Garath followed his gaze again but saw nothing. He wondered for a moment what constituted as a ‘particularly large morsel’ to a Dragon the size of a house.
*Barring that, we will locate and destroy monster Lairs. There is one, there, just beyond the trees.*
*A Lair?* Garath asked, his curiosity piqued as he squinted in an attempt to identify the Lair. *Let’s do it! Can we do it? Can we?* he begged.
*Not this Lair. As I said, it is in the trees. I am too large to fly amongst them. If we do not locate an acceptably sized creature or Lair nearer to the river, then we can try the caves higher in the mountains. Lairs are numerous there.*
*I think I may be of some use to you here, my friend. We can take this Lair. I’ll go in there and flush the monsters out,* Garath suggested. *When they break the tree line you can gobble ‘em up.*
Aldrasyl considered that, one brow raised on his scaled forehead. Then the Dragon smiled a toothy smile that Garath thought made him look hungry. He was pretty sure he could just make out a steady stream of icy drool falling from the Dragon’s open mouth.
*Acceptable.*
With that, they banked left and dove to land on the riverbank near the location Aldrasyl had indicated. Garath shimmered out of his Osprey form and into the House Cat form he had grown to both fear and appreciate for its grace in combat. He did find it a little humorous that his most menacing form was a cat, especially considering his under-sized and frankly adorable House Cat form, but the increased agility made it very difficult for enemies to land a hit on him. On top of that, because House Cats were synergistic with his chosen Class, he received a 30% reduction to all Mana costs. For now, the tiny, fluffy white cat was his most dangerous form.
Aldrasyl wasn’t as impressed with the Necrologist’s transformation as Garath was. The Ice Drake stepped away from Garath’s feline form and lifted one of his hind legs protectively, keeping it between his dragon-bits and the white cat below. Garath wished he could have snapped a picture of the horror on Aldrasyl’s face.
*Aldrasyl, you’re going to have to let that go. It was ONE TIME!*
Aldrasyl shifted uncomfortably, never letting his eyes off the little Necrologist.
*Sorry. I know you don’t exactly have fond memories of this form, but it's still my best option for combat. You ready for this?* he asked.
Aldrasyl huffed and slowly brought his hind leg back down to a more natural position. *I am prepared, but how do you plan to drive out an entire Lair of beasts in that diminutive body?*
*Small,* Garath corrected. *The Entity’s system designated House Cats as Small. Not diminutive.*
*The question stands,* Aldrasyl replied nonplused.
*I hadn’t thought about it yet. But either I’ll drive them this way or they’ll chase me this way after I piss them off. I’ll let you know through our Party communication channel.*
Aldrasyl nodded. *Acceptable.*
*How do I find the Lair?* Garath asked.
Aldrasyl looked confused. *Perhaps your species is not as proficient in hunting as I had assumed. In the eyes of a Dragon, Lairs glow even in the dark of night. I can see the location clearly from here, it is only a short distance directly that way.* Aldrasyl pointed ahead with his snout. *If you walk into the forest and continue without altering your course, you will run into it.*
*Okay. Any idea what I should be looking for?*
*Heed my words. You will know it when you see it and that it may see you first, so be wary.*
Garath nodded his tiny white cranium, not entirely sure that he was satisfied with that answer. He put Aldrasyl and the river to his back and ventured into the trees. Not for the first time, Garath was glad to have the improved night vision of his feline form. Outside the cover of the tree line, the full moon had been enough to see clearly, but beneath the crowded coniferous canopy, almost none of the pale lunar luminescence reached the ground.
Garath's senses were on overdrive, picking up every sound and smell, every hint of movement in the shadows. Trusting his 300% improved sense of smell that stacked with the +150% improved sense of smell from his feline form above his other senses, Garath continued through the underbrush. He picked up the scents of several creatures, easily differentiated from non-creature scents by a sensation he could only describe as a ‘warm’ smell. Strongest among them was a putrid odor that reminded Garath of mushrooms. Following that scent, he continued around a massive evergreen.
After a few minutes of high-alert wandering through the creepy forest, Garath worried that he may have lost his way. He was fairly certain that he hadn’t altered course significantly since he’d left the river but he couldn’t be sure. Aldrasyl had indicated that the Lair was “not far” in the direction he’d been heading, but it occurred to Garath then that the definition of “not far” may vary wildly from his own when it was coming from a species that grew to the size of a school bus and was able to cover enormous distances effortlessly. Fortunately, he wasn’t left wondering for long.
Careful to make as little noise as possible, Garath followed the noxious scent stinging his nostrils. A part of him felt silly, stalking around in the dark like an actual predator, but another part of the Necrologist felt a great deal of excitement at the thrill of the hunt. It was a primal excitement that he'd never experienced before. Garath felt like a fucking Klingon warrior.
There was movement in the shadows a few feet ahead and Garath stopped mid-step to wait and smell and listen. He received an unexpected prompt.
Congratulations, Garath! You have unlocked the
