Chapter 99: The Birds

Ann ducked a steaming jet of acidic shit, gagging at the smell as it hit the hot pavement. Why couldn’t these harpies be all sexy half-naked women with wings for arms like the myths? Though that’d probably make them harder to kill, so there was some balance to it.

Lucia cursed as one of her shots missed the main body of a Warped, but still hit its wing. The thing cooed in distress as it twirled in the air, descending like a monstrous seed pod, then landed.

Ann aimed her revolver at another harpy and took her shot. It sunk into the left thigh of the creature, black blood leaking from the wound before it healed back up. Difficult kills, and it made sense with how fucking big they were.

Ann was tall, and they towered over her. When they were either shot down or dove to land on the party, they doubled her height. Their feathered bodies were lean, humanoid, with taloned feet and the winged arms she expected. Just, they had pigeon heads. Any type of allure was lost at that point.

Ann knew some Vulhardrin had the head of their racial beast, but a pigeon was not something she could take seriously. Quietly, she hoped that wasn’t racist.

The one Lucia shot out of the sky strutted its way over to Kat, who’d taunted the thing as soon as it landed. The princess was acting as the ground team, with Rosalyn as her backup. With the Druid being stuck with lightning for anything off the ground, she was more useful when she could use thorns to kill the harpies that landed. From the shouts and banter, at least they were having some fun.

Ann grit her teeth as she shot at another harpy, clipping its wing, then started reloading.

Lucia kept up the fire, her rifle far better suited for this type of engagement. The Thrundol was ice cold in the way she brought her rifle to her shoulder, sighted her target, and fired. Even her reloads were fluid and practised. Ann still fumbled now and then, even with her skill and Dexterity helping her.

One of the flock of six still circling over them dove, targeting Lucia. Ann holstered her revolver and waited for the harpy to hit the pavement.

Lucia dodged to the side, snapping up to take another shot into the sky.

Ann ran forward, extending her claws and raking at the wings, tearing away feathers between her fingers. She grinned at the shriek of pain she got in response and turned to her grounded opponent.

She registered a burst of light as Bren deflected more acidic shit while she rushed inside the harpy’s reach. Cursing, she was driven back as the thing kicked at her.

Paws scrabbled at the road as she corrected her momentum, running to the right and aiming for the thing’s legs.

The beak flashed down. It was short, but sharp and scored her metal gorget as she barely got out of the way.

Ann spun with the impact and used it to drive her fist into the side of the thing’s head with a satisfying thunk. Her hand hurt from the impact, but the Warped wasn’t dead yet.

It pulled back and tried to peck her again. Gods, the thing’s head was fast.

Ann dodged out of the way again, this time without taking a hit, and took a split second to look for a weakness. She’d drawn birds before, their eyes and their ears. Ears would be a problem. Below and just behind the eyes, hidden by feathers, but she knew where it should be.

Claws punched through the skin, and instead of meeting bone, they sunk into flesh, coating her arm in gushing black blood. One smite later and the charred hole was all that remained of the thing’s ear.

It didn’t kill it, but it sure as fuck disabled the harpy. The thing stood, shaking its head as it tried to heal, blocked by the smite’s damage. It took a step, tripped, toppled, and struggled to get back up. She’d gotten its inner ear, destroying its balance.

Calmly walking over, Ann took her gauntleted hand and tore out its throat. More blood coated her, but she was past caring.

“Annita!” Lucia cried.

While she was dealing with her harpy, another had dived at Lucia. She was doing her best to dodge, but was nowhere near as fast as Ann. Her knife flashed as she desperately blocked a peck and tumbled backwards.

“Shit,” Ann cursed, sprinting forward at full speed. “Hit its leg!”

Lucia tried, but she couldn’t do much in close ranged combat. Fillianore bounced off the scaled talon with no noticeable effect.

Another peck flashed down toward her and a barrier slowed the strike enough for Lucia to roll to the side.

Ann got to her the next second, leaping, then driving her claws into the thing’s back. It shrieked and flapped hard, lifting them both off the ground.

“Shit shit shit shit shit shiiiiiit!” Ann yelled as she felt them rise into the sky. This was bad. This thing could fly and no one on her team could. She’d be stuck until it decided to land. Fuck.

A bullet whizzed by her head. Lucia’s attempt at helping.

Rosalyn wouldn’t be able to shock the thing. Not without hitting Ann too. Might be worth it.

Ann forced herself to think. Stop panicking and think. She’d seen what to do. They tried to stay flying if one wing was taken out.

Ann was grappled onto the harpy’s back, head up ahead of her. Her left hand had the best grip, so she ripped her right hand free and swung at the wing-arm to her right. It missed. She reeled, grabbing on to ribs and flesh as the thing tried to roll her off. Black blood poured over her as she hung doggedly on.

Ann got her grip back as a bullet knocked the harpy to the side, shaking her. Ann snarled, opening her jaws as wide as they could and bit into the thing’s back for extra grip. Anything to help. She swung her claws again and hit its arm this time. She used a smite to make sure the damage stuck and swung again and again. Three smites into the thing’s limb and it went limp.

The harpy let out a pained screech and fell. Thankfully, what she’d seen was right, and the left arm stayed outstretched, slowing their descent.

Distantly, Ann heard Lucia shouting something to the rest of the party, but she was too focused on not falling off to make out the words.

Ann’s teeth clenched, hurting slightly as they hit the ground awkwardly. She let go, rolling to the right, and welcomed the hard ground hitting her shoulder. She felt Bren healing her as soon as she hit, but didn’t think it was really worth it.

The harpy strutted at her, dragging its dead arm behind it, before pecking at the limb and, with a sickening pop, tore it free.

Ann was already sick after biting into the thing, the foul taste mixed with bile as she puked at the sight. Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry about being hit.

Lucia fired another shot, taking it in the side of the head, the bullet flying with a bright white light, and the creature collapsed to the ground.

“Thanks,” Ann said, staggering to her feet, and wiping her mouth free of Warped blood and vomit.

“You ok?” Lucia asked. She looked concerned, but kept an eye on the sky.

“Yeah. It just tastes fucking awful,” Ann said. She spat a gob of black gunk onto the ground, taking a swig from her waterskin to wash out her mouth.

“Better than dead.”

“Hell yeah it is. Shit, got another one while I was busy. Two left?”

“Just that one,” Lucia said, pointing at the one Kat was currently fighting. It wasn’t landing, staying just above the ground and harrying her with its talons.

“Lets clip its wings,” Ann growled. She and Lucia aimed in unison and hit the feathery appendage, causing an explosion of fluff and dust.

The warped screeched and fell on top of Kat, who buckled with a shout. Surprisingly, it didn’t get back up.

Together, Ann and Lucia pulled the corpse off the princess.

“Got the fecker,” Kat laughed. “Straight tae the heart.” She pulled her sword, which she’d wedged between her chest plate and the falling Warped, free from its chest. “Ye doin’ alright Ann?”

“Fine as I can be after taking an unwilling flight,” she laughed.

“Scared me to death,” Bren grumbled. “I am glad you were not severely injured.”

“It’s Ann, she’s always flying everywhere,” Rosalyn shrugged. “Remember that time she got launched on top of the Snail?”

“I nearly had a heart attack then as well.” Bren grimaced. “Well, victory is ours for this assault. I do worry there are more, but you seem to have a bit of time Rosalyn, please make it quick.”

“Yeah, yeah. Can you help me flip this one over? I want to get a look at its back muscles. Gotta be strong to keep something that big flying.”

Rosalyn and Ann dragged the wing of one harpy to the side, exposing its back, and the Druid cut into it with surgical precision, peeling back the feathers and skin to reveal the muscle beneath.

“Oooh, look at this. Look how defined these shoulder muscles are,” Rosalyn said, pointing. “The back specifically. See how it’s attached at different points to allow for better motion when flapping? Also, the ligaments here and here are longer than normal, letting it stretch further. Then the pectorals have to be much larger than a normal human’s. Still, this doesn’t seem to be enough for obtaining flight. Do they have hollow bones too?”

Rosalyn took her knife, cutting at the black-coated muscle beneath her. It was weird seeing the inside of Warped, even now. Their muscles were a sickly grey-black, changed by the ichor like blood that gave them life. Rosalyn seemed unconcerned as she pulled back a section of muscle and easily snapped a rib.

“Yup, hollow. That explains pretty much everything. Especially why it was so easy to damage their heads. Don’t think you’d be able to punch into anything else’s skull like that besides those weird dusty corpses.” Finished, she stood and wiped off her hands.

“I feel like I do a lot of that anyway,” Ann said, offering her waterskin to Rosalyn.

“Yeah, well, you are a melee fighter. Maybe you’re better at instinctively finding weak points than you think? I dunno. Kat, was it easier to cut these things apart?”

“Aye. Cut straight through bone when I got a good hit. Felt like twigs snappin’,” Kat said, finishing up with cleaning her blade.

Ann looked down at the freshly skinned corpse. It looked way too human for her to be comfortable. Something about the spine was definitely human. It continued up into the neck, lost underneath the feathers into the pigeon head, but Ann could see it topped with a human skull. She shuddered at the mental image.

“Yeah, gonna not think about that too much. You have fun, Rosalyn,” Ann said grimly, stepping away to sit on a curb.

“Hey, ye gonna be alright?” Kat asked, moving over to join her.

“Heh, everyone’s asking me that today,” Ann chuckled dryly.

“I mean, ye were freakin’ out before, so figures ye’d be havin’ trouble again,” Kat said. She sat down cross-legged by Ann.

“It’s the same old shit, really,” Ann said, trying to reassure her girlfriend. “Just too close to home, and creatures that are too close to human or things I was really familiar with. Half expecting a mutant moose at some point.”

“Oh, those’re things,” Kat said. “No, really! They’re like tanks. Normal moose are like tanks, but these things are thicker. Ye know their antlers? Now picture that in a frill around their neck.”

“Wait, like a triceratops?”

“No feckin’ clue what tha’ is.”

“Right, yeah, basically monsters from way before my time is the easiest way to describe them. Giant lizards. Shiiiit we might run into those as Warped.”

“I mean, would they be cool tae fight?” Kat asked, an eager gleam in her eyes.

Ann couldn’t help but laugh. Her fight crazy girlfriend. Gods, she loved her. “Tell you what. I’ll tell you when we meet one. The one I was talking about was also built like a tank with a giant frill and three horns, two above its eyes and one on its nose. It looked awesome.”

“Sounds feckin’ awesome. Hope it’s not all messed up. Be cool tae see it like it was.”

“Even if we have to kill it?”

“Oh, especially if we do. Can ye believe the stories? Havin’ tae fight an ancient monster tae the death? Might even top feckin’ the Chosen of Orenous,” Kat teased.

“Oh? Am I becoming too mundane for the princess?”

Kat grabbed the front of her armour and pulled her close. “Never.”

Ann melted into the kiss. Kat was great like that. She knew what she liked and had a way of making big worries seem small through that lens.

“Thanks,” Ann whispered as Kat drew back.

“Any time, mutt,” Kat whispered back. “Love ye.”

“Love you, too.”

“Lovebirds, two more circling,” Lucia called. “Possible incoming. Ready!”

Bren was with them in a moment, deflecting a projectile of shit. “I really do wish they had other means of ranged attacks,” he grumbled. “Or at least something less offensive to the nose.”

“Pigeons shitting on people is a time-honoured tradition, Bren,” Ann laughed. “You aren’t a city boy until you’ve taken a hit.”

“Then I would prefer to remain outside this exclusive order,” Bren said, sarcasm thick in his voice.

“Think it would suit you,” Lucia laughed, taking aim and tracking one harpy. “White can go with the blonde.”

“I said this is not happening.”

“A little dirt can look dashing,” Rosalyn said, leaning on her staff as she watched the Warped circle.

“You all are impossible,” Bren groaned. Despite this, Ann saw his lips twitch up in a smirk.

One of the harpies dove with a weird coo-shriek. Lucia’s rifle reported, knocking it off course and tumbling to the earth.

Ann and Kat were on it in the next second. Ann jumped on its back, disabling its wings, while Kat cut the neck. It regenerated once, twice, then fell limp.

“Think the last one’ll be stupid enough to try us?” Ann panted, staring up at the solitary figure as it lobbed acidic shit at them.

“It’s a Warped. O’ course it will,” Kat laughed as the thing let out its own shriek, possibly offended they’d killed its partner, and streaked through the sky at them.

“Kat, taunt it!” Rosalyn yelled.

Kat did as instructed, slamming her shield to activate her skill. “Time tae end yer shitty life!” she shouted at the monster.

The Warped changed the angle of its dive to target Kat directly, talons outstretched. It was going to grab her.

The moment before it made contact, Kat jumped back and a spire of Thorns exploded from the pavement, impaling the creature’s lower body.

“Hah! It worked!” Rosalyn cried triumphantly.

Lucia took aim and fired straight through the thing’s ear, disabling it. “A good trap. Well done.”

Ann walked up to the thing’s front, then used her claws to drag its head to her level. She forced her gauntlet through its eye, into its brain. It tried to wrench free of her grip, but she put a smite into it, and ended the encounter.

“Fuck, I think I’m gonna get another partial level of my Warped stat at this rate,” she cursed, looking down at her blood-soaked body. “Black was definitely the right choice for my armour, though.”

“Speakin’ o’ levels, did ye hit one from that fight?”

Ann checked, and sure enough, she had, which meant everyone else probably had, too.

“I got one last fight,” Lucia said as her eyes unfocused, looking at her ethereal window. “Strange.”

“Guess Orenous wants you to catch up,” Ann shrugged. “At least she’s fair to everyone in the party.”

An odd level meant more skills for the group. She checked her options.

Congratulations! Your Path has advanced!

Warrior of Orenous (17)

Please choose from one of the following:

Brawler’s Fortitude: Increase Endurance by 4.

Go for the Throat: When attacking a vital area, any wounds left unhealed will continue to bleed for 100% of your Dexterity over the next ten seconds.

“Ooh, I got a bleed,” Ann whistled. “Or a straight Endurance increase. Probably going for the bleed, though.”

“Sounds like the right choice tae me,” Kat muttered, still reviewing her own choices. “Ye’re slippery enough endurance doesn’t do ye as much as mine.”

“Maybe I’ll get a dodge skill or something down the line,” Ann said, locking in Go for the Throat. The healing part kinda worried her with the innate healing the Warped possessed, but she could probably make it work.

“I think I may have my favorite skill yet,” Bren laughed, nodding as he finished. “I can track the general level of your health. All of you! This will make my healing so much more efficient! Illdall be praised!”

“Oh thank the Gods,” Rosalyn sighed. “I have something ranged that isn’t lightning. A wind projectile that uses Mind. The other option is nice. A ritual spell for communing with storms, but this other one is way more practical. Done!”

Lucia said nothing, but nodded, her decision made.

“Kat?” Ann asked, turning to the princess.

“Yeah, give me a sec. Got a shield bash or an extension o’ me shield tae better cover an area. Kinda like yer shite, Bren.”

“I mean, you don’t have much in the way of offence in your kit, right?” Ann said, thinking over what she knew of Kat’s skills.

“Aye, an’ Bren’s got us pretty well covered wit’ his own shields. Just, it’d help keep ye all safe.”

“True, but besides Ann, you are our other melee fighter,” Bren said. “You being able to deal damage as well, without using All In would be a boon for us all.”

“Yeah, I know, but still. Feck, ye’re right,” Kat groaned, but she made her decision.

“Alright, care to share everyone?” Bren asked, pulling out his notebook.

“After,” Lucia said. “Still on timer.”

“Ah, right, apologies,” Bren said, putting his notes away.

“Well, we’ve taken out the Ringrats and the Harpies, next up is the humans, isn’t it?” Rosalyn said, starting to walk.

“Yeah, and I’m really not looking forward to it,” Ann groaned.