Winston yipped happily and pushed himself to his limits, darting through the tunnel. A second later, he leaped into Erynd’s arms. Erynd held him for a moment before scratching his chin and setting him on his shoulder.

  “I missed you.”

  Winston barked happily, nuzzling Erynd’s neck. It was comforting to be back on his shoulder.

  “I heard you blasted Commander Thalysar out of the tent! Actually, everybody heard,” Erynd said as he rubbed Winston’s side. “I’m proud—” He shot a glance at the commander. “I’m very disappointed in you. You shouldn’t do that again.” Erynd laughed.

  The group gathered together in the cave the tunnels led into. With the addition of Erynd, the party was now nine strong. There was Winston, Erynd, and Thalyar, as well as the other Acolyte-tier Caltheran and the five others.

  Winston zoned out as Thalysar went on about where they were going to hunt, only stopping to listen once.

  “…we’ll be hunting near another camp, so be careful. We’ll probably be far enough away, but there are no clear boundaries on hunting territory, so we might encounter some others.”

  Winston thought back to one of his first outings, where he’d seen another settlement in the distant desert. He assumed that was the settlement they were talking about, but he wasn’t completely sure. After a few more minutes, the party set out.

  From his perch on Erynd’s shoulder, he watched the nearby stream flowing and bubbling. He remembered it. He’d nearly drunk from it his first time leaving the camp before Erynd had stopped him. They’d said something about it being poisoned. Winston looked at the stream once more, seeing the half dozen signs alongside it. He still couldn’t read Caltheran writing, but he knew they were warnings about the dangers of the stream.

  As the group traversed the wilderness, Erynd spoke, frustration evident in his voice. “The two scouts, Korin and Maroth, told Thalysar about your abilities.” He shook his head. “I knew he would take you if he knew, and I thought I could trust them, but I guess not. They left the party anyway. They said it was too dangerous…and I don’t fault them. We lost Roderic and Renir.”

  Erynd sighed. “It’s just Norra and me now. And you, assuming Thalysar lets you come back to our party.”

  Winston listened patiently, basking in the comfort of Erynd’s presence.

  ?? ′?? ? ??` ??

  Winston leaped off Erynd’s shoulder as the party circled the buck. They’d fought several other beasts earlier, but with how powerful their party was, the creatures barely stood a chance. The buck before them was similar to the many Iron-Antler Deer he’d fought before, but this one was far more powerful.

  The buck had come charging towards them as if it knew exactly where they were. Winston knew it was due to the System’s change that made all Acolyte-tier beasts attack any contenders within their territory. Still, it was unnerving how it’d found them so easily, even when they were hiding in the bushes.

  “It doesn’t know exactly where we are,” Thalysar said as he slowly approached the beast. “The System probably gives it our general location, but it has to pinpoint us on its own.”

  When the party had fully encircled the beast, Thalysar gave the command. Winston watched in awe as the party attacked. It was far more organized and efficient than Erynd’s old party.

  [Silver-Antler Deer - Acolyte 3]

  Immediately, several spells shot out of the woods, but the buck leaped back. As the deer dodged, Thalysar shot out of the woods behind it. His spear flashed forward, and despite the buck’s desperate attempts to dodge, it struck true. Winston tilted his head as the buck lunged forward. It was too far away to be able to hit Thalysar. Then, its antlers grew. Silver spectral antlers grew from the deer’s head, twice as long as the original antlers—still, it was to no avail.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  The buck’s body froze mid-lunge. Its limbs and head continued moving about, but the torso was frozen. While the rest of the party attacked, Winston squinted at the buck. There was something strange about how it was frozen. Then, it came to him. Around its chest were spectral chains, so faint that he could barely see them. How had he not noticed them when he was trapped? Maybe the target of the skill couldn’t see the chains?

  As Winston moved to strike the buck along with the rest of the party, his eyes widened. On the other side of the beast, Winston saw Thalysar’s eyes go wide as well.

  The buck let out an earth-shattering roar, and the chains around it shattered. It leaped back once more, but not before it took several strikes from the party.

  As the beast landed, Winston lunged. A dozen blades of golden energy formed around him, but he didn’t launch them. Not yet. Mid-flight, he activated [Mental Manipulation], assaulting the deer’s mind.

  Winston clenched his jaw in concentration as he fought the silent war. His will drove forward like a wedge, breaking through the beast’s defenses, but his momentum slowly ground to a stop. Then, just as the buck began to push him back, his attack spread out. What was once a single attack became two. And then three. And then five. Each attack was weaker than the last, but it was more than enough to distract the buck.

  Winston knew he probably could’ve broken through the buck’s defenses, but he wanted to conserve his mental energy.

  The buck roared in pain as its mind was assaulted. In its pain, it didn’t see Winston. It didn’t see the blades of golden energy driving towards it. One after another, his blades lodged themselves deep into the buck’s body.

  The beast retaliated, striking out with its glowing silver antlers, but Winston was ready. Layer after layer of energy formed before him, creating a thick golden barrier. When the buck made contact, his shield shattered, and he was launched back. Still, he was unharmed.

  Winston landed on his back with a yelp of pain. Growling, he leaped back to his feet. He was too far away to charge towards the buck. Instead, he began launching projectiles at the buck as he watched the battle. Once his constructs of energy left his range, he would lose control of them. Thankfully, the buck was well within his range. Winston tilted his head. His range hadn’t been this great just a few days ago. Did it expand when his skill leveled up?

  Winston’s eyes widened as he looked up. There, floating above the battle, was Thalysar. Winston had nearly forgotten that the commander could fly. The last time he’d truly seen it in action was in the fight against the Nightrender. Still, Winston could feel the massive amount of energy pouring out of Thalysar as he floated. It was unlike anything he’d felt before. Thalysar wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.

  Winston returned his gaze to the buck just in time to see Erynd launch a dozen crimson arrows into its flank, setting it ablaze. As it roared in pain, the second Acolyte-tier Caltheran attacked. Winston had nearly forgotten about her in the heat of the fight. Two chains appeared on her wrists, wrapped all the way up her forearm. Then, they launched forward at the buck’s legs.

  The buck moved to dodge, but it was too late. Winston launched an orb of energy—it glowed a deep amber as it collided with the beast’s head. There was a blinding shine of brilliant gold, followed by a deafening ringing. Winston panted—he’d poured more energy into that attack than he’d ever done. He knew they were planning something, and he wasn’t going to let the buck ruin it by avoiding the chains.

  Winston could feel his body and mind aching from forcing so much energy into the tiny orb. Still, after seeing how little his attacks had done to the Alpha Fringillade, he didn’t think it would be enough.

  Winston blinked in surprise as he saw the buck. He’d done far more damage than he’d expected. Where there had once been an eye was now an empty socket, with the flesh around it scorched. The woman’s chains made contact, wrapping around each of its legs as the woman pulled, keeping the beast in place.

  The buck roared, straining to escape, but all it did was stumble, falling on its side. Still floating in the air, Thalysar made his move. His spear began to glow a blinding white, nearly as bright as Winston’s attack, except it didn’t fade.

  The commander pointed a single finger at the buck, and the spear obeyed. The glowing weapon shot faster than the eye could see, carving through the air. The buck’s translucent horns grew larger than ever before, easily a dozen feet long. It flailed its head, sending several Caltherans flying as it tried to block the spear. It was to no avail.

  The spear pierced through the buck’s head, pinning it to the ground. It was over.