Chauncey’s map of the mine did sync with my Map Skill. I have to remember it is over a decade out of date.

  I was concerned that I had not seen Pānihi, nor had I heard from Kahz about the others. Chauncey was heading to town to see the Countess, so I asked him to look, but looking for a hunter and stableboy in a town that size with no description was a long shot.

  Chauncey would be away for three days, if we are lucky. I didn’t want to hold anybody up, so I got to work.

  When I went in this time, I wrapped a cloth over my mouth and nose to limit the spores from getting in. I was sure my skills were enough to deal with them, but being careful was now ingrained, and it would save my energy.

  As I ventured into the mine, I had Solar Bloom extended past the walls of the mine and stretched in both directions. I would regularly pulse Extract Impurities from my lungs and run Purify Blood, but the Solar Bloom seemed to be killing them, and the cloth kept them exposed to the Solar Bloom.

  Running multiple skills at the same time is easier now with my higher Mental Agility.

  The smaller mushrooms were shrivelling up and dying before Solar Bloom passed, but I made sure by giving the mine a flash of Solar Flame, making sure all the walls, ceiling and floor were covered.

  I went as far as the larger mushrooms and then burned the first meter or so before stopping. The larger ones were more resistant to Solar Bloom and carried more moisture, so they took a small amount of extra energy to burn.

  I was getting to know Solar Flame, and it was levelling as a result. I found I could not adjust the temperature of the flame. Normal flames change colour as they burn hotter, from red to yellow to white. Part of that is the fuel they are burning, and part is the atmosphere. Solar Flame is always at maximum. I could vary the size of the flame and the time I had the skill active, but not the strength.

  The bigger the area I burned, and the longer I had it going, the more energy it took. I was flash-burning the tunnel, using just enough heat to warm, but not melt, the rock, mostly. Some rock melted before I got the hang of it.

  I took a break at that point to assess. The tunnel was very hot, so I backed up to the entrance and sat to restore my energy and think things through. The sun was pleasant on my back.

  This was going to take a while. I examined the map. Was there somewhere I could go to set off Solar Flare and not crisp myself?

  From the work in the tunnels in Jern, after the Solar Flare is lit, the flames take the path of least resistance. The path of least resistance was the tunnel, and specifically heading toward the entrance where there was air. I also had more control over Solar Flare now. If I were to go as deep as possible and then engage Solar Flare on the opening side of me, the flames would travel up the tunnel toward the entrance.

  Problem one: The flames will burn all the oxygen in the enclosed space. How do I breathe? Problem two: While I would probably survive the Flare with my Resistances, that doesn’t mean I would be uninjured. I don’t have Felix to get me out of trouble anymore. Problem three: Solar Flare will melt rock, and I could easily be trapped.

  I overcame these problems in Jern by being in unconnected tunnels and reaching through with my aura. I was not in the same tunnel.

  I examined the Map for a possible solution.

  There is a stream. It passes through a cavern, which the tunnel opens to, and then they mined in several directions from that cavern. The stream bubbles up in a pool and then runs through the cavern to exit in a narrow tunnel.

  I decided to walk and find the exit where it comes out on the surface. I walk down to the stream and follow it for a kilometre. There is a pool, and one stream enters it from a small creek, and the other drops from a small waterfall. It is not very high, about twice my height. I climb up and probe with my Void Senses as far as I can.

  The stream is not that big. It would only be about a meter wide. The creek winds its way through the weak cracks in the rock. There are pockets of air, but I won't be able to navigate up them.

  I finish climbing up and walk along the surface, following the underground stream with Void Sensing. I was looking for somewhere I could dig down into it.

  The stream went out of my range, and I looked at my map. I lost contact with the stream, but from my map, I could measure the distance to the cavern. It was about 150m further. I was on a rising hill, and I kept going, but the Cavern was also deeper than my senses could reach. That would have been too easy.

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  How much deeper? The roof of the cavern must be 2-300 meters below my senses. A Solar Flare would burn the rock away, but would it reach the cavern? The second or third one would. It would collapse or melt the roof. Access to the mine was a secondary consideration.

  I cast my senses around. Solar Flares would travel the path of least resistance, so I didn’t want them coming to the surface, even if I could sort of direct them now.

  Then I realised what an idiot I was. The stream cut a path of least resistance through the rock. If I ignite the Solar Flare in the stream, some of the energy will be used to vaporise the water, and then it will travel the same path—the exact path in both directions.

  Was that a problem? How many Solar Flares can I set off in a day? Two? Three?

  Before I do this, I had best scout the cavern and update my Map. There could have been a rock slide that would have blocked this or anything. Relying on decades-old information was stupid.

  I headed back to the mine and had something to eat and drink first. I cycled Purify Blood as I did to make sure.

  I refitted the cloth over my mouth and nose, started Solar Bloom and went exploring. When I got to the larger mushrooms, I didn’t stop. I left Solar Bloom going and just walked on through the mushrooms using my axe to cut a path where I needed to.

  There were several minor cave-ins. I only cleared one, as it was blocking a significant portion of the tunnel.

  The cavern had the biggest mushrooms yet. It made sense as the mushrooms liked water, and this cavern had a stream running through it.

  Solar Bloom was not doing anything here except killing the spores.

  Then I sensed the insects moving in the Mushrooms. I remember that from before. Why are the spores not affecting the insects? I sense beetles, a centipede and some small spiders. There was a moth in the air. Are they immune?

  I picked up a beetle. It didn’t like Solar Bloom, but it was not killing it. I killed it and then reduced Sola Bloom to be around me, moving to where I could sense them. They were not affected by Solar Bloom.

  They did seem to be immune. I had no way of finding out more, and I was not going to capture some to be researched. I was fairly certain that the insects were carrying the spores and spreading them.

  I would have to stop them from escaping through the open entrance. The hot rock seemed to work.

  I explored the tunnels branching off from the cavern, and the size of the mushrooms decreased the further they were from the stream. None of the tunnels was long or deep.

  I backtracked to the entrance and explored the other two forks before I left. The one where I had been practising was still warm and didn’t have any mushrooms. The other was not that long, so I flamed it on the way out to kill anything.

  That was enough for the day. I went back to the cabin to rest—still no Pānihi or Kahz.

  The next day, I felt a sense of loneliness. That was new. Bear-kin in general are loners. We are comfortable being alone for months or years on end.

  I missed Felix. I missed his quiet, steady presence. This has happened before, but we have been busy, mostly. Kiri is also good at recognising the signs and often sits with me. Movement is a good distraction, and I can remember him, but I don't get bogged down in it.

  Today I have no urgent tasks. I can sit and wallow. I should set off a Solar Flare in the stream, but it is not urgent. The mushrooms are not going anywhere.

  I spent some time in my bear form. Eventually, I changed to Humanoid and found a nice piece of hardwood. I started a carving of Felix. There were two things he liked doing: running and sleeping. I decided to carve him curled up asleep first.

  I had the basic shape carved and was starting on the details when I realised it was time. I don’t know why, but now was the time. I got my gear and made my way to the spot on my Map where I lost sense of the stream.

  I reached down with my Cosmic Aura. With my Spiritual Strength at 44 and Cosmic Aura at Level 12, my radius was now 44m. I stretch it in one direction; I can sense the river almost 80m below me.

  I don’t want to be directly on top of it, as that seems monumentally stupid. I moved back so I was well to the side, and then moved some more. I focused on Solar Flare. This Skill was an early apprentice, so I had more control than I used to, and even more from my increase in Spiritual Attributes. I directed the skill to be aligned with the river, aimed at the cavern.

  I put a lot into it. I didn’t run myself out of energy, but I put in more than the minimum. There was an explosion, and the ground rumbled. I heard a burst of steam whistling out of the waterfall. I hope the cavern is worse.

  I watched for a bit, and the ground seemed to slump. Hmmm. I didn’t think of that. I might have just blocked the river at this point. Where is the water going to flow? Will it back up in the mine? Uh oh. Have I just flooded the mine? Will that kill the mushrooms or spread them?

  The grass started to wilt as the heat of the Solar Flare began to make it to the surface. I started to head back to the mine.

  The entrance to the mine was… well, it looked like when Yoboc exhaled his pipe smoke. I think it was mainly steam, though.

  I extended Solar Bloom and tried to determine if the steam killed the spores or not. I am not sure. Heat is not suitable for them, and steam is always well above the boiling point of water. If the Mushrooms had a lot of moisture, would they boil? Cook? I don't know what the word is. I will have to go in and find out.

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