The walk from the gorilla cage to the big cat area was taking longer than expected. The asphalt had blended into a stony, craggy landscape that towered around them as they walked through some sort of ravine of browns, reds, and yellows. The walls were hundreds of feet away on either side and the landscape between was an uneven mess of boulders, rubble, scrub brush, and shadows.
The faint clicking of claws on rock teased their ears, just loud enough to cause concern but not loud enough to identify any particular source. High pitched yipping followed soon after, growing into a crescendo that echoed off the walls to either side and made them put their hands to their ears to block out the painful sound. Zavier tried to yell to them to form up but his voice was lost in the noise. Fear wormed its way into Zavier's gut and he recognized a spell effect at work.
He searched for Cass and saw him trembling, sweat pooling on his upper lip. Zavier rushed to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, staring into his eyes. His voice was lost to the sounds around them but Zavier shouted anyway, trying to get Cass's attention. Cass's shoulders had started trembling and Zavier was scared that he could disappear at any moment. He reached up and tweaked Cass's nose, the weird gesture refocusing his eyes and attention on Zavier. Zavier held up his hand, thumb sticking out between his forefinger and middle finger, and mouthed "Got your nose."
The sound may have been lost to the echoes assaulting them but Cass burst into laughter anyway, his fear fading just as the echoes did. Tess tapped her ear and pointed to Zavier.
Dammit! He thought and spoke into the party chat. "Sorry guys, I always forget about this thing."
"Whatever is out there has a fear attack," Cass sent.
Suddenly Zavier was gone, landing nimbly on a rock 10 feet away as a hyena with massively oversized jaws snapped down onto the rock he'd been standing on, shards of stone erupting like an explosion out of its mouth. It had the low, muscled form of pre-System hyenas but with jaws that were meant for a creature twice its size.
Cass had a rod in his hands before they could move and had stabbed with it, punching the length of metal through the hyena and into the ground below. Its howl of pain quickly faded away as it was visibly absorbed into the rod.
"Holy shit," Zavier said then sent a message in the chat. "Okay, new plan."
They ran together as a group, each holding one of the energy absorption rods. Occasionally a hyena would leap at them and they'd catch it on a rod. The rods didn't activate unless they were stuck into the ground so it became a game of Run Rabbit, Run as they skidded to a stop to plant the spiked creature into the ground, then taking off at another sprint. The hyenas were flitting, muscular shadows and practically disappeared into the landscape at more than 15 feet away. They would reappear immediately after and be on them without warning, snapping jaws that could crush bone and tear through flesh without resistance. Despite their magical enhancements, their legs burned and their breath came in ragged gasps. They were all wondering if their mad sprint to the end of the canyon would see them out of this before the hyenas got to them.
The terrain ahead started to lighten and a distant open space could be seen past the canyon walls that were sloping downwards to ground level. The yipping behind them intensified and a jaw snapped on his leg before the skill on his boots could activate, instantly ripping the boot to shreds. The power of the hyena's bite ripped the magic apart like it was tissue paper before doing the same to the calf and ankle inside it.
Zavier screamed as he went down hard, the magic on his other boot disappearing the moment the first was shredded. He was hurled back and forth in ragged motions, the hyena that was gripping him pulling him backwards and savaging his leg with jerky head movements. Ice gears shot over his head and then Tess was there, standing over him and slashing out with a machete and Claw. The hyena released Zavier and bit down onto the machete and an echoing ping sounded as the top half of the machete went flying into the shadows.
Cass followed after, shield bashing the hyena and activating its knockback effect, sending the hyena flying away with a satisfying series of yips. Luna flipped Zavier onto his back and he downed a healing pill. The crawling sensation of muscles and tendons reaching out for each other made him shiver in revulsion and pain, but he gritted his teeth against it. He limped to his feet and took another pill.
He looked over the swell of bodies that was forming around them, the open space beyond looking further than ever. They backed into each other as the pack surrounded them.
"What's your gauntlet got?"
"I killed one of them with it so it's not freezing anymore. Not sure what it does, I didn't hit any yet."
"Okay guys, in a few seconds I want you to start running. Stay behind Luna, she's the lucky one."
"You're not planning on making some pointless last stand, are you?" Tess asked warily.
"Hopefully it's no last stand but the abilities on these Titan Gauntlets are going to take a few seconds to charge up. I need you guys running before the effect goes off since I don't think it's going to distinguish between friend or foe here."
Zavier turned to face the main mass of the pack and started beating his chest in a slow, thumping rhythm. Pebbles and dirt began vibrating away from him in thumps, then started jumping as the beating got heavier. Zavier risked a quick glance over his shoulder and was relieved to see his family in full flight through the stunned hyenas. Every time one of them crossed Luna's path it stumbled, tripped, or just fell over, leaving the path through them clear.
Once they'd passed the 10-foot radius Zavier began to beat his chest in earnest and the shockwaves pulsing out from him were clearing a path by sweeping everything within that 10 feet away in a tumble. The beating reached a fever pitch and Zavier realized that the magic wouldn't let him do this indefinitely, it would hit its peak soon and need time to recharge. When the last of the beats echoed across the distant walls Zavier was already in a full sprint.
When the confusion cleared and the yipping started behind him again Zavier cried out, pouring every bit of energy his legs could carry into the run. He knew it wouldn't be enough. His family was coming into focus in the distance, yelling and motioning for him to run faster. When he saw all of them tense up in unison he dropped to the dirt to land on his back, sliding across the grit as a hyena passed just over him. Its wide-open jaw would have taken him across the lower back and likely eviscerated his spine if he'd continued running.
He punched upwards into its gut and the glove erupted in static discharge, all of the hyena's muscles locking up in an electrical spasm as it shot over 50 feet into the air. By the time it landed Zavier was back on his feet, backing his way towards the canyon's exit. He had both gloves up and was firing off ethereal fists, each one expanding to the size of his torso and sending electrified hyenas flying in scattered clumps through the air. Just as he felt their magic running low hands grabbed him and pulled him past the entrance, the remaining hyenas stopping at the invisible barrier, pacing and yipping.
"Oh! Wait a sec," and Luna sprinted back into the canyon before any of them could react. She dodged, hopped, or spun through the pack, always seeming to end up just outside of their reach or narrowly missed by their bites. She grabbed a faded cloak in hues of faded brown and quickly made her way back to the exit, slapping one hyena on the nose that had managed to nip her.
"Look at this!" she said proudly.
Item Name: Hyena's Cackle Cloak
Type: Armor (Cloak)
Description: A cloak woven from the fur and essence of Gnashing Hyenas. The Hyena's Cackle Cloak grants the wearer enhanced evasion and the ability to instill fear in enemies with a terrifying laugh.
Stats:
Defense: +3
Agility: +2
Effects:
Fearful Howl: Once per battle, the wearer can emit a terrifying series of yips that induces fear in all enemies within a 20-foot radius, causing them to flee or become paralyzed for 5 seconds.
Stealth Enhancer: Although not true invisibility, the wearer is able to move more stealthily when in shadowy or low-light environments.
Tess spun her around by the shoulders, every inch of her radiating the fury of a mother who just saw her toddler run across the street without looking.
"Don't you EVER do that again! There was no reason!"
"I got this, though," Luna replied weakly.
Tess examined it then looked back. "It is not even close to worth your life. Overconfidence can kill you just as fast as anything else." She stood up and turned around, hands on her hips and taking calming breaths.
"Sorry, mom," Luna said.
Tess held up a hand. "It's fine. You're fine. Just please, be more careful going forward."