We set out wandering the surface with a new goal in mind to add to my growing list. I needed to learn more about my familiar and we both needed to learn how to work with each other. So far, at least we'd both proven to be capable combatants with our own strengths and weaknesses. Things were complicated, however, given the relationship between our abilities. Vipera and I both had our sets of abilities, but hers became mine whenever she resided within my soul, and I lost access to those abilities wherever she was physically manifested. Given how well her abilities meshed with mine, it required some adjustments based on whether she was within me or not. [Venomous Strikes] on its own was an adjustment that completely changed the way I fought. I went from having to cause grievous physical wounds to do damage to my opponents to being able to do just as much harm, possibly more, with much smaller wounds, let alone being able to bring my venom into play without having to actually bite my opponents, which could leave me in a more vulnerable position.

  On top of that, I healed significantly faster while Vipera was subsumed into my soul thanks to [Root Regeneration]. There was also her [Venomous aura] to consider. It was passively active at all times around Vipera herself or me when she was subsumed into my soul, anything that entered the aura became more susceptible to poison and venom which was a huge boost to both of our combat ability, especially when paired with [Venomous Strikes] which allowed us to inflict our venoms on our targets with much greater ease. All in all, it was a bit of a catch-22. Either I benefited directly from her abilities, or I could have a teammate on the field with me with those same abilities. Each scenario had its pros and cons; we needed time and practice to sort out what would be most beneficial for us both. We seemed to have plenty for the moment at least.

  With a plan in place, that was precisely what we did: we trained. We hunted monsters endlessly across the open plains, the lakefront, and the forest that made up the world we found ourselves in. We hunted [Grazles] and [Thornstalkers] on the plains even as they fled and hunted each other in equal measure. In the forest, we hunted [Arach Tyrants] and the myriad of small monsters that they hunted themselves. From strange rhinoceros-like creatures called [Jarken] that plowed through whole trees as if they were nothing, to packs of hounds that spat thorns as if they were bullets that the system referred to as [Varen]. Through our hunting, we developed our bond, sensing each other's moods and thoughts, wants and desires became second nature, thoughtless, automatic. We flowed easily from one tactic to the next, adapting endlessly as we searched for new prey to test ourselves against. We created a myriad of stratagems to employ that would make best use of both our bond and our individual abilities. My personal favourite was one that we had adapted from our battle with that very first [Thornstalker].

  I crept through the boughs of the forest trees, looking down on the forest floor. I'd changed even farther from the man I'd been when I'd first entered the soul-sheer. Clumsy and unsure movements had slowly disappeared, replaced by the confidence and grace that came from experience. I flowed from limb to limb, stalking above the forest floor with my [Stealth] skill active, looking for prey. I came across a massive [Jarken]. It was larger than others of its kind that Vipera and I had hunted in our drive to get stronger and hone our ability to work in tandem.

  The creature was massive. The rhinoceros looking creature stood well over seven feet tall at the shoulder, and at least eight feet long. Honestly, it might have been longer than that. Its leathery grey hide, I knew from experience, was difficult to penetrate. Its shoulders were covered in plates of hardened bone like natural armour that extended all the way up to the back of its neck, and covered parts of its head. The head was where most of the danger was, however. From its snout grew a massive, curving horn that was more than capable of ending a life. I'd been on the receiving end of one of those horns a couple of times before, and they left terrible wounds behind. It was difficult to see from a distance, but the horn itself actually had some sort of small barb-like serrations on it that left jagged bleeding wounds. It was bad enough being run through by the creature's horn, but on the way back out, it ripped and tore at the flesh of whatever victim was unfortunate enough to expedience it. And it was unfortunate to experience it, to be certain. Of course, there was also the sheer size and weight of the creature to consider. If I had to guess, I'd say this one in particular probably weighed in somewhere between three and four thousand pounds, more than enough to make a pancake out of me should I have been unfortunate enough to find myself underneath the creature. I triggered [Analyze] targeting the creature.

  The [Analyze] skill was activated, and information flooded into my mind. This [Jarken] was indeed a formidable beast, its stats reflecting its imposing physical presence and natural weaponry. Of course, it wasn't just any [Jarken] either; this one was an alpha.

  I studied the creature intently, noting how its massive form moved through the underbrush with little effort. It brushed aside saplings as if they weren't even there, and its passage stripped the bark from any tree it happened to bump into. The forest floor trembled slightly with each of its ponderous steps, and I could hear the crunch of twigs and leaves beneath its feet. This wasn't the first alpha monster I'd encountered in the soul-sheer; they all seemed to share a handful of traits regardless of species. Almost every alpha was larger and higher leveled than their normal counterparts, and they almost universally had higher stats. Sometimes they were accompanied by packs of their lesser brethren, sometimes not. Honestly, I found it odd that such a creature chose to live in the forest rather than in the open plains where there would be nowhere to hide from its charge.

  I leapt from my position above in the trees, shifting to my spider form as I fell, legs poised like spears aiming for the flank of the beast. All eight of my legs penetrated its hide thanks to a combination of sharpness and gravity. The familiar green shimmer of [Venomous strikes] covered my limbs, giving the [Jarken Alpha] a full dose of the venoms I had access to. I clung on as the beast began to panic, bucking wildly as it tried to dislodge me from where I was clamped onto its less armoured flanks. Vipera reared up at my side, having materialized as soon as I finished dosing the monster beneath me, she dove beneath the monster with no hesitation as the Jarken picked up speed, dashing through the forest. Surroundings passed in a frenetic blur of browns and greens while I rode along with the Jarken's frantic charge, hanging on for dear life while I waited for Vipera to reach her goal. Moments later, my patience was rewarded, or punished, depending on how one wanted to look at it. Vipera hissed in victory as she reached the beast's front legs, wrapping herself around them much like a flying bola would have. With its legs yanked together, the beast went face-first into the ground, digging a deep furrow in the earth several meters long. All the momentum it had built up had to go somewhere, though. It was that moment my grip slipped.

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  I was torn away from where I'd been holding on for, my limbs torn from the Jarken's body, spraying blood and gore through the air. I followed.

  I tumbled through the air, my spider form spinning wildly as I struggled to right myself. The world blurred around me in a dizzying kaleidoscope of green and brown. As I sailed past tree trunks and branches, I frantically extended my legs, trying to catch onto anything to break my fall. At the last second, I managed to snag a low-hanging branch with two of my legs. The sudden stop sent a jolt of pain through my body, but I held on, dangling precariously above the forest floor. I quickly scuttled onto the branch despite the protesting of my limbs, my eight legs finding purchase on the rough bark. From my new vantage point, I surveyed the scene below. The [Jarken Alpha] lay sprawled on the ground, its massive body having carved a deep trench in the earth. It was struggling to rise, its legs tangled in Vipera's coils. My familiar was holding on tight, her scales glistening with effort as she constricted around the beast's limbs. She was putting her abilities to work even now. I could see her scales glinting with the sheen that accompanied [Venomous strikes] as she continued to coil tighter and tighter, her scales digging into the beast and drawing blood the whole time.

  I didn't waste any time. Leaping from the branch, I shifted back to my human form mid-air, drawing on [Web walker's Grace] to enhance my movements. I didn't want to risk any major damage to my spider form right now, and it felt like I'd nearly torn my forelegs from their sockets snatching that branch the way I had. I drew my dagger from within [Inventory] as I went, easily hopping from branch to branch. Dropping onto a limb with my full weight and momentum, it bowed downwards. I used it as a springboard to launch myself at the Jarken, where it lay struggling on the ground. I aimed myself directly at its throat, gripping my dagger in both hands as if my entire body was just one massive spear that aimed to do nothing else except drive as deeply into the monster's throat as possible.

  The impact rattled my bones and blurred my vision, the force buckled my arms and smashed the pommel of my dagger into my gut. The air rushed from my lungs as I collided with the [Jarken Alpha], but my aim was true. My dagger sank deep into the beast's thick neck, hot blood gushing over my hands. The monster let out a guttural bellow, thrashing wildly. I clung on for dear life, gritting my teeth as I twisted the blade, desperately seeking its vital arteries. Vipera hissed encouragement, her coils tightening further around the Jarken's legs. I could feel her satisfaction through our bond, her [Venomous Aura] pulsing around us. The beast's movements were growing sluggish, our combined venoms taking their toll. Adding a third venom to the mix was not doing the monster any favours at all.

  With a final, mighty heave, I wrenched my dagger free and stabbed again, this time finding the sweet spot between the Jarken's bony plates. That sweet spot leads directly to the beast's spine. The creature shuddered, its massive body going limp when my dagger tore into its spinal column. Monsters like this one might be fantastical, something that would never be seen on earth, that defied all kinds of physical laws. Some things didn't change, though; if a creature had a spine and it was damaged, it was not a good time for them. I rolled off its bulk, panting heavily as I hit the forest floor, splaying out on my back.

  "Well," I gasped, trying in vain to wipe blood from my face with hands that were just as coated in the sticky red, "that was certainly exciting."

  Vipera unwound herself from the fallen alpha, slithering over to me with a smug air. If she could speak, I imagined her word choice would be somewhat sarcastic. Probably something like asking if I'd enjoyed my flight. That seemed like it would fit well with the personality of my mischievous familiar. Such thoughts brought about questions, though. I had wondered on more than one occasion if Vipera would eventually be able to speak to me, using actual words. She seemed plenty intelligent enough, and after weeks and weeks of hunting together, I was absolutely certain she understood me. If not through words, then the connection of our bond. I reached out and patted my familiar's head as had rapidly become a habit. The other thing we'd discovered during our hunting was that I didn't need to touch corpses to loot them; Vipera could do it for me.

  "Wanna go loot the big guy while I have a look at my level?" Vipera nodded, slithering away towards the corpse of the Jarken Alpha. I accepted the loot notification without a thought; I'd look at the contents later. Oddly, there hadn't been much in the way of loot lately, materials sure, but fewer and fewer items had appeared until they stopped appearing entirely. I snorted and checked my system notifications.

  Finally.

  That was all I could think, staring at the system message. I'd been chasing after level 19 for what felt like forever, and I'd been doing other things too, like training with Vipera. Yet it was still a combination of the desire to advance and grow stronger and to face the familiar guardian that truly drove me onward. The gains over these past weeks had not been small, not at all, and that helped me to feel a bit more ready for the battle that was inevitably coming.