So I'm a Bat, Big Deal

Seizing the moment, I charged toward the entrance of the hedge maze, my heart pounding with urgency. I zipped out, evading detection, knowing I had to act quickly before the opportunity slipped away. I sprinted to the flower beds, arriving just as the clock chimed again. I checked the time—eight PM. My gaze fell on the massive snake statue, its form starting to crumble.

"We need to pick up the pace!" I said, racing toward the flower beds.

I landed at the flowerbed that I had been sitting next to before. "Help me cut and collect leaves," I said to Biter.

Biter hopped off my shoulders and made his way into the flowerbed next to me. He nibbled a leaf loose and added it to the pile I was gathering. I began snipping leaves with my tiny claws, stuffing them into my storage space. After collecting a good number of leaves alongside Biter in a short time, I glanced back at the snake statue. Biter climbed back onto my shoulder, and I cautiously flew over, noticing that the stone still enveloped the snake securely. I scrutinized it for any cracks that might reveal the creature inside and spotted a small chip in the stone, exposing a glimpse of the bright yellow monster beneath.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I ensured the statue was still secure before lunging forward with my Poison Fang into the tiny opening where I could see the vibrant flesh. My fangs extended, dripping dark purple venom as I bit into the snake, injecting as much poison as I could muster. The creature emitted a muffled roar and began thrashing, desperate to escape its stone prison just as the clocktower chimed again. It can roar? What is this thing? Chunks of stone began to break away more rapidly. One Poison Fang after another, I forced venom into the creature until I felt faint. It writhed in fury, roaring as another piece fell off. My heart raced with fear as I continued to push out the venom. The creature let out another furious roar before suddenly going still and silent.

 "Is it dead?" I slumped onto the rough stone platform, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath. The exertion of pushing out all that venom had left me utterly spent and slightly disoriented. I gingerly placed my little paw on it, but I was unsure whether it was alive or not.

[Don't get too comfortable this Golden Basilisk is only unconscious.]

I pulled my hand back, startled. "Is it going to die?"

Then I heard the clocktower chime through the stillness once more, sounding like a death toll in my ears. My eyes swung to the hands of the clock that read ten pm. I was out of time here. I was too tired to produce more venom, I'd given it everything I'd had and it was still only unconscious, so I couldn't level up yet. 

[It will, but not for about another hour in real time.]

"Shit!"

Then, I heard the heart-stopping crack of stone shattering the stillness. I turned to see the lion with the scorpion tail beginning to break free from its rocky prison. Panic surged through me as my heart plummeted. There was no way I could take on this creature right now, but then a wild idea popped into my head—maybe it could actually work? I was running out of options. With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself off the stone, feeling sweat trickle down my back. I was so exhausted I could barely move, and the world felt like it was spinning out of control. All I wanted was to find a secluded spot and sleep for a couple of days.

"Shit! Shit!"

 I soared over to the lion-scorpion, my mind racing. This was not where I wanted to end up! Staring at the creature trapped in stone, I spotted a small gap just big enough for the base of my wing. "This is absolutely nuts! I must be losing it. If this plan flops, I could unleash another furious beast on the world, but doing nothing means it's only a matter of time before that happens anyway."

Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from my bracelet, followed by a deafening sucking sound as the lion-scorpion was pulled into my space storage. Then, a loud pop echoed in the air. I glanced back at the statue, now hollow where the stone had once encased the creature. I actually did it! I managed to store the lion-scorpion in my bracelet. Peering through the opening, I saw the empty void where the beast had been.

Bane chuckled darkly, "Oh, you want to cram a living thing into your stage storage bracelet? Good luck! It'll only stick around for twenty-four hours before it's unceremoniously expelled.]

"I remembered that part and don't worry, this is just the first part of my plan."

[Not a worry in the world here. If you happen to shuffle off this mortal coil, I'll just find myself a shiny new host. Sure, I might feel a bit irked and put out, but at least I could score someone who doesn't drone on endlessly. So, it's not all bad news. Your untimely demise could actually be a win for me. I could get away from Biter and her incessant uninspired questions. But then again, you could always become a Dark Lord by simply annoying your enemies into oblivion. Now that's a truly terrifying prospect!]

"Oh, come on! You're calling me chatty? Can you just shut it for a minute? I've got to get my head in the game!"

[Ah, the need for total silence to think. How original! I can only imagine the Herculean effort it takes to keep those thoughts from eluding you.]

 As I struggled to navigate back to the maze and confront the boar, I did my utmost to ignore the distractions around me. Each flap felt like I was pushing through a dense ocean, and fatigue was weighing me down, making me feel like I could drop at any second.

Coming Next Time: Luck in Leveling