The bird stared at Taka with malice. It wasn't sending any coherent thoughts back, but Taka could sense the utter rage and hatred radiating from the bird. Taka focused his eyes and saw a dark aura emanating from its body -- the bird seemed much stronger than it was during their first encounter.
"Strong foe," Bick whispered.
Taka nodded. The bird had at least as much magical energy as a Fire Bear and the pure hatred Taka sensed made him feel sick. The bird lifted its wings up and hopped backward. Bick leaped a full meter in the air as the bird swung its wings diagonally outwards, sending a blade of air through the room, slicing the table Bick's half-eaten platter of meat sat in half. Bick landed on the ground gracefully, managing to keep Taka's flower pot and the fox girl in his arms.
This is bad, Taka thought to himself. We need to surround it, or pincer it, or... something.
Taka tried to activate his CHARM skill on the bird.
Warning: Skill: CHARM ineffective on target.
Worth a shot, Taka thought to himself. He then activated his FEAR skill on the bird, and sensed its hatred boil as it began to squawk incessantly.
Taka quickly gathered psychic energy and used his telekinesis to lift the flower pot out of Bick's hand. Taka still felt light-headed from before, but his mana had recovered enough to do this much. Taka flew the flower pot to Bick's right, putting some distance between himself and the orc.
Bick, go left, Taka sent to the orc.
Bick leaped to the side faster than Taka thought possible, the orc's agility a welcome surprise. The orc had a faint green glow around him, similar to the one Syla had around them when using physical enhancement magic, but Bick's was much more potent, the typical thin lining of the raw magic used for enhancements mixed with something else.
The fox girl slipped out of Bick's grip and drew a flail from her back. It had a single spiky ball attached to the chain, and Taka could feel mana circulating inside of it.
"I can fight," the fox girl said, Taka hearing through Bick's ears. Taka cut the link with the bird and activated his TELEPATHY skill to create a connection with the fox girl; three separate links would be difficult to maintain on top of combat, not to mention his semi-depleted mana reserves.
Listen to me, Taka said to both Bick and the fox girl, making her jump. I'll coordinate our attacks. Bick and -- what's your name? What can you do?
The bird sent another air slash toward Bick and the fox girl, both diving out of the way to avoid being cut in half. The bird continued to squawk and flapped its wings rapidly in dismay.
"Maeve, I use a flail and can use lightning magic!" The fox girl, Maeve, yelped as she scrambled to her feet.
Bick use light... the orc sent.
Taka could feel the orc holding something back. He had only seen Bick using healing magic before, but considering how it seemed like he was close to Deon, Taka felt like there had to be something more.
I'll create an opening for you, Maeve, just follow my--
The bird faced Taka and let loose another air slash. Taka jerked his flower pot upwards, but not quickly enough as the bottom half of the pot fell to the ground, the rest of the dirt remaining precariously packed in the upper half. The Lily Minion furiously jumped up and down next to a wide-eyed Taka.
Taka used his telekinesis to flip half of the table he had been sitting at with Deon on its side, then with as much mana as he could muster in a few seconds, shot it toward the bird. The bird soared into the air, narrowly avoiding the table, but not before Taka could summon an earth conjuration twice the size of the bird to shoot at it from above. The bird screeched as it was sent bouncing off the clunky rock, not nearly as pointy as the rock spikes Deon had shown Taka how to make. Taka cursed himself for his inefficiency as Maeve bolted to the bird, swinging her flail with the precision of a Major League Baseball player. The spiky ball on the end of the weapon lit up blue with electricity as it made contact with the bird's body, causing the bird to convulse in the air. As it fell, a shadow opened up from the ground and swallowed the bird whole, then disappeared.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
The dirt from the bottom of Taka's flower pot began to fall as the Lily Minion continued to jump up and down. Bick rushed over and plucked Taka and the flower creature up from the pot, and then Taka let it drop to the ground, shattering on impact. Bick brought Taka over to the remaining half of the table, and picked up the inexplicably intact plate from the ground, wiped off the meat juices, flipped it over, and set Taka and the Lily Minion on top.
"For now," Bick said, a pained smile plastered across his face.
Taka nodded but didn't use his telepathy yet. He needed to conserve mana until he knew that he was safe.
Maeve had made her way over to the body of the lizard man she had been eating with, staring down at the still corpse. She began to weep softly, crouching over his face.
Have you ever seen a bird that strong? Taka asked Bick.
No, the orc sent back. Not small one. Phoenix strong, small bird? No. Too much magic.
Taka felt his muscles tighten. A bird had flown through Deon's portal when they returned to the castle a few hours ago. Was that related? It has to be, something felt off then, and it's even more off now. Taka shook his head in frustration. He had trusted Deon to take care of the bird, and the elder lizard man seemed unbothered by its presence, so Taka had written it off as just another thing that happens sometimes in this world. But birds aren't dumb. A bird wouldn't just fly into a bright light that was on ground level at maximum velocity. But then why had Deon seemed so unsurprised? Taka felt the thought forming in the back of his mind but shoved it down. No, unless there's proof, no. Why would he?
Taka could sense Maeve's anguish, the telepathic link still established. She had clearly cared for the lizard boy, and she was young, so she might not have much experience with loss. Taka knew the feeling...
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"Taka."
"Taka."
Taka's mother put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Tears were streaming down his face.
"It's time to go."
Taka looked up at his mother, almost as tall as her at only 10 years old.
"But... but--"
A sob caught in Taka's throat and he swallowed it down. His mom kneeled down next to him, taking his face in the palm of her hands. She had dark bags under her bloodshot eyes, but she smiled.
"Your dad loved you more than anything. And he'll always be watching over you--"
"Then why isn't he still here?!" Taka shouted, tears welling in his eyes.
His mother brought him in close, hugging him tightly as he sobbed into her shoulder...
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"Sir Filo," Bick said firmly.
Taka blinked and saw Bick staring at him, Maeve by his side. He wasn't sure if he had been asleep or just zoned out, but he was back.
"Thank you, Sir Filo," Maeve said. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for you and Sir Bick."
Taka nodded his head as the orc perked up.
"Bick. No sir," the orc corrected.
Despite everything that had happened, the fox girl was able to maintain her composure. That was impressive, and testament to her training as a knight. Taka examined Maeve more closely. The fox girl was slender, with orange fox ears, a bushy tail and long hair, much more human-like than the lizard folk were, including her humanoid skin. She had whiskers on her face and upon closer inspection, her face was snout-like, but much closer to his preconception of what a demi-human would be.
"What should we do now, Sir Filo?" Maeve asked.
Taka looked to Bick, Bick shrugged. "You envoy of King. You superior."
Let us see if this was an isolated incident, or if the whole castle is under siege. Remain on guard.
Maeve and Bick nodded, Maeve readying her flail in her right hand.
The three exited the mess hall in a triangle formation back into the main halls of the castle, with Taka taking point. As Taka entered the hallway, he felt the remnants of the same kind of magic that made the shadow the bird disappeared into, and nothing else. He stopped and closed his eyes, searching for energy around him; just the traces of the shadow magic.
"Sir Filo," Maeve said. "it shouldn't be this quiet."
Agreed, Taka replied. Let's keep looking.
They walked through the halls of the castle in silence, back toward the main entrance. They reached the inner portcullis and looked outside to the main gate where at least 4 guards were usually stationed -- no one was there.
"Something wrong," Bick said. "Something bad wrong."
Yes, something very bad, Taka sent, the stillness of the castle deafening.