Nortin City — the largest city in the north of Aghnikhaat. Known as The City of Marbles, it's famous for its ore and raw material mining from the northern mountains. The region also cultivates dates, fruits, and nuts.
Osmian: "Oh, this place isn't any less impressive than Solaren. It's thriving."
Huorin: "Actually, Nortin's richer than Solaren. The raw materials here are more valuable than the refined goods you get in the imperial capital."
Osmian: "That doesn't make sense, though."
Tency: "Yeah, one batch of raw materials can make multiple refined ones. The math doesn't add up."
Om: "Hey, I get it — Nortin's amazing. But how long are we going to keep sightseeing?"
Rocyan: "Yeah, I'm itching for action."
A vally in northen mountains .
They crouched behind a boulder, eyes fixed on the valley below. A horde of Vortals thundered through — a stampede of evolved magical beasts, once horses, now transformed by mana.
Vortals: Creatures born from horses exposed to mana. In Aghnikhaat's heat-infused climate, the mana twisted them into carnivores. Their traits vary based on the type of mana they've absorbed.
Huorin: "Rocyan, Ren, Hyumin, Tency, Meena, Om, Osmian, Wuxing — among us, the first to subdue a Vortal wins. No magic. Only physical attacks."
Tency: "The Vortals weigh around 800 kilos and stand seven feet tall. So yeah… good luck."
Om: "Alright, Let's do this!"
They broke from cover, charging down the slope toward the valley. The Vortals didn't notice them at first. Then one raised its head — blood-red eyes locking on the group — and let out a deep, bone-rattling snort.
Rocyan went first, leaping from a rock with a flying tackle. He bounced off the Vortal's neck like a rag doll and landed flat on his back.
Rocyan: "Okay. That thing is not soft."
Ren tried to swing from a tree branch and drop onto one. The branch snapped halfway. He dropped early, right onto another Vortal's rump — which promptly bucked and sent him sailing into a cactus.
Ren (muffled): "I regret everything."
Hyumin He grabbed a Vortal by the front leg. The Vortal just stared at him, lifted him with its neck, and deposited him gently into a bush — then walked off like it was bored.
Hyumin: "...I think it pitied me."
Tency tried to rope one with her sash. It worked… until the Vortal ran. She was dragged fifty feet before rocyan cut the sash with a quick throw of a dagger.
Tency (dust-covered): "Thanks. I think I swallowed a pinecone."
Om leapt onto one's back — and immediately regretted it. The Vortal didn't even try to throw him off. It just sat down.
Om (wheezing): "Guys… I can't… feel my legs."
Osmian charged in with full confidence, did a perfect somersault, landed heroically… and then realized he was facing the wrong direction.
Osmian: "Okay, I meant to do that."
Meanwhile, Wuxing was still at the top of the hill, sketching furiously in a notebook.
Wuxing: "Fascinating. Note: Vortals respond to physical attacks with stoic disappointment."
Back at the rock, Tency facepalmed.
Tency: "We're gonna die out here."
Tency: "No magic, you said."
Huorin: "I was trying to be sporting! I didn't think you'd all be this bad!"
The Vortals, having lost all interest, slowly wandered off — one of them stopping to chew on Rocyan's boot for a moment before moving on.
Huorin: "Okay. Magic is allowed. But no weapons."
Om: "Works for me. I'm a combat mage anyway."
Osmian: "Me and Meena are pure mages. This is our playground."
Rocyan: "Great. So now they have an advantage and an ego."
Huorin: "Then don't just capture one Vortal. Capture more."
They stepped into the valley again — shoulder to shoulder, magic flaring, eyes locked. A wind swept past, kicking up dust. They looked like a squad about to drop an album cover.
Mana surged.
Flames danced around wrists, boots glowed with runes, lightning crackled in the air.
They felt like gods.
The Vortals turned toward them — eyes wide, tails swishing.
Then they galloped in joy.
The beasts thought they were here to play.
Meena stepped forward first.
"COMET!" she shouted, blasting a blue fireball at one charging Vortal.
The beast ducked — the fireball slammed into the mountain wall behind it, carving out a crater.
Meena: "Reloading…"
Another Vortal pranced in, right as Meena launched FALLEN STARS. Fire rained down — and the Vortal started skipping through the explosions, dodging like it was in a dance recital.
Tency flung out her Binding Thread, locking eyes on a Vortal.
It froze in place—then let out a happy whinny, rolled over like a dog, and broke the bind by sheer body weight.
Tency: "Why is this fun for them?!"
A Vortal tried to nuzzle her. She zipped away using Movement Thread, flipping over its head and landing behind it.
She chained Attack Threads — fire blasts from both sides, above, behind — but the Vortal kept twisting and dodging, then playfully nipped at her coat.
Rocyan activated the Explosion Runes on his boots and launched himself at a Vortal.
BOOM.
He shot like a cannonball—only for the Vortal to sidestep, sending him crashing into a tree.
Rocyan: "Did it just juke me?!"
Huorin flared his Ring of Fire, twin halos spinning at his wrists.
"Let's heat this up."
He used Fire Thrust — flames bursting from his legs to boost forward like a rocket.
He shoulder-rammed a Vortal — and bounced right off. The beast neighed, tossed its head, and chased him in circles like it was tag.
Osmian finally stepped up.
His mana output surged like a damn volcano.
The Vortals froze.
Even his friends paused.
Meena: "Oh no. He's doing the thing."
Osmian (serious): "I. Am. The inferno."
He raised both arms. Fire erupted from the sky, from the ground, from nowhere.
The Vortals?
They rolled on the ground, trying to catch the fire trails like puppies chasing butterflies.
One even tried to lick a fireball.
Om used the distraction to jump in, fists glowing, fire coiled around his legs. He moved like a blur — delivering a spinning kick to a Vortal's chest.
It stumbled back, then leapt on him.
Om (under a Vortal): "This is not a fair rematch!"
Ren and Hyumin moved as one — spinning, flipping, using both arms to launch bursts of fire in perfect sync.
They tag-teamed a Vortal, weaving around it like dancers, landing blow after blow — only to realize the beast was… wagging its tail?
Ren: "It thinks we're playing fetch!"
Wuxing stood at a distance, calm as ever.
He raised one hand. Lightning arced across the sky.
He pointed — and a bolt slammed down right next to a Vortal.
Wuxing: ----------------
The Vortal blinked at him, ears twitching, then stuck its tongue out.
Eventually, the whole group stood in the field, out of breath, sweaty, some of them sihged.
The Vortals?
Completely unharmed. Frolicking.
One was wearing Rocyan's scarf. Another had Hyumin's sash in its mouth.
Huorin: "I feel like we just entertained them for thirty minutes."
Meena (exhausted): "They outplayed us."
Tency: "I'm going to bed."
Osmian: "At least I got to cast The Inferno."
Om: "You nearly set Meena on fire."
Wuxing (writing): "Observation: Vortals are immune to dignity."
Just as the group was recovering from the most exhausting game of magical tag ever played, a squad of Imperial Guards arrived at the ridge above, laughing so hard some of them had to lean on their spears for support.
Imperial Captain (grinning): "Prince Huorin! Thanks for playing with our Vortals!"
Huorin (blinking): "Your Vortals? You mean… they're from the Imperial Army ranch?"
Captain: "Yup. We let them out to blow off some steam. They've been under stress from nonstop missions."
He gave them a thumbs up.
Captain: "Really appreciate you keeping them entertained."
The entire group stood there, stunned.
Imperial Soldier (pointing at Om): "Hey, that one—my Minki loves sitting on him! Look at her, totally relaxed!"
Om (fuming under his breath): "I'm going to kill you."
Osmian (grabbing him): "You can't fight an Imperial Guard, idiot."
Tency (flatly): "They were tamed. That's why they never attacked. I knew something was off. Real Vortals are wild, carnivorous monsters."
She rubbed her temple.
Tency: "I feel like—"
Rocyan (deadpan): "—like you just lost your dignity in front of an audience?"
Tency (groaning): "Yeah."
Then came something no one expected.
Wuxing — silent, composed Wuxing — burst into laughter.
Osmian (pointing): "You bastard. You knew! You knew they were tamed!"
Om (blocking Osmian now): "Hey, hey — do you want to get beat up by Wuxing again?"
Osmian (growling): "He deserves it this time!"