The coward's dilemma

My name is Kakitha Osuduldu. I am the most renowned archer in the Abakie clan. 

'Why am I out here today you ask?' 

A couple of days ago, our clan's scouts became alarmingly aware of a surge in monster numbers nearby. Upon investigation, we stumbled upon a shadowy figure gleefully hunting the lowest-level monsters, cackling like a maniac. 

We shrugged it off at first, thinking, "Well, everyone needs a hobby," but soon enough, we spotted this thrill-seeker heading in the direction of our clan. 

We would've been totally cool with it, you know, live and let hunt, but it turns out he wasn't just into monsters — he was on a quest for our neighborhood's finest collection of chaotic low-level creatures. Who knew our clan was the latest hotspot for monster tourism?

So there I was, reluctantly appointed as the monster paparazzi, not because of my awe-inspiring skills or my lightning-fast enemy takedowns. Nope, it was more like, "Hey, you there, with the skillset of a mildly disgruntled sloth, you're the perfect candidate to tail the maniacal monster magnet." I swear, my clan has an uncanny knack for recognizing the true heroes among us.

It's because I've mastered the art of making sure enemies don't get to RSVP for a revenge party. Call it my meticulous planning or just my deep-seated fear of becoming someone's arch-nemesis, but when it comes to foes, I believe in taking it slow and making sure they never even think about revenge. 

It's not just a skill; it's a fear-based service I provide for the clan.

Ah, Kakitha, the undisputed champion of cowardice in our clan, wore his title with pride. When he was assigned the daunting task of offing a mind-bending monster, it became an epic saga of caution and overthinking. 

Picture this: ten days of Kakitha tiptoeing around shadows, second-guessing every move, and probably apologizing to the monster for inconvenience caused. But hey, the glorious part? Despite the prolonged ordeal, the monster bit the dust. Kakitha's approach might be slower than a snail on tranquilizers, but darn it, he gets the job done—eventually.

Sending Kakitha on this mission wasn't just about the shadow dweller—oh no, it was a masterstroke in utilizing his unique skill set. 

The clan figured, "Who better to keep an eye on Mr. Monster Magnet than our resident champion of cowardice?" Kakitha's orders were clear: observe, deal with the situation however his jittery instincts dictated, and make it out alive.

Turns out, being a coward has its perks; Kakitha's intuition, honed through countless "what-if" scenarios in his overly cautious mind, was the strongest in the entire clan. Fear not, for Kakitha, the fearful, was on the case.

There was Kakitha, tailing Adrian like a professional ghost, convinced that Adrian was about as threatening as a marshmallow. 

But as Kakitha continued his covert surveillance, he started noticing some peculiar behavior from the supposedly non-threatening Adrian. Just when Kathika thought he had the upper hand in the sneakiness game, Adrian pulled a plot twist. 

Out of nowhere, Adrian casually turned in his direction, locking eyes with Kakitha who was hidden in the shadows. Caught red-handed, Kakitha couldn't help but let out a terrified squeak.

Turns out, even the most cautious coward can't escape the occasional fright when caught in the act of secret observation.

'Don't tell me he has noticed my presence?'

Adrian's gaze continued to linger, playing a game of hide-and-seek with Kathika, sometimes fixing on him and other times scanning the surroundings as if he had a bet with himself on predicting Kathika's next escape route.

It was like being stalked by a mind-reading detective with a flair for the dramatic. 

Kathika, frozen in place like a deer caught in headlights, couldn't decide whether to be impressed or terrified by Adrian's eerily accurate guessing game. The perks of being a clan's top coward suddenly felt less comforting in the face of Adrian's seemingly psychic antics.

'Is he trying to gauge my escape routes and thinking of a plan to make me stay?'

Kathika stood with an air of determined intensity, his form outlined by the soft glow emanating from the extraordinary bow he wielded. Crafted from a mystical wood that seemed to capture the essence of sunlight itself, the bow glimmered with an ethereal radiance. 

The surface of the wood reflected light in a delicate dance, as if the bow itself was a conduit to an otherworldly realm.

As he aimed the radiant bow at Adrian from a distance, Kathika's focused gaze bore into his target. 

Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, a testament to the tension in the air and the gravity of the moment. The glow from the bow accentuated the subtle contours of his face, casting shadows that mirrored the weight of his intent.

In the serene hush of the moment, the light dancing on the bow hilariously mimicked the inner turmoil of Kathika—a battle royale between the urge to escape, be true to his title and duty.. 

That bow, playing the role of a stoic spectator to more stories than a library, throbbed with an energy that could rival the determination etched on Kathika's face—almost like it was trying to outshine him in the drama department.

The soft luminosity played upon the string, casting a silvery gleam as it awaited release. The entire tableau spoke of a pivotal moment, where light and shadow converged, and the radiant bow became an extension of Kathika's unwavering resolve. 

The dance of reflected light upon the bow added an otherworldly element to the scene, amplifying the gravity of the impending action.

In a sudden twist of events, Kathika's heart skipped a beat as he witnessed Adrian plunging into the shadows, as if he had caught wind of every sneaky move Kathika made—arrow in the bow, ready for release and all. 

It was like being caught in a real-life game of cat and mouse, except Kathika hadn't signed up for the mouse part. 

'He definitely knows I am here.' 

Caught in a cloak-and-dagger dilemma, Kathika found himself uncertain of how Adrian had sniffed him out, but survival instincts kicked in hard.

The urge to vanish and make a run for it flirted with his thoughts, but Kathika hesitated—not out of unwavering loyalty to his clan or a reluctance to shirk duties, but because deep down, he knew the game had changed. 

It wasn't about duty anymore; it was a matter of being the pursued rather than the pursuer. Kathika couldn't shake the feeling that once you've been marked by someone who can track you through shadows, escape wasn't an option; it was just delaying the inevitable hunt.

'I can't leave it be. I have to do something.'

In the crucial moment when Kathika contemplated a change of scenery, he locked eyes with the shadow dweller emerging from the shadows. 

To add to the thrill, the shadow dweller picked up pace, as if challenging Kathika to a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with a dash of cosmic speed. It was like witnessing a horror movie where the protagonist realizes the monster is not only real but has also mastered teleportation. 

In that split second, Kathika questioned every life choice that led him to this heart-pounding moment of being the prey in a supernatural game of tag.

'He's too sharp. He even realized my killing intent from this far. I can't fight him. I have to run away as soon as possible.'

In a stroke of cosmic irony, just as Kathika geared up to make a run for it, his foot stumbled into a treacherous vine, sending him into a precarious dance of imbalance.

To add absurdity to the misfortune, the arrow that had been patiently waiting in the bow decided it was done with this waiting game and took flight on its own accord.

 It was like a slapstick comedy scene unfolding in the midst of a suspense thriller, with Kathika, the unwilling protagonist, caught in a literal and metaphorical tangle of vines and arrows.

 The universe seemed to have a twisted sense of humor, leaving Kathika to contemplate the art of escaping while simultaneously doing a clumsy rendition of the cha-cha.

In a moment of unfiltered panic, Kathika summed up his predicament with a succinct, "Ah, shit. I'm so doomed." As the universe chuckled at the unfolding calamity, Kathika's eloquence captured the essence of a situation where escape plans and dignity alike were rapidly spiraling down the vine-infested rabbit hole.

He harbored a flicker of hope that the arrow could potentially dispatch the shadow dweller, yet beneath the surface, a gnawing realization lingered: dodging it would only draw the relentless entity's attention toward him.

True to his apprehension, as the dust settled, Kathika found the shadow dweller fixing a malevolent gaze upon him, a palpable intent to kill emanating from its eyes.

"So, is this where my tale ends?" 

In that ominous moment, surrounded by vines, with an arrow that had chosen its own adventure, Kathika pondered the possibility that his epic saga might be concluding in a most unexpected and potentially embarrassing manner. 

Unbeknownst to Adrian, from the very beginning, he remained oblivious to the existence of Kathika. Throughout the encounter, Adrian had been unwittingly fixated on the skinwalker, desperately attempting to locate the elusive figure, unaware of the unfolding drama involving Kathika.

Completely oblivious to the thoughts swirling in the mind of the recently appeared creature, Adrian couldn't help but curse his own luck.

'First, that cursed skinwalker, and now this enigmatic creature.'