Zero.Hero2 - Chapter 3

I crept through the tall, dewy grass, my eyes set on the trail of Essence. The mini-map, helpfully displayed in the upper right corner of my vision, showed that I was just forty meters from the creature. Finally, after four days of gathering, trying to summon my own weapons, fighting crazy porcupine-boar monsters, and putting up with Yrsah’s refusal to answer questions at length, I’d have my Shaman Familiar. 

My fingers drummed against the staff of my spear nervously, as I raked the tree line in front of me. The broad, colorful leaves around me were still and the cloud cover had cleared. The sun was warm on my face and the moist earth dampened my footfalls. It was a godsend, because stealth was going to be my ally here, I could feel it. 

I was only thirty meters away. My heart pounded in my chest, threatening to burst out from the nerves. The tether at my belly was flashing a bright blue faster than my green could compete, and I was worried that was a bad omen for what was to come. Would I be able to take this creature on? What if it was far above my level, or too powerful? What if it killed me? 

I stopped and took a deep breath into my belly as I let my head hang. I closed my eyes and pushed the air out. There was no time for self-defeating thoughts, I was going to get this thing. When I opened my eyes, the outline of a massive print in the soft dirt pulled my attention. I moved the leaves aside inspected the mark. There was a two-pronged hoof and directly in front of it was a strange three fingered handprint that dug into the earth. 

What the hell was this thing? I’d never seen anything like it, except maybe for chicken tracks, but this was much larger than a chicken’s foot. Dear gods, wherever and whoever you might be, please don’t let my familiar be a giant chicken… 

I lifted my spear to hip height and heel-toed my way to a small clearing between the towering trees. I crouched at the edge of a floral bush and cringed as it rustled, but the cascade of color didn’t bring any grunts of recognition or moves to attack. When the leaves settled, I peered around the bush at the clearing. 

There was a rocky den on the west side that had several worn trails leading to and from. There was a fresh bloodstain on the far east end that dragged towards the cave opening, but no carcass to be seen. The tether at my belly wiggled and thrashed as the leaves on the other side of the clearing flashed brilliant orange and red. Was it my familiar? I focused on the points where the leaves trembled and was tempted to used Scan, but I waited. I wanted to see it. 

My body trembled and I knew that it wasn't from fear as I felt the ghost of a hand on my own and a whisper in my ear. "Claire, hurry the hell up." It was Norah. I’d almost forgotten that my real body was in another realm, on a plane to Italy. 

Only eighteen Din—just a minute and a half—left. 

The bushes rustled again and a black hand emerged. I quickly recategorized the limb to “squid thing” as the three fingers wiggled in unnatural directions. When the arm came down, the wiggly digits dug into the earth as if they were sharp as claws. Another hand appeared and the creature pushed through the underbrush. 

The cat-thing’s fur was black as midnight, but sleek and reflective of a blue glow that came from seemingly nowhere. It had a head like a panther’s, and tall pointy ears that twitched and flicked. Four eyes sat above its short snout, and long fangs promised a kind of pain I did not want to endure. 

It took another step forward, revealing its full height of four feet, give or take a few inches. A glow like a disco ball strobed and reflected off its sleek, black fur as it fully emerged from the forest. It had strange wings poking from its shoulder blades that shimmered like a blue-green galaxy. They were enchanting to look at, but the hammering of my heart reminded me this was no time to be in awe. 

I used Scan and raked the details that appeared before me. 

That was a lot of damn question marks. Scan rarely did me wrong, but there was so much I didn’t know about this environment, this world, it made sense that I couldn’t identify everything. I closed out the popup and banished the feelings of defeat. I could still do this. 

The nameless creature ruffled its wings back against its body as it circled near the den. Two fat hooves were attached to its powerful back legs, and a three-pronged tail with barbs as long as my spear tip whipped about at the end. The creature purred from deep in its chest as it grabbed a stray bone that had been sitting near the den entrance. The cat-thing circled once, then flopped down with a heavy thud as it wrapped three fingers around the bone and began gnawing. 

I opened my quest log to see if it gave further instruction on how to proceed, but unfortunately it was the same “subdue it” text looking back at me. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I wasn’t supposed to kill it, at least I think not. Ugh, why did the quest have to be so cryptic? Just like Yrsah! I ground my teeth but swiped the quest log away as I formulated my plan. 

I would get behind it, activate Lumen Burst, then Sneak Attack with Take Aim. Even though Take Aim was only good for ranged attacks, if I had to throw the spear, I’d have the bonus ready. After the first attack, it should just be a few stabs until the creature surrenders to me. 

I held back a sigh, praying the plan would work, then tiptoed away from the bush. As I made my way around clearing to the back of the den, I kept a sharp eye on the time. The creature chewed merrily at its bone, unaware of my presence as the essence tether coming from its chest whipped furiously in defiance. 

I breathed shallowly through my nose and took every step carefully as not to make a sound. I opened and closed my sweaty fingers on the spear shaft as I tried to dry them and keep my grip. The countdown flashed as it read twelve Din, only a minute left IRL. It was now or never. 

I raised my spear and used Take Aim, focusing on its leg. I lunged in ready to trigger Lumen Burst and Sneak Attack when blindingly brilliant blue pierced my vision. I looked up at the shimmering aurora of color in front of me. The thing’s wings had fanned out like a peacock’s feathers, and little stars of white danced with the nebulous green and teal on deep black. 

I tried to turn my face, or move my eyes, but pain lanced through my skull in reply. 

The Hypnothrasher stood and turned to me, keeping its wing-fan angled toward me as it did. A sultry, feminine voice purred out of the creature in front of me, and its bloody maw pulled up in a smile. "I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up."