The hills stretched out in jagged waves, scarred earth and blackened stone marking where wyverns had already claimed their territory. Smoke drifted up from half-burnt trees, curling into the pale morning sky.
Izaru cracked his knuckles. The Crimson Wolf's Gauntlets glinted in the sunlight, his boots crunching over gravel with each step. He didn't bother sneaking. No point. Wyverns weren't the type you could sneak up on—they smelled arrogance like dogs smelled meat.
Behind him, Liora trudged with all the enthusiasm of someone being forced into manual labor. She kicked a stone into the brush, scowling. "You know, normal people would've said no to this quest. 'Subjugate a wyvern nest'? That's basically suicide with extra steps."
Izaru glanced at her, deadpan. "Good thing I'm not normal."
"You don't say, you monster."
A shadow rippled across the ground before either of them could say more. Then came the screech. Ear-splitting, sharp enough to rattle bones. A wyvern swooped down, scales catching the light like shards of metal, wings beating thunder into the air.
Liora's jaw dropped. "That thing's twice the size of a house!"
Izaru stepped forward, lifting his fists. "Perfect to punch a hole through."
The beast landed hard, claws gouging deep into the soil. It opened its mouth, heat distorting the air around its throat. Flames churned inside like a forge about to freaking combust.
"Move!" Liora shoved Izaru to the side just as fire roared across the ground, scorching earth into molten streaks.
Izaru's boots smoked as he skidded back into position, unfazed. He smirked, flexing his gauntlets. "That all you've got, you flying flamethrower?"
The wyvern hissed, lowering its head, tail whipping side to side like a whip with spikes on it for more pain. How does this thing even sit down properly?
Izaru shot forward. The impact of his step cracked the dirt. He slammed a fist into the wyvern's jaw before it could snap shut, the sound echoing like stone shattering. The beast reeled, wings flapping wildly.
Liora, safely a few dozon yards away, threw her hands in the air. "You can't just punch everything! It's a wyvern, not a street thug!"
"Watch me," Izaru called back, ducking under a tail swipe that split a tree in half behind him.
The wyvern screeched again, this time airborne, whipping up a storm of dust as it beat its wings. Izaru squinted against the grit, muscles coiling like springs.
He leapt. Straight up. His boots dug into the dirt and launched him higher than any sane human should've been able to jump. He met the wyvern mid-air, slamming a gauntleted fist into its chest.
The sound was thunder. The beast crashed back down in a tumble of wings and fury, flattening the brush beneath it.
The messages came.
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Izaru landed in a crouch, cracking his neck. "One down."
"One?!" Liora yelled, pointing to the cliffs above.
More shadows moved. Wyverns—plural, not for long, gonna get multiplied by zero—unfolding their wings, shrieks echoing across the mountainside.
Izaru's grin widened. "Good. Also, you better drop new gauntlets for me. These ones are already worn out."
Liora facepalmed. "Oh gods, we're dead."