Fir presses her back against the enemy centaur, just for her to scream and rear up. Fir merely backs up, pressing her back against her target’s crotch. She grins, breathing in. “[Repel].” A powerful wind emits from her body, fanning out her clothes and sending all the centaur in her immediate vicinity away.
Fleur watches the centaur sail through the sky screaming her head off, and so Fleur takes great glee in shooting her mid-flight. The centaur goes crashing down to terra firma, a sickening crush as she lands on her humanoid half, her horse half bending unnaturally as her spine snaps, crushing her under its weight. Fleur cringes.
Dave, in his panicked instinct had managed to strike his new friend first, the cheap flint striking at an exposed spot of leather at her waist. Her own momentum and being pushed by [Repel] pushes her onto the spear, piercing leather and skin. Dave was almost thrown onto his back as the spear buckled, shaft snapping as Apatite fell to the ground, skidding slightly. Her breathing was heavy, acknowledging her own gifted weapon in her waist, angled up into her ribcage. “I’m so sorry.” She manages to mumble, breathing laboured and body shaking. “Run. Get to the centaur lands. I don’t want you to be hurt. I’m so sorry.” She repeatedly mumbles the last statement as a pool of her own blood forms around her. Dave was in shock, holding the broken flint spear. He slowly looks down to the weapon in his hand. “Please don’t hate me.” Apatite’s breathing starts to still, Dave looks up to her as she lets herself fade away.
He drops the shattered shaft, taking a step back and having to sit down as his own breathing starts to get heavy. A panic attack in the making. He grasps the ground under him out of fear, the long grass sways gently between his fingers. His eyes refuse to deviate from the corpse he made as he shivers in the nice midday sun and gentle breeze. A flower grazes his hand and draws his attention. He slowly plucks it, bringing the silvery flower into view. He gently grasps one of the innumerable long petals, slowly pulling it off. “She’ll forgive me.” The petal falls from his grip and flutters away in the wind. “She’ll forgive me not.” Another falls from the flower. His voice is quiet and shaky as he slowly reaches for another petal.
“Fir! Fuck sake. Fir!” Fleur sends another magical bolt into the fray, watching with bated breath as Fir hasn’t bothered to take flight. “This is a fucking disaster. Fir!” Fir’s head is turned to the sky, emotionlessly dodging attacks she obviously is unable to see, eyes glazed over as the three centaur trying to attack her get more frustrated. The centaur that received Fleur’s [Seeker] at the start reaches out to grab Fir, just for her to jump. Fir’s head remains skyward as her talons grip around the throat of the unfortunate centaur. “Oh, that would be Mala taking the reins.” Fleur rolls her eyes and focuses her attention on another target.
Fir’s talons choke the life out of the target, sharp ends digging into the soft leather surrounding her neck. The leather creaks and bends as the two struggle. “Retreat!” One of the other centaur bellow, swiping a claymore through the air to strike Fleur’s bolt out of existence. “We’ve done all we can! Retreat!” The living pair abandon their grappled ally and they begin their retreat. Fir’s body continues to strangle the life out of her target as Fleur considers chasing down the two that are fleeing, but decides to accept the three kills.
Dave holds his knees to his chin, sitting down as he tries to calm down from his panic earlier. He ignores the sound of the choking centaur collapsing to the ground, her struggling slowly coming to a stop. “That was remarkably quick.” Fleur pops into Dave’s vision from the left, a giddy look on her face. “Hey, are you alright? Did you get injured? Once Mala fucks off to the deepest crevice of Fir’s head she can heal you.” He merely shakes his head, trying to unfocus from Apatite’s body. Fleur slowly follows his gaze and thinks for a few moments. “I’m here for you, and so will the townsfolk when they learn about you. Trust me. Lets go-” The sound of a neck snapping draws both of their attention to Fir’s body and the unfortunate target in her talons. “Gods damn it, Mala, can’t you just leave them in [FATAL] just once?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Fir slowly steps off the broken neck of her target, head slowly lowering to look straight forward before the yellow harpy collapses to the ground in a panting heap. She starts to cough profusely as she claws her way onto her wings and knees. “Mala. Let me know when you plan to have fun.” She coughs again, raising herself onto just her knees. “I know,” She talks to herself, “But my objective is that of a healer, not the main fighter.” Finally back on her feet, she looks around at the carnage that had just happened, and the three corpses around. “I definitely got two of them, But I recall that last one was charging Dave, Fleur did you save him?” Fleur simply shook her head. “So he eliminated that centaur, with a flint spear she gave him in a single strike?”
“Seems so, probably managed to inflict [FATAL].”
“Yet he is level zero. Gained EXP. We have never heard of this before.” A gleam comes to Fir’s eyes, new interest in Dave forming. “I have some theories. Could a person become level 1 unclassed? I’ll admit, Fleur, that maybe you were right about this one. We should endeavour to make sure he levels, if only so we can find out what happens. First things first: Fleur, teach him how to loot. He will need to know that. He can take his kill’s blessing belt.”
Fleur’s eyes almost bulge at the suggestion, glad it seems he can’t hear what's going on as he has his head in his arms. “Holy shit Mala, didn’t know you were here, what kind of a horrible suggestion is that? Dave’s first kill and he's clearly heartbroken! He got his first ever weapon from her and is immediately forced to defend himself from her! Now you’re trying to make him loot her? It’ll break him!”
“This is no item for debate, Fleur. He will need to learn that the centaur are an enemy. Your piety and supposed grace will end him and yourself if you keep this up.” Fir walks past a fuming Fleur, walking in front of Dave. “A lesson in survival, Dave. On how to loot your enemies. Stand up.” Dave stops shaking as the words register, wordlessly getting to his feet but refusing to look up. “I commend you on slaying one of your enemies. The centaur are cruel and-” Her head snaps back, her talons coming off the ground as she is sent to the ground with a bloodied nose. Dave shakes his hurting hand, having just punched Fir in the face. A moment passes as Fir and Fleur take in what just happened.
“No.” His voice is quiet and shaky but his conviction bleeds through as he glares at the stunned harpy with tears in his eyes. Fleur steps between the two, very impressed with Dave. “Don’t you side with her, Fleur.” He clenches his hands, only for her to shake her head.
“I’m with you, Fir’s actions were too far. Let's go home.” He slowly nods as she gently guides him away from the corpses, helping him towards town. “I don’t think we’ve made a good example of the harpy culture. Tomorrow I’ll show you our morning routine, our bathhouses, then we’ll go to Millwater, collect my sister and come home! The girls here will adore you. A man showing up is interesting enough but our own man?” Dave slowly nods again.
It’s a small comfort when they spot Fir flying overhead half an hour into their walk back, clearly ignoring them for time. Fleur scoffs at her. “Bitch.” She trips over a root, clearly used to walking. “I believe the men aren’t replaceable, and that we only get a set amount of men before a twenty year pause. We’re risking the future of all harpies every time some idiot decides to sacrifice a man for some stupid reason. No wonder we’re losing the war. Even the Lamia don’t needlessly sacrifice the men.” She pauses at her ranting, taking a deep breath. “Gonna grab my sister, return here and live a comfortable life here in Birchlea.” He nods to her.
“Hey, Fleur?” She looks over at Dave, him barely whispering. “I didn’t gain experience from that.” She pauses as he slowly brings up the menu, gesturing to the large bottom square. “C-Centaur kill,” He barely manages to squeeze out, “Minus thirteen EXP.” Fleur pauses, thinking hard on that. “It’s like that for all of them today, even Fir got the EXP removed. It even tells me your gains and losses. You have zero out of one thousand and two hundred EXP.”
“Is that why it's so tough to level up?” Fleur can only manage a small mumble, unsure what to make of it. “Over a thousand EXP to level up as well? I’m only level 11. I guess I’m sending a message to Telford in the morning. Thank you, Dave. Let's get some rest.” She gazes at his menu, noticing Fir’s pixel art is gone from what she assumes is his party.
