Beginner Gold Grade Pranic Beast-Sphinger!
With a Prana capacity of 3880 and a lifespan of 1010 years, even though it was built like a menace, with a cross-section of 20 metres at its largest and reaching a length of 140 metres, a Sphinger was anything but a fighter.
It lived in some of the outer edges of the Dieng Canyon and primarily preyed upon the Zingers. However, it didn't use its robust body to hunt but instead to cower and lie in wait at a
corner.
Primary Nature-Fissile Drills!
The body of a Sphinger mimicked the Dieng Canyon's terrain, from colour and texture to even the designs. The branch-like wings on its midriff were built to resemble the Decodus Tree roots dangling down the canyon's cliffs.
It was virtually impossible to detect if it were to latch onto the cliff and not move, as its camouflage was perfect. At rest, it could remain immobile for days, not even requiring to breathe. Thereby, even a Prana detection means wouldn't register anything.
A Sphinger remained in this pose and patiently waited for days until a large enough batch of Zingers glided across the canyon it hid within. When it was the moment to strike, its tail poised up like a scorpion as a conical apparatus formed on it and was then launched into the sky.
Once launched, it spun like a drill and collapsed due to centrifugal force, breaking into thousands of spinning shrapnel, all shaped like drills. This hail shower targeted the Zingers and punctured holes in their gliding membranes, causing them to fall to their deaths.
After a successful attack, the Sphinger would retreat into the ground, using its tail to drill. The Nature of Fissile Drills was meant to target the Zingers. By half-activating it, the Sphinger could treat its tail segment as a Spirit Weapon and use it to drill into the earth.
A Sphinger would tunnel its way to the canyon area where the Zingers had fallen, popping up for short instances to gobble up the Zinger bodies before quickly retreating into the ground. This was the only way it could survive.
After all, prolonged exposure meant it would be bombarded by a hail of Prana Bombs. Even if its robust body could tank the damage, the pain from having its Prana siphoned in multiple directions would knock even it unconscious. It would then be slowly beaten up by a massive horde of Zingers.
Of course, such a scenario almost never happened, as the Sphinger had evolved to hunt the Zingers in the Dieng Canyon.
'Its stealth is unmatched in the Dieng Canyon. Even I am seeing it for the first time.' Inala thought and flashed his teeth, "I won't beat you up though."
[You're a Brully...!]
"I mean, not here." Inala laughed and pointed at the exit, "But we can fight outside."
He had just finished his sentence and smiled wryly to notice the Sphinger had retreated by a hundred metres, clearly nervous around him. A Brully never had to rest. Meaning, Inala could constantly harass the Sphinger endlessly if he so wanted.
The only one losing sleep and going mad eventually here would be the Sphinger. So, forget trying to antagonise Inala, the Sphinger didn't even want to talk to him.
"It seems your race's reputation is pretty clear among the Gold Grade Pranic Beasts." Shuwrak Zahara chuckled and then continued to speak, "We'll build a living quarters outside to suit your preferences. Do you have anything specific in mind?"
"A soundproof room twice my size would do." Inala said without a moment's hesitation, "Somewhere I could hammer away and take a shit peacefully."
"That's easy," Shuwrak Zahara then stared at the Sphinger and shouted, "Can you take care of the rest, Kapulahora?"
[I will, nervously so.]
The Sphinger expressed and then slithered towards Inala while Shuwrak Zahara took his leave. Arriving before the Brully in question, it stared at him from head to toe and then beckoned him to follow it.
[There are two others within the library presently. I'll introduce you to them.]
"You can speak to me in the Varahan Empire's language." Inala said as he dug into his ear, "Even though I can understand your current language, it's a bit screechy to my ears."
"Alright," Kapulahora, the Sphinger changed its mode of speaking and brought Inala to a platform that could scale up the inner wall. A pulley system was attached to a level, that upon being tug activated a hydraulic system, bringing the platform upward.
'They created a hydraulic system using Drifting Tunnels.' Inala observed and concluded. In whatever orientation, water was stored in a column that had the effect of Drifting Tunnel. This built potential energy in it, which maintained the hydraulic system once the water flowed into a series of pipes.
To move up or downward, there was a pipe with water having enough pressure to move it in the respective direction, all thanks to Drifting Tunnel. 'The Varahan Empire's usage of Drifting Tunnels has already surpassed the Guna Caves.'
The platform soon reached an altitude of two kilometres, connecting with a protrusion from the walls that were filled with all sorts of Information Slips. A Pranic Beast slightly bigger than Inala was seated there, asleep, with a pile of Information Slips stacked on its head.
One of them was poking into its nose, but the Pranic Beast didn't seem to care about it and was busy asleep.
"This is one of the first Gold Grade Pranic Beasts who accepted to be a part of the Gold Varahan Library," Kapulahora said, flinching once upon seeing the sleeping Pranic Beast twitch at its voice.
[I wasn't sleeping...!]
The Pranic Beast woke up with a start and stared at the two figures staring at it. After taking a
few seconds to compose itself, it observed Inala and switched to the Varahan Empire's language, "A newcomer? I thought I had seen a lot after coming here, but this is still surprising."
"A Brully that's interested in research?" It approached Inala with its wobbly neck and observed the latter, "Thankfully, you're a youngling. I don't want the misfortune of
encountering an adult Brully."
"You're not extinct?" Inala gasped.
Beginner Gold Grade Pranic Beast-Bulging Snapper!
With a Prana capacity of 4800 and a Lifespan of 1100 years, it was a Pranic Beast that technically should have been extinct, for it was the Empyrean Snapper's predecessor.
"Extinct?" The Bulging Snapper chuckled, "As if those blessed idiots can drive me to extinction."
Without exception on Sumatra, the moment a Pranic Beast race succeeds in evolution, the first task they completed would be to get rid of their predecessors and the Clansmen whose appearance caused their evolution.
With an evolution, a Pranic Beast grew stronger, had a more comprehensive Nature, tougher
body, and greater lifespan. Having an inferior version would only cause dilution among its bloodline, which could eventually revert the evolutionary traits a few generations into the
future.
As a result, both Clansmen and the predecessors were spontaneously slaughtered post evolution. And after that, the few evolved variants would spend the remainder of their lives breeding as much as possible to create a decent enough number of themselves.
This way, their race could establish themselves in a region, stabilise, and proliferate.
'An Empyrean Snapper is one of the strongest creatures even now, not to mention back in the days, around thirteen millennia ago. How could the Cooter Ancestor miss one of his predecessors?' Inala thought and stared at the Bulging Snapper, hoping to receive an answer.
"It was during the Mudropper Invasion," The Bulging Snapper, Prarahh shrugged, "The Cooter Ancestor was busy trying to survive amidst all the chaos. Even though he wiped out most of us, he missed out on a few."
"We didn't want news of our existence to reach the Cooter Clan, so we've been hiding deep in
the Red-Draft River."
"Red-Draft River?" Inala was surprised, "How did you remain undetected there for so long? The Cooter Clan's influence extends into the Red-Draft River."
"Empyrean Snappers have never entered the Red-Draft River to date." Prarahh chuckled,
"Since they are too powerful, they'll completely dominate the waters. So, every Pranic Beast there capable of conscious thought would pour all their strength into chasing away the
Empyrean Snappers."
"So, the only ones entering the Red-Draft River are the Cooter Clansmen." It then snorted,
"And they're not capable enough to detect us."
Primary Nature-Terrain Nudge!
A Bulging Snapper could displace terrain within its Spirit Weapon range. Unlike an Empyrean Snapper's perfect control over the terrain, this was more about displacing the terrain in short bursts, either gently, or violently.
"Is there a Mutant among your race?" Inala asked it.
"Why? Do you want to fight it?" Prarahh laughed as its elongated neck lightly slapped Inala
on the head, "You're too young to be thinking of that, brat."
"First try to win against me. And once you've reached maturity, I'll bring you to our leader."
"That's a promise then," Inala grinned, 'Is there a chance the predecessors of the Empyrean Tusks are alive too? Maybe it's a possibility, since Mahira Tusk went through repeated horrors during the Mudropper Invasion. So, she might have missed out a few of her predecessors.'
"Well, now that you're here, why don't you busy yourself and become useful?" Prarahh waved
its head and shooed away the two Gold Grade Pranic Beasts before it, "I'm busy here, so run along now."
It then stared at Inala to shout once the latter began to descend through the platform, "Every thirty days, every member of the Gold Varahan Library will gather to share our thoughts, gains, and debate on various matters. There's around twenty days for the next session, so prepare yourself, kid."
"The name's Leukeu." Inala shouted in response and waved his hand.
"Leukeu?" Prarahh was stunned for a moment before shaking its head to mutter in exasperation, "How much did this Brully harass the Wean Clan to be given such a name?"
"Who's the last one?" Inala asked once he and Kapulahora arrived on the ground.
"It's an odd ball," Kapulahora uttered, trembling slightly as it began to introduce the Pranic
Beast, "Unlike the rest of us that came here for various reasons that mostly border upon a desire for knowledge, this one fled to seek refuge in the Varahan Empire."
"A Gold Grade Pranic Beast was threatened enough to seek refuge?" It came as a surprise as
Inala enjoyed the situation, 'I'm coming across so many different existences that I never knew existed. This is fun!'
"It has a bounty," Kapulahora accompanied Inala as they walked towards a far corner and
reached a slide heading up for three kilometres in a spiral, "It's one of the Gold Grade Pranic Beasts bordering the Brimgan Empire."
"After killing two princess and princesses, it was targeted by the Brimgan Royalty with full force." Kapulahora expressed its excitement, "One of the princes it killed happened to be at the 6-Life Stage."
"It's that strong?" Inala asked, getting more and more curious as to what Pranic Beast it was
as the duo slowly scaled up the helical slide, soon reaching a platform at the end of the slide that revealed a small pool in was a tiny creature, backstroking nonchalantly, splashing water in tiny waves from time to time and created miniature rainbows.