Guna Caves!
A large tunnel network existed in a mountain of earth that protruded a couple of kilometres above the usual ground level of Sumatra Continent. This mountain of earth was flat like a board and seemed to stretch forever. At its longest, it spanned a length of 1000 kilometres.
Even its narrowest region still spanned a breadth of 200 kilometres, being a large landmass littered to the extreme with caves. The tunnels resulting from these caves caused a bludgeoning maze, unable to be mapped through.
Most people and Pranic Beasts stupid enough to enter the Guna Caves would be stuck roaming through the place forever due to the gravity within acting wonky.
Oftentimes, what someone thought was the ground in the Guna Caves might not be parallel to the ground outside. They might be at an incline, a cliff, or even upside down. The individual stuck in the Guna Caves wouldn't be wise enough to know it.
Hence, it was impossible for powerful Pranic Beasts to punch their way out by going vertically upwards.
Currently, at the entrance to one of the caves, part of the Guna Caves sat a bone-house, built like a fortress. A group of Pranic Beast corpses lay around its walls, taken out by friendly fire judging based on the wounds.
The bone walls reached a height of eight metres, surrounding an area of land close to five hundred square metres. There were only four windows, each positioned perpendicularly to one another, only meant to spy upon the Pranic Beasts targeting the house.
The walls of the house were thick, at least a metre. Even the windows were of the same thickness, ensuring they couldn't be broken through by the average Pranic Beast.
The bones to create the house were derived from the skeletons of Pranic Beasts at least in the Advance Iron Grade or higher. When it first appeared, the Pranic Beasts in the vicinity tried to break into it out of curiosity, only to lose their senses upon coming in proximity.
It had been there for months. And by now, any Pranic Beast worth its brain cell stayed out, causing the region to be silent.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by a shrill cry from within, followed by the sounds of multiple objects being thrown around.
"Transform!" Asaeya screeched, her appearance dishevelled, tethering on the edge of insanity, or already insane enough, judging by the fact that she was attacking Gannala with the intent to kill, "Why are you still a human?"
"Become an Empyrean Tusk, now!"
"I won't," Gannala shouted as she swatted away the table that was hurled at her, "Dad has plans for me!"
"Fuck his plans!" Asaeya screeched, "I have been away from my Deity for so long. I don't think I can stay away from my Deity any longer. Aren't you an Empyrean Tusk?"
"Do it! Transform! Take on your actual form! Become a Deity!" She roared and used the sound to steal Gannala's senses. Unfortunately, as the two of them were the only living beings in the vicinity, Asaeya took out her senses too in the process.
"…" Asaeya had launched a full-powered attack and hence robbed each other of all their senses. As a result, the duo fell silent. As they couldn't see, hear, smell, or perceive anything, they remained in their places, still.
Currently, they wouldn't even know if their bodies took a step forward or were standing. Hence, they remained absolutely still, unwilling to make a move.
A few minutes later, all their senses returned once Asaeya was drained of all her Prana. She collapsed to the ground and gasped in exhaustion, not saying anything as she remained sullen.
Gannala still had plenty of Prana to spare, for her growth continued at a staggering pace. Upon noticing that Asaeya had stopped trying to kill her, she heaved a sigh in relief. She didn't move though and remained as still as possible, resembling background decoration.
Twenty minutes later, when she felt the coast was clear, she slowly tiptoed towards Asaeya and stopped right next to her. Her eyes darted from one side to another as she extended her toe and nudged Asaeya's thigh with it, "Are you okay?"
"Don't speak with me," Asaeya grumbled, exhausted, disappointed, and vexed beyond the limit. "I don't want to see you."
Gannala stared at Asaeya, observing the latter's haggard look, having not taken a bath for a few weeks now, covered from head to toe with the blood of a Pranic Beast she had brutally ripped apart with bare hands just recently, "Look, I can understand that your Mammoth Clansman instincts are overwhelming you…"
"Just leave! Fuck off!" Asaeya screamed as she slammed her fists on the floor, causing it to crack, not the floor, but her hand. The pain wasn't even registered in her mind as she slammed her hands on the floor repeatedly, "WHY! WON'T! YOU! DISAPPEAR! IF! YOU! CAN'T! BECOME! A! DEITY?"
"Okay, I'm not staying here. Jeez!" Gannala complained as she rushed out of the house, casually blowing away a Pranic Beast in hiding that sprang upon her. "Shoo!"
She exited the cave and dug her hands into the wall, quickly making her way to the peak of the mountain where she was greeted by a group of Empyrean Zingers, "Yo!"
"Kriek!" The Empyrean Zinger Queen landed before her and let out a chirp.
Gannala touched the Empyrean Zinger Queen with her index finger and spoke, "Asaeya is steadily losing her mind. Inala will be sad if she dies."
"Can you bring her to my herd?" She asked, "I'll point you to their travel direction. With your gliding prowess, you'll be there in a month once I launch you to the sky."
[Asaeya's life and death don't concern me. Only yours does. And I won't do anything that might put your life at risk. I'm staying here to protect you until Inala returns.]
The Empyrean Zinger Queen's words were sharp and curt, emotionlessly explaining her job. Inala was part of Gannala's immune system. Similarly, the Empyrean Zinger Queen was part of Inala's immune system.
Therefore, even though the Empyrean Zinger Queen and Gannala weren't directly connected, they still shared a certain level of connection.
But they had no such connection to Asaeya. She was part of another Empyrean Tusk's immune system. Hence, the Empyrean Zinger Queen had no intention of going out of her job description to help Asaeya. Her job was to ensure Asaeya was alive. That's all.
Whether or not she was sane wasn't part of her work.
"Come on, just a little help." Gannala pleaded, "For Inala's sake. He treasures Asaeya."
[Not to the level he treasures you.]
"No, you're wrong about that." Gannala muttered, dejected, "I'm not his favourite, not even close…"
"WHO?" There was a sudden shout from their house.
"Shit, something seems to have happened!" Gannala turned around alertly and jumped down from the edge. She swung like a monkey around a protruding tree and used the momentum to fly into the cave where their house was situated. 'Someone's here! And they're fighting Asaeya!'
Upon realising that Asaeya had used up all her Prana during their spat before, Gannala kicked the ground with force and broke through the walls, landing in the living room to see a human standing before an unconscious Asaeya, having knocked her out with one blow.
A copious amount of Prana billowed out of him, almost to a scary degree. He seemed to be of the same age as Inala but was many times stronger. Currently, his expression was fierce, like that of a predator.
But once Gannala arrived, his fierce expression vanished like smoke. A moment of clarity later, there was joy as he slumped on the floor, "Thank goodness!"
"You…" Gannala stared at the human in surprise, "Orakha?"
"What are you doing here?"