Chapter 55: Blood Money

I wasn’t sure if the lone driver would make it back at all, given the lack of an escort, but there wasn’t anyone we could spare, so he’d simply have to hope for the best. We’d thinned the herd in terms of predators, at least, though who knew if our efforts would be enough to keep him safe? Either way, he was on his own, because we still had a job to do. Harvey up front, the driver in the middle, and me bringing up the rear, all of this was familiar territory by now. Given the recent trend, I was expecting trouble with every step we took, but remarkably, nothing barred our way as we approached the final group of horses. Moreover, they were still alive, and looked to be in good health as they frolicked by the edge of a pond, occasionally stopping to drink their fill from the clear blue water.

Even seeing that brought my own thirst back, and I resolved to store some water for the way back; really, I should have taken some from the caravan, after emptying my stores against the Wispers, but had neglected it in the hurry to set out. I resolved to be more meticulous in future, as was my true nature; this singular, momentary lapse, I chalked up to the lingering excitement of the former Will, embarking on an adventure for the first time. Was this true? I had no idea, but it was as good an explanation as any, where reincarnation was concerned. The driver took the initiative, heading towards the horses without a care in the world. That was an immediate red flag, because the drivers never took initiative, having relied upon Harvey for directions up until now.

“Stop!” Harvey ordered, mere moments after my realisation, only to be entirely ignored.

When he himself advanced, intending to make his objection in a more physical manner, black limbs formed of shadow emerged from the ground, holding him in place and preventing Harvey from making use of his ludicrous speed. The hair on the back of my neck was standing ramrod straight, and my palms tingled as tiny bolts of lightning ran through my limbs. Up ahead, this effect was even more pronounced, as a vast quantity of mana gathered around the three horses, and a magic circle made itself known around them. A trap.

I took a single step forward, and immediately another limb emerged, grabbing my ankle and holding it in place. I stopped, preempting the emergence of any more obstacles, and instead reared my arm back.

[Gild withdrawn.]

I couldn’t get up close, as any attempt would see me caught by a dozen dark limbs, much as Harvey endured even now. Accordingly, the only option available was to take the driver down from afar. A coin wasn’t my first choice of projectile, but I wasn’t willing to risk anything better: if I threw my knife and failed, then I would be leaving myself unarmed. Briefly, I did consider throwing Pumpkin as something of a hail mary, but he was a chunky cat, weighing nearly ten pounds. Even if I managed to throw him far enough, which was by no means guaranteed, his travel speed would be low, and potentially prone to interception by the same limbs that restricted my options. The coin was my only option, I reflected, as I held it in a three fingered grip, between thumb and index and middle finger, drawing upon every scrap of skill and muscle memory from my Proficiency (Throwing Weapons) to carry the day.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

This would have been an impossible shot back on Earth; humans simply didn’t have the strength to throw a fifteen gram coin fast enough, hard enough, to do any real damage. This wasn’t Earth though, and my System granted expertise assured me it was possible, and that Assassins the world over used this trick, albeit usually to show off to the newbies, as it was far from reliable even in expert hands. I was no expert, but on that day, lady luck blessed me and my arm. Drawing my hand back over my shoulder, I threw from a reverse grip, demanding that my coin fly true, at an angle and crucially with a spin. It hit the rogue driver in the back of the throat, tearing clean on through to the other side, robbing him of the ability to breath as severed arteries choked his lungs with blood.

He pitched over, just at the edge of the ritual circle, coming to a dead stop on the floor in more ways than one.

[50 Experience gained for coining a new finishing move.]

It was a fine shot, truly, one that even had the System impressed, and for a brief moment I wondered if I’d managed to save the day. Then, a final, shadowy hand emerged next to the dead driver, and bodily dragged him those last few feet into the ritual circle. It faded away after that exertion, as did the limb on my ankle and all of those restraining Harvey, but that was no help, because its job was already done. Before my gobsmacked gaze, the three final horses melted and congealed, five successively stronger waves of magic rippling from the pool that their conjoined carcasses now formed. It was horridly, terribly bright, such that my eyes could barely keep the mass in my sights, by the end of it, but eventually, whatever malign will forced this transformation restored their cohesion, and a singular being stood to greet us.

[Horsedra - Level 7 Demon]

It’s form was as ridiculous as its name, being a massive horse of truly ridiculous proportions, standing a head taller than myself and boasting a musculature that would win acclaim at a Mr. Universe bodybuilding contest. Three heads crowned its expansive neck, each gleaming with malign intelligence across six beady red eyes, a thin layer of scales obscuring most of its faces. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, because as bizarre as all of this was, it was still a high level monster, and one I doubted would go in peace.

“Oh no,” Harvey groaned, which was as much as he got to say before the Horsedra charged right at him.