"To hell with it! I'm going to recover that egg."
The griffon's claws sank into the crystallized skin, searching for the exact point where the core rested.
It shouldn't be too difficult to recover it, but he couldn't afford to lower his guard. Not after sensing someone watching him, that subtle presence that had almost escaped his notice.
The claws found their target. The hydra's core pulsed weakly, its power still active even after the beast's death. Its last breaths resonating with diminishing strength.
'Someone was there,' he thought while working. The mana marks in the air were subtle, small distortions where someone had transported themselves, like ripples in an invisible pond.
'A Will-o'-the-wisp spirit? A mineral light fairy? A shadow wolf?'
All 3 were possibilities, but they had something in common... They were very expensive beasts, the kind only the truly privileged could afford.
