Temate grunted, pulling on the corded vine rope Toni had quickly put together, which wrapped up around the low branch of a tree. Tied to the other end of the rope the collective mass of their bags lifted up off the ground to hang nearly twice his height off the ground. Toni released her grip on the rope and wiped her forehead.

  "Well. Not sure I actually helped much there, but this should keep em secure." She turned to grin at Temate who smiled softly back.

  "A fall back point is a good idea, gd you brought it up." He nodded to her and they turned to walk to a small, smooth table set in the tiny clearing they'd found. Compliments of Laurel. Who unched from the branch he'd just finished wrapping their rope to and nding neatly next to it.

  "Indeed, a good pn ma'am! This is why tactical minds such as yours are so important! Here I was about to go plowing in and risking all of your gear!" Laurel complimented Toni, getting a proud grin from her as she put her hands on her hips.

  "Well this is two-fold as well, Sir Laurel. After all, we know nothing about how each other fight and we're going into a... dangerous situation." Toni gnced over her shoulder in the direction of the Fallow.

  It was maybe 15 minutes away, back towards the center of the Leshy's Forests. They'd had to skirt around it in order to find a clearing rge enough for the smaller tree's to grow within. Though only smaller comparative to the tree's in this world, which made them still tall as the biggest trees back home.

  "Ah, a good point ma'am. Why don't we discuss some of our more combat appropriate [Powers]!" Laurel agreed, hopping onto the top of the shiny circur table he'd made. "As you saw with this table I possess [Growth Shape] and several other [Powers] which influence the strength and speed I can perform it!" Laurel tapped his foot on the table in emphasis.

  Temate thought back to that moment. Toni expining a fallback point and a pre-op briefing and meeting.

  "LAUREL GET BACK H- GAH." Toni shouted after the Squarel as they unched up a trunk into the low hanging foliage. Temate pced a hand on her back, surprised when she looked back at him with frustration.

  "Rex, it's the way he is, and you saw how he got at the Fallow." He spoke softly to her.

  Her anger wilted and she sighed. "Yeah, I saw but it's just... I wish I knew why he did that! It's hard to pn around..." Toni grimaced, frustration evident in her expression. A soft hoot and a peck on her cheek from Snowball softened her again.

  "Awww, thank you. Such a good bird." She patted the owl who hooted in delight.

  Temate's retort about not trusting the bird was cut off by the crash of Laurel behind them.

  "Ah, sorry that took so long, had to find the right one!" Laurel held aloft a shining, glossy acorn with clear self-satisfaction.

  "Oh good, an acorn, how helpful." Toni practically sneered the words and Laurel looked hurt.

  "If we're going to have a meeting, we need a table!" He protested. Toni didn't reply just gring at him. Laurel twitched his nose up in defiance, turning and smming the acorn into the ground. He pced his hands above the acorn and Temate's couldn't stop the slow, disbelieving blink on his face.

  Laurel's hands glimmered with soft green light which wrapped down around the Acorn which began to grow! Not grow into a tree, the actual shell and form of the acorn rippled and expanded, quickly spreading out and upward. In a mere few seconds the acorn was repced by a shiny, smooth table which looked to be made from one whole acorn shell.

  "There, table." Laurel stated, giving Toni a gre that wasn't so much a gre, but an inquisitive, hopeful look. That he tried to hide with a gre.

  Toni, for her part, was delighted. "Laurel! What was that!" Laurel's 'gre' rapidly faded to a beaming smile of pride.

  "That, miss is one of my core [Powers]" Laurel chittered happily.

  "And that." She pointed at both Laurel and the table. "Is why we need this meeting."

  After that, Toni had directed them to take out the things they needed for combat and then stowed the rest of their gear. In the trees so that nothing could reach them.

  "You know. It's not like bears are gonna ransack the pce." Temate smirked at Toni as they gathered around the table. She punched his shoulder lightly.

  "I know that, but who knows what other wild things might come by!"

  Surrender chirped in. "Mostly worry about Goblin. Sneaky." She sat on one side of the table, gently cleaning her tail with some spare water.

  "Goblins? They would get that stuff down?" Toni asked.

  "Aye, though Goblins here are rare, they're more North and don't come this far west." Laurel added in.

  "Didn't Tharoah say they were more aggressive as of te though?" Pipuck asked, standing aways off the table by a bush.

  "Piiip, join us at the table, we need all hands together." Toni whined, waving a hand towards Pipuck. Pipuck looked between them, and after a bit more cajolling, they gave in. Stepping up to the table with the others Pipuck asked another question.

  "So who's goin' firs'?" Pipuck looked pointedly around. "I don't 'ave much in the way of comba' skills. More suppor'."

  "Skills?" Laurel tilted his head.

  "Stupid thing Master like say." Surrender replied with a huff. "Mean [Powers]."

  "Oooooh, hmmm it does seem rather silly when [Powers] are so aptly descriptive."

  "We're not having this discussion again." Temate sighed. "[Powers] comes off to me as things you actively engage in and use, but some are more... Passive. For instance, I'll go first." Temate moved the conversation along.

  "Most know this already, but most of my [Powers] are combat capable, so I'll just list them and give a brief rundown. Cool?" Temate stated, everyone nodded but Laurel spoke up.

  "Are you quite sure about that?" He asked, hands rubbing nervously together. "We don't know each other all that well. It seems a bit... much."

  "Yes I'm sure Laurel, they're all valuable... Well except maybe one but Toni's are pnner. She knows most of these but I got some new ones too." Temate looked over to Toni who was looking at Laurel.

  She looked back to him, then to Laurel, then asked. "Is telling people your [Powers] some intimate thing Laurel?" She looked almost annoyed, which turned to actual annoyance a second ter.

  "Aye, after all you're literally baring your nature to the world you know?" Laurel answered her.

  "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH." The sheer, raw irritation in the groan caused even Temate to jump. "I hate that shit! It's always like that in stories! If it's important, just fucking share it! Don't make such a big deal out of it!"

  Temate ughed a little. "Well in this case your [Powers] are literally partially created by the nature of your soul, the essence of your being. So I understand why it might feel more intimate to the natives." Temate nodded towards Laurel as he brought a hand up to rub Toni's back.

  "I'm sorry, you can't tell me that everyone in your world just spouts out the very nature of their being completely on first meeting!" Laurel shouted in surprise, fully missing the point of the conversation.

  "Nah, they don't. Bu' where they come from they don't 'ave skills- which aye I'm gonna keep usin' tha' cause I like i' more!" Pipuck gred around the group, only Surrender seemed to be bothered by it. And she only rolled her eyes.

  "So they don't 'ave stuff which people can easily learn to see their soul. Materials." Pipuck scoffed that st word out.

  "Hmmm, how very strange." Laurel muttered. A brief pause filled the space. Temate took that opportunity to continue.

  "As I was saying, I have 8 [Powers] in total, t-"

  "EIGHT!?" Laurel spat the word out in surprise.

  "...Yes?" Temate replied with a quizzical look at the Squarel.

  "How are you so weak?!" Laurel asked, no ill will intended but it still made Temate bristle.

  "What do you mean?" He asked, his voice low with a growl. He consciously ignored the shiver that caused in Surrender.

  "I mean, I only have 6 and I smmed you hard enough to stumble." Laurel didn't seem able to decide if he was apologetic or surprised more. "And you're so much bigger than me, you should be stronger..." Now he looked truly apologetic. "Not that I'm questioning your valor or honor good Sir, you fought well and your [Powers] turned the tide it's just."

  Temate wasn't angry anymore, in fact that had sparked a question he had to ask. "Do [Powers] not just give you the [Power] you... empower." Temate really hated saying power so much, it just didn't sound eloquent.

  "I though' you woul' 'ave notice'." Pipuck replied first, "You don't feel stronger? More energetic? Sturdier?" They asked.

  Huh. Temate had but he thought it had all been in his head. He thought it was just his excitement at this world. The excitement of justifiable battle and m- not murder. Not like before. Temate shook his head firmly to get back to the present.

  "You really hadn't noticed?" That came from Toni, hand on his arm as she watched him.

  "I thought it was adrenaline or something, or in my head." Temate responded, a bit ashamed.

  "Well it's no'. Every skill you empower increases the strength of your bein'. The deeper in the skill, the more poten' i' is an' the more impac' they have on you." Pipuck expined. Temate's eyes shot up at that, looking at Laurel.

  "How deep are your... [Powers] into your..." Ugh, these needed better names and words. 'Empowerment ritual space' was a mouthful. Power tree sounded silly, but then so did saying skill tree cause he hated gamifying things but. They kind of were game skills, like levelling without the big number over his head.

  A poke in his side brought him back to the group. Toni smiled sweetly at him before he could gre at her. So he looked to Laurel instead.

  "Sorry about that, I went off on my own. What-" a thought. "Rank are you?" He asked the Squarel knight, who gave him a look of confusion. "As in what's the [Power] you have furthest from your core of [Power]?" That got raised eyes of recognition.

  "Three levels in, so 'Rank' 3 by your marking." Laurel replied, then tilted his head. "Why though?"

  "I'm Rank 2. I don't think any of us is higher than Rank 2." Temate gave Surrender a look and she shook her head.

  "I find new [Power] when join you. So not 3 yet." She answered, giving Temate a very... uh... alluring smile.

  "Oh ho! Congratutions miss Surrender, new paths are always a joy!" Laurel complimented her which got her to beam at him.

  "Paths? New? Ah, not here. But that's interesting. If you have only one [Power] at Tier 3 and you're a good weight level stronger than me..." The power differentiation is signific- "OW That one hurt Toni!" Temate gred down at her as she held up a small metal rod.

  "Well don't trail off on important stuff then! You promised!" She sniffed imperiously. Such a princess sometimes.

  He sighed and patted her on the head, a little harder than normally. "The thought wasn't all there yet, so I didn't want to spill out potentially bad info. But it sounds like higher Tier [Powers] give greater benefit."

  "A' the cos' of bein' more difficul' to empower." Pipuck added.

  Temate nodded. "That's true, but it means it might be worth saving up instead of trying to just get everything at one tier. Especially if it keeps webbing out. How did you decide which paths to focus on Laurel?" Temate asked.

  Laurel ughed loudly. "Focus on? What do you mean? I only have two!"

  Temate was surprised, about to comment on that when Surrender spoke up. "Hah! I had three. Now four cause Master and friends!" Surrender puffed her chest out.

  Laurel seemed shocked. "Three?! Now four! That's... That's the making of a legend right there!" Temate looked to Toni almost at the same time as she looked at him. They were on the same page, if 4 was a potential legend...

  "W-what if you have five Laurel?" Toni asked cautiously.

  "FIVE?! Well you'd have to run with your tail between your legs. Only people I've ever heard of with five are Divines!" Laurel practically shouted that. Toni looked back to Temate, and after a brief moment the two looked to Pipuck. They didn't need to ask the Spiras how many they had. It was written in their wide eyed shock.

  Temate spoke into Surrender and Laurels shared ughter at the lunacy of meeting someone like that.

  "We-" Temate pointed to Toni, then himself, then Pipuck. "-Have five."

  Silence. Immediate and utter silence. Surrender just looked on them with a new found admiration. Utter awe written on her expression. Laurel was the one to break the silence with another loud guffaw.

  "You're jesting! How could you have so many paths and be so-"

  "Because I unlocked all 5 tier ones, and three tier twos. I haven't breached tier three yet." Temate cut him off before he could comment about 'weakness' again. Laurel stopped ughing, examining him carefully. Then Toni who had her head in her hands on the table. Then Pipuck who was now examining their own hands, shock no linger clear on their face.

  "Y-You aren't making a joke. You're not. You're not joking." Laurel's mouth slowly fell open. "I-I am soooo sorry I called you weak Sir! Please forgive me!" Laurel threw himself head first into a bow on the table so hard the table cracked.

  "I-its okay, I am weak... I guess." Compared to what he apparently could be?

  "But still, if... If I had known!" Laurel was worried, his hands rubbing together yet again as his tail twitched violently.

  "Stop. It's fine Laurel, you couldn't have known." Temate mollified the Squarel knight. "Besides, it'll make it weird if I ask you to teach me a thing or two after that if you're constantly bowing and stressed. I'm just a guy."

  Though the idea of being a Divinity did intrigue Temate. For obvious reasons, though that was a thing to ask about in the future. For now they needed to deal with... What were they here for again? Oh, right.

  "We need to focus on the Fallow. We'll figure that out ter, at least now we know why the difference in our power exists." He rubbed Toni's shoulder, dragging her out of whatever shocked state she'd been in.

  "Y-Yeah, that. We need to... To discuss our [Powers]. And our... our strategy." She stumbled through the reminder, taking a deep breath at the end to focus. "Laurel, you've the least paths, you go first since it'll be quicker and inform more of us."

  Laurel snapped up with a salute. "Ma'am! As you know I have my [Growth Shape] which allows me to make my armament as well as things such as this table." Laurel then flitted up the nearest tree. That did more to break Toni's shock then anything else as she rolled her eyes.

  "[Falling Acorn]!" Laurel shouted, smming into the ground with his hammer. He popped up grinning amongst the flying dirt. "Is my primary combat [Power]. It increases my power while falling from tree's and other tall pnt life."

  "And protects you from fall damage, huh." Toni muttered, eyes slightly wide.

  "Oh no, that's part of being a Squarel. Natural magics you know? Or... I guess being Human you wouldn't." He commented sadly.

  Interesting. Humans don't have natural magic? But Temate wanted to focus on something else for now.

  "Tharoah did that too, why shout the names of your [Powers] if they're so private?" Temate asked, the Squarel blinked at him.

  "Because it makes them stronger?" Then he scratched his head. "Or rather, it lets them draw more Power from you so they have greater impact."

  "Wait really?!" Toni asked a little too loudly.

  "Yes?" Laurel turned to look between them all, even Surrender seemed confused. "You... really didn't know that?"

  "No." Pipuck replied that time. Then Surrender shook her head when Laurel looked to her.

  "Well... it does." He stated firmly.

  "Are you sure about that?" Temate asked, raising an eyebrow. It did make some sense to him. After all, [Powers] were a sort of manifestation of your will and soul. It wasn't likely that it actually did what Laurel thought though. It was more likely to be the reason martial artists back home would hiyah, hiss, grunt or other things.

  It was a mental thing, by shouting or making aggressive or heavy noises, you psyched yourself out. It let you perform better because it directed your full attention to 'do the thing as hard as possible' so even your subconscious put some strength into your action.

  Same thing here, shouting the [Power] probably just directed your conscious and subconscious in the same direction. Thus you drew more Power into the [Power] making it more... Powerful. Fucking stupid sentence. He would never have written something like that. Well anymore.

  "Good to know." Temate commented.

  "Yeah. Now back on topic, anything else Laurel?" Toni said.

  Laurel shook his head. "Others aye, but nothing directly helpful in combat. Everything else is raw strength and skill at arms!" Laurel stood proudly with that, hands on the hilt of his hammer as the head rested on the ground.

  "What about that [Branch Lash] [Power] you used?" Temate pointed out.

  Laurel ughed, "Technically not a [Power], it's a technique I developed using a few [Powers]."

  "Then... why shout it?" Temate pressed the Squarel knight.

  "Oh, because it still works but also throws people off!" Laurel grinned as if he'd said something oh so clever. Which Temate supposed he kind of dead.

  Temate nodded in recognition. "That's pretty clever Laurel." Laurel beamed even brighter.

  "Well, I suppose it's our turn then." Toni replied as she looked to Temate. Temate nodded and took a deep breath.

  ###

  Force2reckon

  Temate Temaku | Rank 2 | Power 8

  - Iron Order

  - Bone Salt | Ossification

  - Towering Presence | Spiral of Bone

  - Magic Eye | Oversight

  - Vicious Strike

  - (Hidden) Fall Harvest | Blessings of the Fall Harvest upon you, child of fae and friend too

  Toni Terosia | Rank 2 | Power 8

  - Fshforge | Complexity

  - Eternal Fme | (Awoken) Burning Body

  - Hunter's Instinct

  - Hammer Down

  - Rapid Repair | Quick Shape

  - (Hidden) Harvest Moon | Under your light let Harvest bloom, living light of full Harvest Moon

  Pipuck Shimmermoon | Rank 2 | Power 7

  - Potent Mixture

  - Fairy Light | Last Light

  - Nature's Bounty

  - Fluid Idea

  - Living Earth | False Flesh

  Surrender the Gremlin | Rank 2 | Power 7

  - Tower's Shadow

  - Wild One | Skitter

  - Sap Strike | Disrupt Thought

  - Night Sight | Enshadow