The cave smelled like old blood and damp iron—rich, metallic, impossible to ignore.
Nyxar crouched at the collapse's edge, cloak powdered in gray. The Grimarca Noctem floated near his shoulder, pages silent and expectant.
He whispered to the air, voice flat as slate:
"No dead yet, huh."
The little insect familiar twitched its antennae.
"Find a way in."
With a jittery buzz it vanished into the rubble, a faint flicker of blue among the shadows. Nyxar waited, patient as stone, the faint smell of blood growing stronger. Minutes stretched until the insect reappeared, wings dusty, clicking rapid directions.
Nyxar stood. "Lead."
The Crevice
The "path" was barely a path: a crack so narrow even the insect had to fold its wings. Nyxar slid through sideways, cloak snagging on jagged edges. Dust clung to his hair, his gloves, the lines of his face.
The cavern beyond was a pocket of darkness and quiet grinding noise—like a mountain breathing.
Boulders shifted in slow rhythm, deep rumblings echoing through the stone. Something big pushed beneath them.
Nyxar's eyes caught the faint glow of movement.
Persistent.
He felt something strange tug at the corner of his mouth. A smile—small, unintended.
The insect froze mid-air, then backed up a full wingbeat.
Nyxar noticed the retreat and arched a brow.
"Relax," he said, the curve of his grin refusing to fade. "Not for you."
The insect clicked uncertainly, as if filing a complaint.
The Stone Trap
At the chamber's center lay the "big thing": the Steel Bear, skull wedged under a colossal slab of rock. Its massive shoulders heaved, claws gouging trenches into the floor as it tried—and failed—to lift the weight. Each breath was a low thunder.
Nyxar circled, quiet as a thought.
The bear's eyes rolled toward him: furious, unyielding.
"You will be useful," he murmured.
The Grimarca stirred, pages rustling as if in anticipation.
Nyxar set his dagger to the supporting edges of the rock, precise chips knocking loose small stones. Dust hissed downward.
"Consider this… assistance," he said, and gave the final cut.
The great slab dropped with a crack like the world ending.
Silence.
The Steel Bear's body went limp, eyes glazing to dull silver.
Ink and Inkling
The Grimarca Noctem flared open, pages drinking the darkness. Violet glyphs crawled across the parchment, glowing like stars:
New Creature Gained: Steel Bear
The insect fluttered beside Nyxar's head, tilting to read aloud in its high, chittering voice.
"So… 'Steel Bear' is the name of this creature?"
Nyxar wiped dust from his gloves. "Let's see."
The Summon
A ripple of cold swept the chamber as he pressed a hand to the book. Shadows coiled, magic pulling at his veins like a deep tide. His breath shortened; the air itself felt heavier.
The ground trembled. A silhouette—massive, fur of moonlit steel—stepped from the void.
The Steel Bear stood resurrected, eyes faintly glowing, utterly still but undeniably alive. Its presence filled the cavern like a new mountain.
Mana drained from Nyxar in a hungry rush. He steadied himself against the wall, exhaling sharply.
"Big," he said flatly. "Heavy. Expensive."
The bear turned its head toward him, silent, obedient.
Nyxar's smile returned—this time deliberate.
"You," he said, voice low but pleased, "will be very useful while hunting."
The insect made a disgruntled chirp that sounded suspiciously like don't blame me when it eats you.
Nyxar brushed a bit of stone dust from his sleeve.
"Noted," he replied, and with a casual gesture dismissed the creature back into the pages of the Grimarca, where a new glyph burned like a tiny steel star.
Outside, the mountain rumbled again, but Nyxar was already thinking of the next hunt.