Hunted

Unlike the lynx, the albino goshawk even found it fun to disguise as a black crow, as long as it wasn't for long. She approached the adventurers, followed them, but didn't risk getting too close. While she could fly at full speed through the forest, the bird couldn't accelerate instantly.

She was following them for a while, listening to their conversations, watching their actions.

"Don't you get the feeling they're following us?" one of them hesitated. She was a hyena-teenager of about fifteen, in leather armor. She wielded a small bow and a sword.

"This is the third time you've said it. There's nothing around here apart from some small birds or insects. Stop being paranoid," another of the same race reproached her. She was a year older than the first one, and had just cast a spell similar to Goldmi's Life Detection.

"If you say so…"

"Girls, stop fighting like always. Be careful, that elf is dangerous," growled a middle-aged hyena-man.

"Listen to your father. They say that she's killed a nobleman from another kingdom and his bodyguards. Her level may be over 60, and she has a dangerous pet," added a woman, who was also middle-aged.

""Yes, Mom…"" they both answered, reluctantly.

"These girls…" the man growled.

The parents were at level 62 and 63, while the daughters were over 40. Their goal wasn't to catch the elf, but to find clues. Confronting her seemed too dangerous, but helping locate her was enough to get a juicy reward.

They were a family of hunters, who used to track and chase prey through the forest. They only needed one clue to follow it. The family were traveling, and took the opportunity to search the area, in case they were lucky.

Goldmi frowned. What she had heard through Auditive Link confirmed the worst of her fears. They were looking for them. The kingdom of Engenak may have put a bounty on her head. She wondered if she would be safe in Narzerlak, though right now the elven realm was still too far.

What she didn't doubt was that they couldn't continue near the road. They needed to find another route through the interior of the forest, or, maybe, hide until the search would be less intense.

The albino goshawk moved away from the adventurers and soared towards the sky. She started exploring the surroundings, and looking for how to get to the other side of the canyon that they would have to cross later.

One possibility was to climb the mountains, until the river was small enough to pass over it. However, it would not only mean a detour of weeks, but they would enter dangerous areas for them.

They had spent a few hours walking into the forest when they felt the bird return.

"There is a broken bridge. Perhaps, you could float past it, the distance isn't too big. The area is a bit dangerous, but not much," explained the albino goshawk.

"Is there anything before it?" asked the elf.

"There's the bridge in the road, and another one further up. They are both guarded. In the one further there're not too strong soldiers, but there were a couple of quite powerful auras nearby that were fighting."

They didn't have many options, so they headed for the broken bridge, which was two days' walk away, a little longer if you have to go through a dense forest. A day later, when the elf began to detect level 50 presences, they knew that danger was lurking.

The bird could sometimes warn them of dangers, but some were hidden in the trees, plus she had to deal with her own problems herself. In fact, she was now plummeting, accelerating faster than her pursuer. It was a level 60 eagle that was lagging a bit behind, but wasn't giving up on its efforts.

Normally, she would have lost it by going into the forest, although she was somewhat concerned about the eagle's Screech. Until now, the wind aura surrounding her had managed to protect her, but she could sense that it was on the brink of collapse.

However, the current situation was different from days ago, she wasn't alone anymore. In fact, she was heading like an arrow towards her sister, who was visible through the clearing in which she stood.

When the goshawk changed direction, she did so to let three swift arrows pass. As they had been hidden until a few moments ago by the body of its prey, the eagle didn't have time to dodge them.

Despite the difference in level, the impact of the projectiles enhanced with Piercing Arrow and Accelerate was terrible, as it was also added to the eagle's own descent speed.

The bird screamed again, but this time in pain. Nonetheless, it didn't stop there, as a second batch of arrows reached her. The first three had been Ethereal, Wind and a normal one with Wind Touch. The second included a Rough Arrow and a Light Arrow. The latter didn't cause damage, but it dazzled the eagle.

Momentarily blinded, it didn't see the fierce attack coming from what had to be her prey. The goshawk ravaged one of the wings, which was already battered by the Ethereal Arrow, and became totally useless.

The bird fell through the trees, crashed to the ground, and broke its neck. Unfortunately, the branches and leaves had spoiled the feathers, which were quite valuable for a tailor. That was a profession that Gjaki had learned in the game. Longingly, she thought that her friend would be mad if she saw so many wasted feathers.

"Stupid pretentious bird. Did you think I was going to be your appetizer? Ha! Now you'll be mine! Elf sister! You have to cook it for me!" exclaimed the goshawk.

"Speaking about pretentious birds…" the lynx murmured.

"Hey! If you have something to say, say it to my face!" the goshawk got angry.

"Pretentious bird," the feline repeated.

"Look at the envious four-legs, which isn't even capable of helping against a bird," she reproached her.

"I haven't seen your help against the snakes before," the other reproached too.

Goldmi sighed as the two fought, although a smile spread across her face. Those fights were strangely familiar to her. She had sensed them during the game. The archer more than once had had the feeling that they were fighting, but she had always believed that she was imagining it. She now knew it was not so.

She cast Life Detection once more, and moved on. Meanwhile, her assistant fairies collected her remains, the lynx accompanied her, and the bird rose again in the sky. Despite that, it took a long time for the two to stop fighting telepathically.

The most curious thing was that the elf couldn't feel any resentment or anger in them. She was even quite sure that they were having fun.