapon choices had ended with Mara’s proclamation, but inwardly he smiled. It was good they underestimated him, but as long as they didn’t cross him, they’d never know his choice of weapon wasn’t a mistake. It was another thing people wouldn’t expect.

Once they were all outside, Crow took point, and Lonny brought up the rear. After an hour of traveling, they circled north around the lake. It was the most dangerous part of the journey, by Crow’s estimation. It was the closest point to the lake for this trek, and he hadn’t revealed all the details about this part because he feared they’d never follow him.

Despite that, the team felt the sharp increase in pressure, and even a blind man could see how tense Crow was. He turned to them and put a finger to his lips, indicating complete silence. Not that he had to say anything. It was only after they traveled for another few hours that the feeling finally faded.

Around that time, they’d arrived at another forest nestled between the Divide and the Fiery Wind Flatlands. It was an ideal hunting ground, and the hidden valley was near the forest’s entrance, but they had to travel away from the lake.

“What are we doing?” Ryan asked when Crow stopped. In front of them was the rocky face of the plateau upon which the Fire-Maned Lion called home. Looking down the line of it, they could see several landlines where the stone had collapsed, creating an imposing barrier.

“Looking for hidden entrance. See that large section of stone?” Crow pointed in front of him. “Our destination is behind that; we just need to find it.”

“You sure it’s that one?” Lonny asked, seeing several more similar ones down the line.

“Yup. Put a bit of your Source energy into your eyes and look at it. What do you see?”

“Oh, that’s pretty,” Mara said. “It has almost faded. Do you know how long that’s been there?”

“No idea. The books had no dates.”

“Not even one?”

“Not one,” Crow said, and it was the truth. “Let’s find the entrance.”

Fifteen minutes went by, and the longer it took to find it, the higher Crow’s expectations. The Slanted Rock was as described, and the surrounding landslide gave rise to a maze-like setting. They had to backtrack three times to find a way to approach the stone.

Ryan spotted the narrow gap first. “Found it, and how the hell did they find this place?”

“Yes. This is it!” Crow called out, feeling a bit of excitement. Reading about places like this was one thing, but seeing it in person filled him with zeal.

The team helped clear out the additional gravel and dirt—time working to hide this secret place once more. Once a passable entry emerged, they looked at each other, but no one volunteered to go first.

Crow didn’t even say anything before he ducked inside. He’d led them here, so it was an obligation on his part that he had no problem filling. Once inside, he could see daylight on the far side of the tunnel. The distance wasn’t far, but the path through dipped down before rising back toward the exit. It had remained clear all this time, so the way was without obstacles.

Stepping out of the cave once more, they all let out a collective sigh.

Crow took in the view, and the first thing he’d noticed was the waterfall and lake. It was an idyllic scene, with mist filling the part of the lake that wasn’t hidden by the surrounding trees. Despite the elevated entrance, there were too many obstacles around the valley to take it all in. It didn’t matter; everyone’s eyes locked onto the clear waters of the secluded lake.

Looking around for a way down, they found a narrow pathway alongside the impossibly smooth face of the stone they passed through. The path was steep, and the small rocks made it treacherous, but there was no risk of falling off. Rolling to the bottom would hurt like hell, but with their Source activated, it wouldn’t kill them. It was the stone wall at the end of the path down that would hurt the most because that was the only thing he could see that would stop their momentum.

“Is that an outpost?” Lonny asked.

“More like a makeshift camp with walls,” Crow said and turned to look back the way they came. It would take twice as long to climb back up as it took to get down, and then his eyes went higher. The sheer stone wall that rose into the sky looked like a mountain sliced in half; that’s how flat and smooth its surface was. The small crack they passed through was insignificant in comparison.

A few minutes later, they’d all reached the bottom and entered through misaligned walls.

“You think they did this on purpose?” Ryan asked, arriving at the wall that was further back and looked to the left. It was the entryway into the camp.

“Yes,” Crow told him. “The records of this place were old, but from what I understood, the sky was the only real danger here. This narrow passage will give us some protection, and if you keep following it, you can reach the valley. About halfway through, there will be an entry on the right that will lead into our new camp.”

Although everyone wanted to explore the valley, setting up camp came first. Reaching the arched gateway, they took a right and entered the walled-in area. The wall surrounding them was a semi-circle with both ends butting up to the mountain’s smooth surface. Against the stone wall was a stove. They built it into the wall itself, and they used some material to fill in the gaps of the stove, trapping more heat into it.

Other than the stove, there was a long wooden table and some benches and stools. It looked more like stone than wood, so Crow wasn’t sure how to classify it but was reasonably sure it was wood.

“Set up your tents against the wall, not the cliff face,” Crow told them. It’ll make it harder for anything to swoop down on you while you sleep. “Our ancestors built this place, and there are a few rules they left in their notes. First, don’t cut down any trees near the lake. Second, for every tree you cut down, plant a few more.”

“You sure this is safe?” Lonny asked, looking around.

“The notes said the way we came in was the only entrance. We should scout the valley tomorrow, poke around into any holes or dens we might uncover. Confirm that we came through the only exit and that nothing has taken up residence here. After that, if we have time, we can start scouting the forest outside this valley. That will be our prime hunting area.”

“This is the base camp you were talking about?” Mara asked. “You want us to camp out here until the end of the Hunt?”

“I do. The forest on the other side of this stone is full of beasts, some dangerous. I have some ideas about that.”

“This place is amazing—mommy is impressed.”

“Damn your mommy! Why are you my mommy?” Crow snapped, and Ryan couldn’t stop laughing. He was holding his sides when he fell over, gasping for breath.

“Don’t you know, some mommies devour their young?”

Crow stared at Mara as if she’d grown a second head. He was so shocked he didn’t even have any comeback. Even Lonny chuckled when Mara patted Crow on the cheek.

“Be good to this mommy, and maybe I’ll put in a pleasant word with little sister.”

“How about you tell her to get lost instead,” Crow grumbled and moved further into the camp. Ryan was practically squealing at this point.

Ignoring them, Crow placed his tent against the wall close to the stove. While he was setting up, the others came over to check out the stove.

“Why are there shelves on the backside?” Ryan asked.

“It’s used for cooking or smoking meat,” Lonny answered.

“Hang on,” Crow said, reaching into a crack in the smooth cliff wall. “Oh, it really is here.”

He pulled out an oiled sack, and after unwrapping it, he removed a metal grill which he dropped onto the notches in the stove, creating a wide cooking surface.

“Okay, I think I might be in love with you, bro!” Ryan said. “Damn, this is almost like cheating. We practically have a small fortress with a living space already set up. And look at Crow’s fancy grill.”

“You found out about this place from a book?” Mara asked for the third time, unable to contain her curiosity.

“I did. It didn’t have an author or title, so I don’t know if a copy is in the Triskelion Archives.”

While there was a pile of stacked wood, most of it had rotted, sitting there untouched for countless years. There was still quite a lot left for tonight’s fire, but they’d need to cut more tomorrow. Grabbing a bench, Crow drug it closer to the stove so he could get a fire started. They still had that cat they killed earlier, and a hot meal would do everyone good.

Divested of gear, having a fire, and slabs of meat sizzling allowed Crow to relax some as he warmed himself by the flames. This place’s perpetual autumn meant it was warm during the day, but the temperatures dropped significantly at night. The others also set up their tents and dropped off their gear. Once they came back to the stove, plenty of meat was already available to eat.

It didn’t take long until they devoured the entire beast.

“Alright, Crow. Talk. What was all that, and what is this area? Why did we come this way, and why not south, so we are further away from the Fire-Maned Lion? And what was that pressure?” Ryan spat out so many questions it gave everyone a headache.

“The pressure was from the beasts in the water—they weren’t concealing their power. Powerful cultivators usually contain that strength, but they could kill weaker people with it if fully unleashed. As far as this area… I brought you here because it’s the safest area for hundreds of kilometers—or I should say the safest known area. With the lion to the north and the lake to our south, no beast above wood rank will be in this area. Anything stronger will get noticed and attacked almost immediately.”

“Really?” Mara knew Crow wasn’t telling them everything but didn’t want to pressure him too much. “How come no one is aware of this?”

“Do you think it was easy to get here? How many people our age do you think would risk going this far? And anyone with a Shield cannot enter this place. So who is going to explore?”

“Little bro, do you know what this dimension is?” Mara was the only one asking questions now. Crow thought her inquisitive nature might be one of her best qualities.

“Damn, now I’m little bro again?”

“This mommy can go back to being domineering if you want?”

“Uh, no,” Crow replied faster than Ryan could bark out a laugh.

“You think I won’t hurt you?” Mara turned to ask Ryan with a big smile on her face. The laughter choked off immediately.

“Better, now answer the question.”

“I read books, I don’t have all the answers—barely had time to read what I did.”

Mara snorted and said in a soft voice, “Tell this mommy what you read…”

“Damn, no more mommy, I want big sis back.” Crow didn’t even know what he was saying anymore. Mara had confused him enough that he didn’t even sense her approach until she sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. When Mara leaned into him, he could feel something soft and round pressing against his arm and froze. “Uh… I read everything. Anything that will help me get stronger and survive.”

“See, this mommy isn’t so scary. I’ll take care of you—I even put my tent next to yours…” Crow looked over and gulped. I didn’t hear him, but I knew Ryan was about to die from holding in his laughter.

What happened? Why did her mind snap like this? Were the two main thoughts on Crow’s mind. He didn’t understand and hadn’t paid attention to rumors, so he didn’t know she had a violent reputation.

“What is your overall strategy?” Lonny asked, looking right at Crow.

“Traps. We can hunt, but I want to find areas to set traps too. Since we don’t dare hunt at night, traps will be the fastest way to get kills.”

“This is a good plan, safe.” Lonny nodded in agreement. “So after tomorrow, we’ll split into teams. One team hunts, the other does camp work: firewood, cooking, and stuff like that. I’m pretty sure we already have our teams, Ryan and I are one. Crow, you’ll be with Mara.”

Crow could hear Ryan snickering, and all he could do was roll his eyes as Mara pushed herself closer against him. Everyone was tired, but they sat around, talking because they weren’t yet ready to sleep.

Crow’s life experiences were few, and this shared moment was something he knew he’d remember for the rest of his life. It was the first time he’d known companionship, and it was a good thing. He didn’t want to call them friends, not yet, but this shared moment was something only the four of them had together. It was theirs, and Crow smiled. Genuinely smiled.

Lonny produced another Nightstone, and along with Mara’s, they placed them over both entry points into the camp. Thankfully, both entrances led to the same gateway into the camp, which meant only one entry point unless something came over the walls. It was easy to climb atop the wall, giving them an unimpeded view of most of the surrounding area.

“Your gear is in my tent. I’m going to sleep in yours.”

“That… isn’t good, right?” Cultivators matured faster than normal humans, their body’s growth accelerated. Crow was already familiar with certain things related to the opposite sex. He knew the basics and instantly grew nervous.

“Relax, I just don’t feel comfortable sleeping alone. We’ll be in separate bedrolls. It’ll be fine.” Mara whispered, but it didn’t matter. I knew the other two would figure this out very quickly, especially since Mara had sentry duty tonight, and one of them would wake her.

In the north, it wasn’t uncommon for unmarried couples to have intercourse. Sharing bedrolls provided more heat, and it was only natural that things took their own course. Of course, that was for mortal women. Female cultivators were different.

Sex between cultivators linked their Sources and created a loop between the two. While the event continued, their Source energy flowed between the two using this loop. The amount of energy transferred wasn’t large, but the woman always benefited more, except when a man took the woman’s virginity. Contained within a woman’s purity was an abundant source of Origin energy. It was pure, and it would directly improve a male cultivator’s Source or Shield. Either way, the woman came out ahead, eventually.

Most clans forbid female cultivators from having sex until they formed their Shields—or at the very least, highly discouraged them. It gave them the greatest chance at success, but they allowed marriages for the younger generations. Provided the couple joined often, it could provide more benefit, not less.

Staring at Mara climbing into her bedroll, Crow sighed, defeated. He had no method for defending himself against her, and despite knowing nothing would happen, her reputation would suffer. However, every argument formulated in his head, he dismissed. Mara was smart and difficult to deal with, and not for the first time, he wondered what he’d done to make her so… protective. Resigned, he gave up all thought of escape.

“Fine,” he muttered hoarsely and climbed into his bedroll. Turning his head to face her, he found her staring at him, nearly nose to nose. “Why do you act crazy?”

“Act?” She smiled mysteriously. “Get some sleep, li’l bro. My turn to guard you tonight.” She tilted her head and pressed her warms lips against his forehead.

In her heart, she sighed about the injustice of good men going to those undeserving. It made no sense to her how much this little guy had… filled a void in her and did it in a matter of days. It brought her comfort, laying here with him, and she slept more soundly than she’d ever done in her life.