The three of them moved to the slope beneath the bramble wall. Zoras and Jondar collected fallen creole nuts with glee.
When Zoras tossed the first nut, Terran blew it out of the air without even hitting a perfect D-sharp. His two teachers took turns throwing the creole nuts in various directions, forcing Terran to turn and hit his note while aiming the cone of his voice. With practice, he found that he could pinch his mouth nearly closed and hit thrown objects further out, but he gave up accuracy if they were far away.
By the time his teachers were out of targets, he was out of breath, though he'd earned two points in Battle Song and one in Bardic Endurance. His mind buzzed with the possibilities. He was starting to understand the power of the Crystal Bard. The Trio wouldn't stand a chance against him once he'd powered up.
"That was amazing," said Terran afterwards. "While I love my stone shards, I hate having to collect the ammunition beforehand, and the damage was getting a little too low. This should help me with the peryton and the Trio. What other spells can you teach me? I'm ready to be a full-on Crystal Bard."
Zoras cleared his throat while Jondar stared at his sandaled feet.
"Don't you think I'm ready to learn the next spell?" he asked.
"That is, uhm, all we know for the azure crystal," said Zoras, glancing away. "The majority of the crystal bard lore was lost when the Mother Tree was destroyed. While I have a few other spells ready for you when we achieve the other crystals, I'm afraid the vast possibilities will have to wait until we can find more."
"What about that tome? It looked thick. And you're always reading something—I figured there was a huge library," said Terran, internally grumbling at the idea that he'd accepted a class that had few spell resources.
"The tomes we have are what was found on our travels, or what I've written, based on the knowledge we could find. I'm sorry, Terran the Tenacious, but I was but a novice when the Mother Tree was destroyed. I'd been sent away to Centaria City to acquire more brass for crystal settings when it happened," said Zoras, opening his hands.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Zoras. I didn't know," said Terran.
The story helped him understand why Zoras was so prickly. He was embarrassed that he didn't have the full knowledge of his craft, since most of it had been destroyed so long ago.
"But if there's anyone who can help us return to the former glories of the crystalline conservatory, it's you, Zoras," said Terran.
Zoras beamed with pride, his eyes lighting up and his thin chest expanding. "I will get right to work on finding more spells for you. Maybe that scoundrel Vievel knows where more might be found. You can count on me."
The head of the conservatory disappeared from the room as if his hair was on fire, leaving Terran alone with Jondar, whose mouth hung open.
"I'm not even sure who that is anymore," said Jondar, shaking his head.
Terran chuckled, patting the jovial elf on the shoulder. "Well, I guess you've done a great job as a teacher. Thank you, Jondar."
Jondar's head snapped around as he squinted. "Done a great job? We're not finished, and now that you have that weapon, there's a whole new set of training exercises I have for you. In fact, what better time to start? Meet me at the pond in five minutes, and bring the biggest rock you can carry."
Chapter Twenty-One
The carcass near the old rockslide had been picked clean of meat, leaving sun-bleached bones with grass growing between the ribs. Terran climbed onto the rocks as he reached out, mentally sensing for the tug of the Mother Tree essence that had been embedded in the peryton. The Sonic Staff sat comfortably on his back in a holster that Ara had made for him.
"These old boar ribs would make a nice soup," said Luna, pressing her furry gray paw against the curved bones.
The hint of a smile tugged Terran's lips upward. "You're always thinking of food."
The lynx glanced up at him. "You would be too if you always had to hunt for your meals."
"But you don't have to do that now," said Terran.
Luna sat on her haunches, licked the back of her paw, then rubbed the side of her head. "I miss the thrill of the hunt. Living with you is making me lazy." She tilted her head. "Found the peryton yet?"
"It's still ahead," said Terran, cupping his hand over his forehead to block the sun. "Hasn't moved in a day. I wonder if it's dead."
"We would be so lucky. Doesn't the essence keep it alive? The Mother Tree was destroyed a long time ago, and perytons don't live that long. Or at least I wouldn't if I were that ugly," said Luna.
Chuckling under his breath, Terran leapt onto the grass and continued heading into the trees. The closer he got, the more the essence tugged on his chest, leaving him anxious. His first fight with the peryton couldn't have gone more wrong. He reached behind his head and touched the staff for comfort. At least now he had a way to deal significant ranged attacks.
Despite knowing what he would encounter, when he came to the blasted hillside his breath escaped him. He checked for the presence of the essence, only to find that it'd moved while they'd been traveling. Terran immediately checked the skies, worried that the peryton had sensed his approach and was planning an ambush, but the air above him was empty of screaming claws, at least for now.
At the edge of the forest, the trees sat lazily in the soil, having taken part of the energy that had displaced the rest of the trees, but not enough to knock them over. A few of them looked like they could be tipped over by a stiff breeze, so he carefully avoided them as he exited the forest.
"Let's head to the top of that hill," said Terran. "Maybe we can ambush it when it returns."
"The safety of the trees seems more sensible," said Luna, but he ignored her and started picking his way across the fallen trees.
"What do you think caused this?" asked Luna when they were halfway across.
Terran checked all around him, especially towards the skies. "I think the peryton did this so no one could sneak up on it. But I can't for the life of me imagine how it did so. Sure, a few trees have claw gouges but the vast majority look like they were blown from the soil. You can see how the roots were ripped from the ground in one fell swoop."
"Maybe we should heed its wishes," said Luna gravely.
Climbing up the hill at the center was made treacherous by the shifting of the fallen trees. A few times, a whole pile slipped a few feet, forcing Terran to jump to the safety of the next trunk. By the time they neared the peak, his forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat.
As he neared the crown, he spied a massive nest sitting in the ruins of an old tower. Only the lower outline of the tower remained, creating a perfect cup in which the peryton could build its nest from huge branches and smaller trees. The entire nest was at least forty feet across.
"I bet we could find somewhere up there to hide until it flies home," said Terran, staring up at the nest. "Maybe even wait until it's sleeping for our first attack."
"Murder when sleeping, it's the honorable thing to do," said Luna, nodding succinctly.
"I didn't think you'd object," said Terran.
"Oh, no, I'm totally for it. Anything that keeps me from finding out what the forest looks like from a thousand feet in the air is fine by me," said Luna.
"Good," said Terran. "Then you can help me get up there."
The outer ridge of the nest was made from long sticks, which would have been easy to climb if it didn't shift every time he put his weight on it. So he handed the lynx the end of a rope and she bounded up the side as if it were a set of stairs. As soon as she reached the upper part, she stared into the middle of the nest.
"This isn't good," said Luna.
"What?" he asked from below.
The lynx shook her head. "You'll see in a moment."
Using the rope, Terran made his way into the nest, finding the reason for Luna's apprehension in a smaller and softer center section. The whole interior of the nest was covered in bones, thousands of bones, from all manner of creatures, from a massive rib cage that looked
like it'd come from a mammoth to piles of tiny finger-length bones that crunched when he stepped.
Luna wandered to an overly large skull with a protruding forehead and pushed her paw against it, rocking it back and forth.
"A Barghest," said the lynx. "I'm not sure I want to mess with a creature that can take down a Barghest."
"What's a Barghest?" he asked, crouching down to examine the skull from up close. The forehead was wider than his chest.
"Fearsome warrior race from the east. Mercenaries usually. A single Barghest can take down a squad of heavily armed Crag Trolls. I saw a lone Barghest once on the eastern side of the forest. Followed it for a day, curious about it. A trio of giants from the Jagged Peaks happened upon it, and as soon as they saw it, they immediately turned back from where they'd come," said Luna.
They circled the nest, examining the hundreds and hundreds of sun-bleached bones. Terran spied centaurs, humanoids of various shapes, cracked wing bones, antlers, split skulls, thigh bones, and shattered ribs.
"I don't think we should stay here, Terran," said Luna. "This doesn't seem like a normal peryton. It shouldn't be able to kill all these creatures. It shouldn't want to either."
"It's probably the power of the Mother Tree essence. Grimchar was trying to extract its power in Wunderlust Keep. Maybe it's driving the peryton mad," he mused.
"What about the Spirit Bear? It was tough, but not like this," said Luna.
"The essence was stuck in a shard of wood, which was imbedded in the bear, unlike the essence in Lord Ostric's heart. It was completely ethereal, not solid at all," said Terran. "But maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't wait here, but try to lure it to the woods, where we have a better—"
He swallowed his words when he heard the buffet of wings in the sky. Heading towards them at a great speed flew the peryton, wings spread wide and antlers angled for ramming. Then it lifted its head and emitted a horrible shriek that rippled through the air, slamming into Terran and spinning him across the tangled, bone-covered nest.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The peryton's shriek reverberated in his bones, leaving him sluggish as he struggled to his feet. It'd jellified his muscles, turning him into a newborn foal. The massive winged creature swooped down to tear him apart with its extended claws, and Luna leapt upon its back, sinking her teeth into the downy fur on its exposed neck.
The peryton tumbled forward, impacting into the side of the nest, barely missing Terran, whose limbs had stiffened enough that he could scramble out of the way. Luna had managed to leap free before getting crushed, but had gone over the side of the nest, leaving him alone with the peryton, which was shaking off the impact, searching for him with beady black eyes.
Terran slipped the Sonic Staff from his back holster. With the creature's shriek still ringing in his ears and his muscles only finally returning to limberness, he missed his note, barely knocking a few feathers out of place with his Vocal Slam.
Making a wing-aided hop-leap, the peryton tried to land on him, but Terran dove forward, right beneath its claws, getting torn up by the shattered bones and old limbs that made for a rough landing spot. But it was better than being caught by the peryton. He made it back to his feet, hitting his note on the second try, blowing rear feathers from the peryton and forcing it to leap into the sky to escape him.
[You have increased the skill Battle Song]
Skill: Battle Song 8 (CHA)
Who knew that screaming could be so effective?
Terran cheered his success, lifting the staff briefly until the winged creature banked around to come right back at him. Knowing he couldn't take a second blast from its debilitating shriek, he held the azure crystal of his staff before his lips, firing off a Vocal Slam before the creature could do the same to him.
The concussive wave of compressed air pushed the peryton off course, and its shriek went wide, shattering the edge of the nest, sending limbs and bark in a spray over the hillside. He would have felt better about his battle except the peryton's health was nearly full, and he was less than half.
It came around for another aerial attack, but Terran beat it to the punch, firing off his Vocal Slam before the peryton could shriek. But the damage was minimal, and the peryton winged into the sky, circling above him before he could hit it again.
Annoyed and angry, the peryton circled low before climbing back into the sky when he lifted his staff. Luna joined him after the third aborted pass, keeping a wary eye on the threat from above.
"Thanks for the save," he said, rotating so he was always perpendicular to the airborne peryton.
"You owe me a new rug to sleep on for that," said Luna. "But how are you going to kill it? It looks like it's content to wait you out."
"Don't give it any ideas," said Terran.
"I don't think it has the capacity for much thought beyond rage, hunger, and more rage," said Luna.
They watched while the peryton circled. It'd learned that he was dangerous, but it wasn't leaving. Terran wondered how long he could keep up his vigilance. The peryton flew low enough that a quick bank would take it right into him if he blinked wrong.
"I have an idea," said Terran.
"Modifiers like good, or great, or winning would be preferable," said Luna with her ears pinned back to her head.
"Hopefully the modifier is not dying, at least until we get back into the trees," said Terran, rotating on the crunchy bones. "When it passes on the back side of the nest, opposite the sun, sprint to the edge and hop over."
He didn't wait for Luna's acknowledgement, knowing she'd be able to handle it better than he could. When the peryton banked, Terran sprinted ahead, sensing the creature's change in direction even without turning his head. He ran up the side of the nest, throwing himself over right as the peryton's outstretched claws ripped through the air behind him, narrowly missing.
The impact hurt his knees, but he was alive. Luna looked back at him from the angled logs on the hillside. He checked to find the peryton had circled high again.
"Let's get moving."
They made their way across the uneven landscape of fallen trees, keeping the peryton in sight at all times. As they reached the valley, moving up the soft rise toward the forest, Terran asked, "Think you can make it to the trees without me?"
Luna scrunched up her furry face. "Why? You're not going to do something stupid, are you?"
"Do I have any other choice?"
Luna checked the sky, before nodding. "Good luck. I'll see you in the trees."
When the peryton banked around, Luna burst into a sprint, bounding over fallen trunks and the bushes that had grown between them. The winged creature briefly turned towards the lynx, but angled back around, deciding Terran was the more important prey.
He felt more exposed without Luna at his side, and one less set of eyes left him constantly rotating to find the peryton in the sky, but that vulnerability was calculated. He kept a steady pace, ignoring the sweat rolling down his forehead, looking for an opportune area to spring his trap.
When he reached a section of the hillside empty of trees, Terran dropped between the low brush. Halfway across the space, he let his guard down, feigning trouble with his hip pouch while keeping his attention focused forward.
Even without looking, he knew the peryton had dropped out of the sky, headed directly at his exposed back. The creature wouldn't be able to resist an open strike. But he'd purposely changed his orientation so he was facing away from the sun, so when the shadow of the peryton came rushing over him, Terran raised his hands, bringing an earthen wall into existence behind him, then dove to the left into a scrub bush.
The peryton rammed the sudden wall, exploding chunks of stone in all directions, flipping onto its back against the pile of destroyed trees. The right half of its antlers had been snapped clean. Terran rose to his feet and fired off a Vocal Slam right into its exposed belly.
The sonic blast brought an enraged shriek from the peryton, which had taken significant damage, but was n
ot yet close to death. As it rotated back on its feet, blood dripping from the crown of its head, the peryton snapped its beak and ambled forward on taloned feet, using its wings to aid its ungainly surge forward.
"Not good," said Terran, firing off another Vocal Slam before climbing onto the fallen trees.
The downed peryton was between him and the forest, so he was forced to loop around, but it was making good speed across the uneven landscape, pushing him to take chances as he leapt over logs and scrambled between dead limbs to stay ahead. The peryton had injured its right wing, keeping it on the ground, but it was just as dangerous if it caught him. He occasionally risked a Vocal Slam, but it wasn't enough to take it down because he was too winded to hit his notes properly.
When he reached the forest, he had a brief respite, enough to catch his breath, thankful he'd been training with Jondar, or he would have keeled over from exhaustion already. As the peryton stretched its wing, testing it for flight, Terran backed into the forest, past the first line of loose trees, careful not to slip in the disturbed soil.
Like him, the peryton took a brief break right beneath the final rise, gathering itself as if it would launch like a missile at him. Terran prepared himself for the sudden strike, taking a big breath, but keeping the staff at his side so as not to give away his plan.
When the head of the peryton dipped slightly, he brought the staff to his lips as he sing-screamed his D-sharp at perfect pitch, focusing the cone of displacement not at the peryton, but at the unhealthy trees on the tipping edge. His blast knocked them free, sending them into the rising peryton, which tried to slip past them, but the trees caught its extended wings, trapping it.
The near-dead peryton shrieked with rage, struggling to pull itself free of the fallen trees, but before it could muster the energy, Terran scrambled down towards its head. The peryton snapped its shiny beak at him, its beady black eyes red with fury.
As Terran lifted his staff, he sensed that beneath the killing frenzy, the peryton would be relieved not to have to fight anymore. Even as its beak opened threateningly, the eyes relaxed as if it welcomed the final embrace of death.
The Crystal Bard: A LitRPG Adventure (Kingmaker Saga Book 2) Page 14
