Chapter 9: KITTY
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FEAT ACHIEVED: FAMILIAR BOND
You have bonded with an animal companion, which has now become your familiar. Only one bond may exist until your familiar dies or the bond is broken—your familiar now levels at the same rate.
Silverglint [Mythical]
A silverglint is a mythical creature that can "glint" at high speed for attack or defense. These creatures manifest in pairs and are considered omens of good fortune and gifts from celestial beings. However, a silverglint will only bond if the pair is broken and the bond recipient is considered worthy.
Abilities:
- Armor
- Healing
- Telepathy
“Your name is Kitty, okay?”
We had traveled south until nightfall, setting up camp in a cave. I finished lighting three fires while munching on some rations, but the mood remained dark. I killed in self-defense. Right?
I patted the silverglint on the head.
“I’m allergic to cats in my world but always wanted one,” I said, half asleep. “I know you’re like a magical pangolin, maybe a baby dragon or something? But Kitty is your name. Got it?”
Kitty nuzzled my face. At first, I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but it seemed more delicate than the spikier, muscular one I buried. Kitty also had slighter features, so I decided she was female.
Earlier, Kitty had jumped up and draped over my shoulders for a snooze. Her scaly tail wrapped around me like an armored scarf, yet soft and warm because of the fur underside. Not that I needed it now—three fires made the cave feel like a sauna.
With my hand still on her head, I dozed off.
Day [2/40]
As I emerged from the cave, the Jingozi stood in the clearing under the morning sun. Kitty cowered behind my leg as my heart nearly stopped at its sight.
“It’s you,” I said.
The Jingozi’s skull-like metal mask was even more grotesque in daylight.
Name: ???
Tier ??? Gamemaster
Faction: Jingozi [Light]
Level: ???
In a pitiful attempt to conceal my terror, I yelled, “Well? You’re just gonna stand there?”
It lifted a bony, metallic hand. I tensed, readying to use cards.
“Zii-Kata,” it whispered, like a ghost.
“Perfect timing, Jingo,” I said. “I had it scheduled this morning before my Hot Girl Walk.”
I figured it took about fifteen minutes of Zii-Kata for my Zii and cards to recharge—a rate of one Zii and one card per minute. However, learning spells required an hour per level based on previous times. While I didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary with this Halloween stalker, I got it over with. Kitty stayed at my feet the entire time, adjusting around my footwork. Three hours would go by before what happened next.
A black vortex grew, forming a swirling portal. On the other side, a glowing red card.
Son of a bitch. Here we go again.
After a deep breath, I reached for the card. But before my fingers could make contact, a black, smoky hand shot out and latched onto my wrist with a vice-like grip. My forearm bubbled, the skin decaying as if ravaged by a flesh-eating disease. A wave of spasms shot up to my neck, and I clutched my elbow, squeezing tight, expecting my arm to wither and fall off. A high-pitched tone pierced my ears, and I lost vision in my right eye. I stumbled backward and crashed onto the ground, cracking my tailbone. Sweat drenched my skin, my body trembling as I lay there, overwhelmed by the agony.
The pain subsided, leaving me gasping for breath and my head throbbing.
Kitty crawled into my lap and licked my face.
YOU HAVE LEARNED A NEW SPELL
Spell: Summon
PVP: Burn your attack or defend. Draw up to three (3) cards. Continue turn.
PVE: ???
Level: 3
Card Deck: 36 [Battle] / 3 [Spell]
The Jingozi remained still, with only the cloak undulating randomly, continually reaching for me.
“Uh, thank you?” I said, stumbling to my feet. “You know something, Jingo? Can I call you Jingo? Never mind… you’re terrible at small talk, being creepy AF and all.”
Nothing.
“I liked you better the other night.”
Still nothing.
“Alrighty then, good talk. Come on, Kitty.” And we walked away.
Glancing back, it hovered in place—motionless—except for that damn cloak.
***
When the Jingozi was out of sight, I checked my card inventory.
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SPELL: SUMMON
PVP: Burn your attack or defend. Draw up to three (3) cards. Continue turn.
PVE: ???
Jingozi mechanics were making more sense. Burning Zii based on either attack or defense would provide an option to conserve resources. I expected other spells to work the same.
We traveled all day with Kitty perched on my shoulder. As we walked, she seemed slightly bigger and heavier. Maybe it was my imagination, but I also felt a change. My muscles felt more defined, my body heavier, as if I’d been on a strict workout regimen with a high-protein diet. Kitty’s added weight didn’t bother me, and I’d never hiked this much without getting tired.
Are there stats in Jingozi?
A purple elf rounded the stone column—I saw her before she saw us. The female elf wore leather pants and the same metal boots with bones woven into her long black braids. Her arms were painted white, while more bone piercings lined her pointed ears and dark purple nipples. Standing over six feet tall, she would’ve made a supermodel back home.
We met eyes as I loaded my hand.
Hand: [3/4] [6/6] [0/0] [4/5] [2/1]
I considered playing a [6/6] card but remembered being countered the last time. Would she do the same? I could use a weaker card and tank the first hit.
Suddenly, Kitty launched from my shoulders. The silverglint flashed past the elf’s thigh, tearing a wound and gushing blood. She screamed and tried to grab her weapon. Before it was unsheathed, Kitty pounced onto her back, digging her claws and wrapping her tail around the elf’s body.
With one violent twist, it was over. The elf fell over, spilling blood and entrails everywhere.
I had no words—unable to decide if I was shocked or relieved.
“Good Kitty?”
While the head and legs remained intact, the elf’s torso was a mangled mess. I thought about looting for supplies but started to gag. Although auto-loot was a thing, I still had to touch the body.
Tapping my toe to her boot, a notification appeared.
THE DARK ELF CANNOT BE LOOTED RIGHT NOW
Time remaining: [60 minutes]
“I guess this one belongs to you,” I said, “Come on, let’s clean you off.”
I retrieved bandages from my inventory and used them as rags as best as possible. She’d find a puddle to wash off the rest later.
A cracking and rustling arose from a nearby rock. A thorny wooden vine emerged, slithering to the elf’s body like a worm. The vine was dead, mottled with fungus and dust. More approached from all angles, making disgusting chewing noises as they wrapped around the corpse.
Backing away, I decided not to find out what happened next.
Day [7/40]
STATUS:
Name: Ember [8160]
Faction: Ninja [Field]
Level: 5
Zii: 100
Cards: 36 [Battle] / 5 [Spell]
The Dark Elf attacks increased over the next week. Despite our efforts to travel undetected, they’d find us. But at night, with three fires lit, it was eerily peaceful.
As solo hunters, the elves attempted to ambush us one at a time, sometimes hours apart. But Kitty detected them before they gained any advantage. She also turned out to be a serial killer, dispatching three elves alone. But when she did, I didn’t earn any credit or loot. So, I joined the next fights, convincing myself it was still in self-defense. We defeated six more together.
Every encounter differed somewhat but ended the same. Instead of tanking their initial attacks, I acted first, hitting them with various maximum-charged attacks. I did suffer damage, with one elf even breaking my jaw, though the combination of Zii-Kata and Kitty’s healing ability allowed me to recover relatively quickly. But the constant game of cat-and-mouse tested my resolve. And seeing dead bodies wasn’t getting any easier.
As a consolation, every Dark Elf carried ample supplies, especially rations. The mountains were bare, and food was scarce. The giant fir trees covered in rotting fungus yielded nothing of sustenance, so everything helped. I also received Jingozi tokens based on the defense score of my cards during each fight.
One day, we encountered strange giant bugs.
NEW QUEST: VALLEY INFESTATION
Kill 100 Giant Stone Golem Crawlers
[0/100] Complete
Giant Stone Golem Crawlers were van-sized bloated ticks made of smooth grey rock. They were highly hostile but slow. Skittering on eight comically tiny crab-like legs, we made quick work of them because they roamed in tightly bunched packs. After a crawler died, they crumbled into piles of rubble and dust—no loot.
Other wild mountain creatures crossed our path now and then. Some were hybrids of animals from Earth, while others appeared very alien. But they left us alone.
Occasionally, I spotted a stone or tree golem standing on a ledge above us or in the distance. These Golems weren’t humanoid like Cragmarr but more like kaiju in Japanese movies. Regardless of shape or size, they only watched. Unnerved, I reminded myself that Cragmarr promised to keep tabs on me.
We continued to work on the rock ticks.
QUEST COMPLETE: VALLEY INFESTATION
Kill 100 Giant Stone Golem Crawlers
[100/100] Complete
FEAT ACHIEVED: 100 KILLS
Kill 100 mobs or defeat 100 enemies in one quest or mission.
As I continued progressing, the Jingozi appeared on the fifth and seventh mornings after each level-up. The routine was always the same—hours of Zii-Kata, and then I learned new spell cards.
SPELL: WARP
PVP: Burn your defend. Block a spell or champion ability instantly. Opponent discards their spell but keeps all Zii and may cast another spell.
PVE: ???
SPELL: SHADOW STRIKE
PVP: Burn two (2) Zii to attack plus 2 (+2).
PVE: ???
As usual, each spell encounter was different. The [Warp] spell lifted me off the ground, stretching me out and cracking every joint like a chiropractic adjustment from hell. But I managed to stay conscious.
The second spell, [Shadow Strike], was harsher than [Blood Strike]. Three black ghosts, each a spitting image of me, impaled me with spears of smoke from all angles. I knew it wasn’t real, but the pain definitely was.
I’d try to get a rise out of the Jingozi by being crass and snarky. But true to form, nothing happened, regardless of how much I taunted.
With each level, my abilities and strength increased. Attacks were faster and more creative. And as the spells grew more powerful, so did my confidence.
Kitty leveled up with me, and our bond grew. She became tankier without sacrificing speed, even learning to roll into an armored ball as a defensive move. Her aggro spiked with dark elves but remained pretty docile with every other creature.
I also learned more about my gift.
Falling off a ledge one time, I entered the Jingozi arena mid-air to pause the fall and figure out how to land correctly using combinations of cards. It was hell on the knees, but better than the alternative.
After more haphazard experimentation, I didn’t need a life-or-death scenario to activate my gift. With some discipline, I learned to release my thoughts and blink at will into the arena. But though the ability didn’t cost Zii, it was a mental drain with splitting headaches if attempted too often, especially in rapid succession.
The voice stayed quiet, which I had to admit was somewhat disappointing. Although Kitty provided ample companionship and entertainment at times, I missed having someone who could converse like Cragmarr.
I named my biggest test the "ultimate parkour running challenge." Leaping off a cliff into a tangle of trees below, I knew it would take multiple trips to the Jingozi arena to land safely. I twisted my body mid-air, catching a branch and swinging to the next. I slid down a thick trunk, skimming over the surface until I touched solid ground. To an outside observer, it was all one fluid motion. In reality, I was cheating—blinking in and out, planning each step, and playing the perfect sequence of cards.
It was pretty badass in my mind. But evidently, the Jingozi didn’t think so—no achievement.
Oh well.
Day [8/40]
Kitty and I cleared the mountains, reaching a ridge overlooking a valley of lush, rolling hills. In the distance, we spotted a quaint village with traditional, sloping rooftops and paper lanterns swaying in the breeze.
A quick scouting trip to the Jingozi arena revealed no threats—at least, what I could see. The village was tiny, consisting of four main buildings surrounded by gardens.
As we approached, the village buzzed with laughter. Children ran around, their voices filling the air. There must have been dozens of them, like an elementary school during recess.
Everyone stopped and stared. A girl in a traditional golden kimono approached, touching my hair with a giggle. Other children gathered, poking and prodding Kitty with “oohs” and “ahs,” but she didn’t mind.
Something was off. I glanced around, trying to figure out what was bothering me. Then I realized what it was.
There wasn’t a single adult anywhere in sight.