𝗈𝗏𝑙xt.𝗇et
“That’s ruuude!” Baby Gannala complained, “The soil at home is bland. I need something delicious and nutrient-rich. Bring me some from outside this region.”
“The outside is scary.” Inala condensed Prana into his palm and remained ready, “Your old man won’t be able to return in one piece.”
“Wahhh!” Baby Gannala burst into tears as Inala swiftly erected a Prana Bomb around them, preventing any third party from hearing her cries. “Dada! You’re mean!”
“Why did you even birth me if you can’t pamper me?” She cried profusely for two seconds before recalling a piece of memory she observed in Inala’s mind, “Ah…”
Baby Gannala was depressed, “Right, you wanted to kill me.”
“I’m an unplanned baby. Right…” She turned sullen, slumping in response. She lost her appetite. Getting up, she punched the Prana Bomb, grunting in pain. But by activating her Internal Inertial Gravity at full strength, she unleashed a powerful punch.
Thump!
The Prana Bomb didn’t even sport a crack, as its density too increased proportionally, thanks to the effects of Inala’s Internal Inertial Gravity.
“I can’t head outside now, but I’ll bring some tasty soil for you tomorrow.” Inala relented in the end, for every time baby Gannala punched the Prana Bomb, he lost twenty Prana. That was how much he expended to raise the Prana Bomb’s density and ensure it withstood her punches.
This was an unnecessary expenditure of Prana. Hence, he gave in, patting an agitated baby Gannala, “Shouldn’t you understand our situation?”
“But I’m hungry,” Baby Gannala was sullen, “I’m craving all sorts of things to eat, but my diet only consists of the Prana Bombs and Life Bombs. I’m getting all the necessary nutrition, but my craving isn’t satisfied.”
She complained, “All Empyrean Tusks innately wish to roam and eat up all sorts of trees, soil, etc.”
She was indeed speaking the truth. Empyrean Tusks had a voracious appetite, but they also craved a variety of nutrients. It was why they roamed throughout Sumatra Continent, tasting stuff from all the regions.
Being confined to one place was taxing on baby Gannala’s mind. Rather, it wasn’t just her.
“Argh, why are you so annoying?” Asaeya raged, “Can’t you see that Inala is busy with a lot of things?”
“Why do you care?” Baby Gannala snapped back at her, “You’re part of Harrala’s immune system. We have no relation. So, stop talking to me.”
Empyrean Tusks relied on Mammoth Clansmen for all its needs. The Mammoth Clan acted as its immune system. But it was also a fact that the Mammoth Clan was innately reliant on the Empyrean Tusk for all sorts of needs, from physical to spiritual.
It was similar to placing a freshwater fish in the sea. Asaeya hated living on the ground. She wished to return to her settlement and feel the presence of her Deity daily. The lack of such a thing was slowly but surely eating away at her sanity.
It made her prone to emotional outbursts. She wished for nothing other than to return home. But baby Gannala’s existence prevented her from doing so. She had a mission to do, given to her by her Deity.
It was to protect baby Gannala. Besides, it was impossible to traverse through the wilderness of Sumatra Continent and reach the herd. It was hard to calculate their travel pace and hence, they might miss each other.
The only guarantee was the fact that the herd would make a stop at the Brimgan Empire to trade. They were long-standing trading partners, hence stopping there was a necessity.
Based on what she knew, there were still seventeen years before the herd would arrive at the Brimgan Empire. Which meant, she had to live for seventeen excruciating years away from her Deity. It was frustratingly difficult for her. Hence, she took her anger out on baby Gannala, causing both to butt heads all the time.
“Alright, stop fighting.” Inala mediated in the end, sighing as he dragged them both to the dining room, “Let’s eat first.”
It was a grumpy dinner. After swallowing a Prana Bomb’s contents, Asaeya returned to her room and began cultivating.
“I’ll listen to stories from grandma.” After swallowing a bunch of Prana Bombs, baby Gannala ran into a room adjacent to the living room. It was where Erwahllu lived.
“Don’t pester her too much, alright?” Inala said, “I’ll return in two hours. I should see you sleeping when I return, okay?”
“Fine…” Baby Gannala pouted for a moment before happily entering Erwahllu’s room.
Inala entered his room and grabbed his Four Storey Storage Lantern, expanding it to its full size. He picked out Sumatra Zinger—his gun—from it and inspected it, ‘The organs are functioning without issues.’
The only way his organs worked after being extracted was by being fed Lifeforce through a Life Bomb. That lifeforce enriched the cells forming the organs, revitalising the pathways to keep everything alive.
He had to feed it a Life Bomb once a week. As the Lifeforce in the Life Bomb was sourced from the Slump Lizards, it was of the lowest quality. If he fed Sumatra Zinger a Life Bomb that contained a Rockatrice’s Lifeforce, he wouldn’t have to feed it another for months.
Carrying the Sumatra Zinger, Inala reached the Theatre’s terrace. In response to a command from him, an Empyrean Zinger Scout in its miniature form exited the open pipe beside him.
Inala opened his mouth and unleashed a short screech, informing everything he needed the scout to know. He then encased it in a Prana Bomb and loaded it into the Sumatra Zinger.
Ten minutes later, once the lungs within Sumatra Zinger were full of pressurised air, Inala pointed the gun in the direction of the Rooster Tribe’s settlement and launched it. Followed by a muffled sound, the Prana Bomb blasted forth into the night sky and sped in the direction of the Rooster Tribe settlement.
Once the Prana Bomb lost all its momentum, it cracked and shattered, revealing the Empyrean Zinger Scout that unfurled its wings and began to glide. It quickly expanded to its maximum size and continued to glide until it came within eyeshot distance of the settlement.
Opening its mouth, the Empyrean Zinger Scout unleashed a shriek, communicating with the horde of Empyrean Zingers there.
The walls surrounding the Rooster Tribe settlement had now become home to the Empyrean Zingers, let by an Empyrean Zinger Queen and two Empyrean Zinger Kings. They were Mutated Beginner Silver Grade Pranic Beasts, too powerful in the region now that they have grown a bit.
All the Empyrean Zingers birthed by the Empyrean Zinger Queen were only scouts and not the mutated kind. But despite that, they were all Beginner Silver Grade Pranic Beasts.
Therefore, even after the Rockatrice detected their existence, it could do nothing by pray they don’t gang up on it. As a result, the Empyrean Zingers got a comfortable home, using the height—600 metres—of the walls to glide around for their purpose.
And the moment they heard the message relayed by the scout, the horde stirred. Immediately, one of the Empyrean Zinger Kings brought a troop of scouts and left the area, carrying a large bag of Prana Bombs.
