Zero.Hero2 - Chapter 4

The Entranced debuff timer in the corner of my vision ticked down like seconds and my brain whirled away on options as I stood motionless in the tree line, completely exposed. I just needed a little more time. I cleared my throat, but it didn’t help in making me sound any more confident. "You can talk. How can you talk?" 

The Hypnothrather hummed with amusement and kicked the bone carelessly. "Talking is not a skill held solely by you fleshlings of the cities and planes." The panther creature fluffed out its colorful wings, but I still couldn’t pull my eyes away. 

The creature chuckled. "I can see just because you speak doesn't mean you're intelligent. That's two strikes my Familiar, slow and stupid. Let’s hope you at least make for an entertaining fight." 

The monster lashed out with uncanny speed and the timer in the corner of my vision disappeared, freeing me from the Entranced debuff. I tucked right and rolled, thanking Yrsah for the plus forty Agility. 

My fingers slipped off the spear as I came up from the roll. I turned back to grab it, but was meet with a swift paw to the chest. Pain exploded in my lungs as I failed to suck in a breath and stars filled my eyes. I skidded backwards in the worn grass, coming to a stop next to the Hypnothrasher’s latest kill. 

I gasped and looked up to see the massive wings of the creature waving and flaunting. I pointed my gaze at its paws instead and narrowly missed another entrance debuff. The creature raised an arm to slap me down but I dashed left, barely avoiding the hit as wet dirt pelted my face. 

One more clumsy dive put me in range of the spear, and I used it like an anchor to pick myself up. The creature was already within striking distance when I spun to face it, forcing me back to avoid another swiping paw. I needed to get on the offensive. 

She seemed to be enjoying this game of cat and mouse, taunting me as she tried to rip open my gut. I dodged slash after slash as she laughed, advancing. "Well at least you are fast, but your nimbleness will only go so far." 

The quest timer flashed dangerously low, eight Din, and panic grabbed me. I jabbed the spear tipped towards one of the creatures four eyes as she reared from an over-reaching swipe, but I was so far back, she easily dodged. 

She crouched, then lunged with a powerful thrust of her wings that flashed brightly, trying to draw my attention. I kept my gaze firmly on the creature’s chest, watching the essence tether pull taut as the colors, my green and her blue, combated as wildly as we did. 

I hopped back and speared up at the creature’s face. We landed in a standoff, the cat-thing laughing as though she knew something I didn’t. There was a sound like a whip crack and sharp pain lanced through my thigh as the creature's tail pierced my flesh. I grabbed at the barb lodged in my muscle, but the cat whipped it free with a twist of its back legs. I cried out as I dropped to one knee, holding the shredded leg as a new debuff notification appeared in my vision. 

Poisoned, by Pyn mushrooms? What the hell! Stupid cat probably rolled in it…  

My health bar flashed at 65%, and I knew I couldn’t win the fight this way. I desperately wanted my crossbow in this moment, but I couldn't waste the focus trying to summon it. I had enough in my arsenal to outsmart this thing, I didn’t need Lumen Bolt. 

The creature reared up and flared its wings out wide trying to snare me in its mesmerizing effect. I turned away and dashed toward the trees, needing to regroup, and group up with Gary. 

"Where are you going Pathfinder? Are you afraid of your own familiar pair?" The cat taunted but didn’t pursue me. 

Searing agony stabbed up through my leg into my hip as I flexed the damage muscle, but I pushed through. I needed to bleed out a little more, get my health low enough for Shaman’s Clarity to make a real difference. 

I slipped behind a tree out of view and quieted my breathing. I would, once again, need the element of surprise, but damn my leg was making that hard. The muscle throbbed with hot anger, and any time I moved it felt as though I was being stabbed all over again. 

"Do you surrender that easily?" The cat taunted and I watched as the blue essence ripped at the green in my tether. 

I gritted my teeth against the pain, then whispered forth Gary. I held the gelatinous demon up to the hole in my thigh and ushered him to hurry. He flopped around lazily and sent me the image of a yawn.  

No time for games buddy, we are in serious trouble with not a lot of time to fix it. 

In an instant, Gary was at attention ready to do good work. I had him activate hover and sent him up into the trees to observe the location of the monster. I swallowed back bile as vertigo kicked in from double vision, but kept it in check with the help of the food buffs. If this was going to work, I couldn't afford to be nauseous. I had to get over it. 

I opened my menu and selected the Spells tab. I had one more unspent point from when I last leveled up, and I knew exactly what I needed to put it in to get out of this. I selected Sentinel, then one of the open slots, and panned to the Blind ability, slotting it in. 

A wisp of green light encircled the vision of my left eye—the one Gary was using—and I felt him give a cheer of joy. I closed the menu and turned back to the creature’s den. 

All right little buddy, are you ready for this, it's going to be risky. I sent Gary the image of him dashing through the treetops and into the clearing, over the creature, then using Blind to fire four of his spikes into each one of the cat’s eyes. As expected, my little warrior sent back a courageous affirmative. 

My health drained to 50%, and the bleed debuff ended. Shaman's Clarity would give me a boost for three Earth minutes, almost thirty Din-mi; more than I would need—if that was the way the time conversion worked. I took a deep breath and listened to the cackling of the creature, amused by what it perceived was my fear, but I wasn’t afraid of her. 

I feared the ticking clock in the corner of my vision. 

With a thought I triggered Shaman's Clarity and propelled myself into a dash. My leg throbbed angrily, but there was no time for pain right now. I broke through the tree line, near face to face with the cat creature, and thrust my spear up into its guard. The cat reared back with surprise in its snarling face, then flared its wings. 

Gary, now! 

With the creature unstable, I jabbed the spear upward again, careful to keep my eye off her wings. The spear tip scraped the underside of its chest, but it pumped both wings and lifted from the ground, pulling away. With its eyes locked on me, it didn't even notice Gary drifting in over the treetops. 

"Summoned your courage, I see." The cat growled as it pawed at the cut on its chest oozing red blood. 

"I summoned a little something else, too." I smirked and the creature cocked its head in confusion. 

Gary was nearly in range, and the creature turned its head to face him, just as I'd hoped. 

Hit it! 

Gary Dashed and spun, launching all four spikes in rapid succession. Each shot was true, and the cat creature recoiled with a roar of anger. She lashed out with her tail, whipping Gary with a crack that shot pain surging from the dead-end nerve in my eye socket. The vision in my left eye flipped over and over, and my stomach roiled with nausea. 

Keep it together, keep it together! Gary’s health bar flashed at 5%, but he was still hanging in there as he came to a stop in the grass. 

I stumbled towards the cat creature, my feet unsure of where the ground was, or if I was on it. The cat thrashed, throwing paws and flapping its wings as it scrambled backwards. 

Though my leg protested, I got in close, dodging and weaving the insane paw swipes and tail whips, barely avoiding certain death. I stabbed up into its chest and a critical hit notification appeared in my view as massive damage was dealt the creature. Its health bar dropped to 75%, and I twisted the spear, digging in deeper. 

“Relent to me! I don't want to kill you." I pleaded with the creature. 

The cat grabbed the spear with its tentacle-like fingers and a smile spread over its cheeks as it pulled me in. "I do not fear death. But you should fear my respawn." 

"What—" 

The cat’s tail whipped out and I dodged right into the creature’s backhand. Pain shot through my shoulder and I was thrown from my feet. I lost my grip on the spear and skidded sideways through the clearing. With my right eye closed in pain, I noticed a strange view in my left. Gary had his last spiked tentacle stabbed into the carcass of a large deer-like creature. 

Gary, what are you doing? 

Gary sent me the vision of a man holding up a finger while taking a drink. 

Alright buddy, do what you gotta do, but were almost out of time. 

I opened my right eye and winced as I lifted to my feet. My health was dangerously low at 35%, and I knew I could only take about two more hits. Another notification strobed in the corner of my vision, pulling my attention. It was the countdown timer: two Din-mi left. 

I shuffled around the creature, tossing handfuls of gravel as I moved. It hunted for me with its nose and ears, snarling wildly. Though the stabbing agony refused to let me think clearly, I held my breathing steady. Finally, Ignore Pain shot a boost of adrenaline into my system, heightening my senses. 

"Do you think that my blindness will save you?" The cat whirled around slashing with its paw, and I felt the wind of it against my face as I jumped back. I triggered Lumen Burst and the cat cowered for an instant, giving me time to catch my balance. 

My turn. 

I leapt in stabbing the spear hard into the creature's open guard, right under its arm. The spear hit with a critical strike again, dealing another 10% of its health in damage. The cat screamed and its tail whipped forward. I tried to pull my spear free, but she already had a hold of it. My hands slipped free and I jumped back, narrowly avoiding another poison debuff. The cat snapped the shaft of the spear and tossed the pieces aside as it limped forward, sniffing hard. 

"I can smell your blood, Pathfinder. You will not leave this place alive." The cat threatened. 

I limped backwards trying to dampen the sound of my feet against the dirt as I circled for the end of the spear with the tip. Even if I couldn't have range, I needed that weapon. We weren’t out of the game just yet. 

The cat turned again, listening for my footsteps, but looking in the wrong direction. I crept closer and knelt as I reached for the edge of the spear. The cat whirled and I fell back to avoid it slashing hands. It pumped its wings and carried itself another foot forward, just enough for its tentacle-like fingers to grasp my neck. It came down with a heavy thud and forced my back to the ground. 

I gasped, clawing at the snaking fingers as they constricted around my esophagus and cut off the airway. One Din-mi flashed in the corner of my vision and I kicked my feet, trying to hit the creature’s elbow to loose it’s grasp. 

The cat leaned close, dripping blood from its eye sockets onto my face. "Now here is your end. I will let it be swift for how interesting this has been. You presented a real challenge, Pathfinder." 

I struggled to process the two images I was seeing. In my right eye, I saw the pain of impending death, and in my left, I saw the edge of the forest. What would happen if I died here? Would my “soul” be able to go back to my body? 

Gary rushed through the tree and I could see myself pinned to the ground under the weight of my familiar. The cat reared back and opened its jaws wide. 

I saw in the HUD my left eye as the Dash button activated, launching Gary forward at insane speeds. Out of the corner my right eye I could see the gelatinous blob had grown ten times in size and was now at least as big as the cat creature on top of me. 

As the cat’s jaws came down to chomp my face off, Gary slammed into the side of its body. The cat ripped away from the force of the impact and its claws scraped against my neck. It flew sideways, hitting a tree with a massive snap, then flopped to the ground, its health at 15%. 

I gasped, grabbing at my throat as it bled. My health was once again trickling down, but so was the timer to go home, only seconds left. I rolled to my side and grabbed the spear, motioning for Gary to help me up. The massive blob Sentinel wrapped a tentacle around my waist and half-carried me to the creature laying prostrate on the ground. 

I pointed the spear-tip at its face. "Join us. We are strong, and you will make us stronger." I didn't know where these words were coming from, but they felt right. 

The cat smirked, as blood dribbled from its open mouth. Its back was crooked, and it grimaced as it struggled. "You got lucky, Pathfinder. You are not stronger than me." 

I pushed the spear tip into her throat. "No, I am not, but we are." 

The cat groaned and laid its head back. The essence tether coming from its chest ceased its wriggling, and the green from my end of the tethered flowed into it. "I surrender to you, Pathfinder. May our journey be one of exciting battle, and excellent kills." 

The quest pop-up appeared in my vision as a success chime blared in my ears. 

My stomach twisted and I felt the sensation of tugging through my spine from my bellybutton. My menu blurred into a starburst of green and the whole world zoomed away from me as I plummeted backwards through blackness.