“What is that thing?” I asked as we circled the monstrous dog, our feet splashing through the sewage-tainted puddles. The chamber's echo made its growls sound even more terrifying.

“Well, doggos are better than rats don’t you think.” Estella said, that familiar performance-ready grin spreading across her face. She was enjoying this.

“I prefer cats,” I said, keeping my sword between me and those massive teeth. “Smaller, cleaner, less likely to eat me.”

The dog's head turned to face us, its nose twitching in the damp sewer air. The beast locked onto our scent and let out a deafening growl that rumbled throughout the chamber, sending ripples across the shallow puddles at our feet.

"Looks like it noticed us," Estella said. Her voice lost its playful tone and her demeanor turned serious. She shifted her stance and steadied herself on the slippery floor

Chakram Dance

Estella threw her chakrams at the dog. They flew through the air spinning towards their target. For a second, it looked like a perfect attack, but the dog was ready for it. Its keen senses tracked the weapons' approach, and with one casual swipe of its massive paw, it batted the chakrams away like children's toys. The weapons clattered against the stone floor.

“Might need your help for this one Noctus” Estella's confident expression faded into one of concern.

“Watch out!” I warned.

The dog crouched, priming its strength, and pounced onto Estella.

I rushed in front of her and rose my sword in defence. Its massive jaw clashed against my sword. The blade cut into its gums, drawing greenish-red blood, but the dog was unfazed. With a vicious shake of its head, it sent me flying. I slammed into the wet stone floor, my armor scraping against the rough surface.

“Noctus, are you ok?” Estella rushed over to support me, pulling me to my feet even as her eyes tracked the beast’s movements.

“I’m fine,” I grunted, picking up my sword. “I’ll keep it busy. Go for its flank.”

Estella nodded, picked up her chakrams, and dashed off to its side.

I charged forward, swinging my sword with reckless abandon. The blade sank into the dog's side, and the creature howled in pain.

"Estella, now!" I shouted, struggling to keep the monster at bay.

With practiced grace, Estella spun into action. Her chakrams sliced through the air, embedding themselves into the creature’s flank. However, even this was not enough. The sewer dog yelped and snapped its jaws in her direction. It shifted its priority to her and began to give chase.

“Be careful” I yelled.

"Don’t worry, I’m good with dogs" Estella’s reactions were fast and she was already on the move, leading the beast on a dance around the chamber. In pure speed, the dog was faster but Estella was able to compensate with her agility. She spun and twirled in rapid succession, each time narrowing avoiding the dog’s strikes.

Dance of Evasion Successful dodge x3

While dodging, she made a series of complex hand sigils which caused her chakrams to whirl back to life. They dislodged themselves from the dog’s flank and flew back to her hands. Blood leaked out of the dog’s wound, dripping onto the cavern floor.

I took advantage of the distraction, circling to the beast's rear. The sword felt heavy in my hands, but I forced myself to focus. As Estella darted in for another attack, I struck. My blade sank into the creature's haunch. It roared a sound that shook loose debris from the ceiling and whirled to face me. Still too shallow. Our strikes were insufficient to cause significant damage.

“Aim for its weak spot” I yelled

“Where?” she asked. She retrieved her chakrams and scanned the target for an opening.

"Its eyes," I said instinctively. In my experience, there wasn't an opponent whose eyes you couldn't cut. But something made me hesitate. I studied the creature more carefully.

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Inspect

The world sharpened into focus. The beast's eyes caught my attention first. Pure white orbs that lacked any trace of iris or pupil. Dead eyes. Blind eyes. The complete absence of reaction when I waved my sword confirmed it. This creature wasn't tracking us by sight at all.

Its nose, however, told a different story. The wet black surface twitched constantly, nostrils flaring with each movement we made. Minute muscle contractions around its muzzle tracked our position perfectly, even when we weren't moving. The way its head turned exactly toward us, following our every step without relying on vision or sound...

"No, its nose," I corrected myself, the realization hitting me. "A dog's real superpower is its sense of smell. It's tracking us by scent. If we take that away, we have a chance!"

Estella made use of the dog’s attention on me to make her move.

She leapt, using the dog's own back as a springboard, and launched herself towards its head. Mid-flight, she hurled both chakrams. They spun in perfect synchronization, striking the beast's sensitive nose with pinpoint accuracy.

The sewer dog reared back, pawing at its ruined snout. I took advantage of this to press the attack, hacking at its legs. With its sense of smell ruined, the dog flew into shock and thrashed wildly.

"Back off!" I shouted to Estella, narrowly dodging a flailing limb. "It's gone berserk!"

We retreated to the edge of the chamber. The sewer dog's frenzy was terrifying to behold, jaws snapping at empty air as it tried desperately to locate us without its sense of smell. But such violent movements were unsustainable. Gradually, its movements slowed, its howls of rage giving way to whimpers of pain and confusion. Eventually, it collapsed to the ground, its huge form heaving with exhausted breaths as it tried to lick its ruined snout with its tongue.

I moved in to finish it off but Estella grabbed my arm and held me back.

“It’s already over,” she said while shaking her head. "Look at it. It's not evil. It’s just another creature trying to survive down here. We've taken away its ability to hunt. That's punishment enough."

Level Up Noctus has gained a level Estella has gained a level

Status Update Noctus HP: 64/145 - Moderate damage from impact and dog bite Estella HP: 102/130 - Light damage from debris and exertion Status Effect: Both experiencing mild fatigue (-5% to all stats for 10 minutes)

I wiped the sweat from my brow and took a moment to catch my breath. Now that the immediate danger had passed, I could properly take in our surroundings. The chamber bore the scars of our battle with deep claw marks that scored the walls, and the shallow water rippled with lingering turbulence.

"Let me check that wound," Estella said, approaching me with concern.

"It's nothing," I started to say, but winced as she pressed gently against my side where the dog had thrown me.

"Nothing, huh?" She raised an eyebrow and reached into her pack. "Here, drink this." She handed me a small vial of red liquid.

The familiar warmth of the healing potion spread through my body, dulling the sharp pain in my side to a manageable ache. I rotated my shoulder, testing the restored mobility. The worst of the damage was healed, though a phantom ache remained where the dog's teeth had met my armor.

"Better?" Estella asked.

"Good enough to move." I flexed my sword hand, ensuring my grip was steady. "We've lost enough time to that oversized mutt."

Status Update Noctus HP: 89/145 - Residual soreness Estella HP: 102/130 - Light fatigue Status Effect: Battle Fatigue cleared

We made our way to the chamber's exit, keeping a wary eye on the dog. The creature barely seemed to notice our departure, too focused on its wounds to pay us any mind.

Only when we'd put enough distance between us and the injured beast did I crouch down to examine the ground. The narrow tunnel was damp but navigable, with just enough headroom to stand.

The tracks we'd been following were still here. That familiar size eleven boots with the right-side weight distribution, followed by the lighter size seven prints. But something had changed in their pattern.

"Look at this," I murmured, tracing the air above the impressions. "They were walking before, but here..." I pointed to where the stride length suddenly increased. "They started running." The varying depths of their footprints told a story of sudden haste, deeper heel strikes, more scattered patterns, and signs of urgency.

Estella crouched beside me. "Maybe they ran into something too. That doggo wasn't exactly friendly with us, could have chased them as well." She peered down the dark tunnel ahead. "Or something worse."

I nodded, studying the walls of the tunnel. "Or they could have heard our fight with the dog. The echo in these tunnels carries far."

"How far ahead do you think they are now?" She asked.

"The moisture in these prints is still fresh, but that dog cost us time." I stood, brushing mud from my knees. "Maybe twenty minutes? Thirty at most."

"We should keep moving then."

"Agreed. Though I'm starting to think these sewers have more than just a rat problem."

"I wouldn't mind playing with another doggo though."

"No... just no."