A few minutes later, Fairfalls was a blip behind us, and the sprawling plains lay before us with the edge of the forest looming off in the distance.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Leon said. “Once you leave the relative safety of town, anything can attack at any time.”
“What could there possibly be to worry about out here in the open?” I asked, but I slipped my bow off my shoulder just the same.
Likewise, the others drew their weapons but held them relaxed at their sides. At least, as far as I could tell, they weren’t planning to die in the next five seconds.
I had no idea what to expect on this hunt. It would have been helpful if I'd at least remembered basic combat knowledge, but it all seemed to have been erased from my memory.
I just kept rehearsing everything I knew about myself. I am a Guardian, I have a sister, and she needs my—
“Get down!” Rayf yelled.
Five
I dropped to the ground in an instant. A second later, a sword whooshed over my head, and the body of a black bird landed next to my face. Its razor-sharp talons glistened in the sun as its lifeless eye stared back at me.
The razorclaw?
“Get up, now, this is far from over,” Rayf said.
Flipping onto my back, I saw five more of the birds circling in the air above. Two sailed down, aiming straight for Elsie, who waited with her weapon ready. As they drew near, she swung, but the birds dodged and circled around for a second run.
I leaned back and kicked forward, hopping up into a crouch. Looping the quiver onto my shoulder once more, I drew an arrow and nocked it then tracked the first bird.
When I was reasonably sure I had a bead on it, I loosed an arrow, but it went wide narrowly missing Elsie. The arrow drew her attention to the side, and one of the birds swooped in and landed a glancing blow on her shoulder.
“Watch it, will you?” she spat at me.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Behind you!” Leon shouted.
I spun to find a bird soaring straight for me and closing in fast. In one fluid motion, I pulled another arrow and let fly. It struck home, sinking into the bird’s chest, but the bird kept coming.
I raised my hands to block my face as the body of the bird fell onto me and dropped to the ground, dead.
Kneeling beside it, I began to withdraw my arrow when I noticed a layer of frost starting to form in a circle around the point of impact. My eyes widened with shock. I’d forgotten all about the magika stone in my bow.
I retrieved my arrow and nocked it once more as I spun to survey the battle. Three more birds were down with one lone bird flying circles around Leon’s head.
Aiming at it, I held my breath and hoped to the gods I didn’t kill Leon. Against all conventional wisdom, I closed my eyes as I loosed the arrow.
Leon screamed.
Gods, I killed him.
Eyes still squeezed shut, I could hear his heaving from where I stood as he breathed one last breath.
“Good shot, Aren!” he said, his voice breaking through my distress.
I opened my eyes to see Leon on the ground, and the bird lying atop his chest with my arrow protruding from its back.
A small burst of light exploded from my right hand, coming from under my gauntlet. I gasped and tore the gauntlet from my hand, tossing it onto the ground.
“What just happened?” I asked, glancing over at Von and the others, who weren’t paying attention.
“You leveled up,” Leon said as he tossed the bird off his chest. “Nothing to freak out about. Check your power tracker.”
“My what?” I asked.
Leon stood and pointed to his left wrist. “You’re power—”
I held up a bare left hand.
“Oh, you don’t have one,” he said. “No worries. You can borrow mine for right now.”
Leon unstrapped the device and handed it to me.
“Just put it on, and it will read your stats from your bio energy,” Leon explained.
I did so, and the screen lit up with the following information:
20/20 MP
1,520/2,000 EXP
1 AP AVAILABLE
“Whoa,” Leon said, covering up the display.
“Is that bad?” I asked.
Leon glanced over at Von and the others who were starting to walk toward us, then he quickly whispered, “You’re only a level 2? How is that possible? If Von finds out, you’ll be excommunicated.”
“What do you mean?” I pressed him, also whispering.
“I told you the minimum requirement to join KotF was level 6. I don’t know how you got past their initial check, but you’d better level up fast if you don’t want to end up clanless.”
Clanless. Excommunicated. That didn’t sound good. I might never make it to Claire if that happened. Von couldn’t find out. I ripped the tracker off my wrist and shoved it back into Leon’s hand.
“You owe me a new cuirass,” Elsie said, pointing at a gouge in the leather armor on her shoulder.
“Sorry,” I replied, not knowing what else to do.
“Two kills. Not bad for your first battle, lad,” Von said, extending a hand.
I shook it as I told him, “Thanks.”
“Better watch out, Rayf,” Elsie said. “The rookie might take your spot as MVP.”
“Hah,” Rayf said. “As if. I got two kills as well, plus I saved the poor sop. He owes me a lifedebt.”
“I... what?” I said in disbelief, fearing I’d been enslaved to some unknown magical pact.
“Don’t listen to him,” Elsie said with a laugh. “He’s just messing with you.” Then her face turned deadpan serious. “But I’m not. Black leather isn’t cheap.”
I forced a smile.
“And you,” Von said as he turned to Leon with a frown. “I expect more from you in the future, or you’ll find yourself searching for another clan.”
Ouch.
I felt bad for Leon. He was the only one without a kill. But my sympathy lasted only long enough for me to remember my own situation. By the sounds of it, if Leon got kicked out, he’d simply have to find another crew to join. But since I was apparently here illegally, I could be in real trouble.
The second bird I killed was lying a few feet away. As I drew near to retrieve my arrow, I noticed the bird was entirely frosted over with bits of ice starting to form on its beak and talons.
This Ice magic was some powerful stuff. Granted, the bird was dead already, and it had taken a few minutes to get this far, but if this was a Class 1, I’d love to see what Class 5 Ice magic could do.
Placing my foot on the bird, I pulled the arrow free then went on a hunt for the other arrow I’d lost. After a few moments, I found it and returned it to my quiver.
“All right,” I said. “So now that the razorclaws are dead, we can go get our reward, right?”
Rayf burst into laughter. “You’re joking right,” he said, placing a hand over his mouth. Then he straightened and narrowed his eyes. “Oh, you’re serious? You’ve got to be kidding me! You don’t know what a razorclaw is?”
I shook my head.
“Where’d you get this one, Von?” Rayf asked. “He’s as green as they come.”
“Not all of us could afford prep,” Leon spat, crossing his arms.
“Maybe not, but even you know what a razorclaw is,” Rayf said.
Leon bristled at the comment as he clenched his fists.
“Easy,” Von said. “It’s an honest mistake for a rook. Let’s go. Don’t want to be out here after the sun goes down with the razorclaw still lurking about.”
We crossed the plains without further incident and soon stepped foot into the forest. My memory loss was taking a toll as my confusion deepened. If those weren't razorclaws, than what in the gods are we hunting? I didn’t know where I expected this razorclaw to live, but I was surprised when we turned just inside the tree line and walked parallel to the plains.
“I would have just cut across the meadow and saved some time. Why didn�
�t we do that in the first place?” I asked.
“Because you’re not in charge,” Von said with a hint of irritation. “And the good folk of Fairfalls said they don’t know where the beast makes its home, only that it lives on the forest’s edge. So, we’re going to walk this line until we find it.”
“Or it finds us,” Elsie said, her eyes roaming the forest.
We continued on for another half an hour as the light in the forest continued to dim. A howl split the air and nearly caused me to jump out of my skin.
“Nothing to worry about,” Leon said. “Wolves don’t get above level 6. It’s the razorclaw you should be concerned with.”
“What level were those birds?” I asked.
“Level 3.”
“And the razorclaw?”
“30,” he answered.
“Oh gods, we’re going to die,” I said, not hiding the fear that washed over me.
“There’s five of us, and one of it,” Leon said. “Besides, Von’s a level 26, and Rayf’s a 28. We should be able to take care of this.”
“Should?” I repeated.
“We can. We will,” he said, but he didn’t seem convinced himself.
I grabbed onto Leon’s shoulder, and we stopped walking while the others continued on. Leaning in close, I whispered, “Why did they bring us along if it’s so much stronger than us? Are they trying to get us killed?”
“Not at all, bringing low-level recruits on high-level bounties like this is common practice in clans,” Leon explained. “You get double experience fighting monsters higher than your level, and you get triple if it’s more than twenty levels over. Just by bringing us along, we’re guaranteed to gain a level or two. You might even gain more 'cause you’re so low. Pray it’s enough to get you to level 6.”
“You lads best keep up,” Von shouted back. “We’re bound to be getting close.”
I stared at Leon, but he just nodded for me to keep moving.
A rustle in the bushes caught my attention, and I turned, drawing my bow.
“What is it?” Leon asked.
After a moment of silence, I lowered my weapon. “Nothing, a squirrel or something, maybe.”
Then the sound of rapid footfalls and ragged breathing passed behind me. Spinning around, my bow was raised once more.
A howl to my left caused me to turn just in time to see the jaws of a wolf flying straight for me. I loosed an arrow, but the beast crashed into me, sending it wide, as he clamped down on my gauntlet.
I silently thanked the gods I’d chosen it over the boots as it was the only thing that saved my arm from being torn to shreds, but the pressure was unbelievable. If I didn’t do something fast, he’d crush my wrist.
Drawing my dagger with my free hand, I stabbed it into the wolf’s flank, and the beast released me. It growled in pain as it bounded off into the brush, taking my dagger with it.
Three more wolves emerged with their teeth bared, surrounding Leon and me.
“You were saying?” I said.
A ball of fire flew in and caught the rightmost wolf on its side, sending it tumbling. When it stopped, nothing but a blackened husk remained.
I glanced next to me to see a wisp of smoke escape from Von’s extended arm as one of the stones on his gauntlet went dim.
“See?” Leon said. “Nothing to worry about.”
One of the wolves lunged for me and snapped its jaws, but I dove away and avoided its bite.
“Tell me that again when they’re all dead,” I shouted back to him as I scrambled to my feet.
Another fireball crashed into the second wolf, and the third, apparently recognizing defeat, scurried off into the forest.
“Chet,” I said through labored breaths.
“‘Thank you’ would be more appropriate,” Von said.
“No, you don’t understand, one of them ran off with my—”
“Dagger?” Rayf said as he rejoined us. He had my weapon in his hand with the hilt extended out toward me. “That one won’t be bothering us anymore.”
As the dagger hit my palm, my affinity mark let out another burst, indicating I’d leveled up again.
“Congrats, lad!” Von said. “What are you up to?”
“Not sure,” I said with a spike of fear coursing through me. “I left my tracker back on the boat.”
“Do you want to borrow mine to check?” Von asked, starting to unstrap his power tracker.
“No, thanks,” I replied a little too quickly. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll take care of it later.”
Von shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“Good thing those wolves happened upon us,” Rayf said.
“Good? Good? Are you kidding me? It almost ate my face off,” I proclaimed.
“And look at you, not a scratch on you,” he said. “Anyway, I saw the big one bounding away with your blade in it, so I chased it a little ways up a ridge before I managed to kill it with an ice spear. While I was getting your weapon back—nice dagger by the way, where’d you get—”
“Get to the point,” Elsie said.
“Right, I found the razorclaw’s den,” Rayf announced.
“Excellent news!” Von said. “Can you lead us back there?”
“Sure, follow me,” he said, spinning and darting off into the forest.
Leon and I chose to stick pretty close to Von after our encounter with the wolves. I wasn’t about to repeat that mistake. Even if I was a level 3 now, I couldn’t hope to survive against a level 30 razorclaw without Von and Rayf… and Elsie, too, I guess. Though Leon never told me her level and it felt inappropriate to ask when she was in earshot.
The razorclaw’s den was a cave at the top of a small hill. Climbing the hill hadn’t been difficult, but I could see how it would have been easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. Not that the beast was thinking about the concealability of his home when he picked the place.
The hill’s height rose up just above the treetops, giving a clear view of the rest of the forest, as well as the plains just a short distance away.
“Do you think it’s in there?” Leon asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Rayf said, stepping inside.
“Are you mad?” Elsie asked.
“Nonsense,” Rayf said. “It’s plainly not home right now. That wolf made a lot of racket as it died, and nothing came out. Which means it’s either dead or gone. No razorclaw can resist wolf for dinner.”
The razorclaw eats wolves? What type of creature is this?
“All right, lead the way,” Von said. “But keep alert just in case. Last thing we need is this beast getting the jump on us.”
I held my bow at the ready with an arrow nocked as we entered the razorclaw’s den. In the dark of the cave, the light frosty blue of my bowstring glowed like a candle in the night. In addition to its freezing capabilities, it also served as a decent lantern, lighting the path right in front of me.
Rayf held up his greatsword, tapped a stone on the hilt, and the length of the blade lined itself with flames, casting an even larger light for all to see.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
The tunnel went straight back, narrowed for a brief moment, and then widened into a small cavern in the back.
“This is definitely the razorclaw’s den,” Rayf said. “Look.”
He positioned the blade so it shone light into one particular corner of the cave. Bones littered every inch of the space, at least eight feet wide and four feet tall. Most of them looked like animal bones, but a human skeleton lay on top, still wearing a full set of gear.
“Go check it out, Aren,” Von said, motioning for me to go over.
It was a bit unsettling to think about all the animals and people that lost their lives to the beast as I stood next to its equivalent of a dinner table. The boots on the skeleton were chewed up beyond repair, and the one gauntlet I had was in better condition. But I could use a second gauntlet and the cuirass. Even if it was a little worn with use, it was better than nothing.
“Well, how do you want to do this?” Rayf asked. “Should we lie here in wait, set up an ambush, or go looking for it?”
“I don’t like the idea of sitting here doing nothing,” Von said. “Not with the sun so low in the sky. But we need to utilize every advantage we have if we want a chance of finishing this thing.”
While Rayf and Von continued to hash out the details of our strategy to kill the razorclaw, I walked back toward the front of the cave to keep a look out. As I drew close to the entrance, the sun came into view, blinding me. But for some reason, I couldn’t look away.
A sharp pain pierced through my skull as my vision flickered between the whole sun before me and one nearly twice its size with red lines coursing through it. I could feel the heat of the world around me burning, and then all at once, it was gone, and the sun appeared normal again.
When I opened my eyes, I found that I’d fallen to my hands and knees. I lowered my head and took a deep breath. Suddenly, the sun’s light disappeared completely, and a dark shadow fell over me.
I lifted my head and saw the silhouette of what looked like an enormous mountain lion that stood as tall as a man, filling the entrance of the cave.
It roared, the sound reverberating off the stone walls, and I nearly peed my pants. Nearly.
Six
Without a second thought, I loosed an arrow at the beast, but all I managed to do was make it angry—as if finding intruders in its home wasn’t already irritating enough—or perhaps it was just hungry, and it smelled dinner.
Either way, I found myself eating dirt as the great beast leapt into the air and flew right over me. I was on my feet a moment later, nocking another arrow. I let it fly, and for the first time, I noticed that a trail of blue light revealed the path my arrow had taken. It may have been present before, but in the dark of the cave, it became more visible.
The arrow slammed into the razorclaw’s side and held fast. Even from this distance, I could see that a thin layer of frost was starting to form on the beast’s fur. But at this Class level, it would probably take an hour to freeze the great cat, and I was pretty sure I had about thirty seconds before I became its dinner.
Sworn Guardian: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (Forbidden Magic Book 1) Page 4
