We’re vaguely still in town, I think. We’re in a town, at the very least, and as I step out of the small access point and look around, I see the familiar skyline out in the distance suggesting we’re mere miles away, rather than the hundreds or thousands I had initially feared.
We’re on the north side of town, meaning we’re quite a ways away from Chloe’s place among the southern suburbs. Even my former(?) home is still a good eight to ten miles away. On the bright side, it’s far enough that we have a pretty good alibi and are extremely unlikely
It’s perhaps half an hour before dusk, though, with the Earth’s purportedly increased size, my estimation might be a bit off. The sky is still light enough that I can see color, but there will certainly be challenges navigating the streets before too long. On the bright side, the cloudless sky is already showing signs of a starry night, and with the electricity grid still fully busted, there will soon be an absolutely gorgeous view of the galaxy that I’ve not gotten to see in many, many years. The kind that you really only see in pictures from space or way out in the middle of the wilderness.
With our increasing [Speed] and [Vitality] stats, we’re able to make good time back toward… wherever we’re going to stop for the night. We do give some consideration to going back to the access point and sleeping in the basement tonight, but after how badly we struggled just to survive a dungeon so high over our level, even I don’t want to risk it. Chloe is holding fast, but I can tell just by looking at her that she wants to get back home, or at least somewhere safer, and sooner rather than later.
Our hopes of making it back to the safety of the Jacobs residence unscathed are dashed by the squawking of what sounds like a massive bird of prey flying high overhead. I spot it high above. Without knowledge of how high up it is, I can’t tell if it’s as big as my torso, as big as I am, or even bigger.
Chloe dashes over to a nearby tree for a bit of extra cover. I grab my [Simple Blowgun] and stand at the ready, not sure when we’ll meet our new friend. Another squawk rings out and it flies right toward me.
Holy shit! That thing is probably six feet tall from heat to feet, its wingspan is a good fifteen feet wide, it has feathers as long as my arm and as thick as my torso, and a beak that’s practically glistening as it attempts to peck at me. It looks similar in appearance to an eagle, though it has a pair of short, stubby arms in addition to its wings, probably used to help it pick at and manipulate its food.
It stares me down and sizes me up. In the brief lull before it lunges toward me, I fire a [Trick Shot] boosted [Ether Bullet] straight at its eyes. It proves too quick, and I get only a glancing blow, not nearly enough to blind it. However, I know that birds of prey are generally heavily reliant on their sense of sight. If I can blind it, I can probably bring it down.
It flaps its wings toward me, sending hundreds of razor-sharp feathers beating at me. I manage to raise my [Barrier] to deflect them, but not before suffering a half-dozen slices to my arms, one to my left cheek, and a nasty puncture wound to my shoulder. Damn sick of taking all these injuries in my shoulder, but it beats a vital organ by a long shot.
The eagle bears down upon me, slamming its beak into my translucent shield. The force of the impact buckles my knees and forces me on the ground. The second shatters my shield altogether. I try to re-form it as quickly as possible, but I’m too late. With all of my force, I throw my prone body to the side, spinning around as my foe’s beak gashes directly into and through the solid asphalt street beneath us.
It struggles to break free, and in the momentary pause I get, I take my bat from its holster at my side, charge its flames to the maximum, and slam into its left tarsal with all the force I can muster. My attack causes the creature to keel over, but it reflexively launches several feathers into the ground all around me. They launch into my back, shoulders, thighs, and calves, and I exhaust what little luck I have when they narrowly miss my spinal column.
I check my Health. Barely over a hundred and fifty. That damned bird certainly has far more than that, and I’m sure that I’m not going to survive another volley like that last attack. Need to get to safety and…
Chloe chucks an [Ether Bullet] right in the bird’s face before dragging me out of the street and to the relative cover behind the nearest tree. Her healing hands knit my flesh back together, expelling the feathers poking out of my back as new skin stitches itself back together. Tension releases from my neck and shoulders as I’m able to take a deeper breath without wincing in pain. I get back to my feet with Chloe’s assistance and the two of us ready ourselves for the next attack.
The eagle screeches and flaps its wings toward us. The wind picks up from behind it, sending dust and debris and more of those damnable feathers hurtling toward us. Worse, I notice new feathers growing in to replace the old ones, meaning its supply is virtually unlimited, or at least only constrained by its [Ether] reserve.
With Chloe and I reinforcing one another, the [Barriers] from our gauntlets hold, if only just. Unfortunately, after shooting another [Ether Bullet] with [Trick Shot] and finding no purchase against the hurricane-force gusts, my [Ether] reserves are already down to half. I doubt Chloe is likely no better off in that regard.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The creature continues its assault for another four seconds before it breaks off its attack and takes to the air.
I take a moment to catch my breath and mentally refocus from the cover of the largest tree in the sparse neighborhood. As long as the creature can fly, we’re at a big disadvantage. It can just continue to rain hell down upon us with total impunity, wearing us down until we’re too tired, drained of [Ether], or it lands too many stray hits and we’re incapacitated. On the other hand, it might get hungry sooner rather than later, and decide to seek an easier meal elsewhere. I’d rather not give it that opportunity if at all possible, but I’d also really like for the two of us to live through this fight.
It circles around for a moment. As soon as its eyes fix upon our position, it barrels down upon us, completely unfazed by the branches and leaves that lay between us and it. We dodge in the nick of time. The tree doesn’t, and gets split in two from the force of the beak impacting its trunk. I have a foolish idea. It might get me hurt, or worse, but I don’t see any other way of fighting off this damned avian before we get turned into chicken feed.
In the brief moment while the eagle is still dazed from impact, I rush around it, slipping underneath its wings and suffering a glancing slice on my cheek as a result. I then pluck the feather, now poking out of my skin, and leap onto our foe from behind. I grab the feather, suffering another laceration to my palm as I try and fail to grip at it otherwise, and I throw the damned thing right at its eye. I hadn’t been sure if [Trick Shot] would work with projectiles other than [Ether Bullets], but it thankfully seemed to have a small effect.
The plan works beautifully. The creature thrashes about, and I think my fibula cracks as it throws me off its back. I scream nearly as loud as the damned bird is, and for the first time in my life, I start hoping one of those good-for-nothing National Guard patrols shows up to do its gods-forsaken job. But no, no such luck.
I force myself back to my feet. I can still barely remain upright. Putting any weight on my left leg hurts like the deepest recesses of hell and the very idea of trying to run makes me want to vomit, but I’ll take being nauseous from the pain and alive over having my goose cooked any day.
The creature seems absolutely pissed, and I don’t blame it. It abandons all pretenses of defense and begins sprinting toward the two of us, wings raised and crying all the while. It lunges at me, but its aim is off slightly with only one working eye. Instead of aiming square at my chest, it aims closer to my head, giving me enough time to drop to the ground to evade.
I throw one of the last three [Ether Bullets] in my pocket at the softer underside of our adversary. I fail to topple it, but it tumbles for just long enough to pluck another feather out of its upper wing. It aims toward Chloe and fires another barrage while I’m still out of its sight.
I focus. Chloe’s [Barrier] won’t last for much longer, and even her defensive robes aren’t going to make up for her subpar [Vitality] and maximum [Health]. I have to make this last shot count.
I focus on the trajectory I want, taking stock of how the bits of debris are moving in its air currents. What’s the best path to take, to maximize my chances of hitting? I infuse the feather with my [Ether] to allow my [Basic Ether Manipulation] to further augment the effects of [Trick Shot] and, when I’m confident I’ll get no better shot, I force it forward.
Chloe shrieks as her [Barrier] fades. A few feathers lodge into her arms as she tries to run to safety. I grimace and fill with rage again at seeing her hurt like this. I channel that anger into my Skills, with all the power and [Mind] at my disposal, and will the attack to connect.
It does so, landing dead center in the eagle’s remaining eye. Now blinded and bereft of its most important sense, the bird is now a sitting duck. I again charge forward, [Fire-Forged Bat] in hand, and I bludgeon the back of its right wing near its body. I don’t relent. I keep hitting it, focusing its attention away from Chloe to give her a chance to heal. And just as importantly, I want to keep the damned thing grounded. I smack and smack and burn and feel the stench of smoldering feathers assaulting my nose until, with one final pained shriek, the eagle keels over, dies, and then fades into Ether.
[You have slain a Lesser Razorfeather Eagle (Level 13) You have gained a boosted 1,050 Experience.]
[You have gained enough experience to reach Level 9. [Vitality] +1, [Mind] +1. Please allocate stat points (Remaining: 3)]
Nice! Finally a level after today’s ordeals. And most of the way to the next one as well.
I consider doing the same as before, putting 1 point each in [Strength], [Speed], and [Vitality]. However, my [Strength] stat doesn’t synchronize particularly well with my projectile-based attacks. It also doesn’t seem to help with [Trick Shot] or [Basic Ether Manipulation], both of which seem governed by [Mind] instead. I don’t regret having some extra [Strength] for hauling around supplies and for when I do need to bludgeon things, but I think it’s time to go back to boosting what is definitely my class’s most important attribute. Even more now, considering it governs [Ether] regeneration, now that I realize just how invaluable [Barrier] has been today. I assign 1 point to [Vitality] and 2 to [Mind].
[Maximum Health increases by [Vitality] x2 + Current Level + Rand[1, 3] = 77]
[Maximum Ether increases by [Mind] + Current Level + Rand[0, 2] = 45]
[Level: 10; Experience: 3,430; To Next: 210]
[Current Stats: [Health]: 211 / 620 ; [Ether]: 56 / 316]
[Current Stats: [Strength]: 15; [Speed]: 18; [Vitality]: 33; [Mind]: 34]
As I take a deep breath and try to calm myself after our battle, I hear a blaring siren that I don’t ever want to experience even on my best day. Of course the useless good-for-nothing pigs wait until after we do all the work to stroll their moseying asses over here.
I grit my teeth and hope things don’t turn south in this upcoming confrontation. I’m way too tired and pissed to fight the law right now.