“So how we going to cook this? You still haven’t told me.”

  Baal looked at the young girl next to him. He was unsure of what to make of her.

  He knew many women who were just as skilled with a knife, who were just as positive-energy exuding, who were just as friendly, but not like her.

  The more time he spent with the woman the more she seemed to draw his attention. Both her blue eyes that sparkled like the sea spray, and her athletic figure seemed to draw him in in strange ways as if trying to enchant him.

  All the more reason he was so nervous around her.

  “We’re going to grill it. High temperature, long cook. Kills anything bad.” His voice, neutral and placid as he spoke, as he attempted to hide his thoughts.

  “Can I help?” She asked, her head slightly tilting to the side as her smile slightly grew, enhancing her already beautiful face.

  “No.” The stated.

  He turned around and walked a few steps before placing his palms on the ground. He willed what little remained of his aether into the ground and commanded the earth to roll away from a single point and form a small bowl.

  He reached into his shirt and took out a small, web-shaped stone. Taking a minute to catch his breath, he used his aether to activate the spell, and the mounds of earth reshaped into a larger bowl with a crossed grate covering the top.

  He had repurposed this trap spell a few years ago when he first started to learn cooking and it had been his favourite since.

  It always caused a small smile to briefly escape the corners of his lips.

  Returning to his neutral expression, he began to pull the grate up and to the side, allowing for something to be placed inside the bowl.

  Normally, he would have taken some foliage or leaves from the surroundings to start a fire, but they were currently surrounded by nothing but hard rocky ground and thick mist.

  And heat, despite what everyone tried, they couldn’t escape the heat.

  Back when they were in the Blue Sea, there was no air or place to make a fire, so everything had been eaten raw.

  Now that he was back in the open and with fresh materials, his pride wouldn’t allow for anything less than the absolute best he could do.

  He began to remove the cylindrical bag he kept just above his rear and under his normal bag. As he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of dozens of small crystal vials, each wax sealed and carved with an image of whatever plant or animal it came from.

  “So that’s what you kept in there.”

  Baal turned to see those same two blue eyes admiring his collection.

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  He quickly closed the bag, blocking her view.

  “Go get Kai and Myst, we need them to identify the materials Vall has laid out.”

  Disappointed at the clear change of subject, Lily turned around and walked off in the same direction she had seen the pair wander to earlier.

  ***

  “To be honest, I don’t know.”

  Kai was currently addressing the group who had gathered to study the izard beast's remains.

  Other than the brain which was complete mush, thanks to Song, the rest of the organs were in good condition. There were even organs the group didn’t recognise - likely having evolved to adapt to the harsh environment.

  “I’ve only just found out that these are apparently metal aspect. An aspect which only exists at the bottom and the Blue Sea… And apparently further below it.”

  Kai’s usual ability to perceive the aspects of creatures and materials by glancing at their Tao name was suddenly less reliable.

  He did manage to identify several parts of their Tao name that he had seen before, however, most of what he was seeing was brand new to everyone.

  “Kai, this thing has an earth aspect inside it, right?” Vaal asked, pointing to the tail.

  “Yeah, from what I can see, the Tao name for metal should be a combination of fire, earth, and rock in a two- two-three ratio. Or around that, I think the ratio for fire on its spit gland is slightly higher.”

  “That’s fine, I just want to know if I can use the tail for cultivating more hardshrooms. My markings are running a little low.”

  He pulled the top of his collar down, exposing the base of his neck and left collarbone clearly. The bondshroom markings that normally covered his entire torso were nowhere to be seen.

  Kai frowned, realising his friend had much lower reserves than he had been letting on.

  “Baal.”

  Kai asked, turning to the other twin.

  “Always,” came the usual disheartened reply.

  Unlike his brother, Baal had a much lower affinity for his bondshroom and thus, a lower aether pool capacity.

  “Both of you, divide up the tail and bones and replenish your reserves. On that topic, I want to know how everyone’s markings are holding up and what reserves we have.”

  The sudden shift in tone didn’t escape everyone’s perception.

  Song spoke up first to break the heavy atmosphere, knowing that most of their group would be running low.

  “I’m full. The noise from the magma helps my natural recovery. However, I still have my batch of preserved echoshrooms that I can scoff to fill my reserves twice over.”

  “I could use some more sleep, but I’m good for a fight or two.” Myst casually stated, her eyes eagerly focused on the edible meat.

  “I have enough for my last two healing spells, but my attribute won’t be down here, so I’m keeping it reserved for emergencies. I’m also out of my shroom, sorry,” Lily apologised.

  “Halfway here, similar situation to Lily.” Harold was the next to speak.

  Beri was the last one to speak. Everyone’s eyes turned in her direction.

  “Full reserves, but low on shrooms.” She then quietly mumbled, “whispering nightshroom can’t grow underwater or where there’s so much light…”

  SIGH…

  Kai took a deep breath, only now realizing that everyone was running much lower than he had thought.

  “Alright, Myst, Song, and I will handle combat. Vaal and Baal, you handle support where necessary, but assume this is your only chance to cultivate more shrooms.”

  “Harold, I want you to focus on protecting the girls. When we start moving, I want you to stay near the back with them. Is that all understood?”

  “Yes!”

  “Burn anything you don’t want to keep.” Kai dismissed the group, leaving them to finish dividing the lizard’s remains.

  He walked over to the twins, arriving in time as they began to start cultivating more bondshrooms.