Heimarian Odyssey

Flight! Knights below Ritters could only dream of it. Free from the shackles of gravity, Ritters were permitted to roam free across the plane. It became apparent that Ashar’s lilac potion had pushed Locke past the grey area between Ritters and Knechts, which gave him powers that resembled that of genuine Ritters. Jelredar felt a chill down his spine as Locke’s purple irises pinned him to place, it felt as though a savage beast targeted him.

“A booster potion, huh? You’re indeed a knight since you require auxiliary for leverage.” Jelredar’s face split into a mocking grin as he studied Locke’s state. Locke’s sudden ability to fly hadn’t occurred as a surprise since his mind was well-seasoned by decades of mana studies. Jelredar was a prodigy that’d honed his exceptional perception and logic, and while Locke’s abrupt change had posed a great deal of stress, he knew Locke couldn't maintain this state for long based on the simple theorem of energy equilibrium.

Jelredar believed he could regain control as long as he could hang on till Locke’s effect wean off, and indeed buying time was all he could do now. It was almost unthinkable that the brightest Mermerri star of the current generation needed to thread carefully around Locke who’d gone berserk, courtesy of a mysterious potion. There was no question that Locke was a great threat in this current state and that begged the question: Could Jelredar even manage to wait it out?

As if prompted by Locke’s elevation, Fermoss’ gaze grew increasingly deeper. It began to salivate between its grotesque fangs as it stood motionless, completely ignoring the intense bleeding of its scales. Upon noticing Locke jumping into the sky, the scorpiondrake rushed forward and released a trembling ball of dark energy; the biggest it had ever conjured thus far.

Jelredar ducked, avoiding Locke’s impetus attacks with great agility. An abrupt sense of doom struck him. His exceptional mental sensitivity told him that a terrifyingly overwhelming source of mana was aimed at him. He frantically brought up crystal walls on his flank, projected from his caster robes themselves. It truly was a spectacle; the fact that Jelredar was forced to use his mana equipment went to show that his enemies were remarkably formidable.

The ball of dark energy clashed forcefully against the crystal wall, its force spiralling to create a torpedo strong enough to uproot a tree. The vehemence of the attack had exceeded Jelredar’s expectations. His crystal walls might’ve stopped the attack but it was not without a few visible cracks, which subsequently brought damage to the mana circuits stitched into his robes.

It seemed as though base-rank scorpiondrake Fermoss was experiencing a mysterious power surge as well, which made it at least 40% stronger than usual.

Jelredar wiped away the blood that peeked from the corner of his lips. The tremors that reached him through the crystal wall had been strong enough to leave him with internal injuries. Casters weren’t blessed with strong bodies and an elementalist like him was a prime example. The attack was charged with ridiculously intense energy.

Jelredar was confused but quickly pulled a greater distance between himself and Fermoss, which would protect him from physical assaults. The monster was performing better but it hadn’t grown wings like the typical adult Akanasd. Even so, the caster was still vulnerable to the scorpiondrake’s mana attacks. It certainly didn’t help that the base-rank monster was given a mental ability boost with the power surge.

Things were looking awful. Jelredar was paying the price for his arrogance and pride with the emergence of two pseudo-level-one lifeforms. If he’d known that the knight and his mount would morph into such monsters, he would’ve stopped Locke from consuming the lilac potion.

What on earth was in that potion? Such potency is difficult to achieve even with the skillset of our level-one Magisters, thought Jelredar to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, Locke shared the same confusion. Fermoss’ change remained a mystery to him but he couldn’t afford to entertain the thought just yet. Every inch of his body itched with great restlessness; he felt as though he was about to burst into pieces! There was an urgent need to exert the offending energy before his body could no longer handle it.

Two men and one beast began a game of push and pull; a relentlessly intense battle unfolded in the middle of Blaze Valley.

Ashar had formulated the potion with some of Adamyrs’ blood and a huge helping of precious mana materials. The total worth of the materials was close to the level-two Botanian nucleus core Locke had given her. Perhaps this was Ashar’s way of repaying his generosity. The effect of the lilac potion could be considered miraculous even among the best alchemists since it could elevate Locke’s capabilities and make him a pseudo-level-one lifeform. Naturally, this was something only Ashar could accomplish since she was about to advance as a level-two Magister and she had also used the best ingredients available. Another factor was that Adamyrs was a powerful major monster. It had been able to threaten level-two Erdritter Romm when it was just a level-one lifeform and the only reason Romm eventually subdued Adamyrs was due to support from Erdritter Garcia. The Akanasd was the most powerful major monster sovereign that’d lived centuries so its blood was naturally one of the most potent materials.

When Ashar had suggested the Akanasds remain in the Sanctum Forest following the Botanian conquest, it was perhaps with the motive of having them within reach. The Akanasds were packed with the potential to transcend further. Once their purple scales covered the entirety of their bodies and a metamorphosis took place within their vessels, they could become level-two transcendent-rank major monsters. Yet, that would require a lengthy accumulation over centuries that may consume another few thousand years.

Fermoss’ current elevation was courtesy of the lilac potion since it was concocted with the blood of its parent, after all. The scorpiondrake blood was now thrumming through Locke’s veins, which further agitated the mental bond between the master and mount. The purest form of power that laid dormant in Fermoss’ blood mirrored the explosion of energy within its master.

Fermoss let out a long piercing screech, creating yet another ball of dark energy. The colour of its body surface darkened; an indication of a shift in its blood!