Entering the tannery, James found a group of demi-humans guarding the building. Linda was by his side, her eyes wide as she looked over the men and women protecting the leather.

"Did you hire them?" James asked.

"No." Linda took the lead as she stepped up to an elf with tawny hair and a very slender body. Despite that, the man was holding a two handed sword. "What's going on here?"

"Linda!" The man beamed. "We saw the queen drag you off so we rallied around your shop. We heard explosions and fighting."

Linda bobbed her head to the explanation. "Yes. Amber saved me, but now I need the leather I have finished. I'll be leaving the city."

All eyes turned to James.

"You're leaving with him?" the elf asked.

"Technically yes," Linda explained, "but it's really Bronson I'm leaving with."

Several of the demi-humans laughed. Parting, they allowed Linda into her shop, where she waved for James to follow.

"I have all of the rolls of leather ready," she said. "I can't craft with them, and I'd suggest finding a real armorer or leatherworker."

Adding the leather to his storage, James nodded. "Is there anyone you would recommend?"

Rubbing her chin, she frowned. "I'm not sure. There are no master leatherworkers in Settling Stone. Maybe we can find something in Running Rivers."

"Then, that's what we'll do," James stated. "For now, we need to meet at the bar before everyone drinks Mason out of house and home."

Giggling, Linda stepped up to his side. "It feels weird, you know. There's something burning in my body and I can see souls in everyone. It's hard to look at you."

James gave her a tired look. "I'll be getting that a lot." Even then, he could feel the demi-humans' fear. No one wanted to be in the same area as him. Many of the guards had already left, wanting to distance themselves from his presence. The nearby street was being avoided as residents took different routes to avoid the area.

Linda gave him a weak smile. "Let's go, Master."

Forcing a smile, he nodded. "Is there anything you wish to take from here? If so, you can come back after I make your storage ring."

Panning her gaze over the furniture and tools, she said, "I'll be taking most of this shop with me. Heavens only know that you will need my help with future leather."

"We better stock up on tannin, then. I'll add some money to your ring and you can buy what you need. Make sure you get supplies for the trip as well. Blankets, food to add to dishes. Planting seeds and what not. Anything you think will help when we arrive at our location."

"Thank you, Master. I'll make sure Bronson helps me. He'll need extra large sizes of everything."

Chuckling, he started to leave. "Make sure you stay by his side today. He's going to teach you to fight, and you'll be siphoning souls for the first time."

"I will."

Eyeing the crowd, he felt pain in his heart. Everyone was stepping back, giving him a wide berth as he met their gaze. He tried to pull his soul in further, but that only made the air around him distort and bend, filling everyone with even more fear. Giving up, he decided to spread his soul out over the city, thinning it as much as he could. Hundreds of thousands of souls brushed against him, shivering before calming. Not to far from him, he could feel Luna's concern push against him as she searched his soul. Even Amber was nudging him as she tried to understand what she was feeling.

The others were already drinking as he turned towards them. Linda stayed by his side, just behind his arm as she deferred to him. The streets they were walking quickly emptied, their residents scattering into houses or side streets. Even the market they were heading towards was emptying.

The walk was long and filled with emotion as James adjusted to the new power of his soul. He had reached level eight and was even more of a monster.

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Stepping into the inn, he only had to wait a second before a certain Fenrir had leaped onto him, wrapping her legs around his chest, while burying his face into her chest.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"Can't…breathe…" he mumbled.

"Get off him!" Amber shouted. "You're killing him!"

Growling, Luna pulled away, letting him breathe. "He loves when I suffocate him with my body. Isn't that right, Honey?"

He forced his smile and shrugged. Everyone could feel his sorrow as they raised their drinks.

"We won't be here long," Mender said as he walked over. "I heard we would be able to spend the night outside tonight."

"I think you will all enjoy watching the stars," James said earnestly. "It'll hurt for about a week, but the beauty is worth it. You'll gain skills to stop the flares from hurting you."

Amber thumped down her mug. "What are these skills we have? You never mentioned them before."

Luna led him over to the tables that everyone had pushed together. Once he was sitting, he said, "they are how we grow stronger than anyone else on the planet." Summoning his soul to his finger, he turned to Jamie. "This skill is Soul Crafting. It allows me to use my soul to aid all crafting that I put my mind to. It is not a normal skill that you can just gain. I had to stretch my soul and convince it to evolve the skill. Same with my Soul Water. But I also have regular crafting skills that give me knowledge on how to do it better. That's why I'm figuring out enchanting so fast."

"So, you have always been a cheater," Jamie tutted.

"Can we get the crafting skills?" Linda asked.

"Yes. You can also gain weapons skills that will help you perfect your form. Resistances to damage and status effects. Those are my favorite," he added. "But, I noticed that I haven't gained a skill for swords. I believe that since I'm using my Soul Weapon, that I'm not gaining anything. I need to use a regular sword to gain it."

"What is a soul weapon?" Bronson asked.

Nodding, James turned to Luna. "I received mine at level three. Luna's is more powerful and she got hers at level five. None of us will gain skills at the same rate or time. But I believe all of you will get a weapon that is suited towards you. Jamie might get a bow or daggers. Bronson, you seem keen to use a club and might get one. Amber has her claws and may gain a boost to them that rips apart souls. It's hard to say."

Amber summoned her claws, before looking down at them with a wide grin. Bronson fingered the spikes on his club while Jamie summoned her bow.

"How would my arrows work?" Jamie asked. "Would I have unlimited Soul Arrows?"

Shrugging, James said, "I don't know. Just know that your weapons will be your most powerful tool, but just as they are powerful, they have drawbacks. I have trouble dodging while I crave the thrill of battle. I rush in unhindered about taking damage. Luna craves souls and if she can't devour one, she loses control. She's getting better, but that is her curse."

"Maybe my curse is that I'll enter heat and James will have to appease me," Amber joked.

Everyone groaned and threw bread at the cat. Even Mason threw a dinner roll, bouncing it off her head.

"Hey!" she protested.

James cleared his throat. "Now that we know Amber is horny, we can focus on skills again. I can't tell you if there's a limit to the skills or not. They only go up to level ten, but the resistances are my highest leveled skills. I still feel pain, but it isn't crippling. The heat at night still warms me, but I don't rip apart. They are resistances, not immunities. Keep that in mind."

"But I can still craft," Linda stated. "That's all that matters to me."

"Yes. In fact," James started. "You could learn leatherworking as well and the knowledge will simply be there for you to expand on. That's what I plan on doing with armoring and leatherworking when I can."

"Can we pick your brain more about Soul Crafting?" Jamie asked.

"How about magic?" Mender questioned.

Luna spoke up next. "James has water, but he doesn't use it to attack. I have wind and can create spells, just like I used to. The higher my level, the more skilled I am at manipulating the air. You all can do the same with the element of your choice. But one of you needs to learn earth."

"Why?" Boris asked.

Turning to the oni, James said, "We are going to be taking over an ancient city as our base of operations. We will need to repair a building to set up in. We'll need woodworking and farming. Herbalism, and enchanting. Any crafting profession you can think of, we will need."

"There's only nine of us," Brakin stated. "We don't have enough people to focus on all of that."

Pressing his hands together, James nodded. "I know. We will recruit more people when we can. But for now, we will all do what we can. Find something you are interested in and see if you can't learn it. We have plenty of gold to pay people."

"When are we leaving?" Amber asked. "We need to know so we can learn and grow."

"A week," James answered. "We will be leaving with Elder Bo and heading to Running River. I have some unfinished business with their sect."

"I'll be ready," she said. "I have a few people I need to talk to tomorrow. I won't be hunting right away."

"Speaking of hunting, we should get moving." Getting up, James regarded them all for a moment. "We are staying outside the city tonight. We'll have baths in the morning, and I'm sure you know why."

Chuckling nervously, Mender joined him. "I guess it's time to grow stronger. Are our rings large enough to store the Forsaken we are killing?"

Pulling out four more rings, James handed them over to Bronson. "Hand them out. And yes, they are. You won't be hurting for space for long. In the morning, we will drop our kills off at the butchers and get paid. After that, we gather supplies and learn what we can. Tomorrow afternoon will be more fighting."

"Let's go, brother!" Jamie chirped.

Smiling for real, James took the lead as they left the bar. They had a long day ahead of them.

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