Chapter 9 - Boar and Bird

"M-master, what should we d-do?"

Ovis and I were trapped in a situation that both of us knew that we could not handle. One tamer after us was already difficult but having two of them made it much worse.

We were watching each other's backs, trying to read the opponents' next move. I had my sword directed at the Harpy while Ovis had her eyes on the tamer with a staff, and his Boarkin familiar.

The tamers after us were probably also wary with one another. There was only one badge. That would mean that they would have to settle it amongst themselves if I fall down. The situation made everyone cautious, resulting to the loss of movement for a while.

"Hey, I am the one who found the badge. Can you just let me go?" I broke the silence.

"Sorry Mest, but I don't want to be stuck with doing insignificant jobs as an F rank either." The guy with the staff replied.

"Wait, how did you know me?"

While I was talking to him, I was trying to find clues that would help me locate the hidden tamer. Bringing him down was also like getting rid of the Harpy. If I could do that then we might be able to escape.

"Why wouldn't I? You are the talk of the town! The newbie who defeated Lavinia Von Freugg!"

"Was beating her really that big of a deal?"

"Nice try! I now you are just trying to buy some time to think!"

Just when I thought I was able to lead him on, he brandished his staff.

"Shatter to break thy opponent's skull, Earth Blast!" The guy chanted.

A brown magic circle appeared in front of the mage then large stones flew from it. Ovis and I dodged the spell, forcing us to create a distance from one another.

"Ovis! Deal with that earth guy and I'll deal with this bird one!" I commanded.

"Y-yes!" She raised her shield then charged towards the enemies.

Meanwhile, I held my sword with both my hands and directed it towards the Harpy in front of me.

"How about you? Can't you tell your master to cut me some slack?" I asked.

The Harpy did not respond. She just flew towards me and attacked me with her talons. I took a step back to dodge it then I countered with a slash. She did the same and came back with a kick. I used my sword to block the attack instead of dodging.

Her talons landed on the blade of my sword yet I was not able to inflict a wound on her soles. Her skin might be so thick on her feet that my sword could not cut through it at all. She used her advantage in physical strength to push me back.

I lost balance as a result then an arrow came flying in my direction.

"Aaaaaah!" I shouted in pain.

I was able to notice the arrow in time which allowed me receive it with my left arm. It pierced though my flesh, and blood streamed down. My back and shoulders shook from the pain which caused my vision to narrow.

"M-master!" Ovis shouted.

She was about to run towards me when the Boarkin came in to attack her.

"I am your enemy, missy."

"Damn it!" I shouted.

I tried to move my left arm yet the pain in doing so made me feel like I was about to go crazy. Due to my injury, I was only able to hold my sword with a single hand.

The Harpy began to attack again. She flew upwards then descended at me with her right foot. I jumped back to avoid it then slashed back. She blocked my sword with her left leg then pushed me back.

I lost my balance again when another arrow came from the woods. Since I already knew their attack pattern and had a rough idea with the archer's location, it was easy for me to deflect the projectile with my sword.

"Hey staff guy! How about a little help here?" I called out.

The tamer with the staff was just watching Ovis and the Boarkin exchange blows since using offensive magic could hurt his familiar as well.

"Why should I do that?" He responded.

"I only have one badge." I responded while trying my best to dodge the Harpy's flurry of attacks while being wary of the hidden tamer. "Defeating me does not matter if you're not the one who'll get it."

"I won't fall for your tricks! All I have to do is to beat the other tamer next after I am done with you!" The mage declared.

It was annoying. Nothing was going my way at all.

"Aaaaah!" Ovis shouted after the boar's spear scarred her legs.

"Ovis, are you alright?" I asked while still engaging with the Harpy.

"Y-yes, it's just a scratch!" She replied before she went back to attack her foe.

The situation was getting worse. The Harpy was just too strong for me to handle. If only I could get to its tamer then I could make him give up. If that goes well, running away from the earth user would not be difficult.

"Haaaaaa!" I switched to the offensive against the Harpy.

I was slashing at every opportunity that appeared. Her nimble movements allowed her to evade all of them until I dropped my sword. Her attention was directed to my weapon, letting go of it made her distracted.

I used that opportunity to attack her with a kick to the stomach. The Harpy lost balance and fell to the ground. I picked up my sword again and went running towards the Harpy to attack her with it. That was when an arrow came flying in again.

Unlike before, I completely expected the projectile since he had to save his familiar. I used my sword to deflect it. That last attack allowed me to pinpoint the location of the Harpy's tamer.

"Ovis, use glow!"

"A simple illumination magic? Did you lose your mind already?" The mage smirked.

The Harpy was able to get up again and was about to attack when Ovis casted the spell while protecting herself from the Boarkin's attacks.

"Thy light be by my side, Glow!"

A big ball of light suddenly appeared in front of Ovis, blinding everyone except those who were expecting it.

"Huh? That can't be a simple Glow spell!"

While everybody was momentarily stunned by the light, I took the opportunity to rush my way towards the tamer who was hidden.

I sprinted through the forest until I saw a dark skinned guy with a green hat and cape. In his hand was a recurve bow.

He took a shot at me the moment the light started to fade. Without slowing down, I used my sword to deflect the arrow. I was able to shorten the distance until he was within my sword's reach.

That was when a metallic sound sprung up and I felt an excruciating sensation in my left leg. I was able to stand no longer.

"AAAaaaaAAAaargh!" I cried due to the mind breaking pain.

I looked at my leg and I saw a relatively small bear trap crunching through it, bathed with my own blood. I tried to remove it with my sword but was unable to.

"Sorry bro, but I am just a few steps ahead of you." The archer said with a disgusting smile on his face.

He was standing next to me. His face made my blood boil yet I was helpless. Both my legs were busted and so was my left arm. I was severely out powered plus the exhaustion and pain was slowly making my head go blank.

"I'll be taking your badge, then."The tamer walked closer.

"No you won't!" I shouted as I desperately wielded my sword left and right.

Despite the situation I was in, I refused to give up. I already suffered enough damage that calling it quits was out of the question.

"Still resisting eh?" The tamer took a step back.

I held my sword in front of me to prevent him from getting the badge. That was when a sudden force grabbed my arm then pinned me to the ground.

It was the Harpy, both of her talons tightly gripped on my arms, rendering me completely immobilized.

"Daaaaamn it!" I shouted with utter frustration.

I tried to move my arms but the difference in strength between me and the Harpy was large. My legs were also aching like crazy that my body just would not move even when I told them to.

"Sorry bro, but this is just how it is." The tamer crouched.

He was about to grab the badge from me when he was forced to jump back. Chunks of large stones flew towards him. The Harpy was also forced to let go of me to dodge the attack.

I looked at the direction from where it came from. That was when the staff guy and the Boarkin appeared. I made Ovis use glow after all which must have tired her out. I just hoped that they did not beat her up that much.

"That badge is mine!" The staff guy announced.

"Let's see you beat me then. Compared to the other guy, you seem a lot weaker," the archer gave a smug look.

"What did you say? I'll show you!"

The Boarkin charged towards the Harpy which resulted in the exchange of blows. The bird nimbly flew around the boar. She attacked with her talons but it dealt no damage. On the other hand, the Boarkin swung his spear around yet he was not able to hit the Harpy at all.

While the familiars were busy, their tamers were also engaged in a long ranged battle.

"Take this!" The archer shot an arrow towards the mage.

"Grant thy flesh the durability of a stone, Stoneskin!" The mage chanted.

His skin suddenly darkened and resembled something like a dry soil. Due to the spell, the arrow just bounced off him, leaving him unscathed.

"Shatter to break thy opponent's skull, Earth Blast!"

A magic circle appeared in front of the mage then chunks of stones went flying towards the archer.

"Tsk!" The archer sought shelter behind a tree.

I was there, watching them fight while having not even an ounce of energy left in me. I tried to reach for my sword yet my body felt so heavy.

I tried to move but the immense pain crawled through my whole body. It stopped me from taking action despite my will. All I could do was watch like a hopeless cripple.

Maybe I took the exam too lightly. I did not know that the path of the tamer would be this rough.

My mind was starting to give up along with my body.

My sight was growing darker and darker. Closing my eyes felt so good that I did not want to open them again when I blink.

I was weak.

The state that I was in was a proof of that.

Pathetic.