I inspected the body of the Go'in'la, but it remained unmoving. A bolt sat lodged in one of its slit eyes, a pale puss oozing out, but it remained unmoving.

"They weren't that hard to hit," I muttered, looking at my two boltcasters. Although both were slightly worn from missing a few times, I knew I had a few good shots left in each.

Libidi didn't reply but kneeled beside the Go'in'la, poking its body with a piece of rock. After a few seconds, she looked up.

"They were young, recently formed. A good thing for us."

I shrugged, looked at the disgusting smashed sack of flesh and bones, not even interested in how big they became if this was a young one. I sighed at what I was about to propose, not believing how my life had changed from instant micro-meals and nutrition bars.

"Can we eat them?"

"We can if we boil their flesh until the parasites all die," Libidi muttered, far from enthusiastic.

"But?" I asked, dreading the response.

"Their flesh is vile and disgusting," she said as she got up and stared at the Go'in'la in disgust.

"Great…" I muttered.

When we finally dissected the Go'in'la, and I got a magical fire going to roast it, I was famished and eyeing the sizzling green meat with a macabre sense of interest.

"It smells alright," I muttered, trying to ignore the pain in my fingers and wondering where I had smelled something like this. Was it possible that there had been demons hiding on Earth? When I first arrived here, I would have thought it impossible, but the more I learned, the more the impossible seemed possible.

"If you say so," Libidi replied as she poked the meat with the but of my ax. "It's done."

I sighed in relief and released Controlled Conflaguration. I took back my ax, sliced off a part of the flesh, and handed it to Libidi before taking some for myself.

Looking at the crispy green stuff, it reminded me of boiled bacon. If one ignored the color, the texture seemed oddly appetizing.

Well, here goes nothing, I thought as I took a small nibble.

The flesh was hot, and it took a moment before I recognized the taste. My eyes widened, and I blew on the meat before quickly taking a large bite.

"It tastes like salmon," I said, my mouth full and blowing through my teeth.

"Salmon?" Libidi said with raised eyebrows.

"A kind of fish," I mumbled with a full mouth.

"I've never had fish that tastes like this," Libidi said as she looked at the meat, then at me.

She took a small nibble, and her face scrunched up in disgust, but I ignored her. Instead, I wolfed down the green slice before getting more. It was like salmon, but then crispy.

Ten minutes later, I was completely stuffed and eyeing the remainder of the carcass. Deciding it might be better not to overdo it, I turned to Libidi to find she was coldly staring at me.

"I've never seen anybody enjoy Go'in'la meat. It must be your insane resistance that changes the taste," she said.

"Maybe," I said.

I didn't think she was right, though. It sounded more like she just didn't like fish. Instead of thinking about the matter, I recalled Nana's famous sushi day, and slowly my gaze drifted off across the horizon.

People from all over the megascraper had come in the hopes of getting a slice. They knew she sometimes handed the leftovers away. Well, unless I was there. I never left anything. My mind drifted back to Nana's soul, now somewhere in Rathica's domain. I'd never asked Rathica if Nana's soul would inhabit the body of a pod or if she was going to go out into the galaxy. Whatever it was, I hoped she would have a great new life.

"Est?" Libidi's voice jerked me back to my new, bleak reality, and I looked up.

"So. You know of a way to preserve this so we can take it along?" I asked, ignoring the questioning gaze.

"We can just dry it," Libidi said as she threw a disgusting glance at the carcass. "But that means we need to stay here for another day."

I got up and looked around the empty hills that surrounded us. We were at least half an hour or further from the road, and a few days from Tenziran. It seemed like a safe spot, for whatever that was worth on this world, and I didn't think one day more or less would matter.

"That's fine," I said. "I need to practice anyway."

Libidi got up and looked at the corpse before turning to me and sticking out her hand.

"Let me borrow your knife," she said. "I'll take care of this while you do that."

My first reaction was to reject. The image of my elegant black carving knife covered with demon entrails flashed through my mind. Then I frowned. I still had a little wood left. Should I just make her a knife first?

For a moment, I contemplated it. Then I shook my head. It would take too long. Slightly sad, I handed Libidi the knife.

Libidi examined it for a moment, her cold eyes inspected the knife, and a frown came to her as she held it. Then she turned and began slicing up the body.

For a moment, I followed her smooth and clean cuts, then I took out the thin book for Controlled Conflagration. It was one of the few things that had survived the last few days, and the tiny bit of blood that had gotten on it hadn't harmed it in any noticeable way. Flipping it open, I inspected the next gesture. I was supposed to touch my pinky to my index fingers, reversely across the other fingers.

This is going to take forever to learn, I thought, before putting the book on my lap and beginning to practice.

Many hours later, when the sun was sinking below the distant hills, my fingers bodged the gesture for the hundredth time, and I felt like screaming. I managed to hold it in and grabbed a nearby rock before hurling it into the distance, frustrated and tired.

"That is one of the most unnatural gestures I've ever seen," Libidi said.

I looked over to find her lying on her side, a hand below her head, and her icy blue eyes focused on me. She was slowly and mechanically chewing a piece of demon meat while sometimes flipping the dozens of strips on the rock next to her. The side of her chest was exposed, and I could see her abdomen and the curve of a breast. I stared for a second, then averted my eyes.

"Yeah, they are fantastic," I muttered. "But I'll get it eventually. I've yet to come across a pattern I can't learn."

Libidi nodded as she got up and sat down beside me. She raised one of her hands, and her fingers effortlessly flashed through the motions I'd so painstakingly practiced, making it seem effortless. I stared at her narrow charcoal black hand in shock, then at her, then at the book.

"You need to bend your index finger more," she said coldly as she repeated the motion.

I'd not planned to try again, but annoyed at her effortless rendition, I repeated the way she had shown it, this time-bending my index finger even more than I had done so before. It felt unnatural and counterintuitive, but my hand seemed to disagree, finishing the gesture. I glared at my hand. It almost felt like a betrayal!

"Couldn't have shown me earlier?" I asked as I looked up.

Libidi didn't reply but just looked at me until I got slightly uncomfortable.

"Can I learn that spell?" she finally asked.

Her eyes were freezing, but at the same time, it was as if a tiny ember burned deep inside—a fire of desire, of want.

I looked at the book, then at her. With how she was bound to Rathica and with what she had gone through lately, I couldn't think of any good reason not to, so I handed her the book. She carefully and almost reverently took it and flipped it open. She blinked, then looked at me, then at the book.

"I can't read this," she muttered.

Somehow I couldn't resist, and my laughter shattered the silence as I fell on my back. My outburst didn't last to lang, and when I rolled back up, Libidi was glaring at me.

"Teach me," she snapped.

"I need to make you new daggers first," I said as I stuffed the book away and took out my dagger. Libidi had methodically cleaned it before handing it back.

"Tomorrow?" she asked before scooching even closer. "Are you going to practice your other skill tonight? The painful one?"

Looking up, I saw her lower lip quiver, far too much skin, and almost choked on some saliva.

"Not yet," I said in between a coughing fit.

I quickly grabbing the piece of wood and focusing on the knives I wanted to make.

Dammit, I need to get Eliandra here, I thought. She would save me from this.

"Tomorrow?" Libidi asked, her voice husky.

I nodded without looking up and cast Soften Wood before slowly working on the knives.

Most times, when I was carving, I would quickly fall into a sort of trance, but this time it took almost half an hour. Not that that surprised me.

I was more surprised that it did, and when it did, I didn't even notice.

--

"Those are beautiful!"

Libidi's voice, almost next to my ear, snapped me awake, and I started.

She was sitting close, staring at the two daggers on my lap. To my surprise, they were curved, unlike her old ones that had been double-bladed, and a curling snake lay on the back. Odd. I had made them with her in mind, so why did I make them curved?

I raised one for inspection and was utterly amazed by the intricate details. At first, I could barely remember carving them. Still, as I followed the curves and minute scales that covered its brow, the edges dark, but the curvature glowing minutely golden, I recalled how the tip of my knife carefully uncovered it from the surrounding wood.

The single memory seemed to signal something as dozens of memories came. As I inspected the dagger, a smile crept on my face. I didn't recall hearing any sound from my status window, and I didn't care. I anticipated something, but even if there wasn't, I knew in my heart this was the best carving I'd made so far, even including Rathica's statue in Orlion.

With deep fulfillment, I finished inspecting both daggers and cast Harden-wood until it became draining, then tuned it down a notch. The soft glow had sharpened, like a polished coin, and I grinned as I looked up at Libidi.

She was gazing at them with sparkling eyes, her lips slightly apart, not showing any of her frosty personality. For a moment, I thought to be glib and ask if she liked them, then I shoved the idea away and handed them over. As I did, I knew I needed to take more time on my carving and make myself something, as it hurt to hand away these. Something inside me wanted to keep them, cherish them.

Libidi's hand stretched out, an uncertain look on her face, and she sucked in a breath.

"Are you sure?"

I grinned, about to make a silly remark, when an old story I'd read in school popped up. She wouldn't think this was some betrothal gift, would she?

Nah, I thought after a second, that's just some old Earth custom.

"Yes. Use these to guard my back, will you?" I said as I pushed the daggers towards her.

This time she took them without further complaint before sitting back and almost reverently holding them. She got up, almost casually holding both daggers, one in a backhand grip, the other in a standard grip. Then she began moving.

Entranced, I stared at her as she pivoted and spiraled around. There were graceful, dancelike motions, interrupted by vigorous chops and slashes. I had no idea how long it lasted, but when she finally stopped, a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead, and more bits of armor lay on the ground.

"They are perfectly balanced," she said, her eyes cold and her face expressionless again. "Thank you."

I swallowed and nodded. "No problem."

Not sure what to say, I called up my status window. As soon as I read the lines, a grin returned to my face.

> You have created a set of masterpiece grade daggers

> For creating a grade 7, Impressive level masterwork, your woodcarving gains will be doubled for the next twelve hours

> Do you want to mark the daggers with your name?

I gazed blankly at the yes and no options before hesitantly selecting yes. A surprised shout came from Libidi, and I looked up to see her gaze at the two daggers. On both blades, the word, Est, appeared.

"What language is this?" Libidi asked, then she suddenly stood up straight and looked at me. "They are masterpieces!"

I nodded before getting up and looking at the word. "It's my mother language," I said as I looked at the familiar letters. "It says, Est."

"You need to take them back," Libidi declared as she stepped towards me, holding the daggers out. Although she spoke with absolute certainty, I could see pained reluctance on her face.

"No," I said, shaking my head and crossing all four arms across my chest. "Why?"

She gasped, then shook her head. "Even if these are the lowest grade masterwork pieces, they are worth a fortune!"

"And if you save my life with them, that will make them worth even more," I decided, my words somehow cementing my own decision. "Keep them. I have no need for daggers nor a fortune, but for someone to have my back when I need it."

Libidi held my gaze for a long while. After what seemed like minutes, she took a deep, shuddering breath, held it for a moment, then exhaled it as if she had made up her mind about something.

"I Li'Aus'Bidi, swear-"

Shit, I thought as my hair stood on end. I stepped forward, about to interrupt her from something insane, when her cold glacial eyes pierced mine, locking me in place as if giant hands bound me.

"That after I have finished my mission," Libidi continued as if I'd not almost stopped her. "I will stay with you until I have saved your life twice for each dagger!"

She sliced both daggers across the side of her lower arms in a beautiful but stupid move.

I swallowed as I looked at the thick blood ooze from the wounds and sighed. What was with these blood theatrics? Still, the words and the blood had at least cleared my head of any pent-up sexual desires that had started growing over the day.

"You didn't have to do that," I snapped as I ripped a part of my almost disintegrated top shirt and began pullings strips of it.

"Just because you don't know the value of these daggers does not remove from me the burden to pay what they are worth," Libidi stated, almost like she was repeating a chant.

She put the daggers in one hand and held out the other for the strips of cloth. I ignored her hand, grabbed her arm, and bandaged the surprisingly deep wound.

"Dammit, you could have cut less deep," I hissed as some blood spilled over my hand.

The cloth was quickly soaked, and looking at it, I suddenly had an epiphany. I hesitated for a moment, then cast Share Life-force and tried to direct a minuscule portion to the wound below my hand. To my surprise, there was a ping from my status, and the wound slowly closed, leaving only a scar.

I gazed at it in stunned silence before grabbing Libidi's other arm and trying it again. There was no sound this time, but the wound closed just as fast. There was some drain to my lifeforce, but I knew I could do a dozen more before it would wear me out.

Libidi calmly pulled back her hand, looked at me then stepped back.

"I need to practice more to do honor to the quality of these weapons," she said without making any note to me, healing her wounded arms.

She walked away until she was a hundred or so feet away and began moving through katas again.

I dumbly stared at her for a moment, then sighed and sat down beside the remains of the wood, trying to push what just happened away. A few finger lengths of wood remained, barely enough for anything, but I wasn't going to let the temporary bonus go to waste. I first pulled up my status window.

> Your ingenuity has gained you another use for the Share Lifeforce skill

> Share Lifeforce can now target specific wounds

> Only works on non-lethal wounds

> Must use your own lifeforce as anyone else's life force will be too difficult to control

Fantastic, I thought. So now I can fix boo-boos and bumped knees. I knew that was an underestimation of the value, but it felt good to wine a bit. I closed the status window and inspected what I had left for wood.

"So little," I muttered before shaking my head and trying to come up with something I could make.

The rest of the day and evening went by quietly, and I made a useful discovery. I didn't need a complete section of wood to create bolt casters but could use small wood scraps.

After making two more with the wood chips and wood curls leftover from the daggers, I created a few rings and amulets from the larger wood, loath to throw away something so beautiful. Still, no matter how much I tried, I wasn't able to get into the zone, and I didn't make anything beyond a single expert ring, which didn't carry the masterwork title. I put them all on my fingers, deciding to sell them when I got the chance.

When I finally went to sleep on the rocky ground, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.

Libidi muttered something, but I didn't hear it as my eyes fell closed and sleep took me.