Hunted

Brewan immediately darted past Kai, running out of the storage room and hiding behind one of the pillars of the temple.

Kai was about to follow Brewan in running away, but a piercing screech tore through the air, this time sounding like it was right next to him. Kai's eyes shone with panic for a moment before his eyes refocused on the bear.

Despite having just crashed into the room, the massive beast still hadn't gotten up. Visible in the evening sun shining through the hole in the wall, Kai could see massive wounds scarring the beast's coat.

Its dark brown fur was matted and dyed red, with many large chunks of flesh missing near its shoulders. The bear was still breathing, but before it could climb back to its feet, the sunlight that'd been shining on its back disappeared.

Something bigger- big enough to completely block out the sunlight- stepped forward to finish off its enemy.

Nope! I need to get out of here now!

Kai didn't stick around long enough to see the newcomer. He grabbed Brewan's arm as he ran out into the temple, then started pulling him toward one of the brick buildings he'd seen further on the academy's campus.

As they ran, Kai could hear the final struggles of the massive bear as it failed to fend off its opponent. When he was halfway to the nearest brick building, the sounds of the slaughter behind him suddenly went quiet.

[Run faster, and don't look back!]

[Mana -1, Strength +1]

Adrenaline shot through Kai's veins, and he started to run even faster. Somehow, Brewan was still keeping pace with him, even as his speed increased.

[On my cue, jump in the air, turn back, and parry.]

"What?! I'll die!"

The only response Kai got was the sound of quick, heavy footsteps pounding closer to him. There were still a dozen more meters of ground to cross before he would reach the building. Based on the rapidly approaching footsteps, Kai could instantly tell that he wasn't going to make it in time.

[Now!]

Kai sent a small prayer up to his ancestors as he launched himself into the air, twisting to face his pursuer and bracing the ruby sword.

A long, curved beak. Flaming orange feathers forming a crown over two beady, evil eyes.

The phoenix?!

Kai noticed in the next instant that this was definitely a different bird- this one was built more like the flightless ones he'd seen a few times in the plains region back home. Its wings were tiny and stubby, instead using a nasty pair of talons to sprint at an unbelievable speed.

The beast's beak slammed into Kai's sword, the force from its charge sending him flying through the air. By a stroke of luck-or Halia's calculations- Kai flew straight at the door of the brick building.

Just like every wooden building in town and even the dusty warehouse they were fleeing from, the wooden doors here were just as weak and rotten. Aside from having the wind knocked out of him, Kai didn't suffer too much damage as he catapulted through them, sending chunks of rotten wood flying all over.

Brewan charged in right after Kai crashed through the doors, grabbing onto Kai's ruined robes and pulling him further inside.

SCREEEEACH!

The huge bird let out a pissed screech as it ducked its head down, trying to peek into the building. The doorway was only a few meters high, much too short for the huge land-bound bird that had towered over the giant bear.

Its beady eyes instantly locked onto Kai, and it took a step back before lunging forward again. Just before its head crashed through the bricks above the door, Kai's eyes caught a flash of silver.

A tiny crescent-moon shaped emblem hung just over the doorway. A tiny flicker of silver light reflected off its curved edge, catching in Kai's eye. The next instant, the emblem disappeared as the bird's head smashed through the bricks, creating a hole big enough for it to enter the building.

"Shit!"

Kai felt the hands that'd been pulling him further into the building let go, followed by a fading set of footsteps as Brewan abandoned him and fled deeper into the building.

Swish… SCREAAA!!

A faint line of silver light hung in the air, right in the path where the emblem had fallen from above the door.

Instead of charging in and eating Kai in a single bite, the bird recoiled backward. A perfectly straight line of red slowly appeared on its body, just in front of its left wing. After taking a few steps back, the bird ducked its head again, staring at where Kai was lying down inside.

Its beady eyes burned with a vengeful aura, lingering on Kai for a few seconds before the bird turned and ran back toward the temple.

"What was that?!"

[No clue, maybe there's still someone strong defending here!]

Kai glanced around the entryway, but there were no signs of other humans. It looked similarly decrepit as the rest of the town, and a layer of dust coating literally everything proved that there couldn't be another person living here.

[Huh, I think we got lucky and actually ran into one of those remnant traps Brewan mentioned earlier. I'm not sure why it didn't cut us in half instead, though. You were the first one to smash open the doors.]

Kai didn't even feel anything when he heard Halia's words. He'd already nearly died too many times in a short span of time, and his veins were practically pumping pure adrenaline. He struggled for a few moments trying to regain his breath before standing back up and limping over to the pile of rubble in the doorway.

[Oi, back up! The trap might still be active!]

Kai stopped a meter short of the rubble pile, then looked down at it, scouring it for any sign of the silver glow he'd seen the moment the bird's beak struck the building.

"Did you see that crescent moon emblem over the doorway? It looked just like our sect's symbol."

[Kai- Lvl 1]

[Strength: 4 -> 5]

[Mana: 1 -> 0]