Soulcatcher

by Sergey Zaytsev

  "Basic?"

  "Yeah, 'Taste of Blood'. You saw him scratch my face, didn't you?"

  "By the way, is your 'Batwing' a male?"

  "Yep, Owl's 'Fangore' is also a male with a 'Painful Bite' as his basic skill. The little ones, after all, need to defend themselves somehow. However, Owl doesn't know what to do with his pet; he won't not let it out of his backpack."

  "Same as you," I nodded.

  "He will grow there," smiled the girl, visibly saddened. "Not all are that lucky…"

  Apparently, when "adult" status was reached, the basic, or "children abilities", changed into something more useful.

  Our conversation was interrupted by the little duo. The fairy squeaked demandingly, staring expressively with her cornflower eyes, and tugging my pant leg. She seemed to like riding the cat so much that she had forgotten about her wings. Remarkably, the "Direcat" clearly didn't object to such treatment. Apparently, the fairy's ability to find common ground with the animals played its part. I looked at my "cat" with some caution, still vividly remembering how she almost killed me when she was bigger.

  Without waiting for the response, the "Treexie" pulled my pant leg again, looking almost angry.

  "Wise, wake up already," Red patted me lightly on the shoulder. "You have to give her a name. The cat, too."

  "That's not an easy task," I scratched my head, troubled. "I remember Grant having trouble with naming Glutton... How am I to come up with a name without knowing their character? Maybe they should run like this for now?"

  "Wise! Do I need to punch you to make you wiser?!"

  "Hold on, hold on! How to name this tiny…"

  The "Treexie" aggressively kicked my ankle. Despite the tiny size of her legs, it left a mark. I squatted and looked into the fairy's eyes.

  "Do you like the name Tinnie?"

  She nodded happily.

  "So be it. The 'Direcat' will be called…" I quickly skimmed through the pet's abilities once more, hoping to find something inspiring. "Poisonous Sting" rang nothing decent, and "Metamorphic" was somewhat bland, but "Burst Attack" could be played with... Something with swiftness and the wind? Wind? Breeze? No, those seemed too masculine, and somewhat awkward... What could possibly be associated with the wind? Bad weather? Rain? Hurricane? Storm? Then I remembered how the "Direcat" had turned into a spiked nightmare in a blink of an eye …

  And a name came to me.

  "Furry, your name will be Fury," I announced. The cat snorted dismissively and wrinkled her nose, green eyes narrowing. "You don't like it, do you? I know it's simple, but it's the best I can think of."

  The system information didn't even have the time to get updated when Tinnie pulled Fury by the tips of her ears and cheerfully rushed back towards the clearing. The "Direcat" was, of course, far away from real "fury", but it was a name she would grow into.

  "Still have to figure out what to feed them," I muttered anxiously. "Especially the fairy."

  "Yeah, definitely not dried meat. Morning dew, maybe?" the girl laughed.

  "Come on," I snorted. "I'm sure she needs something more tangible than those... fairy tales."

  Stopping the "Direcat" near the bushes, the fairy waved fiercely, inviting us to follow her. Foxy and I looked at each other and went to see what they needed. Maybe another quest?

  However, something else was waiting behind the bushes.

  The clearing had magically transformed. Although it was a sunny day, the place, surrounded by pine trees, was in constant shade, save for its center with the flat boulder, where our "Direcat" had been basking before. But now, the amber light flowing from the noisy flock of "Trixies" was illuminating the farthest corners of the area. Flowers, resembling golden tulips, blossomed around the boulder. The air vibrated from the flutter of so many wings. I'd never seen so many fairies in one place before; there were at least fifty of them. They probably flocked from all around to celebrate a significant event – the liberation of their ritual circle.

  Foxy and I watched the captivating spectacle in silence.

  Gradually, the gathering, seemingly chaotic at first, turned into a harmonious, intricate dance, and the quiet, charming music, seemingly pouring from nowhere, was heard. Then the petals of one of the tulips fully opened, and…

  …a sleepy, newborn, "Treexie" stirred in the flower. She lifted her head and, with an uncertain movement of her hand, pulled back the golden locks of her beautiful hair, observing the world she had been born into with the pure and naive eyes of a child. She happily smiled to her friends, who flew over to the flower.

  "Do you now understand why you received an adult fairy?" Red whispered into my ear, astonished, and painfully jabbed me into the ribs with her elbow, breaking the moment's magic. "Because fairies don't have kids! They are born adults! Pure magic and nothing more! Your taming is not a system error, but a combination of unique circumstances!"

  "Exactly. Quite like with the creation of our clan," I dropped thoughtfully.

  "Did you know they're not tamable?" said Red.

  "I guessed so. But how do you know that?"

  "Cavalier was talking about it while you were resting. A fairy is not a mob, but an NPC, since you get a quest from her. You can lure her to the 'Seed' with "aggro", but she'll simply disappear at the first sign of an attack."

  "And what about catching one?"

  "Catch a fairy?" Red laughed. "Give it a try next time when you have nothing to do. To catch a magical creature! I can just picture you chasing her with a net as if she were a butterfly. This morning, in 'Daisy', I saw some slob trying to snatch a fairy with his bare hands. Perhaps he wanted to have a closer look at her, I didn't ask. The fairy passed right through his fingers and blinded him for an hour."

  "Laugh, all you want," I chuckled. "Frankly speaking, I did not understand what she was doing on the 'Direcat's' neck. The flower was no longer working."

  "Who knows?" Red shrugged. "Maybe she felt pity for the 'Direcat' and decided to personally make sure that it doesn't get hurt? Or maybe she liked you so much that she wanted to be attached to you?"

  "Since word travels fast, this won't go unnoticed."

  "What, are you already regretting the taming? For some reason, I doubt that this can be repeated. If there is anyone who loves you, Wise, it is the Goddess of Fortune, albeit she never openly confessed it. Level seven with two pets... Is it true that you don't have a patron yet, or are you making fools out of us?"

  I smiled weakly. On the way back from the Gybberkins I decided to visit the "Temple of the Reborn" in order to get, just in any case, some kind of divine remedy. For five damn minutes I walked in circles along the walls under the supervision of two priests, who stood, as if frozen, near the doors. I walked in and stared at the endless row of frescos made by various masters using different styles and colors. All kinds of creatures were depicted on them! Only a few members of the Pantheon resembled human beings, and for the most part I had to look at nightmares and horrors with horns, tails, mandibles, and spikes.

  Some frescoes depicted indescribable creatures which evoked unaccountable disgust and an unbearable desire to escape. Following the advice of the mute priests, explained through gestures, I tried to move at a measured pace, while still trying to pass the most terrible frescoes a little bit faster.

  Even after three full circles, I hadn't seen a single repetition. The frescos had changed so that I hadn't had the time to notice the changes, no matter how hard I had tried. All images got renewed with each new circle. The full name of the "Temple", as Cavalier had enlightened me, was the "Temple of the Reborn Gods". Not the players – Gods! In this reality, the players and the Gods were equally reborn; Gods of countless nations, races, and civilizations, about which I had no clue.

  If any deity thought me worthy of becoming their follower their fresco should shine.

  But that didn't happen.

  By the end of the third round, I began to feel like I was going crazy and falling into some otherworldly reality. I lost the desire
to live and the will to do anything on my own. The temple so greedily absorbed my energy that I fell into some sort of a trance and my legs were carrying me by themselves. Carefully watching the process, the priests picked me up and led me out of the "Temple". That's how ingloriously my visit ended. No divine being answered my call. Maybe because, subconsciously, I didn't really want a patron deity? Or was it just not my visiting day?

  "It's true," I nodded to Red. "None of the patrons responded."

  But the answer did not satisfy the girl, as some distrust remained in her eyes. However, she immediately expressed her doubts.

  "The Gods here are strange... It is not clear how to win their patronage. And Pops keeps his patron secret for some reason. So I thought…"

  "No. I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm no wiser about this than you are. And maybe that's for the best."

  Our conversation was interrupted by Gramps' loud shout.

  "Wise! Red! Come over here!"

  We synchronously turned around.

  Near our fursters were three players – Gramps, Owl, and a tied-up stranger. A prisoner! The scene made me furious, but I tried not to give away my feelings. What the hell? Was this really necessary?

  I looked back at Red.

  "Stay here and keep the bow ready."

  Foxy, realizing that it wasn't the time for arguing, nodded. Clever girl. With a quick pace, I approached the group.

  "Look whom we've caught," smiling, Pops nodded towards the prisoner.

  The guy, a level six "elemental warrior", my cousin by spec, was from the "Children". He was a pretty tall and heavy guy with a rectangular figure; his hips and shoulders were the same width, and the features of his square face were all solid angles and straight lines. Whoever he had been with in the "Replicator" had had a wonderful sense of humor and had, fittingly, nicknamed him "Brick". He was dressed in a similar outfit like mine, made from somewhat torn leather. Owl held his confiscated "Uniq" and bag, and was looking at the prisoner from under his brows. I had noticed several times before that when the mage was not in the mood, his eyes would become completely round and bulging, clearly affirming that, like Brick, he had earned his name for a reason.

  "I have no idea what I did to you, but it would be better to let me go," Brick looked calm, maybe a little depressed, and with some caution squinted at the cleric.

  Pops approached the warrior and softly asked.

  "Wasn't it you we've seen near the 'Temple'?"

  "So what? The 'Temple' is a free territory."

  "Ok, fine. Why did you follow us then?"

  "What's in it for me?! I was farming boars there!"

  "Alone? You're level six, you're not a boy anymore. Where's your mentee? Ran to report to Alice?"

  "Report what?!" Brick raised his voice, clearly not hiding his anger. "Who do you think you are? You think that we're all desperate to spy on you? Owl, tell him! Alice assigned both newcomers to you! You damn traitor, it's not my fault I didn't get anyone!"

  "Alice had a reason to give the newcomers to me," the mage frowned and angrily glared at him, his buttons being pushed by the word "traitor". "She didn't want to tie your hands. The clan is always in need of observers…"

  "You too!" Brick almost growled. "Are you not afraid that I will catch you without your–…"

  "And what will you do if I fry your ass with lightning right now?" You could tailor at least two Owls from someone of Brick's stature, but the mage, feeling the clan's support, was showing off. Gramps definitely had a bad influence on him.

  "Quiet, Owl," I had to intervene to prevent the fight from escalating. "A new clan doesn't mean new problems. I suggest that we all behave ourselves."

  "You'd better tell that to Pops!" Brick told me with a smile, calming down somewhat. "He's too brazen for you. Or is that a common trait of the 'Hunters'? He was much more modest when he was with us."

  The cleric shrugged and raised his hand to slap the warrior, but I intercepted him.

  "Gramps, can I talk to you? Owl, look after our guest."

  We moved away from the duo.

  "Did you hit him with the 'Lash'?"I enquired, lowering my voice.

  "The simplest method to take a prisoner," quietly admitted the cleric. "There was no need to hurt him…"

  "But it's not the most painless one. Do you have any idea what your 'Lash of Pain' does to a man? Do not abuse it unless absolutely necessary. Did you even think about what you're doing? At the Gybberkins you told us that we were behaving like children. Is this how an adult behaves?"

  "We don't need extra eyes on us," Gramps replied. "I want to leave for the dungeon safely."

  "Even if it is not accidental, it is not a reason to grab the man and bind him. Was he on horseback or on foot?"

  "Walking," the cleric thought for a moment. "I think…"

  "So we'll have a head start anyway. You shouldn't have started this. You are the head of the clan, and such behavior doesn't suit you."

  "And here comes the counselor, ready to bite my head off," Gramps looked at me with a rigid squint, maintaining a gloomy and stubborn expression. But then, his eyes softened, and he decided to back down, being reminded how he had become the head, and whom he owed for that. And he knew it. To save his face, he chuckled and disdainfully said:

  "All right, whatever you say, counselor. And since you're so conscientious, you get to decide what to do with the prisoner."

  Gramps left in Foxy's direction; even his back expressed disapproval.

  I returned to the poor captive, who stared in amazement at the fairy that was proudly passing by on the "Direcat". Both pets, sensing my attitude, looked at Brick with ferocity in their eyes. I wondered how painful was a "Direcat" kitten's poison? If for example, you were to sting your foot or hand… How bad would it be?

  No sooner had I thought of this rash idea, when Fury suddenly hissed, fur standing on its end, and tail bent in an arc like a scorpion's sting, ready to strike. The cat attacked, swift as the wind. When the tail flinched back, I managed to see a glimpse of the stinger's bloody tip as it retreated back into the fur.

  Brick shivered and squinted at the blood dripping through his pants; the sting had hit just a bit below the knee.

  Damn, damn, damn! I was thinking purely theoretically!

  Mouth wide open, Owl stared at the "Direcat". The pet was wandering around as if nothing had happened. Fairy, too, pretended that she had nothing to do with it.

  "Hey, shoo, both of you!" I told them angrily, and both ran away into the nearest bushes.

  "What are you guys doing here?" Brick whispered, barely moving his tongue. Suddenly, he fell and rolled onto his back.

  "Owl, help!"

  We dragged the prisoner to the nearest pine, and leaned him against it. Brick's eyes rolled back, and foam appeared on his curved lips. I hurriedly read the skill's description and exhaled in relief.

  "Poisonous Sting"

  Rank 1

  Combat ability

  Inflicts a penetrating wound, completely ignoring the target's defense and causes short-term paralysis.

  Type of action: instant, melee

  Cooldown: 1h

  The sting was not fatal, and the effects of the paralysis would only last a few seconds. The avatar's body will handle the poison, but the after effects will be brutal. A "child's ability", you say... I splashed some "Tincture" onto the wound, just in case. Cutting the ropes with my dagger, I freed the prisoner's hands and patted him on the shoulder.

  "Brick, can you hear me?"

  With some difficulty, the warrior raised his gaze. Great, he was conscious.

  "It was a misunderstanding, Brick. Believe me, I didn't command her to do it," I spoke as convincingly as possible. "The pet is young, untrained, and unruly. We're not looking for a fight with the 'Children', just being cautious. Try to forgive us. Be patient and you'll be good as new. Owl, leave his belongings."

  Together, we gathered the fursters and led them to Pops and Red who were already on their way to meet us.
>
  "Maybe you shouldn't have let him go?" the mage asked in doubt.

  "What's your suggestion? Leave him tied up here, so that some animal could eat him? What for, exactly? How are we any different than Alice then? We don't need prisoners. We're not looking for trouble."

  Owl pursed his lips, but didn't dare to object.

  A minute later, we were riding through the woods towards the "Temple". The "Direcat" lurked somewhere in the bushes, not falling behind, but Tinnie had moved to my shoulder for a more comfortable journey and was anxiously squeaking something into my ear. She sounded confused. Maybe she was apologizing.

  Damn, I never did get the chance to deal with my own stats.

  Well, I would do it on the road.

  ***

  We swept past the pier without stopping and headed in the already notorious direction for me, downstream. We were being led by the mark on the mini–map which was constantly pointing towards Grant's location. Judging by it, the mage and the cleric had already finished their business in the "Temple" and were waiting for us near the dungeon or on the way to it. Judging by the distance, they were close, and we would see them soon.

  Gramps invited me into the party as soon as we got going. Cavalier wasn't there, as having six members was a bit excessive. He was just seeing us off. We were in a hurry, so we barely spoke.

  Tinnie, tired from all of the twitting and shaking, got under my jacket. For some reason, unlike normal pets, she didn't want to go into the bag. Feeling her warm body against my chest, stuck between my shirt and the jacket, I was afraid to make any extra moves, as not to crush her. The "Direcat", too, soon got tired of running and trudging through the bushes. Following Tinnie's example, she jumped onto my lap and climbed onto my shoulder, making me almost fall out of the saddle. I had to, rather impolitely, pull Fury by the scruff and sit her on the furster's withers. She looked at me resentfully, and the furster, frightened, glanced at her with its purple eyes.

  Red was right – my chores had just begun. Of the four of us only Gramps traveled without extra luggage, and would, from time to time, throw mocking stares in my direction, in which I could see well-disguised envy. I dealt with the pets before dealing with my own stats. Sadly, Fury's page had nothing of use, just three simple bars: "Childhood" (0/10000); "Satiety" (90/100); and "HP" (100/100). Of course, until the "childhood" bar was filled, the pet would not grow up and get detailed stats. However, information about Tinnie was much more detailed. The first thing that stood out was an experience bar which showed 0 out of 1000 XP points. The figure spoke for itself, pets leveled in the same way as the player. Which meant – long and dreary. She had 30 out of 30 HP, 50 out of 50 mana and energy points, and 0 defense. Poor Tinnie... Why was she left like that? One could kill her with a sneeze. It was probably due to her size. I felt anxious. She would be much more comfortable in the forest, amongst her people, than on dangerous adventures that were awaiting her.