A second Chari trotted into view alongside the first. This one was much smaller than the other, only coming up to half of Leo’s height.

The smaller Chari attempted to mirror the regal pose of its larger counterpart. It stood as tall as it could while proudly gazing into some faraway space above the Thunder Rocs, as if the birds below weren’t worthy of its attention. Sparky seemed to get flustered by this, and she sent a small zap of electricity that splashed harmlessly on the stairs next to the young Chari’s paws.

Startled by the lightning, the creature flinched away, raising its front paws needlessly in an effort to evade the minuscule attack. Its reaction resulted in a series of amused squawking from the gaggle below. The Chari’s ears flicked as it attempted to ignore the antics of the Thunder Rocs and regain its poise. This time, instead of looking off into the distance, its gaze fell directly on Sparky.

The muffled sound of padded feet sounded from atop the summit as a swath of newborn Chari suddenly appeared alongside the others. They lined up at the top of the stairway, looking like a brigade of cavalry ready to charge. The sizes of the newcomers were all slightly smaller than their pack leader, and a quick observation told Leo their levels only ranged from two to three. They tried to mimic the confident composure of their leader, although a few of the smaller ones flicked their tails in obvious apprehension as they eyed the increasingly hyper birds below.

The air thickened with tension as the two hordes of monsters faced off. Leo was beginning to think the few hundred feet that separated him from the creatures wasn’t going to be enough. Just as he was about to scoot back, Amira let out a resounding cry, her call echoing across the summit with the intensity of a thunder clap. Almost immediately, the two groups surged forth.

Large bolts of electricity converged on the Chari’s location as the line of creatures scattered with cat-like reflexes. The majority rushed down the steps, looking to meet the charging birds head-on while a few others took to the air, white runic circles appearing beneath their paws and propelling them above the flock below.

Two Chari were hit with the initial barrage; one of them fumbled but quickly found its footing in time to avoid the attacks that followed, but the other wasn’t so lucky. Its stunned body came crashing down the stairway into the swarm below, where it was quickly peppered by more bolts until its white fur blackened.

Angered at seeing the death of their kin, the Chari struck back. Silver energy condensed around their bladed horns until they released it with a cleaving motion at the birds below. The silver energy sprang away in an arc, distorting the air around it as it flew almost too quickly to follow. The Thunder Rocs tried to scatter but several of the fast-moving distortions still found their mark. The ripple in reality seemed to implode whatever it touched. Those who were struck had their wings, feet and even entire midsection fold in on themselves with a sickening crunch. The pathetic squawks of their comrades as they were hit seemed to drive the flock into a fury, and they ramped up their assault with a vengeful cry.

Leo’s heart clenched from the gruesome spectacle. Now that he knew these creatures were capable of intelligent thought, this had become much more than just a mindless battle between monsters. He couldn’t fathom what purpose this slaughter held. Did Amira and the other overseer just find sick amusement in watching their young die?

The two groups on the ground made it into melee range. The Chari were outnumbered almost two to one, but they held a grace of movement that allowed them to slip under and between the Thunder Rocs before they got pinned down. They would dart around one bird and come up on an unsuspecting target with a quick slash, rending and crushing whatever segment of body their empowered horns touched. Then they would disengage to strike another target before they became a victim of the constant discharge of electricity that jumped from bird to bird.

The Chari in the sky seemed to fare better than their ground-based counterparts, the open air giving them more room and time to maneuver out of the way of the many lightning-based attacks. They provided a constant barrage of their own while zigzagging among the projectiles. It was a dangerous tradeoff though, as the unlucky few who were hit found their concentration broken from the runic pattern keeping them airborne. The white runes being emitted beneath their feet would shatter, sending them plummeting to the steps below, where if the fall didn’t kill them the horde of awaiting birds quickly did.

By an unspoken agreement, room was made for a duel between two combatants. Besides dodging occasional outside projectiles, the two individuals didn’t spare any attention on the rest of the battle, their focus wholly devoted to each other.

The Chari pack leader ran in a wide circle above Sparky’s head, sending down a consecutive barrage of its force-based attacks. Sparky nimbly ducked and dipped to avoid the incoming projectiles, using quick flaps of her wings or a sudden discharge of electricity to give her the required burst of speed needed to stay ahead.

She shot back multiple bolts in rapid succession, each one as large as Leo’s torso, but the Chari gracefully dodged each one, sometimes moving before the bolts were even on their way. Leo could almost sense amusement in the creature’s gaze at it sidestepped one of the bolts and casually swiped its glowing blade to deflect another.

He observed Sparky’s mood shift from excited to furious as she saw the clearly mocking way the Chari was treating their battle. She ruffled up her feathers and with a loud cry, similar to that of Amira’s, sent out a solid wave of electricity in all directions. The Chari’s eyes narrowed as it silently shot toward the dome of crackling yellow energy, multiple streams of silver coalescing on its blade-shaped horn as it met the attack head-on.

The two forces collided in a clap of force and a crackle of lightning. Sparky looked visibly deflated as she locked eyes with the Chari, who struggled to push back her attack. Small jolts of electricity jumped from the Chari’s horn to its pristine white fur, singeing the creature and making its red eyes wince in pain.

The clash of wills stretched on and even the furious battle raging around them paused as the opposing groups watched to see whose leader would emerge victorious. It had only been a few minutes, but already only half the original number of combatants remained.

The moment stretched on as the Chari continued to bear the full brunt of the assault, the wave of electricity pushing the feline back inch by inch. Just as it looked like it was going to be overwhelmed, the Chari’s red eyes flared to life and with a desperate heave of its head, it forced the mass of lightning to arc off to the sky and dissipate in the clouds overhead.

The white runes beneath the Chari’s feet began to falter, and the feline made a stumbling descent to the ground. It barely managed to avoid serious injury as the runic circles gave out entirely several feet above the marble floor.

Leo noticed Sparky’s mood shift from furious to smug as her opponent was finally forced down to her level. They were both breathing heavily with exertion as the Chari straightened itself on wobbly legs and continued their stare-down.

Sparky, clearly not one for waiting, attempted to close the distance as she shot forward with several rapid flaps of her wings. The Chari’s eyes widened at the swift and sudden movement. It brought its body low just in time to duck a talon swipe aimed at its head. As soon as Sparky missed, it struck back with an unempowered swipe of its blade. The horn managed to graze the bird’s torso as she took a retreating leap back.

Yellow blood trickled down the cut on her chest as Sparky pressed her assault. She flapped her wings, releasing two small blades of air that jetted toward the feline. Their proximity meant the surprise attack moved too quickly for the Chari to dodge. It just managed to move its head out of the way as the blades scored two deep lines into the side of its fur, tainting white with crimson.

With her opponent off-balance, Sparky rushed forward to finish the fight. The Chari narrowed its eye, blade glowing faintly as Sparky’s beak shot toward the feline’s eye. The air surrounding Sparky glowed with sudden power, freezing her in her tracks just before contact. One of the bird’s legs collapsed as she strained to finish off the equally frozen Chari, whose face shone with strain at keeping its aggressor at bay.

Leo looked at Amira, who stared impassively at the whole affair. She gave him a quick glance before turning her attention back to the battle. There appeared to be a glimmer of sadness in the creature’s eyes.

She had been stock-still during the whole spectacle, while the energy in her feathers seemed to be gradually losing some of its brilliance. He couldn’t tell if there were any changes with the adult Chari, which stood at the top of the stairs in the same regal pose as it had from the beginning. If they truly were capable of a higher plane of thought, then surely, they both must feel something watching this.

Leo couldn’t bring himself to watch this pointless slaughter any further. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the horrible animalistic cries of pain and torment.

It was only perhaps a minute later when movement beside him made him open them once more. The two large creatures had turned to look at each other, some sort of silent communication passing between them. Then Amira let out a solemn cry. This one was like the low rumble of deflated thunder, lacking a certain sense of power and grandeur that her earlier call had.

All at once, the fighting stopped. Sparky’s beak froze inches away from the opposing Chari’s throat. Some of the wounded creatures collapsed where they stood, their bodies too exhausted to support them any longer. Others just stood still, waiting for whatever came next.

Including the pack leaders, Leo counted only five surviving Chari and eight Thunder Rocs that had made it through the battle. He didn’t know how many both sides had started with, but based on the numerous dead, it was clear that each had been brought down to a sliver of its former number.

Amira rose to her full height, draping the battlefield in darkness as she spread out her massive wings to either side like a pair of banners. The young Chari and Thunder Rocs slowly hobbled over to her, the injured struggling desperately to regain their footing and join the assembly. Leo spotted Sparky in the small pack of monsters as they all gathered under the wing next to him; the young Thunder Roc had a slight limp in her left leg and showed none of her usual jubilance. He also noticed the young Chari pack leader—the feline’s fur was tarnished and the two gashes on its side still seeped blood. It still managed to keep its head held up high as it rejoined the survivors of its pack under the other wing.

Once all that were left living had assembled, Amira pulled back her wings and swung them forward in a blur. Strangely, the action didn’t cause the massive gust Leo had expected. She repeated the motion, flapping her massive wings at an increasing velocity until Leo couldn’t even perceive the motion.

Then all at once, she stopped and a deafening force crashed to life. Leo clamped his hands over his ears, trying to mute the roar of the gale as stone and dirt a few paces in front of him exploded from the attack. The massive blast of wind surged over the battlefield in a fraction of a second. Corpses that weren’t shredded to oblivion were flung far enough in the dawning sky to easily clear the edges of the island.

Leo stood, emotions in turmoil as Amira brushed away the existence of so many of her children she had forced to die. Monster or not, this wasn’t something he could sit still over.

“Why would you do this!” he shouted, gesturing to the crater before him, more than aware that the powerful predator could end his life with a thought. Amira turned her massive head toward him, her large eyes gazing into his own. The young Thunder Rocs and Chari poked their heads up and looked toward him, startled by his shout. The sight of their pitiful injured forms just served to fan his rage.

He turned to the adult Chari, who had lain back down, resting its head on its paws at the top of the stairs. “How could you both so callously kill off your young! Did you get a kick out of it, was it all just for your own twisted amusement?!”

He stared at the adult Chari, who refused to turn its head to meet his furious gaze. He was so caught up in his anger that he almost didn’t notice Sparky approaching him. The poor bird was hobbling over to him, her left leg obviously sprained or broken. The wound in her chest from the beginning of the battle still seeped yellow blood.

In her beak she held Aveth; Leo had forgotten all about the sword during the commotion of the battle. He was grateful that she had recovered the blade for him, or else it would have been blown away in the blast.

The gratefulness intensified his fury over the hatchling’s condition—even if he was loath to admit it, he was fond of the bird. She was the first creature he had met in this world, and he was the same to her. Sure, she might’ve almost killed him when they first met, but it had been accidental, even if he was still bitter about it. Zapping one another was just the way her kind amused themselves and learning Arc Bolt was the reason he was alive right now. Then she had hauled him up from the canyon, ensuring he wasn’t trampled to death by the horde behind her. And now she was returning a weapon that Zeld probably would have flayed him alive for losing.

“Sparky, I…” Leo trailed off as the bird stopped in front of him and let the sword fall from her beak. The blade clattered against the ground. He bent down to pick it up but a sharp pain sprouted from the top of his head, making him cry out in surprise and grab the injured spot out of reflex.

He looked back up just in time to see Sparky’s beak jot down several more times. “Ow!” Leo yelled, waving a hand at the bird to shoo her off the crown of his head. Maybe he had misjudged their relationship and he was actually dinner for this dumb animal.

She stepped back with a squawk, flapping her wings and buffeting Leo with wind as she did so. “What’s your problem!” he demanded, his anger fizzling into confusion at the odd turn of events. It was only then he noticed how much taller Sparky had gotten; before, the bird was just over his height, but now she stood beak and shoulders over him. He scanned her again.

She had gained three levels during that battle! Amira’s large head came into view as she leaned down and looked intently into Leo’s eyes. At first, Leo thought he might have made her angry, but then a new sensation caught his attention.

It was like a high-pitched frequency that rang inside his head. He tried to ignore it and the noise quieted to an almost imperceptible level, but it refused to fully vanish. Confused, he looked around to see where the noise was coming from, but he seemed to be the only one that had noticed it, as all the other creatures were looking at him or resting on the ground.

Amira gave him a slight nudge with her beak and the ringing in his head increased. Leo looked at her a moment, then tried a different tactic. Instead of ignoring the noise he focused on it, willing the sound to get louder and clearer. Immediately the sound grew in volume and intensity, becoming almost painful before something clicked in his mind and he heard a voice coming into focus like the tuning of an old radio.

llo…please verify that you can hear me before I run out of patience and fry you.

“Wahhh!” Leo cried out in surprise. He went to back away but ended up tripping over his feet and falling on his rear.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill Beast Communication! Rarity: Rare, Skill Level: Novice Level 1. Hey before you kill me, how about we have a little chat? Capability to mentally communicate with sentient beasts up to 25 feet away.

Although it was great that he had learned a new skill, the thought that creatures were capable of speaking directly to his mind was unsettling, to say the least.

Base upon your overreaction, I’m assuming you can hear me. Amira adjusted her head so that her imposing beak wasn’t mere inches from his face, her voice calm and collective. Ignore the part about me frying you. Zeldorth would be furious with me after all. I understand to someone of your limited intelligence and experience, this conversation might perturb you a bit, but please try to refrain from making a further fool of yourself. I’m not in the mood to explain myself twice. Her voice sounded tired and distinctly feminine.

Uhhh…I’m talking to a giant bird with my mind, Leo thought lamely, a little distracted by the proximity of the beak and the whole situation.

Leo felt what could only be described as a mental sigh coming from Amira before she pulled back her head with a puff of feathers. Is there anything else completely obvious you wish to get out of the way? Please don’t reply, that was rhetorical. As you can see, we are being waited on for the continuation of the ceremony, so do try to stop gawking and refrain from making a fool out of yourself any further.

His face grew warm as he realized every creature in the vicinity had just seen his entire reaction. He got back to his feet, trying to preserve what little dignity he had left in front of the collection of monsters. Can you at least explain what’s going on? Why would you pit your newborns against each other like that! He felt a bit of his old anger return as he mentioned the battle.

Calm yourself, your emotions are…understandable but not warranted. I shall inform you of the details later. Currently your worth is still being judged by the Elder Chari. I advise you to remain standing. Amira turned to face the large Chari, who was slowly descending the steps he had been perched upon a moment ago.

As soon as the feline’s paw stepped off the last step and onto the damaged pathway, it sank a small crater in the ground around it. As the Chari drew close, Leo’s body began to grow heavier, as the same force the creature had emitted on him earlier started to reaffirm itself. His knees shook violently, threatening to fail and collapse once again, but somehow, he remained on his feet. The creature stopped half a foot from him, its deep red eyes staring into his own, seeming to look at and beyond him at the same time.

It would be wise of you to show some respect for disrupting the ceremony, Amira hinted coolly.

Following her guidance, Leo gave a bow to the elegant creature before him, straining hard to keep from toppling over. “I…apologize…for…interrupting,” he stammered, trying to force his heavy tongue to form the words clearly.

The Chari gazed down on him as he held his bow. He wasn’t sure when it would be appropriate to straighten himself. Just when he was about to teeter over, the Chari gave a slight tilt of its head upwards.

Right yourself, commanded Amira, her voice laced with what he thought was surprise. He did as she advised, trusting she had a much better grasp of the situation than he did. A moment after Leo straightened, the Elder Chari flicked its two tails and continued down the line, where the small group of surviving Chari stood waiting. After a few moments, one of the survivors broke away from the rest of the group and padded over.

Leo recognized it as the pack leader that Sparky had fought. The feline had already started to heal its limp. A few unspoken words were shared, and the newborn retreated back in line while the rest of its brethren stepped forward. They followed the Elder Chari back toward the steps, leaving their pack leader behind with the dwindling gravitational pressure.

What happened? Leo mentally questioned.

You were found worthy, Amira replied in both mild annoyance and surprise.