Snow blanketed the ground making each step difficult for us. The evergreens that littered the scrubland provided little shelter from the onslaught leaving us to brave the unfriendly weather alone.

I channeled my qi which provided varying degrees of warmth and so left most of the spare clothes for Safi to wear. She had gone from a regular looking human being to more of a chunky bipedal cloth creature as the clothes kept piling on.

She tried to talk a few times but when she realised muffled gibberish was all she was capable of she gave up and resigned herself to trudging ever onwards through the seemingly never-ending snowstorm.

It was only the second day and with no sign of the snowstorm ceasing, I opted to look for shelter. Safi was having trouble walking with the number of clothes she was wearing and I was running out of usable qi.

Having found nothing for an hour, I was beginning to think of other ideas, I could speed ahead and look for something alone then return to Safi but I didn’t fancy leaving her out here alone in a snowstorm practically immobilised.

I could also carry her but I was just as weak as she, I had no time to train the pathetic muscles I inherited and was suffering dearly. We’d found a mountain and were walking the base of it hoping to stumble upon a cave of some sort. It didn’t take long before we found a perfect looking crag.

Safi rushed to get inside, I held out my hand. I had a nasty idea we were going to be sharing this shelter with something else.

“Whft’s th mathr?” she asked, trying her hardest to enunciate each word.

“There might be something in there,” I said. She couldn’t be bothered to talk again so just sagged her shoulders in weak protest.

I walked slowly into the crag, she followed silently behind, squeezing herself through the slightly too narrow entrance.

As we went deeper I heard breathing. Not just the one, either. The darkness betrayed nothing so I nestled in against a rock and hoped for the best. Safi did the same, choosing a spot closer to the entrance. She slowly undressed, just enough to be able to talk then she propped the bag behind her head and got comfortable.

I couldn’t relax. I could feel quite a hefty amount of living creatures around us, I could only assume Safi had her ears covered because their breathing was not exactly light.

I decided after a few long minutes that it was not worth worrying about. These creatures were probably in here for the same reason we were and just as cold and tired.

Safi slept, she did not sleep well the night before and so I cultivated whilst listening for the howling of the snowstorm to finally stop. I got lost in my red and white ocean of loneliness again, it was ever-expanding as I continued to imprint more foundation qi with my cultivation technique. I was also recovering at a much quicker rate thanks to my slowly increasing familiarity with the new body.

I regained consciousness after an immeasurable amount of time. The first thing to assault me was the bright light, the second was the sound. It was almost a cacophony, only lacking in variation rather than volume.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I began to make out Safi’s silhouette, only she had shed most of the layers. I noticed she was surrounded by creatures. I forced the rising panic back down, I had risen of my volition and therefore Safi had made the decision to approach these creatures herself.

I blinked a few times until the scene became clear. There were four creatures besides Safi, they all seemed docile but were making an almighty din. One of them was producing light from a coiling ridge of scale-like plates down its spine.

I was unsure how to reveal my newly awakened state but eventually resorted to a light cough, hoping my presence would not ruin whatever relationship Safi had managed to establish.

The creatures quieted immediately, Safi jumped and swiveled. She had a finger to her mouth.

“This has taken me hours, please don’t ruin it.”

“I wouldn’t intend to…”

“Come over here, slowly.” she beckoned me over. I shuffled forward, less worried about the creatures, and far more worried about ‘ruining it’ for Safi.

One of them had a sniff, the light was still not ideal and the only one I could see clearly was the one with the light source for a spine. I let it sniff and after some deliberation, the creature made a noise that resumed the ruckus. Safi looked at me with a smile.

“They like you,” she said.

“I think they like you, and I’m an acceptable nuisance.”

“Quite possibly,” she confirmed.

“I know, this will be difficult for you… But, I would like to see what soul root you have. It could be what makes these creatures comfortable around you.”

“Why would it be difficult?” she asked.

“I’d have to be in contact with you…”

“Ah,” she said, she looked up. “Would it work if I touched you?” she asked after some thought.

“Yes, of course,” I said.

“Then, turn around and I shall touch your back,” she said with confidence. I assumed she was going to emulate our bathing encounter.

“You’ll have to do it under my shirt, I’m afraid,” I said.

“You’re really making the most out of this, aren’t you.” she scoffed, breaking out into a little grin.

“It’s not intentional,” I laughed a little.

“Turn around, then. Slowly so you don’t scare the beasties away,” she commanded.

I did as told. I felt her lift my top up and her cold hand come into contact with my back.

“You’re quite warm,” she said.

“That’s my qi. I’ll teach you once I know your soul root.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

I concentrated on examining her body with my qi. She had a Nervous Tamer soul root. It was relatively rare and more than enough to explain why these creatures were so friendly. I evacuated my qi from her body, leaving her dantian empty once again.

“Thank you,” I said to notify her.

“Oh, that was quick,” she said as she released her hand and pulled my shirt back down for me.

“It’s not usually, I’m just very good,” I said cockily.

“Of course you are,” she rolled her eyes.

“How do you like creatures?”

“I’ve read about them… A lot. However, the only experience I have is watching martial experts ride them.”

“You see, your soul root provides increased affinity with non-humans.”

“I see, so that explains their friendliness.”

“Indeed. I knew it couldn’t have been your personality.” I said with a wide smile.

“You take that back or I’ll set them on you,” she said with faux anger.

“I could teach you to do that,” I said. “You could also fix our transport problem…” I saw a spark of understanding.

“I could do that?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“That, and more,” I said, finally I could show her my good sides.