The New Bond

“When Preparing for a fight, be ready for everything you think you know about your opponent to be proven false. When you find your plans falling apart, be ready to adapt, and when everything goes wrong, make it work” - Alter Vel during a basics class on military strategy.

Aster

The idea of bringing the beast out of the cave with noise and shouts had been simple but effective. A bear in only grade one should have been a straightforward fight with Kat and Wren. When the second bear came out, it was a surprise but nothing we couldn't handle. The real trouble was when the third bear came out of the cave.

The plan had initially been for Wren to take the bear head-on, with Kat and me helping on the sides after confirming that it was in grade one. With the arrival of the other two bears, we had been each forced to take one and to fight alone. Identifying the Bear, I kept a constant backtrack as I led the bear away. My style of fighting wouldn't work if there were other people nearby the bear could change its focus to.

[Bear - Wood Hide - Level 68]

Pulling back an arrow, I lined up my shot at the same time, using Stalkers Movement to move backward and gain more distance. Infusing the arrow with frost for a second, I let it loose. It thudded into the bear's shoulder, thinking a few inches in, and a moment later, the fur took on a slight blue tint. While the wound was hardly close to being deadly, the arrow angered the bear enough to do more than chase, and as it smashed through the next bush, it let out a roar, and the fur on its back rippled into a darker brown as it spiked up. I let another arrow loose, filled with mama from my skill, as the furred spikes seemed to collect more fur from its back, growing sharper. This arrow hit with the same force and cut past the fur, but whatever the bear had done had made the fur sting enough that it didn't punch even an inch into its skin. One of the spikes ripped itself free from the bear's body and sped towards me. At the same time, the frost started to spread from the arrow.

For a moment, I was back in the city, and all I could see was the iron spike of the wraith. It was gone as quickly, but it was enough to make me hesitate, and I was slightly too late in moving out of the way. The furry spike scrapped against the leather bracers of my arm as I raised it to my side while kicking myself off the ground with another quick burst of Stalkers Movement. Raising my arm, I looked at the small gouge of leather that had been torn from the bracer in a line. It was a bit of a relief to see how minor the damage was. If it had hit me below the ribs where only the flight suit was, then it still might not have done too much damage, even if it would have ripped a hole in the suit.

Glaring at the bear as I came to a stop a dozen feet to the right, I pulled another arrow out of storage and started to Imbue it. The bear seemed to grow even angrier at the idea this fight would be a challenge and blamed me for it. I guessed it was my fault, though.

The bear leaned down, presenting the top of its back at the same time I raised my bow. With the rip of fur and twang of my bowstring, we exchanged projectiles. The trio of spikes sent my way angled slightly towards me as I stepped to the side, which gave me the warning that these spikes were different from the first one the bear had unleashed. Using Stalkers Movement and ducking behind a nearby tree, I felt the splintering of the trunk as the wood took the impact.

I felt a thrill at the situation I was in. Fighting a creature that had a defensive skill and a ranged skill countered me pretty well. I didn't doubt that I could outlast the bear and win in time quite easily as long as I kept my head on straight. I did still have plenty of mana and stamina left, after all. The big issue was if Kat or Wren needed help with their fights. It gave me limited time to deal with this one.

The option of trying to hit the eyes or other weak points from a distance was an option, but there was no easy way to make the shot. Mentally groaning, I noted again that I needed a better way to get past defensive skills and armor that normal arrows and frosted arrows couldn't.

As the bear roared again and shook the nearby bushes, the noise that was growing annoying gave me a small idea. Thinking quickly, I sent a message through the party chat.

[PMS, Aster: I'll finish up here soon. Do either of you need help?]

While I waited for a response, I pulled another arrow out of my inventory and started to Infuse it. Hooking it onto my bowstring, I listened as the bear approached, moving to the left of the tree. I waited until I could clearly hear its grunting growls from roughly twenty feet away. I infused Stalkers Movement with a decent chunk of mana as I rounded the trunk. Pulling the string back, I felt momentum pull my body to the right as I made eye contact with the bear. Its eyes were full of hate, and the fur spikes were already pulling free of its back and moving towards me. Aiming for its face, specifically, its open mouth that it didn't seem to want to ever shut, I let the arrow loose.

The momentum from my skill sent me past the bear in a small flight, and only the sound of its growl turning into a croaking cough told me my arrow had hit true and whatever the frost had done wasn't doing the bear any good.

Turning my small flight into a lengthy skip and then into a stride, I glanced at the reply that I'd received.

[PMS, Kat: I'm doing fine; fire burns well on fur, but Wren’s bear is stronger than mine, and it's on the edge of grade two. He might need assistance.]

Looking at the bear, I watched as it hacked bits of small frozen ice and wood fragments onto the ground mixed with blood. Even if the bear was hurt now, it would recover. It would give me time to get back and help Wren, but it would still be a problem if it lived. Sending another message, I let Kat know I was on my way as I drew another arrow, infusing it with frost mana.

This time, when I let the arrow loose, it was an easy shot, with the bear too distracted and in pain to move or cover itself. The arrow struck its left eye and sank several inches before it stopped; the blood didn't have time to start leaking out before frost covered the wound. The lack of a notification or experience told me it wasn't dead, but as it slumped to the ground, it was obviously out of the fight. Turning toward the others, using party skill as a directional guide, I set off to the others.

The trip only took a few dozen seconds compared to the few minutes it took me to get the bear far away as I made liberal use of Stalkers Movement. When the sound of the fighting became clear, I slowed and infused another arrow. Once the trees parted, I was able to make out each fight that was happening in the small clearing. Kat was easily winning her fight with the use of her fire skills, Turning the bear slowly into a cooked meal. Wren, on the other hand, was holding his own but not making any progress, having to pull his shield up to block multiple projectiles of fur every few seconds. With a quick identify, I could see the bear he was fighting had the same class as the one I fought, but this bear was acting much more reserved with its fighting by staying at a distance from Wren instead of trying to close the gap. It created a game of cat and mouse that wasn't favoring Wren, who lacked any way to close the gap or way to attack from range.

The fight changed when my first arrow hit the bear's back leg. The skill-enforced fur stopped most of the damage, but the frost spread into the fur and hide, slowing the joint ever so slightly. It didn't allow Wren to catch up by itself, but it forced the bear to switch from only facing one person to having to focus on two. The process of hitting the bear with arrows while avoiding spikes made of hardened fur was almost like a game, a dangerous, fun game.

The real result of hitting the same spot with my skill was shown after four more arrows had hit the leg, and a cracking noise sounded out with something inside the leg, giving way and sending the bear to its side. Wren wasted no time in darting forward and putting an end to it with a skill-empowered strike from his sword.

Looking over to Kat and her fight with a drawn arrow, I saw there was no need for me to help her. Her bear was already on its last legs and still had a small fire burning on the right side of its pelt that it couldn't seem to find the strength to put out. Darting in with her daggers, Kat dodged under a clumsy swipe by the bear and planted her dagger straight up through the bear's jaw and into its head. The sizzling sound as the blade cooked everything inside was the noise that finished the fight.

The first thing I did was open the waiting notifications.

[You have killed A Bear - WoodHide - Level 68]

[You have defeated a Creature the same grade as you, Experience is awarded]

[You have killed A Bear - WoodHide - Level 73]

[You have defeated a Creature the same grade as you, Experience is awarded]

Tilting my head, I wondered how the bear I fought alone had died. The arrow to the throat hadn't been fatal, had it? The arrow to the eye after it thawed might have bled it out. Shrugging, I made my way out of the tree line and walked up to Kat.

“That was great! Although I didn't expect three bears, that's not really normal, and I've never heard of a WoodHide class. This forest is a bit different from the ClawWoods.” I said, then grimaced a little at my words. Paying attention to Henry about this forest might have been a good idea.

“Well, it was only three grade one beast, nothing too bad even if we were a bit on the unprepared side. I think there wasn't really a way to cheek with the first bear so near the entrance safely.” Kat said as she wiped her daggers off before storing them in her sheaths at her side.

Wren snorted, and I looked at him as he spoke, “It was an unfair lineup. Not many creatures have ranged attack skills, and with a defensive skill like they had, a mage with a mana bolt or fireball spell would have done us good. Being an unbalanced group like this is going to be a problem.”

The words were surprising, not because they weren't true or accurate but because they came from Wren. He had rarely given his thoughts in a non-hostile way like this, even if it did sound like he was putting the blame on us, but I wasn't dumb enough to point it out.

“Well, should we check out the cave first, and then we can get the bears skinned and start cooking them? We can discuss ideas on how to improve with only three party members tonight,” Kat asked, and after collecting my nearby arrows from them, all of which were broken, we took a look inside with Wren leading the way in case any bears had been staying inside.

The cave was relatively small and empty, besides a scattering of ferns and dead grass across the gored where the bears had probably been sleeping and a small crack in the corner of the cave room where water was slowly dripping into a small hole into the ground. All in all, the cave would be perfect for a week of living after it had been cleaned up.

Nodding and feeling my tail flick in excitement, I stretched and then got to work. Kat cleaned out the cave while I took a look at the bears as a dinner option. The one Kat killed was a total wreck and not worth doing more with other than moving it to the edge of the clearing. The bear Wren and I had killed was better, and even with the cuts in the fur, I figured it was worth skinning. Bringing my knife out of storage, I started as Wren kept an eye out. My work wasn't the best, but I thought the fur could be sold or used. Once done, I stored the fur after rolling it up and started to butcher the meat and stored it as well. Moving into the forest, we repeated the process with the bear I'd killed alone, then returned to Kat, setting up a fireplace right outside the entrance.

The rest of the setup process through the day went smoothly, and I was even able to find some herbs to go with the meat. Before long, the sun was setting, and a chuckle of a bear leg was sitting on the fire roasting.

“If the entire week is like this, then it'll be more a vacation than an exam. If we're lucky, then we might even get a decent amount of levels.” Kat yawned after we'd eaten.

Wren nodded, appearing just as relaxed as he added, “All through forest living is not suited for a noble. It does seem like this will be a rather easy challenge.”

I scowled at both of them, wrinkling my nose. “Saying things like that isn't a good idea.” They were almost tempting something to happen. Looking down at what was in my hands, I refocused on the book. It was flipped to the chapter on leather working and, more specifically, cleaning and tanning hide. I'd asked the others, and they couldn't find a reason for me not to work on gaining skills with the bear hide so I could start to learn.

Pulling my knife and a small bag of salt out of storage, I laid the hide on a flat stone, making sure the hide was dry as I applied the salt. I didn't have a lot, but this was more of a test to see if the bag worked. The shop’s owner said the enchantment on the salt bag should speed up the curing process drastically, but it would still take a few hours to see by how much exactly. The mental ding I received as I finished covering leather was a little bit of a surprise.

[Through Study and practical application, you have gained the passive skill, Leather Working Basic - Rank One]

Looking up at the darkening sky, I felt a spark of pride and excitement at the idea of a whole new area to learn. Then, noticing the time, I pulled slightly at the bond as I wondered what Umbra was up to.

Umbra

I stuck my heat out of the room, scenting the air and looking around. Emyr and his bond had only stopped at the tower earlier today and hadn't returned since, but I couldn't help the nervous shiver that ran into my wings. With the bind as a guide and the sky dark enough to hide me, there really wasn't a reason to delay. Scrapping my talons on the edge of the balcony, I bunched My legs and leaped off of the side, keeping my senses open for Emyr. I was too tired of being bound to the area around the tower and only being able to fly up and down it. Beating my wings as hard as I could, I kept gaining height until my breath started coming in quick pants as the air grew thin, and only did I even start looking around.

The entire stunt had felt like it had taken only seconds, but in reality, gaining this much height had taken the better half of five minutes, and the strain on my wings after so long without use was strangely cathartic and freeing. Turning in a circle, I looked around for Emyr again and spotted the glint of green scales far below me as he moved from the western gate to the middle of the city. Turning towards the pull from the bond, I kept an eye out around me as I started towards it.

I almost didn't notice the tingle of magic over my scales as I passed over the walls, but no alarms were raised so I continued, only wondering what enchantment Was built into the stone to reach so high. I'm on my way, Aster.