Morning dawned under a leaden sky. Thick clouds piled above the Hunters, the air tasting of rain and ozone. As they trudged on, distant thunder rolled like drifting drums. Pale sunlight struck through ragged gaps in the clouds, casting flickering shadows on the scorched earth. Liam drew his cloak tighter and glanced at Tomlin. The spearman squinted up at the sky, excitement and apprehension battling in his grin. A storm was coming.
They moved through a deforested stretch of road. The trees around them were blackened and bare, and sparks danced on the breeze from a smoldering campfire off the trail. Suddenly, Hilda stiffened. Up ahead, slumped against a broken tree, was something unexpected: a great beast made of storm. Its fur billowed like thunderheads; its eyes were pale lightning that crackled with power.
Tomlin's breath caught. "What in the Seven Courts?" he whispered. The creature slumped on the ground, trembling. Blood darkened its white mane. Deep gouges and arrow wounds marred its flank. It was dying.
Liam halted the squad. "Careful," Sir Merek warned. "It looks wounded but... powerful."
The elemental beast was magnificent and terrifying up close. Its chest heaved with shallow breaths, steam rising in wisps from its fur. It let out a low moan as Tomlin and Liam approached, teeth bared in agony. Each step the creature took left small crackles of energy on the scorched soil. Lina kept her bow drawn, uncertain. Jassa hovered behind Fendril with wide eyes.
Tomlin did not back away. "Easy... we don't want to hurt it more," he murmured. He crouched a few paces from the storm beast. A jagged scar from a great claw ran down its shoulder; the smell of spent mana and burnt grass assaulted Tomlin's nose.
"Poor thing," Lina said softly from the back. "Looks like goblins had a go at it."
The storm beast lifted its massive head. It locked eyes with Tomlin. He felt a pulse of raw power beat through the air and into his chest. Lightning arced along its fur with each labored breath. Time slowed for a moment in the charged silence.
The creature's eyes were gentle now, as if pleading. Tomlin held its gaze. Then, one last shuddering breath escaped the beast, and it collapsed onto the earth, limbs splayed.
For a heartbeat, nothing stirred. Then—
An explosion of crackling energy erupted from the fallen creature's core. In the pale light, its body vanished in a spray of shimmering blue light. Hovering above the ground was a small sphere of crackling azure energy: the Stormbound Core Essence. It pulsed with power, filling the air with static.
Tomlin reacted without thought. He reached a trembling hand toward the Essence. It flared and shot into his chest, vanishing inside him with a soft crack. A surge of pure lightning coursed through Tomlin. Light flickered in his eyes.
Hilda grunted as bolts of power arced around Tomlin's shoulders. Jassa stumbled back, frightened by the sudden flash. Lina dropped to her knees at Tomlin's side. "Tomlin!" she cried, catching his trembling arm. "Are you hurt?"
Tomlin's lips parted. He felt it — electricity coursing through his veins, cold and alive. He gasped, then laughed in astonished joy. Hair lifted like charged needles around him. "I... I'm okay," he managed, voice trembling.
Liam stepped forward. His Eye of the Abyss flickered strangely as it scanned Tomlin's face. "Liam?" Tomlin said, confusion and exhilaration in his eyes. The eye flickered; Liam couldn't see the crackling orb now hidden within Tomlin's chest.
Bright bolts of static danced from Tomlin's fingers, arcing harmlessly into the air. His whole body thrummed with power. He closed his eyes, savoring the electricity coursing through him. A surge of pure joy lit his face. Lina's eyes shone with relief and amazement at Tomlin's electrified grin.
The squad fell silent, marveling at Tomlin's transformation. The storm clouds above parted briefly to reveal a patch of blue.
"He absorbed it," Liam whispered in awe.
Tomlin looked around at his friends, electric arcs flashing gently across his skin. "I feel... incredible," he breathed.
He had experienced the first crackle of electricity running through him — a gift of the stormborne essence. Overwhelmed but joyful, he knew something had changed forever.