Ch. 18 – The Harpies
In the morning, Damien was awoken by the feeling of wetness on his face.
Ergggh, what? Is there a hole in the tent? Opening his eyes, he could see the reason for the wetness was that Aurora was licking his face. “Why are you...” he started, before remembering he wouldn't get a response that way. 'Why are you licking my face?'
'I wanted you to get up so we could stretch our legs. The other ones left a short time ago.'
Damien yawned but nodded. “Well, that's good.”
The other two also awoke, and they got out to start packing up their camp.
“I hope we don't run into them again...” Betty said, a shiver running down her spine.
Damien nodded in agreement.
“I feel bad for them,” Bluey said, looking a bit forlorn. “They deserve a better Master.”
Damien gave Bluey a hug to reassure her.
Once packed up, they continued on towards the marked harpy territory on the map. Since they had made good time the previous day (minus the goblin ambush) they reached the beginning's of it just before midday.
Betty turned to everyone, “Alright, let's eat a snack for energy while I explain my idea.”
Damien nodded, interested in Betty's sudden assertiveness, as he passed out some bread and jerky to everyone.
Betty continued, “Since harpies like to capture men, we'll have Damien travel a bit in front, and when the-”
“Wait wait wait, are you using me as bait?” Damien asked.
Betty blushed a bit but nodded. “Don't worry, I'll buff you first! And I don't think the harpies will attack you, since they'll want to use you for mating, so they'll just try and capture you.”
“I don't want that either!”
“Don't worry Master, I'll smack them before they grab you!” Bluey reassured him, giving an eager fist pump.
Betty shook her head, “If you can punch them that's fine, but I think you and Aurora will probably need to focus on your magic attacks, since harpies can fly.”
Bluey nodded in understanding, while Aurora gave a short 'Piyu' to show she was paying attention.
Damien sighed, resigned to his fate. “Well, at least I'll be useful...”
Betty nodded, “Just use Message on Bluey when a harpy comes.”
Once they had finished eating, Betty buffed Damien, and he set off into the harpy territory, while the others followed behind a short way after.
Only a few minutes in, and he heard a shrieking sound. Above his the leaves of the trees were being blown every which way, as a flapping creature hovered above him. About the size of a human, it had long, tangled hair, giant feathery wings on its arms, and long legs that ended in claws. It was also completely naked, although Damien was too terrified to pay too much attention.
The harpy shrieked again, before slowly flapping down towards him.
Damien came to his senses, 'Bluey! One's attacking-' However, his Message didn't get completed, as suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the harpy causing it to fall over onto the ground in front of him. As he backed away, a flash of blue shown as Bluey dashed in, smacking the harpy a couple times until it stopped moving.
Behind him, Aurora ran in, followed by Betty, who was breathing heavily. “Are you okay? We ran as soon as we heard the shrieking.”
Damien nodded
“See? I told you Master,” Bluey said, giving Damien a hug.
This seemed to bring Damien back to his senses as he hugged Bluey back. “Thanks Bluey. Hopefully we don't have to do this too often.”
Betty blushed, “I didn't realize how loud they would be.”
“Me neither, I wouldn't be surprised if other harpies heard it.”
“Piyu! Piiiiyu!” Aurora let out, looking in a certain direction.
'Do you hear something Aurora?' Damien asked, remembering Message right away this time.
'Yes. Several responded to it's call, and there are more coming.”
“Aurora said she can hear more.”
Betty got a serious look on her face. “Oh Goddess, bolster my allies!”
“Can you put up that shield you used last night?”
Betty shook her head, “I could, but it works both ways, we would just be staring at each other until it dissipated, which would let them surround us.”
“Yeah, that wouldn't be great...” Damien concluded. “Let's use me as bait again. I'll stand in the open while you three wait in ambush?”
“Are you sure Master?” Bluey asked, seeming concerned.
Damien nodded, “It doesn't seem like they want to attack me right away.”
They quickly hid the dead harpy away, then after waiting a minute, Damien could himself hear the shrieking, steadily growing louder. Eventually, he saw several harpies flying through the trees. One of them stopped and shrieked, presumably as it saw him, and suddenly four were in front of him.
Suddenly the two on the left became engulfed in flames, as Bluey jumped out from the right, activating her Lightning Enhancement and punching the rightmost harpy so hard it flew into the others.
Damien backpedaled as Aurora and Bluey methodically attacked the harpies. They had been completely caught off guard by the ambush, and were all dispatched before even landing a single attack on anyone.
After they had all stopped moving, Betty came out as well. “That worked...better than expected.”
Damien nodded.
“Since Master is so sexy, he's really good bait,” Bluey asserted with a nod.
Betty blushed slightly, “He is, but I don't think the harpies are concerned with how attractive he is, just that he's a male.”
Damien coughed, “I don't think this is the time to talk about that.” 'Is there anything else coming?' he messaged to Aurora.
'Nothing right now, Master.'
“It sounds like we are in the clear, for now.”
Betty nodded, before pulling up her status screen. “Oh, I leveled up! I knew I was close after those water elementals.”
Damien pulled up his status screen to see he also had a level up notification. Clicking on it, the level up was for Aurora.
Aurora has leveled up
Fire-Fox – Level 5
STR – 37
VIT – 45
MAG – 98
DEX – 54
Fire Breath
Speed Boost
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
MAG +10
New Ability Available
MAG +8
Flame Wall
'Uh...I'm thinking the Flame Wall would be good.' he messaged to Aurora.
Aurora looked at him and replied, 'What about the MAG boost? I already have my Fire Breath.'
Damien nodded, 'If you want to you can, I just think the Flame Wall is different enough that it could be useful.'
Aurora let out a 'Piyu' and selected Flame Wall.
Damien let the other two know about the new ability. “Let's let her use it first the next fight,” he said, mainly to Bluey.
Bluey nodded, “Of course! I have to let my little sister show off sometimes,” she said, giving a much appreciated scratch to Aurora.
Damien turned to Betty, “Did you finish? Get anything new?”
Betty nodded. “It's a power to stop movement. Can...can I try it out?”
Damien blinked, “You mean like, on me?”
Betty blushed slightly and nodded.
Damien thought for a moment then agreed, “Yeah, I'd rather we know what it does exactly before trying it in combat.”
Betty nodded, and held up her hands, “Oh Goddess, bind my target!”
Damien felt locked in place. Any movement was impossible, as if his muscles wouldn't listen to his brain. If he hadn't braced himself, he probably would have fallen over.
“Is it working?” Betty asked.
Damien tried to reply, but his mouth wouldn't either.
Bluey poked Damien's cheek. “Master? I don't think he can move.”
Betty blushed, “I guess it worked.”
After a minute, Damien felt his muscles working again, and he had to catch himself.
Betty caught him, “Sorry...”
Damien shook his head. “It's fine, now we know it works for about a minute.”
“Well, it might not work as long on stronger creatures, but it's good to know what it does. Hopefully we can use it on the harpy Matriarch.”
After they collected themselves, they continued on until they lured in another group of harpies. Aurora used her Flame Wall on them (five this time) and a literal wall of fire a meter wide and several meters across, erupted in front of Damien.
He had to backpedal quickly from the searing heat, as the harpies screeched in pain as their feathers caught fire.
After a few moments, the flames dissipated. Three of the harpies weren't moving, but the two remaining seemed to have escaped most of the flames, and lunged at Damien, thinking he was the source.
Damien ducked out of the way as Bluey jumped in shielding.
“Bluey!” he shouted as Bluey blocked their claws. She then swiftly punched each with a Lightning Enhanced fist, finishing both off.
“Heal!” Damien quickly said.
Bluey turned around as the wounds on her arms healed. “Thanks Master.”
Damien shook his head, “Don't-...” he stopped himself, realizing he shouldn't ask that of her. “Thanks for jumping in for me.”
Bluey smiled a huge smile at him, “Hehe...”
While Betty smiled at them, Aurora was going crazy, letting out multiple sharp 'Piyu's' in quick succession.
'What's wrong, Aurora?'
Damien could tell there was a twinge of fear in her voice. 'There are many coming, including a larger one. I think it's the Matriarch that we're targeting.'
“Aurora says more are coming, including the Matriarch,” he relayed.
Betty nodded. “I'll use my power to hold the Matriarch while Bluey and Aurora deal with the others. Then we can focus on her.”
The others were in agreement with that plan. Since the Matriarch was coming, Damien wasn't baiting anymore.
After not even a minute, the branches above them were swaying as eight more harpies descended. Seven looked similar to the previous ones, and one, obviously the Matriarch, looked half-again as large.
“Oh Goddess, bind my target!” Betty shouted.
The Matriarch stopped flapping, and fell on the ground with a loud 'thud'.
This seemed to enrage the other harpies, who all started shrieking and flew down.
Damien and Betty dove behind a log, while Bluey and Aurora started casting their spells.
Aurora used Flame Wall again, catching several of them in it as they dived, causing them to veer off into trees or the ground.
Bluey was individually using Lightning Bolt on harpies, then smacking them as they fell.
Unfortunately, due to their numbers, they were able to get a few slashes on Bluey, while Aurora used her Speed Boost and dashed away, using Fire Breath whenever one got close.
“Heal!” Damien shouted, using it on Bluey. He wasn't sure how much she had actually taken, but he wasn't taking chances.”
A harpy let out a shriek and dived towards where Damien and Betty were. However, before it got there, Aurora used another Flame Wall to fry it.
Damien pulled up their statuses quickly, and saw that both of them were almost out of MP (Aurora was at basically zero). 'Aurora, come hide over here. Bluey, save MP for the Matriarch if you can.' he Message'd to both in quick succession.
Aurora dove back behind them, while Bluey focused on using her punches only. After a short while, the last couple were lying motionless on the ground.
“The Matriarch is going to be able to move at any moment,” Betty said, concerned.
Damien made a split-second decision, grabbing a couple of branches that had been on the ground due to the commotion and staking them into the Matriarch's wings.
“Master?” Bluey asked, somewhat confused.
“Use the rest of your MP to keep casting Lightning Bolt,” he shouted as he staked another branch into the Matriarch's other wing.
Bluey did so, and with the first one, the Matriarch convulsed but let out no sound. However, with the second, it let out another shriek and started fighting against the branches. With a violent swing, it pulled it's wings free, blood spattering everywhere from the holes. With another shriek, it dove towards Damien, sinking it's claws into his shoulders and picking him up off the ground.
Blinding pain shot through Damien's arm as he was picked up, the claws had dug through the leather armor like butter and dug into his shoulders. As he struggled, he felt something hit his back, then saw Aurora, her jaws clamped onto the Matriarch's leg.
The Matriarch gave out a shriek, and the grip on Damien's shoulder from the leg Aurora had bit lessened.
'Aurora, what are you doing?'
'Catch me Master,' was all Aurora replied.
At this point, they were just above the canopy of the forest trees.
Before Damien could ask what she meant, Aurora let go and in that instant, flames erupted form the Matriach's wings.
Damien's arms were freed, and he grabbed Aurora as she fell into his chest. Then...he fell, crashing back into the canopy, hitting several branches as he fell to the ground, focusing all his attention on holding onto Aurora as he bounced around.
Landing on the ground, Damien could barely move. Luckily, Aurora seemed mostly okay, licking his face as she stood on his chest.
“Piyu!”
“Damien!” he heard Betty shout from outside his vision. “Oh Goddess, heal my allies.” After a moment, he and Aurora were enveloped in a green glow.
Damien felt the pain receding from his back and shoulders, until he was able to sit up properly. Betty launched against him with a hug, “Damien!” she said, tears streaming down her face.
Damien hugged her back, “I'm okay. Where is Bluey?”
Betty rubbed her tears, “I think she's finishing it off.” She then shook her head, tears welling up again, “Why are you risking yourself like that!”
Damien felt embarrassed, “I was trying to help.”
“You can't help anyone if you're dead!” Betty said, holding his shoulders and starting to tear up again.
Damien held her close, “I'm...I'm sorry...I'll be more careful.”
“You better!” Betty said, wiping her face on his shoulder.
At that point, Bluey came back into sight. “Master! Betty! Is Aurora with you?”
“Piyu!” Aurora replied, running over to Bluey.
After collecting themselves, they followed Bluey back over to the Matriarch. It was a bloody mess, most of its feathers burned to a crisp and it's body a bloody pulp.
“I just stomped it a bunch, and it died,” Bluey said matter-of-factly. She turned to Damien, “Master, are you okay?”
“Yeah, Betty healed me,” he asserted. “So-sorry I got grabbed like that.”
Bluey seemed confused, “I thought that was part of your plan...”
Damien shook his head, “No, I just messed up...”
Bluey shrugged. “Well, it worked out.”
After confirming it was dead, they went around putting out a few small fires in the area they had started, and began to head back. They eventually stopped at the same clearing that had started the day in (luckily there was no sign of Herod).
After setting up the tent, everyone was too tired to do much of anything else, and sat around the fire munching on some of their remaining provisions. Before anyone could fall asleep, Damien noticed they had level ups to take care of, as both Aurora and Bluey had levled up. Damien could see he hadn't, but he was a good ways to level 7.
Bluey leveled up
Slime – Level 12
STR – 147
VIT – 114
MAG – 40
DEX – 108
STR +41
VIT +8
Lightning Attunement
Lightning Bolt
Squishy Membrane
New Ability Available
VIT +10
Bouncy – Can jump higher, and able to chain jump off vertical surfaces.
Bluey blinked a few times. “Should I get the extra VIT, or the jumpy ability? Being able to jump around sounds really cool!”
Damien was confused. “Maybe I lost track, but I feel like the ability handing out has changed a bit.” He shook his head, “Either way, it's up to you, but I feel like they way you fight would benefit from being able to jump more.”
Bluey nodded, selecting the Bouncy ability. She then ran over and jumped towards a tree...and jumped off it, flying high over them, until she went crashing through the underbrush.
The other three ran over, “Bluey!”
Bluey stood up, laughing, brushing twigs off her. “Haha, I guess I need to practice.”
After they sat down, Aurora started excitedly 'Piyu'-ing.
“I know, I know, let's do it now,” Damien responded, pulling up Aurora's level up.
Aurora has leveled up
Fire-Fox – Level 6
STR – 42
VIT – 51
MAG – 108
DEX – 62
Fire Breath
Speed Boost
MAG +10
Flame Wall
New Ability Available
MAG +10
DEX +10
“Well, do you want to keep going all in on MAG? Or make yourself faster? You do already have the Speed Boost ability.”
Aurora seemed to agree with his rationale, and nudged for the extra MAG.
Bluey and Aurora fell asleep immediately after they finished leveling, curling up together, while Damien laid down beside them. Betty seemed to have a death-grip on him, as if not let him go anywhere.
“I'm...I'm sorry Betty, I promise I'll be more careful in the future.”
Betty blushed, relaxing her grip a bit. “I know, but...you can't die and leave me alone again.”
Damien realized what she meant. He turned over and embraced her, “I promise I won't leave you alone.”
Betty blushed deeper, smiling and leaning into his chest. “You better not.”
After a few moments, Betty seemed to have fallen asleep, breathing softly against his chest.
Now that everyone else was asleep, Damien took this opportunity to ask something. Goddess, is there any way I can be of more assistance in fights? I appreciate that you made me a Summoner, but I feel useless during fights sometimes.
Luckily, he got a response right away this time. Tsk, tsk. What are you bothering me with when I'm trying to sleep? Have you lost all your confidence? I thought you were doing well.'
Damien winced at the disappointed tone. I'm sorry, but I feel like I need to be able to do more to help out.
'Hmm...it seems like you are doing a lot though. Protecting Betty, jabbing stakes into the harpy Matriarch...'
Yes but...look, maybe I'm being greedy, but I want to be able to do more.
He heard the Goddess giggle in response. 'I understand. Get to level 8, and I think you'll be happy with one of the abilities you're offered.'
Damien nodded (despite talking in his head). Thank you Goddess.
'It's not a problem. It's an ability you would have learned eventually. Patience, my dear.' He heard the Goddess yawn. 'Oh, and please do watch over Betty. And the others for that matter, I don't want something to happen to them either.'
Okay...am I not?
'No, you're doing an excellent job. Just make sure to continue. Now, I'm going back to sleep. I suggest you do as well.'
Thanks, Goddess. He felt like he heard a small 'mmmh' before there was silence once again. He looked back at Betty, who was gripping him tightly. It's not like I wasn't going to look after her.