Chapter 83: Rising Tides

Walking from his room toward the lobby of the Foxhole Inn, Darius detoured to the front desk before heading out. Briggit, her long white ears bound neatly behind her head, greeted him with a warm smile. "Did you sleep well, Sir Feng?"

Caught up in his thoughts about the wedding, Darius replied without thinking, "not at all actually."

Noticing Briggit's cheeks flush with misunderstanding, Darius quickly corrected himself, "Wait—it was just a business meeting, that’s all."

Regaining her composure, Briggit smiled again. "A man of your age shouldn't be embarrassed about such things. It's none of my business anyway. Do you plan on keeping your room longer? I was quite surprised to see you return last night. We thought you had found other accommodations."

Darius squinted at her, then exhaled a heavy sigh. "Here's further payment. Keep the room for me until the funds run out. I might be back... I might not." His voice was flat, disinterested, as he turned to leave.

Briggit, accepting the high-grade mana crystal from the counter, maintained her warm smile. "Your patronage is always welcome, Sir Feng."

Stepping briskly onto the street, Darius furrowed his brow, muttering under his breath, "How dare she. Implying I'm a Cut-sleeve, me?!"

The crowd split around him as he moved, his imposing form cloaked in a dark cloud. Darius grumbled and pushed down the street, oblivious to the startled glances he drew with his sporadic outbursts.

As the city's streets came alive with the bustle of morning commerce, Darius eventually stormed into the Kinneman house. 'Percy's training will have to wait,' just as he was about to seek out Marcus, with Haku trotting up in his Ghost-form with a slight smirk, the Immortal Beast Codex strapped to his arm began to vibrate.

He froze, 'this is new...Ursie?' His eyes quickly hardened.

Dashing down the hallways, the air whipping behind him as he burst into his room.

Haku, right on his heels, 'what's the panic?! Why are we running?!'

After slamming the door shut, Darius approached the wall and pressed his signet ring against it. "Something’s wrong with Ursie; the connection through the Codex is growing unstable."

Haku’s ears and hairs tingled as he dismissed his Ghost-form. "Little sister's in trouble?! Hurry!"

"I am!" Darius completed the sequence, pulled his hand back, and watched the portal open. Without hesitation, he dove in with Haku at his side.

They sprinted to the farm door without pausing, flung it open, and immediately sensed the surge of mana from within.

Hesitating only briefly, they vanished and reappeared beside the towering column of water mana erupting from the hatchery, it's roar thundering in their ears. "What is this?! Wait...there she is! Ursie!!" Haku morphed into his beast-form, his frame expanding.

Darius grasped Haku's fur. "Wait!... Set up a containment array, quickly! Prevent potential damage to the Farm!"

Haku turned, his horns glowing and fangs bared, "Damn the farm! Let go!"

"Idiot, she's fine! She's just evolving! Do as I say!" Kicking Haku in the rump. "Get to it!"

Turning to Ursie, Darius's kick had allowed Haku's mind to calm as he observed the cycling mana, its energies gently cocooning her. "Sorry, big brother!" Smoldering back into his animal form, he began clawing runes along the Hatchery's exterior.

Darius activated his Arcane Gaze, studying Ursie intently. 'I didn't realize she was so close. Mana-Beasts that evolve by devouring others tend to evolve quicker than those that age naturally, but this is extraordinary.'

"Do you think she'll finally be able to talk?!"

"I'm not sure!" Darius shouted, watching closely. "But generally, when a mana-beast evolves, its abilities—including intelligence—grow at least fivefold! However, there's a cap on their intelligence based on their species! They only reach full cognitive potential when they achieve their humanoid form!"

Completing the last rune, the sounds of raging mana hushed, then Haku appeared beside Darius, his eyes fixed on Ursie. "Is it just me, or does she look like she's smiling?"

Darius chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

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"Not one bit! It's just why does cultivation have to hurt so damn much?! When she gets to her human form, she's brushin my fur, daily."

Shaking his head at Haku’s whining, Darius focused through the haze of water mana. "It’s happening! Get ready to congratulate her once she’s done."

Haku instantly morphed into his beast form, grooming his fur with a swipe of his paw and polishing his horns, "do I look impressive?"

Darius ignored Haku's question, absorbed in the spectacle of Ursie's evolution. 'I'm glad I made it in time. Reading about it is one thing, but witnessing it firsthand is invaluable. After this, just one more stage and I can start working on her horde. We'll definitely need to visit that beast graveyard once we leave the city.'

Ursie, enveloped in the swirling column of water mana, began to change. Her eel-like body, previously around two meters long, started to stretch and grow, reaching three meters in length. Her pale, slimy skin shifted, becoming more vibrant as new scales formed, each one shimmering with a glowing greenish blue.

From her grotesque, bug-like head with its giant mandibles and long antennae, the transformation spread down her body. Her form pulsed with energy, and small nubs appeared near her tail, rapidly sprouting into hind legs. These new limbs flexed and tested their strength, adding to her grotesque yet mesmerizing appearance.

Haku stared, slack-jawed, as Ursie’s evolution easily unfolded. To him, her body seemed to be enveloped by a soft glow, concealing her form momentarily before it expanded gracefully and fluidly. The process was even accompanied by gentle, pleasing sounds. "Every. Single. Day."

"If one doesn't see this as a celebration, they are truly blind," Darius murmured to himself, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"What do you mean?"

"Close your eyes. Feel the mana around her."

Squinting slightly, Haku rolled his eyes before closing them. His mind instantly flooded with vibrant colors, evoked by his heightened sense of smell.

Tilting his head, Haku inhaled deeply, his features relaxing into a look of contentment. "You're right. The mana—it feels beautiful."

Darius chuckled softly, nodding in agreement, his voice a low murmur. "Feels beautiful..."

Gradually, the column of mana began to funnel into Ursie, solidifying and amplifying her internal aura. Peering intently, Darius marveled, 'her crystal is absorbing the remaining mana. So this is what a crystal looks like when it's evolving. How fascinating.'

As Ursie's crystal evolved, the previously rough shape began to change, its jagged edges gradually rounding out. Most of it's fissures closed, leaving behind a more uniform surface, though it remained textured. The colors intensified, shifting from a dull blue to a vibrant, shimmering azure, like a glass bead catching sunlight.

As the mana funneled into Ursie, the crystal glowed brighter, casting rippling blue patterns beneath her scales. The remaining water mana swirled around her like a vortex, intensifying the crystal’s brilliance.

With a final, radiant pulse, the energy exploded outward, sending water spraying into the air. Droplets rained down on Haku and Darius, igniting their auras as the crystal settled into a steady, serene glow, now a vivid azure.

Darius sensed Ursie's increased power, her aura vastly more potent. "Her evolution into the second stage is complete."

"Congratulations, little sister!"

As the glow from Ursie's body waned, she gracefully descended into the Hatchery's waters, slowly vanishing beneath the surface.

Darius and Haku, leaning curiously over the edge, were suddenly caught off guard when Ursie's large face abruptly broke through the surface. They leapt backward as the water surged, and Ursie's three-meter-long form thundered onto the shore, sending droplets scattering.

"Is she okay?" Haku asked, growling under his voice.

Ursie floundered briefly, her body slapping against the wet ground as she struggled to find her footing. Finally, her new legs gripped the soil, propelling herself forward as her body dragged along the ground and her mouth snapped and gurgled, her antennae bobbing wildly.

"Ah!!" Haku leaped back, his form sailing through the air before crashing into a cluster of trees.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Darius placed his hands behind his back, smiling warmly at the advancing Ursie. "You look excited. Happy to see me?"

Skidding to a halt, Ursie's scales made a wet slapping noise against the dirt. Her gurgles and moans sent a slight shiver down Haku's spine as she gazed up at Darius, her antennae reaching out to affectionately touch him.

Darius focused on their link through the Codex. 'How do you feel?'

Ursie's wiggling ceased, and her snapping jaws paused as she looked up to him. To his surprise, she then strained, her legs digging into the earth as she swayed, making an awkward effort to stand upright.

Ursie eventually steadied herself, her legs anchoring firmly into the mud. Her elongated, eel-like body, topped with a grotesque bug-faced head, violently swayed as she balanced upright. Her large mandibles clicked rapidly, and her long antennae twitched in the air, probing the surroundings.

As Darius watched, his eyes scanning Ursie’s transformed body, a bubbly, wet voice echoed in his mind, "I feel hungry."

Laughing heartily, Darius shouted to Haku, "Come over here! Greet your little sister!" His smile beamed as he asked Ursie, 'Do you know who I am?'

Ursie, growing steadier on her legs, responded with less sway, 'You are the first, and I will follow.'

'That sounded more like a chant than a natural response. Seems the horde mentality is deep-seeded,' Darius thought to himself, a slight sigh escaping him. He smiled warmly, 'My name is Darius, but you can call me first big brother.'

'Brother?'

Haku approached, his posture sheepish. "What's she saying?"

"Find out yourself." Darius suggested, placing his hand on Haku.

Haku's eyes widened before he flashed a quick grin. 'Can you hear me? My name's Haku, I'm your second big brother. Did first big brother tell you your name yet? If not, it's Ursie, welcome to the family! And I'm sorry if it looked like I was scared earlier, i just thought you wanted to play chase.'

Exhausted, Ursie flopped onto the ground, her legs giving out. 'You are neither before me nor after.' She ignored Haku and looked to Darius. 'Can the First find food for us?'

Darius began to smile. 'Her intelligence has improved, but she's still driven by instinct. I doubt she grasps the concept of family yet.' He removed his hand from Haku. "She doesn't understand, little brother. Don't take it to heart. Once she evolves again, she should start to comprehend how things work."

Reflecting on his studies of her species, a sudden idea struck him. 'Wait here,' he messaged to Ursie, his voice tinged with excitement as he smiled at Haku. "Be right back." With that, he vanished from the spot.

Darius reappeared beside the control stone, placing his hand on it and concentrating. Moments later, the area of hatchery began to rain.

With his flames evaporating the downpour, Haku's surprise grew when a large, five-meter-tall boulder materialized next to the two beasts. "What's he doing?"

Rejoining them, Darius took a satisfied breath. "There! When Ursie was at the first stage, she had only minor water manipulation abilities. Let's see what she can do now."

'Ursie. Attack that rock.' Darius’s excitement pulsed through his thoughts as he rubbed his hands together.

The rain around Ursie started to swirl, quickly amassing into a dense cloak of water that enveloped her body.

Haku glanced between Ursie and the boulder, his confusion tinged with excitement. "Does she have a new spell? Or is she super strong now? Ooh! Is she going to slap that boulder into piec—"

A loud, pressurized eruption cut Haku off mid-sentence. The water cloak swirling around Ursie funneled rapidly into her mouth as she opened it wide. A fierce jet of water shot out, boring a clean hole straight through the boulder. As Ursie raised her head, the jet continued, carving a straight line upward, completing her powerful attack.

"The attack is called Riptide Arrow." Darius grinned broadly, kneeling to rub Ursie's back. "When she reaches the third stage, she'll unlock a powerful barrier. She could almost be the perfect long-range assist, the only issue is her attack takes time to charge."

Haku gaped at the cleanly sliced boulder, his eyes alight with excitement. "Can we spar?!"

"No, absolutely not! She wouldn't withstand even a glancing hit from you, let alone a direct one. Mindless beast. Do you want to harm your little sister?"

As Haku processed his blunder, Darius frowned, turning to continued to marvel at Ursie's newfound abilities. He asked her questions and did his best to guage her strengths and weaknesses. After some time, he rewarded her with the remaining stash of bones from the graveyard.

Filled with optimism, Darius left Haku to interact with Ursie. Summoning the still sleeping Neko to awaken in the farm, he exited the Vault and entered the Kinneman house, his smile wide and eager.

As he exited his room, his voice trailed off, "I hope Marcus isn't too busy; we have a lot to discuss..." His words hung in the air as he disappeared down the hall.