Spanning a height of twenty metres, shaped like a pillar was the Rockatrice, an Advance Silver Grade Pranic Beast. It sported the claws of a bird all over its giant body, usually around a hundred pairs. The number of talons per each varied between three to five.
The claw arms could extend to a length of a hundred metres, which was what the Rockatrice used to grab its prey. It was a very dangerous existence even amongst Silver Grade Pranic Beasts, but it had one fatal weakness—mobility.
The Rockatrice had no legs. Instead, it had a gelatinous lower body similar to a snail's, with the muscles there primarily created to endure its body weight. Therefore, even moving a metre in distance took days.
Hence, a Rockatrice typically settled in highly frequented junctions through Sumatra and simply gobbled up all prey that came its way. Of course, there was no guarantee of that. Hence, it was one of the races that actively gathered humans to form a Ravaged Tribe.
Primary Nature—Rocky Intimidation!
By consuming its Prana, the Rockatrice was capable of erecting large rocky pillars. It usually used its ability to alter the terrain with mountains. This would force all Pranic Beasts in the region to move through the valleys, for that was the shortest distance.
The mountains would typically be rocky and dangerous to climb. Hence, every creature instinctively took the valley route. And at the centre of this valley, at the crossroads of multiple valley routes would be the Rockatrice, lying in wait.
But that was only in its initial phase.
A Rockatrice required a primary diet of grains, ranging from rice to pulses. Therefore, the moment it captures some Free Humans, it turns them into the Ravaged Tribe and alters the rocky terrain into an enclosed safe zone.
The Ravaged Tribe would live here while farming and mining for resources, increasing their numbers over time. And they would constantly bring in food and mineral ores for the Rockatrice's consumption.
The ringed structure of the settlement was its doing. Of course, that took it decades, if not a century or two to complete.
With a Prana capacity of 2800 and a lifespan ranging around 520 years, the Rockatrice was a long-lived entity, thereby having more than enough time and energy to create such an elaborate settlement and raise people for the needs of it and its offspring.
Considering the population of its Ravaged Tribe was almost nearing five thousand, it was doing pretty well.
Had it been the Ravaged Tribe of any other Pranic Beast, Inala would have been terrified. But being in the territory of a Rockatrice was one of the safest. Of course, that was only for cultivators on the level of Inala and Asaeya.
Mutated Beginner Silver Grade Pranic Beast—Empyrean Zinger!
With a Prana capacity of 1800 and a lifespan of 341 years, Inala was a formidable foe. Moreover, he had three Natures, a feat seldom attainable by cultivators.
Mutated Expert Silver Grade Pranic Beast—Grim Knell!
With a Prana capacity of 3449 and a lifespan of around 593 years, Asaeya too was a terrifying individual. She had two Natures and her powers were one of the most troublesome to exist.
As long as they recovered some Prana, they could easily deal with a Rockatrice. After all, as long as they remained beyond its range of 100 metres, they could attack it while it remained helpless.
And the strength of the Ravaged Tribe wasn't threatening to them since the abilities of both excelled at countering a swarm.
"If it's a Rockatrice, we can be safe here." Asaeya nodded, "But the Ravaged Tribe under it are noted to have a strong mating tendency, almost to a destructive level. It makes sense why the two genders are split here."
Since Inala could transform into a woman, they had virtually no problems to deal with.
By now, the boulder at the entrance shattered into pieces of rocks as Slump Lizards poured in, spreading across the settlement. It seemed they had a goal, which was to deal with the eggs laid by the Rockatrice.
Once they hatch and mature, the strength of the settlement would be elevated further. And the Pranic Beast living under the river disliked it. Hence, it instigated the Slump Lizards to attack the settlement.
It seemed to be a daily occurrence, judging by the way the women of the Ravaged Tribe fought. With every swipe of their sharp talons, a Slump Lizard was shredded into pieces.
Ravaged Tribe—Rooster Tribesmen!
It was what the Ravaged Tribe under a Rockatrice was called in Sumatra Chronicles.
As the number of Slump Lizards pouring in was vastly overwhelming as compared to the over three thousand Rooster Tribesmen, many slipped through the gaps in defence and spread around the settlement.
When a Slump Lizard skittled across a house at the edge of the settlement, a bone hand grabbed it by the head and yanked it away. A dozen seconds later, a shrivelled corpse was thrown out which was devoured by an Empyrean Zinger Scout.
"They are merely infants," Inala muttered in his female form, appearing like a middle-aged lady. "Give me an hour."
"Remain within a 60-metre range." Asaeya expressed her worry, "That way, you can communicate with me through the Bone Slip. No matter the enemy, I can instantly neutralise it."
She was confident in her strength. After all, she was able to blind even the Boar King for an instant. That meant there didn't exist an opponent in Sumatra that couldn't fall prey to her power.
Even though she was terrified during the encounter with the Boar King, that experience played a pivotal role in boosting her confidence levels.
"No worries," Inala laughed as he rushed out of the house, muttering, "Without having to worry about my bones fracturing when I move, I can freely fight."
The moment he jumped out of the house, three Slump Lizards noticed his presence. Their bodies shone for a moment before he tumbled hard, slamming his face into the ground.
Primary Nature—Grand Slump!
It was a weak ability that caused the target to stumble and fall to the ground, no matter their body structure, whether humanoid or serpentine. The only requirement was for the target to be in motion. And it was an ability that stacks upon itself.
Therefore, the greater the number of Slump Lizards targeting you, the stronger your fall. As a result, blood dripped out of Inala's nose.
Right as the three Slump Lizards skittled towards him, a bony hand grabbed their heads, exerting enough strength to crush their skulls. Two Prana Hands and one Life Hand. Upon contact, they absorbed Prana and Lifeforce.
A few seconds later, Inala got up, a couple years younger and with a bit more reserve of Prana. The influx of Prana healed his nose injury as he wiped the blood. Through their connection, the Empyrean Zinger Scout hovering high up in the air spotted the closest Slump Lizards.
Without any hesitation, Inala sprinted in their direction, thinking, 'How many times would I bruise my nose tonight?'
"Only one way to find out."