Named chapter #5

1

John ventured back to The Garden only after spending some time recuperating. Before he could leave his room, he noticed an abnormally long letter from Jules. It was several pages all folded together.

At closer inspection, John found it to be several detailed reports of powerful creatures. Some were labeled as enhanced. A few had the mark of advanced. But many of the reports were listed as unknown.

Reading through a few of them, John was surprised. Each of the unknown beasts were described as powerful enough to be advanced creatures. In John’s opinion, some of them seemed a bit too powerful.

The Garden was still an unknown place to humans. Advanced creatures were the most powerful creatures anyone had identified. That didn’t mean they were the most powerful creatures out there.

The more that he thought about it, the more convinced John was. He resolved to investigate the hypothesis later. For now though, he couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to hunt down some of the enhanced items on the list.

Each creature was listed along with a location to find it. John knew he owed Jules big time when he found a hand drawn map of Emerald base and the numerous dangerous areas surrounding it. Despite the obvious hand work, it was clearly the work of a talented artist.

In any case, it made John’s job of locating the creatures much more plausible. He made a note to send Jules an extra gene if he could manage. Looking at the nearly dozen targets on the enhanced list alone, he didn’t think it would be an issue.

John spent the morning in his room making a comprehensive plan. Many of the entries on the list were close to each other on the map. It seemed like several closed ecosystems all worked in conjunction with one another, even if they didn’t mix.

Using that as a basis, John plotted a course that would take him two days to complete, so long as there was nothing unexpected to delay him. His plan consisted of hunting six enhanced creatures, two advanced creatures, and if he had time, he wanted to inspect one of the unknown entries on his way back.

Not wanting his family to worry, John decided to return home and explain his plan. As expected, his mother worried anyway. He did his best to assure her in the most effective way a child knew how. In other words, he lied.

“I’m just scouting new areas around the base. I’ll have protection. Lots of people are going. I can earn some genes too.”

“I don’t like it,” she insisted.

It took John the better part of an hour to assuage her fears. But eventually John prevailed. The next day, he left at dawn.

The Garden was still coming to life as John strolled the street toward the gate. He kept his hood drawn. Jules suggested that if their business was to work it would be best if none of his contacts knew of John.

Since he hasn’t exactly coordinated with Jules, the other man was unaware that John would be calling on him. If he wasn’t in his room, that would be fine too. He would leave a prepared note telling Jules of his exact route and plan.

He figured someone should know where to find him, or in the worst case, recover his remains. This all proved to be unnecessary forethought though. Jules opened the door seconds after John knocked.

“You’re here early,” John said by way of greeting as Jules pulled the door open.

“Not as early as you it seems. I just got here. What’s up? Did you get my mail?”

“That’s why I’m here. Going on a marathon of sorts. I thought your new skill might be of some use. Wanna tag along?”

Jules looked uneasy. It was clear to John that he never planned to actually go hunting. John had a plan to coax him though.

“I don’t expect you to kill anything. I know Grass Dance is based on evasion. If you help me distract some of these creatures, I’ll add some genes, paid upon possession to my debt.”

“You mean by offering myself as bait, you’ll give me an equal share of the spoils on the spot?”

“Maybe not equal. I am doing all of the killing after all. But I promise you’ll be paid handsomely for your part. Besides, you haven’t seen my bow in action. I’m willing to bet that’s worth the risk to you all on it’s own.”

John smiled at the sheepish look on Jules’s face. John remembered the awe in his eyes at seeing an advanced soul. Jules was as intrigued by its ability as John had been.

“You son of a bitch, I’m in.”

An hour later, they set out. Most of that time had been explaining the plan to Jules. After hearing it, the other man insisted on making some logistical changes.

John had only considered the creatures and their vicinity to each other. Jules chimed in to explain that in some cases his plan would lead them through rough or dangerous areas. In two cases he pointed out that John’s route would take them over a stream similar to the one John had faced the flesh ooze in. And one time he noted that the creature he planned to hunt was part of a large pack.

Each of these revisions was eagerly accepted by John. He encouraged Jules to look more carefully at the plan to spot any other weakness it might hold. He also made a note to ask Jules to curate the plan next time he wanted to do this.

New plan in hand, the duo made their silent way out of the base. Both kept hoods up. As previously, Jules wished John’s existence to remain a mystery to his associates.

John appreciated the man for his caution. All things considered, he was glad Jules had found him that day in the market. Unbeknownst to him, Jules frequently thought the same about him.

The first stop on their list was in the very same forest John had come to on his first hunt. Instead of a stag though, their target was a rodent of some sort. Jules seemed less than eager to test himself as a decoy against a furry gerbil with abnormal agility.

John told him that the first one was on him. Jules could stay back and watch his bow in action while John took on the rodent. He seemed a lot more enthusiastic about this approach.

The nest was blatantly obvious when they drew near. Sticks and rocks as well as the sinister sight of tattered clothing was bunched up at the base of a large tree stump. John recognized it from the file.

According to accounts, the stump was discovered by a group of people while exploring. The gerbil living inside the hole had smelled the blood from one man’s wounds. It had been so fast that the explorer had no time to react before the giant rat was climbing his leg.

Apparently, of the five men in the party, only two had escaped. The dog sized rodent effectively incapacitated the other three with devastating bites to vital areas. Their clothes now made up much of the camouflage for the rodent’s nest.

John approached the tree stump cautiously. More than fifty feet from the hole, he stopped. He pulled a vacuum sealed pouch of raw meat from his bag and put it down on the ground.

John slowly retreated to a safe distance from the meat. Then he carefully took aim. His arrow flew true and pierced the package despite its relatively small size.

With a thought, John returned the Muckray arrow. He drew it again while staring at the meat. Then, he let loose the bolt just as he noticed a flash of movement from the nest.

A loud shriek issued forth from the area of the raw meat. John was unable to even catch sight of the beast before it snatched the whole parcel of meat and retreated into its nest. John wasn’t worried. He simply returned the arrow and waited to hear the words.

“Enhanced rabid gerbil killed. Gene available”

“Holy shit that thing is fast.” Jules said, coming up from behind.

“It was.”

“Was? You mean you actually hit that thing?”

“Hit and killed. Do you want this gene or the next one?”

“That’s incredible! I didn’t even see where your shot went. I thought you missed.”

The two of them approached the nest cautiously in case there was another rodent living down there. All proved quiet though and John removed the rodent’s teeth without issue. He gave them to Jules without hesitation.

Jules surprised him by consuming the gene on the spot. He smiled at John like his reasoning was obvious. John supposed it was.

“Have to gain some genes in order to confidently use Grass Dance. I passed the test with eighty percent proficiency. But it would still be better if I had better fitness before going against anything dangerous.”

“Good plan,” John nodded.

2

Next in the line of fire was a mile further into the forest. John and Jules crept quietly through brambles that grew increasingly burdened by silky webbing. Jules grew apprehensive the further they walked.

John had never been afraid of spiders like his mom and sister. He always had to kill them when one was found in the house. Jules didn’t seem to share his indifference.

That was why he opted to wait back from the web a safe distance. John shrugged and asked him to hold his pack. Then he continued on alone.

When he had gone another few hundred feet through the trees, he saw the spider. It’s large frame sat lazily in the web it had spun. John took aim at the arachnid before it noticed him.

That was the best part about the list of beasts he was hunting that day: they were all easiest to kill at a distance. The gerbil was the only thing that John expected to have any trouble hitting. Since he already killed it, his confidence in the rest of the creatures was greatly increased.

John took aim right where the Lunar Stag bow advised him to. The space between the head and thorax. That was the biggest weakness in the spider’s defense.

He let his arrow fly, silent as the wind. It shot straight through the spider’s head and continued into the tree behind it. The announcement rang in his head before he could even return the arrow.

“Enhanced spider queen killed. Gene available for harvest.”

John returned to Jules a few moments later, spider pincers in hand. He offered those to the man as well, saying he would need help with the next beast. Jules smiled nervously before allowing the gene to soak into his skin.

Two hours later, the pair approached a small stream that ran along the far end of the forest they had been traversing for the majority of the day. Jules had been careful to pick a spot where water was a trickle and there were plenty of rocks to traverse.

Still suspicious, John frequently threw small rocks at stepping stones to make sure they weren’t sentient. Fortunately, all remained still, and the duo crossed without issue. The plains beyond stretched endlessly into the distance.

The next animal they came to hunt was actually a plant of sorts. That was the first plant of note that John had heard about. It was said to have sedative pollen that knocked out any who came near it.

The plant in question was marked as being only a short walk from the stream. The two companions traveled cautiously, coming across two primitive creatures that both ran at their approach. They soon made it to the field where numerous flowers matching the description they had received were growing.

“Which one is it?” Jules asked.

John pointed. He was sure of himself. The flower they had come for wasn’t enhanced. The reports said there were some enhanced flowers nearby it, but the flower they came for was advanced.

That was one reason John had been so willing to share the genes he had already procured. The enhanced flowers weren’t even on his list, they were a bonus.

What was on his list, and the reason John had asked Jules to come was the supposed enhanced gopher that lived in a hole near the flower. According to the file, it preyed on those caught by the pollen of the flowers. John guessed it had immunity to the effects.

The reason John was confident in Jules was because the file specified that the gopher never attacked a conscious human. That meant John could have Jules approach the flower after he hunted it and the gopher would either stay in hiding or attack when Jules got too close.

If it stayed in hiding, Jules would collect the gene and leave. If it attacked, John would see if Grass Dance was worth learning. He wouldn’t let the other man come to harm though.

As they studied the field of flowers from afar, John counted three flowers larger than the others situated around an even larger flower that towered over the heads of men. They looked like sunflowers.

John studied each flower through the scope of his bow. The report said only the pollen of the enhanced flowers and up were potent to humans. The numerous primitive and awakened level flowers would do no more than cause a mild fatigue after prolonged contact.

John also located the heat signature of the gopher. He could have taken the shot, but no other beast on the list would provide such an easy opponent for Jules. John didn’t feel safe asking him to face anything else.

Instead of the gopher, John took aim and fired once at each of the larger sunflowers. The weak point of each was located just beneath the head of the flower. Each one remained still as it was decapitated.

John successfully killed all four of the flowers. He received an announcement for each, but the most exciting came last.

“Advanced Sleepy Sunflower killed. Advanced soul augmentation received. Gene available for harvest.”

3

A soul augmentation? John had no idea what that could mean, but his mind expanded to receive it. It was represented by a shining sunflower in his mind.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

John attempted to summon it, but nothing happened. Puzzled, he tried again but to no avail. He didn’t want to waste time on the mystery just then, so he nudged Jules.

“Wait for the pollen to settle before going in for the genes. The sunflower heads themselves are the genes. When you get close to the advanced one, the gopher might attack you. Are you ready to test your skills out?”

Jules looked anxious but to his credit, he nodded and stepped forward. He did a few stretches that looked like a series of exotic sways. John just watched him in silence.

“Cover me. I’m trusting you,” he said.

“I won’t let it hurt you. Just be on your guard. And try not to breathe too deeply. The pollen might be more effective than we realize. If you pass out I’ll kill the gopher immediately. You have my word,” John said.

Jules nodded. He slowly made his way forward as the pollen settled. He looked tense, but his feet never faltered as he approached the fallen flowers.

John kept the gopher in his sights as Jules approached. He grabbed two of the enhanced genes before the gopher started to move.

When it did, John was surprised at its speed. Jules looked in its direction just in time to see it leap for his chest. John almost took the shot but he was worried he would hit Jules by mistake.

When the gopher was about to land on him, Jules bent and twisted his body. Taking a single step back, he bent almost in half. The gopher sailed over him impotently.

John widened his eyes as Jules spun to face the beast again. With another leap, the creature tried once more. But again, Jules bent out of the way, making the attack look oddly like a pet show performance.

John let Jules practice his new skills for a few more attacks before taking aim. He let the beast jump one last time and released his arrow. It skewered the gopher through the body just as it landed.

“Enhanced black spine gopher killed. Gene available for harvest.”

John smiled triumphantly as Jules continued to collect the genes. When he returned it was obvious that he was reluctant to give up the advanced gene, but he faithfully relinquished it all the same. As a reward, John gave him two of the four enhanced genes.

John stored his own spoils in his bag before the two set off again. Jules let both of his genes soak into his skin immediately. Then they were off in relative silence once more.

The next leg of the trip would take a great deal longer, though hopefully taking them only until dusk to reach. It was an outcropping of trees against a cliff face. The one other advanced beast on the hunt was located there.

John planned to take it out before heading in a wide arc back to Emerald base. Along the way he would stop at key spots to clean up the remaining enhanced beasts. There was also an unknown tiered creature to investigate.

No creature disturbed them on their voyage. It was like a peaceful walk throughdangerous monster infested wilderness. Eventually, Jules addressed his confusion.

“Why am I here?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the free genes, and this has been fun, but clearly you don’t need me. I mean, you’ve killed how many creatures so far?”

“Seven,” John responded.

“Exactly. And you haven’t even broke a sweat. Why ask me to come when you’re so badass? You’ve given me four genes and haven’t even considered absorbing that advanced gene. What gives?”

“A chess master plays by the future, not the present. If all I wanted were the genes, I wouldn’t have invited you at all. Genes are necessary to grow stronger. But without direction strength is nothing.”

Seeing the incomprehension on his face, John smiled at Jules winningly. The other man just stared unamused back at him.

“It means you have potential. That skill will mean your life in the future. Better to get a grasp of it now while you have competent backup.”

“I guess you’re right. I still don’t understand why you aren’t absorbing the genes you collected.”

“As I said, genes are great. But we still don’t know how many secrets The Garden holds. Better to have something in reserve just in case.”

Jules just looked at him for several seconds before speaking.

“Dude, how many genes have you gained anyway?”

“A few, still room to grow.”

They camped that night in a large tree on the edge of the copse. John spent some time making sure it was unoccupied before they climbed up. They slept in hammocks, a step above John’s last experience sleeping in a tree.

When they woke next, it was not to the morning light. Instead, the sounds of death greeted them. Jules motioned to him, but John waved him still. He could hear his fabric hammock creaking under him every time he tried to adjust himself.

As slowly as he could, John grabbed the nearest branch above him and slowly hoisted himself from the fabric. When he was free, he found another branch with his legs and steadied himself into a crouch. Then he leaned against the trunk of the tree and summoned his bow.

He couldn’t see in the dark, but deer could. The scope lens glowed a soft red in the darkness. As he began scanning the ground below, the source of the commotion became evident.

Through the lens John could see a massive grizzly bear. It had blood in its face though from itself or its victims John couldn’t tell. All around it were a pack of ape-like creatures.

They looked like chimps, but they were more hairy and less human. They also appeared as tall as people. They looked like a tribe of early hominids.

Despite their size and clear advantage in numbers, John could see plenty of them already down. It was difficult to count the rapidly cooling bodies using the mostly heat sensitive scope, but it looked like the bear had killed at least a dozen of the primates. Many more surrounded it, making loud shrieks anytime it made a move.

John didn’t know why but the vital areas on the bear appeared much smaller than most creatures he looked at through the scope. He supposed it was because the bear was clearly advanced. As he watched, an enhanced chimp moved too close, and a great clawed paw slashed its entire body.

John realized as the chimp fell that all of the apes were of the same level. An entire pack of enhanced beasts. John shook his head and looked back to Jules.

The man looked absolutely terrified. John shook his head slowly before whispering as quietly as he could.

“Just stay quiet. They don’t know we’re here. If we can wait this out, we might come out of this with a lot more than we came for.”

Jules looked confused, but remained silent as instructed. It wasn’t easy to sit still and calm though. The chimps were making an awful noise and the bear continued to scream back.

John watched the fight for several minutes before the moment he predicted came. Through the trees came a challenging bellow. The forest grew silent in an instant.

The chimps as an organized group scattered into the trees. John was nervous some would come for them, but they all seemed to stop only a dozen feet up the branches and turn to face the bear.

Then a terrible crashing through the trees broke the silence. Limbs snapped in the distance but quickly growing nearer. John kept his sight on the bear as a massive form crashed down on it from above.

The bear was brought to the ground in an instant. The massive gorilla that pinned it began slamming its hands into the bear’s head and sides. John studied the new foe with his bow and was flabbergasted.

The gorilla was too big to be enhanced. Indeed, as John looked at it, he began to doubt that it could even be advanced.

The vitals of the bear were small in his sights. Those of this new beast were all but nonexistent. Only small openings the size of golf balls appeared on its incredibly muscled hide.

More than that though, the gene was much larger and more obvious than the claws of the bear. It’s entire back glowed a silver brilliance. It all stemmed from the spinal cord.

Despite being under a thick layer of muscle and fur, the bones were almost blinding in the sight of the scope. It looked like the gene had begun spreading over the whole gorilla.

The bear looked helpless under this seemingly superior enemy. But as John watched, the bear suddenly raised its head and snapped at the incoming hands.

The gorilla bellowed in pain as the bear clamped down on its forearm. It lashed out with its other arm, trying to pound the skull of the bear. The bear ripped its head free of the arm, bringing its fleshy prize with it.

John’s spine was chilled as he watched the bear stand once more. No longer dominated as the gorilla retreated a few paces, the bear roared to the sky. Standing on two legs, it rose over twelve feet high as it prepared to unleash all its fury on the large primate.

The gorilla’s arm hung limp to its side, but it looked unafraid to face the beast. With a roar of its own, it leapt back at the grizzly like a savage. The two exchanged blows for several brutal seconds.

After watching the entire fight play out, John thought for sure that the gorilla would win. It was more mobile and had a greater strength. But no matter what it did, the bear’s thick hide protected it from fatal injury.

Meanwhile, the gorilla lost first the use of it’s arm. Next, one of its eyes was savaged. Numerous bites and scratches later and the gorilla, though seemingly of a higher tier than the bear looked ready to fall.

It lunged for its foe in a final attempt to bite the bear’s neck. The grizzly just batted the head down before taking a bite of its own. The teeth sunk into the neck of the gorilla and pulled a fatal chunk from the flesh.

4

In an instant, the forest grew silent. Then it erupted in noise as the tribe of chimps in the trees howled in fear as they fled through the branches. Within a minute, the only sound was the teeth of the beast continuing to rip apart prey.

John leaned back against the trunk before looking at Jules. His eyes were wide and fearful. John calmed him with a reassuring nod.

“We just have to wait for it to leave and then we can scavenge something on our way to the cliffs. Hopefully it finishes by dawn. Until then we wait.”

John kept watch through his scope for the remainder of the night. The giant bear made no move to leave. It spent all night noisily ripping apart its meal. When morning came, it showed no sign of leaving.

Nothing dared come near it. John and Jules were no exception. They stayed in the tree for most of the morning.

Sometime near midday, the beast finally abandoned its meal. John waited an extra hour before signaling to Jules to climb down. Then they went to inspect the spoils.

The forest floor was riddled with gore. Numerous bodies from the chimp clan were left to rot. John quickly began removing genes.

He started with the gene of the gorilla. Oddly enough, its hide separated from the rest of it fairly easily. When it was free, the spine was easily pulled out. He couldn’t spend the time to absorb it with all the other genes about, so he swiftly tucked it away in his bag.

John walked the battlefield, counting and collecting genes as Jules did the same. In the end, John found seven while Jules found another six. Both numbers were more than either of them could consume.

John let the genes soak into him until he couldn’t anymore. Jules followed suit. Five genes were absorbed in total, leaving two to go into storage. He gained an amazing thirty-two enhanced genes from the experience.

John’s enhanced progress surpassed the halfway point, bringing him to fifty-nine. Jules didn’t share his own progress, but by the look on his face, his own gain was exemplary as well.

“We’ve lost a lot of time here,” John said.

“Yeah. What are you thinking?”

“Let’s head back. Nothing else we are seeking will bring such spoils. Better to take the lucky break and go,” John said.

Jules agreed easily. The two began preparing to leave. As they did, a thought occurred to John.

He summoned his fox companion and let it have its fill of the meat on display. The beast tore into the chimps with gusto for several minutes. Just before John recalled it, it found what remained of the gorilla.

John had never seen anything so savage in his life. The fox buried its head in the flesh of the dead animal. It’s snapping tendons didn’t dissuade the fox in the slightest.

Soon John lost sight of the animal altogether as it burrowed more and more of itself into the corpse. It seemed insatiable. After they were both ready, John recalled the fox.

ROAR!!

John heard the exclamation just as his soul fox returned to his mind. A terrible crash permeated the forest as he turned away instinctively and sprinted for the plains. Jules was slower, but he was closer to the end of the forest, so John remained closest to the commotion.

“Soul companion has consumed higher tier flesh. Evolution of soul companion underway.”

John heard the words as he ran for his life. He knew what was after them without even looking behind him. The grizzly bear roared in fury again as it crashed through everything in its way in pursuit of the ones who thought to take its meal.

He glanced behind him as he ran. The bear was only fifty feet behind him. John was no fool; he knew there was no chance he could run faster than the beast.

Even with his hare boots he wouldn’t have what it took. They would only ensure that he heard Jules die before he did. John frantically tried to find a solution.

As they ran, in the back of John’s mind he heard a strange ticking sound. It was like sitting in a quiet room with a clock on the wall. Slowly it ticked at first, but it soon sped up until it more closely resembled a stopwatch.

As the bear grew closer, John became more frantic. He was on the verge of summoning his bow and taking a shot. Before he could, the voice spoke in his mind once more.

“Soul companion evolution complete. Soul companion has evolved to Advanced Silver Fox.”

John summoned the new companion without hesitation. He mentally shouted for it to distract the beast as he sprinted ever faster. The fox burst into existence just behind him and charged at the bear.

“Don’t stop running, I’ll catch up,” John shouted to Jules.

Without waiting for a response, John turned to see his foe. The grizzly had stopped chasing him only thirty feet away. Instead, it was taking swipes at the glistening silver fox that pranced around it, nipping at the thick hide of the bear.

John continued to backtrack from the fight as he pulled his bow. He settled at around sixty feet away before summoning his arrow. Then he waited for an opening.

His scope showed him something odd. Last night the vulnerable spots on the beast had been small. Now though, they were almost nonexistent. John was puzzled.

He couldn’t understand why the bear was so much tougher. It shouldn’t have a better defense during day light. Unless…

John looked closely as it swiped a paw at the fox. Last night, the bear’s claws had glistened, indicating the gene. Now though, the sheen had started to creep up its paws.

“It evolved into a wizened beast after eating the gorilla. Is that how creatures evolve? Instead of genes, they consume the flesh itself.”

John thought that made sense. Animals on earth grew stronger by eating too. It seemed like the existence of genes in The Garden were to give humans and other humanoid races the same opportunity.

Pushing this from his mind, John drew his arrow back and took aim for the largest of the small openings. The fox gave him his opportunity a moment later.

As it leapt away from the bear, the latter snapped with its massive jaws. In doing so, it had to stretch its neck out, exposing it. John let loose.

His arrow flew true. It sped directly to the bears neck… and bounced off. It didn’t even lodge itself in the skin.

John was flabbergasted. He hadn’t expected to kill it, but he was at least hoping for a poisoned status. No such luck. In fact, as John looked, he couldn’t see any sign that it had even been in a fight the day before.

The bear looked toward him furiously. It tried to run at him, but the fox successfully snared its attention once more. John returned his arrow to his hands and looked at it.

Its tip was bent like it had hit a rock instead of the bear he shot at. John cursed as he realized he didn’t have anything to fight the bear. He needed his arrow to be stronger.

Just then, he remembered the newest soul he received. It hadn’t done anything the last time he tried to use it, but he thought he understood why now. With the arrow still in hand, he once again attempted to summon the Sleepy Sunflower soul.

“Would you like to augment your Muckray arrow?”

John mentally answered in the affirmative.

As if through his fingertips, a change spread over the arrow. It spread across the arrow like frost, coating it in an almost icy sheen. When it reached the tip the arrowhead unbent and smoothed itself out.

“Augmentation successful. Enhanced Muckray arrow has become Advanced Drowsy Muckray arrow.”

John pulled the arrow back on the string once more. Looking down the sights, he found that the vulnerable places on the bear had miraculously grown. It seemed that the strength of the ammo he used had an impact on it.

John launched his arrow at the beast. It flew through the air like a hornet. It impacted the neck of the beast and sunk satisfyingly in.

The grizzly immediately forgot about the fox. John saw it roar and start barreling for him. He turned and ran for his life.

The sounds of heavy paws in pursuit of him made him forget everything else. He summoned his hare boots, hoping Jules made enough progress by then. He could almost feel each stomping step the beast took behind him.

Even with the increased speed John knew it wouldn’t be enough. Even his companion failed to slow the frenzied bear. John couldn’t keep it up. He would trip and fall soon, or he’d become too winded and slow enough to be caught.

The moment he feared drew nearer as his breath slowly grew louder in his ears until it drowned out first his own loud steps and then those of the bear behind him. John’s side ached painfully, threatening to lock him in place. He struggled forward another few seconds, but as distracted as he was, his foot caught on a rock, sending him tumbling forward.

There was nothing he could do. John knew he would never get to his feet in time. He could only wait for his impending end.

He stared at the ground beneath him for so long the anticipation became unbearable. He just wanted it to be over already. Then it occurred to him that it should have been over already.

John raised himself from the ground, looking behind him. Twenty feet away and lying unmoving on the ground was the bear. John could see the steady rising and falling of its stomach.

Confused, John returned his arrow to his hand and inspected it. The arrow had been coated in a glistening cold substance, but now it only had a small portion of the substance left along it’s fletching.

John watched as the frost slowly crept back along the arrow. It’s progress was extremely slow, barely noticeable. It would take a while before it covered the bolt fully once more.

John was exuberant. The arrow had become much more useful. Not only was it a sedative, but it also gained piercing damage if it was able to take down the massive bear.

John approached the animal cautiously. He wasn’t sure how well or how long the arrow would keep the beast down. His fox companion sniffed at the great beast interestedly.

John sat ready to loose another arrow into the bear should it regain its whits. He sat there for the better part of an hour before something changed. The bear’s breathing further slowed, and its exhale became quieter. A moment later, it ceased altogether.

“Wizened Iron Grizzly killed. Transfiguration Soul gained. Gene available for harvest.”

“Yes!” John leapt into the air ecstatically.

He hadn’t dreamed he could kill the beast, especially after watching it kill the seemingly higher tiered gorilla. The divine intervention that allowed his arrow to be upgraded in the last possible moment was something he never would have expected. Even with it, he had been extremely lucky.

John removed the paws of the bear as he summoned Jane again. When he was finished, he couldn’t resist taking them into him immediately.

Wizened Iron Grizzly gene absorbed. You have gained eight wizened genes.”

John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. As far as he knew, no one had even heard of wizened genes before. It was an amazing discovery.

Jules had much better information within the base, which was how John knew how limited humans’ knowledge on The Garden was. A few lucky people had stumbled onto advanced genes, just as John had. Until now though, that was as much as anyone knew.

Now John not only had proof of the next stage but had actually gained wizened genes for himself through sheer luck. The only question was, should he share his findings with Jules? Or was it smarter to keep the secret.

He liked Jules. The man had helped him a lot. In fact, it was him that made this whole journey possible. But in the end, he was just an acquaintance. In any case, he would have to look more closely at any report of advanced prey.

John pondered the discovery with fond anticipation for a long moment. He rested while the fox ate its fill. Then he set out for Emerald base.