I stood on a rock by the sandbank, watching the boat go down the river. There was a good chance the monster wouldn't take the invasion of its "territory" lying down and attempt to attack the poor farm worker. The man also knew that, and he was rowing away from the island as fast as he could, trying to avoid that gruesome fate.

It wasn't coming for me, that was for sure. Neither William nor Sleepy had any reaction and a predator that size would hardly be stealthy. Unless it used magic for that, and then we'd all be screwed anyway.

Only after the boat was a hundred meters down the river from the island did I relax and worry about myself. The farm worker would drag the boat upriver and then deploy it to get me. The monster would have its second chance to attack the vessel.

"Quiet now," I ordered my bonds. I needed all of my senses to find this beast before it found me. We moved into the thicket and the light darkened as the shadow of the tree canopies above drowned it. With this much water and nutrients available, the vegetation was lush even in the dead of Winter. Temperatures remained above freezing after the Green-inch was defeated but it was still cold. Not here, though. For some reason, the river water was still warm, maybe due to some thermal spring upriver or a natural magical phenomenon.

This island was once a rock outcropping poking out in the middle of the river but as sediment accumulated and bird poop brought seeds, a lush patch of forest sprung and never went away. Since nothing of interest was on the island and it looked good from the fields, it remained undisturbed.

I was glad I could ignore forty percent of the movement penalties in this place. It was hard to navigate until I found the monster's trail. My quarry was a creature ridiculously easy to track. The monster moved without regard to stealth, trampling a path two meters wide across the island. The bushes and grass weren't just trampled. They were ground and torn as the monster moved over the vegetation, dragging its belly close to the ground.

That meant the monster was like a lizard or a crocodilian. Short legs, though hide. It was also six to eight meters long.

"Quiet now," I said to my bonds one more time.

We went slowly, following the path. Here and there, the trees were damaged from something heavy and strong slamming into them. The bark and the wood were cracked and splintered. I assumed it was the monster's tail. I added strong to its traits. My hope was that it shouldn't be fast. Or maneuverable. But from the radius of the curves in the path it left in its wake that was probably not the case.

The rocks that formed the base of this island were everywhere. Their presence made it hard to find good tracks. When I found one, I examined the prints. The monster had four-digit paws, fifty centimeters long with claws ten centimeters long. An opposing talon pointed backward to give the creature more traction. Its stride was wide, hinting at some speed but with a poor turning radius. Whenever it had to rotate, its tail was used as leverage.

Fighting it would require mobility. I imagined that either the lizard or crocodile forms would have a burst of forward speed as a sort of surprise move… yes, it might be an ambush predator even though it had those bright red scales. Hells, it might even have a chameleon's power of camouflage. Like my cloak.

I moved slowly, crouching and minding my foot placement. It wasn't hard to only step on rocks. Sleepy also laid with his head low to the ground, wagging his tail feathers in a cute way before taking a small bound forward. William… How were these hooves not making a clopping sound as he walked on the stones? The Tytiron looked at me and winked.

For an excruciating half-hour, we snuck across the island. This deep inside, rocks became less and less visible, the substrate beneath us turning into a soft damp loam held in place by grass. Without the grass, rain would wash the loam away.

I saw a flash of red ahead and used our bond to tell my pets to stop. Sleepy let out a faint growl but I silenced him with a hand over his head. The antlers on his head were already poking a centimeter out. He looked at me. I nodded. Sleepy wanted to fight. To hunt.

I had more than enough info to make this kill count for my PP. My task was complete and… dear Triumvirate, it saw us.

I had grossly underestimated the creature's size. The monster was fifteen meters long. It had the head of a crocodile with a jaw I could use as a bedframe, the spines of a lizard, and the legs of a cat but with scales instead of fur. It made a rumbling sound and stared straight at me. Our eyes met and I was fucked.

I tried to fire an arrow but found my muscles locked. Some intimidation magic intended to keep prey where the monster wanted.

I fought against it but it was impossible. The monster kept eye contact all the time and a name floated to the fore of my mind. Basilisk.

The monster was one everyone knew, taught by us by the Triumvirate Gods. The Basilisk meant stasis and stagnation as its gaze turned its prey to stone. A mighty basilisk even soared the space between the stars above, though she had paralyzed not an individual but the entirety of humanity.

Damn. Was I becoming rock? I couldn't tell nor move a muscle. Not even to breathe or blink.

Sleepy howled. William clopped, making a noise this time. The former took to the air while the latter charged, head held low.

Both left my field of vision. A blur of black slammed into the red Basilisk seconds later. How did William change directions so fast? The horns bounced but William backed off and rammed again. He impaled the Basilisk on its flank. But it was a shallow wound.

Sleepy descended on the head and also headbutted the Basilisk. Sparks flew as he tased the monster through contact.

The Basilisk didn't seem to even flinch. Furious, Sleepy snarled and tried to bite the monster but he failed to penetrate its thick scales and hide.

The monster didn't break eye contact. It retaliated against William's assault with a tail lash, its hind paws moving without disturbing its front half. William jumped, landed on the tail, and then turned around as he leaped against a tree trunk to land out of the monster's reach.

Sleepy tried to bite an eye. It forced the monster to close a membrane and that broke eye contact momentarily.

I tried to shoot an arrow but the paralysis gaze reconnected before I could fully draw.

Feeling that it was the best way to help me, Sleepy tried again and again to penetrate that transparent sideways eyelid to no avail. Whether it was too strong for the Wolfertinger puppy's teeth or because the monster had a huge HP pool… then how did William's second charge manage to pierce its threshold? Another mystery. Maybe some critical hit Perk? Or a Tityron Trait?

The constant attempts to chew an eye were annoying the monster. William came again at full speed and once more he bounced off the monster.

This Basilisk was geared for one-on-one fights. It clearly wasn't ready to deal with multiple enemies. It finally snapped and tried to bite Sleepy. Those jagged teeth could chew Sleepy and all of his litter siblings in a single chomp.

With the grace of a bird a couple dozen times lighter than him, Sleepy took to the skies, dodging the snapping jaws by a narrow margin. I suspected he had already surpassed the hundred Dexterity milestone.

William rammed again, bouncing off the monster's sturdy combination of HP and a tough exterior. That hit from before was definitely a critical Feature the Tityron had.

The monster lost interest in me. Though it released me from its paralyzing gaze, it meant all hell broke loose. While the gaze was pinning me, it was also keeping the monster in place.

With cat-like agility, the Basilisk jumped after Sleepy, who was banking and turning to dive at it.

I fired the three arrows I had ready in less than a second. All three failed to penetrate the Basilisk's scales. William disengaged to charge again. I knelt and shot at its exposed belly, hoping it would be softer. I had to believe Sleepy could dodge the jaws.

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The little guy was agile but not enough to overcome the deadly combination of levels, experience, and size. I watched in slow motion, seized by horror as the jaws closed around Sleepy. A couple feathers poked from each side as the Wolfertinger cried in pain.

I yelled and redoubled my firing rate. I felt guilty for not using the full power of my Attributes, and for not training enough to acclimate to them. Arrow after arrow went into the creature's stomach and front legs, the sound of metal striking rock-hard scales followed by wood clattering ringing like rain. The last few arrows didn't slow down at the last moment. The Basilisk's HP had run out.

Then, a burst of Lightning illuminated the Basilisk's mouth. The monster opened its mouth to bellow in pain as it spat out a mass of fur, feathers, and spittle.

"William, keep it busy!" I shouted. The Tityron bleated in acknowledgment and charged with a furious gallop.

Tears threatened to blind me. My right hand went for my potion pouch while the left scooped the bloody mess of a Legendary beast. Monsters were a tough bunch and I knew first-hand how tenacious Wolfertingers were. I poured a high-quality healing potion over Sleepy without worrying about wasting most of it. Only when I sensed the first potion stop the bleeding did I carefully feed a second one to Sleepy.

Meanwhile, the Basilisk and William squared off. The Tityron's enraged charge had poked another two holes on the monster's right shoulder and now the Basilisk tried to spin around while William leaped to circle around the monster.

I was right in my assessment that it could be fast moving forward but its elongated form didn't let it change directions too fast.

Yet, William couldn't avoid it forever. The Basilisk timed its movements to coincide with one of William's jumps, then brought the tail around in a snapping motion to strike the Goat-Ram hybrid on the side.

William flew a dozen meters. I didn't hear any crunching sound but a muffled smack as the Tityron slammed against a tree.

Sleepy coughed and whimpered. A cursory examination told me he had no broken bones but the two nubs on his head were cracked and the tips of his antlers were gone. His wings were fine but he had two rows of punctures, one on the back and another on the stomach where the Basilisk's jaws caught him.

I took his crate from the Armament Quiver and gently led Sleepy inside. The enchanted and reinforced cage would keep him safe. I gave him an order to stay in the crate.

I had to help William.

*

*

Score one for Tityron wool. William's thick Winter coat saved him. I found my bond standing on a tall tree branch, one high enough that the Basilisk couldn't reach him.

That didn't stop the powerful monster from tearing the tree down. William ran down the rising branch as the tree toppled and leaped onto the next, balancing on a thin twig and then springboarding onto a thicker one.

I ran toward danger with a guttural scream. Fuck scouting the threat. This fucker was going to die.

Two arrows pinged off the Basilisk's nictating membrane. William taunted with a sheepish bleat, it almost sounded like a lost and scared sheep. The Basilisk had its attention divided and hesitated for a moment. It considered me weak since it didn't ever meet a strong person and I had been paralyzed by its gaze. It thought that if it could kill William, I would be easy prey.

The Basilisk snapped its jaws as it made its mind. I imagined his thoughts were like this; Take the damn black goat down, kill it, and then finish the human. It barely felt the arrows hitting its mighty scales.

It raced to the next tree. William bleated feigning fear. I shot at its hind leg joints. The Basilisk had to have some sort of HP regeneration feature. About every third arrow, give or take one, had some of its speed leeched just as it was about to strike. This dampening could only be HP. A generic projectile resistance wouldn't be so fickle.

The Basilisk stood with its two front legs against the tree but it was too heavy to climb. Focusing, it tried to use its gaze against William but the Tityron just stared back with a disapproving glare as he bleated.

I couldn't find a weak spot. Overlapping scales defended its joints. The nictating membrane shielded its eyes. The damned monster was akin to a Bulwark warrior clad in full plate. Enchanted full plate.

I stopped outside of its tail range and aimed. I kept my bow at rest. My eyes scanned every inch of its scales until I found what I needed. I felt stupid. If my arrows couldn't penetrate the scales, I just had to aim where it had no scales. Impossible if it wasn't already wounded but William left me two targets.

I paused, clamped down on my feelings, and dropped into a stealthy gait. The Basilisk was focused on William and hadn't noticed yet that the Tityron was unaffected. I tried to convey the need for deception and William became still but ready to jump off that branch if the need to jump appeared. The monster ignored me. It was as if it had forgotten my presence.

Going around the beast but giving it a wide berth, I found a spot with a thick tree between the monster and me. Bracing, I aimed. Then, I drew my bow and fired, drawing and shooting as fast as I could. The first arrow struck true, sinking to the fletching. The second one bounced at the edge but the third was a bull's eye. The fourth and fifth were aimed at the second wound and they also went in.

Red blood squirted out of the wounds as the Basilisk hollered in pain. It dropped with a thud and spun to stare at me. With a shriek, it dashed.

William jumped down. The daredevil Tityron went down head-first landing on the Basilisk's left hip like a horned catapult boulder and driving his forward horns into the Basilisk leg like spears. The horns broke off with a loud crack and the Basilisk's leg went limp. Sliding off, the Tityron quickly regained his footing.

The monster opened its mouth, showing me the red burns Sleepy's parting gift made. It ate three arrows straight into its throat.

William skipped away. I ran toward the Basilisk to cover his retreat. Holding Scout's Oath sideways to block eye contact and screaming, I closed the distance to the thrashing monster. Not my smartest move in hindsight but I was furious.

The Basilisk looked insulted. It was injured and bleeding but still believed it could win. It opened its jaw and charged to bite me in three pieces.

We met as I turned the bow upright and shoved Scout's Oath inside its crocodile jaw. I basically walked inside the monster's mouth. My right hand drew a knife and cut the bowstring. Immediately, the flexible bow became a rigid staff. It snapped straight, wedging the blunt edges against the Basilisk's tongue and the roof of its mouth. The monster thrashed and threw me off. I scraped against the.ridiculoualy sharp teeth, ripping deep gashes in my enchanted boots and my shins. Just that ate through more than 200 points of HP, my current threshold.

If my leg was burning, I imagined that having a staff stuck inside your mouth digging into the roof and cutting into the tongue was more painful. The Basilisk thrashed and grunted, trying to remove the staff. I drew my short sword and tried to get close and attack it. My wounded shins betrayed me and I fell down.

Its tail whooshed above me, turning the previous fall into a stroke of luck. My eyes were on my heirloom bow; I felt stupid for both using my main weapon in such a cartoonish and stupid way and for not carrying a second bow.

The last tail swipe cost the Basilisk a lot. It had ruined its wounded leg now.

I scooted away and drank a healing potion.

The Basilisk made no motion to get closer. The monster had a crippled leg and lost liters of blood. It wasn't going anywhere. And it seemed to have forgotten that I existed.

Its focus was on removing the indestructible staff from its mouth. It only kept from becoming another tree because I intentionally left my Heirloom weapon there. No intent to deprive me of it was sensed by the curse.

The boots drained my MP to repair themselves. It would take a lot of time to completely fix them but at least they weren't ruined.

I stood slowly. Maybe I should talk to Olivia and ask for a real giant club. I could use one right now.

The Basilisk forced its jaw close with such strength that it forced the bow to pierce its tongue and come out underneath its jaw. More blood poured from this wound, the rate of exsanguination sped up because of its high heart rate. It raked at the staff with its front paws until it managed to remove the magical stick.

The relief at finally closing its jaw made it remember it wasn't alone. Severely wounded, bleeding, and in shock, the Basilisk slowly regained its composure. Its reptilian eyes scanned around but failed to find me.

Carefully, it tried to walk, wincing as it tried to put weight on the leg William crippled. The Basilisk had to limp and drag its belly all over the forest floor. It passed past a rock.

And I, the rock, stabbed it in the eye. With a war cry, I drove my short sword as deep as I could. Its nictating membrane came from the side but only made things worse as it pushed the sword to widen the cut and spin around, ruining the eye. I held onto the hilt as the monster pulled its head away. Then I jumped to avoid getting raked by its claws. Clear goop stained with traces of blood leaked from the split eye.

Unfortunately, its head was too big and I was not strong enough to drive the weapon all the way to its brain.

I ran away. The Basilisk howled, bemoaned, and grunted. It rolled over itself and slammed its tail against the trees. A monster this size in its death throes was dangerous. It was better to wait until it died.

A mental check told me my bonds were out of danger. Sleepy was sulking in his crate and William was next to him, proudly standing guard.

I waited nearby. One of two things would happen. The Basilisk would die or it would heal enough to continue our fight. But it was growing tired and lethargic. It wouldn't be long before it died. But it would be damned if it wouldn't landscape the island from river retreat to bloody wasteland.

Once the opportunity presented itself, I retrieved the bloodied Scout's Oath. A new bowstring was quickly wrapped around its notched ends and I felt the familiar pull of my bow. It was so drenched in blood I knew it would make a mess the first time I fired it. Maybe I should put on a raincoat for that.

After several more minutes, the Basilisk stopped wrecking the island. I could see it was heaving, saving its last dregs of energy, desperately fighting to survive.

I stood ten meters away on the side of its good eye. The eye swiveled and stared at me. Without both of its eyes, the gaze power wouldn't work. The monster shook its body and I thought it was trembling in fear. Blood pooled underneath it.

Killing the beast was an act of mercy at this point. Yet, something in me stirred. I tried to use my Perk on the Basilisk.

> Do you want to bond with Redscale Basilisk?

I felt stupid. Only now did I notice that the System had granted me a way to partially identify beasts. Damn. I could use this Perk to get the creature's name.

I mentally said yes.

> Bond failed. The creature isn't friendly.

Worth a try just because of the epiphany. I went around its massive head and stopped in front of the ruined eye. The Basilisk didn't turn. I aimed and fired. An arrow went straight into the monster's brain.

A System notification chimed.