Raven rears back and I think that he’s about to breathe acid mana at us. I almost dive to one side to avoid it, but then I notice he doesn’t have his mouth open. Instead, he spreads out his wings widely and presses his own domain against us. His claws and teeth come into sharper focus and he seems to grow even bigger. Suddenly, I can’t take my eyes off him and it feels like everything else should be forgotten in light of this revealed predator before me.

At least, that’s the way it would feel if Kalanthia wasn’t next to me. Instead, his threat suddenly feels so much more like bluster than a real threat. And it’s not because he isn’t a threat – I’ve had personal experience in how much of one he can be. It’s because the threat I feel from Kalanthia feels significantly more impactful.

Where Raven is like a colourful bird darting about and flashing his feathers – not that he has any of those exactly – Kalanthia is the tiger lurking in the grass, waiting for your back to be turned before she pounces. Between the two, my newly-sharpened instincts know exactly which to be most wary of.

Interestingly, I can sense some sort of battle of wills going on around me. Or perhaps, battle of domains. It’s probably something I wouldn’t have even been able to detect before I managed to increase my Wisdom level, but now I can sense that at one moment I’m being more affected by Raven’s domain, and then the next by Kalanthia’s.

The two Tier threes focus on each other without releasing eye contact. Neither of them reaches out to attack physically – I wonder if needing to do so would be an automatic loss in this contest. I’m relieved – I know what Raven can do and some of what Kalanthia is capable of; between the two of them, there would be a significant amount of damage to the area and probably to my Bound in the cavern below as well. Hopefully that won’t be the next step after the domain fight.

I was hoping to avoid a fight by offering them an Alliance. Then again, perhaps it’s necessary for them to figure out who’s higher in the pecking order before they can actually start to negotiate. Maybe this is what Tier threes always do when they come into contact with each other. I’ll have to see if Kalanthia’s open to talking about it later.

I sense the area around me becoming more saturated with Kalanthia’s domain, the flickers of feeling that Raven should be my main focus becoming less and less frequent. A few moments later, it seems like he keeps reducing and increasing again in size and importance. And then his times of seeming particularly big and important become less and less frequent until finally, it’s like he was at the end of our fight when he’d crashed to the ground, spent. He’s still big and imposing, but that’s just his natural form, not the extra that’s given to him by his domain.

Frustration leaks down the link between him and me, his lips drawing further back from his teeth. For a moment it seems like he’s considering turning this into a physical fight. And then he subsides. His wings come down to fold onto his back; his head lowers from its reared-back position. He’s not submitting to Kalanthia, not exactly, but he seems to be recognising that she is stronger than him.

I was here first; I will protect this area for my eggs, he says finally, grudgingly. Kalanthia’s aura presses even harder against me for a moment, and then withdraws. The sense of a watchful, opportunistic predator doesn’t exactly vanish, but it becomes less all-encompassing.

Then you will not object to any actions we take which do not negatively impact your eggs in any way, states Kalanthia. They don’t return to the original discussion – I guess that the battle of the domains was sufficient to answer Kalanthia’s question without actually needing to explicitly respond to it.

Any reduction of Energy in the stream will poorly affect them, responds Raven.

I do not believe that there is any intention to do that, Kalanthia replies.

Abruptly, I realise they’re both looking at me. I quickly review what they’ve just said. Oh, yes.

“Not until the eggs hatch,” I answer briskly. “Until then, we want to use the natural Energy which is currently produced by Energy…evaporating off the stream and seeping into the area above it.” I don’t know if ‘evaporating’ is a good term when heat isn’t involved, but it’s the only one I think suits considering how the stream mostly behaves like water and the less concentrated stuff more like gas. I do want to work on crystallising Energy Hearts, but I’ve already realised that trying to do it ahead of the eggs hatching probably isn’t feasible.

Then there should be no issue with our presence, Kalanthia follows up with a sense of finality. I have no interest in your eggs and agree not to move within a body’s length of them in physical or intentional magical presence. It looks like Raven wants to demand greater certainty, but seeing Kalanthia’s feline stare, he subsides without saying anything.

Hammering out the rest of the alliance only takes a few minutes after that. Raven has stopped trying to demand that Kalanthia leaves the area, and has had to be satisfied with Kalanthia’s promises. He’s not best-pleased about it, but apparently he’s not going to argue about it either.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Once the Alliance snaps into place, Raven quickly departs without a farewell. It seems like he’s either eager to get back to his eggs or away from Kalanthia – or a combination of both.

“So,” I ask casually, looking at Kalanthia, “there’s normally some sort of procedure when meeting another Tier three?”

She eyes me warily for a moment then gives a quiet huff of air.

Fine. Since you have a few Bound now already past their first Evolution, I suppose you should know at least a little about this. The second Evolution is considered to be the first true step on the Path as it is the first to be made intentionally.

“Why is that?” I can’t help interrupting, though her chiding grumble makes me quickly apologise. “Sorry, but it seems like the samurans very much intend to reach Tier two – when they can.”

Those who begin with sufficient knowledge and intelligence may intentionally seek the first Evolution, but most do not start in that position. Though, I will grant you that it’s an advantage. The first Evolution can happen merely by killing sufficient numbers of creatures, or surviving long enough. It is not a guarantee by any means, but it does not have to be intentionally sought. But to pass the second Evolution is very much an intentional undertaking.

“I see,” I respond thoughtfully – it makes sense based on what she’s revealed before about needing to have a clear idea of where to go in order to make it past the blockages. “So how does this relate to the whole thing between you and Raven?”

I was getting there, huffs Kalanthia. The requirement of intentionality gives all Beasts past it a level of enlightenment – the ability to think at a deeper level than previously. Attacking other creatures of our own level or higher is full of danger, and we understand the implications of that more than we might have previously. As a result, most enlightened Beasts develop a way of identifying the threat level of opponents based on their auras.

It is the same on my home world as it is here. Over time, it became customary for a Beast to extend an aura when encountering a Beast of similar level. Courtesy – and the first sally in the battle. A defeat of the aura is not a guaranteed defeat in a full fight, but it is often followed by one. On defeat of their aura, the loser will generally try to withdraw – if the victor allows them to do so.

“Huh,” I respond with fascination. “Does an aura defeat cause damage?”

Not usually, Kalanthia answers, though I believe there have been cases if one has an aura far more powerful than the other. Most of the time it is sufficiently obvious by other indications as to whether two are so mis-matched and the weaker quickly withdraws.

I nod slowly. That makes sense, I suppose. Kalanthia is obviously stronger than any of my Tier two Bound, as is Raven. I have to wonder how Bastet or the samurans might change at Tier three, though. Would they become massive in size too? Or just obviously more dangerous?

“So what was that about territories?” I ask. “Do you respect the territories of other Tier threes or something?”

It is more that to enter the marked territory of another enlightened Beast and not to visit the Guardian to present gifts is considered an outright challenge. The Guardian will see the intruder as a threat and attack them without warning. Unless, of course, the intruder is far more powerful; in that case, the Guardian does their best to go unnoticed as the intruder passes through, hoping that the intruder has not come to take their territory from them. In this situation, there were no clear indications of the other Beast’s presence – he had not claimed the territory officially. Thus, he had no right to demand a gift in exchange for peaceful discourse.

“I see.” Again, that all makes sense. I suppose I’m more surprised that they might have a way of peacefully talking to each other. If it is peaceful, that is. “If the intruder brings a gift, will the Guardian not attack? And what kind of things make a ‘gift’?” I suspect it’s not the kind of thing that would typically lie under the Christmas tree back on Earth.

Guardians might attack despite the presence of a gift, but they would find themselves shunned and possibly attacked by others when word spread that they had done it, especially if it was unjustified or repeated. It is usually more effective to accept the gift, hear the intruder out, and then chase them away if their message is unwelcome. As for a gift, Cores are the usual one, either in quantity or quality. Specific Guardians may appreciate other specific resources but Cores or other Energy-rich items are never undesired.

“Thanks. I’ll try to remember your words if I ever come across another Guardian. Considering everything that has happened so far, I have to guess that it will happen eventually,” I say wryly. Heck, considering I’m going deeper into the forest in a couple of months’ time for the samuran meet-and-greet, I have to guess that it will be sooner rather than later. “On the note of claiming territories, have you decided whether to stay here or not? And if so, will you claim this area as your territory?”

Kalanthia looks thoughtful – I know her well enough to be able to identify the look on her.

I have seen no indications of the presence of any Beast stronger than your Ally, she says cautiously. That is no guarantee that one has not been here – if they are far stronger than I am or stealth-focussed, they would be capable of hiding their traces from me. I have never ventured close enough to the crevice at the base of the valley to know what the specialisms of the Beasts that rule there are.

“So…?” I ask leadingly as she hasn’t actually answered my question. She’s silent for a long moment.

I have decided that it is worth the risk, the nunda says finally. I doubt that you are going to leave this area without evidence that it is dangerous, and you will keep Lathani with you. I would prefer to stay where my senses can help detect any threat to her than to go elsewhere. The fact that I can finally start making some progress towards my own Evolution again is another important part of my decision.

“Excellent,” I tell her, not trying to hide my pleasure – she’d probably be able to sense it anyway. “Then let’s talk about some specifics about our new den.”