"The gods are celestial maintenance. It's not even recorded which Eternal made them. After dealing with two threats from the Beyond, the Eternals want a group of immortal servants who can safeguard Existence and keep it running properly. And they are complete failures. History is a long and detailed record of how the gods failed to do their jobs."

Bereft of any amusement or companionship, Alexa was rapidly going stir crazy and stripping the surrounding area of anything she could take. Over the last two weeks, she’d felled several small trees, hauled them up the hill, stripped and chopped them up, and worked to make an assortment of stuff from the available plant and stone.

The patterns that Survival and Woodcraft gave her helped but the results were crude at best. She had shoes now: strips of bark tied to the bottom of her feet with cord.

Most of the hatchets and knives she crafted lasted about a day. She’d made several baskets woven from reeds Alexa had found at a nearby stream. Using them, she’d gathered and identified local plant life. Four times she’d poisoned herself, but the bonfire purged it from her system.

Alexa had gotten her first kill. While gathering, she’d come upon a lizard resting on a log in the sunlight. Its white and brown skin blended in with the bark and it had stood motionless as she’d approached.

Then she stabbed it with her spear.

All this time, Alexa had imagined hunting in the wilderness would involve making traps or chasing something down, or a perfect shot or throw at a moving target. No, apparently, ‘just mosey on over and jab at a lizard with a sharpened stick’ was a legitimate hunting tactic.

Cleaning and cooking it had proved harder. Either way, between the lizard and the plants, she’d completed two of the tasks her Path of the Wild had given her. Alexa wondered what, if anything, she’d get when finishing all of them.

As the sun lowered, Alexa emerged from the cave, weaving another blanket. She’d fallen into the habit of going to bed before noon and waking up again around dusk. It was hard for her to tell how long that was. It felt like she was sleeping longer than she had before.

The ground shook—a steady, lumbering vibration. A massive ape-like creature, about three times her height walked into view. He was stooped, hairless, and his skin resembled the gray overlapping hide of a rhino. Without any other indication, Alexa had started calling him an ogre.

He squinted at her fire. That and the smoke appeared to have attracted him.

“Hello,” Alexa said.

In response, he pulled back his lips to growl and flash thick, pointed incisors. Not once had he stepped into the safe zone, which suggested the creature wasn’t something you could make friends with. After pounding his chest a few times threateningly, he headed off.

This was the only creature of its kind Alexa had seen so far. Like her, it became active around dusk. Thankfully, it was easy to avoid.

Night brought with it a lull in the sounds of the forests and beasts settled into their nests. She grabbed another log and slide it into the smoke pit, then leaned back to ready herself.

With a slow, deep breath, Alexa dipped into the pool of lunar essence within her and weaved it into the flame. They shifted from a low, smokey orange to silver. Tendrils of light crept skywards like vines, forming undulating, organic patterns as they rose. The ritual took Alexa ten minutes, and at the end, she had a shining beacon of silver light high enough to be seen over the trees.

As long as she fed the fire, it would persist throughout the night. If anyone was out there, they should see it. So far only the ogre and wildlife had.

Charging the beacon drained her, as it did every evening. Alexa rested by munching on cattails. The young and green shoots were abundant near the river, and every part, from the flower to the stalk to the roots, and a use. The flavor wasn’t bad either, though she found herself longing for salt and butter.

After she finished her blanket, she grabbed a nearby basket and filled it with gravel, sand, and ashes she’d left out to cool. Her Survival had risen high enough that she’d gained a pattern for soap that required ashes, animal fat, and water. Her first attempt had come out so harsh it burned her skin. This time, she hung the basket over a carved container and poured water into it. Liquid began to seep and drip out of the bottom. The strained lye water would make a better base.

As the container filled, Alexa readied her bow and practiced firing arrows. She’d become good enough to hit a log she’d set up, but had yet to shoot a moving target. Still, she was getting better, and while practicing the other night, she’d received a message that she’d increased her Strength. The only attribute increase she’d gotten so far.

What she hadn’t done is unlock anything related to marksmanship. The Skills associated with her Path—Survival, Woodcraft, Athletics, Hunting—would prompt messages when they improved. Yet even as Alexa became better at firing a bow or slipping unnoticed through the forest, the system never commented on her improvement.

As Alexa aimed at the stump, a distant sound reached her ears. She cocked her head to the side. Many beasts called out during the night. A few days after she’d arrived, Alexa had heard what sounded like a crying child near the safe zone, but when she’d poked her head out, all she’d seen was a fox scamper off.

The sound came again and Alexa’s heart quickened. That wasn’t an animal she’d heard so far, it sounded like a human voice. Had someone finally found her beacon?

She slipped her bow over her shoulder and across her back, picked up her spear, and headed out. At some point, Alexa had lost her fear of the night. Navigating the forest paths by moon and starlight felt safer, less exposed, than during the day. She didn’t know if it was her new elf biology or the very human tendency to get used to things. Either way, her muffled footfalls were steady as she moved to find the caller.

The yells became louder and more distinct. A man—possibly in pain—and the snarls of a beast. She increased her pace slightly, sure that she couldn’t be heard over the noise.

As she headed down towards the river, Alexa found him as well as new monsters. Three large, shadowy leopards circled a muscular man who stood knee-deep in the stream. He wielded a two-handed sword and swung it as he yelled. The display had made the shadow beast cautious and kept a respectable distance as circled him.

Alexa knelt, out of sight, and realized the man wasn’t human. Two tusks jutted from his lower lips. She also spotted a dark wet gash on his arm.

The beasts hadn’t noticed her as they were fixated on their prey. Quiet as she could manage, Alexa slithered behind the closet one. The orc spotted her and roared at it. Her body shivered as she drew near and channeled essence into her spear. When it glowed, she struck, throwing her entire body behind the blow. The spear tip sank deep into the creature’s hide—though looked to be made of shadow, there was solid meat and bone in there.

Its unearthly scream pierced the air as it staggered. Then its body liquefied, flowing away over the grass before it reformed into a catlike shape that faced her. Its yellow eyes blazed as it snarled in pure hatred.

Alexa took a step back, keeping her spear pointed at the monster. How the hell could she hurt something that turned into water? Thoughts of helping the man vanished as the other two leopards turned to look at her.

She flooded her spear with essence and its glow became a brilliant white. This time the shadow leopard took a step back—it did not like that.

With a bellow, the orc swung at it. His sword split into its side, but as before, it flowed away. Rather than slow, he used his momentum to roll out of the river and onto the bank. As the beast reformed, his sword thrust forward, forcing it to retreat again.

He pressed his advantage—stepping forward and grazing it as it tried to reform. Despite his side and the length of his blade, the fighter was swift and nimble.

Alexa jogged to his side and tried to poke at the beast. Her attacks were clumsy and failed to connect, but it was terrified now. Interestingly, the other two only watched as their companion was sliced and jabbed at.

“Thank you,” grumbled the orc.

“Let me touch your sword,” she replied.

“What?”

Instead of answering, Alexa placed a hand on the cross-guard. The tempered metal was harder to empower than wood or stone; it actively resisted her essence. Despite this, Alexa forced lunar energy into the sword until its surface burned silver.

The orc laughed, far too happy for a man facing down angry shadow cats while his side was covered in blood. With a roar, he sprang forward, his sword slicing viciously into the beast. As it had when Alexa hit it with the spear, it gave an unearthly howl that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise.

That would be the last sound it made—it collapsed into a matted heap.

Alexa was unsure what to do as the orc ran toward the other two. This wasn’t how she’d imagined events playing out. Not that she was complaining.

As she poked at the monster's corpse, she realized it had been hacked at but there was no blood. Rather it was a mess of rotting fur, meat, and exposed bone. It farted, startling Alexa until she realized it was built-up gas escaping its body. She forced away the urge to gag as a putrid scent hit her.

Oh yeah, this thing had been dead for a while.

“Zombie cat,” she muttered to herself, pushing her spear into its eye socket and through its skull. Might as well be sure.

The other two had decided to slink away. They had no interest in prey that could effectively fight back. As one, they turned to retreat, moving with inhuman speed and grace into the forest. The orc ran after them and suddenly leapt forward, bounding at least fifteen feet over the ground. He descended, sword pointed downward and impaled one as he landed.

Alexa stood on the other side of the stream, blinking. That should not have surprised her, but it did. The orc had vaulted forward with ease—no spell chanting or having to channel essence. How common were powers like that in this world?

The beast screamed and twisted, seemly pinned by the glowing blade through it. Then its body distorted and surged upwards flowing onto the man’s arm before solidifying again. Its jaws snapped down on his face. One moment, the orc grinned in triumph, the next he collapsed to the ground, the shadow beast atop him. His arm now impaled the creature, making his sword useless.

Panicked, Alexa sprinted towards the pair. She stabbed into the creature’s back and twisted, trying to pry it away. It screamed, letting the orc’s head free of its massive jaws, thrashed, and fell limp. The shadows around it parted, leaving only a rotten corpse.

Silence followed.

The woods around them was utterly still as the other cat had fled. Two figures laid at her feet. She could hear the orc’s heavy breathing.

“Are…” speaking was difficult. “Are you alive?”

The orc grunted, planted his boot on the corpse, and yanked out his arm. Deep puncture wounds covered his face, blood flowing down his cheek and jaw.

“Not sure,” he replied.

The energy rushed out of Alexa’s body and her knees started to shake. A wave of cold and exhaustion hit her, and she realized her hand was trembling.

“Can you stand? I can’t carry you.”

Another grunt and he force himself up, retrieving his sword. “Let me lean on you.”

A massive arm dropped on Alexa’s shoulders, almost knocking her down. This fellow was built like a boulder. A hot, sweaty, smelly boulder at that.

There was a flicker of warm light and a small ember rose from the shadow cat’s body, hovering before Alexa. She grabbed at it.

[Acquired: Ember]

As her fingers grasped it, the ember sunk into her hand. Strength and energy filled her tired limbs.

“Come on, we’re heading for the beacon.”

He nodded. Drops of blood glimmered in the half-moon’s light as they fell to the ground. As they walked, his face was a hard mask of pain. Alexa wasn’t sure how he could stand, let alone move, but they managed to the slow climb back to her camp and up the hill.

"A bonfire," he murmured as they entered the cave. "Praise Ishnu."

She dropped him beside the fire. A tortoiseshell was the closest thing to a bowl she had, and she filled it with water. Holding his head up, she helped him drink some.

His eyes closed.

"None of that," she said, while tapping his face, "I want you to stay awake a bit longer."

He nodded, understanding her concern. Alexa's Survival skill was low but she did her best to slow down the bleeding. Once it had stopped, she rinsed the blood away. Cattail roots were an antiseptic, and she had plenty available.

Alexa chewed the bitter roots until they were a thick paste then worked them into his wounds with her fingers. He hissed in his breath as she pushed in the medicine but otherwise held still. Afterward, she used leaves as covering, tying the bandage on his arm tightly.

Rinsing the blood and paste from her hands, Alexa sighed. She was running on fumes but was sure he'd survive. Now that he was stable, the magic of the bonfire would help him heal rapidly.

"You never told me your name," he said weakly from his spot on the floor.

"Alexandra. Alexa, and you?"

"Moghar of Clan Ironwolf."

Not an ex-human like her then. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Moghar. Welcome to my cave."

He smiled and closed his eyes. Alexa listened to his breathing as he fell asleep.

She opened her palm and the ember appeared in it. The tiniest speck of a spirit. Alexa's skill with essence manipulation allowed her to truly see how wondrous it was. Before, she had known it was magic, but now she understood it was a seed. Something more powerful than any spell or enchantment Alexa could ever weave.

The bonfire called for it. The first Ember had allowed it to transform a small nook into a large cave with water. What would it do if she fed it another?

Her silver beacon still shone outside. She went to it and pulled the essence back from it, leaving only the smoking remains of the signal fire. Working on more intuition than design, Alexa mixed the Ember with her lunar essence. Its fiery red glow turned silver.

Her heart was light as she dropped the Ember into the bonfire.