The briefing room was quiet but busy. The holographic map of the Dragon's Tooth mountains floated in the center of the room. It showed a sharp, mean-looking rock spine covered in swirling computer storms.

While Seraph was going over the final gear list with Jax and Titus, Jonah stared at the map, a worried frown on his face. He watched the simulated wind patterns, the sheer vertical cliffs, the lack of any flat, open ground. He knew his current team of Progeny wouldn't cut it here. Maul was too big and heavy for these narrow ledges. Nyx was a good flyer, but not strong enough to handle the chaotic winds the region was famous for. Specter was a perfect infiltrator, but not a long-range scout.

He was going in blind. And in a trap set by Colonel Boris, blindness was a death sentence.

He walked over to Seraph, waiting until she finished her conversation. "Captain," he said, his voice low and serious. "I need something."

Seraph turned, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"My Progeny... they aren't right for this environment," Jonah explained, pointing to the holographic cliffs. "This is a vertical battlefield. I need a new scout. Something that can handle the winds and navigate in zero visibility." He took a breath. "I need an avian Genesis Core, one suited for chaotic air. And another vial of Bat Essence, for the sonar."

Jax, overhearing, let out a skeptical snort. "You need a what? You can't just cook up a new pet every time the weather changes, kid."

"Yes, he can," Seraph said flatly, her gaze fixed on Jonah. She didn't question his request. She didn't doubt his reasoning. She saw the strategic mind at work. Jonah wasn't just reacting anymore; he was planning. He was analyzing the battlefield before they even set foot on it.

"I can get you what you need," she said. She strode over to a reinforced supply locker and tapped in a complex code. The door hissed open.

HISS-KCHUNK.

Inside were dozens of carefully labeled and stored components - the Academy's private stash of rare and valuable synthesis materials. She scanned the shelves for a moment before pulling out a small, velvet-lined box.

She opened it. Inside, nestled on the black velvet, was a single, large feather. It was a beautiful thing, shimmering with bronze and gold, and it seemed to hum with a faint energy.

"A `Gryphon Feather`," Seraph explained, handing the box to Jonah. "From a Storm-Peak Gryphon. They make their nests on mountains so high the wind can tear a man in half. This core has a natural affinity for turbulent air. It will be stable."

She then tossed him a sealed vial containing a swirl of grey energy. "And here's your Bat Essence. Don't waste it."

Jonah took the components, a feeling of grim determination settling over him. He had the tools. Now he just had to build the solution.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The deployment was fast and brutal. A high-altitude stealth transport dropped them at the base of the Dragon's Tooth range and was gone in a flash, swallowed by the storm clouds above.

The moment their boots hit the ground, they felt it. The air was thick with a chaotic, buzzing energy. It was like standing next to a giant, faulty power transformer.

Seraph tapped the communication bead in her ear. "Comms check," she said.

Only static answered.

Kssshhhhhhh.

She tried again. More static. "We're cut off," she announced, her voice grim. "No contact with the Academy. We are completely on our own."

The team looked up. The Dragon's Tooth mountains were even more intimidating in person. They were a nightmare of steep, black cliffs. These cliffs vanished into a churning grey sky. The wind howled through the narrow passes. It made a sad, angry sound.

WHOOOOSH!

"Alright, Jonah," Seraph said, turning to him. "You said you needed a new scout. Now's the time."

The rest of the team watched. They were curious but also doubted. Draven and Titus stood guard. Their huge bodies acted like a wall against the howling wind. Vanessa nervously checked a runic detector. Its needle twitched wildly because of the background magic.

Jonah nodded. He found a sheltered spot behind a large boulder. He took out the Gryphon Feather and the vial of Bat Essence. He didn't have the luxury of a workshop or a Synthesis Loom. This had to be fast and functional.

He held the feather in one hand, the vial in the other, and closed his eyes. He could feel the familiar mental space opening up, a blank canvas ready for creation.

He focused, pouring his will into the synthesis. He felt the wild energy of the Gryphon Feather and the precise nature of the Bat's sonar. He wove them together, not trying to suppress the Gryphon's chaotic nature, but to give it direction with the Bat's senses.

A cocoon of swirling grey and bronze light formed in his mind. It pulsed for only a few seconds before hatching.

Jonah opened his eyes and summoned his new creation.

With a faint shimmer, a creature appeared in the air beside him. It was sleek and aerodynamic, its body covered in tough, overlapping feathers that shifted from bronze to grey. It had a sharp, hooked beak and powerful talons, but its most striking feature was its wings - long, narrow, and built for cutting through fierce winds. It had no visible eyes.

[Progeny Created: Gale-Screecher (Grade 2)]. Skills: [Echolocation], [Storm-Wing (Passive)].

"Impressive," Draven rumbled, genuinely impressed. Even Jax looked less skeptical.

"What does it do?" Titus asked

"It navigates by sound," Jonah explained. "And its wings are designed for this. It can handle the wind." He gave the creature a mental command.

"Go. Map the peaks. Find them."

With a powerful wing flap, the Gale-Screecher flew up. It didn't fight the wind. Instead, it rode it, curving and soaring through the wild winds with easy grace. It let out a high cry that was almost too quiet to hear.

—SCREEE.

Then, a 3D map of the cliffs around them formed in Jonah's mind. The sonar pulses cut through the thick fog like a knife.

For ten minutes, the team waited in tense silence as the Gale-Screecher did its work, its psychic map growing more detailed with every passing second.

Then, it found something.

"I've got them," Jonah announced, his eyes snapping open.

"What do you see?" Seraph asked immediately.

"Two things," Jonah said. "First, there's a hidden observation post on that peak over there." He pointed to a rough cliff two miles away. "It's camouflaged, but the Screecher picked up its heat signature. That's Boris's command center."

He took a deep breath. "Second, the main path up to the Chimera nest the Bureau gave us is lined with faint energy signatures. Surveillance runes. They're watching the path, leading us right into a kill box."

The trap was confirmed. Colonel Boris wasn't just hoping for an accident. She had set the stage for an execution, and she was sitting in the front row, waiting for the show to begin.