For a moment, there was silence, no one dared to be the first to move in case they were also the first to die. Then, as Dominic’s stunning effect wore off, the bison-like creature took a step forward, its head lowered threateningly.

  ‘Who are you?’ it demanded. For a moment, Dominic was taken aback. The creature didn’t have telepathy, that was certain. And, this time, Dominic wasn’t unintentionally using his own. But somehow it was able to communicate with him nonetheless. It was some sort of mixture of body language and perhaps projected intention, but Dominic was easily able to understand it, even if it didn’t technically use words.

  He doubted that the elves behind him would, however. Maybe this was a means that beasts could communicate between themselves that he hadn’t yet encountered? Or perhaps it was purely because of whatever was pulling all these different species together. Either way, the bison had asked a question; it was up to Dominic to answer.

  ‘I am the leader of this Pride and the protector of this area,’ Dominic told the bison, pulling himself to his full height, his wings automatically rising behind him to make him look bigger than he really was. ‘If you want to attack this settlement, you will have to go through me and my Pride first!’

  The bison snorted and stamped the ground.

  ‘You are not so big. I fought one bigger than you and won. Your Pride is puny in comparison to my herd. You will be trampled and crushed to the ground if you stand in our way.’

  ‘And we fought an army as big as yours and came out the victors,’ Dominic responded. The bison lowed, several others in his entourage doing the same.

  ‘They were puny too. Victory over them means nothing.’

  Dominic growled baring his teeth.

  ‘Then come and test my teeth and claws by yourself – if you’re not so cowardly as to hide among your herd.’

  ‘It is no shame to shelter with the herd,’ the bison replied without concern. ‘Or do you refuse to fight with your Pride? So be it – we shall test our strength, horn to tooth, claw to hoof. Us, and our herds.’

  [You have been challenged: May The Mightiest Win - leader against leader; party against party.

  Win – gain the power of life or death over any surviving group-mates of leaders who choose to accept the Challenge.

  Lose – forfeit your life and all of those of your Pride to the mercy of your opponent/s.

  Note, no outside intervention is permitted during the challenge. Note also that for reasons of fairness, all participants’ personal resource pools will be returned to full at the start of the challenge.

  Accept or decline?]

  Dominic read through the notification, noting with relief that his resource pools would be replenished. That was fortunate as he was still down on stamina. He quickly decided to accept it. Leo’s wordless agreement in the back of his mind helped with that decision.

  The fact was that they had little to lose and everything to gain. This challenge would focus the leaders’ attention on Dominic, thereby making his Pride a little safer as the most powerful of each species were removed from the fight. And if they won with some of their opponents still alive, they might gain some new allies, poached from the side of the hyena matriarch. As for the lose condition, it was nothing that they wouldn’t have lost anyway – in a fight their lives were always what was held in the balance.

  And although it would stop him from retreating, that would only open the elves to the beasts’ attack. Though he might encourage his Pride to do that if it really looked hopeless, he was willing to entertain fighting until the end himself. After all, if he couldn’t win here, how could he win against the matriarch who held these beasts’ allegiance?

  [You have accepted the Challenge: May The Mightiest Win – leader against leader; party against party.

  Waiting for other potential participants to make their choice. Attacking before all participants have made a final choice entails forfeiting the Challenge.]

  [Error: Potential Challenger is part of the Challenged’s party while Potential Challenger’s party is part of the force arrayed against the Challenged.]

  [Potential Challenger is currently acting on behalf of the Challenged while leading members of the forces arrayed against the Challenged. Allegiance of the force of albuhas is already in the process of changing. Win conditions are null and void. Lose conditions are null and void. Waiting for response from Potential Challenger.]

  [Waiting.]

  Though prepared to fight as soon as he had accepted the Challenge, Dominic was surprised to see that it wasn’t something he’d have to worry about. Instead, clearly, the other leaders in the fight had to each make their own decision to accept or decline the Challenge before it could take place. Jumping the gun wasn’t permitted – it was actually punished heavily.

  With the time to think in the quick respite they had, Dominic suddenly considered that he should probably tell Ilastir about the Challenge – if they interfered on Dominic’s behalf, it could lead to dire results. He quickly contacted the elf to warn him that the upcoming fight was special and that they couldn’t intervene. He also took a moment to warn the rest of his Pride not to attack before the leaders started fighting – he didn’t want to lose on a technicality. And it would be just typical for one of the newest additions to prove themselves the equal of Jenkins in her first hunt with him.

  It seemed like the System was having some problems with Howler’s presence. They’d have to work out a way to prevent Howler from being forced to fight against him. Though with both win and lose conditions null and void. It might not cause a big issue if he did agree and then surrendered quickly. And even if not, him surrendering as an enemy Dominic should be able to nullify his punishment.

  Watching the group carefully, he saw that his enemies were definitely not in complete agreement with each other: several of the species leaders objected to the bison’s – or rather, ulla’s – unilateral decision. One of each of the groups approached the lead ulla with agitated body language. For the show of things, even Howler did so.

  ‘How dare you involve us in your challenge!’ the wild dog leader yelped and growled, the trodil leader growling in agreement. ‘We did not agree to you being the leader of us all!’

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The ulla lowered deeply again and swung his horns towards the canines, making them jump back if they didn’t want to be gored. ‘Little yapping predators – you ran out of our fight with your tails between your legs. You cannot assert any authority now. I have made my challenge to the other beast.’ He snorted and tossed his head. ‘If he is as poor a fighter as the other I have fought, even you have nothing to fear if we fight side by side.’

  ‘You can’t do this! The matriarch will be angry!’ Perhaps Howler’s actions were more than just for the show of it – darting anxious looks at Dominic, it was clear that he sought to stop this before it started. Perhaps he feared that the lion would lose such a Challenge. To be fair, the ulla did look like a difficult target, perhaps even at level 20 based on his clear thought processes. But Dominic had fought bigger and tougher, he was pretty sure of that. ‘If we lose but remain alive, we will be at the mercy of our opponent! We will be unable to carry out her orders!’

  ‘The matriarch ordered us to attack the two-legs and any who fought with them,’ the long-horned ulla answered calmly but with the immovability of a mountain. ‘That is what I am doing. If you are so fearful of your own strength, do not join in the fight. Remain in the air and take the news of what happens back to the matriarch – victory or defeat.’

  ‘Fine, I will,’ Howler responded with a mixture of spite and relief. Dominic had to admit to a certain amount of satisfaction at how that little performance had played out – Howler now had a perfect excuse for why he wouldn’t take part in the fight.

  Dominic found himself reluctantly impressed. The bison-like ulla wasn’t nearly as stupid as he might have thought what looked like a particularly dangerous cow would be, even with the System. But making contingency plans in case of his defeat? That showed a surprising depth of thought.

  [A potential Challenger has declined the fight: Albuha leader (Howler). Waiting for other potential participants to make their choice. Attacking before all participants have made a final choice entails forfeiting the Challenge.]

  [Potential Challenger is currently choosing to abstain from the Challenge. No Error is generated.]

  [Do you wish to require the members of your Pride currently leading a group of your opponents to fight on your side in this Challenge?]

  Dominic hesitated. If they all died then revealing Howler’s allegiances was the least of their problems. That said, considering that Howler was leading a group of albuhas who were mostly not part of the Pride to begin with, complicating matters unnecessarily was probably not the best idea.

  He decided not to require them to fight. Hopefully, by choosing ‘no’ here, it would offer a third route out of this mess. Already they were running out of time, the argument between the trodil leader, wild dog leader and lead ulla was growing in intensity as the two predators accused the herbivore of trying to lead them to their deaths.

  ‘No.’

  [No error generated. As long as Pride members Howler, Teeth, and Jaws do not involve themselves or their followers in this Challenge, they will not be bound by its conditions.]

  And there it was – the third way. He lost no time in communicating exactly what the final decision had been to those it affected.

  ‘So,’ he continued, ‘if it looks like we’re losing, you have the choice to join and help us turn the Challenge around – but then forfeit your lives automatically, too, if I lose my fight – or to flee with your group and try to make a life elsewhere.’

  ‘We will not abandon our pack,’ Howler answered fiercely, then he sobered slightly. ‘But we thank you for your consideration. We will not involve ourselves unless absolutely necessary.’

  That was as much as Dominic could hope for, really. And it was just as well they had finished their discussion – they were out of time.

  The cockroach-like beast, who had been silent until then with its antennae waving thoughtfully, now made a strange rattling noise. The sound broke through the loud snarls, growls and deep lowing which had characterised the argument between the other three leaders so far and grabbed everyone’s attention.

  ‘I will join this fight,’ it said with finality. ‘There is strength in numbers. If our enemy is weak, we shall easily slaughter him. If he is strong, the more of us who fight, the better the chances of all.’ When it spoke, its body language was far harder to decipher than that of the others – Dominic had to reach out with his Telepathy to catch the intentions it was projecting to stand a chance of understanding it.

  The ulla looked down at the insectile creature. ‘Your words are wiser than most. Perhaps I shall not stomp you in our next dominance match.’

  ‘We shall have to win this one first,’ the cockroach replied with a hint of humour that Dominic only understood through Telepathy. ‘But your future forbearance is appreciated.’

  [A potential Challenger has accepted the fight: Harash leader. Waiting for other potential participants to make their choice. Attacking before all participants have made a final choice entails forfeiting the Challenge.]

  The trodil looked from the ulla to the harash, its body language filled with uncertainty.

  ‘You think we can win this?’

  The ulla snorted and stamped its hoof upon the ground with obvious impatience.

  ‘Fight now or fight later. The other beast has put himself between us and our targets. Unless you take your herd and run away from the prizes we have been promised if we succeed, we will come into conflict one day or another. Why not this one?’

  The trodil’s body language stiffened, its hackles rising.

  ‘We fight with you.’ Clearly this was not the first time these two had butted heads - figuratively.

  [A potential Challenger has accepted the fight: Trodil leader. Waiting for other potential participants to make their choice. Attacking before all participants have made a final choice entails forfeiting the Challenge.]

  ‘You’re fools, going along with this blood-mad grass-eater!’ the wild dog yelped. ‘But I shall not fight against the pack. May our foolishness win us our prizes.’

  [A potential Challenger has accepted the fight: Wild Dog leader. Waiting for other potential participants to make their choice. Attacking before all participants have made a final choice entails forfeiting the Challenge.]

  Dominic was puzzled – who else was there to make a choice? Howler had made his choice, as had the four other leaders of the army facing them. A moment later, his question was answered as another message flashed up in front of Dominic’s eyes. The reason, however, was completely unanticipated.

  [A potential Challenger has accepted the fight: Ameshek leader (Nyx). Your vassal has invoked her right of individual choice. Ameshek leader (Nyx) has entered the Challenge as a separate entity.]

  Dominic barely had time to acknowledge the meaning of the message and feel Leo’s angry roar of betrayal in the back of his mind before the next notification popped up. Certainly not enough time for him to react physically to Nyx’s sudden gambit.

  [Nyx, Ameshek leader has declared her decision to fight with her ally: Pride leader (Dominic / Leo). She has been accepted as a fellow Challenged. Win conditions will apply to all allied members as long as one Challenged remains undefeated when all Challengers have been killed or have surrendered.]

  [All potential participants have made their choice. Challenge begins in 3.]

  [2]

  [1]

  [Fight]

  here!