Arriving back at our army's camp, I unceremoniously dumped the box on the ground. It seemed like many of the people were asleep, which was a good sign. Opening the box, I was assaulted with the inventory, of which I pulled out only bread and cheese to share with my friends.

They sat around a small fire, all watching me intently as I moved over to them. Wind of the Wild in his human form, Ewan, watched me the most intently.

“Well done, Clive,” Sania said first. “Over a thousand followers?”

“Yeah, definitely a welcome improvement. Anyone tried to fly yet?” I asked.

“We will try in the morning as we travel,” Danivra replied. “I have not been this excited for a long time and I am sure it will be of great use in our futures.”

“Will you be able to fly in your Dokala form?” I asked.

“I sincerely hope so,” she said with an evil smile. Perhaps it wasn’t evil. That could have just been me projecting the image of a fifty-foot flying spider. I couldn’t think of anything more terrifying in all honesty, but she was my Number one priestess, so there was that.

I remember Mal telling me about levels and stuff within the ranks you have as followers, but I don’t get any information on my end about that. Something to do with using the power we send each other?”

“Essentially that. The more we send you, the more we use of that which you send us and the more we do in your name, following your quite inspiring new Tenet, the more Follower specific Experience points we receive. This affects our ability to use the powers you bestow, and also our progression to whatever tiers appear in the future.”

“That’s good to know. And sorry about the tenet. I was under pressure when I said that shit. Didn’t want to lose the momentum.”

Danivra shook her head vehemently. “It is perfect for you and for us.” Then she began reciting what I’d said. Grigor and Alial joining in immediately.

“We stand against the domination of others. We abuse no one, nor tolerate their abuses against us.”

I heard murmurings of recital through the camp of those still awake, moving around to get food, or just resting in the darkness. I wished it empowered me, but I just felt embarrassed. I pretended not to. They didn’t need a display of my inner doubts.

“It’s really good,” Sania said resting her head on my shoulder.

“Inspiring indeed,” Ewan said. “And I hear you made a bond with Devotion, too?”

“Yeah, I did. But we’re keeping it on the down low. We’re a team now, though it seems mad saying that out loud.”

“It is a good thing. We continue to grow in strength. I feel more hopeful for the future now than I ever have before.”

I couldn’t help but be confused by his words. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Ewan,” I said uncertainly.

“You don’t hide your doubt at my words very well, Lord Clive,” he replied with a slight quirk of his lips.

“I’ve been criticized for wearing my heart on my sleeve once or twice in my life, it’s true.”

“I fear that Wind of the Wild’s nature is very subtly driving a wedge between us and so, I have resolved to be in human form around you as much as possible. Outside of battle and travel, of course. I hope there is less tension between us this way. On a personal note, I feel that I’m approaching a time where my original human form will do well to be nourished and developed.”

“I won’t complain about that, but why are you okay with me, but not Wind of the Wild? He was fine at first, but… well, you know.”

“While we are the same, we each have unique traits. Wind of the Wild is an Alpha wolf. He knows nothing but his will being the highest will. While he accepts you as leader at the moment, given the circumstances, it’s against his nature to do so. His instincts demand that he challenge you for leadership while his Intelligence demands the opposite.”

“Ah, that again. I didn’t realize though I probably should have. I had similar problems with Grigor and Sania, though I really don’t like what happened in either of those instances and I still feel shame for them both,” I admitted. “I’m glad that you can become Ewan and it’s not so much of an issue.”

He smiled and nodded. “As am I.”

“Speaking of wills and difficult group members. Is Freeler awake?” I said looking around, looking for the most radiant Brown hued energy among our people.

It took a while as the Saleels showed up under the surface of our camp. But I found the big bugbear after a moment. He was still awake laying back against a rock, talking to Glaunk and a few more hobgoblins. I only then appreciated that we must have had a few evolutions on our journey. I wondered how many more had happened that I didn’t know about.

I took the club out and carried it over to Danivra. “Here, I believe you owe a certain Bugbear a new club.”

I had a moment of guilt handing the massive club over to the small slender Dokalfar, but it passed quickly with the knowledge that she was without doubt stronger than me.

Rather than accepting it, she waved me off with a delicate hand gesture. “It is not mine to give. You had it made and retrieved it from Far Reach. It is entirely yours to present to Freeler.”

I shrugged, not interested in having an embarrassing back and forth over who gave him the damn club. So I headed over to the resting lump on the floor.

“Freeler!” I shouted, and he jumped up like he’d been bitten.

“Lord Clive. What you want?”

“Queen Danivra asked me to have this made for you on my travels back to Far Reach, to replace the one you recently lost,” I said loudly, so Danivra would hear. While eying the thick wooden branch with rock tied to the end that appeared in his old club's place.

“Gimme,” he said flatly, holding out his hands. I wanted to bash him over the head with it, with how rude he was. But I refrained from being offended. It was Freeler, that was just the way he was and I strongly doubted he meant any disrespect.

I handed over the wrapped up mace, which he snatched, ripping the cloth covering off in seconds. His eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at it. As if he had just met the love of his life. He then proceeded to dance around like a maniac, waving the mace high above his head and singing some garbled tune.

When he finally stopped. He inspected it again to make sure its stats weren’t a lie, then dropped heavily to his knees. Placing his head on the floor.

“Freeler swears to Lord Clive. Be follower goblins.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. Like I said it was Danivra’s suggestion.”

“Danivra works for you, yeah? Now so does Freeler. Follower.”

“If you insist, but you know it means you're bound, right?”

“Can Freeler still drink as follower?”

Err, sure, do what you want apart from hurting people who aren’t trying to hurt us.”

“Then Freeler follows. Do this thing. Practice with mace club is needed.”

“Sure, dude, if you insist. You just gotta kind of pray to me, if you know what I mean.”

“No. Freeler doesn’t pray. How do that?”

“Close your eyes and think something like. Thank you Lord Clive, for this Beautiful mace.”

The Bugbear nodded. To my amazement I saw his tendril of power reaching tentatively out of him. I took hold of it and latched it to my core making him an aspirant outright. He mumbled something at me I didn’t get but may not have been real language, as he was still too deeply engrossed in the mace. Realizing he was mumbling, he shouted so loudly, I jumped in shock a little myself.

“You useless rat shits! Pray to Lord Clive. NOW!” Then he jumped into the night sky at what must have been a good half mile high, landing somewhere in the darkness with an earth trembling noise, I could only assume was the Mace being brought down onto the ground.

I shook my head and then looked at the little over five hundred Goblins and Hobgoblins all scurrying up to me and praying.

“Wait a minute,” I said. Feeling a fair bit of irritation after my dealings with their bugbear leader. “My whole thing is no domination, okay? So despite what Freeler thinks he can’t make you all join me. It has to be entirely your choice. And now he has sworn to me he can't do anything to you if you disagree.”

Glaunk stepped forward. “It wasn’t an order. We have all talked about it a great deal. Everyone but Freeler wanted to follow you until you gave him the Mace. Though he was swaying slightly about following you before that.”

“Ah, right. So Freeler shouting at everyone like that…”

“Was just Freeler being Freeler. Making it look like it was his idea,” Glaunk replied.

I nodded understanding and began bonding with the eager goblins.

None of them were bothered about talking to me afterwards. They just wandered off and put themselves to sleep.

By the time I was finished, I had 1,743 followers. It was hard to believe, but I wasn’t complaining either. Walking back to the others, of which only Sania had remained awake, I yawned, feeling absolutely exhausted. “I only went to pick some bloody bread up,” I said with a tired smile dropping next to her.

“Don’t be foolish. We’re in a much stronger position than before. How was the meeting with Devotion?”

“It was fine. I didn’t sense any deception from her, so I have relatively high hopes. We’ll go over the full conversation as we travel tomorrow, but I think, right now I need to sleep. Creating all those bonds has drained me on a level I haven’t felt before.”

“Of course,” she said snuggling in next to me.

It was almost dawn by the time we set off again. The early morning was quiet, but for our passing. We came to a halt a few hours after sunrise, purely for the purpose of Danivra, Alial, and Grigor to make their first attempts at flying. I’d read the notification and knew that the energy wouldn’t be taken from my Ethereal storage directly. There was already a continuous back and forth flow between our individual Neumas that favored me. Danivra opted to take her maiden flight in her normal Dokalfera form. They all went up with different levels of unsteadiness. Within minutes, they were flying around tentatively, and Danivra beckoned us to keep walking.

Ten minutes later, Alial began to lose altitude in a controlled manner. Dropping in front of us with a wide, exhilarated smile.

“Amazing, My lord. Thank you,” she said as she retook her place in the column.

Next up was Grigor, who mistimed his descent and ran out of power a quarter of the way down. Much to Grastad’s amusement. Grigor still landed like a pro and rejoined us, slotting in alongside me.

“These are exciting times,” he said with a low growl. “I can see great things in the future, for our pack with these abilities. Your arrival in our lives seemed like a dark omen, but it has been the opposite.”

“Shit, Grigor. That’s bloody high praise coming from you, mate!”

“How long do you think Queen Danivra will remain aloft?” He asked, changing the subject.

“I dunno. I figure she’s processed a lot more Neuma with me than most others. I don’t know when she finds the time to pray.”

Grigor grunted. “She is impressive. If we can remain alive, I feel we can become the strongest group on Falritas. The entire planet will follow the path you have begun.”

I swallowed audibly at his words. “We shall see Grigor. We shall see.” Before he could say anymore I felt a forceful nudge in my back that distracted us both. Turning around it was Grastad, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Go on then, do me.”

“What?”

“Make me a paladin. I want to fly. Grigor can’t be having all the fun and these new Nanooks are already way above me. Once they’re flying, I’ll be right at the bottom rung back in Far Reach.

“You’re serious? What about your freedom?”

“Well, I’m following you about anyway, and you did make it possible for Nystiobek to evolve again, so I do owe you. And you don’t really seem to actually do any bossing around or anything. Your tenet thingy, that everyone was saying. Not to be dominated by others and all that. Sounded good... so do it.

“It’s so you don’t have to walk. Isn’t it Grastad, you lazy bastard. You’d sell your soul to avoid a bit of walking.”

Grastad let out a deep belly laugh. “I suppose I deserve that. But come on, I'm ready.”

“It’s you who has to do it, mate. I don’t go around bonding people to me…” I paused for a moment, looking at Sania and Grigor. “…anymore. Just pray to me in your head. Doesn’t have to be anything special. Something like, oh great and masterful Clive who art the most amazing person I have ever met.”

“Okay,” Grastad said with a grin. “I think I’ve got this.”

He closed his eyes, even though we were still walking, and began to pray out loud.

“Oh Clive, you have the greatest luck in the universe and you were lucky to beat me in our first fight because I tripped over. But you are bearable for a weird half demon man.”

To my surprise, a tendril still left his chest and made its way toward mine. I smirked at him then took hold of the power and bonded it to me.

“There you go, you dick. Were bonded.”

“When can I fly?”

“It takes time and the more you can pray, the faster it will happen.”

“If I can pray the way I just did, it won't take any time at all. I think I will practice with some alternatives. I want to see how far I can push this,” he said with a rumbling laugh.

I was distracted from replying by the sudden presence of a shadow overhead. Panic was the first thing I felt, but it gave way to awe as I saw Danivra in her massive Dokala, spider form in the air above us. She was still flying, too. A few minutes later, she dropped to the ground, landing impressively lightly for a gargantuan spider.

As she transformed, she was smiling about as happily as I’d ever seen her. “In all my years I never thought I would attain flight. Quite marvelous! And to be able to do so in my Dokala form, all the more impressive, though it did reduce the time I had available by almost half.”

Grastad turned and shouted across the whole army as best he could. “If anyone else wants to fly! You should bond with Clive as well. It doesn’t seem too bad yet.”

“There’s not much incentive for us,” Olata said from nearby. “I’m quite attached to nature, too. But…” She said, fluttering closer. “…seeing you manipulating the energy of the forest has definitely given me something to think about.”

“I’ll have Spicy Balls to dish out soon,” I added without thinking. “Not that I’m trying to get you to follow me, Olata,” I added with a self-conscious chuckle.

She said no more as we trudged ever onward. I thought about the powers that had become available now, and manipulating Nature was the one that intrigued me most. The ability to see everything going on in a mile radius was interesting too, but out in the open as we were, that didn’t really offer much at the moment. And with my Protectorate map, I had a good idea what was going on around me, anyway. Admittedly, my Ethereal sight was much more detailed.