Rex rolled his shoulders, feeling the satisfying click of vertebrae realigning, and summoned the system interface. The translucent blue display flickered to life before his eyes, casting a cold glow across his sharp features. His first priority was assessing his war chest.
[Current Energy Balance: 50,000 points (Lustia's bonus) + base encounter accumulation]
Three days ago, that number had appeared like a thunderclap. Lustia hadn't visited his dream domain this time; she hadn't bothered with the pleasantries of a full manifestation.
Instead, she had bypassed the passive communication channels and forced the message directly through the Mark, using the specific, urgent frequency she reserved for things that were too brief for a visit but too monumental to ignore.
Her message had been terse, almost reverent: "I counted... You are insane. Here is what insane earns."
