The sun was barely over the horizon when we started packing up our camp. The air was still crisp, the ground damp with morning dew. Bael, in his usual playful fashion, was darting around the campsite, chasing a butterfly that seemed determined to evade him. His tiny wings flapped with determination as he tried—unsuccessfully—to catch it, his chirps of frustration filling the quiet morning.
I grunted, shoving the last of our supplies into my pack. “Carrying all this stuff is getting more and more annoying,” I muttered, adjusting the straps over my shoulders. The weight was already settling uncomfortably, and we hadn’t even started walking yet.
Lance, crouched by the firepit, extinguishing the last of the flames, nodded in agreement. “I hear you. I’ve heard of a few blessings that could help with that.”
I perked up, glancing over at him. “Like what?”
He smirked, standing up and slinging his own pack over his back. “Well, there are some that can just make things disappear for a while, though I’m not exactly sure how. But there are others, take those ants from yesterday, for example. They seemed to have some kind of cloning ability.”
I frowned, my mind immediately flashing back to the battle. “Why do you think that?”
Lance shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but think about it. They all looked and acted exactly the same, and none of them bled. Blessings make monsters what they are, and it wouldn’t be crazy to think they were duplicates of something else.”
I mulled over his words for a moment, adjusting my pack again. “That would’ve been an amazing blessing to get,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.
Lance chuckled, shaking his head. “Even if it was, it wouldn’t have been likely. I’m starting to think the original ant wasn’t even there.”
Before I could reply, a familiar voice called out from the tree line. “Morning, losers.”
Tania strolled into the camp, her fiery red hair catching the early light. A large pack was slung over her shoulder, bigger than her usual gear, and she raised a hand lazily in greeting. Her eyes, however, quickly drifted to Bael, who was still chasing the butterfly. She grinned, crouching down to catch his attention.
“Hey, cutie,” she cooed, trying to lure him over with a whistle. Bael paused in his chase, tilting his head curiously in her direction, but when the butterfly fluttered past him again, he was off like a shot, ignoring her entirely.
Tania frowned, standing back up with a huff. “Guess I’m not as interesting as I thought,” she muttered.
“Nope,” said Lance with a grin.
She gave him a half-hearted glare but didn’t say anything as she started to inspect her gear, making sure everything was in place.
Lance shot me a glance, his expression unreadable, but I could feel the same underlying energy in him that I had—anticipation. Today, we’d be moving into more dangerous territory. We’d be leaving the relative safety of our camp behind, diving headfirst into the deeper parts, where the monsters were deadlier, the rewards greater, and the stakes higher.
For now, though, we had a few more moments of peace.
⟡⟡⟡
We had been walking for quite a few days now, going deeper and deeper into the wilds. Every day more monsters appeared, so we were often forced to retreat instead of fighting. Today was not the day we had the luxury of that option.
We were walking through a dense patch of trees when a sudden screech split the air, followed by a rapid flapping of wings. I barely had time to react before something enormous burst from the canopy above, its wings kicking up gusts of wind as it swooped down toward us.
A bird—but not like any I had ever seen.
Its body was big, with sleek, iridescent feathers that shimmered in the dim light. But its most striking feature was its neck—long and serpentine, stretching far beyond what seemed natural as it curled and twisted in the air. It screeched again, and its beak snapped shut with a loud click as it zeroed in on us.
“Spread out!” Lance barked, his sword already drawn as he darted to the side.
Tania was quick on her feet, her claws already extending into sharp, gleaming black blades. She sidestepped the bird’s initial dive, her eyes narrowing as she prepared to strike. I followed her lead, moving away from Lance, keeping Bael safely behind me as I readied my own claws.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The bird circled overhead, its neck stretching impossibly long as it surveyed us from above. With a quick snap, it dove again—this time, its beak aimed straight for Tania. She was ready.
With a sharp, fluid motion, she dodged to the side, her claws slashing out at the bird’s neck as it passed. The tip of her claws grazed its feathers, but it pulled away before she could land a solid hit. The bird screeched, its long neck whipping back toward her, snapping at her with lightning speed.
Tania growled in frustration. “It’s too fast!”
“I’ll slow it down,” I called out, darting forward to distract the bird. I charged, my claws ready, aiming for its legs as it swooped low again. But before I could strike, the bird’s neck snapped toward me, its beak inches from my face. I barely had time to dodge, the sharp snap of its beak ringing in my ears.
Lance wasn’t idle during the exchange. He used the bird’s focus on us to his advantage, moving silently through the underbrush until he was close enough to strike. With a swift motion, he lunged at the bird’s side, his sword aiming for its wing. The blade sliced through feathers and flesh, and the bird let out a screech of pain, its massive body jerking to the side.
“Nice hit!” I shouted, but my relief was short-lived.
As the bird reeled from Lance’s strike, it suddenly flapped its wings with incredible force, creating a gust of wind that knocked both of us off balance. I stumbled, barely managing to stay upright, while Lance was thrown backward, hitting the ground with a grunt.
Before I could move to help, something else burst from the bushes—a wild boar, its tusks gleaming, but what made it truly terrifying was the fire that engulfed its entire body. Flames licked at its fur, and with each step, the ground beneath it scorched. It charged toward me with terrifying speed, its eyes glowing with an unnatural heat.
“Tania, take the bird! I’ll handle this!” I shouted, rushing forward to meet the boar head-on.
The boar let out a snort, steam rising from its nostrils as it barreled toward me. I braced myself, my claws ready. At the last moment, I sidestepped the charge, slashing at its side as it passed. My claws tore through its fiery hide, but the heat was intense, burning my skin even through the brief contact. I hissed in pain but forced myself to stay focused.
The boar turned, its entire body glowing hotter now, and I could feel the temperature rising around us. It charged again, faster this time, and I barely had time to react. With a burst of desperation, I leaped to the side, my claws scraping the ground as I avoided the fiery beast by inches.
Meanwhile, Tania was locked in her own battle with the bird. It had stretched its neck impossibly long again, using it like a whip to keep her at bay, snapping at her with deadly precision. But Tania wasn’t slow. She darted and weaved between its attacks, her claws flashing as she tried to land a hit.
Lance, back on his feet, wasn’t idle either. He circled around the boar, using the trees for cover as he moved into position. With a shout, he lunged forward, his sword catching the boar’s side. The blade cut deep, and the boar let out a roar of pain, stumbling as flames flared up even higher.
“I’ve got this!” I shouted, moving in to finish the job. But before I could strike, a third monster appeared from the shadows—a giant gecko, its body covered in thick, scaly skin. It opened its mouth, and before I could react, it spit a stream of green acid in my direction.
I jumped back just in time, the acid sizzling as it hit the ground where I had been standing moments before. The gecko hissed, its eyes locked on me as it slowly advanced, its long tongue flicking out between sharp teeth.
“Seriously?!” I muttered under my breath, bracing myself for yet another fight.
Tania, finally catching the bird off-guard, let out a triumphant roar as her claws found their mark, slashing through the bird’s neck. It screeched one final time before collapsing in a heap of feathers.
“Nice!” I shouted, but there was no time to celebrate. The gecko was on me, acid dripping from its mouth as it prepared to strike again.
Lance joined the fray, his sword flashing as he slashed at the gecko’s side, but its thick skin made it hard to land a solid hit. The gecko hissed, swiping at him with its tail, forcing him to dodge.
“We need to get rid of this thing fast,” I growled, straightening my claws as I prepared to strike.
With a coordinated effort, Tania and I moved together, flanking the gecko on both sides. Lance was distracting the boar, but I trusted he would be fine. I slashed at the gecko’s legs, forcing it to stumble, while Tania kept it busy with quick strikes from her claws. It tried to spit at us repeatedly, but it was clear it was getting tired. I waited for the spit, and then I moved in for the kill, my claws sinking into its throat with all the strength I could muster.
I heard the voice in my head: [Demon Claws II]
The gecko let out a gurgled hiss before collapsing, its body twitching as the last of its strength faded. Acid dripped from its mouth, sizzling on the ground.
But I wasn’t in any state to celebrate, I had to concentrate on my healing, my body begged for the burns and scrapes to go away. I turned in time to see the boar charging at Lance, its fur burning with intensity. But Lance was prepared. He stepped to the side at the last moment and struck with his sword at the creature’s neck.
We stood there, panting, our bodies aching from the intensity of the fight. Bael, of course, had found his way back to my side, chirping happily as if he hadn’t just missed the entire battle.
“Next time,” Lance said between heavy breaths, “we retreat before it’s too late.”
I chuckled, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Agreed.”
Tania glanced at the fallen creatures, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Not bad,” she said, her tone casual. “I think it was fun.”
“I guess,” I said, my claws retracting as I looked out into the dense forest ahead. “We came here to get stronger, but please let's not die before we do.”
I picked Bael and asked him where to go. I didn’t know if he truly understood me, but he did seem to want to go somewhere.
As I was petting his head, a giant shadow loomed above us, and I couldn’t help but freeze in place. It was a dragon. A really big one, and it didn’t look nice. At all.