I woke again, this time having the dignity not to scream, but panting and covered in sweat. Not a scratch marred my body.
My katana shook in my grip and I stared down at the sharp blade, hoping the Ichneumon was at least mildly hurt by the wound. Then it dawned on me. My bow! I checked to see if it was somehow strung over my shoulder or on my back, but it was missing.
“Quinn’s gonna kill me.” I grunted, stood up, and stalked toward the portal again.
It was time to form a plan. I sat down just a few feet from the portal, sheathed my sword, and mulled over the variables.
The wyverns were swishing their tails with impatience by the time I nodded to myself, ready to try again. I ate the last of the Smokey the Bear meat and prayed this would be the time I succeeded. I did not need the XP boost, but it would make the entire ordeal that much easier to swallow.
I stood, patted Pachi on the head, and stepped through the portal once more.
This time, I came out in a corner of the cavern, the ceiling so low my head nearly touched it. My first task was to locate my bow. Not only did it have sentimental value to me, but I needed it if my plan was going to work. Before I made a move, I reached down and scooped up two handfuls of the stinking mud. Fighting the urge to gag, I took several minutes to smear it over my armor and every inch of exposed skin, even caking the stuff in my hair.
When I was done, I was dizzy from nausea, but was most likely camouflaged from the Ichneumon. I’d take that as a win.
I stalked out of the corner of the chamber and saw the pond in the distance, light penetrating the cloud of fog above its center. Moving as slow as I could and stopping several times, I made my way back to the base of the mound of bones.
The Ichneumon was nowhere in sight, but a few dozen feet away, I saw the telltale curve of my bow. At least I had that much luck.
When I picked it up, I gazed down at my soiled treasure. It was a mess. I found a nearby fern and stripped a handful of leaves away. Then I scraped the bow as clean as I could. Thankfully, the string itself had been thoroughly waxed and still seemed dry enough to fire.
The next step in my plan required me to find the blasted Ichneumon, but as I scanned my surroundings, I still couldn’t find it. The bone mound nearby seemed a promising vantage point, so I headed that way.
I struggled to remain stealthy as I clambered up the small hill. Cresting the top of the mound, I saw the huge ribcage I’d walked down earlier, and then I spotted the beast. It was closer than I’d anticipated, lurking around the base of the mound on the opposite side.
As I crept forward, a thin or corroded bone snapped. The sound echoed above the hum of the insects. The ichneumon hunched lower to the ground and its head whipped towards me. I fought the urge to sprint, just barely managing to control myself. It didn’t move, though, just stared straight at me, its beady eyes scanning for any sign of movement.
The beast sniffed the air again, and I grinned, thankful that I’d done something right at last. It kept sniffing until it turned away and began crawling through the mud away from my position. Finally inside the ribcage again, I nocked an arrow and took a deep breath.
It was go time.
I didn’t use any skills this time, just drew the bow back and fired an arrow. As I’d predicted, it bounced off of the Ichneumon’s hide. The beast spun around, its face registering confusion as it could not see or smell me.
While it faced me, I drew the string back and activated Vital Aim. I thought the beast would turn away before the countdown finished, but luck favored me again. I let the arrow fly, and it plunged into one of the monster’s eyes. It shrieked in pain and ran toward me.
Phase two! I ditched the bow unceremoniously and drew my katana. Then, as the Ichneumon pounded toward me, my movements easily detected now, I dropped every buff I had. Strength and power surged through me and I nearly gasped.
Rage of the Phoenix (Active): Strength and Dexterity increases by 50%. Like the phoenix, this skill burns out quickly. HP and Stamina deplete at a rate of 25% per minute. All damage taken increased by 10%. Duration: until cancelled or player expires.
Samurai’s Last Stand (Active): When activated, the user’s Health Regeneration increases by 400% and movement speed increases by 25%. Duration: 1 minute. Ability has a cooldown of 24 hours.
Clarity of the Wild (Active): Calls upon the tranquility of living as one with the wilderness around you. Both player and companion gain +15% accuracy with attacks and +20% chance to land a critical blow. Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Blessing of the Bear (Active): Because you landed the killing blow on a Legendary creature, you have been given a special boon. When activated, this ability grows bone plates over existing armor. 80% of all incoming damage received is nullified. Ability absorbs up to 100% of total HP. Duration: 3 minutes. Cooldown: 2 hours.
I screamed, bone plate armor still snapping into place around me. The triple-stacked buffs, combined with the elixir and the bear meat, made me feel up to the task of dropping this nightmare mob for the first time.
I braced for the impact of the beast, and it struck the ribcage like a stone rolling down a mountain. I feared the bones would break, but they only rocked back, absorbing the impact.
