I had shot all three harpies in the head before Putei could fire her second Ray Line. The five harpies lay defeated, but there was no time for escape.
The harpy cantados still soared above us. They had been circling and laughing in song until they witnessed their brethren’s swift defeat. Then their expressions suddenly changed. Their beautiful, girlish faces twisted in anger. Their mouths became monstrous with sharp fangs.
So, this is your true nature.
With only two rounds left, I considered preemptively disrupting any further Air Lance spells they might cast. As I raised the rifle’s muzzle and aligned the sights, the harpy cantados sensed the threat and rapidly changed their flight patterns to evade my aim. They were faster than the regular harpies. With their altitude, I needed to account for the angle and predict their flight path for a successful lead shot.
I was ready for moments like this. The Type 99 short rifle was chosen for this mission for a reason. I raised the gun’s anti-aircraft sight. This sight changes the angle between the front and rear sights and enhances accuracy for anti-aircraft shooting. I used this advantage to predict the harpy cantado’s flight speed numerically and adjusted the sight’s memory. I aimed at one of the rapidly circling hags, aligned the sights, and pulled the trigger.
“Guah!”
Its wing exploded, and no trace of its former beauty remained. My first attempt at anti-aircraft shooting underestimated the harpy cantado’s speed. I had shot slightly off target. The harpy cantado only lost a wing and spiraled downward.
“Rudy, move forward! Let’s retrieve Boy and provide support!”
“Kinjar! There are still two left!”
Kinjar charged at the falling harpy cantado. He held his unsheathed longsword at his waist. His position was out of reach of the monster, but he horizontally swung at it anyway.
“Wind Slash!” he yelled.
What looked like an empty swing produced a visible slash that flew through the air.
“So, that’s a type of skill too,” I commented.
The airborne slash gouged the chest of the harpy cantado just before it hit the ground, causing it to crash while spewing blood.
The two remaining harpy cantados changed their flight paths from simple circles to complex trajectories. Wary of my gunfire, they frequently glared and shrieked at us. Their focus on us made them oblivious to Kinjar and Rudy on the ground. Kinjar continued to hack at the fallen harpy cantado.
I reloaded while tracking their movements. The harpy cantados and I were about to engage in a standoff between air and ground. Kinjar noticed my gaze and shouted, “Well done, rookie! Now take those last two down quickly!”
Despite how high above they circled us, the harpy cantados heard him.
Their gaze shifted from me to Kinjar. They saw him hacking at their fallen comrade. Kinjar was unaware he had caught their attention. He crouched near Boy’s fallen form and rummaged around his body.
Perhaps he’s cutting a lock of hair as a keepsake. Is that a custom of mourning here?
“Kinjar! Above you!” I yelled.
The harpy cantado didn’t miss the opportunity as Kinjar crouched beside Boy’s remains. One of the two harpy cantados made a small circle, opening its bird-like feet and diving down. Rudy shouted a warning, but Kinjar didn’t move. I quickly stowed the anti-aircraft sight and returned the iron sights to their normal state. Aiming down, I placed the front sight ahead of the diving bird-hag.
With a thunderous gunshot, a large hole appeared near the harpy cantado’s neck. Its head fell, disrupting its dive. However, losing its head didn’t instantly eliminate the diving harpy cantado’s body. The remaining mass hurtled toward Kinjar.
“Nooo!” Kinjar screamed.
Rudy overtook Kinjar just before the mass of flesh collided with him. Rudy struck down the approaching mass with the flat of his longsword.
“Ugh... Kinjar, there are still harpy cantados left. I’m sorry about Boy, but we still have to fight!”
The harpy cantado was smaller than a regular harpy. Even so, its large wings made it much larger than an average human girl. It must’ve weighed a ton. When Rudy struck it as it swooped down, he couldn’t maintain his grip on the longsword. He dropped it to the ground and held his aching right wrist.
The last harpy cantado roared, and it became surrounded by glowing green particles. Its incantation seemed to contain not only magical power, but also vengeful anger. Putei and Liese were also chanting their spells Ray Line and Aqua Ball. Their attacks interrupted the harpy cantado’s incantation and it darted around trying to evade the magic. While it focused on evasion, I cocked the next round and took aim.
The harpy cantado began singing its incantation again. But over it, I heard a loud noise through my sensor. It approached us fast. Rudy and the others looked towards the sound’s source. Kinjar expressed disbelief. A massive black-silver bird appeared from the trees; Liese identified it as Ocypete. It flew toward the harpy cantado. In one fell swoop, it swallowed the harpy cantado whole and reversed its course using a maneuver resembling an Immelmann turn.
Rudy urged Kinjar to retreat, fearing Ocypete’s return would be fatal. It looked formidable with its silver body and black wings. It dove like a fighter jet on a bombing run. Its wings emitted light, an indicator, Liese explained, that it was using the spell Feather Bomb. This was an attack aimed at immobilizing us. Liese pushed me into the trees for cover as Ocypete’s talons snatched Putei and carried her off into the sky.
Putei couldn’t escape, and we were helpless to save her. We watched Ocypete devour Putei. Kinjar raged over the unexpected presence of Ocypete and the harpy cantados. Rudy reminded Kinjar that the quest information only provided the minimum confirmed numbers. This did not calm Kinjar, and he began chanting an irate spell up at the sky.
“#$%, @*(&^$, !#*&@^, !)$*#&, *(&^)$#, Ray Blade!”
Once his lengthy incantation was complete, white particles gathered around his longsword. It now was a glowing magic sword. The sword’s light was divine and enlarged it into a massive greatsword.
Ocypete had swallowed Putei by now and screeched from above. Whether it was mocking Kinjar, or expressing joy at finding dessert, it was hard to say. It circled and dove straight at Kinjar.
Liese told me about the glowing sword’s effects. Known as Ray Blade, the spell imbued light attribute magic into the blade. Liese explained that direct contact was necessary for the sword’s effect, and its use was limited due to long incantation and short duration. I determined I would support Kinjar. I joined him and was ready to help him deliver a decisive blow.
Ocypete’s wings sparked with signs of Feather Bomb. Prepared for the barrage aimed at immobilizing us, Kinjar blocked it with his large shield. I aimed my gun at Ocypete’s chest and fired into its chest as soon as it tried to strike. Kinjar charged it with the Ray Blade. Combined with my shot, Kinjar’s strike crashed Ocypete to the ground.
Rudy and Liese cast Aqua Ball and Aqua Lance. This further destabilized Ocypete. Kinjar closed in for the final blow, but Ocypete unleashed a magical roar like a close-range magic cannon. Kinjar was caught in the blast, and his upper body was vaporized. I narrowly evaded the beam with a slide jump. Ocypete, triumphant, rose and fled into the sky. We were left with three fallen comrades: Kinjar, Putei, and Boy.
Liese checked on me, concerned about the loss of our party members. I assured her of my safety and instructed Rudy and Liese to take cover. Despite the dire situation, I resolved to target Ocypete, believing a precise shot could turn the tide. As Ocypete began another dive, I prepared to face it alone, determined to finish the fight.