The forest was quieter since the Shadowfang Wolf ambush. Kai and Elara had traveled resolutely to the Capital for two days, every step along the way filling Kai with an inner change of a profound nature. The trek was no longer one of survival; it was now one of growth.
He had trained nonstop for the past two days. The intervals between scrounging food and walking down the seemingly never-ending dirt road were filled with Elara's demanding practice. There was endless sparring with a wooden bat against her lightning-fast staff, grueling mana control training that caused his head to pound, and even forced meditation sessions that tested his patience to the breaking point more than any monster.
His muscles ache with a dull, constant burn, but through the exhaustion was a buzz of new strength. He could sense the difference. His movements, previously fumbling and desperate, were becoming razor-sharp. His attacks, previously wild, now flew faster and struck more true. The system was evidence of his progress; he was now Level 4, and the numbers to prove it coursed through his very bones like a soothing, comforting buzz.
But as they strolled along a high ravine path where the trees thinned out and the broad, empty skies towered above them, a sense of dread began to build in Kai's chest. It was that same cold, heavy feeling that had descended upon him when the Pyre Hound attacked, a sense animal instinct that they were being watched.
Iris chewed on his head, her voice razor-sharp and not an ounce of softness. "Be careful. There is a hunter mana signature circling. High altitude. It's looking at you."
Kai's eyes flashed up. High in the clouds, barely visible against the radiance of the sun, a dark shape listlessly circled. Then, a shriek of ice-cold sound pierced the air, so brutal and feral it sent a shiver down his flesh.
Elara halted on the spot, her carefree pace abandoned. Her face reddened. "That's… no ordinary bird," she gasped, her hand curling around the smooth wood of her staff. "Stay near."
The shadow folded its wings and dived.
It hurled itself out of the air like a black meteor, expanding with terrible speed. Wings as wide as two men spread, their feathers a dark midnight hue with glimmering streaks of violet. A hooked beak glinted with black, highly polished metal, and its claws, each as long as a dagger, looked large enough to bore straight through solid rock. The beast dropped down in front of them with a thud which shook the ground, the ground trembling beneath the weight of the creature. A blast of wind sent pebbles and dust flying, forcing Kai to shield his eyes.
His breath was taken away as the familiar, glowing words of his system swam into his vision, overlaying the bird-like abomination.
[Name: Gloomtalon Harrier] [Level: 6] [Health: 8000/8000] [Stamina: 3000/3000] [Mana: 1200/1200]
Kai's heart dropped like a rock. Level 6. Two full levels above him. Its health pool was huge. He looked over at Elara, but she hadn't even blinked at the glowing readout—naturally, she couldn't see it. This weird, analytical skill was his and his alone.
"Back," Elara cautioned, her tone low and strained as she positioned herself between him and the foe.
But Kai shook his head, a fierce determination blazing in his gut. "No… I need this fight." He tightened his grip on the hilt of his unadorned blade, his knuckles as white as marble. "I won't always have you with me to bail me out." This wasn't just about proving himself; it was about obliterating the ghost of the abject boy who had died in that school hallway.
Elara's eyes narrowed. For a moment, she appeared to weigh it, a flash of frustration in her eyes. Then she saw the desperate resolve in his eyes, and she gave a hard, abrupt nod. "Then show me your training was not wasted on me."
The Gloomtalon howled, its voice echoing off the ravine walls. Its wings spread wide, it released another raging blast of air. The creature's red eyes, which glowed with an alien intelligence, fixed on Kai.
The fight began.
The Harrier charged with accelerating speed for a bird of its dimensions, its massive talons slashing at the ground, cutting great channels in the ground. Kai dodged aside, rock and dust mingling where he'd been a moment earlier. He rose up striking with his sword, the metal flashing against the creature's wing. It barely stirred, the blow a minor prick. With a lash of a wing as hard as iron, it flapped him across the chest and sent him tumbling. The force struck him like a runaway cart, and his breath was ripped from his lungs. His state fell rapidly.
[Health: 1600/2000]
"Too strong…" he growled, trying to get to his feet, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
"Don't panic!" Elara shouted from behind, her voice a steady, comforting voice over the chaos. "You can't beat it with brute force! Think on what I've shown you. Read its movement. Stop wasting your energy on wild, useless strikes!"
Kai gritted his teeth, wiping at his lip with a bloody hand. Focus. She's right.
He did his best to draw breaths slowly, suppressing the fear. He watched the body of the Harrier intently, ignoring the grotesque beak and talons. Each thump of its powerful wings, each spasm of its talons as it shifted its weight, had a rhythm. It was a waltz of death, and he needed to master it. He counted off the next move, ducking under a slashing wing blow, then leaped forward, cutting his blade across its exposed leg. Black blood splattered the ground.
The Harrier screamed with rage, its health a little down.
[Health: 7600/8000]
Not nearly enough. Not enough.
The beast, furious, flew at him, tracing a killing pattern through the air that was fearful and wonderful to behold. Then it dived, beak first, coming at him faster than his eyes could track. Instinct screamed—he raised his blade in a last-ditch two-handed parry just in time. The impact was devastating. It shook his arms to the bone, the ground trembling beneath his feet from the very force of the blow. His health fell once again.
[Health: 1200/2000]
I'm done if I take one more blow like that.
"Kai!" Elara's shout pierced through his fear. "Use your mana! Focus your strength! As I showed you!"
He closed his eyes for a moment, pushing the warm energy from his inner self into the aching muscle. His muscles hummed with new, vibrating power. The pain in his arms faded, his grip on his sword tightened, his stance grew firmer. When the Harrier dived again, Kai didn't try to parry. He rolled out of the way at the last moment, then leapt upwards, driving his blade through its chest as it whizzed past.
A clean, hard blow.
[Health: 7000/8000]
However, the beast slowed barely at all, regained the air with a frantic scream.
Iris's voice bit into him: "It's testing your defenses. It'll stay in the air where it has the advantage. Don't chase after it. Drive it to the ground."
Kai's gaze flickered to the environment. The trees groaned and curved beneath the explosions of its wings. Loose boulders and jagged stones littered the floor of the ravine. A notion sparked, a desperate hope.
"Elara! Can you pin it? Just for an instant!"
Her mouth curled into the tightest, ravenous smile. She struck the head of her staff against the earth, speaking a single snapping word. Bunches of roots as big around as his arm shot out of the earth, curving upwards to form a sudden, spiny enclosure. The Harrier screamed, veering out of its flight wildly to avoid the surprise trap—which placed it squarely on a collision course with Kai's waiting blade.
Steel met flesh in a stomach-turning rend. The creature howled in agony, its flight failing as it impacted the ground hard.
[Health: 6000/8000]
"Good!" Elara cried out, although the root cage was withered already. "Press the attack now!"
Grounded Harrier thrashed wildly, its wings stomping with hurricane strength, whipping a whirlwind of air and dust. One wild lash of its talon sent Kai reeling to one side, and he felt his ribs break under the blow. He thudded brutally against a boulder, his head spinning in a haze of white-hot pain.
[Health: 400/2000]
"Kai!" Elara wailed, at last running to help, but Kai staggered upright, blood from his lips, his body writhing in pain.
"No. this is mine."
He forced mana through his veins again, not just to reinforce his body, but to fuel his will. His simple sword shone with a pale, silvery light, warmth along its edge as he directed his will into it.
The Harrier, having shaken itself, charged.
Kai shifted to the left, the motion halting but effective. He attacked at the hinge of its wing, and when the creature turned to nip at him, he spun with every remaining shred of strength, thrusting his sword deep into the creature's chest. The creature screamed, its beak snapping towards his face—only for the detached, clinical voice of Iris to echo in his mind: "Now. Drop."
In a flash, Kai dropped his sword and went flat. The beak blow of the Harrier went inches wide, its impact propelling it forward—into the wall of shattered boulders. The impact jarred it for a crucial second.
Kai shouted, leaping to his feet. He closed the hilt of his sword, still stuck in the beast, and with every last bit of strength in his frame, wrenched the blade free. Bones groaned under his tug, the unpleasant tear of muscle and sinew. Feathers floated, blood ran. The beast shuddered, its massive wings fluttered once more, and then it slammed down into silence in a final, gurgling shriek.
There was a pause, with only Kai's hard, agonized breathing interrupting it. And then the system.
[Gloomtalon Harrier defeated – +200 EXP]
[Level Up!] [Level: 5] [All Stats Increased]
[Health, Stamina, and Mana Restored]
A wave of golden energy, warm and comforting, rushed over him. The acutely hurting ribs gradually stopped hurtling and the broken bones healed with miraculous speed. His exhaustion was also removed, being replaced by a spurt of fresh, powerful energy. He glanced at his stats, his eyes wide with wonder.
[Health: 6000/6000]
[Stamina: 2400/2400]
[Mana: 2000/2000]
He collapsed to his knees, panting, drenched in sweat and the Harrier's dark blood. His sword trembled in his grip.
Elara jumped forward, kneeling on the ground beside him. Her sharp eyes glittered with something like pride and extreme worry.
"You stubborn idiot," she told him, but there was no heat in her voice. A pale, cold magic flowed from her hand as she placed it against his shoulder, holding him up. "But you did it."
Kai laughed nervously. "I… I leveled up."
Elara's smile was soft and sudden, a brief and surprising noise. But it slipped from her face in an instant as she looked at the huge body of the Harrier, her tone growing deep and grim. "That monster doesn't usually hunt in these gorges. It was compelled. Driven from its home."
Kai's warmth from leveling up cooled to ice in his veins. "You mean…
"Yes," Elara snarled, her gaze colliding with his. "Someone ordered it to attack us. It is the same modus operandi of the wolf."
Finally, you understand, Iris's voice dripped icily in his mind. But then the question remains… why you?
Kai's fists clenched. He did not know the answer—but he was going to find out. For now, he had survived. For now, he was stronger.
But the shadow of his unidentified stalkers loomed ever bigger.
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