Wrath (III)

"It's unlocked. Go." Zero watched them leave.

Tino stopped and glanced back at Zero. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. If I don't come right behind you in the next ten minutes, go on ahead of me. We'll meet in front of the grand tree at the end of this tunnel. I left a small golden bell tied around it up on one of its branches, and it has a scratched X shape deeply etched on the trunk." Zero turned around and tapped an uplifted stone on the floor that was in front of the antique door.

"You better meet us there, pup." Tino pointed at Zero and winked with a smile while the shelves slowly closed.

"Yeah, yeah." Zero rolled his eyes and smiled at Tino's behavior. He could only chuckle at Tino's wink. It reminded him of his twin brother, who always failed miserably when he tried to wink.

As Zero was about to leave, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that something was glittering on top of the desk. Zero turned towards it in curiosity and hopped up on the chair. He clawed his way to the edge of the table. One paw after another, he lifted himself onto the table. Looking around, he noticed a red ink pen that had a small, intricate black dragon circling around it with a small jeweled ruby situated in its jaws.

"Not bad." Zero examined it. Seeing gold made him jittery, more money means more opportunity to become rich and being able to afford and buy things that he needed in the game. He stashed the pen in his collar. He made sure to procure more secret compartments in his collar for instances like these. Not a lot could be stored, but it was for emergency use. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable but at the very least it was bearable. As he snooped around for more loot, he found a small golden trinket and in the process he accidentally tipped over a container of ink. The black ink instantly splattered all over an open book and blackened the majority of its page.

"Ah crap." Zero picked up his back legs as he left behind paw prints all over the desk and the book. He noticed the words in calligraphy had intricate designs.

"Drezo Regalia?"

Drezo Regalia

(Recently spilled black ink has made the first section of text unreadable.)

An ancient knowledge that brings the balance of the elements. For thousands of years they have watched and guarded over the world of Noriene, bringing peace and prosperity. They are the guardians of ancient knowledge and wisdom.

(Black ink blots out majority of the text. One line of text is still legible.)Since the dark ages they disappeared, went into hiding, or were obliterated.

Ding!

History of Drezo RegaliaA long-forgotten text has been recovered. However, because of some unforeseen events the majority of the text is covered in ink. No other information is known. It's possible to find more information in a library.

Difficulty Level: E

Requirements: Possession of the golden pen.

Reward: Knowledge of Drezo Regalia and possibly a chest of gold.

Would you like to accept the quest?

Chest of gold? Heck yeah, who wouldn't?" Zero exclaimed. Who in their right mind would ever deny an opportunity to gain more wealth? Now all of his in-game quest slots were full. He also had only one remaining slot open for quests based in the real world.

But then he remembered where he was. "I have no time for this," he said, reprimanding himself. "I need to go save Pat!" He jumped off the table and raced back the way they'd come. Turning through the long hallways, he barreled through without stopping once. In a couple of instances he almost bumped into guards, but he easily avoided them because he was traveling by himself.

Finally Zero found Pat surrounded by a group of five guards. They were wearing light armor and were armed with spears and swords, and they were beating and kicking furiously at the unconscious Pat. Deep gashes and thin cuts covered Pat's body.

"Get off of him!" Zero growled as he dashed towards Pat. One by one they turned towards Zero, startled. One of the guards picked up his spear lying on the ground and threw it towards Zero.

Stepping aside from the spear's trajectory, Zero zigzagged toward them. In a blink of an eye, he was upon the first soldier. Drawing in a deep breath, he blew out a large puff of green-colored noxious gas that stunned the soldiers for a few seconds. Zero bit down on one of the guards' exposed hands and pulled him down with him due to his momentum. Swinging back and forth from the guard wildly floundering around like a fish on land, the unbalanced guard stumbled into the guard next to him. They toppled against each other like dominos.

Zero yanked out a small arrowhead-looking knife that was made out of flint hidden away in his collar. His sloppy sewing made it easy to detach. Biting it between his teeth, he slashed viciously at the guard's exposed inner elbow, cutting the tendons and making the guard drop his weapon.

"Argh!" The guard cried out in pain. He grabbed his arm, trying to stop its bleeding. Zero effectively disabled his use of his fingers, and he would never be able to hold his weapon again.

In that split second, Zero saw an opening in-between the helmet and the armor. He dived towards the guard's neck and slit his throat in a single stroke. Ruby-like streams of blood splashed across Zero's fur. Zero was aiming for any sensitive spots and pressure points. He knew by aiming in sensitive areas where the arteries were exposed, he could get a quick death and some critical attacks.

Bolting around and slipping through wild swings, he was able to get to the next guard. He tried to stab his knife in the exposed area under the arm where there was no protection, giving minimal damage. Dashing behind, he once again slashed behind at the guard's knee, where there was only a thin layer of leather padding protecting it. The guard dropped to his knee in pain.

"Stop moving, you rat!" the guard yelled as he raised his sword and created the opening that Zero was looking for. He attacked like a snake and slit the guard's throat. The man tried to use both hands to stanch the bleeding, but it was too late. In a matter of moments he toppled onto the floor: dead.

"Kill it!" shouted a guard as he brandished his swords.

One guard pulled out his sword while the other notched an arrow into his bow. Zero backed up from the soldiers and sprinted away. In the hallway there were multiple statues of medieval knights, each holding a sword and a shield. His aim was to get the guards as far away from Pat as he could.

Zip!

An arrow whizzed past his face and left behind a small line of blood. Two more arrows flew towards Zero, and he was able to dodge them by a hair's breadth. He ran as fast as he could towards a statue. He used his momentum to jump against the wall, giving him leverage to leap on top of a statue. Quickly he somersaulted off the statue in an arc and flipped in midair above the guards' heads. In slow motion he saw guards firing an arrow at him. At the last second, he slightly turned his body so the arrow only skimmed his fur as it zipped by.

Just like the time when Agnis first hit the horned rabbit's foot, the back of Zero's left leg was pierced with an arrow. Clenching his teeth in pain he accidentally broke his flint knife into small shards. Once again he inhaled air and spewed out a large cloud of green noxious gas.

The three remaining guards were immobilized, while Zero fell to the ground. He was unable to land correctly and instead landed on his side.

Thump!

"Ompf." A large breath of air escaped his chest. Trying to forget his pain, he spat a small piece of flint into his paw and scraped it against his claws, creating a spark.

KABOOOOM!

The guards were engulfed in flames. Zero and the three soldiers skidded across the floor. One of guard's heads was knocked violently against the wall and broke his neck. The second soldier was slumped dead on the floor while the third sat motionless.

Shaking himself from the rubble, he pushed himself up and hobbled over to Pat.

"Pat?" Zero nudged him with his head, trying to wake him up.

Pat slowly opened his eyes and gave him a weak smile. In the corner of his mouth, a small drip of blood escaped.

"Are they safe?" Pat asked as he shakily reached towards Zero.

"Yes." Zero pulled himself over towards Pat. Pat's hands lightly ruffled Zero's hair.

"Your fur is so soft. It would be nice to have a pillow like this," he joked and chuckled over his own words. He seemed to be struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Here, eat this." Zero pulled out a medicinal plant for Pat to eat. Pat eyes glazed over.

"I'm coming, Pamelia," Pat yelled to the sky and then, with a light thud, his hands fell to the ground.

"Pat? Pat?! Wake up! Come on, you can't die here." Zero's cried out in worry. He placed his paws on Pat's neck, trying to feel his heartbeat: a fading pulse and then nothing.

"I'm so sorry," Zero whimpered. His throat felt dry. He bowed his head in sadness. An electric shock of pain shot up through his leg, and he cringed. The arrow was deeply embedded into his leg, but it stopped short from piercing all the way through. He couldn't pull it out the same way it went through; instead he would have to force it through the other side.

Zero snapped the feathers off the arrows with his mouth, He then braced himself and pulled out the arrow by grasping it with his teeth. Luckily the arrow head was not barbed and it easily slipped out. "Ugggh!"

Tears of pain ran down his face. Zero quickly chewed on the medicinal plant that he'd offered to Pat. Next he pulled out a yarrow plant that he made into paste and rubbed it against his wounds. A sizzle was heard as it slowly closed up the wound. He wondered how Agnis was handling herself with the guards.

Rinnng. Ringgg.

Just then a message appeared in front of Zero asking if he wanted to connect to a private call.

"I was just thinking about her," said Zero as he finished cleaning up his wounds.

He accepted and a telepathic communication between Zero and Agnis was established.

"Zero, did you find Tino?"

"Yeah, he's heading towards the location that I have given him." Zero wrapped his wounds with a piece of cloth.

"I need your help. These guards are becoming a problem." Her voice had a tinge of annoyance. "Hurry up and come here."

The telepathic communication was abruptly disconnected.

"What did that insane women do now?" Zero's legs trembled as he got up.

Turning around, he gave Pat a heartfelt salute. He would not forget the things that Pat had done for them, even if it was just a game.

A glimmer of gold caught Zero's eyes; something was clenched in Pat's hand. It was a small golden heart locket. Zero was surprised that Pat had this hidden away from the slave masters.

He must have hidden it in his stomach and then regurgitated it, thought Zero. He picked up the locket that was the size of a quarter. Gently opening it, he noticed a painting of Pat and a young female teen smiling together.

Ding!

You have acquired: The Lock of Memory.

He gritted his teeth to bear the pain as he hobbled in Agnis's direction. As he moved, the pain decreased and his health slowly recovered.

Zero looked at his icon on the bottom right side of his status window as he noticed a small red timer. It was counting down to zero. He had about fifteen minutes left before he would transform back to his human form. Time was running out. Backtracking through the winding hallways, he eventually ended up at the place where he slinked behind the guards. Upon arriving he saw Agnis struggling with the same guards that she had distracted.

"Get off me!" Agnis struggled from the guard's hand that held onto the end of her blue dress.

"Come on. I thought you liked talking to us. Isn't that why you brought us something to drink?" jeered one of the guards and joined in laughing with his companions. He grabbed her roughly by her arms. He pulled her into him giving her a bear hug. Agnis stomped hard on his foot and knocked back her head into the guard's head. Blood flowed freely from his nose and temporarily stunned him. The guard lightened his hold, and Agnis broke free. With a swift kick from her leg Agnis was able to trip the guard onto his back.

Another guard rushed in towards her. He balled his hand into a fist and swung. Agnis stepped out of harm's way and stuck out her legs. Tripping him in the process, both guards fell forward into each other's fists and were both knocked out.

Agnis giggled. She was having fun.

A dense crowd formed around Agnis. They cheered and roared as she outmaneuvered the guards. A couple was whistling at her performance.

Once again she didn't need my help, thought Zero as he watched from a distance. He even ended up buying a shish kabob at a nearby food stand and sat comfortably on a chair. All he had to do now was watch the whole fight play out in front of him.

On every side the guards surrounded Agnis and brandished their swords.

"Put down your weapon. We have you surrounded!" the captain of the guard yelled. Sharp edges of the blades were pointed towards her. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind to focus her thoughts.

"What's all this ruckus about?" An annoyed noble stormed out of a nearby building. He pulled out a white handkerchief from his shirt pocket and wiped his mouth. He was wearing a tight black suit with white ruffles on the cuffs and collar. His outrageous flashy clothes reminded Zero of a clown. The guards saluted.

"Sir Dion. This girl has been creating a disturbance." The captain pointed towards Agnis.

"A girl is ruining my sacred place?" said Dion with a pompous attitude as he approached her. Scoffing at her appearance, he looked at the three soldiers that were knocked out on the floor.

"Is this what I pay you lot for?" Dion cried in outraged. "How can my guards be so incompetent with apprehending a mere girl?"

A couple of guards mumbled under their breath, "He doesn't pay us enough for this."

Dion shot them a glare and silenced them.

"Take those three fools to the infirmary and get rid of this nuisance." He waved his white handkerchief towards Agnis.

This is going to be interesting, thought Zero as he continued to munch on his shish kabob. He hadn't the slightest intention of helping her anytime soon. He surveyed the surroundings for some more barbeque.