The rattle hissed and buzzed through the caverns as I wearily rose to my paws once more. The pain inflicted by the venom in my body had numbed some, thanks to the healing provided by Feline Favor. It had been a short respite, but one I sorely needed.

It was time for a new plan. And, for a new plan, I needed some new information. I knew that it was vulnerable to its own fangs, but I doubted it would be stupid enough to bite itself so blatantly again. No amount of disorientation would change that.

But, what else did I have at my disposal? I could claw it to shreds, but it would be a death by a thousand cuts. I didn’t have the time nor energy left to make effective use of that kind of strategy.

Which only left my magical options. I had Drain I and Chill I. However, both of those required getting close to the venomous serpent. I didn’t really want to get any closer to it than I had to, not with my limbs aching and slowing from the venom that still afflicted me. I had gotten a new spell, Heat I, upon placing a point in Energetics, but I was willing to bet that it had very similar rules to Chill I, rendering it useless at range.

That left Telekinesis, the good old fallback solution. It also was my strongest spell, at rank II instead of I. Can’t go wrong with hurling a blunt object at your enemy from a distance. The question was, which blunt object should be hurled?

The only real option was stones, but even that was difficult, since I couldn’t free them from the wall myself. I made a mental note to start carrying small rocks with me to throw at large enemies…

But, if you can’t make your own ammunition, borrowed will do.

I followed the slow sound of the rattle as the snake slowly slithered through the dungeon maze. Once it was in sight, I howled at the top of my lungs, getting its attention. It spun around, murder clear in its beady eyes. It was still bleeding from the wound I’d forced it to cause itself. The injury filled me with pride.

Ha! You’re not so big and bad, are you? Just a baby thing biting its own tail! Well, come on over here, buddy! I’ll give you something to chew on.

With a hiss, it charged, streaking towards me until it was within striking range. All the while, I waited. It reared back its head, hissing and shaking its rattle before lunging forward with razor sharp fangs. I leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding being bit again. It slammed into the wall, and I had what I needed.

Mana swirled inside me as I summoned four bits of rock from the wall. We stared one another down, each one hissing at the other in defiance. I studied its body as we faced off. It was long and thick, not nearly as beautiful, but with an elegance born of power that I could not deny. Thick scales covered most of its hide, with ridged scales forming around its head and eyes. However, the top of its head was relatively flat, and the scales didn’t seem any thicker than those of its body.

Shifting the plan on the fly, I took aim. I was about to win in the world fair for best markscat.

It hissed, baring the long white fangs that dripped with venom. As it opened its mouth wide, I threw my first rock. It flew wide. I called it back to me. The snake lunged again, and I skittered back down the tunnel. One more bite, and it would be over for me. I couldn’t let that happen.

I bared my teeth, hissing back in defiance. It hissed again. I threw another rock, pouring mana into the ability. This one slammed into the left fang with enough force that I saw the tooth loosen and wiggle in the snake’s mouth.

If I were a person, I’d have laughed maniacally at the symbol of my triumph. Instead, I just yowled at the top of my lungs. Dropping my rocks, I waited for the next strike.

I did not wait long. The snake hissed its fury before lunging one final time. This time, when I skittered back, I grabbed onto the fang using Telekinesis II. It screeched as I pulled as hard as I could, even harder than I’d pulled the axolotl’s frills off. With a POP the fang came away in my telekinetic grip.

Without missing a beat, I spun the thing around and sent it straight into the beast’s head, using all of my remaining mana pool to send it home.

Telekinetic II upgraded to Telekinetic III

The snake thrashed and hissed, slamming its body into the walls and causing stones to cascade from the roof. I dodged the falling debris as best I could, but one particularly nasty boulder caught my tail, bending it to a painful angle.

Soon, the snake collapsed, blood trickling from the hole in the top of its head as venom leaked from its one remaining fang. Hate gleamed in its eyes before the life drained entirely.

The deed was done.

Congratulations. Level 6 Dungeon Rattler defeated. Experience gained.

Level up raised to Level 6

One Aptitude point available.

Dungeon Floor defeated.

Rewards Granted.

Two Aptitude points awarded.

Title awarded: Blessed by the First One

Ability gained: Inspection.

I collapsed to the ground, weakly purring to recover what little I could. The vibrations sent waves of soothing magic over my fur, and I quickly fell asleep as my injuries healed.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

When my eyes cracked open again, I wearily rose to my paws. To my surprise, I stumbled, almost burying my nose in the ground before catching myself. My vision blurred and dizziness washed over me.

System Activation of Welcome to Atria

Beings separated from their Soulbond partner will experience growing disorientation and dizziness until they are reunited or perish.

Thanks, Amsiii…I’m working on it.

Time and exertion had worsened my condition. I needed to get out of here, needed to find the one that had summoned me before our separation spelled my doom. I put one paw in front of the next, trying to slowly make my way to…I wasn’t sure where. The maze of tunnels was big, and my time was short. I could only hope that the dungeon fulfilled its promise to grant me my heart’s desire. I just wanted to live…wanted to reach the woman from my dream. She was the summoner. She needed me. I was sure.

Soon, I found myself before a great door, though I had no idea how I got there. By my count, I was still right in the middle of the maze…but I wasn’t about to question the possible blessing before me. With the last of my mana, I turned the handle and padded through the door.

Blinding sunlight greeted me on the other side, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut. After a moment, I opened my eyes, just a crack, to find myself face-to-face with a stone wall that rose twenty feet in the air. At its top, I could hear guards as they went about their patrols.

I looked side to side. On my left, a line of people and carts waited patiently to enter the town. That was my first destination. Maybe I’d been brought here because my summoner was trying to gain access to the town.

Fueled by a mix of excitement and fear, I raced through the grass. The end to all my troubles was close at hand!

As a skilled and competent witch, my summoner had surely known the one she was summoning. She may be able to shed some light on my forgotten past, may be able to at least tell me my name! She must have been an intelligent one, wise too! She must have been, to have the strength and knowledge to summon such a great being as myself. No doubt she was eager to shower me in admiration and cater to my every need! Why else would she have summoned me?

I scanned the line of people, searching for any indication that one of them might be the one to whom I was linked. There were so many of them…so many faces and hair styles…so many quick-moving hands and jabbering mouths. How would I find the one I was looking for amongst all this?

Trotting to the front of the line, I first beheld a cart drawn by a sour-looking ox. I ignored the ox, focusing more on the people as I hopped onto edge of the cart.

“Look, Ma! A black cat!” shouted a small boy. I puffed out my chest. This nation had enormous potential if it taught its young to recognize their superiors so easily.

A shriek followed, and I paused just in time to see a woman waving her arms at me. “Go! Get lost! Vile servant of Hexiva and Malzifrax! Get!”

I crouched, hissing my displeasure. How dare she raise her voice with me! Didn’t she know she was in the presence of greatness?

A moment later, she picked up a broom from their cart and waved it at me. She could not be the summoner. The summoner was not so closed-minded and foolish. I hopped away, determined to search the next cart.

The next one I searched contained a pair of women with dark hair. They both screamed as I peered my nose over the side. While more disappointing than the boy’s cries of joy, it was at least more welcome than his broom-waving mother. Neither of these were the one I was seeking, so I continued down the row.

Of the six more carts, buggies, and carriages I searched, three of them shooed me away. Two of them seemed to be indifferent, and one didn’t even notice I was there at all. I was becoming conflicted as I padded to the eighth cart.

This one at least smelled nice. An old man in a gray shirt pulled the small wagon. He eyed me with a look of pity.

“Well now, you must be the one causin’ all the fuss,” he said softly. “You hungry, little fella?” He turned to rummage through his cart before pulling out a small bit of fish and tossing it my way.

I couldn’t believe my eyes! An offering to my brilliance! This man certainly had good taste. I snatched the bit of fish and gobbled it down before turning to examine the man and his cart closer. He was not the summoner. That was obvious, but he may be able to help me find her.

“Are stray cats common in these parts?” asked a young man at his side. I peered at him, too. He dressed as many of the others in the line did, but he had a long metal pole strapped to his back. The top of the pole was covered in a burlap sack.

The strangest part of him, however, may have been his hair. His head was topped with a rugged bundle of pale green locks. Was it for camouflage with…grass? If so, he’d done a terrible job, since the rest of him still looked like a normal human.

The older man shrugged. “Nah, not really. Blackins just give the locals a fright, is all.” He chuckled. “Folks’re so superstitious they think every bat is a servant of Hexiva and every cat is Malzifrax walkin’ round in disguise.”

That was the second time those names had been mentioned. Who were they? And why was everyone so quick to associate them with me…especially this…Malzifrax. Was he a great cat lord, too?

“Hexiva, I know,” the green haired man said as they stepped forward in line. “But, who’s Malzifrax?”

“Ah, just some local superstitions,” the old man answered, chuckling to himself. He suddenly got a wicked look in his eye as his voice grew soft and mischievous. “They say that, in ancient times, the Dreaded Lord of Eternal Night would prowl the streets as a cat and curse any unsuspecting villager who crossed his path!”

Well, that was just silly. If this Malzifrax was as powerful as the old man said, why would he waste his time laying curses on townsfolk? That would be a pointless waste of time.

The man who was bad at camouflage laughed. “That’s ridiculous. And they think any cat could be this demon lord?”

“Load of idiots, the lot of them. Even if Malzifrax was real, he’s even less active on Atria than the gods themselves.” The old man tossed me another bit of fish. “Doesn’t stop the locals from bein’ mighty terrified of little mousers like this guy, though.”

I tried snatching up this second piece of fish as well when another wave of dizziness sent me staggering back. I rubbed my head and ears with my paws. I was close! So close! Just a little longer!

“You alright, little fella?” Asked the green-haired man as he knelt next to me. “He doesn’t look so good. His fur is matted, and he keeps rubbing his ears.”

“Could be mites in his ears?”

“Are there healers in town?”

“The Temple of Valencia is always open, but I don’t know how they’d manage a cat.” The man with many fish scratched his head. “Most folks just let nature run its course, here unfortunately. Shame, though. I might have taken him home. He likes the fish.”

Suddenly, there were hands around my middle, and I was lifted into the air. The green-haired man held me gently, looking into my eyes. I hissed at the challenge but was too weak to struggle free from his arms.

“He’s a fighter,” he praised. “I can tell. He’s been through hell.”

“Aye.”

“I’ll take him to the Temple. He deserves a chance to fight.”

“You’re a good lad,” the old man said softly as he pulled another piece of fish out for me. The green-haired man took it and held it out for me.

I wasn’t a huge fan of eating something straight out of his hand. After all, I’m not some kind of pet to serve at the amusement of others. I am a fearsome warrior! A slayer of toads and axolotls alike! I had felled the mighty Rattler and earned the respect of The First Dungeon!

But…he was kind…and I was in no position to refuse his kindness…not when I was so close to finding the summoner. I ate the tiny piece of fish and settled into the green-haired man’s arms.

Slowly, the line moved forward. Soon, it was our turn. The guards inspected the old man’s cart before letting us pass. Then the two men parted ways and the green-haired man began to climb the long streets to the Temple of Valencia.