DING!
[Quest Update: The Beast Emperor's Path Begins]
In the forest.
Lucas moved carefully now, Umbra trailing beside him like a silent sentinel. Every step through the underbrush was purposeful. The bond between them was still fresh, but already he could feel something deeper—a pull, a resonance in the space between thoughts. When Lucas slowed, Umbra matched him. When he shifted direction, the lion followed, silent and graceful despite his immense size.
{You're syncing faster than I expected,} the system voice—Angel—mused.
{Impressive. But don't let it get to your head. This world has a nasty habit of humbling the cocky.}
Lucas was about to respond when Umbra stopped, his hackles rising. The lion's nose twitched.
Lucas tensed.
"What is it?"
A soft rustle echoed from the thicket up ahead—too controlled to be the wind. Then he heard it: low voices, cruel laughter, and the metallic clink of weapons. Bandits.
He ducked low behind a fallen tree. Umbra slinked into the shadows. From his vantage, Lucas caught sight of them: six rough-looking men in mismatched armor, their filthy clothes adorned with bone charms and rusted buckles. Each had a leash in hand—tied to enormous, diseased-looking rat beasts, their red eyes glowing in the dim light.
"Scouts say a kid came from the Riftwood," one bandit grunted.
"All alone. Should fetch a good bounty if he's noble stock."
Lucas's heart skipped.
"Heir of Greystone," another sneered. "Baron Aldren's whelp. Thought they all died in the purge."
Lucas clenched his fists.
'So... the old Lucas really was nobility then why am I here?'
"I say we find him and bleed him slowly," the largest of them said, his voice gravelly. His rat beast growled, fangs yellow and dripping with venom.
"His daddy cost us everything."
Angel's voice was suddenly cold.
{They're scum, Lucas. Human filth who've turned to beast raiding and slavery. Your move.}
Lucas's mind spun. He had Umbra—a beast of legends. But he was outnumbered six to one, and they had tamed beasts too. He needed to play this smart.
He whispered,
"Umbra... go right. Flank and hit hard when I give the signal."
The lion vanished into the brush.
Lucas stood.
"Looking for me?"
The bandits turned, startled.
"Well, well," the leader grinned. His beard was braided with bone, and his eyes gleamed with malice. "The little lord shows himself."
Lucas stepped into the clearing, unarmed but with fire in his eyes.
"The Baron was my father?"
"Aye," the leader spat. "And he burned our homes to dust in his wars. We just returned the favor."
Lucas's vision blurred for a moment. Then suddenly a sharp pain ran through his head. He stumbled.
FLASH.
He saw flashes of steel, echoing yells, and a younger version of himself, sword dancing in his hand, parrying, twisting, cutting. A training courtyard. A drill instructor is yelling. Dozens of victories. Muscle memory. Precision.
The pain ebbed, and Lucas gasped.
{Memory fragment recovered,} Angel said softly.
{You were a prodigy in swordplay. It's coming back to you.}
"You're dead, boy!" a bandit roared, charging.
Lucas's body moved before his mind caught up.
He ducked the swing, snatched a shortblade from the bandit, and slashed across the man's thigh. Blood sprayed. The bandit screamed and fell.
"NOW, UMBRA!"
The forest exploded.
Umbra barreled into the clearing, a black blur of death. His roar shattered the morale of the rat beasts, who squealed and scattered.
The lion pounced on one of the diseased creatures, his jaws clamping down on its throat with a sickening crunch. Another bandit lunged with a spear, but Lucas pivoted, blade flashing. The steel met flesh, slicing through the man's chest.
A third bandit screamed and ran. Umbra roared again, this one pulsing with a strange distortion.
[Skill Activated: Disruptive Roar]
The last rat beast convulsed, ears bleeding, before collapsing.
Lucas turned to the bandit leader, bloodied blade in hand.
"You killed my family."
The man raised his axe.
"And I'd do it again!"
Lucas charged.
Their blades met with a clash of steel. The bandit swung heavy and wild, relying on brute force. Lucas flowed like water, ducking and weaving, each movement crisp, instinctual.
He stepped inside a wide arc, blade flashing upward.
The leader staggered back, blood pouring from his arm.
"Damn noble brat!"
Lucas didn't let up. He kicked the man's knee, sending him sprawling. Then pressed the blade to his throat.
"Your gang is dead. Your beasts are dead. And you're done."
The man laughed through bloodied teeth.
"Kill me, then. You'll be no better."
Lucas stared into his eyes. Then stood.
"No," he said.
"You'll live. You'll carry the weight of your failure."
He then punch the bandit to unconsciousness then turned to Umbra.
The lion growled, disappointed.
Lucas walked away.
Angel's voice echoed again.
{Merciful. But cold. I like it.}
[Quest Complete: First Blood]
Reward: +1 Skill – Swordmastery (Level 1)
New Memory Recovered: Combat Prodigy (Sword)
Bond Level Increased: Umbra (Initiated → Trusted)
Lucas looked at the blood on his hands, then the sky.
"So this is what it takes to survive here," he murmured.
{Survive? No, Lucas. This is what it takes to rule.}
DING! [New Quest Unlocked: Seek the Wind Dragon Hatchling]
Hint: High peaks. Fierce gusts. Destiny awaits.
Lucas turned toward the distant mountains, his expression hardened.
"Then let the hunt begin."