For a moment, nothing moved.

Then the water erupted.

A mass of pale, translucent flesh shot upward—dozens of fanged mouths writhing along its serpentine body. Its breath hissed white mist, and its body shimmered with cold so intense the air itself cracked.

"Move!" Aria shouted, thrusting her spear. The weapon hit true, piercing one of the appendages, but the leech split instantly—half its body snapping away and slithering behind her.

Caria spun, firing off two frost-tipped bolts. "Multiple bodies—tracking three!"

Rhys leapt into motion, blade igniting in a flare of azure fire. "Whirlwind Slash!"

His swing tore through one of the illusions, scattering shards of frost that turned into steam upon contact with his mana. The real one reared behind him, its gaping maw lunging for his neck.

"Moonbounce—reflect!"

The turtle's runes flashed white. A barrier of mirrored light rippled outward, catching the leech mid-lunge and rebounding the force. The creature was hurled backward into the icy pool, hissing violently as it collided with one of Caria's active traps.

The explosion of radiant frost froze the leech mid-motion.

"Now!" Aria yelled. "Focus the core!"

Sophia extended her staff, chanting, "Cryo Surge!"

A spear of condensed frost mana formed and shot through the frozen surface, impaling the core—a glowing blue sac that writhed like a beating heart.

The entire body convulsed, shrieking with a piercing, glassy sound before shattering into countless crystalline shards.

Steam filled the hollow as the frost dissolved. Rhys lowered his sword, eyes sharp as he scanned the fragments for lingering mana signatures.

"Clear," he confirmed.

Sophia dropped her arms with a shaky laugh. "Five down."

Caria picked up one of the fragments. "Frost Core. Good material for cryo enchantments."

Aria smiled faintly. "Grab a few. We'll need them for the next one."

She looked toward the ridge where the mist brightened from blue to orange. "Amber Vulture's next. Aerial type—heat resonance. We'll have to keep our formation spread."

Sophia groaned. "So, from freezing to burning again?"

Rhys sheathed his sword with a quiet sigh. "At least the pattern's predictable."

Moonbounce rumbled softly, as if amused, and started trudging toward the ridge—his shell reflecting the faint golden glow gathering above them.

As they ascended, the cold mist gave way to a dry, shimmering haze. The air buzzed faintly, and from somewhere high above came the echo of wings—slow, heavy, deliberate.

Caria glanced up. "There it is."

A silhouette circled through the fog—a massive bird wreathed in amber light, feathers glinting like molten glass. Its talons left trails of fire where they scraped the wind.

Aria's eyes narrowed. "Amber Vulture—tier four variant. Stay grounded and avoid its light rings. Once it starts charging, Sophia, prep a mana siphon. Rhys, you're on interception."

"Understood," he said, drawing his blade once more, the runes along its edge flaring alive.

The vulture screamed, the air itself vibrating from the force. Rings of burning light spiraled outward from its wings—like solar flares breaking through the sky.

Aria smirked. "Let's see if birds of fire can still drown."

Sophia's magic rose in reply. "Tidal Veil!"

The sky turned to storm.

The moment Sophia's chant ended, the air above them erupted into a swirling tempest. Rain fell in thick, heavy sheets, hissing as it struck the superheated ground. Steam roared up in columns, cloaking the ridge in a veil of boiling mist.

The Amber Vulture shrieked in defiance, its molten feathers flaring brighter. With a single powerful beat of its wings, it split the storm apart—lightning and rain scattering like glass shards in a furnace blast.

"Here it comes!" Caria shouted.

The vulture dove, faster than an arrow, a spear of amber light forming along its beak. Rhys's eyes flashed. He planted his foot, channeled mana into his blade, and struck upward.

"Vertical Slash!"

The impact cracked the air itself. Light and shadow collided, sending a shockwave across the ridge. The vulture screamed, banking sharply as sparks and feathers of liquid fire scattered across the stones.

Aria raised her spear high. "Sophia, drain it!"

"On it!" Sophia's staff pulsed with azure light. "Mana Siphon—Cascade Form!"

Blue tendrils of energy spiraled upward, latching onto the radiant trails left by the vulture's wings. The moment they connected, the air warped—the bird's glow flickering as if someone had dimmed the sun itself.

"It's losing charge!" Caria yelled. "Going in!"

Her crossbow whined as she fired a volley of azure bolts skyward. They exploded midair, forming floating sigils that detonated in bursts of frost and wind. The explosions clipped the vulture's wing, sending it tumbling lower.

"Moonbounce!" Rhys called.

The turtle's runes flared gold as he slammed into the ground. "Radiant Pulse!"

A dome of light surged outward. When the vulture crossed its edge, its molten feathers hardened, turning brittle and dull.

"That's our opening!" Aria sprinted forward, her water-forged spear spinning with a roar of rushing waves. "Pierce the sky—Tidebreaker Lance!"

She launched it with all her strength. The spear left her hands as a streak of water and lightning, slamming straight into the vulture's chest. The impact detonated in a shockwave that scattered the storm clouds themselves.

The creature let out a final, shrill cry as its wings burst into fragments of glowing amber. Its body crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact, sending a blast of heat across the ridge before slowly dimming into a bed of molten glass.

Silence followed—only the crackle of cooling stone breaking the stillness.

Sophia exhaled, lowering her staff. "Six."

Aria bent down, retrieving a faintly glowing feather that hummed with residual mana. "Amber Core Plume. Another rare drop."

Caria whistled. "Two cores in a row. Guess we're lucky today."

Rhys glanced at the faint shimmer of mana still lingering in the air. It pulsed once—slowly, faintly—then faded. "Or being watched makes us predictable."

Aria's gaze flicked toward him. "You still feel it?"

He nodded. "It's learning faster now."

Sophia frowned. "The mimicry field?"

"Maybe," Rhys said quietly. "Or something beyond that. It's not just copying anymore—it's adjusting. Every encounter, it reacts sooner."

Caria reloaded her crossbow with a soft click. "Then we keep moving before it figures out what we'll do next."

Aria straightened, eyes scanning the horizon. "Next stop—Blackmire Serpent. South basin. Poison and shadow type. That'll make seven."

Sophia groaned. "I hate that one. Last time it dissolved half our front line."

Aria gave a dry smile. "Then this time, we dissolve it first."

Moonbounce rumbled, his shell shimmering with faint silver ripples that spread like calm water over glass. Rhys rested a hand on his companion's shell, feeling the resonance steady him.

"Let's move," he said quietly. "Before the marsh moves first."

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