~‌‌ ‌‌2.16 ‌‌-‌‌ Eagle-Eyed Cat ~‌‌

 

Fields outside Duskgrove 

4th Spirtday of the Full Moon

Tenzin was leaving a trail of Night Snatcher bodies in his wake. He was currently running towards the forest, and where he guessed the Dragon Eater was now eating its prey in peace. At the rate he was using his Energy, he had maybe an hour left at most. The Elf left the remaining hordes of Night Snatchers to the town’s guard.

 

A minute later, he was hiding behind a large tree trunk and peering into the clearing ahead of him. The Dragon Eater had decided on a midday nap. Carefully walking to the south of the colossal beast, he prepared to start kiting it to the mountains. Pulling out a massive white metal javelin that sparkled with bright blue runes, he hefted it in his hand and prepared to throw it into the back of the Dragon Eater’s head. Tenzin wished this alone could kill the Dragon Eater, but had no illusions it would.

 

Just as he was pulling the weapon back to throw, a group of Night Snatchers came bursting out into the clearing at the north end and ran west towards the town. The Dragon Eater, hearing the tree’s limbs cracking, awoke with a high-pitched screech and started to follow.

 

“No! This way, you bastard!”

 

Tenzin threw the weapon. It struck its side, barely going into the meaty flesh. The Dragon Eater turned its head to nuzzle the spot and dislodged the javelin. The weapon fell to the ground, and the beast then continued heading in the direction of the Night Snatchers.

 

Tenzin ran up to the javelin, collecting it into his bag, and followed after.

 

***

 

Elder Magnus was pissed. He was beyond pissed. The damn cat had just expelled the smelly black tar onto The Guild’s Hall’s floor. Naturally, companions didn’t expel toxins from their bodies, as they were created from pure Energy. 

 

Bob was also yelling back at the Elder. The moment he started to expel the smelly substance, he jumped off the counter and took off his armor, throwing them inside his bag. Bob then threw his bag and quiver onto the counter. 

 

The cat hadn’t needed to take off his magic bag. The black substance wouldn’t have clung to the bag, as it was an extension of his soul. Still, there were now small amounts of the expulsion substance on his floor.

 

“You lied to me!”

 

“You lied to me! You said you were a companion!”

 

“I am!”

 

“Companions don’t have impurities in their bodies!”

 

“What do you mean impurities?”

 

“Anything! It’s a build-up from food, lesser medicines, and potions. Companions don’t need to eat and seldom need potions.”

 

“I eat all the damn time!”

 

“What?! Why the hell are you eating?!”

 

“It tastes good!”

 

The Goat clapped his hands over his eyes and sighed.

 

“You have got to be the strangest companion in the history of The Games; eats because it tastes good, he says.”

 

The doors opened, and a young-looking Elven woman and her child came into The Guild’s hall.

 

“Kitty!” the child yelled.

 

Bob looked around to see Zyla running up to him and stopping in her tracks.

 

“Kitty smells.”

 

Bob looked to Magnus. Magnus sighed again and called for someone. Shortly after, an older Dwarf woman came down the stairs. She didn’t say a word while walking up to Bob. She mumbled something under her breath, and two globes of water shot out from her hands, encompassing both the cat and the floor around him.

 

A moment later, sand shot out from the Dwarf’s hands and entered the two globes of water. Then the water began to turn and twist. The sand-filled water scrubbed Bob and the floor clean. Before Bob could worry about his breathing, the water, sand, and black tar substance pulled away from his body, and the Dwarven woman went out the back door, the two globes of water following her.

 

“She created a basic wash spell with water and earth magic. She was highly praised at her academy for that trick,” Magnus said.

 

“Give her my thanks.”

 

“Kitty clean!” Zyla cheered, then ran up to hug him.

 

As Bob was enjoying the attention from Zyla, multiple gongs could be heard coming from the east.

 

“They’ve breached the walls. Ring the bell five times. All adventurers need to help protect the town! Someone run and let the damn baron know. He needs to send part of his guard to assist.”

 

“I’ll help, but I need arrows!” Bob yelled.

 

“Get him arrows and a medic bag!” Magnus barked.

 

“Come with me, Bob. Let’s get you a skill out of my personal collection. Your companion is going to owe me after this.”

 

***

 

No matter what attacks Tenzin used, he couldn’t pull the attention of the Dragon Eater away from its prey. He was running out of time, and they were closing in on the town. He could hear the bell being rung at the wall, signaling they had been breached.

 

Deciding now was the time, he started activating skills and draining his Energy further. He blurred forward and jumped onto the back of the massive Dragon Eater. Removing a large war hammer from his bag, he leaped into the air towards its head and activated his [Gravity Field] on the flat end of the hammer as he swung towards the behemoth.

 

With a sickening crunch, the hammer hit the Dragon Eater’s head. Tenzin could see no external damage to the creature, but he heard its skull crack. With a deafening roar, he had achieved his goal of getting the attention of the beast. Before he could move to recover, the creature twisted its head with lightning speed and shot its tongue out. It curved as it was shot out and headed right for Tenzin. His hammer disappeared in a flash, replaced by a massive two-handed sword. The Elf was able to get it in front of him just in time to be launched off its back and fly hundreds of feet away, crashing through a young tree and creating an impact trail in one of the fields outside of the town.

 

Tenzin groaned. He knew he looked terrible and felt worse. That one skirmish had used up a large amount of his Energy. He hopped others had seen the flare and would be arriving soon. His left arm was broken and bent behind him. His only saving grace was the Dragon Eater had lost interest in him. Removing an Exceptional Healing Potion and downing it, he pulled his javelin back out of his bag and used it to help him stand up.

 

Heh, if Lucieal knew I was using her javelin as a cane, she would return from the dead just to kill me.

 

Grunting as his arm pulled back into its correct position and the cuts on his legs healed, he started walking towards the massive beast.

 

***

 

Bob looked over his prompts and Status. Magnus had given him an [Eagle Eye] Skill Core and a sack of fifty Clear Cores to level it.

 

 

 

 

“Thank you, Magnus. We’ll repay you for your help,” said Bob.

 

“Thanks aren’t necessary. I just want more time to speak with you and Flea when he’s freed from prison.”

 

Bob stopped moving and stared at the Guild’s leader.

 

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not hard to figure things out. I get the same reports as the baron from the prison. Everyone knows about you two by now.”

 

“Damnit, that’s not what I need to hear right now.”

 

Bob started placing the arrows into his quiver. The new iron-tipped arrows instantly took the place of the wooden ones in his quiver.

 

“I’m off. Thanks again, Magnus.”

 

“Be careful, kitty,” Zyla said.

 

Bob went up and hugged her, then pulled out two pieces of candy and handed them to her. He then dashed out the door.

 

***

 

“God, I hope your cat makes it back soon. I really could use a drink or twelve,” said one of the Dwarfs huddled up against the Redemption Crystal.

 

There were now sixteen of them sitting within the bubble of protection. The spider-bats had come back around and tried to enter the bubble of safety a few times.

 

I hope Bob is hiding somewhere safe. I need to log out soon.

 

***

 

Tenzin was growing tired. The Elf has been thrown around the fields outside of Dustgrove over and over. The speed at which the Dragon Eater could shoot its tongue out was becoming too much even for the old Elf. 

 

The town’s guard and the lower-ranked adventurers from town finally cleaned out the Night Snatchers within the town’s walls. On the other hand, the Dragon Eater was having a feast on the dead creatures in the field outside of town. Other high-ranked adventurers had finally shown up and were now waiting to guide the behemoth south after it had its fill, but they all really hoped it would return to its lair on its own.

 

Tenzin sat cross-legged, trying to cultivate and pull in as much Energy as he could before the fighting began again. He noticed a small furry creature hop over the wall, looking at the Dragon Eater and baring its teeth in a grim grin. The small animal was orange and white in color. The creature carried a bow with a quiver of arrows on its back. He had remembered seeing it in the Adventurer’s Guild earlier. It spotted him and started walking towards him. As it got closer, he realized it was a type of feline.

 

“What’s going on? Why isn’t anyone fighting it right now?” the cat asked.

 

“Regaining Energy and waiting for it to finish eating. If it goes towards the town, we fight. We are hoping the creature will go back home to its lair once sated,” Tenzin replied.

 

“Logical. Can you and the others kill it?”

 

“I doubt it. Maybe a full group of Rankers could. Dragon Eaters are a force of nature unto themselves. But once fed, it should cease its hunting.”

 

The cat then came closer to Tenzin and sat down. He took out two wrapped pieces of candy and handed Tenzin one. Tenzin, with an arched eyebrow, plucked it from the orange paw, unwrapped it, and popped the confection into his mouth.

 

“Sweet, I haven’t had candies in years. Thank you.”

 

“No problem. Names, Bob. Tenzin right? Elder Magnus at The Guild told me about you. Couldn’t say hello earlier, with you coming and going like a tornado.”

 

“Well met, Bob. I am indeed, Tenzin.”

 

The two then sat in silence, staring at the behemoth in the distance. The mammoth beast had kept closer to the edge of the forest, never getting too close to the town. Tenzin thought the creature seemed to fear the settlement, as if it had been attacked before when getting close to one. But that sentiment changed quickly when a pack of seven Night Snatchers left the forest’s protection and headed across the field towards town. The Dragon Eater, seeing fresh prey on the move, roared and shot its tongue towards the group, snatching up two of them.

 

“Quick, we need to kill them before they reach the town!” Tenzin yelled.

 

Bob and Tenzin both rushed towards the remaining five, Tenzin seemingly much slower than the cat now. Bob raised his bow, and with deadly accuracy, shot arrows into the necks of each beast. Three of them hitting the ground dead, the other two shrugging off the attack and bounding towards the wall. Before Bob could shoot again, they both jumped into the hole in the wall of the town.

 

The Dragon Eater seeing its prey escape, let out the loudest roar Bob had ever heard and now made its way towards the town.