Thalion was having the time of his life as he pursued a manta ray through the open sky. The creature moved with mesmerizing grace, its sleek body slicing through the air like a blade, barely twitching its fins as it glided effortlessly on the currents. At first, Thalion had planned to kill the beast, but now he was utterly captivated. He wasn’t hunting anymore—he was learning.

The manta performed one daring maneuver after another, trying desperately to lose him, but Thalion was relentless. With each twist and turn, he came closer, his movements growing smoother, more fluid, as if he were absorbing the art of flight itself. He was no longer chasing the creature to conquer it but to master the skies as it did.

Despite its agility, the wind manta seemed to have little in the way of offense. It lashed out occasionally with a weak mana blade, a sluggish and feeble attack that barely tickled Thalion’s defenses. Instead of dodging, he flew straight through the blades, using them to temper his body.

After five exhilarating minutes of pursuit, Thalion decided to let the creature go. He had strayed too far from his original objective—catching Kargul’s new pet. With a wistful sigh, he turned away from the retreating manta and soared back toward the flock of flying sky turtles.

Thalion loved flying. It was liberating in a way nothing else was—a marriage of power and elegance that made him feel invincible. As he sped through the air, he noticed a notification. Both his umbral predator form and his human form had reached level 40. He had hoped the milestone would reward him with a new mythic skill, but nothing came. Perhaps higher-rarity classes were stingier with skills, or maybe he just needed to work harder. Either way, it didn’t matter.

He soon arrived at the crystal the swarm of turtles had been circling. His eyes glowed briefly as he identified the leader:

Skyglide Turtle – Level 43

The turtles had already switched their target crystal eight times since he started tracking them, killing the guardian of each with ruthless efficiency. He would need to be cautious. Some of the turtles could spew a strange, viscous acid—not lethal on contact, but disorienting. Birds that were hit would stagger mid-flight, their movements drunken and clumsy, before the turtles caught up and tore them apart.

Thalion positioned himself 100 meters above the flock, hovering for a moment as he prepared to strike. Then he dove. His body became a green blur, feathers shimmering in the sunlight as he activated a series of skills: Feather glide, eye of the storm, skybolt barrage, and finally, a charged lightning bolt that crackled ominously.

The turtles reacted instantly, surging upward to meet him. But Thalion was ready. He swerved to the side at the last moment, unleashing the charged lightning bolt directly into three of his attackers. The force of the impact sent them tumbling through the sky, two of them clearly unconscious. It was strange—though the turtles were massive, they seemed to possess some innate skill that kept them aloft, even when unconscious.

The remaining turtles pressed the attack, but Thalion unleashed chaos in their ranks. The storm he had conjured churned the air into a frenzy, throwing turtles off balance, while smaller lightning bolts rained down from the heavens. These strikes weren’t as powerful as his charged bolts, but they added up quickly, incapacitating any turtle hit multiple times.

Then he spotted it. One of the larger turtles—its shell gleaming like polished emerald—suddenly veered away, panic flashing in its wide, glassy eyes. It was younger than the others, faster too, and clearly terrified. Thalion grinned. This was the perfect catch for Kargul.

Abandoning the swarm, he pursued the fleeing turtle. The sight that followed was almost comical: a panicked, flailing turtle desperately flapping its fins, pursued by a sleek, predatory green eagle, which in turn was being chased by a vengeful swarm of turtles.

Thalion had to speed up as the swarm closed in, but lightning bolts continued to strike down turtle after turtle. Their furious roars echoed through the sky as they fell one by one. Eventually, the number of pursuers dwindled until only three remained, their determination unwavering. Thalion dispatched them with precise strikes, leaving him free to focus on the three-meter-long skyglide turtle.

Deactivating his skills, he chased the terrified creature through the sky, firing a few more lightning bolts until it finally faltered. Its body wobbled, its flight uneven, before it flipped onto its back, helpless in the open air.

Hovering above his prize, Thalion shifted into his human form. His blood armor gleamed like a second skin as he approached, carrying heavy chains Kargul had prepared. He quickly secured the turtle, wrapping the chains tightly around its massive body until he was certain it couldn’t escape. But the added weight caused the turtle to sink slowly.

Thinking fast, Thalion spotted a nearby wind crystal—an enormous gem over a meter wide—and attached the chains to it. The crystal, humming with latent power, held firm, suspending the turtle in midair. The flock of birds that had been guarding the crystal fled the moment they sensed Thalion’s unsuppressed aura.

With the turtle secure, Thalion reverted to eagle form and began gathering the spoils of battle. He plucked twelve dead turtles from the sky, storing them in his spatial ring, and dragged six wind crystals to attach to the captive turtle for added lift.

Yet, as the sun began to dip lower in the sky, Thalion realized he still hadn’t figured out how to transport the turtle back to Kael’s base. After a moment’s thought, he settled on a simple—if exhausting—solution: wake the turtle up and chase it back.

Thalion hovered near the unconscious beast. He fired a lightning bolt at its shell, careful to avoid causing serious harm. The turtle woke with a startled yelp, flailing wildly as it spotted him. Panic set in again, and it began to flee, dragging the attached wind crystals behind it like an awkward, glittering comet.

Grinning to himself, Thalion followed, keeping close enough to guide the turtle but far enough to ensure it didn’t try anything reckless. The journey back to the base had begun—and it was going to be just as chaotic as the hunt.

<--

Kael, Kai, Evelyn, Kargul, Jakob, Annie, Zyra, Sylas, and Lars the cook gathered in the highest tower of the base, waiting for Thalion’s arrival. Lars had prepared a sumptuous meal, and the group was in high spirits, laughing and chatting as they enjoyed the food and drinks. Evelyn had invited Lars specifically, hoping that good food might serve as a better motivator for training the turtle than Kargul’s infamous vodka. Kargul, however, was insistent: "Education is important," he had said. "Even for animals. Vodka will do the job."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Jakob chuckled, swirling his drink. "So, what’s the first command you’re planning to teach this turtle?"

Kargul leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe… ‘sit.’"

Kael nearly spat out his drink. "Sit? On what? How exactly should a flying turtle sit?" His laughter rang across the tower.

"Alright, alright," Kargul muttered, scratching his head. "I’ll think of something better."

"Hey, look!" Zyra’s voice cut through the laughter as she pointed toward the sky. "Is that… Thalion?"

Kael stood and shielded his eyes from the fading sunlight. "It is him! And he’s got your turtle, Kargul!" He doubled over laughing, his booming voice echoing in the high tower.

The others joined in, their amusement growing as they spotted the scene overhead. A kilometer above, and still some distance away, a completely terrified turtle flailed its massive flippers, bound to eight glowing white crystals. It floundered wildly, as if it could escape by sheer panic, while a bird darted around it, occasionally striking with lightning to keep it in line.

Kargul rose to his feet, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. "What a majestic being! From this day forward, you shall be known as Vorlok the Worldshatterer! Your name will inspire terror in all who hear it!"

The declaration sent the group into hysterics, tears streaming down their faces as they laughed.

Kael wiped his eyes, still catching his breath. "Ah, this is exactly what I needed."

Thalion, meanwhile, was utterly drained. Every muscle in his wings ached, and the constant wrangling of the terrified turtle had tested even his patience. He grumbled to himself as he launched another crackling bolt of lightning past the turtle’s head, forcing it to descend.

When they reached the tower, Thalion guided the panicking turtle in tight circles, forcing it lower and lower until it hovered just above the tower. Kargul leapt forward, grabbing the heavy chain and pulling with all his might. The turtle resisted for a moment, but exhaustion soon overcame it. Its frantic flailing slowed, then stopped entirely, leaving it limp in Kargul’s grip.

As the turtle dangled at eye level, Kargul puffed out his chest. "Vorlok the Worldshatterer… sit." With a final tug, he slammed the creature against the floor of the tower, pinning it in place.

"Good boy!" Kargul beamed with pride. He pulled a three-liter bottle of vodka from his spatial ring, then—without hesitation—yanked open the turtle’s enormous mouth. The beast’s jaws were easily twice the size of his head, but Kargul poured the entire bottle down its throat.

Vorlok thrashed in protest, his flippers flapping uselessly against the stone floor, but the vodka was gone in seconds. Rolling onto its back, the turtle let out a pathetic wheeze before falling silent.

"Good!" Kargul cheered. "That’s roll! You’re such a fast learner!" He pulled out another oversized bottle of vodka, pried the turtle’s mouth open once more, and emptied it again in the maw of the helpless turtle.

The group was in stitches, rolling on the ground with laughter. "This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen," Jakob wheezed, clutching his sides.

Standing tall over his unconscious pet, Kargul nodded with satisfaction. "I spoke to the beast tamers," he announced, "and they said it’s important to reward the beast whenever it does something right."

Thalion finally landed, transforming back in a human as he stepped onto the tower. He kept a cautious distance from the turtle’s enormous jaws—he knew all too well what those could do.

Kargul ran up and enveloped him in a bear hug. "Thank you so much, Thalion!"

"Not a big deal," Thalion muttered, trying to pry himself free. "Now, could you please let go? And… just so you know, these turtles can spit acid. You should be careful."

Kargul scoffed, waving off the warning. "Vorlok the Worldshatterer would never do that to me. He knows I’m his friend."

"Wait…" Thalion blinked. "You named the turtle Vorlok the Worldshatterer?"

"Yes," Zyra snorted, triggering another round of uncontrollable laughter.

It took several minutes for the group to calm down. Every so often, Vorlok would let out a groggy yelp or wiggle his flippers, sending them into fits of giggles all over again.

Thalion surveyed the situation, rubbing his temples. "Maybe we shouldn’t remove the crystals. The turtle could use them for cultivation."

"No way!" Zyra protested. "Can’t you feel the power they’re absorbing? Those are valuable!"

"But Vorlok the Worldshatterer likes them," Kargul said, gesturing to the barely-conscious turtle.

Thalion shrugged. "Fine. If you figure out how to fit them into my spatial ring, I can bring you more later."

"Deal!" Zyra’s eyes lit up. "And did you bring any flying beasts?"

Thalion nodded and waved a hand. A heap of carcasses appeared before them, the massive pile nearly covering the tower’s platform.

Vorlok, still woozy, weakly flapped his flippers at the sight of his fallen comrades, but he was far too intoxicated to do anything more.

"This is amazing!" Zyra clapped her hands, already stuffing the bodies into her spatial ring. "I can make so many elixirs from these!"

"Holy crap, how many did you kill?" Sylas exclaimed.

"Not enough," Thalion said with a tired grin. "I couldn’t catch them all, but believe me, this turtle was the real challenge."

Kai laughed. "We could tell! I’m guessing Vorlok was the strongest turtle you found since you killed all the others."

Thalion hesitated. "Not exactly. When I attacked, Vorlok was… the first to run away."

"Because he’s the smartest!" Kargul declared proudly. He slapped one of Vorlok’s flippers, startling the poor turtle, who gasped before passing out again.

"Well, I’m done for today. Vorlok the Worldshatterer needs to rest." Kargul stood, dragging the turtle and its attached crystals toward the exit.

The others burst into laughter once more, wiping tears from their eyes.

"Hey, what do you think—boy or girl?" Zyra asked, giggling.

"Don’t ask Kargul!" Evelyn warned.

"Don’t worry," Sylas said. "There’ll be plenty of entertainment in the next few days."

Changing the subject, Thalion asked, "Any luck finding the anthill?"

"Not yet," Kai said. "It’s probably deeper in the woods, maybe near the river."

Kael nodded. "Clearing out those ants and handling the political talks will be our next priorities."

"And the ambassadors?" Thalion asked.

"They’ve returned," Kael replied. "Seraphina and Steven agreed to an alliance until the undead threat is resolved."

Annie sighed. "I’ll need to leave soon for Seraphina’s kingdom. My patron insists on it."

"Maybe I’ll visit," Thalion said with a smirk. "I could use a water attunement form."

Annie smiled. "That’d be nice. I hate dealing with those people."

"Who knows?" Sylas chuckled. "Maybe Kargul will fly over with his new pet."