Avic's Mistake

BAM!!!

The harpy clashed with Avic with a heavy bang. It used its sharp talons to slash down at his head but Avic ducked before rolling safely out of the way.

"Hey, find somewhere safe to hide!" Shouted Avic to the little girl as the harpy flew high up, ready to attack again.

Leaving a whirling gust of wind behind from the flop of its wings, the harpy dived towards Avic once more. This time, it came down with a powerful slap of its wing. A single hit to the head would be more than enough to knock Avic unconscious.

With no other choice, Avic did his best to catch the attack on the blade of his dagger with a powerful clang. However, even with the dagger's blade, it still wasn't enough to even leave a significant cut on the harpy's wings.

It then shrieked loudly in rage before taking another swipe with its massive talons. Trying his best to avoid the attack, Avic jumped backward to gain some distance. This resulted in the harpy's talons ripping through the chest area of his shirt like paper, barely missing the hair on his skin.

Avic hissed in frustration as the harpy flew high into the air once more. It was becoming a very repetitive cycle. After each attack, the harpy would fly high into the air, a safe distance out of Avic's reach. This proved to be quite annoying as it prevented Avic from going on the offensive.

To make things worse, the conditions in which they were fighting weren't very favorable for Avic. The nest was located high atop a cliff that overlooked the town of Initium. If he wasn't careful then he could easily plunge to his death below.

"Man, what an absolute pain in the ass... This is such a drag..! Unless I find a way to stop that thing from flying, I'll be on the defensive for the rest of the fight. Tsk! I need to somehow get it down on the same level as me," murmured Avic.

The harpy then dived towards him once more like a cannon. However, Avic already had a plan. He turned himself around and ran towards the harpy's chicks. He then slid across the nest before grabbing one of the chicks and bracing the blade of his dagger against its throat.

"If you attack, I'll kill your chicks!" Warned Avic.

Sadly, Avic forgot that he was dealing with a monster that was driven by instinct and not by intelligence. Instead of hesitating and listening to Avic, the harpy shrieked with rage and flew towards him faster in the defense of its young.

This forced Avic to throw the chick to one side before diving out of the way to safety. He gritted his teeth and clenched the dagger between his fist in exasperation. He still needed to do more if he hoped to survive.

"Damn it all... I'm sorry Miss Harpy but I can't allow myself to die here. You see, just like you, I'm not fighting only for myself. I'm also fighting for a little girl that was unlucky enough to be dragged here with me. So I don't plan on becoming fried chicken!"

Avic then quickly removed his shirt before wrapping it around his left arm. As expected, the harpy immediately flew up high before diving toward him. This time, Avic had a different plan that he was certain would work.

He waited for the harpy to get closer before throwing his left arm in front of him. Seeing this, the harpy sank its talons into his arm, picking him up into the air. Wielding the dagger in his right hand, Avic jabbed it into the harpy's side. It shrieked in agony before quickly falling from the sky.

With a painful thud, both Avic and the harpy fell back into the nest. Avic groaned in pain as he picked himself up. He hadn't managed to kill the harpy just yet but with the wound to its side, it would be impossible for it to take flight without serious repercussions. Avic had the monster exactly where he wanted.

The harpy moaned in pain as it tried to pick itself up. A part of its feathers was painted red in its blood from its bleeding injury. It staggered and flapped its wings as it tried to keep its balance. But it was to no avail. its injury was far too severe. It quickly tumbled over, unable to continue moving.

Avic now had the perfect opportunity to kill it and escape. He moved towards the injured harpy, shadowing it with his dagger of death. All that was left now was to jab the dagger into the artery in the side of its neck and end its life.

Avic tightened the dagger between his fists. His eyes remained steady, observing the injured monster. He then shifted his gaze over to the young chicks who were still unconscious. If he killed the mother harpy then the chicks would eventually die as well.

"Man, what a pain... I can't do it," sighed Avic.

"Mister, what are you saying?!" Exclaimed the little girl, peeping out from the pile of skeletons. "If you don't kill it then it could get back up and attack again!"

"I know that... But in its current state, it might die even if I don't kill it. Sorry, kid. I know this is a pain but I have a soft spot when it comes to kids. That includes the children of monsters as well. If I killed the mom then the chicks would die without her support. She only attacked us because she needed to provide food for her chicks. I can't help but feel a little guilty thinking about that..."

"You're a lot softer than people say you are."

"Huh? You know who I am then?"

"Yes, you're Avic, aren't you?"

"Then if you knew who I was all along, why have you been calling me Mister?"

"I was afraid of calling you by your name... Everyone says that you're someone who doesn't care about anyone else but himself. And they say we should always stay clear of you because you're a troublemaker."

"Sigh... Is that so..?"

"Well, I'm starting to think that they're wrong! Not only did you save my life, but you also spared the harpy because she has kids. That made me realize you're actually very kind! Best of all, I'm no longer afraid after seeing you fight so hard to help protect me! Once we find my mom, everything will be back to normal!"

Avic smiled at the little girl. He was glad that she had stopped crying. All that was left for them to do now was to get back to Initium Town safely.

"Hey, what's your name, by the way?" Asked Avic.

"I'm Lori! It's nice to meet you, Avic!"

A powerful shriek then suddenly resonated from the mother harpy, almost driving Avic deaf. This left him surprised as he didn't believe that it still had enough strength to let out such a powerful cry.

"We should hurry and get out of here in case this thing regains its strength."

Just then, Lori screamed out in terror before falling over, looking up at the sky. Avic immediately turned around, ready to see what had frightened her. However, to his surprise, he saw nothing. This was until a red feather fell from the sky in front of him. His eyes broadened with terror as he came to realize that at least a dozen shadows were cast on the ground before him.

Finally, Avic rose his head to the sky. Above them now flew at least a dozen different adult harpies.