The trek back to Homst proceeded without incident. They were occasionally set upon by monsters, but those foolish enough to attack were easily dealt with. Molly's keen senses proved invaluable at rooting out potential threats. The boar’s sensitive nose could detect even the faintest whiff of predators, meaning there was almost no chance of being caught unawares.

  The two walked in silence as Sam channelled most of his effort into putting one foot in front of the other. He was still dealing with the aftermath of the prolonged use of [Apostate]. His [Mana Network] felt raw and unstable, and he consciously disabled the rest of his passive skills to give himself time to heal.

  It was a strange sensation not to have his increased strength and endurance. He hadn't realized how much he’d come to rely on them. It was bizarre to think that this had been his default state until a few weeks ago. He’d been so weak. Even the act of holding the heavy metal shield had been too much for him, and he’d been forced to store it.

  Siel didn't seem to mind the quiet. Every time he looked over, her face was a mixture of awe and excitement as she flitted between the trees. It was a complete contrast to the serious demeanour he’d experienced in the ravine.

  Ever since he’d come out of his trance in the cave, it was like she was a completely different person. Whatever walls she’d erected around herself had at least cracked, and he realized she was much more outgoing than he’d originally thought.

  Every tree and bush they passed seemed to be a new cause for excitement, and, despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but smile as he watched her inspect a new clump of pine needles or patch of moss. Each new plant evoked the same childlike sense of wonder, and it made him realize he really didn't know anything about her.

  “So, uh, you seem to really like trees,” he said at last, carefully climbing over a chunk of rock. The light had all but faded, and he was beginning to have trouble seeing.

  “Of course!” she replied, face lighting up into a wide grin. “Trees are sacred to the Sylvanarae. They are the embodiment of the gods' love for us.”

  “Are they really?” He puzzled over that for a while. He supposed it made sense that, if the gods seeded multiple planets, they'd use relatively similar ecologies across them. Panspermia was a common theory among scientists to explain life’s origins on Earth. Some had speculated that it could have been directed; now he had concrete proof that it had been.

  “You act as if you've never seen one before,” he said after a while, shaking his head as she ran to get a better look at a particularly dense patch of bushes.

  “I hadn’t,” she said softly, turning back to look at him. “I am Ot’Oné. Ot. My caste is not blessed by starlight, nor the touch of green.”

  Sam cocked his head. “Wait, what. I thought you said nature was sacred. How can it be that you've never seen it before?”

  She stopped and gave him a long stare, the light in her eyes dimming. “You really don't know, do you? You do not say this to mock me.”

  “No, of course not. I'm sorry. I didn't even know Elves—Sylvan were real, until a few weeks ago. You're just a myth on my world. Something out of stories, and TV and movies.”

  She chewed on that for a while as she scanned the surrounding woodland. “We will not make it back to the city tonight. We should find a place to camp. We are tired, and Mjolna needs to rest.”

  Sam didn't push the matter, and they spent the next few minutes clearing out a gap between two large stone outcroppings. Siel’s kit was extremely basic, and Sam offered to put up a tarp in case it rained.

  Siel shook her head violently. “No, thank you. The moon is full tonight, and I would not impede the voice of my goddess.”

  “Oh, okay. Is that…a thing? Does she talk to you?”

  “Not so much in words, as in impressions—feelings. It was she who warned me of the coming of the ogre and gave clues as to the den of the adder. As goddess of the moon, her power grows stronger with its cycle.”

  “I thought she was also the goddess of the hunt?” Sam responded, settling down and pulling out wood for a fire.

  “Yes, and nature. Gods are rarely one thing, Sam. They represent myriad paths. It is up to us to choose how we walk them.”

  “How does that work, exactly? Do you choose different skills, or…” he trailed off, realizing he was getting into more personal territory. Neither of them had discussed the specifics around the other’s skills, but he’d observed her using a few during the fight, and knew she must have done the same with him.

  She paused for a moment before lifting her wrist and projecting her tafla. The layout was identical to Sam’s own, and she took a moment to show him her stat screen.

  Name: Siel Ot’Oné

  Race: Sylvan

  Patron: Dianae

  Class: Venator

  Rank: Iron

  Titles

  [Child of Babel]

  [Nature’s Chosen - Tier 5]

  [Primal Tamer - Tier 3]

  Achievements

  [Divine Patronage]

  [Mana Network]

  [Skill Morph]

  [Beastslayer]

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  [Bronze Usurper]

  Enhancement Skills

  [Basic Constitution - Tier 3]

  [Battle Regeneration - Tier 3]

  [Basic Stamina - Tier 4]

  [Arcane Alacrity - Tier 2]

  [Nature’s Eye - Tier 2]

  Martial Skills

  [Simple Ranged Weapon Proficiency]

  [Bow Mastery - Tier 6]

  [Light Armour Proficiency]

  [Focused Precision - Tier 2]

  Divine Skills

  [Natural Affinity - Tier 4]

  [Tame Beast - Tier 3]

  [Summon Familiar]

  [Huntress Vines - Tier 3]

  [Nature’s Touch - Tier 2]

  Familiar - Mjolna

  [Relentless]

  [Keen Senses]

  [Bristled Fortitude]

  [Reckless Charge - Tier 3]

  [Spira: 2,660]

  Sam didn't know much about the details of her skills, but he could parse some of them. She’d followed a roughly similar path to his own with basic [Enhancement Skills], but otherwise their powers were completely different.

  “So you’re really nature-focused. Is that what you're saying when you talk about Divine Paths?”

  She nodded, switching to the [Divine Skills] tab. The skills were clustered into three main constellations. “Dianae offers three main choices: nature magic, lunar blessings, and hunting skills. I was able to get a title early on that complemented my affinity for nature. Though, if I'm being honest, it's the path I would have taken regardless.”

  Sam leaned forward as he eagerly scanned Siel’s options. “Wow!” he exclaimed. “You've got so many choices! And so many of them synchronize with your [Martial] and [Enhancement] skills. Is that how you were able to get a skill morph?”

  “Yes,” she nodded, swapping back to the stat screen. “Derek’s Warden advised me to purchase my perception evolution alongside [Life Vision]. Now, I'm able to see a much broader spectrum of natural energies, including residual traces.”

  “That must be incredibly useful for hunting.”

  “It is,” she agreed, leaning back to rest against the flank of the massive boar.

  Sam opened his mouth to speak, then decided against it, trying to mask the motion with a yawn.

  “If you have a question, ask it, Sam. If we are to be party members, we should be open with one another.”

  He gave a sheepish nod as he gathered his thoughts. “What happened with him? Derek, I mean. He was one of the top ten. Why are you no longer with him?”

  Siel’s face darkened, but she waved him off when he moved to apologize. “It's a fair question. The honest answer is that you happened. He was already furious that I intervened with the ogre. When he saw you on the Honorum, he was livid. Said it was my fault you were still alive. That I was the reason a dangerous enemy was still out there. I argued that you could be a potential ally, but he wouldn't hear it and stormed off. He was distrustful by nature. Until I met you, I assumed it was the case for all humans.”

  Sam chewed on that for a while, throwing a few more branches on the fire. “You're not wrong, most humans are. I am, too, to a degree. I’ll wear a mask in town tomorrow so people don't recognize me.”

  “No, you misunderstand me.” She shook her head. “I mean, fundamentally distrustful. Every single person he met, he was immediately planning how to kill. That's how he recruited me—he ambushed me in the forest. I think I surprised him when I was able to hold him off. He ended up asking me to join his party. I knew he was strong, so I accepted.”

  “What else can you tell me about him?” Sam asked, keen to learn more about the other top contender from Earth.

  “Not much, unfortunately. He didn't like to talk about himself much. Said he was Arn-ar-armerican? He was a member of his country’s military and had already fought in multiple wars. It sounds as though you have a lot of those.”

  “We do, unfortunately, as humanity goes.” Sam filed the bit of information away. “How about you? Do the Sylvanarae fight wars among themselves?”

  There was a long pause as Siel stared into the fire. Sam couldn't read her expression and was once again starkly reminded that she was an alien. Despite how human she might look, she was still completely foreign. It was easy to forget in the dim light, ears hidden behind her auburn locks.

  “Not for a long time,” she said softly. “The last war was over eight hundred years ago. From it, the great clans forged the Etu Il’Iverna—the blood bond. It was they who decided that a sylvan’s fate would be decided long before they drew their first breath.” A note of anger crept into her voice. “It was they who stole the sky, and the birthright of my people.”

  Sam sensed that he’d accidentally touched on a particularly sensitive topic. It was a painful reminder of just how ignorant he was of the other races.

  “If it makes you feel any better, we have that too,” he said, forcing out a half-hearted chuckle. “Seems that no matter where you go in the universe, people with power are still dicks.”

  That elicited a small laugh from the sylvan, and they settled into a comfortable silence. After a while, Sam broke out the last of his remaining meat skewers. Initially, he’d been planning on saving them for a special occasion, but this seemed as good a time as any.

  Siel accepted one with a nod, her face lighting up as she took her first bite. “This is delicious!” she exclaimed, not bothering to wipe away the grease that coated her lips. “I have never tasted these spices before. Are they from your world?”

  “Yeah, my Warden has a…friend, who runs a store in Homst. She was able to get them for me. You'd be surprised what a bit of salt, pepper and cumin can do.”

  Siel nodded eagerly as she swiftly devoured the skewer. She looked at him expectantly, and he procured another from his tafla.

  The second one lasted only a little longer.

  After the third, she sat back contentedly and produced a bag of feed for Molly from her tafla. The big pig had been mostly quiet during the exchange, and Sam wondered how much it understood of the conversation.

  “Is it true that your planet knows nothing of the War?” she asked suddenly.

  Sam paused, mouth full of grilled hare. He swallowed before responding. “Yes, it's true. Most people think the gods are myths, and we certainly don't know about the War. In the past, I guess it made sense. But how is it that thousands of people go missing every few years and no one notices? We have technology, the internet. How has no one filmed an obelisk and put it on YouTube?”

  Siel furrowed her brow but seemed to understand the gist of what he was saying. “The portents of the gods look different to everyone. They allow you to see what they want you to see. Clearly, they have their reasons for not wanting humanity to become aware of them.”

  She scratched her chin. “I will admit, it is odd, though. On every other world, we worship the gods from the time we can speak. Our elders tell stories of the Wars, and of the Returned who shaped our histories. It is strange they would not want your worship.”

  “Yes, it is…” Sam agreed, voice lost in the crackling of the fire.

  The rest of the night passed much the same, each asking simple questions. By some unspoken agreement, they stayed away from heavier topics, and Sam found himself laughing more than he had in weeks.

  They each took turns sleeping, and both were well rested as the sun slowly crept around the Spire. A final usage of [Nature’s Touch] had Molly back in fighting shape as they set off towards Arther’s homestead.

  The copse of trees had just begun to creep over the horizon when both of their taflas let out a familiar Ding! Sam’s heart started racing at the sound, but Siel looked unconcerned. Sam checked the countdown timer and realized what had happened.

  Another week had passed.

  It was time for another Memoria.