The hunt as Umbra was a disquieting experience. Kai's movements, usually fluid and predatory, felt subtly off, his internal balance disrupted by the warring energies within him. The "Energy Sense (Passive – Tier 0)" ability, a lingering gift from the consumed Old Republic data-chip, was a constant, low-level hum in his perception, making the electronic smog of District 7 even more oppressive. He could feel the thrum of power lines, the chatter of unsecured comms, the faint energy signatures of hidden devices – it was a chaotic overlay on his already heightened Draconic Senses. His Draconic Energy Reserves started at 58%.
His targets were the sump-scrapers Roric had identified, a nasty crew of five who had set up a toll on one of the few relatively clean water access points in a derelict sector bordering the toxic Sumps. They were armed with crude melee weapons and a single, jury-rigged chemical sprayer. In his previous state, they would have been a challenging but manageable encounter. Now, everything felt unpredictable.
He approached their makeshift checkpoint under the cover of a particularly dense patch of acidic fog. He tried to activate his "Draconic Presence," but the familiar cold aura felt… distorted, shot through with faint azure sparks that prickled his skin. The effect on the sump-scrapers was not the usual fear or hesitation, but a strange mixture of confusion and heightened aggression. One of them, a hulking brute with a gas mask, actually snarled and charged towards the unsettling energy, his rusty pipe raised. [Draconic Presence (Rank 1) – Output Unstable due to Foreign Energy Interference. Effect: Unpredictable (Aggression/Confusion). Anima Energy Cost: Increased.]
"Damn it," Kai muttered, his modulated Umbra voice a low growl. He sidestepped the brute's clumsy charge and attempted a "Shadow-Coil Strike." The shadowy distortion around his fist was there, but it was laced with faint azure tracers, and the impact, when it landed on the brute's side, felt… off, somehow less focused, yet carrying a strange, vibratory quality that made the man yelp in a way that suggested more than just physical pain. [Shadow-Coil Strike (Rank 1) – Anima Infusion Unstable. Misdirection: Moderate. Impact Effect: Standard + Minor Disruptive Energy Discharge (Old Republic Tech Origin). Hostile Disoriented. EXP +8.]
The fight quickly devolved into a chaotic melee. The remaining four sump-scrapers, emboldened by their leader's initial charge and seemingly agitated by Kai's fluctuating aura, attacked with a feral intensity. Kai was forced to rely on his "Dermal Plating Manifestation (Rank 2)," the obsidian scales flowing across his arms and chest, but even they felt different, occasionally shimmering with an azure sheen, their resilience subtly altered. He took several glancing blows, the impacts jarring, his energy draining faster than usual. [Anima Core Stability: 40%. Warning: Unstable Anima interaction increasing energy expenditure for all Draconic Arts.]
He unleashed his "Claws of the Shadow Drake," the obsidian talons extending, but they too flickered with the alien blue energy. When they connected, they tore through the scrapers' crude armor with ease, but also seemed to leave behind faint, corrosive energy burns that made his opponents scream in a new kind of agony.
It was messy, brutal, and far less controlled than his previous hunts. He was stronger, yes, the raw power within him amplified by the Old Republic energy, but his finesse, his control, was compromised. He felt like he was wrestling with his own abilities. He managed to neutralize all five, but not before taking a nasty gash to his leg from a sharpened piece of scrap metal and nearly exhausting his Draconic Energy.
The "sustenance" assimilation was equally unsettling. As he knelt to perform the grim ritual, the System flashed a new warning: [WARNING: Foreign Old Republic Energy Matrix actively attempting to interface with/analyze assimilated Vital Essence. Potential for unknown interactions or contamination of Draconic Power Source. Proceed with extreme caution.] The energy he drew from the fallen scrapers felt… tainted, not just by their own wretchedness, but by the azure energy within him, which seemed to try and filter or reprocess it. The resulting restoration was less complete, leaving him feeling strangely… unfulfilled, despite his reserves nominally rising. [Vital Essence Assimilated (5x Low-Grade Humanoid – Malnourished/Aggressive). Draconic Energy Reserves: 80% (Restored – Suboptimal Conversion due to Energy Interference). Sustenance Contamination Debuff: AVOIDED. Old Republic Energy Signature: Stabilized (Minor Fluctuation).] [EXP GAINED: 40. CURRENT LEVEL: 3 (125/300 EXP TO LEVEL 4).]
He returned to Epsilon as dawn broke, feeling battered, psychically frayed, and deeply disturbed. The integration of the Old Republic energy was not a simple power-up; it was a dangerous, unpredictable transformation, turning his own Draconic abilities into volatile, almost alien weapons. He reported his experience to Roric and Lyra, his voice heavy with concern.
Lyra listened intently, her expression thoughtful. "The Old Republic energy is not draconic, Kai. It is something other. Your System, your core Draconic Power, is trying to understand it, to dominate it, or perhaps, to find a new harmony with it. This period of instability is to be expected. You must be patient. And you must be exceptionally disciplined in your training."
Roric, however, saw opportunity in the chaos. "Unpredictable power can be a weapon in itself, Kai, if wielded with enough audacity. Your enemies will not know what to expect. But Lyra is right. Control is paramount. We will adjust your training regimen. Focus on stabilizing these new… hybrid manifestations. And Shift, Elara," he turned to his tech experts, "I want every fragment of that 'Project Griffin' data analyzed with renewed urgency. If the Old Republic knew how to manipulate Anima, perhaps they also knew how to control or integrate alien energy sources."
The path ahead had become even more treacherous. Kai was a walking experiment, a fusion of primal dragon and ancient, alien tech, his own body a battleground for warring energies. And the whispers of "Project Griffin" hinted at secrets that might either save him, or damn him completely.