Zavier sat up and leaned back against the couch. The twins rushed out of the room and came back with a plate stacked with french toast and bacon. Their voices overlapped in the way they always did when they were excited.
"I made french toast for you!"
"I roasted the bacon in the oven like you do."
"I brushed the egg on the bread instead of dipping it, like you do it."
"I sprinkled brown sugar and pepper on the bacon."
The rush of words came at him and a plate was thrust into his hands. The room went silent in anticipation as he took the first bite. Zavier rocked his head back and moaned. "Oh my god kids."
They looked at him with concern.
"These are amazing! I need you two to show me your techniques because this is my new favorite way of doing it. I'm going to be making it like this every time now! I need more of these STAT."
The rush of words came too fast to follow and both of them jumped up in excitement. Cass and Luna both kissed him on the head before rushing into the kitchen to bring him more. The love in Tess's eyes didn't need words and she wiped away tears.
Zavier chuckled. "Don't you start! If you start crying I'm going to start crying and then where will we be?"
He held a piece of bacon up and she laughed, taking it from him just as the twins rushed back in with more. Last night was rough but today was a pretty damned good day.
After breakfast had been cleaned up Tess and Zavier discussed the night before.
"Jesus, I was so scared," she said.
"I know, Honey, but it had to be done. Did you get a chance to identify it?"
She gave him a smirk and a nod. "Oh yeah. Check this out."
Name: Moonshadow Howler
Level: 2
Description: The Moonshadow Howler resembles a black wolf, but its fur glows with a faint silvery luminescence, blending seamlessly with the moonlit forest.
Abilities:
Shadow Leap: The Moonshadow Howler leaps from the shadows, appearing suddenly before its prey and dealing dark energy damage with its bite. Lunar Howl: Emitting an eerie howl under the moonlight, the creature sends waves of unsettling energy that weaken and disorient its foes.
She also held up a pendant with a huge wolf's fang on corded leather. Zavier took it reverently.
Item Name: Moonshadow Fang Pendant
Description: Crafted from the razor-sharp fangs of the Moonshadow Howler, this pendant radiates a faint silvery luminescence, reminiscent of the creature's eerie glow.
Stats:
Defense: +1
Abilities:
Special Ability - Shadow Stalker: Once per night, the wearer can invoke the predatory instincts imbued within the pendant. When activated, the pendant releases a chilling aura that instills fear in creatures of lower levels within a certain radius. Affected creatures may become hesitant to approach the wearer, allowing for easier evasion or intimidation in confrontations. Additional Notes: The Moonshadow Fang Pendant serves as a potent symbol of the wearer's connection to the moonlit realm and their mastery over the shadows. Wearing this pendant grants a sense of primal power, evoking the essence of the elusive Moonshadow Howler and striking fear into the hearts of lesser foes.
He gave a low whistle. "Well that will come in handy! If we get into danger we can use that to give ourselves a little breathing room."
"If I get into danger," Tess corrected. "I'm the one going out tonight. This time you get to sit inside feeling helpless while I get eaten alive by giant wolves."
Zavier's heart dropped but he could only swallow through a dry throat and nod. "Oh how the turntables," he said.
Later that night Tess stood just outside the front door, scanning the environment. She was wearing the third Shadow Weave cloak, the Moonshadow Fang pendant, and was equipped with the two pistols, two machetes, and the Toxic Weaver Dagger. She didn't have Zavier's creativity with weird items and was comfortable with her style of fighting. She didn't know if they'd just see more squirrels and wolves, but after reviewing the videos of Zavier's fight she was confident she could take whatever came at her.
Her heart rate was low and even as she strode into the driveway. She moved carefully through the ankle-high grass, scanning everything as she walked the perimeter of the house. The woods seemed pregnant with danger but was taking its time in birthing the horrors within. She heard a squawk and reached for the walkie-talkie that they'd finally remembered to use.
"Tess, I see some weird movement in the grass on your… three," Zavier's voice crackled. She nodded and turned that way, trusting him to watch her back. She did indeed see some weird rustling. Four distinct rows of grass were swaying in patterns that were making a beeline right at her. She tensed and without any more warning they all shot forwards at incredible speeds. Four sudden impacts smacked into her ankles and feet and she saw serpentine heads lash backwards into the grass. She instantly processesd the fang marks that hadn't managed to break through the tough leather and steel toes, then she jumped back and cast Identify as they all lunged forwards again.
Name: Dust Devil Rattler
Level: 2
Description: The Dust Devil Rattler is a serpentine creature with scales the color of sun-baked earth. Its body is sleek and sinuous, allowing it to move swiftly across the desert terrain without making a sound.
Tess could hear the grass rustling and was glad they weren't in a desert. She didn't have any more time than that before they rushed again. She twisted and pivoted, spinning her upper body in vertical pirouettes and moving her legs in graceful movements to keep the fangs from hitting her calves. In a movement she decapitated one snake and knocked a second off-course by slamming the side of her machete into its head. It flew in a twist into the grass behind her and she leapt forward in an aerial summersault to jump over the two that had launched themselves at her legs. Another swipe and another decapitated. She plunged her second machete down and pinned the third to the ground. It writhed and flashed its head back at her but she danced out of its reach.
The walkie crackled again. "Nine!" Zavier yelled through the speaker and Tess turned in time to see the fourth one soaring through the air at head height. Its fangs were extended unnaturally forward and she had just an instant to see shimmering liquid pooling at their tips. She bent backwards and angled the machete up, bisecting the snake down the middle as it flew over her. Drops of the venom fell onto her hand and she yelped in pain. She shook the venom off of her hand but could feel it starting to go numb. Her fingers tingled and the back of her hand burned where the liquid had landed. She could see two angry red holes that were sizzling at the edges. She stooped down and wiped the back of her hand on the grass to get the last of the liquid off, but the damage had been done - she couldn't feel her hand at all. She reached for the dropped machete but it fell from nerveless fingers.
Picking it up with her left hand she stalked to the remaining snake. She was truly pissed off now and she stared it down with cold anger, just before removing its head. Casting Identify was becoming routine and she did it without conscious thought.
Four Dust Devil Rattlers, level 2 defeated.
Name: Dust Devil Rattler
Level: 2
Description: The Dust Devil Rattler is a serpentine creature with scales the color of sun-baked earth. Its body is sleek and sinuous, allowing it to move swiftly across the desert terrain without making a sound.
Abilities:
Sandstorm Strike: The Dust Devil Rattler coils itself into a tight spiral and launches itself at its target with blinding speed, kicking up a whirlwind of sand that blinds and disorients its prey. Venomous Fangs: The fangs of the Dust Devil Rattler are coated with a potent venom that induces paralysis in its victims, leaving them vulnerable to its subsequent attacks.
She still hadn't gained feeling in her right hand so she slid one machete into the ring on her right hip and gripped the other. She should probably go inside but she was too angry now and she wanted to take it out on something.
She stalked the edge of the woods, trying to pierce the darkness.
"Uh Tess, what are you doing?" Zavier's worry was evident.
She held up one hand without looking backwards, a sign he knew to mean that she wasn't in the mood and he shouldn't say anything else.
"Okay," he said. "Just don't go into the woods."
She ignored that and continued to stalk. Tonight she was the predator and she dared anything to come at her. The forest answered her challenge.