69. Beatdown

Sylphie blames herself for disobeying warnings about natural treasures, which drew a Goldsun Eagle Prima that nearly killed her parents. As the Prima prepares to finish Hawkie, Jake arrives, stabilizes everyone with potent potions, and asks Sylphie to stay back while he handles the threat.

Letting his anger focus him, Jake draws his new bow but quickly abandons its faulty fire enchantment for pure arcane and poison. His Gaze and presence suppress the Prima, revealing a decisive power gap. Successive Arcane Powershots shatter its barriers and cover, forcing the Prima into desperate, radiant assaults.

The Prima dives like a sun to force melee. Jake meets it head-on, scales absorbing heat as he batters it from the sky, then pursues with scimitar and Pillar of Encumbrance. When the bird tries to flee as light, Jake erects a stable arcane barrier and denies its escape.

Jake methodically dismantles the Prima, punishing every move, cutting deeply, and kicking its damaged wing while repeating that this is a beatdown, not a fight. His emotions—rage and reluctant acknowledgment of the risk to the hawks—saturate his presence, witnessed by Hawkie, Mystie, and Sylphie.

As the Prima weakens and its radiance fades, Jake channels dual energies through his blade and severs its left wing, leaving it grounded and terrified. He never once projects killing intent. Finally, he calls the hawks down, revealing he always intended them to claim the kill and settle their own enemy.