{Chain Lightning}
The moment words were uttered, the spell was cast. The end of her staff shone in a brilliant blue glow. Thunder rumbled as a lightning bolt, no thicker than a human’s smallest finger, burst forth and zipped toward the unsuspecting leafwing monkey.
The bolt crossed the distance before the creature could suspect anything; lightning was faster than thunder. Rumbling only came once it reached the target. It hit the monkey just below the back of its neck, instantly searing the fur and drilling inside its unsuspected body.
The energy coursed through its body, igniting it from the inside. Its heart stopped drumming before it could twitch twice.
Then, the creature toppled.
Weakened but still deadly, two equal tendrils split away from the falling creature, arcing toward the nearest pair of frightened monkeys. By now, the troop had been alerted to the danger. Instinct screamed at them to scatter, to distance themselves from the lightning and their stricken comrades before the flowing plasma claimed them too.
But Jane was a veteran adventurer.
The skill had been charged with enough mana to ensure the lightning would chain within a ten-meter radius. Regrettably, not all would die like the first victims. The skill had an inherent flaw, carrying diminished lethality with each jump.
But killing them all was never her goal. They just needed to fall.
And fall they did. The paralysed creatures twitched on the ground, still reeling from her skill, their fading vision catching a glimpse of her fast-approaching husband.
Haste, Wind Blessing {Blade}
Larry activated his cherished skills, grinning widely. The surviving monkeys let out startled screeches, instinctively warning of the incoming threat. Yet, disoriented and momentarily defenceless, they stood no chance.
Larry moved with practised precision. His sword was enclosed in coiled winds as he lunged, tearing through the helpless creatures with fluid, deadly strikes. None could recover before his blade found its mark on their necks. Blood scattered unreserved.
Together, Larry and Jane were a formidable team, their skills complementing each other perfectly as they fought against the monsters. As the last of the creatures lost its head to Larry’s blade, they allowed themselves a brief moment of respite.
Both of them shared a look of triumph.
“Let’s quickly collect all the mana stones before moving on,” Larry insisted, turning toward the two as they approached him among the rubble of their carnage. “We won’t be finding any buyers in the village, but we can still sell them in the nearby town on our way back.”
Liz, having just witnessed their martial prowess from the side, had no objections to following his command. Even if the battle had lasted less than three minutes, their efficiency left no room for doubt.
Jane just nodded her head with a smile, thinking the same as her husband.
 
…
 
As they pushed through the dense vegetation, Jane took the lead, trusting her sharp intuition to guide their path. Every few minutes, they would halt as Jane entered a state of intense concentration.
The red hue in her left eye would deepen, a tell-tale sign that she was using her unique tracking skill. Each shift in direction was calculated after she carefully assessed the terrain, her eye scanning for any sign of their elusive target’s mana signature.
With ease honed from years of practice, her vision shifted, allowing her to perceive the subtle fluctuations in the atmospheric mana. Each trace painted a vivid picture of the surrounding energy, guiding her toward their ultimate goal.
Sentient or not, each creature’s soul had a particular signature that it would leave on the atmospheric mana. It persisted for a while, and Jane’s unique skill was perfectly suitable to guide them using that very signature.
Despite the countless lingering traces left behind by other creatures, Jane’s skill allowed her to filter out distractions, honing in on one particular trail that they sought. Like a seasoned tracker following the faintest footprints, she navigated them across the ancient forest, her eyes firm with determination.
Liz turned to Larry, curiosity burning in her eyes, and asked, “What does a Crystal Antler look like?”
He met her gaze with a knowing look, ready to share what he knew. The noble lady was bound to be curious on her first adventure, after living more than a decade of sheltered life.
He decided to entertain her question.
“A Crystal Antler is both a marvel and a menace,” Larry began, his voice carrying a mix of awe and caution. “A truly beautiful creature. Imagine a towering stag, its antlers glistening like cut gemstones. Stunning, yes? But don’t let their beauty fool you,”
“These creatures are anything but gentle,” Larry warned, reminiscing about an old memory.
He leaned in slightly, his expression turning serious. “They stand twice my size, with antlers stretching nearly a meter and a half. Their bodies are covered in tough, fish-like scales that shimmer with a mesmerising blue sheen, giving them both resilience and an eerie otherworldly presence.”
His tone darkened as he described the creature’s deadliest trait. “Those crystal antlers aren’t just for show. They are devastating weapons. Not only do they use them as battering rams, but they can also unleash three distinct and deadly types of Prismatic Beams”
He raised a hand, miming each effect as he spoke. "The red beam detonates on impact, causing widespread destruction. The blue beam freezes anything in its path, trapping prey in ice. And the black beam…" His voice dipped lower. "That one’s necromantic in nature. It slows, corrodes, and sometimes… it doesn't just kill. It lingers."
“Lingers?” Liz questioned, confusion etched on her delicate face.
“Yes… It sometimes raises undead,” Larry sighed.
A heavy silence followed his words.
As they pressed on through the dense forest, Liz found herself glancing at her companions with newfound respect and a quiet sense of unease. If they had faced creatures like this before and lived to tell the tale… just how strong were they?
…
“Gracious!!!,” Liz cursed, grimacing as she felt the wet, sticky texture of fresh animal manure beneath her boot.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
A sharp, stinking stench burned her nostrils, making the tiny hairs inside tingle in protest. Suppressing a gasp, she quickly grabbed a nearby tree, dragging the sole of her boot across its exposed roots in an attempt to scrape off the mess.
“Shhh…” Larry’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the urgency in his tone made her freeze. He raised a finger to his lips, his gaze pleading with her to remain quiet.
Liz instinctively quieted, still rubbing her boot against the roots as he followed his line of sight forward. Beyond Jane, who was crouched low behind a shrub, the trees thinned, revealing a small clearing.
A narrow stream trickled from a gap between two massive boulders, likely coming from an underground river, its clear water reflecting the sunlight. Smooth stones littered both banks, and for the first time in a while, sunlight properly reached the forest floor.
On the other side of the stream, a herd of deer stood, drinking from it. Completely unaware of the hunters watching them from the shadows.
“Notice anything unusual about the herd?” He murmured, his breath warm against her ear, even from the respectful distance as he gently pulled her further out of sight. “We mustn’t alert them.”
Liz peeked out again, using the cover of a low-hanging branch to observe the herd. They seemed alert but not alarmed, their heads occasionally lifting to scan the surroundings for potential predators.
Nothing stood out to her. If there was something strange, it escaped her notice due to her inexperience. A pang of disappointment settled in her chest as she shook her head and turned back to Larry. She understood what he was trying to teach her, but felt frustrated at her lack of awareness.
Larry’s voice was patient yet firm, hinting at something, “Deer are prey animals. Constantly hunted by a variety of predators. They would run at the first sight of any predator. They move in herds as it provides more eyes and ears to increase their chances of detecting danger. A herd also ensures their young have better survival rates.”
He paused, taking a moment to wet his throat before continuing, “Now think. A herd usually consists of both bucks and does. So, what’s strange about this one?”
“I don’t see any fawns in the herd,” She stated the obvious after he provided her with such a big hint. “Nor are there any bucks.”
“…Except one,” Larry’s gaze swept their vicinity, his expression sharpening.
He reached for his belt, selecting a potion with a deep purple hue.
Turning toward her, “Take out my shield from the inventory,” he instructed before bringing the potion to his lips. “Stay hidden until we’ve taken care of the beast.” He said at last.
Liz nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line of determination. Raising her right hand to the side, she activated a skill for the first time since entering the forest.
Inventory
A rare skill from the Space and Time series. Impressively useful but absurdly demanding in mana. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the skill drained a good chunk of her limited mana. With effort, she materialised a full-body shield that weighed nearly half as much as she did.
She was still in the 1st tier, with most of her points invested in mental and spiritual stats. Having to struggle to lift the heavy shield.
It was rhombus-shaped, forged from an iron-mithril alloy, its gold-trimmed edges contrasting against a silver-coated surface. A helm-shaped engraving adorned the centre, gleaming with a mana hue.
It was a well-crafted enchanted shield, likely costing her companion its weight in gold.
Larry accepted the shield with ease, strapping it onto his arm before giving her an approving nod. “Good. Now hide.”
He didn’t wait for a reply. With practised ease, he moved toward the herd, posture low, steps silent. He made his way in a roundabout way, melting with the shadows of the forest.
Stealth
Larry’s figure melted from perception once he activated his skill, darting forward, weaving between trees and rocks to obscure his approach.
Haste
Despite Stealth working to muffle his steps, the soft splash of his boots against the water broke the forest’s stillness. The herd reacted instantly, sending the animals into a frenzied retreat, as panic took hold of them.
Larry surged ahead, abandoning any thoughts of retreat, closing the distance. His leather armour and metallic shield, though weighty, barely slowed him thanks to the combination of his movement skill and high physical stats.
Grrrrr…
A low, menacing growl vibrated through the clearing, filled with aggression. The sound came from his left, where the head of the herd had once stood.
There it was.
A towering monstrosity with glowing crystal antlers, each longer than his arm, stood amidst the stampeding deer, its piercing gaze locked onto him, unblinking and calculating.
It snarled.
A bone-rattling sound erupting out of its throat, baring hundreds of tiny bloodstained teeth.
Larry shifted his stance, his focus solely occupied by the beast. The herd had never been his target. Raising his sword behind his steady shield, he stood ready to put an end to the foul creature.
Now fully provoked, the beast’s eyes burned with rage. With a deep huff, it charged while lowering its head.
Crystal antlers gleamed in the sunlight, pointed straight at him.
Mana Reinforcement
Larry braced himself, flooding his whole body with mana as he planted his feet firmly into the ground. Without flinching, he waited with bated breath, even as the beast’s charge transitioned into a powerful three-meter leap, hurling down at him.
Clang!
Shield met antlers in a deafening impact. Deadlocked. The beast huffed, pushing its head up. The force sent Larry skidding back half a dozen steps, his tough boots carving trenches into the dirt and displacing rocks.
He called to his cherished skill, activating Wind Blessing {Blade} and retaliated. His blade, enhanced by the skill, came crashing down on the beast’s belly in a full swing. The strike barely left a mark.
Unlike the fragile Leafwing Monkeys, this vampiric creature had a scaly natural armour too formidable for casual strikes to break through.
{Ball Lightning}
A crackling orb of lightning, the size of Larry’s head, surged toward the beast from Jane’s staff. But the beast was no fool. It twisted mid-air, dodging with uncanny agility before landing several meters away.
Its glowing eyes contained wisdom, although not fully sentient, it was a high-level creature. Flicking them between Larry and Jane, it assessed who was more dangerous. It must choose its prey carefully.
A sharp expulsion of breath, accompanied by a flick of its nose, signalled the creature’s irritation.
Not one to hesitate, Larry surged forward, closing the distance in an instant. Under the guidance of Mana Manipulation, mana coursed through his body, strengthening his already high Strength and Agility.
Wind swirled around his blade, sharpening its lethality. Just then, the beast’s antlers flashed with a brilliant blue hue, and a frigid beam erupted from them, streaking toward Jane.
Jane fired {Lightning Bolt}, stopping the icy beam mid-fight as lightning and ice clashed, producing a burst of light. Not as destructive as her earlier attacks, the spell still contained enough mana to block the magical attack before it could freeze Jane solid.
Ignoring Larry proved to be a mistake; now up close and fully prepared, his blade dug into the buck’s front legs and sliced them clean.
Black, corrosive blood sprayed in all directions as the beast tumbled forward, a shriek of agony ripping from its throat.
Jane kept it occupied long enough for Larry to flood his weapon with enough mana to pierce its scaly hide. Not giving the creature time to heal itself, Larry spun his sword, already poised to deliver the finishing blow.
Their eyes locked in a fleeting moment of recognition, predator and prey, before the beast fell.
More mana surged into his blade, its glow intensifying, amplifying the razor-sharp edge.
As a last act of defiance, it lunged at Larry, jaws parting wide and clamped down on his shoulder just as the sword cleaved through its neck.
A sickening crunch resounded as Larry grunted in pain, staggering back. His shield clattered to the ground as searing pain exploded through his body. His free hand flew to the wound, blood seeping through his fingers. Flesh torn. Bone shattered.
And the venom… already spreading.
Jane rushed to his side, a potion vial already uncorked in her palm. Worry flickered in her eyes as she poured half the liquid over his open wound, the mixture sizzling faintly on contact. She pressed the rest of the bottle into his hands.
"Drink," she ordered.
Larry took it with a small, strained smile. "Don't worry. I already took an antitoxin before the fight." He tried to sound reassuring, but the pain in his eyes betrayed him.
Jane frowned. "You're still injured. Even with potions, bone takes time to mend. Let's not tempt fate, finish what we came here for and get to safety."
He nodded, exhaling through clenched teeth as he passed her his sword. Slumping against the beast’s body, he allowed himself a moment to rest while Jane and Liz set to work.
The two moved with practised efficiency, carefully extracting the mana stone from the beast’s chest. Its corrosive blood bubbled ominously, forcing them to remain precise and cautious. Once the crystal antlers were safely secured, they stepped back.
Larry glanced at the remains. If it had been any other creature, he might have regretted leaving so much behind. But this was a vampiric beast, its body would soon decay into nothing, leaving only the parts they had salvaged.
"Let's move," Jane said, packing the last of their spoils.
Larry exhaled, bracing himself for the journey back. They had what they came for. Now, they just had to make it home.
Liz safely stored their loot and the shield in her inventory before they set off toward the village.
Had they lingered just a moment longer, they might have witnessed something far more terrifying than the beast they had just slain.