This is where Heat Resistance is needed, separate from Fire Resistance. I have extremes of both. The temperature in the cave was well above the boiling point of water, and it grew hotter the further I went in.

  I pushed Clearsight as I wanted to see the effect on the mushroom. Void Sensing only indicates where the voids are located.

  I got to the larger mushrooms where I had stopped flaming, and they were shrunken. Shrivelled, yes, but were they dead? I wasn’t sure, but I would let the heat do as much as possible before I acted.

  I wanted to see what was happening in the cavern, so I pushed on. It got hotter, and the steam got thicker.

  I eventually made it, and Clearsight had levelled as it struggled to pierce the steam.

  The pool of water was still there, but it was boiling. There was no sign of the stream that flowed from the pool into the wall, which flowed underground. It was already steaming before leaving the pond.

  I looked at the mushrooms. The heat was killing them. I’m not sure if it would be enough. I will have to wait and see what happens after the ground cools.

  Breathing in that dense steam was uncomfortable. I made my way out and went back to the cabin. I would have another look tomorrow.

  I made my way back to the cabin and settled down to do some carving.

  Still no word from the town. I was starting to get worried.

  The next morning, I tossed the carving of Felix and started again. I was not happy with it.

  About mid-morning, I went to look at the mine. It was still steaming, but a lot more gently. I walked in and started down towards the cavern. The steam got thicker the lower I went, but it was a lot less intense than yesterday.

  I examined the mushrooms on the way down, and they certainly looked dead to me, as did the insects that lived there. They all looked cooked.

  I might have completed my task.

  When I arrived at the cavern, it was slowly filling with water, transforming into an underground lake. I tested the water, and it was warm. Steam was still rising from it.

  I guess the cave and the mines will continue to fill with water until it finds a new exit. The worst-case scenario is that it uses the mine entrance, but I am confident it will find some way to exit before that. I don’t know how much of the mine will ultimately be flooded, though.

  I practise my Solar Flame as I head out, as that is the skill I took on this task to level, and I wasn't really going to get to level it. Solar Flare is a powerful skill, and it has unintended consequences. Always. I tried to consider what would happen, and I still got it wrong.

  I guess at least this time I didn’t level my Mass Executioner class. I let out a little sardonic laugh. I have a class I am trying NOT to level.

  I settled down to start my carving again. It got late in the day, and still no Kahz, or Pānihi. No Kiri or Kevin either.

  Chauncey arrived back just before dark. “You are out of luck, lad, or maybe we both are out of luck.”

  “Oh?” I asked.

  “There was no way I could get to see the Countess. There was a big scandal about her personal maid being tricked, and the city is in lockdown while a manhunt is underway.”

  I sat up. This was not a coincidence. What did Kiri do? “I am going to need to leave,” I said as I collected my things.

  Chauncey’s eyes narrowed at me, “What do you know?”

  “I know nothing, but I definitely don’t believe in coincidences any more.”

  He didn’t believe me, but all he said was, “Well, you have given me a lead to follow in clearing the mine, so thanks for that.”

  “It seems I am the only one out of luck,” I said. “The mine is clear of Duskmarrow Fungi, but I would wait another day or so before going in. The mine may now be partially underwater.”

  “What?” Chauncey said. “Water? I thought you were using Fire and Solar Bloom? And I thought it was going to take weeks?”

  “Things change, and it is done, but I have to go.”

  “How do I pay you?” Chauncey said.

  I shrugged, “I was never here,” I said as I stuffed the partial-carving of Felix in my pack. “I guess it is your lucky day.”

  Just then, a black raven flew into the clearing and dive-bombed me. Then, it circled with urgent squawking.

  “Yeah, yeah, I figured,” I told it.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Does that bond belong to you?” Chauncey asked.

  “No, because I was never here,” I said pointedly.

  Then, a massive sabre-toothed Panther with bone plating bounded into the clearing. And growled. Chauncey ducked into the cabin, like that would save him. “Shit, I heard rumours of sightings in town. I thought it was just the drinking talking.”

  “I am coming,” I told it. Kahz flew off into the forest. I looked at Chauncey, catching his eye, “It was the drink talking,” I said firmly. “None of us were ever here.”

  “Right. I didn’t see anything,” Chauncey said, and I ran off into the woods after Pānihi.

  What bloody trouble had that woman got into now?

  Pānihi was not leading me to the town, so I figured they got out of a locked-down city somehow. I settled down into a steady run with Endurance Running, taking the effort out of it. If they are being chased for whatever foolishness just happened, it was going to be a long run.

  Hearing Aid heard the barking of hunting dogs on a trail of their prey in the distance. I no longer believe in coincidences. They might have got out of town, but they didn’t get away cleanly.

  Pānihi was not leading me toward the hunt, so I figured Kiri had a rendezvous point somewhere after she lost them.

  We ran through the night. I was getting grumpier. I thought we had lost our followers, and now we are back at it again. Kiri being recognised is the most likely event, especially if sightings of Pānihi were circulating.

  Grump, grump. We shouldn’t have stopped. We should have bypassed the town and kept going. Kevin wanted to sleep on a soft bed, but now look what happened. We are going to be running for days, aren’t we?

  That was, of course, all muttered to myself, and Pānihi ignored me.

  In the dawn light, I brought down two rabbits with my Knife Throw, and Pānihi and I had raw rabbit for breakfast. It was a pain to have to go and find the knives when I missed. The knives do show up clearly in my Cosmic Aura, but I still miss the return enchantment.

  We jogged through the day. I was getting grumpier the longer I went without sleep. Bear-kin need their sleep.

  Pānihi and I chased down a doe in the late afternoon, and we feasted where it fell. Kahz found us, as we were eating and joined us. We then changed direction to follow him. Leaving the carcass for other scavengers.

  Night had fallen when Kahz led us to Kevin, who had a camp set up under a rock overhang. I did little more than greet him, changed into my night form, and went to sleep.

  The sun was up when I woke. I stretched, still in my bear form. Pānihi wasn’t around, but Kevin had some eggs cooking. I wasn’t going to ask what type of egg they were, or where they were found.

  “What's the plan?” I asked.

  “Wait for Kiri to lose the hunters and then get out of here,” Kevin said. He sounded a bit down.

  “Want to tell me what happened back in town?” I asked.

  His face flushed. I have got into the habit of having Light Filter on a lot, and it showed an increase of heat there too. “Not particularly,” he said. Then he sighed, “But Kiri is never going to let me forget it.”

  “So it wasn’t her getting into trouble then?” I asked.

  “No, ah, Kiri bailed me out,” he paused, “It is a bit embarrassing.”

  “Well, spit it out, or would you rather I hear Kiri’s version?”

  Kevin winced. “So it was all going well. Then one evening, I was practising my acting skills in an upmarket tavern. That was going well, too, and I was close to breaking through to Journeyman level. The, ah, ladies I was flirting with never suspected a thing. However, things then got out of hand and escalated too quickly. One of them was quite assertive,” he paused. “I soon found myself in an upstairs room with them.”

  “Why was that a problem?” I asked. Humans have funny rules around mating.

  “Well, I might have had a bit too much to drink and got a bit excited. I, ah… the part I was playing was a young noble. Female, a young Female noble. I, ah, when they saw I was not a female, they were very upset. One of them turned out to be the Countess's head maid, and I was accused of … well, all sorts of things and the guard was called. Kiri had to get me out, and there was a big manhunt, me being the man that was hunted.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Poor Kevin was so embarrassed, and humans are so weird about sex.

  I was not expecting this. Kiri trying to scam somebody, or her ID being discovered, was what I was expecting. Kevin seducing two women as a female? I chuckled again.

  “That has to be Journeyman-level Acting,” I said

  Kevin looked even more embarrassed, “Ah, yeah, it was.”

  I laughed again. Laughing felt good. I don’t think I have laughed since Felix died. It felt like a release of something inside me. Maybe the grief loosened its hold a little.

  I kept chuckling most of the day, and Kevin kept giving me dark looks. I did ask for more details, but he clammed up.

  Late afternoon, Kahz flew in, followed shortly after by Kiri and Pānihi. “I lost them for now, but they are bloody persistent,” she gave a very pointed look at Kevin. “We need to move right away.”

  Shit, more night running. Now I gave Kevin dark looks. We had done this before and had quickly packed up. Kiri had a good amount of supplies, which means there were large packs to carry. Travelling with humans is wearying. They always have so much stuff. Somehow, I seem to carry the bulk of it. I didn’t update them on my Gravity Filter levelling.

  Kiri seemed to sense my mood, and I got a sweet kiss and a slap on my backside. I returned the slap.

  Then we were running again at a steady pace in the fading light. I looked to where the first stars were appearing, and my Astral Map oriented, and we were heading a bit south of east. Kiri led, Pānihi and Kahz ranged out, and Kevin and I followed.

  There was no urgency in Kiri’s run, so she wasn’t worried about the hunters being too close. It is better just to get away, so that we don't have to fight people we don’t have to. Or kill someone's dog bond when they are just doing their jobs.

  The grief tightened again a little.

  I sighed as we settled into a night of running. Probably a few days and nights of running. This is nothing new.

  I gave everyone a shot of Revitalise via my aura. That is one skill I haven’t managed to alter, the one I thought would be easy.

  Well shit, I am dumb. It is easy. I infused Revitalise with direct Solar affinity, instead of trying to merge the skills.

  Revitalise turned into Solar Infusion. It was still basically an energy boost skill, but now without the downside. Solar Infusion also had a small but lasting boost to the body's natural healing. It was already Journeyman, so I could use it in my Aura. I probably could have anyway due to the solar aspect. It wasn’t exactly what I was wanting, but it is a big improvement on Revitalise, and it is my first actual Healing Skill.

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