Amber

Biting her tongue in concentration, Amber stitched another roll of the bird hide into a pouch to smoke-dry. She could see her bone hand, and it moved by thought just like her natural hand did, but she couldn't feel it. That lack of feedback threw her off whenever she wasn't thinking about it on purpose.

More so when doing something familiar. Amber's mind kept trying to shift into autopilot so her thoughts could wander. But as soon as she did, the lack of feedback caused her to make mistakes.

She rejected the idea that she didn't like challenging work. It was more like she had trouble putting up with this uncanny valley of demands. Easier mentally, and she'd just work on autopilot. More mentally demanding, and Amber could just focus on the work.

Instead, she found herself with frustrating tedium. Thankfully it never lasted too long. The tanning process had a bunch of different steps, with smoking as the last.

On the other side of her new skeletal hand, minor adjustments gave her whatever tool she needed. There was no doubt in her mind that her production quality would rise as she was no longer trying to make do with a knife. Amber never did have all the tools she'd wanted back on the farm. Fixing tack and making new saddles only justified a limited set of tools.

Guess things change. Amber thought.

She left the workstation Hint had made for her and went to gather more material.

Stopping at Mathews's doorway, Amber leaned on it. Sweeping her vision across the room, there wasn't much to see. He had a wide half wall for a 'bed' and his plaque on the wall. Kinda funny given all Hint could make as furniture. "Ya know you're growling again, doncha?"

"Sorry," Mathew looked up. "My magic is trying to drive me crazy. It's a constant hunger, and if I expend it, I risk having to start all over again."

"How's the progress?" Amber asked.

"Nothing yet. I can almost feel the edge of it. Like the way my stamina skill has mental resistance." Mathew shook his head. "But not enough to make chains the way I remember it working against the Crispalid Knight. I don't have the same rage. So I'll need to find something more reliable than emotion."

He gestured at Amber's arm. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry I'm able to contribute again?" Amber said. "Sorry for investing in me?"

"No." Mathew swallowed heavily. "When you were thrown from the building, I didn't try to save you. I... You were alive, and I was going to avenge your death. I didn't think I could save you, but I don't know that's really a good reason not to try."

"I have one bullet left from unloading on the Night Stalker. I was counting as I shot. That one bullet, it's not an accident." Amber's lip quivered. "My Freedom magic was full when I got back to the door. I coulda done that negative application of magic thing. Taken away it's freedom. Just I couldn't force myself to do it." She straightened her spine. "So, at worst, we are even."

Mathew nodded his head slowly, then his voice rumbled. "Yeah, we probably don't need to be beating ourselves up over not being perfect. I'll uh, not self-flagellate if you don't."

"Self what?" Amber asked.

" Flagellate, the words derived from flail," Mathew answered. "It's about whipping."

"No more whipping?" Amber smirked. "I didn't take you for that sort in the first place."

He chuckled. The way he laughed told her they both knew she wasn't all that funny, but they both wanted to change the subject.

"So this skill you're working on, wasn't there some territory aspect when you triggered it?" Amber tried to keep the conversation moving.

"Yeah, but that just proves it's something the World System can do. I just need to get it to trigger off a different setup. I was thinking-" Mathew bolted upright with a voice of urgency. "Upstairs!"

Trusting him, Amber turned and sprinted up to the corridor. Hint had improved the aesthetic. With full walls instead of just bars and some trophy bird inclusions, it held a hunter's lodge motif much better. Cells were warm and roomy, and the built-in furniture looked like art pieces.

Rushing up the stairs, she saw Harper bursting through the wood and leather door of the Hub.

"Everyone! I saw a bubble pop," Harper yelled. "We have to go get whoever it is."

Amber did a headcount and found Grant and Ben were sitting in the common area. Seems like something drove Ben back to Grant recently. Both stood and approached.

"Which one?" Ben asked. Amber remembered the three that could be seen from the Spire.

"The one where the two hills meet," Harper said, only breathing lightly from her sprint.

"Ya mean ass-crack ridge?" Amber clarified.

"That isn't its name!" Harper yelled. "But yes. Now let's go-!"

"Not so fast," Grant interrupted. "Maybe it's best if I go alone or with just Ben."

Amber puffed up. "No way! We are all in this together!"

"but-" Ben was interrupted by Grant setting his hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe it is better this way," Grant spoke slowly and softly.

"Alright, let's go then," Mathew rushed out the doorway, a red cutlass affixed to his side.

Amber snagged her bow and quiver from beside the door as she followed him out. Ben and Grant didn't need to pause for anything as they left.

Guess they are always ready. Amber thought. I should pump them for tips and tricks. Just cuz I don't totally trust 'em don't mean they ain't useful.

The four of them raced down the Spire together. For all Harper's urging to get moving she stayed behind. Making a mental note to talk to her about it later, Amber noticed Mathew sure did move fast for wearing a suit of armor. Still, watching Ben and Grant gave her some insight. They both loped forward, letting gravity do most of the work and just keeping their legs under them.

Well, I can do that! Amber changed her movement to match.

Each long-legged step reminded her of trying to walk on stilts, where each step took longer, and carried her further. The timing was just off. Adapting to the timing was still more manageable than the raw force of it. Each time her foot reached the stone, the force redirecting gravity into a racing pace would reverberate through her.

Amber became speed. Wind whipped her blond ponytail behind her; she could feel herself getting closer to the ideal of freedom.

The further she raced down the slope, the faster she had to move her legs to keep us with the growing speed. Her newly strengthened body handling the force. Transforming from slow stilt walking to sprinting. Each step spring-loaded and chewing up the distance. She knew right away that even with improved stats, she'd bit off more than she could chew.

Swallowing a seed of panic, she veered off to the side like a runaway big rig. Turning to spiral around the hill gave her a less steep slope, which allowed her to get her feet under her. Amber looked to the side and saw Ben had angled off to the side with her. He smiled.

"You good?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, it's just been so long since I've run breakneck down a mountain I can't remember it," Amber said. "Almost like that ain't something normal people do."

Sticking to silence, they continued running. Zigzagging back and forth to control their speed.

What Amber called ass-crack ridge was located in a rolling grassland of hills. Thankfully Ben and Grant had scouted this one pretty well. So they knew what threats to look for.

In the flowing gold and green grasses, there was the occasional immobile patch. That was the Alpha or the Alpha spawn. A spiny hell beast that made Amber appreciate the monster from her transition as its weak cousin. Instead of quills it had fake grass crystals that would shred flesh at a touch.

Outside of the Alpha species to this Territory, there were patches of purple growths on the end of grass stalks. Breaking the semblance of normalcy, the purple growths were like a clump of soap bubbles the size of a big ear of corn. From what Grant said, they had some type of symbiosis with a swarm species of hummingbirds.

As much as it seemed like a valuable reagent for Harper to work with, it was too dangerous to harvest. Because of course, these hummingbirds had to be dark and twisted somehow. Dragging an real barbed tail behind it, the hummingbirds would try to drag the barb across a victim before flying away with a chunk of prey to eat on later.

It wouldn't always work and Grant talked about 'em getting stuck and going full carnivore bird until they killed or got killed themselves.

Amber had to agree; the juice didn't seem worth the squeeze.

Angeling wide to avoid a patch of purple plants, they hit the transition between Territories.

Mathew stopped. It was violent and sudden. His exoskeleton snapped at its limits hard enough to sound like a bag of popcorn.

"Fuck!" Mathew yelled.

"What is it?" Grant asked.

"The local Alpha is looking at me through the Alpha spectrum," Mathew growled as he glared at the horizon. "I have a notification asking if I want to declare war. If I stay here, the choice will be made for me in another 40 seconds."

As they watched, Mathew backed up to the grey stone. "Okay, we're good. You'll have to go on without me. We'll figure me out later. Be careful." The edges of those crisp words were frayed with frustration.

Losing their armored frontline left her bow and arrows without a shield. Maybe Grant or Ben would step up, but she wouldn't rely on it.

"Ben, can you stealth our approach?" Grant asked.

Ben looked at Amber then he spoke. "Plus one is doable, so long as we don't stress the magic with a lot of observers."

"I'll take point," Grant said, moving forward without further delay.

As she followed Ben and Grant, Amber noted that Ben didn't have to hold her hand for his stealth magic to work. A musky smell permeated the Territory and wrinkled Amber's nose.

Pathing over the hills, they'd stop after dropping down the next ridge. Trying to balance not painting the sky with their silhouette with not moving very far in grass that they hadn't seen the wind push around yet. That was the test for telling real grass from razor sharp Alpha spawn.

Following Grant and his preternatural danger sense, they arrived at the foot of two larger hills. This close, it was easy to see where the Chronoshpere had cut out an orb from the existing Territory.

Excitement and urgency to get to the newcomer warred with the caution of approaching safely. They hadn't seen any of the Alpha spawn so far. What were the odds they'd find one in this short stretch?

Grant held them to the slow, methodical approach as Amber flexed her fingers on the grip of her bow. This Territory was not a forgiving one. Danger wasn't prowling in the open like how some other Territories worked. This one was waiting for a misstep. Newly dropped into almost familiar territory, Amber didn't know if she would have been cautious enough to survive this.

They couldn't see anyone yet. If the survivor was on the move, they could be getting further away, and into the jaws of danger every second it took to get closer.

Finally, Grant gave a tactical-looking hand gesture, and they moved out.

Down the slope and up the next. Amber crested the lip of dirt cut out by the Chronosphere.

Dropped into the center of the depression was a mess of flesh. Jagged bones that had once been part of a rib cage stuck out. It would be easy to imagine the corpse as something other than a former human if it wasn't for a few tattered remains of bloody clothes.

Climbing down, Amber saw Grant and Ben snap into clarity as Ben dropped his stealth magic. Grant was impassively looking over the remains. He shook his head.

"Nothing useful," Grant's voice was steady and confident. "Let's return to base."

Dropping to her knees, Amber started digging into the loose dirt.

"Amber, are you okay?" Ben's concern was only in his voice. His face was drawn and blank.

"Yup. Just digging a grave is all," Amber said.

"We don't have time to sit around a bait pile." Grant didn't quite growl.

"It's not worth it," The weight of Ben's hand fell on her shoulder. "I used to try too. Give them some dignity back. Make this less awful." He sighed. "It's not worth it. Let's go."

Clenching her teeth, she ignored him. Was this body one of her people? How was Momma supposed to make it? Benny? Little-Kim Hall was 17; did she get raided as well?

Worry wasn't in Amber's top ten emotions, so she wasn't ready when it hit her. Scooping out more dirt with her hands there was a thought she didn't know how to get out better than her methodical actions. It didn't take long for her Cognition to provide the difference. She wanted to treat this stranger well. That is how she'd know other strangers would take care of her people.

Amber stopped digging and took a few breaths.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked.

Amber she stood and dusted the loamy dirt off herself. "I'm being stupid. Let's go." I thought I'd handle this better. Nothing about a body should have been a surprise.

Grant nodded and started to lead the return trip.

"Uh, just like that, you're okay?" Ben asked again.

"No, but I'm functional," Amber replied. "How many times have you had to deal with this?"

"I don't even remember," Ben said.

"And you're okay?" Amber pressed.

Silence clung to them as they reversed their path back to the Spire.

A noise from behind drew her attention as they crossed over the edge of a hill. Looking back, Amber soaked up all the details she could of a spine-covered beast.

Free scan triggered.

[Shard Bear

Not a real bear, just big and scary like one. It's like a wolverine's bigger stabbier cousin. Some natives use the crystal back growths for tattoo ink. Eats anything, so it's easy to poison, except it's somewhat resistant to most of 'em. Highly Territorial, they will not live in peace with each other without an Alpha enforcing it. Even then, their attitudes are so foul they like to split off and make new Territories or challenge the current Alpha]

Nose to the ground, it was following their path up the grassland hill to its next meal.

One day we will rise back up the food chain. Amber promised herself.

Getting back in sight of the foot of the Spire, Mathew was standing there waiting. It didn't look like he'd moved a single step.

Grant led the way, and with leaden feet, Amber followed.

"Target didn't make it through the transition process," Grant said. "Nothing else to report."

Fighting gravity to climb the Spire, they ascended together. Out of danger, there was more time to think. Nearing the Hub, Amber jogged to the front. Grant and Ben had put up with this senseless death for months and her attitude for days. Breaking the news to Harper was something she could to to carry the weight.

Opening the timber and hide door, she locked eyes with Harper. Harper was working around the kitchen fire pit and just finished laying out steaming morsels of their high protein diet.

Amber spoke. "The Chronosphere popped because the person failed their transition."

Harper nodded, either taking it well or putting on a good face. "Do you need anything?"

"Just got to eat some crow," Amber grimaced. "And not the Night Stalker."

Turning to Ben and Grant as they entered the Hub, Amber squared her shoulders. "Sorry, ta the both of ya. I uh, I been judging you without judging the shoes you've been wearing. So I apologize."

Ben gave a wisp of a smile.

Grant replied. "Think nothing of it. If it helps, we've made forward progress, and your judgments aren't totally wrong for the current circumstances. I know you don't trust us, well, me very much. I want you to know that I haven't changed, but my situation has. You can trust that so long as Mathew provides an umbrella of protection, I'll take on an equal risk as anyone else."

"Speaking of trust," Mathew said quietly. "Did you know that my becoming an Alpha would put me in a prison of my own Territory?"