After their first encounter with the hornets, Bi De and his companions encountered them no more on their trip towards where the Blaze Bears were gathering. They travelled as swiftly as they were able, and it was good that they did, for they soon saw smoke on the horizon. “No!’ Paobu shouted, his eyes wild, and the bear accelerated into the blaze; naturally, they were right behind him. The pleasant forest soon turned into a vision of Hell. The corpses of thousands of hornets littered the forest floor in between the burning trees. Some, still alive, dragged themselves across the ground, their wings ashy nubs, while others flew in drunken patterns disoriented from the smoke. The scent of death was thick in the air. It was certainly a visceral battlefield to enter; the heat, the smell, and the screams coming from ahead added to the grim mood. Yet he and his companions had faced demons before, and knew their horrors well. They charged through the scorching heat without hesitation, reaching a clearing just in time to see the rest of the swarm gather. No words needed to be said. They combined their might and utterly destroyed their foe. But when Bi De turned to look at the Blaze Bears, he was surprised. Because there were not only Blaze Bears. There were humans too. Their skin was red from the heat, they had ash and soot all over their bodies, and some were staggering under the effects of venom… but there were humans clearly working