The night was peaceful, with no attacks. Alistair and Riseth spent it on the roof of their outpost, gazing at the breathtaking night sky. The nebula bathed everything in vibrant colors—pinks, purples, blues, and greens. Luminescent clouds formed intricate patterns, while stars appeared softer and diffused. Dynamic changes in the nebula added to the mesmerizing scene, as the flow of mana made the colors above them roil and interweave.
The next morning, Alistair and Riseth got off their vantage point and approached King, who rose from his slumber once he sensed their approach.
"Hey, wait for me, I'll come too," Desily called out, flying over to them.
Alistair considered it for a moment. He quickly decided that Simon and the weapon emplacements would provide enough security until they returned, and in the worst case, they could use the teleportation beacon. It would damage the beacon, and they only had two in their clan, but it was a calculated risk.
"Alright, hop on," Alistair said.
True to form, Desily tried to land on King's head. He snapped at her small form, forcing her to step through the void to avoid the attack.
"Try and land on my head, and I'll eat you," King said imperiously, and Alistair could tell he was serious as a rumble went through the wyvern's body and an intimidation skill radiated out.
Alistair half-expected King to refuse to let her ride him at all, but the wyvern seemed content when she landed on one of his armor plates in front of Alistair and Riseth. Desily had a somewhat spooked expression, and as their gazes met, she sent a message through their Akashic Link.
"Your wyvern is scary as fuck," she said.
Desily was usually quite nonchalant and not easily spooked, but King wasn't to be taken lightly. His level was higher than hers, and he was by no means lower tier. Alistair sensed the intimidation skill King had used, recognizing it as a new addition. He suspected King had acquired some skill points from his Trial rewards. The sheer size difference alone made King intimidating, but Alistair knew that the wyvern had become significantly more powerful after taking the pill of enlightenment. While Alistair had once been able to defeat King with relative ease, he realized that now it would be a much tougher fight. He was still very confident he would win, but King could at least partially overpower his defensive skills, making his ability to absorb attacks less effective. Alistair was glad to have such a strong summon and companion.
"Alright, let's do this!" Alistair called out, and King took to the air with a single flap of his powerful wings.
As they rapidly approached a nearby mountain chain, they observed the surrounding hills and lakes for points of interest and potential beasts. The first creatures they spotted were small packs of bird-like wyverns, their grey and white feathers scattering as they saw King approaching. These wyverns were barely half his size and blended into the mountainside with feathers, almost an inverse of a snowy owl. When Alistair got a good look at their heads, he noted their large yellow eyes. He couldn't find a direct comparison to any Earth bird; their heads were a unique blend, almost like a cross between an owl and a hawk. Identify told him they were Hukris Wyvern, and their levels ranged from 60 to 80. Alistair was quite sure their average level would increase once more time had passed, but they didn't strike him as overly dangerous. They were clearly one of the more numerous species within the range and would be one of the beasts they had to either domesticate or learn how to keep away from their new home.
"We should try and catch some of these to check their temperament. At first glance, they seem a bit cowardly," Riseth suggested.
"I don't know about that. King is a huge threat they have no chance of facing, even in a pack. They might just be quite smart instead of cowardly," Desily replied.
"They might be both," Alistair added.
King, for his part, only let out a huff, clearly unimpressed with his brethren. "The only other beast that matters is whatever has made its lair in the lake. We might need to cooperate to beat it," King said.
Alistair raised an eyebrow, realizing that implied an incredibly powerful beast, at least in the middle of Grade 8 or higher.
"Are you sure?" Alistair asked.
"You'll see," King replied.
Alistair didn't have to wonder long as they approached the large, slightly glowing mountain lake, as a wave of bloodlust washed over all of them. Alistair's hairs stood on end at the implied power of the beast, and King flew toward a cliff overlooking the lake where they dismounted, looking at the deep blue lake hiding the beast.
"Definitely at least level 150," Riseth said, looking down the cliff.
They had faced larger gaps in power before, but this was the first time since leaving the trial. They knew they had to proceed cautiously.
"Maybe we can befriend whatever it is," Alistair suggested, pulling out a leg of a Lomie he kept as a snack for King, who eyed the leg with desire.
Riseth shrugged. "It's worth a shot."
Alistair tossed the leg toward a shallow part of the water where they could see the creature if it came to retrieve the morsel. As he looked around, Alistair noted how the soil, flora, and rock were deeply infused with mana and had essentially turned into mana-aspected treasures, making him worry about just how magically charged a beast living at the source of all that mana would be. A beast's progression was quite different from that of an enlightened individual, and they could advance their record by making use of treasures and natural formations such as this lake. Fighting was just one of many ways for a beast to advance, and they had fed natural treasures to King and Fluffy whenever they had found suitable ones.
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Alistair didn't sense any bloodlust, only distrust, and caution, as the creature clearly considered the morsel a potential trap. With a sigh, he took out another leg and tossed it into the deeper part of the water. As the leg sank, they saw rapid movements and six glowing eyes in two groups, along with an elongated head adorned with large red whiskers. An orange claw, twice the size of the leg, snatched it and dragged it into the depths. The last thing they saw was a long, heavily armored tail with large orange plates arrayed into a paddle, displacing an immense volume of water and scaring some large fish as it swam away.
"Did any of you manage to use Identify on it?" Desily asked.
They shook their heads. The most likely explanation was that they hadn't seen the beast clearly enough or there was some kind of interference, either from a veil or the lake's water. One thing was clear: the beast was at least as big as King, if not bigger. Alistair had managed to make out three pairs of claws reminiscent of the front limb of an Asian-style dragon. Though he didn't want to get his hopes up about finding a dragon this soon, the possibility lingered in his mind.
"This is just a guess, but the claws and whiskers are something associated with a particular breed of dragon, but the eyes and tail don't quite match," he mused.
This excited King, who now intently looked at the waters below. "If this is a Dragon, it's mine to kill; none of you interfere," King demanded in a tone that didn't allow for reproach.
Alistair knew how important this was to King, and while potentially befriending a dragon would benefit them more, King becoming a true dragon was just as significant. Alistair wasn't sure what the best approach would be and decided it wasn't worth speculating too hard since it might just be a wyrm of sorts. The skittish behavior also spoke against this being a Dragon, as even low-tier ones were far more intelligent than the average beast and usually quite confident in their power. Before he could voice his suspicions, the creature approached the shore where he had tossed the first leg, clearly appreciating the first morsel enough to risk getting this second one closer to shore.
"Oh I think we have those on our planet they are usually our size though," Desily commented as the creature came into view.
They were greeted by an enormous shrimp-like monster adorned with armor plates interspersed with occasional shimmering scales. Its deep blue armor protected smooth, muscular skin underneath, while its underbelly displayed beautiful symmetrical patterns of black, dark blue, and yellow. Moving on four powerful legs, each adorned with three slightly curved sharp orange claws capable of precise grasping, it also featured large front limbs with slightly larger claws. Adorned with spots and sharp, decorative stripes, the creature boasted large red whiskers likely serving as sensory organs. Its head sported a small maw in proportion to its large head and body, giving it a stature akin to that of a centaur or similar beast. Along its body's length, orange and red, almost decorative armor platings added to its imposing appearance, contrasting with its otherwise deep blue scales and smooth skin. Finally able to Identify the creature, they learned it was a [Lirsaross - lvl 151] though that didn't tell them much without Dexter around.
"What kind of life form is that exactly?" Alistair asked Desily, who responded with an exaggerated shrug.
"I ain't no water fairy, but I don't think that's a dragon," Desily remarked.
Her words deflated the wyvern beside them, and Alistair could sense its disappointment through their bond. He gently tapped the wyvern's muscular forelimb.
"I'm sure we'll find you a dragon eventually," he reassured him.
They watched as the Lirsaross deftly snatched the severed leg and stuffed it into its somewhat small maw, revealing no fangs as it kept its wary eyes fixed on them.
"Its head is big enough for a large brain, so it might be smart enough to communicate, and worst case, we should be able to kill it," she looked expectantly at Alistair, who nodded and jumped down the cliff, slowly gliding to the bank of the lake close to the beast.
"Can you understand us?" Alistair called out, but before he finished his sentence, the Lisaross moved its front limb with almost imperceptible speed, sending a thin sickle of water directly at him in a surprise attack. Alistair instinctively twisted his body to evade, but the water blade sliced through his left arm, severing it completely as his defensive skills failed to absorb the overwhelming energy of the attack fast enough.
His ribcage surged with kinetic energy, and four spheres filled with the potent force sprang out of his body. Immediately, he spent half the stored energy to empower himself as he activated his other boosting skills and evaded the ensuing attacks while teleporting closer to the Lisaross to retaliate.
The water around the beast glowed ominously, and through his conceptual awareness, Alistair realized how the creature was utilizing the lake's energy to enhance its own capabilities and attacks. Determined to neutralize the threat, he swiftly exhausted all stored kinetic energy and concentrated it on his Telekinesis skill, gripping the monster with an intense force and forcefully yanking it out of the water.
As he did so, King's Sonic blast and Desily's void lances struck the struggling beast, driving it further onto the shore. The creature fought desperately to return to the water, forcing Alistair to rapidly convert more energy through his Arcane Energy Manipulation skill just to restrain it. Riseth teleported beside the creature, her fury palpable through their resonance. Her bone blades elongated and curved, seeming almost alive as she infused them with space magic. With a swift slash, she targeted the beast's muscular neck, cleaving deep into its thick, smooth rubbery skin. The space magic surrounding her blade tore through the flesh, causing it to rip apart. The beast recoiled from the attack, retreating from the water's edge, and Alistair let it go as he briefly dropped his Telekinesis skill.
Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Alistair intensified his energy manipulation into [HP] to close the wound on his bleeding stump before firmly locking the beast down; after it unleashed more water blades, they had to evade. The creature pushed once more with all its might as it attempted to escape back into the lake again, straining Alistair's ability to hold it to its breaking point as he felt blood flowing out of his nose and eyes. King, who had stopped blasting the creature, lunged into the fray, crashing into the Lirsaross and pinning it to the ground with high momentum as his claws tore into the creature's flank, scraping across its thick armor plating and skin. At the same time, his jaws ripped out a chunk from its already wounded neck as the rest of the group joined him to finish off the pinned monster.