If there was anything Niko could admit he’d underestimated, it was just how good the bath felt. Essence enriched water, warm and carrying with it a subtle, refreshing scent bubbled against Niko’s body. Pressurized jets gently pushed the liquid through layers of his feathers and to the skin below, simultaneously caressing them and flexing the feather follicles in a way that he hadn’t experienced outside of his own ministrations with his beak.

“This is amazing.” Niko extolled, “Sasha, this was a great idea.”

Appearing every bit like she was melting in pleasure, Sasha replied, “I know. You’re welcome.”

“We need one of these in Greenleaf.” Stella relaxed against the wall of the large, open tub, near the shallower side. More shallows existed, but they were meant for beasts that were much smaller, perhaps toddlers as well.

Niko took a brief look around, noting that none of the Wyldwalkers wore clothes again. If he’d had any question as to what this society thought of being naked around one another whilst bathing, he’d once more had it confirmed today.

“Can we even get one of these?” Dachna asked, “I’m all for it, but, I think this might be beyond what we can build there.”

Thokk’s head, which to the point had mostly been under the water farther in the pool, peeked up just enough for him to speak. “Something similar can be made at tier one levels of essence. This is a… bit more advanced, I’ll admit, but not so much that it can’t be done at a lower tier.”

“This probably won’t be too high up on the list of priorities back at Greenleaf,” Skye said. The statement dragged the mood down immediately, though Niko didn’t really blame her. He felt guilty that they were enjoying what amounted to a vacation while everyone they’d left behind were busy scraping together whatever they could. With a grimace, Skye said, “Sorry. I was just…”

At a loss for further words, Mithel picked up after her, “It’s alright. I was just thinking about that too. But, we’re here, not there, so, as much as it might seem heartless, I don’t think we’d be doing anyone any favors by ruminating over anything we can’t fix yet.”

Dachna nodded slowly, “That’s true, I guess. Until Crowe and Camille get here, we aren’t really in a position to do any negotiating.”

A heaviness settled over the group then, in spite of the fact that they couldn’t change anything at that moment. There was, after all, a difference between knowing you couldn’t do something, and making peace with it.

“So… Are these sigils something we can steal?” Stella asked, trying to change the topic, then redoubled her words with, “Or learn, I meant learn.”

Sasha happily took the offered conversation shift, “It is no secret. I’m sure we can find someone who is more experienced with sigaldry to teach you the basics.”

“Do you know any sigaldry yourself?” Niko asked, suddenly curious, “I can’t help but notice that most people don’t seem to know how to do them.”

The sabrecat rose a paw out of the water, mimicking the ‘so-so’ hand gesture she’d seen done, “I know a few, but not how to weave them together, nor what many of them really mean.”

“The basics are pretty easy,” Mithel piped up, “But they quickly grow in complexity, especially when you start adding intent-essence into the mix.”

Niko clucked, “I’ve seen some intent-essence, but I still don’t know why it exists or what it’s good for.”

“It’s not usually an intent-ional byproduct,” Mithel spoke with a cheeky grin, highlighting her pun shamelessly.

The others smirked or groaned in equal measure as Ronald followed up, “It’s generally a given that tier three is where people start to add in their own flavor to their essence. Generally, this is a kind of mental image or the force of their will. It makes it so that the essence in their bodies is able to be used to greater effect, both more efficiently for their patterns and more powerfully.”

Niko nodded, but was still confused, “So, why is it in the air and such, then?”

“As I said, not intentional,” Mithel smiled at the looks she got for the near repeat pun, “But, seriously, not everyone is actually good at holding their essence in their bodies. Plus, it’s not like essence is annihilated or anything when you use it. I’m not sure exactly where it all goes, but research definitely indicates that at least a portion of whatever you use goes right back into the environment around you. It’s not often usable or even detectable at that point by most people, but we figure that it must go to some sort of detritivore, or other similar cycle before being rendered usable by other organisms once more.”

“So, kind of like carbon dioxide being transformed by plants back into oxygen?” Niko asked, before subtly clamping his beak shut. ‘Ah, cluck, don’t notice, don’t notice!’

Mithel nodded, “Yup, just so. It’s really fascinating, but it’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on. But, anyways, effectively the colored essence you see is probably runoff, or waste, and eventually decays or transforms back into regular essence, somehow.”

Niko nodded, trying to look unbothered by just how close he might have come to revealing himself to the one person in the team that could flag him as a reincarnator from Earth. Niko wasn’t certain how prevalent knowledge about molecules and how photosynthesis actually worked was. He watched in real time as Mithel’s expression became pensive, her eyes settling on him with a mixture of curiosity and something else he couldn’t quite place.

‘Cluck, she didn’t miss it.’ Niko cringed internally, but the others looked mildly confused at the tangent, but hadn’t voiced any questions. Before they noticed Mithel’s expression, Niko moved on, “So, you can’t really use that stuff, but I don’t know why?”

“It’s totally usable.” Skye frowned, “If your own will, image, intent, aspect or whatever you call it is aligned, then you can probably use it just fine.”

Stella cut in quickly, “But that’s of course a bad idea because you’d be limiting yourself to whatever you’re taking in, instead of forging your own path.”

Dachna grunted, “Some of the big military regiments in the Empire and Kingdom do that, I hear. Force an entire battalion to aspect themselves around a powerful source of essence. It’s quick and dirty power, but it is power. They can get a fighting force ready quite fast, and if you’re not looking to try to climb to the top, it’s not a bad move.”

That was news to Niko, “How high in power do they go?”

“That’s pretty restricted, but so long as you have a powerful enough source, you can go as high as you want. Realistically, though, you’re looking at tier three, maybe four if you invest in them heavily, but that’s it. You’re getting rid of future potential for short term gains.” Dachna shook his head, “It’s why I was never interested in joining the military.”

“The Kingdom doesn’t force people to do that,” Ronald advocated, “Everyone always has the choice to go their own route.”

“Yeah, sure, when times aren’t desperate. Even when they’re not, though, they don’t slow down for the people who aren’t on the bandwagon, either,” Dachna pointed out acerbically, “So if you’re behind the curve, they’ll just wash you out.”

Niko sensed that there might be a bit of enmity behind what Dachna was talking about, so he cut in then to guide the conversation away, “What about essence from monsters and such? Is everything aspected later?”

Ronald happily took the change in topic, “Nope, but that’s why good hunting grounds are generally hotly contested. Essence ingrained in the body has no aspect, or if it does then it doesn’t affect whoever hunts said monster. I imagine we’ll all begin having much more aspected essence sooner rather than later; tier three all but requires it, after all.”

“It is the first hurdle that anyone rising in power must overcome,” Sasha chuffed, “It is rarely wise to rush the process, and those that do and make a mistake often have no other recourse than to forever regret their decision.”

“Why is that?” Niko frowned, “Isn’t it still their own essence and such?”

“Choosing something that resonates with yourself, heart and soul, can prevent bottlenecks later when you’re trying to further intermingle with your essence.” Skye said while making a mini-cyclone in the water using her fingers, “The higher you rise in the tiers, the more intertwined your sense of self becomes with your essence. If you don’t really resonate with something, you’ll never climb higher. That’s why tier three is the largest portion of the population. Getting there is… relatively easy, but going higher is what separates true professionals from the rest.”

Niko mulled that over while sinking most of his body under the water. Only his nostrils, eyes, and ear-holes stayed above the surface. That was all information that he definitely hadn’t known, but in hindsight seemed to be fairly obvious. All of the higher tier individuals he’d met thus far, even the Dawr Shaman, seemed to have some kind of flavor to their essence. This ‘aspected essence’ wasn’t just something that some powerful people had, but rather that all powerful people had. Niko wasn’t certain what that might mean for him and his team, but it reminded him of what he’d seen during their initiation into the pilgrimage.

Would those images that each of his friends possessed be helpful guides for them? Was that a hidden benefit of the pilgrimage itself, to better put you in touch with your inner self and what resonated with you? If it was, then Niko thought it was no wonder why those on the pilgrimage were so well revered.

That left the question of what Niko would be focusing on, then. Perhaps when Crowe and Camille were there, he could ask them more in depth about the process, just in case there were any hidden pitfalls he needed to be aware of.

Just then, Ottowan arrived at the entrance to the building, overlooking the pools that made up the open-air bathhouse. “Young Miss, the Matriarch is returning, and dinner is nearly ready.”

Sasha reluctantly propped herself up in the water, but responded properly, “Thank you, Ottowan, we will be in shortly.”

The black-as-ink sabrecat vanished before Niko’s eyes once more, leaving Niko to gripe, “I really need to figure out how to track that kind of thing.”

“Good luck,” Thokk chuckled, “Ottowan is a stealth expert. There aren’t many on this mountain that can match him, and far fewer that can find him when he does not wish to be found.”

Niko heard that, but refused to be dissuaded so easily. There had to be something that revealed his movements. But, that would be for later, in the meantime, the lot of them pulled themselves out of the water.

Out of the group, he thought that the only one who looked more longingly at the pools than him was Sasha. ‘Later. More relaxation later.’ Niko consoled himself, feeling far better than he’d felt in weeks.

After using a few sigils installed in the changing room to dry themselves and then get dressed, Niko walked alongside the team through richly decorated hallways. Beige walls with ornate, but unobtrusive patterns flanked them on either side. Hanging lamps from the tall ceiling kept the entire building well lit with warm light, and in spite of Thokk’s height, he never risked bumping his head on anything. These hallways did, admittedly, make Niko feel small, but he imagined that his humanoid companions likely felt like toddlers here.

Sasha led the way, and soon they walked into a large, open room, vaguely circular, with what would have been the corners of the room instead smoothed out with arches and, Niko noted, well decorated storage cabinets. A warm, open fire pit sat in the middle of the room, smooth stones lining the pit, with a modest flame already burning. All the smoke rose up to vents at the top of the ceiling, somehow not allowing the smoke to stray from its upwards path. Still, it filled the room with a pleasant, hickory scent that Niko very much liked.

The floor here was different from the rest of the building, platforms that were laid out in concentric rings surrounded the fire pit. Dark brown wooden walkways, polished and smooth, framed the platforms, which themselves, to Niko’s eyes, appeared more like cloth than anything rigid, per se. Curious, he stepped off the wood and onto an empty platform, surprised when it was much more firm than he’d expected. The whole seating, though, moved slightly with his weight, and it was surprisingly comfortable even on his feet.

“If you would all choose your seats, the Matriarch will be here shortly.” Ottowan spoke, “The meal will be served thereafter, while refreshments will be coming now.”

As with every other time Niko had seen him, the sabrecat simply vanished before his eyes, as though he’d never even been there. “He really likes that trick, huh?”

Sasha chuckled “It’s a habit of his. Now, feel free to pick any–”

“Sister!” A high pitched yowl shocked everyone to attention, and Niko rounded towards the source of the noise on the other end of the room before the word had even registered.

“Hm?” Niko blinked confusedly before realizing who the small sabrecat he now saw was, “Oh, hey, it’s the little furball, Tiku.”

As though he’d just realized the rest of them were there, Tiku took a double take and had his jaw drop open. “What!? We have guests!? What!? You have friends!?”

Niko felt like he was about to witness fratricide with how Sasha’s expression warped between happiness at seeing her brother, then rapidly to embarrassment, and then outrage. “Y-you little–”

Before the little sabrecat could realize his error, his sister had him swept up by the scruff of his neck, though Niko could tell that it wasn’t painful.

Then she started jostling him side-to-side and up-and-down, ignoring Tiku’s pleas for forgiveness. Dachna snorted in amusement, “Well, I’m glad that he’s doing fine.”

“Your definition of “fine” is very forgiving.” Mithel commented with dry amusement.

“Meh,” Dachna shrugged, “I grew up with a lot of brothers and sisters, this is normal.”

It was only then that Sasha froze, realizing what she was doing in front of her company, and set Tiku down with something grumbled at him. In spite of his recent punishment, Tiku stuck his tongue out at her, and then rapidly retreated from her reach towards the tables set around the firepit.

Niko felt his heart ache a little at the scene, remembering his own siblings, but the warmth between them was more than enough to compensate him for the momentary loneliness that had washed over him.

“Little one, are you allowed to roam, yet?” Thokk asked, rumbling as he purposefully sat down next to the energetic cat, “I’d thought you were grounded for trying to escape… Again.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Mom’s letting me roam the grounds…” His energy levels dipped a little as he continued, “I think she feels bad that I enjoyed myself so much visiting Uncle Orson.”

Skye had just sat down beside Niko when she heard that, and blurted out, “Uncle!? He’s your Uncle?”

“W-well, not officially?” Tiku looked like a deer in the headlights at that moment, eyes wide as he realized he might have said something he shouldn’t have, “I-I mean, not unofficially either.”

Sasha groaned, “He really pampered you, didn’t he? Don’t we have food and toys here?”

Tiku didn’t answer, but Niko thought that the expression he had wasn’t that of an obstinate child. He’d known the look plenty of times from his own sister, back when he was human. The look that said they had an issue but didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by bringing it up.

‘Maybe it’s the companionship, Sasha,’ Niko barely didn’t say it aloud, not wanting to assume. He glanced upwards and happened to look eyes with Ronald, who seemed to have an equally complicated expression. Perhaps they’d ask Tiku, if it wasn’t overstepping their bounds too much.

Before any more of that conversation could continue, several attendants walked in with variations of large drinking bowls that could be held between broad paws, and plates that could do the same. The servants, unsurprisingly to Niko, had vests secured to them that allowed them to carry said plates. They moved in front of the tables, manipulating sigils with essence that then easily moved the objects in a set direction off and towards the sitting tables. Niko watched the process through his Aether Sight with fascination, being that these sigils were the first that resembled telekinesis that he could remember seeing.

“That’s an interesting use of sigils. They seem pretty simple, too. Do these fall into that category of ‘easy to learn’ stuff, or are these harder than they look?” Niko asked aloud for anyone who might know.

Sasha opened her mouth to speak, but paused when a palpable aura moved into the room, preceding the owner. Every head in the room snapped to attention towards the double doors at the other side of the room as they opened up.

If Niko had had any doubt left that Sasha came from royalty, that vanished the moment he saw her mother. The sabrecat carried an aura of calm, cool elegance, with a not insignificant aspect of what Niko felt was like a cloud of lightly chilled mist. Yet, it was refreshing in a way, not unlike the warmth of the ambient essence of the entire estate. There was more there, though, and Niko both saw and felt evidence that this was no armchair general. There was a kind of confidence in the way the shock-white sabrecat moved. Braided fur along her neck, bedecked with links of ivory, gave him an impression similar to what he might expect from a viking. Her body, actually smaller than Thokk, somehow felt as if it filled a space larger than it. Niko had no illusions that her body was tough, even without seeing the cream pink, plate-like protrusions of bone that nearly blended in with her bountiful and maintained fur.

Of everything, though, her sabreteeth themselves blazed with light to his enhanced eyes, with patterns upon patterns of no small complexity within them, Niko could tell for certain that they were dangerous. None of her patterns were even remotely simple, and Niko felt the heavy pressure of tier five essence emanating from her upon her arrival.

And then, she pulled even that within her, what Niko assumed to have been a general greeting, or perhaps a flex of her power, complete. If he hadn’t felt it, or been able to see it even now in her body, Niko wouldn’t have been able to guess at her true tier of power. Whatever her methods of fighting, the Matriarch’s essence control was superb.

“Welcome, Honored Guests,” The white sabrecat began with a smile that seemed warm and friendly even with the many razor sharp, essence reinforced teeth showing, “I am told that my daughter calls you her friends and saviors. My name is Anya, the Matriarch of the Blue-Claw Clan, and I hope my little Sasha hasn’t made too much trouble for you.”