Tyrin realized on the third day that he was facing a serious problem. The fauna in that area followed a strangely unique pattern. The bison formed a living wall of strength and stability, attracting weaker creatures who used them as a shield and refuge. He had already noticed this by observing the animals circling the herd's perimeter. But it was only after moving a few kilometers away from that safety zone that he noticed something troubling: predators were lurking, waiting for an opening.
He and the other animals were trapped there, in that fragile bubble of protection.
"Karma, we're going to need a different approach," he murmured. "We have to find a weaker enemy and defeat it. That's the only way we'll break this siege."
An idea began to form in his mind. Tyrin had a special ability: he could detect creatures that used ambush or camouflage techniques. Karma, on the other hand, with her powerful wings, could escape from any stronger predator simply by flying low.
With this plan, Tyrin began patrolling the entire perimeter of the bison herd in search of a vulnerable prey. It was only on the fourth day that he found his chance.
🌀 Stone Serpent – Hatchling 🌀
• Level: 28
• Classification: A
• Strength: 110
• Endurance: 130
• Speed: 20
• Skill: 2
• Psyche: N/A *
The stone serpent was considered one of the most feared creatures in Gargantua. Even as a juvenile, its attributes already displayed two three-digit numbers — a clear demonstration of its destructive potential. Its strength came from the art of surprise attacks: cold-blooded, it spent most of its time buried and struck when least expected.
Tyrin identified it by its head, discreetly hidden inside a charred tree. Likely due to constant movement, the serpent's trap wasn't perfectly set — a rare opportunity to strike, especially since its weak point was exposed: its face.
"Karma, there's an enemy in that tree. Can you burn it with your fire?"
Karma didn't hesitate. To her, it looked like an easy win. The jet of fire hit the creature's face directly, and only then did Tyrin realize what they were dealing with.
"Holy shit... look at the size of that snake!"
It was known that, in serpents, the thickness of the body was proportional to its length. That one easily had a diameter of 1.5 meters, which meant a body between 35 and 40 meters long. Enraged and wounded, the serpent rose in a single motion, reaching nearly ten meters high, towering over the treetops. Its clouded eyes scanned the landscape for the attacker — until they found Tyrin. And it didn't hesitate.
With a muffled roar, the serpent attacked. Its body whipped through the air like a scourge, knocking down trees as if they were twigs. Karma dove with an agile maneuver to escape. Tyrin, riding on her back, tried to strike the creature with his dagger, but the blade only scratched its scales, provoking a furious roar. The serpent reared up even higher, trying to crush the dragon under the weight of its own body.
The ground groaned.
Karma shot upward in a spiral, rising to the treetops, then dove like a black comet. The strike collided with the serpent's forehead, creating an opening for Tyrin to act. He leapt into the air — hovering for a moment — and plunged the dagger into the creature's left eye.
The serpent screamed. The sound was so intense it cracked trunks and shattered leaves.
Blinded in one eye and enraged, the serpent tried to rise again. But its weight was its downfall. It lost balance and collapsed like a tower of muscle and scales. The impact shook the valley, lifting grass and flinging dirt into the air like a rain of mud.
Tyrin mounted Karma again. The winged creature opened her mouth once more, ready for the final blow. The serpent, groaning in pain, still tried to crawl away, but it was too late. The flames of eternal magic surged into its wounded eye, burning it from the inside. The fire coiled through its muscles, which began to boil uncontrollably.
With one final roar, full of pain and agony, the serpent sank into the ground. And then, all went silent. The creature merged with the earth — defeated.
Tyrin and Karma were exhausted after the battle. The explosion of power they had unleashed had taken its toll, but they knew there was no time to rest. They needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. The scream of the wounded Serpent had echoed across the territory — and in Gargantua, that meant opportunity. Predators were already approaching, drawn by the sound of weakness.
Karma sniffed the air and let out a low growl.
"Let's grab the stone… something for you to eat… and something to keep," said Tyrin, breathless.
Karma moved toward the fallen snake's body. She dug her claws deep into the hardened flesh and began tearing it apart. It didn't take long for them to find what they were looking for — an energy stone lodged between the bones of the skull. It was a rare, valuable fragment, pulsing with an almost living glow. Hunger would have to wait.
"Let's get out of here."
Tyrin mounted Karma, and together they flew back toward the safety of the bison territory.
They had barely gotten away when the first visitors arrived — a pack of flame wolves. Powerful creatures even on their own, but deadly when hunting in packs — one of the groups Tyrin had deliberately avoided. Now, however, drawn by the energy of the dead serpent, they couldn't resist.
They rushed toward the fallen body, sniffing the still-warm remnants of the battle. The stone was already gone, but the flesh was still a feast… until the ground trembled.
Near the head of the fallen creature, the earth cracked open, and a second serpent emerged — this one, infinitely larger.
The wolves froze. Petrified. A single crimson eye glowed under the darkness like a living flame, staring at them with deep, silent rage.
🌀 Stone Serpent – Adult 🌀
• Level: 112
• Classification: A
• Strength: 340
• Endurance: 280
• Speed: 70
• Skill: 30
• Psyche: 57 *
Unhurried, the serpent began to move. One by one, the wolves were swallowed, their bodies still alive, unable to react. The creature would release them from paralysis at the exact moment of consumption, just to hear their desperate screams and muffled cries echoing down its cavernous throat.
The fury in its eyes grew with each gulp. It could smell what it was looking for. The trail Tyrin and Karma had left behind.
With a tongue click almost human in nature, the serpent began to slither, chasing the scent of loss, of vengeance.
It was already night when Tyrin stopped to check his status. The battle had earned him a new level, but that meant little now. Even within the bison territory, Karma remained uneasy, her eyes fixed on the darkness they had come from.
"Karma, is everything alright?" he asked, concerned. "Did something happen?"
She stared at the horizon with the same expression Tyrin had seen once before… in the eyes of old Gertrudes' orangutan, when he sensed the coming of a storm.
"If you want, we can fly over the plains. Or head to the other side… what do you think?"
Karma looked at Tyrin, then to the north, and nodded slowly. Something was wrong — terribly wrong.
They flew low over the bison, but the animals were restless too. They stirred, snorted, glanced back as if something invisible was pressing down on them. Then they turned and saw: the ground was shaking. Something massive was moving beneath the earth.
Tyrin swallowed hard. He was glad to have left that place… but he couldn't quite understand what was happening.
Meanwhile, in space…
"Sir, we've arrived at Planet Klandato."
"Perfect," Paravel replied, with unsettling calm.
Without another word, he walked to the hatch and began to open it.
"Sir, we're in space! What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill us?!"
Panic swept through the crew. It was madness. No one had ever attempted anything like it.
"Oh God, he's really going to do it… Hold on to something!"
The hatch opened. The vacuum sucked everything out with brutal force. Some crew members were hurled into the void, exploding upon contact with the pressure — fragments spinning in nothingness — while Paravel stood still, unmoved.
"I think this is the place."
And then, with a calm step, he threw himself into space.
His body pierced the atmosphere like a blazing arrow, accelerating with each second. Transformed into a human torch, Paravel plummeted toward the planet — without braking, without hesitation. His speed didn't decrease. On the contrary: it increased.
The hatch sealed again for safety. Inside the ship, the survivors let out a collective breath of relief.
"By the Emperor… what the hell did that maniac just do?!"
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Cries of despair filled the ship, mixed with sirens, groaning metal, and snapping bones. Dismembered bodies littered the floor. Faces bathed in blood and fear. Souls shattered in the icy silence of space.
That was the cost of Paravel's recklessness.
While the ship remained a chaotic warzone, no one noticed the planet below. There, a colossal explosion had just erupted — visible to the naked eye even from orbit. An orange blaze lit up the skies of Klandato as if a second sun had been born.
At the center of the impact, where once stood a refuge-city built for survivors and the rescued… now there was only a hole, a crater the size of a metropolis. At the bottom stood a man, calm, as if admiring a masterpiece.
Beside him, a beastly, crustacean-like creature loomed. Its body emitted acidic vapor, and its claws hummed like swords on the verge of action. It was a fusion of animal and monster — a servant of destruction.
Paravel gazed at the wreckage, his eyes smiling.
"Well… I suppose that was the fun part, wasn't it, Brutal?"
A guttural moan echoed from the creature — a sound somewhere between ecstasy and agony, as if every cell of its existence pulsed in bliss at the scent of death.
Brutal crawled out of the crater, its legs shattering rock like glass. Its glowing red eyes scanned the horizon. Paravel followed at a steady pace. There was no rush. Nothing here could stop them.
"I believe that's it… am I right?"
Paravel lifted his gaze.
In the distance, something rose beyond the clouds. A pyramid, so massive its peak nearly touched the stratosphere. Imposing. Ancient. Alive.
It pulsed with an unknown and unstoppable energy.
He smiled.
This was why he had come.