Idalia lay curled beside Kelix, but she had an eye on Rhaya who stepped over a fallen branch and brushed splinters off her arms. She studied Hirohowl's motionless body with a cautious stare, then turned slowly toward Idalia.
"Idalia," she said in a low voice. "How is he this strong? This is not normal. He fought like a veteran commander. He shook the forest like an earthquake. He resisted spatial distortion and sonic force. He fought three of us at once and nearly won. That is power on the level of a Liorex Alpha!"
Idalia blinked, her ears lifted slightly with surprise at the tone in Rhaya's voice.
"He is strong," Idalia said, still catching her breath. "But he is not as strong as my Grandpa. Alpha Pawail would have crushed this battle in a few hits."
Kelix stood quietly beside her. His expression tightened but he nodded. He had seen the Alpha from afar. He had felt the old titan's presence in the distance. There was no mistaking the truth in Idalia's words.
Rhaya tilted her head as if she had misheard.
"You say… Your grandfather is the current Alpha of your pride? And he is still active? Still leading? Still fighting?"
"Of course," Idalia said. She blinked again, confused. "He is my Grandpa. He is very old and very scary. But only when he needs to be."
Rhaya stared at her like she had said the sky was green. "Idalia. Elder Liorex of that caliber do not stay on the front lines. They retire. They sleep. They guide from afar. They do not remain active warriors. And they do not lead charges. That type of power is supposed to fade."
Idalia tilted her head, her tail flicking in a puzzled arc.
"No. Grandpa is very strong. Always strong. He never faded."
The Wanderan woman dragged a hand over her face, continuing, "And are there others like Hirohowl? Stronger? As strong as your Alpha?"
Idalia brightened. Her whole body perked up for a moment.
"There are. My Papa. And Vice Chief Bloombark. They are stronger than Hirohowl by a lot. Papa is very fast and very fierce. And Bloombark is very powerful with her roars. She can break steel with her voice. But she is mean. And she is the reason Hirohowl went wild. And she tried to get Jawclang to remove me and she is trying to ruin everything."
Idalia's excitement faded into a sulk. Her ears flattened. Her tail curled with anxiety. Her heart twisted with worry.
She thought of Mama. And Grandpa. And Pyro. And Pyra. She thought of her Pride. She imagined them caught in chaos. She imagined Bloombark twisting everything. She imagined Papa somewhere far away and unaware. A cold ache filled her chest.
"I need to go home. I need to make sure everyone is safe."
Rhaya stepped closer, ready to ask more questions, but her eyes suddenly snapped toward the western treeline. Her expression shifted at once from curious to tense. The air grew heavy. The leaves shook with a dry rattling sound.
Something moved in the shadows.
Then came the scraping. Hard chitin on stone. Thick claws sinking into earth. A slow, rhythmic clatter like armored plates shifting.
Rhaya's breath caught.
"Scorbears," she hissed. "Of all times. Not now."
Idalia frowned. "Scorbears? What are those?"
Kelix took a step forward. Electricity flickered around him. Even he sensed the danger. "Part scorpion, part bear. That's what they are, Ida."
Rhaya pointed toward the approaching shapes. "Native predators of Orun. Big as boulders. Thick hides like armor. Stingers like spears. They crush and stab and tear. They can track blood. And they smell Hirohowl."
Idalia whipped around. Her gaze shot to Hirohowl's unconscious body. He lay exposed in the center of the ruined grove. His breathing was deep and heavy. His wounds had stopped bleeding, but the scent of battle clung to him like smoke.
She allowed her {Sight} to peer further ahead, past trees and jungle growth. There they were. The incoming beasts rattled their segmented tails as they closed in.
A deep growl rumbled through Idalia's chest.
"They will hurt him."
"They will kill him," Rhaya corrected. Her stance tightened. "They are drawn to weakened prey. And Hirohowl is the biggest one here. He's a beacon for them."
Idalia stepped forward. Her claws flexed. Her back arched. The air shimmered as her portals ignited in a slow spiral around her. Her nostrils flared. Her pupils narrowed into sharp slits.
"I will not let them touch him!"
Kelix lifted his fists. Sparks rolled down his arms. "Ida. We just survived a battle with him. And now you want to protect him?"
"Yes. He is mine to understand. Mine to face. Mine to fix. And he is family. Even if he forgot it. Even if Bloombark twisted him. I will protect him."
The first Scorbear lumbered into the clearing. It stood as tall as a small hut. Its claws were hooked and thick. Its stinger dripped venom that burned the moss beneath it. Its mane bristled with needle like fur.
It let out a deep rattling roar.
Three more followed behind it. Their eyes glowed with hunger.
Rhaya stepped beside Idalia. Her fists tightened. Her wings buzzed anew like saws. "This won't be easy. They're on the higher end of D-Class monsters."
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"It does not matter," Idalia replied. She lowered herself onto all fours. Her muscles coiled. Her {Portals} split the air. "Because they will not pass me!"
The Scorbears advanced with a slow grinding rhythm. They circled, and Idalia watched their claws crunch through stone. Their plated bodies shifted with clicks like sliding shields. Their stingers arched high, each ending in a cruel hooked point that dripped venom hot enough to scorch the ground. The growls that rose from their throats sounded like gravel being crushed beneath a boulder.
One charged at Hirohowl. Idalia moved first.
Her portals opened with sharp cracks of displaced air. She shifted Hirohowl's unconscious body away from the nearest Scorbear in a blink.
One moment Hirohowl lay vulnerable at the base of a broken tree. The next he vanished in a pulse of light and reappeared behind Idalia near a cluster of stones. The sudden empty space confused the Scorbear. It snapped its jaws at nothing and staggered as its momentum carried it forward.
Rhaya saw the opening and struck. She kicked off the ground, her wings buzzing. She slammed her heel against the monster's head with a sonic pop that rattled the leaves. The Scorbear reeled, its plated head ringing from the hit.
Kelix darted under its legs. Smoke rose behind him as he built speed. Electricity snapped across his skin as he slammed his fist into the Scorbear's joint. The creature roared and stumbled sideways.
Another Scorbear lunged past them and closed in on Hirohowl's new position.
Idalia hissed. Her portals snapped open again. Hirohowl flickered out of reach and appeared behind her, safe for the moment. The Scorbear smashed its head into the dirt where he had been. Soil erupted around its jaws.
Idalia struck back, bolting forward and slashing across its muzzle with her claws. Sparks jumped from the impact as her {Claw Rend} tore scales free. The Scorbear's head jerked to the side. Her tail whipped behind her with a sharp crack and she spun into a heavy {Tail Slash} across its forelimb. The limb buckled. Venom sprayed from its stinger as the beast shrieked.
Another rushed her from behind. She felt the rumble of its charge through the earth. She opened a portal under her feet and burst out above the Scorbear's head. She twisted midair and slammed a brutal {Headbutt} down on its skull. The blow cracked the shell covering its forehead and drove the beast to its knees.
Kelix slid under her as she landed. He threw a bolt of lightning into its open mouth. The Scorbear convulsed and fell sideways. It startled Idalia when it went motionless and she felt a warm surge of power pulsing through her body. She realized she had not felt this way in a long while.
But the runes shimmered with its potent words.
[Power Particles: 44,500 → 93,300 Units]
[Accumalated Particles: {93,300 | 100,000}
???
[Idalia's Stats]
(Development: Lvl 1)
(Grade: [Elite])
(Species: proto-Harbinrex [D])
[Raw Values]
STR: 184 [+52]
DEF: 224 [+83]
FPWR: 264 [+130]
WIL: 254 [+124]
RES: 212 [+81]
SPD: 212 [+83]
[Knowledge Core [D] = 64%]
??? ??? ???
[Accumalated Particles]:
{93,300 | 100,000}
Spent = [-55,300 Particles]
Distributable = [933 Points]
??? ??? ???
[Next Development (2) at: {93,300 | 100,000}]
She struggled to understand why she had gained power from the fallen beast, especially when she and Kelix fought together to take it down. Was this the rune's way that it acknowledged teamwork perhaps?
She wanted to contemplate more about the phenomenon, but she had to shift her attention, however, as the largest Scorbear came straight for Hirohowl again. Its stinger raised like a spear. Its claws digging furrows as deep as trenches. Its eyes fixed on the slumbering warrior.
Idalia snarled with fury. Her eyes widened with bright spatial light. Her portals snapped open in a tight ring around Hirohowl. She shifted him again. This time farther back. This time behind Rhaya.
The Scorbear roared in frustration and slammed its stinger down in the wrong direction. Stone and soil cracked like ice beneath a hammer.
Idalia charged the creature head on. She inhaled, her chest glowing.
She unleashed an {Atomic Burst} straight into its face. The blast lit the grove in a flash of violent white. The Scorbear skidded backward, its armor scorched and its fur smoking. It toppled onto its back with a furious howl.
The ground trembled as another Scorbear tried to circle the trio. Yet Rhaya turned and struck it with a vibration punch to the jaw. Kelix struck its side with a bolt that turned its plating red hot. Idalia followed with a double slash that tore deep grooves into its belly.
The creature collapsed with a thud that shook the broken roots. Idalia felt another spike in her power, this one was a tremendous shockwave that prickled through her.
[Power Particles: 93,300 → 186,500 Units]
[Accumalated Particles: {100,000 | 100,000}
Development (Lv2) reached.
Stat Increases: +5 to STR, DEF, FPWR, RES, SPD]
???
[Idalia's Stats]
(Development: Lvl 2)
(Grade: [Elite])
(Species: proto-Harbinrex [D])
[Raw Values]
STR: 184 → 189 [+52]
DEF: 224 → 229 [+83]
FPWR: 264 → 269 [+130]
WIL: 254 → 259 [+124]
RES: 212 → 217 [+81]
SPD: 212 → 217 [+83]
[Knowledge Core [D] = 64%]
??? ??? ???
[Accumalated Particles]:
{186,500 | 300,000}
Spent = [-55,300 Particles]
Distributable = [1865 Points]
??? ??? ???
[Next Development (3) at: {186,500 | 300,000}]
But as the last few Scorbear that emerged from the forest staggered, frightened but still prowling toward Hirohowl's scent, Idalia felt something shift in the air above them.
Her ears twitched.
The air grew warm. A pulse of familiar mana pressed down on her spine like the touch of a memory. She froze and lifted her head.
Something approached through the clouds. Her heart thumped hard once. Twice. Her breath caught. A silhouette glided down through the sky. A massive serpentine body. Fur and feather. Twisting coils. A graceful arc. A predator's face.
The ferret shenlong. General Raurgo's mount.
It was alive. But riding on the shenlong's back was a small figure with wild hair and confident posture. A girl with bright crimson eyes. Wind swirling around her limbs.
Tiamare.
Idalia's chest tightened. Confusion struck her like a stone.
The shenlong should've obeyed no one but Raurgo? He was loyal to the General alone. He had attacked Idalia and her companions earlier with relentless force. And yet he now glided down with Tiamare sitting on his back as if she had tamed him. As if they had fought side by side for years.
Idalia's eyes widened. Her claws dug into the ground.
How? How was this possible? Why was Tiamare here? Why was the shenlong here? And why did the shenlong obey her?
Tiamare leaned forward and pointed down.
"Pick him up," she commanded.
The shenlong twisted with a smooth coil and swooped down. His enormous jaws opened around Hirohowl's unconscious body. Before Idalia could react, the shenlong lifted Hirohowl gently but firmly in his claws and shot upward into the sky.
Idalia's heart stopped.
"Wait! No. No. Stop!"
The shenlong rose above the treetops with Hirohowl dangling from its fluffy coils. Tiamare sat firm on the beast's back. She glanced down at Idalia with unreadable eyes.
"I need him," Tiamare shouted. "Do not follow unless you are ready." Then the shenlong banked to the east and sped away.
Realization punched Idalia in the gut. They were taking Hirohowl! Her friend. Her rival. Her responsibility.
She sprinted forward and opened a portal in front of herself. She inhaled deeply and locked onto Hirohowl's scent. She burned it into her mind. She marked it with her senses.
Kelix shouted her name. Rhaya reached toward her. Another Scorbear rushed them in desperation. Idalia did not hesitate. She carved his scent into her instincts. The moment it settled, she leapt.
"Ida! Wait!" Kelix’s voice cracked with fear.
"Idalia! No!" Rhaya cried as she blasted a Scorbear off her path.
But Idalia vanished into the portal. Her mind held one target. One scent. One friend stolen into the sky. She continuously opened another {Portal} midair and launched herself toward the rising pair.
The jungle fell away beneath her. The open sky stretched wide, and Idalia pushed herself further than she had ever gone, a white-hot streak of pure intent streaking across the morning horizon.
Her eyes fixed on Hirohowl. His pulse. His scent. His life. Nothing else existed. Nothing else mattered. The chase had begun. And she would not stop until she had him back.
