Ability unlocking quest (part 2)

"...!"

Ace could immediately tell that the elemental attack wasn't as effective as he had hoped, with the monster trembling only slightly and not attempting to land at all.

The green-haired young man dug out his spear and jumped off the monster's back…

"HKWAAAAAH!"

And he did so not a second too late. The next moment, the monster bird flapped its wings and shot up into the sky, sounding incredibly furious.

"Bismuth is a bad conductor, not to mention what's covering Roc's feathers isn't pure but mixed with actual insulating rocks."

"Call it a learning experience. It's best to keep in mind that not all monsters with metal in their name are susceptible to lightning damage."

Melinda and Zane, still in their original spots, pointed out to each other as if commentating on a sports event.

"BA-KWAAAAAAAAGH!"

The enraged Bismuth-feathered Roc spun around in the air and swooped down once again, this time keeping its wings close for more diving speed, turning itself into a bullet aimed straight at the green-haired man who was only just about to land…!

*whoosh*

"I got you…!"

"...?! Thanks!"

But just like the first time, the maid came in clutch and snatched the shocked monarch from under the beak and talons of the monstrous bird.

"BWAAAK!"

*THUMP*

The problem was that whether was it because of taking in the demonic energy or not, this bird's brain was not at all like the proverbial one upon missing the dive. The monster spread its wings with enough momentum to release a stunning shockwave that it followed with shooting out its feathers in all directions!

"?!?!"

"!"

The maid mid-step could not protect herself from the basically instantaneous attack, but the green-haired young man in her arms was experienced enough for his body to act before his brain could comprehend what he was doing.

The moment things got out of hand, her grabbed onto the maid, raising the hand with the dagger and turning it into a double-edged axe that he used to shield the girl's back while using his other hand to cover her neck and as much of her head as he could.

With the sound of the metal ringing against metal, the move proved to spare the maid some nasty injuries…

…but there was also a few hits…

"...ghh…!"

"OH, NO!"

…on Ace's part, as his short scoff and sudden stiffness made the girl realize that something was off.

And indeed, as he moved back, his hand, forearm, and shoulder were decorated with metallic feathers with rainbow shine.

"We have to…!"

"Miss! Keep dodging!"

The maid cried out seeing the injuries, but was pulled back to her senses by Ace's alarmed call.

"KWAA-GHAAAAGH!"

"!!!"

The monster bird wasn't going to give them time to reorganize. It was already hot on their tail, making the maid grit her teeth and speed up in an attempt to outrun the flying beast.

"Should we catch up to them so Miss Adrianna will not end up going out of the reach of the party link?"

"It's okay. Adi always keeps it in mind."

Zane asked while observing the encounter move towards the other end of the Kobold's quarry, but Melinda, who closed the distance between them who-know-when and was burrowing her face into his stomach - as that was as high as she could reach with his increased height - and assured.

"BWAAAK!?"

The Demon-crowned Bismuth-feathered Roc screeched in bewilderment as it realized that when it stopped to shoot out its feathers at its target, the two humans would get out of the effective range of the skill before it would reach them.

As ridiculous as it seemed for the beast, it really was best for it to just chase them down without using ranged skills.

That… literally never happened, so it took the monster bird two rounds around the Kobolds' quarry to figure that out.

"The scrolls are in the inner pocket of my apron!"

While the deadly game of cat and mouse was in progress, Ace pulled out Roc's feathers from his arm, and the maid called out hastily after catching a glimpse of the infected wound on his hand leaking puss.

Needless to say, the poison coating the monster bird's feathers was a potent one…

"They have pockets?! Please, excuse me..."

Ace's exasperation seemed to have a rather bizarre reason, but the green-haired youth eventually got to securing the detoxification scroll.

"...nnnh…!"

"Target, myself."

The maid blushed and breathed out sharply as Ace took out the scroll with a violet ribbon that he tore up and activated without a second thought.

"Whew… much better! Now we can… MISS! DODGE!"

"...!"

With the status effect no longer in effect, Ace breathed out in relief before flinching and calling out, once again grabbing onto the girl and using his weapon in the double-headed ax form as a shield…

"GHHHGH!"

This time, protecting the girl's back from the sharp beak about to pierce through her flesh, resulting in the running maid being knocked off balance and almost falling.

"HAAH!"

The girl in the maid's uniform managed to save herself from falling with a timely kick that she pushed herself toward the sky.

With the safety of her passenger in mind, she used the time in the air to regain her balance and continued the run the moment her feet touched the ground.

"Keep up the pace and run straight, Miss! Charge weapon! Concussion!"

"...?"

The maid was about to start zigzagging to prevent the earlier situation from repeating itself, but she was surprised when Ace propped himself on her shoulder while calling out.

Nonetheless, she listened.

"KWAAA-BWAAAAK!"

With the Bismuth-feathered Roc screeching out as it charged them, the green-haired monarch turned his weapon back into a dagger, holding like a rapier.

"Miss! Speed up!"

"I…! I'll try!"

Ace called out, making the maid gasp in exasperation as she was giving the run her all already.

With the monster rapidly closing the distance between them, the beast's pinkish eyes were shining with a mixture of anger and excitement as they reflected its prey.

"HAH!"

"BWAAAK!?"

As the beast thought it had the humans within a single chomp of its beak—which, upon a closer look, turned out to be filled with crooked fangs—Ace called out, thrusting forward his golden weapon, which transformed during the initial stab from dagger into staff.

And that one hit was merely the start of a series of repeated blows, raining down on the monster's head and, more importantly, its defenseless eyes.