I saw that the ranger stood up and froze. The man was looking up at the starry sky. I heard strange sounds. It seemed like the flapping of large wings. Very large ones. Dark figures appeared above the treetops. They were clearly visible against the backdrop of the starry sky. A flock of large birds was quickly approaching us, carrying something in their claws.

The commander rushed towards the sleeping rangers and kicked the tracker with his foot. Brin didn't hold back his strength at all, and the kick was powerful. Petr instantly jumped up as if scalded with boiling water. He had a weapon in his hands. The tracker froze for a few moments and began to wake up Illa. Brin briefly cast a glance at me.

"Take cover among the trees!" shouted the commander.

The ranger didn't bother explaining anything. He leaped behind the tree trunk and disappeared into the darkness. The tracker immediately repeated his commander's maneuver. The sorceress hesitated. She stood there foolishly looking around, unable to grasp what was happening. Illa didn't even glance at the sky and seemed oblivious to the sound of wings. Behind the sorceress, a black figure of Brin emerged, and he dragged Illa with him into cover. I only heard a faint scream and caught a glimpse of the woman's legs. The rangers concealed themselves behind a large tree trunk. Within seconds, a spear impaled the spot where the sorceress had been standing.

Time slowed down for me. I could see a flock of birds flying towards our camp. Their behavior was peculiar. It seem like they were maintaining a precise formation. I observed a squadron of true bombers, about to drop their payload onto our camp. I leaped to the right, somersaulted, and started running. I wanted to hide among the trees away from the camp. I hoped that in the darkness, I would be invisible to the enemy. Behind me, the bombardment began. I heard numerous heavy impacts hitting the ground. I heard the fragmented, muffled strikes against the trunk of an oak tree. I heard horrifying screams and the flapping of enormous wings. I pressed myself against a tree, and trying to discern what was happening. Our small campfire died out. It was impossible to make out the attacking birds; it was too dark. The only illumination came from the moon and stars. Fireflies and kvits provided very little light, hardly worth considering.

Dark figures darted through the sky above the clearing where we had decided to stop. Something long flashed past me, disappearing into the darkness, and I heard a muffled impact. It seem like something had impaled the tree behind me. Probably a spear.

Someone from the rangers peered out from behind the fallen tree. In the man's left hand was a shield, and in his right hand, a short spear. He swung and hurled the weapon towards the birds, who were circling again for another round of dropping their cargo. I heard a cry, and one of the enemies fall to the ground. In response, something came flew in the ranger. The shield in his hand jerked, and the dark silhouette disappeared behind the fallen trunk. Once again, numerous shells were thumping on the ground and on the trunk of the oak tree.

On the third round, the birds didn't fare as well. Finally, the sorceress made her presence known. Spells were launched towards the winged creatures. By the time the enemies reached the point of releasing their projectiles, two figures had fallen to the ground. A fiery whip unfurled to its full length, and swift strikes flickered. It looked quite spectacular.

It seem like panic had struck among the enemy ranks. Two figures dropped their cargo prematurely and attempted to change direction. The enemies sped up, rushing to exit the mage's spell zone. It was fortunate that it was nighttime, and I couldn't make out everything clearly. One of the enemies' left wing collided with a sphere of reflection. The wing jerked to one side, then immediately to the other. The bird screeched in a harsh voice. In that instant, parts of its body started moving independently, changing direction at the most bizarre angles. It was accompanied by horrifying sounds. It all ended quickly and frightfully. The second figure experienced something similar.

"Who are they?" I murmured, peering into the darkness of the night. "They're intelligent. They're flying calmly amidst the spheres. Can they control their speed? Did those two birds just succumb to panic and rush? Just they mistaken?"

The creatures circled high above the area where the rangers were hiding and dropped something down. I noticed that the people had abandoned their position near the fallen oak tree and ran into the forest, seeking shelter under the trees. They were being pursued. The men held their shields above their heads. Protective spells flared around Illa with each impact.

One of the unknown creatures dove towards me. The creature folded its wings and stood on its lower limbs, approaching me with an unsteady gait. I could make out its hands, holding some kind of weapon. A short spear or staff, not visible in the darkness. The creature had hair on its human-like head, with hands and wings, but its body was avian and it had bird-like lower limbs as well. Was it a harpy? Definitely a harpy, intelligent and malicious creatures that live in flocks in caves. That's why they navigate so well in the darkness. Indeed, knowledge of mythology and folklore is very useful. I'll at least know who kill me.

"Very crucial." I muttered, confirming my thoughts.

I was retreating back into the woods. The harpy was pursuing me with a strange, hopping gait.

I ended up next to a tree in which the short spear had been embedded. It flew past me recently. I effortlessly pulled it out from the wood. I started intimidating the harpy, making thrusts with the spear in the air before me. The harpy hissed and spread its wings. Moving between the trees wasn't very convenient for her. Her domain was the sky, and the forest constrained the harpy. I shifted sideways, trying to find the right moment to hurl the weapon at the enemy. We were close to each other, about five meters apart. I cannot understand the monster's plan. What does it want? Why is it chasing me? Did the harpy make a mistake in thinking I'm a weak prey? We circled each other. I didn't want to fight, the harpy couldn't catch up to me. The trees growing closely together were holding the monster back too much.

When the tree trunk appeared behind the harpy, I seized the dart and swung it. I made a feint, as if about to throw the weapon at monster. The creature anticipated the throw and instantly closed her wings entirely, using them as a shield. At the last moment, I withheld the weapon and brought my arm back for another swing. I noticed that the harpy had set its wings at an angle. It had made a rib in the middle, like a cuirass. Clever beast. Such protection is much stronger. But the harpy could no longer see me. I swiftly shifted sideways. The harpy partially opened her armor. She needed to see what was happening. I hurled the dart. I wasn't sure if I would succeed even from such a close distance. I simply hoped to hit a large target from a few paces away.

The dart was poorly made. It was lightweight and flexible. It was simply a stick with some kind of tip, perhaps even made of stone. As a result, when I threw the dart, it twisted and flew in a strange, erratic trajectory. But despite that, it managed to fly towards its target. The dart easily pierced through the wing and lodged itself somewhere in my enemy's body.

The harpy was thrown backwards. Its body collided with the tree trunk and slumped down onto its rear. The half-bird creature awkwardly spread its wings to the sides and froze in place. I cautiously approached the enemy. I grabbed the dart and pushed forward with force. The harpy jerked, but nothing else happened. Just to be sure, I tried twisting the dart to widen the wound, but it seemed that further torment was unnecessary. There was no reaction; the creature was dead.

It appears that the attack had come to an end. I cautiously peered out from behind the trees. Somewhere in the distance, wings could still be heard flapping. The flock had lost five harpies, scattered as dark mounds in various places. The rangers were still alive.

"Evan, are you alive?" I heard Brin's voice. "Are you injured? Do you need help?"

"No," I shouted in response.

"They'll be back soon!"

"Understood."

"Evan, stay there! They're coming back, don't go out into the open! " Brin shouted again. " Press yourself against the tree trunk and stay put. "

Once again, silhouettes flickered in the night sky, and rocks rained down from above. I could see fiery streaks shooting up into the sky from the other side of our clearing. Illa was countering with swift spells, and it seemed to be somewhat successful. The harpies didn't need to aim their rocks accurately at us. The monsters were dropping their useful cargo on people from a height. Stones were falling toward the ground, driven by gravity's force. They collided with trees, bounce against branches and changing direction in peculiar ways. It was only a matter of time before someone would be struck by a random stone falling from above.

Several dark figures flew above me, occasionally dropping hefty boulders nearby. These creatures had quite a substantial payload. There were more harpies circling above the rangers than there were above me. The harpies were bombarding that section of the forest with much more intensity. If this will continue for much longer, it would be the end for the squad. Running through the dark forest would also be a bad option. Either you'd break your legs or gouge out your eyes. I was certain that harpies had excellent night vision. Perhaps they could see our body heat through the dense tree branches. They could pursue us for a long time.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I need to take action, otherwise it will be the end for all of us. They were lazily throwing stones at me. A single target didn't interest the harpies much. I imbued my palm with spiritual energy and pressed it into the tree. My hand sank into the trunk. I wasn't afraid of being seen; I was alone. The rangers were preoccupied with survival.

"Shaman summons the Forest Spirit. Over!" I loudly uttered the first foolishness that came to mind. " Shaman summons the woodland spirit!"

"What did you do with the tree?" creaked a familiar voice nearby.

"Good evening, Grandfather Leshy!" I withdrew my hand, leaving the imprint of a child's palm. "How else can I call you?"

"Alright. I'll fix it later." the Leshy waved his hand. "What do you want?"

"Can't you see what's happening? I need to get out of the forest quickly with the rangers."

"Not so fast!" he shook his head. " It's possible, but it will cost you dearly. Navigating the forest paths with four people is difficult... especially with a mage..."

"Is the fresh harpy of interest to you?" I nodded towards the monster.

The Leshy pretended to ponder, scratching his chin with his black nails. He glanced at the harpy's corpse, hmphed to his own thoughts. He displayed doubts and uncertainty in his demeanor. What was he expecting from me? I remained silent. Another stone fell next to me, narrowly missing my leg. The Leshy looked displeased, glancing upward.

"Fine... I'll take you... I'll lead you to the river."

"Is the river far away?"

"Two day-long human journeys. If you agree, carve the runes." The true runic name of the forest's owner appeared before my eyes.

"Thank you, Grandfather Leshy." I dashed towards the harpy, retrieving my knife on the way.

While I negotiated with the loa, the harpies flew away in search of new projectiles. Their wings still flapped not far away. I saw the rangers darting out from under the trees onto the road. Brin shouted for me to catch up, and they rushed away. I carved the runes and ran after them. The adults didn't even bother to wait for me. They were almost disappearing into the darkness. Would they really leave me behind? Strangely, I felt relieved. I wasn't as interesting to them as it might have seemed. I quickly caught up with them and ran alongside.

The squad was trying to move quickly away along the forest road. Illa limped and breathed heavily. Brin had something wrong with her left arm; it hung, and the ranger clearly didn't want to move it. Petr's helmet was dented in several places. The scout shuffled his legs uncertainly; he seemed unsteady. Brin and the sorceress glanced at me.

"This... Piece... Again..." the witch hissed indistinctly on me.

"What are you stuck on over there?" Brin exhaled while on the move.

"My bag got tangled in the branches; I was pulling it out."

Nobody showed any interest in my response. We were running. The squad tried to maintain a brisk pace, but it didn't last long. Running quickly turned into fast walking, then regular walking. The rangers kept looking back and listening intently. They expected harpies to appear again any moment, swooping down and raining stones upon us. It was almost morning when the sound of flowing water reached us ears. Through thickets, a fairly large river came into view. It was about a hundred meters wide. The rangers dropped to the ground and stared incredulously at the river.

"It's the Silverflow," the pale scout finally exhaled.

"Now I understand why the harpies let us go," Brin said. "They simply couldn't catch up."

"It's all you..." Illa hissed, and the woman turned sharply towards me.

"Me?" I didn't even have to pretend to be surprised. What does the sorceress not like again? "What did I do?"

Everyone looked at Illa in astonishment.

"Why are you picking on the guy again?"

"I don't know, " the sorceress turned away. "I just feel like he's involved in all the strangeness."

"Leave it, " Brin said wearily. "We'll figure it out later."

"What's wrong? The river... and what?"

"We weren't supposed to end up here. The situation with the harpies was critical," explained the scout. "They never let go, they pursue relentlessly. It would have taken us about three days to reach the river. But somehow, we covered that distance in four hours."

"The forest spirit again?"

"Let's set up camp by the river and rest," the commander said, standing up.

The rangers got up and made their way to the water, looking for a suitable spot for the camp. Everyone was exhausted from the night's adventures and moved in silence. Soon, a fire was burning, water was boiling, and everyone enjoyed some peace and quiet. Only I couldn't get Brin's last words out of my head.

We rested until noon. We calmed down, ate, and managed to get a few hours of sleep. No one wanted to discuss the night's adventures. Everyone was still impressed by the harpy attack and the miraculous rescue. We gathered ourselves and prepared to continue.

"I don't know whom to thank for our salvation, but I am sincerely grateful to the unknown force," Brin said loudly and even bowed towards the forest.

In the ranger's voice, I heard respect. The sorceress glanced at me but remained silent. Petr, too, silently bowed towards the direction we came from. I repeated after the men.

"There's not much left. Just a little over a hundred kilometers," Brin continued. "Anything can happen. Everyone has already seen that. Stay vigilant and all will be well. Onwards."

We continued our journey. We walked alongside the wide river, which flowed leisurely to our left. Soon, we encountered rocks protruding from the water. The water current increased in speed, and the riverbed narrowed down to about fifty meters. Ahead, there were rapids. The shores became increasingly rocky, making it more challenging to move forward. Fallen trees lay here and there, obstructing the group's path with their dry branches sticking out in all directions. The river roared to our left. The rapids at this point were quite formidable, making it impossible to pass through with boats.

Our group spent about three hours overcoming this section, and gradually, the terrain became more passable. The river gradually ceased its roaring, and its channel expanded once again. Now the river was about a hundred and fifty meters wide or even more. We passed by small islands in the middle of the river twice. Three times we waded through small tributaries. These were truly beautiful places. In my world, there would be many tourists here. Fish splashed around abundantly. I regretted not having a fishing rod and some free time.

We continued to move forward. The sorceress looked visibly unwell. She limped, appeared pale and gloomy. I suspected that if it weren't for her healing spells, the sorceress would already be lying down, unlikely to take even a few steps. I reminded myself that she was my adversary. One must not show pity for enemies. So, I pretended that her condition didn't affect me. The men also refrained from pestering Illa with their concern. We adjusted our pace to accommodate her hobbling steps and simply moved forward.

Petr stopped and pointed ahead. There was a large island in the middle of the river. It had an oval shape, and its shores were completely covered in dense reeds, making it impossible to see through. About twenty trees were growing on the island. Nothing else was visible. A boat emerged from the reeds and swiftly glided across the water. Two figures in the boat were vigorously rowing. They were far away but clearly visible in the open space. They seemed like ordinary people. Fishermen, perhaps?

"Petr, go ahead," commanded Brin. "We'll follow you. Don't take any risks."

"I'll do" Petr replied.

The ranger disappeared into the coastal vegetation, and we continued our journey. After a few hours, Petr reappeared and quickly spoke with the commander. Brin instructed us to continue moving along the river at the same pace. According to him, there were no immediate dangers ahead, but we shouldn't let our guard down. Now the two rangers have left me and the sorceress alone.

Soon, Petr met us and led us to a low house. The earthy dwelling was well camouflaged, partially embedded into the ground. It looked good, the shelter was built to last. The roof was covered with turf and overgrown with lush green grass. Tall trees and dense shrubbery surrounded the house. It stood discreetly away from the riverbank, blending into the landscape. It was difficult to spot the place from a distance.

Three men of wild appearance lay on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. Some rags were sticking out of their broken mouths. Two of them had damages on their heads, and their hair was blood. One man was unconscious.

The men were dressed in something incomprehensible, but the clothing seemed sturdy and comfortable. Each of them had a large knife, and several throwing darts were placed against the wall of the hut. I also noticed a sword, two clubs, several shields, and a morning star. The rangers had discarded them weapons in a pile next to the overturned boat. I became interested in the weapons and approached to examine them. I got the impression that the weapons were made by these men in this very place. Everything looked of poor quality, except for the sword. Though I'm not an expert, I couldn't see any signs of handcrafted work on the sword. It seemed to be a factory-made piece, mass-produced in large quantities.

Meanwhile, Petr and Brin conducted an interrogation. The rangers had no intention of showing mercy and quickly extracted the information they sought from the captured men. It turned out they were fugitive criminals from the mines. The men provided a few more clarifications before they were simply killed. It seemed the rangers didn't even consider the presence of a child nearby. Petr casually slit the throats of the bound criminals with his knife and wiped it clean on their clothing. On the other hand, I had recently done something similar myself. Not as professionally, but the result was the same.

Brin held a red crystal in his hands throughout the interrogation. The ranger waved off my questions, only muttering that it was a recording artifact. An indispensable tool for field operatives. I wondered if I was already recorded as well.

The shelter turned out to be quite comfortable. The men had put effort into its construction, not being lazy. They hoped to live in this place for a long time, but it didn't work out. Inside were planked bunks, just big enough for four people. I saw a small table, two chairs, several shelves, and a small stove. Fish hung on ropes to dry, along with some mushrooms and bundles of herbs. It smelled nice.

Evening was approaching. The bodies were dragged away and thrown into the river. Brin decided to stay here for the night. Sufficient firewood had been prepared, so I wasn't required to do anything. The rangers engaged in their usual domestic tasks. Illa went to rest. While everyone was occupied, I set off to explore the surroundings.

I found a suitable stick and split one end into three parts, sharpening them with a knife. I inserted the sticks and secured everything with a rope, creating a good fishing spear. I walked along the riverbank, scanning for depressions in the riverbed. In such places, big fish like to linger. Soon, I had a good catch. Dinner and breakfast shouldn't be a problem. I returned to the camp and handed the fish to Brin. The ranger was delighted as our supplies were running low.

"You're a great hunter, buddy," praised the sturdy man. "It would have been more challenging without you."

Dinner turned out to be delicious. Illa started feeling better. Her complexion improved, and she smiled, even cracking a few jokes. The door was securely locked from the inside, so no one stayed on duty. We went to sleep.