The journey back toward the central hub of the Greenroot Guild was a quiet affair. The shadows of the Tigerwood Forest stretched long across the mossy ground as the master and disciple moved with the practised ease of predators.
Lazek walked with his hands tucked into the pockets of his grey coat, his expression a mask of familiar boredom.
Kale followed a step behind, his mind still repeating the lessons of the black crater. His muscles ached with a deep and satisfying heat, a testament to the Grandmaster’s relentless physical corrections.
Every shift in his weight and every pivot of his heels felt sharper now, more grounded in the martial principles he had previously ignored.
Upon reaching the base, the bustle of the Greenroot Guild provided a stark contrast to the deathly silence of the chameleon pit. Tamers were hurrying between the massive leaves, their beasts acting as both mounts and heavy lifters.
Igor met them at the lower walkways, nodding respectfully to Lazek before leading them toward the upper chambers of the gargantuan tree.
Both master and disciple settled into their respective rooms, but neither sought the luxury of rest. Lazek immediately sequestered himself within his work chamber, his manic scientific curiosity finally finding an outlet.
He had brought out the collection of rare beast eggs Kale had procured from the swamp hatcheries during the initial panic.
The Grandmaster was fascinated by the unique biological signatures of the unhatched embryos.
He spent hours meticulously adjusting the ambient mana within his incubation arrays, trying to jumpstart the gestation cycles of species that had not been seen in the capital for decades.
To Lazek, each egg was a puzzle waiting to be solved with fleshcraft.
In room 555, Kale was equally occupied within his own Artificing Lab. He spread several sheets of parchment across his stone table, the greenish light of the specialised lamps casting sharp shadows. His focus was entirely on the Elemental Resonance Project, the ambitious plan to create chimaeras that would serve as catalysts for Neo.
He reviewed his previous simulations regarding the Terra Calyx and Zephyr Wisp designs.
A central question weighed heavily on his mind: should these creations specialise purely in elemental might, or should they mirror the five major awakened pathways? If he built them too specialised, they might lack the versatility needed for future tides.
Yet, if he tried to give them too many qualities, the genetic stability might suffer, similar to the million failures he endured while building the Nemesis Hydra.
He tapped his pen against the stone, his analytical mind calculating the variables. He needed to decide which elemental chimaera to manifest first to maximise Neo’s growth.
A few days into their stay at the base, Kale sought out his master to introduce him to the Wolfberg mercenary team. He found the group resting near the southern irrigation ducts, their rare beasts currently undergoing light training drills.
Fabio was the first to notice them, his posture immediately straightening as he saw the Grandmaster.
"Master, these are the mercenaries I mentioned earlier," Kale said, his voice calm and respectful. He introduced Fabio, Paula, and the rest of the team, noting the specific rare beasts each one commanded.
Lazek gave the group a cursory and sweeping glance that seemed to see right through their flesh and into their mana circuits.
The Grandmaster greeted them with a casual nod, his interest in the dregs of the forest clearly non-existent. However, his obsidian gaze lingered for a long second on the Pyro Cobra and the Prism Hornet.
He could appreciate the genetic potential of the creatures Kale had selected for them, even if the tamers themselves were unremarkable.
Fabio felt a cold sweat break out across his neck under the weight of that look. He had seen powerful tamers before, but the man standing before him felt like a localised void in reality.
The mercenary leader realised that this was the true master of the boy who had slaughtered a spider horde with a single roar.
Lazek turned back to Kale, his voice laced with his usual tone of terminal boredom. "Their beasts have decent foundations, disciple, but the tamers lack the structural grounding to utilise them."
He didn’t wait for a response before turning away, his mind clearly returning to the rare eggs waiting in his laboratory.
The following week was a blur of steel and blood for the residents of the Greenroot Guild. The beast tide continued to surge against the fortifications, sending wave after wave of feral predators crashing into the southern sector.
Lazek used these skirmishes as a live training ground for his disciple, forcing Kale into the fray.
The Grandmaster would often stand on a high root, his arms crossed as he watched Kale move through the chaotic battlefield. He shouted corrections that echoed over the roars of the beasts, pointing out flaws in Kale’s centre of gravity.
He was building Kale’s combat prowess through the absolute repetition of survival.
Kale fought with a methodical and cold efficiency that unsettled many of the regular Guild tamers nearby. He did not use Neo, as the Nemesis Hydra remained in a deep and hibernating sleep within his shadows.
The creature was still recovering from the massive genetic overhaul it had undergone in the dark crater.
Neo’s four hearts beat in a slow, heavy rhythm as the integration of the transformation trait was finalised. Kale could feel the beast’s presence through their shared bond, a dense, coiled power waiting to be unleashed.
For now, he relied purely on his mana-enhanced daggers and his improved martial frame.
During one particularly heavy assault by a pack of Alpha-rank Thorn Husk Bears, Kale found himself surrounded. He moved with a newfound fluid grace, dodging a massive swipe that shattered the bark beneath his feet.
He didn’t panic, instead using a high-frequency mana pulse to sever the tendons of the lead bear.
"Lower your weight on the pivot!" Lazek’s voice boomed from somewhere above the canopy. Kale adjusted his stance instantly, his heels digging into the wood as he executed a tight circular strike.
The dagger bit deep into the bear’s throat, ending the creature’s life before it could let out a final cry.
The mercenaries watched from the secondary lines, their own beasts providing support to the Guild forces. They were improving as well, their rare creatures growing stronger with every kill, but they were not like Kale.
To them, the boy was becoming a force of nature that existed in a different realm of capability.
As the days passed, Kale’s research into the elemental chimaeras reached a crucial junction. He decided that the first catalyst would focus on the Earth element, utilising the dormant genes of the Stone Turtle.
This creature would provide the defensive foundation Neo needed to handle the stress of future elemental integrations.
He spent his nights sketching the soul sigil resonance charts needed to bridge the bond between himself and the future chimaera. The work was exhausting, but his Hexarion physiology allowed him to push through the fatigue.
He was building a biological army, one specialised gene sequence at a time, right under the Guild’s nose.
Lazek, meanwhile, had finally succeeded in hatching the first of the rare eggs. A small, shimmering lizard with translucent scales emerged from the incubation array, its eyes already glowing with a faint elemental spark.
The Grandmaster’s manic grin returned as he recorded the data, his fingers trembling with scientific glee.
"Nature is so limited in its designs," Lazek muttered to himself as he watched the hatchling. He began to plan a series of modifications that would push the creature beyond its natural limits.
To him, the lizard was not a living thing to be tamed, but a canvas for his greatest fleshcrafting ambitions.
Eventually, after another week of slaughter and research, the frequency of the beast attacks began to wane. The forest seemed to take a collective breath, the heavy mana of the tide retreating into the deeper trenches.
Lazek sat down on a fallen log near the base of the central tree, watching the red sunset.
"Let’s go back, disciple," Lazek said suddenly, his voice carrying the familiar weight of detachment. He looked toward Kale, his black eyes tracking the subtle energy fluctuations around the boy’s shadow.
It was a decisive statement, indicating their time in the Tigerwood Forest had finally reached its end.
The Grandmaster noted the change in Kale’s presence with a small and satisfied smile. "Now that your Hydra can stay in the Black Chameleon state, it can only be viewed as a chimeric lizard chameleon by the prying eyes of the capital. No matter how strange its abilities might be, the disguise is sufficient."
"I have sensed that that transformation state is now hiding its draconic and overpowering bloodline features," Lazek added. He stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his grey coat, preparing for the journey home.
However, to his surprise, he saw hesitation in the eyes of his disciple. Lazek frowned. "What is it?"
Kale sighed, "Master, you should go back for now. I know you’re busy."
"But I think I will stay here for a few weeks more."