Arthur Varon POV
I didn't understand why she wanted to take such a risk. I knew she enjoyed battle, but this was different. This wasn't just a simple hunt in the Rock Field.
I was walking back to the elevator when it struck.
-BAAM-
The hunger rose in a vicious spike, familiar. My knees buckled, sending me sprawling to the floor. My eyes burned as every scent in the lab assaulted my senses at once.
"Keep it in control, keep it in control, keep it in control," I muttered the words faster and faster, clinging to them like a lifeline. As I struggled to rise from the lab floor, rapid footsteps approached.
"Professor, are you okay?" The voice was filled with concern.
Hector stood before me, his face a mask of worry. He was everything my daughter wasn't - meek where she was bold, careful where she was reckless.
I'd taken him as my pupil when he was only fourteen, and sometimes I thought it was his skin, the same rich tone as Maria's, that had first drawn my attention.
"I'm fine, Hector," I managed to say, pushing myself upright. "Damn that hunger. I should have just stayed a normal person."
Hector ruffled his hair, his eyes fixed on the floor. Even after all these years, he still couldn't meet my gaze when something troubled him.
"Out with it," I commanded, knowing his tells too well.
"Professor..." He paused, fingers working through his hair. "I think that you should let Eli go."
"Why?" The word came out harder than I intended.
"Well," he began, shifting his weight from foot to foot, "I don't know all the facts, but if what Eli said is true and the mines have run out, we do need to find more. Without new materials, we'll be in serious trouble."
"We can buy them from other cities," I countered, though I knew the answer before he gave it.
"Yes, professor, but have you seen the latest price projections?" Hector's voice grew stronger as he moved into familiar territory. "Costs would rise by at least sixty percent. Even if we could afford it, most cities' metals are subpar. Only Asgard produces anything close to our quality standards, and they charge accordingly."
"The transportation costs alone would eat into our profits," I admitted. "And the quality issues..."
"Exactly. We'd have to completely redesign our siphoning cables to work with inferior materials. The efficiency loss would be catastrophic."
He made good points, but logic couldn't overcome my fear. She was my daughter, my world. We didn't know what lay six hundred miles south of the city. Even with our fastest vehicles, it would take days to reach the unexplored territories. And then there were the beasts - creatures we'd never encountered before, monsters that could tear apart even a skilled Devourer.
Hector kept on scratching at his head before he spoke up once more. "And Eli is strong enough to handle whatever's out there."
Those words hit too close to home. "Hector, get back to work," I said, cutting off the conversation.
"Yes, professor." He retreated to his station, leaving me alone with my fears.
Eli Varon POV
The training room echoed with the sound of my axe cutting through air. Up, down, diagonal - each strike precise yet wild. Though I fought no physical opponent, the rock drake I'd killed days ago lived vividly in my mind.
I launched myself upward, evading an imaginary claw strike. Spinning in the air, I brought my axe up to block the second attack I knew would come. The movements were automatic now, burned into my muscle memory through countless battles.
Landing hard, I pushed off my back foot and lunged forward. In my mind, the drake opened its maw, a sphere of compressed rock forming between its teeth. My speed carried me underneath the projectile as yellow sigils blazed across my skin, turning it a faint red.
From beneath its jaw, I struck. The imaginary beast's head tumbled to the ground as I remembered the spray of blood, the rush of power, the thrill of victory.
The sigils faded as I caught my breath. "Eight seconds," I muttered. "I'm getting better."
These markings were my prize from the full consumption, along with the ability to grow a horn from my forehead - though I rarely used that particular gift. My axe served me better.
"Princess."
My father's voice cut through my concentration. I turned to find him standing in the doorway, his face unreadable. Rising slowly, I left my axe where it lay and walked toward him.
"Dad, look--" I began, but he cut me off.
"I allow you to go."
The words took a moment to register. "What?"
"I allow you to go south," he repeated, his voice steady but strained.
Joy surged through me. I crossed the space between us in two quick steps and wrapped my arms around him. "Thanks, dad."
His hand found my hair, stroking it as he had when I was small. "But if you're doing this," he said, "you're going to do it properly. Tell me your plan."
I nodded against his chest. "I've thought it through."
"Who's in your team?"
"Six Devourers, all Beastwalker rank. Lyra, Theon, and the others I've hunted with before. Small enough to move quickly, strong enough to handle whatever we find."
"Lyra's good," he acknowledged. "What about transportation?"
"Motorcycles with siphoning cables," I replied. "Trucks are too slow, too noisy. We need to be able to move fast and quiet."
"And your objectives?"
"Map the territory first. Locate potential mining sites. Bring back samples for Haly to get her grubby little hands on. We're not going to try any major excavation - just prove it's worth sending a larger expedition."
He was silent for a long moment, his hand still stroking my hair. "The beasts down there..." he began.
"I know dad," I finished. "That's why we're going prepared. Small group, fast vehicles, no unnecessary risks."
He pulled back slightly, looking down at me. "When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning, before dawn. Better to cross the outer territories while it's dark."
"Then I won't see you off," he said. "If I do, I might change my mind."
I hugged him tighter, breathing in his familiar scent. "Thanks, dad. I'll make you proud."
His arms tightened around me. "You already have, my princess," he whispered. "You always have."
We stood there for a moment longer, neither wanting to be the first to let go. Finally, he stepped back, his eyes suspiciously bright.
"Be careful," he said. "Be smart. And come back to me."
"I will," I promised. "I'll bring back enough resources to keep our factories running for decades."
He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Just bring yourself back. That's all I ask."
As he turned to leave, I called after him. "Dad?"
He paused in the doorway.
"I understand why you worry," I said. "But this is what I was born to do. I don't know how I know but I do."
He didn't turn around, but I saw his shoulders stiffen. "Your mother would be proud too," he said softly. Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts and plans for the journey ahead.
I returned to my axe, lifting it from the floor. Tomorrow I would lead my team south, into unknown territories filled with unknown dangers.
"You can do this Eli," I muttered to myself. "Tomorrow the hunt is on."