Zero looked at the new quest window that was in front of his eyes.
System, what's an Amalgamation?
[The source of all these Skin Snatchers. It contains an immense amount of life energy.]
Alright, where do I find it?
[You will have to figure that out yourself. It would not be a quest otherwise, would it?]
...alright.
Zero watched from the surroundings as the Moonfang Wolves fought against the Skin Snatchers. The wolves mauled several of the monsters, losing one of their own as well. More Skin Snatchers joined the battle and started helping their allies. The wolves, seeing that they were now at a disadvantage, turned their backs and fled, not wanting to lose any more of their pack.
The Skin Snatchers did not chase the wolves but instead quickly recuperated and started searching the forest and road, searching for signs of Zero and Harry. Zero didn't worry about them finding Harry, as he had given him enough time to get far enough away from the area.
As Zero continued watching the Skin Snatchers, he noticed several of them walking over to their fallen allies and collecting the fleshy tendrils that were wriggling out of the corpses. They held the lumps of flesh in their arms as it squirmed around in their grasp. They then began heading back in the direction of the village as Zero silently tailed them from the forest.
After about half an hour of walking, they finally reached the village. The Skin Snatchers then directly walked through the village to the forest behind. Zero again activated {Camouflage} and followed them, careful to not alert them to his position. Several minutes of traveling through the forest later, the Skin Snatchers finally stopped at the entrance of a cavern where two other Skin Snatchers were guarding. They glanced around cautiously to ensure that nobody was following them before entering.
Of course, Zero was not spotted. However, he glanced at his MP which was dangerously close to emptying, and sighed. He would have to wait until his MP recovered before going into the cave filled with unknown dangers. He quickly found a spot that was hidden and deactivated {Camouflage}.
About half an hour later, when his MP was almost full again, he spotted the Skin Snatchers again leaving the cave. The tendrils of flesh that they were holding in their arms were gone, however.
Zero quickly activated his skill as the Skin Snatchers began checking the surroundings to make sure that nobody was nearby or had seen them enter the cave. After they found nothing, they left the area, leaving the cave guarded by only the two Skin Snatchers.
Zero didn't feel it was necessary to kill them as it would then be suspicious if the two went missing. He also didn't know if the Skin Snatchers had some strange method of communication that would alert the others. Zero activated {Camouflage} walking right past the two of them unnoticed. The Skin Snatchers continued motionlessly standing there, staring blankly.
Zero used this opportunity to enter the cave, seeing what secrets the Skin Snatchers were protecting. The inside of the cave was extremely dark, only faintly illuminated by some glowing moss that was growing on the walls of the cave. There was an odd smell, reminiscent of that of decaying flesh. Drops of water splashed on the ground from the stalactites growing on the ceiling.
As Zero walked, he found that the pungent smell began to grow stronger the deeper inside the cave he went. The ground also slowly began to become rocky, indicating that the climate of the outside world had left this portion of the cave untouched for many years.
Zero walked along the path, keeping an open eye on his surroundings to make sure that nothing attacked him from the shadows. Every noise in the cavern reverberated against the narrow walls, amplifying them. Zero never thought of himself as a claustrophobic person, but the cave certainly didn't help.
He soon reached a wide area of the cave, the paths being split into four sections. Zero chose the utmost left path and entered. After a few minutes of walking, he soon arrived at a rounded area of the cave filled with an extremely disgusting smell. Many round white objects covered the floors, walls, and even the ceiling of the place. Thick brown sludge engulfed almost everything in the space, emanating a smell of rotten meat.
Zero quickly used {Inspect} to figure out what the things were.
[Skin Snatcher Egg
Additional Information: An egg born from an Amalgamation. Will hatch in three weeks to birth a Skin Snatcher.]
When Zero looked at the round white object again, he could see the resemblance to an egg. Looking even closer, he could even notice the egg slightly pulsating with something squirming around inside of it. Disgusted, Zero turned around to leave.
Wait, I wonder if...
Zero took an arrow out of his quiver and stabbed it into the nearest egg.
[You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP.]
The arrow easily penetrated through the shell of the egg and into the creature within, destroying it. Black ooze spilled from the crack in the egg, some of it getting onto Zero. When he removed the arrow from the egg, the remains of the fleshy monster stuck to the tip. He shook it off and stepped through the brown sludge to get to the next egg.
]You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP.]
Zero smiled gleefully.
Harry kept running. His lungs felt as if they were about to give out, and his legs had already grown numb.
"R-restoration," Harry panted.
A pitiful yellow glow surrounded his body as he exhausted the last of his mana. He didn't know how long he had been running, but he knew that he couldn't afford to stop. Zero had sacrificed himself to buy time for Harry to escape. He didn't know the current situation Zero was in, but he had to ensure that Zero was also rescued.
After a while, Harry saw the outline of Sunshine Town in the distance. Feeling a burst of joy, he didn't notice the crack that was on the ground. Harry tripped and tumbled onto the dirt, coming to a stop with his face. He struggled to get up, legs giving out. He was so close to aid, he couldn't stop now.
Harry forced himself to his feet and continued running. A few minutes later, he finally arrived back in Sunshine Town. However, he had more work to do. He made his way to the Mercenary Guild, gasping for air. Harry slammed his way into the building, spotting Anata at the front counter.
She also saw him and waved.
"Back already?" Anata asked. "You look horrible."
"Where's Kai and Anun?" Harry questioned urgently.
"Oh, they're at Mae's Tavern," Anata answered. "Why? What's wrong?"
Harry didn't answer and instead ran back out of the building towards his new destination. Anata looked confused for a moment before shaking her head and returning to her work. Harry quickly arrived at Mae's Tavern, catching Kai and Anun leaving the building. They were chatting and laughing as Harry ran up to them desperately.
Kai took notice of him first and remarked, "Wow, you look like shit! Was the assignment that difficult?"
"Please, help Zero," Harry pleaded. "He's in trouble!"
"Slow down," Anun frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Skin Snatchers!" Harry said. "It was a trap! Zero distracted them so I could escape."
Kai and Anun glanced at each other before asking, "Are you sure? Aren't Skin Snatchers just a..."
"No, they're real!" Harry shouted exasperatingly. "Zero needs help! I ran the entire way back, so it's been a while since he's been fighting against them. We need to head there now!"
"You ran back?" Kai asked. "What happened to your horses?"
"They were killed," Harry said sadly. "We-"
Harry suddenly felt a heavy hand place down on his shoulder.
"They were what?"
Harry turned his head to see the stable owner who lent him and Zero the horses. Veins were popping out of the man's red face, his expression crazed.
"Say that again. They were what?" he asked as he shook Harry.
"I'm sorry, there wasn't anything we could do," Harry apologized. "They were murdered without our knowledge."
The man let go of Harry before taking a deep breath.
"Show me who killed them," the man said with gritted teeth.
"They're at Woodland Village," Harry explained. "It's far away, so we have to take more horses."
"Alright, follow me."
Kai and Anun looked at each other again before they shrugged and followed Harry and the stable owner. The stable owner led them to the stable where he took out four horses, one for each of them. He then walked into his storeroom before walking back out with a spear. It looked worn out and used, but was still kept meticulously clean.
"Lead the way," the stable owner told Harry. "They're dead."
Harry hurriedly got atop his horse, saying to the rest of them, "Zero is waiting for our help, let's go!"
Just hold out for a while longer, Zero. Help is coming.
Zero sneezed as he stomped on yet another Skin Snatcher Egg.
I wonder if Harry made it back to town yet?
The satisfying crunch of the shell breaking apart resonated with the sound of the EXP notification.
[You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP]
Zero went on a rampage, stomping and stabbing at every egg he saw. The ones on the higher parts of the wall and ceiling, however, he could not reach.
"That won't stop me."
He cast {Iron Skin} and {Enhance Sharpness} onto his fingers before sticking them into the cavern walls. He then started climbing the wall, digging his fingers into the rock for a grip. Every once in a while, Zero stopped to stab at an egg.
[You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP]
[You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP]
[You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP]
Eventually, Zero destroyed all the eggs in the area. He sighed, lamenting the fact that there were no more. Zero walked back, arriving back at the split in the paths again. This time, he chose the path on the right.
Zero soon arrived at an open area much like the last one, however, this one didn't have eggs like he hoped. Instead, it contained several humans who were chained to the floor. All the humans looked emaciated, their eyes reflecting hopelessness and despair. They didn't notice Zero as he was still in his {Camouflage} state.
Seeing that they were in no immediate danger, Zero walked back, intent on rescuing them after he had completed his quest. He couldn't risk such a large group of people walking around, especially without a stealth skill like his. There were two last paths, one hopefully containing the Amalgamation. Otherwise, he would have to continue searching to complete his quest.
Zero chose the path on the left and entered. To his pleasant surprise, this one also contained Skin Snatcher Eggs.
Well, don't mind if I do.
Zero again pulled out his arrow, continuing his EXP-filled slaughter.
[You have slain a Skin Snatcher Fetus. +2 EXP]
