CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: WINGS OVER THE RIDGE

The high mountains cut through the sky like ancient blades, jagged and cold, with wind that never seemed to stop howling.

Arden’s group moved carefully along the narrow paths, the ground uneven and sharp with loose stone. He had chosen this route on purpose, not just for the shortcut it offered, but for what lived up here.

They had barely reached the midpoint when he stopped.

Above them, on the cliffs to the left, a figure shifted, it’s large wings stretched against the wind, scales catching the light like dull steel, and sharp talons scraping the edge of the rock.

The system flickered before Arden’s eyes.

Name: Zephyrtalon Drake

Rank: C+

Affinity: Wind

Beast Type: Aerial Beast / Lesser Drake

Traits:

Swift-Winged Predator: Lightning-fast in the air, difficult to track or pin down with ranged attacks.

Sonic Awareness: Detects air pressure changes and sudden movement. Stealth nearly impossible.

Core Abilities:

Cyclone Shred: A beat of its wings sends cutting gusts forward like flying blades.

Gale Skirmish: Dashes mid-air with spinning winds, gaining bursts of speed and evasion.

Pressure Dive: Drops from the sky with a burst of compressed air, knocking enemies back and stunning those off guard.

Arden let out a slow breath. "This’ll be rough."

His voice cut through the wind, drawing the attention of his group. Nyra’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the cliffs. Rael stepped forward, his expression changing once he saw the size of the beast. Zephyra stayed still, but the pulse in their bond tightened.

"That thing’s trickier than anything we’ve faced," Nyra said. "Hard to pin down. You sure?"

"I’m sure," Arden replied, gaze fixed on the cliff. His tone was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it, one that only came when something actually excited him.

Nyra caught it too. "You want this one."

He didn’t answer, but she smirked and stepped back. "Go on then."

Rael blinked, surprised. "Wait, seriously? He’s going alone?"

"He’ll be fine," she said. "Besides... don’t you want to see how far off you are from catching up?"

Rael didn’t argue after that.

Zephyra’s tail brushed the ground, and Arden felt her concern ripple faintly through their bond. Not panic, just worry.

"I’ll be fine," he murmured, not turning to her, but letting the bond carry the reassurance. "Watch from here."

With a quiet hum in his chest, Arden stepped forward. His figure slipped away from the group with ease, feet light over the stone. He moved like wind, no wasted motion, no hesitation.

From the cliff, the Zephyrtalon Drake turned fully now, eyes locking onto him. It unfolded its wings with a sharp snap that echoed through the ridge, the air around it suddenly swirling.

Arden smiled faintly.

Back with the group, Rael sat down slowly, eyes wide. "How strong is he really?"

Nyra didn’t answer immediately. She sat with her arms over her knees, watching the sky where the drake now hovered. A faint gust swept past as the wind began to rise.

"You’ll see."

And with that, the fight began.

They couldn’t see much at first, just gusts of wind spiraling from the cliffs and the sudden shriek of the Zephyrtalon Drake cutting across the mountain air.

Rael stood now, barely breathing. "That thing’s too fast..."

It was. One moment it was perched, the next it vanished into the sky with a roar of wind. Then came the slicing gusts. Cyclone Shred. They cut into the rocks below, shredding boulders like dried leaves, leaving deep claw-like grooves in the stone.

But Arden wasn’t there anymore.

"Where is he?" Rael asked, turning in place.

"There," Nyra muttered.

A flicker. Barely a blur. Arden reappeared ten paces to the left, boots skidding over the gravel before he vanished again, his form blinking between ridges with sharp, fluid steps. It wasn’t teleportation, but it felt like it. His movements were fast, sharp, and locked onto the drake like he could see through its wind.

"Steptrace Mirage," Nyra said, almost to herself. "He’s tracking its pressure trails."

The drake let out another screech and spiraled down with Gale Skirmish, blades of wind curling around its form. It dashed across the air, cutting angles that shouldn’t have been possible.

And Arden met it in motion.

His fifth step didn’t blink—it struck. A low, humming crackle burst through the air as his blade lit up with wild lightning. He slashed upward just as the drake twisted past him, and the Static Edge Bloom exploded against its wing.

Rael flinched. "He hit it?"

The drake shrieked, wobbling mid-flight. Its wing faltered for a heartbeat before recovering, but it didn’t press the attack, it climbed higher.

Zephyra’s tail tapped once against the stone. Not a word, just a low pulse through her bond with Arden.

Nyra folded her arms. "He’s baiting it. Letting it think it can control the sky."

The beast circled again, slower this time. Arden stood below it, still, weapon held low, waiting.

Then, it dove.

The Pressure Dive cracked the air like a falling thunderbolt. Everything went silent a second before it landed, and then a blast of compressed wind slammed into the ledge. Dust and debris shot everywhere.

But Arden didn’t get caught.

He moved again, too fast for the eye. The moment before impact, his form pulsed with flickering light and surged sideways, a pulse bursting from where he had just stood. Dreadcoil Pulse.

The momentary shockwave collided with the beast mid-dive, throwing its angle off and slamming it against the ground.

Then came the real punishment.

The moment the drake hit the ground, Arden was already on it. His next three strikes chained together with precision, and with the third, the earth beneath them cracked. A wave of heat and tremor spread outward, Ignition Tremor Chain. Ash and sparks trailed behind the shockwave, creating a burning zone the drake struggled to escape from.

Rael stared. "He’s... forcing it down?"

"Not just down," Nyra replied. "He’s making it stay down."

The beast flapped desperately, trying to regain altitude, but each attempt was met with another blink of Arden’s form, vanishing just as the wind formed, striking from an angle it hadn’t expected. The longer the fight went on, the more exhausted the drake became, while Arden only moved faster.

Rael could feel it now, the loop of energy around him. It wasn’t raw power, it was flow.

Every movement Arden made seemed to feed him instead of draining him. The Ember Loop Core keeping him sharp even in drawn-out combat.

The light began to change. The clouds above shifted, casting moving shadows across the ridge.

"Now he’s using Phantom Drift," Nyra said.

Rael blinked again and lost track of him entirely.

But the battle went on, very well out of the scope Rael had imagined.

A/N:

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