A Monster Life Ch. 28-30

'Any indication as to why?' asked Elzbieta.

'None whatsoever.' said Nina and Ulric realised the seriousness of the situation from the tension in her fingers. 'We sent people to investigate but they were discovered and attacked each time by the harpies. They've also been attacking people ever closer to the town and we fear they might come here eventually. They could cause a lot of damage from the sky before our archers might shoot enough of them down. We've called for help from the capital but that'll take some time before they can come.'

'Could the harpies be defending something important?' asked Valdys. 'Is something threatening them?'

'Not that we know. The only thing we have in common is the hunt for flying fish.'

'Flying fish?' asked Kaui. 'Those fish with fins large enough they can fly some distances from water to water?'

Nina nodded. 'There are a lot of smaller lakes spread throughout the mountains and the fish move frequently between them. Our fishermen shoot nets at schools flying through the air and catch them in that way. But they always hunt farther away and don't come near harpy territory. We know we'd anger them if we hunted them there and steal their food source. No one has even dared to see if there really is a treasure.'

'Treasure?' asked Iphigenia.

'There's talk of a legendary treasure somewhere in the mountains. An old and great hoard of gold and jewels gathered over many years from people that died in and around the mountains. The harpies have no use for valuables but they might like the shine of it.'

'When it's ancient it's either already plundered or it never existed in the first place.' said Iphigenia.

'Most here don't believe it but sometimes the rumour surfaces again.' Nina said and smiled at Susi's sleeping face. 'I don't believe it either but it's a nice fantasy to have.' Ulric's stomach grumbled and she giggled. 'I recommend our flying fish speciality if you want to have a bite here.'

***

'Are you sure you want to go there?' asked Nina when the party was ready to leave while she held Trixy in one arm and stroked her from head to tail. 'Or at least wait until it's light again?'

Iphigenia hoisted her pack over her shoulder. 'We have to.' she said. 'It's sort of a life and death matter that we find what we're looking for. We might have a better chance while it's darker as well.'

Nina thought a party like theirs would not get into things light-heartedly. 'All right, just be careful.' she said and knelt on one knee before Susi and Ulric to pet them. 'Especially you, little one.' she looked at Ulric. 'Take good care of her.' Ulric put his paw on her knee and gave her an affirmative huff. Trixy hopped onto his shoulder and chittered in confirmation. Nina giggled. 'Yes, I feel better knowing you'll look after the both of them.'

She waved them goodbye as they left the inn and walked towards the gate and road leading to the mountains. Iphigenia giggled. 'I'll bet she'd come along just to make sure you two will come back safely if she could.'

Ulric chuckled. 'She'd be freaked out when she witnesses the real me.'

'I'm sure she'd become one of us if she did find out.' Iphigenia said and ruffled his head. 'She totally loved you and Susi.'

'A lot of women love dogs and other animals in my world. Doesn't mean they'd go that far.'

'You're saying we're weird?' said Elzbieta.

'Yes.' he said. 'And also incredible and lovely and I'm using up lifetimes of luck just knowing one of you.'

She gently and briefly grabbed his ea as she blushed. 'You're the weird one.' she muttered.

'The guards must've heard about us.' said Valdys when the two men on guard duty stared at them but didn't seem surprised at the sight of the party.

'Good, saves me the trouble of pretending to be a cute pet.' huffed Ulric.

Iphigenia giggled. 'No need for that, you are our cute pet.'

'There goes my tough man club membership.'

The guards watched the girls pass by giggling but didn't dare ask to find out the reason.

With the lights from the town behind them they got a good look at the overhanging rough cliffs of stone filling the sky in the distance under the soft blue grey shade from the moonlight. 'I thought these were normal mountains.' Ulric said.

'By daylight they look like layers of lighter and darker clouds overhanging high up in the sky.' Valdys said. 'There's even a legend of a country at the top.'

'Is it even safe to walk underneath there? If a piece of rock breaks off it'll leave quite a hole in your head. If there'd be anything left of your head.'

Valdys chuckled. 'I've only read of one death, and that was because they slept out in the open instead of in one of the many caves or at the base of a large tree.'

'Ah. Good to know we can find shelter then.'

***

Ulric still wasn't quite used to how tall some trees grew in this world and often looked up at the dark clouds of leaves blocking the sky on top of huge pillars of wood while they moved through mostly forested land and went around lakes. Once they heard a frantic splashing and a moment later a cloud of silvery glittering rose to the sky and disappeared behind the crown of the trees.

'If I told anyone at home about this landscape, they'd think I'd been drinking too much inside a dream.' Ulric said.

'This doesn't exist in your world?' asked Valdys.

'We do have our share of unique features but nothing the scale of this. Sometimes I feel as small as an ant when I stand near the tallest trees. Especially with mountains like these looming around us it feels like I'm trapped into an adventure game.'

'I hope you get used to it soon though.' said Iphigenia. 'Especially when it looks like it'll take a while before we can even get close to the demon lord and gain the power to send you back home to your own life and body.'

Ulric's ears went down a little. 'Yeah.' he said softly, then halted and sniffed the air.

'What're you smelling, Wolfie?' asked Iphigenia.

'Smells like, feathers.'

Elzbieta looked up and around. 'Just the normal birds?'

He pondered the scent. 'No, it's mixed with the scent of skin.'

'Harpies.' said Iphigenia. 'How far?'

Ulric sniffed the air again. 'I'm not sure. Maybe a thousand paces. I think there's around ten of them.' he pointed halfway to the left. 'That way.'

'How's our direction?' asked Elzbieta.

Valdys held the ring piece in her hand and waited until it settled. 'Still straight ahead.'

'I suggest we take a little detour to the right.'

'Agreed.' said Ulric.

Susi looked up at him as they continued their walk. 'Daddy has a good nose. Susi did not smell harpy.'

He smiled a little. 'It's thanks to Kaui that I have such a good nose.'

Kaui blushed a little. 'But that was only possible because of you, Master.'

Susi looked back at her. 'Susi can't get a good nose from you?'

'It only happened because I'm a special bloodwolf.' said Ulric. 'But you already have a better nose than the others so you can be happy about that.'

Susi smiled and her ears pricked up. 'Susi will if daddy says so.'

Kaui stroked her head. 'You'll learn you have things you're better at than others. We all have some of those.'

She looked up at Kaui. 'Yes.'

Following the edge of another lake they came upon a wide stretch of open land. 'Do we cross?' whispered Kaui.

Ulric sniffed the air. 'I only smell the harpies faintly. It's a chance but I feel if we keep to the trees we're only getting closer to them.'

'If we're careful enough we should be able to cross over to the other side unnoticed.' whispered Iphigenia.

Ulric looked at Elzbieta, who nodded. 'Our direction?'

Valdys pointed a little to the left. 'We're still good.'

'Then let's go quietly.' Ulric whispered and they continued along the lake.

They were nearly halfway to the other side when Ulric and Susi heard a splash and breathing. They halted and gazed at the water. 'Something's there!' Ulric said over the link.

The rest frozen in their tracks. 'Where!?' asked Iphigenia and Elzbieta at the same time.

'The water!' Ulric said and figure rose from the water and spread its wings.

It turned around and stared at the group of people and wolves at a short distance on the bank of the lake. It opened its mouth and shrieked a deafening alert.

'Run!' shouted Ulric over the link and the girls ran towards the trees while Ulric kept to the rear.

Shrieks sounded in front of them and more winged figures appeared against the backdrop of the grey mountain cliffs. 'Crap! They're in front!' said Elzbieta. 'We might have to fight because there's no place to hide here!'

Ulric gritted his teeth. He knew Iphigenia and Elzbieta could evade anything thrown at them but Valdys, Kaui, and Susi were at risk. Hiding would have helped a lot. The solution hit him. 'Kaui! Do you have some of those smoke bomb!?'

'My cloud jars!?' she asked. 'Yes!' She understood his intention and fished them out of her bag.

'Just throw them in front! I'll lead you all through the smoke.'

Kaui threw her jars and soon a thick cloud welled up in front of them. They ran inside and slowed down a little to lay a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them while Kaui threw more jars to their right and their front.

The screeching harpies came closer but their sounds were more of desperation than confidence.

'Throw the rocks!' shouted one of them.

'But we can't see them, Conchim!'

'Doesn't matter! You might still hit them!'

Ulric and the girls heard the thumps of rocks and heavy pieces of wood hitting the ground around them but they kept close to the bank and moved as silently and quick as they could. He noticed Susi's flat ears and her tail tucked between her legs and put a paw in her neck. She increased her pace a little. 'Don't panic.' he said. 'They keep throwing in the middle of the cloud cover.'

By the time they reached the edge of the trees, the harpies were screeching in frustration at a distance behind them. 'We keep to this dense forest for as long as possible so they can't see us.' said Ulric. 'We'll take a rest when we're well out of their way and find shelter.'

***

Ulric couldn't smell any harpy around them much later and slowed down, 'I think we lost them.'

'What's the plan now?' asked Iphigenia.

'How's our direction?'

Valdys checked and pointed halfway to the right. 'That way.'

'Can everyone still walk?'

The girls confirmed and Susi as well.

'Then we keep going for now while we think up a strategy for the next time.' he said and looked at Kaui. 'I don't think we have much of those cloud jars left, right?'

'Not many, Master.' Kaui said. 'And I don't think I can find much of the materials out here to create more.'

'You still have plenty of grenades left?'

'Yes.'

'I'm thinking we'll upgrade those to flak grenades.'

'Flak, Master?'

'We're going to train in throwing with a sling and teach them they're not that safe up there in the sky.'

###