Lugh sat at his large desk within his personal laboratory - a windowless cylindrical room with walls of constantly shifting grey clouds. Floating nearby was a muted green ball a meter off the ground, ready to record any words he thought vital enough to record for later. Many diagrams, numbers, and other data were displayed off a transparent panel in front of him. A deep, low hum at the edge of his hearing reassured him that his extensive defensive systems were online.

Cut off from both his faction’s base and the ever-snooping Oververse, he could focus on a selection of his personal experiments without worry. There was much to do, and he methodically worked through his list of tasks. Unfortunately, with his job’s time-dilation, he only had a few hours to catch up on any results from the past year. Soon enough, he’d have to return to his tiresome position as Peja’s lapdog.

His hand waved away a completed task as another scrolled up in front of him. He tapped a finger against his lower lip in thought as his eyes scanned through the data. “Subject 130-1b, codename Banshee, shows impressive results,” he said as the floating Spark recorded his words. “126% increase in vital energy capacity over her projected values. Hmmm, is this a failure in my early assumptions, or did she have some fortuitous experience?”

He quickly scanned through the available data to find the source and then tracked back to his assumptions and worked forward reviewing her recent activities. A significant jump over only ten years needed an explanation since some of his assumed variables in other experiments might be off if he’d made a mistake. Either way, he’d have to consider harvesting her quite soon before her growth became too problematic. His eyes widened slightly, his lips curling into a wry grin. “That’s one way to grow stronger, but executing dozens of Peak Initiates isn’t one I’d have expected from her. Ah, that’s the reason. My assumptions gave significant weight to her sense of compassion and morals, yet these results speak for themselves.”

Feeling better with a suitable explanation, he still marked her file for a more in-depth review later when he had a more extensive break. With her results, she’d just moved up on his priority list. He made a note to contact a few of his outside agents for additional details on Banshee – he wouldn’t let another decade pass before reviewing her again.

With a wave of his hand, her file disappeared and another scrolled into place. His brows furrowed as he unconsciously leaned forward and summoned the floating screen closer. The file already had a few flags for his attention – little colored lights in different spots flashed throughout the report. A picture of an ordinary-looking male human was at the top with his basic physical characteristics. Various data points, such as energy capacity, abilities, and traits, fell into a long string down one side of the report.

Lugh’s systems had automatically run a deep scan when his recent uninvited guest appeared, and he’d already done a quick review onsite with the large man in his lab. Still, he hadn’t bothered to look too deep since he’d only had a small window before the stranger’s presence destabilized his lab’s defensive systems. Given the timeframe, throwing the subject into the Lurran prison world had seemed an elegant solution.

With such an easy opportunity dropped almost literally into his lap, Lugh had implanted his standard Overseer package into the man’s MM. Still, the deep scans and resulting reports returned conflicting results. “Subject 1028-1a, codename Enigma, has multiple anomalous results. Hmmm, that’s right, he doesn’t have a normal MM organ. How did someone create an artificial Mana Manipulator? The better question is, why create it? Maybe this is an artificial version for those born without one? How would that even work? Also, why bother? Anyone without one shouldn’t be worth the kind of effort this must have taken.”

The image of the metallic object expanded with a thought, and details of the scans appeared to the side. “Huh, and even if it is a replacement, how can the organic multiphasic scan fail to detect it, yet a basic mana scan picks it up? Weird connections that look all wrong, and that minuscule amount of mana should create additional issues.”

Excited yet perplexed, he gestured with a finger as the current report shrank and moved to the side while another in one corner of the file expanded to take up much of the floating screen. “The Overseer still hasn’t communicated any updates. There should have been a basic report to validate my initial energy assumptions by now. I can see confirmation pings upon successful integration, but the moment Enigma left my lab, all telemetry was lost.”

He leaned back again in thought. Enigma was indeed an anomaly, living up to his restricted race designation. Assuming his Overseer was correctly installed, which his own tests confirmed, something else was wrong. “What would happen if my Overseer was implanted into an artificial organ? One better, what if it was experimental or had additional safeguards my scans missed? So many unknowns and I definitely need to review this more.” A small, simple scroll appeared in his hand, which he unrolled to lay flat on his table just before a pen appeared which he used to write down a few quick notes. He’d have to run an area scan for Enigma once he was back in his work office with access to its particular systems, and he’d just bury his query within the standard periodic scan.

He sat back, wondering if he was missing anything else. If it really was an artificial MM, there was an opportunity here. That kind of object, especially if it could be replicated, might yield some fascinating results. Plenty of races were born without an MM, so implanting such a device in his test subjects could only increase the yield of his harvests.

“Huh, I didn’t think I’d have to take action on Enigma for at least a few decades,” Lugh muttered and made another gesture as Eli’s file disappeared. “At least it gives me something interesting to do while working on the boring stuff.”

***

Near Herria’s north gate, a figure crouched in an alleyway. Well hidden in his dark leather armor, Boruta waited for his prey to appear. He’d been waiting for hours, but he could be patient when necessary. New to this wider world after so many centuries in his forest, he was gratified that human nature was as corruptible as remembered. Even in this low town, he’d found a weak creature willing to sell out his fellow human – there were always informants when you had a few coins to toss around. Something about concentrating people into a small space seemed to bring out the worst in a select few. It couldn’t just be poverty, as poor villages or farming communities tended to stick together – at least in his experience. Perhaps it was the anonymity within the crowd, but he was no philosopher to dwell on such thoughts.

He had thought his questions a long shot, already days behind his prey, but he had to start somewhere. Figuring it might take him days or weeks to pick up the trail, he’d somehow gotten lucky in the first town he visited. A few hours ago, he’d been in a cheap tavern near the eastern gate in a neighborhood filled with rough, ramshackle homes. For the price of a few large coppers, a small sniveling man with perpetually shifty eyes had told him about a giant stranger dressed like a beggar who’d shown monstrous strength out near the north gate. The informant didn’t know where they’d gone next, other than that Gifted Eko, the gate’s guard captain, had escorted him into the town.

He needed to talk with this Eko, hence his patient vigil near the gate. If the informant was correct, the Gifted should be starting his shift soon, and he could undoubtedly help point Boruta in the right direction. None could say no when he truly exerted himself – not even those disgusting petty gods. It was only a matter of time until he was again on the trail of his true prey.

There was a slight disturbance over his shoulder – almost anyone else might have missed it, but he had survived through the centuries by listening to his instincts. A sharp glance at the sky behind him, and he barely caught a distant flash of light. “My tasty morsel? Oh, you tricky little creature. There you are, off into the hills. I do like a good hunt.”

Briefly crouching, he suddenly launched himself up towards the roof of the building hanging over his alleyway. He grabbed the hanging ledge and, using the remaining momentum of his leap, swung his body around into a short roll forward to stand on the roof. Looking west with eyes now glowing red, he couldn’t see the light that had caught his attention. It had only been the smallest flash, but he’d gotten a taste of it nonetheless, and it was definitely the same power he’d felt days ago – primordial energy strong enough to wake him deep within his forest.

His smile widened with anticipation as his form started to change. The dark leather armor dissolved as his pale skin darkened and flushed with a deep red color, almost a match for his glowing eyes. His body and muscles ballooned up and outwards as his form grew over a meter taller. At the same time, his hands and feet shifted, elongating and darkening to almost black, while his nails lengthened into claws.

The process only took a few moments. To Boruta, though, it felt much longer – the pain had a way of focusing his mind. The agony was incredible as he experienced every little change within his body, shifting into his true shape. It was all glorious, with bones reforming, skin pierced and stretching, teeth growing as they cut through his gums. His body was a living symbol of dominion over his flesh as he reshaped himself into that of a peak hunter. With sounds of agony and joy, his howl carried throughout Herria, likely making more than a few early risers huddle for safety within their homes.

As Lackar’s dawn light peeked over the eastern hills, Boruta flashed along the rooftops. He barely hesitated as he lept over the town’s high wall, only slowing for a moment as he landed on the hard ground beyond.

He let out a little laugh with a smile full of sharp teeth as he ran up the road. “Boruta is coming for you, my tasty morsel,” he crowed, his voice deeper with an almost otherworldly sound of strange echoes that haunted the early morning air.