The amber was the antithesis to the influence of the Eldritch God. To have both within him, it felt confusing and unproductive. Both influences gave him power, though they contradicted one another. When he used his magic, the amber wouldn’t function properly. To allow the amber to work, he had to neglect his greatest strength.

  It was a conundrum he could not think of a ration solution to. On his small hill beside the pond, he felt safe. His mind turned to other matters while looking over the serene waters.

  The paladin had to have been tracking Ren, similar to the clerics before. Though, how would he have escaped if he had been tracked? OR did the paladin instead think Cella was better to capture? No, that wouldn’t make sense. He was the most valuable target, he was the only true target. If the tracking had stopped when he took in the amber, could it have sparked the attack? It seemed like the only rational solution. The reading Hollwin took of Ren at the beginning of his stay in this world had taken a piece of him into it. It felt as though a portion of him was metaphysically sucked into the metal sheet.

  If they had a piece of him, through their magic they could track him. Though, if the amber had changed something about him, something fundamental and large, perhaps it changed him enough that the tracking was no longer functional.

  With the hope that they could no longer track him, it gave him time. Time that should be spent getting stronger, not thinking on a hillside exposed to paladins looking to kill.

  Ren stood in his small clearing. The pond was tranquil and simple. It was much like the orks, below its surface a great organization of life occurred. Though not traditionally organized, it was organized in a sense. Life came into the world based on the simplest forms first. The algae and the microscopic. Then, the smaller prey fish, and after that, the largest fish who predated on the smaller ones. It was organized, in a sense at least. So were the orks, a simple organization that relied on nature to give it balance.

  Ren slowly approached the small body of water. A small trickling creek came flowing down from one of the mountains giving life to the little pond. Water that came from either snow or a spring of underground water. Ren smiled as things finally began to make sense to him. His mind had been on the details, not on the whole.

  The amber was the water. A basis of sorts, it originated from high up, as did the water, In this instance, the “high up” was not a mountain, but Gods. The amber was a piece of orks’ ancestry from the Gods. It was of one of their Great Trees, givers of life. Of course it so highly corresponds with life-affinity in the orks, it gave them life. Within Ren the amber did not pulse with life affinity, it was affinityless. Though it did have a high reactivity to the affinity and similar elements. The energy was a basis, the metaphorical body of water for him to grow his fish within. As the pieces began to fit within his mind, a great relief came over him. With the amber pulsing within, he focused on its power.

  He could feel it, an emptiness within the warmth of the energy given off by the amber heart. To fill it, that was the true task he had to complete. The orks, already could fill themselves with life affinity, and so the amber took that aspect. For Ren, he had no idea how he could utilize the amber. Though it was a starting point. For now, he had to make progress however possible.

  Heading off from the small pond, he continued westwards, unknowing of where his destination would be. The day slowly began to pass as he ever onward as he moved further from human civilization, and consequently further from Cella too. In a way, he hoped it would be near himself toward the day he had her by his side yet again.

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  It was as dusk swiftly approached in his long walk, that an odd figure presented itself before him. It was canine and dark black. It stood before him, hunch over and growling. The creature was far weaker than himself.

  Stalker Hound Lvl 8

  With nothing to gain from slaying it, he ignored it. Turning to move around the beast he passed it as it slowly began to follow him. He passed over a small creek, he lept over it as it was only a short distance. The canine followed after him. Though it followed him, Ren wasn’t worried as he could, if needed, slay in easily. It would not even be the slightest challenge. A single bullet could take care of it.

  Regardless of how easy it would be for him to slay, it made him uneasy. Why would such a weak creature pursue him? Its natural instincts should be more than enough for it to know that he was far beyond its reasonable expectations for a meal. Regardless of all this, it knowingly pursued a deadly threat regardless.

  He pressed further into a dense forest that cut out more of the light. The forest was a thin darkness that would mask dangers from a man and leave the hairs on the back of his neck tingling. For Ren though, his eyes opened wide and he saw far more keenly than before. His lightless eyes were far weaker in the light of day, making an environment such as this far better suited for him.

  Upon entering the darkly shadowed forest, he noticed two more beasts lurking in the darkness. They slowly approached him under the cover of the dense canopy.

  Stalker Hound Lvl 9

  Stalker Hound Lvl 9

  Though slightly stronger than their companion, they were still far too weak to hinder him. As he quickly passed the two lurking in the forest, they joined the first hound. As a small pack, the three stalked him as he passed deeper into the depths of the forest.

  Dusk slowly began to dwindle, the light fading. The small patches of light that shone between the leaves above completely faded. Only long shadows of the trees in front of him remained in the dimming light. In the darkness of a thicket far to his left three hounds lay waiting. As he slowly pushed forwards into the shadows he watched them from the corner of his eye. Waiting for them to give him a good time, he readied his revolver.

  Now six hounds pursued him as the light wisps of light faded from the world. He analyzed the three new additions to his group.

  Stalker Hound Lvl 9

  Stalker Hound Lvl 11

  Stalker Hound Lvl 10

  They still posed no threat to him, and so he waited to see if more would join. As the moon steadily rose higher, Ren felt like an idiot. With six hounds at his back, he came to a large formation of stone. Atop it stood an apex hunter, far from the strength of the Dragon, but it still held such a title over all those within this forest.

  The beast was like a wolf, but far larger. Its fur was short and purest black. Its eyes shone in the light, reflecting the moonlight down onto Ren as he stared at the beast. It was as tall as him, and had to weigh several times as much as he did. Its jaw could fit his head and more.

  Black Hound Lvl 20

  Two beasts stood at either of its sides. Each a smaller version of the strongest amongst them.

  Black Hound Lvl 17

  Black Hound Lvl 15

  The dominant hound sounded first, and piercing howling under the moon. Atop its palace of ruble and stone, the wolf looked down at Ren. In response, the wolves behind him and beside the apex predator called into the night.

  Several more voices came from the depths of the forest around Ren, those he had not yet noticed.

  Shit…