“Sorry to keep you waiting, Schwarz,” Rudy and Liese said. They emerged from the tavern. Rudy now carried a longsword and a small shield, while Liese held a wooden staff.
“Liese, I’m sorry about earlier,” I apologized.
“It’s okay,” Liese replied, still blushing. Rudy must have spoken to her. She smiled awkwardly, perhaps still embarrassed or a bit untrusting.
“Kinjar’s group will be a bit late. We’re to start searching for the harpy nest first,” Rudy said.
“I see. Let’s leave them and head out,” I suggested.
I didn’t care why Kinjar’s group was late. Whether they were hungover or still cavorting, my opinion of them had already formed. While I was still inexperienced as an adventurer, I knew enough to see they were not partners with whom you wanted to risk your life. Prompting Rudy and Liese, the three of us set out for the mountain north of Monesia Village.
It was about half a day’s walk away. We passed through the village gate, headed north, and traversed forest paths and grasslands, taking breaks along the way. We reached the mountain by late afternoon, with about three hours left until sunset. We decided to enter the mountain briefly to search for the harpy nest.
“Is there specific terrain where harpies like to nest?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah. Harpies prefer exposed mountain slopes and protruding terrain. They make great launching pads and offer good views,” Rudy explained.
“I don’t see anything like that from here,” I observed.
“There must be one somewhere. Otherwise, harpies wouldn’t nest here,” Rudy said.
“Maybe they’re on the other side of the mountain?” I suggested.
“Or near the summit,” Rudy added.
We searched for two hours and found nothing. We decided to end the search for the day and headed to a hunter’s cabin for camping. As we approached the cabin, the map indicated someone was inside.
“There’s someone in the cabin. Three people,” I noted.
“You can tell from this distance? Could it be Kinjar’s group?” Liese asked.
“They could have arrived by now. I’ll check—Liese and Schwarz, wait outside,” Rudy said. He then went to the cabin alone, while Liese and I watched from a distance. Rudy entered, then quickly emerged and signaled for us to join him.
“It seems fine. Let’s go, Schwarz,” Liese said.
We headed to the cabin.
“Back already? Did you find the nest?” Kinjar asked us once we were inside the cabin.
“We searched for two hours but didn’t find it. It’s probably on the other side of the mountain,” Rudy replied.
“So annoying, that other side of the mountain,” Kinjar grumbled. “I want to finish quickly, but we’ll split into two groups tomorrow. Rudy, your group will go from the east, and we’ll go from the west. We will all handle any encounters individually, since rewards are divided by the number of tails. If it’s dangerous, launch a signal flare.”
“Got it. When do we leave?” Rudy asked.
“Before dawn. Harpies are weakest in the morning,” Kinjar replied.
With a plan in place, Kinjar and Rudy quickly decided on dinner and watch rotations, and we all prepared for tomorrow’s expedition.
Rudy, Liese, and I set out just before dawn to explore the mountain from the east, while Kinjar, Putei, and Boy went from the west. The sun rose after an hour into the journey and we enjoyed the eastern sky’s rosy-dawn glow. The mountain was wider than expected. We didn’t see any harpies or other magical beasts, but we occasionally saw deer and small animals.
“Where are they?” I exclaimed.
“The west might have been the right choice. This side is exposed to the morning sun. Harpies might avoid such sunny environments,” Rudy speculated.
“Kinjar probably knew this,” Liese suggested. “He said rewards are based on what we catch. Maybe he predicted there wouldn’t be any on this side for us.”
“What do we do, Rudy?” I asked.
“We can’t go back. We’ll go around the mountain. It might take time, but we’ll see the nest, eventually,” Rudy decided.
Following Rudy’s lead, we increased our search speed while advancing on the east side. Neither the map nor the audio sensor indicated anything was around us. We found no rocky terrain suitable for a nest, suggesting the harpies were indeed on the west side.
Two uneventful hours passed. We began rounding the mountain and were starting to reach the west side, when we saw a beam of light shoot across the distant forest.
“What’s that?!” I exclaimed.
“A distress signal?” Liese asked.
“No, it’s probably Putei’s Ray Line,” Rudy said.
“Is that an attack spell?” I asked.
“Yes, Putei specializes in light magic, so that’s probably her fighting in there,” Rudy replied.
Ray Line beams repeatedly shot from the forest and into the sky.
“Something’s off. Harpies can’t evade Ray Line like that,” Rudy noted.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Harpies fly, but they’re not fast. Ray Line is a linear spell, faster than Fireball or Aqua Ball. It’s hard for them to dodge,” Rudy explained.
“So, something else is causing ‘Ray Line’ to miss?” I asked.
“They might be fighting something else. Let’s hurry!” Rudy urged.
We ran through the mountain. Though the Ray Line was still distant, I brought the Type 99 short rifle forward, ready to fire.
We heard it before we arrived. The audio sensor picked up faint combat sounds. Kinjar’s commanding voice, Boy’s roar, and Putei’s spellcasting voice echoed through the forest. There were multiple shrill cries, likely from harpies, and three distinct, melodious voices.
“I hear combat sounds. Kinjar’s group is facing two types of voices: shrill cries and melodious singing,” I reported while running.
“The shrill cries are harpies! The other must be a harpy cantado, the higher species!” Rudy exclaimed.
Higher species were magical beasts or humanoid species that evolved by absorbing dense magic elements. I hadn’t heard of dense magic near Monesia Village. I read in the guild archives that such places usually have magic stone veins, magic water veins, or something emitting magic elements that create labyrinths or dragons. If the harpy cantado didn’t evolve here, they might have moved from elsewhere seeking food. While that was concerning, eliminating them first was the priority. We could consider the cause later.
“Schwarz, harpy cantados move quickly in the air and use wind magic. They’re a troublesome humanoid species. But there’s another issue...” Rudy warned.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I’ve never seen it myself, but don’t be fooled by their appearance,” Rudy cautioned.
“I see them!” Liese announced.
Kinjar’s group was clustered in a treeless clearing and surrounded by nine harpies. Three defeated harpies lay nearby. The harpies had large brown wings for arms, a female upper body, bird-like legs, and faces resembling red-eyed, laughing hags. Despite their naked upper bodies, their wrinkled, sagging flesh lacked any sensual appeal. They laughed and screamed, diving from above with sharp talons.
Above them, three different figures circled—the harpy cantados. They had gorgeous green wings, a female upper body, bird-like legs, and faces resembling beautiful girls. Even from a distance, I could see that their upper bodies were youthful and firm. They sang melodiously while circling the group. They appeared peaceful and beautiful. Was my perception distorted?
As if in answer, the three circling harpy cantados activated their magic. A whirlwind formed in the clearing around Kinjar’s group, becoming a tornado that encircled and squeezed them while dealing damage.
“That’s the wind magic, Air Prison! And it’s triple-cast!” Rudy exclaimed.
“That’s dangerous. Putei can’t defend against three Air Prisons,” Liese noted.
We were still some distance away, but the harpies encircling Kinjar’s group hadn’t noticed us. We were within the Type 99 short rifle’s range, but firing a single shot wouldn’t help. In FPS games, shooting an exposed enemy without considering the aftermath was a mistake. Rudy and Liese were with me, and I had to coordinate with them.