"I won't even use a skill this time. Let's get this over with."
Logan narrowed his eyes, locking in.
He could've used Persuasive Speech — it would've made things much easier. But he chose not to. This was the part of taming he wanted to improve on: the raw, unassisted mental struggle.
The centaur was still under the lingering influence of Voice of Authority. It couldn't move — not yet. Its body only trembled slightly, as if trying to resist while bound in place.
Logan gauged its strength.
It was probably a bit higher in level than Lucent — which, in truth, made him feel a little bad for his tiger. But it also meant this centaur had more intelligence, more self-awareness.
And that intelligence was already calculating the situation:
A blood-marking had been placed.
A hungry tiger stood in front of it.
Said tiger was practically drooling, saliva dripping uncontrollably from its fangs.
[Damn it, Lucent—keep yourself in check. You're making me look evil.]
Logan sighed and focused.
He reached into his satchel and pulled out a few light-elemental crystals, their soft glow pulsing like embers in the late forest light.
He didn't know what the centaur actually ate. He considered offering fruit — an apple-like orb, maybe — but hesitated. Bringing out meat or random food might scare or insult it.
For now, the crystals would do.
"Let's see if you're smart," he murmured, stepping closer.
He gently pressed one crystal to the centaur's chest — and forcefully injected light energy into its body.
The creature shuddered, its muscles twitching as its body instinctively welcomed the mana.
Its eyes widened just slightly — not with fear, but realization.
It understood something.
And it didn't fight back.
The centaur stood still, breathing slowly, as if... cooperating.
"Good, good..." Logan smiled, feeling the mental resistance drop a little more.
It wasn't gone. Not yet. But the hesitation had thinned.
And the bond was beginning to take root.
Logan jumped off the centaur's back, giving it space to process what had just happened.
He tossed a few more light-element crystals around its hooves, spreading them evenly across the forest floor.
"You should know why I did this… right?" Logan said, smiling as he released the lingering effect of Voice of Authority.
The centaur stood motionless for a moment.
It scanned its surroundings cautiously, checking for hidden threats. Its eyes flicked toward Lucent, who still stood silently nearby, twin tails flicking lazily but making no move.
Logan, meanwhile, sat down on the grass, relaxing but maintaining the mental link — waiting for the creature to decide whether to accept the bond.
The centaur hesitated for only a second. Then it reached down, picked up one of the crystals, and examined it with care.
Without further prompting, it crushed the crystal in its palm, absorbing the mana in a single breath.
After draining the second, it glanced at Logan, then gave a slow, firm nod.
The bond clicked into place.
"Good. You understood," Logan said, smiling wider. "I'm expecting a lot from your new form."
He pushed the rest of the crystals toward the centaur. "Take the rest — we've got a lot to do today."
Without hesitation, the centaur began to absorb them one by one.
After the last crystal shattered and its energy faded, the creature groaned, its large frame trembling.
The evolution had begun, as for Logan, he leaned forward, intrigued.
This time, he wasn't sure what to expect. Would it become more humanoid? Would its features refine?
He watched in silence.
The transformation was smoother than most. The centaur didn't grow in size, but its body shifted in proportion.
The fur along its torso receded, revealing more defined, muscular skin. Its arms — once bulky and crude — now ended in five-fingered hands, far more human-like, complete with nails instead of the stubby pads it had before.
Logan glanced at his own hand, instinctively comparing.
It was getting closer to human he couldn't stop himself from checking its stats.
Name: Inox Species: Dawnblessed Centaur Level: 40 Blood Mark: Upper Spine Loyalty: 6/100
Str: 52 / Agi: 53 / Dex: 39 / Con: 41 / Int: 33 / Char: 39
Lance of Light: Inox summons a radiant spear of pure energy to hurl at distant enemies. Pierces magical barriers and has a chance to blind the target on impact.
Sanctuary Rush: Charges forward with divine speed, forming a shield of light around himself and nearby allies. Negates one incoming ranged attack or spell during the charge.
Sunsteel Kick: Empowers his rear hooves with condensed solar force, delivering a backward buck that shatters armor and knocks enemies away.
Aegis Halo: A floating ring of light appears behind Inox, granting a passive damage reduction to nearby allies and purging minor debuffs every few seconds.
New Glintstride:* Uses a light-infused sprint that allows him to phase partially through obstacles, terrain, or enemy lines. Grants brief invulnerability during the dash.
New Judgment Arc:* Inox channels divine energy through his arms, sweeping forward in a wide arc with glowing fists or a conjured weapon. Can silence casters struck at close range.
New Beacon Pulse:* Releases a wave of radiant magic from his core, healing minor wounds in allies while revealing cloaked or invisible enemies in the area.
Logan smiled as he thought about using the new skills later.
"So," he asked casually, curiosity clear in his voice, "are you able to say something now?"
"Neah huaw," the centaur tried to speak aloud.
It wasn't a foreign language — more like the shape of its mouth wasn't built for human speech.
[Can't speak human speech. Different face,] it added mentally, followed by a hoarse, rough cough.
"Guess we can try again later," Logan replied, shrugging. "Maybe after your next evolution."
He wasn't going to force the creature to do something it physically couldn't.
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed some meat to Lucent, who eagerly caught it and began eating.
Then Logan turned back to the centaur.
"So... do you know where this unicorn Lucent spoke about might be?"
The centaur hesitated. It glanced toward the pile where the light-elemental crystals had been but didn't say anything about wanting more — sensing that Logan wasn't offering.
[Unicorn… elusive. Hard to find. We share the same body shape, but it is not like us. Stronger. Different. Protected by fairies.]
It scratched its coarse mane with its new, more human-like fingers.
Then, with a tone of uncertainty, it added—
[Need speak to tribe. But… may be hard. They will find it strange I have this new body.]