Beast Evolution Forge

Vell stood at the entrance, watching over his team as they rested. The healing had taken more out of them than he'd expected, but their recovery was steady.

Wren stirred on his shoulder, her small form still in beast mode. "Master," she whispered, "something feels wrong."

He felt it too - a subtle shift in the air, like the calm before a storm. His enhanced senses picked up faint traces of unfamiliar mana signatures moving through the city. "They're coming," he said quietly.

"Who?" Her fur bristled.

"The ones behind Regina's experiments." His eyes narrowed as he recalled the laboratory data he'd absorbed. "The organization that's been pulling the strings. My targets, this mana signature is definitely hers'"

Yenna appeared beside him, her expression troubled. "The girls are still sleeping. If there's going to be trouble-"

"Get everyone ready to move," he cut in. "I won't let them anywhere near our people again."

Across the city, Lucia adjusted her armor one final time as she and Suzy approached the gates. The morning air was crisp, carrying the lingering scent of yesterday's chaos. The crystallized guards still stood as grim monuments to Vell's power.

"Remember the plan," Lucia muttered, checking her equipment. "Seven seconds."

Suzy nodded, her hand resting on her weapon. "And if the plan fails?"

"Then we die." Her voice was matter-of-fact. "But not before I get my readings."

They moved through the streets like shadows, following the trail of dimensional distortions Vell had left behind. Each crystallized guard they passed made her instruments buzz with data she couldn't quite understand. The readings were impossible - energy signatures that shouldn't exist in this reality.

Back at the shelter, Vell helped organize the evacuation. His daughters clung to his legs as the others prepared to leave, their small faces worried but trusting.

"Where will we go?" Sia asked, looking up at him.

He knelt down, placing a hand on each of their heads. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere they can't find us."

"But you're staying, aren't you?" Mia's lower lip trembled.

'I have never seen them so worried, they are usually so optimistic and willing to fight. Whatever was done to them really messed up their confidence.'

"I have to." He pulled them both into a tight hug. "There are people coming who won't stop hunting us unless I deal with them."

Yenna stepped forward, gently taking the girls' hands. "Your father will come back to us," she said with quiet certainty. "He always does."

As his people began filing out through the back of the shelter, Vell felt the foreign mana signatures getting closer. Lucia and her companion were good - better than Regina's forces had been. But they didn't understand what they were walking into.

"Wren," he said softly, "go with them. Keep them safe."

She jumped down from his shoulder, transforming back to her human form. "But Master-"

"That's an order." His voice was gentle but firm. "They'll need your strength."

She hesitated, then nodded, turning to join the others. As she reached the door, she looked back. "Don't die," she said simply.

He smiled. "Not planning on it."

Once his people were safely away, HE stepped out into the street. He could feel Lucia's approach - her mana signature was familiar, bringing back memories of their previous encounter.

"I know you're there," he called out. "Come face what you've created, you fed me all that delicious corrupted mana after all."

Lucia emerged from an alley, suzy was flanking her, weapon at the ready. They moved with the precision of seasoned hunters, but Vell could smell their fear.

"Created?" Her voice carried a tremor she couldn't quite hide. "You were already something else entirely. We just... observed."

"Is that what you call torture now? Observation?" His power began to ripple around him, making the air glow. "The things you did to my people - was that all just data collection? Lets not even bring up what you did to the people back home, the brainwash, was that all just a game to you all?"

"You don't understand," she started, but he cut her off with a wave of energy that barely missed her head.

"No, you don't understand." His eyes began to glow with predatory light. "I let the king live because killing him would have consequences I'm not ready to deal with. But you?" A cold smile spread across his face. "You're different. There's no one to avenge you. No political fallout to worry about."

Suzy raised her weapon, but Lucia held up a hand. "Wait," she said, her scientific curiosity overtaking her fear. "Your power - it's evolved beyond what we thought possible. The dimensional manipulation, the crystallization... you're breaking fundamental laws of reality."

"The only law that matters," he replied, his power building, "is the one that says you pay for your crimes."

He felt the strain on his reserve mana core as he channeled power through them. Without his main core, he had to be strategic – each burst of energy needed to count.

Lucia's eyes darted between her instruments and Vell's stance, analyzing every fluctuation. "Suzy, Pattern Delta," she commanded, her voice steady despite her racing heart.

'Looks like he is not at full strength, we might actually be able to capture him.'

Suzy moved with practiced precision, circling to Vell's left while Lucia took readings from the right.

"Your mana signature is different," she noted, her instruments buzzing. "You're running on reserves, aren't you?"

His eyes narrowed. Of course she'd notice – she has probably been studying his energy patterns for months, ever since their last meeting. "Observant as ever," he growled, gathering energy in his palm. "But knowing doesn't help you."

He released a concentrated blast, but Suzy was already moving. Her weapon – a specially designed mana disruptor – fired a counter-pulse that scattered his attack. The air crackled where the energies met.

"Your attacks are weak," Suzy analyzed, adjusting her weapon's settings. "But more focused. You're compensating for reduced capacity with better control."

Lucia's tools beeped rapidly. "Fascinating. The corruption you absorbed isn't just surviving – it's evolving. Your body's adapted to use it more efficiently."

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He snarled, launching himself forward. His fist, wrapped in dark energy, nearly connected with Lucia's face. But Suzy's disruptor beam caught him mid-strike, sending waves of interference through his mana channels.

Pain lanced through his reserves, but he pushed through it. They designed that weapon specifically for him – of course it would hurt. But pain was an old friend by now.

"Still treating me like a lab rat?" He spun, using the momentum to avoid another disruptor blast. "Let's see how you like being experimented on!"

He slammed his palm into the ground, channeling corruption through the stone. Dark crystals erupted in a spiral pattern, forcing them to separate. But instead of panicking, they moved in perfect sync – they trained for this.

Lucia tossed something small and glowing toward him. He recognized it too late – a mana resonance bomb. The explosion sent feedback screaming through his reserve cores, making him stagger.

"Your crystallization process," Lucia called out, taking readings even now, "it's not just physical transformation. You're creating dimensional pocket spaces within the crystal matrix. Absolutely brilliant! But it seems you can't use that power, why?"

"None of your business!" He gritted his teeth as another disruptor blast hit him. His reserve cores were burning, they kept pushing him back with their perfect teamwork.

"You're not looking so good," Lucia said, her instruments still beeping. "Maybe we should end this before you hurt yourself."

Suzy circled around, firing quick bursts that forced him to dodge. Each movement drained more of his energy. They had him figured out - or so they thought.

"End this?" He laughed, a cold sound that made both women pause. "This is so funny, you two actually believe you can beat me? Just because I am weaker than usual?."

The air grew heavy as he stood straight, his eyes glowing with dark energy. He reached out with both hands, and darkness gathered around them, taking shape.

"What's happening?" Suzy called out, her disruptor's readings going crazy. "This energy pattern is different!"

Two swords materialized in Vell's hands - one crackling with corrupted energy, the other gleaming with a pale light that hurt to look at. The weapons hummed with power that made Lucia's tools spark and smoke.@@novelbin@@

"Impossible," she whispered, backing away. "You shouldn't have enough energy for weapon manifestation!"

"Is that what your little toys say? He asked, twirling the blades. The movement left trails of light and shadow in the air. "Want to see what these can do?"

He moved faster than before, the swords extending his reach. Suzy fired rapidly, but he deflected each blast with his dark blade while attacking with the light one. The air sizzled where the weapons passed.

"Pattern Omega!" Lucia shouted, pulling out another device. But Vell was done playing defense.

He crossed the swords, creating a wave of mixed energy that shattered her device and sent her flying backward. She hit a wall hard, her armor cracking.

Suzy tried to help, but Vell was already there. His dark sword cut through her disruptor like it was paper, while the light blade stopped an inch from her throat.

"Now then," he said, standing between the two defeated women, swords still humming with power. "Let's talk about all those experiments you did. And this time, you're the ones who are going to provide some answers."

Lucia coughed, struggling to sit up. "The Organization... they'll send others..."

"Good." His swords pulsed harder. "I'll be waiting. But first, you're going to tell me everything you know about them."

The two women looked at each other, then back at him. They saw no mercy in his glowing eyes - only the promise of death.

"Start talking," he commanded, bringing both blades closer. "I have all day, and these swords? They're just dying to be tested properly."