Chapter 96: Time’s Running Out - A Reckless Pokemon Hunt!

Chapter 96: Time’s Running Out - A Reckless Pokemon Hunt! Cersei briefed Meg about the ins and outs of Kai’s goals and his current strength. All the time, Contestant Morning Mist, now Kai’s soul-blood slave, kept gawking at the Character. Only a few moments ago, she had believed such a feat was impossible. Now, within a few moments since she had learned of her Master’s Glitch, the word impossible was taking a new meaning in her mind. As Meg looked at Cersei, marveling at each word coming out of her mouth regarding Kai, he looked at Morning Mist with pure greed. If it was in his hands, he would rather give up everything and sit down to learn everything that was in Meg’s mind. But time was of the essence. He had both his Side Mission and Hidden Mission to take care of first. Meg stepped towards him as Cersei finished. The awe on her face hadn’t vanished, but it had become even more apparent. The Book and its capabilities, the Glitch, the Ghost Serpent, his Privileges, and all the deeds that Kai had done after resurrecting in the Primordial Tower had become a sacred tale for her. Even more petrifying were his missions to hunt 4th-floor Contestants. Yet, it was Kai’s encounter during the Blood Prophecy and then him getting a reply from Hastur by sacrificing the Coreless Wand that had shocked her the most. Though, to Kai’s dismay, she was as ignorant about the Door, the Patterns, and the tattered strip of yellow robes as he was. Things hadn’t finished there. How can a mere Coreless Wand be sufficient for a reply? She had mumbled incredulously. Then she had told him that only the most exquisite things could bring a reply out of the prayer upon sacrificing them. Kai didn’t know if he should be glad about it or distressed. Meg also had not much to say regarding Red Sun’s presence. I’ve heard of the Sun and Moon organization, she had commented . It’s nothing but a group of lowlife mercenaries. Red Sun, if I’m not mistaken, is the lickspittle founding member. Meg had also told him to not eat the Rock Cake unless Kai couldn’t finish his Attribute Quota of the 1st-Set through Missions. Otherwise, it would do nothing but waste an Attribute Point. The best time to eat it would be in the 2nd Set, where Contestants struggle to complete the Quota. Kai smiled after hearing all that. Meg is showing her usefulness quite early, he thought, beaming. I was right about her. There was a tinge of pain hidden behind that smile, too. It was hard to let go of his chance to devour a Pokemon. Not that he could without raising his Snake Instinct Proficiency to 100%, but Kai had been positive that after hunting the three Contestants, he would have closed the gap significantly. It was then that Meg approached him and kneeled. "Master, forgive me," she said sadly. "Because of me, you gave up on your chance to devour a Pokemon’s Blood Essence." Kai said nothing. He looked at Cersei, who came up to him and stopped beside him as if she was his queen or something. Well, she is almost useless for now, Kai thought, looking at Cersei. He had decided to not use Blood Prophecy ever again until he would have the power to break it in-between by himself. He’d rather not find him stuck in some unavoidable paradox, like dancing at the fingertips of some unknown and unimaginable eldritch entity. "I have some counsel," Morning Mist said, lifting her head to look at him. "I am not completely sure about it, as your circumstances and powers are unique, even for my experiences. If it works, you can hit two targets with one arrow." Cersei sneered and then blushed when Kai glared at her. He would have already sent her away if he didn’t need her to talk in his place. "Speak..." Kai commanded, concentrating. "The Spinning Duo are Bladers, according to the reply you have got from HIM. Then, this 3rd Contestant is likely to be a Pokemon Trainer. 4th-floor Pokemon Trainers either have two Pokemon or an evolved Pokemon, if they had got their first Pokemon on the 1st floor." Suddenly, Kai’s eyes lit up. He already knew what Meg was suggesting him. As of now, all he needed was one good battle. The Spinning Duo, along with the Pokemon Trainer, were certain to give him a beyond-challenging fight. By the end of it, he was sure to have leveled-up his Elementary Snake Instinct to Advance. Then, if he played his cards right, he could devour the Pokemon of the unknown Pokemon Trainer. There were too many loopholes in this plan, though. First, if the Pokemon Trainer died before the Spinning Duo, then Kai might not even get the Pokemon. Second, if the Pokemon Trainer fled, then he would lose the Pokemon, too. Third, Kai didn’t even know which Pokemon the enemy had. None could deny that it was a risk at best. Still, Kai had never feared taking risks. Not to mention, he didn’t have a choice, either. "So, I counsel," the fallen 13th-floor Contestant continued, "to go to the forest and search for a Pokemon. Meanwhile I will search for those trio’s whereabouts. If I see the tiniest possibility of a good Pokemon, then I will share my location with you. Contending against three 4th-floor Contestants won’t be easy even for you, master. But..." -But I have you as an Item now,- Kai sneered. "Haha!" Kai’s laughter boomed around the hill. He didn’t reply to Meg, but just turned around and dashed for the thick of the Ilex Forest. Behind him, Cersei disappeared, and hundreds of tiny bugs exploded out of Morning Mist’s Inventory, spreading in all directions. A reckless hunt was about to begin, making the forest itself bleed. 40 Minutes to Glitch’s Hibernation... * * The trees in Ilex Forest were packed so densely that it was nigh impossible to see the sky through them during the day. At night, it became the synonym for Darkness. The buzz of bug-type Pokemon and the stirring of leaves where even the wind couldn’t come, brought such a deep sense of terror with it, that few could’ve coped with it. In this darkness, on the ground covered in dead and rotten vegetation, slithered the foulest creature known across many worlds. Every time this creature breathed, a rattling noise reverberated as if it was trying to suck in more than just air. A black hooded cloak with long tattered strips billowing at the end covered this creature like mist rising from the depths of an unknown realm. This creature was a Dementor. Kai extended his shriveled, skeletal-like right hand. Despite its white-gray appearance, one could see long finger-imprints on his forearm where the real Dementor had grabbed him before succumbing to his Blood Devour. Selene’s head came out of his bony palm and touched the ground. -Follow me, master,- she hissed, slithering out of him. Kai glided behind her noiselessly. He could sense it. The sheer amount of Mana and Breath here was overwhelming. On every corner was life. -There. I can taste it, master,- Selene hissed, coming back to him. Kai was hovering over the ground like a black, horrifying, rippling carpet. He craned his neck up and saw the Pokemon, then. Some 20 meters up, perched on the branch, was an owl-like Pokemon. It was standing on one leg, and its body was round with a brownish color. It was cocking its head in a rhythmic pattern in all directions. -Selene. Go!- Kai hissed. The Ghost Serpent burst into a mass of silver mist and entered the trunk. Simultaneously, Kai glided up as if he was nothing but air. Air froze around Kai, a deathly cold spreading outward. When Kai was some 5 meters below the Pokemon, Selene descended over the Pokemon from above. She hissed so loudly that the Pokemon cried and lunged away from her. It... flew downwards. "Hooot... Hoothoot..." It was fast. Big and fast, an odd combination. Yet, in its flight running away from the predator, it forgot to sense Kai. Dementor-Kai’s fingers touched its feathers. A blue-white layer of frost appeared on the Pokemon, almost freezing it in the clutches of death. Kai brought the wild Pokemon near his face and saw that there was still a fight in its eyes. So he sucked deep. Happiness left the Pokemon as fear and despair replaced everything that it had ever known. One more deep, rattling breath, and fear also abandoned the Pokemon, leaving nothing but pure despair.