"Four burning raptors on the ground, three birds in the sky—all low-moderate threats for me," Isaac called as he dropped from the tree and jogged after James toward the tent. "Think you three can handle those on the ground?"

"You can count on us, boss," the older man replied, unzipping the tent flap. "Go give them hell. The girls and I will make sure those bastards regret coming here."

Isaac clapped him on the back and stepped away, already reaching for his Legacy. "Good luck. Stay sharp."

He didn't get a response as the other man was already busy waking up their sleeping teammates. That was more than fine. He needed to get going anyway. The sooner he pulled the fliers away from the camp, the better.

Isaac took one more deep breath and forced the transformation. With a powerful leap and a single beat of his wings, he shot skyward, his gaze locked on the three flames in the distance.

Now that he had assumed his raven form and his sight had improved, it was easy to make out the beast's features. They looked like vultures with bat-like wings and long, skeletal tails wreathed in crimson flame. It was quite the combination, but not one that surprised him.

This was the world of magic and the impossible now, after all. It would take much more than just a fairly standard hybrid to shock him. Hell, the Hollowbeaks back in the Rotborne Woods were scarier, if definitely less dangerous.

Let's see what you are made of, Isaac thought, reaching for a bit of Viron and igniting his body with Blood Draw's crimson aura.

The three beasts must have noticed him, too, as they adjusted their course to meet him head-on. Good. Very good. Less work for him. That said, the closer he got to those creatures, the more it became obvious how large they were. Not even his Elder growth stage could match them.

Doesn't matter. Only power does.

As the distance between him and the beast shrank to a mere few dozen feet, he pushed more energy into the active Blood Draw. Only the vultures never planned to face him in a fair battle.

Before Isaac could tear into the nearest monster, they all opened their large beaks and spat fireballs twice his size at him. Eyes wide, he dived, the crimson aura around him flickering out as the fire roared past.

Okay, so you won't let me get close if you sense danger. Noted.

With his plan failing, their roles changed. He continued the dive toward the ground with the vultures chasing right after him. And maybe this was for the best. Maybe he could outmaneuver them and look for an opening then.

Catch me if you can.

Isaac shot right into a dense forest close to his camp. He weaved between the branches and trunks, his blood singing as the wind howled in his ears. Even if this wasn't an active fight, the Symphony still played louder and louder, helping him navigate the numerous obstacles in his path.

A quick glance behind him confirmed that the vultures were still following. That said, they just brute-forced their way through the forest, smashing the branches in their path with their massive bodies or fireballs. This was certainly one way to do it, but it also told him one important thing.

They might be fast, but they were in no way as agile as him. He could use it. He had to use it if he wanted any chances at winning.

All right, gotta get higher.

With that thought in mind, Isaac burst from the treetops, wings flapping as fast as he could to earn altitude. Meanwhile, his eyes located the nearest river, a rough plan forming in his mind. Would it work? Well, he was about to find out.

Once the river lay somewhere underneath him, he slowed, letting the vultures get closer. Then, before they could spat another fireball or sink their talons into him, he tucked his wings and dove again.

Come…

As if hearing him, the three beasts followed after him. With their heavier and larger bodies, they also began gaining on him quite fast. Which was exactly what he wanted. All he needed now was perfect timing.

Now!

When the murky waters were only a few feet beneath him, Isaac snapped his wings open, his body screaming in protest as he pulled out of the dive. He skimmed the surface, feeling the river's touch at the edge of his feathers.

Two of the vultures managed to stop themselves in time, their wings flaring wide. The third, though? The one that had been on his tail since the very beginning? That one plunged headfirst into the river with a splash, the fire on its tail going out in a blink.

No kill notification, though. That would have been far too easy.

Phase two.

Even as he continued to race away from the remaining vultures, Isaac called on more Viron, summoning two Crimson Deaths on his sides. With that ready, he banked hard and wheeled around to fly straight at the beasts.

They stopped instantly, flames gathering around their beaks. He responded in kind, covering his body in fresh Blood Draw while hurling both spears forward. That had the duo quickly spitting two more fireballs and preparing to spew more.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Good.

The moment the fireballs and his Crimson Deaths collided mid-air, they exploded in a burst of blood and flames. Isaac used this momentary distraction and flew underneath it. The vultures, seeing this, unleashed more fireballs, likely thinking he was coming for them.

They were wrong. His target was somewhere else.

The third vulture, the one who fell into the river, finally appeared on the shore, crawling and shivering. It barely had time to turn its head and ignite its beak before Isaac hit it head-on with Blood Draw active.

The fireball forming inside its mouth exploded along with its head, bathing him in fresh blood and flames. They scorched a few of his feathers, trying to ignite more. Yet, none of that mattered. Only the result did.

[Flamebone Vulture (LVL. 12) slain.]

Two left.

The heat from another fireball washed over his body as he flew away from the corpse. The remaining beasts obviously didn't take the death of their kin well. Too bad they would be joining it soon enough.

For the next minute or two, Isaac stayed on the move, weaving and diving, dodging the barrage of flames. While before, the vultures avoided using their ability too much, now they had no such reservations. They wanted him dead, no matter the cost.

Unfortunately, this also posed a problem. He still had no clean way of getting closer to them. He could keep throwing Crimson Deaths, but those were easily countered. And he doubted they would fall for the same trick with the river again. No, he needed something else, something unexpected.

Isaac hummed as he flew higher and higher.

It could work. Will be painful, but I will heal. Time to lean into my strengths.

Without another thought, he stopped mid-air and turned to face the remaining vultures. They also started hovering a safe distance away from him, their beaks glowing with fire. They were waiting for him to move, their narrowed yellow eyes glaring at him.

Do your worst.

With no hesitation, Isaac flew straight for the nearest beast. The first two fireballs coming his way, he avoided. The third and the fourth, too. Yet when only a couple of feet separated him from his target, and another ball of flames came at him, he didn't dodge.

Shit!

He hissed as, for a short second, fire consumed his world, burning feathers and flesh alike. Harden helped a bit, while his other skills negated most of the pain, but it still hurt like hell.

Yet he powered through and burst from the other side of the flames, the vulture's wide eyes meeting his. Before it could react, he forced the transformation into human form.

Insane? Maybe. But there was a method to this madness.

His right hand shot out, grabbing one of the vulture's wings. Then, he pulled, flinging himself onto the creature's back even as blood spilled onto his left hand, forming a medium-sized Crimson Death.

End of the road, friend, Isaac thought, plunging the spear into the monster's spine. As he did that, he kicked himself off its body just as the skill detonated and ripped the creature apart.

[Flamebone Vulture (LVL. 11) slain.]

Despite that, he never got a chance to celebrate. The moment he transformed into his Legacy form, the final vulture slammed into him. It sank its talons and the claws upon its wings into his body, earning a loud shriek from him. With no other way out, he forced the shift again.

Back in human form, Isaac wriggled while one of his hands closed around the vulture's long neck to keep it from biting his face off. Not that it helped much. The beast still had its claws and talons buried in his flesh. Even worse, with their position locked, there was no one to keep them afloat.

They were falling.

Fast.

You would kill yourself just to take me out?! He growled, jabbing his elbow into the beast's side. It barely noticed. He also tried summoning Crimson Death, but the skill failed before it could form. The vulture made sure of that by moving the talons, tearing his legs apart.

A second later, flames appeared around its beak.

Oh no, don't you dare!

With a burst of strength fueled by the Symphony screaming in his veins, Isaac yanked his left hand free from the claw keeping it in place, and punched the vulture in the head. The blow snuffed out the gathering flames but did nothing to loosen its grip on his body.

Shit.

With the ground closing in, he did the only thing his mind could think of. He grabbed both of the beast's wings, twisted them, and flipped the monster mid-air so its body faced the earth. Maybe it could take the brunt of the impact for him.

To a degree, it worked.

The moment the vulture hit the first tree in their path, its body snapped with a sickening series of cracks. A high-pitched screech left its throat, only to be cut short by another thick branch. When the next one appeared in their path, it was Isaac's turn to share the pain.

And god, did it hurt.

His right shoulder shattered on impact. More bones followed as their descent continued. Finally, just the ground remained, and with the last strength left in his body, Isaac hugged the vulture as best as he could and prepared for the inevitable.

Fuck!

Even with the beast breaking his fall, the impact rattled his body, snapping what felt like half his bones. Burned, cut, and broken, he didn't even have it in him to roll off the corpse beneath him.

At the very least, the Symphony still hadn't left him.

[Flamebone Vulture (LVL. 13) slain.]

Come on. He grimaced, willing his left hand to move. It did, if just barely. Has to be enough.

With a tug on his Storage Brand, he summoned one of the healing potions they looted in the goblin village. The vial dropped into his working hand, and using his teeth, he yanked out the cork before downing the mixture in one go.

It did nothing to soothe his pain, but he could feel the potion's effect combining with his regeneration. He sighed and went limp.

My aerial combat could use some work, Isaac thought, letting out a weak chuckle. Ouch… Bad idea. No sudden movements.

And so, for a good minute or two, he just lay there, sprawled atop the dead vulture, too broken to move. Then, its body vanished, dropping him on the ground like a sack of potatoes. He groaned and fumbled for the Virality Gem he had landed on.

At least it's normal grade, he noted, consuming the item. How's it looking?

Virus Integrity: 59%

Could have been worse. I just hope the others are doing better than I am.

For good measure, Isaac downed another healing potion. His right arm remained unresponsive, but at the very least, he could move the rest of his body to some degree. That said, he only managed to drag himself toward the nearest tree and lean against it.

Five more minutes. Then I move, he decided. Meanwhile, let's see what you got for me, Interface.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.