Kael stood before the slab in silence and studied what he had brought into existence. He knew the principles he had touched were advanced forms of biomancy, yet certainty eluded him. The creation felt incomplete, not in structure but in harmony. Something about it resisted belonging, as if it existed one step out of alignment with the natural order.
Awe rose first, slow and undeniable, followed closely by a deeper revulsion that settled in his chest. The being was tall and broad shouldered, its frame humanoid yet unmistakably wrong. Stone plated muscles shifted beneath stretched flesh that bore faint traces of different hues. Gray from the monkeys, pallid pink from the rats, and darker patches where serpentine tissue had been integrated.
Four arms extended from its torso in perfect symmetry, each corded with power and ending in thick clawed hands. Veins pulsed visibly beneath the skin, glowing faintly with residual mana. Its chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, though the sound of its breathing carried a wet undertone that unsettled Kael. Along its spine, jagged stone ridges protruded like a natural armor grown rather than forged.
The head was the most disturbing aspect. Its skull had been broadened to support a powerful jaw, yet the mouth contained hollow fangs designed for venom delivery. The nose twitched constantly, testing the air with the sensitivity of a rat. Its eyes were large and glassy, reflecting light with an unsettling awareness that felt neither fully animal nor truly sentient.
Despite the meticulous craftsmanship, Kael felt a twisting discomfort in his soul when he met its gaze. The thing was majestic in raw presence and terrifying in implication, yet his instincts recoiled. The aspect that devoured souls stirred uneasily within him, not with hunger but with rejection. It was the same instinctive disgust one felt toward spoiled meat or corrupted mana.
All matters of the soul had guided him through instinct rather than understanding until now. Those instincts had never misled him before. He focused inward and allowed soul mana to flow into his eyes, activating his soul sight. The world shifted and the chimera's inner state was laid bare before him.
Its soul was not whole. Cracks ran through it like fractures in overheated glass, spreading outward from a malformed core. Dark discolorations clung to the edges, pulsing weakly as if infected. Kael sensed an illness that went beyond damage, something fundamental and progressive that would worsen with time.
The realization sent a chill through him. This was not a flaw of flesh or mana flow but of essence itself. The soul had been forced to accommodate incompatible fragments, bound together without true synthesis. He had shaped life but had neglected the unity of the spirit that anchored it.
Acting on instinct, Kael traced the shaping rune in the air and infused it with soul mana. The response was immediate and violent. A force slammed into him and hurled him backward across the chamber. Pain lanced through his mana channels as the spell rebounded and shattered.
He hit the marble floor hard and struggled to breathe as the backlash rippled through his core. His vision blurred for a moment before stabilizing. It was not just physical pain; it was the sensation of his very identity being sanded down. Worry crept in as he recalled how easily he had cast soul infused spike spells before.
Once he steadied himself, Kael forced himself upright. He extended his hand again and cast the shaping rune, this time threading lightning mana through its structure. The rune stabilized and responded instantly, reshaping a nearby stone fragment without resistance. The contrast was stark and troubling.
Compendium, analyze the reason for soul mana rejection for rune?
[Query Initiated: Soul Mana is not being rejected but host strength is too low for shaping souls or soul energy with that rune.]
Kael absorbed the information in silence and nodded slowly. The answer aligned with what he had suspected but had hoped was not yet true. His aspect allowed him to consume soul energy, but control was an entirely different matter. Absorption was instinctive, but shaping required authority.
Most mages could not even sense their souls until they reached far higher advancements. Accessing soul based spells was considered a milestone that defined entire tiers of power. Kael had crossed thresholds out of order, driven by circumstance and necessity rather than tradition.
He looked back at the chimera and felt a complicated mix of pride and unease. He had forced incompatible flesh into harmony through life mana alone. The soul had been dragged along unwillingly, stretched and scarred to fit a form it was never meant to inhabit.
The beast stirred slightly on the slab, its chest expanding as it drew in a deeper breath. Mana circuits flared briefly beneath its skin before settling again. Kael felt the drain on his reserves and the subtle pull of Echo absorbing excess soul residue from the chamber.
This creation was powerful, but it was unstable in ways that raw strength could not compensate for. Left unchecked, the decay within its soul would eventually manifest in madness, collapse, or uncontrolled mutation. It was a guardian born from brilliance and arrogance in equal measure.
Kael clenched his hands and forced his breathing to slow. Failure was not an option, but neither was ignorance. He had learned something invaluable today. Flesh and life were not enough to create permanence. Without mastery over the soul, every living creation would remain flawed.
The warmth beneath the armor was steady, the heartbeat strong, and Kael withdrew his hand without ceremony. He issued the command through Echo and felt the drones respond as one. There was no hesitation, no fear, only obedience sharpened by the logic of the hive. They closed around the chimera and lifted its heavy form.
The beast did not stir as it was carried through the tunnels. Its breathing remained slow and thick, dulled by venom and exhaustion. Kael followed at a distance, his presence masked by the stone itself. He allowed the drones to take the lead, guiding them toward the territory of the simian society.
The cavern opened gradually, widening into the familiar expanse where stone huts clustered around crude pillars. The air carried the scent of dust and old blood. Kael remained hidden within the shadows of the ceiling, his mana spread thin and quiet. He shaped the rune from afar and began to work with careful intent.
The venom flowed out of the chimera in invisible streams, drawn from muscle and blood alike. Kael did not rush the process. He stripped it away layer by layer, ensuring the shock would be complete. The moment the last traces vanished, the creature's body seized.
A screech tore through the cavern, sharp enough to make the stone tremble. The sound was raw and distorted, carrying pain, rage, and something feral that had no name. The chimera's eyes snapped open, glassy pupils contracting as awareness flooded back in an instant.
Madness burned behind that gaze. The beast twisted violently, tearing free from the drones with a strength that surprised even Kael. Two drones were smashed into the cavern wall, their bodies painting the walls red as they fell. The chimera landed on its feet and screamed loudly.
The scream had already done its work. A Metallic skinned monkey came from their hut, their eyes sharp and alert. Stone hardened over their flesh as they recognized a threat. Kael noticed a strange, rhythmic thumping from the back of the village, a sign of the madness that governed their communal defensive response.
The chimera did not hesitate. It lunged forward with explosive speed, closing the distance before the monkeys could form a line. Its claws flashed as it slashed through the first defender, carving deep grooves through stone skin. The venom carried in those strikes worked instantly, black veins spreading where the wounds landed.
The monkey roared and struck back with a stone coated fist. The blow grazed the chimera's shoulder and sent fragments of stone armor scattering. The creature twisted away, its movements fluid and serpentine, avoiding the follow up strike by inches.
More monkeys surged forward, surrounding the chimera from multiple angles. They fought without fear, trusting their hardened bodies to absorb punishment. The chimera adapted instantly, abandoning straight charges in favor of motion and misdirection.
It darted between attacks, claws lashing out in short brutal arcs. Each successful strike left behind rot and weakness. Kael observed with cold focus as the venom did its work, undermining the durability the monkeys relied on so heavily. He felt a flicker of pride as his design held up under the initial pressure.
The elder emerged from the largest hut, his presence imposing even among his kind. Stone skin covered his body completely, thick and polished by years of combat. His eyes locked onto the chimera with grim understanding. This was no ordinary beast, and the elder seemed to recognize the artificial nature of its existence.
He charged without hesitation, the ground cracking beneath his steps. The chimera met him head on, then twisted aside at the last moment. The elder's fist slammed into the cavern floor, sending shards of stone flying outward in a deadly wave.
The chimera was clipped by the blast and hurled backward, crashing through a smaller hut. Dust and debris filled the air as it rolled to its feet. Stone plates along its back absorbed most of the impact, though cracks spidered across the surface. Kael tightened his grip on the ledge, his mana sight showing a slight flicker in the chimera's coordination.
The beast hissed and launched itself back into the fray. It leapt high, using its four arms to grip the cavern wall before springing down behind the elder. Its jaws snapped shut around the monkey's shoulder, venom flooding into the wound.
The elder roared and reached back, grabbing the chimera by the neck. His grip tightened like a vice, stone fingers digging into flesh and armor alike. With a violent motion, he slammed the beast into the ground again and again, each impact shaking the cavern.
Kael narrowed his eyes as he watched the exchange. The chimera's strength was undeniable, but the elder's raw power threatened to overwhelm it. Cracks spread along the beast's stone plating, and dark blood seeped from beneath. The soul decay was beginning to interfere with the creature's reflexes, causing it to miss critical openings.
The chimera responded with brutality. One claw drove deep into the elder's thigh, piercing through stone skin and anchoring itself. Another arm wrapped around the elder's torso, claws tearing as it pulled itself closer. The serpent fangs snapped forward and sank into the elder's neck.
Venom surged. The elder staggered, his movements slowing as the toxin fought against his immense vitality. Stone skin dulled the effects but could not fully resist them. Black veins spread slowly across his neck and face, signaling the beginning of the end for the simian leader.
The surrounding monkeys pressed the attack, striking the chimera from all sides. Fists and improvised weapons rained down, chipping away at its defenses. The chimera endured, twisting and striking back with relentless madness. A manic energy began to fill the air as the monkeys ignored their own safety.
Kael felt a flicker of tension. This was the test he had intended, but the outcome was not guaranteed. The soul decay he had sensed earlier was manifesting under this strain, causing the beast to twitch erratically. He focused his mana sight on the creature, watching the internal circuits flare and struggle to stabilize.
The chimera roared again, a sound deeper and more resonant than before. It released the elder and spun, lashing out with all four arms in a wide arc. Several monkeys were struck at once, their stone skins cracking as venom spread through the fractures.
One monkey leapt onto the chimera's back, attempting to pin it down. The beast responded by ramming itself backward into a stone pillar, crushing the attacker against the rock. The pillar fractured, collapsing in a cascade of rubble that buried several nearby combatants.
The elder staggered but did not fall. With visible effort, he tore the venomous fangs from his neck and crushed them in his hand. His breathing was labored, and rot spread beneath his stone skin like a dark infection. The monkey elder seemed to draw on a hidden reserve of ancestral fury.
He raised both arms and brought them down in a single devastating blow. The chimera was caught mid motion and driven into the ground, the impact carving a crater into the cavern floor. Stone plates shattered completely, exposing raw flesh beneath.
For a moment, the beast lay still. Kael watched the soul core of his creation pulse with a sickly, dying light. The cracks had widened until the essence was barely held together by lingering mana. He felt a cold disappointment as he realized the limits of his current mastery.
The monkeys surged forward, sensing victory. Kael held his breath as he watched the soul of the chimera flicker violently. Cracks widened, and decay pulsed with dangerous intensity. Then the creature moved, though its movements were jerky and devoid of its former grace.
It rose slowly, dragging itself from the crater with a low growl. Flesh knit together where stone had broken away, reshaped by lingering life mana. The chimera's eyes burned with feral clarity as it met the elder's gaze again, though one eye had gone completely dark from soul damage.
It charged. This time there was no evasion, no finesse. The chimera collided with the elder in a brutal clash of strength. Stone shattered as they grappled, trading blows at close range. Venom and rot spread further with each successful strike, and the ground grew slick with black blood.
The elder's movements slowed noticeably now. His stone skin dulled and softened where the venom took hold. Cracks deepened, spreading across his arms and chest. He roared in defiance and drove a fist into the chimera's side, breaking ribs and sending blood spraying.
The chimera responded by wrapping all four arms around the elder and biting down hard on his shoulder. Venom flooded in, faster and stronger than before. The elder convulsed, his strength finally failing as the toxin overwhelmed his defenses.
With a final wrenching motion, the chimera threw the elder aside. The massive body crashed into a hut and did not rise again. The remaining monkeys hesitated for a heartbeat before their collective madness reached a breaking point, and they descended upon the chimera in a suicidal swarm.
The chimera stood in the center of the cavern, chest heaving, body battered but unbroken. Stone and flesh alike bore the marks of battle. Venom dripped from its claws as it scanned the remaining enemies. Its movements were failing now, its soul too frayed to maintain the connection to its limbs.
Some monkeys fled, but most charged anyway, driven by a collective hysteria that overrode their survival instincts. The chimera met them without mercy. Each strike was decisive, but it was slowing down. Kael watched as the creature was slowly buried under a mountain of bodies.
Within minutes, the cavern was littered with broken bodies and shattered stone. The chimera stood alone for a brief second before its soul finally shattered from the internal decay and external trauma. It let out one final, discordant howl that echoed through the stone tunnels.
The monkeys did not stop their assault even after the beast died. They tore the chimera limb from limb in their frenzy. Kael had already achieved his goal, and he instructed the drones to silently collect the monkey corpses and the fallen elder.
Drones avoided fighting the monkeys, who were too lost in their madness to notice the dead disappearing around them. Kael saw the drones carrying the elder monkey, whose life was flickering out. He moved near the dying leader and prepared to harvest the final remnants of its power.
He kept absorbing the souls of the dead monkeys as fast as he could. A smile played on his face as the Compendium processed the influx of data and essence. He felt his mana channels hum with the sudden wealth of energy, a tangible reward for his cold calculations.
[Input Gained: Memories of Cobalt Monkey – 500 CP Gained.]
And many more…