I wonder how long it will take to become jaded to horrific injuries. As it is, I view them as more of a nuisance in myself, and my only worry regarding others is that they will die before I can save them. I wonder if part of the agony of injuries in the world before was based in the knowledge that they would last. A little pain can become life changing if it never goes away, and an intense pain could be easily preferable if it is merely fleeting.

With that in mind, losing my arm, having my insides torn away, or even having my throat opened by a knife… none of it sparks fear within me. Yes, it will hurt, and maybe it will hurt more than I can tolerate, but if it doesn’t kill me, I won’t be suffering for long, and that makes it ok. With the amount of Power I have right now, I could build an entire human body from scratch several times over.

Well, maybe not from scratch, but from a newly decapitated head, at least. I find that power a little terrifying, to be honest. However, it is with that knowledge in mind that I’ve stashed significant quantities of Power in various parts of my body. Nothing can save me if my brain is entirely destroyed, but anything short of that will just have me back up in a few hours.

Lauren sighs in pleasure, or (more likely) the absence of pain, and cuddles closer to me while I heal the less life threatening issues. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she gets hurt just to pull shit like this. I don’t mind, really, it’s just a bit strange when someone who should be screaming from the agony of their destroyed body instead concerns themselves with how best to rub their body against yours. I have weird definitions for what qualifies as romantic, but this doesn’t count. Surviving something together? Romantic. Healing the wounds from surviving that? Mmm. No.

With my attention divided, her advances are mostly lost on me, and even more so considering most of what I’m doing at this point is trying to combat the poison that suffuses much of her body. It reacts with blood and solidifies it, effectively turning limbs bloated, grotesque stone. With the vasculature no longer capable of being compressed or bent, movement of the affected area becomes nearly impossible, but also incredibly painful.It doesn’t matter how damaged the limb is once they get the poison in you, you’re not going to want to use it. The fortunate part is that it’s self containing. By causing the blood to quickly harden moments after contact, the poison can’t spread deep into the body. If it waited longer… enough poison could probably turn someone to a statue of sorts. A statue that felt pain, and suffered an agonizing death by asphyxiation. God help you if it got into your brain, you’d hold the record for the largest stroke ever.

Those thoughts aside, the Energy consumption for removing the stuff is massive, and that, combined with keeping the affected tissue from dying due to lack of oxygen is a lot to have going on at once.

The process takes around an hour to complete, but Cerberus never complains. Kaythe even manages to get the hang of swimming after making it quite far downriver, and successfully crawls back to us. I literally threw him into harm’s way to protect someone else, but he doesn’t have it in him to feel even slightly annoyed with me. He’s just ‘happy to help the predator!’, or something similar. I’ve promised him the remains of the Salamander (as this system calls it) for his help, though I wish I could give him more.

I keep expecting Cerberus to reproach me for allowing us to be ambushed like this, but he says nothing. I decide to do it for him.

“Sorry guys, I fucked up. I never expected the vines to be predatory… or that these things would take advantage of me being attacked by them to ambush you two.”

“No worries Amadeus, carnivorous trees are old hat at this point. Nothing a little Energy can’t fix.” She smiles demurely at me, but follows it with an overtly flirtatious wink.

“Nothing can be done about an enemy unknown. We may take precautions, but that is all. We dive ever deeper into the unknown. The ability to move forward despite this disadvantage determines whether we were worthy to attempt the journey at all.” His eyes, until now roving the entire area, searching for threats, suddenly shift to mine. “There is no need for politics here, human. You have tied our fates together, and I will uphold my end, no matter my feelings about you or your kind.”

I maintain the eye contact for a few moments before looking away and sighing. “Yeah, I know. I want you to believe, though. I want you to see this as more than your duty, and me as more than a means to an end.”

“Only you would be so naive. We are all tools. We can only strive to be effective ones.”

He returns to his watch without another word. I feel conflicted. Now that we’re out here, he’s… better, but he’s not great. He’s accepted being part of the group, but he doesn’t want to be part of the group. Checking my status, I find my Energy connection with Cerberus to have risen a mere two percentage points, to a grand total of eight. The road to one hundred stretches ever onward… but I can’t complain overmuch. Progress has been made.

What I like less is the ‘Other’ statistic. Forty-two percent Other. Yes, I used the tools I had to ensure Lauren survived, once again risking myself, and although I have a bit of wiggle room before fifty percent, I very nearly fucked myself again. Again. Even now, I can start to feel the influences of the new consciousnesses taking shape within my soul. The vines just impart a sense of hunger… basic, nothing I can’t handle, but the Salamander I stole has a sense of agency. When it recovers from the experience enough, it will be right up there where the Lieutenant was, fighting me and vying for any bit of control it can get. Unfortunately, I have sincere doubts I’ll be able to talk this one into helping me.

I need a way to destroy these new things as they come in. While working with the things I eliminate is nice and saves time, I need a forceful method, and one that doesn’t require me to be locked in a stone prison for days. I need a guardian for my soul… or many guardians. A force of consciousnesses that won’t erode slowly into my own. I need Kaythe and Cerberus to crush anything I take in.

Unfortunately, only Kaythe has a deep enough connection with me to actually participate in my soul world without being actively brought in.

[Congratulations! Summoned monster (Kaythe) has reached level 5. +2 Toughness, +1 Strength, +1 Intelligence, +2 Dexterity.] [Summoned monster (Kaythe) has learned a new Skill: Bolt. Bolt: empowers a creature’s body to push itself to the limits of its speed in the direction of its choosing.]

With his slowly growing strength, he is becoming formidable… but I don’t think he can quite face off with one of the Salamanders in open combat. But...

I reach over and pet Kaythe while he munches happily at the corpse of the Salamander. “Hey Kaythe…” I begin over telepathy “when you’re done with that, how would you feel about helping me fight of the Other influences?”

“‘Other’? Ah, yes, yes of course! The Predator should focus on fighting and growing, I will help!”

“Are you sure? I know you always want to do whatever I ask, but I honestly want to know: do you prefer being out here and helping me fight, or fighting for me in there?”

Kaythe takes another gleeful bite of the corpse. “The Predator gives me knowledge, it pleases me greatly, but I know that I lack! The predator gives much because of this lacking. I will listen!”

“The path to intelligence doesn’t come to those who merely follow, Kaythe. You need to support me with your mind as well as your spikes, right?”

“Ah, Ah! Yes! The Predator is truly wise. I know that the Predator is unchallenged on the field, but cannot focus on both the within and the without. I should help where the Predator is less strong! Grant me the honor, Predator, I will grow wherever I can struggle!”

He is so extra, and I love it.

“You have my thanks, Kaythe.” With one final crunch, Kaythe crawls to me, beginning to fade the moment he touches my arm. He has no ability to smile, but I swear he was trying to anyway.