Sinking deeply into Tempest’s Core space, I have to admit that I’m rather curious about what the differences might be to what I’ve seen before – all of my companions are from a completely different world.

  The answer seems to be little. Which, I should have expected since Lathani’s system, while different in the way that everyone’s internal matrix seems to be unique to them, isn’t so different that the same principles don’t apply. But that could have been justified by her being born in the other world. I haven’t looked at Kalanthia’s internal matrix, though I’ve been tempted – it feels like an invasion of privacy that she hasn’t invited. So I can’t compare with hers.

  But Tempest’s looks most similar to what I remembered seeing in Trinity’s Core space. They’re both herbivores and both used for transportation – perhaps that explains it. Tempest is probably faster than Trinity ever was, but I doubt that he has a patch on her ability to bulldoze straight through anything that stood in her way. I miss that cyran, though she might easily have chosen to stay behind in the other world even if she’d lived.

  Tempest’s internal matrix is almost fragmented, with four areas of strength, most likely corresponding to his legs. They each have a strong central strand that leads away from a void in the centre – where his Core would go, I guess. The connections between the sections are very, very tenuous – even Noir’s five grasping hands have thicker connections to each other. That could be part of the issue – there has to be enough pressure to condense the Core and it’s possible that the current arrangement doesn’t allow that. Trinity never made it to Tier two, so I can’t be sure that she wouldn’t have struggled as well.

  If that is the issue, then possibly reinforcing the connecting threads would help – that way, the Energy will hopefully be able to find a central point where it can concentrate into a Core.

  However, as I look closer, I see that there’s another potential reason for things not working – the threads themselves seem weak and damaged. Or rather, clogged. It reminds me of the arteries of a sixty-year old who’s two cigarettes and a pack of donuts away from a heart attack. Few channels allow an easy flow of Energy, and most of the smaller ones are almost completely blocked.

  I investigate the new phenomenon with interest and bafflement – this isn’t something I’ve seen before. It must be something particular to this world. I’ll have to talk to Nicholas to try to figure it out – I hope it’s not something wrong with the Energy of this place. I haven’t seen it developing in my Bonded’s channels, but I’ll keep a closer look.

  Zooming in closer, I try to work out how to clear the magical cholesterol. A bit of trial and error reveals that it’s easier to dislodge than it is to get rid of it completely. Dislodging it just requires me to control a bit of Tempest’s Energy and to dig at the wall of the channel like a spade. The problem is that once the piece of ‘cholesterol’ is dislodged, it just moves further down the channel and then settles again.

  In the end, I do succeed in being rid of it completely, but it requires me pulling in some of my own mana, specifically fire mana. Burning the small chunk of ‘cholesterol’ somehow transforms it into specks of Energy that quickly leave Tempest’s system. It works, but it’s a delicate procedure. I have to be very careful to only burn a small chunk at a time – and it has to be dislodged first.

  At one point, I get a bit too ambitious and I try to burn the blockage before dislodging it. Bad idea.

  First I have to use far more mana to have an effect, and second, when it reaches the critical point, it explodes – and takes the channel with it. It’s one way of dealing with the cholesterol, but hardly worth the effort of repairing the channel itself afterwards. Though, at least that gave me more of a sense of Tempest’s channels in general.

  Once I’ve cleared the channels, I send a pulse through Tempest’s body just to make sure that there aren’t issues lingering there too. I find an odd sort of build up throughout his body – some sort of deposit in his circulatory system and even more in his organs. Getting rid of those is easier than the deposits in his internal matrix – Flesh-Shaping sends them into his bladder for evacuation in a very natural way.

  By the time I resurface, I find that the sky is getting dark and my belly is rumbling – it must be almost dinner time. Nicholas is still waiting for me. Incongruously for a stable, he’s once more sitting at a desk, attacking a pile of paperwork.

  He looks up hopefully when I shift, my muscles feeling stiff. I explain what I discovered, diverting a bit to explain different types of internal matrices that I’ve seen and the ones that I know have successfully compressed a Core. I finish up with a description of the magical cholesterol and what I did to deal with it.

  “Which do you think is the main reason for the lack of Evolution?” Nicholas asks, his eyes narrowed.

  I shrug.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never seen either problem before. But I can’t imagine that the cholesterol helped in any way – I’ve seen what an Evolution looks like from the inside and it requires a lot of Energy movement. Channels that are half or almost fully blocked aren’t going to allow that.” I tilt my head slightly to the side. “Do you have any idea about where it might have come from?”

  Nicholas considers the question carefully, then sighs and shakes his head.

  “If I’d known that, I’d have done what I could to ensure that he didn’t gain it in the first place.”

  I lean against the stable wall and eye Tempest thoughtfully.

  “Do you have any idea?” I ask the horse directly. Nicholas makes a quiet noise.

  “You think he might know?” he asks intrigued.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  I nod and then shrug again.

  “It’s possible. Even as a Tier one, my Bonded know what’s good for them and what’s not.”

  Tempest ruminates over the question for a while. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve been a little optimistic when he sends me an image. I blink, really not sure what I’m looking at. Some sort of liquid?

  “Do you know what this is?” I ask Nicholas, sending the image on to Nicholas. He accepts the message and I see his eyebrows shoot up. He reaches out and a bottle appears in his hand. Tipping the bottle so a little of the liquid within spills into his hand, he steps forwards, his fingers trembling slightly.

  Is this it? he asks Tempest through the Bond network. The horse snorts in surprise at the communication, then leans forward to sniff at the liquid. His head rears back and I feel his response to Nicholas – a definite yes.

  A flash of devastation briefly transforms Nicholas’ face before he controls his expression. A touch of the emotion continues to leak through the Bond, though, enough that Tempest presses closer to Nicholas and hooks his head over the man’s shoulder in the semblance of a hug.

  Nicholas swallows and pulls a cloth from his Inventory, meticulously wiping his fingers clean before he starts carding them through Tempest’s mane. I manage to control my curiosity enough to give them a few moments, but when I see Nicholas has composed himself enough that no more emotion leaks through, I can’t resist asking any longer.

  “What was that?”

  “It’s a potion,” Nicholas responds quietly. “It’s supposed to help reinforce the physical attributes of the beast who uses it. But it seems that it has instead stood in the way of Tempest Evolving – and cut short his life.”

  Ah. I can understand why Nicholas is upset – he’s probably blaming himself.

  “Well, at least we know now. Is Tempest the only one you’ve used that potion with?”

  “No.”

  I nod, having mostly expected that.

  “Have the others been limited to Tier one too?”

  “No, which is why I would not have considered the enhancement potion to be the cause of Tempest’s trouble.”

  I tap my fingers on the stable wall.

  “It’s possible that it suits some beasts and not others,” I suggest. “Everyone’s needs are different.”

  “In that case, what would you suggest for Tempest?”

  It’s a good question, but my experience has an answer coming to mind soon enough.

  “Beast Cores,” I say finally with confidence. “From other herbivores, if possible.” I don’t know if it will work, but I think it’s likely.

  Months of observing my Bonded have shown me that beast Cores are the best way to build a robust matrix – assuming they’re the right kind. A Core carries an echo of the matrix it once held; consuming it gives the beast a fragment of that template. It’s basically a smaller version of what Kalanthia did for Lathani, and since every Core comes from a creature at or above Tier two, it’s a good template to have.

  The danger is that each Core only provides a fragment; too many mismatched fragments can turn the matrix chaotic. That’s why the beast has to meditate and shape it to suit themselves, consciously or unconsciously. Energy Hearts lack any template at all, which makes them flexible but largely directionless – beyond their elemental bias. Without conscious control, especially at Tier one, too many Hearts frequently distorts the matrix. And at Tier one, creating one’s internal matrix is almost always unconscious.

  It’s not something I’ve had to be worried about in myself – the Class stone seemed to contain a template of its own as my channels have grown consistently and uniformly any time I’ve added points to stats which affect them. Even when I’ve manually added points by flooding my system with Energy, I feel more like I’m using a stencil than carving my own furrow.

  I explain as much to Nicholas.

  “You theorise that if the problem is lack of Energy, then Cores will help get him to Evolve, and if the issue is the actual shape of his, ah, internal matrix, then the Cores will help him to develop a better structure,” Nicholas summarises thoughtfully.

  “Exactly,” I agree.

  Nicholas nods slowly.

  “Shall we try it?” he suggests. “Will you help me choose the right Cores for Tempest? I’m eager to see whether they will improve the situation.”

  “Of course,” I agree. “Though he’ll know better than I do which ones are best for him.” Is that OK with you, Tempest? I ask the horse, feeling bad that he’s mostly being left out of the discussion even though it’s about him.

  He doesn’t seem to be bothered, and has even moved away from both of us to munch at the hay in the corner of his stable. He perks up when Nicolas pulls out some Cores, though, coming to nose at them with interest. Like I thought, he has a definite preference for some, and utterly ignores others.

  One, he crunches immediately, and I roll the others which he showed interest in to the side.

  Diving into his Core space, I examine the effect of the Core on him. As expected, the Energy flashes through his System, brightening the red glow of his internal matrix. It also serves to wash away the last remnants of the magical cholesterol. The glow starts in the four main channels and spreads out to the thinner ones, bolstering them and growing some of them outwards. It also extends the bases of each main channel towards the others – if this continues, they might meet in a cross shape.

  Though the Core doesn’t last long, the effects it’s had on Tempest’s internal matrix are noticeable, and seem to be positive. I let him take another Core from the ones he indicated a preference for, but encourage him to absorb it slowly rather than snap it up. He does his best to follow my instructions and I see slower but steadier changes in his internal matrix as a result.

  “It seems like it’s working,” I comment to Nicholas after a while of watching the changes in progress.

  “I wish I could see it for myself,” he sighs as I step out of the stable and leave Tempest to it.

  “Well, if my experience is anything to go by, figuring out how to see your own is the first step. After that, it takes a bit of a twist of viewpoint to see those of your Dominate Bonded.” I tilt my head to one side. “If you want, I can try to teach you. It wouldn’t be the first time.” I hesitate for a moment. “Though, I must warn you that my method of teaching has always been to manually show the other being their internal matrix by diving into it myself. Which does require a Dominate Bond.”

  I don’t even need the Bond to know how much Nicholas doesn’t like that idea.

  “There is no other way?” he asks with distaste.

  “I can talk you through what worked for me,” I offer.

  “I would prefer that,” Nicholas agrees. “Perhaps we can discuss that during our trip back home. I gather that we will be departing the day after tomorrow.”

  “If that’s acceptable with you,” I agree awkwardly, realising that I changed our plans without speaking to him – rude even without all this nobility stuff.

  “Our priority right now is to have you prepare for the competition. Finding captains for the ships is somewhat important,” he comments sardonically.

  “It is, at that,” I agree with a wry twist to my lips.

  “Come – it’s almost dinner time. You can tell me what you have achieved today and what you hope to achieve tomorrow as we eat.”

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