Chương 64: Chapter 63- Culling a Man Eater

Astra's POV Astra crept slowly through the underbrush as she approached the position ahead where Corporal Mason was waiting. He had been fairly amused when she showed him the hand speech gestures that Eli had taught her, enough so that she suspected the signals or something similar was common knowledge among the veterans and their discovery may have been a minor trial for new officers.

Mason had taken quickly to their use and quickly disseminated them through the patrol a few days prior, as evidenced now by his indication of their target in the trees above. The massive panther was asleep on a limb a few dozen feet in the air next to the unidentifiable remains of its last meal.

While the reclining posture made it hard to estimate the beast was almost nearly the size of a medium sized ridgeback, almost 14 or 15 handspans at the shoulder, well muscled with thick shoulders and dark black fur, paws nearly the size of her head, and a dark mist faintly emanating from its fur, breaking up its form and blending in with the nearby shadows. Astra signed for them to retreat back to the men gathered behind, and Mason nodded with a smile.

Astra gave the creature one last look, as a complicated set of emotions ran through her mind. Respect for the strength of the creature, appreciation for the beauty of its sleek and deadly form, but as the sight of the limp forms of Marcy and Robert flashed through her mind she settled on firm resolve. Your pelt will make a fine gift for 3rd Squad, I will brook no quarter for a beast who harms my charges.

Astra's POV Astra padded along a limb through the canopy as she approached the creature from the rear. The plan was simple enough: Mason would target the limb with an air blade and drop the creature into the waiting group of frontliners below. Meanwhile the rest of the men fanned out in an L shape to box the creature against the trunk with ranged attacks, before the mid range skirmishers would close in.

Only Craft had a [Taunt] skill to focus the beast's attention, and a short range one with a limited duration at that, but the scant few seconds where its defenses were lowered should be enough to maim the creature and reduce the mobility that would be its greatest asset. Not willing to leave anything to chance, Astra was providing a backup option to sever the tree limb, as the enchantment on her armor ensured she was the only one who could approach undetected.

She settled onto a nearby limb just on the other side of the trunk from the panther and waited for Mason's signal as the men crept into position down below. She could feel the hymns coiling in her chest, straining against the iron will that kept it leashed, urging her to rush in and strike before the beast could react.

She was a thinking woman and not some feral beast, and the Emberchant worked for her not the other way around, the last thing she would do was to let the whims of some ancestral magic dictate her actions. She had heard enough tales of horror when she was a child of those who caved and became nothing but a slave to the song.

The slow movement in the brush below ceased as the men reached their positions, and the tip of Mason's glaive poked around the trunk he was behind, turning to flash a reflection in her direction twice. Astra gently eased her blade from its sheathe as she started the count in her mind. She grinned as she loosened her hold on the hymns and they rose in palpitation of the coming battle, the slow steady choir picked up the pace, a trembling vibrato pulsing in time with the count in her mind. Eight. Nine. Ten.

Mason stepped out of the treeline and, with a rising slash from his glaive, a silent air blade burst forth, the air-aspected mana rocketed through Astra's vision like an arrow from a bow, blasting through the limb as a shower of splinters burst from the far side. The panther and the limb dropped, but in a display of preternatural agility the panther pushed off the falling limb to dig great furrows into the trunk with its claws arresting its descent.

Craft burst from the brush below, and roared a challenge at the beast, the wave of mana from his [Taunt] skill washing over the panther. As its head snapped in his direction and it crouched before launching itself at the man with a guttural snarl. Astra cursed under her breath, he will not be able to hold it for long. The hymn rose in a crescendo as she launched herself from the limb above, her vision narrowing and time dilating as a feral grin spread across her face as she launched herself into the battle. Thump.

Her heartbeat thundered in her chest as she shifted her grip on her greatsword, spinning it into a downwards strike between her legs as she pulled them into a crouch to absorb the impact. The beast reared back a paw mid lunge to strike at Craft. Thump. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. A crimson glow spread down her blade as she casted [Crimson Canticle], the momentary burst of flame condensing into a searing plasma.

With a roar the leading paw of the beast connected with Craft's shield rocking him back on his feet as he flexed his [Immovable Stance], digging furrows in the earth beneath his feet. Thump. The sizzling hiss of the plasma cutting the air crackled in her ears and the chorus rose in her heart. She couched in the greatsword firmly as she tensed in anticipation of impact. The beast wrapped its jaws around the top edge of Craft's shield, readying to tear it from his grip.

Astra grinned as she made a final adjustment to her aim to spear into its shoulder. Thump. A wild yowling screech of pain echoed through the forest as she slammed into the creature, 5 feet of searing hot steel punching through its back and exiting out its chest below. Time crashed back to its normal speed as Astra twisted her hips spinning the blade 90 degrees to spread the wound wide and, with a roar of her own, lunged across its back trying to use her body weight to sever its spinal column.

The reflexes of a third tier creature are a whole different beast from what she is used to however, and the cat twisted with the movement, yowling with pain at the strike as it pulled free from her blade. She could see it struggling to free itself from the compulsion of Craft's skill as it hissed in her direction, and as a trio of arrows and a stone blade arced from the treeline into its ribs, it finally succeeded tearing its gaze away from Craft before fixing Astra with a narrow gaze and a growl.

She smiled with satisfaction at the sluggish healing of the deep wound, only to curse again as, with a stupendous burst of dark mana, the animal melted into a mass of shadows. Astra glanced about, unable to find the creature in the gloom of the forest. While the hymns of the Emberchant are not truly audible, being heard by the soul instead of the ears, they subsided in cooperation all the same as she focused her senses on her surroundings seeking out her quarry.

Silence greeted her, only broken by the soft clink of metal and the soft breathing of the men and women around her. This seems familiar. A surge of mana burst behind her as the clattering din of claws raked across her backplate echoed out under the canopy shattering the silence as Astra whirled around, her blade descending in an overhand strike, only to slash through a dark mist as the creature disappeared once more. Just like that bastard in the deep reach, Mr Daggers. Astra lifted her blade high, " On me!

Tortoise Shell, blades out, back line in the center. With Haste!" The soldiers poured from the surroundings and within seconds had taken a defensive formation, shields out, with the skirmishers bracing their polearms for an incoming charge. A flash of dark mana burst in the canopy above as the cat burst downwards, slashing through the edges of their formation, before puffing into a mist as a flight of arrows shot outwards in retaliation.

Another flash burst from the ground behind them as the cat launched across a different flank, then a third, and a fourth, as the panther slowly bled them in a series of glancing strikes. It did not score any serious wounds but it was slowly whittling down the health pools of the defenders. On the fifth pass, the burst came from inside the formation, and one of the archers grunted in pain as a paw reached up from his own shadow beneath him and raked a series of claws down his thigh.

Only the fact that the man was one of the few who had a passive healing skill saved the man from bleeding out as his femoral artery was severed and coated his fellows in a steaming hot spray, before he was able to drop to a knee and clamp pressure on it to slow the bleeding. Flashes of shadow bloomed across the small clearing as the creature unleashes a stream of slashing attacks, the hunting party only able to return minor blows, nothing that would cut through the prodigious health pool of a third tier beast.

The wounds inflicted on the party only rose as blow after blow snaked through their defenses. Astra's mind raced as she sought a solution, her men would bleed dry long before it would, a battle of attrition was not in her favor. I just need to pin it down long enough to leverage our numbers. Astra was proud of the steadiness of her voice, keeping most of the bloodlust from her tone, as the hymns roared in her chest, " Craft, what do you need to cast your [Taunt]?""

Just eye contact and a moment for the mana to reach the target, my Lady!"" Hastert, swap with Craft. Craft. Three paces behind my back, I'll bait the bastard in." The woman swapped with him as Craft passed his shield over and took up position behind Astra. Astra began to gather mana in her palm, " Face out, be ready to strike the center of the formation on Craft's cast. Ready men?" Her heart soared at the wordless roar she received in return, " Get ready to show this bastard the strength of Emberholdt Steel.

Eyes down!" Astra thrust her palm skyward as she launched an orb skyward that burst beneath the canopy in a flash of brilliant white, the light bathing the clearing and banishing the shadows, everywhere except for the middle of their formation. Astra leaned forward over Hastert's shoulder, pretending to duck behind the woman for cover while searching the clearing for any sign of the creature. A surge of mana gathered in her shadow as Astra grinned, too easy.

A wave of mana washed over her as Craft launched his [Taunt] as the creature emerged in the middle of the formation. Astra spun blade in hand, bringing the point up in a spearing thrust, watching the panic flood the beast's eyes as the skill took hold. The momentary paralysis caused the panther to pause just long enough for her to lunge forward, strike through its open fangs, sinking into the soft palate at the roof of its mouth, plunging nearly a foot of steel directly into its brain.

The stunned creature was transfixed on her blade, and as the rest of the men plunged their blades into the sides of the creature a soft chime echoed in her mind. Ding [Congratulations! Your party has defeated a Midnight Panther (Dark, Lv 30)] Ding [Congratulations! [Crimson Flame Mageknight] has leveled up to level 18! +10 Strength, + 5 Dexterity, +10 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom, +10 free points from your class, +6 free points from your race] Astra grinned and joined the men in their celebration as they roared their victory to the heavens, she reveled in the joy of living another day. She laughed in defiance of the cruel fates, wild and free under the clear sky above, her heart rising as a soft breeze swirled beneath the sundappled canopy, and the sound of rustling leaves drifted past like a soft round of applause.