It took Ricky an entire day of continuous, focused absorption before the process was complete.
"God damn… it was worth it."
"Every fucking second of it…"
He muttered with genuine satisfaction, his voice echoing slightly off the silent dungeon walls. Before him lay the husk of what had once been a towering Shadowmire—now nothing more than an empty, collapsed shell. Its once-imposing form was hollow, drained, and lifeless, a mere remnant of the predator it had been.
Yet Ricky wasn't looking at the corpse.
He was staring at the glowing blue window flickering before his eyes.
A grin tugged at the corners of his sharp mandibles, his antennae twitching in smug delight.
Still, as the initial euphoria settled, a thought crept into his mind.
It takes too long.
