Kaiser's wings carved through the humid air with the fury of a storm, feathers like obsidian blades gleaming in the fractured jungle light. Every downstroke beat back the scent of scorched leaves and blood-soaked mud, churning the mist that clung stubbornly to the canopy like a jealous spirit. The earth below was a battlefield—a mangled mosaic of shattered stone, uprooted trees, and the twitching ruin of a fallen king.
Below him writhed the Silver Caiman King, the once-proud sovereign of this swamp-strangled region. Now it was little more than a mountain of muscle, broken scale, and bloodied pride. The beast thrashed in fevered desperation, jaws snapping at phantoms, claws tearing trenches through the muck. Each breath was a moist wheeze, blowing out clouds of steam like a dying forge.
"You had your chance, mud-lizard," Kaiser muttered under his breath, voice more metal than melody.
A spear of high-pressure water screamed past his beak, clipping the edge of his left wing and sending a ripple of pain through his nerves. The Griffin twisted mid-air, flipping with unnatural grace, a smirk tugging at the corners of his beaked mouth.
"Getting sloppy now, aren't we?"
The Caiman screeched in frustration, flinging another volley of water spears from the pool it had clawed into existence. But they flew wide, colliding with trees and splintering them into kindling. The forest itself seemed to flinch. Birds fled in alarm, a canopy of feathers and panic.
With a final beat of his wings, Kaiser rocketed downward, the air howling around him. Metal shimmered across his talons, drawn up by instinct and control. The blades orbiting his body sharpened with a whisper, like eager serpents ready to strike.
Then—impact.
The Caiman hit the ground like a falling god. The jungle shook, a deep, reverberating quake that sent flocks scattering and dislodged monkeys from the trees in indignant screeches. The beast's tail thumped once, then stilled. Its body spasmed, a twisted mountain of ruined power, ichor pouring from its flanks in thick globs.
Kaiser descended slowly this time, wings outstretched, letting the quiet reclaim the land.
His talons landed with a wet squelch beside the corpse. All around him, the forest murmured. Crickets resumed their droning chorus. The waterfall nearby roared indifferently, having witnessed greater deaths in its time.
The Silver Caiman King's body steamed in the humid air, the broken scales leaking bubbling dark ichor, painting the once-sacred grove in death's palette. From within its ruined chest, the faint pulse of a mana core flickered like a dying star—liquid silver, laced with primal magic.
Kaiser tilted his head. "You know, you almost had me," he muttered, eyeing the still-twitching tail. "But then again… I'm far too pretty to die in a swamp."
***
The mana core thrummed in his grasp, a sphere of raw, undiluted essence. It pulsed like a second heart in his talons, and Kaiser could feel it: the powerful mana dancing within It was beautiful. And dangerous.
It was a pure white crystal core.
"This thing's basically screaming 'consume me and go feral.' Just my type," he said with a huff, feathers fluffing slightly.
The path to the cavern yawned before him, dark and damp, nestled behind the veil of the crashing waterfall. Moss clung to the stones like forgotten secrets, and vines hung like curtains of green silk. Each drop of water that hit the cave floor echoed like a ghost's whisper. Within, the cave was cool and silent, save for the soft plink of condensation and the low, electric thrum of the core in his claws.
As he settled deeper into the cavern, he placed the core before him on a natural pedestal of stone, like an offering to himself.
"Alright, you shiny little chaos marble. Let's see what you've got."
He then procedded to eat it.
Power surged through his body like a bolt of lightning dunked in molten iron. His muscles tensed. His bones crackled. His teeth hurt. His wings flared involuntarily, clanging against the stone walls.
Visions invaded his mind. Not just memories—instincts. Battles fought in brackish swamps, claws gripping prey beneath moonlight, the taste of blood and salt and dominance. He felt the Caiman's hunger, its wrath, its unrelenting will to conquer.
The core had a will of the Silver Caiman King, it was fighting back.
Its will tried to force itself onto his body, but he easily crushed it.
It died full of vengence once again.
Then he felt something new.
Acceptance.
The core did not fight his dominance. It yielded, folding into his being like metal into forgefire.
When he opened his eyes, the air shimmered around him. His feathers glinted with a new sheen—subtly slick, like oil atop water. His breath steamed in the cold cavern, and his eyes shone faintly with silver threads.
It tasted like a choclate ice cream, that just melted into his mouth, it was very delicious.
He wish, he had more of these cores but he did not unfortunately.
"Well, that was... invigorating," he said, flexing a claw. "I may never sleep again."
{+100 Bionergy gained}
{100/2500 Bionergy}
{+100 mana}
{+10 constitution}
He gained a lot from the core, his mana pool recieved a massive boost, along with his constituion gaining 10 more stat points, he was more tanky now.
He closed his eyes for a second to observe his core.
His core had turned pure white, the same color as the Silver Caiman King.
He speculated that cores of E ranked beasts, kings are white in color.
The water in his core, the fluid mana is 6/10 full.
He had about 600 mana points, he needed 400 more to break through to (E) from (E-).
***
Kaiser emerged from the cave reborn.
The waterfall's mist greeted him like a lover's breath, tiny droplets catching sunlight in radiant halos. The jungle stretched before him—ancient, wild, and unbroken. Insects buzzed with renewed energy, vines swayed in a wind only they could feel, and birds sang songs half-forgotten by men.
He stretched his wings, savoring the tight hum of power beneath his skin. His talons sank slightly into the mossy stone as he leapt into the air with a single beat.
The sky embraced him.
Below, the forest rippled with life. Serpents slithered between roots. Great cats prowled the shadows. Trees whispered their secrets to one another in creaks and groans.
And somewhere out there, other kings ruled their corners of the world.
For now.
Kaiser banked through the air, a glimmer of metal weaving through the canopy's light. With every beat of his wings, the jungle bowed just a little lower.
A rustle below caught his attention—some poor beast thinking it was safe again. A deer, maybe. Or a boar.
"Lunch sounds good," he muttered, smiling. "But maybe I'll make them work for it."
The hunt had begun anew.