As Chip the lion leaped free of the undignified net that had carried him deep into the heart of Benin, he began to circle the surprisingly large and tough-looking rooster, he thought back to the whirlwind of activity of the past day. After his dramatic and frankly envy-inducing transformation, Raul the human had seized the reins, dragging Chip along for the ride.

  Ignoring the lion’s protests about needing Raul to clean up the mess that he had made of the den, the human had led Chip to a large building that appeared to be nicer than any of the edifices surrounding it. There were a number of humans living there, and Raul seemed to know them. That didn’t stop Raul from snapping one of their necks when they tried to stop him from taking several objects that Chip couldn’t identify but were apparently something called “technology”. The rest of the humans retreated while screaming in panic and Raul was content to let them leave in peace. Chip would have rather killed all of them, but since they belonged to his temporary ally’s species, he thought it would be rather uncouth to slaughter them.

  He did eat the body, though.

  Once he had finished his business in the area, Raul had walked over and picked Chip up by the scruff of his neck, once again ignoring his protests, and literally flew into the air, flames streaming from the soles of his armored boots. Chip almost bit down on his ally’s forearm just on principle. In fact, he was in the middle of weighing the pros and cons of falling to certain injury versus taking additional damage to his ego when a Quest suddenly appeared.

  Chip sighed and accepted his fate, at least for the moment. It seemed that he was going to be subjected to any number of slights in route to Parakou. He consoled himself with the thought that both the abominable chicken and Raul Sanchez would not be surviving the battle.

  The flight was mercifully short, and Chip was fairly sure that no other cats had seen him hanging in the sky by the scruff of his neck. Otherwise, he might have died of mortification, Quest or no Quest. Raul set the lion down in front of a walled in area filled with brightly colored containers that had been converted into small offices in the heart of the city of Cotonou.

  “Why are we here?” Chip asked the man. “Not that I’m complaining about finally being set down on my own four feet, but I don’t smell anything worth fighting there.”

  “This is Seme city. There is technology here that I must acquire,” the human answered before stalking forward, pulling the gate open and ducking to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. Once inside, the pair passed through a number of zones: one was set up for designers, another for sound recording, a third for engineering and 3D printing. Raul popped into several of the modified shipping containers and grabbed random bits of things as they went. After the fifth item, Chip gave up on trying to figure out the reasoning behind what Raul grabbed and what was left behind.

  But one thing was clear. The human grew stronger as each item that was grabbed turned into a kind of liquid and was absorbed by the armor covering his torso.

  “How are you doing that?” the great cat asked after a while, bored of looking around and wondering when they would be finished.

  “It is a class skill I have. Unfortunately, such information is restricted, even for allies. I apologize,” Raul answered, his head swiveling back and forth as if looking for something. He stopped for a moment, still looking this way and that, before choosing a direction and setting off.

  “The final components I need are here. Then we will head to our next waypoint.”

  Realizing that there were more stops ahead of them, Chip felt like a child who had been misled by a parent who had asked them if they wanted to go to a particular store, only to find out later that the itinerary also included stopping at three other locations, none of which were interesting.

  Annoyed again, the lion followed the human through a narrow maze of corridors and into a lab that contained several large and expensive-looking pieces of machinery. Raul absorbed both of them before turning around in silence and walking back the way they came.

  “Come,” he finally said as he and Chip arrived back outdoors, once again taking the lion by the scruff and blasting off. The experience was just as humiliating the second time around for the powerful lion.

  The second flight was much shorter than the first and in just a few minutes Chip found himself back on the ground. This time, they were in a public square that had seen better days. Bits of equipment that had once belonged to the seaport just down the road were strewn everywhere, while several large trucks had tipped over on the road bordering the square, spilling their contents all over. In the middle of the square stood a large statue of a woman that was in similarly rough shape. Something had exploded the metal plating outwards and torn up the nice concrete tiles in a long line in front of the statue. The entire atmosphere just felt creepy for some reason, and Chip felt a strange tingling sensation as the pair approached the statue.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “There are elevated radiation levels here,” Raul announced. “I need a sample of this metal. You must stay back.”

  “What’s radiation?” Chip asked, confused by the word. “Is it edible? I’m kind of hungry.”

  The human turned to the lion and his strange, glowing eye looked the great cat over.

  “You appear to be well-fed and in no need of immediate nourishment, although you should find some water to drink before we arrive in Parakou. Radiation is dangerous. Stay back for your own safety.”

  Chip stayed back.

  Raul walked over the enormous woman and, reaching out his robotic hand, absorbed a large portion of the protruding section. As he did so, his armor changed its sheen, taking on more of a greenish tint. Chip could only assume that was an upgrade.

  “What are you doing?” he asked the human, who had closed his eyes and appeared to be deep in thought.

  “This alloy has substantially upgraded both my offensive and defensive capabilities. It was well worth the deviation from the shortest route to our target. However, I need a moment to complete the upgrade. Continue to wait at a safe distance.”

  Hiding his outrage at learning that the human had increased in power yet again, the lion poked around the area and found an intact net that had once been used to catch fish or at least smelled that way. When Raul finished his upgrade, or whatever it was he was doing, Chip indicated the piece of net.

  “This is only slightly less embarrassing than being carried, but I would greatly appreciate it if you could carry me in this net,” the great cat asked, feeling ashamed that he was begging in the first place, more ashamed that he was going to be flown around in a net, and most ashamed that Raul appeared to be far stronger than he was. The man’s enormous stature, ridiculous physique, and sheer aura had made it abundantly clear to Chip that he was no longer the dominant creature in the strange alliance. And, after absorbing the strange metal, Raul’s very presence made the unpleasant tingling sensation stronger.

  The human stopped a few steps away from the lion and took a good look at the discarded fishing apparatus. It was quiet for a few awkward moments before Raul nodded and put a hand on the heavy rope net.

  “Climb on,” was all he said.

  The flight up to Parakou took about an hour, just long enough for Chip to get cramped, bored, and thirsty. He had completely forgotten about hydrating. Thankfully, however, the human seemed to know exactly where to go, so they didn’t have to worry about searching the entire city. The great cat scowled as he wondered how exactly Raul had divined the rooster’s location so easily. It was the lion that was supposed to be the great hunter, not the human. They didn’t even have the ability to track prey by scent!

  Annoyed at the thought, Chip almost missed that the pair had come to a halt and were hovering in the air directly over a chicken farm. The heat from the flames that Raul was somehow using to remain in the air was a bit stifling, making the great cat even more thirsty as he panted to cool off.

  “What are we waiting for?” Chip asked after a few moments’ hesitation, trying not to let the human see just how uncomfortable he was.

  “The rooster will be here shortly. It will be most efficient to wait until then to act.”

  “Can’t we at least land?” the lion whined.

  “Visual confirmation of the rooster is needed at the earliest possible moment. We are at an optimal altitude for this.”

  It ended up taking almost half an hour for the rooster to arrive, soaring through the air on wings that looked decidedly longer than those belonging to the average rooster. In fact, the chicken itself was ridiculously large, larger than the average human, if Chip had to guess. Like Raul, the rooster radiated an aura of power. But the two powerful beings felt very different. The human’s aura was cold, clinical, and purposeful. The rooster’s was exuberant, ungovernable, and ferocious. For the first time, Chip wondered if he should abandon his Quest and find something else to hunt.

  As the enormous chicken landed and approached the floating duo on foot, Raul finally began his own descent. As they neared the ground, the System decided that the Quest issued by Fellissa to her Champion was successful.

  What, no reward? The lion grumbled to himself, annoyed that he hadn’t even leveled. The lion was already at level 24, and he couldn’t wait to see what would happen once he reached level 25. The System user guide had refused to tell him anything about what he would receive, but he was sure that it was either a new Special Ability or something just as good.

  Chip hit the ground a split second before the human did, and he channeled all the anger, the shame, and the annoyance he felt toward the bird facing the pair. All thoughts of running away dissipated in the presence of his natural prey. So, he activated his Camouflage skill, circling around the bird so he could also see Raul while focusing on his Eye of the Stalker Special Ability, which increased the damage of the first attack he made from stealth based on how long he had observed his prey. One of the rooster’s crazy bloodshot eyes continued to track him, but it was of little concern to the lion. He knew that he couldn’t be seen by either Raul or the chicken until he made an attack or otherwise performed an action that would end his skill. So maybe he would just stay on the sidelines while the other two fought. With any luck they would fatally injure each other.

  Chip watched Raul calmly face off against the overgrown bird, making no moves to defend himself or even assume a fighting stance. Then, he spoke to the chicken as if it were his equal.

  “My lord was right to command your extermination. I fear that if you are left unchecked, you will overrun the entire Earth with your filth. And yet I will still offer you this mercy: surrender and I will grant you a clean death.”

  The rooster’s defiant response slammed the door on the possibility of a mercy killing. Raul nodded in understanding before taking two steps forward, his stance still calm, his hands at his sides. He spoke again, but not to the rooster.

  “Chip, I accept your final wish. Incorporate!”

  The rooster leapt to the side as a tendril whipped out of Raul’s right arm and made contact with Chip’s foreleg. All the color drained from the world as the cold, metallic appendage wrapped itself around the lion’s body. Then, it pulled.

  The last thing Chip felt was the impact of his face against Raul Sanchez’s chest plate.