Shadow Slave: The Great Hunt

I'm forgetting something… or maybe not.

He thought, racking his brain for an elusive answer that came to him a moment too late as he felt a searing pain slash down his back sending him tumbling down on the side of the tree top before he caught himself off a particularly large leaf.

Skies above it's always something isn't it.

Cursing to all of the gods he stood up, taking his spear out of his bag where he had conveniently tied it to climb and brandishing it in one hand whilst looking up to see who or what had assaulted him.

The beast was hideous; it looked like a mix between a panther and an eldritch horror, with two too large eyes that were all white not to mention the darn thing had 5 tails that wrapped up and over its body with serrated spikes at the end of each.

But the beast's most striking feature was the rips and bumps that seemed to break through its hide, looking as if it was wearing a suit much too tight for its body or like its muscles had suddenly rapidly grown.

Well you're not exactly the epitome of a beautiful panther now are you.

With the momentary surprise as the hideous thing he took the initiative to walk to a point where one good strike from the beast would send him flying off the side of the tree.

The beast, not able to sit still, took the chance to lunge at him swinging its paws and tails in tandem.

Side stepping the obviously unintelligent attack and stabbing out at the panther though his attack seemed to bounce off the creature's tough hide.

Taking another step back and raising the spear with both hands he tried to think of a way to kill this thing.

Go for its weak points.

This was the only way he could beat a stronger opponent, to capitalize on its weaknesses and use his strengths this way in the slums. Why would it not be true here?

Speed versus raw strength but I know what its weakness is…

That weakness to be exact had to be those aforementioned sores and tumors.

The panther growled again, lowering itself into a crouch while brandishing its tails preparing to pounce again.

Moving quickly to the side as the panther jumped on the spot where he had been slashing across the side of his cheek with one of his tails.

Using its momentary lack of balance he attempted to stab a particularly bloated tumor on the beast's side.

But this is where his skill (or lack thereof) led him astray, popular media made fighting look very easy the reality was that hitting what you were aiming at especially when one was on a slippery surface was nigh impossible.

So instead of striking home and possibly ending the confrontation then and there his spear slid along the side of the beast's hide and took him with it, sending him staggering past it.

With a snarl of rage and a crazed look in its eyes the panther leaped at him and this is when Artemi did something truly crazy, he in his panic dropped the weapon and went into the fetal position.

A few things happened after this A. The panther having nothing to to land on promptly flew off of the tree and into open air

B. Because it was desperate the beast skewered its tail neatly into Artemis's thigh pulling him down with it to their eventual doom

C. Artemi grabbed a leaf.

Not good. Very very bad.

Was all that he had time to think before the blinding pain assaulted him stemming from this thigh and the curious ripping sound that came from below him.

And then he was free falling and his only hope was that his death would be clean and painless, so naturally he took his left hand and pressed it against his right hand in the gesture of the old gods that his mother had been so obsessed with. Instead of this however Artemi found one end of the huge leaf that had caught a ride with him. 

In a stroke of luck he managed to use said leaf as a sort of parachute catching his fall and allowing him to float gently to the floor of the jungle, suffice to say the panther did not land gently in fact it landed on its neck letting out an audible 'Crack'

[You have slain an awakened monster, blighted panther.]

[you have received a memory, tainted spike.]

Gods above, that was lucky, but… I think my legs are broken.

In fact Artemi couldn't feel his legs they were numb and as he lay back and looked at the fallen logs along with the deep undergrowth with the last faint rays of sun peeking through the trees he couldn't help to marvel at the beauty of it all he had never experienced anything so primally breathtaking. 

Then came the pain like a slap in the face. He was hit with the overwhelming agony that emanated from his legs.

"Arrgh!"

He didn't mean to scream, not remembering opening his mouth but nevertheless the shriek came out of his mouth like a tidal wave and it was only after a few minutes that he could think rationally again and a minute more before he could move.

I need to get out of the open and find my bag… didn't I receive a memory? I should check.

[Status: 

Name: Artemi

True Name: —

Rank: Apirant

Soul core: dormant

Memories: [Tainted Spike]

Echoes: —

Attributes: [Fateful], [Child of Nature ], [Divine Blood]

Aspect: Amature beast hunter

Aspect description: [You read a book about how to hunt beasts and you became one thinking it would be easy, that was yesterday so you don't have many skills yet but at least you're not a normal amateur hunter, you're rare.]

Memory: [Tainted Spike]

Memory Rank: Awakened

Memory type: Trinket

Memory description: [The jungle used to be a paradise filled with all the game for the divine hunters to hunt but then the gods died and with them the protectors of the jungle. Slowly at first the flora and fauna begin to mutate and grow sick so paradise was lost, in its place came a new jungle filled with beasts and mutants where only the strong survived. It's said a panther came from this ruin killing all who crossed it until a particularly skilled hunter killed it fashioning a necklace as a trophy from one of its tail spikes.]

Memory enchantments: [touch of decay]

Huh, interesting, so the golden city must have been where those protectors lived, it did look out of this world.

Summoning the tainted spike to his hand he marveled at the moat of light and sparks that coalesced into a neck lace that seemed to be a collection of finger bones with a rotting razor sharp tooth at the end of it.

He made his way into a nook between a particularly large fern and some fallen branches… or twigs in this case, settling into the hidey hole he peered out into the dusk as the sun finally finished it's long decent and the moon came up except this was like no moon he had ever see it glowed with a deep purple that bordered on black. 

And then something even stranger happened the ground beneath him shuddered and rose moving with a pounding

Gods what have I gotten myself into-

And then with a thunk everything went black.

————————————————————

Author's note: Hi everyone, I have had a chaotic few months and naught the time to write, sorry. Hopefully I should be good to keep creating this story for a while.