James walked through the streets filled with the dead as they made their way to Linda's workshop. Amber stayed by his side, both of them feeling Luna wander off after having a breakdown.

"How is she…" Linda trailed off.

James sucked in a breath between his teeth. "Not good. She's being taken care of by a few souls right now."

"I won't judge. What happened today was trying for nearly everyone and Luna wasn't meant for stuff like this."

"Just like the others aren't," he pointed out.

Chuckling, she nodded. "Jamie can handle it, but Mender is a healer and his patients tried to kill him. I won't speak for the others. None of us thought our paths to power would end up like this."

Amber peeked around his back. "What about you, Linda? Why are you staying with us?"

Grinning wickedly, she answered, "I've had the taste of blood and can't stop. I'm stronger than I ever thought possible, and I want more. Following James will provide that."

"And I thought I was driven," James joked.

Amber broached the real subject. "What is our goal with going south? I'll follow you anywhere, but what is our end goal?"

James found himself shrugging. What is my end goal? Will I try and save the world? Am I only in this to learn about my past and people? Do I just want to settle down?

"He doesn't know," Linda stated. "Which is fine. We have plenty of time to figure it out."

"You're right." Bringing them to a stop, James let out a slow breath.

Amber turned him toward her. "We'll see Everest soon. That should be our goal for now."

A smile broke out on his face. "I can't wait."

Linda cleared her throat. "Can we grab my stuff already? I need to rest some more and I know Amber does too."

Looking over both ladies, James found them wincing as they started walking again. Checking their souls, he found them still damaged from the fight. They were slowly healing, but they would still need several hours.

"The workshop is just ahead," Linda announced. "Amber, you can stay with me and help me pack. James, go find some booze."

Chuckling, he followed the ladies long enough to find the shop before departing. He didn't know about grabbing booze, but he would find something for them.

He didn't make it further than three blocks before the shadows shifted and Zenaria stepped out.

"I thought you were leaving?" he questioned.

"I thought I was too. You promised to protect me. Does that still stand?"

Smiling, he nodded. "It does. Stay by my side and I'll shelter you from the world. No questions asked."

Stepping up to his side, she shared his smile. "I hear we are looking for booze. I know a spot."

Looking her over, he sighed.

"What's wrong?" she asked with worry.

His eyes fell on her tail, which was matted to no end. "I'll take care of it tonight."

Following his gaze, she grabbed her tail. "You will?"

"I will. I have enough shampoo for a while."

"Thank you." Letting her tail go, she linked her arm with his. "I saw Luna wander away…"

"It's my fault she left," he whispered, his shoulders slumping as his energy drained away.

"Yes, yes it is." Zenaria didn't sugar coat it. "James. You just killed a city of over a million people. People like you and I are fine, but Luna is much more fragile. She wanted love and comfort, not endless fighting and plots of evil. Give her space and she'll come back. But for now, I think we need to gather supplies and talk about our next stop."

He could agree with that at least. Taking a moment to look around, he found them near a market that he recognized. He had passed through it on the way to the mountain and remembered some of the things that they sold.

"Over here." Taking the lead, he guided them into the square. "We can grab a few wilderness tents and some food. Might even be booze for Linda."

Giggling, Zenaria nodded. "Lead the way, brother. We might have to check out the apothecary as well."

"For what?" he questioned.

"Shampoo and soap. I could also use some other items I've never been able to afford."

Pulling her to a stop, he said, "I don't know if we can even afford it now. I never did finish making those plumbing devices for the manors."

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Jaw dropping, the kitsune's eyes twinkled with mirth before she started laughing. Tears welled up in her eyes as she clutched her chest. Glancing at him, she laughed harder as he gave her the most serious look he could.

"Stop!" she rasped.

Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "what are you talking about? I hope you aren't considering stealing all of these goods."

Holding her sides, she rested her palm against his chest, holding herself upright. "Dammit, James!"

Breaking character, he started chuckling. "I may be a killer, but I'm not a thief."

Calming herself, she let out one last laugh. "Thank you, James. I needed that."

"We all do." Rubbing his hands together, he started toward the market. They all needed to destress after what happened that morning. His family was broken up. The city was gone. Yeah, they all needed something to take their mind off of the death all around them.

***

Jamie walked with her brother as they headed south. Their wounds were still healing, and their souls felt inflamed, but they were managing.

"Do you think we should have left?" Mender asked suddenly.

"Yes. If we had taken James to the city we need, then he might have broken our cover. The moment we learn about father, I'll be leaving to follow him. James is still my future."

Mender nodded. Not wanting to turn to her, he said, "I'm sorry about Bunny."

Sagging slightly, Jamie slowed her pace. "So am I. She was fun and I didn't want to kill her."

"Do you blame him?"

Shaking her head, she thought it over. It was true that it was James's fault that the city fell, but it also seemed that the city was doomed either way. James just kicked it off early. "I don't blame him. Nothing we could have done would have prepared us for the consequences of our actions."

"I agree, but we probably should have told him that."

Looking over shoulder, she couldn't help but think the same. To him, it must have seemed as though his family had suddenly broken apart. He was left with Amber and Linda, but was that enough to help him on his journey.

She didn't know, but she liked to think they would be. She was also tempted to go back to him and forget about her father. If she hadn't spent most of her life training for the day she could find him, she would have done just that.

"Let's keep going," she said after a moment. "The sooner we finish our mission, the sooner I can meet with him again. I can't wait to see what enchantments he'll have come up with."

***

James stuffed his storage with plenty of supplies for the five of them. They would all have their own tents, but he assumed Luna would share with him. He was still concerned that Luna had wandered off but could tell that she wasn't very far. If she needed someone to talk to, he hoped he would be that person.

Zenaria brushed her tail against him, pulling him from his thoughts. "I thought that might work."

Chuckling, he rubbed his eyes. "Just a lot changed today. I feel broken. I should be having nightmares over what I did, and yet all I can think about is the fact I leveled up."

"Oh? Are you level eleven now?"

Turning to her a blank expression, he said, "It concerns me that you, Linda, and Amber are not bothered by the deaths. There's something wrong with us."

"You're right," she admitted. "My tail is a mess and I need a bath before I feel like the stench of blood and death melds with me."

Shutting down his concerns for the time being, he knew that he would have to address the problem eventually. He needed to know why he wasn't emotionally involved with the lives of the cities. The only ones he cared about were his family, and those that he bonded with. Nothing else mattered at the moment. Another city could die and he'd sleep just as well as he would this coming night.

Heading back to the workshop, he walked side by side with the kitsune. He realized that he knew next to nothing about her. He would have to remedy that on their journey south.

Knocking on the door once, he entered and found Amber with her hands full. The nekorian was carrying a large rack with leather draped over it. Linda was adding things to her ring while writing down the contents before taking things from Amber. It was a simple system, and James appreciated the moment of normalcy.

"We brought booze!" Zenaria announced.

Amber beamed at the two of them. "I knew you couldn't stay away. Your brother would have been heart broken if all of his siblings left."

Linking arms with him, Zenaria rested her head on his shoulder. "He's cleaning my tail tonight. I hope you don't mind."

Laughing, Amber waved her off. "As long as he cleans mine as well, I don't care."

Rolling his eyes, James started pulling out sleeping rolls. Setting them up in a small area, he yawned. Next, he took out four tubs and started filling them with steaming water. He could hear the women moan as they started stripping.

Smiling to himself, he pulled out shampoo and soaps that he had collected. Handing a few over to Linda, he set the rest beside Amber and Zenaria. Moving to his cat first, he helped her into the tub before pulling out a cloth for her to wipe down with.

"Don't forget about me," Zenaria called out.

Tossing her another cloth, he looked over Amber's wounds. She had plenty of new scars from the soul damage attacks and the fact her Regeneration didn't prevent them. It was something he didn't know could happen and it made him worry for the future.

Not only had their enemies found a way to permanently kill them, but now he had soul damage to worry about too. What if he wasn't around next time? What if he couldn't help them get strong enough?

A gentle hand touched his cheek. "Everything will be fine, James."

Blinking a few times, he found his eyes blurry and wet. A silence had fallen over the group, and he could feel the concern from each of the ladies. Amber started to rub his cheek, wiping away the tears.

"We have you, James," she whispered.

Taking a shaky breath, he smiled. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome, but I do believe you have two tails to clean, and we can only wait for so long."

Wiping his eyes the rest of the way, he grabbed the shampoo. Just before he was about to pour some into his hands, he made eye contact with Amber and smirked. "I think I'll make you wait."

Smile fading, she sat up. "What?"

Moving away from her, he stopped next to Zenaria and grabbed her tail. "Oof." Running his fingers along the matted fur, he winced. "This is going to take a while. I hope you don't mind a long bath."

"I'll savor every moment of it," she groaned as the steam rose around her face.

"Come back here!" Amber yelled.

Ignoring the nekorian, he dipped the kitsune's tail back into the water and started scrubbing. When he got to the base of her tail, he felt the two scars on her back. She also tensed and started to pull away when he removed his hands as if nothing had happened.

"You're going to need a lot of shampoo," he stated. "Do you want lavender tonight? It'll help you relax."

Meeting his gaze with fear and concern she swallowed. He used his soul to brush against her, sending understanding and acceptance to her. One day she might tell him what happened to her other two tails, but tonight wasn't that day.

Lathering up his hands, he started with the base of her tail. "You're much more fun to clean than Amber."

"Hey!" Amber yelled.

Giggling, Zenaria covered her mouth. "I shouldn't laugh…"

"No, you should!" Linda chirped before dunking her head under the water. Coming back up for air, she added, "we all need a laugh, and if it's at Amber's expense, the happier I am."

"Fuck you too!" Amber growled.

Ladies," James said with warning, calming the group. "If you are going to pick on Amber, you have to do it right. Like the fact she has a birthmark that looks like a smiley face on her butt."

Everyone started laughing as Amber glared at him. "You'll pay for that…"

Winking at her, he returned his focus to Zenaria. He really was going to have to clean her tail for a while before it was back to normal.

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