A whistling sound tore through the air, followed by a pained screech of one of the harpies.

Iris looked up just in time to see the woman fall from the air, an arrow in her chest, and slam into the ground head first.

Her death was confirmed by the audible snap that filled the area.

The other two harpies screeched in anger as a group of poachers surged from the shadowy forest, surprise causing them to stumble as they caught sight of Iris on Mocha’s armored back, confusion evident on their faces.

She seized their moment of hesitation, her eyes cold and unwavering, and made them pay for their interruption.

Iris drew back and released the electrified arrow.

The crisp snap of Iris's bowstring echoed in the tense air as her electrified arrow took flight, her [Unerring Shot] guiding it towards a bowman in the opposing line.

The arrow's path curved unnaturally, zeroing in on its target like a guided missile.

It punctured his throat with a wet crunch, the surge of electricity from the arrowhead bursting outwards as two balls of crackling energy erupted from the slain bowman, striking another man at his side.

The suddenness of his comrade's death, coupled with the electrified shock, left him spasming in the dirt.

As the men crumpled, the remaining poachers jolted into action.

They charged forward, the forest floor crunching under their boots, but Iris was ready.

She swiftly nocked another arrow, her eyes focusing on her next target.

A sudden whizzing sound followed by the appearance of a protruding arrow from one of the poachers made her pivot.

She turned just in time to see Laken, his face grim, already drawing another arrow and letting it loose. A second poacher fell with the same ruthless efficiency she had demonstrated earlier.

Meanwhile, the rest of her party rushed headlong into the fight.

Kaira, her voice ringing loud over the clatter of combat, called out to Iris. “We have these ones! You get those!”

Iris spun around, her confusion giving way to alarm as she spotted a new threat.

Stepping out of the forest was a man in a sturdy breastplate and flanked by two men that looked like knights in plate armor, his hands glowed ominously red.

With a sinking feeling, Iris recognized the telltale signs of an imminent spell. “Mocha, dodge!” she cried out.

The horse responded with an agile leap, narrowly evading the fiery beam that seared the air where they'd been mere moments ago

Iris loosed another arrow, following it up quickly by using her bow to fire a [Lightning Spear].

Her arrow clanged off the armor of one of the guards, ricocheting harmlessly into a tree and releasing its charged bolts into empty space.

The spear, however, initially seemed to reflect off of the second man’s armor as well before it flew in a curve and found its mark, piercing through the shoulder of the other guard from behind.

He went down screaming, his body convulsing under the intensity of the electrical shock.

Capitalizing on the chaos, Akane darted forward, her illusions multiplying her form into a horde of dire foxes.

As the caster lobbed beam after fiery beam, each one pierced effortlessly through the kitsune's illusions, Iris urged Mocha forward. She launched an [Unerring Shot] at the caster, only to watch in dismay as his beam collided with her arrow mid-air, causing a fiery explosion.

Cursing under her breath, she slung her bow over her shoulder and began casting a flurry of [Sparks], sending crackling bolts of electricity racing towards the caster.

Meanwhile, the remaining guard charged toward Akane and what remained of her illusionary clones, his shield held high.

Despite his armor though, Akane’s massive form was an intimidating sight. With a timely reaction, he managed to put up his shield to brace himself as Akane collided with him.

Surprisingly, he managed to maintain his footing, his form sliding back through the dirt under the force of the impact.

Iris could only guess at what ability he had used to prevent himself from being completely bowled over by Akane’s assault, but she refocused on her own opponent, her hands dancing as she cast her spells while Mocha jumped and weaved to avoid the beams even using her abilities to make some seem to bend away from them just before they would have made contact.

The fight had descended into a frenzied ballet of brutality, with every member of Iris's party engaged in their own furious battles.

Kaira moved like a tempest with her sword and shield, striking with a deadly precision that was at odds with the easygoing woman she usually was.

Gryff's pike was a blur, stabbing in and out of the melee, each thrust heralding another poacher's fall.

Their medic and bard, Bree, wielded her spear with a determination Iris admired, her shield expertly blocking the frantic swings of the attackers.

Lastly, Laken was a picture of deadly calm, firing arrow after arrow with the stoic demeanor of an experienced hunter while his owlbear tore through the poachers like a force of nature that none could withstand.

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The harpies swooped down from the skies, their cries echoing over the din of the battle as they attacked the poachers from above.

As they fought, three more poachers emerged from the shadows of the forest, bows drawn and ready.

Their focus was on the harpies, but Iris was quicker.

With a sharp gesture, she let loose a [Chain Lightning].

The electric bolt surged from her hand, jumping from one man to the next in a crackling dance of death. As the bouncing bolt dissipated, their bodies slumped to the ground in smoking heaps, and the spark of life extinguished from their eyes.

Akane was struggling as she grappled with the heavily armored man, the knight's abilities seemingly allowing him to hold his ground against her which forced the two to fight to a standstill.

However, Iris couldn't spare the time to watch.

She and Mocha had a battle of their own to fight, and she knew as soon as she finished it, she could turn and help the kitsune.

The battle caster, still standing, met them with a barrage of fiery beams. Mocha dodged behind a large boulder that sat on top of a crushed tent, and as they emerged from the other side, Iris narrowed her eyes as she saw the caster quickly down an elixir.

What the fuck is that?

She quickly sent a [Spark] at the man, but he deftly dodged to the side and sent another beam at them that curved at the last moment as Mocha used her ability.

The horse burst into a gallop and flicked her ears toward Iris. ‘Get your dagger out!’ Mocha's neighing rang out.

Without questioning her companion, Iris yanked out the dagger from its sheath on her lower back and held it at the ready.

“Got it! Why?” she yelled, narrowly dodging another beam.

‘Be ready!’ came the urgent reply.

Iris felt a surge of mana pulsing from Mocha and suddenly wrap around the two of them.

Before she could voice her concern, the ability took hold.

The world around her seemed to pass in a blurred, slow motion as she and Mocha moved with an unnatural speed, closing the distance between them and the caster.

As quickly as it happened, it was over, and the clarity of reality rushed back in like the focusing of a camera.

Iris didn’t hesitate.

Whipping out with her dagger, she cast [Arc Lash].

A large crescent of lightning energy burst from the blade, slicing through the air and taking the caster by surprise.

The man had no chance to scream as his head was severed from his body.

Just as Iris turned her attention to Akane, Mocha surged forward with a burst of speed that almost made Iris topple over until another ability firmly stuck her to the saddle.

The horse lowered her head, her thirty-centimeter steel spike gleaming ominously as a pulse of mana surged over it. Without slowing down, Mocha rammed it into the armored knight's back, impaling him and lifting him off of the ground before she jerked her head to the side to fling the man’s limp body away.

As she and Mocha turned away from the fallen knight, a sickening crunch echoed through the battlefield as the owlbear smashed a man into the ground before Iris caught sight of Laken, his bow aimed downward, and then fired into the pinned man through the ground.

Just as she thought it was over, a poacher's body fell from the sky, landing with a bone-crushing thud on the ground causing her to jerk in surprise.

Iris turned her head upward to see the two harpies descending from the sky and landing next to their fallen sister.

As the dust settled and the sounds of battle died away, she took a deep breath.

The fight was over.

✦ ✦ ✦

After the harsh combat, everyone drank water as they caught their breaths or rifled through the dead for anything that could help them.

Meanwhile, The two harpies were chattering with each other while Mocha translated their conversation.

‘They say we need to hurry,’ she told Iris.

“We will,” Iris replied, taking a sip of her water. “But we need a moment to recover. We were just ambushed.”

Kaira soon returned from her inspection of the dead, her face thoughtful. “The equipment these poachers had... it's well made and more than they should have. We need to be careful. We should find and link up with the harpies instead of trying to fight separately.”

Iris nodded absently as she looked over to see their medic by the headless mage.

Bree was examining what was left of the caster's body, her face a mask of concentration. She crouched down and opened a pouch at his side, her eyes narrowed as she pulled two vials and scrutinized them.

Walking over to the group, the sun elf held up the vials. “According to the handwritten labels, these are rejuvenation elixirs,” she said, her voice filled with curiosity.

Iris’s eyes widened in surprise.

Wait, what? Really?

“He drank at least one during the fight. Maybe it helps replenish his stamina? I was wondering how he was casting so many beams with only a single pause,” she said.

Bree shrugged, tucking the vials safely away into her own pouch. “There were two slots missing, so you may have just missed him drinking the second. I will investigate these further when we return to Brightburn. It seems interesting, but not something we want to test here.”

“Agreed.”

May be something that Sera’s company will want to look into.

Looking around and seeing everyone else ready to move, Iris gave a firm nod. “Alright, let’s go, everyone.” She gestured toward the harpies, who gave one last mournful look at the fallen harpy before taking flight.

It wasn’t long until the signs of battle became more evident and it was clear that the harpies had been giving a fierce resistance to the Marauder Prince and his poachers.

Several screeches sounded in the distance and suddenly, their harpy guide landed next to them, squawking urgently.

‘Up ahead, the enemy camp. Evil man there. She will notify the queen that you all friends. Friends,’ Mocha translated as the second harpy soared off with a burst of speed that Iris hadn’t seen yet.

Their guide took them away from the screeches and the increasing sound of distant battle and looped them around to the east.

The buzzing sound from Iris’s [Danger Sense] combined with a warning bark from Akane alerted them that they weren’t alone.

She heard Bree gasp. “Above us.”

Iris looked up and saw dozens of harpies camouflaged in the trees around them, almost every large branch held one of the bird women and even a few of the more bird-like men with their actual beaks.

Entering a small clearing, a large, majestic harpy with vibrant plumage and a crown of feathers adorning her head landed in front of them with an audible thud.

It was the naked bird queen, herself with a demeanor as striking as her appearance.

The queen and their guide exchanged a terse series of chatting and chirps, and after a moment their guide bowed her head and stepped to the side.

The queen stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Iris.

As she dismounted Mocha to meet the queen, she felt the piercing gaze of the harpy and her entire flock scrutinizing her.

She couldn’t mess up here, it would be a blood bath, even with them all working together.

Iris stopped a few steps away from the Queen and gave her a smile.

The queen’s head jerked a few times before she paused with a slight tilt to the side and spoke with a harsh but articulate voice, “Why do you come, lightning bitch?”

Iris froze, caught off guard by the harpy’s ability to speak.

Wait…

Who’s this bitch calling a bitch?