The next Great Beast would be the Magma Turtle, calling it one of the Great Beast was kind of an overstatement. The Terrabear and the Magma Turtle are the weakest of the bunch. While the bear only has a few tricks up its sleeve, it's considered prey for all the others Great Beasts except the turtle.
It was an anomaly since it didn't actively hunt its prey. It can live for years upon years only with some plants and magic. Without active fighting skills, the turtle relied on its own defenses as its offense.
Its shell was a lot larger than a normal turtle shell. The reason being the little rooms between the body of the turtle and the top of the shell. Magma was kept there under high pressure to stay in a liquid state. Besides that, it had the power to control magma, even the natural magma that was underground was a tool for the turtle to use.
Hence, why its habitat was around places where the magma wasn't too deep to be found, a volcano becoming a paradise for it.
Dealing with the turtle proved to be more challenging than Lucas had anticipated. Outside the trial, Magma Turtles were sluggish, passive creatures that rarely engaged in combat. Their thick defenses made them nearly impervious to threats, allowing them to avoid conflict altogether.
But this one was different—this one had been altered. Its aggression was unnatural, its territory fiercely guarded by steam vents and volcanic traps that sprung to life the moment Lucas set foot inside.
Sadly, like the Terrabear, this specimen must've taken some kind of drug, making it extremely aggressive. The moment Lucas stepped into its domain, the ground came alive—hidden steam vents hissed violently, releasing deadly bursts of scalding vapor. One wrong move, one misstep, and he'd be reduced to a charred husk. This wasn't a creature defending its home; it was an animal that turned its home into a living weapon.
A shield didn't do much when he breathed in pure carbon monoxide or let sulfur enter his lungs. Volcanic gasses contained a ton of elements, none of which were all that healthy for a human body. It wasn't the heat or the molten rock that worried Lucas the most; it was the invisible death that lurked in every breath.
He scanned the ground for any sign of a magical disturbance, eyes sharp and senses heightened, knowing that even a momentary lapse in attention could be fatal.
Seeing no easy way through, he created a mask that blocked his airway from the open air. Creating oxygen from mana was the only way forward. He had a tiny bit of experience with this kind of spell since his last visit to such a place. From having experienced the troubles of breathing in such an environment, he created a substitute spell some time ago.
Still, even with the breathing issue fixed, the steam that came out of those fumaroles were way too hot to handle. Only by constantly keeping light and water magic at the ready could he make sure that his skin wouldn't melt off suddenly. His only way to make progress was to constantly look for magical signatures and escape in time.
As he dodged and weaved his way forward, he eventually found the turtle, it stood strong, with a glint of anger in its eyes as it stared towards Lucas.
"Jeez, I didn't do anything to you yet, and you're already trying to kill me, how rude.", Lucas was calm and collected. He was in a hostile environment that could end his life at any second, yet he showed almost callous disregard to the situation.
It wasn't because he didn't understand the risk and dangers, anything but that. Reality was that the turtle didn't have any great offensive attacks besides its magma and the vents. If you survived the trip to the Great Beast, you were already done with the hardest part.
The Turtle grimaced as it started to make the magma in the ground flow towards it.
"Not attacking but defending? I guess you turtles truly stay in a shell.", Lucas almost added that it wasn't necessary for the turtle to do so. It had a strength that overshadowed Lucas, but from the perspective of the Great Beast that wasn't the case.
Out of nowhere, an unknown enemy entered its territory, survived all its attacks and was still calm. It wasn't going to take the risk to battle it out now. For Lucas, this made his job a bit easier while also more annoying.
Standing from afar, Lucas saw the turtle gather magma to cover its own shell. Now it could attack Lucas without risking its life. Its hide was thick enough to withstand the scorching heat. Breathing similarly as Lucas did, it created oxygen for itself to breathe. The difference being that the turtle had higher quality air and conjured it directly into its lungs.
"If it's like this, it's no fun, oh well."
Lucas jumped closer to the turtle while dodging a few more spouts of steam and a few explosions of magma. The latter one was easier to dodge. Lucas could see the massive magic flow beneath the floor, making it easy to tell where it was gathering.
"You know, for an animal that's meant to be seen as wise, you sure don't know how to fight against a mage, do you?" Lucas smirked, sidestepping another geyser of molten rock. "Then again, maybe you've only ever faced those cheap imitation mages." His words were laced with sarcasm, but his focus never wavered from the battle ahead.
The reason why Lucas wasn't that worried about dealing with the Great Beast was because of a simple trick. The turtle was capable of guiding magma through its shell and its hide could even withstand it.
While that seemed like an issue, after researching the turtle in the underground, he found some interesting things. Magma flowed through the shell through mana, thus, there was a basic concept of willpower poured into that mana to control its flow. If that was the case, the only thing Lucas had to do was guide the magma towards any opening in the turtle.
Lucas reached out with his aura, his willpower stretching like invisible threads toward the magma. He could feel the turtle's resistance, a faint but desperate pushback as it tried to maintain control of the molten flow. But its efforts were futile. Lucas's mind pressed harder, seizing control inch by inch, bending the magma to his will. The turtle's defenses faltered, cracks forming in its concentration just as they did in its shell.
Suddenly, Lucas quickly looked down before dodging at the very last moment. A stream of magma exploded out of the ground right below him. "You can't win in mind, so you're going to make me lose focus? Hahaha, too bad little turtle, I'm not the one using willpower."
'Hey, don't leak our strategy!'
"Hahaha, it's not like this thing can understand us!", Lucas said as he danced between waves of magma and explosions of volcanic gasses.
The turtle didn't understand Lucas in the slightest, throughout its life it had learned a lot. It didn't have to fight against mages, but magical beasts a plenty. Against them, the turtle was always in full control of the battlefield, never having to worry about wrestling for control. Only very specific beasts tried to overpower his willpower, the only thing he could do to make their willpower waver was to put their physical body in danger.
Yet now, while constantly using spells to dodge, his willpower was being overpowered. The calm but infectious spread washed all his willpower in the magma away. The turtle tried it's absolute best, but after a few minutes, the magma had bored a hole in its thick skin, burning the insides.
"Tch, I can't do a life drain on it can I?"
'Unless you can without losing most of our arm, I wouldn't recommend it.'
"Do we have a spell to defend against it?"
'Not one that I can find at least. Just forget about it, I have an idea for the next part.'
Lucas stepped away from the corpse and left the volcanic area to at least have a clear space to think everything out.
"How much time?"
[Remaining time: 7:53:01]
"Huh, we have 3 left, one of which is a massive pain in the ass and the other unknown. So lay it on me, how the hell are we going to do this?"
'Okay, this is just a theory, but I believe these creatures have been locked in this space for a long time.'
"Basis?"
'In the first trail the monsters had their own weaponry but looked tired, exhausted and were clearly starving.'
"Hmm, I don't agree, but go ahead, what if they have been here for a long time?"
'Nature always looks for a certain balance in the chaos. The monsters lived here and survived on their mana. Stuck in their respective areas they know about the other monsters.'
"Okay, I see where you're going with this."
'They've been trapped in this prison for ages, but don't forget—they're natural enemies. That Terrabear we fought earlier? Back in the Underworld, it was just a clever bear with some lightning tricks and minor healing abilities. But here, it developed a magical shield strong enough to withstand our Dark Beam.'
"You think those animals are developing countermeasures against the griffon?"
'Exactly, the Dark Beam is just a mere imitation, but it's still one of our most powerful spells. Yet the bear recognized it and blocked at the right time.'
"What about the turtle?"
'Its shield of magma was so dense, filled with mana and willpower that it would certainly block a single Dark Beam. Multiple would probably spell the end for it though. I don't think it focussed on creating new spells, but more so its willpower.'
Lucas nodded to himself as he stared at the remaining environments.
"If I'm reading your intentions correctly, you want to let them fight each other?"
'Correct, if the remaining Great beasts that are afraid of the griffon realize that their partners have died wouldn't they band together to insure their own life?'
"Or if that bird realizes that two of its prey are dead, the others shouldn't be that much of an issue."
'It's a theory at this point, nothing more. By the way, did you get a good look at that shield of the bear?'
"I did, but I haven't gotten the time to replicate it."
'Then let's switch again, you figure out the shield, I'll incite a battle between the beasts.'
Lucas nodded before switching sides. Staring at the mountains for a second, he contemplated his plan a little further. Attacking the remaining beasts with a Dark Beam would make them upset, but wouldn't push them to go on the offensive, or would it?
Turning slightly, he looked back at the forest. If he could drop the body of the Terrabear in their environments, perhaps they would think that the Griffin is exhausted after the fight, making it a prime opportunity to take it down. Lucas started to move towards the woods again.
'Tch, if only we had our ring here, then I would've dropped some feathers as well to make it more realistic.'
Lamenting the fact that he lost access to his supplies temporarily, Lucas sought the body of the bear before gathering some bait. Taking both arms, he moved to the other areas.
If he could lure one of the remaining Great Beasts toward the griffon's domain, it might create enough chaos to force them into a confrontation. A direct attack on the griffon would be too risky, but if he played his cards right, he could manipulate the situation to his advantage.
Having a strategy ready, Lucas mused it a bit further.
'If they realize that their fellow Great Beasts have fallen and their own territory in danger is, they won't need much encouragement to start fighting each other, or do they? They might also hide away out of fear for their own life or not care in the first place.
These animals have a certain form of intelligence, to use magic and spells, even creating new ones to oppose their natural predators. If they can think for themselves they might not take any risks to ensure their survival.'
As Lucas ran toward the lake, his mind raced with possible strategies, pathways branching out like a map of possibilities. He couldn't quite determine how intelligent these creatures were—smart enough to adapt, but perhaps not capable of deeper reasoning. He'd have to gamble on that, formulating a plan based on their instincts and primal logic.
He considered the idea carefully, pacing as he ran through possible scenarios in his head. The creatures were intelligent but driven by primal instincts. If he could provoke one and lead it into another's territory, a battle might break out naturally. But he would have to be extremely cautious not to get caught in the crossfire.
'This isn't going to be easy.', Lucas glanced at the mountains before looking at the meat in his hands. 'Would that one be..? No... compared to the underground, it might...perhaps.. let's try that.'
As Lucas went through hundreds of calculations, a plan was slowly forming in his mind. With each step he took towards the lake, with each thought that passed through his dome, a smile was creeping onto his face.