The mountain air was crisp and tinged with the faint echoes of the recent explosion. Max stood atop the rocky peak, gazing at the dissipating smoke in the distance, his mind already calculating his next move.
' first we leave this place and go back to the previous mountain, and focus on Louh evolution before the special dungeon opens.
After dealing with the dungeon, it's time to settle debts, right before the Kain-city gets surrounded.....'
However, his focus was interrupted by a green light materializing beside him.
Lucy emerged from the light in her fairy form, her shimmering wings fluttering excitedly. Her wide eyes sparkled with mischief, and her tiny hands were clasped together as if she were pleading.
"Lucy? " asked Max, his tone wary. He recognized that look all too well, the one that usually heralded trouble. "What is it?"
"Miniminiminimimi!" she chirped, bouncing up and down like a hyperactive child.
Max groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. When Lucy got overly excited, her words turned into an incomprehensible jumble of sounds.
Thankfully, their mental connection allowed him to piece together what she was trying to say.
"You saw… the pigeon?" Max asked cautiously, his headache forming as he caught the gist of her request.
Lucy nodded fervently, her tiny figure radiating pure determination. "Mimimimilimimi!"
"Yes, I know the one," Max muttered, recalling the rainbow feathered pigeon he'd seen not long ago in the market. At the time, he had viewed it through his Mystic Eye, thus Lucy hadn't noticed it.
Apparently, fate wasn't going to let him escape dealing with that pigeon after all.
"So, you want to… take it back?" he asked flatly, already knowing the answer.
Lucy's pleading expression intensified, her big, sparkling eyes practically boring into his soul. She clasped her hands and leaned closer, her voice a high pitched whine of "Minimimimi!"
Max sighed heavily, the weight of inevitability pressing down on him. "Fine," he relented, waving her off.
Lucy let out a delighted trill, transforming into a stream of green light and merging with the mountain in a burst of energy. Max could feel her glee through their connection, a wave of jubilant excitement that made his headache worse.
"Great," he muttered, shaking his head. "Now I've got a pigeon problem to deal with."
.....
A Few Kilometers Away
The trio made their way through the dense forest, their path lit by slivers of sunlight filtering through the canopy above. The leader of the group, a young woman named Lyra, strode confidently ahead. On her shoulder perched the pigeon, its long rainbow feathered tail glimmering with dazzling hues.
Behind her walked her two companions: a sharp-eyed man named Tobias, and a reserved woman named Celine. Both were fellow pet masters, their own D-rank companions trailing close by. Tobias's pet, a sleek panther-like beast with silvery fur, padded silently at his side, while Celine's scaled serpent coiled lazily around her arm.
"Still can't believe that bird's only D-rank," Tobias muttered, eyeing the pigeon with a mix of envy and admiration.
"Neither can I," Celine added, her tone tinged with curiosity. "It's ridiculous how easily it took out those D-rank beasts earlier.
My little Seraph would've struggled against even one of them." She stroked her serpent's head absentmindedly.
Lyra smirked, her pride evident as she glanced at her pigeon. "Of course, you're impressed. Lucky here isn't just any D-rank. She's special."
"Special is an understatement," Tobias remarked, shaking his head. "I've seen B-rank pets struggle with things that bird handled like a walk in the park. Where'd you find it, anyway?"
At this, Lyra's smirk deepened. "You've heard the rumors, haven't you?"
Tobias and Celine exchanged glances before nodding. "About it being a normal animal not long ago?" Celine asked.
Lyra's smile turned sly. "It's true. Lucky used to be an ordinary pigeon. we stumbled upon it in a dungeon with the strangest crystals I'd ever seen."
"it's those Rainbow Crystals I heard about, right?" Tobias guessed, his interest piqued.
"Exactly," Lyra confirmed. "We cleared the dungeon, but there were no real treasure inside, just Rainbow Crystals. Lucky ate one before we could stop it. I thought it was done for, the transformation was… violent."
"Violent?" Celine repeated, her voice filled with unease.
Lyra nodded, her expression growing more serious. "I thought it was dying. But then… it emerged like this." She gestured to the radiant pigeon, whose tail feathers shimmered as if catching the sunlight.
Normally the pigeon would of showed a prideful look by now, but it simply kept looking around in confusion, it could sance something familiar in the air, something it really didn't like.
"And now," Lyra continued, her tone returning to one of pride, "its unbeatable. No other D-rank pet comes close to its power."
"Is that the dungeon that became a Rainbow Crystal mine?" Tobias asked.
Lyra nodded again. "The only known one, and the government took over the site letting my family's business handle the research.
They want to understand the crystals' potential, but progress has been slow. If we don't deliver results soon, we'll lose the contract, and we'd be forced to sell it to some more capable. "
"What's the holdup?" Celine inquired.
Lyra sighed, her frustration evident. "The crystals are potent and strange, but replicating Lucky's transformation has been impossible. No other animal has survived the process. It requires extreme pain tolerance and mental fortitude, qualities most creatures lack.
More importantly it has 0 chance of working on anything other than a normal animal. "
The group fell silent, the weight of Lyra's words sinking in. The Rainbow Crystals were a double edged sword, capable of immense power but at a steep cost.
.....
As they approached the base of the mountain, Tobias broke the silence, changing the subject. "Do you think the explosion we heard has anything to do with a new dungeon?."
Lyra shrugged. "Could be. But we won't know until we get a closer look."
Celine glanced up at the mountain, her gaze wary. "This place feels… off. We should be careful."
"Agreed," Lyra said, her voice firm. She reached up to stroke Lucky's head, the pigeon cooing softly in response.
"Whatever's up there, we'll handle it. Lucky and I aren't afraid of a little challenge."
With that, the trio continued their ascent, their curiosity driving them toward the source of the explosion.
Unbeknownst to them, Lucy was already watching, her excitement palpable as she prepared to reclaim what she considered hers.
As for Max he was already above them watching, not planning on joining the fun.